She Said She Has Feelings For Someone - Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Monopoly — Do You Like Spring?

Her tone was natural, sounding like a sincere compliment without any underlying agenda. It prompted Jiang Fei to look over and nod in agreement. “True, Shuangshuang’s eyes are really beautiful.”

Xia Leshuang paused for a moment, looking down to take a sip of her soda before smiling. “In that case, Producer Lu, feel free to look as much as you like—I’m quite generous.”

Surprised, Lu Shuyu laughed and nodded. “Alright, I will.”

As the night deepened, they quickly finished their food. Tang Jiahe couldn’t help but sigh softly. “It’s a pity. The setting isn’t quite right, and there’s no alcohol.”

Everyone at the table understood the subtext: the setting was too public for an open heart-to-heart, and since they had to record the show tomorrow, they couldn’t afford to drink.

Hearing this, Lu Shuyu pondered for a moment and said, “Tell you what. After the recording ends tomorrow, I’ll treat everyone to drinks~”

Tomorrow would mark the end of the L-City shoot, and there would be about a week’s break before the next session, making it the perfect time to drink to their hearts’ content.

“Yay!” Jiang Fei clapped. “Thank you, Producer Lu!”

When the bill arrived, Lu Shuyu beat them to it. “Since I’m here, of course I’m paying. Consider it a treat from the production team.”

The others wanted to split the cost with her, so she suggested, “How about this: I’ll buy the drinks tomorrow, and you guys handle the dinner?”

Since the PD had issued the invitation, Luo Han said, “That sounds like a plan.”

Xia Leshuang followed up, “Then it’s settled. Producer Lu buys the drinks, and we buy dinner tomorrow.”

With the consensus reached, Lu Shuyu smiled and waved a hand grandly. “Let’s go, babies, time to go home!”

“Roger that!”

On the walk back to the hotel, Zhong Wen hooked arms with Jiang Fei and Tang Jiahe to lead the way. Luo Han and He Wenyin followed, while Lu Shuyu lagged a few steps behind.

As if sharing a telepathic connection, Xia Leshuang soon slowed her pace to walk side-by-side with her.

“Teacher Xia.” The walk wasn’t long, so Lu Shuyu got straight to the point. “Have you seen the discourse regarding yourself?”

The person beside her lowered her gaze, looking somewhat dejected. Lu Shuyu knew then that she had seen it.

“Yes,” Xia Leshuang nodded, her eyes still downcast. “I saw it.”

Lu Shuyu sighed inwardly and explained the handling method Min Wutong had proposed.

“Cold treatment is fine,” Xia Leshuang finally looked up. “If the topic needs to be used for marketing, I will cooperate with that as well.”

The night felt cold again.

The small distance they had just bridged suddenly widened into a chasm.

A mix of irritation and helplessness rose in Lu Shuyu’s heart, leaving her momentarily speechless.

However, she already had some suspicions. Xia Leshuang must have gone through something significant for her psychological defenses to be this rigid.

For nine whole years, they had followed different life trajectories for far too long—long enough to become strangers, long enough for Xia Leshuang’s eyes to hold earth-shattering shock upon their reunion.

The innocence of their student days could not be recaptured; they could only slowly approach one another again as adults.

In the late autumn of their second year of high school, she had fallen for Xia Leshuang. But back then, her only wish was for Xia Leshuang to step out of the shadows of a breakup and be happy every day.

Now that they had reunited, most of Lu Shuyu’s probing stemmed from a sense of grievance.

She resented that Xia Leshuang had left without saying goodbye. She resented that in these nine years, while her own contact information had never changed, she had never received a single message from Xia Leshuang.

And she resented why Xia Leshuang had changed so much, so silently.

She likely still liked her—her heartbeat and her inability to control her gaze were proof enough.

But more than liking her, she wanted to see the spirited, bright, and breezy Xia Leshuang of the past.

She didn’t care if this “like” would ever bear fruit; she only hoped to break through Xia Leshuang’s defenses and become a close friend again—someone to lean on, someone to share secrets with, someone to talk to about anything.

“Alright,” Lu Shuyu nodded calmly. “I will relay that to President Min as you said.”

She continued walking forward, missing the bitterness that flickered in Xia Leshuang’s eyes, only hearing the soft reply: “Okay.”

At the door to her room, just before they parted, Lu Shuyu remembered something and turned around. “By the way, Teacher Xia.”

Xia Leshuang turned back. Lu Shuyu said, “The contract President Min mentioned before—she will likely formally approach you about it after the first episode airs.”

After the guest list for the variety show was finalized, Lu Shuyu had suggested the idea of signing the guests to Min Wutong. The latter decided to wait until the first stage of content was broadcast before making a decision based on the situation.

This was to give the guests more room to choose. During the variety show’s contract signing, the guests had been informed of this face-to-face.

Except for Xia Leshuang, who had been in a rush to leave that day.

So, at the dinner party, Xia Leshuang had assumed it was just a move by Min Wutong to save face.

Lu Shuyu’s reminder now was driven by her private hope that Xia Leshuang would sign with Cherry Media.

“I hope you’ll give it serious thought,” Lu Shuyu said sincerely.

Hearing this, Xia Leshuang pondered for a moment before nodding. “Okay, I understand. I’ll think it over carefully.”

Though she didn’t show any overt joy, she wasn’t resistant either. Lu Shuyu breathed a sigh of relief. “See you tomorrow then, Teacher Xia.”

“See you tomorrow.”

…

The third day of filming in L-City had the heaviest workload. The entire crew, including the guests, woke up before dawn to prepare, finally setting off at 8:00 AM.

On the bus, Song Yi handed out today’s mission cards. Tang Jiahe took one and read it aloud in a polished, professional broadcaster’s voice.

