Chapter 44 [VIP]: “I dated someone. When I was 18, but we broke up after two months.”

Queen Zhou: [“Why did you say you didn’t regret it? You should’ve hugged him and said, ‘I regret it, little brother.’”]

Sheng Li: [“If I had said I regretted it and he didn’t respond, how would I have salvaged the situation?”]

Queen Zhou: [“Didn’t you used to be good at seducing people? Just go for it again. After all, he’s so handsome—it’s not like you’d lose out no matter how many times you do it.”]

Sheng Li: [“The circumstances aren’t the same anymore.”]

Queen Zhou: [“True. Back then, he was young and had nothing. You could take what you wanted from him, and even when you broke up, it was all arranged by you before you told him. Now that he’s famous, though he doesn’t have as much money as you, his future is limitless, and he’s on equal footing with you. He’s no longer the little wolf-dog who needed you to pat his head and smooth things over, let alone needing you to save him.”]

Yu Chi was already in a position to help Xu Yang buy out his contract. He could save others now—he no longer needed her to rescue him.

Sheng Li felt her thoughts being hit right on the mark. After a moment of silence, she replied: [“Yes, I admit I’m afraid of being under his control. No matter how I acted back then, I always felt like I was the one in charge. But now it’s different. I’m afraid I’ll fall for him while he no longer needs me as much.”]

Queen Zhou: [“So, essentially, you’re just a heartbreaker—always teasing but never taking responsibility. I think you’re overthinking this. Isn’t it said that he has great physical attributes? Why not develop a friends-with-benefits relationship? Each of you can get what you need without getting emotionally involved.”]

Sheng Li: [“...”]

A friends-with-benefits relationship? No, she feared Yu Chi might retaliate by handing her a formal “friends-with-benefits” contract to settle the score for being dumped years ago.

________________________________________

The next morning, Sheng Li wasn’t very lucky. As she passed by Yu Chi’s room, the door suddenly clicked open.

She paused and turned to look.

Yu Chi probably didn’t expect to run into her either. His expression froze momentarily before he quickly composed himself, offering a polite yet distant smile. “Good morning, Sister Lili.”

He was so calm, as if last night’s confrontation—when he cornered her and coldly asked if she regretted anything—had never happened.

Sheng Li’s gaze fell on his neck. He was wearing a necklace. The black hand-woven cord looked high-quality, and the pendant was tucked inside his collar, occasionally visible as a slight bulge beneath his clothes. However, it was impossible to tell what exactly he was wearing.

Every time he appeared in public or during filming ceremonies, he wore this necklace. Fans had been curious about it for a long time, trying to find the same model but failing to locate it.

“Good morning. Did you sleep well last night?” Sheng Li smiled brightly at him, thinking to herself how exhausting it must be for him to maintain such perfect acting throughout the variety show recording, both onscreen and off.

Yu Chi turned around to close the door and calmly responded, “It was fine.”

Everyone gradually emerged from their rooms, and the day’s recording began. Yu Chi and Xu Yang followed Teacher Luo to go shopping. Holding the car keys, Teacher Luo asked, “Do either of you have driver’s licenses?”

Yu Chi replied, “I just got mine last week. Shall I drive?”

“You’re still a new driver?” Teacher Luo quickly waved his hands. “Safety first. I’ll drive. You two sit in the back.”

Xu Yang burst into laughter. “He’s been so busy he didn’t even have time to practice driving. His course hours were insufficient, so he couldn’t book the exam for a long time. It took him a full year to finally get his license. But I’ve ridden with him before, and he drives very steadily. Don’t worry.”

Teacher Luo still insisted on driving. Yu Chi chuckled, opened the car door, and sat in the backseat. He lounged with his legs spread wide, leaning back against the seat, his face pale and tired-looking. Xu Yang, sitting in the passenger seat, glanced at him through the rearview mirror and asked with concern, “Did you stay up late editing videos again last night?”

“Yeah.” Yu Chi casually responded.

“The major in Dramatic Film and Television Literature has a lot of practical coursework and assignments, so staying up late to edit videos is normal,” Teacher Luo, who was in his early forties and well-liked by everyone, kindly remarked. “For art students, the workload is lighter, and it’s easier to request leave. You’ve been busy these past few years, haven’t you? I remember you only appearing on variety shows for promotional tours with your drama crews. Is this your first time on a variety show solo?”

