**25**

Ruan Yinmeng heard the sound of wheels rolling behind her and instinctively stepped aside.

But the car suddenly braked sharply beside her.

She saw Chi Sheng stop next to her.

Ruan Yinmeng’s expression froze for a moment, then she turned her head to look toward the school gate. The few students there seemed as if someone had struck their pressure points, hesitating and uncertainly staring this way.

Ruan Yinmeng didn’t understand what was going on for a moment, when she heard Chi Sheng call her name.

Ruan Yinmeng.

Ruan Yinmeng turned to look at Chi Sheng beside her.

Chi Sheng got off the bicycle, hands resting on the handlebars, his body half-turned toward her. “Where are you going? I’ll go with you.”

She smiled brightly, her clear eyes reflecting her own image.

Ruan Yinmeng stared at Chi Sheng in a daze. She realized what this meant, paused for a moment, and then said, “Chi Sheng, you…”

This person had been avoiding her in public just a few days ago and was very bothered by her job, but now he was actively pursuing her.

You really don’t have to… The words were on Ruan Yinmeng’s lips but she didn’t get to say them before Chi Sheng interrupted: “If you don’t let me go, I’ll follow you. The street is so wide, there’s no rule saying I can’t walk the same way as you.”

She spoke quickly, but there was a trace of nervousness in her eyes. The words from last time were still fresh in her mind, and combined with the fact that they hadn’t seen each other for the past half month, it was already an unspoken agreement that they would no longer associate.

Her current behavior was a reversal of her previous stance; she was afraid Ruan Yinmeng wouldn’t accept her anymore.

Chi Sheng’s nervousness, Chi Sheng’s concealment, Chi Sheng’s cautious scrutiny—all were perfectly conveyed under the camera.

She stood by Ruan Yinmeng’s side without hesitation in front of everyone, trembling nervously under Ruan Yinmeng’s gaze.

She was both brave and timid.

Ruan Yinmeng looked at her for a moment, said nothing more, and turned to continue walking.

Chi Sheng stayed still for a moment, then smiled and pushed the cart to catch up. She glanced at her quietly, always feeling that Ruan Yinmeng had smiled just now, but it was too quick for her to see clearly.

She followed Ruan Yinmeng forward, the school, classmates, and the summer sunlight all left behind, and she never once looked back.

They went to the bank, Ruan Yinmeng handled business at the counter, while Chi Sheng waited outside. She stood in the shade but still sweated from the heat.

The weather was too hot, but she was in a very good mood.

Ruan Yinmeng came out of the bank, and Chi Sheng was still following her. They didn’t speak the whole way. When they passed a phone store, Chi Sheng reached out and grabbed her hand: “Hey, wait for me.”

She was going to college and needed to buy a phone. Her grandmother had urged her several times, but since Chi Sheng didn’t really have a need for a phone, she hadn’t rushed to buy one. Now that she was passing by, it was the perfect time to get one.

She parked the car, walked into the store, then turned to look at Ruan Yinmeng, smiling at her in a flattering way, her eyes like crescent moons, as if wanting her to go in together.

There were quite a few people in the phone store, many of them students, taking advantage of the end of the college entrance exam to come with their parents or classmates to pick out a phone they liked.

As soon as Chi Sheng entered, the sales assistant eagerly started recommending phone models to her.

There were candy bar phones, flip phones, slide phones, and various colors and brands, with prices varying greatly.

Chi Sheng was dazzled by the variety. After the salesperson finished the introduction, she judged that the functions were all pretty much the same, just different styles. She picked one that looked pleasing to her eye. The salesperson immediately started praising it enthusiastically, then quoted a price.

So expensive!

Chi Sheng quietly tugged on Ruan Yinmeng’s hand. Ruan Yinmeng had been silent beside her, but now receiving Chi Sheng’s plea for help, she stepped forward decisively to bargain. In the end, she bought the phone at a much lower price.

