19 Chapter Nineteen

◎ “Shen Qingshi, let’s date.” (third update) ◎

Ten minutes later—

Hearing the suite door close, Chu Zhixia still found it a little unbelievable.

He was clearly moved―that kiss had been so gentle and full of affection. Yet after hearing her words, his eyes had become restrained and forbidding. She even felt as if there was a trace of disappointment and coldness in his gaze, like a clear and chilly winter night, making her involuntarily shiver.

“We’ve only known each other for less than a month.”

His voice was slightly hoarse and stiff, and his tone was a little cold. After saying that line, he just left? Left???

Chu Zhixia flopped onto the soft, huge bed—it was basically big enough for three people, you could roll around however you wanted.

She had to admit that since she’d stepped into this room, she couldn’t help but…

Supporting herself up on one arm, she looked through the still-open door. From this angle, she could still see the table in the living room area—and the laptop he had left there.

She understood what he meant.

She also understood his sense of responsibility.

But she just…

She really wanted to have a proper relationship with him—just like she’d wished for before the entrance exam. But she had never dated anyone and didn’t know how it even worked. Wasn’t it just: I want him, and he wants me, that simple?

Besides… maybe she was a little scared too.

Scared that she…

—Forget it. Better coax him first. It was her fault after all. She made him upset.

Chu Zhixia pulled out her phone, intending to message him and apologize, and say some nice, soft words.

Right at that moment, the suite door was gently knocked—very polite knocks.

Her heart jumped with joy, thinking Shen Qingshi had thought it through or changed his mind and come back. Although the knocks didn’t immediately feel like his, she still opened the door with a bit of hope.

Outside stood the well-dressed butler she had seen at the beginning.

“Miss Chu, good afternoon. Young Master Shen asked me to bring you lunch—” The butler bowed slightly, and two waiters behind him pushed in a white meal cart.

Hearing the words “Young Master Shen,” Chu Zhixia almost wanted to cover her ears. She really didn’t want to know anything about his family background. She hurriedly interrupted: “Thank you, thank you. Did Mr. Shen say anything else?”

The butler replied, “Mr. Shen said he has some matters to attend to in Haishi. After you finish eating and resting, please contact him. He will drive you back.”

“Thank you.”

After all, she had already canceled her bullet train ticket, so of course he had to drive her back.

—Things to attend to? What a lame excuse. Clearly he either got scared off or annoyed and ran away.

After closing the door, Chu Zhixia grumbled in her heart. When her eyes landed on the beautifully prepared dishes, a bit of sadness and regret washed over her; if she had known this would happen, she wouldn’t have teased him. Then he could’ve stayed with her for the whole afternoon.

Sniffling a little, still worried that he was angry—she hated seeing a beautiful person angry—she sent him a WeChat message:

[It was my fault. My attraction to you is physical sometimes, and I can’t control it.]

[I do like you. I won’t do that again. If you say we can still be together, can we?]

She read the message back and forth twice and felt like a scummy hooligan. But it was too late to retract it. She had no intention of eating anymore and just sat there holding her phone, waiting.

Crap. He’s really angry.

—Damn it!!!

Shen Qingshi didn’t see the WeChat message until two hours later.

He had just walked out from an underground bar in Haicheng. Compared to Nancheng, a thousand-year-old city filled with literati and history, Haicheng was more trendy, modern, and open. The bar street had all sorts of uniquely styled places, but it was afternoon, so most of them were still closed.

He had gone to a punk bar called “Susan and the Banshees,” a tribute to one of the most famous post-punk bands in Britain in the 1970s—Siouxsie and the Banshees.

There was someone rehearsing inside that afternoon. The drums made his eardrums ache, and he didn’t notice his phone buzzing.

After wandering around for a bit, he ordered a glass of water at the bar, but the person he was waiting for never came.

When he stepped outside, he saw a woman standing diagonally across the street. She looked about thirty–three or thirty–four, but was very attractive. Her heavy smoky makeup made her look like someone in her early twenties.

Shen Qingshi’s expression softened immediately. Nodding gently, he walked toward her.

“Come to my place or go back to the bar?” Shen Danyan looked him up and down and kindly reminded, “My place is basically like a bar too.”

Shen Qingshi thought for a moment and said, “Let’s find somewhere we can talk.”

Between the two nearby bars was a small café. It wasn’t big, but it was quiet and good for talking.

“Alright, then let’s go.” Shen Danyan had also noticed it. She was dressed in a black leather jacket over a cropped top, short black skirt, fishnet stockings, and long gray-purple hair—but this was Haicheng, an open-minded city; no one on the street gave her strange looks.

