She Said She Has Feelings For Someone - Chapter 45

Chapter 45: Touching — I have a friend…

In the afternoon, Lu Shuyu was preparing to head out with her suitcase. Xia Leshuang’s bedroom door was still closed, so she intended to leave a note on a sticky pad, just as she usually did.

To her surprise, just as she was about to press the note against the wood, the door suddenly swung inward. Lu Shuyu instinctively reached out to steady the door, but her palm landed squarely on a head of fluffy hair instead.

Her palm met a smooth forehead. It felt warm.

…

The owner of the fluffy head stood frozen on the spot, eyes rolling upward, body not daring to move an inch. The scene was so comical that Lu Shuyu couldn’t help but let out a laugh.

But since she was already touching her, she decided to give her head a few more pats. She thought it, and she did it.

“Morning, Teacher Xia.”

Xia Leshuang seemed to have just woken up. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to be “ravaged,” then replied, “Morning, Shuyu.”

Lu Shuyu stopped while she was ahead and handed her the sticky note that was still stuck to her thumb. “I’m going on a business trip today, to C-City.”

“Ah, okay,” Xia Leshuang replied dazed, instinctively taking the note.

“The last city to scout for the second season,” Lu Shuyu said, raising an eyebrow. “I posted about it in the group chat both previous times. Teacher Xia didn’t miss it, did she?”

Hearing this, Xia Leshuang shook her head immediately. “I saw it. I saw everything.”

So, Lu Shuyu’s lips quirked upward, it wasn’t just me lurking back then. The “little fish” hadn’t actually swam far away at all.

“Safe travels,” Xia Leshuang added.

“I’ll take those well wishes, Teacher Xia~” Lu Shuyu smiled brightly.

She turned to leave, and the sound of footsteps followed close behind her. Until the door was about to close, Xia Leshuang remained standing by the foyer wall watching her, eyes wide and longing—like a small animal, or a child seeing a parent off.

In short: a giant, adorable creature.

Xia Leshuang’s messy hair was Lu Shuyu’s handiwork, making her look even more innocent and confused. Lu Shuyu’s heart softened. She said gently, “Teacher Xia, I’ll message you. Bye-bye.”

The front door clicked shut. The footsteps faded. Xia Leshuang thought she heard the sound of the elevator. Before her brain could catch up, her legs were already moving; she ran to the living room window.

Sure enough, a few minutes later, she saw Lu Shuyu’s figure—small, but full of energy. As she watched her leave, Xia Leshuang finally woke up completely from her morning stupor. Turning back to the apartment, she suddenly felt it was empty and quiet.

A sense of loss and regret washed over her. She should have woken up earlier today. If she hadn’t been startled awake by the noise, she might have missed seeing Lu Shuyu off entirely.

Suddenly, her phone vibrated in the bedroom. She had work soon and assumed it was a reminder from her new manager. Instead, it was a message from Lu Shuyu in the group chat:

— Heading to C-City! Expect a photo bombardment!

Xia Leshuang’s heart stirred. Lu Shuyu hadn’t “reported in” ahead of time for the previous two trips.

Was this report… possibly… intended specifically for someone’s eyes?

Her fantasy was interrupted by a new message from her manager at the top of the screen. She opened the group chat and typed:

— Looking forward to it! Good luck, PD Lu. Have a smooth trip.

After sending it, Xia Leshuang exhaled. Regardless of whether Lu Shuyu meant it specially or not, it didn’t change her primary task: working hard. Only by doing that would they have a chance to realize their shared dream.

…

As promised, Lu Shuyu’s messages didn’t stop once she landed in C-City. She sent one version to the group chat and another separate one to Xia Leshuang, occasionally including special “Easter eggs.”

— Teacher Xia, look at the pattern on this stone. Doesn’t it look like an apple?

“Okay, thank you, Teacher Xia! That’s a wrap!”

In the evening, the photo shoot finally ended. Song Qingqiong was the manager Min Wutong had personally assigned to her. They had met briefly at Cherry TV yesterday, and today Song had come along for the shoot. After observing for most of the day, she was thoroughly convinced; although Xia Leshuang had been away for years, her professional skills hadn’t slipped at all. Her efficiency was startling.

Thus, the small flaw of Xia Leshuang constantly giggling at her phone during every break was something Song could tolerate.

“Good job, everyone!” Xia Leshuang jogged over to her assistant, Li Ruowei. The latter was already used to it and handed her the phone immediately.

“Let’s go,” Song Qingqiong said. “I’ll drive you back.”

“Wait.”

Xia Leshuang spoke up, turning around to snap a panoramic photo of the studio.

“Okay,” she smiled brightly, showing no sign of fatigue. “Let’s go.”

Song Qingqiong was almost blinded by the radiance of that smile. She chuckled, “It’s good to be young, huh?”

Once in the car, Xia Leshuang finally had time to reply to Lu Shuyu.

— It does look like an apple. Cute [Wow] — [Studio Photo] — I’ve finished for the day! Today’s work went very smoothly too!

After replying, she scrolled up, saving every photo Lu Shuyu had sent. Then she switched to the group chat. Not long ago, Zhong Wen and the others were chatting excitedly about the C-City scenery Lu Shuyu had captured.

Zhong Wen: Omg so beautiful! I want to go too! Jiang Fei: When does Season 2 start filming? I can’t wait! [Heart eyes] He Wenyin: PD Lu, take care of yourself. Altitude sickness can be quite nasty.

