She Said She Has Feelings For Someone - Chapter 53

Chapter 53: Love — That Was Xia Leshuang’s Confession

Li Ruowei delivered a spare key card for Xia Leshuang’s hotel room. Carrying a mix of anxiety and confusion, Lu Shuyu headed toward the hotel.

Before swiping the card, she felt a flare of nervousness, much like she had felt entering Xia Leshuang’s bedroom back home a few days prior. Fortunately, a hotel is a temporary residence; Xia Leshuang hadn’t stored many secrets here.

The room was kept neat and clean. The only bit of clutter was on the desk: two thick scripts filled with colorful sticky notes—Xia Leshuang’s personal annotations. Beside them lay an open notebook—Xia Leshuang’s filming diary.

Television production rarely films in chronological order, so an actor’s grasp of each stage and plot point is crucial. Lu Shuyu stepped forward and glanced at a couple of pages, immediately understanding why Xia Leshuang kept this diary. The set is a living thing; through the collaboration of actors and directors, fresh ideas often spark that aren’t in the script. Xia Leshuang recorded every detail to ensure a better connection to the plot and a more nuanced performance.

As expected, Xia Leshuang truly loved acting.

Lu Shuyu felt a surge of admiration. She turned around and noticed the pillow on the bed, covered with a pillow towel. The green-apple-patterned towel was a size too small, revealing the familiar pattern of the pillowcase underneath. She couldn’t help but smile; it seemed Xia Leshuang had been sleeping well these past few days.

By the window stood a small drying rack with two more towels hanging on it—one with oranges, one with strawberries. They were fresh and cute. Lu Shuyu let out a soft sigh, the restlessness in her heart finally settling.

Though she didn’t know the exact reason or when it had truly begun ten years ago, she was becoming more certain of Xia Leshuang’s feelings with every passing day.

Her pocket vibrated with a message from Min Wutong. — Where are you?

Lu Shuyu replied: At the hotel. Teacher Xia told me to rest for a while; we’re having dinner together tonight.

After a long pause, Min Wutong sent back an ellipsis followed by: Congratulations in advance.

Lu Shuyu laughed and replied: President Min, things will go smoothly for you too. I’ll head back on my own tonight, don’t worry about me.

She hadn’t planned to stay long this trip. Her plan was to finish her explanation to Xia Leshuang and then head home. Mostly, she lacked the confidence to face whatever situation might arise after the explanation. Lu Shuyu shivered; just a little imagination made her scalp tingle.

It was afternoon, and there was still a long time before Xia Leshuang’s estimated wrap time. Lu Shuyu felt a wave of sleepiness. After scanning between the bed and the sofa, she decided to borrow a pillow and take a nap on the sofa.

She didn’t expect to oversleep. The latter half of her nap was plagued by sleep paralysis. She struggled for a long time, unable to wake up.

“Shuyu?”

She thought she heard Xia Leshuang’s voice and instinctively moved toward it. In her dream, she stepped into thin air—

“Shuyu!”

Someone caught her, and Lu Shuyu snapped wide awake. However, her face-down position in someone’s arms wasn’t exactly graceful…

“Shuyu?” Xia Leshuang’s voice came from behind her head. “Are you okay? A nightmare?”

Lu Shuyu braced her hands against the floor. Xia Leshuang applied pressure to her arms, helping her sit upright on the sofa. Once seated, Shuyu asked, “Were you… by the sofa this whole time?”

She wasn’t just watching me sleep, was she? Did I do anything weird while stuck in that nightmare?

Xia Leshuang paused and shook her head. “No, I just got back. I felt like you weren’t sleeping peacefully.”

Oh, right. Lu Shuyu remembered hearing Xia Leshuang call her name several times just now. The light outside the window had faded; she really had slept for a long time.

She rubbed her temples. “Did I sleep through our dinner time?”

Xia Leshuang poured a glass of water and handed it to her. “I finished early. I just got back to wash up and change.”

Only then did Lu Shuyu look at her closely. Indeed, her face was a bit dusty from the set. Shuyu nodded. “Go ahead and wash up then. I’ll wake myself up, and then we’ll go out to eat.”

“Okay,” Xia Leshuang didn’t dawdle. “I’ll be quick.”

As the sound of running water came from the bathroom, Lu Shuyu fully shook off her grogginess. She instinctively turned her back to the bathroom door, sighing inwardly: Why does she always end up in these situations?

The hotel room was small, and the sound of the water was so clear it felt like it was right next to her ear. The air conditioning was running, but sweat started to bead on her skin anyway. Lu Shuyu curled her toes, eventually standing up to go to the window and crack it open.

The bustling night of the city rushed in, drowning out the sound of the shower. She took a long breath, and the restlessness in her heart finally cooled.

When Xia Leshuang emerged from the bathroom, she was fully dressed. Her hair was blown dry, falling softly against her face—a very different look from when it was tied up.

“Why are you standing there?” she asked as she walked to the bedside to grab a hair tie.

Watching her skillfully tie her hair into a ponytail, Lu Shuyu blurted out, “Both look good.”

“What?” Xia Leshuang looked lost.

“Ah,” Lu Shuyu pointed behind her. “The night view in City H is beautiful. It’s just as good as City B.” She added quickly, “The AC room felt a bit stuffy, so I was just letting some air in.”

The explanation was fast and perfect. Lu Shuyu couldn’t help but give herself a satisfied mental smile. Xia Leshuang, of course, didn’t follow her chaotic train of thought; she just thought Shuyu was adorable.

“Let’s go then,” Xia Leshuang said with a gentle smile. “It’s about a ten-minute walk. We can see more of City H at night.”

…

The two of them wore masks and hats, walking toward the restaurant. “A local staff member recommended this place; it’s actually quite good.”