“You’re still so quiet, just like when you were little. That’s why I told you to come early, to relax and listen to some music at the bar.” Shen Danyan teased.

The café was very close. They chose a street-side seat, sat down on a white sofa. As usual, Shen Qingshi ordered two black coffees and said, “Thank you, big sister.”

“Change mine to a latte. I don’t like bitter things anymore.” After telling the server, Shen Danyan turned back and smiled at him. “Why are you thanking me? By the way, was the music good?”

After a few seconds of silence, seeing Shen Qingshi look down at the menu without answering, Shen Danyan looked out the window and commented lightly, “Yeah. No one writes good songs anymore.”

Shen Qingshi closed the menu and added a dessert for her—a pistachio Basque cheesecake.

“When did you start liking cake?” The coffee and cake arrived quickly. Shen Danyan was surprised, thinking he had ordered it for himself.

But Shen Qingshi pushed the cake to her and said gently, “This one is very sweet.”

Shen Danyan immediately laughed. “How do you know it’s sweet? You’ve had it before? Your little girlfriend gave it to you?”

Seeing his eyes shift slightly, and his fingers pause on the coffee cup, she said, “You suddenly said you were coming to Haicheng and might stay overnight. Of course I asked the butler what was going on.”

That suite was long-term booked by the Shen family, originally for Shen Danyan. Because their parents didn’t think she could take care of herself living alone, they arranged diligent service and a butler. But she had never stayed there once, so the suite was empty all year round.

Later, when Shen Qingshi came for business trips, academic conferences, or to visit his sister, he would stay there to rest.

Since someone cleaned it daily, it was very tidy and in a prime location—much more convenient than staying somewhere else.

But out of courtesy, he always informed his sister before staying there.

Too curious, Shen Danyan asked, “What kind of girl is she? Got any photos? How far have you two progressed?”

“She… isn’t my girlfriend yet.” Shen Qingshi came to Haicheng to avoid this question, but she still brought it up.

“Oh~~ so you haven’t won her over yet?” Shen Danyan knew her brother. Suddenly coming to Haicheng, staying in the best suite, asking where to eat and play nearby—he clearly liked a girl. He wasn’t the type to fool around. Most likely, he hadn’t successfully pursued her yet.

“It’s not that—” Shen Qingshi, normally very reserved, was still willing to speak a little more in front of the sister who had always cared for him. His fingertips slowly tightened around the cup. “I feel like… she’s not sincere.”

“She’s the one chasing you then.” Shen Danyan thought it made sense. Her brother was like a sealed jar, unable to chase people himself. Leaning back, she asked, “So do you think she’s after your money or the Shen family?”

“Neither. She’s not like that.” Shen Qingshi didn’t want to go deeper into the topic. He only felt some emotional confusion.

“Oh—then she’s after you?”

Hearing the strong protective tone in his words, Shen Danyan nearly burst out laughing. It was her first time seeing her little brother like this.

But he had always been sharp and perceptive. And if he felt she wasn’t sincere, then that girl probably wasn’t fully sincere.

However, so what?

Sincere or not—does it really matter?

Shen Danyan asked, “So are you sincere?”

Shen Qingshi paused, seemingly a little embarrassed to speak. But after a few seconds, his dark eyes looked at his sister earnestly and solemnly, and he nodded.

“Then that’s enough.”

One person being sincere in a relationship is already enough.

“Since that’s the case, you can tell her what’s really in your heart—some of your thoughts. In a relationship, it’s not good to always make the girl take the initiative,” Shen Danyan said comfortingly. Seeing her younger brother look thoughtful and as if he had understood something, she finally felt at ease.

She still hoped that her brother could love wholeheartedly—getting hurt was okay.

Just like how she went out of her way to get him to relax at the punk bar and listen to some rock.

Shen Qingshi thought for a moment and figured out a lot. Then he looked at his sister and changed the topic: “What about you? How have you been lately? Are your performances going well?”

“It’s alright. Just taking things one day at a time.”

Shen Qingshi hesitated, then said, “Mom and Dad are always worried about you. Second Brother too—”

“So what if they’re worried?” Mentioning that made a thin layer of ice appear over Shen Danyan’s eyes. Hearing the second half of his sentence, she restrained herself and casually asked how Shen Qingxuan had been lately, feeling slightly relieved after hearing about him.

“So for this year’s New Year—”

“Qingshi, your sister dropped out of school early. My English isn’t very good.” Seeing that he still wanted to persuade her, Shen Danyan interrupted and crossed her arms. She tilted her chin toward the gothic italic English phrase printed on the outer wall of the punk bar from before.

