Chapter 43 The person who's going to marry Jing Yitong is me...
Fang Xingu thought he had misheard. He looked at Jing Yitong's outstretched palm in surprise: "...Wow, there are people who ask others for birthday presents?"
Jing Yitong nodded: "Yes, I want to use a gift to test whether your blessings for me are sincere."
Fang Xin slapped his palm without saying a word, and then a "smack" sounded in the corridor. It sounded crisp and loud, but it didn't hurt at all. However, Jing Yitong deliberately frowned and pretended to say, "Ouch."
Fang Xingu thought she had used too much force, so she quickly patted his palm: "Did I use too much force?"
Jing Yitong feigned sadness: "Sigh, although we didn't celebrate our birthdays together in previous years, you would at least prepare birthday gifts for me. I never thought we could celebrate our birthdays together this year, but you actually tried to renege on your birthday gift and even slapped me."
Fang Xingu realized he was acting and said with a smile, "Who told you not to tell me you were coming to record 'The World Is So Big'? I even had someone send you a birthday present before I left."
"It was my fault after all..." Jing Yitong withdrew his hand. "So I won't get a birthday present tomorrow?"
Fang Xingu nudged him: "You'll have to see for yourself when you get back to Beijing."
After saying that, Fang Xingu quickly flashed back to 608 and closed the door. He breathed a sigh of relief, thankfully Jing Yitong hadn't noticed anything amiss.
In preparation for Jing Yitong's birthday party, he practiced the piano during the day and, inspired by Jing Yitong, discussed with the restaurant and decided to borrow the kitchen to make a birthday cake for Jing Yitong.
But he had never made a cake before, and his first attempt was undoubtedly a failure. In short, the cake tasted cloyingly sweet and the cake base was not fluffy enough.
Finally, the pastry chef in the kitchen couldn't stand it anymore and took the initiative to guide him. Fang Xingu then made a decent cake, preparing to give Jing Yi the same surprise the next day.
Fang Xingu was satisfied with his plan, but when the topic of gifts came up, he realized that he was leaving for Los Angeles the day after tomorrow to attend Xu Subo's wedding. In addition to the monetary gift, he should also prepare a gift for Xu Subo.
Fang Xingu pondered, but couldn't decide what to give her, so he simply sent her a message asking: What would you like as a wedding gift?
Xu Subo replied in a lighthearted manner: "Your offering yourself to me is the best gift you could give me." [doge emoji]
Fang Xingu didn't bother to reply, planning to buy her some flashy but impractical souvenirs at the airport later.
Xu Subo waited for a long time, and seeing that Fang Xingu was ignoring her, she cheekily forwarded a video link: [Only by your side can I be my true self]
Fang Xin Gu: ?
Fang Xingu didn't know what she had posted. He casually clicked on the video and was so frightened by the screen full of "Tongxinyuan 99" that he quit.
Fang Xingu, his face flushed with rage, exclaimed: What do you mean?!
Xu Subo sent a string of "hahahaha" messages: When did your CP with Jing Yitong become so popular? I only accidentally clicked on it once last time, and now the big data keeps pushing it to me every day.
Fang Xin had a headache: I beg you to click "not interested".
Xu Subo: That won't do! I want to see if these CP fans are shipping them from the right angle [winking emoji]
Fang Xin Gu: You're getting married soon, how come you still have so much free time...?
Xu Subo said to him earnestly: You should be happy that so many people think you and Jing Yitong are a good match.
Fang Xin did not reply to Xu Subo, but the doubts hidden in his heart were brought up again—what exactly are these CP fans shipping?
"The World Is So Big" has only been broadcast a few times so far, and his interactions with Jing Yitong are also few. The few times they did interact were not very harmonious. So what exactly is the appeal of this show?
After much hesitation, he still curiously opened the link sent by Xu Subo, but this time he turned off the bullet comments beforehand.
This video edited together the few live-stream interactions he had with Jing Yitong, and compared them with his aloof demeanor in other situations. The comparison revealed that Fang Xingu was noticeably more human in front of Jing Yitong.
He may not always be smiling, but his facial expressions have become more vivid. He widens his eyes when he is shocked, rolls his eyes when he is angry, and smiles and high-fives when he is happy, which is completely different from his previous aloof and wooden appearance.
In just a few days, the video received 200,000 views. Even Fang Xin Gu couldn't help but touch his face after watching it. Did he really have so many expressions in front of Jing Yi Tong?
