Chapter 57 The kind of person who's so obsessed with rumors they're practically going crazy.
Bad woman.
This is the first time in Ningjiu's 24-year history that someone has said this.
On the weekend, she changed into a light pink dress and walked through the crowded pedestrian street to meet Li Mingyuan and Gao Hexin at a barbecue bar. So many people passing by couldn't help but turn their heads to look at her.
Li Mingyuan had just seen him a few weeks ago, but Gao Hexin hadn't seen him for several months.
The two were a little awkward when they first met, but they quickly returned to their high school ways of getting along, with endless gossip to share.
Gao Hexin praised Ning Jiu for becoming more and more beautiful. Although she was already a very distinctive sweet and alluring type in high school, she still had a bit of a student-like naiveté back then.
Now that she has shed the naivety of a high school student, the baby fat on her face has long since disappeared, and her facial features are more defined. With the addition of light makeup, even from a distance, Ning Jiu can't help but be drawn to her.
“There’s a popular term on the internet lately called ‘fishing system,’” Gao Hexin said. “I think sweet wine is a perfect fit for this term.”
"Fishing major?" Li Mingyuan, who was diligently grilling meat, casually interjected, "Then what major are you?"
Gao Hexin answered quickly: "Social animal system."
"puff."
Ning Jiu was drinking freshly squeezed orange juice when she heard this and quickly covered her mouth while laughing.
“Then we’re all the same,” Li Mingyuan quickly added, the three of them sharing the same plight, “We’re all in the same boat as the client, whatever the client says goes.”
When the topic of relationships came up, Gao Hexin suddenly remembered something and sighed.
"Do you guys still have Song Yunhe, the campus goddess, on WeChat? I just saw on my Moments yesterday that she got married and is currently on her honeymoon in the Maldives. They look so sweet." She changed her expression, giving Li Mingyuan a meaningful pat on the shoulder. "I remember you were really energetic back in your second year of high school, you even treated Ni Xuan to three meals just to collect handwritten letters from the goddess..."
“Who hasn’t been young and impetuous?” Li Mingyuan paused, narrowing his eyes. “Wait, how come you remember it even more clearly than I do? Gao Hexin, to be honest, you didn’t have a crush on me, did you?”
"Wow, shameless!" Gao Hexin exclaimed incredulously at his thick skin. "Take this slap from me!"
This barbecue restaurant is quite popular online. They arrived early, and the restaurant was almost full immediately after they arrived.
The three chatted more and more happily. Gao Hexin, with his sharp eyes, suddenly spotted a familiar figure and exclaimed softly.
"Am I hallucinating?" Amid the noise of the crowd, she leaned closer to Ning Jiu and Li Mingyuan and whispered, "I think I saw a big star and a rich girl in this store too."
Li Mingyuan didn't react for a moment: "What big star and rich girl?"
Gao Hexin gave him a speechless look, as if to say, "You really don't get it," and mouthed something to him.
Wen Yi and Ke Shini.
Before Ning Jiu could finish lip-syncing, the manager's trembling voice rang out behind her. Because of the close distance, even though it was noisy around them, they could still hear most of the conversation.
"What kind of work is this? Didn't you leave seats for Miss Ke and Mr. Wen?"
She turned her head again, her voice filled with a cautious attempt to please: "Ms. Ke, please wait a moment. There seems to be a slight oversight in the front desk arrangements. I'll check again right away and make sure the seats are filled."
"I will also instruct the chef to bring out new dishes to ensure that your enjoyment is not spoiled."
Wen Yi was completely disguised, from hat and sunglasses to a mask, and even his coat was lined with fleece. Not to mention his face, you couldn't even tell what his body looked like.
But Ke Shini, standing next to her, was glamorous and had long, wavy brown hair cascading down her sides. Her appearance and aura were not to be underestimated, and she quickly attracted the attention of those around her.
Ning Jiu didn't want to meddle in other people's business and was just focused on eating the lamb skewers that Li Mingyuan had grilled when she suddenly heard a ding-dong sound.