Shen Qingshi followed her gaze.

“I see that line every day, but I never know how to translate it properly. Be a good brother and translate it for me—what does it mean exactly?”

Shen Qingshi looked at it, put his hand on the table, his eyelashes trembling slightly, and slowly said, “It’s a quote from Hebdige.”

Shen Danyan raised her brows at him.

“It’s how Hebdige described punk culture— ‘Deliberately blasphemous towards God, abandoned by society…’ ”

“‘…and I enjoy every bit of it.’ ”

Shen Danyan laughed. “Just as I thought. ‘Society abandons me, and I enjoy every bit of it.’ ”

She stood up to pay the bill. “Alright then, go and accompany your little girlfriend.”

……

Stupid Shen Qingshi.

Annoying Shen Qingshi.

Bastard Shen Qingshi.

It was already past five in the afternoon, and the sky was slowly getting dark. It was only the end of March after all—just the beginning of spring, so it turned dark early.

Yes, the river view was beautiful. As the lights came on one by one, the city scene looked bustling and glamorous.

But after a while, it all looked the same.

Plus, the suite was so big, with so many rooms. Even though the color scheme was meant to look dignified, solemn, and imposing, in Chu Zhixia’s eyes, it just seemed rigid and gloomy. She didn’t even dare to imagine what it would be like at night—it was scary just thinking about it.

Shen Qingshi still hadn’t replied to her WeChat message. And she didn’t intend to send another one—she wasn’t the clingy type.

—Reply if you want. Whatever.

She had even downloaded a bunch of games onto his laptop and kept playing, but after a while it felt boring. Just as she decided to leave him a note and head to the train station—maybe she could get a last-minute ticket back to Nancheng—the room door was knocked again.

Chu Zhixia snorted. Checking the time, she figured it was someone bringing dinner.

He had a bad temper, but he was thorough.

She didn’t even bother to put on slippers. The floor was spotless and the carpet soft and comfy anyway. Barefoot, she walked to the door and pulled it open. “So your Mr. Shen is again—”

Before she finished, her words got stuck in her throat.

The real Shen Qingshi she had been cursing all afternoon was standing at the door, quietly staring at her with his dark eyes.

Three seconds later, Chu Zhixia slammed the door shut.

She took a deep breath, smoothed a few loose strands of hair, managed her facial expression, and pulled the door open again.

“So you do know how to come back.”

“You shouldn’t have come back.”

The room went quiet.

As she spoke, Chu Zhixia felt that the atmosphere was a little strange. At noon her messages had sounded like those of a shameless playboy, yet now these words made her sound like a lonely wife anxiously waiting for her husband but being stubborn-mouthed.

Chu Zhixia took a deep breath and told herself to stay calm—she still hadn’t gotten him yet.

Shen Qingshi was silent for a moment, then broke the stillness. “I’m sorry.”

No matter the reason, he shouldn’t have left her here alone—even if he was sure the place was safe and nothing would happen.

Hearing him apologize, Chu Zhixia’s temper instantly mellowed.

“You don’t have to apologize. I also did something wrong.” She lowered her head and said sincerely. She shouldn’t have been so impatient. He was like the most beautiful flower blooming in a spring garden—she should have carefully cherished and protected it, and then picked it when both were willing and the time was right.

“Well… come in first.” It was really inconvenient to keep standing at the door, so she pulled him inside and closed the door tightly.

“Aren’t you cold?” He had already noticed she wasn’t wearing any shoes.

“I’m not c— actually, I am.” Chu Zhixia quickly corrected herself. She wiggled her shell-like, translucent toes that were painted with clear polish. “I rushed to open the door for you and forgot to put on shoes.”

Shen Qingshi gave a soft reply. Of course he could tell.

But when he saw her walking toward the far end of the living room, he took one step forward, wrapped an arm around her slender waist and slipped his other arm under her knees, lifting her up horizontally and holding her steadily in his arms.

He knew she wasn’t completely sincere.

Or that her sincerity was mixed with some false intentions, desire, or something else—he didn’t even know.

But it didn’t matter. He was sincere.

**

Nestled in his arms, Chu Zhixia stared blankly at his handsome profile. She had only wanted him to feel a little sorry for her so that the incident at noon could be over quickly. She didn’t expect him to pick her up like that. He looked thin, but he was actually very strong—he carried her as easily as if she were a doll.

“Am I skinny?” she asked.

“You’re too skinny,” Shen Qingshi answered honestly.

