8 Jinjiang Literature City 08

At this moment, even she, as slow as she was, realized something was wrong.

Why did his phone ring the moment she sent a message to the top donor on the leaderboard? And why, right after she shared the song "Call Me Daddy," did he start playing it in the car?

You Yun was dazed for a brief second.

Something flickered through her mind.

Could it be that Zhao Zhiyu had some connection to that top donor?

You Yun looked suspiciously at the center console, knitting her brows in deep thought. After a moment of contemplation, she gave up.

It must just be a coincidence.

How could someone as serious as Zhao Zhiyu possibly choose a cringey screen name like "Dare to Touch My Woman?"

Impossible.

Thinking this, she felt a bit more at ease.

After exiting the elevated highway, Zhao Zhiyu slowed down. They approached the outskirts of the city and drove into an independent compound. The location was somewhat remote, but the buildings were incredibly luxurious—not like typical residential units, but more like a villa district. The security system was rigorous; even in the rain, she could see patrol teams in security uniforms making their rounds.

Is this his home or his office?

Once the car stopped, Zhao Zhiyu opened the rear door and carried the soundly sleeping Xixi out. You Yun followed suit and stepped out.

"Um, if there's nothing else, I'll head back now." You Yun figured there shouldn't be any paparazzi around, and it wouldn't be too late if she caught a taxi home.

Zhao Zhiyu paused for a second, a look of apology on his face. "Sorry, I’ve caused you trouble."

"It's fine. You're so popular right now, I understand."

"I'll have someone take you back in a while."

"No, no, I'll just call a taxi."

"It's hard to get a taxi on a rainy day."

"How could it be? The ride-hailing apps are very convenient these days. I'll just book one directly to my place." As she spoke, she opened the app and entered her address, only to find she was fiftieth in the queue.

"..."

It really was hard to get a taxi.

She put her phone away. "Then I'll take the subway. The subway is quite fast. Where is the nearest station?"

"This is a villa area. There's no subway."

"..."

Zhao Zhiyu repeated, "Get inside first. Once the rain lets up, I'll have my assistant drive you back."

His tone was flat, yet left no room for refusal. You Yun bit her lip and nodded. "Alright."

There was no other choice.

The parking lot was located in the basement, with direct elevator access to the upper floors. The hallway on the first floor was very long, lined with soundproof rooms on both sides. The lighting was dim, and as they passed, she occasionally heard faint sounds—she guessed they were musical instruments.

"Is this your studio?" You Yun asked, looking curiously at the soundproof rooms.

"In a way. It's two units connected," Zhao Zhiyu said. "The one next door was converted into a music room and recording studio. Music can be quite loud, so it’s inconvenient to have neighbors."

You Yun let out an "oh." Buying two adjacent villas in the suburbs just to use as a recording studio—that was some next-level wealth.

Top-tier celebrities really are rich.

She couldn't afford a villa like this even if she spent a lifetime acting.

Passing through a corridor and then a door, the view suddenly opened up. The entire living room was minimalist, with only a grand piano standing in the center. There were no extra decorations on the walls, making the space feel somewhat empty.

Zhao Zhiyu carried Xixi to the bedroom, and on his way back, he stopped by the refrigerator to grab a bottle of grapefruit juice and handed it to her.

"Thanks." You Yun reached out to take it, when suddenly, footsteps sounded from behind.

"I was wondering why you only just got back. Did you see the message I sent you? Have you considered it?"

She turned around and saw Ji Sui walking out of the study, holding a cup of instant noodles.

Ji Sui stopped in his tracks, took a calm slurp of his noodles, and his eyes darted curiously between the two of them, eventually landing on You Yun. "Is this your girlfriend?"

You Yun almost choked on her drink. "No, she's not."

"Oh, so not yet? Is it... almost?"

"No, no, I'm his classmate," she added to avoid any misunderstanding. "Just a regular classmate."

"Oh, a regular~ girl~ classmate~"

"Yes."

Was that so hard to distinguish?

"Don't just stand there, come on, sit down."

You Yun sat back on the sofa. Ji Sui, carrying his cup of noodles, hooked a chair over with his foot, sat down, and leaned in, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Tell me, how did you two meet~"

"..."

Why did he use a tilde in his speech at his age?

"We met back when we were in school."

"University classmates?"

"High school classmates."

"In the same class?"

"Yes."

He clicked his tongue. "Amazing. To think he actually had a girl~ classmate?"

