Chapter 53
Chen Zhiyi lives in a well-known upscale residential area in Shanghai, where many celebrities and dignitaries reside, so the privacy is very good. However, the security guards at the gate have to confirm with the residents.
When Song Xiaolei delivered the materials, the security guard called and said that she was there to deliver design drafts before letting her in. But Lin Ting insisted on checking her face against the video before letting her in.
Lin Ting's lips curved slightly; she was quite clever.
Standing at the door, Lin Ting remained calm for a long time before ringing the doorbell.
With a click, the door opened to a young woman who looked to be only about 20 years old. She blinked her big eyes and asked with a smile, "Who are you?"
Lin Ting showed the design draft in her hand, "I am Lin Ting, a designer from M Group, who is in charge of this limited edition collaboration with Mr. Chen Zhiyi. The first draft of the design is ready and I would like to communicate with him in person. Is he available now?" She replied carefully and politely.
The girl suddenly realized and said, "Oh, please come in, please come in. I'm his assistant, Zhang Ke. You can just call me Keke. He's currently getting his costume checked for his new movie." As she spoke, she led her into the living room. "Please rest here for a bit. He'll be here soon after his makeup test."
Lin Ting nodded and sat down on the living room sofa.
Zhang Ke's smile was bright and friendly, clearly showing her as a girl with a pure heart. "All the food in front of you was prepared by Teacher Chen. There are peaches, watermelon cut into chunks, red bean cake, egg yolk pastry, and the milk tea is freshly bought and still warm. If you eat too much sweet food, there are also some spicy snacks here, such as spicy strips and pickled chicken feet."
Lin felt a bitter taste in his mouth; he still remembered his own taste very clearly. He choked out, "Thank you!"
"Don't be shy. Teacher Chen's makeup will take a while. I prepared these snacks for you in case you get bored. Please sit for a while. Just call me if you need any help."
"good!"
Zhang Ke went to the dressing room next door and said something to Chen Zhiyi, who smiled and nodded.
Lin Ting sat on the sofa and looked around the room. The furnishings were similar to the style of the third-floor apartment in Xiangyi Zijun back then, simple and bright, with large floor-to-ceiling windows.
Chen Zhiyi was getting her makeup done in the room diagonally opposite. Judging from the styles of clothes displayed on the drapery, there were long gowns, Zhongshan suits, and warlord outfits. Lin Ting guessed that the new drama was probably set in the Republican era, and the character might be a spirited young commander.
To be honest, his physique, appearance, and temperament are a perfect match for this persona.
To finalize his look for the new film, four people surrounded him, including photographers, stylists, makeup artists, and costume designers. He didn't completely follow their lead and would offer his own opinions. Four years of experience in the entertainment industry had honed his skills and made him adept at his work.
Lin Ting sat for a short while, and the dark spots started to take effect. Her eyes became a little hard to open, and her body began to sway.
Chen Zhiyi stole a glance at Lin Ting. Despite being so sleepy, she was still determined to sit up straight. What had attracted him back then was that he noticed her posture was so upright that it didn't seem like that of a modern person.
He called Zhang Ke over and asked her to draw the curtains and turn on the lavender diffuser, which smelled like lavender and was good for sleep. He hadn't been sleeping well for years, and this diffuser had been recommended to him by someone else to soothe his nerves. He had used it and it was indeed very effective.
Under the influence of the aromatherapy, Lin Ting finally succumbed and fell asleep on the sofa.
After the makeup was finished, Chen Zhiyi sat next to Lin Ting and quietly looked at her sleeping face. For a moment, he felt that time had gone back to five years ago, when the two had just met. She was also asleep then, and he was watching her from the side.
Zhang Ke walked over and whispered, "Should we wake her up?"
Chen Zhiyi's gaze never left Lin Ting. "It's alright, let her sleep a little longer. She waited for me for so long, now it's my turn to wait for her. You go and do your work, leave this to me."
“Okay!” Zhang Ke had been with Chen Zhiyi for more than three years and had never seen him look at a girl so gently. She seemed to have the answer in her heart, but she didn’t ask. Although she was Chen Zhiyi’s assistant and took care of his daily work, she still needed to be clear about the boundaries.
Once everyone else was in the room, Chen Zhiyi stopped holding back. He brushed aside the stray hairs on Lin Ting's forehead and kissed her all the way from her forehead, the tip of her nose, her cheeks, down to her lips, his movements very light and gentle.
Doing this while the girl was asleep seemed like something a pervert would do, but he didn't regret it; he should have done it five years ago.
