DXXZL - 57

Outside the private room, Li Xixi, Xu Xiangyang, and the others leaned against the wall in a line. Lu Ji stood at the far end, smoking, his swollen red eye clearly visible. Lin Jiayu looked up at him, worriedly asking, “Are you okay? Does it hurt?”

Lu Ji glanced down at her, forcing a smirk. “What’s there to be worried about? At worst, I’ll just look uglier.”

Lin Jiayu fell silent. Zhou Yuan, who had been holding back for a long time, finally couldn’t resist asking, “I feel like I don’t fit in with you guys. What’s going on? Can someone explain it to me?”

Ding Xiang sighed, “Actually, I’m as clueless as you.”

Still, no one spoke. The story was too complicated, and even Li Xixi didn’t know where to begin.

Suddenly, the door opened.

Zhu Xingyao burst out, pausing when she saw the line of people standing outside. Li Xixi curiously peeked inside and saw Jiang Tu standing up. He remained still, watching Zhu Xingyao, his expression difficult to read in the dim light.

Li Xixi whispered, “You guys…”

Zhu Xingyao’s eyes were still red. She lowered her head. “Let’s go home. It’s already late.”

Years of misunderstanding had almost overturned Zhu Xingyao’s entire teenage years. Even though everything had now been explained, it was hard to process all at once. Thinking about it made Li Xixi’s heart ache for Zhu Xingyao. She linked arms with her and said, “Let’s call it a night. My driver will take you home.”

The group walked to the underground parking garage and dispersed. Jiang Tu watched as Zhu Xingyao got into the nanny van.

After the van drove away, he silently lowered his head.

Love letters, first kiss, starlight lamp, report…

At three o’clock in the morning, Zhu Xingyao lay in bed, her head throbbing painfully. But she still couldn’t fall asleep. She thought back to that faint kiss in the hospital years ago. Had Jiang Tu kissed her and then left? And just then, Lu Ji had walked in and held her hand—how could such a coincidence happen?

Zhu Xingyao remembered earlier when she had pushed Jiang Tu away and scolded him for being excessive, only to see his silent, resigned expression. Her heart ached again.

Jiang Tu had really gone too far. He had even let her misunderstand about their first kiss, never telling her anything, making her look like a fool.

Her phone screen lit up.

Jiang Tu asked, “Stars, what can I do for you to forgive me?”

Zhu Xingyao stared at her phone for a long time before putting it down and climbing out of bed.

The night air was a little chilly, so she wrapped a scarf around herself and stepped out of her room.

The attic room in their house served as a storage space, filled with old belongings. Zhu Xingyao twisted open the attic door.

A wave of stale air hit her face. Years of accumulated items were piled here, messy and chaotic. Zhu Xingyao bent down and began rummaging through the pile. There was so much stuff—her childhood toys, shoes, notebooks, and more.

She searched for half an hour, her hands covered in dust, but still couldn’t find what she was looking for.

“Stars? Are you upstairs?”

Ding Yu’s voice came from downstairs.

Zhu Xingyao quickly responded, “It’s me. I’ll be down in a moment.”

Frowning, Zhu Xingyao brushed the dust off her hands, hurriedly closed the door, and went downstairs.

Ding Yu stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at her with concern. “Why are you up in the attic so late at night instead of sleeping?”

“I’m looking for something…” Zhu Xingyao quickly descended the steps. After breaking up with Lu Ji, she had gathered those eighty-seven love letters and the gifts he had given her, asking Ding Yu to dispose of them since they were no longer together. Keeping those things didn’t seem appropriate.

Ding Yu asked, “What are you looking for? I’ll help you search tomorrow.”

Zhu Xingyao didn’t want to admit that she had gotten up because of insomnia to search for the love letters. She said, “It’s nothing. If I can’t find it, then so be it.”

“Can’t sleep, huh?” Ding Yu sighed. “I knew that after you and Xixi attended the school anniversary, you’d make it onto the trending topics and news headlines. Your studio is almost ready. Your father and I have reviewed some options, and we still think Hua Ling is the most reliable choice for your agent.”

