The moment Shen Yu heard her phone ring, she pulled it out instantly.
However, seeing the caller ID, she couldn’t help but feel a wave of disappointment.
She answered the call. “Hello, Teacher Wang. What’s the matter?”
On the other end, Teacher Wang’s voice sounded urgent. “Shen Yu, can you get in touch with Wen Xi?”
Shen Yu’s hand tightened around her phone. “Did something happen?”
Teacher Wang said, “I woke up today and saw a message Wen Xi sent me last night. She said she isn’t attending the exam tomorrow. It scared me wide awake. I’m sending her messages now and she isn’t replying, and she won’t pick up her phone. I know you two are close; can you reach her? All these years of hard work were for tomorrow. No matter what happened, I hope she can set it aside for now, the exam is more important.”
Teacher Wang was Wen Xi’s art teacher.
Wen Xi and Shen Yu were at the same art exam preparatory institution, though their areas of study were different, and Shen Yu had a one-on-one private tutor.
Wen Xi was a student with great soul and talent. Teacher Wang had always thought highly of her. Due to various reasons, Shen Yu and Teacher Wang had eventually established contact.
After hearing this, Shen Yu remained silent for a moment. “Teacher Wang, I’m sorry, I can’t reach her either. Please wait a bit longer; I’ll go ask her homeroom teacher about the situation.”
“Ah, alright.”
Once the call ended, Shen Yu couldn’t wait to go to their high school to find Wen Xi’s homeroom teacher. Instead, she contacted several people to obtain the teacher’s phone number.
She and Wen Xi attended the same high school, just not in the same class.
“Teacher Cen, hello, this is Shen Yu.” The moment the call connected, Shen Yu got straight to the point. “I want to ask about Wen Xi’s situation. The art exam is tomorrow, and we can’t reach her from our side. Can you get in touch with her?”
Shen Yu was considered a prominent figure in their grade, and she and Teacher Cen had met before.
“Wen Xi? She contacted me this morning to transfer schools,” Shen Yu heard the voice coming from the phone. “The procedures were handled very quickly, and she left the school quite a while ago. I’m aware she isn’t attending the art exam; as her teacher, I respect her choice.”
Shen Yu was stunned by the word “transfer.” “Transfer? Teacher, it’s senior year right now. How could you…”
Teacher Cen interrupted her: “I know it’s senior year, but special circumstances require special treatment. She had a valid reason, so naturally, I agreed.”
“…But she has studied painting for over ten years just for tomorrow.”
Teacher Cen explained, “She still has the chance to repeat the year.”
Shen Yu leaned against the wall. “May I ask the reason for her transfer and… where she transferred to?”
Teacher Cen politely declined. “If Wen Xi doesn’t disclose it herself, I will keep it confidential. Once you finish your exams, rest well and return to school as soon as possible. Don’t overthink things.”
After speaking, Teacher Cen hung up the call. Setting the landline down, she thought of Wen Xi appearing in her office that morning and let out an extremely helpless sigh. “She’s such a hard-pressed child. How could something like this happen?”
Shen Yu sank deep into a sense of powerlessness. Only after a long time did she pick up her phone again.
Her number hadn’t been blocked by Wen Xi yet.
She pressed the phone screen as droplets of water uncontrollably fell, splashing onto her hand.
She sent a text message.
“I agree to the breakup. Just come back and take the exam, okay?”
Wen Xi didn’t dare look at Shen Yu. She kept her head down, staring at her hands. “I’m sorry.”
“Still no reason?” Shen Yu’s lips curled slightly. “Was there something I didn’t do well enough back then? If you tell me, I can change…”
Wen Xi didn’t want to hear Shen Yu say such things and interrupted her. “There’s no use for a reason now. We’ve been broken up for ten years.”
“You saw the text I sent you,” Shen Yu said with certainty. “But you didn’t come back for the exam either. Is it wrong for me to want to ask the reason for that as well?”
Wen Xi repeated the same phrase: “It’s meaningless.”
“True,” Shen Yu chuckled. “You didn’t go to the Academy of Fine Arts for university, did you?”
Wen Xi remained silent.
Shen Yu continued: “You studied photography? Why?”
“There aren’t that many ‘whys,'” Wen Xi felt the sunlight filtering through the car window onto her legs. “I just didn’t want to study painting anymore.”
Shen Yu didn’t believe her at all. “After not seeing each other for years, have you learned to say the opposite of what you feel?”
Forget it, Shen Yu thought. It seemed she wouldn’t get any answers today.
After ten years, Wen Xi had changed a lot.
The well-behaved little girl in her memory had grown up significantly, starting to stand on her own and having her own ideas.
She wouldn’t force an answer out of her now. She was willing to wait, wait for the day Wen Xi opened up of her own accord.
Shen Yu called her assistant. “You guys come back.”
Within two minutes, Ke Han and Yu Yan returned to the car, tactfully asking nothing.
However, Yu Yan understood Shen Yu’s unspoken signal and locked the car doors.
Wen Xi immediately turned to look at her, alert. “What are you doing?”
Shen Yu didn’t look at her, saying nonchalantly, “Taking you to your studio.”
“No need, I can take a taxi there myself. I won’t trouble you,” Wen Xi refused.
Shen Yu laughed again, her eyes curving as she looked at her, saying threateningly, “Now that you’re in my car, do you think it’ll be that easy for me to let you go?”
Having said that, without looking at Wen Xi’s expression, she turned forward and said to Yu Yan, “Drive.”
Yu Yan: “You got it!”
Wen Xi and Shen Yu sat on opposite sides. Wen Xi stole a glance at Shen Yu and could feel the aura of extreme displeasure radiating from her.
Wen Xi felt a bit at a loss; she had rarely seen Shen Yu unhappy.
