She Said She Has Feelings For Someone - Chapter 39

Chapter 39: Out of Contact—It Was Just an Accident.

Lu Shuyu was suffering from insomnia.

Her phone wasn’t on the nightstand; it was right next to her pillow. She didn’t dare turn off the bedroom light. As soon as she lapsed into darkness, the crazy events at Summer Flower would loop relentlessly in her mind.

She rolled over again and lit up her phone screen. It was stuck on the chat window with Xia Leshuang. Since returning from F-City, the two hadn’t spoken privately. Their “safe arrival” messages had been sent to the group chat with the other guests.

Lu Shuyu couldn’t spare the mental energy to guess what Xia Leshuang was going through; she just wanted to apologize properly for what happened today. After all, a forced kiss… to put it seriously, was sexual harassment.

“Argh…” Lu Shuyu groaned in frustration, summoning her courage to type.

— Teacher Xia, I’m so sorry about today. I drank too much…

No, saying she was drunk sounded like making excuses to dodge responsibility.

— Teacher Xia, I’m sorry. I was crazy today. It was my fault. Please forgive me…

An apology is an apology, but bringing up “forgiveness” made her motives look impure. Yet, a simple apology felt too thin. How would Xia Leshuang respond? Would it backfire and make her feel even more offended?

“Argh!” Lu Shuyu buried herself under the duvet. “What do I do…”

By the time she emerged, the clock had ticked past midnight. It was the next day. Apologies have an expiration date; the longer she waited, the more awkward it would become. Lu Shuyu felt her soul wither as she stared at the ceiling until dawn.

…

Consequently, she became the first customer of the day at the breakfast shop in Zheng Yu’s neighborhood. After ringing the doorbell and calling repeatedly, she finally got Zheng Yu to open the door ten minutes later.

“My dear girl…” Zheng Yu looked half-asleep, her hair a mess, clearly dragged out of a dream. “It’s so early. What’s wrong?”

Lu Shuyu bit her lip, looking incredibly pained. “I kissed Xia Leshuang.”

…

“Huh…” “HUH?!”

Those five words instantly blasted Zheng Yu awake. “You—you guys are together?!”

As soon as she said it, Lu Shuyu collapsed face-down onto the sofa like an ostrich. Apparently, the answer was no.

Then this is a disaster, Zheng Yu thought. She poured two glasses of hot water. “Come on, drink some water and tell me slowly.”

She hauled Lu Shuyu up and saw the dark circles under her eyes, realizing her friend had pulled an all-nighter. Lu Shuyu wouldn’t have come here this early otherwise.

Zheng Yu sat on the small side sofa. “But how did you know I was home today?” She tried to steer the conversation away to give Lu Shuyu a breather.

Lu Shuyu sighed. “Weren’t you supposed to have dinner with Chi Shan yesterday?” According to Zheng Yu’s habits, if she didn’t have the next day off, even the God of Heaven couldn’t get her out.

“Oh, right.” Zheng Yu gave an awkward laugh. The distraction failed; they knew each other’s habits too well. “So… you forced a kiss on the Film Queen?”

Lu Shuyu covered her face with her hands, letting out a strained “mm-hmm.” “I didn’t sleep all night. I couldn’t figure out how to apologize. What should I do?”

In all their years of friendship, this was the first time Zheng Yu had seen Lu Shuyu so defeated and lost. Even when Xia Leshuang left without saying goodbye in high school, her reaction hadn’t been this extreme.

Zheng Yu was speechless. Putting herself in Xia’s shoes, if a friend suddenly forced a kiss on her, she’d either start a fight or cut ties. The mere thought gave her goosebumps, and she didn’t dare guess what Xia Leshuang was feeling.

“Regardless,” she suggested cautiously, “apologize first. Only after you apologize can you gauge her attitude and decide your next move.”

The “ostrich” on the sofa went silent. A long while later, she whispered, “I’m actually a little afraid.”

Afraid of not getting a reply, and even more afraid of getting one. Regardless of whether Xia Leshuang forgave her, their relationship was likely irreparable. Zheng Yu felt a pang of sympathy seeing her so vulnerable.

“Lu Shuyu!” She patted her friend’s shoulder. “You’re the fearless Lu Shuyu! Perk up. Let’s just apologize first!” She then smiled. “And look on the bright side: if you can’t be friends, then go ahead and pursue her! Maybe you’ll end up as a couple!”

Lu Shuyu glared at her. Remembering she only did this because of Min Wutong’s bad advice, her eyes welled up with tears. “Stop giving me bad ideas!”

Zheng Yu went quiet. It really wasn’t the time for jokes. A few tears splashed onto the carpet, and Lu Shuyu regained her composure. Although Min Wutong had hinted at it, she was the one who acted. She couldn’t blame anyone else.

Wiping her tears and taking a deep breath, she opened the chat with Xia Leshuang.

— Teacher Xia, yesterday was my fault. I offended you, and I am deeply sorry. — I know an apology is hollow, so I don’t expect your forgiveness. If there is anything I can do to make amends, please let me know.

The message sent, and a heavy stone settled in her heart. Whatever the reply, the outcome was predictable.

Zheng Yu patted her. “Want to sleep here for a bit? It’s my day off, I can keep you company.”

“No,” Lu Shuyu gathered herself. “It’s your rare day off. Rest well. I won’t bother you. Remember to eat breakfast.”

Knowing Lu Shuyu needed to be alone, Zheng Yu didn’t force her. “Okay. Be careful on the road.”

…

Upon returning home, Lu Shuyu fell into a deep sleep, not waking until evening. It wasn’t a good rest; she was haunted by nightmares and woke up in a daze. Her phone vibrated. She clicked the notifications and saw that familiar name. Her heart sank. She hesitated for two seconds before clicking.

