Ni Xia rarely felt like enjoying the rain, but tonight was different.
After posting on her social media, she sat on the lounge chair by the window, listening to the gentle sound of rain.
And the constant vibration of her phone.
People close to her more or less knew about her current situation. After seeing her post, they all came to ask whether there was good news about the project.
Ni Xia did not rush to reply to their concern. Instead, she shifted into a more comfortable position and looked toward the laptop on the dining table with a smile playing at the corners of her lips.
Actually, she had not been in a good mood when You Jue left.
She had thought there would be some major progress tonight.
But even after he came all the way to her home, he barely spoke to her and spent the entire time buried in work.
This was hardly a secret romantic meeting between a man and a woman who understood each other without words.
It was clearly just overtime in a different location.
With a personality as stiff as his, Ni Xia had no idea how she was supposed to move their relationship forward.
But after opening the computer and looking through it for a few minutes, the corners of her lips slowly lifted.
The frustration in her heart quietly melted away, like a handful of warm water.
There had not actually been much work for one night. You Jue had only organized part of her emails.
But he had carefully added detailed notes to every file, explaining why certain emails could be used as evidence and why others could not.
That man, You Jue…
She had thought he was really just a block of wood.
Who would have thought he simply did not know how to express himself?
His affection was all in his actions.
So Ni Xia happily took a photo and posted what looked like an ambiguous and suggestive social media update, which was actually her way of responding to You Jue’s feelings.
He would definitely understand.
Maybe he would even come looking for her later to chat.
She waited for more than half an hour.
Ni Xia almost fell asleep on the lounge chair, but there was still no sign of You Jue.
She opened her social media again.
She rarely posted anything, so whenever she did, her friends were always enthusiastic.
It had only been a short while, yet the likes and comments were already piling up. She could scroll for a long time and still not reach the end.
Ni Xia checked them one by one.
But she could not find You Jue’s profile picture anywhere.
Did he not check his social media?
The lively activity on her social media was like a sudden burst of fireworks. Once it faded, Ni Xia spent the entire next two days working at home.
At first, it was difficult.
But as she referred to You Jue’s notes and occasionally asked questions in the group chat, she gradually began to understand the logic behind organizing a chain of evidence.
The sunlight around three or four in the afternoon was like golden honey, silently filling the entire living room.
After organizing all the email evidence and sending it to You Jue, Ni Xia stared blankly at her phone.
He still had not shown any reaction over the past two days.
Apart from occasionally answering her questions in the group chat, he had not sent her a single message.
She had no idea what he did every day.
Was he really so busy that he did not even have a minute to contact her?
People really should not have too much free time.
Once curiosity appeared, Ni Xia could not stop thinking about him.
In the end, she could not hold herself back anymore.
She opened their chat and slowly typed three words:
“What are you doing?”
She was just about to send it when her screen suddenly lit up.
Gu Yusheng was calling.
For the first time, Ni Xia felt that Gu Yusheng’s appearance was extremely badly timed.
Without expression, she answered, “Thinking about you.”
“Stop joking around. I have something serious to tell you.”
Gu Yusheng let out a heavy sigh.
“I’m so angry with the people at Qinhai today!”
Ni Xia’s expression changed immediately, and she sat straight up.
“What happened?”
Qinhai Entertainment was the film company that had contacted Gu Yusheng a few days ago.
It was a company controlled by the famous director Meng Hai.
In his earlier years, he had made several hugely successful commercial films and earned a fortune. Although his later films had received terrible reviews after he grew older, his ability to attract audiences remained strong.
Clearly, the financial power behind him was considerable.
But after running into setbacks with Qinhai, Ni Xia and Gu Yusheng had become more realistic.
They did not believe that such a good opportunity would simply fall into their laps.
Even when Gu Yusheng went there, he had only gone with the attitude that if they could make a deal, great, and if not, they could still remain on good terms.
So what could have made Gu Yusheng this angry?
“You have no idea how well we got along these past two days. We were still talking at the bar lounge at two in the morning. If I hadn’t been so sleepy, they probably would’ve kept me there all night.”
“They were really interested, right? They agreed with everything I said. We talked about the script, the creative ideas, and even discussed the special effects in general. They were extremely satisfied.”
