Chapter 16: I Pretend to Really Like You (16)

Ji Mingxiao sounded a little frustrated. “I know you’re only looking out for me, but I’m an adult. I have to make my own decisions. If she falls for someone else, I’ll let her go.”

System A sighed inwardly. As expected, she wouldn’t turn back until she hit a wall.

Ji Mingxiao didn’t return to her room until six in the morning. Xi Ruan nearly rolled off the sofa three times in her sleep.

Xi Ruan was a light sleeper and woke up in a foul mood, so Ji Mingxiao hadn’t dared carry her back to her room. But when Ji Mingxiao went back herself, Xi Ruan rolled off the sofa again.

When Xi Ruan woke, she found herself lying on the floor. Her back and waist ached, and she felt as though someone had beaten her up. She stared at the ceiling, still groggy, then pushed herself up and checked the time. It was already past noon. Judging by the state of things downstairs, Ji Mingxiao clearly hadn’t gotten up yet.

She really slept in. Xi Ruan yawned and headed to the kitchen to warm up the food.

The moment Ji Mingxiao came downstairs, she caught a whiff of something burnt and hurried over. “What are you doing?”

“I… was trying to warm up the food.” Xi Ruan glanced at the blackened, unidentifiable thing in the pot, looking embarrassed.

Ji Mingxiao rubbed her temples. “Wash the pot. I’ll take care of it.”

“Oh.”

Ji Mingxiao glanced at Xi Ruan. Maybe it was because of the awkward mishap, but she seemed a little softer than usual.

“Did you roll off the sofa later?”

Xi Ruan stiffened.

“I sat beside you until six before I went to bed. You almost rolled off three times last night.”

“Oh. Thanks.”

“I told you to go back to your room yesterday, but you wouldn’t.”

Xi Ruan pouted. “I didn’t know I’d fall asleep just like that. If only you could buy hindsight.”

Ji Mingxiao let it drop. If she said any more, Xi Ruan would probably get worked up.

After lunch, Xi Ruan helped Ji Mingxiao pack up her things and then left. Before she went, she transferred five thousand yuan to Ji Mingxiao.

Ji Mingxiao couldn’t help laughing when the transfer notification came through.

Just how badly does she want to avoid being indebted to me?

The note attached to the transfer read: Don’t send it back. If you do, I’ll get mad at you.

Zhuo Xi didn’t come back until the third day of the Lunar New Year. She and Ji Mingxiao were still getting along peacefully, but they absolutely weren’t sharing a bed.

They barely spoke, either.

Thank goodness for Aunt Flo, Ji Mingxiao thought.

Zhuo Xi stayed home for two days, then left again. Her work was still keeping her busy over the New Year.

By the eighth day of the Lunar New Year, Ji Mingxiao had to go back to work too.

This is rough. She could feel everyone’s post-holiday slump the moment she walked into the office.

She returned to her office and immediately wanted to lie down.

Jade Whistle probably wouldn’t get the green light until summer. She still had other things to take care of, too. Public goodwill had to be chipped away bit by bit.

Ji Mingxiao had just started to doze off when an opportunity landed right in her lap.

Zhuo Xi was trending again.

The headline read: Fang Qing and Zhuo Xi Meet in Secret Late at Night.

Fang Qing was thirty-three. He’d won two Best Actor awards and was considered a talented performer, but the last few years hadn’t gone well for him. He’d made no new breakthroughs and seemed to have hit a wall. He’d also been dating his girlfriend, who wasn’t in the industry, for eight years. Everyone knew about their relationship, and his fans had always supported them, hoping they’d get married soon.

As soon as Ji Mingxiao saw the trending topic, she knew it was probably true.

She clicked on it and found nine photos.

They’d been taken at night. A man and a woman stood behind a tree, looking rather intimate, though it was hard to point to anything specific. With shadows everywhere and both of them wearing hats, their faces were impossible to make out.

People identified them by the clothes they’d worn that day.

Neither of them had responded yet.