After watching the video, Fang Xingu clicked into the comments section:
"Only when Jing Yitong is by his side will Fang Xingu show this side of himself [touching]"
"That's the double standard that's so refreshing!"
"Oh my, seeing these two babies makes my heart melt [tears]"
"When can the teacher edit a video from Jing Yitong's perspective? I feel that he is very different when he is in front of Fang Xingu."
Fang Xin took a second look at this comment. Sure enough, it wasn't his imagination; Jing Yitong was indeed different in front of him, and even the fans could see it.
These comments unconsciously brought a smile to Fang Xingu's face, but realizing this, he quickly shook his head, trying to stop himself from thinking about it. He returned to the homepage and aimlessly scrolled through it, trying to clear his head, when he unexpectedly saw a stock market analysis blogger talking about the day's limit-down of Longjing Group's stock price.
Stock market fluctuations are normal, but Fang Xin stopped his hand from sliding down the screen the moment he saw the company's name. Longjing, isn't that Jing Yitong's company?
Driven by curiosity, Fang Xingu clicked on the blog post.
"@Stock Market Analyst Zhang: ...According to current leaks, the transportation industry may undergo drastic changes in the next few years due to policy shifts. This is definitely not good news for companies in the industry, and the market has reacted quickly. Several stocks in the entire transportation sector, led by Longjing Group, have fallen today, with Longjing Group's share price even hitting the daily limit down. However, I don't think there's too much to worry about. Longjing has expanded its business rapidly in recent years, and shipping is not their only pillar business..."
Fang Xin glanced at it quickly and could roughly confirm that this was the crisis that the Jing family had encountered before. However, such policy changes should have been announced to the public only after the dust had settled, but now they had been leaked in advance. Was this a malicious leak?
The comments section was filled with a bunch of stock market investors who seemed indifferent to the market's fate: "Haha, I've long given up on this A-share market. It falls whether there's bad news or good news, it's just a constant fall, fall, fall [smoke emoji]"
"Whatever, I've already dumped it anyway."
"Actually, there's no need to worry at all. Longjing has long been prepared to merge with Fuyuan and shift its business focus."
"What the heck? Where did this news come from?"
"I heard about it a few days ago when I was in Longjing to discuss business. Everyone's been talking about it lately."
"It's so fake. Nobody knows who the heir of Longjing is, let alone a marriage alliance."
"However, I did hear that Fu Yuan is preparing for a wedding or something."
- "Wow, really?"
Upon seeing the message, Fang Xingu's mind went completely blank. His blood froze instantly, a chill rose from his heart, and his vision blurred. He stood there frozen in place.
His hand trembled slightly, as if he had lost all strength, and the phone slipped from his hand and crashed to the ground with a thud. But Fang Xin Gu seemed not to realize it at all. He just remained in his original position, letting a pain spread through his heart.
Amidst the chaos, Fang Xingu managed to glean some impressions of Fu Yuan. Fu Yuan was in the metallurgical business and did indeed have a cooperative relationship with the Jing family. They should have an only daughter, around the same age as Jing Yi. Fang Xingu remembered seeing this girl a few times at the Jing family's house, but didn't have much of an impression. He vaguely remembered that her name was Wen Anzhu, and that she was a rather quiet girl who later went to study in Beijing.
Fang Xingu gasped for breath, pressing his temples against his chest, feeling the sharp pain piercing his brain again and again.
He closed his eyes and questioned himself: Didn't I already know this? Why am I still in so much pain now?
Was it because he was having too much fun with Jing Yitong lately that he couldn't accept the heavy blow reality had dealt him?
Fang Xingu slumped onto the bed, sitting there blankly for a long time. After a while, he numbly picked up his phone, remembering to verify the matter.
However, he was not familiar with Wen Anzhu and did not have the courage to ask Jing Yitong directly. Finally, he thought that Xu Subo and Wen Anzhu should have had a good relationship in the past. After hesitating for a long time, he still asked Xu Subo about Wen Anzhu's news in a roundabout way.
Fang Xin Gu: Do you have Wen An Zhu's WeChat?
Xu Subo: Yes, but we haven't been in touch for a long time. What's wrong?
Fang Xin Gu: ...Do you have her WeChat Moments? How is she doing lately?
Xu Subo answered truthfully: It should be alright, I think they're preparing for an engagement. Why are you asking this?
After Xu Subo finished answering, she sent over a screenshot of Wen Anzhu's WeChat Moments. The girl in the picture was smiling sweetly and brightly. Fang Xin suddenly remembered that when everyone asked Jing Yitong what kind of person she liked at the Penguin Post Office, Jing Yitong had said that the person had a very beautiful smile.