At He Wenyin’s mention of altitude sickness, they began discussing remedies. Lu Shuyu replied: I’m okay for now. The altitude isn’t too high. This trip is to see if I can adapt and gather experience so the teachers don’t have to struggle later [Fighting]

Tang Jiahe and Luo Han both mentioned they had been there before without major symptoms and recommended some relief methods.

Xia Leshuang read through with a smile, then scrolled back up to look at all the photos sent to the group today. Then, she noticed that the “Apple Stone” photo hadn’t been posted in the group. Neither had a photo of a small flower.

Carrying her surprise and curiosity, she switched back to her private chat with Lu Shuyu. She found the flower photo and zoomed in. Only then did she notice a line of purple text. It had likely been added in a hurry and placed in a shadowed area, making it easy to miss.

— A bright and resilient little purple flower [Heart]

In the photo, Lu Shuyu’s fingertip was lightly touching the edge of a petal. Even in a static image, one could feel the gentleness and care. In an instant, it pulled Xia Leshuang back to that morning—the moment Lu Shuyu touched the top of her head.

Gentle, warm, and scented like green apples.

“Teacher Xia?”

Xia Leshuang snapped back to reality. She looked up to see Song Qingqiong and Li Ruowei watching her.

“What is it?”

Song Qingqiong handed her a tablet. “Take a look at your schedule for the coming week.”

“Okay,” Xia Leshuang put away her phone. “Thank you.”

Taking the tablet, she noticed Song’s expression; she looked like she had something on her mind. Seeing her hesitation, Xia Leshuang said, “Sister Qiong, you’re my manager. If you have something to say, just say it.”

Song Qingqiong didn’t hesitate further. “Alright, I won’t be polite then. Although I shouldn’t meddle in your private life, I want to remind you of something. Your current popularity is very high and your prospects are excellent. President Min has tailored a future plan for you. So, it’s best not to let any unnecessary ‘accidents’ get in the way.”

She paused, then added: “Specifically, don’t let a man get in the way.”

Xia Leshuang was taken aback, then gave a relaxed smile. “Don’t worry. I keep my public and private lives separate. Also, I don’t like men.”

Beside them, Li Ruowei couldn’t help but gasp internally.

Xia Leshuang was a priority for President Min, so Song Qingqiong had been relatively tactful, but she hadn’t expected Xia Leshuang to be so blunt. Song was also surprised but nodded after a moment of silence. “Fine. I understand.”

…

On the fourth day of Lu Shuyu’s trip, Xia Leshuang was busy almost the entire day. During a break, she received a message from Chen Qian.

— PD Lu’s flight is tomorrow at 3 PM. Should land around 6 PM.

When Chen Qian had helped with the move, she had accidentally stumbled upon two of Xia Leshuang’s secrets. First, her professional recording equipment. Second, a diary she had forgotten to put away.

The first group photo from the show’s filming had been enlarged and printed, tucked inside that diary. When the diary slipped and the photo fell out, Chen Qian had been stunned, staring at the photo in a half-crouch, not knowing what to do. Her first reaction upon recovering was to confess, followed immediately by a complaint: “Can’t you hide your things better? I don’t want to know the gossip between my friend and my boss!”

Although Chen Qian had suspected their relationship wasn’t simple, she hadn’t expected the truth to hit her in the face so abruptly. She and Xia Leshuang reached an agreement: she saw nothing and knew nothing.

However, seeing as she had gone out of her way to send Lu Shuyu’s flight time today, she clearly couldn’t resist a little “assist.”

Xia Leshuang saved the photo and replied with a thank you. Then she looked up at Song Qingqiong. “Can I take a short leave tomorrow between 5 PM and 7 PM?”

Song didn’t ask for a reason. She checked the schedule, pondered for a moment, and then nodded. “Okay. But,” she reminded her, “cover up well.”

Xia Leshuang nodded. “Don’t worry.”

Meanwhile, Chen Qian rejected her “thank you” and deleted the photo of the flight info, saying seriously: Sorry, sent to the wrong person [Smile]

Xia Leshuang smiled and opened her chat with Lu Shuyu. The ticket had clearly been bought, but Lu Shuyu hadn’t told her. Why? Was she afraid of interrupting her work? Afraid of bothering her to pick her up? Or…

“Ruowei,” she couldn’t help but look at her little assistant.

Li Ruowei’s dazed gaze refocused, her eyes shining. “Yes, Teacher Xia?”

Her reaction startled Xia Leshuang slightly. After a moment of phrasing, she said, “I want to ask you something.”

“Shoot!” Li Ruowei replied enthusiastically.

“Um, well, I have a friend.”

Hearing this, Li Ruowei’s eyebrows shot up. Her eyes widened, and she leaned in slightly, replying solemnly, “Mhm, you have a friend. What’s wrong with her?”

“She has a roommate she lives with. They are both quite busy, but they ‘report in’ to each other.”

“To what extent?” Li Ruowei asked.

Xia Leshuang was momentarily stumped but, needing help, she answered: “What they did at work, what they ate, whether they’re coming home, what time they’ll be back—that sort of thing.”

“Oh—” Li Ruowei looked thoughtful. “Go on.”

“Her roommate is on a business trip and is coming back tomorrow, but she hasn’t told my friend. Why is that?”

Li Ruowei covered her mouth, blinked, and asked, “Coming back tomorrow?”

Is the ‘tomorrow’ part the point?

“Yes,” Xia Leshuang reminded her, “but she didn’t tell her!”

“Right, right. Yes, yes.” Li Ruowei nodded quickly, then pursed her lips in thought. A moment later, she said with certainty: “There is only one possibility.”

“What?” Xia Leshuang asked expectantly.

“She wants to suddenly appear in front of you—I mean, your friend—to give her a surprise!”