Ke Shini bumped the water glass that was casually placed on the edge of the table, and the glass fell over with a crack, half a glass of ice water about to spill onto Ning Jiu's back—
At the last second, her arm was forcefully pulled away by the man, causing the icy water to veer off course and eventually spill onto her bag, which was placed next to the chair.
A chill instantly seeped in, soaking a large patch of fabric. The previously lively conversation around them abruptly ceased, and everyone's gaze fell upon Ning Jiu, making the atmosphere instantly awkward.
Ke Shini curled her lips into a smile, her tone revealing a blatant and arrogant apology.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, my hand slipped. I hope Miss Ning doesn't mind."
"......"
Li Mingyuan was stunned at first, but after he realized what was happening, he immediately frowned. Gao Hexin also stood up angrily to argue with Ke Shini. He had just taken a step forward when Ning Jiu patted him on the shoulder.
The next second, Ning Jiu shook off Wen Yi's hand that was supporting her without hesitation, and tilted the cup of tea in her hand, the tea color instantly spreading onto the Hermes bag worth tens of thousands of yuan in Ke Shini's hand.
The scene fell into a deathly silence.
The manager stood to the side, gasped, and felt like he was about to faint.
The smile that Ke Shini had just been wearing vanished completely, and her face darkened.
Ning Jiu merely raised her eyes, a gentle and graceful smile curving her lips.
"Of course I don't mind, and I'm sure someone as magnanimous as Miss Ke wouldn't mind either, right?"
The supposedly pleasant dinner was interrupted early. The three of them paid and left the barbecue bar in a carefree manner. Just then, the private room was already set up. The manager wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and looked at Ke Shini with trepidation.
"Miss Ke, please come in..."
Ke Shini expressionlessly tossed her bag to the bodyguard behind her, clapped her hands, and walked in the direction the manager had indicated.
As soon as the door to the private room closed, Wen Yi took off his sunglasses and mask, meeting the scrutinizing gaze of the young lady.
"You came to Shanghai just for her?"
"Who? Nothing like that." Taking off his baseball cap as well, Wen Yi leaned back in his chair, his tone languid. "What was that you were doing just now? Testing me?"
Ke Shini smiled but remained silent.
"Believe it or not, I can send you abroad to make you famous, or I can ruin you just as easily."
Wen Yi glanced back at Ke Shini and suddenly let out a cold laugh.
"Miss Ke, what do you mean?"
"We've been together for seven years, do you think I don't know your personality?"
Today's events have already been bad enough, and Ke Shini has no mood to go through any more roundabout dealings with Wen Yi.
“We agreed that the people and events of the past would be considered to have happened to someone else, and had nothing to do with you. From now on, you will only be associated with one person’s name, and that is me,” she said, her eyes narrowing coldly, her voice devoid of any warmth. “If I find out that you’ve been having Li Linda do anything underhanded behind your back, you won’t be allowed to go anywhere else, let alone Shanghai.”
Wen Yi's tone remained unchanged, but his hand, hidden under the tablecloth, quietly clenched: "Are you threatening me?"
“Weren’t you the one who broke the rules first?” Ke Shini picked up her wine glass and leaned closer, but Wen Yi dodged her. “If you really can’t forget the past, that’s fine. At worst, you can go back to being that poor boy with no goals and only hatred. I won’t stop you.”
"Only you know how hard it was to achieve everything you have now. If you're still on the same boat as me, everything is fine, but if you're still thinking about other things, I'm not that easy to deal with." Beneath her calm face was undisguised arrogance and sarcasm. "If you think you've grown up and want to fight me, then try it."
-
Ning Jiu, Li Mingyuan, and Gao Hexin strolled around the mall for a while longer. Just as they were about to part ways, Li Mingyuan suddenly remembered something and turned to ask Ning Jiu.
"Sister Jiu, have you been in touch with Chen Poyao lately?" he asked casually. "I remember she said she wanted to be a doctor when she was in high school. I thought she was going to be a surgeon, but I saw on her WeChat Moments a few days ago that she became a psychologist. So you two are in the same profession now?"
"No way, Po Yao became a psychologist???"