The news of Zhu Xingyao and Li Xixi attending their alma mater’s anniversary celebration had trended on Weibo and entertainment headlines. Back when Li Xixi participated in talent shows, social media wasn’t as widespread, and platforms like Weibo didn’t even exist. At that time, there wasn’t much media coverage about their high school days. Even if there was, it was limited. Additionally, Zhu Xingyao had kept a low profile after 2013, so there were few reports about her romantic life.

After the anniversary celebration made headlines, various alumni, younger students, and fans began sharing爆料 (exposés).

Li Xixi and Xu Xiangyang’s relationship had long been an open secret in their circle. This time, netizens focused mostly on Zhu Xingyao.

“Zhu Xingyao dated someone in high school too, and he was the school’s top student and male god. His way of confessing was hardcore—covering the place with starlight lamps. Incredible!”

“There are photos! You can check them out on Jiangcheng No. 1 High School’s forum. I’m from Jiangcheng No. 1, and I even took a photo with Zhu Xingyao and Li Xixi today. Ahhh, the goddess is so beautiful—gorgeous and elegant.”

“But sadly, the goddess and the male god broke up. No matter how sweet and romantic the first love was, it couldn’t survive a long-distance relationship.”

“Who says early dating always leads to results? Li Xixi and her boyfriend are often rumored to break up.”

Previously, Zhu Xingyao’s work affairs were temporarily handled by the PR manager of Zhu Yunping’s company. Hua Ling was her former agent. Zhu Xingyao said, “She’s been in touch with me. I’ll meet her again when I go to Beijing in a couple of days.”

Ding Yu nodded approvingly and sent Zhu Xingyao back to her room to sleep.

________________________________________

The next morning, Jiang Tu, who had barely slept all night, got up at seven as usual. He flipped through screenshots and questions sent by Old Yuan over breakfast.

Old Yuan: “Zhu Xingyao dated Lu Ji in high school. You and Lu Ji were classmates, so does that mean you also attended Jiangcheng No. 1 High School?”

Old Yuan: “So, were you and Zhu Xingyao schoolmates? Or classmates?”

Old Yuan: “Zhu Xingyao was the goddess of your school. How come you never mentioned her…?”

During his four years in college, Jiang Tu had indeed never mentioned anything about high school. There wasn’t much worth mentioning. Zhu Xingyao… she was his secret, buried deep in his heart, and definitely not something he would bring up. Jiang Tu paused for a moment before replying to Old Yuan: “I was in the same class as Zhu Xingyao.”

Old Yuan quickly sent back a shocked emoji, followed by: “Holy sh*t!!!!”

Old Yuan sent another message: “Jiang Tu, you’re terrifying. Du Yunfei used to talk about Zhu Xingyao all the time in the dorm, and you never mentioned that you knew her.”

After a while, Old Yuan added: “Then again, it’s not surprising. You never mentioned anyone.”

Jiang Tu had always been solitary, aloof, and proud. Old Yuan and Du Yunfei had always assumed he had no friends in high school, knowing only that he occasionally received calls from a childhood friend who cared about him.

Jiang Tu had never liked holidays. They held no meaning for him, and he worked during those times just as he did any other day.

October 6th—a long day passed.

At ten o’clock in the evening, Jiang Tu received a reply from Zhu Xingyao: “Please give me some space.”

Zhu Xingyao placed her phone on the bed. She sat on the carpet, next to an open suitcase, packing her belongings.

Li Xixi called. Over the phone, she asked with concern, “How are things between you and Jiang Tu?”

Zhu Xingyao was silent for a moment before saying dejectedly, “I don’t know what to do.”

Every time Zhu Xingyao thought about the hardships Jiang Tu endured in high school and the incidents during the college entrance exam, she felt heartbroken. She could understand his restraint and patience, but the things he had done—pushing her toward someone else—hurt deeply.

Now that all the truths had been revealed, Jiang Tu liked her even more than she had imagined.

If he liked her so much…

Why hadn’t he said anything?

He had chosen to write a report rather than confess his feelings to her.

Her emotions were incredibly tangled right now.

Anger and heartache intertwined.

She wasn’t sure whether she was feeling sorry for herself or for him.

