Chapter 58. A Title/Recognition: Xia Chan, give me a title/recognition. ...
It rained heavily during the night.
The drizzling rain, pattering against the floor-to-ceiling windows of the high-rise, disrupted the tranquility. The sound of running water echoed from the apartment's bathroom, and steam fogged the glass.
After a short while, the sound of water stopped, and Chen Zhoudu came out wearing a pair of pajamas, wiping the water droplets from his head with a towel.
He quietly opened the bedroom door and went in, where he saw Xia Chan already fast asleep, her eyelashes closed and her breathing even.
He unconsciously walked to the bedside, squatted down, looked at her face and chuckled softly, then gently leaned down to kiss her brow and tucked the blanket around her.
The swelling on her face had subsided slightly, and the red five-finger mark was becoming increasingly clear.
Chen Zhoudu thought for a moment, then gently took out a Yunnan Baiyao from the medicine box. He wanted to apply it to her but stopped, afraid of waking her. He placed it on the bedside table and tiptoed out of the door and closed it.
Sitting on the sofa in the living room, Chen Zhoudu turned on his phone under the dim light of two wall lamps.
The moment the phone was turned on, countless messages flooded in.
WeChat, SMS, caller ID...
It was as if the floodwaters were bursting, almost causing the page to freeze.
There are countless little red dots on the WeChat page, and Xie Xun is at the very top.
"Ferryman, can we talk?"
"Zhoudu, your aunt would like to invite you to dinner. Can we have a proper chat?"
"Funadu..."
The sunken boat ferried across the river casually, but never returned.
Once outside, they saw that Jiang Cheng was also nearly going crazy, practically bombarding them with threats.
"Where are you? Why didn't you go to Qu Yao's podcast?"
"The sunken boat has crossed! Answer me!"
"The sunken boat crosses the river!!!"
Ah Sen was almost in tears.
"Brother, where are you? I'm begging you, please call Brother Jiang back! This is going to be trending on social media..."
He frowned slightly and opened Weibo, and sure enough, he saw a newly risen topic on the entertainment list, which was already trending.
#Qu Yao reportedly stood up by a top-tier celebrity at the last minute#
#QuYaoPodcastSunkenBoatCrossing#
"I've heard it's the Sunken Boat Ferry; insiders have confirmed it!"
"Huh? Really? Isn't 'Sinking Boat Crossing' a podcast coming out the day after tomorrow?"
"I heard that Qu Yao had a last-minute schedule change from the day after tomorrow to today. Shen Zhoudu had already agreed, but then said he wouldn't come right before the podcast started. Moreover, Shen Zhoudu himself didn't even apologize. He had to have his assistant inform Qu Yao. As a result, Qu Yao had no guests on today's podcast and did a two-hour stand-up comedy routine. He was probably still angry, so he made some sarcastic remarks about Qu Yao on the podcast."
"But you can't blame Chenzhoudu! It was Qu Yao who changed the time first..."
"But Chen Zhoudu agreed first! And Chen Zhoudu's fans all said that he had no schedule this afternoon and no activities. If you don't have time, you should tell them the truth. How can you agree and then go back on your word at the last minute? It's really frustrating to put yourself in the shoes of a working person! I'm on Qu Yao's side this time!"
"But Qu Yao is a difficult person to judge. Only he can change the time to appear on his show. If others change it, it's considered a veiled criticism. I really can't empathize with him."
"I always thought Chen Zhoudu was quite polite, I never expected him to be like this in private..."
Netizens have expressed a variety of opinions, and the comments section has almost completely flooded the public forum. Qu Yao's fans have even started to hurl insults at him on his Weibo account.
Chen Zhoudu glanced at the screen silently, then exited Weibo, tossed his phone onto the sofa, closed his eyes, and pressed his temples.
-
When Xia Chan woke up the next morning, she was still a little dazed, having had no dreams all night.
She stared blankly at the ceiling for a long time before her thoughts suddenly returned and she remembered what had happened yesterday, realizing that she was in Shen Zhoudu's room.
With Chen Zhoudu not beside her, she pressed the back of her hand to her eyes for a while before remembering to get up and look for her phone.
The moment I sat up, my whole body ached terribly.
The thick black curtains in the bedroom almost completely blocked out all light, leaving only a faint glimmer of light to make out the surrounding scenery.
Their clothes were still lying on the carpet, crumpled beyond recognition.
The bed sheets and duvet cover were wrinkled and messy, and there were two small square boxes and some plastic in the trash can next to it.
She came in her uniform yesterday, but after picking it up from the ground and looking at it, she gave up on the idea of changing it.
