The Second Fall - Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Stepping on Lan Cixing’s Hand

Green eyes were captivating, conspicuous, and highly iconic. Forget the entertainment industry—it was hard to find a second pair in all of China. When people thought of green eyes, their first thought was almost always Rong Yushu.

Sheng Yuexiao’s expression changed instantly.

Lan Cixing’s heart skipped a beat. For the first time, she exploded with hand speed that surpassed even her combat combos. Almost the exact moment Rong Yushu’s eye-veil fell, Lan Cixing’s hand slapped over her eyes.

There was a loud smack; it must have hurt.

Rong Yushu’s trembling eyelashes brushed against the palm pressed over her eyelids. Lan Cixing felt a tickling sensation that made her itch to apologize, but she missed the chance. The two of them were deadlocked in a bizarre pose. From a bystander’s perspective, Lan Cixing was sitting across from Sheng Yuexiao, yet for some reason, she was covering the eyes of the woman leaning toward her.

The woman beneath her palm moved slightly. It was faint, no more than a breath, but Lan Cixing caught it acutely, causing her heart to tighten again.

“Sorry for the offense, I’ll tie it back for you immediately,” she scrambled to cover, using one hand to keep the veil over Rong Yushu’s eyes while the other searched for the ribbon.

It took a full two minutes of fumbling before the eye-veil was secured again. This time, Lan Cixing checked it repeatedly, even tempted to tie a dead knot to prevent it from slipping again.

She found it strange. She had checked many times earlier and tied it quite tightly. That kind of bow shouldn’t have come undone naturally. Could Rong Yushu have untied it herself? But why? Rong Yushu knew better than anyone the trouble a public appearance would cause.

Lan Cixing quickly dismissed the thought. It was illogical, and she didn’t dare speculate about her employer so recklessly.

“Are you Rong Yushu?” Sheng Yuexiao finally spoke. She couldn’t hold it in; she couldn’t reach out and rip it off, so she had to ask. Her eyes stared fixedly at the veil, trying to glimpse the color of the lake beneath.

Rong Yushu didn’t respond, but she nudged Lan Cixing aside and sat close against her. Lan Cixing carefully moved over while her mind raced to figure out what to say to Sheng Yuexiao.

“Why would you say that?” Lan Cixing threw the question back, buying herself breathing room.

“Green eyes. I saw them.” Sheng Yuexiao withdrew her gaze and met Lan Cixing’s eyes with a reassuring smile.

It likely wasn’t her. The history between Lan Cixing and Rong Yushu was public knowledge, and it had ended so uglily. How could Lan Cixing possibly be Rong Yushu’s bodyguard? Moreover… the two of them were so close. Sheng Yuexiao felt a surge of nameless irritation seeing their shoulders pressed together and their hands touching.

“It’s just colored contacts,” Lan Cixing finally managed an explanation. “Think about it—if it were really Rong Yushu, this place would be swamped by fans already.”

When nervous, people tend to talk too much. Lan Cixing didn’t realize she was over-explaining. Sheng Yuexiao had stopped speculating, but upon hearing this, she looked at Rong Yushu again.

At this moment, Rong Yushu leaned in even closer, as if hugging Lan Cixing’s arm. Her head was almost on Lan Cixing’s shoulder. The seat was too small for Lan Cixing to dodge, so she tilted her head back as far as possible, unwilling to have more skin contact with her employer.

“Feed me,” Rong Yushu whispered. Her voice was muffled by the mask, and Sheng Yuexiao couldn’t hear it clearly, but Lan Cixing heard every word.

“Huh?” Lan Cixing looked at Rong Yushu’s mask. The mask couldn’t be removed; fans could recognize Rong Yushu just by her nose or mouth. She couldn’t eat like this. Lan Cixing’s original plan was to let her order and then take it back to heat up.

“Hungry.” Rong Yushu was concise. If the eye-veil hadn’t hidden them completely, Lan Cixing would have seen those upturned eyes shimmering like autumn water. She was pleading. Paired with her intentionally softened voice, she looked truly pitiable.

Rong Yushu seemed to forget her act for a moment until her eyelashes brushed the gauze, making her heart itch, and she dropped the performance. A waste of effort. She lowered her eyes unhappily, her expression turning cold behind the veil where no one could see.

“I’ll go pay the bill now…” Lan Cixing prepared to stand up.

