She Said She Has Feelings For Someone - Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Passive-Aggressive — Hah, Women.

The dinner location was a barbecue joint just outside the ancient city. The shop wasn’t large, just big enough to fit the entire production crew, so they had booked the whole place for the night.

The plan for the group dinner had been set yesterday. Lu Shuyu had become obsessed with the small cakes from a bakery in the old city, so she had placed a large pre-order to share with all the staff.

“Wow, delicious!” “Thanks to the great PD Lu for the treat!”

Happiness always follows good food. Seeing everyone eating so happily, Lu Shuyu couldn’t suppress the grin on her face.

“It’s my honor that you’re all having a good time~”

She raised her soda can. “Everyone has worked so hard these past few days. This was my first time leading a team alone, so please forgive any of my shortcomings.”

“PD Lu, don’t say that! You were amazing!” “Exactly! Small accidents happen to every team. Our shoot went incredibly smoothly.” “Right! Just the fact that we didn’t have to pull all-nighters makes this better than most shoots!”

Min Wutong, sitting next to Lu Shuyu, saw everyone praising her and smiled. “Yes, PD Lu is already a producer capable of standing on her own two feet.”

The crew members froze for a second. It felt like her words carried a deeper meaning, but given the festive atmosphere, it could have just been polite professional praise. Besides, Lu Shuyu truly deserved it.

“That’s true,” Chi Shan agreed. “PD Song has said many times that PD Lu is ready to graduate~”

Lu Shuyu nudged her and added, “There’s no need to worry, everyone. PD Song will be back once her health stabilizes. Gold is a whole team; we can’t miss anyone!”

Min Wutong’s expression shifted slightly. She opened her mouth to speak but hesitated. Once Lu Shuyu sat down, Min whispered, “Shuyu, in a bit, I need to talk to you privately—”

Before she could finish, someone let out a startled cry: “PD Song is resigning?!”

The lively atmosphere in the shop cooled instantly. The lighting technician who had cried out looked embarrassed, but under the gaze of the entire room, she could only hold up her phone. “In the group chat…”

Hello everyone, I am Song Yi. Due to the arrival of a new life and my responsibility as a soon-to-be mother, I consulted with President Min yesterday. I am officially resigning from the production team. Future filming will be led independently by Lu Shuyu.

Directly following that message was a system notification that she had left the group.

Min Wutong cursed internally and looked at Lu Shuyu, whose face had turned incredibly pale. “Shuyu, no, don’t worry, this definitely wasn’t Song—”

Lu Shuyu wasn’t listening. After two unanswered calls, she stood up abruptly. “Chi Shan, I’m leaving things here to you. I’m heading back to B-City now.”

She left before Chi Shan could even respond.

“Lu Shuyu—!” Min Wutong sighed and chased after her.

What was supposed to be a harmonious celebration now looked like a disaster zone.

“It’s okay, guys,” Chi Shan stepped in to lead. “Everyone keep eating. Let’s finish our meal before we talk. Our work won’t be affected.”

Slowly, the crew realized that Min Wutong had likely come back today specifically to break this news to Lu Shuyu. Her mention of “standing on her own” earlier was a way to prep them. However, even if the crew was fine, it was impossible for Lu Shuyu to remain unaffected. What would that mean for the shoot?

“I believe in PD Lu!” Jiang Fei suddenly raised her hand.

The crew snapped back to reality—the guests were still there.

The veterans who had followed Lu since the show Velocity spoke up. “Exactly. After this shoot, PD Lu’s ability to carry the show is obvious to everyone.”

“We are a team. If we all pull in one direction, what is there to fear? Look at that sudden rainstorm this afternoon—we filmed right through it and didn’t miss a beat!”

The memory of the brilliant rainbow after the storm resurfaced. Seeing the shift, Chi Shan added fuel to the fire: “Well said! So everyone, eat up! You can only work better if you eat and sleep well!”

