Jiang Chuyi cast his gaze towards Zong Ye, propped himself up, and said anxiously, "You talk..."
"Um?"
"Vile."
Zong Ye laughed, his eyes following her movements, "Teacher Jiang, did you misunderstand something?"
She doesn't speak.
He stroked her smooth black hair, his fingers wandered around her transparent earlobe, and lowered his voice, which was very suggestive, "Chu Yi, aren't you the one who is being a hooligan now?"
Jiang Chuyi suddenly felt guilty.
She felt that she was still a little inexperienced compared to him, and this man had plenty of ways to deal with her.
Jiang Chuyi got off him and said hypocritically, "Forget it... I'll let you go."
Zongye was still lying on the ground, with a few light red marks on the side of his neck. His grey sweater was wrinkled, and the hem was lifted up at some point, revealing a part of his waist. His breathing had not yet calmed down, and his chest was rising and falling slightly, as if he had been tormented by her.
Her mouth was dry and she couldn't see.
Zong asked calmly, "Is the punishment over?"
Jiang Chuyi hummed indistinctly.
Zongye sighed, "Enough of the fun."
She tugged at the person who was still lying on the ground and refused to move, "No more playing, let's go eat cake."
*
The cake was made by Zong Ye himself in the afternoon, but it has been kept in the refrigerator.
Zong Ye hung the curtain she bought on the wall for her, strung together a string of small colored lights, tied up the balloons, and lit the scented candles, completing the birthday scene arrangement with a sense of ritual.
Jiang Chuyi sat cross-legged in the center, clasped his hands together, and made a wish devoutly.
In the flickering light of the fire, Zong Ye looked at her quietly: "Chu Yi, happy birthday."
"Thanks."
She leaned forward and blew out the candle.
Zong Ye cut a small half of the cake and handed it to her.
Jiang Chuyi tasted a few bites and couldn't help but ask, "How come you know everything?"
"I used to work in a dessert shop." Zongye held his chin with one hand, "Is it delicious?"
"It's delicious." Jiang Chuyi thought for a moment and asked carefully, "Did you go there to work after graduating from junior high school?"
"almost."
"Oh..." She slowed down her chewing and felt a little uncomfortable in her heart.
Zongye wiped the cream off the corner of her mouth, "What's wrong?"
Jiang Chuyi shook her head: "Nothing."
"Sit here for a while, I'll go downstairs to get your birthday present."
She watched him stand up, "Huh? Where did you put it?"
"In my car."
Ten minutes later, Zongye brought a large box and placed it in front of her, "Do you want me to help you open it?"
"No, I'll do it myself."
Jiang Chuyi finished the cake in a few bites, crawled over, and looked at the big black and gold box curiously.
Under Souya's gaze, she felt inexplicably nervous, untied the knot at the top, and lifted the top of the box.
On the top were a few Polaroid photos. The more she looked at them, the more familiar they looked. She asked in surprise, "Is this my university?"
"Um."
“When did you go to my university?”
"I went there in the summer before my debut."
Jiang Chuyi was speechless for a moment.
"Do you want to go... to see me?"
Zong Ye was also amused by her question.
Jiang Chuyi felt even worse when she saw his smile, "Are you stupid? It's such a big place with so many people, you can't see me even if you come."
"I just want to see where you've been."
She put the photo paper down, "Fool."
There was also a small dark blue velvet box in the box. Jiang Chuyi opened it and found a small and chic silver bracelet with sliding diamonds on it, a three-ring extension chain and a star shape in the center.
Jiang Chuyi put it on her wrist skillfully and took a picture with her mobile phone.
After taking a few pictures, Jiang Chuyi felt that the lighting was not good enough, so she turned on the lights in the living room and took new pictures.
Zongye asked with a smile: "Do you like it?"
Jiang Chuyi questioned: "How do you know so much about what girls like? Have you really never been in a relationship before?"
"I consulted Wang Tan, he talked about it a lot."
Jiang Chuyi reluctantly accepted this explanation and continued to hold her phone, checking the pictures she had just taken.
"Chu Yi, you make me want to work hard and make more money."
"Why?"
Afraid that she would catch a cold, Zongye bent down and placed a pillow under her feet, "I want to buy you gifts every day to make you happy."
Jiang Chuyi: “…”
When dating a man like Zong Ye who is very good at hooking, you really need to be vigilant at all times. When he is in a good mood, he can make you feel like you are in a honey pot. Not to mention Jiang Chuyi, any girl would be spoiled by him. If Zong Ye takes back all this one day, Jiang Chuyi will probably feel unhappy for the rest of her life when she thinks of this man.
She couldn't follow up with this sentence and went to take down the next gift, "Is this a CD?"
