Never Forget - Chapter 6

A pleasant fragrance lingered at the tip of her nose. It was a unique perfume, a clean and elegant scent that made her feel as if she were experiencing all four seasons at once. This was Qin Zhizhen’s signature scent.

The waist being held tightened instinctively. Ye Zhuyi could clearly feel the warmth of Qin Zhizhen’s palm through her wrist, seeping into her skin and flowing through her veins to every part of her body.

Her heart pounded wildly, as if it were about to leap out of her chest. Ye Zhuyi reluctantly loosened her grip on Qin Zhizhen’s shirt, her tongue twisting in her mouth. “I… I’m fine.”

Almost as soon as she spoke, Qin Zhizhen let go and took a step back, creating distance between them. The heart that had been drumming like a war drum just a second ago suddenly fell silent.

Without Qin Zhizhen’s support, Ye Zhuyi tried to stand straight and move her foot. She immediately winced with a sharp “Hiss” and instinctively grabbed Qin Zhizhen’s arm again.

Qin Zhizhen glanced over with a leisurely gaze.

“Sorry, Teacher Qin. I twisted my ankle and lost my balance,” Ye Zhuyi explained dryly, letting go and licking her parched lips.

“It’s alright.” Qin Zhizhen smoothed her clothes and glanced at the steps to her right, her tone tinged with a hint of teasing. “Did you miss your step again?”

The trailing end of his question seemed to linger on his tongue, softening his cool voice into something tender and intimate, like a lover’s whisper.

Heat crept up Ye Zhuyi’s neck, her ears burning. She was grateful that her blush only ever reached her ears; otherwise, her face would have turned as red as a monkey’s backside, which would have been utterly mortifying.

Ye Zhuyi glanced toward the restroom. Jin Yue must have ducked into one of the stalls. There were no cameras in the ladies’ room, so even if she claimed Jin Yue had pushed her, it wouldn’t matter. It would only lead to arguments, finger-pointing, and a social media storm that would inevitably drag Qin Zhizhen down with her.

“Uh…” Ye Zhuyi’s gaze darted around as she scratched her cheek, the picture of embarrassment.

How could anyone miss the same step twice in a row? Qin Zhizhen clicked his tongue.

Is he mocking me? Ye Zhuyi wondered if she’d misheard. She blinked her watery eyes at him, her expression a mix of innocence and grievance.

For some reason, Qin Zhizhen was reminded of the Pomeranian back home. Whenever it got scolded, it would give him that same look—soft and sweet, yet completely mischievous and stubborn.

He realized that was probably why he’d bought the little dog in the first place.

Without overthinking it, Qin Zhizhen shifted her gaze to Ye Zhuyi’s foot and asked, “Can you walk on your own?”

With Ye Zhuyi’s personality, she could have said yes even if she couldn’t. But this time was different. She shook her head and answered without hesitation, “No, I can’t.”

Qin Zhizhen was momentarily stunned by her directness.

Just as Ye Zhuyi was eagerly waiting for Qin Zhizhen to help her up, the other woman raised her hand and looked past her to call someone else. “Lian Rong, Miss Ye has twisted her ankle. Please help her back to the main hall.”

Lian Rong almost screamed with joy and jumped three feet in the air. Her smile stretched from ear to ear as she suppressed her excitement and gave a mock military salute. “Yes, Teacher Qin! I’ll get the job done.”

Ye Zhuyi: “…”

Qin Zhizhen glanced at the petrified Ye Zhuyi and curved her lips. “Is it okay if my assistant helps you back?”

“No… no problem. Thank you, Teacher Qin,” Ye Zhuyi replied with a polite, obedient smile. She then turned to Lian Rong and said, “Sister Lian Rong, could you please help me back?”

“No trouble at all!” Lian Rong shook her head vigorously and carefully supported Ye Zhuyi.

With Lian Rong’s help, Ye Zhuyi took a couple of skipping steps before pausing to look back. To her surprise, Qin Zhizhen was still standing there, her eyes as deep and dark as a bottomless pool. When their gazes met, Ye Zhuyi’s heart skipped a beat.

She didn’t want to leave just yet. She wanted to say a few more words.

But what should I say?

“Teacher Qin,” Ye Zhuyi stopped and lowered her lashes, her fingers nervously rubbing her damp palms. She looked back at Qin Zhizhen and swallowed hard. “What did you think of my audition today?”

