Chapter 51 Chapter 51

It was mid-June, and the heat was as sweltering as a blanket, pressing down on the city. Lia emerged from the convenience store, the heat wave sweeping across her face instantly evaporating any remaining coolness. She raised her hand to smooth her hair back from her forehead.

I shifted my backpack to my other shoulder and hurried into the hallway. It was heavy. Besides the day's textbooks and workbooks, there were also a few copies of application materials I'd just printed out at the convenience store.

Recently, several universities of interest have opened overseas admission channels. Although it is only the first round of applications, each document requires detailed transcripts, award records and language certificates, so no carelessness is allowed.

The final exams were just around the corner. She walked in, put her bag on the floor, and turned on the air conditioner. Her phone vibrated—it was Xia Qing. "Are you home yet? I'm downstairs!"

Lia was stunned: "Didn't you say you were going to cram school?" "I was kidding, of course I have to celebrate my birthday, surprise!" Lia laughed out loud. Today is her eighteenth birthday. I originally thought Xia Qing was busy,

She planned to do her homework and have a quick meal as usual. Unexpectedly, the other party suddenly came back. She hurriedly turned off the air conditioner, took out the key from the side pocket of her schoolbag and went downstairs. As soon as the corridor door opened,

I saw Xia Qing standing in the shade of a roadside tree, holding a small pink bag. "Didn't you say you were busy?" "How could you surprise me so much right away when I said I was free?" Xia Qing said proudly, "Here, a birthday present."

She shoved the bag into Lia's arms. "Okay, okay, let's go. I'll treat you to dinner." Lia took the bag with a smile and put her arm around her. "What's this?" Xia Qing suddenly stared at the key in her hand.

A small charm dangled from the keychain. Made of off-white fabric, it was embroidered with a few lines of Japanese calligraphy, adorning the edge with red thread. It looked exquisitely crafted. "This?" Lia glanced down. "It's a Japanese amulet."

"Idiot!" Xia Qing rolled her eyes. "Of course I know it's a talisman. I was asking who gave it to me!" Lia paused, a little hesitant.

"...GD Oppa." After thinking for a moment, she confessed the truth, "He was recently promoting in Japan and brought one for me, saying it would bless my studies."

Xia Qing said "Oh" and said nothing, but stared at the pendant for two more seconds. Lia noticed her subtle expression and asked, "What's wrong?" Xia Qing shook her head: "Nothing." "Really?"

"It's fake." Xia Qing suddenly moved closer, "You two, are not in love, are you?" "Of course... of course not!" Lia waved her hands and her face turned red.

Xia Qing didn't ask further questions, but a hint of hesitation flashed through her eyes. The two of them slowly walked out along the street. It was still dark in the evening, the sunset glow burning the western sky red, and the sound of cicadas chirping could be heard sporadically in the distance.

Finally we went into a nearby Italian restaurant.

The shop is small and simply decorated. The owner is a native Italian. He bakes pizza in an old-fashioned oven and has a good reputation. Many Italians living in Seoul come here specifically to try the taste of home.

Lia knew about this restaurant because Kush had recommended it. Since it wasn't the weekday dinner rush yet, the restaurant wasn't crowded, so the two of them easily found a table by the window. While ordering, Xia Qing casually said, "By the way, Xiaoyu might be here soon."

"He knows that too?" Lia was slightly surprised. "You really don't pay any attention to it." Xia Qing sighed. Lia just took a sip of water and coughed twice because of her words. "Ahem, don't talk nonsense."

"I'm serious," Xia Qing simply put down the menu. "I think Xiao Yu's behavior is quite obvious." Lia was stunned for a moment. "Really?"

"Yeah." Xia Qing nodded. "Although he didn't say it explicitly, you are eighteen years old. Don't you want to consider it?" She spoke casually, but stared at the amulet on Lia's desk again.

Lia followed her gaze and sighed: "Do you have anything else to say?" Xia Qing took a sip of water, returned his gaze to her face, and paused for a moment.

"I don't know what he's thinking," she pursed her lips, "but I always feel that he might be too complicated for you." Lia looked up and saw her expression. "Do you think he likes you?" Xia Qing asked.

She wasn't talking about Yoo Seung-ho. "...I don't know." Lia lowered her eyes and replied in a low voice. They hadn't seen much of each other lately. The main recording work for the album was almost complete, and she had taken two weeks off to concentrate on studying for the exam.

She couldn't put her finger on what was wrong. They had indeed spent a lot of time together. Working side by side, participating in planning, and making mistakes together...these details, when added together, could easily create an illusion.

Sometimes he was so nice to her—too nice to ignore. But sometimes he was just as sudden and unnoticed. Like last night, she was actually kind of looking forward to it. Today was her birthday, and maybe he'd wish her a happy birthday in the wee hours.

She held her phone, the screen flickering on and off. There was no news from him. This was what truly confused her.