As they walked out of the phone store, Chi Sheng kept smiling, as if she had gotten a great deal, unable to stop laughing. Ruan Yinmeng kept looking at her and couldn’t help but say, “Stop laughing.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she couldn’t help but smile herself. She smiled for a while, and when she turned to say something, she found Chi Sheng quietly looking at her with a smile.

People of this age seem to have no idea what it means to hide their feelings; they express exactly what they think. When they dislike something, it’s blatant; when they like something, they refuse to hide it even a little. Even if she covered her eyes, her affection would still escape from the corners of her lips.

“Are you not afraid now?” Ruan Yinmeng asked.

She was asking if he was no longer afraid of being seen with her, no longer afraid of others discovering their relationship?

Chi Sheng understood and said, “I’m afraid, but deep down I want to do this.”

Ruan Yinmeng stopped walking, and Chi Sheng stopped as well, amidst the bustling crowd on the street.

Ruan Yinmeng showed no trace of a smile; instead, she was filled with worries.

Chi Sheng understood, she had always understood, she was not stupid.

But she didn’t want to hear Ruan Yinmeng say to her again, “It’s a good thing you know what kind of person I am.”

Only then did she realize that her sensitivity to this sentence was Ruan Yinmeng’s self-deprecation and also a belittlement of her.

She simply decided not to think about it, got on the bicycle, and smiled at Ruan Yinmeng, saying, “I’ll take you home.”

Ruan Yinmeng did not move.

Chi Sheng’s smile was almost about to fade, but she still forced a cheerful tone: “I’m very steady when I ride a bike.”

Ruan Yinmeng suddenly had a feeling that if she refused Chi Sheng, Chi Sheng might cry; her voice was already trembling a little.

So she sat on the back seat of the bike.

The car was indeed very stable, and Chi Sheng spoke from time to time.

“I want to save your number as the first contact in my phone. If you ever need anything, you can call me anytime. I’ll be there whenever you call!”

“I’m going to college in two months, in Zhou City. It takes half a day by train, but it’s okay, right? I’ll come back often.”

Ruan Yinmeng.

“Let’s give it a try, can we try? I’ll be brave for you.”

Chi Sheng said a lot, but Ruan Yinmeng didn’t respond with a single word.

She didn’t know why it had come to this. Clearly, the feelings had faded, and they hadn’t seen each other for half a month, yet Chi Sheng still ran to her side whenever he saw her.

The scorching sun burned fiercely. Ruan Yinmeng looked up and saw sweat dripping from Chi Sheng’s hairline, wetting the back of her neck.

She could control herself from responding, but in that moment, she couldn’t control her hand; her fingertips brushed against the skin at Chi Sheng’s collar, and her palm pressed against Chi Sheng’s back.

Chi Sheng quieted down.

They went home together, riding their bicycles into the narrow, old alley lined with paulownia trees in front of the door. The alley was a trivial corner of the world, and they were even smaller—two insignificant specks of dust in the universe.

The camera shot from behind showed Ning Zhi carrying Shen Yizhi away, growing smaller and smaller in the frame.

Shen Yizhi’s palm pressed against Ning Zhi’s back, her body heat passing through the thin fabric. Ning Zhi stopped, stretched out her leg to brace against the car. She didn’t remind Shen Yizhi to get off, nor did she look back

Shen Yizhi was behind her; neither of them spoke, nor did either move.

It wasn’t until the group trailing behind caught up, handing out towels and water, that Ning Zhi felt the lightness behind her—Shen Yizhi had stood up and walked away.

Ning Zhi lowered her head, took a deep breath, yet still felt a wave of discomfort with nowhere to vent.

She couldn’t tell if it was for Chi Sheng, or for herself.

In the afternoon, Jiang Peng arrived. Ning Zhi was going to leave the crew for two days to attend a very important appointment, which had been agreed upon early in the morning. Director Mei readily let her go.