What was so amazing about that? He didn't go to an all-boys school; having female classmates was completely normal. You Yun felt that the way he emphasized "girl classmate" carried some hidden meaning, so she explained again: "We really are just regular classmates."

"Mmhmm, I understand. Have you kissed?"

"?"

You call that understanding?

"Are you that bored?" A cool voice suddenly came from beside her. Ji Sui turned to see a displeased Zhao Zhiyu. "If you're that bored, eat less salt."

"No, I’m not bored. I just got a call from the paparazzi saying you’re secretly married and taking care of a kid at Wanfu Plaza, and they’re demanding ten million from me."

Wanfu Plaza?

Wasn't that where they had just come from?

Could they have actually been photographed? Zhao Zhiyu was a man at the center of a traffic vortex; he could make the trending list just by sneezing. If this were caught on camera, it would crash the Weibo servers. She could already imagine the headline: "Zhao Zhiyu on a Late-Night Date with a Mysterious Woman," accompanied by a blurry, shaky video with ten thousand layers of watermarks.

You Yun looked up nervously. The moment she met his eyes, she was calmed by Zhao Zhiyu’s firm expression. "It’s fake."

You Yun breathed a sigh of relief. That was good.

Ji Sui slurped his noodles. "Of course I know it's fake. These paparazzi don't even bother to make their lies convincing. Trying to blackmail me with such outrageous nonsense, they must have mercury in their brains."

After finishing, Ji Sui pulled out a business card. "Just kidding earlier. My name is Ji Sui, I’m his manager. Here’s my card. Beautiful, want to enter the entertainment industry?"

You Yun gave an awkward smile. "Thanks, but no need. I already have a manager."

"What’s your manager’s name?"

"Wu Yan."

"What? You’re Sister Wu’s artist?" Ji Sui opened his eyes wide in surprise. "How come I’ve never heard her mention you?"

"..."

What else could it be? Because she was obscure!

Before the card could reach her hand, it was intercepted halfway. Zhao Zhiyu blocked his path. "Don't mind him. I'll take you home."

"Oh, okay." You Yun stood up. Ji Sui continued slurping his noodles. As she brushed past him, she caught the scent of the instant noodles.

Spicy beef flavor.

It was only then she remembered she hadn't even had a bite of her dan dan noodles from earlier. Her stomach was still empty.

You Yun smacked her lips, her stomach let out a loud growl...

The reaction was a bit intense, especially in the quiet room, and even Ji Sui, who was busy drinking his soup, felt a bit embarrassed to continue. He looked up. "Hungry?"

You Yun’s face turned slightly red, and her hanging hand rubbed her stomach. "A little."

Ji Sui looked at his noodle cup, which was down to the broth. Just as he was about to ask, "Do you want me to make you a cup?", Zhao Zhiyu said in a low voice, "Eat something first, I'll take you home later."

You Yun was flattered. "No, no, I'll just eat when I get home."

"Letting the person who saved Xixi go home hungry would make me look quite heartless, wouldn't it?"

"..."

Fine.

First a ride, then a meal.

Zhao Zhiyu headed toward the kitchen, and You Yun followed.

The lights in the hallway elongated their shadows. Watching them walk further and further away, in this quiet and warm moment, Ji Sui tipped his head back and drank the last of the broth. He couldn't help but sigh.

*Yo—*

This was the first time he’d seen the young master bring a woman home.

He might be releasing a new song soon; he should start preparing.

He tossed the cup away and walked back to his room, feeling satisfied.

The housekeeper was on leave, and Zhao Zhiyu didn't want to make anything too complicated since he didn't want her waiting too long. He took a box of hand-pulled noodles from the fridge and asked, "Is this okay?"

The kitchen was open-concept. You Yun stood by the island counter like an otter waiting to be fed, nodding vigorously. "Yes! Can you add an egg?"

Zhao Zhiyu looked at her, his eyes lowering with a faint smile. "Sure. Are two enough?"

"O-one is fine," she said, holding up a finger, looking quite embarrassed. "Actually, I don't eat that much."

Zhao Zhiyu didn't say anything, a smile tugging at his lips. He took an egg and a tomato from the fridge, washed and chopped them, then turned on the gas stove.

His movements were practiced and casual.

You Yun was quite surprised that he knew how to cook.

He looked like the type of pampered young master who had never done a day of chores in his life.

A few minutes later.