The shirt was wrinkled beyond recognition, and there was a white stain on the black trousers. After thinking for a moment, I went to his wardrobe, picked out a shirt, and put it on.
Chen Zhoudu looks slender, but after taking off his clothes yesterday, it was discovered that he was actually quite well-built. After all, he is over 1.8 meters tall, and his abdominal muscles are smooth and firm.
Perhaps because he sings regularly, his stamina and lung capacity are quite good.
His shirt looked almost like a dress on her.
She tidied herself up casually and walked to the window to draw the curtains.
The moment the curtains were drawn back, the dazzling sunlight streamed in.
Xia Chan squinted and looked outside. The warm morning sun of midsummer bathed her in a comforting glow, and the distant crimson light reflected off the bustling traffic on the overpass. For a moment, her heart felt open and at peace. She closed her eyes, savoring the tranquility for a moment, and then went to the bedside to get her phone.
It's just past seven in the morning, but luckily she's on the afternoon shift, so she still has time to go back and change.
There was a trending topic notification on the screen; judging from the time, it had been pushed to me yesterday evening.
#Qu Yao's podcast angrily criticizes a top-tier celebrity for standing someone up, netizens dig up information about the sunken boat ferry#
She paused slightly and pursed her lips.
When Chen Zhoudu quietly entered the room with a glass of milk, he saw Xia Chan standing blankly in front of the French windows, seemingly looking at something. Seeing her clothes, he couldn't help but smile.
He quietly walked up behind her, placed the milk aside, hugged her from behind, buried his head in her hair, and whispered, "Good morning."
Xia Chan hurriedly locked the screen and smiled at him from the side.
"morning……"
Their cheeks were almost touching again, and Chen Zhoudu stared at her slightly swollen lips and kissed her again.
Xia Chan let out a soft moan before he turned her around and she snuggled into his arms.
Then it entangles, twists and turns...
The kisses lingered from the balcony to the bed. He suddenly pressed her down on the bed, grabbing both her hands and pressing them above him for a deep kiss.
He could feel her body temperature gradually rising, and his breathing and heartbeat became increasingly erratic.
Something slid down her neck—it was that tiny wooden cicada that looked like a fly.
After being worn for a long time, it has a kind of polished sheen.
He chuckled and involuntarily caught the small wooden cicada in his lips, then playfully glided it across her skin, from her neck to her collarbone.
Finally, gently glide over a cherry.
Xia Chan let out a soft moan and arched her back. He took the opportunity to slip his arm through her waist and tighten his grip.
He left the wooden cicada at his lips and lowered his head to kiss it.
The room was filled with rough breathing and soft moans, and the gleaming amber glass cover of the wardrobe faintly reflected a figure.
Xia Chan instinctively grabbed his back.
After their passionate encounter, the two lay side by side on the bed, breathing heavily, with a thin layer of sweat on their foreheads and necks.
As Chen Zhoudu's chest rose and fell, the morning light reflected a shimmering golden hue on the sweat on his neck, and his forehead and temples were also damp with sweat.
He turned his head to look at her, smiled, gently stroked her hair, quickly got up, pulled her up, and squatted down beside her.
"Xia Chan." He placed the milk in her palm and held her hand, then looked up at her and smiled, "Be with me."
Xia Chan's eyes flickered very subtly.
"Give me a title? Hmm?"
She cupped the milk in her fingers, looked down at the liquid, her expression calm and unwavering, and said softly, "Do adults... really have to care about these things?"
Shen Zhoudu's eyes dimmed slightly for a moment, but he quickly smiled as usual and said, "I care."
“I care about Xia Chan very much.” His eyes suddenly became very deep, almost as if a vortex was sucking her in.
Xia Chan stared at him silently, feeling a tightness in her throat for no apparent reason.
“I know… I don’t think I can make any promises to you right now, like to my dad, my company, or my agent,” Shen Zhoudu said. “But I promise you, I will never let them come to you, and I will definitely resolve these issues. I just want your word, Xia Chan, to be my boyfriend.”
Xia Chan's fingers tightened, as if a delicate string in her heart was slowly being pulled taut. She glanced at her phone out of the corner of her eye, then suddenly looked up at him with a bright smile and asked, "So, what kind of title do you want?"
She smiled, half-jokingly and half-seriously, "Empress? Imperial Concubine? Consort? Or..."
Chen Zhoudu's breath hitched slightly, but he quickly smiled at her and said, "Anything is fine." His gaze was clear and calm. "But I hope... you're the only one."
Xia Chan fell silent again, gazing at him for a long time without saying a word. Finally, as if she were lost in his gaze, she sighed softly and said, "Chen Zhoudu, give me some time too."
Chen Zhoudu breathed a sigh of relief and smiled faintly, but then remembered something and her heart tightened slightly. "Then you won't do anything foolish... right?"
