Chapter 53 Old Love Letters "No need to use your hands today."
Hearing this, Chen Jingchi felt a sharp pain in his heart. She had traveled a long way to see him, only to hear such hurtful words. He cupped her face in his hands, meeting her panicked gaze, and whispered soothingly, "Don't talk nonsense, it has nothing to do with you."
He gently stroked her back with his palm, as if comforting a child, trying to make her feel better.
Feeling the tense body in his arms gradually relax, Chen Jingchi lowered his head and kissed her temple.
“These stalkers really have no bottom line at all.” Du Heng sighed heavily. “It started last month. They’re always staking out wherever they go, like chewing gum that you can’t get rid of. It’s disgusting.”
At the hotel entrance, even the tall security guards couldn't stop these crazy girls. The bodyguards were there to protect Chen Jingchi's safety, but if they were a little stronger and pushed him, one or two of them would immediately shout that he was being bullied. To describe them as unreasonable would be too mild.
Chen Jingchi could tolerate them taking a few photos normally, but this time, when Zhou Yu appeared, they said some very hurtful things. He was furious and regretted ignoring them before and not giving them a warning.
The elevator reached the top floor, and Chen Jingchi led her back to her room. As soon as the door closed, he pulled her into his arms again, kissed her forehead, and whispered, "Are you alright?"
Zhou Yu calmed down a bit. She overheard Du Heng's words in the elevator and realized that Chen Jingchi often faced such scenes. Thinking of the countless cameras flashing when the elevator doors opened, she felt a pang of worry: "You just yelled at them... will something happen to you?"
Chen Jingchi's face turned cold: "They deserved it."
This was the first time Zhou Yu had seen him so angry, and the two sentences he had just yelled at the illegitimate child had startled her. She tugged at his sleeve, and although she was still not completely calm, she told him, "I'm fine now."
Chen Jingchi hugged her tightly and asked, "Did you miss me?"
His work is so busy that it's hard to see him even at school. Since filming this variety show, he has to come to rehearse every Friday and can only go back on Sunday, which fills up almost all of his free time. When he's busy, he can still distract himself. Zhou Yu will definitely miss him if she doesn't see him for a long time, but she just won't say it.
Zhou Yu no longer had any desire to be coy. She wrapped her arms around his waist and said honestly, "Yes."
"It's my fault, I haven't spent enough time with you," he apologized. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have let you do this kind of thing."
He was referring to coming to the city where his father worked alone because he missed him and wanted to surprise him.
Zhou Yu shook his head: "It's not your fault, don't blame yourself."
She took the initiative to kiss his lips. Although they hadn't seen each other for a long time, Chen Jingchi lost his usual assertiveness due to guilt. His movements were gentler than ever before. There was a touch of tenderness and heartache in their kiss. He didn't even stick his tongue out. After a brief taste, he whispered against her lips, "I missed you too."
Seeing that his expression had finally returned to the one she was familiar with, she looked at his face carefully and chuckled, "You look so handsome today."
Chen Jingchi knew exactly what she meant; she was the one who was frightened, yet she still wanted to comfort him.
He laughed and asked, "Whose boyfriend is this handsome guy?"
Zhou Yu tiptoed and pressed her cheek against his neck, feeling his pulse, and answered his question in her mind.
mine.
I am alone.
"Tell me if you miss me in the future, okay?" Chen Jingchi stroked her hair. "I'll come see you, no matter how busy I am."
Zhou Yu quietly counted his heartbeats and softly hummed in agreement.
"Are you just trying to brush me off?" Chen Jingchi asked.
"No," Zhou Yu said with her eyes closed, her words half-truth and half-lie, "I was thinking of you today."
Chen Jingchi felt a sharp pain in his heart, as if pricked by a needle. It was rare to hear her speak the truth, and it shouldn't be under these circumstances.
Later that evening, Zhou's worst fears came true.
The stalker uploaded a video taken at the elevator entrance to the internet. In the video, Chen Jingchi is standing in the elevator, holding her in his arms, glaring at the camera, and arguing with the stalker.