"I'll help you with that."
Zongye methodically disassembled a record player, assembled it, and put the vinyl records into it.
Jiang Chuyi squatted beside him and watched, "Is this your song?"
"A song for you."
The record player started to play, and the vinyl disc slowly turned. Jiang Chuyi held her breath, and Zong Ye's low and slow voice sounded in the room.
"Hey, Chuyi, put your umbrella in your arms and record my voice into the CD player"
"Where you are not, you are always in front of me"
"How can I make you look at me more?"
"if,
You are the sunset falling on me, are you surprised
If you are the star who listened to my story, would you be sad
You are the one who makes me so sorry, will you love me?"
"if,
Time goes back to that day
Will you look at me again?"
"I could have been you, the pile of mud under your feet.
I hope you will look back, and I will stay forever."
If you look back, I will stay forever.
After the song finished, Jiang Chuyi turned her head away and remained silent for a long time.
The clock hanging on the wall ticked away. Her eyes were sore. She sniffed and glanced at him, "Zongye, if you do this, I will cry."
Souya tilted his head and stretched his arms out towards her.
After a pause, Jiang Chuyi bumped into his arms.
She hugged his waist, "Zongye... why are you..."
He laughed: "Is it so abnormal?"
"No, that's not what I meant."
"Why do I like you so much?"
She nodded in his arms.
"Chu Yi, to me," Zong Ye answered her calmly, "you are the only star."
It was the only star that illuminated him.
The light shone for a moment, fleeting in the long and dark decade, but it was enough to make him dizzy for the rest of his life.
*
Soon it was the end of the year, and Jiang Chuyi rejected the invitation of Star City TV and chose to watch the New Year's Eve party at home. Like the fans, she stayed in front of the TV, and at the moment the clock struck midnight, she looked for Zong Ye's figure on the big stage of the TV.
Under the crimson curtain, Zong Ye stood beside the host, with an upright posture, handsome and elegant, and was very eye-catching among the group of stars.
Jiang Chuyi whispered Happy New Year.
This year is the last tour of BloodXGentle, and the momentum is bigger than ever. The momentum started at the beginning of the year and the first premiere in Beijing was held.
Jiang Chuyi knew that it was not appropriate for her to appear at their concert now, so she was unable to attend Zong Ye’s birthday.
She sent the prepared gift to Ah Xi in advance and waited until late at night before video calling him.
In the backstage lounge of Souya's concert, there were busy staff members running around.
In the video, she was wearing a red sweater, with fine eyebrows and beautiful eyes, and a slightly nervous expression. The surrounding light was yellow-orange, and it was reflected on her body, making her look very warm. He couldn't help but stroke the screen of his phone.
Jiang Chuyi said solemnly: "Zong Ye, happy birthday, I also want to give you a song, wait a moment."
After saying that, the picture shook. She placed her phone on the table, walked two steps away, dragged a chair over, and moved closer twice to confirm whether the camera was aimed.
While she was getting ready, Souya took off his headset and asked someone to bring it to him.
Seeing Jiang Chuyi holding a guitar, he asked with a smile: "Do you want to play and sing by yourself?"
Jiang Chuyi: “… Sorry for making a fool of myself.”
The person opposite her was a professional player who made music every day. Even though Jiang Chuyi had practiced many times, she couldn't help but feel nervous when the time came, for fear of making a fool of herself in front of him.
She took two deep breaths.
Zong Ye slid down the screen of his phone and turned on the recording button.
She lowered her head, plucked the strings, and tried to hum.
"Oops, I got into this earlier than you did"
"You love less than I do"
"Destined to suffer"
"If the night is too long, the moonlight will surely grow cold"
A light and clear female voice flowed gently and slowly. Zong Ye listened and turned the volume button up to the maximum.
After the song was over, Jiang Chuyi looked at her phone hesitantly. She put down her guitar, ran over, picked up the phone, and was too embarrassed to point it at her face, "How was my singing?"
Zongye smiled: "It sounds good."
"Really?"
"The song is a good one, too." Zongye slowly stopped laughing, "The lyrics seem to be talking about me."
Jiang Chuyi felt embarrassed and wanted to refute.
I'm not just talking about him, I'm also deeply trapped in his maze...
"Thank you, Chuyi, I'm very happy."
Jiang Chuyi smiled shyly, "As long as you are happy, happy birthday."
The two looked at each other in silence for a long time. She wondered, "What's wrong?"
Zong Ye did not shy away from saying, "I miss you, very much."
"Oh..." Jiang Chuyi's ears turned red, and she evaded the question by saying, "I miss you a lot, too."
