Spring Night of Misty Rain - Chapter 24

Boss Xu, whose life goal was to become a high-powered CEO, finished half the script before driving Shen Zeyu back to the hotel.

Xu Luosu carried the suitcase and swiped the keycard to open the door to the presidential suite. “It’s peak season right now, and most hotels are fully booked. There’s one room left here; for safety reasons, Senior Sister, you should stay with me.”

Perhaps Xu Luosu’s personality was simply too boisterous and blunt, because the usually sensitive and delicate Shen Zeyu found herself unable to feel any of her typical social anxiety. Shen Zeyu was like a small animal that recognized its owner; once she decided someone was her “caregiver,” she allowed them to handle her however they pleased.

As soon as they entered, Shen Zeyu kicked off her shoes and socks, jumped onto the sofa, and collapsed. “Ugh… I’m exhausted. I just want to sleep.”

Flying was draining enough, but the emotional breakdown from earlier had left her utterly spent.

Xu Luosu rolled the suitcase behind the sofa and looked down at her. Seeing Shen Zeyu with her hands clasped over her chest and her eyes closed, she chuckled softly. “Sleep then. I’ll wake you when the takeout arrives.”

“Mm,” Shen Zeyu murmured. She was tilted back, her dark bangs falling away to reveal a smooth forehead.

Suddenly, Xu Luosu stopped in her tracks. Her eyes fixed on a faint scar on Shen Zeyu’s forehead.

“Senior Sister…”

Shen Zeyu didn’t open her eyes. “Yeah?”

Xu Luosu leaned down, her slender fingers reaching out to touch the mark. “This… what happened here?”

Still lazy and half-asleep, Shen Zeyu replied, “That? Oh… I hit it.”

“You hit it? How?”

Shen Zeyu sighed. “During an episode… I ran into a wall.”

Xu Luosu went silent. It took a moment for her to pull her hand back. She pursed her lips, thinking for a long time before offering a strained reply: “You… you really know how to hit things, Senior Sister.”

Shen Zeyu’s lips curled into a faint, weary smile.

A Striking Beauty and a “Betrayal”

Shen Zeyu drifted off into a deep sleep until a wave of fresh, post-shower humidity and the faint scent of flowers invaded her dreams.

She felt someone tapping her. “Senior Sister… wake up…”

Opening her eyes bleary-eyed, Shen Zeyu was immediately confronted by a face so stunningly beautiful her brain stalled. “Ah… so pretty…”

A woman fresh from the shower, with features so exquisite they seemed carved by heaven itself. Xu Luosu’s pale skin and sharp features usually gave her an “aggressive” beauty, but with her damp hair draped over her shoulders, she looked remarkably soft and gentle.

It was exactly the aesthetic Shen Zeyu was most vulnerable to.

Xu Luosu hadn’t expected such a direct compliment. Embarrassed, she reached out and pinched Shen Zeyu’s cheek.

“Ow!” The sharp pain jolted Shen Zeyu awake. She clutched her face, staring in disbelief. “You pinched me! Why would you pinch me?!”

Xu Luosu realized she’d overreacted but couldn’t take it back. She cleared her throat and changed the subject. “The food is here. Let’s eat.”

As they ate the healthy, expensive meal (asparagus beef, mushrooms, and black tiger shrimp), Xu Luosu laid out the plan: “Tomorrow is the first production meeting. We have a month here, then you can go home to finish the script in seclusion. During this month, my personal trainer will continue your workouts according to the schedule your trainer back home set.”

Shen Zeyu froze, a piece of beef halfway to her mouth. “What? I have to work out here too?”

Xu Luosu blinked. “Didn’t Senior Sister Chen Ci tell you?”

“Tell me what?!”

Seeing her reaction, Xu Luosu realized Chen Ci had kept her in the dark. “Well, before I asked you to write the second season, I consulted Chen Ci. She said she’d only agree if I guaranteed your life stayed as disciplined and healthy as it is now.”

Shen Zeyu’s cheeks puffed out in indignation. Chen Ci is acting like my legal guardian!

“I have no opinion,” she muttered grumpily, chewing her food with excessive force. “What opinion could I possibly have? Do I even deserve to have an opinion?”

Xu Luosu wisely chose to keep her mouth shut.

The Hamster on the Wheel

The next morning, Shen Zeyu was a cloud of resentment when Xu Luosu woke her. At the hotel gym, the atmosphere didn’t help. Every treadmill was occupied—mostly by members of their own crew.

Qin Zhiyue spotted her and immediately started teasing. “Oh? If it isn’t our great screenwriter who usually refuses to move if she can lie down? What brings you to the treadmill at this hour?”

“Just run!” Shen Zeyu snapped back.

Xu Luosu led her to a corner machine. “No running today. Today, we’re doing an incline walk.”

As Shen Zeyu started huffing and puffing on the incline, Qin Zhiyue wandered over. “Wow, look at her. Doesn’t she look exactly like a hamster on a wheel?”

“Get lost!” Shen Zeyu glared.

“Hahaha!” Qin Zhiyue laughed, reaching for the speed controls. “You’re too slow. Let me bump this up to a 6 for you.”

“Don’t! Don’t mess with me, I’ll fall—”

“Then beg me…” Qin Zhiyue teased, her finger hovering over the button.

“In your dreams!”

Qin Zhiyue pressed the button. The speed increased, and Shen Zeyu’s legs began to blur like a frantic hamster. “There! Now you’re a real hamster!”

In the middle of their noisy bickering, the gym door opened. Lin Pei walked in. Her eyes immediately landed on the group in the corner. For reasons unknown even to herself, she began walking toward them.

“Director Qin, Teacher Shen…” Lin Pei spoke softly.

Shen Zeyu’s body went rigid. Without hesitation, she slammed the “Stop” button.

The treadmill ground to a halt. Qin Zhiyue and Shen Zeyu both turned to look at Lin Pei. Qin Zhiyue gave a casual wave. “Morning, Lin Pei. Here to work out too?”

“Yes.” Lin Pei didn’t look at the director; her eyes were fixed on Shen Zeyu. “Are you doing well, Teacher Shen?”

Shen Zeyu remembered those eyes. They were like mist—always hazy, seemingly harmless. But to her, that mist was a web of spider silk that had strangled her into pieces, night after night.

Just looking at her caused a pain so deep it felt as though her bones were breaking. Shen Zeyu had to press her hands hard against the treadmill’s console just to keep herself upright. Her head buzzed with a chaotic white noise.

She had imagined this meeting a thousand times. Should she say “It had nothing to do with you” or “It was all because of you”?

In the end, she realized she just didn’t want to see her. Not in this life, not ever.

“I’m doing great,” Shen Zeyu finally forced out, squeezing out a fake smile. “And you?”

“I see…” Lin Pei smiled back. “Then I won’t disturb you. Let’s chat later?”

“Sure. Later.”

Shen Zeyu stood frozen as Lin Pei turned away. The moment the other woman was out of sight, her composure shattered. She stumbled back, collapsing against the machine, her face drenched in a cold sweat.

Qin Zhiyue’s expression turned serious as she stepped forward. “What’s going on with you two…?”

Shen Zeyu didn’t have the strength to answer. She clutched her stomach, her face contorted in agony. “It hurts… my stomach hurts so much…”

Qin Zhiyue hurried to support her as Shen Zeyu went limp, leaning heavily on the director’s shoulder. Her other hand was balled into a fist, pressed tightly against her chest.

“It hurts… it hurts…”

Qin Zhiyue looked down at her. She realized it wasn’t Shen Zeyu’s stomach that was hurting—it was her heart.