Because he reacted quickly, the elevator doors blocked her face as soon as they opened, and none of the videos from different angles showed her face clearly.
The video's hashtag quickly climbed to the top of the trending topics list:
#Chen Jingchi angrily berates fans while holding his girlfriend#
The video was edited out, removing the sentences where Chen Jingchi cursed Zhou Yu and leaving only the sentences where Chen Jingchi cursed them. The atmosphere was tense, and the keywords even labeled "stalker" as "fans," which was very suggestive.
Zhou watched the video several times, and found that many netizens in the comments section had been misled and made strong statements.
Wanting to be in a relationship but not wanting to be photographed? There's no such thing as a free lunch. [smile]
[Wow, he's like this in private! It's terrifying. I feel like he might rush up and attack me any second.]
[What did his fans do wrong by spending money on him and promoting his songs? I ask you, Chen Jingchi, do you even remember who made you famous?]
[This is the first time I've seen someone tell fans to get lost [stunned] What a great love!]
[Anyone actually like this super-male idol? Who's buying his albums? [Confused]]
Seeing the overwhelming barrage of insults directed at Chen Jingchi, Zhou Yu considered one possibility: if she hadn't come today, perhaps things wouldn't have ended so badly.
After returning to her room, she saw the message Du Heng had sent her. Because she was eager to see him, she only saw the first sentence and completely missed the second sentence telling her not to come down yet.
If only he had been a second or two later, or if he had his phone with him, Zhou Yu lamented.
It was just a moment of impulse that led to this situation. She no longer dared to do anything outside of her plans, because the consequences of unforeseen complications would be terrible and unbearable.
Chen Jingchi was taking a shower when his phone rang. Zhou Yu saw the message; it was from Du Heng, telling him not to go on Weibo yet, as his assistant was retrieving the hotel's surveillance footage.
After Chen Jingchi came out of the bathroom, she went in. After she finished showering, he took a hairdryer and dried her hair as she sat on the edge of the bed. Zhou Yu saw a Weibo notification on her phone screen. A few minutes ago, Chen Jingchi posted a new update.
@Chen Jingchi: Spending every day squatting outside the hotel to secretly take pictures, disrupting public order, and causing trouble for the staff, is this what you call "fans"? Why did you cut out what you said? Are you feeling guilty? I'll let everyone hear it.
This is the first and last time I'll say that I will never break up with her, and that she's the only one I want in this life.
[video]
The video, from the hotel lobby's surveillance cameras, captured the entire process of the mob surrounding him, as well as the shouts of abuse exchanged in front of the elevator.
Zhou Yu's focus was not on the video, but on the last two sentences of text.
I will not break up with her; she is the only one for me in this life.
They are only 19 years old, with such a long future ahead of them, yet he dares to say such confident words.
Her eyes stung from staring at him for so long, so she put down her phone and reached out to hug his waist.
Chen Jingchi felt that her long hair was almost dry, so he turned off the hairdryer. Knowing that she had seen the Weibo post, he leaned down and said, "Come back with me tomorrow."
Zhou Yu knew that Chen Jingchi would have fans waiting for him at the airport, so she had already bought her return high-speed rail ticket before coming. Hearing this, she looked up and asked, "Are you going to the airport with me?"
"Hmm." His gaze was calm, his tone indifferent. "I always don't respond, so they think I'm easy to manipulate."
Zhou Yu understood what he meant; this was to definitively assert his dominance over those who disagreed with his relationship.
She gripped the sheets beneath her and whispered, "Won't this anger them?"
“Now, in their eyes, everything I do is wrong,” Chen Jingchi said. “Then why not just be more high-profile?”
Zhou Yu wanted to say something more, but he seemed resolute, so she swallowed her words.
Before going to bed, she glanced at Weibo. After Chen Jingchi posted that update, the comments shifted dramatically, with many people standing up to support Chen Jingchi and condemning the stalker fans. Meanwhile, a phrase he mentioned in his post also became a trending topic.
Few celebrities dare to publicly make such vows on Weibo. After seeing so many breakups and makeups in the entertainment industry, no one really believes in forever. Vows of eternal love are nothing more than people seeking new love after the novelty wears off.
