CHAPTER 96

Xiaoyuan was restless all day. She rarely video-called anyone. Usually, she just used WeChat voice calls or phone calls to talk to her brother or Cai Juan.

She guessed Wei Zhuang also rarely video-called people.

What should she do?

She couldn't think of topics beforehand, as that would seem too deliberate. Moreover, Wei Zhuang was a taciturn person who didn't like to talk, so there would definitely be awkward silences.

Xiaoyuan covered her face and groaned, feeling her head swell with stress.

The entire day passed in a mix of anticipation and nervousness, and evening arrived quickly.

As the video call connected, Wei Zhuang's face appeared clearly on the screen.

Her phone was propped up, so the angle wasn't directly facing her face but slightly farther away. She was wearing a white shirt with the top two buttons undone, revealing a glimpse of her fair neck and collarbone. Under the bright light, her skin glowed with a soft radiance.

Xiaoyuan was holding her phone. She glanced at herself—she was wearing a small white dress and had put on lipstick, looking quite nice.

It had been a long time since they last saw each other.

But during the video call, Wei Zhuang looked at her, and she looked at Wei Zhuang.

For several seconds, neither of them knew what to say.

"Hi~" Xiaoyuan even waved awkwardly at her.

Wei Zhuang looked at her expressionlessly, her delicate eyebrows seeming to raise slightly.

"Where are you?"

"Beicheng."

Xiaoyuan had previously searched online for some information about Tonghua and had also asked her brother, who studied finance, and Cai Juan, who worked as a manager. She knew that the headquarters of Tonghua's cultural and commercial management groups were in Shencheng, while the real estate group was based in Beicheng, the investment group in Xicheng, and other businesses were overseas...

She was truly managing a multitude of affairs every day.

During the previous few days she had spent with Wei Zhuang, Wei Zhuang had come home quite early, genuinely making time to be with her.

A sweet bubble of feeling rose in Xiaoyuan's heart, but she looked at her calmly on the screen. "...Is it cold over there?"

It was almost April, with the south experiencing frequent rain, while the north might be a bit drier with stronger winds. She had actually checked the weather.

They didn't have a habit of casual chatting, so Xiaoyuan could only ask about the weather, which sounded so trivial and boring.

Wei Zhuang paused for a moment before replying, "No."

Silence fell between them again. Their eyes met, and neither spoke. As time passed, the silence became almost funny.

Xiaoyuan couldn't help but chuckle. Through the screen, she seemed to notice Wei Zhuang's eyes crinkle slightly, as if she were smiling too.

Xiaoyuan wondered if it was just her imagination, but she was pleasantly surprised and blurted out, "Are you smiling?"

......

Wei Zhuang didn't say a word.

The atmosphere suddenly became a little awkward.

Xiaoyuan wasn't sure how to handle the situation.

Wei Zhuang finally spoke, her voice sounding distant, "I still have things to do. Let's call it a night for now?"

"Oh, okay." Xiaoyuan replied, a beat late.

Wei Zhuang looked at her once more before ending the video call.

Xiaoyuan looked at the WeChat main page, pouted, and flopped onto the sofa.

Their second video call happened the following week, in April.

Xiaoyuan asked her, "Aren't you coming back to Shencheng yet?"

"I'm in Xicheng."

Xiaoyuan sighed softly. She was really so busy.

It had been a while since they last saw each other, and Xiaoyuan missed Wei Zhuang. Moreover, she had recently started selecting scripts and might soon begin working. Once work started, they'd have even less time to meet.

"Then have you been eating and sleeping on time?" Xiaoyuan asked.

Wei Zhuang looked at her upon hearing this, seeming a bit strange that she would ask. After the age of 35, her lifestyle had its own rhythm, and there were no habits detrimental to her health.

Xiaoyuan understood from her expression that Wei Zhuang probably thought she was asking a pointless question.

Ah, this person just didn't understand that during a relationship, these seemingly trivial questions were necessary.

Suddenly, an idea struck her. "What if I come to see you?"

Wei Zhuang was silent for several seconds, just looking at her.

In the past, whenever Xiaoyuan made a request, Wei Zhuang had never refused. Even that night when Xiaoyuan asked to share the same bed, she had agreed. This made Xiaoyuan even more eager, and the desire to go see her grew stronger.

