She Said She Has Feelings For Someone - Chapter 35

Chapter 35: A Bolt from the Blue—Try Liking Someone Else.

—“Teacher Xia, am I right?”

Their eyes met. Lu Shuyu’s eyes were always as clear as a mountain spring, making them impossible to parry.

Xia Leshuang understood exactly what she was referring to. She was talking about the “coquettishness” from that morning and the question that had gone unanswered: “Don’t you like it?”

This was the same reason Xia Leshuang had been so desperate to hear the rest of Lu Shuyu’s thoughts just moments ago.

But now that she had actually heard Lu Shuyu say it, beneath the wild, clawing joy in her heart was a dense, suffocating urge to retreat.

Xia Leshuang didn’t dare.

Since becoming friends again, she had grown greedy, wanting to use every opportunity to pull closer, to linger. But with every inch she gained, her desire grew like weeds in the spring wind. She was obsessed with every moment spent with Lu Shuyu, even though she knew clearly that these were just ordinary interactions between friends.

Moreover, she was currently in a difficult situation. This was why, despite knowing Lu Shuyu’s number by heart, she had never initiated contact over the years. Until certain things were confirmed and resolved, she didn’t dare—and couldn’t—take a step forward.

Her mind went through a hundred turns, but only a few seconds passed on the surface. Lu Shuyu was still looking at her, seemingly waiting for a response.

Xia Leshuang’s feet shifted, but before she could actually run away, a sharp cry rang out from the shore.

Lu Shuyu reacted instantly, her face turning serious as she shouted, “Chi Shan! What happened?!”

The people Chi Shan had taken to film the sea quickly responded: “Nothing’s wrong!”

Chi Shan shouted again, and this time everyone in the courtyard heard clearly.

“Blue—Tears—!” “Producer Lu, come quick—!”

“Blue Tears?”

Everyone was familiar with the term. It was a popular marine phenomenon—a bioluminescent effect produced by noctiluca algae.

“Hurry up—!” Chi Shan called again.

The people in the yard grabbed flashlights and headed toward the sound. The guesthouse was close to the shore, and they soon reached the spot. Once there, they didn’t need to look for Chi Shan anymore; the dreamlike blue light surging with the waves was enough to make them stop in their tracks.

“Wow…” Jiang Fei sighed. “Our luck today is just too good.”

Everyone took out their phones, wanting to capture this lucky, ethereal moment. Lu Shuyu snapped a photo, and the lingering anxiety that had plagued her for days finally vanished completely.

“So beautiful,” she murmured.

“The rain cleared, we saw whales, and now Blue Tears,” Xia Leshuang said softly beside her. “Shuyu, this happened because of your hard work.”

Lu Shuyu’s heart stirred. A warm wave of emotion surged through her. Feeling uncharacteristically shy, she waited a moment before sighing, “Everything is the best arrangement.”

That’s life, she thought. You have to take it one step at a time. If you don’t keep walking, how will you know what the scenery ahead looks like? As long as you’ve worked hard, everything will be the best arrangement.

“Exactly!” Jiang Fei chimed in. “Producer Lu has worked so hard these past few days. These are all the ‘best arrangements’ you’ve brought to us!”

The others echoed the sentiment. It seemed Lu Shuyu’s state had indeed worried them quite a bit.

Lu Shuyu laughed: “Thank you, you’re the best ‘Gold Team’!”

“It’s us!” Chi Shan appeared out of nowhere and corrected her loudly.

“Fine!” Lu Shuyu cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted toward the surging blue sea: “We are the best Gold Team!”

As soon as she finished, the others joined in: “We are the best Gold Team—!”

…

After watching the Blue Tears, they returned to the guesthouse and discussed the filming schedule until midnight before finally going to sleep.

Early the next morning, the crew filmed b-roll of the sunrise, and the guests officially began recording while riding bicycles. Under the scorching sun, where the sky and sea merged into one, the six of them rode along the coastline. With few people on the island, the filming was smooth and visually stunning.

The next stop was the island market. Today, the guests had to buy their own ingredients and prepare lunch. According to the plan, they had to complete a mini-game before entering the market to determine their groupings. Different groups had different tasks, and the groups also decided who their cooking partners would be. If you teamed up with a good cook, you’d eat well and win—a win-win situation.

Naturally, He Wenyin became the most sought-after teammate. The guests had become so proficient at variety shows that a small game turned into a major drama. The “Deceiver Group” and the “Victim Group” swapped roles and clashed, leaving Xia Leshuang as the only outsider happily watching the chaos.

Chi Shan was highly amused: “Look at Teacher Xia, she’s so happy eating popcorn [watching the drama].”

“True.” Lu Shuyu thought for a moment. “We can’t let her be that idle. Let’s stir things up.”

Chi Shan: “…”

“Teachers!” Lu Shuyu picked up the megaphone. “In this grouping game, if anyone ends up alone, they are exempt from the ingredient-buying task and the lunch competition!”

Instantly, Xia Leshuang became everyone’s target. The camera captured her transition from a relaxed observer to a look of utter shock. Lu Shuyu noticed Xia’s accusatory gaze, raised an eyebrow, and shot her a provocative smile.

When their eyes met, Xia Leshuang’s expression changed again into a soft smile—half helpless, half sweet. Chi Shan shivered at the sight. The guests were already in an uproar, and Lu Shuyu clapped her hands, satisfied: “Great, let them fight.”

Ultimately, the game ended with pairs. He Wenyin was snatched by Luo Han, Tang Jiahe saved Xia Leshuang’s life, and the “Deceiver Group” was left to fend for themselves.

