75

Tang Yu, what are you hesitating about? I’m not afraid, so what are you afraid of?

Are you afraid of Tang Dawei?

— “Little Sugar Heart’s Diary”

Three hours earlier, while Tang Dingding was still filming, Huo Chendong had already arrived at the studio. The editor-in-chief personally came to greet him, but he dismissed them and sat silently on the sofa in the corner of the studio, watching intently.

Tang Dingding only paused for a moment, glanced at the excited Zhao Feiyu, and quickly calmed down.

During the break, Huo Chendong walked over. Before he could say anything, Zhao Feiyu happily approached, holding his hand with a pitiful look: “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? You didn’t reply to my message last night...”

Huo Chendong absentmindedly responded: “I got drunk last night and fell asleep.”

The next second, his gaze shifted to Tang Dingding: “Dingding.”

Tang Dingding paused, smiling brightly at him: “Brother Huo, come to visit your girlfriend?”

Perhaps Zhao Feiyu couldn’t be considered a girlfriend, just a bed partner, each taking what they needed.

Previously, she called him ‘Big Brother Huo,’ intimate with a hint of shyness. Now, omitting one word changed the tone entirely, adding a layer of coldness and detachment.

Huo Chendong hadn’t adjusted to this new way of addressing him; his eyebrows furrowed slightly.

Zhao Feiyu smiled shyly, and the little assistant laughed: “President Huo often comes to visit our little sister.”

Huo Chendong showed no expression on his face and made no response, making the atmosphere somewhat awkward for a moment.

Tang Dingding smiled: “You two chat. I need to go retouch my makeup and change clothes.”

Zhao Feiyu also needed to retouch her makeup and change clothes. She clung to Huo Chendong for a few minutes before leaving, looking somewhat disappointed. While retouching her makeup, Tang Dingding saw Zhao Feiyu sizing her up, gave a faint smile, and said nothing.

Later, throughout the entire filming process, where did Huo Chendong’s gaze finally land?

Tang Dingding felt that Huo Chendong was looking at her, his gaze piercing, yet she thought it impossible or unwilling to believe. After the shoot ended, she quickly left.

Unexpectedly, within such a short time, they made the news.

Who would believe there was no hype involved?

Tang Xin directly snorted: “He’s constantly appearing on entertainment news every day. With so much traffic, it’s a pity he’s not entering the entertainment industry.”

You Huan was sitting next to Tang Xin, leaned over to take a look, and sneered disdainfully: “Forget it. What can he do in the entertainment industry? Being a vice president allows him to sleep with a couple more actresses and bring traffic to others. That’s enough.”

Tang Dingding: “...”

Tang Xin patted her head and whispered gently: “Don’t think about it. There are plenty of young hunks in the circle who are well-matched with you. If not, there are also mature hunks! Handsome and mature, considerate and caring, right?”

Tang Dingding softly said: “I’ve already given up since that night of the birthday party. Don’t worry about me.”

You Huan: “Good girl.”

After finishing the hot pot, Tang Xin invited everyone to go singing. There were many karaoke enthusiasts in the studio, and as soon as they entered the private room, they started grabbing the microphone. Tang Xin saw Lu Zhixing sitting alone on the sofa, and pulled You Huan and Tang Dingding over together.

Lu Zhixing was idly spinning his phone, looked up when he saw them, and smiled: “What’s going on?”

Tang Xin had already introduced You Huan to him earlier, so she directly spoke: “Director Lu, the clothing sponsorship for the main characters in the movie probably hasn’t been decided yet, right? If possible, I’d like to recommend You Huan to you. She and her friend have opened a studio with an original brand. It’s relatively niche but has a distinct style. Could we try using their studio’s clothing during the makeup test?”

Both You Huan and Tang Dingding were surprised; Tang Xin hadn’t mentioned this before.

You Huan and Qu Wei’s branch store was about to open, and her business was growing larger. Having an advertisement in the movie would undoubtedly be beneficial. Actually, Tang Xin could also mention this to Tang Yu since he was the main investor. The costumes and props in the crew were also costly.

Tang Dingding also said: “I think it’s a good idea! It doesn’t have to be a big brand sponsorship. What do you think, Director Lu?”

Lu Zhixing looked at her, a smile in his eyes, and was about to speak when Feng Cheng came over with beer, making a few clicking sounds: “What are you guys doing? Even if our Director Lu is handsome, you don’t all have to surround him, right?”

“What are you talking about?” Lu Zhixing glanced at him, “How gossipy can an old man be?”

“...” Feng Cheng glared at him, “You ungrateful...”

Lu Zhixing laughed, picked up a can of beer, popped the tab, poured a few glasses, raised a glass, and nodded towards the three girls with his chin, saying: “Since we’re all acquainted, let’s give it a try. I’ll inform the props team later.”

