Chapter 29

At lunch.

Xi Tang’s phone chimed with a message from Ni Kailun: “Nice photo. Taken by Comrade Zhao?”

Xi Tang was puzzled: “What photo?”

Ni Kailun replied with another message: “Your Weibo.”

Xi Tang logged in to check.

On her own account, a photo had been posted that morning. In it, she was sitting on the brown wooden floor, holding a thick stack of scripts and studying intently. The morning sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling window, casting a soft glow on her white clothes. The light was gentle, her skin flawless like creamy jade, and her focused expression radiated a calm, captivating beauty.

The photo was accompanied by a simple caption: “Studying scripts in the morning.”

Xi Tang glanced at Zhao Pingjin, who was sitting across from her. The culprit was leisurely cutting his steak.

“You better stop messing around with my Weibo,” she said.

Zhao Pingjin pushed a plate of sliced steak toward her and asked kindly, “Beautiful, isn’t it?” 

Xi Tang didn’t hesitate to answer, “Beautiful.” 

Zhao Pingjin looked up casually, the corner of his mouth hinting at a smile. “Of course. After putting in so much effort, how could it not be beautiful?” 

Xi Tang pursed her lips. “What’s it to you?” 

Zhao Pingjin gazed at her face, as though staring into some void in time and space. “Who told you to get plastic surgery?” 

Xi Tang sat up straight and answered, “Myself.” 

Zhao Pingjin replied lazily, “A terrible idea like that—Ni Kailun wouldn’t have let it pass, right?” 

Xi Tang fell silent; she couldn’t deny that. 

Out of nowhere, Zhao Pingjin asked, “Why did you refuse to come back to Beijing for so long?” 

“Am I not here now?” Xi Tang said nonchalantly as she poured black pepper sauce. 

“It cost me a lot of money.” 

“How much did Ni Kailun con you out of?” 

“Don’t worry about it.” 

“Is she managing your finances?” 

Xi Tang had to admit it. She didn’t have much to manage anyway—just a mountain of debt owed to the company. 

Zhao Pingjin asked again, “Is she trustworthy?” 

Xi Tang nodded earnestly. “I’d trust her with my life.” 

Then Zhao Pingjin threw out an unexpected question: “Is she a lesbian?” 

Xi Tang paused briefly, then answered matter-of-factly, “No.” 

Zhao Pingjin asked in a tone of casual indifference, “Did someone bully you when you left Beijing back then?” 

So he had overheard her phone call with Ni Kailun that morning. 

Xi Tang’s expression remained unchanged as she smiled faintly. “Besides you, who else would dare bully me?” 

Zhao Pingjin’s expression was unreadable, though his demeanor remained calm. “I thought so.” 

Midway through lunch, Li Ming called. There was a contract that needed last-minute review. 

Zhao Pingjin sounded annoyed. “Can’t you stop bothering me on weekends?” 

Li Ming retorted confidently, “Whose company is it—yours or mine? Who gets the money—you or me?” 

Zhao Pingjin replied lazily, “It’s mine. What’s your rush?” 

Li Ming sounded baffled. “This is strange. You’re not working weekends anymore?” 

Zhao Pingjin glanced at his watch. “I’ll do it when I get back. Half an hour later.” 

After dinner, they returned home, and Zhao Pingjin headed straight to the study to review documents. 

Xi Tang went into the kitchen to tidy up the cups from the morning. Through the window, she could see the distant new CCTV headquarters building, its grayish hue standing out under the sunlight. The apartment sat on the most expensive piece of real estate along Chang’an Avenue, in the city’s only residential skyscraper. Every inch of space was worth its weight in gold. The entire house had been meticulously furnished—luxurious and elegant walnut wood in a soft brown tone, while the kitchen was equipped with the finest German Bulthaup appliances. 

Over the years, Zhao Pingjin had become increasingly low-profile. People like him, with invisible wealth in Beijing, possessed fortunes that were almost impossible to estimate. 