After confessing his feelings, he should have cupped her face and kissed her passionately instead of agreeing to be together after the college entrance exam with some six-month trial period. If he had been more assertive back then and made it a real relationship, would she have come back as promised?
This time, he was determined to seize the initiative no matter what.
When Lin Ting woke up, she was first surprised to see a blanket covering her. Then she looked up and saw Chen Zhiyi sitting on the sofa next to her, looking at a magazine, his mind in a daze. How did he fall asleep?
"You're awake." Chen Zhiyi put down the magazine in his hand and sat down next to Lin Ting. He first pressed her head against his forehead, then smoothed her messy hair. His actions were very intimate and natural, just like a couple who had been in love for a long time.
His actions completely woke Lin Ting up. She was stunned for a moment, then quickly took off the blanket and sat up straight. She picked up the design draft on the table and handed it to Chen Zhiyi. She lowered her head and avoided his eyes, saying, "This is the design draft. Take a look and point out any problems so I can go back and revise it."
Chen Zhiyi accepted the design draft, glanced at his watch, and said, "It's already past 6 o'clock, let's go eat together first."
Lin Ting looked anxious and was trying to avoid him, so how could she possibly sit down to eat with him? "I'm not hungry. Just take a look. It won't take much time. I'm in a hurry to go back and make some changes."
Chen Zhiyi stood up, bent over, and brought his face close to Lin Ting's, his lips curving into a slightly coquettish smile, "I'm so hungry. When I'm hungry, I don't have the energy to deal with work."
Lin Ting blushed with anxiety, but couldn't bring herself to argue.
Chen Zhiyi found her flushed face, which he thought was quite adorable, so he quickly took her hand and pulled her outside. Then, he casually put his hand on her shoulder and said affectionately, "Let's go!"
The two of them dragged themselves into a nearby fish hot pot restaurant. Once inside, Chen Zhiyi immediately pressed her down into a chair, sat down next to her, and then took off his mask and fisherman's hat to explain, "This fish hot pot restaurant is very popular and famous. The broth is authentically sour and spicy, and the fish slices are all freshly killed and sliced, very tender. Eat more later. During college, your dormmates loved to eat this as a treat. This place is definitely just as good as the one you usually eat at. I've already tried it."
Lin Ting's heart skipped a beat, and she looked at him timidly, unsure of what to say.
"Don't look at me like that. I've always remembered your tastes."
Instantly, Lin Ting felt a lump in her throat, and tears welled up in her eyes, but she tried her best to hold them back.
Chen Zhiyi scanned the QR code to order food. Lin Ting saw that he had selected extra spicy for the soup base and immediately said, "Aren't you unable to eat spicy food?"
"I've developed this skill over the years, and I need to adapt it to your taste," Chen Zhiyi said casually.
Lin Ting touched the back of his hand with her palm to stop him, "Let's choose mild spicy instead. Too spicy is bad for your throat and skin. You're a public figure now, so you need to be careful."
He could tell that Lin Ting still cared about him, and Chen Zhiyi's heart stirred slightly, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up. "Okay, I'll listen to you."
But Chen Zhiyi still ordered a whole table of dishes, and when all the dishes were served, it was practically a Manchu Han Imperial Feast.
Lin Ting looked at the table full of dishes in surprise and asked timidly, "Are we feeding this to pigs?"
Chen Ziyu pressed his index finger against Lin Ting's nose, making a "pig nose" shape, and said, "Isn't this to feed you, my little pig?"
Lin was uncomfortable with this intimate gesture and quickly backed away.
Chen Zhiyi didn't mind. He picked up his chopsticks and dipped a few fish slices into the boiling pot. "The fish here are all freshly caught from the aquaculture lake this morning and delivered to our restaurant. They're killed on the spot, so they're very fresh. Just put the fish slices in the pot for ten seconds and you can take them out to eat. If you cook them for too long, they'll get tough and not tender." After saying that, he scooped up a slice he had just put in and placed it in Lin Ting's bowl.
"Eat it while it's hot."
Lin Ting picked up a slice and put it in her mouth. It was her favorite sour and spicy flavor, and the meat was tender and delicious.
Without asking for feedback, Chen Zhiyi could tell from her expression that she liked it.
“This restaurant is very popular every day. When I first came here, I thought it would be great to bring you here. I knew you would love to eat here. Knowing that you would come today, I asked Zhang Ke to book a private room in advance.”
He spoke casually, but Lin Ting felt uneasy. Her throat tightened, a spicy sensation filled her mouth, and she coughed violently.
