Su Nian stared at those few simple words, feeling as though she knew them yet scarcely recognized their meaning.
Zhou Beiming… moving into my place? There would be no one to wait on him there. She herself lived mostly on takeout. She longed to decline gently. Yet he was already meeting her halfway; to refuse further would make her seem greedy and grasping. She said nothing.
That evening, returning home, Su Nian launched into a frenzy of cleaning. Ordinarily busy with studies, she rarely tidied thoroughly, and her apartment had grown cluttered. She mopped the floors three times over, washed the sofa covers and curtains until fresh, scrubbed the bathroom until the tiles gleamed, and polished the toilet bowl to a mirror shine. Thinking of the sheer volume of clothing in Zhou Beiming’s wardrobe, she decided to convert the second bedroom into a dressing room. Hanging on the door was a sign: “Reserved exclusively for Lige.” That was Chu Ligge’s room where she stayed occasionally to keep Su Nian company.
Su Nian pulled out her phone and called Chu Ligge. Chu Ligge was filming night scenes on set; the background hummed with noise. “Little Niannian? Why are you still awake so late?”
Su Nian glanced at the time it was indeed very late. She lay upon the sofa, every limb aching from exertion. “Lige… Zhou Beiming wants to move in with me.”
“What?!” Chu Ligge thought her ears were playing tricks. Clad in a ghostly costume and pallid stage makeup, she stepped away to a quiet corner. “Say that again.”
Su Nian enunciated clearly. “Zhou Beiming wants to cohabit with me.”
“Holy !” Chu Ligge swept back the ghostly wig, revealing her deathly pale face. “Are you seriously letting him move in?”
“He insists on it. I’m scrubbing the place and my arms are about to fall off.” Su Nian’s voice drooped. “And… I need your room for his clothes. He has so many. My closets simply aren’t enough.”
Silence stretched across the line. They had sworn long ago: no matter where life took them, they would always keep a room open for each other. Su Nian called softly, “Lige?”
Chu Ligge let loose a string of vivid language. “That utter bastard! What game is he playing? Running from a trail of romantic debts and hiding out at your place for peace and quiet?” Her voice rose sharply; Su Nian held the phone a little farther from her ear.
When Chu Ligge fell quiet, Su Nian explained. “Originally he asked me to stay at his apartment. But today I ran into Su Jin and Gu Zeyuan. There will be nothing but trouble if I stay there.”
Chu Ligge knew Su Nian’s nature when confronted with trouble, she did her utmost to slip away. She had once urged Su Nian to stand her ground, only to realize it meant tormenting her further. Su Nian was soft as steamed bun; no matter how much you bade her be strong, she would only end up trampled upon. Worse, she seemed emotionally impervious to hurt insults and slander rolled right off her. Chu Ligge had more than once urged her to speak with a therapist, only for Su Nian to insist her mind was perfectly sound.
Chu Ligge cut straight to the point. “Little Niannian… don’t tell me he’s grown fond of you? That he’s started seeing you differently?”
Over these past two years, had Su Nian known nothing but her own gentle descriptions of Zhou Beiming, she might well think him tolerable. He treated her with respect, kept her largely out of harm’s way, and granted her remarkable freedom. Yet the news headlines told another story. Just recently, he had been photographed buying sanitary pads with Ye Wanzhen at a convenience store. What kind of man was he? His heart was large enough to hold an entire housing estate. If he truly harbored deeper feelings, Su Nian ought to sever ties at once.
Su Nian spoke softly. “It’s nothing like that. His grandfather arranged a blind date for him. He asked me to pose as his girlfriend to deflect the match took me back to the Zhou estate to play the part.”
Chu Ligge’s painted features twisted with concern. “Are you certain? Little Niannian… do not be so trusting. Lest he sell you off and you stand there counting his profits.”
Su Nian gave a bitter laugh. “He possesses such wealth why sell me? And if he truly wished to dispose of me, he would hardly need to scheme. My life… is entirely within his grasp already.”
Chu Ligge conceded the logic. Zhou Beiming need only speak a word, and Su Nian would comply. She sighed. “If I were you… I would sever all ties with your family. Then you would never need humor his whims again.” She had said this eight hundred times if not a thousand.
Su Nian massaged her throbbing arms. “Lige… had my parents not divorced… I truly believe they would have loved me dearly.”
Chu Ligge fell silent. Everyone carried the weight of their upbringing. Su Nian clung stubbornly to the idea of family affection. No matter how her parents wounded her, she refused to speak ill of them. Chu Ligge’s heart ached for her and at the same time, wanted to shake her. Perhaps Su Nian did not even feel the bitterness.
Chu Ligge returned to her usual refrain. “Niannian… when I struggled with depression, I met a truly fine psychiatrist. Shall I recommend him to you?”
Su Nian lowered her head. “I am not ill.”
Chu Ligge let it go. “Very well. Use my room. Hang all that bastard’s suits there for all I care.”
“I shall restore it the moment he leaves,” Su Nian promised.
Chu Ligge harbored no such optimism. “I hope so. I rather fear he may decide never to leave.”
“How could that be?” Su Nian smiled faintly. “Zhou Beiming falls in love at every turn. Sooner or later he will find his true beloved… and then I shall serve no purpose.”
Chu Ligge scoffed. “Men like that… I doubt they are truly capable of loving anyone at all.”
Su Nian pondered her friend’s words. To Zhou Beiming, women were merely choices. She chatted a while longer before ending the call.
Back on the film set, Chu Ligge turned to return to filming and froze. Leaning against a prop wall with folded arms stood a man in wire-rimmed glasses, watching her with unfathomable dark eyes. She started in alarm. He took in her ghostly makeup without the faintest flicker of surprise. “You take every role offered?”
First loves, Chu Ligge thought. Beautiful while they lasted. Once broken… it was best never to cross paths again. Seeing him now made her want to unsheathe a blade. She said nothing, gathered her skirts, and strode forward only to find an arm barring her way.
“Free tonight?” Jiang Yun asked.
He wore a pristine white dress shirt; one cuff gleamed with gold wire, embroidered with the character “Jiang” the crest of his house. The sole heir of five generations of nobility, born with a silver spoon, every moment of his life charted by others even his marriage.
Chu Ligge felt nothing but weariness. “Young Master Jiang can you not see I am working? You know full well my father is a deadbeat debtor. I must earn.” She was an actress of the lowest rank typecast as corpses, then ghosts. Her income had improved marginally, yet fortune never quite favored her.
She brushed past his hand. Jiang Yun’s voice drifted icily after her. “Your friend… is she also Zhou Beiming’s woman?”
Her heart sank. He had heard everything. Jiang Yun spoke the name with bone-chilling coldness:
“Su Nian.”