Shu Nian stared at that line of text for several seconds, blinking her eyes, then looked up at Xie Ru He. Noticing his tense expression, she stammered: “I know it’s fake.”

Xie Ru He seemed a bit embarrassed to speak: “I was worried you might believe this part.”

“…” Though she felt she shouldn’t, Shu Nian inexplicably wanted to laugh.

Xie Ru He didn’t say more: “I won’t disturb you now, let’s go back.”

Shu Nian held him back and asked: “Why did it suddenly trend?”

She didn’t use Weibo much and wasn’t clear if he had experienced similar situations before. Now she worried whether he had offended someone and if it would affect him.

Meeting her worried eyes, Xie Ru He gently reassured her: “It’s just some marketing accounts, don’t worry.”

After leaving the building, Xie Ru He got into the car Fang Wen Cheng had parked nearby. His mood was poor, surrounded by gloom, which even made the sound of closing the car door much louder.

With a bang, Fang Wen Cheng’s heart jumped.

Fang Wen Cheng swallowed and reluctantly said: “Young Master, the trending topic has been removed. I had someone investigate the information that was leaked to them by Li Sheng’s manager.”

Xie Ru He’s eyelids twitched: “Who?”

Fang Wen Cheng hurriedly explained: “The one who asked you to change the song before…”

“Ah.” Xie Ru He drawled, calmly saying, “Reason.”

“Li Sheng was recently exposed for having an illegitimate child, and it’s been in the top three trending topics without moving.” Fang Wen Cheng handed his phone to Xie Ru He to show him the content. “Probably trying to find someone to divert attention.”

As for why they chose A’He as the scapegoat, it was likely because his temperament had offended too many people.

Fang Wen Cheng didn’t dare say this out loud.

Xie Ru He glanced at it, then suddenly tossed the phone aside. He laughed lightly, his beautiful peach blossom eyes devoid of warmth, enunciating each word: “How amusing.”

“…” Fang Wen Cheng wisely remained silent.

“Where do all these brainless people come from, always getting in my way.” Xie Ru He leaned back lazily against the seat, coolly saying, “So let’s play along.”

Fang Wen Cheng didn’t dare breathe, thinking about how to respond.

Before he could come up with anything, Xie Ru He had already closed his eyes.

“Drive.”

They drove back to Rhine Riverside Garden.

The car had its usual silence, seemingly tinged with a hint of stiffness. Thinking about how the Weibo post had briefly mentioned him, Fang Wen Cheng constantly felt like he might be fired at any moment.

To ease the atmosphere, Fang Wen Cheng turned on the radio.

It happened to be playing a recently viral internet song.

Xie Ru He frowned, his professional instincts kicking in, and irritably asked: “What garbage is this?”

“…” Fang Wen Cheng immediately turned off the radio.

After driving into the underground parking lot, Fang Wen Cheng got out of the car with Xie Ru He. He volunteered: “Young Master, have you seen the comments? Most are rational, except for some marketing accounts stirring up trouble…”

Xie Ru He didn’t speak.

The two entered the elevator together.

Fang Wen Cheng rambled on about many things, with an extremely obvious meaning between the lines—on the surface he was comforting, but hoping Xie Ru He wouldn’t mind and wouldn’t fire him.

The elevator stopped at the sixteenth floor.

Xie Ru He stepped out, showing no intention of responding to him. He used his fingerprint to open the door, and just as he was about to walk in, he suddenly paused and turned to look at Fang Wen Cheng who was following behind him.

Fang Wen Cheng quickly said: “Young Master, what’s wrong?”

Xie Ru He lowered his eyes again, pointing at the door lock: “Delete your fingerprint.”

“…”

The progress was completed quickly, so the director simply had Shu Nian record the next three episodes’ worth of scenes. By the time she finished recording, the day was almost over.

The sky had darkened, like a black cloth, dyed with thick fog.

Shu Nian took out her phone from her bag, hesitating whether to contact Xie Ru He.

Before she could decide, Shu Nian looked up and immediately noticed Xie Ru He’s figure. He was standing by the elevator, not doing anything else, just quietly staying there.