Looking at Wen Anzhu in the photo, Fang Xin Gu's eyes were curved and her eyes were full of eye bags, making her smile particularly infectious. But when Fang Xin Gu looked at her smiling face, he felt cold all over. A thought suddenly rose in his mind: could it be that Wen Anzhu was the person Jing Yitong liked, which was why Jing Yitong did not reject the marriage at all?
Fang Xingu fell silent, unsure how to react. His phone rang several more times. He answered Xu Subo perfunctorily, then lowered his hand and stared blankly at the lamp in the room.
They were actually quite a handsome couple, but Fang Xin had no desire to bless them at all.
Fang Xin curled up on the bed, feeling as if his internal organs were about to be torn apart. He took a deep breath, trying to suppress the sadness in his heart, but the unspeakable pain still turned into sorrow uncontrollably. A wave of bitterness surged to his nose and eyes, and he buried his face in his palms.
That night, Fang Xin felt as if he had returned to the time when he first learned that Jing Yitong was going to be married. But at that time, he could at least pretend to accept it calmly. But now that the news had been confirmed, he could no longer deceive himself.
He knew he couldn't let go or find peace; he simply couldn't accept it all psychologically.
From the moment he learned of this news, Fang Xingu seemed to lose interest in everything. He locked himself in his room and did nothing but stare blankly, not even feeling hungry.
Until the evening, before the captain's dinner began, the recording of "The World Is So Big" resumed. Zhou Xiaoyou came to 608 to ask him to do his makeup and styling, and was shocked by his condition: "What's wrong with you? Are you seasick too?"
Fang Xin's eyes were bloodshot, and his lips were dry and chapped from not drinking water all day. He looked utterly dejected.
Fang Xingu shook his head: "It's nothing."
After a quick tidying up, he managed to muster his spirits. Fortunately, the makeup artist was highly skilled and restored his former charm with just a few strokes. However, there was still an inescapable melancholy in his eyes, which made Zhou Xiaoyou's heart pound with fear.
However, the recording went smoothly, and the captain's banquet was held as scheduled. Jing Yitong had no idea that the production team had secretly prepared a surprise for him. He just kept secretly glancing at Fang Xingu, feeling that he was not in a good mental state today, and he kept avoiding his gaze.
Jing Yitong couldn't understand it. Everything was fine last night, so what happened today?
As the captain's dinner was about to end, Jing Yitong was preparing to leave and ask Fang Xin what was wrong when Luo Da suddenly took the microphone and went up on stage: "Passengers, today is Christmas Eve. First of all, I wish you all a Merry Christmas Eve."
A group of tourists from all over the world in the audience were a little confused by what was going on, but they still clapped along. Only Jing Yitong seemed to have noticed something and looked up.
Luo Da continued, "But today is not only Christmas Eve, it's also the birthday of my good friend, Jing Yitong!"
Now everyone understood, and everyone present, whether they knew Jing Yitong or not, cheered and jeered, excited that they could gather here to celebrate this stranger's birthday together.
Amidst the enthusiastic cheers, Jing Yitong temporarily regained his composure. He first chuckled to himself, genuinely surprised by the surprise the production team had prepared for him. Then, he stood up and bowed slightly to everyone, saying, "Thank you, everyone."
Luo Da gestured with his hand: "Don't thank us yet, we still have some good stuff to do! Everyone has prepared a performance, come on, Wen Yu, you go first!"
Li Wenyu smiled and waved to the audience. As an idol, she was not nervous at all in this situation and said with a smile, "Happy birthday, Brother Jing! I'll perform a dance for you!"
Li Wenyu performed a jazz dance, which drew cheers from the audience. After her performance, Luo Da stood up and complained, "It was a very good performance... but this performance has nothing to do with Yi Tong. It doesn't look like it was a performance for him at all!"
Wang Peiyang, who was to perform next, stood up and said weakly, "Uh, but the show I'm going to perform doesn't seem to have anything to do with Brother Jing. How about I ask Brother Jing to come up and help me out?"
Jing Yitong facepalmed: "Are you trying to make me socially dead?"
"Hahaha!"
That being said, the performances prepared by everyone actually had nothing to do with today's birthday celebrant. Fortunately, they were all a group of handsome men and beautiful women, so even if the performances were not original, at least they were pleasing to the eye.
