Chapter 21: Next Time Part 2

“Because of me,” Shi Sui continued steadily, looking into Jiang Ruoning’s eyes. “Because I wanted to see you.”

Jiang Ruoning felt pinned by her gaze and wanted to turn away, but her neck twinged with an “ouch,” tears springing out!

It hurt!

No, it felt so good!

So good that for a moment, Jiang Ruoning wasn’t sure what Shi Sui was doing. Was this a confession?

The confessions she’d received before were direct—expressing interest, slipping her room keys or contacts. In the adult world, there was no beating around the bush. They struck if they liked, graceful in rejection.

Shi Sui wasn’t like that.

Every word carried ambiguous flirtation and tentative probes.

With her impatient nature and love for fast pace, Jiang Ruoning had half-jokingly, half-seriously asked that.

The answer was within expectations.

It wasn’t as bold as a bouquet and naked confession, but close enough.

Her body hurt, but her heart was joyful. If Shi Sui weren’t there, she’d be humming a tune. She couldn’t suppress her lip’s curve and tried distracting herself. “Where’s my phone?”

Shi Sui fished it from her bag and handed it over. Jiang Ruoning saw notifications: [Ye Yu Returns Home] [Ye Yu Airport Photos] [Ye Yu World Tour Ends Perfectly].

These happy days had made her forget Ye Yu was returning today.

She remembered promising to pick her up last time.

Her face hurt.

Shi Sui eyed her expression. “Uncomfortable somewhere?”

“No.” Jiang Ruoning said, “Forgot something.”

She immediately messaged Ye Yu: [Back?]

Ye Yu looked at the empty VIP passage and asked her companion, “Sister Man, is Ruoning not coming?”

Jin Man checked with the staff again. “No.”

Ye Yu’s disappointment was evident on her face. She looked at the gift bag in her hand. While abroad, she had gone shopping with Jiang Ruoning and noticed Jiang Ruoning staring at this plush toy for a long time, so she bought it, planning to give it to her upon return.

Who knew she wouldn’t come to pick her up at the airport.

The last time she returned to the country first, she had clearly said she would come to pick her up.

Jin Man patted her shoulder. “She might have been held up by something. Let’s go; the fans will catch up soon.”

Ye Yu gripped the gift bag tightly and got into the car with Jin Man.

Fans outside the car window waved light signs back and forth.

Ye Yu thought of every time Jiang Ruoning attended her concerts, sitting in the guest seats, always holding a cat-head light sign and swaying it to her rhythm. Her phone dinged with a notification sound unique to a certain someone. Ye Yu pulled out her phone from her pocket and saw the message Jiang Ruoning had just sent: [Back?]

She was typing a reply.

The next second, Jiang Ruoning sent: [Sorry!! I had something come up today and couldn’t pick you up at the airport! Please forgive me, Your Highness!]

Even through the screen, Ye Yu could hear Jiang Ruoning’s voice. She smiled and typed: [It’s fine.]

Then she called Jiang Ruoning.

Jiang Ruoning glanced at Shi Sui in front of her.

Sensing her gaze, Shi Sui stood up. “I’ll go to the restroom.”

How considerate.

Only after Shi Sui opened the door and left did Jiang Ruoning answer the call.

Ye Yu’s end still buzzed with noisy cheers. Jiang Ruoning asked, “Still at the airport?”

“Mm.” Ye Yu said, “We’re in the car now.”

Jiang Ruoning let out an “oh.”

Ye Yu asked her, “Where are you?”

Jiang Ruoning said, “I’m at—” She thought for a moment. “A hidden paradise.”

Ye Yu was puzzled. “Huh?”

Jiang Ruoning giggled. “I’m getting acupuncture in the suburbs. I have a stiff neck.”

Ye Yu gripped her phone tightly. “Stiff neck? Is it bad?”

“It’s okay.” Jiang Ruoning said. “Not too painful.”

Ye Yu hummed in acknowledgment. “Did you go alone? Or is Zhengzheng with you?”

“Neither.” The sweetness in her voice was about to overflow. Sitting in the car, Ye Yu inexplicably recalled the year after the college entrance exams, when Jiang Ruoning called her, laughing as she said, “Ye Yu, I’m with Shi Sui now!!”

The exact same joy.

Ye Yu didn’t want to make the association, but she had to guess. “Who is it? Girlfriend?”

She masked her suppressed emotions with a joking tone. Jiang Ruoning said softly, “Not yet.”

So.

Yes.

Ye Yu zoned out.

She held the phone for a long time, unsure how to react. Jin Man asked, “Is that Ruoning?”

Ye Yu switched the phone to her other ear. “Yeah, Ruoning.”

She turned her head to look out the car window.

The night was deep and dark.

Fans still waved their light signs and support sticks. Her vision blurred a bit, and as the car started, those lights flickered in her eyes like scattered stars.

Jiang Ruoning said, “Is Sister Man back with you?”

Ye Yu could barely hear, unsure if it was the noise outside the window or the buzzing in her ears. Only when Jiang Ruoning asked a second time did she murmur, “Mm, Sister Man is back too.”

Jiang Ruoning laughed. “Then when should we all have a meal together?”

Ye Yu said, “Anytime. Whatever works for you.”

“Shouldn’t it be whatever works for you?” Jiang Ruoning said. “You’re the big star!”

Ye Yu tightened her grip on the phone. “I’m not that busy lately.”

Jiang Ruoning hummed. “Then wait for Zhengzheng to come back? She’s out on a shoot.”

Ye Yu didn’t say much. “Okay.”

Jiang Ruoning: “Let’s go to Lele’s place. She called me yesterday asking when we’d all get together.”

Ye Yu gave another “okay.”