Before Ning Jiu could speak, Gao Hexin's reaction startled Li Mingyuan.
“Your aspirations in high school and college can change at any time,” he said, looking at Gao Hexin with a puzzled expression. “Why are you so surprised?”
"How could I not be surprised?" Gao Hexin clicked his tongue. "Both of Po Yao's parents are chief physicians in top-tier hospitals. They have always been a family of surgeons. Their expectation for her since she was a child was to follow in their footsteps and become a chief surgeon in the hospital. Who would have thought that she would switch to becoming a psychologist? This is a completely different path."
“That’s strange,” Li Mingyuan said, his expression turning serious. “Logically speaking, given her family background, taking the surgical route would be a perfect shortcut for her. She’s taking the long way around.”
The three said goodbye, and Ning Jiu sat in the taxi. A huge billboard flashed past the car window, catching her eye.
It was an advertisement for a sports drink, and she knew the spokesperson all too well. The vibrant colors and stylish font exuded energy. Wen Yi was wearing a standard high school jacket with the cuffs casually rolled up, his smile was bright, and his profile had a youthful glow in the sunlight, radiating youthful energy.
At first glance, he looks somewhat like the real him in high school, yet he is completely different.
That bright and innocent smile, full of energy when facing the camera, but the camera always has to move away eventually—
What kind of expression would he have at that time?
When exactly did everyone start to change from their high school days?
When Ning Jiu learned that Chen Poyao was also working in the psychology studio, she was just as surprised as Li Mingyuan and didn't think much of it. But after Gao Hexin's words today, she couldn't help but recall the time she spent with everyone in high school.
Youth begins quietly but ends abruptly. On the day it comes to an end, it seems there are still many things left unsaid.
The classroom bell in her memory overlapped with the cicadas chirping on the branches outside the car window, and an idea gradually emerged in Ning Jiu's mind.
"Ms. Ning, I have read your Summer Cicada Song Project, and the concept is brilliant."
Three days later, in her office at Yaoxing Entertainment Building, Li Linda made no attempt to hide her surprise.
The sound of cicadas symbolizes the noise and pressure of the outside world. When the staff put noise-canceling headphones on the participants, the noise gradually fades away and is replaced by a slow and genuine psychological narrative.
The interplay of light and sound creates a silent yet emotionally rich "container for the soul." At the moment of removing their headphones, participants write down what they most want to say to themselves. These words are then projected onto the wall, creating a unique memory wall of cicada songs in the height of summer.
This will present an unprecedented visual and psychological experience.
“Several other equally excellent studios have submitted proposals, but after our team’s evaluation, we feel that your proposal best meets the company’s needs and has the highest probability of becoming a hit.” Her words were a sincere plea. “Are you really going to give up now? If you choose to give up now, it will not only be a pity for us, but also a missed opportunity for yourself. We hope you can reconsider.”
“I’m currently focusing my energy on the studio. If we’re talking about program planning and execution, there’s actually someone more suitable than me.” Ning Jiuping calmly and firmly declined Li Linda’s invitation. “From our student days, whether it was blackboard newspapers or sports meets, she always managed to organize class activities perfectly. Now she also works at the psychology studio, so she might be more suitable than me.”
After a brief discussion, Ning Jiu gave Chen Poyao's contact information to Li Linda.
The moment I stepped out of the Yaoxing Entertainment Building, something heavy finally settled down in my heart.
Just as she was about to get off the elevator, she suddenly heard a series of screams coming from downstairs. She looked out through the glass window and saw the nanny van slowly stop at the door. The assistant opened the door and Wen Yi, wearing sunglasses and a black hoodie, walked towards the company entrance while waving. He was truly the center of attention.
In recent years, Ning Jiu has watched Wen Yi's stage performances in videos. Under the lights, he exudes a charming sense of control in every gesture.
I remember when they were very young, Wen Yi loved to dance. In junior and senior high school, he joined the dance club and always shone in club activities or school anniversary celebrations. Dance has always been something he loves and is good at.
Now, he makes a living on stage and has a group of audiences and fans who scream for him. He seems to have forgotten the pain, which is good.