Shu Nian was stunned for a moment, then quickly ran over: “How long have you been here?”

Xie Ru He raised his hand to stroke her hair: “Not long.”

Shu Nian said softly: “I usually finish this late.”

Xie Ru He made an “mm” sound, not particularly concerned: “It’s cold outside, put on your gloves.”

“Oh… oh, okay.”

Shu Nian took out her gloves, just about to put them on.

Xie Ru He suddenly took her bag and hung it in the crook of his arm. He took the gloves, and pushed her sleeves up a bit, his cold fingertips inadvertently touching her exposed skin.

Shu Nian stared at him with round eyes, freezing in place.

His features were handsome and clean, his dense eyelashes like small brushes, particularly attractive. His lips were pressed into a straight line, his demeanor focused and serious as he methodically put on her gloves, and then pulled down her sleeves.

Like a child who couldn’t do anything, Shu Nian obediently waited for him to finish.

Afterward, Xie Ru He naturally took her hand and entered the elevator.

Neither of them were talkative people.

Before they were together, it was usually Shu Nian who initiated conversation, talking about recent events in her life, or asking about his situation—normal exchanges between friends.

But when their relationship advanced a step further, she didn’t know how to interact anymore.

She just wanted to see him every day.

When she saw him, she felt very happy but also nervous.

She wanted to get closer to him but wasn’t sure about the right distance.

Recalling what the producer had said to her today, Shu Nian decided to use this as a topic and asked: “Do you remember the producer of ‘While He’s Still Here’?”

Xie Ru He thought for a moment, then nodded: “Mm.”

Shu Nian’s voice was tiny and soft as she relayed the producer’s words: “He’s also the producer of the drama I recorded today. He just asked me if I wanted to switch to on-screen work. He said he’s preparing a web drama and wants to find some fresh faces.”

Xie Ru He wasn’t too surprised, just asked: “Do you want to go?”

“No,” Shu Nian said seriously. “I’m not suitable for being in front of cameras, I’d be too nervous. Besides, I only like voice acting. I hope people like me because of my voice—that gives me a sense of achievement.”

Looking at her bright eyes, for some reason, Xie Ru He suddenly wanted to pat her head.

“Do whatever you want to do.”

After a while, Shu Nian suddenly realized.

Saying it like that made it seem as if, if she became an actress, people would like her for her face. Afraid he might misunderstand her words, Shu Nian softly added: “Also, I’m not that good-looking.”

There were too many attractive people in the entertainment industry.

Shu Nian didn’t want to embarrass herself either.

Hearing this, Xie Ru He stopped walking and turned to look at her. The streetlight cast a warm yellow glow, falling on him, reflecting fragmented light in his eyes, attentive and gentle.

His peach blossom eyes naturally had a bewitching quality, now seeming to emanate electricity as they gazed at her intently.

Shu Nian felt uncomfortable under his gaze: “What’s wrong?”

Xie Ru He looked away: “No need to be modest.”

Shu Nian was stunned.

They walked a long way further.

Shu Nian was led by him, her mind repeatedly going over the four words he had just said, momentarily confused, not understanding why he suddenly came up with such a statement.

After a while, the slow-witted Shu Nian finally understood what he meant.

Her face instantly turned bright red, almost steaming.

This kind of naive interaction continued for about a week before Shu Nian gradually adapted to the change in their relationship status and the occasional intimate gestures.

She felt very happy now, extremely happy.

Every morning when she woke up, Shu Nian no longer needed to mentally adjust herself, needed to think about how frightening the outside world was, and how many bad people were lurking in the shadows. Those constant fears seemed to have completely disappeared.

Shu Nian only needed to apply her favorite lipstick color and change into nice clothes. Carrying her expectations for the day, she would forcefully push open the door to meet the person she wanted to see outside.

The first person she saw after opening her eyes was him.

The last person she saw before sleep was also him.

Occasionally it gave Shu Nian the feeling of returning to her middle school days, that carefree time.

