“When did you get back? Was it fun abroad?” Cheng Du poured her a glass of wine with familiar ease as he asked.
Ji Xueli took it. “A few days ago, I guess. Being abroad is just like anywhere else.”
“Did you come back for a certain someone?” Cheng Du inquired with a smile. Though they were not as close now as they used to be, he was still someone who cherished past friendships.
Hearing him ask this, she could not help but steal a glance at Duan Qingyu, feeling a bit more certain in her mind. Yup, this must be the male lead.
“Once my studies were done, it was naturally time to return,” Ji Xueli said, her eyes darting around as she stayed on high alert to avoid saying the wrong thing.
“True. Though you left so casually back then.” Cheng Du raised an eyebrow, genuinely admiring her. Running off to Germany the very next day after breaking up with Ji Yanzhou, her mindset was truly impressive.
Ji Xueli glanced at him. Judging by his tone and expression, he seemed very familiar with the original owner of this body and might even know a lot of her past secrets.
Just as she was preparing to coax more information out of him, someone interrupted her.
“Brother Du, that female star you like is here!” someone shouted from below.
“She is here,” Cheng Du said, growing excited. “Xueli, excuse me for a moment. Wait for me, alright?”
A female star? Curious, Ji Xueli craned her neck to look down. What did she look like? She had never seen a female star in person before.
Seeing her craning her neck to look in one direction, Duan Qingyu raised an eyebrow and took the initiative to speak: “Duan Qingyu.”
The corners of his lips curled up as he raised his glass toward her.
“Oh, long time no see.” Realizing what was happening, Ji Xueli offered a polite smile, clinked her glass against his, and drained it in one gulp.
Long time no see. With one hand resting on the railing, Duan Qingyu’s deep red lips twisted into a half-smile. “It seems Miss Ji still remembers me.”
“He is definitely the male lead, he is deliberately saying that to mock you,” the System popped up again.
“I know. Shut up.”
“Mm, of course. How could I possibly forget Huacheng’s nobility?” Ji Xueli did not look at him, maintaining her persona of a stubborn “white moonlight” who still harbored deep feelings.
Duan Qingyu’s eyes flickered slightly. It seemed she had forgotten those unpleasant events from a few years ago.
Then again, to her, he probably did not amount to anything at all.
“Why are there celebrities at an ocean ball?” Ji Xueli asked, unable to hold back as she watched Cheng Du hook up with the female idol down below.
“Is not that Miss Ji’s profession as well?” he asked in return.
Oh, right. The original body owner was also an actress who had gone abroad to study acting.
Duan Qingyu leaned a bit closer to her. His voice was deep and pleasant, carrying an innate, lazy rogue charm. “If Miss Ji sees anyone you like, you can take them with you directly.”
Hearing him say this, Ji Xueli understood. So this place was actually a trading ground.
She asked, “Anyone?”
“Naturally.”
“Does that include you?” Ji Xueli turned to look at him, asking with apparent seriousness.
She just wanted to test whether the male lead still held any affection for her, even though it seemed rather pointless.
Duan Qingyu stared at her for a moment, then let out a soft laugh. The amusement did not reach his dark, deep eyes. “Miss Ji just returned, yet you are already teasing me.”
“Just kidding, do not be nervous,” Ji Xueli replied with a smile, finding the man in front of her truly hard to read.
“Crown Prince.”
A delicate, soft voice sounded beside them. Ji Xueli turned to look and saw an exquisitely dressed, beautiful young woman, though her features looked somewhat unnaturally perfected.
She was a female star.
An obscure one, at that.
Ji Xueli caught on at a glance and took a small sip of her wine.
Duan Qingyu glanced at the woman. “Is there something you need?”
“I came to toast you.” The woman leaned forward, her low-cut outfit leaving her plump chest completely exposed.
Whether Duan Qingyu looked or not, Ji Xueli could not tell, but her own eyes were almost glued to the view.
Is that real? It is huge.
“I do not feel like drinking,” Duan Qingyu said flatly, turning his gaze back down toward the scene below.
Watching this unfold, the woman’s smile froze, and she stood there in complete embarrassment.
With the atmosphere suddenly tense, Ji Xueli took the initiative to grab the woman’s arm to smooth things over. “Come on, accompany me to the restroom.”
This would also give her a chance to gather some information in private.