She Got Revenge on Her Ex-Girlfriend Through a Kiss Scene - Chapter 15

Chapter 15

At 2:00 PM, in the production’s temporary conference room.

This was the first time the teams of Xi Jisheng and Lou Ningyu formally sat together for a meeting. On the left sat Xi’s side: Lin Wenxun and a young publicity assistant. On the right was Lou’s side: David and two PR specialists. Producer Xu Chu presided over the meeting, her expression heavy.

A dozen tablets were spread across the table, displaying trending lists, public opinion analysis reports, and play data for the “waist-holding” GIF.

“The heat is too high,” Lin Wenxun started, her voice grave. “#LouNingyuSupportWaist has been at number one for four hours. The discussion volume has surpassed a million. Related topics like #EchoDualLeads are all in the top ten.” She looked at Xi Jisheng. “Jisheng, you need to be prepared. Over the next few days, the media will frantically dig into your past. Every old story will be unearthed.”

Xi Jisheng kept her head down, her fingers unconsciously picking at the edge of the table. She was still pale; the symptoms of hypoglycemia hadn’t fully subsided.

“Why dampen the heat?” David pushed up his glasses. “This is the best publicity possible. Interest in Echo has increased tenfold. From a commercial perspective, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

“But Teacher Xi doesn’t like this kind of thing,” Lin Wenxun countered. “She has always wanted the public to focus on her work, not her private life.”

“The reality is,” Xu Chu tapped the table, “private lives have already become part of the work. When the audience watches Echo, they will instinctively map the story of Shen Su and Zhou Yin onto the two of you. This is a double-edged sword—use it well, and it creates a classic; use it poorly, and it destroys the film’s credibility.”

Silence fell over the room. Then, Lou Ningyu, who hadn’t spoken at all, finally opened her mouth:

“Listen to Jisheng.”

Four words. Clear and firm. Everyone turned to look at her. David tried to speak, but she raised a hand to stop him.

Lou Ningyu looked at Xi Jisheng, her gaze calm. “How do you want to handle it? Dampen it, or let nature take its course? You say the word; I’ll cooperate.”

Xi Jisheng looked up, meeting her eyes. There was no calculation in Lou’s eyes, no weighing of interests—only the pure, patient wait for her decision. It reminded her of seven years ago. Whenever they faced a difficult problem, Lou would look at her just like this and say: Jisheng, you tell me what to do, I’ll listen to you.

Back then, she would always say: You decide, I trust you. Now, Lou had returned the power of choice to her.

After a long silence, Xi Jisheng spoke softly:

“Let’s just… let nature take its course.”

Lin Wenxun frowned. “Jisheng, are you sure? This means you’ll face more scrutiny, more speculation, even more malice—”

“I’m sure,” Xi Jisheng interrupted, her voice steadier now. “No response, no denial. We act when we need to act, we promote when we need to promote. As for what the world thinks… let them.”

When she said “let them,” there was a sense of exhausted relief, as if she had finally stopped resisting a flood and let the dam break.

Lou Ningyu watched her, a faint, almost invisible smile touching the corners of her mouth. “Good,” she said. “Nature it is.”

…

After the meeting, Xi Jisheng was the last to leave. As she reached the door, Lou Ningyu called her name.

“Jisheng.”

She turned. Lou Ningyu stepped forward and pulled a small box from her pocket, handing it over. “Chocolate. You didn’t eat this morning, did you?”

Xi Jisheng froze, not taking it.

“Low blood sugar is no small matter,” Lou pressed the box into her hand. “Remember to eat on time from now on.” She turned and left, her silhouette tall and straight in the hallway lights.

Xi Jisheng gripped the box. The metal was still warm from Lou’s body. She opened it to find artisanal chocolates from a shop she used to love—a shop that had closed five years ago. When had Lou bought them? How long had she kept them? She didn’t ask. She just put one in her mouth. The chocolate melted on her tongue, bitter with a sweet aftertaste, much like the flavor of their last seven years.

…

At 11:15 PM, Xi Jisheng returned to her room, exhausted from the mental drain of performing “normalcy.” She collapsed onto the bed, her mind filled with flashes of the day.

Her phone buzzed. It was a message from “Dr. Wang”—her mother’s primary physician.

“Jisheng, sorry to disturb you so late. Your mother’s latest results are out, and the situation isn’t good. I suggest immediate hospitalization for a detailed check-up. She didn’t want me to tell you, but I believe you have a right to know.”

Attached were photos of the reports. The red text—”Suggest further examination”—pierced her eyes. Her hands began to shake. The phone slid from her fingers and thudded onto the carpet.

The nightmare from seven years ago was back. Back then, her mother’s cancer diagnosis required a massive surgery fee. She hadn’t dared tell Lou Ningyu—Lou’s father’s business had just failed, and her family was in chaos. Xi felt she couldn’t be a burden, so she chose the stupidest way: break up and shoulder it alone.

She had worked three jobs, taken countless cheap gigs, even voiced web dramas for peanuts. She remembered the nights in hospital corridors, the shaking hands holding medical bills.

Now, it is happening again. She crouched to pick up her phone and dialed Lin Wenxun. “Lin-jie,” she whispered, her voice unrecognizable. “Book me the earliest flight to Beijing tomorrow. The very first one.”

“There’s filming tomorrow, Director Peng—”

“My mom…” Xi choked, taking a sharp breath. “My mom isn’t doing well. She needs to be hospitalized.”

“I understand,” Lin said, immediately alert. “I’ll handle the coordination. Don’t panic. I’m booking it now.”

After hanging up, Xi Jisheng sat on the carpet, hugging her knees and burying her face. Silent, scalding tears soaked her pajamas. She heard a faint sound from the room next door—Lou Ningyu’s room.

What she didn’t know was that at that exact moment, Lou Ningyu was on the phone with their mentor, Ai Ye.

“Ningyu, Jisheng’s mother isn’t doing well. That girl is definitely going to try and carry it alone again, just like seven years ago.”

Lou’s grip on her phone tightened. “I’m going to her right now.”

“Don’t rush,” Ai Ye’s voice was gentle. “Try a different way this time. Seven years ago, you were too young, too direct; you scared her away. This time, let her know you aren’t there to carry it for her, but to carry it with her. Give her the power of choice.”

…

Lou Ningyu walked to the wall and pressed her ear against it. She could hear the faint, suppressed sobs from the other side. Her heart felt as if it were being squeezed by iron.

She pulled up her phone, found the contact saved as “Zhou Yin,” and dialed. It rang until it timed out. Xi Jisheng didn’t answer.

Lou didn’t call a second time. She opened her messages and typed:

“Open the door. I’m outside.”

Send. Then, she sent another:

“Or, let me accompany you back to Beijing.”

She gave her the options. She gave her the choice.

In the next room, Xi Jisheng looked at the two messages. Her tears fell harder. The first was the Lou Ningyu of seven years ago—passionate, direct, like a fire she couldn’t escape. The second was the Lou Ningyu of today—the one who had learned to respect her boundaries.

Xi Jisheng held the phone, her fingers hovering over the screen. She wanted to reply, “I’m fine, I can do it alone,” or “Thanks, but no need.”

But in the end, she replied to nothing. She stood up, walked to the door, and placed her hand on the cold metal handle.

Outside, Lou Ningyu leaned against the wall, staring at her phone. The screen went dark, she pressed it bright, it went dark again. She was waiting. Waiting for a door that might never open, for an answer that might never come. Just as she had been waiting for seven years.

A door, two people, and a choice seven years later. The answer was brewing in the silence.