Chapter 61: I still miss you very much when we are not together.

During the time when we were unable to meet, time seemed to flow at a different speed.

Zhou Ai's schedule was packed with activity. Xu Yang had filled his schedule to the brim, scurrying from one photo studio to another, from one commercial event to the next magazine shoot. Flashlights, cameras, and the clamor of crowds formed the main theme of his life.

The promise Chu Yi made last time made him enjoy his work even when he was busy, and he felt full of energy and hope.

In the gaps between these busy times, he always takes time to share his life with Chu Yi.

Sometimes, while waiting to change his hairstyle in the dressing room, with the clamor of people and the steam of curling irons in the background, he would find a good angle in the mirror and quickly take a photo of his newly completed hair and makeup. He could even see half a cup of black coffee in the photo. He would then send it to Chu Yi with the simple caption: [New hairstyle.]

Sometimes, after finishing work late at night, he would be so tired that his eyelids were fighting in the nanny car, and in front of him was a simple lunch box stuffed by his assistant. He would also take a picture of the healthy meal that did not look delicious, with a crying face expression [(╥﹏╥)].

There was even one time, during a break in the makeup photo shoot, he had an extremely exaggerated and visually impactful hairstyle, and he couldn't help but take an "ugly" selfie and sent it over, deliberately captioning it: [One of the stylist and I must have gone crazy.]

These fragmented messages, carrying Zhou Ai's most immediate emotions and state, transcend space and continuously flow into Chu Yi's personal world.

They are insignificant, yet omnipresent, like a quiet window, allowing Chu Yi to glimpse into his colorful, busy and noisy world.

But Zhou Ai actually enjoyed this kind of distance. Even when they didn't meet, with that promise, he could still share his life and feelings with Chu Yi with confidence. This kind of life shared with someone was a happiness he had never experienced before.

For Chu Yi, time seemed to flow slowly and smoothly. His leg injury limited his range of movement, but it also afforded him ample time for quiet solitude. He poured most of his energy into those long-overdue papers, and his study was overflowing with documents.

He would check his phone regularly to respond to necessary work messages, but he never kept an eye on it constantly. He would usually pick up his phone and process the accumulated messages all at once, only when he finished writing a chapter or took a break from complex data analysis.

Therefore, the photos and messages sent by Zhou Ai often need to go through a "flight time" that is either long or short before they can get a response.

Chu Yi's replies are always concise, with his unique style.

When I receive a photo from the set, I might reply: [Yeah, it’s quite suitable.]

When I see a "miserable" work meal, I'll reply: "Energy boost, necessary." Or, more directly: "Looks like I'm lacking vitamins."

Regarding the exaggerated "crazy" hairstyle selfie, Chu Yi replied with a system-installed "smiley face" half an hour later. Perhaps this was the greatest degree of ridicule he could express.

Zhou Ai quickly discovered a pattern in these irregular replies. He keenly realized that if Chu Yi replied more than two hours after sending a message, the conversation was basically over.

Chu Yi would not continue the conversation with his new topic, as if that reply was just a polite period.

This discovery made Zhou Ai subconsciously start calculating time. After sending a message, he would silently note it in his mind and roughly estimate the time when Chu Yi might see it.

Once that special note name finally pops up at the top of the dialog box with the prompt "The other party is typing...", Zhou Ai's heartbeat will inexplicably accelerate. He will immediately put down all the unimportant things at hand and stare at the screen, like a little beast ready to pounce.

Chu Yi's replies are often brief, perhaps just one word or an emoticon.

But that's enough.

Almost the next second after Chu Yi's message was delivered, Zhou Ai's reply would pop up, so fast that it was almost a conditioned reflex.

[I might finish work a little early today!] — This was after Chu Yi replied with [New Look].

[It really tastes terrible, Dr. Chu!] — This was after Chu Yi commented on the working meal.

Sometimes it’s just a simple “What are you doing?” or “Is your paper going well?”

Zhou Ai accurately seized the brief window of only a few seconds or minutes, and worked hard to turn the one-way sharing into a real-time dialogue with both sides, even if it was extremely brief.

Every successful "interception" and the subsequent one or two words of chat can make Zhou Ai feel inexplicably happy for a long time, as if he had secretly tasted a special candy in the busy intervals, and the sweetness could dispel all fatigue.

As for Chu Yi, he seemed unaware of, or did not point out, this little "plot".

He still replied at his own pace, but occasionally, after Zhou Ai immediately took over the conversation, the prompt "The other party is typing..." would stay for a few seconds longer, and then he would reply with a few more words, extending the short conversation window a little bit.

A silent tacit understanding quietly formed between the radio signals.

One tries hard to get closer, the other one acquiesces to this approach, maintaining a just right and comfortable distance.

