Embedded Files
Psst! We're moving!
Can’t Wait
Can’t Wait
The ball lasted the entire night.
This was a Chinese ball, mostly attended by Chinese international students, with a few foreign faces mixed in, though not many.
The staff were primarily Chinese, but since everyone was abroad, online surfing wasn’t as rampant. While Yan Man was occasionally recognized, people only asked for photos and autographs—a relatively relaxed experience.
When the lights were chaotic and faces couldn’t be seen clearly, she could lazily skip wearing a mask, leaning back on a soft chair, finally relaxing.
Eventually, exhausted, Yan Man informed Zhou Xuan and went to the top floor to book a suite for some rest.
The rhythmic beats of the dance music seeped through faintly, allowing her to drift in and out of sleep without falling deeply asleep.
After dozing fitfully a few times, she finally woke up around ten o’clock.
The first floor had quieted down. The dance tracks had been replaced by soft music, and a guitarist was tuning his equipment, seemingly preparing to perform later.
After dancing all night, everyone was tired, leaning against chairs to rest or quietly chatting in low tones. Whispered conversations drifted through the venue, weaving softly through the air.
Yan Man stretched lazily, and just then, Zhou Xuan spotted her and walked over. “How was your nap?”
“Alright,” Yan Man replied, “But I’m a bit hungry.”
Zhou Xuan tilted her head. “Come on, there’s a chef making breakfast in the back.”
As they walked, Yan Man asked, “You stayed up all night too, aren’t you tired?”
After a brief pause, she nodded in realization, “Ah, right, you’ve got love to keep you energized.”
“...”
“What love? We just played a few rounds of chess, talked about our school days, and what we’ve been up to since.” Zhou Xuan said, “We even mentioned that group of four from back then. Do you remember?”
“Four people?” Yan Man thought for a moment, “Who else was there?”
“Shen Guanghui, Xu Zhou’s desk mate, who sat behind you.”
Yan Man let out a soft “Ah,” searching her memory until she matched a face to the name.
However, her focus soon shifted elsewhere. She picked up a croissant, grabbed a small glass of milk, and asked Zhou Xuan, “Is this skimmed?”
Zhou Xuan: “...”
“It’s fine to indulge a little. Even celebrities can drink whole milk like regular people.”
“Luckily,” Yan Man scanned the area, “Simon isn’t here. It’s been ages since I last had whole milk.”
The last time she drank it was during a variety show recording when the production team required it.
She took a sip, feeling as if her soul had been elevated. The rich aroma filled her mouth, and paired with a bite of freshly baked bread, she could almost hear music playing in her ears.
It had been a long time since she’d eaten breakfast so intently, barely noticing the conversations around her.
Xu Zhou asked, “When are you leaving?”
“We’ve postponed until the afternoon,” Zhou Xuan replied, “But we don’t have any work afterward. It depends on what Manman wants to do.”
Xu Zhou added, “If you’re staying a few more hours, Shen Guanghui said he’d like to join for lunch.”
The name from earlier resurfaced, and Zhou Xuan exclaimed, “He’s in Sydney too?”
“Yeah, we came here together and rented a place. He just asked me why I hadn’t returned home yet, and I told him I was with you guys.”
Zhou Xuan turned to Yan Man, “Manman, how about having lunch? What do you think?”
Yan Man snapped out of her thoughts, finishing the last bite of her croissant. “Sure, I’m fine with anything.”
She didn’t think much of it, assuming Zhou Xuan wanted to stay a little longer. Since they had a few rest days ahead, she went along with their plans.
To give them some space, Yan Man decided to step outside for some fresh air. Before leaving, she casually picked up her phone.
As she approached the door, she naturally opened WeChat and entered Ye Lin’s chat box, intending to send him a message. But fearing she might disturb his work, she hesitated for a moment, just as she reached the side hall.
Her fingers hadn’t even pressed send when she heard the attendant’s voice.
“Hello, may I ask who you’re looking for?”
Immediately afterward, she heard a familiar tone—something she definitely shouldn’t have heard in this place—
“My girlfriend.”
Her head shot up instantly, and she saw sunlight streaming through the window. There stood a man in a formal suit, his back straight.
