A look of surprise froze on Wen Shiqing’s face. “Huh? Why the sudden change of plans? You’re not coming back after all?”
They had already bought the plane tickets.
Zhou Langxing let out a sigh on the other end, then explained, “My stunt double got injured. I’m at the hospital with him right now. We’re about to move to a new filming location, and the director and everyone else are all busy. I’d feel bad just leaving him here on his own.”
Wen Shiqing was puzzled. Even if the directors were all busy, couldn’t an assistant look after him? Why did Zhou Langxing have to be there in person?
Before she could ask, Zhou Langxing explained, “I figured I didn’t have many scenes today—they wrapped up by morning. Xiao Feng and the others have been working hard following me around this time, so I let them head off yesterday to go home and rest.”
Zhou Langxing was well-known in the industry for treating his colleagues well. Everyone loved working with him. Letting his assistants go home early to rest while he stayed behind to wait for filming wasn’t something that had happened just once.
Wen Shiqing sat on the shoe-changing bench by the entrance, clutching her phone, not knowing what to say.
Her rational side told her that Zhou Langxing was doing the right thing—you couldn’t just leave someone lying in the hospital with no one to care for them.
But emotionally, she felt wronged. Ever since she’d gotten back, she’d been looking forward to this birthday. She’d carefully picked out a restaurant, wanting nothing more than for the two of them to sit down properly, talk, and share a meal.
“Baby? Are you listening?” Zhou Langxing asked cautiously.
Wen Shiqing let out a silent sigh. “Got it. Then take good care of him.”
Zhou Langxing’s voice remained gentle. “I’m sorry, baby. When we move to the new filming location, there should be two days of rest. I’ll definitely come back to be with you then.”
Wen Shiqing simply hummed in acknowledgment, then, afraid that Zhou Langxing would feel guilty, said, “Alright, go get busy. I’ll find Xiao Zhao to go shopping.”
“Okay, today’s spending is on me.” Zhou Langxing chuckled on the other end of the line. “Don’t try to save me money. Go have fun.”
They exchanged a few more playful remarks before the call ended.
Wen Shiqing leaned her back against the wall, staring silently at the ceiling light. After a while, something occurred to her, and she reopened her phone, tapping into the WeChat account she used for work.
She had contact information for all of Zhou Langxing’s staff—his manager, assistants, and the like. She scrolled to Xiao Feng’s WeChat and typed a few words into the chat box. But just as she was about to hit send, she suddenly snapped back to her senses as if waking from a daze.
She stared at those words, lost in thought.
[Xiao Feng, where are you right now?]
What had she been thinking just now? She was actually starting to doubt what Zhou Langxing had said.
Wen Shiqing quickly deleted the message, but her finger still couldn’t help tapping into Xiao Feng’s Moments.
And as it turned out, Xiao Feng had posted to Moments just last night.
[Xiao Feng: Boss gave me two days off early! Friends, hotpot and BBQ, here we come~]
The attached photo showed him holding a plane ticket, with the destination being the airport in Xiao Feng’s hometown.
For some reason, seeing that post made Wen Shiqing let out a breath of relief. Good thing she hadn’t sent that message just now.
Otherwise, how upset Zhou Langxing would have been if he’d found out.
Wen Shiqing exited Xiao Feng’s Moments, and a new notification appeared in her notification bar.
It was from Zhou Langxing. She tapped to open it, and he had sent her a photo—a selfie. His mask and hat were on snugly, but the eyes looking at the camera were filled with a smile.
He was even making a heart shape at the camera, as if clumsily trying to win Wen Shiqing over.
But Wen Shiqing’s attention was on the background behind him. There were medical tips posted on the wall, and although his body blocked much of them, she could still make them out.
Zhou Langxing really was at the hospital.
[Zhou Langxing: Sending my baby a big heart, and I ordered you flowers~ They’ll arrive soon. Wait for them before you head out.]