She put her mind at ease and went downstairs. The building entrance was noisy, and the screams of fans could still be heard intermittently.
Just then, Wen Yi came over after taking off his sunglasses. The moment they met, his expression remained indifferent, as if he hadn't seen Ning Jiu at all.
But as they brushed past each other, Ning Jiu clearly felt something being stuffed into her palm.
As she drove away, she slowly unfolded the tiny folded note. The handwriting was sharp and unorthodox, just like his usual style. It contained only a few words—
Want to talk? Tonight, please.
Ning Jiu pondered for a moment, then did not refuse, but asked her to choose a location.
Wen Yi went abroad to study before high school was over, and there were still some things that hadn't been explained. Now that they were meeting again, his profession was unusual, so they could only meet late at night at a secluded coffee shop in the suburbs.
This coffee shop is open until 3 a.m. Because of its secluded location, it doesn't have a lot of foot traffic during the day, and it's even sparsely populated at night, so everyone is mindful of their own business.
Ning Jiu had already spoken to the restaurant owner beforehand, and the two sat down in the most secluded corner. Wen Yi took off his mask, watched Ning Jiu put down his bag, and the first thing he said to him as he sat down was—
"This should be the last time we meet."
Five years later, Ningjiu is still Ningjiu. Even after years and the trials of society, it still cannot erase the most edgy aspect of her personality.
Meeting Wen Yi's gaze, she sincerely apologized to him.
"Actually, the reason I agreed to meet with you today is to apologize to you in person."
No matter what happened later, their friendship from growing up together will never change. Looking back on the most tense period in high school, what seemed like a huge problem could have been resolved if either of them had given in.
"I remember when we were eight or nine years old, you would always steal my candy. As a result, I would cry and go to Uncle Wen to complain. You were punished by standing next to the trash can at the back door of the bar, but you would still make faces at me, which made me both laugh and angry. Back then, I really liked being with you."
Ning Jiu gave a slight twitch at the corner of her mouth.
"I was really shocked by what happened to Uncle Wen at first, and I didn't even know how to face you for a while. But later, I was more confused as to why you completely broke off relations with me because of it. I always thought that people should always look forward and not be stuck in the past. But I've come to realize over the years that everyone has unspeakable pain. If it had been Ning Xuan who was in trouble, I probably would have felt the same way as you."
She paused, her voice soft yet solemn.
"So I have to apologize to you. I was young and ignorant back then, and I said some hurtful things. I didn't think from your perspective, but in my heart, we really were the best of friends."
Once upon a time. Friends.
Every word was like a tiny yet sharp needle, piercing straight into Wen Yi's heart.
He heard himself ask, "And now?"
"Let's let go." Not reconcile, but let go; Ning Jiu's tone was nonchalant. "You now have a group of fans who love you, and Ke Shini is willing to give you a bright future—"
"Why have you always been like this since you were a child?"
Ning Jiu was interrupted by Wen Yi before she could finish speaking.
He suddenly stood up, the table scraping against the floor with a slight sound. Several customers who had just entered noticed the commotion in the corner and wanted to investigate, but were stopped in time by the coffee shop owner.
Ning Jiu recalled what she had said and found nothing wrong with it; this time, her tone was genuinely puzzled.
"What am I always like?"
"Self-righteous, heartless, cold-blooded and ungrateful."
With each word he uttered, Wen Yi's eyes reddened further. Ning Jiu stared blankly at the boy in front of her, unable to find a retort.
"I've told you before, you're always irresponsible with your words. You can be wholeheartedly devoted when you're together, but once you feel it's time to end things, you just pat yourself on the back and walk away. Do you really think everyone can be like you, able to let go so easily?"
Wen Yi accused him, word by word.
"Sometimes I really regret not being your patient. If I were your patient, at least I would get some care from you during your working hours. But now I'm the only one left in the past like a clown."
“You left me behind a long time ago and went far away on your own. Only now do you turn back and tell me that I should learn to move on—that’s the cruelest thing you’ve ever done to me, Ning Jiu.”
"......"
Ning Jiu fell completely silent.
