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Chapter 14: The Disliked Superstar (1)

When Xu Zhiyi was woken up by the alarm clock, she was stunned for a full ten seconds.

She almost thought she had woken up in someone else’s bed. The room was filled with a light blue haze and the sharp smell of smoke irritated her throat. A pile of cigarette butts lay under the chair.

She struggled to lift the blanket and check herself—fully clothed!

How did she get home? Who brought her back? She looked at the mess of cigarette stubs.

A face full of wild arrogance flashed before her eyes. Was he really that kind-hearted?

And he even played music to help her sleep—she looked down at the iPod beside her pillow still looping a soft track.

She jumped up and opened the window. The chilly air rushed in like a beast, devouring the thick, almost tangible stench of smoke.

Lowering her gaze, she spotted a sticky note on her computer. On it were a string of numbers and two bold English words: Call me.

She tried hard to recall any clues from the night before. But her brain was buzzing—painful at every thought. Then suddenly—she remembered:

She forgot to get autographed photos for her colleagues and those kids.

Hesitantly, she dialed the cocky number on her phone.

“Hello—” a man answered lazily from the other end.

“This is… Xu Zhiyi. I saw the number on the note…” She tried to stay calm.

“You’re awake. You sure can sleep.” He clearly expected her to call.

“You’re—?” She was a little shocked. That voice—was it really him?

“I carried you up five flights of stairs in the middle of the night and put you to bed. And you don’t know who I am? That’s a bit irresponsible, don’t you think?” Shen Si teased.

“Oh. Then… thank you!”

Even over the phone, Shen Si could picture her calm, nearly expressionless face, chin tilted with a hint of disdain.

“Forget it. As long as you keep the promise you made to me last night.” He spoke gently, almost coaxing her.

“What did I promise?” Xu Zhiyi froze. Did she get drunk and sell herself?

“You promised to do something for me,” Shen Si said sweetly, having waited patiently just for this moment.

“You actually believed drunken talk?” So she really had sold herself. She laughed dryly and refused to acknowledge it.

“I took care of you all night. You can’t just deny everything because you were drunk.” Shen Si softened his tone, half tempting, half threatening. His voice was low and raspy, lazy from a sleepless night—irresistibly seductive.

“So what if I deny it?” Xu Zhiyi’s temples throbbed. She always believed the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. So she got straight to the point: “I don’t know what about me you find interesting, but I’ll say this now and save you the disappointment. We’re from two different worlds. Let’s keep it that way and not cross paths again. As for you getting me drunk last night—let’s call it even since you sent me home. No one’s a fool these days. If you’re curious about me, stop it here!”

The entertainment industry’s money? Not worth it. Too dangerous. Xu Zhiyi instantly gave up the faint ambition she had.

“I thought after your passionate clinging last night, we could at least be friends. Didn’t expect you to turn cold so fast. Never mind. I’ll just remember what you promised me! Whether you admit it or not—we’ve shared some skin contact.”

Then Shen Si suddenly lowered his voice. Even through the receiver, Xu Zhiyi could practically see the seductive way his Adam’s apple bobbed with every word:
“You’re way cuter drunk than sober.”

“Psycho!” Xu Zhiyi’s ears turned beet red from the comment. She hung up in a panic, tossing one final tough-sounding insult before fleeing.

Shen Si chuckled at the dial tone, feeling like he’d just found Xu Professor’s weak spot.

And Xu Zhiyi, after hanging up, felt ashamed of her uncharacteristic outburst.

Back when she was interning at the hospital, she’d heard and told far dirtier jokes in the operating room just to ease nerves. Around her best friend Jiang Chun, she was even more unfiltered.

But just now, a single flirtatious line—one that wasn’t even that suggestive—hit her like a summer heatwave. Her skin tingled as if it were about to catch fire.

Xu Zhiyi took a deep breath, silently repeated a mantra three times—□□—before finally tossing Shen Si out of her mind.

She thought she’d thoroughly offended Shen Si. With his prideful nature, there was no way he’d ever come near her again. But then, she received a personal delivery from Shen Si’s assistant, Xiao Gu.

Her phone’s photo album now held dozens of photos of Shen Si—some of which even had him blowing kisses at the camera. His sexy lips parted slightly, as if the next second, that dreamy kiss would land right on her face.

