Chapter 41

On Friday evening, Zhao Pingjin came to pick her up from the set.

Xitang hurriedly rushed out; the shooting hadn’t finished yet inside, but she had completed her scenes for the day. Xitang was very professional—if there was still time, she would usually stay and rehearse with her co-stars, but today she couldn’t do that. After receiving Zhao Pingjin’s call, she had to leave early, and the director arranged for a stand-in to take her place.

Zhao Pingjin watched as she ran out of the set. She must have just finished her work. She wore jeans, a short black down jacket, and hadn’t had time to fix her hair, so it was loosely tied in a messy braid.

She was always so beautiful.

Zhao Pingjin waited until she had fastened her seatbelt before starting the car. “To repay you for the porridge, let’s go eat something.”

Xitang paused for a moment and asked, “Who are we eating with?”

Zhao Pingjin thought this sounded familiar. “What’s wrong?”

Xitang quietly asked, “Is there anyone I don’t know?”

Zhao Pingjin finally remembered. This had happened several times before. Whenever they went out to eat, she would always ask, “Who’s coming?” Huang Xitang never used to be so cautious. When did she start asking this?

Zhao Pingjin said, “Why do you care who’s coming? Haven’t you always disliked my friends? Just sit down and eat, you don’t have to worry about anyone else.”

Xitang whispered, “Ni Kailun told me not to attend unreliable dinners.”

Zhao Pingjin scoffed, “So we’re not worthy to eat with you, huh?”

Xitang didn’t respond.

When they got out of the car, neither of them spoke. Zhao Pingjin stopped and waited for her before pulling her hand.

Xitang felt his hand wrap warmly around hers, and her heart started racing. She felt a little overwhelmed.

Zhao Pingjin, however, acted as if it were completely natural. He looked ahead, holding her hand, and walked into the hotel’s private room.

Fang Langxi and Ouyang Qingqing were already inside. When they saw them enter, they greeted, “Ah, Zhou Zhou, Xitang, you’re here!”

Qingqing gave Fang Langxi a knowing glance. It was the first time they had seen Zhao Pingjin holding Xitang’s hand since they returned to Beijing.

Zhao Pingjin pretended not to notice their teasing, holding her hand as they entered and then let go to sit on the sofa.

Qingqing took Xitang over to chat. She looked at her face and said, “You’ve been staying up late, haven’t you? Let’s order some fish maw and ginseng chicken soup to replenish your energy.”

Fang Langxi and Zhao Pingjin sat on the sofa drinking tea.

At that moment, Lu Xiaojiang opened the door and walked in, his shy face smiling. “I’m not late, am I?”

Fang Langxi laughed. “You’re not the last one today, kid. Lao Gao hasn’t arrived yet.”

As soon as Zhao Pingjin saw him, his expression soured. “What are you doing here so early? Doesn’t your lousy bank have overtime today?”

Lu Xiaojiang, in good spirits, smiled and said, “No, no.”

After a long wait, Gao Jiyi finally walked in. “Ah, sorry, guys, I’m late. I was picking up a girl.”

Behind Gao Jiyi, a young woman peeked her head in with a smile. “Hi, everyone.”

Gao Jiyi brought the girl in. “Xiao Tao, make yourself comfortable.”

As soon as the girl entered, she froze. “Huang... Huang laoshi?”

Xitang was also stunned for a second.

The young woman immediately became excited. “I was filming with you this morning at Changqing Liyuan! I’m from the Drama Academy.”

Xitang understood. It was a big production, and she had worked with so many actors that it was impossible to remember everyone. She stood up politely and said, “Hello, sorry, it was such a rush this morning. What’s your name again?”

The girl quickly answered, “I’m Tao Ranran.”

Qingqing, watching from the side, found it amusing and said to Zhao Pingjin, who was sitting next to Xitang, “Xitang’s fame is growing, Zhou Zhou, soon you won’t be worthy of her.”

Zhao Pingjin, without any shame, casually replied, “Of course, I’d love for her to support me.”

Tao Ranran said to Xitang, “I can’t believe I ran into you here! I watched the scenes from this morning, and you were amazing! I even cried! My classmates and I all agree, you really get into character!”

Xitang felt a bit shy and could only smile in thanks.

Seeing that Xitang was struggling with the enthusiasm, Zhao Pingjin glanced at Gao Jiyi. “Are we still eating or what?”

Gao Jiyi, a bit stunned, hadn’t expected Xitang to be so highly regarded by the younger generation. Coming back to his senses, he said, “Oh, so everyone’s friends. Let’s eat, let’s eat.”

Tao Ranran sat next to Gao Jiyi, suppressing her excitement but constantly sneaking glances at Xitang from the corner of her eye.

Xitang had no choice but to act casual, burying her head in her soup.

