Chapter 28: Strawberry

Ning Ke’s breath caught.

Her tears paused for an instant in her eyes, then fell harder than ever, soaking into Yan Yunzhi’s shoulder.

Memories surged up almost uncontrollably. She used every ounce of strength to avoid drowning in them, lifting her arm to push free of Yan Yunzhi’s embrace. She immediately turned her back to wipe her eyes. “It’s nothing. I’m really fine. I just… got suddenly emotional.”

Yan Yunzhi watched her trembling back.

She was clearly sad, but she was also stubborn—like a small animal that could only lick its own wounds, unwilling to show a single shred of weakness to anyone else.

Even the audience hadn’t expected the hug to be so short:

“It only lasted that one moment—was it even five seconds?”

“I timed it. Four seconds.”

“Teacher Yan, are you useless! Comfort her! Kiss her while you’re hugging her!”

“Kiss my ass. CP fans, stop dancing all over the place, will you? So obnoxious. Scram!”

The concert was over, but the audience voting round hadn’t started yet.

After a brief pause to compose herself, Ning Ke had her emotions back under control. Her eyes were a little red, but her composure had returned.

Just then, Qin Pei came over to find her. She looked like she’d been crying too, but still managed to tease her. “Your makeup’s all ruined, and you haven’t even touched it up.”

“Oh…” Ning Ke brushed past Yan Yunzhi as she said, half to Qin Pei and half to her, “I’ll go fix my makeup.”

Once her makeup was redone, Ning Ke went back on stage with Qin Pei.

This round’s audience scoring was originally supposed to be split between offline and online components. But since the concert preparation and offline promotion had been done jointly by all four groups, the offline scoring was cancelled, and only online voting was opened.

The production team put all four groups’ voting codes on the big screen. “Now, everyone, please vote on the four groups’ performances.”

The moment the words left their mouths, Jiang Lin’s and Yu You’s fans were the most excited. Fandoms of talent show idols were absolutely top-tier when it came to voting power, and the two groups’ solo fans and CP fans butted heads often enough. When it came time for competition, they were already watching each other like hawks.

The passersby and group fans were more conflicted:

“I want to vote for Teacher Yan. The production team said she designed the entire stage. Her artistic taste is undeniable. She stayed behind the scenes the whole time, but people need to see her.”

“I want to vote for Jing Luoluo. It’s been two years since I’ve seen her on stage. Just now, she collapsed to the ground crying when she got off, right?”

“Pure passerby here… I only came for the Kezhi CP. I want to vote for Jing Luoluo’s group, but I also want to vote for my CP. I’m so conflicted…”

“What’s the specific rule? Can one person cast two votes?”

Ning Ke and Qin Pei took the stage first as hosts.

Ning Ke blinked at the camera. “The winning group gets the privilege of choosing their own partners and room priority in the next round!”

Qin Pei added, “One person, one vote. The four groups may now campaign for themselves.”

“Since I’m standing here, can I speak first?” Ning Ke took the microphone from Qin Pei and flashed a radiant smile at the camera. “Everyone, vote for our amazing Jing Luoluo, okay?”

Off to the side, Jing Luoluo’s tears, which she’d only just managed to stop, started flowing anew.

The camera switched from person to person. No one had agreed on it beforehand, but they all shared the same unspoken understanding.

Group One: Yu You and Gu Yao made an enormous heart at the camera. “Vote for Jing Luoluo, and this weekend we’ll post a food-sharing vlog.”

Group Three: Gao Qi made a promise to the camera. “Vote for Jing Luoluo, and next time I play the violin, I’ll give a warning beforehand.”

Jiang Lin mercilessly mocked him. “So you’re still going to play it then.”

Gao Qi smacked him in annoyance, and Jiang Lin dodged with a theatrical, “Ow!”

Avoiding Teacher Gao’s slap, Jiang Lin and Yu You launched into a silly dance together, completely abandoning their idol images. The more ridiculous, the better.

Finally, the microphone reached Yan Yunzhi.

She faced the camera with gentle brows and said, “Jing Luoluo is my junior sister. We’re currently preparing a collaboration. If you vote for her, consider it a show of support for me, won’t you?”

