Chapter 57

Chapter 57

The night was dense, the clubhouse built along the moat brightly lit.

After Secretly Falling in Love with You achieved consistently high ratings and won multiple awards at tonight’s ceremony, everyone’s faces were full of joy amid clinking glasses, the mingling scent of alcohol and perfume drifting through the night.

Pei Chuzhi wore a newly changed crimson red cocktail dress. It wasn’t as dazzling as her previous star-studded gown, but the cut was very neat, with a touch of vintage design, gently outlining the curves of her figure.

Her black hair was swept to one side, revealing the other side of her neck and cheek, pure as jade. A petal-shaped red earring dangled from her earlobe, swaying slightly as she laughed and talked.

It radiated both glamour and prideful delight.

After managing the crowd of big shots, Pei Chuzhi handed her glass back to a passing server and turned toward a round table in the corner, her expression instantly dimming.

The round table sat by the window, giving a view of the riverbank’s dazzling nightscape through the floor-to-ceiling glass.

The moonlight outside was softened by the lights, casting a lonely hue at the edge of her vision.

Ruan Li approached, carrying two glasses, and sat beside her. “Bored, huh? I don’t like these kinds of parties either; it’d be more fun watching TV on your sofa. But this is the usual in our circle. Everyone’s obliged to play the part—they have to do the surface work.”

She assumed Pei Chuzhi didn’t enjoy social gatherings and offered her insight in a friendly way.

Pei Chuzhi often felt Ruan Li carried a contradictory air: clearly following the pure, innocent “little white flower” route, yet sometimes revealing blunt, straightforward traits.

Just a few hours ago, when Pei Chuzhi said she didn’t mind who won Best Actress, she still saw Ruan Li subtly clutch her skirt tighter when the results were announced.

Anyone stepping into the entertainment industry harbors a desire for fame. Not everything goes as wished, so one must learn to smile through disappointment.

This applied to work—and even more so to love.

She understood the principle, yet her heart still ached.

Pei Chuzhi took a few sips of wine. When she set the glass down, her eyelashes looked as moist as lips touched by the wine.

“Are you drinking to celebrate or to drown your sorrows?”

Ruan Li was puzzled; she felt Pei Chuzhi wasn’t in high spirits tonight, not like someone who had just won an award.

Pei Chuzhi thought for a moment. “To drown my sorrows, I guess.”

“Did you argue with Xing Ye?”

At this point, the news of their breakup hadn’t spread. Ruan Li didn’t realize the severity and joked, “Can’t stand his temper?”

Pei Chuzhi asked seriously, “Is his temper really that bad?”

“Not exactly, but he’s pretty wild, right? He does whatever pleases him, never listens to advice. When Song Shiqing first managed him, he often worried he’d get half his life frustrated by Xing Ye.”

“…”

Pei Chuzhi pursed her lips, thinking he wasn’t as bad as the rumors suggested.

Ruan Li blinked and leaned closer. “But he has the capital to be that way. Plus, most people around him cater to his moods. A guy like him rarely yields in love. Expecting him to patiently communicate? Not likely. Want my advice?”

Pei Chuzhi, on impulse, asked, “What advice?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she thought it silly—what use was advice at this point?

“You can’t confront a guy like him head-on. You need to smooth out his rough edges, calm the impatience in his heart, and then everything will be fine.”

To ensure credibility, Ruan Li added, “This is all the bitter lesson Song Shiqing taught me back in the day.”

Pei Chuzhi twirled the wine glass in her hands, silent.

Ruan Li assumed she was shy and patted her shoulder encouragingly. “Don’t chicken out. If you like him, be brave. Keep him by your side, don’t wait until you’ve lost him to regret it.”

Pei Chuzhi, for some reason, suddenly asked, “That last bit—was that your bitter lesson?”

“…” Ruan Li puffed her cheeks and pretended to be annoyed. “I’m helping you out, how can you stab my heart like that?”

Pei Chuzhi comforted her briefly, but her thoughts drifted far away.

In fact, Ruan Li didn’t analyze her mindset accurately enough.

She wasn’t timid—she believed in “what’s meant for me will be mine; what’s not, let it go.” A truth she had learned in her sophomore year.