Sheng Yuexiao’s narrowed eyes snapped open, interrupting her. “If it’s not Rong Yushu, why is she wearing so much camouflage?” Her intuition was buzzing. If it was Rong Yushu, what was Lan Cixing thinking? Hadn’t the incident four years ago hurt her enough?

“My employer is a minor celebrity too, she’s afraid of being snapped by fans.” Lan Cixing’s mouth was faster than her brain. She regretted it instantly—she shouldn’t have mentioned the entertainment industry; Sheng Yuexiao knew that world better than she did.

Sheng Yuexiao’s eyes sharpened. No one in the industry would dare wear green contacts to “clout-chase” off Rong Yushu.

“You—think about it. Our relationship was terrible from the start, and Rong Yushu hates me so much… how could I possibly be her bodyguard?” Lan Cixing finally used her trump card. Everyone knew they were rivals who never met in public and spoke ill of each other. Only Lan Cixing knew what the truth was in private.

Sheng Yuexiao was finally convinced, her brow smoothing out. “That makes sense. This meal is on me; let’s not have our Cixing overspend.”

“Then, thank you.” Lan Cixing felt a wave of relief. It was one thing for Sheng Yuexiao to know she was involved with Rong Yushu, but if she told her aunt, things would get very complicated.

“I have to get back to work. Remember to treat me to hotpot next time~” Sheng Yuexiao scanned the QR code to pay and stood up to say goodbye.

Lan Cixing offered a smile that was more genuine than when she arrived. “I will.” She stayed behind for a moment to handle Rong Yushu’s bill. As Sheng Yuexiao walked past her, she winked. A small square box was pressed into Lan Cixing’s palm. It still held the warmth of the woman’s body.

The heat vanished in an instant. Sheng Yuexiao walked away, and the unfamiliar perfume scent was quickly overwritten by the smell of white tea. Lan Cixing stared blankly toward the door. It wasn’t until Rong Yushu moved that she snapped out of it, looking down at the gift in her hand. It was the same set Sheng Yuexiao had brought earlier. She could have given them both at once… Fine, she would have to get Sheng Yuexiao a return gift next time.

Lan Cixing stuffed the box into her bag. Looking up, she realized Rong Yushu was already far ahead.

“Hey, wait for me!” Lan Cixing scanned the code and ran out. As she paid while running, she found that the table had already been paid for. Apparently, Rong Yushu hadn’t actually intended to let her treat.

Lan Cixing caught up with Rong Yushu at a light jog. Rong Yushu didn’t look back, heading straight for the parking lot. Lan Cixing followed closely. Though she couldn’t see Rong Yushu’s face, she sensed she was angry. Was it because of what she had said?

Lan Cixing bit her lip. Although it was an explanation born of desperation, she believed she hadn’t lied. Even if Rong Yushu didn’t hate her now and was simply indifferent, she had definitely hated her four years ago. Forget the media’s smearing or the Rong family’s blacklisting—just think of that cold look Rong Yushu gave her when they parted.

Lan Cixing still remembered that look: a sharp, icy light, like a blizzard freezing a green lake. It was full of fury, disgust, and loathing. Every negative emotion had been stabbed into her in that one glance. It had hurt for four years. Even now, it was her nightmare. So Lan Cixing had nothing to explain. Even if Rong Yushu hated her now, she had no right to complain; it was her penance.

They drove back in silence. Once inside the car, Rong Yushu ripped off her disguise and hurled it away. The hat flew to the floor. Lan Cixing bent down to pick it up, but she couldn’t.

The hat was pinned under Rong Yushu’s heel. The heel ground into the brim until it tore. Lan Cixing stared at the hat and felt as if she were looking at herself. It felt as if Rong Yushu wasn’t stepping on a hat, but on Lan Cixing’s hand. As if she wanted to crush Lan Cixing’s bones, turn them into a broken rag, and kill her completely.

Lan Cixing’s palm stung, and she pulled it back quickly. Rong Yushu was only stepping on a hat, but Lan Cixing’s own palm felt bloodied.

“Heh.” Rong Yushu saw it clearly. She kicked the “corpse” of the hat toward Lan Cixing, crossed her arms, and didn’t look at her again.

Lan Cixing stayed bent over for two minutes. After the car started, she slowly reached out, picked up the hat, and folded it. Despite the holes, it was time for it to enter its grave. She gathered the eye-veil and mask together as well.

“You even want trash,” Rong Yushu said, leaning back with her eyes closed. Her face was indifferent, but her tone betrayed her. She was definitely angry.