After hanging up, Ye Yu looked down at her phone. A little fish keychain dangled from the end. Long ago, she had a phone from high school that Qu Han had given her, but she lost it by accident. Seeing her upset, Jiang Ruoning bought her a new one. Over the years, Jiang Ruoning had said countless times, “It’s so tacky, can’t you take it off?” or “Who uses phone charms these days?”

She never budged.

Seeing her head down, Jin Man asked, “What did you and Ruoning talk about?”

“Nothing.” Ye Yu looked up, her makeup exquisite. She brushed back her bangs and said, “Ruoning might be dating someone.”

Jin Man quickly glanced at Ye Yu and reassured her. “You know Ruoning’s three-minute attention span. Over the years, she’s said she’s dating so many times, but which one was real?”

Jiang Ruoning was beautiful and straightforward, never short on admirers. Many pursued her, and she had been tempted before. The last time Ye Yu finished recording a song, Jiang Ruoning called her, saying she was going to date someone. Ye Yu listened to the howling wind outside and asked, “Who?”

“A professor.” Jiang Ruoning said. “Super pretty! And such a gentle personality! Perfect!”

But such a perfect person never appeared much by Jiang Ruoning’s side. Later, when she asked.

Jiang Ruoning said, “She is pretty and gentle, but I didn’t feel the spark.”

Ye Yu asked, “How do you know without trying?”

Jiang Ruoning was shy over the phone. “When we got home, she wanted to hold my hand, but I didn’t like it.”

Ye Yu couldn’t quite describe how she felt in that moment.

Relieved that she didn’t like it.

Disappointed that she didn’t like it.

Over these years, she watched Jiang Ruoning navigate relationships, talking about one person after another who interested her, but never going deeper. Once during New Year’s, she went with her to Yun An’s hometown. The four of them sat around a fire pit grilling meat, snowflakes drifting down. Jiang Ruoning got excited and wanted to build a snowman. They worked until late into the night, making a crooked one. Jiang Ruoning went to bed satisfied, but Qin Zheng and Yun An lingered, staring at the snowman. She asked Qin Zheng, “What are you looking at?”

Qin Zheng said, “Every New Year’s, when Ruoning comes back here, she says something’s missing.”

She followed Qin Zheng’s gaze.

Qin Zheng said, “Shi Sui used to build a snowman here.”

Ye Yu let go of the little fish keychain, her palm marked from the pressure. Her phone vibrated. It was a group chat message from Jiang Ruoning asking about gathering times.

Qin Zheng: [Ye Yu’s back?]

Jiang Ruoning: [Just landed @Ye Yu]

Ye Yu: [Mm, back.]

Qin Zheng: [Then wait for Yun An and Yueqing’s schedules.]

Jiang Ruoning: [Didn’t Zhou Yueqing go abroad?]

Qin Zheng: [She’s back tomorrow.]

Jiang Ruoning sent an emoji. Hearing movement at the door, she typed: [By the way, for this gathering, can I bring one more person?]

Everyone knew who she meant.

Qin Zheng: [We’re mainly waiting to see her.]

Ye Yu didn’t reply.

Jiang Ruoning: [Hehe.]

Putting down her phone, she realized she hadn’t told Shi Sui yet—she had acted first and reported later.

Shi Sui stood at the room door. As it closed, Doctor Ma was taking the temperature of someone with a fever. Her phone vibrated; she saw the emoji from Jiang Ruoning and opened the door to go back in.

Jiang Ruoning said, “You didn’t actually have to leave.”

Shi Sui made an excuse. “I got a call too.”

Jiang Ruoning didn’t call her out on it. She wiggled the arm she was lying on. Shi Sui sat in front of her. Jiang Ruoning said, “The one who just called me was Ye Yu.”

Shi Sui looked down.

Jiang Ruoning asked, “Do you want to see her?”

Shi Sui was silent for two seconds. “Me?”

Jiang Ruoning said, “It’s just a casual friends’ gathering. If you don’t want to, it’s fine. I…”

Shi Sui interrupted softly. “Sure.”

Jiang Ruoning’s voice cut off abruptly. “Huh?”

Shi Sui looked at her. “Didn’t you say it’s a gathering?”

Jiang Ruoning: “Oh.” She said, “Why’d you agree so fast?”

Shi Sui said, “We’ll have to meet eventually.”

The way she said it.

As if she was certain Jiang Ruoning would bring her to meet her friends.

Jiang Ruoning pursed her lips and asked, “Aren’t you nervous?”

Shi Sui unclenched her hands and smiled at Jiang Ruoning. “A little.”

More than a little.

Jiang Ruoning could see her body was stiff.

Jiang Ruoning laughed. “Don’t be nervous. My friends are all really easygoing.”

Shi Sui nodded silently.

Jiang Ruoning asked, “Do you have friends around here?”

“One.” Shi Sui said. “You met her last time at dinner.”

Jiang Ruoning remembered. “Oh—”

Too bad she hadn’t looked closely.

Shi Sui said, “We met abroad and work together after returning.”

Jiang Ruoning said, “You two must be close.”

Shi Sui said, “Pretty good.”

Jiang Nuan’s situation was different from hers. Jiang Nuan’s family was well-off too, but after her parents divorced, she was estranged from both, so Jiang Nuan always said they were like family depending on each other abroad. Shi Sui thought she exaggerated, but compared to her own family, she trusted Jiang Nuan more.

Jiang Ruoning said, “I should have said hi that day.”

“Next time.” Shi Sui said. “There’ll be plenty of chances.”

Jiang Ruoning turned her head. “True. Next time you arrange it—we can all have dinner together.”

Shi Sui met her bright eyes and chuckled softly. “Sure.”

Next time.

After meeting Qin Zheng, Yun An, and the others.

Would there even be a next time?