Chapter 246: No Longer Holding Out Hope
After going to Beijing for university, she discovered that although the people here still adored her as before, they were far from being as fanatical as they had been in the past. After the initial novelty wore off, everyone treated her like a normal classmate; no one was special.
At first, she might not have been used to it, but after getting accustomed to it, she found that it wasn’t so bad. At least when walking around campus, she didn’t have to wear a mask and sunglasses every day. Besides the occasional reporter sneaking in to harass her, her life was much like it had been in her first year of high school. She didn’t have to be the center of attention, nor did she have to receive any special notice. Just like most ordinary people, she was ordinary and at ease.
And at this time, besides studying at school, she also took on acting roles outside. The movie she had previously filmed had already wrapped up and was in post-production. After that, she took on a new role, also a spy thriller. But she had made herself so busy that she had no time to rest.
However, when she was free, she would scroll through her Moments, look at the posts she had made in the past, and reminisce. Occasionally, she would come across old photos with the blonde girl. In the photos, the blonde girl was smiling brightly. Although her clothes were plain, her smile was very happy. Nangong Ying was next to her, her arm around her shoulder.
She put down her phone and fell into deep memories. After that incident, she and Linna had long since lost contact. She had even been the one to delete her as a friend. In this lifetime, it was likely they would never be able to reconcile. The path was her choice, and the betrayal was also her own doing. There was nothing she could change.
But people are always such self-deprecating creatures. After getting everything they want, they always miss the things they used to have. Humans are just that kind of wretched creature.
“Nangong, the photo of you with this blonde girl is really nice. Is she your friend? She’s so pretty!”
A female classmate happened to see her looking at photos and saw the picture of her with Yu Linna. The classmate subconsciously blurted it out.
Nangong Ying was stunned for a moment, then smiled wryly.
“Yeah, she’s my friend. She used to be.”
The female classmate didn’t quite understand what she meant and expressed her confusion.
Nangong Ying naturally had no intention of explaining. She understood that only she herself knew these things.
Perhaps it was because a trace of wishful thinking still lingered in her heart, or perhaps she wanted to salvage something. She sent something to Yu Linna. She knew which school Yu Linna had gotten into. They were too far apart to meet, but mail was very developed now. It wasn’t difficult to send a package and write a letter.
When Yu Linna received the package, her first thought was to throw it away. But she still took it back to the dorm and opened it. She was probably also a little curious, wanting to know what was inside. When she brought it back, her roommates all looked at the box in her hands. Xiao Yanhan had already taken leave to go to Shanghai after military training and was not there for the time being. There were only the three of them in the dorm.
“Linna, what did you buy again?” Lan Ranyan took off her headphones and asked.
“Someone sent it.”
She only replied with that one sentence, not wanting to discuss the matter. Seeing her expression, it seemed like someone she didn’t get along with had sent it to her. Lan Ranyan tactfully shut her mouth.
She tore open the tape and lifted the top of the box. Inside were snacks, some local specialties that could only be found in Beijing, and a few perfumes, bracelets, and hair accessories.
“I know these foods. They’re the most famous foods from old Beijing. Who sent them to you?”
Lan Ranyan couldn’t help but exclaim when she saw the contents.
Yu Linna didn’t answer her, just rummaged through it. At the very bottom of the box was a letter. She didn’t need to think to know who it was from. She opened it and saw that it was indeed Nangong Ying’s handwriting.
“I know that I can never get your forgiveness no matter what, but I still want to apologize. I’m sorry, Linna. Is it convenient to meet next time during the vacation? I want to see you. I’ll find you again.”
After reading the letter with a blank expression, Yu Linna coldly tore it up and threw it into the trash can. Lan Ranyan was stunned. Although she had guessed that the person who sent the package didn’t have a good relationship with her, she hadn’t expected it to be this bad.
“You guys can have these snacks. I don’t want the hair accessories or anything either. If you like them, take them.”
She pushed the box over, then sat back down in her seat, put on her headphones, and started writing her manuscript. Without Xiao Yanhan in the dorm, she could create with confidence, without having to worry about anyone’s feelings.
Fang Jiangning had originally wanted to make a video, but seeing Yu Linna like this, she couldn’t help but go over and look at the package. When she saw the sender’s name, she was startled.
“Isn’t this from Nangong Ying? You two have a pretty good relationship, right? Why don’t you want it?”
Yu Linna’s eyebrows twitched.
“I didn’t realize our great author was an old acquaintance of this big star. Not bad.”
Lan Ranyan had already torn open a snack and started eating.
Only Fang Jiangning felt that something was wrong. She remembered that in the first semester of their third year of high school, Yu Linna and Nangong Ying’s relationship was very good, particularly close. She had even felt envious watching them. But after November, for some reason, Yu Linna no longer hung out with Nangong Ying, nor was she willing to mention her. At that time, Yu Linna had a record of skipping class for a period of time. Although she came back later, she was never willing to reveal what she had been doing during that time.
