She Said She Has Feelings For Someone - Chapter 22

Chapter 22: 9999 — Thinking of It Ten Million Times

Exhibition Hall No. 5 was empty. Xia Leshuang walked quickly and stopped in front of a locked display case.

She had passed this spot while searching for envelopes, but since she didn’t have a password, she hadn’t been able to open it then.

The combination lock featured three rows of number wheels. After a moment of thought, she said, “Based on the production team’s arrangements today, I suspect this is a link in the chain.”

As she spoke, Xia Leshuang suddenly smiled, looking as bright as the spring sun. There was even an indescribable hint of sweetness in her expression.

“A high number of segments doesn’t necessarily mean the questions are hard. Therefore, the number five on the puzzle piece should be the answer.”

Xia Leshuang quickly spun the wheels. When she reached the third “5,” she gently pulled the shackle.

Click.

A short, crisp sound of a lock opening.

The black box opened smoothly. Inside was a metal puzzle piece with an opaque protective film on the front, hiding the pattern underneath.

Xia Leshuang didn’t peel it off. “There should be six pieces total to make a whole picture. I’ll peel it after I put them all together.”

With that, she sprinted downstairs again and placed the metal piece on the table without a word, looking at Lu Shuyu. “Is it this?”

“Congratulations, Teacher Xia,” Lu Shuyu congratulated her sincerely. “You are the Gold King!”

Zhong Wen, who had just entered the door, was dazed and shocked. “What? The Gold King already?”

“I just got here!”

The six puzzle fragments were pieced together to form a complete image: a cartoon illustration of the “Gold Sisters” group.

“Wow, so cute!”

“Even though it’s a chibi version, the essence is so accurate. You can tell who everyone is at a glance.”

As they admired it, Lu Shuyu explained, “This is one of the official ‘Gold’ merchandise items—a metal puzzle photo. It comes with a matching transparent acrylic frame.”

Song Yi handed over the frame, and the girls assembled it together to show the camera.

“It’s beautiful,” Zhong Wen touched the frame carefully. “When it’s released, I’m going to buy a set too.”

“Actually, we’ve prepared custom versions specifically for our guest teachers.”

The six women accepted the frames handed to them by the staff; these were already finished products.

“There’s writing on the back,” Xia Leshuang noted.

Lu Shuyu read it aloud: “A single failure, or a single success—neither counts for much.”

“If hardships follow one after another, then congratulations: good luck is also about to arrive in waves.”

…

Upon returning to the hotel, Lu Shuyu was contacted by Min Wutong.

“The public heat from yesterday’s leaks has reached a new peak. The trend won’t die down anytime soon. Tomorrow and the day after are great opportunities.”

“I understand,” Lu Shuyu replied.

After the recording ended, most of the production team packed up and returned to B-City with the equipment. Only the director’s group, the on-set editors, and the guests stayed for an extra day.

“It’s a good thing I had the editors stay,” she sighed softly, contacting the editors to prepare.

As she headed out, she remembered there was something she had almost forgotten.

Knock, knock—

The door opened almost immediately. Lu Shuyu laughed. “Teacher Xia, you’re certainly fast at opening the door.”

“I just finished in the bathroom,” Xia Leshuang explained. Seeing the time, she was surprised. “Leaving so early?”

She was referring to their dinner plans for the evening.

Lu Shuyu shook her head and handed over a card. “I can’t make it to the gathering tonight. Teacher Xia, please relay my apologies. Tonight’s expenses are on me.”

“The password is my birthday—the lunar one.”

She paused and asked, “Do you remember it?”

Xia Leshuang took the card, her gaze lowered. “I remember.”

“After all, it’s so special. It’s easy to remember.”

September 9, 1999 (99/9/9). Anyone would find it unforgettable at a glance.

Lu Shuyu smiled, hiding the joy in her heart. “Then I won’t disturb your rest anymore~”

“Producer Lu,” Xia Leshuang called out to her again. “Did something happen?”

