Chapter 2 No plans to be in a relationship. ...

Sheng Yi composed herself, suppressing a slight panic, and looked calmly at the person who had come to her. "I'm looking for the restroom. Could you please give me directions?"

The other person stared at her for three or four seconds, and Sheng Yi generously let him look her over, even subtly feigning a need to urinate. Perhaps her acting skills had improved recently, because the other person didn't make things difficult for her, pointing and saying, "Just turn the corner."

Following the directions, Sheng Yi washed her hands and returned to the dressing room. Xiao You was still sitting in front of the mirror typing on her keyboard, but she had changed out of her formal dress and into casual clothes. Sheng Yi immediately had a bad feeling.

Seeing her return, Xiaoyou glanced over and said, "The event has been canceled."

Sheng Yi's premonition was confirmed. She wasn't particularly surprised; instead, she felt a sense of relief, as if a shoe had finally dropped. No wonder Wen Shili still had time to flirt with someone.

However, she didn't care what he did; she only cared about whether her salary would still be deposited into her account.

"Sister Hong just transferred money to me on WeChat, go and add her as a friend." Xiao You waved her phone at her, "Let's add each other on WeChat too, remember to think of me if you need anything in the future."

Look at her energy and spirit! Even with a project falling through, she's still thinking about resource sharing. Sheng Yi also perked up, scanned the QR code on her screen, returned to her contacts, and accepted Sister Hong's friend request.

Not long after, I received a transfer notification from Sister Hong, along with a voice message: "Xiao Yi, I'm sorry, the event was canceled at the last minute, and I can only apply for half of the fee. Let's be understanding. Thank you for your help. I'll ask you for help again next time."

Sheng Yi stared at the glaring 250 in the chat box. After deducting the taxi fare from the morning, she had less than two hundred yuan left. A busy month had essentially been spent working for the landlord again. She changed back into her own clothes, lingered a while, and then slung her bag over her shoulder and headed out.

In order to control the flow of people, the brand chose a relatively remote shopping mall. Now that the fans have left, the whole building has become deserted.

Sheng Yi wasn't in a hurry and leisurely followed the navigation to the bus stop. Ten minutes later, the navigation kept issuing warnings such as "You have deviated from the route, and a new route has been planned for you."

The new route took five minutes longer. She looked at the navigation and tried to make her way around. Before she knew it, she stumbled and her body lurched forward.

The concrete ground loomed larger and larger before her eyes. If she were to fall, it wouldn't just be a simple embarrassment. Sheng Yi staggered a few steps, heading straight forward. Fortunately, she regained her footing before hitting anyone.

"I'm sorry." Sheng Yi apologized hastily, and only when she looked up did she realize that the person standing in front of her was a familiar face.

"Teacher Sheng, what a coincidence!" Huang Zhicheng grinned, showing off his large yellow teeth, and looked at her with interest. "That's why we're said to be destined for each other. Would you do me the honor of having a meal together sometime?"

As soon as Huang Zhicheng opened his mouth, the smell of smoke mixed with his breath made Sheng Yi feel like vomiting. She restrained the urge to turn around and leave, and patiently declined a few times, saying, "It's really unfortunate, I have something to do later."

Sheng Yi didn't want to get into a fight with him on the main street, but he seemed completely oblivious to her attitude and went straight to the point: "Have you thought about what we talked about last time, Teacher Sheng?"

Six months ago, Sheng Yi met him at an investor's dinner party. After the project ended, they kept in touch a few more times for work. Until two months ago, Huang Zhicheng suddenly started pursuing her.

Since they were a client she had worked with before, she didn't want to directly turn her back on them. The longer she dragged things out, the more demanding they became.

Sheng Yi was fed up with this vague and evasive approach. "I'm sorry, Mr. Huang, but I still want to focus on my career right now."

"Why should women work so hard? Finding a good man is more important than anything else," Huang Zhicheng said earnestly.

Sheng Yi could only say, "I'm sorry, I really don't have any plans to be in a relationship right now."

"How about we make some plans now?" Huang Zhicheng chuckled, his gaze falling on her hands, and said meaningfully, "Or does Teacher Sheng have other plans?"

Sheng Yi frowned, unable to understand what he was going through in circles.

Someone rode by on a bicycle and started honking from a distance, so the two people moved to the side of the road to make way.

