The Weibo trending topic was completely removed the next day.

At that time, the heat had just reached second on the rankings, with momentum to rush to first place within half an hour. The joint topic “Long Qi Jin Yiken” had also made the top five. The public’s voyeuristic desire for gossip was so righteous and justified, coming fiercely without stopping. Lao Ping had no way to cool it down. Originally he wanted to say forget it—at least there was no dirt. Wait for it to naturally dissipate then push it down with other topics. Who knew that after midnight, all Weibo topics related to Jin Yiken were cleared to zero, removed from rankings, the heat instantly dissipating.

It wasn’t Lao Ping who did it.

So… that was good.

At least it showed he was paying attention.

Those methods he’d used for years to help “hide” her on the internet were finally, one day, used on himself.

The car was also delivered on the third day after contacting Ban Wei. Metallic blue paint job, extremely eye-catching. That day was overcast, coinciding with the school’s CET-4 and CET-6 exams. She took leave from the crew. Ban Wei personally delivered the car and took her to school. All along the way, mask and sunglasses worn tightly. He said parking this car at the school gate was eye-catching enough. Then seeing her get out of the car, even more eye-catching. Then seeing him in the driver’s seat, the second half of his year’s romantic scandals were guaranteed to be contracted by her.

He was planning to keep all openings available for the little demoness Wu Jiakui.

Long Qi memorized English vocabulary in the passenger seat, finding the music Ban Wei played in the car annoying (his own). After turning it off, she found Ban Wei annoying, so turned the music back on. After several rounds of this tossing, they finally reached the school gate. As soon as the car stopped, she got out, too lazy to listen to him say one more sentence.

Really didn’t know how such an unrestrained chatterbox could have tens of millions of fans on social media.

Exam time was nine to eleven-thirty in the morning. After ten she handed in her paper and left the exam room. The proctor glanced at her. Numerous gazes from the surrounding area followed. These gazes soundlessly followed her out of the classroom door, then receded like a tide. She walked in the corridor, chatting with the landlady about settling the rent, while also transferring half a year’s rent to Si Bolin’s account. Finally, she checked her account balance.

Back to square one.

Eyes not watching the road, not even having time to sigh, her shoulder suddenly collided with someone coming toward her. The force was somewhat strong, pulling her elbow backward. She looked back along the momentum. The person who’d just brushed past was also looking at her—a girl with quite good looks, but her facial expression was confrontational, seemingly deliberate. The two people’s gazes intersected. As distance widened, Long Qi looked at her with a cold face. Only then did she become slightly intimidated. After their eyes met for three seconds, she withdrew. The two brushed past each other.

Her phone rang. Ban Wei sent a message urging her.

After returning, Ban Wei had already composed a song while stuck in the car. Said it was written for her (previously owed), considered the assignment turned in. Then hypocritically asked how she did on the exam, and whether there were any pure-type beauties in the same department whose looks could compare with Wu Jiakui or Dong Xi.

He still remembered Dong Xi.

Light rain fell, pattering on the car window glass. She looked at Ban Wei. Ban Wei also looked at her. Then he raised his eyebrows and changed topics: “Next we’ll go to that whatever Huning Complex you’re renting to pack your luggage, then go to Yiming Bay, right? I’ll navigate.”

“No pure types. But I ran into several who at first glance clearly aren’t善茬 good people like me.”

“Oh ho, normal, normal,” Ban Wei turned the steering wheel onto the road, laughing as he picked up the conversational thread. “This circle naturally attracts attention like a tall tree catches wind. At your age having so many resources naturally invites hatred. Never mind those tender young things at school—just among the female artists I know, there are two who want to strangle you to death.”

“Do I know them?”

“You don’t. That’s what’s most magical about this circle,” Ban Wei clicked his tongue. “Jealous hatred always comes from nowhere.”

Then as if consoling her, he added a sentence: “There are three who want to strangle Wu Jiakui to death. Look at her—she’s also living quite happily.”

“Really got hooked, huh? Two out of three sentences mention her.” She drew up her knees, saying this casually.

