Chapter 12

Of course, they have a relationship!

She was an artist under his company. They had an employer-employee relationship.

The boss saw that his employee had lost weight and decided to take her out for a meal. No big deal.

Zhu Xinyue had already come up with a reason for Ji Linyu.

“I have an acting class at 7pm this evening, and there’s still an hour left for lunch. Let’s hurry!” Zhu Xinyue’s stomach was growling with hunger.

Ji Linyu took her to a restaurant for dinner. He valued privacy and asked for a private room.

Zhu Xinyue didn’t dare to overeat, fearing that switching from a vegetarian diet to a feast of meat might upset her stomach. So, she casually ordered two dishes and a dessert.

While waiting for the food, Zhu Xinyue pondered over what to talk about during this potentially awkward, brief interlude—reporting her day’s progress seemed like a good idea.

But Ji Linyu didn’t give her the chance. His phone rang, and he stepped out into the corridor to take the call.

As the door to the private room gently closed, Zhu Xinyue, bored, got up and wandered to the nearby balcony.

Earlier, while looking at the menu, Zhu Xinyue noticed that the prices were significantly higher than those of ordinary restaurants. Occasionally, she could hear the roar of planes overhead, suggesting the restaurant was near an airport, hence the higher prices.

Besides the location, the décor justified the cost.

Upon entering the restaurant, one could see an artificial pond, crisscrossing bridges, and flowing water. This private room on the second floor was surrounded by the pond on three sides, resembling a pavilion built on water.

From her vantage point, she could see tourists taking pictures on the water swing at the restaurant’s main entrance.

Several cars drove into the restaurant’s parking lot.

At first, Zhu Xinyue wasn’t sure who the visitors were until she saw that distinctive light blond hair. Even though he wore a mask, she recognized him by his hair color—Ji Qingyuan.

After getting out of the car, Ji Qingyuan turned to speak to someone inside.

A very slim man emerged from the car. Unlike other actors, who went out wearing masks or baseball caps and dressed as if they were walking the runway, he wore a simple white T-shirt and black pants. His slightly long curly hair was tied with a small rubber band, his features were deep-set, his skin was fair, and he exuded an artist’s melancholic aura.

Zhu Xinyue had seen his photos before. He was Liang Yuyu, the actor playing the “Second Elder.”

The director and the lead cast members who had appeared at the training base earlier were here for what seemed to be a group meal.

Zhu Xinyue saw the martial arts instructor standing next to the director and instinctively wanted to hide. After all, he had been teaching her these past few days. But then she thought it was Ji Linyu who brought her here. If anyone had to take the blame, it would be the boss first. So, she straightened her back.

That’s right! Today, she was determined to enjoy this meal!

There was a knock at the door.

The waiter brought in the dishes.

Zhu Xinyue’s stomach growled again as she returned to the private room, waiting for Ji Linyu to come back and start eating.

Wait a minute, if this was a crew dinner, as the investor, wouldn’t Ji Linyu have to join the director’s table? Should she wait for him?

But Ji Linyu was the one treating her to this meal; how could she start eating before he came back? That would be so impolite.

Zhu Xinyue’s chopsticks hung in the air before she quietly set them back down on the table.

After a while, all the dishes they ordered had arrived, but Ji Linyu still hadn’t returned.

The soundproofing of the private room wasn’t great; the adjacent room gradually grew noisier with the sounds of drinking and animated conversations, making the silence in Zhu Xinyue’s room even more pronounced.

Zhu Xinyue’s phone was in her dormitory. She hadn’t gone back after class, so now she could only sit there, waiting.

She had no idea how much time had passed. The dishes were getting cold, and she was really hungry. She got up to look for him.

She opened the door and looked around the corridor, which was empty.

Maybe he was in the restroom?

Zhu Xinyue found a server in a purple uniform and asked, “Excuse me, where is the restroom?”

The server, carrying a tray of dishes, glanced behind her. “At the end of the corridor.”

“Thank you.”

The server walked forward a couple of steps, then seemed to remember something and turned to call out to Zhu Xinyue. She wanted to tell her that a guest in the next room had asked her to start eating, but in her excitement at seeing her idol Jiang Rui, she had forgotten to pass the message along. She consoled herself, thinking Zhu Xinyue must have already eaten since it had been half an hour.

“The new actors are pretty good, with a lot of potential.”

“The horse-riding and martial arts classes have been effective. The scenes will look great.”

“As long as it’s effective! Kudos to our martial arts instructors. Cheers!”

Ji Linyu was sitting in the next room, chatting with the producer. Occasionally, someone would come over to toast him, but he declined alcohol, using tea instead, as he planned to take the “kid” next door back to the base.

Ji Qingyuan would occasionally help his brother fend off a couple of toasts, but soon, the conversation shifted focus to Ji Qingyuan, and he got too busy to pay attention to his brother.

Ji Linyu was happy to have some peace. He sat by the tea table, sipping tea. When the purple-uniformed server came in with more dishes, he remembered he had asked her to pass a message. He wondered if Zhu Xinyue had eaten yet.

He sent a text to Zhu Xinyue’s phone but got no reply.

“Excuse me,” Ji Linyu said, getting up.

The room was lively, and even if someone noticed his departure, they wouldn’t pay much attention.

Ji Linyu walked to the adjacent room, knocked, and entered.

