The segment where the guests exchange daily text messages is broadcast live on the show, visible in each guest’s live stream. The audience in Xia Weige’s live stream naturally saw the message clearly.
[Holy sh*t! What’s going on? Who sent that to Xiaxia?] [Wen Rong sent it, I just came from her stream.] [I didn’t watch during the day, what does this text mean??? Is she openly flirting? Can a class rep summarize it?] [Didn’t Wen Rong say she wouldn’t go back to an old flame? Didn’t she say she’d moved on? Why is she sending such an ambiguous text to Xiaxia now, is she deliberately messing with Xiaxia?] [To the solo-stan commenter above, Xiaxia asked Wen Rong this afternoon to help her apply ointment tonight.] [If she’s moved on, why is she still having contact? Can’t she just refuse? Can CP fans stay in their own corner?] [If you’re solo-stans, why are you even watching a dating show? Go away.] [So, is no one concerned about Xia Weige’s scandal? The main live chat is already a mess.] [Then go watch over there. Xiaxia’s fans, ignore them and just watch here.]
The bullet screen was in an uproar, and something had happened on Xia Weige’s end too. She had gotten up to leave and find Wen Rong after receiving the text, but just as she reached the door, she heard a staff member call her.
“Xiaxia, could you come here for a moment?”
The live broadcast was cut off at that moment. Xia Weige frowned and followed the staff member.
When she arrived at Director Wang’s location, Xia Weige was surprised to see her manager, Sister Li.
She had been too busy today to check her phone, but since even Sister Li was here, something big must have happened. She also recalled Ye Jing’s previous reminder that Zhuo Jingcheng had some unfavorable information about her, and a faint suspicion arose in her heart.
“Xiaxia, someone has exposed your family situation online,” Sister Li said frankly upon seeing Xia Weige, knowing the sudden cut of the live stream would have repercussions while the show was still taping.
“My family?” Xia Weige registered the words and paused slightly.
“Your parents’ side,” Sister Li, who was aware of her poor relationship with her family, explained. “I heard your father is sick.”
As Sister Li spoke, she handed the tablet to Xia Weige. The tablet showed a video of Xia’s father in the hospital, where someone was asking about Xia Weige and offering to help contact her.
Xia Weige lowered her eyes, staring silently at the man on the screen.
Sister Li, who knew her situation best, patted her shoulder and said gently, “We plan to arrange for you to go. We’ll say externally that you’ve been too busy with work. While your family might not be fully cooperative, they probably won’t intentionally embarrass you.”
She then turned to Director Wang and added, “We can also film it directly for the show, in a live format. Then we’ll have fans guide the public opinion, and there shouldn’t be any more problems. What do you think?”
Xia Weige listened, and after a long moment, she looked up at Sister Li. “Isn’t this all arranged already?”
Sister Li paused, then met her gaze squarely. “You can refuse, and I’ll think of another way.”
She then smiled wryly and said softly, “Even if we leave it alone, once the buzz dies down, it won’t affect where you are now.”
Xia Weige fell silent again.
Sister Li didn’t press her. After a long wait, she saw Xia Weige look up and nod. “Let’s do as Sister Li arranged.”
She then turned and bowed to Director Wang, who had been silent the entire time, and apologized, “Director Wang, I’m sorry to trouble you, but please have the show’s broadcast cooperate with me to clarify this quickly. I’ll go tonight. We’ll say my parents were afraid of affecting my work and didn’t tell me about the illness, and that I rushed over the moment I found out. I’ll communicate this clearly with my parents later.”
She deeply understood the reason why Director Wang was so eager to cooperate with her clarification, and she felt a sense of apology and respect for him.
However, the staff around her looked at her strangely, as her attitude towards her parents was difficult for outsiders to accept.
But Xia Weige didn’t feel the need to explain anything to them.
After settling things with Director Wang, Sister Li accompanied Xia Weige to a quiet place to make the call. Xia Weige dialed the number, and it was answered after a few rings.
[Hello, who is this?]
She hadn’t changed this number since she left home, so it seemed the other person had deleted it.
Xia Weige took a breath. [It’s Xia Weige.]
She had left in a hurry and wasn’t wearing enough clothes. Now outside, the cold wind swept over her, chilling her fingertips.
The other end went silent after hearing her name. Xia Weige couldn’t stand the cold outside and quickly spoke:
[Someone has asked you about me before, right? Now people are using this to attack me. I’m going to the hospital soon, and people will be filming. Please give me the address.]
The other end remained silent for a while before finally giving her the address. Xia Weige didn’t want to say anything more, replied with a brief, “I’ll be there soon,” and hung up.
She exhaled, and the cool air caught in her throat, making the breath itself feel frigid.
Sister Li patted her again. “Don’t lose heart. You have one more act to perform later. Just treat it like acting.”
Xia Weige nodded.
She looked up at the brightly lit little house, Wen Rong’s invitation to find her still lingering in her mind.
Director Wang’s team was ready and had sent someone to call her to leave.
Xia Weige took out her phone and sent a message to Wen Rong:
[Something came up. I have to leave for a while.]
Her message was vague, neither explaining what had happened nor stating when she would return.
She turned and walked with Sister Li toward the production team’s car, slightly bowing her head as she walked.