Finally, when it was Fang Xingu's turn to go on stage, he sat down in front of the piano on the stage with the microphone in hand. His expression was somewhat indifferent, and his voice was low: "Happy birthday, Teacher Jing. I will simply play and sing a song called 'Silence Has a Voice'."
Jing Yitong looked at Fang Xingu on the stage. He remembered "Silence with Sound," a new song written by Fang Xingu himself. Fang Xingu had played a demo for him before, but at that time there was only an instrumental version and no vocals or lyrics. So this was actually the first time he had officially heard the song.
On stage, Fang Xingu, as always today, did not spare Jing Yitong a single glance. Jing Yitong felt empty inside. He didn't know what Fang Xingu was thinking, but he felt that Fang Xingu looked somewhat sad.
Fang Xin fixed the microphone, closed his eyes, exhaled a breath of stale air, and then pressed the piano keys to sing:
"The day we met again at dusk,"
Your smile is just as it always has been.
The past lingers in my mind.
Calculate how long it has been since we last met.
I counted the time on my fingers.
It also witnesses the falling leaves recording the passing years.
The past is not just a fleeting moment.
It is also my silent transformation.
As the interlude transitioned into the chorus, Fang Xin couldn't help but glance at Jing Yitong. He thought, "So this person really doesn't belong to me." If there's no ending, then let the story stop here. Perhaps this is the most perfect ending he could get. He should hide his feelings and remain silent.
Jing Yitong, who had been staring intently at Fang Xingu, finally made eye contact with him for the first time today. But for some reason, perhaps because Fang Xingu's eyes were filled with too many emotions that Jing Yitong couldn't understand, his heart started racing involuntarily, and he became inexplicably nervous.
Fang Xin continued singing:
I wait like a blade of grass in a crack in the rock.
Always trying to peek through the gaps to see the brilliance.
But I am not an unknowing or unaware being.
No one knew the turmoil in my heart.
Beyond the silence you hear,
This is a monologue I've repeated a thousand times.
I keep my silent thoughts hidden in the sea of my heart.
Let it blend into the rhythm of your heartbeat.
When the song ended, the entire audience was silent. To the audience, it was a completely unfamiliar song. Even Jing Yitong felt that this version was different from the demos he had heard. But after listening to Fang Xingu's performance, everyone agreed that it was definitely a song that could move people's hearts.
Because of the complex arrangement, the song itself does not particularly test singing skills. However, Fang Xingu's skills are beyond doubt. Every pause, breath, and transition of his voice is perfect. In addition, the thick, heavy, and bitter emotions in his voice can make even tourists who do not understand Chinese or the lyrics feel a strong sadness from the melody and singing. Some people even quietly sobbed and wiped away the tears in their eyes while listening to the song.
In the quiet banquet hall, applause suddenly broke out from somewhere, and immediately led all the audience members to applaud as well.
Amidst heartfelt applause, Fang Xingu nodded to everyone. Just as he was about to step off the stage, Luo Da stopped him, trying to lighten the mood with a joke: "Looks like Xingu is the most outrageous one, actually promoting his new song at Yitong's birthday event, hahaha... hahaha."
Luo Da laughed for a while, but seeing that Fang Xingu's face showed no sign of a smile, he couldn't laugh anymore and could only let out a series of awkward, fake laughs.
Fang Xingu sighed slightly. In fact, of all the programs present, only this song was truly written and sung for Jing Yitong, but Jing Yitong will never know.
At this moment, the lights in the front row of the banquet hall dimmed, and a classic Happy Birthday song began to play. Yan Tu, accompanied by several staff members, pushed in a birthday cake and placed it in front of Jing Yitong.
The crew of the "The World Is So Big" program surrounded them, and Luo Da also pulled Fang Xin Gu off the stage to surround Jing Yi Tong, singing "Happy Birthday" to him together. Finally, all the tourists joined in the singing.
Happy birthday, Yitong.
Congratulations to Teacher Jing on growing another year older!
"By the way, this cake was made for you by Xin Gu himself!"
Jing Yitong thanked him repeatedly. When he heard this, he looked at Fang Xingu with some surprise. No wonder he hadn't seen Fang Xingu for the past two days. It turned out that he had gone to prepare the program and birthday cake.
Jing Yitong breathed a sigh of relief, but found that in the dim light, Fang Xingu still didn't give him a glance, but just kept his head down and silently watched others light candles.
Faced with Fang Xingu's indifferent expression, Jing Yitong's tense nerves snapped. He had been tormented by Fang Xingu's unpredictable attitude, yet he still couldn't understand what Fang Xingu was thinking.