“Ah, no,” Lu Shuyu explained. “It’s—”

She changed her mind. If she said she had to work overtime to edit the teaser, the girls might not be able to enjoy their dinner fully.

“President Min assigned some temporary work. It’s nothing major.”

The phone in her pocket vibrated. She looked down to check it, missing the dimming light in Xia Leshuang’s eyes. She only heard the other woman say, “Okay. I’ll tell them.”

“Great,” she walked toward the temporary editing room. “Have a good time tonight. I’m going to get busy~”

The on-set editors were ready. Song Yi did not participate due to feeling unwell. Lu Shuyu and the editors grabbed a quick bite before they began discussing the script.

“This is a teaser to coordinate with the public discourse from the last two days. A 30-second clip. The focus is to be eye-catching and topical. The first half coordinates with the rumors, and the second half provides the twist.”

Having decided on the direction, the three finalized the script and began editing.

“I didn’t expect Producer Lu to work overtime too,” one of the editors sighed.

“Who told ‘Gold’ to be so important to us?” Lu Shuyu smiled. “Sometimes making an exception is unavoidable.”

The two editors were familiar with the footage from the past few days and had their own ideas about what would be explosive. Combined with Lu Shuyu’s suggestions, the three-person collaboration went much smoother than expected.

Before 7:00 PM, the rough cut of the teaser was finished. When the three segments were merged, the rhythm and content were both at their peak. It was excellent.

“Not bad.” Lu Shuyu nodded, patting the two of them. “Alright, I’ll do the finishing touches. The post-production team can handle the subtitles and special effects tomorrow.”

“Should we head back to B-City first then? We can go straight to the company tomorrow,” an editor suggested.

“That works,” Lu Shuyu agreed. “Thanks for your hard work.”

After the rough cut was exported, the editors packed their things and left. A moment later, there was a knock at the door.

Lu Shuyu rose to open it. “Did you forget something?”

She thought the editors had returned, so her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the person standing there. “Teacher Xia?”

Xia Leshuang raised her hand, showing the takeout boxes she was holding. “Have you eaten?”

“I ate—”

Gurgle—

…

Lu Shuyu sighed and pressed her hand to her forehead. “I ate in the afternoon. It has indeed been a while since then.”

“Then,” Xia Leshuang pointed into the room with a soft smile, “can I come in?”

“Of course. Come in quickly.”

To focus on work, Lu Shuyu hadn’t even turned on the lights. She switched them on before closing the door. “Have you eaten, Teacher Xia?”

The editing room wasn’t too messy. Xia Leshuang found a table and cleared it slightly. “I ate a little.”

It was only a few minutes past 7:00. Luo Han and the others had likely just opened their first bottle…

Joy expanded bit by bit in Lu Shuyu’s heart. She cleared her throat. “Alright then, let’s eat together.”

The two sat facing each other. Xia Leshuang opened the containers; they were all dishes Lu Shuyu had been familiar with for over a decade.

“Is there a Jiangnan restaurant nearby?” she asked in pleasant surprise.

“Yes,” Xia Leshuang nodded. “After the snacks last night…”

She paused, then added, “Xiao Wen and the others saw it. It’s not far from the barbecue stall.”

“Really?” Lu Shuyu was a bit puzzled. “I didn’t notice it at all.”

“Eat up.” Xia Leshuang handed her the chopsticks.

As a native of S-City, Lu Shuyu loved sweet and sour flavors. When she first moved to B-City for work, the hardest adjustment had been the change in local cuisine.

“This is delicious! These shrimp are so tender.”

“This lotus root is so soft, and the osmanthus scent is lovely.”

After tasting everything, she realized with a start that the six dishes and one soup were all things she loved.

“Teacher Xia,” Lu Shuyu couldn’t help saying, “what a coincidence. These are all favorites of mine~”

She smiled brightly, appearing both surprised and grateful.

