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Since their sudden argument that day—it couldn’t even be called an argument, it was just that Ji Fan had blurted out a rather discouraging remark—
Ji Fan hadn’t gone to see Jiang Cha for several days.
It was as if she were deliberately avoiding her, actively cooling down this relationship.
Jiang Cha couldn’t help but want to reach out to her, but Ji Fan’s words, “Is that something you should be asking?” kept echoing in her mind, and she hesitated.
She was afraid to message her, afraid that Ji Fan would feel disturbed or bothered.
After much deliberation, she didn’t send any messages.
Their relationship depended on Jiang Cha waiting for Ji Fan to need her before she appeared again.
In Ji Fan’s eyes, Jiang Cha’s question that day, “Do you like me too?” was a serious overstep. Having overstepped, Ji Fan felt troubled, so how could they continue?
Yet, the ring she had given was still safely worn on Jiang Cha’s middle finger. Jiang Cha would occasionally take it off, move it to her ring finger, look at it, smile slightly, and then put it back.
Perhaps she was overthinking it? After all, Ji Fan was busy with work, and there could be other reasons. In the past, when they were together, Ji Fan didn’t spend every night with her, she would only come back to see her occasionally when she thought of her.
Moreover, with the start date of the movie getting closer and closer, Jiang Cha was very dedicated to the film. She was determined to perform well and reverse her declining reputation, so she spent her free time pondering over the script and lines. So immersed in the script and her character, she actually stopped thinking about Ji Fan as frequently as before.
••••
Ji Fan didn’t know what was wrong with herself.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to see Jiang Cha.
It was just that since Jiang Cha had impulsively asked “How much do you like me?” she had inexplicably found herself in a situation that she felt awkward about. Their conversation that day wasn’t really out of line; after all, they had done much more intimate things, so what were a few simple words?
Yet, she really started to avoid her.
She hated the feeling of being slightly flustered when she saw her, it made her feel a little at a loss.
It was as if something was about to veer off its established, stable course.
That day, as usual, she opened her computer to work.
Her mouse trembled and accidentally clicked on a pop-up in the lower right corner of the screen.
Pop-ups were usually filled with boring gossip, and Ji Fan didn’t pay much attention to them, but as she glanced up, she was startled.
The headline read:
# “Camel Cigarettes” Cast Reunion Dinner #
The angle of the photo was somewhat ambiguous. The background was the rotating restaurant on the top floor of the Park Hyatt Hotel, the lighting was dim, and Song Baiwei seemed to be saying something to Jiang Cha. Jiang Cha was smiling slightly, and from the angle of the photo, it looked like she was leaning affectionately on Song Baiwei’s shoulder.
Ji Fan’s eyes narrowed slightly, and her expression turned cold.
It was only then that she realized that something was missing from her daily routine.
For example, the greetings that Jiang Cha used to send every day.
For example, every evening, Jiang Cha would always ask her if she wanted her to prepare dinner.
For example, some ordinary photos, flowers, plants, or a simple “good morning.”
It was already Thursday.
Jiang Cha hadn’t taken the initiative to contact her once.
Why wasn’t Jiang Cha taking the initiative to chat with her?
She had only given her a ring, and she had already started to take her for granted?
Or maybe she had fallen for Song Baiwei?
For a moment, Ji Fan felt a tightness in her chest, thinking that she had raised a white-eyed wolf. They had been together for so many years, and yet the other woman could so easily be swayed by another?
She reached for the keys beside her and almost stood up.
But then she sat back down.
She picked up her coffee cup with her long fingers and took a sip, slowly calming down.
Why should she be the one to reach out to her?
Jiang Cha should be the one to come over and apologize with a good attitude. Ji Fan might be able to forgive her then. She was the one paying, the one who should be pampered. It would be too demeaning and inappropriate for her to go to Jiang Cha herself.
As she continued to procrastinate, she hadn’t taken the initiative to talk to Jiang Cha for a whole week.
While Jiang Cha was still in turmoil, Ji Fan received a wedding invitation from Luo Yan.
Although she had known that this day would come, when she actually saw Luo Yan’s name written together with her brother’s, her mind went blank for a moment.
At that moment, it seemed as if the dream she had been deceiving herself with for so many years had finally shattered.
The girl she had liked since childhood was no longer there, she was going to marry someone else; her mother had already left her; her father… heh, she didn’t have a father.
In recent years, she had no other hobbies, and she had poured all her heart into her work, as if this would make her life feel more fulfilled and less lonely. But only now did she realize that she had nothing. The warmth of the past was just a dream, and with Luo Yan’s wedding, this dream collapsed and fell apart.
••••
The wedding was held on a private beach.
In the distance was the vast expanse of the blue ocean. Waves were lapped by the cool sea breeze, gently rolling onto the shore.
Slightly closer to the shore was a private park, a European-style garden with rolling lawns. A long carpet made of blooming white roses stretched across the lawn, with guest seats on either side. At the end, beyond a rose-woven archway, was a pure white wooden platform.
The event was full of celebrities and distinguished guests.
Half of the entertainment and business circles were in attendance.
As soon as Jiang Cha arrived, she began searching for Ji Fan.
Ji Fan was wearing a black sheath dress, her long, curly hair styled in a beautiful shape, with a slight curve that complemented her cold, aloof, and self-possessed face.
She propped her chin on one hand, her long, straight legs crossed one over the other in a very elegant sitting posture. On her slender wrist, she wore a silver watch with a sapphire blue dial. Her black and white eyes were extremely calm, occasionally glancing at the time.
Ji Fan’s expression was usually not very animated, and in a crowd of cheerful guests, she stood out as strange and peculiar.
She was too calm.
Terribly calm.
“Why does the wedding look like a funeral?”
Someone muttered under their breath as they looked at Ji Fan’s expression, “And she’s wearing black?”
Those who had heard of her name but had never seen her in person looked at her curiously.
Her skin was too pale, making her red lips quite striking. Her black hair cascaded down her shoulders. Her soft, thick, long curls were tucked behind one ear and draped over the other, revealing a seven-pointed star Tanzanite pendant earring.
Exquisite, cold, and aloof.
“Is that Ji Fan?”
“She’s so beautiful.”
“She looks like a star.”
Having not seen her in a long time, Jiang Cha couldn’t help herself. After hesitating for a moment, she also picked up a champagne glass and walked over.
She gently touched Ji Fan’s glass and softly asked, “Why don’t we go for a walk?”
“…”
Ji Fan’s thin eyelids, which had never looked up directly at anyone, finally lifted, and she glanced at Jiang Cha indifferently.
Ji Fan didn’t respond, and Jiang Cha wanted to say more, but since there were so many people around, it wasn’t convenient, so she had to leave, maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far.
Ji Fan looked away again, with no expression.
The wedding host began calling on family members to give speeches.
One by one, they went up and down, and then it was Ji Fan’s turn.
Jiang Cha saw Ji Fan standing on the stage, clearly with a script, but she still misread a few words.
She stood on the stage, blinked her long eyelashes, and then looked up.
There was a bright, crystal-like light, was it tears?
Was Ji Fan feeling down at her brother and Luo Yan’s wedding?
Jiang Cha’s fingertips curled slightly, and her heart seemed to skip a beat. Vaguely, she seemed to capture a fleeting thought.