YABE - 3

He was so handsome—far more striking in person than on TV.

This was the first thought that popped into Wen Siyu’s mind upon seeing Jiang Xu.

Even if she died right now, it would be worth it.

That was her second thought.

The girl forced down the frantic fluttering of her heart and followed Director Li over. From a distance, Jiang Xu had seemed tall, but up close, she realized just how towering he truly was—she barely reached his chin.

When they approached, Jiang Xu slipped his phone back into his pocket, his expression calm and indifferent.

It was as though their earlier charged moment of eye contact had never happened.

Of course, perhaps that “charged moment” had only existed in her imagination…

After introducing her to everyone, Director Li chuckled warmly: “This is our new intern assistant. She’s still in school, so exams delayed her arrival by a couple of days.”

Wen Siyu gave a slight bow, polite and demure. “Hello, everyone. I’ll be troubling you all during my time here.”

There weren’t many people present, but each was sharp as a tack. Most likely, they had already guessed that this newcomer was an old acquaintance of Director Li. They exchanged a few friendly words before heading out of the hotel for a late-night snack.

Wen Siyu left her luggage at the front desk and eagerly trailed behind them.

They chose a Cantonese restaurant nearby. Given its proximity to the film studio, it wasn’t uncommon to see actors dining there. The staff showed no particular reaction, leading them to a private room before taking their orders and leaving.

Once seated, Wen Siyu finally had the chance to take a closer look at the group. There were nine people in total, none of whom looked familiar from TV or movies. Clearly, these were crew members rather than actors.

It made sense—actors rarely dared to eat late-night snacks, fearing bloating that might ruin their appearance on camera the next day.

Except, of course, for someone like Jiang Xu, whose metabolism seemed immune to such concerns.

As they waited for the food, Director Li introduced everyone one by one, starting with the assistant director and ending with the man sitting casually across from her, chin resting on his hand.

Director Li grinned. “I don’t think I need to introduce this gentleman, do I?”

Wen Siyu nodded vigorously, her voice brimming with flattery. “Teacher Jiang is a household name. I’ve admired him since I was young.”

Jiang Xu raised an eyebrow, his piercing gaze locking onto her dark pupils. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he spoke his first words of the evening: “Since you were young? It seems I’m getting old.”

His voice was low and magnetic, like the rich tones of a cello resonating in the lower registers.

She had already swooned countless times hearing him deliver lines in films and TV shows. Now, sitting at the same table and listening to him speak in person, she felt as though her entire being was boiling over.

The mere existence of such a deep, velvety voice was practically cheating!

Forcing herself to stay composed, the girl swallowed hard and explained: “When Teacher Jiang filmed Eternal Life , I was in second grade.”

—Meaning, her claim of admiring him “since childhood” was technically accurate.

Director Li burst into laughter after hearing this. “Ah yes, I remember those days. Little Wen was just a tiny thing back then, glued to the TV screen every day, insisting she’d grow up to marry Brother Chu Han from the movie. My friend, who feared nothing else in the world, was utterly helpless against his daughter. She watched the DVD of Eternal Life over and over again—I personally witnessed her doing so at least two or three times when I visited their home.”

At this, everyone immediately understood. So this girl was the daughter of an old friend.

But Wen Siyu was mortified. It felt as though she had written a love letter to her crush, only for his deskmate to discover it, read it aloud word-for-word in front of the entire class. Her face flushed bright red, and she buried her head, wishing she could sink into the floor beneath the table.

Fortunately, the waiter arrived with the dishes, mercifully ending the topic of conversation.

For the rest of the meal, Wen Siyu maintained absolute silence, eating quietly without daring to glance at Jiang Xu even once. Occasionally, she listened attentively as others discussed filmmaking matters.

Since they had work early the next morning, no one lingered too late. Even so, by the time they returned to the hotel, it was already past ten o’clock.

After a full day of traveling and折腾late-night activities, the girl was utterly exhausted. She slumped against the marble counter at the reception desk, waiting to retrieve her luggage and collect her room key. Muttering a quick “thank you,” she trudged toward the elevator, head bowed.

Leaning against the metal wall of the elevator, she rested her head on the side panel like a little gecko, staring blankly as the doors slowly closed.

Just as the gap between the doors was about to seal shut, a hand suddenly slipped through.

Wen Siyu’s eyelids drooped as her gaze slowly traveled upward inch by inch.

Jiang Xu stepped inside, carrying a convenience store bag.

In an instant, Wen Siyu straightened up.

Seeing her, Jiang Xu seemed momentarily surprised but quickly smiled. He reached across her to press a button for his floor.

His shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing toned forearms with smooth, defined muscles. His skin was fair, his hands large, his fingers long and elegant with distinct knuckles. His palm bones protruded slightly, and his nails were neatly trimmed, bearing healthy crescent moons at their bases.

Wen Siyu held her breath, terrified that even the slightest exhale might brush against his forearm.

The elevator ascended slowly, the crimson Arabic numerals ticking upward one by one. The confined metallic space was filled with awkward silence.

Clearing her throat softly, Wen Siyu attempted to break the tension: “Teacher Jiang, didn’t you go up earlier?”

The moment the words left her mouth, she regretted them. What business was it of hers whether he had gone up or not? What business?!

Jiang Xu, however, showed no reaction. Lifting the white plastic bag slightly, he explained: “There wasn’t enough bottled water in my room.”