It took her about three seconds to process and confirm that the person standing at the door was indeed Ye Lin.
Real, not a hallucination.
Just as she was about to speak, the attendant continued, “I’m sorry, but romantic partners aren’t allowed entry. You can check our posted guidelines—only family members are permitted to accompany guests inside.”
Then came an even more shocking moment.
“I made a mistake,” Ye Lin calmly corrected himself, going along with the situation. “My wife.”
“May I see your relevant identification—”
“Who’s your wife?”
The two questions overlapped. The attendant turned to look at her, and Yan Man stepped forward along the corridor, standing before him. Looking up, she asked again, “Looking for your wife? Where is she?”
“...”
The man reached out and grasped her wrist. His first words were, “Why are you dressed so lightly?”
“It’s summer here,” she adjusted his collar. “But you, you’re overdressed.”
After saying that, Yan Man asked, “Why are you here? Filming?”
“No,” his Adam’s apple bobbed. “I came to find you.”
“Why did you come to find me?”
He lowered his head, his voice dropping slightly. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier that you’d be dancing with a man while shooting the commercial?”
“I didn’t dance with any man,” Yan Man blinked. “Who told you that?”
Ye Lin pulled out his phone, showing her a video. The chaotic lighting illuminated a figure in a water-colored long dress at the center.
“That’s Zhou Xuan, not me,” Yan Man found her footing. “Well, you can’t even recognize your own girlfriend?”
“...”
Somehow finding herself taking the upper hand, Yan Man pressed on. “They said you wore this dress yesterday.”
“I did wear this dress, but I later gave it to Zhou Xuan for her big moment—” Just as she was about to express her feelings, she suddenly realized something. “Wait, you flew here overnight?”
“...Yes.”
Such an exaggerated move?
Yan Man: “Have you eaten?”
“Not yet.”
She sighed, exasperated, rubbing against his neck. “Alright, let’s get you something to eat first. We’ll have lunch later, and then we can go back?”
Concerned, he asked, “With whom?”
“Just one of our middle school classmates. Zhou Xuan liked him before, so we’re seeing if anything can develop.” Yan Man summarized, “Anyway, we’ll leave it to fate.”
On the way to grab a snack, Ye Lin kept asking, “So, were you at the ball last night? Did you dance with anyone?”
Yan Man thought for a moment. “I danced ‘Friendship Forever’ with a ten-year-old boy. Does that count?”
“...”
After buying some signature pancakes nearby, an hour later, they set off to return.
Along the way, Yan Man was still in shock: “You really thought I was dancing with another man, so you flew all the way here just for that?”
Ye Lin: “I was afraid they’d take advantage of you.”
Yan Man understood and automatically translated: “Oh, you were afraid I’d enjoy myself so much that I’d forget about you.”
...
As they walked back into the ballroom, the air conditioning was cranked up. After walking for a while, Ye Lin’s coat slipped onto her shoulders.
She tugged at the sleeve of the coat, remembering something, and continued: “Don’t worry. In this entire ballroom today, even if you dug three feet deep, you wouldn’t find any man related to me.”
Rounding back to their earlier position, Yan Man spotted a new face sitting at the table. Faintly recalling their previous conversation, she reflexively blurted out: “This is...”
“I’m Shen Guanghui,” the man cheerfully stood up to introduce himself. “I sat behind you in middle school and even had a crush on you. Don’t you remember?”
Yan Man: “...”
Yan Man: “................”
But Shen Guanghui didn’t let her off the hook, continuing: “Time flies so fast. Remember how I was the discipline committee member and helped cover for your tardiness?”
Yan Man wanted to ask if such a thing really happened?
Before she could speak, the coat’s sleeve was pulled, and Ye Lin pulled her onto a chair, his fingers lightly brushing against her earlobe. The sound of the chair scraping was loud, clearly marking his territory.
However, Shen Guanghui seemed oblivious, already immersed in his own memories. Excitedly, he said: “Back then, I was so foolish. Didn’t I sit behind you? I even deliberately dropped things on the floor so you’d help me pick them up.”
“Sitting behind you always made me distracted, and I noticed a mole on the back of your neck—has anyone ever told you that I wrote the congratulatory message for you during the sports meet?”