All the guests were asking the audience to vote for Jing Luoluo, which left the audience stunned for a moment:

“This is the most harmonious show I’ve ever seen, right?”

“I’ll vote, I’ll vote! All my votes go to Jing Luoluo! Looking forward to Teacher Yan’s collaboration with her!”

“Wuwuwu everyone is so warm, I want to cry!”

Jing Luoluo tried to force a smile at the camera, but her tears fell even harder.

The production team began the countdown. “Alright everyone, five seconds left until voting closes.”

“5, 4, 3, 2, 1!”

“Time’s up!”

“Now—voting is closed! The results are—look at the big screen!”

After a few more seconds, the vote tally appeared on the screen.

Jing Luoluo took first place by a landslide—over 90% of the votes!

“Congratulations, Jing Luoluo! First place in the votes!”

“Your group is this round’s winner! Congratulations to Group Three! Next round, you’ll have the privilege of free team formation and room selection!”

Jing Luoluo covered her mouth, crying beyond words.

Seeing her in tears, Qin Pei wrapped her arms around her. “Dear Luoluo, stop caring about those people who don’t like you. See? Everyone says they like you.”

Jing Luoluo nodded with a choked sob, her chin bumping against Qin Pei’s shoulder. After a moment of uncertainty, her hands fell into place, and she hugged her back.

Ning Ke couldn’t help but smile at them.

But as she smiled, she suddenly remembered her own crying jag—not only witnessed by Yan Yunzhi, but comforted with a hug… Her cheeks flushed slightly.

She glanced at Yan Yunzhi, saw her talking to a staff member, and quickly looked away.

After the final heartwarming scene, the production team announced the end of this episode.

“Who just got fed sugar again? Why doesn’t Little Ning dare look at Teacher Yan?”

“Oh no, I’m dying over the doomed BE energy of Jing Luoluo and Teacher Qin’s ship… Production team, you’re heartless.”

“One episode this short? Can the next one start tomorrow?”

“+10086, wuwuwu my happiness is gone just like that…”

Amid the audience’s lingering reluctance, the second episode of Perfect Partner officially came to an end.

With the concert successfully completed, both the production team and the guests breathed a sigh of relief.

By the time they wrapped up and headed back, it was almost ten.

But the young ones had plenty of energy to burn. Yu You borrowed a grill, had his assistant deliver beer and a double-layer cream cake, and called out, “Everyone, want to come play at our Building 1? I brought board games—we can even play Werewolf!”

“I’m in!”

“I’m too wired to sleep anyway, count me in!”

After the tense busywork, Ning Ke said, “I’ll go too.”

The moment she spoke, Yan Yunzhi also said, “Then I’ll come along as well.”

“Aren’t you going back to rest?” Ning Ke asked, puzzled. “Aren’t you on an old person’s sleep schedule?”

Qin Pei laughed out loud. “Ning Keke, give Teacher Yan some face, okay? Since when is she an old person?”

Yan Yunzhi gave a noncommittal smile, giving Ning Ke a deep look. “Let’s go.”

Ning Ke: “You’re really coming?”

She wasn’t so sure, and asked again several times.

But Yan Yunzhi didn’t answer her, only calmly countering on the fifth inquiry, “Can’t old people go out at night?”

Ning Ke: “…”

She’d only said “old person’s sleep schedule.”

Who was calling her an old person?

Qin Pei, overhearing the exchange, nearly died laughing, but she suppressed it and dragged Jing Luoluo away.

At Building 1, Yu You and Jiang Lin had set up a simple little grill and were making roast chicken.

On the table were beef fried rice, grilled corn and sausages, canned beer, a double-layer cream cake, and fruit the production team had specially bought today, washed and arranged in a bowl.

After a long night of work, everyone’s appetite was stirred by the aroma. Between food and figure, calories won.

There weren’t enough chairs, and no one was fussy about it. Everyone sat on blankets around the coffee table.

Gu Yao served each person a bowl of beef fried rice, but Ning Ke refused to take it. “Forget it, I’ll pass.”

“The beef is quite good,” Yan Yunzhi said from beside her. “Tender and flavorful. Are you sure you don’t want to try some?”

Ning Ke: “…”

What was she doing?