You Huan cheerfully picked up her glass, drank it all in one gulp, and smiled: “Thank you, Director Lu.” Then she clinked glasses with Tang Xin, raised an eyebrow, and grinned: “Even when the big screenwriter becomes successful, she doesn’t forget to bring me along. It’s worth it to have doted on you all these years.”

Tang Xin also drank a glass, proudly boasting: “Of course. In the future, meeting any celebrity won’t be a problem for you. Future big designer.”

After Tang Dingding sipped some beer, she covered her mouth and belched loudly.

— A very loud belch.

Everyone turned to look at her simultaneously.

Tang Dingding’s face flushed red, feeling quite embarrassed.

Lu Zhixing reached out and snatched away her glass, silently laughing: “If you can’t handle beer, don’t drink it. Old Feng, get a bottle of red wine.”

Tang Dingding felt even more embarrassed, whispering softly: “Thank you...”

After the dinner party ended, everyone had consumed quite a bit of alcohol. Since it was too far from You Huan’s place, Tang Xin invited You Huan to stay at her place. You Huan raised an eyebrow: “Has a man never slept in your bed yet?”

Tang Xin glanced at her: “No...”

You Huan was somewhat shocked: “I thought on the night you went public, sparks flew, but nothing happened?”

Tang Xin’s face turned red, and she earnestly asked: “Does manual count?”

You Huan: “...”

Tang Xin added: “Wasn’t I on my period then?”

You Huan glanced at her: “How pitiful.”

Tang Xin didn’t respond, huffed, and said that was indeed being pitiful, then dragged her to find a designated driver. “Let’s go, let’s go. Before my bed is occupied by a man, let you sleep in it one last time.”

...

Early the next morning, You Huan left.

Tang Xin hadn’t slept in late for a long time. After putting out cat food, she tightly closed the curtains and slept soundly until someone pushed open the door of the room, startling her awake from under the covers. The man hadn’t even had time to take off his coat, against the light, his tall figure quickly approached, brushing away the messy hair on her forehead, pressing the back of his hand against it, and sighed with relief: “I called you but you didn’t pick up. I thought you had a fever and fainted.”

Tang Xin was still somewhat dazed, looking up at him, softly asking: “Why are you back?”

He had previously said he would return on the 25th.

“Coming back early to spend Christmas with you, and then taking you to the airport the day after tomorrow.”

For their first holiday together as a couple, Tang Yu actually didn’t have much experience, but women seemed to care about these things and loved celebrating all sorts of holidays.

He handed over his work, leaving Gao Heng to handle the subsequent matters, and rushed back.

The house was warm. Tang Yu took off his coat and placed it at the foot of the bed, went to the window to draw the curtains, and his handsome outline immediately became clear. He lifted his wrist to check the watch and reminded her: “It’s already three in the afternoon.”

As soon as he got off the plane, he called her, but her phone remained unanswered. He almost ran all the way back.

Tang Xin made a sound of acknowledgment, still half-asleep, her brain unable to process: “Did I really sleep that long?”

Tang Yu helplessly walked over and asked: “Are you hungry? Get up, I’ll take you to eat.”

“Hungry.” She patted her stomach, suddenly remembering she hadn’t washed her face, quickly lowered her head, climbed out of bed, and ran towards the bathroom, “I’ll wash my face first.”

Her hand was grabbed from behind and pulled into an embrace.

Tang Xin’s heart skipped a beat, hurriedly covering her face: “I haven’t brushed my teeth, no kissing!”

Tang Yu chuckled softly, kissed the top of her head, and released her, “Go ahead.”

“You wait for me in the living room.”

She pushed him out and, after finishing washing up, excitedly ran to the living room to ask him: “Tang Yu, are we going on a date later?”

Tang Yu lazily lounged on the sofa petting Cotton, nodded slightly: “Mm, tonight is the premiere of last year’s jointly produced movie by Shiguang. I’ll take you to see it; you should like it.”

Tonight happened to be Christmas Eve. Since they got together, they had been busy and hadn’t properly gone on a date.

Tang Xin’s eyes lit up: “Then I’ll go change clothes.”

With that, she turned and ran into the room.

Tang Yu patiently waited for a while, realizing for the first time how long it takes for a woman to get ready to go out. He didn’t rush her, watching the clock hit four before getting up and walking towards the bedroom. She had already changed, wearing a cashmere short skirt paired with a wide-neck sweater, her figure curvaceous, makeup exquisite, standing in front of the mirror choosing a necklace.

Turning around to see him, she pointed at the jewelry box and asked: “Which one should I wear?”

Tang Yu glanced down, “What about the one I gave you last time?”

That one...

Tang Xin carefully took it out from the cabinet, deliberately saying: “This one is too expensive. I’m afraid it will get snatched if I wear it outside.”

“If it gets snatched, I’ll buy another one.” Tang Yu ignored her nonsense, picked up the necklace, and looked down at her, “I’ll help you put it on.”

