After graduation, Xia Ying joined the family business, starting from the bottom and working overtime every day. Meanwhile, Chen Die had no time to go out after joining the film crew.

It wasn’t until this Friday evening that Xia Ying had time to visit the set.

When Chen Die was leaving, Chen Shuyuan and Lin Quan were also preparing to leave. After what Chen Die had said to Lin Quan, Lin Quan hadn’t spoken to her again.

Chen Die said goodbye to Fang Ruan and walked back to the hotel.

Xia Ying had already arrived and sent her a message.

[Chen Die: Coming, coming, room 8802, wait for me a bit.]

Just after sending the message, Lu Chuan called from behind, “Chen Die.” He was carrying equipment and walked quickly to her side.

“What is it?” Chen Die asked.

Lu Chuan said, “I didn’t know Chen Shuyuan would come today.”

Chen Die was momentarily stunned, not understanding his meaning.

“She just asked me some questions about filming. I’ve already told her again that I won’t like her. I don’t want you to misunderstand.”

“Ah.” Chen Die blinked. “I didn’t misunderstand.”

She truly hadn’t thought about Lu Chuan and Chen Shuyuan’s situation; her mind was full of Lin Quan’s strange and ridiculous behavior.

After a pause, Chen Die added, “Don’t mention me to her either. I don’t want any more interactions with her.”

Lu Chuan thought it was just a grudge between the two girls and didn’t think much about it, nodding in agreement.

Lu Chuan insisted on escorting Chen Die to her room door. Xia Ying was already waiting outside and waved to Lu Chuan when she saw them coming together. “Hello, senior.”

“You’re here to see your classmate.” Lu Chuan smiled. “You two chat. I’ll head back now.”

Chen Die swiped her card to enter, with Xia Ying following closely behind. As soon as the door closed, Xia Ying said, “You’re not simple, butterfly. Be honest, how far have you gotten with our great director?”

Chen Die rolled her eyes. “Do we look like we have something going on?”

“Yes.” Xia Ying nodded honestly.

Chen Die didn’t continue this topic and noticed something in her hand. “What did you bring?”

“Alcohol.” Xia Ying winked at her. “Essential for sisters who haven’t seen each other in days.”

“I still have to film tomorrow.”

“Don’t pretend with your alcohol tolerance. A little won’t be a problem.”

Fair enough.

Chen Die’s alcohol tolerance was indeed good, and she sobered up quickly. She had never let drinking the night before interfere with the next day’s activities.

Chen Die washed two glasses, opened the cans, and poured two drinks.

The amber-colored alcohol foamed and fizzed as it rose.

Chen Die cleared the messy items from the coffee table, and sat on the floor with Xia Ying, on the soft carpet below.

Xia Ying couldn’t help but feel the carpet with her hand. She had been doing similar hotel research work recently and asked, “How much is this room per night?”

“I don’t know. The crew booked them all together. It shouldn’t be too expensive. The staff all stay in the same type of rooms. People like Qi Cheng and Wang Yunxi upgraded their rooms themselves.”

“This carpet feels so comfortable. I thought it was one of those luxury carpets sold by the square centimeter.”

“This… ” Chen Die also reached out to touch it. “It might be.”

“This hotel is so generous.”

“Not really.” Chen Die suddenly didn’t know how to phrase it. “My ex-boyfriend is one of the shareholders of this hotel. When I came back recently, I found all the facilities had been replaced.”

Not just the carpet—the bathroom toiletries had also been replaced with high-end brands, and even the originally neatly folded bath towels were now folded into flower shapes.

Xia Ying asked, “Your ex-boyfriend and Lu Chuan, which one would you choose?”

“Can’t I choose neither?” Chen Die rolled her eyes.

“…”

Being beautiful means you can do whatever you want.

The two chatted while drinking. Xia Ying couldn’t handle alcohol as well as Chen Die, so eventually only Chen Die was drinking.

When Xia Ying stood up to leave, she realized Chen Die had finished all the alcohol she had brought. Xia Ying was startled. “Are you okay?”