After hearing this, even Li Xixi couldn’t help but grab her hair in frustration. Still, she huffed, “Well, he deserves a bit of suffering. Don’t forgive him too quickly. Wait until you’re comfortable. Don’t overthink it—it’ll only affect your mood and sleep.”

It had already affected her, Zhu Xingyao thought.

After the National Day holiday ended, the wounds on Jiang Tu’s face hadn’t fully healed. When he arrived at the office, his employees stared at him for a while. Old Yuan followed him into his office and asked with concern, “What happened to your face? Did you get into a fight?”

Jiang Tu had rarely cared about his appearance since childhood. In high school, he was often bruised or injured, and he had grown used to it. It wasn’t until his subordinates stared at him today that he realized it might create a poor impression. He paused and said, “It’s nothing. Just an accident.”

Old Yuan looked at him and asked, “You’re not wearing glasses today?”

His glasses had been broken during the fight that night, and he hadn’t replaced them yet. Jiang Tu replied, “I’m wearing contacts.”

Jiang Tu’s two pairs of glasses from high school had both been chosen with Zhu Xingyao’s help. The pair he got after the college entrance exam had lasted him through university. While abroad, he only bought one new pair and replaced the lenses once.

That night, after finishing a program interview, Zhu Xingyao returned to her hotel.

Xiao Kui was helping her organize her clothes. She turned and asked, “Stars, didn’t you bring Xiao Jiang this time?”

Zhu Xingyao was removing her makeup. Lowering her eyes, she coughed a few times before replying, “No.”

Xiao Kui sounded disappointed but quickly smiled. “Bring it next time! It’s so cute. Next time when you practice the cello or do something, I can hold it for you and record videos or livestream for Mr. Jiang to watch.”

Mr. Jiang?

Zhu Xingyao was startled. It was the first time she had heard someone refer to Jiang Tu that way.

After finishing her makeup removal, she walked out of the bathroom. Sure enough, “Mr. Jiang” sent her a WeChat message.

Jiang Tu: “Stars, accompany me to get new glasses next time.”

Zhu Xingyao coughed again. Xiao Kui stood up to pour her a glass of water, concerned. “Are you catching a cold? You’ve been coughing a lot today.” Xiao Kui reached out to feel her forehead, then touched her own, muttering, “You seem to have a slight fever.”

The illness came on quickly and fiercely.

Two days later, Zhu Xingyao disembarked from the plane, looking completely drained.

Old Liu, seeing her condition, immediately asked, “Miss, do you have a fever?”

Xiao Kui explained, “She had an IV before boarding. The fever has subsided, but we’re worried it might spike again at night.”

Zhu Xingyao curled up weakly in her seat, her voice faint. “It’s fine. Let’s hurry home.”

“But Mr. Zhu and Mrs. Ding aren’t home tonight. Xiao Kui, stay over and keep an eye on her. If the fever spikes at night, it won’t be good,” Old Liu said worriedly. He couldn’t take care of her himself.

Zhu Yunping was on a business trip, and Ding Yu had gone to another city for expert consultations. After taking a bath and eating something, Zhu Xingyao crawled into bed. Outside, the sky had just darkened, and a bedside lamp illuminated her room.

Xiao Kui quietly organized the luggage. Turning her head, she noticed Xiao Jiang, covered by a handkerchief on the table.

She picked it up and examined it closely.

Accidentally, her finger pressed the button.

The screen lit up!

Startled, Xiao Kui fumbled to turn it off, but it wouldn’t shut down!

Panicking, she exclaimed, “Xiao Jiang, don’t act up…”

Xiao Jiang was misbehaving again.

Xiao Kui grew anxious. Her fingers swiped across the screen, which suddenly went black. She froze. Three seconds later, Jiang Tu’s face appeared on the screen. Seeing Xiao Kui’s enlarged face, he was momentarily stunned.

He asked, “Are you in Stars’ room?”

Xiao Kui didn’t know that Xiao Jiang was a test model and could malfunction. With a distressed expression, she apologized, “Sorry… I accidentally pressed it and couldn’t turn it off. I didn’t mean to summon you!” She added, “Stars is sick, so I’m staying to take care of her.”