She turned around, facing away from him. The man’s firm, warm chest pressed against her back, his hand lifting her hair, fingers brushing against her delicate neck. Her breath caught, suddenly feeling nervous: “Are you done?”

Suddenly, her earlobe felt hot. The man leaned down, silently kissing below her earlobe, making her breathing instantly quicken.

Tang Yu chuckled softly: “So sensitive?”

Tang Xin: “... Afraid of tickling.”

“Is that so?” Tang Yu hugged her from behind. With a height difference of twenty-one centimeters, he slightly bent his back, lowered his head to nibble on her earlobe, then kissed along her earlobe downwards, turning her around, pressing her against the table.

She tilted her chin up, mouth slightly open, breathing rapidly. As he was about to kiss her lips, she hurriedly exclaimed: “Don’t mess up my lipstick...”

Tang Yu chuckled softly. It was getting late, and he was afraid she would get too hungry, so he kissed her forehead and let her go: “Let’s go, we’ll eat first.”

After putting on her coat, Tang Yu scanned her from head to toe and frowned: “Are you going out like this? It’s very cold at night.”

On her first date with her boyfriend, she naturally only cared about looking pretty. She glared at him: “Where we’re going has heating. Don’t make me wear a down jacket. I’m wearing this today, I won’t change no matter what!”

Tang Yu coldly said: “Then I really want to try.”

Tang Xin: “...”

She was silent for a few seconds, looking at him resentfully: “I knew you didn’t like me that much. A few days ago, you told me that everything you have belongs to me, and if I don’t say breakup, there won’t be one. Turns out you wanted to kill me, kill me and...”

Before she could finish, Tang Yu dragged her out of the house with a black face.

Mission accomplished. She followed behind him, smiling brightly.

They went to eat Western food, at the same place where Tang Xin had a blind date with Lin Zhengxu last time.

While cutting her steak, Tang Xin looked at him with bright eyes, curious: “Tang Yu, what were you thinking about last time?”

Tang Yu recalled the scene last time when they were separated by the back of the sofa, her on a blind date with another man. They chatted happily, but he was extremely annoyed, fearing she might really fall for Lin Zhengxu. At that moment, a certain thought flashed through his mind.

He leaned against the sofa back, lowering his head to smile: “Do you really want to know?”

She quickly nodded: “Yes.”

Tang Yu casually looked at her, his tone indifferent: “I wanted to fight with Lin Zhengxu.”

Tang Xin: “...”

After finishing the meal, they directly went across to Shiguang Cinema City to attend the film premiere, a light suspense comedy. Shiguang Film invested a bit of money in it. Tang Yu didn’t want to disturb others and just wanted to enjoy the movie with her, so he took seats in the middle of the back row.

Indeed, they didn’t disturb the promotional team on stage, but they attracted the attention of surrounding viewers.

Both of them were outstanding in appearance and temperament. Their relationship had been publicly announced some time ago. Everyone remembered Tang Yu’s face clearly, but Tang Xin’s recent photos hadn’t been exposed. The photos leaked online were from two years ago, during summer, and there were some differences from now.

People frequently glanced at them. Tang Xin felt somewhat embarrassed, while Tang Yu seemed oblivious to others’ strange looks, calmly holding her hand, resting it on his lap. Fortunately, the lights dimmed quickly, and frames began to project onto the big screen.

The movie was about to start.

At this moment, a little girl nearby came closer and softly asked Tang Xin: “Are you Tangxin?”

Tang Xin nodded graciously: “Yes.”

The little girl became more excited, whispering loudly: “Wow, how lucky! To see both of you, I really love your books.”

Still a book fan?

Tang Xin was surprised and sincerely said: “Thank you.”

The little girl sneakily glanced at Tang Yu’s profile, lowering her voice: “Tang Yu... Your boyfriend is so handsome. He looks better in person than on TV.”

Tang Xin smiled brightly: “I think so too.”

The next second, her palm was lightly stroked.

Tang Yu heard it.

She quickly turned back, pretending to seriously watch the movie.

...

In the evening, returning to the neighborhood, as they passed by a 24-hour supermarket, Tang Xin suddenly shouted to stop: “I want to buy something.”

Tang Yu rested his hands on the steering wheel and glanced at her: “Buy what?”

Tang Xin casually said: “Some snacks.”

Tang Yu found a place to park the car. Outside, the wind was strong, piercingly cold. She shivered once and was half-pulled into his embrace, quickly heading towards the supermarket. There were very few people in the supermarket at this time, only two or three customers. Tang Xin casually picked up a basket, which Tang Yu took over.

The community supermarket was relatively large. She wandered aimlessly, randomly tossing various snacks into the basket.

After a while, Tang Yu stopped her, lowering his head with a teasing glance: “The thing you want to buy isn’t here.”

Tang Xin: “...”

Her face turned red, looking up at him, huffing: “I’ve bought enough.”