Chapter 5 – Looking for Me?

Had she not already known that she resembled Jin Tang and that there was an ambiguous connection between Jin Tang and Qi Xu online, Ming Yao might have been swayed by this man.

She calmly reminded herself—it was all just an illusion. The unusual intimacy Qi Xu showed her was only because of her face.

He might be deceiving himself, but she had to stay clear-headed and not indulge in wishful thinking.

Qi Xu called it a deal, yet he never gave Ming Yao the option to refuse. With a firm turn of the steering wheel, he drove straight out of the parking lot.

Ming Yao tightened her grip on her seatbelt. Despite imagining a hundred bizarre scenarios in her head, none of them came true by the time the car reached the school gates. The man beside her hadn’t just refrained from any inappropriate actions—he hadn’t even spoken a word to her. He had simply driven her back to school, nothing more.

A slight sense of guilt crept over her. Maybe she had been too quick to doubt him. Pressing her lips together, she turned slightly and said, “Thank you for driving me back, President Qi. But this has nothing to do with the money from earlier. You should still give me an account number.”

Qi Xu unbuckled Ming Yao’s seatbelt, then stared at her, motionless.

“You think 4000 is enough to pay me back?”

Ming Yao: “…?”

Wait, it hadn’t even been an hour—was he seriously charging interest already?

Even loan sharks weren’t this ruthless.

She quickly said, “Then tell me how much I owe. I’ll pay whatever you say.”

Qi Xu ignored her and opened the car door. “We’ll settle it over time. Just go back for now.”

“……”

Ming Yao stood still, watching as his car disappeared into the distance. She muttered, “What the hell.”

It was just four thousand yuan, yet he made it sound like she owed him a fortune.

On the way back, she had already made up her mind. If he refused to give her an account number, she’d just withdraw the cash and deliver it to his hotel tomorrow.

One way or another, she had to settle the debt—she didn’t like owing people anything.

Jian Ning had unexpectedly returned to the dorm.

She had bought a studio apartment in the city center and mentioned a few days ago that she’d be coming back to pack up her things and move out.

“I was just about to call you.” As soon as Ming Yao stepped in, Jian Ning pulled her aside and whispered, “Did you check the group chat?”

Ming Yao shook her head. “What happened?”

“Chen Rong posted a photo with Director Song in the group. Looks like they had dinner together tonight, and they seemed pretty close. You don’t think she’s up to something—trying to steal your role, do you?”

Ming Yao frowned.

Although Director Song had privately assured her, nothing was certain until the official announcement and the start of filming.

“I just went next door to find Xing Di. The door was open, and on my way back, I saw Chen Rong sneaking around your desk. You should check if anything’s missing.”

Ming Yao glanced at her desk. “There’s nothing valuable here anyway.”

Speak of the devil—just as they mentioned Chen Rong, she knocked on the door.

She stood with a few classmates, seemingly about to head out.

“You’re back? I stopped by earlier, but you weren’t here. Director Song asked me to let you know your audition is tomorrow afternoon.”

First, she flaunted her photo with him. Now, she was making a spectacle of delivering the message in person. It was all just a way to suggest that she had a special relationship with Director Song, making her the frontrunner for the role of Lin Yunyun. Ideally, she wanted Ming Yao to get the hint and back out on her own.

But Ming Yao wasn’t having it.

Without a flicker of emotion, she replied flatly, “Got it.”

Chen Rong acted as if she were about to leave, but in the next second, she stepped right into Ming Yao’s dorm room—

“Oh? Ming Yao, you bought those earrings?”

Before Ming Yao could even react, Chen Rong turned and waved at the people behind her.

“Come look! These are the diamond earrings I told you about—the ones that cost twenty thousand! Turns out Ming Yao bought them!”

Jian Ning was completely dumbfounded. Her gaze landed on Ming Yao’s desk, where an elegant blue jewelry box sat in plain sight.

Before Ming Yao could stop her, Chen Rong had already flipped the box open in a flash.

But inside was nothing more than a simple pair of pearl earrings—the ones Ming Yao always wore.

Not what she expected.

Jian Ning was just as stunned.

Guan Xingdi, having caught wind of the commotion, hurried over and lowered her voice to ask Jian Ning, “What’s going on?”

Jian Ning immediately leaned in and whispered the details to her.

Chen Rong acted as if she had just uncovered a shocking secret, flashing a fake, mocking smile. “No way, Ming Yao. Don’t tell me you actually bought an empty jewelry box off Taobao?”

Her implication was obvious.

She was suggesting Ming Yao couldn’t afford real jewelry and had only bought the box to keep up appearances.

By now, Ming Yao had completely seen through Chen Rong’s petty scheme.