The restaurant didn’t have private rooms, so they sat in a booth in the corner. After ordering, they suddenly found themselves staring at each other. Lu Shuyu’s heart started racing again. She had slept all afternoon and hadn’t prepared a single word of what she wanted to say.

“Um…” Just as she spoke, Xia Leshuang leaned her upper body forward, looking straight at her.

The booth was small. Under the table, their legs were close but not touching; in the noisy restaurant, this distance was necessary to be heard. Lu Shuyu’s heart stiffened. She felt like she was losing control of her facial expressions.

“I saw you filming on set today,” she blurted out, changing the subject. “As expected of Teacher Xia, your acting is amazing!”

Xia Leshuang didn’t pull back. Instead, she arched an eyebrow and tilted her head slightly, looking puzzled. “Then why didn’t you come see me?”

…

Lu Shuyu hadn’t expected Xia Leshuang to be so blunt. So blunt that she didn’t know how to respond. She stared blankly at Xia Leshuang, feeling as though she had been transported back to high school.

Their relationship back then had been exactly like this. It was Xia Leshuang who had crashed into her world, brightly and passionately insisting on being her friend. Back then, Xia Leshuang was direct and proactive; Shuyu could only accept it passively.

After their reunion, they had both changed a lot. The roles of “proactive” and “passive” seemed to have flipped, which was why Lu Shuyu only now felt the subtlety of the situation. She was suddenly very curious: Xia Leshuang, when exactly did you start liking me?

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Xia Leshuang leaned in even closer, her dark eyes full of innocence.

Lu Shuyu pulled her thoughts together and gave a bright smile. “Naturally, I was afraid of being too charmed by Teacher Xia, so I decided to make a run for it first.”

After ten years, she was no longer the purely passive Lu Shuyu of the past.

Not getting the answer she wanted, Xia Leshuang blinked and sat back. “Alright then~”

She tried to look indifferent, but her lowered eyes and the way she fidgeted with her chopsticks betrayed her disappointment.

The food was served, and they ate in silence. Lu Shuyu was biding her time, wanting to wait until Xia Leshuang had mostly finished before speaking. But the disappointment from earlier had clearly affected Xia Leshuang’s appetite. Shuyu couldn’t bear to watch it and finally set down her chopsticks.

“Teacher Xia, did you see the hot searches?”

She stopped beating around the bush. Her directness nearly made Xia Leshuang choke.

“Yes,” Xia Leshuang set down her chopsticks too. “I saw them.”

The two sat upright and formal, as if they were about to discuss a major international incident. Lu Shuyu felt helpless; she hadn’t expected it to come to this. It was a bit funny, but the nervousness outweighed the humor.

“President Min had a bit of a disagreement with her partner,” she explained. “I’m not sure of the details. But apparently, she had no other choice, so she asked me to help with this ‘scandal’.”

“So—” Lu Shuyu took a deep breath, hesitating on how to continue.

To her surprise, Xia Leshuang suddenly gave a brilliant smile, as if her previous loss of appetite had been entirely faked. “I know,” she said.

You know? Lu Shuyu blinked. Know what?

“It doesn’t matter,” Xia Leshuang added.

Doesn’t matter? Lu Shuyu was now completely lost. What doesn’t matter?

However, Xia Leshuang didn’t explain. Her smile faded slightly, replaced by a clear, steady gaze full of determination and sincerity.

“I know that liking someone isn’t easy.” “But time is a great healer. If you give it enough time, feelings will slowly fade.” “Fate is unpredictable. Who knows? At the next turn, you might meet someone new.”

The confusion in Lu Shuyu’s heart crashed down like a mountain, stirring up giant waves.

“Maybe they won’t be as good, but they won’t be bad either.”

Xia Leshuang lowered her eyes, the tips of her ears turning red with shyness. “And maybe—” She kept her head down, fidgeting with her chopsticks to look casual, but her trembling fingertips gave her away. “Maybe she is already there, waiting for you.”

…

Lu Shuyu didn’t fully process the massive amount of information in those few sentences until she was sitting in the airport lounge.

Xia Leshuang’s “I know” meant she mistakenly thought Shuyu still liked Min Wutong. And her “It doesn’t matter” meant she would wait—wait until Shuyu no longer liked Min Wutong.

A mixture of sweetness and ache flooded Shuyu’s heart, making her not know whether to cry or laugh. She couldn’t help but remember that day—the day before Xia Leshuang had left without a word, when she had appeared under Shuyu’s building out of nowhere.

For all these years, she couldn’t understand why Xia Leshuang had suddenly appeared and asked that question: “Little Shuyu, do you like me?”

And now, she knew.

That wasn’t Xia Leshuang seeing through Shuyu’s crush and coming to expose her or reject her.

That was Xia Leshuang’s confession.

It was a desperate, “all-or-nothing” confession made because she knew she was about to leave.

Lu Shuyu felt a pang in her heart and doubled over. Her eyes burned, and she covered them with her hand.

Ten years… They had actually managed to miss each other for ten whole years.

Violent emotions raced through her heart, looking for an exit. Lu Shuyu gritted her teeth, took a deep breath, and pulled out her phone to say something. But a message from Xia Leshuang reached her first.

— Shuyu, did you know? The protagonist of this drama is from City S. — I suddenly want to go back to City S. I miss our school, I miss Teacher Lu, and I miss my grandmother. — So, after I finish filming, let’s go back together?

It was strange. Within seconds of reading those words, the racing emotions in her heart calmed down. They contracted quickly into something small—like a gift waiting to be opened.

Lu Shuyu laughed through her tears. Yes, City S held too many regrets.

— Okay. When you’re finished, we’ll go back together.

They would go back to City S and fill in the blanks together.