She Said She Has Feelings For Someone - Chapter 56

Chapter 56: Rainstorm — The World Falls Silent, Leaving Only Each Other

“Thank you for the support, Ms. Jiang,” Lu Shuyu said, forcing herself to maintain composure. “We start filming tomorrow; you’re more than welcome to come to the set with President Min to observe.”

Without waiting for their reactions, she added quickly, “But it’s already dinner time. How about we eat and talk?”

At that moment, Bian Xingyao looked over, the curve of her phoenix eyes particularly alluring. “Shuyu, would it be alright if I borrow Leshuang for a dinner’s worth of time?”

?

Lu Shuyu instinctively looked at Xia Leshuang. Before she could respond, Jiang Feifei spoke up: “Then Director Lu should join the two of us instead.”

…

Suddenly becoming a human lightbulb (third wheel) again, Shuyu felt sweat pricking her back. She decided to cut the Gordian knot. “Oh!” she gasped. “I’m so sorry, I just remembered I have some urgent work that isn’t finished!”

“Very urgent!” she emphasized. “You ladies go ahead and eat, don’t mind me.”

She turned and ran without a hint of hesitation. Her figure quickly vanished. Xia Leshuang stared in that direction for a long time, her heart a tangled mess of emotions.

“Leshuang.”

Bian Xingyao called her again. Turning back, Xia Leshuang saw that Min Wutong and Jiang Feifei had already walked away. The smile on Bian Xingyao’s face had faded significantly, replaced by a soft, conciliatory look in her eyes.

Xia Leshuang felt a sense of helplessness. The rejection she felt moments ago dissipated slightly, but she still couldn’t act as if nothing had ever happened.

Bian Xingyao understood. “Leshuang, can you give me a chance to apologize?”

Suddenly, Xia Leshuang understood. The entertainment circle was small; there was no guarantee they wouldn’t cross paths again or even have to collaborate. They couldn’t stay cold toward each other forever.

“Okay,” she sighed inwardly and nodded.

If it weren’t for Chi Shan, Bian Xingyao wouldn’t have known she’d run into Xia Leshuang here. The two found a restaurant with private booths and sat down.

“Heavens!” the waitress recognized them instantly. “Are you… Bian Xingyao and Xia Leshuang?”

Bian Xingyao smiled gently. “Yes, we are.”

The waitress had a round face and round eyes; her shocked and excited expression was quite adorable. She hesitated for a long time before asking, “Can I have an autograph?”

Bian Xingyao maintained her smile but shook her head slightly. “Autographs aren’t allowed, I’m afraid—”

Seeing the girl’s disappointment, she changed her tone with a smile. “But a photo is fine.” She looked over. “Is that okay, Teacher Xia?”

Since things had come to this, Xia Leshuang naturally wouldn’t refuse. After ordering and taking the photo, the private room was left to just the two of them.

Bian Xingyao didn’t dawdle. The smile vanished from her face as she turned serious, getting straight to the point. “Regarding what happened back then… I’m sorry.”

Being caught in a puppy love at seventeen, her mother’s disappointment, sarcasm, and even loathing had crushed her like a mountain. Instinctively, she had chosen the worst possible path—shifting the blame onto the “model child” in her mother’s eyes.

Xia Leshuang remained silent. Bian Xingyao continued on her own.

“You know she was an opera singer. Later, her voice was ruined, and fame became an obsession she projected onto me. She went to great lengths to have me transfer schools to City B and find people to get me into the industry. She never expected I would—”

Bian Xingyao gave a bitter smile. “She flew into a rage and used your name to scold me again. That was the first time I realized she could say such horrible things. Leshuang,” she took a deep breath, “I’m sorry. Later, I wanted to find you to apologize, but whether it was Director Xia or Teacher Xu, neither gave me the chance.”

Xia Leshuang remained silent, and the atmosphere in the room seemed to freeze.

A long while later, Bian Xingyao spoke again. “Of course, it’s fine if you don’t accept it. What I did was indeed excessive. I just thought, since we’ll be seeing each other around the industry, we should at least maintain some surface-level politeness.”

Knock, knock—

The door opened as the waitress brought the food. Bian Xingyao instinctively flashed a smile, entering a flawless professional state. Once the waitress left, Xia Leshuang finally spoke.

“I’ve received the apology. I won’t bring private matters into the public eye.”

Bian Xingyao was slightly stunned. It seemed Xia Leshuang didn’t plan to “forgive” her in a personal sense, but she wasn’t opposed to professional cooperation.

“Good.” She didn’t push. As long as it didn’t affect work, it was enough.