At that moment, Wen Siyu nearly lost her composure.

Her idol was explaining himself to her!!!

He was actually explaining things to her!!!

This was practically a proposal hint in some sense!!!

“And you really liked Eternal Life ?”

Wen Siyu: “….”

Not only was he explaining himself, but he was also initiating conversation with her!

And asking her directly if she liked his movie!

Wasn’t this the perfect opportunity to discuss whether to prioritize the baby or the mother?!

With great effort, Wen Siyu managed a quiet “Mm,” lowering her head to stare at her toes. In her mind, however, a full-blown romantic drama unfolded—a story of meeting, falling in love, marrying, raising children, celebrating silver, gold, diamond, and moonlight gemstone anniversaries, growing old together, and dancing to square-dance music in the neighborhood plaza under the moonlight.

Meanwhile, a tiny version of herself began performing a hula dance in celebration.

Halfway through the dance, she suddenly worried that responding with just one syllable might come across as too aloof. But aside from “Mm,” she couldn’t think of anything else to say.

Hesitantly raising her head, she looked at Jiang Xu, opening her mouth as if to speak but stopping herself.

Jiang Xu: “?”

Frowning, Wen Siyu appeared to be struggling with what to say: “I really like all of Teacher Jiang’s movies…”

The man chuckled. “What about his TV dramas?”

She shook her head furiously like a bobblehead doll. “I like those too! I just prefer the movies a bit more.”

Jiang Xu drew out the word “Oh” in a teasing tone and continued: “So among the movies, Eternal Life is your favorite?”

“Mm.”

Jiang Xu raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised. “When I filmed Eternal Life , I was still a rookie. My acting was quite immature back then. I always thought Eternal Life paled in comparison to my other works.”

The girl blinked, her round, dark eyes fixed on him, clearly disagreeing.

Tilting her head slightly, she was about to say something when the elevator dinged, signaling their arrival. The doors slid open with a soft chime.

Realizing it was her floor, Wen Siyu hastily dragged her suitcase out of the elevator. Standing at the doorway, she turned around to see Jiang Xu still inside, watching her.

Opening her mouth as if to say something, she hesitated, then gave a small bow instead. “Well then, goodnight, Teacher Jiang.”

Compared to the bright lights of the elevator, the hallway lighting was dim and yellowish, casting a soft glow over the girl’s hair, making it appear slightly fluffy.

For some inexplicable reason, it evoked an urge to reach out and touch it.

The elevator doors slowly closed, one on each side, inch by inch obscuring the man’s face behind the metallic panels, accompanied by his final words—

“Mm, goodnight.”

Wen Siyu: “….”

Hmm?

Hmmmm??

The numbers on the elevator display continued to climb until they reached the 23rd floor, where it stopped.

Wen Siyu’s heartbeat followed suit, halting altogether.

—Mm, goodnight.

Then, like a car revving its engine, her heart raced forward at full speed, accelerating straight to 120 mph.

In a daze, she walked to her room, swiped her card to enter, and found herself alone in what should have been a shared room since she had arrived late.

Inserting the keycard to turn on the lights, she placed her luggage by the door and drifted into the room like a ghost. With a soft thud, she collapsed onto the plush bed.

The sound of his deep, slightly baritone voice echoed in her ears—clear as spring water hitting stone.

—Mm, goodnight.

Wen Siyu bolted upright, grabbed her phone, and sent a message to Gu Yao on WeChat.

[Mrs. Jiang Xu, Keeper of Handsomeness: I had late-night snacks with Jiang Xu tonight.]

Gu Yao replied instantly: [Oh, your joy has been received loud and clear.]

[Mrs. Jiang Xu, Keeper of Handsomeness: When we got back to the hotel, he even rode the elevator with me.]

[Mrs. Jiang Xu, Keeper of Handsomeness: Just the two of us.]

[Cold Person: …Are you regretting not booking a room on the 50th floor right now?]

[Mrs. Jiang Xu, Keeper of Handsomeness: He lives on the 23rd floor.]

Gu Yao approved: [Smart move. You can sneak into his room later tonight.]

“…”

Rolling her eyes, Wen Siyu scooted up the bed until she reached the headboard. Leaning against the pillows, she picked up her phone.

[Mrs. Jiang Xu, Keeper of Handsomeness: He even said goodnight to me.]

[Cold Person: Looks like your WeChat username is about to come true.]

Just as Gu Yao sent that message, Wen Siyu received an invitation to join the production team’s WeChat group.

Suddenly reminded of her embarrassing username, her hand trembled as she immediately changed it to something in English.

Next, she tapped the icon in the top-right corner to view the group members. Scrolling down, she finally spotted the name near the bottom—Jiang Xu.

His profile picture was a black uppercase letter X on a white background.

Without hesitation, she clicked on his profile, then navigated to his Moments page.

The cover photo depicted a snow-capped mountain, its rugged peaks blanketed in pristine white snow. Below the profile picture lay an empty void.

A clear system notification seemed to echo in her ears: You are not friends with this user and do not have permission to view their Moments.

Tossing her phone onto the bed, Wen Siyu flipped over, propped her chin on her hand, and stared blankly at the screen.

Maybe she should just send a friend request?

________________________________________

Author’s Note:

Jiang Xu: Didn’t you realize I was flirting with you when I said goodnight?