His kindness to her was always a mixture of joking and sincerity. At certain moments, she would feel that she was very close to him, but when she looked closely, it seemed as if there was a layer of mist between them.

"I may be overthinking it." Xia Qing's tone softened, "But I knew when I was a fan that he was so easy to make people fall in love with him. Since his debut, there have been almost no scandals about him." "I know." Lia answered softly.

The atmosphere was silent for a few seconds. Three dishes were served, and Xia Qing's phone rang. "Xiao Yu is here. I'll go pick him up." She stood up and walked towards the door. After a while, the door opened and closed.

Yu Chenghao followed Xia Qing in. He was wearing a white T-shirt, his hat pulled down low, and a few strands of hair hanging casually in front of his forehead.

Her face was expressionless, with a faint dark tint under her eyes, as if she'd been working non-stop for days and had just escaped from an all-night shoot. "Didn't you say you've been busy lately?" Lia stood up. "Today went relatively smoothly; it just so happens that we don't have any late-night scenes tonight."

His eyes paused on her for a moment. "Happy birthday," he said. Xia Qing stood up, gave up her seat, and sat aside. "You're a busy man. You don't see me at school, only in the restaurant."

Yu Chenghao chuckled: "Sorry, I'll treat you tonight." "No need, I'll treat you." Lia handed him the menu, "See if there is anything else you want to order." He put down his bag and took the menu, his movements revealing a bit of fatigue.

Lia could tell he was in a hurry. But he brushed it off lightly, so she didn't say anything else. She suddenly remembered something and turned to him: "I have something to tell you." "Huh?"

"Last time... didn't I tell you that someone mentioned you at the party?" "I remember." "He asked me to pass on a script and said he wanted you to play a role."

Yu Chenghao was silent for a moment: "What do you think of the book?" "I didn't read it." She answered honestly, "Because it was given to you, I didn't open it. The man was quite serious about it, so I didn't feel comfortable refusing."

"Yeah." He nodded and smiled, "I can take a look." Lia breathed a sigh of relief and wanted to take out the script from her bag, but suddenly realized that she didn't bring anything.

"I left it at home." She scratched her head awkwardly. "Are you going back to the crew tomorrow morning?" Yu Chenghao shook his head. "Tonight. I have an outdoor scene at six o'clock tomorrow morning." After thinking for a moment, he said, "After dinner, I'll take you home and pick it up on the way."

Lia nodded. * On the way back, the two walked side by side, not saying much. The wind on the street was a little chilly; it had rained a little during dinner, and the air was a little damp.

Lia's steps were brisk, perhaps due to the dessert, but she felt unusually relaxed. Yu Seungho walked a few steps to her right, his bag slung diagonally over his shoulder. "Have you been busy lately?" he asked.

"Yeah." Lia nodded. "I've started applying to schools, and I'm a little short on time." "What about you?" She looked up at him. "Are you still planning to go back to school?" He didn't answer immediately.

The light from a street lamp ahead cast a shadow on the ground, its yellowish cast making their shadows longer and thinner. "I was thinking about it," he paused, "but these past few months, filming schedules have been so tight that I can't spare the time." She listened quietly.

"Sometimes I feel quite conflicted." He smiled. "Although I want to take care of both sides, I don't have the energy." Everything is just done according to the flow, and there is no reason to do anything. Lia looked up at him.

He had distinct brow bones and a calm look in his eyes, but she could clearly read a hint of "confusion." "Don't look at me with such worry." He suddenly smiled, "It's not a big deal." Lia said nothing, just nodded.

The future is such a vast topic, no one has a correct answer. Back at her apartment, she hurried upstairs to retrieve the script.

She handed the brown folder that Liu Quanze gave her to Yu Chenghao: "He asked me to pass it on to you. It's okay if you don't want to read it. I just didn't feel comfortable refusing." "Okay." He nodded.

"Well, bye? Go back and get some rest." Lia looked at him, slightly sideways, and prepared to go upstairs. "Wait." He unzipped his backpack and pulled out a light gray box. "Birthday present," he said.

Lia was stunned. She hadn't expected him to prepare gifts—he'd been almost completely absorbed in the filming lately, even his sleep schedule was tight, let alone finding the time to go out and pick these.

She raised her hand to take it: "Thank you... Can I open it?" "Let's open it when we get home." His ears were slightly red. Lia chuckled: "Okay." He nodded, hesitated for a moment, and finally reached out and patted her head.

"I'm leaving first." "Yeah," Lia said, her face flushed. "Goodbye." She stood there until his figure completely disappeared into the night, then turned around and prepared to go upstairs. She had just taken two steps when a car light suddenly lit up from the corner.

She subconsciously turned around. A familiar SUV was parked in the shadows by the roadside, its windows slowly rolled down. In the driver's seat, Quan Zhilong was leaning back, wearing a hat. The dim light made it difficult to discern his expression.

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