Didn’t she know beef was her favorite?!

Gu Yao could see through her token resistance. Without another word, she shoved the bowl into Ning Ke’s hands. “Eat, eat, it’s really good!”

Ning Ke let out a long sigh. Well… she might as well eat.

The beef fried rice was genuinely well-made. A bowl of fragrant rice warmed her from the inside, driving out the chill of the winter night.

The roast chicken was ready too. Along with corn, sausages, and cake, everyone cracked open beers and sipped slowly to warm up. They chatted aimlessly about everything—updates from the industry in recent years, then drifted to the sunrise over Mount Everest, and even made plans for a trip to Tibet next summer.

Ning Ke was starting to get tipsy.

She’d never had a high alcohol tolerance. It had been slightly better two years ago—that was right after her blacklisting ended, and she’d attended many business dinners to secure deals, inevitably having to make toasts. But her tolerance had dropped again in the past two years, to the point where even beer made her dizzy.

Yan Yunzhi was the only one not drinking.

When Qin Pei asked why, she just pointed at Ning Ke. “We can’t both be drunk.”

Gu Yao, having polished off half a roast chicken, distributed fruit to everyone.

Yu You said, “Yaoyao, give the strawberries to Sister Ning Ke. She asked for them.”

Ning Ke was leaning back against the wall. “I don’t want them.”

Gu Yao moved in front of her. “Really not?”

Ning Ke wouldn’t look at the fruit bowl. She said softly, almost to herself, “No. I don’t want strawberries.”

Gu Yao: “Huh? But didn’t you say…”

“Give them to me,” Yan Yunzhi said from the side, taking the fruit bowl. She shifted closer to Ning Ke and called, “Little Ning?”

Ning Ke: “What?”

Yan Yunzhi could see she’d had too much to drink. She quietly set the dish of strawberries in front of her.

But even so, Ning Ke turned her head away. “No.”

The group’s chatter circled back to an earlier topic.

The theme of the final segment of tonight’s concert had been: Believe in Love.

Someone asked, “Do you all believe in love?”

Qin Pei, who was cutting the cake, paused. She turned her head and exchanged a knowing smile with Gao Qi.

Yu You and Gu Yao, who were sharing the roast chicken, stopped. Neither looked at the other, yet both couldn’t help stealing glances at the other’s expression.

Jing Luoluo lowered her eyes and said nothing.

It was Jiang Lin who spoke first, lazily: “Love or no love, whatever. My dream is to save up enough to retire early and lie flat like a salted fish for the rest of my life.”

Ning Ke kicked him. “No ambition.”

Jiang Lin: “Why are you kicking me? What about you?”

Ning Ke: “Me…”

“Believe in love,” Ning Ke said, slower than usual—her brain dulled by alcohol, she paused for a long moment before continuing, “Even if… it’s not meant for me.”

Yan Yunzhi was poking at the charcoal.

The sparks burst open, and the firelight flickered across her calm, cool features.

Jiang Lin wasn’t satisfied with that answer. “So vague. And after that, you still kicked me.”

Ning Ke smiled. “I don’t need a reason to kick people.”

The conversation drifted elsewhere.

While Yan Yunzhi was distracted, Ning Ke sneaked another can of beer. She gradually couldn’t even sit up straight anymore, sliding sideways to the left, nearly half-leaning against Yan Yunzhi’s shoulder.

Yan Yunzhi saw that her eyes were already hazy with drink. She steadied her and let her lean against her properly to sit up. Then she took her time wiping her hands clean with a wet wipe, picked up a strawberry, and held it to Ning Ke’s lips. “Strawberry.”

“Oh,” Ning Ke tilted her head back slightly to look at her, a flicker of confusion in her eyes, but she obediently opened her mouth and took a bite.

Pale pink juice instantly wet her lips, and then her teeth lightly grazed Yan Yunzhi’s slender, fair fingertips.

She bit down on Yan Yunzhi’s finger and didn’t let go.

But Yan Yunzhi seemed to feel no pain. She let her bite for two seconds before releasing, then wiped a spot of strawberry juice from the corner of Ning Ke’s mouth. She offered another strawberry, murmuring almost to herself, “And here I thought… you didn’t like them anymore.”