It made her skin crawl.

“All taken by Si-ge himself. No other fan gets this treatment. All thanks to you, Professor Xu.” Xiao Gu praised Shen Si while giving Xu Zhiyi a big thumbs-up. “Professor Xu, your alcohol tolerance is amazing. You were totally drunk and still made it home on your own.”

“Oh… I’m used to it.” Xu Zhiyi replied vaguely, trying to stay calm.

She had thought there was no way to fulfill the promise she made to her colleagues and students—but unexpectedly…

She suddenly thought, maybe Shen Si wasn’t that annoying after all.

Xiao Gu studied Xu Zhiyi’s expressionless face, completely unable to understand why Shen Si cared so much about her.

Was it compensation for slapping her?

Or… had Si-ge fallen for her?

Another year was drawing to a close.

Posters of The Merciless Thief were plastered across every street. Radio stations buzzed with talk about the film’s plot.

Outside a movie theater in Guangzhou.

A young wife had waited in line for thirty minutes just to buy a ticket for The Merciless Thief. She squeezed out of the crowd and walked over to her husband, who was holding their daughter, grumbling: “I waited half an hour for one ticket—what a rip-off! I told you not to bring Yuanyuan. If she’d stayed home, we could’ve watched it together. From the trailer, Shen Si is ridiculously handsome!”

“Careful, your drool’s about to fall.”

“Jealous much? I’ve liked Shen Si longer than I’ve liked you,” the wife teased, giving her husband’s shoulder a playful punch.

Her husband laughed and pinched her nose. “Fine. I officially permit you to swoon over your dream guy for the next two hours. I’ll take Yuanyuan to the park. You come find us after the movie.”

The little girl, six or seven years old, had rosy lips, white teeth, and a round, chubby face—perfectly matching her name.

Holding her dad’s hand, she skipped out of the theater lobby. “Daddy, does Mommy not want to bring me because I’d block her view of the handsome guy? Isn’t that choosing love over family?”

“Uh…” Her dad paused, then chuckled. “Guess so.”

“Then why’d you let her go crush on someone else?”

“Because now Daddy gets to go on a date with Yuanyuan!” He knelt down, looking into his daughter’s sparkling eyes.

Yuanyuan beamed. “Right! Just us—no Mommy allowed!”

She chirped and giggled all the way to the park, like a bird released from a cage. When they arrived, she ran ahead, begging her dad to chase her.

Then—she suddenly stopped under a big tree, urgently waving to her dad: “Daddy, come look! There’s a little bird under the tree!”

Her dad walked over. Yuanyuan had already crouched down, eyes wide, staring at a bright red bird lying on the ground. Its head and back were a vivid blue, and its belly to tail a gem-like crimson—absolutely beautiful.

“Why is the little bird crying?” Yuanyuan looked at its tearful brown-red eyes. A single tear moistened the feathers below, making that patch look soaked.

The little bird trembled in the cold breeze.

“Hmm?” Her dad glanced up at the tree and thought for a moment. “Maybe it’s hurt.”

He squatted down and examined the red crossbird’s chest.

“Is it lost? Did its parents abandon it?” Yuanyuan looked at the bird, her nose reddening, tears welling up in her eyes.

“That’s why you shouldn’t run off either. You might end up like the bird, unable to find your parents,” her dad gently warned.

“But the bird is hurt, and it has no mom or dad. That’s so sad! Can I take care of it?” Yuanyuan turned to him, eyes brimming with tears.

“Hmm? Birds belong in nature. That’s their home.”

“But I want to help it. If I don’t, it’ll die. It just keeps crying and crying…” Yuanyuan’s voice trembled as snot threatened to drip.

Looking at the bird’s beautiful red feathers, her dad relented. “Alright. But when it’s better, we’ll return it to nature, okay?”

Yuanyuan nodded, her tears turning into a big smile. She gave her dad a loud kiss on the cheek.

With her dad’s help, she took out her handkerchief and gently picked up the bird, whispering softly, “Don’t cry, little bird. I’ll help you get better and take you back to find your parents.”

Listening to his daughter’s sweet voice comfort the bird, her dad patted her fluffy little head—both helpless and doting.

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