It turns out that when we open up our minds, we find that there are such big differences in our understanding.
For a moment, she even doubted herself, her voice trembling with a slight sob that she herself was unaware of.
"So what are you trying to say?" she asked him. "You still hate me, you regret knowing my dad, you regret knowing me?"
"You are very wrong, Ning Jiu."
Her frankness made his attempt to cover up seem even more ridiculous. Wen Yi smiled self-deprecatingly, as if something weighing on his heart was about to burst forth.
"Yes, I hated Ning Xuan at first, and I wanted to vent my resentment on you as well. I even told myself that maybe hating you would make things easier, but I soon realized that it was impossible to do so."
He chuckled softly, but the smile was full of bitterness.
"You think I'm doing well now? Over the years, I've truly relied on dance as my only support, and I've finally achieved my dream. But what's the price of achieving that dream? My body is riddled with injuries, and my mind is weighed down by people like Ke Shini. I just wanted to dance, but I had to deal with all the dirty stuff in the entertainment industry. What the hell is left of what I originally loved?!"
“Oh, right, and there’s Joe Bolin. Do you really think he’s as perfect as he was five years ago? Don’t fool yourself. He’s no different from me, maybe even more pathetic.” Wen Yi cut open their wounds, tearing them apart and laying them bloody on the table in front of Ning Jiu. “You always think that cutting things off quickly will reduce the pain, but on the contrary, that’s the hardest part. Isn’t Joe Bolin the best proof of that? Right now, his situation is probably worse than mine.”
Ning Jiu's eyes turned cold.
"What do you mean."
Wen Yi realized he had let something slip and changed the subject.
"That's enough for today, let's stop here."
After he finished speaking, he got up and walked out, giving Ning Jiu no room to refuse. When the latter heard that name, her heart tightened, and she subconsciously followed him, wanting to find him and ask him for clarification.
As the two reached the door, a cool breeze swept over them. The night was deep and dark, and the air was slightly damp.
Autumn is just around the corner.
Ning Jiu's expression faltered, and she was about to say something when she was suddenly pulled closer by a strong force—
It was an undeniably ambiguous position; his arms were tightly wrapped around her, with such force that it seemed he wanted to embed her into his body.
The burning heat emanating from her body was completely unobstructed, creating a stark contrast with the coolness of the night, almost making Ning Jiu breathless.
His breath was close to her ear, and Wen Yi leaned down, his lips lightly brushing against her slender nape. From a distance, it looked as if he were kissing her neck.
"Didn't you want to know why I said all that? I don't hate you. I've liked you since we were little—"
"The kind of love that drives you crazy."
The coolness of early autumn overlapped with the heat in front of me.
Ning Jiu's body froze completely when she heard the second half of the sentence.
My childhood friend, whom I even had a falling out with, suddenly confessed that she's always liked me...
The shock was no less than a sudden clap of thunder in the night sky, leaving her numb from head to toe.
While she was distracted, Wen Yi took the opportunity to change direction, and the two unknowingly got closer together.
A figure flashed past behind the tree trunk. Ning Jiu turned her head and only managed to catch a glimpse of a person holding a camera.
This place was clearly chosen by her on purpose; it's so secluded that even passersby rarely come by late at night. How could there possibly be reporters here?!
She was startled, but before she could warn Wen Yi, he held her even tighter. The difference in strength between the man and woman was so great that her struggles in his arms sounded more like a lovers' quarrel.
A snap.
The sudden yet clear sound pierced the night sky, standing out starkly in the stillness.
Although we encountered a similar situation five years ago, they were all students then, but things are clearly very different now...
The moment the shutter clicked, Ning Jiu felt as if her consciousness had been drained, and only two words could pop into her mind—
That's it.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Xiao Qiao: Hmm, all done (laughs)
-
This chess piece is so annoying, it'll get beaten up in the next chapter. [Sunglasses]
Thank you so much for the free tickets and nutrient solution, everyone! Tangtang is so happy, she bowed at a 90-degree angle!
Next chapter will be updated on Thursday. I'll be sending out red envelopes to you all on Thursday, muah! [kiss]
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