Xi Tang pressed the remote control, and the curtains in the living room slowly closed. She went back to her room to nap. 

Lying on the bed with her eyes closed, she heard faint sounds from the study where Zhao Pingjin was talking on the phone in a low voice. There was the clacking of a keyboard, then the sound of a chair sliding. After a while, he walked out to the living room, and she could hear the glug-glug of the water dispenser… 

A sunny room, with him by her side, each living peacefully and doing mundane, trivial things—this was the life she had always dreamed of. 

Unfortunately, that life would never be possible. 

When Xi Tang woke up from her nap, it was already past four in the afternoon. The house was completely silent. 

She didn’t know when he had finished his work or when he had gone to rest. 

She had a night scene to shoot tonight and had to leave. 

Xi Tang got up quietly and began to pack her things. Zhao Pingjin was still sleeping in his room. She tiptoed to the doorway. 

Zhao Pingjin had only been asleep for about half an hour. Whether it was because of his light sleep or heightened awareness, he woke up immediately. With his hand resting on his forehead, he groggily asked, “What’s wrong?” 

Xi Tang replied softly, “I didn’t want to wake you. I’m going back to work now.” 

Zhao Pingjin propped himself up on the edge of the bed to sit up. “I’ll drive you there.” 

As soon as he sat up, his head clearly spun, and he closed his eyes uncomfortably. 

Xi Tang knew he tended to feel dizzy when he didn’t get enough sleep, so she quickly shook her head. “Don’t get up. It’s okay; I’ll go myself.” 

Leaning against the bed, Zhao Pingjin stared at her silently for a moment before saying, “Come here.” 

Xi Tang walked into the room and stood by his bed. 

Zhao Pingjin reached out, pinched her face, and pulled her toward him, then kissed her cheek. 

Xi Tang’s heart trembled as if a giant jar of honey had been poured over her, so warm and sweet that her limbs went weak. 

In a low voice, with a hint of laughter, Zhao Pingjin said, “The driver will take you. Go on.” 

On Wednesday, Xi Tang had a day off, and Zhao Pingjin told her to come over. 

That day was Cold Dew, and a light autumn rain was falling. Zhao Pingjin waited for her downstairs. 

He watched as she stepped out of the taxi. 

Huang Xitang wore makeup and was dressed in a dark blue cheongsam with subtle floral patterns and a stand-up collar. Over it, she had draped a charcoal gray coat. Her beauty was refined and graceful, and every glance she cast radiated elegance. Men passing by couldn’t help but steal glances at her. 

She had grown more and more beautiful; it was almost unbelievable. 

Huang Xitang’s expression was cold, not paying attention to the surroundings. But when she looked up and saw him, her face broke into a faint smile. “It’s raining outside. Why come down?” 

Zhao Pingjin nodded slightly. “I had just gotten off work.” 

Xi Tang looked a little apologetic. “I had planned to finish shooting before five, but I ended up NG-ing two takes.” 

Zhao Pingjin said, “It’s fine. But—tonight, you’re cooking dinner.” 

Xi Tang paused for a moment and then asked, “How about hot pot?” 

Zhao Pingjin glanced at her, noting her obvious excitement. She looked as if she hadn’t had a proper meal in days and was practically bubbling with joy at the thought. Pretending to be magnanimous, he nodded. “Fine.” 

She was indeed delighted and even bounced in place. 

The two of them went to the supermarket to buy groceries. 

When Zhao Pingjin’s car exited the P1 parking garage, the security guard made a point of greeting him: “Mr. Zhao, heading out?” 

The gate card beeped, and Zhao Pingjin rolled down the car window, nodding politely. 

They wandered around the supermarket for quite a while. During that time, Zhao Pingjin received a call from Lao Gao, who invited him to dinner, but Zhao Pingjin declined. 

When they returned home carrying two large bags, the moment they opened the door, the lights suddenly turned on brightly. Along with it came whistles and screams from a mix of men and women: “Surprise!” 

