Chapter 50 Part 1

“1—2—3—Cheese!”

Bai Kou raised her arm high and took a photo of herself, Pei Yue, Zhou Xiao, and the Meat Floss on the verge of collapse in Zhou Xiao’s arms.

She sent it to Bai Xiaochu, who was far away in Heyan.

Bai Xiaochu received the picture, opened it, curved her eyes in a smile for a moment, and then called out to the person across from her, “Yuqiao, come take a look at your little sister.”

Bai Yuqiao, who had been looking down at her phone, stood up upon hearing this, walked over, and sat beside Bai Xiaochu.

She looked at it and smiled too, holding up the picture on her phone to indicate: 【She sent it to me too.】

“Oh, this kid Bai Doudou.” Bai Xiaochu sighed, set down her phone, “Looks like it was a group send. Maybe even Xiao Xi and A Yun got it.”

Bai Yuqiao smiled, lowered her gaze, quickly typed the last few words, and sent them back to Bai Kou.

Then she set down her phone, pursed her lips, hesitated for a moment, and still placed her hand on the back of Bai Xiaochu’s, her expression tinged with worry.

When Bai Xiaochu turned to look at her, Bai Yuqiao blinked lightly, her gaze falling on an execution notice on the table.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Use this to pad it.”

Zhou Xiao held a bowl stained with chili oil in one hand and grabbed a sheet of A4 paper from the adjacent tea table with the other.

“Oh, thanks!” Bai Kou took it with both hands, glanced at the full page of English on the paper, “Ah, a notice? This won’t work, right?”

“Mm… it’s fine…” Zhou Xiao mumbled unclearly, “I’m studying baking… don’t need it… pad away without worry…”

“Oh…” Bai Kou nodded then and set it down, drew two more sheets of paper, and padded the notice again on top.

Zhou Xiao turned her head to poke at Meat Floss, who had started taking an interest in them. Pei Yue set her chopsticks in her bowl without moving; she watched Bai Kou intently. “Are you going to find Xiao Xi Jie first when you get back to the country?”

“Mm.” Bai Kou glanced at Pei Yue and smiled. “She’s right in Yuyao—ah, that’s over in Zhejiang—filming a movie, so I can drop by on the way.”

“Oh.” Pei Yue nodded. “Then I’ll buy some gifts. Help me bring them to Xiao Xi Jie too.”

“No problem.” Bai Kou laughed.

“Filming a movie?” Zhou Xiao looked at Bai Kou. “Kou Kou, you have a friend who’s an actress? Do I know her?”

“Mm—” Bai Kou thought for a second. “She did film an ad before… you probably don’t know her now.” She paused, then added with sparkling laughing eyes, “But I believe you’ll know her soon!”

Knock knock knock.

The wooden door to the room was knocked on.

“You have to take even better care of your health when filming.” Yang Yingyun stood at the door to Yang Wanxi’s room. “Stomach inflammation, huh, Yang Wanxi? You remind me every day, but look at you.”

“It was—my bad—” The person squatting on the ground packing luggage said. “I don’t usually eat breakfast much—”

“And you’re still proud of it.” Yang Yingyun frowned. “You send me texts every day at seven or eight, telling me to eat, but turns out you’re the one faking it.”

“Not faking.” Yang Wanxi said softly. “Just didn’t eat.”

“You—”

Ding dong.

These past few years, the kids who were in university went to university, and those in high school went to high school.

Bai Xiaochu was busy with business every day, and Yang Yingyun, who had been promoted to head nurse, was spinning nonstop at the hospital.

It had been a long time since they had sat together so peacefully to chat.

Hiss—

Yang Yingyun twisted open a can of beer, poured it into a tall-stemmed glass, and pushed it to Bai Xiaochu.

Bai Xiaochu just laughed. “Drinking beer in a tall-stemmed glass—neither classy nor folksy.”

“What does it matter when we’re drinking ourselves.” Yang Yingyun picked up her glass, clinked it lightly with a “clink,” “Cheers!”

“In the end, this whole thing is my fault.” After a few glasses of wine, Yang Yingyun’s face flushed red. “If I hadn’t helped connect you with A Lin back then, you wouldn’t have signed that paper, and there wouldn’t be this problem today.”

“Hey, you’re making me feel bad saying that.” Bai Xiaochu was also a bit tipsy. “Then I have to say, if you hadn’t connected me, how could I have earned all that money?”

“So she’s officially declaring bankruptcy now?”

Bai Xiaochu nodded.

“And those loans have no room for turnaround?”

Bai Xiaochu nodded again.

“…” Yang Yingyun sighed, leaning back into her chair. “Over a million…”

Bai Xiaochu lowered her head in silence for a moment, then laughed again. “But I’ve figured it out. If I hadn’t met A Lin, maybe I wouldn’t have had that money to begin with. Consider this paying it back.”

“That’s not the point. This is all money you earned through your own hard work.” Yang Yingyun leaned forward, fist against her lips as she thought. “Xiaochu, how about this—I—”

“Don’t worry, I’ve planned everything after this.” Bai Xiaochu interrupted Yang Yingyun. “The house, the camera, the agency shop… sell them all off, and it’ll more than cover the debt. It’ll even leave enough for Bai Kou and Yuqiao’s tuition for the next few years.”

“No, listen to me—”

“You listen to me.” Bai Xiaochu pressed down on Yang Yingyun. “Two years ago, I opened an online shop but never really put my heart into it. Now I see the girls at the shop discussing online shopping. I think it’s an opportunity.”

“Yuqiao already knows. When Bai Kou gets back from her trip, I’ll tell her too, so she can go to Beijing and prepare for the Art Exam in peace.”