“Time flies! It’s the final day of the ‘Gold Group’s’ journey in L-City. Is everyone feeling a bit reluctant to leave?”

“Yes~” Jiang Fei chimed in loudly.

“Therefore, to let everyone fully experience the cultural characteristics of L-City, today we will start an individual battle. Six scenic spots are waiting for the Gold Group to explore!”

“Six spots?” Luo Han was slightly surprised. “Are we going together?”

“If it’s an individual battle, it should be one person per spot,” Xia Leshuang guessed.

“Is it a blind box?” Zhong Wen asked curiously.

He Wenyin seemed to have grasped the production team’s logic. She looked around the bus and recalled something. “It doesn’t feel like a blind box.”

At this point, Tang Jiahe continued reading: “The six spots vary in distance. To ensure the best experience for the viewers, each person will be responsible for one location to showcase the charm of L-City.”

“The Gold Group will determine the order through a game. The winner has the right to choose first.”

“Figures,” Zhong Wen leaned back against her seat, giving up the struggle. “I knew it.”

“Each location has a random task. You must complete the task before heading to the finish line. The first one to arrive is today’s ‘Gold King’.”

“Gold King?” Jiang Fei was curious. “What’s that?”

Song Yi explained, “The Gold King can multiply their accumulated points from today by six.”

“Wow—” the group exclaimed.

“So what’s the game?” Luo Han and Xia Leshuang asked simultaneously.

Tang Jiahe, looking at the mission card, frowned and continued reading uncertainly: “Note: This game began the moment you stepped onto the bus. Good luck, Goldies.”

…

The bus fell into instant silence.

Zhong Wen shivered. “Why is this getting creepy…”

Jiang Fei nodded. “It’s like a ‘Rules Horror’ story…”

“Help,” Zhong Wen shook her head repeatedly. “We are bright, positive, sparkling Goldies! Let’s not do this.”

Behind the camera, Lu Shuyu smiled but said nothing. Song Yi reminded them gently, “It’s simple. You don’t need to overthink it.”

Just then, He Wenyin suddenly raised her hand. “Is it the order we got on the bus—”

Before she could finish, Lu Shuyu rang a bell. “Congratulations to Teacher He Wenyin for the first win! The game is temporarily paused. Please come forward and choose your desired location.”

“Huh?” The guests on the bus cried out in surprise. At the same time, the bus slowed down and pulled over.

He Wenyin herself was a bit dazed as she stood up and went to Song Yi.

Song Yi held six cards with identical patterns on the back, facing up so the content couldn’t be seen.

“From left to right,” Lu Shuyu explained, “represents the distance from farthest to nearest.”

He Wenyin was about to pick the nearest one when she heard Xia Leshuang ask, “Where is the starting point?”

“Oh, right,” Luo Han realized as well. “From where is the distance calculated?”

Lu Shuyu smiled slightly. “Starting from the hotel.”

“The bus has been driving for about ten minutes,” Tang Jiahe calculated. “Then it’s probably safest to pick the nearest one.”

“I think,” Xia Leshuang reminded them softly, “the direction the bus is currently traveling is toward the farthest location.”

Indeed, to save time for filming and to create a “twist” for the show, this arrangement was correct.

Behind the lens, Lu Shuyu’s expression remained unchanged as she said with a gentle smile, “Teachers, remember, today is an individual racing competition.”

At her reminder, everyone went quiet. He Wenyin made a quick decision and picked the closest location, then immediately got off the bus to head to her destination with the staff.

The remaining five continued the game but were clueless. When the scenery outside the window became familiar, they realized: “We’re going in circles.”

A spark of realization flashed in Xia Leshuang’s eyes. She smiled and asked, “If we can’t figure it out, will the two PDs have to keep circling with us?”

Song Yi laughed, while Lu Shuyu sighed. “So, teachers, use your clever brains and think about what Teacher He said~”

Zhong Wen suddenly had an epiphany. She raised her hand and said tentatively, “The order of walking out the hotel door—”

Ding-ling—

Lu Shuyu rang the bell. “Congratulations to Teacher Zhong Wen! The game is paused. Please come and choose your location.”

“Ah…” Tang Jiahe realized. “I get it now.”

Luo Han had also caught on but was a bit confused. “But there are only a few things left that it could be.”

Jiang Fei was eager. Once Zhong Wen got off and the bus started again, she raised her hand. “The order we sat down!”

Lu Shuyu rang the bell again. Jiang Fei happily drew the next closest location and said her dramatic goodbyes: “See you later!”

“Hurry up and go,” Tang Jiahe laughed.

Luo Han and Tang Jiahe figured out the pattern, identifying the “order of speaking” and the “order of boarding.” Finally, only Xia Leshuang was left to head to the farthest location.

“I’ve really monopolized the bus,” Xia Leshuang joked.

Song Yi and Chi Shan had already gotten off to head to the finish line in advance, leaving Lu Shuyu, Chen Qian, and Xia Leshuang alone in the bus.

Lu Shuyu laughed at the comment. “Teacher Xia, your tastes are quite peculiar.”

On camera, Xia Leshuang pressed her lips together slightly, but the corners of her eyes curved up—like a child who had secretly hidden a piece of candy and didn’t want anyone to discover her happiness.

Chen Qian saw this, and her gaze shifted between Xia and Lu, her eyes widening slightly.

As the bus drove steadily, Lu Shuyu rewatched the recorded footage and wrote down suggestions for the post-production editing.

A sudden breeze blew past her ear. She looked up and saw that Xia Leshuang had opened the window.

Their eyes met, and time seemed to rewind, sounding like the melody inside a city bus nine years ago.

“When spring comes, the crabapples along this road must be beautiful.” “Then let’s come back in the spring.”

“Teacher Xia,” Lu Shuyu asked suddenly. “Do you like spring?”