Chapter 30

Diao Zhiyu certainly understood the situation. He sat down in front of Hu Xiu and faced her without speaking. He didn’t need words—his expression alone showed he understood everything.

Hu Xiu could only see the back of Pei Zhen’s head and the subtle change in his profile, but Diao Zhiyu was facing him head-on.

He had always known that Diao Zhiyu was a sharp person, but it was surprising how calm and composed he was when he entered. With a slight squint and a nod, he politely yet provocatively returned Pei Zhen’s smile.

The proud, noble expression of Qin Xiao Yi appeared again on Diao Zhiyu’s face. He met the situation head-on, looking down on everything. He didn’t seem childlike at all—his appearance and temperament made it impossible to treat him as a younger brother.

I thought I would be at a disadvantage, but the moment Diao Zhiyu entered, he didn’t lose. Hu Xiu forced herself to appear calm, though her heart was a storm, thinking to herself, “In this lifetime, I get to witness two men who like me face off like this. How much should I pay the drama crew for a plot like this?”

Even the script wouldn’t dare to write this, right? Her mind was flooded with endless thoughts as she felt a tap on her shoulder. It was Pei Zhen: “Teacher Hu, aren’t you going to introduce us?”

“Diao Zhiyu…” Hu Xiu took a few steps and stopped in front of Pei Zhen, Diao Zhiyu lowering his head to look at the seated man. “Actor…”

“Pei Zhen—Hu Xiu’s superior.”

Superior? When did this happen?

Pei Zhen stood up. The two men were of equal height, both standing tall with straight backs.

Hu Xiu still wasn’t used to this direct confrontation. Standing beside them, she felt small and insignificant, as though she could be swallowed up by either of them at any moment.

A glance to the side revealed that Pei Zhen seemed a bit broader than Diao Zhiyu, his aura also much more grounded; Diao Zhiyu, on the other hand, had a unique charm. When facing off, his smile seemed… somewhat mischievous.

It was a smile that subtly conveyed a sense of certainty in victory. After a few seconds of eye contact, Diao Zhiyu walked straight into the kitchen. “Li Ai, I’ve finished editing the film.”

Hu Xiu tilted her head and asked Pei Zhen, “When did you become my superior?”

“Maybe very soon,” Pei Zhen looked down at her. “My special ability was right. But—”

“But?”

Pei Zhen’s smile held a deeper meaning. “Maybe in a while, it’ll stop working. Everything you see today will be invalid.”

Hu Xiu understood Pei Zhen’s character very well now. He was skilled at saying just enough to leave things for the other person to figure out.

Maybe doctors all had this tendency—not to say too much, fearing the patient might misinterpret, choosing their words very carefully.

Pei Zhen’s approach to teasing was clear to Hu Xiu. She didn’t directly respond. As long as she didn’t bite the bait, Pei Zhen wouldn’t go too far.

He was very good at handling adult relationships.

When Li Ai came out of the kitchen with the pasta, he looked a little distressed. “What should I do? I didn’t expect Diao Zhiyu to come. We can only divide the two servings into three. There’s a good seafood place nearby, their shrimp and oysters are great. Let me treat you.”

“It’s fine, you guys eat first. I have some things at the hospital, I’ll leave first.”

“How can that be? You’ve helped me so much. We have to have a meal before you go.”

“Exactly! You don’t know how good Li Ai’s pasta is. You’ll regret not eating it.”

Pei Zhen gently rubbed the top of Hu Xiu’s head. “My colleagues from the burn department called me back for a consultation. I’ll come back next time. This is your base, so it’s mine too. Also—I like the Shengjian you gave me more.”

“Shengjian isn’t made by me…”

“When I see you after surgery, it won’t matter who made it. To me, everything you give is the best.”

“Don’t disturb me now. There are still things at the hospital. Once the surgery is decided, give me a call.” Pei Zhen picked up his bag and left the café with a gentle smile, not looking back.

His entire departure took less than three minutes. Hu Xiu couldn’t help but admire it—brilliant. He made his position clear by acting like a leader, helped Li Ai with great ease, and subtly expressed his fondness for Hu Xiu while raising his status, then withdrew just as smoothly.

Even though there was nothing to do when she got home, she didn’t engage in a direct showdown with Diao Zhiyu at the café, letting him believe she was at a disadvantage.

Hu Xiu secretly glanced at Diao Zhiyu. He was eating his pasta quickly, entirely abandoning any image. He didn’t look at her, probably brooding inside. His opponent had won before the battle even began, and he was probably still upset about it.

This, on the other hand, gave Hu Xiu some secret satisfaction.

The café was quiet, customers’ eyes flickering between the two handsome men. Diao Zhiyu didn’t show any signs of jealousy. Midway through his meal, he took out some stomach medicine and swallowed it, asking Hu Xiu, “Do you want to watch the promotional video?”

The small café was constantly visited by waves of customers, as the coffee beans in Li Ai’s hands ground smoothly. The scene shifted from Li Ai’s pupils and was cut out again. The hand-drip brewing and milk frothing with latte art were shown. In the final shot, Li Ai, leaning on his crutch, stood at the door of REGARD, smoking.