Yu Chi seemed somewhat distracted. He glanced ahead, his lips curving slightly. “Yes, it’s my first time.”

“And he even brought me along. I suspect he’s only here because of me,” Xu Yang laughed loudly.

Yu Chi sneered, “Don’t flatter yourself.”

Xu Yang spoke earnestly, “Brother Chi, I’ve known since the day I met you that you’re a cool guy. But since you rarely appear on variety shows, could you please talk more? Your fans are thrilled to see more of you, but you’re giving all your spotlight moments to me. How will the editing team handle this later?”

Teacher Luo agreed wholeheartedly, “What Xu Yang said is right. The director’s team will thank you.”

At the time, no one expected that the usually cold and taciturn Yu Chi would provide an explosive surge of popularity for the show during the final night of filming.

By 9 PM, the restaurant lights were bright, and a table laden with dishes of varying quality was set—the result of tonight’s requirement for everyone to cook a dish for dinner.

Sheng Li didn’t know how to cook; she could only make a salad.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, she brought her salad to the table and placed it in front of her.

Just then, three foreign tourists entered the restaurant, and everyone turned to look. Coincidentally, Yu Chi had just finished a phone call outside. He approached the tourists from behind, and when they turned to look at him, they asked in English, “Are you still accepting customers?”

Yu Chi responded, “Sorry, we’re closed.”

Sheng Li couldn’t help but glance over. There weren’t many celebrities in the entertainment industry who could speak fluent and pleasant-sounding English. She had put in a lot of effort to ensure she wouldn’t embarrass herself when necessary. Yu Chi’s English was excellent, and he had no trouble communicating with foreign tourists over the past couple of days. He spoke with a standard British accent, which sounded incredibly charming.

She couldn’t help but think that Yu Chi had come on this show specifically to disrupt her willpower and seduce her.

Who could resist a guy like that? Especially when he was her ex-boyfriend.

After seeing off the three tourists, Yu Chi hung the “Closed” sign at the entrance. Acting as if he hadn’t noticed Sheng Li watching him, he walked straight to the dining table and sat down across from her.

Silently, Sheng Li lowered her head and took her seat at the table.

As usual, she had spent the day helping out in the kitchen, avoiding too many scenes with Yu Chi. Whenever their interactions were unavoidable, both of them employed their best acting skills, leaving no trace for others to detect.

Teacher Luo opened a bottle of red wine and poured a glass for everyone. Glancing at the salad plate, he couldn’t help but laugh. “Lili, you’ve only made a salad this whole season. Isn’t that a bit insincere?”

Without changing her expression, Sheng Li replied, “I often eat like this.”

Jiang Qing chimed in, “What’s wrong with a salad? I’ll eat it later. We actresses don’t have it easy.”

“Male actors don’t have it easy either,” Jing Yiming, who was currently losing weight for a new role, couldn’t eat much either. Looking at Yu Chi and Xu Yang, he sighed, “Being young is great. At this age, I used to eat whatever I wanted without worrying about gaining weight.”

Jiang Qing smiled sweetly. “You weren’t nearly as handsome or ambitious as these guys at that age. They’re working hard on their careers now—they’re hot young idols. Back then, you were still chasing after the school beauty.”

Entertainment circles over a decade ago were different from today. There was no concept of fandoms, and idols weren’t forbidden from dating. Jing Yiming’s youthful love affairs were no longer a secret. It was rumored that back then, Jing Yiming chased the school beauty, Jiang Qing pursued Jing Yiming, and the end result was that Jing Yiming failed to win over the school beauty, and Jiang Qing also failed to win Jing Yiming—a tragic “love triangle.”

But strictly speaking, Jing Yiming was considered Jiang Qing’s first love.

Somehow, the conversation shifted to the topic of first loves.

Xu Yang and Yu Chi were younger and unaware of these rumors.

“Hey, boys,” Jiang Qing smiled sweetly at them. “Have you ever been in a relationship? Be honest.”

Xu Yang, caught off guard, hesitated for a moment and smiled shyly. “No.” He had debuted through an audition-based idol group, and if he were to date now, once exposed, his fans would desert him.

