Chapter 89 My heart felt as if it had been gently plucked…

By the time she saw Jiang Wenxi's message, it was already the next day. Little did she know that among the hundreds of likes on that post on her WeChat Moments the night before, there was one that Jiang Wenxi had contributed and then quietly unliked.

Yu Shuling doesn't post on WeChat Moments often, and she doesn't have a strong desire to share her life. Moreover, she's usually busy with her schedule, so there's really not much to share.

Jiang Wenxi and she became friends through work. Since then, apart from exchanging a few documents and Q&A related to work, they haven't said anything else. At midnight, the words "Happy New Year" flooded in. Yu Shuling didn't know how to send group messages, and not replying would be impolite. After waking up, she lay in bed slowly replying, and that's when she came across Jiang Wenxi's message.

Because it was only four simple words and didn't seem like it was typed manually, Yu Shuling skipped it and replied to Lu Lingling's next message:

Are you free in April? Would you still like to come to the concert in your city? I can send you tickets if you want.

You Jingzhou said he had sent her a New Year's gift, which would probably arrive on the first day of the Lunar New Year, but he didn't provide a tracking number. Yu Shuling waited for half the morning, and then, amidst the sound of firecrackers, she heard the deliveryman's doorbell ring.

She quickly got dressed and ran to open the door, where she was greeted by a deliveryman who looked haggard and was working overtime on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

"Thank you, sir! You've worked hard!"

Working during the Lunar New Year is tough enough, so Yu Shuling handed him a festively packaged cloud cake and a red envelope. The young man's eyes lit up immediately, and he thanked her repeatedly.

Yu Shuling closed the door and, seeing that the two people hadn't come out of the room, eagerly opened the package.

It's a local specialty, and there's also a packaged USB drive.

You Jingzhou is from Jiangnan. He sent her some pastries from his home. Yu Shuling loves sweets, so she took out the local specialties and put them on the table, waiting for everyone to share them. Then she took the USB drive to her room and plugged it into the computer.

It contains demos of six songs that could be made into a whole album, all of which are unreleased versions and have no names.

Yu Shuling put down what she was doing and put on her headphones.

The six songs were marked in order, and both the lyrics and melodies clearly indicated that they were love songs. She remembered that You Jingzhou rarely wrote love songs before, except for writing OSTs for others. She had thought he wasn't good at it, but she didn't expect them to sound so tender and captivating.

The last song is a pure English version. Compared to the native language, the lyrics are more direct and bold, no longer so subtle, but it doesn't contain forbidden words like many European and American songs. It's more like a confession than a sharing of music.

When the last song finished playing and started looping back to the beginning, Yu Shuling loosened her headphones a little. She heard a knock on the door outside, and almost unconsciously closed the webpage before calling out for someone to come in.

Lin Yujie entered, dressed casually in pajamas, walking in with a relaxed and confident air. Seeing Yu Shuling had just taken off her headphones, she couldn't help but smile:

"What song are you listening to so intently so early in the morning? I've called you several times and you haven't responded."

Yu Shuling countered with a question:

"Is there?"

“Yes,” Lin Yujie said, scrutinizing her seriously. “And for some reason, it seems to be the first time I’ve ever seen someone’s ears turn red from listening to music.”

Yu Shuling: "...I was hot, the air conditioner was set too high!"

The two of them laughed and joked around.

**

Compared to students, celebrities' holidays aren't long, but they're happier than ordinary working people. During the first few days of the Lunar New Year, the film crew wouldn't be working. Yu Shuling turned off the lights in her room and did a live stream for her fans. She even told ghost stories with Lin Yujie and Chuan Nai, telling them vividly and making many fans so scared that they sent comments and huddled together for warmth.

Later, Li Song and Zhong Xinfan also brought local specialties from their hometowns, and the group spent several days together before Yu Shuling went to the film set to prepare for the script reading session.

The script reading session was mainly for discussing and understanding the characters and plot, and all the lead actors had to be present. The second male and female leads are good friends in real life, and they were joking and laughing together, creating a great atmosphere. In contrast, Jiang Wenxi and Yu Shuling seemed much more awkward.

Of course, Yu Shuling doesn't like to bring personal feelings into her work, but Jiang Wenxi is even more awkward about it.

After all, Yu Shuling didn't have anything particularly awkward or concerning about.

Jiang Wenxi was previously accused by Qi Xiuxiu in front of a national audience of having an inappropriate relationship, which was a huge loss of face for a mentor who was deemed unqualified to help a trainee debut. Later, the show was exposed for vote rigging, which ironically improved Jiang Wenxi's situation slightly, at least he was no longer the biggest loser.

For a long time afterward, he didn't contact Qi Xiuxiu, but instead focused his attention on Yu Shuling.

Jiang Wenxi used to dislike Yu Shuling.