If she hadn’t learned early on not to force things, she could hardly imagine how she would adapt to the stark difference after her family’s decline.

From the enviable rich heiress to a newcomer in the entertainment industry burdened with massive debt.

Not only her status had changed, but also her mindset.

Having had it was enough; losing it was not frightening. If she were destined to go through a similar experience again, she would rather hide her true feelings and turn away with a carefree demeanor.

She had held this thought for a long time.

She thought this way clearly.

Pei Chuzhi lowered her eyes, the embroidered patterns on her skirt blurring in her vision.

“Zizi?”

Ruan Li noticed something was off and grabbed her wrist. “What’s wrong?”

Pei Chuzhi shook her head. Sensing the probing gazes around her, she took a deep breath, wiped the unshed tears from her eyes, and raised her head again with a smile. “I’m going to the restroom.”

Ruan Li hesitated, wondering whether to follow her, when her phone vibrated.

She opened it and immediately saw a message from her gossip-prone assistant: “Big news! Xing Ye and Pei Chuzhi have broken up!”

“…???”

She turned in shock, and sure enough, she saw the crimson-red figure walking farther away, with dozens of curious, prying eyes following behind.

·

The heavy doors of the banquet hall closed behind her.

The long corridor resembled her current emotions, scattered with dim, fragmented highlights.

Pei Chuzhi’s mind was unusually clear. With every step she took, she asked herself: Can you really let go?

A future completely separate from Xing Ye—though there would still be applause and flowers around—none of the faces beside her would belong to him.

Perhaps she should be grateful that they had participated in a publicity stunt together; someday, when she wanted to reminisce, the internet would still have countless traces, real or fake, to recall.

When Pei Chuzhi’s hand touched the slightly cold brass handle of the restroom door, she heard a voice amplified infinitely inside her:

She couldn’t let go.

She took several deep breaths, applying some force with her wrist, and with a resolute momentum pushed open the restroom door. Without hesitation, she locked it, walked to the sink, unzipped her small leather bag, and took out her phone.

She was going crazy.

She realized that all the composure she had acted out tonight was now void.

The screen lit up first with Tang Dong’s name. Without thinking, Pei Chuzhi refused the call. She quickly opened WeChat, barely half a second before exiting to enter the SMS interface.

She still remembered Xing Ye’s number.

Pei Chuzhi was unprecedentedly grateful for the memory training from reciting lines.

Her fingers flew over the keyboard. Some things she might not have been able to say if she heard Xing Ye’s voice, but facing the cold, unfeeling screen helped her discard all distractions—she just needed to speak her truest thoughts.

Tang Dong called again, interrupting her, and Pei Chuzhi exclaimed, then answered without listening, saying, “Tang Ge, call me again in two minutes! I’m doing something important!”

Then, regardless of Tang Dong’s reaction, she hung up decisively.

The moment the message was sent, she noticed her hands trembling.

She had just claimed lightly and casually that she would never cling again, yet in an instant, she had reached out. She had never done anything so self-contradictory.

But her heart was ecstatic.

Pei Chuzhi laughed softly and looked at herself in the mirror.

Even her delicate makeup couldn’t mask the light in her eyes.

She bit her vividly red lips, gripping the phone in her right hand until her knuckles turned white. She refused to deceive herself with doubts any longer. Having Xing Ye had been a grand dream—but dreams always come to an end.

She was determined to turn this dream into reality.

Two minutes later, Tang Dong’s call came as expected: “Zizi, what big thing have you done this time! Wasn’t today’s mess big enough already? You get Best Supporting Actress and start acting high and mighty, and you even break up with Xing Ye without telling me in advance?!”

“You know?”

“The video’s already online! The whole country knows!” Tang Dong rummaged around for a calming pill. “Do you realize how many ongoing endorsements are going to be affected by this breakup news?”

Pei Chuzhi’s blazing determination just moments ago was instantly plunged into an abyss.

She suddenly realized a potentially embarrassing point—would Xing Ye misinterpret that message, thinking she was acting out of concern for commercial value, taking preventive measures purely for profit?

After hanging up, Pei Chuzhi stared blankly at the successfully sent message for a long moment.