Ning Zhi left with Jiang Peng. Before leaving, she instinctively looked for Shen Yizhi, but after scanning everyone on the set, she still couldn’t find him.

He was probably in the lounge. Feeling a bit disappointed, Ning Zhi got into the car and headed to the airport.

On the way, Jiang Peng talked at length about how rushed things were and how important this mid-year gala was.

Ning Zhi just looked out the window. Jiang Peng sensed something was wrong, stopped, and looked at Yang Yang to ask. Yang Yang shook his head.

The year-end grand event was held in a city in the north. As soon as Ning Zhi stepped out of the airport, leaving behind the humid and sultry south, the dry and cool night breeze blew, making it feel like entering a completely different world.

Jiang Peng directly took her to the arranged hotel. Ning Zhi took a shower and went straight to sleep. When she woke up and looked at the dark room, she could hardly realize where she was

At this moment, Yangyang walked in, pulled open the curtains, and the daylight shone brightly. The pure white light made Ning Zhi squint, raising a hand to shield his eyes from the sun.

“It’s time to work.” Yangyang clapped her hands, signaling Ning Zhi to get up quickly.

Ning Zhi washed up, changed clothes, and ate breakfast, then followed the pre-arranged vehicle to the ceremony site, ready to do makeup, change clothes, and enter.

There were a lot of people on site, including celebrities and media, most of whom were familiar faces to Ning Zhi.

Unlike the film set soaked in a cinematic atmosphere, this place seemed to have highlights in every corner, with everyone wearing bright smiles, everything shining and glamorous, making it impossible to feel down even if you wanted to.

Ning Zhi was surrounded by many people, with one person after another coming up to reminisce with her, others being introduced to her, and then she herself being introduced to people of even higher status.

It was as if a pair of busy hands were pushing her to blend into the atmosphere of the scene, making her forget all about the matters on the film set.

She walked the red carpet, attended the gala, received two significant awards, gave countless media interviews, and then followed the crowd to leave, being taken back to the hotel.

Only when she lay down in the hotel did her dormant mind start to come alive.

It seemed quite good to be away from the set for two days; her emotions finally belonged to herself, no longer influenced by the atmosphere of the film.

Ning Zhi took out her phone and shared this good news with 0929.

While Shen Yizhi stayed on the set, she received an invitation to the gala but had already declined it early in the morning.

There were photos everywhere on Weibo, and naturally, there were some of Ning Zhi. Her face was beaming with a smile, completely different from how she had appeared in front of him recently.

Shen Yizhi slightly furrowed his brows, then saw a message from the puppy.

“I’m on a business trip!” Just four short words, even the punctuation exuded excitement.

Shen Yizhi paused his fingers and replied, “Pretty happy?”

Yeah.

Oh.

Ning Zhi didn’t pay much attention to 0929’s brief reply and said again, “Not having to meet that colleague is really a lot more relaxing.”

“Mm.” The netizen named 0929 replied.

So perfunctory. Ning Zhi thought to herself, but 0929 had always been like this, probably not very fond of talking, and she was already used to it.

She wanted to say more bad things about Shen Yizhi, but before she could think of anything, the happy mood she had just felt suddenly dipped for a moment.

Shen Yizhi’s influence on her was so immense that even when he wasn’t by her side, just mentioning him would upset her this much.

“I don’t want to talk about her anymore, she’s really annoying,” Ning Zhi said irritably.

Tomorrow night, I’ll be going back to Pingcheng, seeing Shen Yizhi again, and being affected by her in every way.

Ning Zhi slapped the bed in frustration, but surprisingly, her heart didn’t resist much.

So disappointing.

She irritably pushed Shen Yizhi out of her mind. After seeing so many celebrities today, she thought for a moment and decided to ask 0929 if there were any favorite stars or singers, then said she had connections to help get an autograph or something.

I had only typed halfway when 0929 replied.

Does she have no good qualities at all?