He hated that she bluntly said he was her ideal type, which caused him trouble. During that time, rumors about the two of them were rampant, and he personally denied it in a live broadcast, saying that he would not date.

As the male protagonist of this world, who is blessed with good fortune, Jiang Wenxi has foresight and understanding of many things.

For example, Lyra will soon disband in an unseemly manner, with everyone going their separate ways. The group is full of weirdos—there are hostesses, people who fight with their own brothers, and so on. For example, he might meet his soulmate at work, and because of her cuteness and radiance, he can't help but do something under the guise of work for personal gain.

But things gradually took an unexpected turn.

First of all, Lyra not only didn't disband, but actually got better and better under Yu Shuling's leadership. That beautiful mixed-race girl wasn't as bad as he thought; she had some unspeakable troubles. Lin Yujie didn't do anything to harm her family, and Li Song and Zhong Xinfan didn't have a fight that escalated to the point of being filmed.

On that show, he did develop a deep affection for Qi Xiuxiu, but when the moment truly conflicted with his career, Jiang Wenxi suddenly realized that what he couldn't bear to give up was his career.

He worked his way up to the top, so why would he give up all his previous hard work and gamble his future for a girl he'd only known for a short time?

In that prophetic dream that felt so real, he and Qi Xiuxiu repeatedly showed their affection in secret. Fans were either completely unaware or secretly shipping them. In the end, he broke up with his teammates and left the group for Qi Xiuxiu, and was praised as a real man, gaining a large number of die-hard fans who shipped them as a couple.

In fact, the mere questioning dealt him a significant blow, and it took Jiang Wenxi a long time to stabilize his fan base. Now, he dares not have any further involvement with them.

Moreover, once he was no longer under the filter of that time, he suddenly couldn't find anything about Qi Xiuxiu that he could be completely obsessed with.

Speaking of looks, the entertainment industry is full of beauties, and Qi Xiuxiu is indeed very pretty. However, he's seen many beautiful women and wouldn't be so captivated by Qi Xiuxiu's appearance. The initial infatuation stemmed from a momentary flutter of the heart, but once that initial excitement subsided, his feelings for Qi Xiuxiu truly faded considerably.

As for Yu Shuling, his feelings were quite complicated.

He hated her for being attention-seeking, for always finding a way out, and for looking down on him.

At first, he just thought it was a special method. But later, even though he was stupid, Jiang Wenxi realized that this person didn't think much of him at all. Although this made him very angry, it was indeed the truth.

Since their reunion on "The Wilderness Secret," Jiang Wenxi has discovered that Yu Shuling is not the person he imagined. She is gentle yet strong, humorous and witty, and seems easy to get along with, but in reality, she has her own bottom line and principles. Whether on stage or in private, she shines brightly.

He felt that he could never like Yu Shuling, but rather it was a complex mix of competitive desire to surpass her and an eagerness to be affirmed.

The female and male leads needed to shoot promotional stills, and Yu Shuling did a great job with the eye contact scenes. One second she was completely indifferent to him, but when the camera turned to them and filming officially began, her eyes seemed to hold a pool of spring water, cool and moving.

The director was very satisfied:

"OK, the chemistry between the two of you is really strong. Take a short break, and we'll use the makeup and styling time to film the seventh scene, which is the scene where Yue Yuexuan is misunderstood and is walking and crying in the rain, and Cui Yiyan catches up to her and holds an umbrella for her."

The TV series has a very artistic title, "Hidden Moonlight," and tells the story of two main characters whose lives unfold from their school days to their professional lives, filled with bittersweet moments. The female lead used to have a crush on the male lead, but due to her upbringing, she is inherently stubborn and never speaks out even when wronged. After the male lead realizes this, he catches up with her, holds an umbrella for her, and under the streetlights, their shadows intertwine, creating a unique and romantic scene in the rain.

This drama doesn't have any gimmicky intimate scenes, but many scenes are beautifully designed. The director and screenwriter put a lot of thought into it, fulfilling most people's romantic fantasies about idol dramas. Yu Shuling was no exception; she liked the script as soon as she saw it.

Before filming began, the director first explained the scene to them, using gestures and explanations, and then let the two of them practice the scene before asking the props team to help set up the lighting and set.

Yu Shuling and Jiang Wenxi chatted businesslike for a while, and feeling it was about time, they waited for the process to begin. Then, without hesitation, she stepped into the rain-soaked area prepared by the sprinklers. Almost instantly, her eyes changed, and she walked faster than usual, with a hint of girlish defiance.

Yu Shuling, carrying her schoolbag, walked quickly with her head down. After a moment, Jiang Wenxi, holding an umbrella, caught up from behind. He didn't deliberately quicken his pace, but being tall and long-legged, he caught up quickly.

When he looked down, he saw that pair of beautiful eyes filled with tears, and Jiang Wenxi's breath hitched for no reason, and his heart seemed to be gently tugged.