Why can’t this thing be recalled?

·

The neon lights on both sides of the street painted streams of color across the car window.

Xing Ye finished watching the video online, and the corners of his lips curled coldly.

A small consolation: the video hadn’t captured the part about their contract termination discussion. Yet even the farewell lines at the end were enough for anyone to understand—it was clearly a large-scale breakup scene.

The person filming the video hid behind a second-floor screen; Pei Chuzhi hadn’t noticed them when she left.

But the melancholy she displayed with her lowered head needed no further explanation—it was the textbook look of someone heartbroken.

On Weibo, freshly collapsed posts mocked blatantly in trending hashtags, stabbing straight into his eyes:

—#Xing Ye Pei Chuzhi breakup#

—#Xing Ye flying kiss Pei Chuzhi#

The completely opposite meanings could stir up such a storm, yet Xing Ye no longer cared.

He even thought, somewhat absurdly, that this was good—breaking up could still let her ride a bit of heat, sending her to the top of trending searches.

His phone buzzed with Song Shiqing’s relentless cold mockery:

“Just finished showing off and immediately crashed—this move isn’t for everyone, Ye Ge, your style really is wild.”

“Making it look this ugly, how exactly did you talk to her?”

“I’m extremely glad you became an actor. With your negotiation skills, inheriting the family business would have been three years of loss, five years of bankruptcy.”

Xing Ye frowned, suspecting that Song Shiqing might normally keep a little notebook, noting every time he had been angered, just waiting for the right opportunity to repay him.

But thinking that Song Shiqing would probably be up late tonight with the PR team, Xing Ye restrained his temper. After letting him vent, he quietly asked, “Enough? If not, I’ll give you something new to complain about.”

“…What did you do now?”

Xing Ye lifted his eyelids and glanced at Xiao Zhou sitting stiffly beside him: “I probably won’t make it back to the crew tomorrow morning. Make sure to explain this to the director.”

Song Shiqing’s breath caught. After a long moment, he said, “Xing Ye, don’t go crazy.”

“I’m not crazy. I’m very clear-headed right now.”

Xing Ye’s voice was hoarse, carrying three parts unwillingness and seven parts resolve. “Just have your PR plan consider it as ‘no breakup.’ I’ll give you an explanation for this matter.”

“How will you explain? Tell Pei Chuzhi she won’t be released from the contract in advance?”

“Of course she’ll be released.”

Xing Ye lowered his voice, each word full of suppressed anger: “Sleep and then try to run—does the world work that cheaply?”

Song Shiqing: “…”

Xiao Zhou: “…”

A “ding” sounded in his ear.

Xing Ye didn’t usually check messages, so he initially ignored it. But a few seconds later, some subtle intuition made him lift his wrist and bring the phone in front of his eyes.

The sender: Pei Chuzhi.

“Sorry, I lied. Even if you think I’m overestimating myself, it doesn’t matter. I don’t want to cut off contact with you at all. Xing Ye, I don’t just want to keep bothering you, I want to bother you for a lifetime.”

Xing Ye raised an eyebrow, then after a moment, turned his face slightly and smiled.

·

Pei Chuzhi opened the bathroom door expressionlessly, a sense of complete resignation weighing on her heart.

She didn’t want to stay there facing other people’s probing eyes and was thinking of finding an excuse to leave early.

Before she could come up with an excuse, a man in a suit called out to her from the corridor.

Pei Chuzhi slowed her steps and recognized him as one of the investors attending tonight, named Kong Sheng. Ruan Li had said he was a playboy who liked to be vaguely involved with female celebrities.

“Mr. Kong.” She nodded lightly, not intending to stop the polite acknowledgment.

Kong Sheng didn’t speak. Just as they were about to pass each other, he suddenly reached out to block her path: “Miss Pei, I’m your fan.”

Pei Chuzhi furrowed her brows. Had she not stepped back just in time, his arm would have brushed against her chest.

A sticky discomfort immediately spread through her, and without showing it, she crossed her arms to create distance, ignoring his so-called “fan” comment.

Kong Sheng whistled, reeking of alcohol.

He stepped forward two paces to try and block her way, grinning: “You broke up with Xing Ye?”

