My Wealthy Ex-Girlfriend Knelt and Begged Me to Come Back [Entertainment Industry] - Chapter 22

“It’s fine, it’s all in the past,” Ji Jiayu’s words were soft, carried away gradually by the wind.

“It’s already over.”

She had long forgotten the fervor of those days.

Song Tingyu drove her on the motorcycle, taking the outer ring road, almost retracing the exact route they had once roamed with the wind on their faces. Then, she turned the bike around and headed back into the city, to a commercial district near the Film Academy.

Inside a casual restaurant named Lily’s Garden. By the glass window, two women sat facing each other.

Song Tingyu picked up her chopsticks, lifted a fried shrimp ball dipped in mayonnaise, and gently placed it onto Ji Jiayu’s plate.

Ji Jiayu didn’t touch the dish. She only lowered her head, scooped a spoonful of red bean double-skin milk, and parted her red lips to take a small bite.

Song Tingyu frowned slightly.
“I remember you used to love eating at cha chaan tengs. Why are you eating so little today? Are you not feeling well?”

“I just don’t have much appetite today.” Ji Jiayu slowly chewed, the red beans ground to paste between her teeth before she swallowed.

The dessert that used to be fragrant and sweet—at this moment, its milkiness tasted bland.

“It’s been so long since we went out together. These past two years, almost every night, I thought about coming back here with you… Oh right, is the arcade still open around here?”

“It should be… but I haven’t been in a long time either.” Ji Jiayu replied.

…

After eating, they took the mall’s escalators all the way up to the top floor arcade.

“I remember you used to love that motorcycle simulator game, I think it was called Extreme Speed Racer. You’d always take the wrong track and end up in the river ditch. It was hilarious. You always dragged me to play—back then, we were so young, so bad at it, but totally hooked…”

Song Tingyu rambled on in her memories, then turned her head slightly, sneaking glances at Ji Jiayu’s reflection on the elevator wall.

Her jawline was smooth and defined, her shoulders and neck slender, her side profile so striking that it was impossible to look away.

Her lips, painted a vivid red, pressed lightly together. With her head slightly lowered, she looked even more reserved and delicate.

Song Tingyu only dared to look at her this way, secretly through the reflection.

She didn’t dare turn her head directly, nor openly stare—

afraid of crossing the line, afraid of startling Ji Jiayu.

But her mind kept replaying their dating days—

Ji Jiayu sitting at the motorcycle simulator, tilting her head slightly, blinking her eyes, pleading with her:
“Teach me, Tingyu…”

And then, Song Tingyu would straddle the seat behind her, arms encircling her waist, covering her small hands tightly gripping the handlebars. In her ear, she would softly whisper:
“This is the brake, that’s the throttle. You forgot again, silly fish.”

Back then, Ji Jiayu would turn her head, her light brown eyes sparkling, filled only with her reflection. Her pink lips pouted slightly as she teased,
“You’re the silly one. I hate you the most, get off…”

“Stupid senpai.”

…

Song Tingyu leaned slightly closer toward her, probing:
“Do you want to play Extreme Speed Racer?”

“Not anymore.” Ji Jiayu shook her head lightly, glancing at the digital screen. “The elevator’s here.”

With a “ding,” Ji Jiayu stepped out.

Song Tingyu followed behind her, slowly stretching her hand forward, wanting to take Ji Jiayu’s hand—

the hand she had once held countless times, every joint soft and delicate, carrying Ji Jiayu’s familiar scent.

But in the end, she restrained herself. Her arm, halfway out, lowered again.

“Xiaoyu, today… could you call me ‘senpai’ again?”

In front of the arcade, Ji Jiayu stopped, tilted her head slightly toward Song Tingyu. It was as though she’d just heard a joke—her lips curved, dimples sinking faintly at her cheeks.

“Senpai? Tingyu, did you go abroad and forget about time?”

“We’ve already graduated for two years. There won’t be any more ‘senpais.’”

Her voice was soft, drowned out by the electronic beeps of the arcade.

They wandered through the arcade.

As they passed a basketball machine, a boy furiously throwing balls turned his head and whistled at Ji Jiayu:
“Hey beauty, want to add me on WeChat?”

“Sorry,” Song Tingyu immediately leaned closer, slipping an arm around Ji Jiayu’s shoulders. Pulling her in, she shot the boy a glance:

“She’s here with her friend.”

That leather-jacketed woman’s possessiveness was overwhelming, almost blatant.

The boy clicked his tongue, disappointed, and turned back to his machine.

Ji Jiayu said nothing. She only glanced at him and smiled awkwardly.

Friend. Yes, she and Song Tingyu were only friends now.

Song Tingyu didn’t let go. She kept holding her. The girl in her arms was still so small, so fragile—just as she had been two years ago…

Finally, they stopped between two rows of claw machines.

“Wait here, I’ll go get some tokens,” Song Tingyu suddenly released her hold. “I remember you used to love claw machines.”

“Mm, okay.”

This arcade had long switched to WeChat payment, but Song Tingyu deliberately stopped Ji Jiayu.
“Wait a bit, I’ll exchange tokens.”

She walked to the counter.
“Hi, can you exchange 200 yuan worth of tokens for me?”

The young cashier was half-asleep and startled awake. She mumbled,
“Who even uses tokens these days?”

“I want tokens. Is that not allowed?” Song Tingyu insisted, pulling out two hundred yuan from her wallet and handing it over. “Please exchange them for me.”

Dizzy, the cashier opened the locked cabinet, pulled out a basket, and began counting coins. The clinking of metal against plastic echoed crisply.

Meanwhile, Ji Jiayu’s phone lit up.

A new message—

[Qiu]: Did you go to the hospital?

Ji Jiayu replied—

[Ji Jiayu]: I did.

The other side stayed silent for two minutes before responding—

[Qiu]: …

[Qiu]: You’re clearly not at the hospital. Send me your location.

It was as if Qiu Miaoran had grown a pair of eyes.

Otherwise, how could she possibly know she wasn’t there?

The air grew increasingly tense.

Support My Wealthy Ex-Girlfriend Knelt and Begged Me to Come Back [Entertainment Industry]