And after that, Fang Jiangning’s relationship with her improved, and she also got along well with Zhiyun. The three of them hung out together more often, but they never saw Nangong Ying again. Thinking about it now, the details were truly frightening.
“Linna, did something happen between you and her?”
When she said this, Yu Linna’s hands, which were typing on the keyboard, stopped. Although her eyes were looking at the screen, her heart was no longer there. She didn’t speak, just remained silent. Anyone with eyes could see that this was not a good topic.
“Ahem, I’m thirsty. I’m going down to the convenience store to buy something to drink. What do you guys want? Nothing, right? Then I’ll go by myself. By the way, I’m going to a place a little further away, probably for about ten minutes.”
Lan Ranyan tactfully took two bags of snacks and left, leaving the two of them alone to talk. It seemed she would have to wander around outside for a while.
After the dorm room door closed, only the two of them were left. Yu Linna took off her headphones and hung them around her neck, but she had no intention of speaking first.
“Linna, it’s just the two of us now. Is there anything you can’t say?”
They had known each other for a long time. They had become deskmates at the beginning of their third year of high school, and then had played and studied together for a year, and had gotten into the same university together. Their relationship could be considered deep. Fang Jiangning had never hidden anything from her, but Yu Linna, on the other hand, had a lot of secrets. Although everyone has their own secrets, the fact that Yu Linna was unwilling to discuss anything with her, her good friend, made Fang Jiangning feel unhappy.
“That’s all in the past,” Yu Linna said faintly.
“I did like her a lot before. I even thought we could be friends for a lifetime. I originally thought she was the person I trusted most in this world. But she used my trust in her. And the stupidest thing is, after being deceived by her, I still held onto a glimmer of hope, hoping to get an explanation from her. But when she said those words, I understood that I had always been a fool. The thing I shouldn’t have done the most was to trust her.”
Fang Jiangning probably didn’t understand what she was saying, but she could more or less guess what had happened between her and Nangong Ying.
“Can’t it be salvaged?”
Fang Jiangning had received a lot of information and hadn’t digested it yet. She was still in a dazed state.
“Of course not. She went too far. This is what she brought upon herself. I’m already giving her a lot of face by not exposing her.”
That’s right. If she really hated her and wanted to take revenge, she could have announced what Nangong Ying had done to her. With her current status and position in the novel world, as long as she announced her identity and then revealed what Nangong Ying had done to her, Nangong Ying’s career in the entertainment industry would definitely be affected. Although she wouldn’t be kicked out of the industry, she would definitely become a huge topic of conversation.
But she didn’t do that.
Just as she herself had said, she was already giving her a lot of face. Not disturbing each other and going their separate ways was already the best choice. She didn’t have to hate her, and she didn’t have to feel guilty. They just had to pretend they had never known each other.
But Nangong Ying always had to take the initiative to find her. This person was too contemptible.
“Is it that serious between you two?”
“There are many things you don’t know, Jiangning. I don’t hate her, but I don’t want to see her either.”
That’s right. There was no need to cry for someone who was not worth caring about. She had been too foolish, too naive in the past. She had always thought that this person would turn back, would give her an explanation, and then, just like before, buy her an ice cream and coax her back.
When she said those words…
“You have no parents, you can’t understand me.” When she said that, she knew that she was no longer the Nangong Ying she knew.
…
But Nangong Ying’s popularity in the entertainment industry was indeed high recently. She had repeatedly become a topic of conversation. The new movie she was filming was about to be released, and the box office of the movies she starred in was often good. Many directors had extended an olive branch to her. But because of her contract, Nangong Ying had to focus on filming for Chenghe. Besides movies, she also had commercial endorsements. Now you could even see her advertisement posters on the street.
In contrast to her high-profile public persona, Yu Linna was extremely low-key. Not only did she not reveal her identity or appearance, but she also didn’t participate in signing events. Wenqing had once wanted her to participate in commercial activities, but she refused.
This frustrated many people, especially her fans.
And recently, something else had blown up on Weibo. Caibi Company had officially announced that their animated adaptation of Ballad of the Enchantress would be broadcast in January of next year, in a weekly format. As soon as the news came out, the fans exploded, spreading the news to each other. A novel with less than four volumes published was actually being adapted into an animation. This was truly an incredible thing.
Many people were excited, and many were happy to be able to see the animation next year. But as the original author, Yu Linna was not happy at all. She made a special call to Caibi Company about this matter.
“My novel isn’t even finished, and you’re already preparing to release the animation? I don’t care about ‘making it as we go’ or ‘completely respecting the original work.’ You’re starting the broadcast in January. Is the quality guaranteed? Can the voice acting be done well? Is the funding in place? Have you thought about the post-production?”
However, no matter what she said, Caibi Company’s side was almost always perfunctory…
“We will consider it.”