“They even said themselves that this project had reached the stage where we could start filming as soon as the money was ready. I said, exactly! We were already just one step away from making it happen.”
“But guess what happened?”
Gu Yusheng’s voice became even more agitated.
“Today they called me to their company and told me they really liked the project and completely approved of our adaptation and creative ideas.”
“But they never intended to let us make it!”
“Meng Hai’s son likes the story and wants to direct it himself!”
“They spent all this time talking to us because they wanted to take advantage of us and get all the work we’ve done over the years for free!”
The words came out like a machine gun, making Ni Xia’s head buzz.
She was stunned for a long time before finally asking in disbelief,
“You mean they can invest in the project, but Director Meng’s son has to take over as director?”
“You’re putting it too politely.”
Gu Yusheng was furious.
“They want to kick the two of us out completely!”
“They even threatened me. They said they could give us a creative fee now, but if we couldn’t reach an agreement, we wouldn’t get anything later!”
“No.”
Ni Xia almost laughed at the absurdity.
“Are they robbers? They think they can just take whatever they want?”
“I asked them the same thing—where did they get the confidence to act so arrogantly?”
Gu Yusheng sounded even angrier.
“On my way back to the hotel, I figured it out.”
“They probably know that the IP copyright expires in a little over six months. They’re certain we won’t be able to start filming within that time.”
“…”
Ni Xia slapped her forehead and squeezed her eyes shut.
The biggest problem they had faced recently was the investor pulling out.
All their attention had been focused on finding new funding, so they had completely overlooked the copyright deadline.
They had never expected someone to be waiting behind them like a hungry wolf.
And they certainly had not expected that wolf to want to devour everything they had.
“Listen to me.”
After a few seconds of silence, Ni Xia made a firm decision.
“Go contact the copyright owner right now. We’ll renew the copyright for another year.”
“But we still have more than six months.”
Gu Yusheng worked in production and was always careful with money.
“If we manage to start filming within six months, wouldn’t that money be—”
“But what if we can’t start filming?”
The more Ni Xia thought about it, the more uneasy she became.
“Do it as soon as possible. Qinhai wouldn’t threaten you like this without a reason. They may have already contacted the copyright owner behind our backs.”
Gu Yusheng immediately sucked in a sharp breath.
“That’s going to cost a lot again, isn’t it?”
“Why are you worrying about that? I’ll just shed a few tears in front of my grandfather and get the money.”
In reality, that was not true.
Ni Xia knew that even if she cried an entire Pacific Ocean in front of her grandfather, it probably would not help.
She was only trying to comfort Gu Yusheng.
Fortunately, she now had another way to make money.
Last time, she had only gone to the factory to find You Jue, and her grandfather had already given her one million yuan.
If she went on a proper date with You Jue today, would her grandfather…
It was almost time for work to end anyway.
Ni Xia switched back to WeChat and looked at You Jue’s profile picture.
She silently deleted the three words she had typed earlier.
[Ni Xia]: Are you free today?
During the few minutes she waited for his reply, Ni Xia was so anxious that she could hardly sit still.
Only after seeing his reply did she finally relax.
[J]: Is something wrong?
[Ni Xia]: Yes. I’m coming to see you.
She put down her phone and immediately went to do her makeup and change clothes.
You Jue did not reply again until an hour later.
[J]: ? If there’s something, just tell me on WeChat. I’m busy.
Ni Xia looked up at the office building in front of her.
Too late.
She had already arrived.
She had even brought the jacket You Jue had lent her last time. The dry cleaner had just returned it that morning.
Pretending she had not seen his message, Ni Xia walked straight into Hengtuo.
The receptionist apparently did not know she had come without an appointment and even smiled at her.
Ni Xia easily found You Jue’s office.
She looked inside.
There was no one there.
Could he not even be at the law firm?
Just as Ni Xia was regretting her impulsiveness, Lai Min came running over with a stack of documents.
She suddenly stopped before entering the office and looked back at Ni Xia.
“Miss Ni? You’re here to see Lawyer You?”
Ni Xia nodded.
Lai Min immediately pushed open You Jue’s office door.
“He’s meeting with a client. You can wait here for a while.”
Thank goodness.