The atmosphere improved, and the guests breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhong Wen quietly nudged Xia Leshuang, who was lost in thought. “Shuangshuang, aren’t you considering…?”

Xia Leshuang snapped out of it and gave a helpless smile. “Under what pretext?”

With Min Wutong already accompanying her, if Xia chased after her, it would only be described as “bizarre.” Xia Leshuang couldn’t help but think of the night before last. If she had accepted Lu Shuyu’s friend request then, maybe she would have a legitimate reason to follow her now.

But there are no “ifs.” She had run away like she’d seen a ghost. No matter how many times she remembered it, it felt absurd and shameful. Now, they were just ordinary colleagues. She could only stay rooted to the spot and watch Lu Shuyu leave.

…

T-City wasn’t far from B-City; a flight took only an hour. It wasn’t long, but it was enough for Lu Shuyu to cool down. As her logic returned, she felt a sense of aimlessness, as if she had nowhere to go.

“Let’s go,” Min Wutong said. “My car is in the parking lot.”

Lu Shuyu smiled. “It seems President Min is quite shocked too, since you’re personally driving.”

Seeing her joking, Min Wutong relaxed and rolled her eyes. “Don’t make me sound like some CEO who doesn’t understand the mortal world. When have I not been hands-on?”

That was true. It was precisely because she was hands-on that Min Wutong empathized with others’ struggles and liked diligent subordinates. Although she could be fierce to outsiders—especially certain types of people—hardly anyone inside the company disliked her. After all, how could people dislike a boss who worked alongside them, didn’t exploit them, provided full benefits, supported charity projects for years, and even set up a private breakroom specifically for the cleaning ladies?

“True,” Lu Shuyu sighed. “President Min is the best boss in the world.”

“Sweet talker,” Min Wutong laughed. “I like it, keep it coming.”

“Yes, Boss.”

They got into the car. Lu Shuyu checked the time—it was nearly 10:00 PM. Her anger had completely dissipated. At this hour, Song Yi was likely already asleep.

As the car left the airport, Min Wutong said, “Song Yi’s condition is unstable right now; she basically just eats or sleeps. Her husband confiscated all her electronic devices to avoid any stress, so that message in the group… it definitely wasn’t sent by her.”

When Min had returned to B-City with Song Yi the other day, Song had mentioned the idea of resigning, but they had agreed to think it over for a few days—at least until Lu Shuyu finished the T-City shoot. A unilateral public resignation sent to a group full of guests followed by a total exit from the group was a stupid move Song Yi would never make.

“I know,” Lu Shuyu said with a cold smile. “I could tell back in T-City. He cares more about the baby than he does about my teacher.”

Min Wutong sighed. Song Yi never talked to Lu Shuyu about her domestic affairs, and even Min knew very little. But every time Song mentioned her husband, it was linked to childbearing and stopping work. That man had been waiting for this day for a long time. Of course, Min wouldn’t tell Lu Shuyu this. She only whispered, “Ultimately, Song Yi wanted the baby. Even if it came suddenly, for her, maybe it’s a good thing.”

Lu Shuyu was silent for a moment. “So, Teacher really did want to resign?”

Min Wutong pursed her lips, her grip on the steering wheel tightening. “Yes.”

The car fell silent again. It wasn’t until they reached Lu Shuyu’s apartment building that Lu spoke again. “I still want to see her.”

“Okay,” Min Wutong nodded. “I’ll arrange it. Rest well these next two days. Don’t think too much.”

Lu Shuyu gave a soft “Mm,” got out, and went upstairs.

Don’t think too much. That was easier said than done.

Turning on the lights at home, Lu Shuyu suddenly felt a wave of loneliness. she wanted a friend to lean on and vent to. She opened her contact list and remembered the friend request that had been rejected last night…

Right, she thought helplessly, this is the first time since I started working that a friend request of mine has been declined.

Hah, women!