Xia Chan looked at her, puzzled.
"What you and Xie said yesterday..."
She immediately understood what he meant.
Those words spoken by Guan Bohan probably scared not only Xie Jun, but also him.
His gaze suddenly became deep and complex, with a hint of caution and fear.
Looking into those eyes, Xia Chan suddenly felt a pang of pity and couldn't bear it. She wanted to soften her tone and talk to him nicely, but the words that came out of her mouth were, "What if I really did that?"
The glimmer in his eyes flickered, as if it had shattered for a moment. Xia Chan's heart trembled slightly as well.
But it was too late to apologize.
After a long silence, he sighed softly, his breath as delicate as orchids, and lowered his eyes to whisper, "I don't know..."
He leaned down slightly, resting his forehead gently against her palm, as if a devout believer were praying and hoping, and said in a low, hoarse voice, "But I don't want you to do that. I don't want... you to punish yourself for someone else's mistake."
Xia Chan lowered her eyes and gazed at him, a sudden pang of sadness gripping her heart. His hand was still tightly holding hers, his fingertips already cold, and he said in a very low voice, "I might go crazy too."
-
Xia Chan had a full day of announcements to make that day, and she had work to do in the afternoon, so she quickly packed up and left.
Before leaving, Chen Zhoudu wanted to register her fingerprint on the electronic lock.
Xia Chan refused, "I don't want to."
“It’s just better to be safe than sorry. Sometimes when you’re in a bad mood, don’t you like to go somewhere quiet and be alone? I don’t live in this house often, so you can come here anytime.” Chen Zhoudu just smiled and said, “No one will bother you.”
She still refused, but Chenzhoudu stubbornly persisted.
Her gaze returned to its aloof coldness, as if she were a thousand miles away. "Even if you knew I wouldn't come?"
"Mm." He smiled.
"Even if I might never agree to your request, and only consider our last night as a one-night stand?"
"Um."
His gaze paused slightly, but he still answered with a confident smile. Xia Chan felt a sense of helplessness and urge to admit defeat the moment she met his eyes, and finally sighed and hesitantly extended her hand.
Upon seeing this, Chen Zhoudu immediately grasped her fingertips and entered the door lock, then smiled at her.
Xia Chan didn't dare to walk with him, so she took the elevator to the underground parking lot first and then hailed a taxi.
She went back to Taoyuan Lane to change her clothes. Fortunately, at this time, only Siyi was at home. She assumed that Siyi had been working overtime all night and did not notice anything wrong with her wrinkled clothes.
She wore a mask and only vaguely mentioned that she had a bit of a cold. She threw her dirty clothes into the washing machine, washed them haphazardly, put on makeup, and headed to the hotel.
Many people at the hotel still remember that Xia Chan was dragged away in public by Xie Jun yesterday, and now that they see her, they can't help but keep quiet about it.
The five-finger mark on her face was not faint; although she tried to cover it up with foundation, the traces were still faintly visible.
Yu Lianxin seemed somewhat gloating about this, while Du Na and the others wanted to ask but dared not, so they carefully avoided the topic.
Xia Chan remained calm, continuing with her own business.
The store manager was quite humane; although he didn't say anything explicitly when he saw the finger marks on her face, he subtly suggested that if she wasn't feeling well, she could take two days off.
The trending topic of "Sinking Boat Crossing" finally came to a conclusion that afternoon, when he first posted an apology letter on his Weibo account, @瞿尧.
The apology letter was written quite sincerely, stating that he had an urgent matter to attend to yesterday and did not have time to apologize to him in person. He said that he immediately wrote the apology letter after seeing it this morning. The words were concise and sincere, and there was no trace of ghostwriting or AI.
Shen Zhoudu's studio also issued an emergency public relations statement explaining that Shen Zhoudu was unable to attend Qu Yao's podcast yesterday due to a family member's health condition. This sparked another round of heated discussion among entertainment netizens, who were divided into two camps.
Some claimed that family members' health reasons were understandable, and that sinking a boat was not an unforgivable crime.
Another group seized on the point that "even in a rush, how could there not be time to offer an apology?" and launched a fierce attack.
Fortunately, Qu Yao didn't post any more veiled criticisms about this, and the matter was quickly forgotten.
However, Chenzhoudu still lost over 100,000 followers as a result.
Xia Chan didn't care about the bloodshed and chaos on the other side of Chenzhou Ferry, nor did she understand it much. She only received a message in the afternoon.
The message came from her senior from university, Song Yalin, who said he had some free time recently and wanted to treat her to a meal.
After much deliberation, Xia Chan still felt she had to accept the invitation.
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