Chen Die lazily raised her eyes, inadvertently revealing her charm. “Hmm?”

“…” Xia Ying made a peace sign in front of her. “How many fingers?”

“Two.” Chen Die replied helplessly. “I’m not drunk.”

“There was also a bottle of sake with quite a high alcohol content in my bag. How did you silently drink it all? Be careful you might throw up later.”

Chen Die waved her hand. “I’m fine.”

Xia Ying examined Chen Die carefully. She truly couldn’t tell when this person had drunk too much—her face didn’t even redden, and her speech wasn’t slurred.

She didn’t stay longer and got up to leave. “Don’t see me out. I’ve already called a car.”

Chen Die grabbed her jacket to accompany her. “I’ll see you to the elevator.”

Before Xia Ying entered the elevator, she carefully asked one more question. “You haven’t run into any trouble, have you?”

“No, what trouble could I have?” Chen Die’s expression was bewildered.

Only then did Xia Ying feel reassured. She said goodbye to Chen Die, pressed the first-floor button, and went down in the elevator. As soon as the doors opened, she saw a rather familiar man.

He had distinctive features, the kind of face one wouldn’t forget after a single glance.

The man didn’t look at her. After she exited, he entered the elevator.

Xia Ying only remembered to send Chen Die a message after she was seated in the taxi.

[Xia Ying: Sister!!!]

[Xia Ying: Remember that handsome guy we saw at the bar before!! He’s staying here too!!]

[Xia Ying: He’s so cool, so cool, breathtaking! All those young idols can step aside!]

[Xia Ying: Looking at it this way, you two are quite destined. Haven’t you ever seen him before?!]

Chen Die didn’t have time to read this string of messages.

By then, the handsome guy Xia Ying mentioned had already appeared at Chen Die’s door.

Chen Die said she wasn’t drunk, but she knew she had exceeded her limit. Her head was dizzy, and her mood had become light and somewhat uncontrollable.

When the doorbell rang, Chen Die thought it was Xia Ying.

Muttering “Did you forget something here,” she opened the door only to see Wen Liang standing outside.

Two of him.

Double vision.

“…” Chen Die opened her mouth but couldn’t say anything, and hiccupped from the alcohol.

Wen Liang frowned. “Who were you drinking with?”

“Xia Ying.”

“Who?”

Chen Die had mentioned her a few times before, but names like these weren’t worth remembering to Wen Liang.

“A college friend.”

The sound of elevator doors opening echoed in the hotel corridor. Wen Liang held her shoulders and pushed her into the room, then closed the door.

The sake was potent, with the alcohol effect coming on later. Chen Die felt her head getting dizzier.

Wen Liang’s brow was tightly furrowed. He poured a cup of warm water from the kettle. When he turned around, Chen Die had already sat back down on the carpet.

She still wore a loose jacket, hugging her knees in the corner of the sofa. When she drank too much, her face didn’t redden—only the corners of her eyes and the roots of her ears turned crimson. She looked unusually soft and gentle.

Wen Liang was inexplicably reminded of how Chen Die looked the first time he saw her at the train station six years ago.

“Is this carpet for you to sit on?”

Wen Liang looked displeased. He bent down, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her up, placing her properly on the sofa.

Then he put the water cup to Chen Die’s lips with just one word, “Drink.”

The alcohol made her reactions slow. Wen Liang was uncharacteristically patient. The water cup stayed at her lips for several seconds before Chen Die finally opened her mouth to take a sip, murmuring, “It’s bland.”

“What else would it be?” Wen Liang gave a cold laugh. “You still want alcohol?”

Before Chen Die could say anything, Wen Liang raised the cup a bit, nearly spilling the water. Chen Die had no choice but to obediently drink half the cup.

Wen Liang put the cup on the coffee table and looked at her. “What’s wrong with you?”

“…”

“Speak.” His tone was filled with irritation. “I leave for a while and someone bullies you again? Chen Die, are you made of paper?”

“No one bullied me.”

Wen Liang raised his hand, pinching her chin between his thumb and index finger. “Then why do you look so aggrieved? Who are you putting on this face for?”