She hadn’t been this thin at first—maybe she had deliberately lost weight for her exams, and was getting thinner and thinner.

People who studied acting all liked hearing that they were thin. Chu Zhixia was very satisfied and rewarded him with a kiss on the side of his face.

“But my chest is very big.”

She still couldn’t resist adding that.

There had been some pervy male audience members who once described her as a thin stick hanging a giant fruit. She had been furious.

But to be fair, she did have a great figure—the very rare, absolutely stunning kind. Now that she wanted to show it off, she wasn’t embarrassed at all and lifted her chin proudly.

Shen Qingshi hadn’t been looking at her before—he was focused on watching where he was walking—but after hearing that, he immediately looked away.

Chu Zhixia wanted to reach over and touch his slightly flushed ear, but she was afraid he might get angry again.

Shen Qingshi carefully placed her down on the longest leather sofa in the living room. The ceiling here was very high, and through the huge windows one could see not only the river but also a sky full of stars.

Shen Qingshi straightened his sleeves and looked at her. “I have something to tell you.”

“What a coincidence, I have something to tell you too.” Chu Zhixia pulled him to sit down and looked up at the river view and the stars together with him.

“You say it first,” Shen Qingshi said.

“No, this time you go first.”

Truth be told, she didn’t know what he wanted to say. Strictly speaking, there was nothing between them yet. They were just… somewhat ambiguous friends. If he was annoyed, or really felt offended, then it would just end.

She really wasn’t the clingy type—she had only been teasing a little.

And she knew that he understood—and had tacitly allowed it.

“So what exactly do you want to say?” she asked, a little anxious when she saw him silently gazing at the stars.

“Just… give me a moment.”

She couldn’t even be bothered to put on her slippers — the floor was spotless, the carpet soft and comfortable — so she walked barefoot to the door, pulled it open and said, “Is your Mr. Shen here to again—”

The words stuck in her throat.

The real Shen Qingshi — who had been cursed by her all afternoon — was standing right there, quietly looking at her with those dark eyes.

Three seconds later, Chu Zhixia slammed the door shut.

She took a breath, smoothed her hair, adjusted her expression and opened the door again.

“So you do know how to come back.”

“You shouldn’t have come back.”

The room fell silent.

As she spoke, Chu Zhixia felt the atmosphere getting strangely ambiguous — her messages at noon had sounded like a scummy flirt, but now her tone was more like a lonely little wife pretending to be tough while desperately waiting for her husband to return.

She took a deep breath and reminded herself to stay calm — she still hadn’t won him over yet.

Shen Qingshi was silent for a moment, then broke the silence first. “I’m sorry.”

Whatever the reason, he shouldn’t have left her here alone — even if he was sure the place was safe and there would be no danger.

Hearing his apology, Chu Zhixia’s temper eased immediately.

“You don’t need to apologize — I also did something wrong.” She lowered her head and said sincerely. She shouldn’t have been so impatient. He was like the most beautiful flower blooming in a spring garden — she should have cherished and protected it, and picked it only when both of them were willing and the time was right.

“Well…come in first.” It was really inconvenient to talk while standing at the door, so she pulled him inside and closed the door.

“Aren’t you cold?” He had long noticed that she wasn’t wearing any shoes.

“I’m n—not… actually yeah.” Chu Zhixia quickly corrected herself and wiggled her translucent, shell-like toes painted with clear nail polish. “I rushed to open the door for you and forgot to put on shoes.”

Shen Qingshi gave a quiet “mm.” Of course he could see that.

Seeing her walk toward the far side of the living room, he stepped forward, slipped one arm around her waist and the other behind her knees and simply lifted her up, carrying her steadily in his arms.

He knew she wasn’t entirely sincere.

Or that her sincerity was mixed with a bit of playfulness… desire… who knew.

But it didn’t matter — he was sincere.

**

Nestled in his arms, Chu Zhixia stared blankly at his beautiful profile. She only wanted him to feel a little heartache for her and quickly move past what happened at noon — she didn’t expect him to just pick her up like this. He looked slender, but he was actually very strong — he held her as if she weighed nothing.

“Am I thin?” she asked.

“You’re too thin,” Shen Qingshi answered honestly.

She hadn’t been this thin at first — probably lost weight on purpose for her exams and kept losing.

People who study acting love hearing this — Chu Zhixia was very satisfied and gave him a quick kiss on the side of his face as a reward.

“But my chest is big.”

She still added proudly.

Some creepy male audience members had once described her as a thin stick carrying an oversized fruit, which had made her furious.