Some netizens, enjoying the spectacle, commented that Chen Jingchi is still too young, so infatuated that he dares to say anything naive. They said he'll realize how immature he was once he's out. Others screenshotted the comment and said they'd post it after he broke up with his girlfriend to slap him in the face and see how much it hurts.
Zhou Yu took their comments to heart. Most people were still skeptical and not optimistic about their relationship. Some extreme netizens even changed their usernames to "Did Chen Jingchi and Zhou Yu break up today?"
Chen Jingchi brought in water from outside and handed her the glass. He noticed her phone screen and helped her exit Weibo, saying, "Don't look at Weibo."
Zhou Yu drank a few sips of warm water and listened to him, so he stopped looking.
A message popped up on my phone; it was from Liu Xianya.
Mom: [Xiaobao, I saw the video on Weibo. Are you okay?]
Mom: [They didn't do anything to you, did they?]
It was already late at night, and Liu Xianya was still awake. Zhou Yu, worried that she wouldn't sleep well, quickly replied: "I'm fine, don't worry, it's all taken care of."
Mom: [That's good, that video was quite scary.]
Mom: [It's good that you're alright.]
Putting down his phone, Chen Jingchi hugged her from behind, pulling her into his arms, and sighed in her ear, "Zhou Yu, I used to be afraid of nothing."
Zhou Yu felt a burning sensation in her heart, and she gripped the hand on her waist tightly.
He didn't continue speaking. In the long silence, he thought about many things, but couldn't bring himself to say any of them.
After being with her, he had more concerns. He was afraid she would be lonely, afraid she would be sad, afraid she would hear these filthy insults. He was busy with work, couldn't spare the time, and didn't know how to balance love and life.
She remained as reserved as ever in expressing her feelings. When she finally mustered the courage to see him, Chen Jingchi was afraid that she would be hurt and that her hard-won confidence would collapse again.
Zhou Yu turned around to face him and hugged him tightly, hearing him say in a more relaxed tone, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
She closed her eyes tightly, but still managed to soak a small patch of fabric from the chest area of his pajamas.
*
The next morning, before getting out of the car, Zhou wanted to put on her mask and hat. Du Heng reassured her, "Those who see you off or pick you up at the airport are usually normal fans. The airport is very strict, it won't be like last night, don't be afraid."
Zhou Yu nodded: "I know."
Chen Jingchi checked her face; only her eyes were visible, the rest of her facial features were completely covered, and only then was he relieved. When he reached out to take her hand, he squeezed his fingers between hers, holding them tightly.
He was quite open about it, not wearing sunglasses or a hat. As soon as they entered the waiting hall, they saw fans who had been waiting for a long time. Although Du Heng had said beforehand that they would be surrounded by bodyguards, the events of last night still left a shadow in her mind. Zhou Yu followed beside him with her head down, her gaze lowered, only daring to look at the ground.
Someone in the crowd called out Chen Jingchi's name, but her appearance did not seem to dampen their enthusiasm.
It wasn't until they heard an exceptionally clear "Zhou Yu" that Chen Jingchi and she slowed their pace.
Zhou Yu looked up and saw a girl wearing glasses. He waved to her and smiled, "I really like your lyrics, keep it up!"
She paused, then another girl in the back row shouted, "Sister-in-law is so beautiful! Don't break up with her!"
They couldn't even see her face. These words were meant to comfort her, but they also deeply moved her. A complex mix of emotions welled up in Zhou Yu's heart, and she whispered a thank you to them.
She wanted to see Chen Jingchi, and when she looked up, he was looking at her, a slight smile in his eyes.
This scene was captured by a fan with a camera and posted in Chen Jingchi's fan page. The news of the two appearing at the airport together once again made the news. Chen Jingchi proved with his actions that he would not compromise with certain people and that his relationship did not need anyone's interference.
On the plane back to Jiangbei, Chen Jingchi was using his laptop to discuss the details of the next new song with the arranger when Zhou Yu opened WeChat and suddenly noticed that the profile picture pinned to the top of his phone had changed.