Huang Zhicheng was still muttering, "Teacher Sheng is still young. You can't judge a person by their appearance alone. A pretty boy like Wen Shili can only fool young girls like you."

What does this topic have to do with Wen Shili? And if we're not going to judge by appearance, are we going to judge by the thickness of one's skin?

Seeing her dissatisfaction, Huang Zhicheng thought he had hit a sore spot. "Some people look high and mighty on the surface," he chuckled twice, his flesh shaking involuntarily. "But in front of Mr. Lin, they can only beg for sex with their ass sticking out."

Lin, the CEO of Xingchen Entertainment, is a well-known figure in the industry. It's said that no artist in the company can escape his clutches. And initially, Xingchen Entertainment was built on the back of Wen Shili.

Sheng Yi wasn't unaware of the gossip surrounding Wen Shili and President Kobayashi, but Huang Zhicheng's malice was practically overflowing.

Having just earned enough for a few days' worth of meals from that sponsor, she couldn't help but speak up for Wen Shili, saying, "He must have his reasons for having so many fans. Being able to earn a living like this proves he has some talent."

Huang Zhicheng glanced at her face a few times, then his gaze settled on her hand, and he smiled enigmatically, "Is that so?"

Sheng Yi then noticed the cards she was holding in her hand. They had cartoon designs and blue artistic lettering spelling out Wen Shili's name. They were given to her by fans when she left. These materials, full of heartfelt sentiments, weren't something she wanted to throw away carelessly, but she hadn't expected them to cause such a misunderstanding.

No wonder Huang Zhicheng suddenly started dragging her into this mess; he was just dragged into it by her. But whatever he thinks, just don't bother her anymore.

Sheng Yi smiled, mimicking his expression. "Of course it is! Not only is he a good singer, but he's also quite good at acting. Isn't this just God feeding him talent? Some people are just born to be in the spotlight."

Having known each other for more than half a year, Sheng Yi had never argued with him before. Huang Zhicheng spoke as if he were meeting her for the first time, drawing out his words, "Teacher Sheng, it turns out I underestimated you."

Sheng Yi didn't even blink. Huang Zhicheng changed his tone and coaxed, "Even if you like Wen Shili, he's probably willing but unable. Why don't you come with me..."

Sheng Yi's patience ran out, and she coldly shattered his illusions, saying, "You don't need to worry about that."

Watching Huang Zhicheng's sullen back, Sheng Yi felt quite wronged. He was the one who went out of his way to pick a fight with someone, so why did he end up making himself angry?

She pulled out her earphones and put them on. A gentle male voice began to sing softly in her ear again, like a spring breeze in March, light and serene, quickly dispelling her earlier unhappiness. Sheng Yi couldn't help but hum along to the melody. Completely unaware that her actions had been observed by others.

The two people inside the car were forced to listen to the entire conversation while they were by the roadside.

The person in the driver's seat glanced sourly at the person next to them, deliberately making an exaggerated expression, "I really envy some people, they always have someone to help them fight on the front lines."

The person called out remained expressionless, pulling down their hat brim to cover their eyes. "If you have a mental problem, go to the hospital for a checkup."

Lin Hao wanted to tease him a bit more, but since he was in the wrong, he had no choice but to shut his mouth. He couldn't help but think to himself, "I wonder which unlucky woman can put up with my awful personality."

It's my own fault for being so careless; I got cornered at the lounge door. I need to break up with that woman as soon as possible. But was her name Luna or Ellie again?

Thinking of the woman's sweet, coquettish voice, he couldn't help but shudder. He wondered how he could have been so blind back then.

-

Despite rushing, Sheng Yi managed to swipe her card and board the bus just a second before it started moving.

It was afternoon, and most of the seats on the bus were empty. The few passengers who were there had their heads drooping, like empty shells being manipulated.

She chose a window seat in the back row, where a breeze blew in and gently caressed her face.

The car slowly drove through streets that were both familiar and unfamiliar, and Sheng Yi closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

When I regained consciousness, the bus was already full of passengers. The once quiet carriage had instantly transformed into a bustling scene, with people queuing up and surging to board. Judging from their attire, they were students from the neighborhood.

"...The vehicle is starting. Please stand still and hold on tight. The next stop is..." It would still be more than half an hour before they got home. Sheng Yi yawned and closed her eyes again.

"Lili's event has been postponed."

"What? Where did you see that?"