Tao Ranran had little interest in eating and mustered up the courage to ask, “Huang laoshi, can I take a picture with you?”

Xitang replied, “Of course, but you can call me Xitang.”

Tao Ranran immediately said, “Okay, Xitang jie, is it okay now?”

Xitang had no choice but to stand up.

Tao Ranran asked Gao Jiyi to take the photo. The young girl changed her pose several times, and when they were done, Xitang’s soup had already gone cold.

Zhao Pingjin was chatting with Fang Langxi, not paying attention to her, but he silently handed her a bowl of hot soup.

Xitang continued to lower her head and eat.

Tao Ranran curiously glanced at them both.

While eating, Tao Ranran listened to the conversation and suddenly whispered something to Gao Jiyi.

Gao Jiyi responded softly in her ear.

Tao Ranran smiled and said to Xitang, “Xitang jie, Gao ge said you’re Zhou Zhou ge’s girlfriend?”

Xitang hesitated for a few seconds and cautiously shook her head.

Zhao Pingjin looked up, his gaze cold, and shot a warning glance at Gao Jiyi.

Gao Jiyi, receiving the warning, slowly spoke, but made an offhand comment: “No manners, you call him Zhou Zhou ge too?”

Tao Ranran stuck out her tongue, her innocent smile on her face. “Can’t I call him that? Sorry, Zhao ge, why do you call him Zhou Zhou?”

Zhao Pingjin gave her a cold stare and didn’t respond.

Xitang subtly moved closer to Qingqing, sitting about ten inches away from him.

The young girl turned to Xitang and asked, “Xitang jie, do you know why he’s called Zhou Zhou?”

Xitang thought for a moment and continued to cautiously shake her head.

Zhao Pingjin glanced at her, his eyes full of melancholy.

The meal continued, but halfway through, Tao Ranran went to the restroom. Zhao Pingjin, unable to hold back any longer, turned to Gao Jiyi and said, “Get her to leave.”

Gao Jiyi glanced at him. “She’s just a young girl, why are you getting upset over her?”

Zhao Pingjin, dissatisfied, said, “We’re having a meal with our own people, why bring in an outsider?”

Gao Jiyi didn’t like that comment. He glanced at the table and spoke with clear disdain: “What’s the problem? You can play, but I can’t bring a little sweetheart to eat? Besides, who here is really an outsider besides Qingqing? That’s still up in the air!”

The room suddenly fell into silence.

Fang Langxi couldn’t help but take a sharp breath.

Zhao Pingjin’s face instantly darkened. Anger was pressing between his brows, and his words came out with clear dissatisfaction: “Old Gao, what do you mean by that?”

Qingqing subtly reached out and grabbed Xitang’s hand. Her grip was steady, though slightly cold.

Fang Langxi saw the situation was tense and quickly signaled to Gao Jiyi: “Alright, Old Gao, stop talking.”

Gao Jiyi didn’t take it seriously. He glanced over at Fang Langxi and said, “Langxi, don’t come at me. You tell me, do you think what I said was wrong?”

Zhao Pingjin stopped talking, his hand slammed down on the table, and the chopsticks made a loud “bang” as they hit the surface.

Fang Langxi quickly reached out and grabbed his arm. “Zhou Zhou, calm down!”

Lu Xiaojiang stood up and positioned himself between them, saying to Zhao Pingjin, “Gao ge, don’t say that, it’s hurtful.”

At this moment, Qingqing made a “shh” sound, signaling for silence.

Tao Ranran returned after retouching her makeup.

Zhao Pingjin, with a dark face, said nothing. He stood up and went outside to smoke, calming himself down. When he returned, the private room had finally quieted down. Xitang was chatting with Qingqing, and Fang Langxi was talking to Lu Xiaojiang about investments.

Zhao Pingjin stood behind Xitang and looked around the room. Not seeing Gao Jiyi, he asked, “He left?”

Fang Langxi replied, “Old Gao saw her off.”

Zhao Pingjin took a hot towel from the table and slowly wiped his hands. As he wiped, he suddenly tossed the towel down hard, causing a thick, wet towel to hit the table with a loud “thud,” knocking over several wine glasses. Red wine spilled across the table, and the glasses, along with some plates, shattered, making a loud crash.

The people on the sofa chatting were startled.

Fang Langxi glanced over and smiled at Lu Xiaojiang. “See? I knew he had to let out his frustration.”

Zhao Pingjin leaned down and took Xitang’s hand. “Let’s go home.”

Fang Langxi quickly stood up and grabbed Qingqing. “We’re leaving too. Hey, Xiaojiang, get someone to sign the bill.”

Lu Xiaojiang replied, “Okay.”

Gao Jiyi returned after sending Tao Ranran off, just in time to see everyone putting on their coats. “So it’s over already? I might as well have stayed and played with the little girl.”