Wen Shiqing pressed her lips together and replied with a simple “Okay.”
If they couldn’t spend it together, then so be it. They could celebrate together on their fifth anniversary instead.
And by then, Zhou Langxing would have wrapped up filming too.
Wen Shiqing raised her fingers and rubbed her cheeks. Don’t overthink it—she should be happy.
She took off her shoes and planned to lie on the sofa for a while, waiting for the flowers to arrive. She had gotten up early today thinking Zhou Langxing would be coming back, and now that she knew he wasn’t, she was feeling a bit sleepy.
Just as Wen Shiqing lay down, the phone rang again.
This time, it was a call from home.
Wen Shiqing sat up, crossed her legs on the sofa, and answered.
“Happy birthday, sis,” a familiar female voice came through the line.
Wen Shiqing said, “Thank you, Xiaoyun.”
“I got the package you sent a couple of days ago and already brought it over to Mom and Dad,” Wen Shiyun said. “They looked pretty happy about it.”
“Then you must not have told them it was from me,” Wen Shiqing said, unable to stop the corners of her eyes from curving into a smile. “As long as they like it.”
Wen Shiyun let out a sigh. “You and Zhou Langxing have been together for so many years now. They stopped being angry a long time ago.”
Wen Shiqing didn’t directly answer that question. Instead, she asked, “How’s work lately?”
After graduating, Wen Shiyun had gone to work at the family company, starting from the bottom and now already in management.
“Same as usual. There are a few new projects keeping me busy lately. Once this stretch is over, I’ll finally get a proper break,” Wen Shiyun said. “You have no idea how much pressure I’m under. At work, I face my boss; at home, Dad asks me about progress. It feels like there’s no difference between being off the clock and being on it. My head’s about to explode.”
Wen Shiqing laughed at her words. “That’s them placing infinite expectations on you. Keep at it. Oh, by the way, when you take your break, do you want to come visit me for a couple of days? It’s been a while since we sisters have seen each other.”
Wen Shiyun said, “Sure. I’ll ask Mom if she wants to come too. You know, why are the people in our family so stubborn? Ah, wait, not me. You and Mom and Dad are each more stubborn than the last.”
Wen Shiqing let out a breath. “Who knows?”
The two sisters chatted a little longer before Wen Shiyun hung up to go work overtime.
Wen Shiqing leaned back on the sofa, tilting her head up to stare at the ceiling.
The outside world assumed she had fallen out with her family because she entered the entertainment industry, but that wasn’t it. She had fallen out with them because of Zhou Langxing.
After Zhou Langxing graduated from high school, he was signed by his current agency to become an actor. At that time, he was still doing bit parts or playing minor roles.
Once, his crew came to her university to film on location. On her way to the library, she ran into Zhou Langxing again.
In high school, Zhou Langxing had actually already expressed his feelings for her, but she had turned him down.
After they reunited, Zhou Langxing began pursuing her fiercely again. At the time, Wen Shiqing was at A University, far from home in a strange place, and meeting someone familiar led to her falling for him after repeated interactions.
Once they started dating, Zhou Langxing was just as he had said he would be—he treated her well and never let her suffer the slightest grievance.
Half a year into their secret relationship, she confessed to her parents, but to her surprise, they were extremely opposed to the two of them dating. They talked it over several times, yet Wen Shiqing couldn’t bear to let go. In the end, her parents issued an ultimatum: if she didn’t break up with him, they would no longer acknowledge her as their daughter.
Wen Shiqing had been truly stubborn back then. After hearing her parents say that, she never went home again.
Zhou Langxing didn’t say anything when he found out, but Wen Shiqing could sense that he had become even more driven, working frantically to earn money just so she could live as well as she had before.
Wen Shiqing touched her face, and tears streamed down.
Actually, after hearing Wen Shiyun say that their parents did miss her, her sense of loneliness grew even stronger.
She wanted to go home too, but sometimes, the older people get, the harder it is to swallow their so-called “pride.”