Chen Jingchi had always used a pure white profile picture, but now two letters have suddenly appeared at the very bottom of the profile picture.
Z&C
The letters are the same as those engraved on the inner ring of the ring he gave her.
Zhou Yu stared at it for a while, then opened his profile page. A new line of text had been added to the previously blank signature area.
"Only you and I remain in this world."
It's the last line of the song "Evening Star Falls".
After the kiss, the world fell silent.
"Only you and I remain in the world"
I noticed he hadn't changed his profile picture yesterday, so he must have changed it secretly after I fell asleep.
Realizing this, Zhou Yu glanced at the person beside him. He was typing on his laptop keyboard, but he quickly and keenly caught her gaze and turned to look at her: "What's wrong?"
Zhou Yu shook her head, not wanting to disturb his work.
After the plane landed, Chen Jingchi had to go back to the company. The driver took her to the school gate first. He was reluctant to part with her and asked her if she would come over tonight.
"They didn't check the dorms yesterday," Zhou Yu said softly. "They might check today."
She didn't want to be reported by the college for spending the night with her boyfriend, who was a classmate she knew. It would be even more embarrassing than trending on social media.
Ignoring the fact that the back row was full of people, Chen Jingchi kissed her on the lips, making an ambiguous sound that made Zhou Yu blush.
After Zhou Yu got out of the car, he saw that his assistant's ears were red. Du Heng teased, "What are you shy about? You're embarrassed to see other people dating. You're too innocent."
Chen Jingchi replied, "Not everyone is as skilled in love as you."
"I didn't see you being embarrassed at all," Du Heng said indiscriminately. "You're treating all these people like they're invisible."
Chen Jingchi smiled but remained silent.
*
Last night's incident was quite a big deal. As soon as she got back to the dorm, Fan Xin and An Kejia immediately asked her how she was doing. Zhou Yu explained that she was fine, and they breathed a sigh of relief. Fan Xin remembered something and said, "Oh, by the way, a girl came to the dorm looking for you at noon. She said her name was Tan Bei."
Zhou Yu immediately called her for a voice call.
After answering the phone, Tan Bei's voice was full of guilt: "I'm sorry, baby, it was all my fault for urging you to see him yesterday."
“It has nothing to do with you, I was just too anxious,” Zhou Yu said quickly. “I was just waiting for him in the room, but I didn’t see any news about Du Heng, so I took the elevator to look for him and that’s when the accident happened.”
"I was worried about you all night, but I was afraid of bothering you two," Tan Bei said softly. "Zhan Li also told me off, and I promise I'll never give you bad advice again."
"Don't say that." Zhou Yu knew she meant well, and explained, "I was very happy to see him, really."
"I know you're just trying to comfort me," Tan Bei asked. "Are you free this afternoon? How about I treat you to something nice to eat?"
Zhou Yu readily agreed: "Okay, I'll come find you now."
The two didn't leave the school; instead, they ordered afternoon tea at the school's coffee shop. Just as Tan Bei was about to speak, Zhou Yuxian said, "Let's not talk about yesterday; it's all in the past."
"Okay, then I'll ask something else." Tan Bei blinked. "Have you prepared a birthday present?"
Speaking of this, Zhou Yu had a bit of a headache: "No, I don't know what to give."
Chen Jingchi lacks nothing, and she knows that he will like whatever she gives him, but Zhou Yu always wants to give him something meaningful and doesn't want to just give him something perfunctory.
After all, he gave her such an expensive gift for her birthday this year. Even if it's not of equal value, it should at least be given with the same care.
Tan Bei thought for a moment, her gaze falling on the necklace she was wearing, and said, "Chen Jingchi cares a lot about the sense of ceremony. He'll definitely be happy if you give him something like a couple's gift."
Zhou Yu searched for couple's items, and the pictures that popped up made her quickly close the window. Tan Bei took her phone, looked at it, and laughed: "Although that's not what I meant, giving this kind of thing as a gift isn't out of the question."
"No, thank you." Zhou Yu's expression was somewhat unnatural.