Every day she would wake up and go to sleep on time, doing things her parents and teachers had arranged. After waking up, she would quickly drink the milk her mother handed her, put on her backpack, run out quickly, smilingly apologize to Xie Ru He who had been waiting for her for who knows how long, and then seriously ask him if he had finished his homework.

What a wonderful time that was.

After a week of continuous studio work, occasionally working overtime to meet deadlines, Shu Nian had no other jobs once this role was recorded.

With several days off, Shu Nian discussed with Xie Ru He whether they should go out to play, but due to the cold weather, several planned ideas were vetoed.

In the end, Xie Ru He only suggested that she rest well at home.

Shu Nian was a little disappointed but didn’t say much.

She agreed, rolled around aimlessly on the bed for a while, and soon carried her quilt to the living room, finding a comedy film to watch. Because her mind was constantly on her phone, half the movie went by without Shu Nian knowing what it was about.

But the person on the other end of the phone hadn’t contacted her again.

Shu Nian exhaled gloomily, unable to resist kicking her feet a bit.

Just then, the doorbell at the entrance rang.

Shu Nian paused, inexplicably forming a guess, a very strong premonition. She picked up her phone and walked to the entrance, looking out through the peephole.

She could see that the person standing outside was Xie Ru He.

Shu Nian immediately opened the door.

Xie Ru He was dressed casually today. A black coat pulled up to his neck, and loose sweatpants, looking like a college student. He entered, took off his shoes, and asked: “Why aren’t you wearing a jacket?”

Shu Nian’s living room didn’t have air conditioning, and although the doors and windows were tightly closed, the temperature was still quite cool.

Not expecting him to come over, Shu Nian pointed blankly at the sofa: “I was just under the quilt.”

Xie Ru He nodded, took off his coat, and wrapped it around her: “I brought you cake.”

He walked toward the sofa first.

Shu Nian followed behind him, like a little tail.

They sat on the sofa.

Xie Ru He took the cake out of the bag, opened it, and placed a piece in front of Shu Nian.

Shu Nian had just finished lunch not long ago and couldn’t eat anymore, so she didn’t touch it. She made no effort to hide her happiness, smiling and wanting to hold his hand.

Xie Ru He avoided it almost immediately.

Shu Nian didn’t react in time.

Xie Ru He had just been out in the wind, and his hands were stiff with cold. Afraid she would be unhappy, he explained in a low voice: “My hands are too cold.”

“…”

He looked at Shu Nian, his ears a bit hot, slowly adding: “We can hold hands later.”

Shu Nian didn’t listen to him and still moved closer to hold his hand, using both of her hands to try to warm his.

Xie Ru He’s expression froze, his lips curling up involuntarily.

After a while, Xie Ru He was still worried she might catch a cold. Coincidentally noticing the hot water bottle placed nearby, he hesitantly said: “There’s a hot water bottle.”

Shu Nian looked over, paused for two seconds, and then looked back: “My hands are pretty warm too.”

Xie Ru He said: “Hm?”

Shu Nian’s voice was indistinct, with a small emphasis: “Should be warmer than a hot water bottle.”

Hearing this, Xie Ru He looked at her, his expression thoughtful.

Not knowing what was wrong with herself, she just wanted to be more intimate with him, yet feared he wouldn’t like it. Shu Nian swallowed and believed she was being very tactful: “You can treat me like a hot water bottle.”

“…”

The living room was quiet for a moment.

“Like this?” As if unable to resist, Xie Ru He laughed softly with a long breath, his eyes flashing with brilliant light. He spoke slowly, deliberately prolonging his words: “Alright then.”

Shu Nian silently breathed a sigh of relief.

The next moment, Xie Ru grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward him.

Shu Nian was completely unprepared and fell against his chest. Not understanding why he would do this, she half-knelt on the sofa, her hands propped on his shoulders, nervously asking: “Wh-what’s wrong?”

Xie Ru He loosely supported her back with one hand, slightly lowering his head to meet her gaze. His voice was low and hoarse, casual yet with a hint of amusement.

“I like hugging my hot water bottle.”