“Wu Jiakui is this type—pure on the surface, demonic inside. Interesting. She’s mixed in the circle since childhood. Best at saying clever words, does plenty of clever things too. Knows exactly what she wants. Family background is reliable, emotional history clean as a whistle. Yet she flirts, yet she’s hard to chase. Those infatuated with her to the point of losing their fortunes are no fewer than yours.”

As Ban Wei spoke, the car was passing through Zhongyu University’s campus area, stopping at a traffic light. The sports car’s heavy engine rumbled low. Rain fell. Students entering and exiting the school gate looked this way.

Ban Wei sat in his seat replying to endlessly ringing phone messages. The windshield wipers operated. She propped up her forehead in the passenger seat.

After scattered groups of people passed, Dong Xi’s figure appeared.

Ban Wei looked up and saw, whistled lightly. Long Qi looked along his line of sight.

Water marks mottled the windshield.

Bitterness in her heart.

Dong Xi’s body was half-blocked by people in front. She stood under a transparent umbrella, dressed plainly, slowly exiting the school gate. Wind in the rain blew her hair. She hugged her arms.

The green light countdown at the crosswalk jumped.

Ban Wei turned his head to look at Long Qi. Long Qi silently looked at that place.

The air was full of damp loneliness. Wind cold, rain cold.

As the crowd at the school gate slowly moved, Dong Xi gradually came fully into view. The umbrella over her head was held by someone beside her. That person beside her wasn’t Lin Hui, wasn’t Zhang Muyi, also wasn’t her roommate.

It was a tall, short-haired girl she’d never seen before.

Just as she was about to withdraw her gaze, Ban Wei deliberately stepped on the gas. The car suddenly let out a roar. Everyone’s gaze at the school gate was drawn over. Dong Xi also looked over indifferently. Long Qi snapped back to reality and knocked Ban Wei’s arm.

Ban Wei said with a smile: “Foot slipped.”

Dong Xi still looked this way.

The girl beside her, because of her gaze, also looked this way from afar, until the green light countdown on the crosswalk ended and the red light at the intersection changed to green.

Long Qi said: “Drive.”

The engine sounded. The car roared once, accelerating past the intersection. Surrounding scenery rapidly moved backward.

About half an hour later, the car entered Yiming Bay’s underground parking garage. Just as they found the parking space belonging to Si Bolin’s apartment, they saw Jin Yiken’s parking space next door. In the space was parked an all-black Koenigsegg. Ban Wei’s whistle started up again, staring at that car: “Ancestor, he already has this car, and you’re still giving him a Lamborghini?”

After parking, he immediately got out, touched Jin Yiken’s car body. A layer of dust on his fingertips. He turned around, face full of “outrageous”: “This kind of car and he actually parks it in the garage collecting dust?”

“Car keys left at home,” she took luggage from the trunk. “Every time he returns to the country he hides it from his family. What, you expect him not to let it collect dust and drive it for you?”

“Drive it, yeah! I don’t mind!” Ban Wei helped her carry luggage. “Next time I shoot an MV, lend it to me.”

Long Qi didn’t respond.

After the trunk closed, Ban Wei asked again: “That’s all your stuff? One trip is enough to move?”

“Most of my clothes are locked at his place. Moved them earlier, long ago.”

“Jin Yiken isn’t being fair—didn’t even leave you some things to get through winter.”

“He didn’t burn them, that’s already good.”

They took the elevator to the 27th floor, unlocked and entered using the password Si Bolin gave. As the door opened, motion-sensor lights lit up one by one. The living room was bright. The layout of the entire apartment was similar to Jin Yiken’s downstairs, the decoration style more Nordic, color scheme composed of white, wood, and black. Many carpets—round ones, square ones, wool, goose down—spread in the kitchen, living room, and even in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows. The overall feel was substantial and warm.

Besides a few bottles of mineral water, there was nothing else in the refrigerator. Looked like it also hadn’t been lived in for a long time. She put all the luggage where it should go, ordered several cases of drinks from the convenience store downstairs, ordered some dried flowers from a flower shop. Ban Wei’s tasks for the whole day were finished. He lay corpse-like on the sofa. After she filled the refrigerator, she pulled open the gauze curtain in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows. The rain had just stopped. The sun was setting in the west. Whole masses of orange-red light at the horizon, illuminating the floor in orange.