Chen Zhiyi gently patted her back while handing her a glass of water. "Did you get burned by the spiciness? Can't you eat spicy food anymore?" She had just stopped him from ordering extra spicy food, secretly pleased that he cared, but it turned out her taste had changed. More than sadness, she felt regret. "I still missed these five years."
These words immediately brought tears to Lin Ting's eyes. She quickly turned her head away and wiped away her tears, not wanting him to see them.
Since their reunion, she could sense that in Chen Zhiyi's eyes, the past five years were just time, nothing had changed. Her departure back then was just a question in his mind, and the answer was no longer important after their reunion.
Ke Lin knew the answer: it was an insurmountable chasm between the two of them. It was better to end it quickly than to suffer for a long time. The role of being ruthless and decisive could be played by only one person.
After calming down, Lin Ting threw the design draft in front of Chen Zhiyi again, looked at him coldly and said, "I'm full. You should take a look now. I need to go back. It's far from where I live."
Chen Zhiyi stared at Lin Ting in disbelief. Her face, which had just been flushed and vibrant from the spiciness, instantly became as calm as a frozen lake.
He was silent for a moment, then turned to stare at her and said, "Are you really that unwilling to have a meal with me? After five years, we finally meet again, and you're trying so hard to avoid me?"
Lin Ting deliberately avoided looking at him and said firmly, "Yes."
Chen Zhiyi grabbed her shoulders, forcefully turned her to look at him, his eyes flashing with uncontrollable anger, and asked through gritted teeth, "Why are you doing this to me? Am I that bad that you want to leave me? You disappeared without a word five years ago, and now that we've met again, you're ignoring me. Have I always been someone you can do without?"
As he spoke, he gripped Lin Ting's shoulders tighter and tighter. Gradually, Lin Ting felt the pain in her shoulders, and a look of pain flashed across her face. Chen Zhiyi realized that he was using too much force, so he let go of her shoulders and gently soothed the pain, his eyes filled with tension.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, did I pinch you too hard?"
Lin Ting couldn't bear to see him so humble in front of her. A prodigy, a rising young movie star, had no need to act like this; she didn't deserve it at all.
Lin Ting disregarded him, pulled his hand away from her shoulder, stood up and looked down at him, her tone firm, "You are now a big star under the spotlight. I hope you remember your identity and don't cause unnecessary chaos or trouble for others. I am just an ordinary person. Because you are now the spokesperson for our brand, there is nothing between us except a normal working relationship. I hope you can quickly review the manuscript and give me your feedback. You can make several figures in RMB per minute, but I might be fired for not designing the clothes properly. Please respect my work."
He sighed and gave a cold laugh: "Is this the only way we can talk? Is there nothing else to discuss besides work? Fine, let's have a proper talk about work then."
After speaking, he picked up the design draft, stood up, and pointed at it mercilessly, saying, "I thought your design skills would have improved a lot in the past five years, but I didn't expect them to be worse than they were five years ago. Do you really think you can just use this pile of messy and unoriginal stuff to fob me off? Designer Lin!"
"Then please point out what you're dissatisfied with—the color scheme, the structure, or the style? Or..."
“These designers are more professional than me, aren’t they? My response is simply that I’m not satisfied. You just need to revise it until I’m satisfied.” Chen Zhiyi handed the design draft to her.
Lin understood that this was a dead end, unless someone withdrew, just like five years ago.
She took the design draft, her tone turning cold, as if she had come to a realization: "I understand. My abilities are limited. I will report the situation truthfully to my superiors and find someone more capable to take over this task."
Chen Zhiyi, as if he had guessed she would do this, smiled and said, "Then let the master designer Lin see if it's really that simple?"
Lin Ting didn't say anything more and quickly left the private room, leaving Chen Zhiyi alone facing the table full of dishes. When Lin Ting left, she glanced at him through the window of the private room and saw him deep in thought with his hands supporting his head.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Lin Ting sobbed softly, like an animal whimpering in pain from a serious injury.
Chen Zhiyi felt powerless and defeated. The lingering pain in his heart made him tremble slightly, and soon some liquid flowed out from between his fingers.
For so many years, all he had ever fantasized about was that one day Lin Ting would stand in front of him again, within his reach, and no longer be an illusion. But now, even though she was clearly standing right in front of him, it was as if all he could see and touch was her phantom, and the closer he got, the less he could see her clearly.
I've tried so hard to please her and keep her, but whether it was five years ago or now, why is it so difficult?
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