Ye Can’s last two sentences filled Lin Zixi with an overwhelming sense of absurdity. She sized Ye Can up for several seconds before letting out a wry chuckle. “Same-sex marriage isn’t legal in China yet. Didn’t you know that?”
Ye Can blinked in confusion. “What does that have to do with anything?”
Lin Zixi was at a loss for words, half-laughing, half-crying. “Then why did you suddenly bring it up? Do I look that much like a lesbian to you?” She reached up, brushing the stray hairs from her forehead back behind her ear, and sighed helplessly at Ye Can. “How did you even come up with something so random?”
Ye Can gazed at her innocently. “I already told you—you’ve been single for so long, you must get lonely.” That’s why I wanted to find her a partner.
Lin Zixi suddenly had an epiphany upon hearing that. “So when you asked if I wanted to marry Meng Zhiqiu, you were trying to set me up with her?”
Even saying it out loud felt utterly ridiculous to Lin Zixi, and she burst into disbelieving laughter. “Ye Can, you are… way too out there!”
At twenty-nine, Lin Zixi had been set up plenty of times over the years. But most people were tactful about it. Someone as direct and audaciously bold as Ye Can? That was a first.
Want to marry Meng Zhiqiu? What kind of bizarre suggestion was that? Never mind that Meng Zhiqiu was a woman—the actress’s status alone made it sound like a pipe dream.
Lin Zixi scanned Ye Can from head to toe, deciding this girl was a total weirdo.
Ye Can looked baffled by the scrutiny. “What’s wrong? You said you liked her, so I asked if you wanted to marry her.” She tilted her head back, her dark, shining eyes fixed on Lin Zixi with eager anticipation. “Don’t tell me… you don’t actually like her?”
Lin Zixi rubbed her forehead. “Of course I like her, but not in the way you’re thinking. I don’t want to marry her, and I have no romantic feelings for her whatsoever.”
Ye Can let out an “oh,” and a quiet joy bloomed in her heart like an epiphyllum flower unfurling in the dead of night. She fought back her delight and pressed on. “Why not? Because she’s a woman? Do you prefer men, then?”
Lin Zixi had never fallen for anyone in her twenty-nine years. Male or female didn’t matter much to her. When it came to emotions, they paled in comparison to her creative work anyway.
Ye Can’s attitude was giving her a headache. “Why do you assume I’d like women?”
Ye Can looked utterly perplexed. “Didn’t you say you like good-looking people?” Besides, Lin Zixi had liked her before, which made it hard for Ye Can not to think she was into women.
Lin Zixi nearly laughed out of frustration. “Good-looking people aren’t just women—plenty of men are attractive too.”
Ye Can let out another “oh” and drooped her head. “Fine, next time I’ll find you a guy.” She wasn’t thrilled about it, though. It reminded her that Lin Zixi had been married before. Does she like that ex-husband of hers?
Ye Can racked her brains for ages but couldn’t recall what Lin Zixi’s former husband even looked like. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. She suddenly grabbed Lin Zixi’s hand, staring intently at her. “No, guys won’t do. You’d better stick to liking women!”
Lin Zixi was stunned by the outburst. The grip on her wrist was so tight it felt like it might shatter her bones. It hurt. She took a deep breath and said seriously to Ye Can, “Ye Can, you’re hurting me.”
Ye Can eased her grip slightly but kept staring intently. “Promise me—you can only like women.”
The demand was ridiculous and overbearing. Lin Zixi was genuinely angry now. She yanked her hand free and met Ye Can’s eyes coldly. “Ye Can, you’re meddling too much, and I don’t like it.”
“Who I like is my business, and it has nothing to do with you. Why should I listen to you and like women?”
Ye Can didn’t get upset at the cold words. She reached out again, taking Lin Zixi’s wrist and gently rubbing it with her fingers, as if soothing an angry kitten. Her tone softened into rare gentleness. “Be good and listen to me—you won’t go wrong. Men aren’t good news. Even the rare decent ones are few and far between. It’s just human nature.”
She looked up at Lin Zixi, explaining earnestly, “I want you to like women because I want someone who’ll cherish you, love you, and protect you. I admit it’s my bias, but women are less likely to hurt you.”
The Ye Can saying those words didn’t seem like a mere nineteen-year-old. Lin Zixi found her strange—a blend of childlike naivety untouched by the world and the world-weary vicissitudes of someone who’d seen it all. The two shouldn’t coexist in one young person, yet Ye Can miraculously embodied both.
Lin Zixi’s good temper seemed to have reached its limit. She stared at Ye Can, tempted to mock her for once. But she knew someone as headstrong as Ye Can might not even care.
Calming herself, Lin Zixi looked at her helplessly. “Why are you overthinking everything for me? In the end, this is my business. What can you even do about it?”
Ye Can was utterly straightforward. “I can do plenty for you. If you like someone—like that Meng Zhiqiu—I’d steal her for you if I had to. I’d spare no effort to make your wishes come true.”