Earlier, Chen Rong must have entered her dorm, noticed the jewelry box on her desk, and secretly peeked inside—only to find it contained nothing but an ordinary pair of earrings. Now she had deliberately returned, dragging along a group of classmates, all just to embarrass Ming Yao and paint her as someone vain and pretentious.

Guan Xingdi, a Northeasterner with a fiery temper, immediately exploded after hearing the whole story from Jian Ning. Without restraint, she cursed, “What the hell? Did Ming Yao ever say you could touch her things? Give it back.”

But Chen Rong deliberately sidestepped her. “I’m talking to Ming Yao. What does this have to do with you?”

With that raised motion, the earrings inside the box were flung onto the floor, landing with a crisp sound.

Ming Yao froze for a moment, looking down.

Jian Ning’s gaze followed, her mouth falling open. “You—Chen Rong, you—”

Everyone stood there, completely dumbfounded.

Chen Rong saw the earrings had been flung out but didn’t seem to care. “It wasn’t on purpose. I’ll buy you a new pair.”

The pearl earrings were from a Korean brand, and even the most expensive version only cost about two hundred yuan.

But just then, a classmate behind Chen Rong leaned in and whispered something to her. Chen Rong’s expression stiffened, and she quickly lowered her gaze.

On the smooth tile floor, aside from the pearl earrings, lay another pair of dazzling, exquisitely designed diamond earrings.

They were the butterfly tassel design—the very same pair Ming Yao had admired at the jewelry exhibition.

Chen Rong looked utterly shocked. “You…”

Ming Yao still didn’t know how the earrings had ended up back in the box, but Chen Rong’s petty antics had completely infuriated her. Crossing her arms, she said, “Alright then, buy me a new pair.”

The dormitory fell into an awkward silence. Chen Rong had come prepared to make a fool of Ming Yao, only to end up embarrassing herself instead.

She picked up the earrings and examined them. “They’re not broken.”

“Oh? And you’re the one who gets to decide that? Can you tell if there are internal cracks in the diamonds just by your naked eye?”

“If you don’t want to compensate me, that’s fine. Jian Ning, call the police and report property damage.”

Jian Ning immediately responded, eagerly picking up her phone and dialing 110 right in front of Chen Rong.

Chen Rong’s face darkened further. Holding back her frustration, she snatched Jian Ning’s phone. “It’s just twenty thousand, isn’t it? I can afford it.”

In the end, the farce concluded with Chen Rong begrudgingly paying Ming Yao 20,000.

As soon as Chen Rong left, Jian Ning shut the door tightly and leaned in, gossiping with Ming Yao. “Didn’t someone already reserve that earring that day? Where did this one come from?”

Ming Yao had no idea how to explain her complicated relationship with Qi Xu to her best friend, so she made something up. “It’s just a knockoff. I was fooling Chen Rong.”

“Really?” Jian Ning studied the earring carefully and muttered, “Counterfeits these days are way too realistic—I can’t even tell the difference.”

Ming Yao transferred the money to Guan Xingdi and said, “Didn’t you share that fundraiser for the sophomore who’s sick? Send this twenty thousand to her for me.”

She had no intention of spending ill-gotten money on herself. Consider it an indirect way of helping Chen Rong build up some good karma.

As she carefully put the diamond earrings back into their box, Ming Yao finally noticed a velvet partition in the middle. Qi Xu must have placed the earrings in the hidden bottom layer.

Only now did she understand why the man had made that cryptic remark earlier that night.

She had borrowed four thousand from him, then unknowingly accepted an expensive pair of earrings. The debts between them weren’t so easily settled.

That scheming bastard sure knew how to play his game.

—

The next day, Ming Yao arrived at Director Song’s set on time.

She had already auditioned five times for this role—today was the sixth. Director Song was known for being meticulous about casting, treating even the most minor roles with the utmost care.

Today, she was auditioning for a different scene.

She had long since memorized the lines and internalized every detail. After analyzing Lin Yunyun’s emotions countless times, she was confident that today’s performance would finally meet Director Song’s expectations.

But as soon as the ten-minute scene ended, she caught sight of his furrowed brows—and knew immediately that she had gotten it wrong again.

Sure enough, Director Song stepped out from behind the monitor, sighing as he shook his head. “Ming Yao, you’ve only scratched the surface of Lin Yunyun—you haven’t truly stepped into her heart. Look at this scene: it’s the first time she prepares a table full of dishes for Gu Yuan’s birthday, but he never comes home.

Your Lin Yunyun is sad, but that’s not enough. She’s not just sad—she’s disappointed, insecure, and even begins to doubt herself. This kind of pain, despair, and the tangled emotions of love and hate. You understand, don’t you?”

Here we go again.

Ming Yao numbly answered in her heart—I don’t.

Why is this so complicated?

It’s harder than a high school math exam.