— Producer Lu, don’t blame yourself. It was just an accident. Let’s pretend it never happened.

After a long silence, Lu Shuyu gave a bitter smile and replied: Okay.

A simple period. It ended an incident and a relationship. Simple, clean, and clinical. She didn’t even feel pain yet—only numbness.

She replied to her other messages and finally opened one from Min Wutong.

— The data for the show and the guests is still rising. We’re getting non-stop offers. Teacher Xia has already started filming commercials. It looks like we can start preparing for Season 2. Let’s aim for an autumn release.

Well, that’s good news, Lu Shuyu thought. Work came at the right time to distract her.

— Understood! Getting to work immediately!

…

The plan for the second season of The Silence of Gold already had a detailed draft from when they prepared the first season. Three filming locations had been proposed and approved by Cherry’s top management. Now, it was just a matter of refining the details, scouting locations, and signing formal agreements.

The following days passed in a blur of busyness. Occasionally, when she had a free moment, Lu Shuyu would check the group chat. The six guests were all busy now; messages were intermittent, and they rarely had everyone present at once. Lu Shuyu would send location scouts and accept suggestions.

As the busiest among them, Xia Leshuang rarely appeared. Zhong Wen and the others would mention her occasionally, sharing news they had heard. During those times, Lu Shuyu would lurk and watch the screen, hoping Xia Leshuang would pop up. But every time, she was met with disappointment.

Her longing grew until she even posted a “Moment” on WeChat expressing her love for “Eryu,” hoping to bait a reaction. But the “little fish” had swum far away and wouldn’t bite the hook.

…

It was mid-May by the time she returned to B-City from another business trip. The heat was becoming unbearable. As soon as she landed, she received a message from Min Wutong that chilled her heart.

— Have you contacted Teacher Xia recently? I haven’t been able to reach her for three days.

What does that mean? Lu Shuyu immediately switched screens and dialed Xia Leshuang’s voice call. No answer. She contacted Min Wutong immediately.

“President Min, where are you?” “Come to the office.”

At the Cherry Building, Lu Shuyu practically ran into Min Wutong’s office. Min was prepared and poured her a cup of tea. After Lu Shuyu downed it, Min summarized the situation.

“A week ago, Teacher Xia adjusted her work schedule with me, saying she needed three days off because her mother was ill. Today is the fifth day, and she’s been out of contact for three.”

Lu Shuyu found it absurd. How could someone go home to see their sick mother and go missing? “Don’t Director Xia and Film Queen Xu live in B-City?”

“Exactly,” Min Wutong said, puzzled. “It’s not like there’s no signal, and she wouldn’t run out of phone credit.”

Lu Shuyu bit her lip. “Then the only option is to contact Director Xia or Film Queen Xu?”

Min Wutong sighed. “So, Teacher Xia hasn’t contacted you lately?”

Hearing this made Lu Shuyu’s head ache. She waved her hand. “No contact.” Seeing Min about to ask more, she added sharply, “Don’t ask. I don’t want to talk about it.”

Something big happened, Min thought, shrugging. “Fine, I won’t ask. It’s not that I don’t want to contact them, but she’s an adult. If I can reach her, why involve her parents? Besides…”

Lu Shuyu understood. With the shadow of Zhou Hongcai and Starry Universe, Min Wutong didn’t have a good impression of Director Xia either.

“What else can we do? If we really can’t reach her, we have to notify her family.”

Min Wutong frowned. “Why don’t you try calling her?”

Lu Shuyu sighed. “I tried the voice call before I got here. No answer.”

“What about a phone call?” Min pressed.

Lu Shuyu shook her head. “I don’t have her number.”

Min Wutong immediately pulled up her phone. On the screen was a number from L-City. “Teacher Xia’s number. Try it.”

Lu Shuyu opened the dialer. Halfway through typing, she realized the number looked familiar. There were so many nines in it that it was hard to miss.

“Wait…” She scrolled back through her call history. There it was. An incoming missed call. Lu Shuyu checked the date and time. It was the day she had fainted in F-City.

So, Xia Leshuang had called her then. But how did Xia Leshuang get her number?

“What are you dazed for?” Min Wutong urged.

Lu Shuyu snapped out of it, making a mental note to ask Chi Shan later. She dialed the number. Still no answer.

Min Wutong groaned. “Fine. What must come, must come.” Because of Zhou Hongcai, Min Wutong had never dealt with Xia Ye (Director Xia) personally; she had to get his number from someone else. After ringing for a long time, the call finally connected.

“Who is this?”

Min Wutong put on her professional smile. “Hello, Director Xia. This is Min Wutong from Cherry.”

There was silence on the other end. Min got straight to the point. “Teacher Xia mentioned she was going home a few days ago, but we haven’t been able to reach her. Is she at home?”

“She is,” Xia Ye finally responded. “Her mother is ill, so she has been staying with her.”

“Oh, I see.” Min Wutong’s brow relaxed. At least she was safe. “Then could you ask Teacher Xia to give me a call? She has work tomorrow, and missing it without notice makes things difficult on my end.”

Unexpectedly, Xia Ye said flatly, “Then terminate the contract.”

Before Min Wutong could even react, the call was disconnected.

“Did I hallucinate?” She stared wide-eyed in anger. “Terminate? Terminate the contract with Cherry?”

Lu Shuyu also found it bizarre—both Xia Leshuang’s sudden disappearance and Xia Ye’s casual demand to terminate the contract.

“What the hell?!”

Min Wutong dialed again. This time, it wasn’t even picked up—it was hung up immediately.

“Did he block me?!” She was incredulous, voicing the most absurd theory in her head: “Did he kidnap his own daughter?”