The bottom of the pot began to bubble.

You Yun’s stomach growled even louder.

Zhao Zhiyu put the noodles into the pot. During the wait, the quiet living room became empty again.

The two stood facing each other, silent for a moment.

You Yun didn't know what to say. Playing on her phone seemed rude, and she wanted to find a topic to ease the awkward atmosphere, but couldn't think of anything.

After holding it in for a long time, she finally managed to say:

"Um... long time no see. I didn't expect to run into you here. What a coincidence."

Seeing her struggle for so long only to come up with such a clumsy opening line, Zhao Zhiyu couldn't help but laugh. "Classmate You, if you really have nothing to say, you don't have to talk."

"...You caught me."

"It's hard not to," Zhao Zhiyu said, picking up his chopsticks to stir the noodles. "Do I look that terrifying? Why do you treat me like a monster every time we meet?"

You Yun shook her head instinctively. "Of course not. It's just that you’re quite different from what I remember."

A flash of surprise crossed Zhao Zhiyu's dark eyes, but his voice remained calm. "Are you talking about high school?"

"Yeah, I just unexpectedly discovered that you're actually quite easy to get along with."

"So, did I seem difficult to get along with back then?"

"Not really... well, actually, I’m not sure..." You Yun looked down, pondering for a long time, but she couldn't describe what kind of person Zhao Zhiyu was in her memories.

They really weren't close. You Yun tried to recall the Zhao Zhiyu from high school, but there were too few details. It was like looking through a layer of fog; she couldn't see through him, nor did she understand him. She only remembered that he wasn't a "good" person.

The outside world told her he was dangerous and that she should avoid him. Even her parents emphasized this. But in reality, she didn't know him at all; they hadn't even exchanged more than a few words.

Yet, the legends about him still reached her ears—all sorts of outrageous stories about puppy love, bullying, and so on. The most serious one was that he had gotten into a fight with a group of thugs outside school, fighting three men at once, breaking three of their ribs, and nearly getting expelled.

"Because of a fight?" Zhao Zhiyu suddenly spoke, pulling her out of her memories.

"..."

You Yun was startled, gave a faint "oh," and nodded. "That's what they said."

"Who said?"

"All the classmates said so, telling me to stay away from you."

"So that's why you kept avoiding me?"

You Yun was stunned and instinctively countered, "I wasn't avoiding you."

Zhao Zhiyu looked up, his naturally imposing gaze making her scalp tingle. You Yun felt a bit guilty. "Okay, maybe a little. Back then, so many people warned me to be careful, to stay away from you. My parents didn't want me to have any contact with you either, so naturally, I was a bit scared."

"..."

Occasionally, when You Yun ran into him at school, she would bolt away like a lioness encountering a threat, thinking he hadn't noticed her. It turned out he knew all along.

She pouted. "Your bad reputation back then reached my parents' ears. Don't you think you should reflect on yourself?"

Zhao Zhiyu lowered his eyelids and gave a self-deprecating smile. "They didn't tell you to avoid me just because I had a bad reputation."

The noodles were ready. Zhao Zhiyu turned around, added the scrambled eggs and tomatoes into the pot, and let them simmer for a moment.

By the time he served the noodles, You Yun asked, "What did you say just now?" The boiling sound in the pot had made her miss the second half of his sentence.

"Nothing. Eat up. You're hungry, aren't you?"

"Oh."

You Yun picked up her chopsticks, mixed the noodles, blew on them, and took a bite. The broth was rich, and the noodles were chewy.

It was so delicious that she couldn't help but squint her eyes.

Zhao Zhiyu watched her, the corners of his mouth curling up imperceptibly.

She was indeed hungry, eating in small bites without looking up.

After a while, You Yun, afraid he might misunderstand, said, "Those were all rumors. Personally, I don't have any issues with you. Besides, I don't think you're as bad as they said. I remember during the high school military training, I fainted from low blood sugar, and you were the one who took me to the infirmary. That must have been the first time we spoke."

"No."

"No what?"

"That wasn't the first time we spoke."

"It wasn't? So we spoke before that? Was it about collecting homework? My memory is a bit bad, I’ve forgotten."

Zhao Zhiyu pursed his lips slightly and took a sip of water.

The ice cubes in his glass clinked against the glass with a crisp sound.

His gaze was quiet, silently watching her, his eyes dark and deep.

Her memory was indeed terrible.

She remembered nothing.