Drowning in Love Amidst a Sea of Hate - Chapter 1

The music festival venue was set up on a grassy field in the outskirts of the city. Even at four in the afternoon, the sun was brutal, the kind of heat that made your head spin.

When Xu Enzhi stepped out of the minivan, the organizers were already waiting at the entrance.

She dressed simply today: a long white dress paired with a gardenia brooch, her long ponytail draped over her shoulder. She wore a black mask and a pair of gold-rimmed sunglasses. Behind the lenses, her eyes were cool and detached, looking at the world as if through a layer of dark ink.

“Teacher Zhishan, thank you for your hard work, this way please,”

A staff member led the way at a light jog, his tone carrying a hint of cautious flattery. Xu Enzhi’s momentum over the past two years had been unstoppable, the sales of her serialized manga volumes had broken records, and the anime adaptation was currently a major hit, making her quite a prestigious guest. Everyone in the industry knew she wasn’t fond of socializing, it took three months just to book an interview, but once you got her, it was guaranteed to go viral.

Xu Enzhi wasn’t much for talking. She gave a slight nod and followed him inside.

The noise at the festival grounds was enough to cause a migraine. Electronic music drifted over from the distant stage, the drumbeats hitting her chest one after another. Frowning, Xu Enzhi avoided the crowds and was led into the backstage lounge area.

“Teacher Zhishan, the interview is in an hour, please rest here for a bit,”

“Who is the other interviewee?” Xu Enzhi checked the schedule, which clearly stated it was a joint interview.

The staff member paused, his expression turning subtle. “Uh… it’s Teacher Ji Ran.”

Xu Enzhi stopped in her tracks.

She turned her head and looked at the man.

Feeling the weight of that gaze, the staff member felt an odd chill run down his spine. “This, this was arranged by the organizers. They said, they said they wanted to do a cross-industry dialogue…”

“Replace them.”

Everyone knew this person surnamed Ji was a disgraced artist who couldn’t keep her lower half in check, but it seemed Xu Enzhi had her own reasons.

“Teacher Zhishan, about this…”

“You can’t replace her, can you?”

There was no rise or fall in Xu Enzhi’s tone. Having said her piece, she continued walking inside.

She knew, of course, that a replacement was impossible. Even if Ji Ran was famous for the wrong reasons, she was still famous. She had massive traffic and high topicality. The organizers had invited her specifically for the buzz. Pairing the two for a dialogue was nothing more than a desire to add fuel to the fire.

“I’ll do the interview, but I won’t take off my mask or sunglasses.”

“No problem, Teacher Zhishan.” The staff member nodded hurriedly.

“As per your request, we were going to blur your face in post-production anyway, and the voice will be processed as well.”

As one hit manga followed another, waves of overly fanatical stalkers had emerged. Xu Enzhi didn’t want her life disturbed, so these measures were a last resort.

But the moment she thought of that face, a wave of nausea rose in her stomach.

The door to the lounge was slightly ajar. Just as she reached the entrance, the sound of laughter from inside hit her ears.

It was Ji Ran’s voice.

She was all too familiar with that voice. A few years ago, on that variety show, Ji Ran was the host and she had been invited as a guest. Meeting backstage, Ji Ran had been leaning against a makeup mirror, deep in a French kiss with a wealthy female benefactor.

Fortunately, the host Xu Enzhi had actually interacted with back then wasn’t Ji Ran, and the show had flopped so hard later on that nobody really watched it.

She found out later.

Ji Ran’s promiscuity was legendary in the industry. She changed bed partners more often than clothes, caught in a scandal with one person today and trending with another tomorrow. When talking about her views on relationships in interviews, she would smile with total indifference. “Just living in the moment, being happy is what matters most.”

What Xu Enzhi had heard at the dressing room door that day was actually the sound of two people in the heat of passion.

Remembering that face, a physiological loathing suddenly bloomed in her heart.

Xu Enzhi pushed the door open. The air conditioning was humming in the lounge, and someone was sprawled on the sofa.

Ji Ran was dressed vibrantly today, wearing a red rose gown with her hair in big, wavy curls. Her collarbone was partially exposed, and her hair was styled with a calculated messiness that made her exquisite face pop even more.

She was looking down at her phone, but she looked up when she heard the door. Seeing Xu Enzhi, she quirked an eyebrow.

“Oh.”

Ji Ran’s eyes lit up as she looked at the oddly dressed person in front of her. “You’re the manga artist? I’ve seen your work, it’s really well drawn,”

As she spoke, she stood up to pat her shoulder.

Xu Enzhi stepped aside to dodge her.

Ji Ran’s hand froze in mid-air. She blinked, then laughed, seemingly not recognizing Xu Enzhi yet.

Xu Enzhi walked to the sofa on the other side of the room, sat down, and pulled out her phone to check her drafts.

The AC was blasting, and the room was so quiet that only the hum of the unit remained.

Ji Ran’s gaze landed on her, slowly scanning her from top to bottom and back again. Feeling that stare, Xu Enzhi’s fingers tightened around her phone, though her face remained unreadable.

“Teacher Zhishan,” Ji Ran spoke, her tone laced with amusement, “Nice. To. Meet. You.”

Xu Enzhi didn’t look up.

Ji Ran continued to herself, “I think I saw you when I was checking in a few days ago. You were wearing sunglasses and a mask then too, completely wrapped up. I said hello, and you acted like you didn’t see me.”

Xu Enzhi’s finger twitched.

