Spring Night of Misty Rain - Chapter 47

During this New Year holiday, Shen Zeyu stayed with Xu Luosu at the Xu family home until the Lantern Festival before finally departing.

When it was time for the children to leave, Grandma Xu was quite reluctant to see them go. She held Shen Zeyu’s hand and urged her, “You must come back often during the holidays. Even if you don’t come with Su Su, it’s fine. Just come over when you’re free to keep me company, sing some songs, or play some mahjong.”

Xu Luosu stomped her foot in a spoiled manner. “Grandma!”

Xu Qiongyu wasn’t swayed. “Go, go, go. You don’t need to play; go focus on your work.” During this period, they had played over a dozen mahjong games, and Xu Luosu had won every single round she participated in. Because she won too often, no one really wanted to play with her anymore.

Shen Zeyu laughed quietly to herself, coughed lightly, and nodded to the grandmother. “Mhm, I will definitely come when I’m free.”

With that promise, Grandma Xu offered a few more words of advice and happily tucked a red envelope into Shen Zeyu’s hand before finally letting her go.

The Red Envelope

Once in the car, Xu Luosu leaned toward Shen Zeyu with a mysterious air. “Open that red envelope and see how much money is inside.”

Shen Zeyu pinched the envelope and found it quite thin. She guessed it was a check, just like the one from New Year’s Eve. She didn’t intend to open it yet, looking at Xu Luosu seriously. “This is ‘travel protection’ money from Grandma. I have to wait until I get home to open it.”

Xu Luosu pursed her lips and forced herself to look away. “You’re acting like I really want to see it.”

Shen Zeyu saw right through her. “I think you really do want to see it.”

Unexpectedly, Xu Luosu dropped the act immediately and leaned in to act cute. “Fine, fine! I was wrong. I really do want to see it. Please, good Senior, just open it for me.”

She hugged Shen Zeyu’s arm, leaning into her embrace and looking up with watery, puppy-like eyes. Shen Zeyu was surrounded by the scent of White Peach Oolong tea from the other woman; she couldn’t pull her hand away and felt her whole body starting to heat up. The extreme proximity made her heart skip a beat. She coughed and finally compromised: “Alright, alright, I’ll open it…”

Under Xu Luosu’s expectant gaze, Shen Zeyu carefully opened the envelope. Inside was indeed a check—and a single, crisp, red one-yuan bill. It was an old-style bill but looked brand new.

Shen Zeyu froze when she saw the number on the check.

Xu Luosu gave a soft “Yi” of surprise. “One million…” She looked up at Shen Zeyu, nudging her waist with an elbow, her eyes sparkling. “One in a million. Grandma’s evaluation of you is very high.”

Shen Zeyu’s first instinct was that she couldn’t accept this money. According to Nanjiang custom, when someone brings a partner home for the first time and the family approves, they give a “one in a million” (wan li tiao yi) red envelope.

She knew Xu Luosu’s feelings for her, but she wasn’t ready for that yet. Holding the check felt like holding a hot potato. She looked at Xu Luosu and started to speak: “I…”

Sensing her hesitation, Xu Luosu spoke quickly: “This has nothing to do with me; Grandma gave this to you privately. When my sister and Siqi-jie made things official, my parents gave the first red envelope, and Grandma gave hers the following year. I told my parents we are just friends, so they won’t interfere. Don’t overthink it; just accept it normally.”

Shen Zeyu was momentarily speechless. “Is this okay?”

Xu Luosu blinked innocently. “What do you mean, ‘Is this okay?’ If it’s not like this, how else should it be?”

Shen Zeyu couldn’t describe her feelings. Her past relationships had been straightforward—with Shang Qiuchi, the other had approached her first; with Lin Pei, she had stubbornly pursued her own desires. But with Xu Luosu, she didn’t know how to handle it.

She liked Xu Luosu and felt joy and sorrow for her. She loved Xu Luosu, pained by her sacrifices and moved by her awkwardness. Precisely because of this, she couldn’t accept her so easily. Her defenses were too high, yet her heart was too soft.

I’m essentially leading her on, Shen Zeyu thought with a hint of guilt. “I feel like I’m not doing this right.”

Xu Luosu seemed to understand her perfectly. She took Shen Zeyu’s hand and said softly, “What is it you think you need to do? Senior, I am the one approaching you. You only need to give me a chance and not be so resistant. I know you need time to build trust. Let time prove if I am worth your companionship.”

She gave a light laugh. “Don’t be too soft-hearted toward me. If you are, you’ll suffer later. Don’t let yourself suffer anymore, okay?”

Shen Zeyu looked at her reflection in Xu Luosu’s eyes and finally nodded. “Mhm.”

Back to Work

After the holiday, the second season of Night Languor began filming. Shen Zeyu was officially discharged from the hospital and joined the crew.

With the experience from the first season, filming progressed rapidly. On set, Xu Luosu and Tang Qingyue even found time to film short videos for social media. Tang Qingyue had a background in ballet, and Xu Luosu had studied folk dance; they were quick to learn popular TikTok dances. Ever since the official account was launched, they uploaded material constantly for promotion.

By late April, the second season officially wrapped. The production team plunged into post-production. In the editing room, Qin Zhiyue, Shen Zeyu, and Xu Luosu worked tirelessly.

By May 20th, the regional head of the global platform “Zhu Yu” announced that the youth channel would open to the world. That night, the trailer for Night Languor was released, and it was announced that the team would attend the global launch event on May 21st.

When Director Qin Zhiyue heard the guest list, she looked at Shen Zeyu, whose hair was a mess and who had dark circles under her eyes from focusing on the background music. “I heard Zhu Yu really wanted A-Ze to attend. Is she not going?”

The name “Jin Ze” was quite famous in international film circles, and many foreign directors wanted to collaborate with her. Shen Zeyu had been exhausted for the past month, as post-production was vital for the audio-visual quality of the work.

Hearing her name, Shen Zeyu looked up, her gaze a bit vacant. “Me? Why should I go? I’m not the director.”

Qin Zhiyue explained, “The regional head of Zhu Yu is that agent from Zhongying—Edward! He wants you to attend as the representative for the first collaboration between global film circles and Chinese creators.”

Shen Zeyu turned to Xu Luosu. “Is that so?”

In the dim room, the blue light from the screen made Xu Luosu’s face look pale and translucent. She didn’t answer directly, only saying, “You don’t need to worry about this, I…”

But Qin Zhiyue had a different view. “A-Ze, I think it’s better if you go. The more famous you are, the less pressure Boss Xu faces.”

Qin Zhiyue was being direct. Shen Zeyu hadn’t been part of the planning and didn’t realize how much pressure Xu Luosu was under to produce this show. She had called in many favors to make this project viable.

If Shen Zeyu could break into the international market and then return to the domestic one, she could break through the blockade of Jin Yue and secure more investment and cooperation. This would prevent her from being solely reliant on Xu Luosu’s protection.

Protection can also be a cage, Qin Zhiyue realized. Only by building widespread connections and finding more fellow travelers could one truly survive.

Shen Zeyu thought it over and realized Qin Zhiyue meant well. She looked at Xu Luosu and asked, “Do you want me to go?”

Xu Luosu sighed, walked over, and rested her hand on the back of the chair. “I want what’s best for you. Whatever decision you make, I will support you. You only need to do what you want to do.”

Shen Zeyu frowned slightly. “Though I’d like to just focus on making films like before, the market has changed…” She let out a sigh and made up her mind. “Then I’ll go tomorrow.”