The living room lights blazed, and the room was packed with people. 

The most “impressive” was a gift-wrapped package right in front of the door—a young girl wearing a pink spaghetti-strap dress, with a fresh, delicate face and bunny ears perched on her head. The moment Zhao Pingjin opened the door, she squeezed herself against his chest and bashfully said, “Happy birthday, Mr. Zhao.” 

Her whole body leaned forward, revealing a generous amount of snowy-white cleavage, accentuated by an invitingly tied, giant bow on her chest. 

Zhao Pingjin first turned to look at Huang Xitang, who was standing behind him. 

The moment the door had suddenly opened from the inside, Xi Tang was a bit startled and instinctively grabbed onto the sleeve of his coat with her right hand. 

Zhao Pingjin glanced at her, and she quickly realized and carefully let go of his sleeve. 

Zhao Pingjin lifted his gaze to look at the bundle of white flesh and red ribbons in front of him. He simply stood there, not moving or saying a word. 

Xi Tang, somewhat at a loss, stood stiffly outside the door. 

The enthusiastic atmosphere from the door’s opening immediately dropped to freezing cold. 

Everyone looked at each other, not knowing what to do. The next second, Gao Jiyi stepped forward, waving dejectedly: “Out, out, out.” 

The girl blinked her innocent eyes. 

Among the noisy crowd, Shen Min appeared the calmest. He took the initiative to step up, opened the door wider, and said to the girl, “Miss, let me escort you downstairs.” 

Xi Tang quietly backed away, following Shen Min’s lead. 

But Zhao Pingjin grabbed her hand. Only then did he realize that she was scared—her palm was damp with sweat, like a startled bird. 

He lowered his voice and said, “Don’t embarrass me.” 

Xi Tang looked up at him, her eyelashes trembling slightly, her eyes full of fear and unease. 

Something ached in Zhao Pingjin’s heart. Turning back to see the roomful of people gawking at the scene, his expression darkened immediately, and he directly flipped out, telling everyone to leave. 

Fang Langming, noticing that Zhao Pingjin was about to lose his temper, saw his wife, Ouyang Qingqing, take quick steps to the doorway. She tightly looped her arm around Xi Tang’s and pulled her into the house, saying, “That’s why I say men are just boring. Xi Tang, don’t pay attention to their silly games.” 

Fang Langming, standing in the living room, gave her a warm smile. “Xi Tang, long time no see.” 

Xi Tang replied softly, “Hi.” 

Standing off to the side was Lu Xiaojiang, who stared at her blankly. Xi Tang’s gaze lightly swept over the crowd, and when she suddenly saw him, their eyes met for just a second. Xi Tang quickly looked away, while Lu Xiaojiang’s expression froze in shock, his lips moving slightly as if about to speak, but he held back. 

Zhao Pingjin slowly walked into the room. There were still some unfamiliar faces, and the noise and chatter of those unaware helped slightly ease the tension. 

“That’s the real girlfriend? Wow, she’s beautiful.” 

“Misstep, misstep.” 

“Zhouzi, you really kept this beautiful girlfriend under wraps!” 

“She looks familiar. Have we seen her on TV?” 

Zhao Pingjin’s birthday had always been celebrated like this over the years. Friends would gather the day before. For three years, Xi Tang had been his girlfriend, and the only privilege she had was to attend this gathering of friends. On his actual birthday, he would always reserve it for his family. His grandparents would come from Shanghai, or sometimes he would return to Shanghai to celebrate with them. 

Since returning to Beijing for work, Xi Tang didn’t see much of him. Sometimes, he would call her over every week or two; other times, she wouldn’t see him for a month. His work and social obligations kept him busy, and he had to save time for both sets of elders. In his free time, he hung out with childhood friends, and perhaps other female companions as well. She was merely the candied cherry on the colorful, decadent cake that was his life. 

When he needed her, she served as decoration. When he didn’t, she was simply discarded.