Pei Chuzhi sidestepped him, her expression cold, and walked forward: “Mr. Kong, if you want gossip, the company will release an official statement tomorrow. Please follow Huaxing Entertainment on Weibo.”

“Tch, clueless.”

Kong Sheng looked at her with disdain. As his gaze fell on her slim waist, his breathing grew heavier.

He had never actually seen Pei Chuzhi’s work—he was just attracted to her beauty and figure, giving in to base desires. Friends had warned him that she was Xing Ye’s girlfriend and advised him not to touch her.

But Kong Sheng hadn’t expected such a surprise.

Seeing Pei Chuzhi walk two or three meters away, he raised his voice drunkenly: “Still thinking about Xing Ye? He’s rich and powerful; he’s just playing around. I’d advise you to stop dreaming.”

The sound of her high heels paused on the floor.

Kong Sheng thought he had struck a nerve and continued: “Everyone who’s been dumped by Xing Ye, what are you doing here pretending? Women like you…”

He didn’t get to finish.

A cold, low, steady laugh sounded—a young man’s voice.

From somewhere, a tall figure appeared at the end of the corridor.

Pei Chuzhi stood frozen, watching as Xing Ye, who was supposed to have left Yan City, came out.

Half his face was in shadow, jaw tense, eyes full of aggression: “She’s mine. Try touching her, and see what happens.”

Kong Sheng’s drunkenness evaporated almost instantly.

Seeing him still stunned and unmoving, Xing Ye grew impatient: “Get lost.”

Pei Chuzhi only felt a figure stumble past her.

She pretended not to notice, her gaze fixed solely on Xing Ye.

His presence was so overwhelming that she even softened her breathing.

Xing Ye’s expression was displeased; his lips pressed into a straight line. As he strode closer, a cold wind rolled up around him, like a ruthless assassin about to merge with the night.

Pei Chuzhi was momentarily stunned, then fell into an awkward confusion after the initial surprise.

As the distance between them closed, she shivered and, like waking from a dream, spoke: “The text I sent you, it’s not what you think it means.”

Xing Ye’s body stiffened, almost collapsing with emotion: “Are you fucking with me?”

“Ah?”

Pei Chuzhi froze for a moment, thinking, why is he swearing? Yet this harmless curse made his voice sound even more attractive than during the day.

Her eyelashes trembled as she felt the urgent need to clarify: “Before I sent the message, I didn’t know anyone had been filming us secretly. It has nothing to do with the endorsements we’re discussing with the company. I just wanted to tell you those things. Really, I’m not that calculating.”

Xing Ye lowered his gaze, looking at her with a hint of confusion.

After a moment, he managed to organize his words: “So the words you want to tell me… translated, it means you like me?”

Pei Chuzhi nodded, the skin exposed at her crimson collar showing a blush of white and red.

Xing Ye’s tongue pressed against his cheek, a smile threatening to break through.

He rubbed his brow, thinking that if he laughed now it might ruin the moment. He truly had no idea what was going through this girl’s mind—just now, her line, “It’s not what you think,” nearly made him want to bang his head against the wall.

“Don’t scare me, okay?” he sighed, softly pleading with a hint of exasperation.

Pei Chuzhi froze, not expecting such a reaction from him.

She quietly encouraged herself, then lifted her face, a little aggrieved, her voice catching: “Sorry, I didn’t expect that liking you would scare you. But I just like you, I can’t control it. Even if you don’t like me, it’s okay. I might try to pursue you, and if you really can’t accept it, that’s fine too.”

Her unpracticed confession came out jumbled and awkward.

Listening, Xing Ye’s eyes softened with an amused helplessness.

Song Shiqing had been right—considering his negotiation skills, it was lucky he hadn’t inherited the family business. Even a few words could inexplicably create new misunderstandings, a real disservice to elementary school Chinese teachers.

He stepped closer, his breath warm as it brushed over the top of Pei Chuzhi’s head: “Stop for a moment, listen to me first.”

Pei Chuzhi obediently quieted down.

Xing Ye leaned slightly, his thin lips brushing the edge of her red lips, as if imprinting all his love into this sweet kiss.

“No need to chase me. I’ve belonged to you for a long time.”