Chapter 71

Chapter 71

After finishing their meal, the three of them headed home.

Song Ting and the deputy director stayed at a different hotel than Shen Qingyuan, but they weren't far apart. The hotel where Shen Qingyuan was staying was booked by the film crew, and although Song Ting wanted to stay there, she couldn't.

It wasn't just her who wanted to stay there; all of Ye Chuyang's sasaeng fans wanted to stay as well, so the production crew booked it well in advance to prevent sasaeng fans from sneaking in disguised as tourists. This kind of thing has happened before.

After arriving at the hotel, Shen Qingyuan sent Song Ting a text message asking if she had arrived yet. With the deputy director accompanying her, she wasn't worried about Song Ting's safety; it was just a routine inquiry.

After sending the message, Shen Qingyuan went to take a shower. She had just taken off her clothes and turned on the shower when her voice call rang. She took her phone to the bathroom and pressed the answer button. The bathroom had a separate shower and toilet area, so electronic devices could be placed on the sink.

"Have we arrived at the hotel?"

"Yeah, just arrived." Song Ting seemed to still have more to say. "Shen Qingyuan, tell me honestly, are you and Ye Chuyang together?"

Shen Qingyuan felt a sudden jolt in her heart, realizing that Song Ting had a keen sense of smell; how could she have sniffed out such clues in less than half a day?

"No." He practically patted his chest to assure her.

Indeed, there isn't.

"But there's something fishy going on, isn't there?!" Song Ting urged. "You weren't like this before. When you were in graduate school, you dated Sun Zhi, and you didn't hide it from me at all."

Thinking about it, it's true. Not long after I got together with Sun Zhi, I naturally shared it with Song Ting.

"If we're true best friends, what can't we say?"

“Okay, I’ll tell you the truth,” Shen Qingyuan said, taking a deep breath, “Ye Chuyang did confess to me.”

There was a gasp on the other end of the phone, followed by a series of incoherent exclamations. Shen Qingyuan moved the phone away and went to the shower to test the water temperature, adjusting it to her preferred setting.

Song Ting's reaction was probably too strong. The deputy director asked her what was wrong, and they exchanged a few words, but she didn't say anything explicitly. She just said it was good news: her best friend was going to start dating.

The deputy director said, "Why are you more excited than your friend is dating? I've never seen you this excited when I'm dating."

Song Ting said, "That's different."

Shen Qingyuan put her phone on speakerphone, thinking that Song Ting might keep her chatting for a long time, so she put her phone on the sink outside the glass shower stall and went in to take a shower first.

"Shen Qingyuan, quickly tell me about the scene at that time, the kind where all 5Ws are present!"

5W? Song Ting is treating this as a news event.

Shen Qingyuan knew that if she didn't go into details, Song Ting would keep asking until her ears were sore. Her gossipy nature and curiosity made her a natural-born reporter.

She washed her face first, and then briefly recounted what happened that night: One night, on the hotel rooftop, we were drinking together. Halfway through the night, he said, "Shen Qingyuan, you can tell that I like you and want to pursue you, right?"

The narrative is rather dry; thankfully, Shen Qingyuan isn't a writer.

"Ahhhhh, what did you say? Agree immediately, or play hard to get?! Knowing you as I do, it's definitely a playful refusal! Shen Qingyuan, well done! Speaking of which, Ye Chuyang has seen so much over the years, how come his standards for choosing a partner are still stuck ten years ago... Haha, I don't mean to look down on you, it's just that this guy is quite loyal!"

Shen Qingyuan applied shampoo and was massaging her scalp, her head covered in foam.

"Is he overestimating me, and has fallen in love with his own illusions?"

Song Ting: "Love is a huge illusion. Shen Qingyuan, when are you planning to accept his advances?"

"We'll see." My feelings were actually quite complicated; it was all so sudden, and I felt completely lost. "I'm going to take a shower now, so I'll talk to you later."

Shen Qingyuan turned the shower on full blast, and the sound of the water quickly drowned out Song Ting's voice. She didn't want to hang up the phone, thinking that Song Ting would hang up eventually.

Ten minutes later, she finished showering, came out of the glass room, and applied essence in front of the mirror.

"Their social status and the social resources they can mobilize are vastly different..."

The sudden sound from the phone startled Shen Qingyuan. It was a man's voice, like that of a deputy section chief. The voice was a little far away, but she could hear it clearly.

She glanced at her phone screen; it was still connected. Song Ting probably thought she would hang up, so she casually put the phone down and went about her own business.

Just as Shen Qingyuan was about to hang up, another voice came from the phone:

"If your friend had been with him for many years, I wouldn't have anything to say; a wife who has shared hardship shouldn't be abandoned! But that's not the case. The two of them only recently reconnected. How many people who have risen to high positions can be so accommodating to those who have fallen down? So, Tingbao, you shouldn't encourage her too much. If the outcome isn't good, you'll be caught in the middle and it will be difficult for you..."

Shen Qingyuan hung up the voice call and composed herself.

It turns out that, in the eyes of ordinary people, she and Ye Chuyang were worlds apart. They were not a good match, not from the same social class. Chinese people have always valued compatibility.

The steam blurred the bathroom mirror, obscuring Shen Qingyuan's face. She wiped it clean with a towel, revealing Shen Qingyuan's oval face, fair with a hint of pink, calm and slightly numb.