Zhuo Xi called. Ji Mingxiao turned on the recording and answered. “The person trending is you, isn’t it?”

“Yes, but Mr. Fang and I didn’t do anything. We only exchanged a few words.”

“Why did you have to hide behind a tree to talk, and stand so close?” Ji Mingxiao’s voice stayed calm, but she spoke almost as soon as Zhuo Xi finished, putting her under pressure.

Zhuo Xi was silent for a few seconds. “You don’t trust me.”

“You’re wearing down my trust in you.”

“Go on, then. Explain. If you can, I’ll believe you and have the trending topic taken down right away. I don’t want to have to tell myself you’re cheating on me and acting as someone else’s mistress.”

On the other end of the call, Zhuo Xi tightened her grip on her phone, her expression turning ugly. “They took those photos from a particular angle. Mr. Fang and I weren’t standing close at all. We went over there to smoke together. We couldn’t smoke indoors, and we were afraid someone would take pictures, so we hid behind the tree. I didn’t think anyone would catch us anyway.”

Zhuo Xi gave a couple of bitter laughs after she explained.

“You smoke?”

“Yeah. Sometimes, when I’m under a lot of pressure. I was afraid you’d worry, so I never told you.” Her voice carried a carefully cultivated note of vulnerability. “I’m sorry.”

“What are you under pressure about?”

“You’re so good, and I’m afraid I don’t deserve you. You’ve given me so many opportunities, but after three years, I’m still in the same place. I…” Zhuo Xi trailed off, then began to cry softly.

Ji Mingxiao rolled her eyes in exasperation.

“If the entertainment industry makes you this miserable, then quit. I’ll take you abroad and marry you.”

“I can’t. I can’t become a burden to you. I can’t have people look down on you because of me whenever they talk about us.”

Ji Mingxiao couldn’t understand where Zhuo Xi got all those cringe-worthy lines.

If Fu Youzheng heard her talking like this, she’d probably feel sorry for her.

“I’ll have someone take down the trending topic for you.”

Ji Mingxiao hung up without giving Zhuo Xi a chance to reply. The topic was taken down soon after.

Zhuo Xi and Fang Qing both issued thoroughly official statements, denouncing the gossip accounts for talking nonsense.

Most people believed Fang Qing was a decent man. And since Zhuo Xi and Fang Qing seemed like such a poor match, the whole thing blew over.

After making Ji Mingxiao angry, Zhuo Xi began sending her romantic messages every day. Ji Mingxiao had no idea which relationship influencer she’d copied them from.

Wu Duo found Xi Ruan a role in a web drama: Female Role No. 18. She didn’t have many scenes, but the character was likable and sure to catch the audience’s eye.

Zhuo Xi wasn’t happy with Wu Duo’s decision, but she’d just stirred up a hornet’s nest and didn’t dare complain to Ji Mingxiao. Besides, Guangyu Entertainment didn’t seem interested in promoting Xi Ruan, so Zhuo Xi let it go.

She’d never thought much of web dramas anyway.

The next time Ji Mingxiao and Zhuo Xi met, two months had passed since the candid-photo scandal.

During that time, Ji Mingxiao had only called Zhuo Xi of her own accord twice.

This time, Zhuo Xi brought her a gift.

Fu Youzheng and Zhuo Xi had dated for three years. Fu Youzheng had bought Zhuo Xi most of her gifts, while Zhuo Xi had rarely bought her anything. You could count them all on one hand.

“This is a local specialty I picked up when I went to City D last time.” Zhuo Xi pushed the box toward her. “I remembered you like salty food.”

Ji Mingxiao looked at her without saying anything.

The smile on Zhuo Xi’s lips began to stiffen. “You don’t trust me anymore.”

“If you want me to trust you, show me why I should.” Ji Mingxiao imitated the domineering CEOs from TV dramas and pinched Zhuo Xi’s chin. “Come on. Look me in the eye and tell me you’ve never done anything to betray me.”