Under the midnight light, the distant stars appeared, reflecting his thoughts as he walked into the café. The open sign turned to “closed,” giving the impression of a story film.

It was something special. Though Hu Xiu was an outsider, she could tell that Diao Zhiyu was a pure lover of art films.

But when placed on the front page of a review site, it looked like a story film as well. He probably hadn’t even thought about making money off of it.

Li Ai didn’t mind though. After all, a café on Yuyuan Road would always have business, especially since REGARD was facing the financial district.

Li Ai, being particularly sensitive to medicine, noticed Diao Zhiyu taking some. He asked, “Not feeling well?”

“I ate too fast, an old habit.” Diao Zhiyu responded. “What did that Pei doctor come to help you with?”

“Some health issues,” Li Ai answered.

That was when Diao Zhiyu truly looked at Hu Xiu, signaling for her to explain.

Hu Xiu, holding back a belly full of complaints, calmly explained, “Li Ai might need surgery on his leg soon. Pei Zhen came to discuss the surgical plan.”

“This café owner probably really likes his limp. He probably wants to wait until it’s amputated before he agrees to treatment.”

“You’re talking just like Zhao Xiaorou now, with that sharp tongue.”

“Because we don’t want to see you suffer. In this city, you’re the only one I can rely on. You know how terrible my parents are. If you really end up limping, I’d be more upset than anyone.”

A girl came over to greet Diao Zhiyu, timely breaking the awkwardness. “Aren’t you the director from the youth film festival, Diao Zhiyu?”

“Yes…”

“I’m a huge fan of yours! I especially remember you playing the Hong Kong youth in ‘Mó Míng’! I didn’t expect to run into you here. Can I take a picture with you?”

“Sure. Did you go to the film festival to watch it?”

“Yeah, I sold viewing tickets… The flight was so far…” As Diao Zhiyu stood up, he didn’t spare a glance at Hu Xiu.

Hu Xiu thought to herself: The development of the plot today is perfect. Running into a fan is like a divine assist. Diao Zhiyu has kept his achievements low-key and didn’t lose at all.

When Diao Zhiyu returned to his seat, Li Ai was also surprised: “Winning an award is something to celebrate. If you hadn’t said anything, we would’ve thought you were just an actor who liked filming amateur stuff.”

“I’m not just an NPC; talking about awards makes it uncool.”

“You’re really something,” Li Ai stood up. “I’ll close the shop now. You two can leave from the back door in a bit. It’s getting late, so I’ll head upstairs. I won’t keep you company.”

“What if I stay here and don’t leave?”

“We only have a lazy sofa and a camp bed—no way you’re disturbing me upstairs,” Li Ai made a forced joke.

If it weren’t for the pain in his leg, Li Ai definitely wouldn’t have left his guests behind. Diao Zhiyu stood up and patted his shoulder, went outside to lower the roller shutter, and within two minutes, came back from the kitchen.

The room was filled with the aroma of pasta, covering the quiet air. Diao Zhiyu didn’t mention Pei Zhen: “Is it possible that Li Ai can’t afford the surgery fees?”

“I guess so...” Hu Xiu secretly glanced at the camera, speaking quietly, “Actually, Zhao Xiaoru paid the rent for the coffee shop this year. Li Ai was adamant about refusing, but Zhao Xiaoru forced him into accepting it. He’s been having a hard time recently.”

“How much do you think it costs?” Diao Zhiyu leaned against the back of his chair. “We can pitch in for him.”

The two of them spent a while adding up the costs using their phones’ calculators, managing to gather 100,000 yuan. Now they just needed to figure out how to get Li Ai to accept the money.

Hu Xiu brought up the hospital’s subsidy funds, then got an idea. She leaned toward Diao Zhiyu’s ear and whispered that they could say it was hospital-approved funding if Pei Zhen was involved.

“Applications need family signatures, and the process is complicated—there are too many papers to sign. He won’t be easily fooled.”

“Are you stupid? You’re working in a hospital and still come up with such an idea. Should I praise you for your naivety?”

After rattling off a string of words, Hu Xiu realized she was just a palm’s distance from Diao Zhiyu. The scent of mint candy lingered in her mouth as she quietly backed away. “Don’t take advantage of me.”

The villain speaks first. Hu Xiu, feeling anxious, kept her composure and added, “Pei Zhen will definitely find a way; he’s very smart and handles things gently.”

After hearing this, Diao Zhiyu frowned slightly and took a quiet breath. What was going on? It was just winter, but so many people were falling ill.

Without waiting for Hu Xiu to ask, Diao Zhiyu expertly pulled out medicine from his bag and popped it into his mouth. “I’m going to lie down for a bit.”

There was a blanket by the camp bed, and Hu Xiu covered Diao Zhiyu with it. She noticed his face was pale.

It must be from the issues left over from the Snowpiercer’s five-show schedule. Eating too quickly and relying on takeout had wreaked havoc on his stomach.

Wrapped in the blanket, he curled up on the camp bed and weakly said to Hu Xiu, “Can you not leave?”