“Have you ever seen a double rainbow?”

Her chest rose and fell slightly from brief rest. She asked.

Ban Wei sent messages on the sofa: “Never seen one.”

“Then your life is lacking.” She turned and passed by Ban Wei’s sofa, kicked toward his leg. “Help me one more favor. I’ll treat you to drinks tonight.”

“Just based on me being your driver all day today, you have to treat me to this drink. Plus there has to be girls.”

She sat on the sofa, lighting a cigarette: “Help me find a reliable driving school instructor. I don’t have much time. Best if I can concentrate training and testing in a few days, get my license as soon as possible.”

Ban Wei’s eyelids lifted: “Okay, our Qi. I haven’t even agreed yet, and your demands are pretty high. Where do you have a car to drive?”

“Didn’t I just buy one?”

Ban Wei cheerfully sat up: “Weren’t you going to give it away?”

“Sooner or later it’ll be mine.”

“Okay!” Ban Wei clicked his tongue and clapped. “This confidence is huge!”

Then pretended to flip through contacts: “I can find the instructor you mentioned, but I’m afraid your drinks won’t be enough.”

“You want girls.” Long Qi didn’t even look at him.

“Since it’s a man and woman alone, how about we have a go?”

Long Qi looked at him. The cigarette between her fingers burned. Ban Wei immediately raised his hand toward her, pointing at the phone by his ear: “Looking, looking. Will handle it right away. Drinks are fine, brother. Nothing more to say.”

Immediately after, he diligently made calls. She sent a message to Si Bolin.

—I’ve moved in.

The car and apartment spent all her savings, so after settling in, she obediently returned to the crew to film. This period was also when her smoking addiction was heaviest. Lao Ping couldn’t persuade her at all. Media photographed quite a few candid photos. Combined with previous nightclub visits, hotpot restaurant conflict incidents, sexual orientation doubts, and gossip from her student days that exploded after a breakup drama—her “delinquent girl” persona was firmly established. It completely collapsed the cool literary persona Lao Ping had delusionally wanted to pursue before. She gained several more haters, but fortunately most fans had high acceptance. An unexpected joy was that a women’s luxury brand that always took breaking convention as its philosophy sent cooperation intentions. Lao Ping tasted the sweetness of persona transformation, felt he’d worried needlessly before, and wasn’t managing as strictly anymore.

Ban Wei did what he said—quickly settled the driver’s license matter.

Tired enough during the day to sleep at night, so learning to drive happened to squeeze out what little rest time remained. Every day she dragged half a life to bed, four or five in the morning was called up again. Day after day, round and round.

That day she got up earlier than usual, looking at the schedule Lao Ping sent. No makeup, drowsily walking in the hotel corridor, preparing to go to the styling team’s dedicated makeup room. Just arriving at that room’s entrance, a Yorkshire Terrier darted out, scaring her into jumping half a syllable of profanity—blocked by Wu Jiakui’s figure that immediately followed.

Didn’t curse out loud.

Wu Jiakui was in a finished styling state. Playing the male lead’s beloved little sister, so her hair was intentionally grown a bit longer—fine, soft, black, obediently plastered behind her ears, dressed in light colors, well-behaved and quiet. After picking up the Yorkshire Terrier, she looked toward Long Qi, seeming to smile but not smile: “Good morning.”

Two suitcases sat at the makeup room entrance, dusty from travel. The person unseen for over half a month had finally returned.

“Morning.” Long Qi went around her and folded inside.

Pulled out a chair in front of the makeup mirror and began makeup. She sat with legs crossed. Next to her was Wu Jiakui’s seat. The little Yorkshire Terrier jumped from her arms onto the seat, then onto the makeup table, rubbing back and forth on a magazine. When Long Qi looked over, Wu Jiakui’s assistant was just collecting the magazine. On the magazine cover was brazenly printed her breakup drama paparazzi photo—her and Jin Yiken’s blurry image.