To be fair her figure really was amazing — the rare kind that was almost unreal. She wanted to show off, and felt no shame at all, raising her chin proudly.

Shen Qingshi at first hadn’t been looking at her, concentrating on walking — but after hearing that, he instantly turned his eyes away.

Chu Zhixia wanted to reach out and touch his slightly flushed ear, but she was afraid he might get angry again.

Shen Qingshi placed her gently on the longest leather sofa in the living room. The ceiling here was high, and through the giant glass windows one could see not only the river but a sky full of stars.

He straightened his sleeves and looked at her. “I have something to tell you.”

“What a coincidence — I also have something to say.” Chu Zhixia pulled his hand and made him sit down beside her, and they both looked up at the riverside scenery and the stars.

“You say it first,” Shen Qingshi said.

“No, this time you go first.”

Chu Zhixia still didn’t know what he was about to say. Honestly, they weren’t even anything right now — probably just ambiguously close friends. If he was annoyed, or felt genuinely offended, then it would simply end.

She really wasn’t the clingy type — she had only used a few little teasing tricks.

And she knew that he knew… and tacitly allowed it.

“So what is it that you want to say?”

Seeing him silently stare at the stars, she became a little anxious.

“Just wait a moment.”

Shen Qingshi glanced at his watch and checked the time.

“Maybe I should go fir—”

Before she could finish, all the lights in the suite suddenly went out — even the dim wall lights.

The room instantly fell into darkness and silence.

But this darkness was unusual — Chu Zhixia looked out through the window and saw that almost at the same time, the bright lights along the riverbank had also gone out. Even the lights from those iconic skyscrapers had gone dark, leaving only scattered dots of light and the densely packed stars in the night sky.

Chu Zhixia froze. Somehow she had a feeling about what was going to happen. She turned her head to look at Shen Qingshi — and the next second—

Brilliant fireworks suddenly burst open in the sky, tearing through the darkness.

At the same time, lights on the buildings lit up one by one,

forming two characters she was all too familiar with: (Zhixia).

A yacht full of roses sailed slowly across the river. Thousands of drones swept across the sky, transforming into a theater curtain slowly opening, cascading wisteria blossoms, a small orange tree, silhouettes from famous Shakespeare scenes, a spinning ballerina… roses… and finally rearranged into a sentence:

Zhixia, will you be my girlfriend?

Chu Zhixia: “……”

She stared in shock at everything in front of her.

She could even hear the cheers from the street below ― flashes going off everywhere among the excited crowd.

After a few seconds, Chu Zhixia couldn’t hold it in ― and let out a low laugh.

Shen Qingshi: “……”

She could tell that even he was very startled ― probably hadn’t expected the scene to turn out so grand and dramatic.

Chu Zhixia cleared her throat and teased, “That really was theatrical.”

Then she couldn’t help turning to ask, “So… how did they trick you into this?”

“How much did you pay them?”

Shen Qingshi didn’t answer. The fireworks were still blooming, the drones still changing.

He lifted a hand and rubbed his brow.

His sister had told him to take the initiative ― originally he’d only planned for the lights to go out and a line of simple, clean text to appear in the sky.

Directly facing the hotel, so that only she could see it.

As for the theater scene, the wisteria… those were elements he had casually mentioned to the designers when describing her.

—He wanted to take the initiative. And to make it romantic.

“You didn’t give them a blank check and tell them to fill in whatever number they wanted, did you?”

“Hey, hey, Shen Qingshi, don’t run— you did it, now take responsibility!”

Seeing him get up and walk back into the suite, Chu Zhixia quickly followed with a laugh. “Tsk tsk, I didn’t expect you to like such flashy things. If you like that, I’ll do one for you too. I’ll set it up all night—”

“I’ll make you the brightest person in this whole city.”

It’s just money anyway. If she didn’t have enough, she could shamelessly ask Yin Xueling for a little.

“……” Shen Qingshi couldn’t be bothered with her and lay down on the huge bed, still fully dressed, turning his back and sulking.

“Ahhh, these windows are way too big—you can even see clearly from the bedroom!”

Chu Zhixia leaned her forehead against the window, making fun of him while continuing to watch the show.

“When it’s my turn, I already know the words I’ll put up. Just ‘Shen Qingshi—’”

She knew he could hear her, so she slowed her voice slightly.

Watching the fireworks continue to rise, the rose-filled yacht sail across the river, the drones keep changing, and the words Zhixia shining on the skyscraper…

she really was moved. More than just a little.

“Shen Qingshi, I like you.”

“Let’s date.”

—that was what she had wanted to say today.