Her voice, which had been clear and bright moments ago, had suddenly turned soft.

Qin Zhizhen raised an eyebrow, her clear eyes fixed on her. “I look forward to seeing your future performances.”

“Okay, alright.” Ye Zhuyi could feel her heart racing wildly. A shy, bright smile spread across her face. “Goodbye, Teacher Qin.”

Qin Zhizhen’s gaze lingered on the shallow dimple in Ye Zhuyi’s cheek before she gave a faint “Mhm” and walked into the restroom without looking back.

Ye Zhuyi watched until Qin Zhizhen’s figure disappeared from sight. Only then did she turn to Lian Rong and say, “Let’s go.”

Lian Rong’s mind was a fireworks display, the trailing lights turning into a barrage of bullet comments. This real-life ship is just too good! From the edited videos to reality, why is it so addictive? When did Teacher Qin ever talk so much or be so warm to an artist he’s never worked with before? Ye Yiyi isn’t cold and aloof at all like she is in the videos. She’s so soft!

The lobby was almost empty. As soon as Xiao Qiao heard that Ye Zhuyi had twisted her ankle again, she hurried off to buy her some ice water. Ye Zhuyi thanked Lian Rong again, “Thank you for helping me back.”

So gentle! Lian Rong felt like she was about to faint. She quickly said, “Teacher Ye, please don’t be so formal. I’m actually a fan of Group A. I started stanning you all after watching your group variety show. You’re my favorite member, Teacher Ye.” She smiled and added a bit shyly, “Could you give me an autograph?”

Ye Zhuyi smiled, the dimples on her cheeks faintly appearing and disappearing. “Of course I can.” Her beautiful eyes curved as she added, “As a thank you, I have an extra copy of Group A’s limited edition album. Do you want it?”

The limited edition was a rare release and even came with all the members’ signatures. Only a fool would say no!

Lian Rong nodded like a chicken pecking at rice. “Yes, yes, yes!”

“I’ll find it and mail it to you,” Ye Zhuyi said naturally, pulling out her phone. “Let’s add each other on WeChat first so I can ask for your address later.”

Lian Rong was overjoyed at the chance to add her idol. She quickly pulled out her own phone.

After Ye Zhuyi gave her WeChat ID and Lian Rong added her, the dimples on Ye Zhuyi’s face deepened, and her eyes darkened slightly. “Alright, just wait for my message~”

Lian Rong felt dizzy from the excitement. She couldn’t believe what had just happened. On the way back, she felt like she was walking on clouds, floating with joy.

“What happened? How did you sprain your ankle again?” Xiao Qiao asked after Lian Rong left.

With Xiao Qiao’s help, Ye Zhuyi got into the van. She said quietly, “Jin Yue pushed me down the stairs. I sprained it again.”

“What?” Xiao Qiao froze. Her hand clenched her pants. Strangely, she didn’t doubt Ye Zhuyi’s words at all. She only stammered, “I’m sorry.”

Ye Zhuyi looked at her deeply. It seemed Jin Yue had done similar things before.

“It’s not your fault. You don’t need to apologize.”

Xiao Qiao opened her mouth to speak but hesitated.

Ye Zhuyi bent down to rub her ankle while applying a cold compress. Fortunately, there was no swelling, so it seemed to be just a minor sprain. She changed the subject and asked, “What were the audition results?”

“Ah… right. I forgot to tell you.” Xiao Qiao’s previous gloom vanished. “You passed! Director Lu said the second round of auditions will be announced to our managers in a few days. I’ve already reported it to Sister Ke.”

Just as I expected, Ye Zhuyi thought, recalling what Qin Zhizhen had said to her earlier. She smiled faintly.

Worried about Ye Zhuyi’s ankle, Xiao Qiao first took her to the hospital. Luckily, it was only a mild ligament sprain, but it would still take about a week to recover.

“Will this affect your second audition?” Xiao Qiao asked anxiously.

Ye Zhuyi shook her head. “No.”

Her steady voice and confident tone were incredibly reassuring. Xiao Qiao finally relaxed and drove Ye Zhuyi home.

After taking a hot bath, Ye Zhuyi sat on the carpet, editing video footage while on a group call with Yu Wei and the others.

“Yaoyao, how did your audition go today?” Yu Wei asked.

Ye Zhuyi’s dimples appeared as she replied, “I passed.”