“It’s karma…” Zhong Wen sighed.

…

In the afternoon, while part of the crew stayed to film relaxation scenes in the guesthouse garden, the rest moved to the outdoor basketball court. Aside from Luo Han and He Wenyin, only Xia Leshuang knew a bit about the game, so the friendly match was a mess—mostly a showdown between Luo and He.

During the free-throw segment, Zhong Wen remembered Xia Leshuang’s dart-throwing skills from earlier and asked her to try. To everyone’s surprise, her three-pointers were incredibly accurate.

Lu Shuyu didn’t understand basketball, but she knew three-pointers were impressive. She screamed along with everyone else when Xia Leshuang hit her first one.

“Do another one!” she shouted. “I didn’t get a good shot of that one!”

As someone who didn’t know the game, she had volunteered to run around the court with a camera to capture behind-the-scenes footage. In the lens, Xia Leshuang looked over, her eyes widening in what seemed like nervousness as she held the ball awkwardly.

Zhong Wen laughed nearby: “Looks like our Shuang-shuang is nervous!”

Lu Shuyu was busy adjusting the framing and didn’t notice what they were saying. “This angle is good,” she said, crouching down. “Teacher Xia, are you ready?”

On screen, Xia Leshuang nodded, pursed her lips, adjusted her feet, and took a deep breath. Only then did Lu Shuyu realize she really was nervous.

“Don’t be nervous, Teacher Xia!” she smiled. “Just like before. It was super cool!”

In the lens, Xia Leshuang’s body stiffened for a moment before she replied: “I’m shooting.”

The shutter clicked rapidly. This time, the focus was sharp, capturing a perfect image.

“Great!” Lu Shuyu was thrilled.

After this interlude, the game turned into a three-pointer contest. Thanks to Xia Leshuang’s high skill level, she, He Wenyin, and Zhong Wen won the match.

The game ended near dusk. An Xun led the way back. They would wash up at the guesthouse before filming the “beachcombing” segment.

“How were the photos?”

Seeing Lu Shuyu lagging at the back of the line, Xia Leshuang slowed down her pace until they were walking side-by-side. She saw her own photo on the camera screen.

“Look.” Lu Shuyu handed it over. It was the shot of the three-pointer—perfectly timed. Xia Leshuang was mid-air, the ball leaving her hands with a sense of fluid motion.

“It’s pretty cool,” Xia Leshuang said honestly.

“Just pretty?” Lu Shuyu wasn’t satisfied; she thought it was legendary.

Xia Leshuang chuckled, remembering Lu’s earlier praise, and nodded: “It’s a great shot. Super cool!”

Satisfied, Lu Shuyu gave a proud hum and flipped through more photos of Xia Leshuang shooting. As she looked, she remembered their high school days when Xia Leshuang insisted on showing off her two-finger dart throw. She also recalled their recording in L-City when Xia Leshuang claimed she didn’t remember why she had almost fractured her finger.

“Teacher Xia, do you remember that time we went to the amusement park together?”

She brought it up suddenly. Xia Leshuang almost didn’t react, but they had only been to an amusement park once, so the memory surfaced easily. When Xia remained silent, Lu Shuyu thought she was going to play dumb again.

“You’re not allowed to say you don’t remember!” Lu Shuyu put her hands on her hips. “You almost fractured your finger trying to show off that dart throw to Bian Xingyao. I don’t believe for a second you forgot that!”

…

Suddenly, Xia Leshuang stopped walking. It was like a bolt from the blue; her expression shifted from confusion to pure shock. The reaction was so intense that Lu Shuyu felt a bit guilty.

“You really don’t remember?” she asked softly. “Sorry, Teacher Xia, I didn’t mean to bring up an embarrassing story…”

“What did you just say—?”

Xia Leshuang spoke abruptly, taking a step closer. They stood under the shade of a tree, away from the blinding sun, where they could see each other’s expressions clearly.

“I did it to show off to… Bian Xingyao?”

“Yeah…” Lu Shuyu was confused for a moment. Then, in a flash of lightning, she remembered they were exes. Had she brought up a painful memory? Or… did Xia Leshuang still like Bian Xingyao?

The sun was scorching outside, but Lu Shuyu felt as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over her. The atmosphere froze, though neither of them seemed to notice the shift in the world around them.

“Xia Leshuang,” Lu Shuyu finally said. “Bian Xingyao already has a girlfriend.”

She actually wanted to say something else, like “Why don’t you try liking someone else?” but the words wouldn’t come out. If liking someone was that easy to change, she wouldn’t have spent all these years only liking Xia Leshuang.

Lu Shuyu lowered her head, her thoughts unreadable.

Xia Leshuang looked at the top of Lu Shuyu’s head, speechless. It felt as if she had been struck by lightning repeatedly. She had never imagined that back then—and even now—Lu Shuyu believed she liked Bian Xingyao.

So, when Lu Shuyu said she wanted to be friends, she really meant just friends. There was no ulterior motive at all.

Was there really none?

The question felt like a lead weight in her chest. Xia Leshuang wanted to ask, but she couldn’t gather an ounce of courage.

The crew was getting further ahead. An Xun, seeing they hadn’t kept up, called out: “Producer Lu! Teacher Xia!”

The two snapped out of it. Xia Leshuang stepped out from the shade first: “Let’s go back.”

As she walked away, Lu Shuyu followed. Emotions surged like waves, one after another, making her head ache. She couldn’t restrain herself.

“Xia Leshuang.”

“Try liking someone else.”

The figure in front of her came to a dead stop.