As she was filming the next day, Bian Xingyao was already in the body-management phase of her diet. To avoid wasting food, Xia Leshuang lowered her head and ate seriously. Having a moment of peace, Bian Xingyao observed the person across from her and felt a spark of envy.

“You look healthier than you did in school. Shuyu too. Silence of Gold is a great show.”

Xia Leshuang’s movements paused. She looked at Bian Xingyao’s thin frame, and her expression softened. “Life is long. If you are willing, you can be healthy too.”

Bian Xingyao was startled, then laughed. “That sounds exactly like something Shuyu would say.”

Xia Leshuang smiled but didn’t speak.

Back then, Lu Shuyu’s fame in school was no less than theirs. Aside from her beautiful handwriting and fanfiction, her essays were often used as models for the class.

“Speaking of Shuyu,” Bian Xingyao winked. “How are things between you two now?”

“…” Xia Leshuang froze, asking in confusion, “You knew?”

At those words, Bian Xingyao’s eyes widened in disbelief. “It was so obvious, how could I not know? Back then, you tried to look cool and nearly broke your finger playing basketball. You specifically researched and imitated Stefanie Sun’s singing style. You wouldn’t accept any other love letters, but the moment you heard Shuyu had ghost-written them, you took them all—that mix-up even led to you using me as a shield. Every time she wrote on the blackboard, you stared so hard I thought you’d sprain your neck. And later, when you got close, the nutrition recipes, the tea you learned to brew that burned your hand—”

Bian Xingyao’s throat went dry listing them all. “How was that not obvious?”

Xia Leshuang was silent. “You have a very good memory…” Then, she looked up and asked, “Can I borrow your privacy to help me with a favor?”

…

Crack— Boom—

In the middle of the night, a sudden rainstorm arrived. Lu Shuyu tossed and turned, unable to sleep. As the rain grew louder, she simply got up. She pulled back the curtains just as lightning split the night sky, revealing heavy raindrops slamming down.

When it rains, it pours… she thought with a sigh, silently praying the sun would rise as usual tomorrow.

Her room was on the second floor, overlooking the courtyard of the villa hotel. The courtyard was beautifully decorated, with warm, bright lights illuminating the plants as the rain lashed the stone tiles.

It was 1:00 AM. Since she couldn’t sleep, she decided to record some b-roll footage. She headed downstairs with her equipment, only to run into Jiang Feifei at the door.

“Ms. Jiang?” “Director Lu?”

Both were surprised. Lu Shuyu walked closer and saw the coffee in Jiang Feifei’s hand. “In the middle of the night…” she asked, puzzled. “Drinking coffee?”

Jiang Feifei laughed. “I’m a barista. I often make a cup when I have nothing to do. I like the process, and I like the aroma; it makes me feel comfortable and calm.” She raised her cup toward the door. “Paired with the rainstorm, it has a great atmosphere.”

Lu Shuyu realized she wasn’t drinking it—she was just smelling it and watching the rain. “True,” she smiled. “Very atmospheric.”

“Are you suffering from insomnia?” Jiang Feifei set down her coffee and looked at the equipment in Shuyu’s hands.

“Yeah,” Lu Shuyu replied. “I can’t sleep, so I thought I’d film some empty shots of the storm.” “Need help?” “No, I can manage.”

Lu Shuyu set up two beautiful compositions, started the machines, and set a one-hour timer. Jiang Feifei heated a cup of milk and sat with her at the bar by the floor-to-ceiling window.

“If the rain doesn’t stop, will it affect filming tomorrow?” Lu Shuyu nodded. “Yes, but it’s the rainy season in City Y. We’re prepared.”

If it weren’t for the unique nature of City Y, Min Wutong wouldn’t have set such a tight filming schedule. Seeing how unhurried Shuyu was, Jiang Feifei smiled. “Director Lu is indeed very charming.”

Lu Shuyu’s heart stirred. Recalling the “Shura Field” from earlier, she was confused by Jiang Feifei’s attitude. There was no hostility regarding the “scandal,” but no forced closeness either. It was hard to read.

“Thank you,” she could only reply. “You are too.”

The night sky lit up, followed by a roar of thunder.

“Director Lu,” Jiang Feifei asked suddenly, “Do you have someone you like?”

Lu Shuyu was stunned. Logically, Min Wutong should have explained the fake scandal to her. “Ms. Jiang,” she replied, “President Min and I are just friends and colleagues.”

Seeing her serious expression, Jiang Feifei felt helpless. “I didn’t mean it that way. I just hope that if there’s a possibility between you and President Min, you might consider each other.”

Lu Shuyu was shocked. She suddenly realized Jiang Feifei’s attitude toward her was like an elder’s affection for a junior… “Ms. Jiang,” she denied firmly, “President Min likes you. And I already have someone I like.”