Lai Min led Ni Xia into the office, put down the documents, and went to get her some water.
Ni Xia looked around.
There was a standing clothes rack by the window. Worried that You Jue’s jacket might become wrinkled if she left it in the bag too long, she took it out.
“He should be finished soon. Or if there’s something you need…”
Lai Min turned around.
She saw Ni Xia hanging You Jue’s jacket on the rack and carefully smoothing out the wrinkles.
The atmosphere instantly became rather strange.
At least from Lai Min’s perspective, You Jue would never leave his clothes at an ordinary client’s home.
And an ordinary client certainly would not hang his clothes for him like the lady of the house.
Lai Min suddenly remembered that night when she had already put on her bag and was about to leave.
You Jue had called her and told her that the trip would take too long and that she did not need to come.
At the time, she had been touched.
Now it seemed that men really could not be trusted.
Ni Xia finished hanging up the jacket and turned around.
“What were you saying?”
Lai Min’s voice suddenly became very quiet.
“I was saying that if you have something you need, you can tell me first…”
Ni Xia shook her head with a bright smile.
“It’s nothing. I’ll wait for Lawyer You.”
“Okay…”
Lai Min looked away.
“Then, I-I’ll get back to work first, Miss Ni.”
After she left, Ni Xia immediately took out a small mirror and checked her makeup.
She also regretted that You Jue’s office did not have a full-length mirror where she could fix her clothes.
After all, she had come today for money.
How far things went with You Jue would determine how much financial encouragement her grandfather would give her.
How could this not count as using her looks to get what she wanted?
Ni Xia sighed.
As she was thinking about it, a sound of conversation came from the hallway and gradually grew closer.
Ni Xia immediately recognized You Jue’s voice.
She straightened her back and sat in her best posture.
The door was pushed open from outside.
You Jue’s attention was still on his colleague.
They seemed to be talking about something interesting. His expression was relaxed, and as he spoke, he suddenly laughed.
It was the first time Ni Xia had seen him laugh so openly.
Two distinct lines appeared on his cheeks, the kind that only appeared on a well-defined face with full, even cheekbones. They made his smile look especially lively.
Even in a perfectly tailored suit, there was a youthful, carefree energy about him.
He looked completely different from his usual cold self.
But the moment he turned his head and their eyes met, his smile disappeared without a trace.
The speed was almost as dramatic as a face-changing performance.
Ni Xia: ?
What did that mean?
You Jue calmly walked behind his desk and put down what he was holding.
Then he asked, “Did you run into trouble organizing the evidence?”
“No. Your notes were so helpful that everything went smoothly. I finished organizing all the emails today. Next, I’m going to organize the financial records and chat history.”
Then why had she come?
You Jue raised his eyes.
The woman sitting across from him on the sofa once again entered his line of sight without warning.
He could not tell exactly what color Ni Xia’s dress was.
All he saw was a field of pure white, with faint points of light scattered across it.
Even after looking away, he still seemed unable to ignore her presence.
You Jue decided there was no need to ask what she had come for.
“If there’s nothing else, I’m going home.”
Ni Xia’s eyes immediately lit up.
“That’s great.”
You Jue: “…What’s great about that?”
“I know a new restaurant around here that’s really popular. Let’s go eat there.”
Ni Xia stood up with her bag, looking excited.
“There’s also a new movie that recently came out, and the reviews are really good. We can watch it after dinner.”
You Jue: “…”
Although he knew Ni Xia had another motive, You Jue still had not expected her to be this straightforward.
Was she always like this?
“No. I’m busy.”
“…”
This was only the third time in Ni Xia’s entire life that someone had coldly rejected her.
And the first two times had also been You Jue.
She could not understand it.
She had already been this direct about asking him out. What exactly was he still pretending about?
He could not even come up with a polite excuse.
His blunt refusal was like a bucket of cold water dumped straight over her head, leaving Ni Xia completely caught off guard.
After saying that, You Jue began packing up his things, clearly showing that he was ready to see her out.
He did not even look at Ni Xia again.
Left standing there, Ni Xia felt like a wooden statue.
She did not know what else to say or what else she could do.
She could accept losing face, but…
Her chest tightened.
She grabbed her bag and walked silently toward the door.