“What about you, Yu Chi? Are you representing both of you?” Jiang Qing raised an eyebrow and looked at Yu Chi.

At that moment, Sheng Li, who had been quietly chewing on shredded lettuce, paused. Her heart suddenly leaped into her throat as she lifted her head to look at Yu Chi. Yu Chi was holding his wine glass, gazing at the dark red liquid, silent and not immediately answering.

Xu Yang, who was picking up a large rib, confidently laughed, “I’m close with Yu Chi. If he’s dated anyone, I’d naturally kno—”

“I have.”

Yu Chi abruptly cut him off, exposing himself.

Cough—

Sheng Li choked suddenly, her heartbeat stopping for a moment as she looked up in disbelief at Yu Chi.

Simultaneously, clink—

Xu Yang’s rib fell from his chopsticks, hitting the rim of his wine glass. The glass, still containing a mouthful of wine, wobbled lightly and, struck by the rib, quickly tumbled downward. Xu Yang frantically tried to catch it, but his elbow accidentally knocked over Teacher Luo’s glass. For a moment, there was a chaotic symphony of clinking sounds, and soup and wine spilled everywhere.

Teacher Luo quickly handed Xu Yang some napkins. “It’s okay. Wipe it up.”

The others seemed frozen, staring at Yu Chi in shock.

At that moment, Sheng Li’s expression mirrored everyone else’s. Her coughing fit was drowned out by Xu Yang’s commotion. Only she knew that her heart was pounding uncontrollably, as if her blood was rushing through her veins, even causing her toes to tense up.

Her gaze couldn’t leave his face. She felt a mix of fear, excitement, tension, and anticipation.

In contrast, Yu Chi appeared to be the calmest. He deliberately scanned everyone one by one, his gaze lingering on Sheng Li across from him for an extra second before lowering his head with a faint smile. It was as if he didn’t realize he had said something extraordinary. He calmly explained, “Didn’t Jiang Qing say we should be honest? There’s nothing wrong with sharing.” He paused, his gaze dropping to the wine in his glass. “I’ve been in a relationship. I dated someone when I was 18, but it was short-lived. We broke up after two months.”

The other MCs instinctively looked at Teacher Luo, as he was the senior figure and usually controlled such conversations.

Taking advantage of the time Xu Yang was cleaning the table, Teacher Luo pondered how to respond. Just then, Sheng Li smoothly interjected, “At 18, was it your first love?”

This was a clever segue, given that the conversation had already shifted to first loves.

No one noticed the personal stake Sheng Li had in the question. Beneath the tablecloth, her fingers were nervously clutching her skirt.

Yu Chi raised his eyes, meeting hers directly, and sneered, “Yes, it was my first love. A memorable one.” After saying this, his gaze dropped again.

Sheng Li felt her heart inexplicably tighten, her thoughts tangled and tinged with pain.

Jiang Qing snapped out of her daze, staring at Yu Chi for a few seconds. Unlike other rapidly rising young idols, Yu Chi wasn’t a typical idol or a top-tier singer-dancer. He was an actor who had skyrocketed to fame through his work immediately after debuting.

He was the youngest talented actor among the elite first-tier performers recognized by renowned directors and award-winning actors. Whether or not he had been in a relationship wouldn’t significantly impact his career.

“Little brother Yu Chi, how naive of you. You actually answered honestly when I asked,” Jiang Qing teased with a raised brow. “You’ve piqued my curiosity. Since it was so unforgettable, why did you break up? Were you the one dumped?”

Sheng Li: [“...”]

She picked up her wine glass and took a large gulp, trying to ease her overly tense nerves.

“Yes, I was the one dumped. She thought it was for my own good—it was her who brought me back into the entertainment industry,” Yu Chi said, still holding his wine glass, his gaze fixed on the rim. His expression was calm—so calm that it seemed devoid of any emotion, much like when Jing Yiming and Jiang Qing reminisced about their first loves. It was as if he was simply recalling a chapter of his life.

Just as Sheng Li was zoning out, thinking he had completely moved on, he suddenly raised his head, his voice low and strained: “If I had the chance, I’d want to win her back.”