“I’m not leaving...”

For now, she couldn’t go home. The subway had stopped running at 11 p.m. She dragged the lazy sofa beside the camp bed, curling up in it. Every movement brought warm sounds, like straw piles rustling.

Diao Zhiyu turned over to look at her, pulled part of the blanket away from himself, and when Hu Xiu had covered her stomach and legs, he jokingly tugged it back.

Hu Xiu pretended to be angry: “If you keep doing this, I’ll take a cab home. I have work tomorrow.”

“Don’t...” Diao Zhiyu’s expression was pitiable. “I’m begging you...”

It was the first time Hu Xiu had seen him act this way. Pei Zhen’s message arrived: “I spoke to the director. Once you’re officially hired, I’ll transfer you to the reconstructive surgery department to specialize in translation. But before that, I still need to ask for your opinion. Since you’ve been doing translation more often, administrative tasks can be handed to someone else. What do you think?”

When Hu Xiu saw Diao Zhiyu glance at the text from Pei Zhen, she made eye contact with him, and a chill passed through her heart.

Diao Zhiyu’s gaze was sensitive, and for a brief moment, it appeared fragile. But it quickly shifted to indifference.

He lightly said, “There’s no need to avoid me. He really is a good doctor and a good marriage prospect. If you’re really in a relationship, I support you.”

This left Hu Xiu confused. After saying this, Diao Zhiyu seemed to feel like he had won something, contentedly shifting back to the middle of the camp bed and unreasonably declaring, “I’m going to sleep now. If you want to leave, I won’t stop you.”

Hu Xiu suddenly gave Diao Zhiyu a hard push: “Do you even have any principles? Do you want me to stay or leave?”

“Stay...”

The moonlight streamed through the skylight, casting beams across the shelves. A cardboard box full of vinyl records was illuminated.

It might have accumulated a lot of dust. Li Ai’s condition had been severe lately, and he probably hadn’t had the time to take care of these treasures.

He used to have a small apartment in Gubei, about 140 square meters, mixed residential and commercial. It was elegantly decorated. After his wife passed away, he sold the apartment and gave the money to the elderly as a consolation. After a lawsuit, he gradually couldn’t afford even larger places to rent. Many of his cherished items were now hidden in inconspicuous corners.

Time could turn so many things into the past, and love would not be invincible.

She had once had things she wanted to cherish: books, popular vinyl records. When her mother’s belongings were thrown downstairs, her own salvaged belongings upstairs suddenly lost their meaning.

These things were not easy to discuss with Diao Zhiyu. Perhaps due to exhaustion and the stomach medicine, words that she would never have said to Diao Zhiyu while fully awake naturally came to her lips: “You didn’t come on the last three days of my role as Qin Xiaoyi.”

Half-asleep, Diao Zhiyu spoke these words and reached out to grab Hu Xiu’s wrist.

His breathing became heavy as he fell into a deep sleep, so close to her. She had often dreamed of this moment, wanting to get his contact, her breath stirred by his responses in the show. Now he was holding her hand.

Except for that night when she found out he liked Lin Qiumei, Hu Xiu had never wanted him to know how she felt.

At this moment, as you hold my hand, I cannot help but feel a desire to take advantage of the situation.

Even if it’s just a simple wish to get a little closer to you. Those who have never met you will never understand how wonderful it feels to have your heart stirred.

Just thinking about this, Hu Xiu held her breath and quietly leaned closer to Diao Zhiyu’s face.

Her lips could feel the warmth of his face, the tiny fuzz on his skin, the absence of the minty breath from his nose. Hu Xiu thought to herself that her cheek wasn’t enough—really not enough.

Liking him this much, being greedy just this once, knowing this crush might not lead anywhere, at least he was asleep, so he would never know...

Her lips touched Diao Zhiyu’s for barely a second before quickly pulling away. It was so difficult to remain still on the lazy sofa, her arm held but still trying not to be noticed by him. Hu Xiu trembled all over, her breathing irregular.

Diao Zhiyu simply continued sleeping, deep in his dreams, as though nothing had happened.

Hu Xiu exhaled quietly, lying on the lazy sofa, watching his sleeping face with a racing heart. Her shoulders ached from wanting to turn over but not wanting to leave Diao Zhiyu’s hand. She could only listen to her heartbeat.

Her heart kept pounding so hard it wore her out, and Hu Xiu tiredly thought, dating a handsome guy must be exhausting. Just kissing him made her nervous the whole night; if anything else happened, it would be even worse.

She didn’t know when she fell asleep, but when she woke up the next morning, she was lying on the camp bed, hearing the sound of dishes being washed in the shop.

The roll-up door hadn’t been opened. Diao Zhiyu greeted her from the darkness, sounding like he had recovered: “You’re awake…”

“Is your stomach feeling better?”

“I don’t have stomach pain.”

“Huh?”

“Last night? I was just acting…”

“The doctor did a good job. To avoid losing, I had to act too.” Diao Zhiyu turned over, a proud expression typical of Qin Shaoyi. “What, were you fooled? How do you feel?”