But just as she reached it, Ni Xia stopped.
If she went home like this, where was she supposed to get the money?
She could not just sit at home and wait for money to fall from the sky.
Fine.
For the sake of money.
Ni Xia forced herself to stay calm, gripping the strap of her bag tightly with both hands.
She took one deep breath after another.
Finally, she turned around and gritted her teeth.
“ You Jue, I really don’t like this push-and-pull game.”
You Jue clearly had not heard her properly.
“What?”
“What I mean is—”
Ni Xia raised her head and looked at him seriously.
“There are some things you don’t need to hide. If you like someone, you should say it out loud. If you don’t say it, how will you know whether you have a chance?”
This time, You Jue heard her clearly.
But the confusion in his eyes was obvious, as if he could not understand what she was saying.
At that exact moment, there was a very light knock on the door.
Before Ni Xia could react, the door opened and the person entering completely blocked her from view.
“Getting off work?”
It was a young male lawyer named Cai Xin, around the same age as You Jue.
He casually tossed a hard drive over.
“Here. Returning this to you.”
You Jue raised his hand and caught it.
Then he asked, “What about you? Want to grab dinner together?”
Ni Xia almost laughed from anger.
Hadn’t he just said he was busy?
So why was he inviting his colleague to dinner now?
She glared at You Jue from across the room and was just about to leave angrily when—
“I’ve still got something to do.”
Cai Xin turned around casually.
His eyes happened to land on the empty sofa before moving to the walls.
“Hmm?”
“Where’s that painting of yours? Why isn’t it hanging up?”
The moment Ni Xia heard the word “painting,” her legs froze.
She slowly looked at You Jue, even holding her breath.
But she heard him calmly reply,
“My friend took it back.”
“…Your friend? Took it back?”
Cai Xin looked surprised.
“Huh? It wasn’t yours?”
“Mm.”
You Jue nodded.
“My friend had temporarily left it here.”
Ni Xia: ?
Her mind seemed to stop functioning.
Yet several thoughts were mechanically running through it.
The painting wasn’t his…
It belonged to someone else…
She suddenly remembered the phone call You Jue had taken at her house a few days ago.
He really had been telling someone where the painting had been taken.
Wait.
What friend?
Why would his friend have a painting of her?
…Was he still just being stubborn?
No.
That couldn’t be right.
From You Jue’s perspective, he had no reason to lie.
He did not even know that she knew the painting existed.
So—
The painting really wasn’t You Jue’s?
Had she misunderstood everything?
Ni Xia, who had been so confident only moments ago, was suddenly overwhelmed by the truth.
She stood completely still.
She did not even move her eyes.
All the events of the past few days came rushing back into her mind, one scene after another.
And suddenly, everything made sense.
No wonder she had always thought You Jue was acting strangely.
No wonder she could never seem to move their relationship forward.
Because he had never meant anything by it in the first place!
But then…
Why had he rejected her case before turning around and taking it anyway?
It couldn’t really be because…
Cai Xin had not noticed Ni Xia’s presence.
“I haven’t even had a chance to take a closer look at it. It looks really expensive.”
You Jue said, “There’s nothing worth looking at.”
Ni Xia: ?
Why the hell did he have to insult it too?!
“Ah!”
Cai Xin turned around to leave and suddenly noticed Ni Xia standing behind the door.
He jumped.
“You are—”
Then he seemed to remember something.
He looked back at You Jue before awkwardly saying to Ni Xia,
“Sorry. I didn’t notice you just now.”
After saying that, he noticed that neither of them responded.
One was standing behind the door with a completely flushed face.
The other remained perfectly calm.
Cai Xin immediately imagined hundreds of dramatic scenarios in his head.
Curious and embarrassed, he quickly walked out and thoughtfully closed the door behind him.
The office became quiet again.
You Jue’s expression changed once more.
A hint of caution appeared in his eyes.
“What did you mean by what you just said?”
What had she just said?
She said…
If you like someone, you should say it out loud.
Meeting You Jue’s sharp gaze, Ni Xia felt as if all the blood in her body had rushed straight to her brain.
Like someone?
There was no such thing as liking him.
“I-I mean…”
Her ears were buzzing, and she could barely hear her own voice.
“I like you.”