Wang Tan took two steps closer, took off her earrings in front of the makeup mirror, and glanced at Zong Ye, "Who are you video chatting with?"
Zongye glanced at him, "My wife, what's wrong?"
Jiang Chuyi: “…”
Wang Tan cursed: "Shameless thing."
This year's Spring Festival, Jiang Chuyi went home to celebrate the New Year with her parents as usual.
On the third day of the New Year, relatives booked a banquet at the hotel.
While the elders were playing cards and chatting, Jiang Chuyi and Shan Wanwan could only take care of the children.
Today seems to be the anniversary of Souya's mother's death. He sent her a message this morning saying that he was going to visit the grave, but there was no news after that.
Wang Woyun still complained to her sister-in-law, saying that when she was Jiang Chuyi's age, she had already been married for several years.
Others tried to comfort her, saying, "Xiaoyi is a celebrity, so it's unavoidable that she's busy at work. There's no rush to fall in love, and the child is beautiful... There's no need to worry about the future..."
Their intermittent chatting sounds came, but Jiang Chuyi remained motionless.
Shan Wanwan was gossiping: "Sister, you really haven't found a boyfriend yet?"
She neither admitted nor denied it, but just said, "I have someone I like."
"Who? From the entertainment industry?"
Jiang Chuyi looked at her steadily: "You know him."
"I know?"
Jiang Chuyi: "It's that person from that group you hate."
Shan Wanwan: “…”
After being petrified for a while, Shan Wanwan spoke slowly, "Don't tell me you were talking about the dead chicken."
"Um."
Shan Wanwan took a deep breath, "People who like to eat chicken? You actually like people who eat chicken?! Are you going to die?!"
"What's wrong?"
"You're still asking me what's wrong?" Shan Wanwan was excited, but afraid of being heard, so she could only lower her voice, "Don't you know how scary their fans are? That group of people won't tolerate any female creatures around their brother, not even female mosquitoes. If you get involved with the people of Bichaji and get exposed, you will be scolded to death..."
Shan Wanwan gritted her teeth, with a complicated expression, "Forget about the others, as long as they are not Zong."
Jiang Chuyi was puzzled: "How did Zong Ye offend you?"
"He looks disgusting. He's just an average person. I don't know why he's praised so highly. He's not worthy of his position!"
"Does he look annoying?" Jiang Chuyi was even more puzzled. "Zong is also very handsome. He is even more handsome in person than in the photo. He is also very polite. You will know when you meet him in the future."
Although the entertainment industry is not short of good-looking people, no matter whether they are men or women, anyone who is in the limelight has a sense of nobility. However, Zong Ye is one of the few people she has met who is at the peak of his popularity but does not show any sense of superiority in his behavior.
"Why do you keep speaking for him..." Shan Wanwan finally realized what was happening and her face changed. "Don't tell me that the person you like is Zong Ye?!"
Jiang Chuyi was very calm: "It's him."
Shan Wan felt as if struck by lightning, her mind was wandering and her expression was dazed.
Jiang Chuyi didn't keep it a secret any longer, "I told you this in advance so that you can be mentally prepared. If I can bring him home in the future, you must not turn your face away. Remember to call me brother-in-law."
"Brother-in-law..."
Shan Wanwan coughed violently and almost couldn't breathe.
Thinking back to those years when Dan Wanwan single-handedly picked up the keyboard and fought with the toxic fans until the end of the world, and cursed Zong Ye’s ancestors to every generation, and one day she actually called him... brother-in-law.
Brother-in-law??!
Shan Wanwan looked at Jiang Chuyi with a look that said "don't go crazy": "Stop teasing me, sister."
"I'm not kidding you." Jiang Chuyi thought of something else and said, "Remember to prepare a gift for Zong Ye when the time comes."
Shan Wanwan confirmed again without giving up, "Are you guys talking now?"
Under her gaze, Jiang Chuyi nodded.
Sensing the seriousness of the matter, Shan Wanwan hesitated for a while and scratched her hair, "No, sister, are you really not afraid of death? I'm in the fan circle, don't I know that they will never accept having a sister-in-law."
"It's not like I haven't been scolded before." Jiang Chuyi comforted her, "When the time comes to make it public, let them scold me, I just won't read it."
Shan Wanwan shook her head, "Sister, you underestimate Zong Ye's group of toxic fans. They just beat people to death at will. If you dare to make it public, they will probably scold you to quit the circle."
Jiang Chuyi remained silent.
She smiled and avoided her cousin's gaze: "I know that it is not a very wise choice to fall in love with Zongye now."
"Then you still..."
Jiang Chuyi said firmly, "But no matter what, I chose this path myself, and I won't regret it even if I have to pay a price in the future."
Shan Wanwan remained silent.