“Is that so?” Ye Lin said indifferently. “What did you write?”
“I wrote—”
At this point, Shen Guanghui paused, finally realizing something. He asked, “And who might this be?”
Before Yan Man could respond, Ye Lin answered on her behalf: “I’m her boyfriend.”
After a brief pause, he added, “We’ve been together for a long time.”
Shen Guanghui finally responded, turning to Yan Man with obvious regret: “Oh, you’re in a relationship?”
“...”
Shen Guanghui: “What a pity.”
Ye Lin sneered faintly: “Pity what?”
Shen Guanghui didn’t say anything more. He picked up the water jug to pour her a drink, but Ye Lin subtly took it from him, filling her glass halfway. With an even tone, he continued: “Don’t you watch entertainment news? We have many fans.”
“A long time ago, I think I saw some gossip,” Shen Guanghui said. “I thought after so much time, you two would’ve broken up by now.”
“...”
Ye Lin nodded. “I’ll send you an invitation when we get married.”
Shen Guanghui: ?
The meal lasted until evening. When they finally left, Yan Man kept suppressing her laughter.
Ye Lin glanced back at her. “What’s so funny?”
“I swear, I wasn’t paying attention when they were chatting earlier and only remembered later. Plus, I had no idea Shen Guanghui ever liked me—” Yan Man felt it was important to clarify the matter of principle. “Look, he even admitted later that he never confessed because I seemed completely uninterested in him.”
The man, however, seemed to answer irrelevantly, pointing to a patch of grass nearby. “What color is this?”
She didn’t react immediately: “Green.”
“Mm,” he said blandly. “If I hadn’t come today, my head would’ve been this color.”
“...”
“People just reminisce about the past, and you’re already imagining infidelity? There’s hardly any story here.” Yan Man teased, both amused and intentionally provoking. “Are you jealous he sat behind me?”
He didn’t say anything. Yan Man followed him with interest and saw him stop in front of a car. She asked, “Another car? Where did you get it?” She looked around. “Is the privacy good?”
She had heard that rented cars might have hidden cameras.
“I bought it.”
Ye Lin opened the passenger door and saw her sit inside before lowering his gaze slightly. In a calm voice, he asked, “The privacy is good. What do you want to do?”
“...”
“No, I didn’t mean it like that,” Yan Man said. “I’m just worried that whether inside or outside, we might get photographed—”
Before she finished, her phone vibrated twice. It was an incoming call.
An unfamiliar number.
Yan Man hesitated, and Ye Lin suddenly spoke: “Is it that guy, Shen?”
“Not likely,” Yan Man said. “You already made things clear earlier. Do you think he’d dare call me?”
Ye Lin smirked slightly. “There’s nothing he wouldn’t dare.”
He even dared mention noticing a mole on her neck right in front of him.
Thinking about it, his gaze darkened further. He stepped into the car.
Noticing the passenger seat suddenly becoming cramped, Yan Man looked up, nose-to-nose with him.
She didn’t understand immediately: “Why did you get in from this side?”
He said gravely: “I got it wrong.”
Yan Man: “...”
After saying he got it wrong, he remained motionless on top of her. Do you think I’m easy to fool?
A few seconds later, they locked eyes.
She deliberately pouted: “You got it wrong, so get out.”
“...”
Ye Lin leaned over: “Let me take a look first.”
He turned his head, brushing aside her long hair to check the back of her neck for a mole he didn’t know about.
Yan Man was speechless: “There’s nothing. He must’ve made it up. I know myself well enough.”
Sure enough, after checking, there was nothing.
Seeing his expression soften slightly, Yan Man pointed to her collarbone: “Instead of looking at my neck, look here. They drew this pattern on me during the shoot. I thought it looked nice, so I didn’t wash it off. I planned to show it to you when we got back.”
She pulled down her collar. He lowered his eyes, his emotions hidden, as he reached out to caress the pattern on her collarbone, creating a strange sensation.
Yan Man trembled, the sensation becoming clearer as she realized he kissed the spot.
She squinted as she looked out through the rearview mirror.
“Wait a second—”
The man gripped her wrist and pinned it to the back of the seat, his voice rough and low.
“…I can’t wait.”
Google Sites
Report abuse