"The fan club has already sent out notices, and it is estimated that it will be changed to a private format from now on."

"Ah...that's such a pity. I thought I'd receive a lot of new pictures today."

"He doesn't like to be out much anyway. If you want to see him, you might as well go to his concert. Those who have seen him there are already completely disappointed."

"Mainly because many people say he's going to retire from the entertainment industry, I thought I'd like to see him as much as I can."

"It's fake, right? This has been going on for years."

"That's true. But I have to catch up on my lessons the day of his concert..."

"It's okay, we can go together when you have time."

...

Sheng Yi closed her eyes and listened to the girls next to her discussing something in a low voice.

How youthful and vibrant those days were, how passionately she loved! Listening to the melody in her headphones, she softly sang, "The marks of our arrival have vanished with the flowing time." Once upon a time, she too had many dreams about the future. Unlike now, her friends, with whom she used to joke and laugh, are now busy with their own lives and growth.

Perhaps because she hadn't eaten breakfast, her stomach was burning when she got off the bus. Fortunately, she still had some cookies left from last week, so she ate a few to tide her over. Then she opened WeChat and asked her roommate, Fu Xiaodan, if she was going home for dinner.

Fu Xiaodan replied half an hour later: "Honey, you eat by yourself. You'll probably have to contribute to the company again tonight."

"I'll treat you to a big meal once I'm done with this."

Since the beginning of the year, Fu Xiaodan has basically never left work on time. Sheng Yi replied to her, "When you're done with your work, you should go and spend time with your man, otherwise I'm afraid he'll come after you."

Fu Xiaodan: "See if he dares."

Sheng Yi replied with a laughing emoji, lay down for a while, then got up and went into the kitchen. Then she discovered that the water was cut off.

The payment page showed an outstanding balance of 23, so she deposited 100 and sat back down on the sofa. Based on past experience, it usually takes about half an hour for the money to arrive after depositing.

Since she had nothing better to do, Sheng Yi simply brought out her computer to check on the resumes she had submitted yesterday.

As I opened the browser, my fingers seemed to have a mind of their own, and amidst the sound of typing, the search box displayed the words "warmth," "time," and "etiquette."

Looking at the several Chinese characters listed side by side in the search bar, Sheng Yi couldn't help but explain to herself that it was all because the name appeared so frequently today; otherwise, why would she have the leisure to become interested in exploring the lives of people like them?

Before she could press enter, her phone, which was lying on the sofa, suddenly rang. Sheng Yi leaned closer to look and saw that it was her mother calling.

She answered the phone and cheerfully asked, "Mom, what's up?"

Not wanting to bother her, Yu Ying asked, "Yiyi, are you not busy right now?"

Sheng Yi hurriedly replied, "No rush, no rush. I'm waiting for my roommate to get off work so we can go out to eat. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Can't I contact you if there's nothing wrong?" Yu Ying said reproachfully, then asked about her holiday plans, saying that there were still many delicious things saved at home for her to come back to.

It's only been two months since the New Year, and the round-trip travel expenses are another expense. Sheng Yi considered it and said, "I probably won't go back. I have to work those two days."

"Then you need to be careful while you're out there alone, and don't skimp on anything."

At this age, only her mother still treats her like a child. Sheng Yi felt a warmth in her chest: "Mom, I know."

This child, although he agrees verbally, won't tell them a thing when something actually happens.

Yu Ying could only try to comfort her from the side, "Yiyi, don't put too much pressure on yourself, okay? You can tell us anything. Your parents are still young. Just take good care of yourself."

Most of her classmates who graduated at the same time have found good career paths. Three years have passed, and they should be at the point where they can establish themselves and work hard. Only she hasn't even found a job in her field. After wandering around in the industry for so long, calling her an unknown is an understatement.

Sheng Yi tilted his head back and listened to Yu Ying rambling on.

Fortunately, Mom felt she wasn't beyond redemption. "You don't need to compare yourself to others. Everyone knows their own child. Our Yiyi is just as good as anyone else's. Okay?"

After the sun set, the house was gloomy. Sheng Yi took out a tissue, pinched her nose, and said, trying to control the tremor in her voice, "Yeah, you've said it a hundred times. My roommate will be here soon, I'll hang up now."

The phone screen went dark, while the computer screen emitted a faint white light. She sat in front of the computer for a while, deleting the text in the search box one by one.