“Why are you always so harsh with your words?” Chen Die frowned, tilted her head, and stopped looking at him.

Wen Liang was annoyed and simply sat on the floor. Chen Die sat on the sofa opposite him. He grabbed her ankle and pulled it toward him. “Who was it?”

“I told you, no one. I just had some alcohol. What right do you have to control me now?” Chen Die was also annoyed by his questioning and forcefully pulled her foot back. “Let go!”

Wen Liang wouldn’t listen to her, and Chen Die’s strength was no match for his.

He gripped her ankle and pulled, causing Chen Die to slide forward, slumping on the sofa.

This posture was rather awkward and not particularly graceful, but Chen Die was truly drunk and couldn’t be bothered to move. She just lay limply on the sofa.

The ankle in Wen Liang’s grasp no longer struggled. She knew that as long as Wen Liang didn’t want to let go, her struggles would be useless.

Cold moonlight poured into the room.

Chen Die maintained this inelegant posture, tilting her head to observe Wen Liang for a while. Then she sat up, straightening her back completely.

She looked down at Wen Liang and extended an index finger, poking the scar on his brow bone.

Drunk as she was, she didn’t know her strength, and her fingernail dug into his flesh. Wen Liang didn’t even furrow his brow, allowing her to press against him.

Chen Die leaned closer and said, “Wen Liang, you’re such a jerk.”

Wen Liang: “…”

“This is the first time,” Chen Die gestured at the height difference between them, “that I can look down at you like this.”

“Your temper…” Chen Die sighed softly, her index finger pushing against his eyebrow before she leaned back into the sofa. She even commented earnestly, “You won’t find a girlfriend in the future.”

She sounded a bit regretful.

Wen Liang gave a light snort. “Then you’ll just have to put up with me.”

Chen Die either didn’t hear or was too dizzy to have the energy to refute his words. She slowly lay on her side on the sofa, rubbing her face against the bath towel.

“Why?” After a long while, she said softly.

“Hmm?”

“Why did none of them want me? Why do they get to make all the decisions, but I have to bear the consequences?” She buried her face in the sofa, her lustrous black hair sliding down her shoulders.

“Who?”

“Lin Quan, Chen Ke, all of them.”

Wen Liang brushed aside the black hair covering her face, tucking it behind her ear.

Chen Die’s legs were curled up, her face downward. Wen Liang gently placed his hand on her and asked softly, “Are you crying?”

“No,” she answered promptly.

Wen Liang wasn’t good at comforting people, and even now his tone was flat. “Turn your face to me. Let me see.”

“No.”

“Chen Die,” his voice deepened again.

“Didn’t you say I was ugly?”

Wen Liang wasn’t sure if he should praise her for maintaining such clear logic even when drunk.

“Besides holding grudges against me, what else can you do?” Wen Liang didn’t bother being polite and grabbed her chin, forcibly turning her face.

Chen Die’s face was clean and clear, without tears.

Wen Liang felt somewhat relieved.

Her skin was fine, and though her face was thin, her bone structure was small. It didn’t feel bony when touched. Now her cheeks were slightly warm. Wen Liang’s eyes darkened, and his fingertips unconsciously stroked her cheek.

Chen Die immediately turned her head away. “Don’t touch me.”

Wen Liang unusually didn’t get angry and asked softly, “Lin Quan came today?”

“Mm.”

“What did she say to you?”

“She wanted to give me money.”

Wen Liang hadn’t expected this turn. “What?”

“Why do you all think money can solve everything?” Chen Die lowered her head and said softly. “They gave my foster parents money and took me back. You’re the same, thinking giving me money means treating me well, and I should obediently listen to you.”

Wen Liang frowned. “I don’t.”

“Yes, you do.” Chen Die tilted her head to look at him. “Wen Liang, ask yourself, don’t you think I’m just your little pet who depends on you? Chen Shuyuan wasn’t wrong before. To you, I’ve always been someone you can summon or dismiss at will.”

“I’ve fucking stayed in this godforsaken place for you. Who’s the one being summoned here?”