Grinding her teeth, she tapped on one of her pinned contacts and sent a weary voice message: “Xiao Zheng-yu, Xiao Zheng-yu, my fragrant little steamed fish, are you done with your event yet?”

“Steamed Fish” (Zheng Yu) was her best friend since middle school and her most reliable scapegoat, Zheng Yu.

When Lu Shuyu was five, her mother divorced and left with almost nothing. Lu was supposed to go with her father, but she chose her mother. For a long time, they lived a very meager life. Lu Shuyu was naturally sensitive to fonts and, without much practice, had beautiful handwriting. Zheng Yu admired her for it and became her friend, eventually suggesting they sell their handwriting for extra cash.

The extroverted Zheng Yu handled the clients while the introverted Lu Shuyu did the writing. Unexpectedly, they made quite a bit of money and became famous, with people lining up for orders. Emboldened, they started ghostwriting fanfiction in high school, and their fame grew until Lu Shuyu’s mother—a Chinese teacher—personally shut them down…

Thinking of this, Lu Shuyu smiled, and her spirits lifted.

Zheng Yu replied with a crying emoji.

Well, Lu Shuyu sighed, it’s clear she’s not done yet.

After the college entrance exams, the two had parted ways—Lu went to a media academy in S-City, while Zheng Yu went to B-City for business management. Now, Zheng Yu was a marketing professional who was always either working overtime or pulling all-nighters. In short: a miserable wage slave.

Soon, Zheng Yu sent another short message, likely typed blindly: “Thursday!”

Lu Shuyu sighed and replied “Okay.” Suddenly, a new notification appeared at the top of the screen. It was from the guest discussion group.

This group had been silent since it was created on the first day in L-City. Even the name was still “Gold Group Mom Support Club.”

Zhong Wen: @Lu Shuyu, PD Lu, did you arrive safely? Zhong Wen: [Cat peeking gif]

While she was typing, Jiang Fei sent an emoji too. Lu Shuyu chuckled and replied quickly: I’m back, already home.

She followed up with a voice message: “Sorry for worrying you all just now. In short, everything is fine. Recording will proceed as usual and won’t be affected.”

A moment later, everyone in the group replied.

Tang Jiahe: Got it, PD Lu. Luo Han: We weren’t worried, we just wanted to say the next stop is F-City. Wenyin and I are locals. If you need help, please let us know. He Wenyin: Yes! Please use us as you see fit!

After reading these, Lu Shuyu waited. Just as she was about to give up, a new message popped up.

It was from Xia Leshuang.

Xia Leshuang: PD Lu, we all believe in you.

Short, formal, and even a bit polite. Yet, coming from Xia Leshuang, it felt entirely different. The remaining fatigue and irritation vanished instantly, as if she had been comforted from afar.

Lu Shuyu exhaled and replied: Okay, thank you, teachers.

After thinking for a moment, she typed into the input box: Hearing that from Teacher Xia really puts my mind at ease~

She pursed her lips with a smile, her fingers flying across the screen. Once the message was sent, she let out a soft huff, her eyes full of mischief.

…

In T-City, hundreds of miles away.

“Shuangshuang,” Zhong Wen knitted her brows in confusion. “Why do I feel like PD Lu’s ‘smiling’ emoji here is a bit… passive-aggressive?”

“I guess so…”

Xia Leshuang gave an ambiguous answer, but in her heart, she knew exactly what was happening. Lu Shuyu was doing it on purpose. She was piqued because of the rejection the other night.

“Leshuang…” Tang Jiahe suddenly called her name.

Xia looked over and saw Tang asking with a look of horror, “What are you smiling at?”

“I’m smiling?” Xia Leshuang touched the corner of her mouth. Sure enough, she found her lips curved upward in a massive grin that nearly reached her ears…

She cleared her throat and pursed her lips. “I’m probably just happy because we get to go back tomorrow.”

Xia Leshuang didn’t know why she was smiling either. She just thought that being targeted by Lu Shuyu’s passive-aggressiveness… felt pretty good.