Tan Bei could tell at a glance that their relationship hadn't progressed to that stage yet. Thinking about how she often spent the night at Chen Jingchi's apartment, she felt admiration: "He's so patient! No wonder he's someone who can achieve great things."
Zhou wanted to refute her but couldn't find a suitable word, so she simply didn't respond. She looked up at the door and saw a boy wearing headphones humming a song as he walked in.
A thought suddenly popped into her head, and she brightened up: "I know what to give!"
After parting ways with Tan Bei at the coffee shop, Zhou Yu searched for several brands online. She didn't understand the differences between the major brands, so she figured choosing the most expensive one was the right thing to do.
However, this matter would have to trouble Du Heng again, and Zhou Yu felt a little embarrassed. The other party was very helpful and promised to keep it a secret.
In early November, Chen Jingchi's regular variety show officially premiered, and a trailer for his new song was also released, which will be officially launched at noon on the 8th.
The 8th was a Thursday. Zhou Yu stayed up until midnight to send him birthday wishes, but before he could get a reply, he couldn't stay awake and fell asleep.
At noon, Chen Jingchi released his new song "Sleepwalking Patient". The song returns to Chen Jingchi's comfort zone with the themes of "self-redemption" and "self-reconciliation". The arrangement focuses on creating a delicate and immersive narrative. As soon as it was released, it attracted attention. Haters could not find a point to criticize it. It received overwhelming praise on various platforms.
After class in the afternoon, Zhou Yu and her friends went to Chen Jingchi's apartment. This time, Du Heng and his assistant also came. The two set up a birthday wall behind the sofa, and the living room was filled with birthday gifts from the brands they endorsed. The group even had nowhere to step when they entered.
"So elaborate?" Zhuo Wencheng asked curiously, "What kind of gifts were given?"
"Makeup, skincare, jewelry, perfume, and the like," Du Heng said. "Don't touch them yet. I'll let him take the photos first before you move them."
After Chen Jingchi took photos with the gifts, the group piled the gift boxes aside, preparing to move them to the company afterward. While Chen Jingchi wasn't looking, Zhou Yu secretly went into the bedroom and hid the gifts under her pillow.
The table was full of people. After pouring the drinks, Du Heng shared the good news with everyone: "We plan to start our tour early next year."
As soon as he finished speaking, the boys immediately became excited.
"Holy crap? So fast!"
"How many cities are you going to? Is it a nationwide tour?"
How long is the tour?
"Hey, don't be in such a hurry," Du Heng said with a smile. "We just submitted it to the company, and we haven't even started working on the specific plan yet, but you can dream about it for now."
Chen Jingchi explained, "Judging from the progress of the third major, it should be after the Spring Festival."
Zhou Yu sat beside him, genuinely happy for everyone. She had learned about this a few days earlier than them; Chen Jingchi had told her to keep it a secret and not to let Tan Bei slip, intending to tell them on her birthday today.
Tan Bei was just as excited as they were. She had talked to Zhou Yu about the tour before, and now it was coming true so quickly. She exclaimed, "It really feels like a dream."
"We didn't achieve anything significant in our high school band, but I never imagined we'd make it big one day," Zhuo Wencheng said emotionally. "You guys are the most worthwhile friends I've ever had in my life."
Du Heng laughed heartily: "If I take you on a world tour in the future, won't you have to call me 'Dad'?"
Zhuo Wencheng raised his wine glass directly and said, "Father!"
"That's enough." Chen Jingchi chuckled. "Being a cyber dad on Weibo is fine."
"Who can say for sure?" Zhan Li and Zhuo Wencheng raised their hands together. "Dad, I want to go to America, Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia!"
"Okay, okay, anything is fine, we'll satisfy you." Du Heng clinked glasses with them, beaming. "Where else would you like to go?"
Tan Bei and Zhou Yu muttered to themselves, "They're all drunk before we've even started drinking."
Zhou Yu laughed along, then lowered his voice and said, "What if?"