Zhou Ai took on a new advertisement that day. Unexpectedly, just after she arrived at the scene and put on her makeup, there was a problem with the photography lighting.

So, bored, Zhou Ai, with her hair and makeup done exquisitely, leaned on the sofa with her legs crossed, holding her cell phone, and her right thumb resting on the edge of her teeth, thinking about what message to send to Chu Yi to get his attention.

It wasn't until he looked up at the makeup in the mirror on the side that Zhou Ai suddenly had an idea.

After posting that selfie in which she slightly raised her eyebrows at the camera, with a bit of pride and conceit, and followed it with an emoticon of a puppy wagging its tail (isn't it beautiful?), Zhou Ai pulled the corners of her mouth with satisfaction, placed the phone screen face down on the dressing table, and prepared to continue closing her eyes to rest while waiting for the lighting engineer to adjust it.

He had almost foreseen Chu Yi's regular and almost rigid reply habits - he usually checked his phone when he finished the work at hand and took a period of rest.

And according to the usual time period, the reply this time would take at least two or three hours.

He could even imagine what Chu Yi would say in response: most likely a simple, objective "hmm," or at most a system-built "strong" thumbs-up.

However, less than ten seconds after he closed his eyes, his cell phone vibrated extremely rarely and suddenly!

Zhou Ai's eyes snapped open, almost thinking it was an illusion. He hesitantly reached for his phone, and the screen lit up, revealing a new message.

Sender: Chu Yi.

Zhou Ai's heart inexplicably skipped a beat, and his fingertips swiped the screen with an eagerness that he didn't even realize.

When Chu Yi's complete reply came into view, Zhou Ai was stunned, his pupils dilated slightly, as if he had seen something incredible.

Chu Yi actually... sent him an emoticon in reply!

It’s not the one that comes with the system, but it’s from the same series as the one he posted (Beautiful Puppy)!

A furry cartoon puppy stares with a pair of big, round, sparkling eyes, its two front paws raised with all its might, a glittering golden thumbs-up that is almost bigger than its body, with three exaggerated artistic words next to it:

【So cool! 】

These three words, coupled with the cartoon-like puppy, had an impact comparable to a nuclear bomb, instantly blowing Zhou Ai dizzy and leaving him burnt on the outside and tender on the inside!

This... is this Chuyi?

The one whose replies are always concise, word-thrifty, and whose stock of emojis seems to be limited to the system defaults?!

Zhou Ai's first reaction was: Is the phone infected? Or was Chu Yi's account hacked?

He suddenly sat up straight from the lounge chair, quickly poked open the emoticon package with his fingers, enlarged it again, and studied it carefully to confirm that it was indeed sent from Chu Yi.

The huge, unbelievable surprise was like boiling water, gurgling and drowning him in an instant.

An indescribable ecstasy and sweetness exploded from the bottom of his heart, quickly spreading throughout his limbs and bones, causing the corners of his mouth to rise uncontrollably, almost to the back of his ears.

Zhou Ai held her phone like a priceless treasure, staring at the "So handsome!" puppy emoji over and over again, her heart beating as fast as if she had just run a thousand meters.

It turns out... Chu Yi also uses this kind of cute emoticon pack?

And it’s used to... praise him for being handsome?

When this word was expressed in this way from Chu Yi, its power was more than ten times greater!

Zhou Ai felt his cheeks and ears starting to get hot uncontrollably again. He wished he could run to Chu Yi right now and see with his own eyes what expression he had when he sent this emoticon.

Is he still calm and composed, or... a little embarrassed?

His fingers trembled as he quickly typed a reply, almost instinctively, fearing that a second later his intention would disappear or he would regret it:

You actually use emojis?! And you're praising me!!! (ΩДΩ)

After sending the message, Zhou Ai stared at the screen nervously, his heart pounding.

This time, Chu Yi’s reply came even faster. Almost the next second after his message was delivered, “The other party is typing…” was displayed at the top of the dialog box.

A few seconds later, a new message popped up:

[I was just sorting out my phone's memory when I saw this.]

The tone was calm, as always, and even had a hint of explanation that made things more obvious.

But Zhou Ai doesn't care about that!

He automatically ignored the second half of the sentence and only accurately captured the message "just happened to see" - this means that Chu Yi did click on his photo and "just happened" to see this emoticon package suitable for replying!

To round it off, Chu Yi specifically found this emoticon package to praise him!

Zhou Ai smiled so hard that her teeth were visible and her fingers were flying across the screen:

[Whatever! Anyway, you praised me! I got it! (=￣ω￣=)]

[It's so rare for Dr. Chu to praise someone, I'm going to take a screenshot and frame it!]