Lan Cixing’s palm trembled. “It belongs to the boss, after all.”

The words had barely left her mouth when a wave of heat appeared beside her. Rong Yushu leaned in without warning again, looking up at Lan Cixing from below. Lan Cixing instinctively recoiled, her panic and rejection clear. In the space of a breath, Rong Yushu was back in her seat as if she had done nothing.

“Lan Cixing.” Without giving her time to relax, Rong Yushu stared out the window, avoiding her gaze. “If you hate me this much, why did you become my bodyguard?” Her voice was low, and the usual flirtatious undertone was gone, replaced by a cold silence. It was like her green eyes—a freezing lake in a windless land.

“I…” Lan Cixing wanted to say she hadn’t dared to see her. If Rong Yushu hadn’t helped her out that day, she would have stayed far away. “I just… needed the money.” She couldn’t bring herself to say the rest. She thought Rong Yushu should know that staying out of each other’s lives was the best ending. Rong Yushu was the one who had provoked her this time; what could she say?

Rong Yushu saw Lan Cixing’s lowered head in the window’s reflection. Not even an explanation saying she didn’t hate her.

“You know…” Lan Cixing met Rong Yushu’s eyes in the glass. “My family has a hereditary illness. I don’t know if Ran and I will get sick later. I have to save money.” Too bad money was hard to keep.

“Fine.” Rong Yushu cut her off and tossed her a card. She seemed to smile—a mischievous, fox-like grin mixed with mockery. It vanished instantly. By the time Lan Cixing looked clearly, Rong Yushu had opened the door and walked away.

Lan Cixing realized they had arrived. She picked up the card like she was picking up Rong Yushu’s discarded trash. Chasing after her felt like a scene from a movie years ago: the female lead walks away into the sunset, and the second lead, from a different world, hears the news and tries to catch her but can never close the gap, only watching her silhouette vanish on the horizon.

In that scene, Rong Yushu was the lead and Lan Cixing was the second lead. It was their second collaboration, and they had filmed it perfectly. Now, Lan Cixing truly was the second lead who couldn’t catch up, standing outside the set, watching Rong Yushu vanish into the crowd. Someone so dazzling could still be swallowed by a crowd; Lan Cixing couldn’t find her.

Lan Cixing couldn’t leave. She had a contract; she had to survive the last two days. In a corner of the set, she stood alone with her head down, nearly transparent, unnoticed by anyone. She looked at the card in her palm. It was an anonymous Global Bank black card—a limited edition. There were fewer than ten in the country. It provided access to any luxury venue and travel privileges. Unlimited limit. Spend as much as you want.

Wasn’t she angry? Doesn’t she hate me? A black card isn’t exactly a cheap token. Lan Cixing found she couldn’t understand Rong Yushu at all.

“You can go.” After dinner, before the night shoot started, Rong Yushu passed the corner where Lan Cixing was hiding. She didn’t look at her; those were the only words she said.

Lan Cixing tried to follow to return the card, but Rong Yushu’s staff glared at her. Seeing that Rong Yushu didn’t care, Lan Cixing stopped and walked off the set. She just wouldn’t use the card. She could return it eventually. At the very least, they had to meet in two days to settle her wages.

Lan Cixing trudged home, her silhouette looking somewhat lonely. Lan Baian was out with classmates, and the house was empty. Lan Cixing didn’t even turn on the lights; she changed clothes and collapsed on the bed in silence. Her phone vibrated rudely.

Lan Cixing tossed it away in frustration, accidentally knocking the “trash” she had collected onto the floor.

“Tch.” She got up to gather it. She had actually brought Rong Yushu’s trash home. Meaningless things, yet she didn’t dare throw them away. Not wanting to look at them, she went to the study and opened her safe. There was a compartment specifically for things related to Rong Yushu. She thought for a moment but didn’t put the black card in there.

She checked her phone. Unsurprisingly, it was a message from An Yu, asking if she was tutoring again and if she was exhausted from studying for grad school. Lan Cixing didn’t want to act anymore.

“Actually, I’m not a student. I’m working.”

It seemed that out of all the people she knew, she could only vent her troubles to this internet stranger. Her sister, her aunt, her friends… they would all ask who her employer was. The stranger wouldn’t. Lan Cixing never thought she’d stoop to complaining to a netizen. She messaged back with a self-deprecating smile.

“I think I made my boss angry today, but she gave me a credit card… what do you think she means by that?”