Director Song patiently broke the scene down again, analyzing every detail. Finally, he sighed and said gravely, “Chen Rong has connections—she got in touch with the producer and had dinner with them last night. It’s obvious she really wants this role. You need to work harder—if you can’t prove yourself with skill, I won’t be able to protect you.”

Ming Yao stood frozen for a long moment before murmuring, “I understand. Thank you, Director Song.”

Before today, she had been confident she would land the role of Lin Yunyun. After all, she had excelled in her major throughout her four years at university, winning multiple scholarships.

But now, she wasn’t so sure anymore. She had never failed this many times before.

Thinking about Director Song’s furrowed brows and serious expression, Ming Yao felt disheartened. After leaving the set, she wandered aimlessly into a Japanese restaurant.

She dropped a location pin in her close friends’ group chat—

【Click to join your lonely jiejie for dinner.】

Guan Xingdi: 【LPL match tonight. Your Guan-jie is busy watching hot guys.】

Jian Ning, however, replied almost instantly—

【Your Ning-jie is free! Be there soon!】

While waiting for Jian Ning, Ming Yao ordered a bottle of sake and sat alone on the tatami floor of a private booth, drinking by herself.

The more she drank, the more frustrated she felt. And the more frustrated she was, the more she drank without realizing it.

Ming Yao had no idea how much she had drunk. Maybe it was exhaustion, or maybe it was the alcohol, but she started feeling drowsy and rested her head on the table.

Her phone, lying on the table, vibrated with a new WeChat notification not long after, but she didn’t hear it.

Time ticked by. A server checked in a few times, noticing she was asleep but hesitating to wake her. Eventually, they entered again just as her phone started ringing. Seeing no response, they picked it up and answered.

“Hello? Are you a friend of the phone’s owner?”

Qi Xu: “?”

He sat up from the pile of documents he had been reviewing, his attention shifting entirely. “Who is this?”

“The owner of this phone got drunk and fell asleep in our restaurant,” the server explained. “If you know her, could you come pick her up?”

Qi Xu: “…”

—

Twenty minutes later, Qi Xu arrived at the Japanese restaurant.

A server led him to a private booth. He pushed open the door and found Ming Yao still fast asleep on the table.

An empty bottle of sake sat beside her.

After confirming she was safe, Qi Xu went to settle the bill before returning to the booth. He reached out and patted her shoulder. “Wake up.”

Ming Yao didn’t move an inch.

Qi Xu didn’t call her again. Instead, he simply picked her up and carried her out.

Maybe the movement roused her slightly—he thought she’d at least open her eyes to see who it was. Instead, she only shifted a little, found a more comfortable position in his arms, and went right back to sleep.

Still half-dreaming, she mumbled, “Did you crawl over here? I’ve been waiting forever…”

After securing her seatbelt, Qi Xu finally had a moment to sit down.

In the quiet of the car, he gazed at Ming Yao up close.

Her long eyelashes cast faint shadows, and on her fair skin, he could see fine baby hairs.

Like a newborn—so clean, so pure.

Slowly, his memories blurred and overlapped with the present.

The last time he had looked at her this closely was two years ago, on the night of the fireworks show.

Back then, she had a beer bottle in one hand and a party whistle between her lips. Her cheeks were flushed, her laughter bright in the crowd—shining.

That night, she had wished him a happy New Year.

Her eyes sparkled, more brilliant than the fireworks.

—

Ming Yao woke up at 7:30 the next morning.

Sunlight streamed through the soft curtains, casting shifting patterns of light on the floor. Her head was heavy, a dull ache pressing against the back of her skull. She stared blankly for a good ten seconds before suddenly sitting upright.

A cold sweat broke out on her back.

Hadn’t she been at the Japanese restaurant last night, waiting for Jian Ning?

Where was she now?

A sudden thought struck her. She threw back the blanket and checked herself.

Thankfully, her clothes were intact—even her bag was still slung securely across her chest.

Pressing her fingers against her temples, she tried to shake off the grogginess, then hurriedly grabbed her phone. Only then did she see the message Jian Ning had sent the day before.

【Baobei, I crashed into someone’s car QAQ. I can’t make it. You go ahead and eat without me.】

So Jian Ning never came?

Then who did?

And where was she now?

Ming Yao’s heart pounded. She cautiously climbed out of bed, scanning the room.

The bedroom was spacious, decorated in cool, muted tones. The sleek Scandinavian-style furniture exuded a quiet luxury—sophisticated yet understated.

But there wasn’t a single trace of its owner.

Standing in the middle of the room, she turned in slow circles, feeling completely lost, as if she’d stepped into some surreal dream. As she instinctively took a step back, she bumped into something—firm but not rigid, with a faint warmth.

Before she could turn around, a deep voice brushed against her ear—

“Looking for me?”