The alcohol made Chen Die’s entire vision blurry. The saying about alcohol giving courage was indeed true.

Chen Die sat up and suddenly leaned closer.

Her face was suddenly inches away. Her skin was fair, her eyes slightly upturned. Perhaps because she was tired, the folds on her eyelids were especially prominent.

Wen Liang looked at her quietly.

Then he heard her coldly question, “You still won’t admit you’re a jerk?”

“I admit it,” Wen Liang sighed, going along with her, not arguing with a drunk person.

Chen Die snorted, then slowly slid down from the sofa like she had no bones, leaning toward him again, this time getting even closer.

Wen Liang’s gaze fell on her crimson lips. His Adam’s apple moved up and down, and he suddenly felt parched.

Chen Die continued to slowly lean toward him, finally resting her face on his shoulder, her long hair brushing against Wen Liang’s neck.

His heart softened, and just as he was about to raise his arm to embrace her, a sharp pain shot through his shoulder.

Wen Liang instinctively wanted to pull her hair back, but he restrained himself. Chen Die, without a shred of conscience, still had her teeth in his flesh and ground them a bit before releasing.

Wen Liang pulled aside his clothes to look. There was a deep ring of teeth marks.

Seeing his face darken, Chen Die shrank back a bit more, sticking out her neck in a fierce pose. “You’ve bitten me before too!”

Wen Liang saw right through her. “Why are you scared?”

“Who’s scared?” she retorted.

Wen Liang didn’t bother arguing with her. He picked up his phone to check the time. It was almost midnight. Wen Liang stood up and lifted her horizontally.

Suddenly finding her feet off the ground, Chen Die was startled and shrieked, “What are you doing?!”

Wen Liang threw her onto the bed. Chen Die bounced twice on the bed, her hair in disarray, her head spinning even more. Wen Liang covered her with the blanket, closed the window, and then returned to the bedside.

“Go to sleep,” Wen Liang said, standing by the bed. “Look at those dark circles. You look like a panda.”

Chen Die snorted. “You just think I’m ugly anyway.”

“If you don’t sleep, you’ll get even uglier.” He didn’t know how sensitive girls were about comments on their appearance.

Chen Die rolled her eyes. “Then why are you staying here?”

“I’ll leave after you fall asleep.”

Chen Die closed her eyes.

She fell asleep quickly. Wen Liang stood by the bed watching her for a while, listening to her steady breathing, feeling for a moment that his heart had never been so calm.

A moment later, Wen Liang took his phone into the bathroom and called Zhu Qicong. “Did Lin Quan come to see Chen Die today?”

Since their separation, someone had been reporting to Zhu Qicong every day about what happened to Chen Die, and Zhu Qicong would then selectively report to Wen Liang.

Today, someone had indeed mentioned Lin Quan and Chen Shuyuan to him, but Zhu Qicong didn’t know Chen Die’s identity and had automatically filtered out this information.

“Yes, she came with Miss Chen Die’s high school and college classmate Chen Shuyuan, but Miss Chen didn’t have any conflict or communication with Chen Shuyuan.”

Wen Liang raised his hand to press his brow. “In the future, let me know immediately if Lin Quan or Chen Shuyuan goes to the set again.”

“Yes.”

After hanging up, Wen Liang walked out.

Chen Die had turned over, facing outward, her makeup still on, lipstick leaving a mark on the pillow.

Wen Liang was both irritated and concerned as he returned to the bathroom to heat a towel with hot water.

This was truly the first time he had taken care of someone.

Returning to the bedside, he roughly placed the towel on her face, treating her violently, wiping her face and removing all traces of lipstick.

The towel was stained with lipstick. He casually threw it on the floor and sat by the bed watching Chen Die.

The night was quiet.

The ceiling light in the room had been turned off, leaving only a floor lamp.

Half of Chen Die’s face was tucked under the blanket, without her usual sharpness, looking soft and gentle.

Wen Liang laughed softly, murmuring to himself, “This looks much better now.”

“Lingling,” he said softly.