Jiang Feifei was silent for a moment. “I’m sorry. I was out of line.” She stood up, picking up her cup to leave. Before turning away, she added, “You and President Min are the same kind of people. Your love is very pure.”

Even after she left, Lu Shuyu didn’t quite understand that sentence, but she had a vague premonition that Min Wutong’s path to love was still going to be very long.

Beep, beep—

The timer went off. She washed her glass, packed up her gear, and headed upstairs. Keeping Jiang Feifei’s words in mind, she walked with her head down. As she approached her room, she suddenly saw a dark shadow leaning against her door—!

“It’s me.”

Xia Leshuang spoke just in time, preventing a midnight scream that would have woken everyone. Lu Shuyu let out a breath and asked, “Are you waiting for me?”

“Yeah,” Xia Leshuang nodded. “I couldn’t sleep. I saw you and Ms. Jiang downstairs.” “I went down to record the rain, and we just ran into each other.”

Xia Leshuang looked at her. “You don’t look well. Did she make things difficult for you?” Her eyes were full of worry and a hint of caution.

The frustration that had been brewing in Lu Shuyu earlier vanished instantly. The chill and dampness of the rainstorm seemed to fade away. “How could she?” she laughed softly. “I’m not the type to get bullied.”

“Then, Shuyu, I…” Xia Leshuang took a deep breath. “I have something to say.”

Lu Shuyu paused, then reached out her hands. Xia Leshuang instinctively took the equipment from her. Shuyu pulled her key card from her pocket. “Let’s talk inside then.”

…

They had only left a nightlight on. Paired with the sound of the rain, it was a perfect atmosphere for a chat. Xia Leshuang set the equipment down and sat on the rug by the bed with her, facing the floor-to-ceiling window. She seemed nervous, taking a moment to find her words.

Lu Shuyu curled her legs up, resting her chin on her knees. “Teacher Xia, I’m getting a bit sleepy…” she whispered. The subtext was: Say it quickly.

Sure enough, Xia Leshuang straightened up immediately. “Bian Xingyao’s first love is in City B.”

…?

Lu Shuyu thought she was dreaming from exhaustion. Why was she hearing gossip about Bian Xingyao right now? But… her first love was in City B?

“What do you mean?” she asked, puzzled. “Regional discrimination?”

Xia Leshuang hadn’t expected that reaction and added quickly, “What I mean is—her first love wasn’t me.”

“Huh?” Lu Shuyu was awake now. “You had a one-sided crush on her?”

Then, she realized something was wrong. Her expression twisted. “Wait, no! Then why did you kiss her?!”

“!” Xia Leshuang almost jumped. “When did I ever kiss her?!”

Boom—

Lightning illuminated the shock on both their faces. The thunder that followed proved it wasn’t an audition error. As they stared at each other in silence, Lu Shuyu felt goosebumps rise all over her body. She curled inward.

So, Xia Leshuang and Bian Xingyao didn’t kiss? She had seen it wrong? And she had been misunderstanding it all this time?!

Seeing her frozen as if struck by lightning, Xia Leshuang couldn’t help but ask, “The ‘kissing’ you mentioned… what exactly did you mean?”

Lu Shuyu’s scalp was tingling. She covered her face with her hands, her voice weak. “I mean… I saw you both in the restroom…”

As the words left her mouth, she realized it truly was a blunder. She had heard rumors about their “scandal,” then saw them in an “intimate” pose from behind… so she had naturally and firmly assumed they were kissing and that they were a couple.

Boom—

The rain grew even heavier. The room felt stiflingly hot. Lu Shuyu buried her head in her knees, shrinking like an ostrich, unwilling to face reality. She didn’t finish her sentence, but her reaction gave it away. Xia Leshuang’s intuition sparked, and she pieced everything together from the small details.

Outside, the thunder and rain were deafening and violent, as if they would swallow everything. This “end-of-the-world” atmosphere gave Xia Leshuang a surge of courage—one even more determined than her desperate confession ten years ago.

“So, Shuyu—” “Her—” “No, the person you like—” “Is she better than me?”

This was the question she had wanted to ask since hearing Lu Shuyu say “I have someone I like.” She finally dared to ask it.

Lu Shuyu lifted her head. She looked straight at her. “What… what did you say?”

Xia Leshuang leaned in until she could see the depths of the other’s eyes. “The person you like, is she better than me?”

She saw Lu Shuyu’s eyes turn red. Then, tears and a smile blossomed together. A warm touch arrived along with a damp sense of love.

The world fell silent, leaving only each other’s breathing.

“It’s you. It has always been you.”