But there were too many people around, and he was the center of attention. At this moment, he couldn't ask Fang Xingu why he was doing this, or if he really hated him.
The birthday candles were lit on the cake, their flames flickering. Urged on by everyone, Jing Yitong looked at Fang Xingu, clasped his hands together, and devoutly made a wish.
If Heaven truly has a spirit, in this new year, may Fang Xin Gu respond to my feelings.
Jing Yitong blew out the candles and forced a smile as he distributed the cake to everyone.
The banquet ended, but the birthday celebration was not over. The birthday boy, Jing Yitong, was surrounded by everyone and given gifts. Fang Xingu felt annoyed and also found the place too noisy. He walked against the flow of people out of the crowded area and went to the deck alone to enjoy the sea breeze.
The sea breeze gently lifted his hair, carrying his thoughts to distant places. Just as Fang Xin Gu was lost in thought, Meng Hui's voice came from behind him: "Xin Gu".
Fang Xingu snapped out of her daze and looked at her: "Sister Hui, what brings you out here too?"
"It was too noisy inside, so I came out to clear my head," Meng Hui observed his expression. "Are you in a bad mood today?"
Fang Xingu made up a random excuse: "...Well, something came up at home."
"Is something wrong at home?" Meng Hui asked after a moment's thought. "Your mother is Ying Zhen, right?"
Fang Xingu was stunned: "You know?" He had never revealed any information about his family in front of the camera, so how did Meng Hui know?
Meng Hui laughed and said, "Oh, your mother is my schoolmate. She was quite famous at school. Later, when I worked in the drama troupe, your mother also went to the troupe to do music for us. We were quite close back then. Actually, your mother even took you to the troupe, but you were too young then to remember... Oh right, and Yi Tong too. He went with you guys back then."
Fang Xin deliberately asked, "So you know about me and..."
"Your relationship with Yitong? I know," Meng Hui winked playfully. "Before the show started recording, your mother called me and asked me to take care of you two."
Fang Xingu was stunned for a moment, then smiled helplessly. His mother really knew how to arrange surprises for him.
Meng Hui patted his shoulder: "Did you and Yi Tong have a fight? You're both young, you can talk things out. Your mother also asked me to tell you that no matter what, you can always be yourself."
Should I be myself?
Fang Xingu pondered those words, his smile tinged with bitterness: "I understand."
It was rare for Ying Zhen to say something like that, but this time, Fang Xin Gu realized that he really couldn't follow his own heart and be himself.
After saying goodbye to Meng Hui, Fang Xingu walked wearily back to his room. Perhaps to clear his mind for a while, he didn't take the elevator but instead walked into the emergency exit and prepared to slowly walk up the stairs back to his room.
But as soon as he stepped into the stairwell, he heard a loud bang behind him, and the emergency exit door was opened and closed again.
Fang Xingu was startled. He heard heavy footsteps behind him, and someone was chasing after him. Fang Xingu subconsciously looked in the direction of the sound and saw Jing Yitong walking towards him with a stern face.
But at this moment, Jing Yitong's face was unusually serious and solemn, even carrying a hint of barely perceptible sadness and hurt. Fang Xin looked at Jing Yitong, who was standing only half a step away from him, his throat tightened, and the voice he uttered trembled slightly: "What are you doing?"
Jing Yitong stared intently at Fang Xingu and took another step toward him. Under this pressure, Fang Xingu reflexively took a few steps back until his back slammed against the wall, leaving him with nowhere to retreat.
Jing Yitong stared at him with a complex expression, trapping him in a corner with his tall frame.
Fang Xin was like a trapped beast, his heart pounding and his breathing becoming erratic.
After a long silence, Jing Yitong seemed to have mustered up his courage and suddenly asked, "Do you really hate me?"
Fang Xingu was bewildered by his inexplicable question: "Huh?"
But before Fang Xingu could speak, Jing Yitong could no longer contain his jealousy. He suppressed his anger and sadness and asked, "Do you hate me that much? Are you so resistant to marrying me?"
"I……"
Wait, that's not right.
What did Jing Yitong just say? A marriage alliance?
Fang Xingu's brain short-circuited for a moment: ...What does that mean? What does it mean to 'resist so much from marrying me'?
A marriage alliance? What kind of marriage alliance? Whom am I going to marry?
...Am I to marry Jing Yitong?
Am I the one who's going to marry Jing Yitong?
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Author's Note: Finally got to this point! [doge emoji with rose in hand]
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