Too late. The assistant didn’t finish collecting it. Long Qi scrolled through her phone and directly said: “You’re that interested in gossip, huh?”

“Heard the time I wasn’t here was very lively,” Wu Jiakui picked up the thread, taking the dog from her assistant’s hands. “Our Pao’er’s pee pads just ran out. Urgent situation—bought a magazine to substitute. I instructed my assistant to cut out your content first. Sorry, because you were too popular recently, not one magazine at the airport didn’t have your content. I couldn’t very well buy ‘A Brief History of Time’ as a pad.”

She spoke while teasing the dog with her index finger.

Long Qi glanced from Wu Jiakui’s mirror at her teasing the dog. She also looked in the mirror, smiling at Long Qi.

Seemingly harmless.

Immediately after, she lowered her head and took out a small gift bag with Burberry pattern from her bag: “Brought a small gift for you. Hope you like it.”

The light in front of the makeup mirror shone brightly. She didn’t accept it.

The assistant accepted it.

Wu Jiakui’s hand also didn’t reach forward. It was her own assistant who took it and passed it to Long Qi’s assistant.

“Thank you.” Long Qi replied.

“You’re welcome.”

Just as the words fell, Wu Jiakui spoke again: “By the way, can I ask you for a favor? I’ll be direct—it’s about Ban Wei.”

The makeup artist lightly patted powder on Long Qi. The script lay open on her knees. She looked at the script without looking sideways: “What is it?”

“Help me tell Ban Wei—don’t ask me out anymore, don’t send me messages unrelated to work, don’t mention me in front of friends or media. Telling him myself doesn’t seem to work,” she smiled gently, looking at Long Qi from the mirror. “So I hope you can convey my attitude, because I currently have someone I particularly like.”

“Someone I’m desperately infatuated with and concentrating all my attention on pursuing,” Wu Jiakui still looked at her from the mirror. “Ban Wei’s behavior is slightly affecting me.”

Long Qi raised her eyes, returning a glance from the mirror.

“Sure.”

Perfunctory response.

At this moment, the makeup room door was knocked. In the mirror, both Wu Jiakui’s and Long Qi’s gazes went to the doorway.

At the door was Assistant Wang from Zang Xipu’s side, carrying a pile of meal boxes entering: “Good morning, good morning! Mr. Zang is treating everyone to breakfast!”

The topic between her and Wu Jiakui was thus diluted. The makeup room erupted in successive “thank you Mr. Zang”s, all received by assistants. Assistants placed breakfast on the central large table, then personally brought some to Wu Jiakui and Long Qi, adding both their honorific titles, repeating what was said upon entering.

“Is Teacher Zang busy? I’ll visit later?”

“Mr. Zang has already gone to the venue.”

“I have a small gift for Teacher Zang. Sister, help me bring it over and say Jiakui sends her regards.”

“Sure!”

After receiving Wu Jiakui’s message, the assistant handed over breakfast, casually introducing: “Breakfast from ‘Youji.’ Mr. Zang had a chef bring ingredients to the hotel early to prepare it. Still hot!”

“Youji” was a particularly famous Cantonese cuisine brand where one dish was hard to come by.

After a commotion, Assistant Wang left. The makeup room returned to orderly work. Wu Jiakui didn’t eat breakfast.

Long Qi memorized lines. She propped her cheek in front of the makeup mirror, using chopsticks to pick up a crystal-clear shrimp dumpling, slowly rotating it, quietly watching.

After three to five minutes, she called her assistant.

“Go see if that chef is still here. Say I want to hire him to go somewhere and make a few dishes.”

This assistant was about to leave when Wu Jiakui, still propping up her chin, added: “Have the chef name his fee first, then raise the quote by double. Tell the chef that place is a bit far, needs to catch a flight, needs to stay in a hotel. The hotel will provide a kitchen for him. Ingredients will be plentiful. The chef only needs to rush to deliver breakfast before that person wakes up.”

She examined while calculating: “Adding time difference, flight time, and preparation time, should just be able to make it—the time when he gets hungry.”