In the past, their economic gap was huge. In the beginning, Wen Xi had even thought Shen Yu was a pampered, unapproachable “young lady.”
But that wasn’t the case. When Shen Yu was with her, she had always been a gentle figure. Even when they first met, Shen Yu was always considering her feelings, and there was never a dull moment when they were together.
Once they confirmed their relationship and started dating, Shen Yu never lost her temper, so Wen Xi never had to coax her.
Wen Xi knew that Shen Yu had always been mindful of her feelings. Shen Yu was terrified that she would feel inferior or be unhappy while they were dating.
Shen Yu had worked very hard and carefully to maintain their relationship.
Only now…
Wen Xi turned her head to look out the window again.
They could never go back to the past.
There was no conversation in the back seat. The two in the front guessed that the talk might not be going well and stayed silent in a mutual understanding; Yu Yan didn’t even dare to turn on the car radio.
The four of them remained in silence throughout the journey.
Fortunately, the distance to the studio wasn’t far. Yu Yan felt secretly relieved and said to Shen Yu, “Sister, we’re here.”
Wen Xi also let out an imperceptible sigh of relief. “Thank you.”
She prepared to get out of the car, but once again, her arm was caught by Shen Yu.
Shen Yu’s voice was filled with helplessness. “I have to join a film crew for the next two months.”
Wen Xi didn’t know what Shen Yu meant. She hesitated before nodding. “Um.”
Shen Yu’s tone softened. “I don’t know why you’re unwilling to tell me the reason, but I can wait. I’ve already waited ten years; I don’t care about this little bit of time.”
Wen Xi kept her eyes down, looking at Shen Yu’s hand gripping her arm, and said muffledly, “There’s no need.”
“There is a need,” Shen Yu shook her head, her voice raspy. “If it’s because of me… I can change.”
Wen Xi’s throat tightened. She gently brushed Shen Yu’s hand away. “It’s not because of you.”
Shen Yu forced a smile that didn’t look very good. “Then wait for me, okay? For these two months, don’t move house, and don’t run away again, okay?”
Wen Xi blinked in a panic, not daring to meet Shen Yu’s gaze. “I’m getting out now.”
At the final moment of Wen Xi’s departure, she heard Shen Yu speak softly. “All these years, I’ve been looking for you.”
Wen Xi fled in a flurry.
Once she entered the office building, she couldn’t help but take out her phone and tap on Yu Qiao’s chat box.
[T.T: Things seem to be slipping out of our expectations. Shen Yu doesn’t seem to be able to forget me.]
Wen Xi deleted and rewrote this text several times. She didn’t dare to dwell on what Shen Yu meant, yet she wondered if she was thinking too highly of herself.
Who was Shen Yu? Over the years, the girls surrounding her were all much more beautiful and talented than Wen Xi.
Why should Wen Xi be the one Shen Yu could never forget?
If Shen Yu knew Wen Xi’s thoughts, she might answer her: “Because of love, and because I can’t let go.”
Regardless of reality, Wen Xi still sent the message.
She entered the elevator and pressed the floor for her office.
The office building was located within Wancheng’s Third Ring Road. The office was on a middle floor of the building with reasonable rent that Wen Xi could afford.
At the time, Yu Qiao had helped find this place. It was only a twenty-minute commute from Yu Qiao’s company, neither too far nor too close.
As soon as Wen Xi entered the studio, everyone greeted her listlessly.
Wen Xi smiled. “What’s wrong with everyone?”
It would have been better if Wen Xi hadn’t asked. Once she did, a group of people began complaining all at once.
“Ever since you went on the trending searches, boss, so many people want to book you! My email inbox can’t keep up! It’s not just individuals; there are other business collaborations. I’m terrified of missing an important email and then being called a ‘small-timer playing big’!”
“Boss, I can’t do it anymore. The clients are too demanding; my brain is about to be squeezed dry!!”
“Boss! When are you coming back to work! I can’t live without you!”
“Boss…”
Wen Xi laughed despite herself. “Alright, alright, everyone has worked hard. Bonuses are doubled this month, and I’ll take you all out for a team-building dinner tonight. I’ll be back at work tomorrow.”
“Long live the boss!”
Wen Xi walked into her office. “Alright, get back to work!”
Not long after, there was a knock on her office door.
Wen Xi was looking for a file on her computer and didn’t even look up. “Enter.”
Xiao Du poked her head in. “Boss, what about Teacher Xu’s side?”
Wen Xi checked the time. “Tell her I’ll give it to her today.”
Xiao Du smiled. “Got it!”
On the other side, after Xu Shuili received Xiao Du’s message, she took a screenshot with satisfaction and sent it to Shen Yu.
[Xu Shuili: Mission accomplished, right? You owe me a favor.]
When Shen Yu saw the message, she was packing her luggage, preparing to head to the film set.
Shen Yu typed back irritably.
[S: Fine. What do you want me to help you with? If it’s helping you chase someone, forget it.]
On the other end, Xu Shuili gave a light tut and whispered, “What kind of person does she think I am?”
[Xu Shuili: Haven’t thought of it yet, I’ll save it for later.]
[S: Fine.]
[Xu Shuili: By the way, is Teacher T really your ex-girlfriend?]
[S: …You already know.]
[Xu Shuili: I’m still shocked. You’ve been so celibate all these years, I thought you were frigid. Who knew… you had an ex-girlfriend hidden so deep.]
[S: .]
[Xu Shuili: Still, you’re quite lucky. To think someone as beautiful as Teacher T was actually won over by you.]
[S: Stopping the chat. Busy.]
Shen Yu looked at the words “ex-girlfriend” and “won over” on the screen, feeling only a sense of irritation.