“A Yun, as for home, I’ll have to trouble you. Some important things, I want to leave here with you. Please keep them safe for me.”

Bai Xiaochu’s expression was gentle, but her gaze firm. “After the New Year, the kids go to Beijing, I go to Zhejiang—start anew!”

On the day of Bai Kou’s birthday, she spent it at the beach with Pei Yue and Zhou Xiao.

By evening, under the sunset, the pink coastline stretched out, countless seagulls perched on the rocks. A black-and-white patrol hound ran past them, a bright yellow ball in its mouth.

“OMG! Sooo cuteee!” Zhou Xiao jumped up and chased after it.

Bai Kou’s gaze followed Zhou Xiao’s figure, and she smiled unconsciously.

Her right hand, resting on the beach, was suddenly covered.

Bai Kou’s fingertips tightened. She turned her head. Pei Yue looked at her with a calm face and said warmly, “Happy birthday.”

This was already the… Bai Kou had lost count of how many times today. Anyway, Pei Yue had been saying these four words to her off and on all day.

She didn’t pull her hand away. She could feel the grains of sand from Pei Yue’s palm rubbing against the back of her hand.

The sound of waves, the cries of seagulls, and in the distance, Zhou Xiao happily exclaiming, “She’s so fluffy!”

Bai Kou looked into Pei Yue’s eyes and felt that all of this was surreal, like a dream.

When the sky turned the deep blue common in movies, snow suddenly began to fall around them.

The three walked toward the shore, one deep step, one shallow.

“You guys have such a good relationship.” Zhou Xiao suddenly sighed. “Flying all the way from the country just for this—too rare.”

“Bai Kou.” By a clock bench, Pei Yue, who had been silent for a long time, stopped. “Let’s take a photo here.”

Before Bai Kou could react, Zhou Xiao very naturally walked a few steps ahead, took out the card camera from her bag, waved her hand, “Come on, you two stand there, I’ll take it!”

Under the night sky, Bai Kou and Pei Yue stood one left, one right, separated by a vertical black pole in the middle.

“Aren’t you going to strike a pose?” Zhou Xiao looked up and asked.

Bai Kou thought for a moment, tilted her head toward Pei Yue, flashed a proud smile, and made an “eight” with her fingers under her chin.

Pei Yue glanced at Bai Kou, smiled, silently stepped closer to Bai Kou’s side, tilted her head toward Bai Kou too, smiled at the lens, and raised a “Yay.”

“Click, click, click—” Zhou Xiao flashed several photos in a row.

Then she lowered the camera, looked them over with satisfaction, and turned to walk away alone.

“Hey—” Bai Kou instinctively took half a step forward.

“Bai Kou.”

She turned her head. Pei Yue had taken a necklace from her pocket.

Silver, a thin chain, with a small fish pendant.

“Happy birthday.” Pei Yue said gently once more.

Then she approached Bai Kou’s surprised face, first lowered her head to huff warmth on her fingers, then raised her arm to help Bai Kou put on the necklace.

“Didn’t you already give me…” After Pei Yue finished and let go, stepping back, Bai Kou slowly raised her gaze. “A birthday gift last night…”

At midnight last night, Pei Yue had given her the gift—a very exquisite picture album.

Pei Yue didn’t explain, just nodded and smiled. “Mm, so I’ll give it again.”

On the way back, Zhou Xiao drove.

She asked Bai Kou what time she was leaving tomorrow.

“Ten in the morning.” Bai Kou said.

“Mm, might not make it then.” Zhou Xiao thought. “No worries, I took several shots anyway. You can take the film back to develop them.”

That noon when they saw Bai Kou off, Pei Yue didn’t cry like last time.

She calmly waited for Bai Kou’s hesitant words.

Finally, Bai Kou said, “It’s easy to come from Beijing. Come summer, I’ll come find you again.”

Amidst vast azure clouds, Bai Kou boarded the plane home alone.

Yang Wanxi had been in Yuyao for nearly two weeks, following the crew in closed script readings, getting into character. There was about a week left before official filming began.

Earlier, Bai Kou had asked if she could come to Yuyao to see her when she returned to the country.

Yang Wanxi’s first reaction was, why see me, no need, but what she typed back was: 【Sure.】

After sending, she regretted it, squatted on the ground, and buried her head in speechless regret for a full minute.

Yang Wanxi couldn’t leave the set to pick up Bai Kou, but she found a familiar contact to have someone drive straight to the airport to wait for Bai Kou, so she wouldn’t have to transfer after landing—too unsafe.

The black SUV carried Bai Kou through the city, around the town, to the hotel.

The person handed Bai Kou a work badge and a room card, told her the room number, and said to just go in and wait at the hotel.

Bai Kou thanked her profusely, pulled her suitcase, and watched the SUV leave.

She turned and walked inside, messaged Yang Wanxi that she had arrived.

A long time later, Yang Wanxi replied: 【Okay, rest first. Key’s on the door.】

Bai Kou replied with an “Okay,” pulled her luggage through the lobby, into the shaded long corridor of the back courtyard.

Entering the corridor, Bai Kou looked around the garden and felt it was more like a guesthouse than a hotel.

Each building was only two stories max, with adjacent entrances at the bottom.

Bai Kou followed the room card to “C09,” beep beep, and the door opened.

The first-floor door was tightly closed right now, no key on it.

Bai Kou turned to look at the L-shaped wooden stairs to the left, narrowed her eyes, looked down wordlessly at her overweight suitcase from the return trip.

Thud!

On the second floor, the suitcase wheels hit the ground.

Bai Kou leaned on the suitcase handle, panting for a good while, nearly out of breath.

Sure enough, there was a black key on the door.