She Said She Has Feelings For Someone - Chapter 11

Chapter 11: It Doesn’t Hurt: “I Have Someone I Like.”

Lu Shuyu raised her arm, her beautiful muscle definition on full display. Her calm and confident expression carried a hint of bold, playful aggression.

“Good heavens,” Jiang Fei marveled. “PD Lu is so cool…”

Tang Jiahe shook her head. “We can only count on Leshuang and Sister Han now.”

Suddenly called upon, Xia Leshuang snapped back to reality, lowering her eyes. “Okay.”

The guests had no gauge for Lu Shuyu’s actual strength, so after a quick huddle, they decided on a conservative strategy.

“The four of us will go first to wear down PD Lu’s strength as much as possible.” Tang Jiahe looked at Xia and Luo. “Who should go last, Sister Han or Leshuang?”

Xia Leshuang spoke up: “Let Sister Han go last to anchor us.”

Luo Han had no objection. “Fine.”

The filming site was quickly adjusted. A small table for arm wrestling was set up, and the lighting and cameras were repositioned. Song Yi and Chi Shan confirmed the shot: “Ready.”

Zhong Wen, having the least physical strength, was scheduled first. As she sat cautiously opposite Lu Shuyu, Tang Jiahe suppressed a laugh and teased, “Quick, Wen-wen, say something intimidating!”

“Yeah!” Jiang Fei joined in. “Don’t let our momentum slip!”

Under the pressure, Zhong Wen cleared her throat—”PD Lu, please—” Then, her tone shifted as she pressed her palms together cutely: “Please have mercy!”

Lu Shuyu gave a gentle smile. “Even though this is casual competition, it’s still competition. No taking it easy; we follow the rules.”

She spoke seriously, and Zhong Wen dropped her act of weakness, nodding solemnly. “Fair enough. Then, PD Lu! Bring it on!”

Her sudden burst of bravado made the others cheer. “That’s the spirit!”

Lu Shuyu grabbed Zhong Wen’s hand, moving it toward her own wrist. “Hold here; it’ll be easier for you.”

Zhong Wen bit her lip, her face turning a deeper shade of red.

“Ready, set, go!”

Lu Shuyu remained motionless, her smile relaxed and tender. Meanwhile, Zhong Wen turned into a bright red tomato, shrinking into herself like a quail.

“I can’t watch this…” Jiang Fei covered her face.

“Alright,” Song Yi intervened to save her. “Countdown: Three—”

Lu Shuyu finally applied pressure, but she retracted her force just before Zhong Wen’s hand hit the table. Zhong Wen’s knuckles only brushed the surface for a split second. It was light and soft, like the fleeting brush of a dragonfly’s wing—or a kiss.

Zhong Wen nearly jumped out of her seat. The others took it as a sign of embarrassment, and Lu Shuyu, focused on the game, laughingly called for the next challenger. Only Xia Leshuang’s smile remained stiff as she lowered her eyes.

Jiang Fei fared slightly better than Zhong Wen, showing some signs of exercise—but not much. Tang Jiahe and He Wenyin had decent strength, so Lu Shuyu finished those rounds quickly to conserve energy.

“Thanks Wenyin! Next up, one of the hopes of our entire team!”

As Xia Leshuang sat down across from her, Lu Shuyu felt a momentary trance. Back in the first year of high school, when they were still strangers, Lu had sat behind Xia. Her only memory of that time was when Xia was accidentally bumped by a rowdy classmate and fell back into the empty chair at Lu’s desk. They had locked eyes unexpectedly—awkward and sudden—but Xia hadn’t seemed bothered. She had just given a radiant, sunlit smile: “Hi~”

But now—Xia Leshuang had learned to wear a mask, forever maintaining this standard, impenetrable “business smile.”

“PD Lu,” she said, “old classmate, please be gentle.”

“Since we’re old classmates,” Lu Shuyu countered with a smile, “it’s even less likely I’ll take it easy on you.”

“Whoa—!” The crowd cheered.

Suddenly, Zhong Wen raised her hand and asked seriously, “PD Lu, are you seeing anyone? Do you need a boyfriend? We can introduce you—so, can you go easy on us?”

Jiang Fei’s eyes widened. “Yeah! PD Lu, how about it? We’ll set you up if you let us win!”

The topic was brought up partly because of Xia’s injury earlier that morning and partly to add entertainment value to the show. Since there was no script, everyone was improvising.

Unexpectedly, Lu Shuyu arched her brow, looked at Xia Leshuang, and smiled. “Sorry, I have someone I like.”

She was smiling, but there was a strange light in her eyes. Jiang Fei felt a hint of provocation in the air.

“Ready—Start!”

“Huh?!”

Xia Leshuang lost. It happened almost instantly—so fast that even Lu Shuyu’s eyes widened, her usual composure slipping.

Xia Leshuang clutched her arm, a strained, awkward smile on her face. “Sorry, I just had a sudden cramp.”

It looked painful. Everyone grew worried, and Lu Shuyu stood up immediately. “Let’s go to the hospital.” Her brow was furrowed with genuine, deep concern.

Xia Leshuang looked up and met those sincere eyes. Years ago, before Lu Shuyu became so outgoing, she used to look at her with that exact same worry. It was magical; the bitterness in Xia’s heart vanished instantly.

“I’m fine,” she couldn’t help but laugh. “It doesn’t hurt anymore.” To prove it, she rotated her arms in full circles. Everyone sighed in relief.

Song Yi clapped her hands. “Let’s check the playback. We might need to reshoot some angles.”

After reviewing the footage, Lu Shuyu suggested, “I think it’s best to reshoot the lead-in. Put Luo Han first and cut this part entirely.”

They wanted to avoid Xia appearing to “sell a sob story” to the audience. The guests agreed, trusting the PD’s decision.

They reshot the sequence. This time, Luo Han went last and won the match.

“Whoa!” Jiang Fei cheered. “Sister Han is the best!”

Lu Shuyu pulled out the “N” ball. “Congratulations! You get the initial N!”

The guests immediately fired off a list of beef dishes (Niu). “Wow…” Chi Shan marveled. “Is this team spirit?”

…

The first phase of filming ended. Lu Shuyu called a wrap. “Once the food arrives, just eat and chat. This will be for the bonus ‘behind-the-scenes’ footage.”

Just then, a knock came at the door. Chen Qian opened it to find a familiar face. “President Min?”

Min Wutong laughed. “Why do you all look like you’ve seen a ghost? I cleared this with Song Yi first.” She walked over and hooked her arm around Lu Shuyu’s neck. “You little ungrateful thing, who do you think I’m doing all this for?”

She then caught Chi Shan, who was trying to sneak away. “Where are you going, Director Chi?”

“To order more food for the teachers!” Chi Shan chirped. “And I’ll get a seat for President Min in a separate room!”

Min Wutong let go of Chi Shan and smiled at the guests. “Recording was hard work today. Don’t worry about PD Lu’s wallet—this meal is on me. Order whatever you like!”

The guests thanked her as they watched Min Wutong lead Lu Shuyu away.

“I guess the rumor is true…” Tang Jiahe whispered.

“What rumor?” Zhong Wen asked.

“President Min and PD Lu,” she lowered her voice, “are a couple.”

As soon as she said it, there was a muffled thud.

Luo Han gasped, “Leshuang, is your hand okay?”

Xia Leshuang had curled her hand into a fist, her fingers throbbing with a numb, aching pain after accidentally hitting the back of the chair.

“I’m fine,” she smiled. “It doesn’t hurt.”