She lightly bit her tongue. The pain, though not severe, was undeniable, coming in waves.
She truly was a bad girl.
She thought.
…
To make the act convincing, Xia Weige stayed at the hospital. Since it was night, there was no need for much communication. As the sky began to lighten, she only exchanged a few words before leaving, citing the need to return for filming.
Her live stream was reopened shortly after and remained on. Sister Li had fans manage the comments, and the number of people driving the narrative had significantly decreased.
Sister Li went to handle the follow-up matters. Xia Weige returned to the house around seven in the morning.
She hadn’t slept all night and was not in good spirits. She was planning to change clothes and wash up, but unexpectedly ran into Wen Rong in the living room.
Xia Weige subconsciously checked her phone. At this hour, Wen Rong should have been exercising in the gym.
But the other woman was sitting on the sofa, scrolling through her phone.
Xia Weige walked over quietly, yet Wen Rong quickly noticed her.
Wen Rong’s gaze seemed to mirror the hazy light of dawn, bringing a hint of warmth through the mist of the rising sun.
“Why are you here? Didn’t you go exercise?” Xia Weige asked.
Her tongue pressed against her palate, her eyes holding an inexplicable emotion.
Was she worried because of the message sent last night?
Was she intentionally waiting here for her return?
Wen Rong’s gaze remained gentle. She must have showered in the morning, as a distinct scent of shower gel lingered on her.
Xia Weige walked closer to Wen Rong and sat down beside her.
She said nothing more, staring intently at Wen Rong’s face, as if demanding an answer.
“I’m a little tired today, so I won’t exercise,” Wen Rong replied.
“Oh.” Xia Weige bit her lip, not quite satisfied with the answer, but knowing she couldn’t ask for more.
She was disappointed. After sending such a vague text last night, she had hoped for some kind of reaction from Wen Rong.
Either anger over her deliberately ambiguous message or concern because she had run into trouble.
Yet, Wen Rong before her was like an ethereal being—neither angry nor worried, but gentle as always.
Xia Weige sighed inwardly, preparing to go change her clothes. Just as she stood up, Wen Rong reached out and stopped her.
Slender fingers clasped her wrist. The grip wasn’t tight, but it held her in place, unable to move.
Perhaps it was Xia Weige’s subconscious unwillingness to resist the other woman.
“You didn’t get the ointment last night. Let me apply it now, let me see your foot.”
Xia Weige watched Wen Rong, blinked, and only after a while did she sit back down.
She looked at Wen Rong, and the sound of her own heartbeat in her chest gradually grew louder in her ears.
“It doesn’t hurt anymore. It should be fine now,” she answered subconsciously, but she immediately pressed her lips tightly shut.
She absolutely did not want Wen Rong to let go, or to give up on applying the ointment because of her words.
Fortunately, Wen Rong didn’t quite believe her. She immediately crouched down and picked up the injured foot.
Wen Rong’s warm fingertips touched the skin of her ankle. Wen Rong’s body temperature seemed to penetrate the joints of Xia Weige’s ankle, and the heat radiating from that spot felt as if it was about to ignite her entire body.
Xia Weige took a deep breath, her breathing becoming shallow.
Wen Rong confirmed the injured area; there was still a faint bruise.
She then dabbed some ointment onto Xia Weige’s ankle. The coldness of the ointment made Xia Weige instinctively flinch, and Wen Rong quickly used force to stop her.
“Bear with it for a bit. I need to rub it in, or it won’t be effective.” Wen Rong said this and didn’t wait for Xia Weige’s reply, slowly using her thumb to rub the ointment in.
Her movements were not light, but they were detailed, tracing Xia Weige’s skin. Xia Weige felt a tickle, and not just where the ointment was applied.
Xia Weige seemed unable to endure it, she bent over, lowered her head, and bit her fingertips.
“Does it hurt?” Wen Rong naturally noticed her abnormality and looked up to ask.
Xia Weige couldn’t articulate her true feelings, so she could only respond with a slight tremor in her voice: “Mhm.”
But that single sound finally made Wen Rong realize the anomaly.
A trembling sound, as if coated in honey—she was once so familiar with it.
Wen Rong’s fingers froze. It was only then that she felt the skin beneath her touch trembling slightly.
This wasn’t pain at all.
She finally remembered: the area just above Xia Weige’s ankle was an erogenous zone. Whenever she touched it, Xia Weige would complain that it was very ticklish, and repeated rubbing could even make her body completely go soft.
She had been repeatedly pressing on that exact spot while applying the medicine just now.
At this realization, Wen Rong tensed her fingers and stopped moving for a long while.
Xia Weige waited for a long time, then looked up. Seeing Wen Rong’s pursed lips and complex expression, she guessed the other woman had recalled her sensitive spot.
But she didn’t want Wen Rong to stop now. Anxiously, she reached out and hooked her fingers around Wen Rong’s tensed ones. “Jiejie, please hurry and finish…”
She hadn’t slept all night and looked somewhat fatigued, and because of the sensitive spot, a single unshed tear hung in the corner of her eye.
It was crystal clear, as if about to fall onto Wen Rong’s heart.
Wen Rong gently closed her eyes, then lowered her head again, placing her thumb back on Xia Weige’s ankle.
Her touch was lighter now, like the brush of a swan feather, careful and cautious.