Lin Zixi met those clear, guileless eyes and mulled over the mad words. She silently withdrew her hand. She was so exasperated she didn’t know what to say, finally managing a tactful, “Ye Can, I think you should get your head checked at a hospital.”
Get that checked, then have the doctor diagnose what breed of lunatic she is.
Ye Can looked at her candidly. “No need. I know my brain’s messed up—the incurable kind.” She reached for Lin Zixi’s hand again, tilting her head back with a brilliant smile. “But don’t worry, I won’t hurt you. I can control myself.”
Lin Zixi thought the world had gone mad. Who casually admitted to being a lunatic like that? She was speechless, managing stiffly, “You… if you’re sick, go see a doctor.”
Ye Can grinned. “Nah, I won’t die from it.”
Lin Zixi couldn’t keep the conversation going. Before wrapping it up, she summarized, “Anyway, I don’t care if you see a doctor or not. But stay out of my business too.”
“I don’t need anyone cherishing me, loving me, or protecting me. Stop trying to set me up—with men, women, anyone. And don’t say anything weird to Meng Zhiqiu. She’s just a former colleague to me.”
“Your friendship with her is yours; mine is mine. I don’t want you meddling.”
She pulled her hand away and looked at Ye Can earnestly. “You might think you’re helping, but I don’t need it. Ye Can, we’re just newly met friends. You’re still young and don’t understand a lot.”
“But let me tell you—romance isn’t what you think it is.”
She sighed, reaching out to fix Ye Can’s flipped-up collar, her voice soft. “I don’t need marriage, or anyone to cherish me, love me, or protect me. I’ve been fine on my own all this time.”
Lin Zixi withdrew her hand, a faint smile on her lips as she gazed quietly at Ye Can. “I’m not lonely, Ye Can.” Maybe as a girl I felt it sometimes, but not anymore.
Lin Zixi smiled faintly. “I have my writing, and I’m happy with that. I’ve gotten by just fine on my own before meeting you.” She’d spent her entire youth learning to embrace solitude—mastering commercial smiles for networking, pouring all her emotions into her creations.
Now, she had no spare feelings left for fervent concern.
Lin Zixi sighed softly, delivering her final words. “Ye Can, I don’t need your care.”
With that, the two parted on awkward terms.
Tong Lin, who’d witnessed the whole exchange, was utterly mind-blown by Ye Can’s antics. She’d always thought Ye Can liked Lin Zixi and saw Meng Zhiqiu as a rival. Who knew Ye Can was actually trying to play matchmaker between Meng Zhiqiu and Lin Zixi?
Talk about peak “I love you so I’ll sacrifice everything for your happiness” spare-tire energy—or maybe a “hurt the enemy a thousand, damage yourself eight hundred” reverse psychology ploy.
Either way, it was eye-opening. Tong Lin decided Ye Can was otherworldly, her actions beyond mere mortals.
On the drive back to the hotel, Tong Lin drove while Lin Zixi and Ye Can sat in total silence.
After Ye Can walked Lin Zixi to her door, Lin Zixi shoved it open and slammed it shut with a loud bang!, leaving Ye Can with a face full of rejection.
Ye Can sullenly rubbed her nose, muttering under her breath. “So petty, getting mad again. Fine, fine—adults don’t hold grudges against kids. I’m heading back.”
Grumbling, she shuffled toward her own suite.
Lin Zixi, who’d been standing just inside the door, rubbed her forehead and sighed. She shrugged off her jacket and headed straight for the bathroom.
The hot shower washed away the day’s fatigue. Changed into pajamas and lying in bed, Lin Zixi found herself uncharacteristically sleepless.
In the pre-dawn hours past 3 a.m., chill seeped into every corner of the room. She dwelled on Ye Can’s words, growing irritated.
Cherish her? Protect her? Love her?
If she were young and naive, she might have dreamed of such a savior. But nearly thirty and still hoping for that? Hilarious.
Lin Zixi found it funny—funny enough to keep her awake. She tossed and turned like a pancake on a hot griddle several times before flinging off the covers, getting up, and booting up her computer to write her script.
Better to work than overthink.
Darkness fueled inspiration. Her fingers flew across the keys, knocking out most of the Faint Lord script in about two hours. One scene left, she pulled her hands from the keyboard and stretched.
In that instant, a violent wave of dizziness crashed over her brain. Her mind clouded for a split second, and her body toppled sideways.
Bang! Lin Zixi crashed onto the sofa. At the same moment, Ye Can—who’d been meditating in her suite—heard a piercing alert: “Warning! Warning! Lin Zixi will suffer sudden death in the hotel in five minutes!”
Ye Can’s eyes snapped open in the darkness. She didn’t even bother with shoes, charging barefoot downstairs with murderous intent.
Tong Lin, sleeping in the outer room, jolted awake at the commotion. Blinking groggily, she caught sight of Ye Can’s vanishing figure like a gust of wind. Fully alert now, she shouted, “Big Boss! Where are you going?!”
Ye Can didn’t look back, thundering downstairs thud-thud-thud, moving like a horde of grim reapers was on her tail.
Terrified by the racket, Tong Lin jammed her feet into shoes and bolted after her.