Xicheng and Shencheng weren't far apart, and taking the high-speed train wouldn't even take two hours.

"So, what do you think? Should I come to Xicheng to see you?"

Wei Zhuang didn't respond immediately. Her expression seemed normal, but her eyebrows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Xiaoyuan's lips, which had been curved in a smile, gradually drooped. She blinked and suddenly understood Wei Zhuang's meaning.

"...Okay."

She understood.

This time, she ended the video call first.

She curled up in the beanbag chair, motionless, like a sleeping cat.

In the following days, she focused mainly on work.

The three major domestic TV drama awards would be held in the second half of the year. As April arrived, Xiaoyuan had to make more public appearances for promotional activities.

This year, Xiaoyuan was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Magnolia Awards and Most Popular Actress by the Audience at the Feihe Awards for "Drunken Wanderer." Since her role was a supporting one, she wasn't eligible for the "Best Actress" category.

The Feihe Award adopts a selection method involving the audience, members of the China Television Artists Association, and the judging committee. It is the only national-level television art award in China where the audience can participate in the selection process, representing recognition from both the public and the industry. However, this is also a double-edged sword. With the audience's involvement, there is room for manipulation, especially in recent years, as more and more mediocre yet popular celebrities have been selected, leading to an increasing impurity of the award's credibility.

As a result, the award's prestige has diminished compared to the Magnolia Award and the Feitian Award.

Of course, an award was still a major award, and being nominated for selection was still very helpful for Xiaoyuan's career.

Thus, Ruan Qing also attached great importance to the selection for these two major awards. It would be best if she could win both, as the endorsement of the awards was the best affirmation of herself.

Xiaoyuan felt a surge of competitive spirit, and following Feiyi's arrangements, she temporarily set aside her uncertain emotions.

By the end of April, Cai Juan returned.

"Brother, what exactly is going on?" Xiaoyuan finally couldn't hold back her questions when they were alone in her room.

Cai Juan pondered for a moment before saying, "I'm not entirely sure about Brother Zhishi's specific situation."

"Did you meet the woman who claims to be Brother's girlfriend?"

"I did," Cai Juan replied, his expression somewhat strange. "But it was completely unexpected. I think you'd be surprised too."

Xiaoyuan was puzzled by his tone. "From the way you're speaking, it sounds like I know her?"

Cai Juan nodded. "Yes, you do. The woman by Brother Zhishi's side is—Yu Qiuse."

"What? Who?" Xiaoyuan stood up abruptly, her face full of disbelief. "Are you talking about that female singer? Did I hear you correctly?"

"It's her."

"Why would Brother... know her? How did this happen so suddenly?"

Xiaoyuan sat down in shock. She had been listening to Yu Qiuse's songs for two or three years. She was a singer-songwriter, capable of both singing and writing. She didn't have many original works, but her singing style was unique, and her timbre had a personal characteristic, making her a relatively famous and well-regarded singer in recent years.

But in Xiaoyuan's imagination, Yu Qiuse was a talented artist, someone who was adorably eccentric in private. She couldn't reconcile that image with the sarcastic woman she had heard on the phone with her brother.

"Yuan'er, based on my intuition," Cai Juan analyzed with a serious expression, "Singer Yu might have known Brother Zhishi for a long time, even longer than I've known you two siblings."

"How is that possible? I have no memory of that!" Xiaoyuan's first reaction was denial, but she also began to think carefully. "If your intuition is correct, then they must have known each other before I was 12."

"That was the year I reunited with Brother. I don't know much about his life before that."

"Possibly." Cai Juan said, lowering his eyes.

He chose not to share more with her.

Setting aside his own disappointment and heartache, he knew his feelings were unrequited. He had long accepted that Xiang Zhishi would eventually start a family, and he no longer held onto any hope.

But he felt that the way Yu Qiuse and Xiang Zhishi interacted was somewhat strange. The singer surnamed Yu was very willful, demanding that Brother Zhishi be at her beck and call, and even insisting that he accompany her while she ate. As an artist and singer, she was strict about managing her figure and had to take care of her throat, avoiding cold, spicy, or other irritating foods, as well as abstaining from alcohol and smoking.

Yet, while she couldn't eat these things herself, she would ask Xiang Zhishi to eat them in front of her.