Xia Leshuang suppressed the stirrings in her heart, a look of appropriate surprise appearing on her face. “That’s wonderful, then.”

Hearing this, Lu Shuyu nodded. “Eat quickly. Since you’re here, I’ll show you the pilot teaser we just finished.”

The two finished the food quickly. After cleaning up, they walked over to the computer.

The 30-second teaser finished playing in a flash.

In such a short time, it had covered the negative topics of the six guests and their positive reversals, while staying closely tied to the theme of “gold shining through.” It was full of hooks and talking points, leaving one full of anticipation.

Xia Leshuang didn’t know how to describe her current mood.

It was surprise bordering on shock, followed by a vast, endless wave of bittersweetness.

“Teacher Xia?” Lu Shuyu nudged her. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“No,” Xia Leshuang snapped out of it. “It’s great. Really great.”

“I probably haven’t seen myself on screen for too long,” she explained further. “It feels a bit novel, a bit strange.”

As she spoke, her eyes actually reddened slightly.

Lu Shuyu patted her and said softly, “Teacher Xia, you did a great job.”

Knock, knock—

A sudden knock at the door. Lu Shuyu went to open it. “President Min?”

“I brought you some delicious treats as a reward!”

Before seeing the person, she heard the voice.

The bitterness in Xia Leshuang’s heart turned sharp. She felt a bit suffocated; at the very least, she didn’t want to stay here right now.

“Oh, Teacher Xia?” Min Wutong was very surprised.

“President Min,” Xia Leshuang said. “I’ll be heading out now.”

Meeting Lu Shuyu’s gaze, she added, “I just remembered I have to go home for a bit.”

“Okay, be careful on the road,” Lu Shuyu replied without trying to make her stay.

…

It wasn’t until she reached the bottom of her apartment building that Xia Leshuang finally caught her breath.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket. It was a message from Zhong Wen.

— Leshuang, did you see Producer Lu? The restaurant you found tastes amazing! Producer Lu would definitely love it!

Her keys fell into the entryway basket along with her phone, making a sharp clattering sound that felt as noisy as the door closing.

Snap.

The study light flickered on. Xia Leshuang pulled a wooden box from the cabinet.

The box was locked with a four-digit code: 9999.

She unlocked it, took a deep breath, and opened the lid.

Inside the box were stack after stack of papers.

There were letters carefully kept in envelopes—love letters Lu Shuyu had ghostwritten for classmates to give to her.

There was fanfiction of her and Bian Xingyao, also ghostwritten by Lu Shuyu—more than one story.

The bitterness in her heart gave way to threads of sweetness; though faint, it was enough to bring a small smile to her face.

At the very bottom was a dossier envelope containing a yellowed Chinese exam paper—

“S-City No. 1 Middle School: Grade 10 First Semester Entrance Exam”

The paper was heavily wrinkled. It didn’t just look old; it looked as if it had been ravaged by wind and rain.

But none of that was as striking as the perfect score on the essay page.

Xia Leshuang carefully put it back in its place, then picked up the diary at the very top and sat down at the desk.

She picked up her pen, turned to a blank page, and wrote:

Day 5 of our reunion. A lot happened, and I remembered a lot. I discovered the promise to go pray for blessings that I had forgotten. And… She seems to really have someone she likes.

Xia Leshuang pursed her lips, then put down the pen and flipped back through the pages one by one.

This diary covered less than a month of writing, yet she had flipped through it for nine whole years.

Back then, when she was forced to leave without saying goodbye, she lost all chance of contacting the outside world. Aside from this box, all she had left was a heap of memories that would mottle and melt away at any moment.

She never had the habit of keeping a diary, and she later often regretted why she hadn’t recorded everything sooner.

In the month following their separation, she had thought of it ten million times, and written of it day and night.

She had to think, she had to write, she had to remember, and she had to relive it over and over.

Until the memories were so clear that they felt like they happened just yesterday—until she could never forget them.