After he sent this message, he couldn't help but click on the emoticon package of a puppy giving a thumbs-up sent by Chu Yi. The more he looked at it, the more he liked it. He long-pressed it to save it and set it as the exclusive background picture for the dialog box with Chu Yi.

After doing all this, he put down his phone contentedly, feeling fully charged. Even the boring time of waiting for the lights to be adjusted became colorful.

He even felt that the selfie he took just now was not handsome enough, and he would have to find a better angle next time.

And on the other side of the city, in the study.

Almost immediately after Chu Yi sent the "so cool!" emoji, his fingertips froze.

He looked at the overly lively and cute cartoon puppy on the screen, which was completely different from his usual style, and a subtle warmth rose in his ears.

What I did just now...was it some ghostly move?

I just happened to be cleaning my phone when I saw this collection of emojis that a colleague had slipped into my phone at some point. Then I clicked on the message from Zhou Ai and saw that cheerful selfie and that tail-wagging puppy...

It was as if the fingers had a mind of their own.

By the time he reacted, the exaggerated emoticon had already been sent successfully.

Chu Yi looked at the reply that immediately popped up from Zhou Ai, which was full of shock and ecstasy, and could even imagine the other party's eyes wide open and silly smile at this moment.

He pursed his lips and subconsciously typed out that pale explanation: "I was just sorting through my phone's memory and saw this."

Sure enough, Zhou Ai didn’t believe it at all, or rather, he chose to ignore it.

Looking at the subsequent message sent by Zhou Ai with a proud little tail symbol, Chu Yi shook his head helplessly, but a very faint smile flashed across his eyes that he himself did not even notice.

He put down his phone and refocused his attention on the densely packed papers and documents on the computer screen, only his fingertips would occasionally tap the desktop unconsciously, revealing a hint of unusual, disturbed calm.

Ding Dong——

Another new WeChat message came in and lay quietly on Chu Yi's mobile phone interface which had already turned on the do not disturb mode.

【Remember to treat me to a meal~】

[Stinky puppy wagging its tailJPG.]

————

After the lighting was adjusted, the photographer looked at Zhou Ai with a little trepidation, and was about to ask him to return to the designated position.

However, Zhou Ai took a step forward almost at the same time and stood accurately back at the marked point in the center of the camera.

The previous subtle low pressure and absent-mindedness around him were gone, replaced by a kind of concentrated dedication and an almost scorching aura of professionalism.

"You can start now, teacher." Zhou Ai's voice was clear and steady, with a reassuring power. He even nodded slightly to the photographer, indicating that he was fully prepared.

The subsequent filming went so smoothly that the entire team was a little surprised.

Zhou Ai's condition is surprisingly good.

He no longer needs too much guidance and adjustment from the photographer, as if he is part of the light and shadow, and can accurately capture the intention of every camera position and lighting.

The changes of posture are smooth and natural, each freeze frame is full of tension and expressiveness, the eyes are sharp and emotional, and the artist is completely immersed in the creative atmosphere.

"Very good! Very good!"

"Teacher Zhou, tilt your head just a little bit, right! Perfect!"

"That's the look! Keep it up!"

Xu Yang stood behind the monitor with his arms folded, looking at the man in the camera who was so flexible and seemed to be glowing. He glanced at the mobile phone that he had secretly placed with him for safekeeping, the screen of which had just lit up, and a knowing smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

How could this be the same guy who was oozing resentment and almost scared the photographer because he couldn't get any news?

This is clearly a model worker in the industry who is full of energy and has great potential.

After finishing a set of shots, Zhou Ai quickly walked to the monitor and reviewed the finished film with the photographer and the brand representative.

"I think the eye focus could be better in this one," he said objectively, pointing to one of the enlarged images. "Let's take another one. I want to try a more restrained expression in this set."

His attitude is positive but not aggressive. He communicates entirely as a creative partner, pursuing the ultimate work effect rather than personal emotional catharsis.

The brand representative already had a big smile on his face and was extremely satisfied with such a cooperative partner.

When all the filming tasks were finally completed successfully and in excess, the moment the director shouted "work is over", Zhou Ai's face showed a relaxed smile that truly belonged to him.

He bowed politely and thanked the staff, prompting the staff present to respond with thanks one after another.

It was the first time for them to meet such an easy-to-talk-to top star.

Working in such good condition——

It can be described as a shot of chicken blood.

Zhou Ai unbuttoned the top button with swift movements and walked towards Xu Yang, her eyes fixed precisely on the phone in Xu Yang's hand.

Throughout the filming process, he was professional, focused, and efficient, even exceeding everyone's expectations.

But only he and Xu Yang knew that the source of that sudden burst of almost burning positive cooperation and perfect state might just be a simple reply from someone on the other end of the phone.

Now that the work was successfully completed, he could finally collect the "reward" openly.