Xiang Zhishi had lived in Shencheng since childhood. Unlike Xiaoyuan, he couldn't handle spicy food. Because he had undergone major surgery, he also couldn't touch smoking or alcohol.

During Cai Juan's time in Pengcheng, he had seen Brother Zhishi eat spicy food several times, choking until tears streamed down his face. Xiang Zhishi had asked Cai Juan not to tell Xiaoyuan about it, claiming it was just a bit of spicy food and that he wouldn't smoke or drink.

Cai Juan knew there was more to it than that, but he had no right to interfere with Xiang Zhishi's relationship. Still, his impression of the singer surnamed Yu was far from favorable.

Xiaoyuan, noticing his expression, hugged him and said, "Brother Cai Juan, you've worked hard. Take a few days to rest."

Cai Juan smiled, "I'm not tired at all. I should get back to work right away. I'll go find Tiantian and look at your recent schedule."

Perhaps it would be better for Cai Juan to work now. Xiaoyuan nodded in agreement. "Okay."

She added, "I'll call my brother and talk to him again."

Cai Juan sighed, "When I left, Miss Yu had work in Beicheng, and Brother Zhishi went with her."

Xiaoyuan was stunned.

Her brother had been the most solid and reliable support in her 26 years of life, and she was certain she was the most important person in his life. But now, it seemed she might have to step aside.

After Cai Juan left, Xiaoyuan sat alone, feeling a deep sense of loss. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she sniffled, opening WeChat, intending to say something to her brother but hesitating to type anything.

Suddenly, she noticed a red dot on her WeChat contacts list.

Xiaoyuan usually added friends in person, and she hadn't actively added anyone or shared her QR code recently, so she hadn't paid attention.

She clicked on it and saw— [Hello, Xiaoyuan, I'm your brother's girlfriend...]

So persistent!

The singer she had once liked had now become her brother's girlfriend, and in her eyes, her image had completely collapsed. Xiaoyuan felt extremely uncomfortable and didn't want to add her, so she ignored it.

Was having her brother not enough? Did she want to flaunt it to her as well?

But Xiaoyuan was also afraid she might treat her brother poorly, so she reluctantly added her.

After much thought, she couldn't hold back and sent a message, [Hello, Miss Yu, my brother's health isn't great. Please don't make him eat spicy food—he doesn't like it. Also, he's had surgery, so he absolutely cannot touch smoking or alcohol.]

After sending it, her mood remained gloomy, so she messaged Wei Zhuang without any pretense, [I'm so sad.]

For a long while, Wei Zhuang didn't reply, probably busy. Xiaoyuan told herself to be understanding, that when she was in a bad mood, she should shift her attention and not dwell on it, that she should find other things to adjust.

At that moment, Yu Qiuse replied on WeChat, [Ah, but he's the one who wants to eat it.]

She attached a winking emoji.

And a short video.

Frowning, Xiaoyuan clicked on it. Xiang Zhishi was sighing, facing a table full of spicy dishes, "Are you happy just watching me eat?"

"Of course," the woman's voice off-screen laughed, "Eat, eat! Don't you know how popular food streams are right now?"

Xiang Zhishi shook his head, picked up his chopsticks, and began to eat slowly. He couldn't handle spicy food at all, and after a few bites, he started choking, his eyes turning red as he reached for the glass of water beside him.

That woman was actually still laughing.

"Stop filming." Xiang Zhishi glanced at the camera and put down his chopsticks.

"Alright, alright, I won't film anymore, then you eat." The female voice laughed, and the video ended there.

Xiaoyuan was so furious she felt like her lungs were about to explode. What a vicious woman! Why did Brother tolerate her so much! What kind of relationship was this!

Her eyes reddened with anger. She wanted to send a few words to curse her her, but her hands were trembling. After taking several deep breaths, she managed to hold back.

Her brother had told her not to worry, but how could she not?

Yet, she couldn't interfere with her brother's life. This was his choice, and besides, he hadn't interfered with her relationship with Wei Zhuang either. Xiaoyuan felt utterly lost, her heart empty, and an indescribable sadness washed over her.

The chat window with Wei Zhuang remained empty. Her emotions finally broke, and she hugged her knees, crying.

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