I'm not too frustrated; that's just how reality is.

She dried her hair and changed her clothes. Looking at her phone, she realized it was time for Ye Chuyang to finish work.

After confirming the time with Xiao Chao, Shen Qingyuan took the medical kit and headed out. Halfway there, she remembered Ye Chuyang's credit card and turned back to retrieve it.

Ye Chuyang has been filming action scenes lately, and his workload is heavy. When he comes home at night, the muscles he frequently uses are sore. Shen Qingyuan will help him apply a cold compress or massage them to relax his fascia.

He was happy, lamenting that he hadn't thought of hiring a masseuse to accompany him before, saying he really didn't know how to spend his money.

Shen Qingyuan entered the room. Ye Chuyang had already showered and changed into loose, comfortable pajamas. "Huh? Xiao Chao isn't here. Where did he go?"

"Dr. Shen, how was your day? Did you have fun with Song Ting?" He smiled, revealing his neat white teeth.

Shen Qingyuan nodded, "It's very nice, thank you for your hospitality." She placed the credit card on the coffee table. The handover is complete; any further losses will not be the responsibility of the creditor.

Why do you seem a little unhappy?

There's a difference between calm and unhappiness-induced calm. Ye Chuyang could tell.

Shen Qingyuan ignored him: "Alright, take off your clothes and lie down."

The boy was a little disappointed. If Shen Qingyuan had changed her tone and repeated that line, the atmosphere would have been quite romantic. But he was really tired now, and he was willing but unable to flirt.

Obediently, Ye Chuyang lay down on the physiotherapy bed, took off her light blue plaid shirt, and placed it aside. She was only wearing an old man's shirt on her upper body.

"Let's talk, Shen Qingyuan. What did you all talk about today? How's Song Ting's boyfriend?"

"Not very good." Shen Qingyuan blurted out as she worked, but she was still holding back her anger, a small anger raging inside her.

Of course, there's gossip going around here: "What happened? What's going on?"

He said that my social status is too far below yours, and that you are being with me because you are compatibility with someone from a lower social class! Not many successful people can do that, and it probably won't end well for them.

Shen Qingyuan vomited it all out. She wasn't usually one to tattle, but Ye Chuyang gave her such a good feeling. Subtle frustration, unspeakable regret, and uncertainty about the future—all the folds of her emotions seemed to be carefully and neatly smoothed out by him.

It's a bit addictive.

Upon hearing this, Ye Chuyang froze, then sprang to his feet in a somersault, but lacking the strength, he almost tripped and fell.

"He said it to my face? I'm going to go fight him right now! I don't care whose boyfriend he is."

Shen Qingyuan tilted her head and smiled, suddenly feeling relieved.

"It wasn't said to his face, but I overheard it when he was making crickets behind his back."

Ye Chuyang, feeling resentful towards Song Ting, said, "Song Ting is also outrageous. Her boyfriend said such things, and she didn't even argue back?"

"Of course I will." Although Shen Qingyuan had no way of knowing what happened next, she knew Song Ting and would definitely protect her unconditionally. They'd been best friends for so many years; if they couldn't do this, it would be a waste of time to have known each other for so long.

Ye Chuyang's anger subsided slightly. He was an actor, after all; things got a bit performative at times like this. Standing up for the woman he liked—that was medieval chivalry. Shen Qingyuan could tell.

"Are you feeling any better? Are you still angry?" Ye Chuyang asked.

Shen Qingyuan hummed in agreement and nodded. It did feel much better.

“You’re the one who’s backward compatible with me, that big oaf doesn’t understand.” Ye Chuyang turned his head and gave Shen Qingyuan a deep look. “People tend to judge others by their own standards. They often assume that they are the kind of person they are when judging others.”

Shen Qingyuan didn't think it should be blown out of proportion to a moral judgment. She figured a few words from someone were just something to let bygones be bygones. Besides, the deputy director wasn't being malicious. And what he said actually made a lot of sense.

She sighed, "People can't live outside of the world."

Ye Chuyang flicked her hand with his finger. "Keep pressing, Dr. Chen, my arm is sore!"

One second they're talking about love, the next they're capitalists. Shen Qingyuan pouted, speechless, and continued pressing.

"Shen Qingyuan, you are the most unconventional person I know. There's one thing that I remember vividly. In the second semester of our senior year, the teacher somehow got hold of several sets of test papers and made everyone do one every week, saying it was for grading and assessment. Do you remember how you dealt with it?"

Shen Qingyuan shook her head. She really had forgotten. It had been ten years. She was curious about how Ye Chuyang had such a good memory.

"You, sir, just handed in a blank paper, and when the teacher questioned you or seemed confused, in front of everyone you said you wouldn't do any more tests because they conflicted with your current learning pace and you preferred to follow your own rhythm. Wow, I remember the math teacher's face turned green!"

She vaguely remembered it, and now, listening to it, she felt that she was really reckless back then, even if she talked to her teacher in private. She was young and impetuous!

Ye Chuyang looked into her eyes and said softly, "You're not the kind of person who would change your course just because others question you. Once you've made up your mind to do something, you're incredibly persistent. So, Shen Qingyuan, why bother what others think?"

In an instant, Shen Qingyuan felt that gaze was scorching, as if her soul had been captured.