“I thought to myself then,” Ji Ran’s voice was slow and drawling, “This person has quite a temper. Where did I offend her?”

Ji Ran tilted her head to look at her, blinking. “I thought about it for ages and still couldn’t figure it out. I still don’t know.”

Xu Enzhi knew she was trying to bait her into speaking, but she refused to give Ji Ran what she wanted, keeping her head down on her phone.

Seeing that this tactic wasn’t working, Ji Ran pulled out another move: the honey trap.

She leaned her body closer and closer to the person beside her.

Xu Enzhi caught the scent of perfume mixed with a hint of tobacco. She remained unmoved, as if she had lost all her senses.

Ji Ran looked down at her and suddenly laughed.

“Fine,”

“You’re good.”

Ji Ran turned and walked back to her spot, curling back into the sofa and returning to her phone.

Silence fell again.

After about ten minutes, a staff member knocked and entered, saying the interview was about to start and asking them to head to the interview area.

The interview area was set up by the side of the stage. The backdrop featured the festival logo, and two bar stools were placed facing each other. Xu Enzhi sat down, the lights hitting her face and reflecting off her lenses, masking her expression.

Ji Ran sat opposite her, long legs crossed, her posture incredibly relaxed.

The host began the routine, asking about the festival first, then about the creative process, before finally circling around to their collaboration.

“This is the first time you two have worked together, right? How does it feel?”

Ji Ran smiled.

She leaned forward, resting a hand on Xu Enzhi’s shoulder with a familiar intimacy, like they were old friends.

“I was young and reckless before, and I offended Teacher Xu Enzhi.”

Xu Enzhi’s shoulder stiffened for a split second.

Ji Ran’s large hand was pressed against her shoulder, almost touching her collarbone, her temperature burning hot.

“I’ll take this opportunity,”

“To formally apologize to Enzhi.”

Xu Enzhi met that face, those fox-like eyes, thin lips, and the mole on the bridge of her nose. She looked as sharp and wicked as a thousand-year-old demon.

Xu Enzhi didn’t know when Ji Ran had recognized her, but once she realized what was happening, she abruptly threw off the hand Ji Ran had placed on her shoulder.

A sharp smack echoed in the air.

The staff members across from them exchanged glances, and the scene fell dead quiet.

“Let’s shake hands and make peace,” Ji Ran’s voice rose again, her attitude incredibly humble and gentle, as if coaxing a child.

“Okay?”

With the camera pointed at her face, Xu Enzhi couldn’t move.

She knew that by agreement, her real name wouldn’t be revealed, but with Ji Ran saying it like this, the gossip reporters on site would have already caught the scent. It might end up with people digging things up, making it very ugly.

So, she had no choice but to nod, acting as if nothing had happened.

I’ll just have them cut out the part where I slapped her hand away later…

That was all she could think.

Seeing her expression, the curve of Ji Ran’s lips deepened. She sat back up, acting as if nothing had just occurred.

The interview lasted another ten minutes. Xu Enzhi didn’t know what she said, opening and closing her mouth mechanically the whole time. The warmth of Ji Ran’s palm still lingered on her shoulder, that patch of skin feeling like it had been branded with a hot iron, both stinging and itchy.

Finally, the host announced it was over. Xu Enzhi stood up and left immediately.

“Xu Enzhi.”

The voice came from behind. Xu Enzhi ignored it, taking large strides to get away.

Footsteps caught up from behind, and a hand grabbed her wrist, forcing her to turn around.

The two stood eye-to-eye, the atmosphere dropping to a freezing point. The surrounding staff gasped, then held their breath.

Ji Ran’s assistant looked at the two of them and scrambled to smooth things over. “Is, is Teacher Zhishan too tired? She needs to rest immediately, so sorry, truly sorry… Teacher Ji, we should…”

“It’s fine.” Ji Ran waved her off with a smile, her tone breezy. “Teacher Xu is still holding a grudge over the mess I made in the past.”

Xu Enzhi shook off her hand, her brow furrowed in a look of deepening annoyance.

A flash of gossip crossed the assistant’s face as she finally realized. “You, you two know each other?”

She had assumed Ji Ran found out Xu Enzhi’s real name from the staff, but she hadn’t expected them to actually know each other.

Xu Enzhi remained silent, while Ji Ran nodded with a smile. She picked up her long dress, walked to the coffee table, and poured two cups of tea.

“It was just kids being immature back then.” She held a cup out.

“We’re all adults now. I’ll apologize to you on behalf of my younger self, and I hope you won’t hold it against me anymore. Of course, whatever I said back then, you can just treat it as hot air.”

Xu Enzhi didn’t take it, wanting absolutely zero physical contact.

Ji Ran wasn’t embarrassed. “Afraid I poisoned it?” She drained the tea in one gulp right in front of her.

Xu Enzhi glanced at her and walked away, her long braid brushing against Ji Ran’s fingertips.

Ji Ran watched her silhouette, curling her fingers slightly with a smirk playing on her lips.

“Still the same old attitude.”

It was near midnight when Xu Enzhi left the venue. she drove her low-profile grey sedan into the night, leaving the clamor of the music festival behind.

After twenty minutes of driving, Xu Enzhi suddenly glanced at the rearview mirror and noticed a black sedan following her at a steady distance.

A sense of unease rose in Xu Enzhi’s heart. She frowned and whipped the steering wheel through several turns.

But that little black car was like a piece of chewed gum, no matter what she did, she couldn’t shake it off.

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