They had classes tomorrow, Friday, and were especially happy because of the good news Du Heng brought and the promises he made, so they drank quite a bit. In the end, Du Heng got all the young men drunk and then got up to call the driver to pick them up.
"Don't stay here, don't disturb the young couple," Du Heng called out to them one by one.
Chen Jingchi didn't dare to drink too much today. He helped the boys get into the car, and Tan Bei rolled down the window and waved goodbye to them.
We agreed to move the gifts from the living room after the event, but my assistant got drunk and has to leave them there until tomorrow.
Chen Jingchi had told them in the group chat beforehand not to bring gifts, so Zhou Yu didn't give them in front of everyone. After everyone left, and only the two of them were left in the apartment, she led him to the bedroom.
Seeing the brand logo on the box she took out, Chen Jingchi already knew what was inside.
“I know you already have one.” Zhou Yu handed it to him, her eyes shining, “but I still want you to use this one.”
He opened the box, inside was a pair of light blue in-ear monitors, with their unique initials printed on them: Z&C.
There are very few things that he can use for a long time. Chen Jingchi never wears the clothes he appears in public twice, and his jewelry is almost always disposable. So, it would be meaningless for Zhou Yu to give him these things.
After thinking it over, I remembered the in-ear monitor he always used when he sang on stage.
A concert lasts two to three hours, and to ensure maximum comfort, the singers' in-ear monitors are custom-made. This requires taking ear impressions to create a model, ensuring the in-ear monitors perfectly fit the singer's ear shape. Zhou wanted to give this gift secretly, so he could only ask Du Heng to borrow a model he had made before.
She felt that simply engraving letters was too ordinary, so Zhou Yu also added a few small diamonds, which would definitely be dazzling under the concert lights.
When she received the actual product, she could already imagine him singing with this in-ear monitor on stage.
Chen Jingchi put them on and immediately knew that Du Heng had helped him. He put the in-ear monitor away and said, "I'll only use these from now on."
Zhou Yu laughed, and seeing him take out his phone, she asked him, "Can I take a picture and post it on Weibo?"
She nodded: "Okay."
She watched Chen Jingchi take the photos, then opened Weibo, uploaded the pictures, and captioned them: "Gift from my girlfriend."
Some of his fans will be having trouble sleeping again tonight, she thought.
After clicking send, Chen Jingchi didn't even glance at the sending status. He tossed his phone aside, reached out and pulled her onto his lap, pressing her head down to kiss her.
He deliberately controlled his alcohol intake tonight, not getting drunk, just slightly tipsy, which is exactly the state where alcohol excites the brain.
Today he is the most powerful, and he can easily forgive her for doing anything excessive to her.
Zhou Yu tasted the lingering aroma of alcohol on his lips and teeth. She never drank alcohol normally, but she found the faint scent of alcohol emanating from his breath during their kiss particularly intoxicating. She hooked her arms around Chen Jingchi's neck. Compared to before, her kissing skills had improved considerably, but she still couldn't keep up with his pace. She gave in after a short while, sticking out her tongue for him to kiss, no longer having the strength to reciprocate.
He picked her up, stood up, and lay down on the bed. The glaring light made it hard for her to open her eyes, so Chen Jingchi turned off the overhead light, leaving only the wall lamp on. He leaned over her, biting her lower lip, and said, "No need to use your hands today."
Before Zhou Yu could hear the rest of his sentence, his urgent and frantic kiss drew her into a vortex of passion. In her dazed state, his kisses gradually strayed, igniting fires on her lips, chin, and neck.
Zhou Yu was breathing heavily. He took her hands off him, their fingers intertwined, and pressed them against the sheets, completely subdued. She heard him ask in a hoarse voice in her ear, "Will you give it to me or not?"
She nodded slightly, but he didn't see it. He asked again, and Zhou Yu had to suppress his immense shame and say, "Here you go."
He chuckled softly, a laugh that made her feel hot all over.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Thank you so much for the nutrient solution, everyone!!! [Pink Heart]
Reader "Yvonne :)" irrigated with nutrient solution +6
Reader "Xiaofuyuan" added 1 unit of nutrient solution to the water.
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