Song Muran chimed in, “Doesn’t that mean you’ll get to have some close contact with Qin Shen?!”

Yu Wei: “Ahhh! As expected of our ace! 555, I’m so happy! My bad mood from filming with Song the Silly today is completely cured.”

Song Muran: “Who’s silly? We wouldn’t have lost if you hadn’t stupidly taken the wrong way!”

The two started bickering again.

Hua Jin cut in and forcefully changed the subject: “Did Qin Shen go?”

Ye Zhuyi: “Yes, she did.”

Yu Wei: “Wow! So you finally saw your beloved Qin Shen?”

Ye Zhuyi smiled. “Yes, I did.”

Not only did she see her, she even hugged her. Her cheeks dimpled deeply, and just like before, she felt warm and soft.

Hua Jin: “Hmm, did you smell her perfume? I’m really curious about it. They say the famous French perfumer Edwina custom-made it based on her description. After it was created, Qin Zhizhen bought out the formula. She’s the only person in the world with the right to use that perfume.”

Yu Wei excitedly chimed in, “I know about that! A big V who analyzes celebrities’ personalities even used this to conclude that Qin Shen is a very devoted and possessive person.”

Ye Zhuyi stared at Qin Zhizhen’s affectionate eyes on the screen, lost in thought. The scent of Qin Zhizhen seemed to linger on the tip of her nose. After a long moment, she murmured tenderly, “It smells… incredibly, incredibly, incredibly good.”

Mu, Yu, Hua: “…”

No doubt about it, she’s a total fangirl.

Song Muran asked, “When is the second round of auditions?”

Ye Zhuyi said, “We have to wait for the notification.”

The others took turns offering their encouragement again. Ye Zhuyi replied softly, “Okay.”

After the group voice call ended, Hua Jin sent her a private message asking about Xiao Qiao. Ye Zhuyi propped her chin on one hand and gently tapped the computer desk with the other. She stared at the edited video on the screen without blinking, her gaze distant as if she were lost in thought.

After a moment, she moved the mouse and clicked send. Then she picked up her phone and typed a message to Hua Jin.

Hua Jin replied quickly: [OK, I’ll arrange it.]

Ye Zhuyi then went to check Lian Rong’s Moments. It was set to “Visible for 3 Days,” but by chance, Lian Rong hadn’t posted anything in the last three days.

Putting down her phone, Ye Zhuyi got up and sat on the edge of the bed. She pulled open the bedside drawer, which was filled with origami stars and cranes. In the middle lay two identical heart-shaped necklaces, one of which was broken.

She picked up the intact one and lay back on the bed. Under the warm yellow light, the worn edges of the necklace gleamed with a metallic luster.

People are greedy. When they can’t see someone, they long to. When they finally meet, they want to hug. After hugging, they want even more. This desire fed into a growing emotion: she didn’t want to go back to the way things were, and she never wanted to lose him again. She had waited too long, and been lonely for too long, in the days without Qin Zhizhen.

Her nails dug into the cracks of her heart. With just a little more force, the surface would split open. Ye Zhuyi closed her eyes and suddenly clenched the necklace tightly in her palm. Pressing it against her chest, she whispered his name with devout, endless longing. “Zhenzhen…”

The sharp edges of the jewelry pricked her palm, sending a faint ache through her hand. But as she thought about the day’s events, a sliver of sweetness seeped into the pain.

At 6:00 PM on the third day, Ye Zhuyi received a call from Ke Shu.

“The second round of auditions is the day after tomorrow at 1:00 PM,” Ke Shu said. “I’ll pick you up two hours early, like usual. Director Lu said no preparation is needed. You’ll draw scripts on the spot.”

Ye Zhuyi wasn’t surprised. She was more interested in something else. “Sister Ke, who else is in the second round?”

Ke Shu replied, “Besides you, there’s Mu Wangning, who won Film Empress last year. There’s also Jin Yue, a rising star who just broke into the A-list, and Sui Xuan, a special guest actress.”

Ye Zhuyi’s brow twitched at the mention of Mu Wangning. When she heard Sui Xuan’s name, a smile touched her lips. This was truly exciting. Sui Xuan had skipped the first round entirely and gone straight to the second. Before Ye Zhuyi could let a sneer form, Ke Shu dropped an even bigger bombshell.

“Oh, right. Director Lu said the second round will be scene work with Qin Zhizhen.”

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