The room was empty.

A table full of untouched dishes.

His heart sank.

“Boss, you’re back?” came Zhu Xinyue’s voice from the corridor.

Ji Linyu turned to see her approaching. “I waited for you for a while and didn’t see you return, so I went looking.”

A while? Ji Linyu had just checked the time. It had been at least half an hour.

“I’m so hungry. Finally, you’re back. Let’s eat.” Zhu Xinyue’s gaze swept past him, entering the room.

Ji Linyu watched her pass by, her hair brushing lightly against his chest, suddenly feeling an urge to explain himself.

“I just…”

She had already sat down, picked up her chopsticks, and looked at him.

Ji Linyu swallowed his words, closed the door, and sat beside her.

Zhu Xinyue was famished. She waited for Ji Linyu to start eating before she began wolfing down her food, focusing solely on eating.

Ji Linyu had already eaten with the others, so he only picked at his food symbolically. The dishes were cold.

She had waited half an hour.

He wanted to ask the server to reheat the food, but she seemed unbothered by the temperature or quality, eating quickly to sate her hunger.

After finishing a bowl of rice, Zhu Xinyue wiped her mouth with a napkin.

There was another knock on the door.

It was the purple-uniformed server. “Miss, shall I serve the dessert now?”

“No need. Just clear it away,” Zhu Xinyue said, glancing at the time. “I’m going to be late for class.”

The server scratched her head, suddenly remembering the message. “Oh, I’m sorry! This guest asked me to tell you to start eating earlier, but I forgot. How about I pack the dessert for you to take back?”

Zhu Xinyue looked at Ji Linyu and then lowered her gaze. “We’re not allowed to take food back to the base, so forget it.”

Ji Linyu frowned. “Serve the dessert now. You can eat it before we go back. I’ll ask  leave for you.”

Zhu Xinyue pursed her lips, saying nothing.

The server, sensing the tension, quietly left.

The room fell silent again, the faint noise from the adjacent room a stark contrast, highlighting how lively it must be over there.

Ji Linyu sat, feeling a pang of guilt as he imagined her waiting alone.

His phone buzzed, breaking the silence.

Zhu Xinyue glanced at the screen. It was 7:20 p.m.

The caller ID showed “Wen Shu,” the director of “Peach Blossom Spring.”

Ji Linyu answered the call in front of her this time, no longer avoiding her.

“Go on without me,” he said.

Whatever was said on the other end, Ji Linyu replied, “…Yes, I have a personal matter to attend to.”

After he hung up, Zhu Xinyue sensibly suggested, “Why don’t you call a car for me? I’ll go back to the base myself so you can handle your personal matters.”

Only then did Ji Linyu realize she didn’t have her phone with her.

The server returned with the dessert.

“Just eat,” Ji Linyu said.

Zhu Xinyue hadn’t had dessert in a long time. She couldn’t tell if it was her taste buds or something else, but the French lemon tart tasted both sweet and bitter.

The sound of her metal fork clinking against the porcelain plate filled the room.

Ji Linyu watched her eat the dessert, his hand resting on the table curling slightly, his thumb rubbing against his index finger as he pondered.

“Did you wait long?”

Zhu Xinyue swallowed a bite, clutching the cold fork, and looked out at the now completely dark sky from the balcony.

Following her gaze, Ji Linyu also looked at the night.

When they arrived, the sun had just set. Now, it was fully dark.

“It’s my duty to wait for you,” Zhu Xinyue said.

Ji Linyu noted the change in her address, feeling a heavy weight in his chest.

He tapped his fingers lightly on the table, as if wrestling with a difficult problem.

Zhu Xinyue finished her dessert, wiped her lips with a napkin.

“I’m done eating. Thank you Mr. Ji for treating me to dinner today and for helping me to get leave.” Zhu Xinyue stood up first and looked at Ji Linyu with a smile.

Ji Linyu looked up at her, his brow furrowed, his mood evidently sour.

Zhu Xinyue thought to herself, she waited for him so long to eat, and she wasn’t in a good mood either, but after all, he was the boss and the one paying. She decided to let it go.

Ji Linyu remained seated.

Zhu Xinyue understood. “Are you going to handle your personal matters here? I’ll call a car myself.”

Ji Linyu stood up and walked out.

He opened the door and stood aside, waiting for her.

Zhu Xinyue thought this was the end. As she passed by him, she heard him say, “I’m sorry.”

The timing of this apology was neither too early nor too late; it grabbed her at the right moment.

If he had apologized as soon as he entered, Zhu Xinyue might have laughed it off. If he had apologized on the way back to the base or not at all, she would have withdrawn back into her shell of social boundaries.

But it came now—after she had waited hungry and alone for nearly an hour, after he had sat with her through the meal, just as she was ready to curse him silently, feeling both too polite and unable to complain.

He apologized seriously, as if he had spent the entire meal reflecting on how to say it, genuinely concerned about her feelings.

Zhu Xinyue stood in the corridor, looking back at Ji Linyu, into his always calm eyes.

It felt like a key had unlocked a door in her heart, and a wave of emotions surged out, overwhelming her, soaking her wounds, making her pain and sadness, which had never been acknowledged by anyone before, start to fester.

A tingling numbness spread from her heart to her entire body.

The feeling of being wronged hit her belatedly.

…

So, she could feel wronged after all.

**

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