*
After sweeping his mother's grave, Zong also accompanied Chen Xiangliang to clean the entire house and put up couplets.
Throughout the year, there were only a few days to rest. After Chen Xiangliang set off firecrackers in the yard, it finally felt like the New Year. He cooked a large table of dishes and asked Zong Ye to drink with him.
Zong Ye took a photo of Jiang Chuyi and sent it to her. He immediately put down his phone, slightly blocked the water he poured for the wine, and said helplessly: "Uncle, I can't drink too much. I have to call Chuyi later."
Chen Xiangliang glared at him. "It's okay that you can't drink much, but you forgot about your uncle after you got married. You have no conscience."
Zong Ye smiled and said nothing.
As the two of them were eating, Chen Xiangliang picked up a dish for Zong Ye and said casually, "I see you're in a good mood today."
In the past, on the anniversary of Zong Xiuyun’s death, Zong Ye would come back from sweeping the grave and have dinner with him, then he would always lock himself in his room for the whole night.
Zongye hummed.
While eating quietly, Zongye suddenly said, "Uncle, actually I don't blame my mother anymore."
Chen Xiangliang paused.
Zongye took a sip of wine, put down the glass, and said calmly: "I didn't understand why she would leave me for that kind of man before, but now I don't blame her."
"She loved him so much, she must have been very desperate in the end. Death might be a relief for her." Zongye said to himself, smiling all the time, "I should be the same kind of person as my mother. Because I can't imagine what I would do if Chuyi doesn't want me anymore. It seems like death would be good too."
Chen Xiangliang scolded him: "What nonsense are you talking about? It's not auspicious to be dying on New Year's Day."
Zong Ye finished his glass of wine and continued eating.
Chen Xiangliang asked: "How is your company preparing?"
"almost."
"What are your plans for the future? Don't want to be a celebrity anymore?"
It's hard to tell whether Zong Ye's face is good or bad: "I have already started the process of terminating the contracts with some of the brands I endorse. There are too many unstable factors in this industry, and I'm afraid of accidents."
Chen Xiangliang lit a cigarette and said, "It's up to you."
Zong Ye also smoked a cigarette, his eyelashes lowered, and just as he put the cigarette in his mouth, the screen of his mobile phone lit up and he picked it up.
Jiang Chuyi: "Zong Ye, can you come out and pick me up? I'm at the entrance of the alley and can't find the way."
Jiang Chuyi walked slowly back and forth along the curb steps, concentrating on counting the floor tiles. She was wearing a white down jacket, her chin was wrapped in a scarf, and she had a lollipop in her mouth. Her shadow was stretched out by the street lamp.
Zong also looked at it from a distance for a while before walking over.
The two looked at each other, and after a brief silence, he asked, "Why did you come here suddenly?"
Jiang Chuyi counted the last brick, took a step forward, and jumped in front of him, "After having dinner with my family, I suddenly missed you a little bit."
In the cold winter, her eyes were dark and moist, and she was so cold that she was still misty when she spoke. Zongye's heart was moist, and he whispered: "If you miss me, you can send me a message and I will go to see you."
"I can't always ask you to come to me. I have to give you a surprise once in a while."
After saying that, Jiang Chuyi noticed the cigarette between his fingers, "Are you in a bad mood?"
"Um?"
"It feels like you haven't smoked in a long time."
As he was talking, Jiang Chuyi suddenly remembered that today was his mother's death anniversary, so he stopped talking.
Zongye's eyes were heavy, he raised his hand and touched her face, "I was in the same mood until I met you."
Jiang Chuyi took the lollipop out of her mouth and said, "Actually, someone else taught me to smoke."
"What?"
"I saw a clip of your music video online before. On the rooftop, a girl wanted to smoke from the same cigarette with you, but you refused." Jiang Chuyi looked at his expression absentmindedly, "Many people said that they wanted to know what it felt like to smoke from the same cigarette with Zong Ye."
Zong Ye was a little slow to react.
Jiang Chuyi grabbed his hand, brought it to her mouth, and took a puff of his half-smoked cigarette.
It’s still the familiar taste of nicotine, bitter and astringent.
Zongye stood still.
She deliberately whispered, "So this is what it feels like to smoke the same cigarette as Zong Ye. It doesn't seem to be anything special."
"Really?" he laughed.
Zongye touched her thin wrist, grabbed it with his backhand, and pulled her to him.
Jiang Chuyi staggered a few steps and his face turned red.
He ran his hand through her hair, pressed the back of her head, tilted his head slightly, leaned close to her ear, and lowered his voice several notes, "It seems that many people have also said that they want to know what it feels like to kiss Souya. Are you curious about this?"
(End of this chapter)