Chapter 130: Seeing Gu Shiyan

Luo Xing returned home. She turned on the heater, lay down on the tatami mat, and opened her social media feed. As she scrolled down, she saw a post by Li Zhao.

The location tag indicated the TH Club in Jing City. One-third of the photo was taken up by his own large face, while in the background, Gu Shiyan sat on a sofa, leaning back languidly, holding a glass of wine with only a drop of dark yellow liquid left at the bottom.

The caption read: "Took time off to see Brother Yan. Who loves him more than I do?"

Luo Xing noticed a beautiful girl sitting next to Gu Shiyan, wearing a very short, tight-fitting skirt.

The phone screen went dark.

Luo Xing grabbed a textbook from nearby and covered her face with it. She had thought she could remain unruffled. She had even wondered if he was truly busy with something important, or if there were other pressing matters. All those concerns and hesitations turned into self-mockery the moment she saw Li Zhao’s post.

Her chest felt as if it had been filled with seawater—heavy, stifling, and suffocating. Fortunately, perhaps because her heart had been somewhat prepared, it didn't feel as devastating as it had before.

Luo Xing turned off her phone. Looking at the clock on the wall, she drifted into a deep sleep, covered by the book in the warmth of the room.

***

Gu Shiyan shifted to the side, tilted his head back to finish the last sip in his glass, set it down, and stood up. "I've settled the bill. I have things to do, so I’m leaving."

Li Zhao wrapped his arm around his girlfriend. "You said you’d just have one drink, and you really meant just one? I came here specifically to see you, you know."

Gu Shiyan gave a cold, mocking laugh. "Cut it out. Whether you came here to see your girlfriend or me, do you think I can't tell?"

"Heh, well, thanks anyway, Brother Yan. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to come here and hang out."

Li Zhao walked Gu Shiyan to the door and only turned back to close it after watching him leave.

"Aren't you two good brothers? Why did he leave so soon?" the girl asked, her tone sounding a bit aggrieved.

"Why are you wearing such a short skirt?" Li Zhao stared at his girlfriend's skirt. He hadn't wanted to say anything while Brother Yan was there.

"It looks good. I wore it specifically for you to see."

"Give me a break. You never dressed like this to see me before—just because I mentioned today that Brother Yan was coming..."

The more Li Zhao thought about it, the more sullen he became. "There was so much empty space on my left, why did you insist on sitting between me and Brother Yan?"

"I just sat down randomly. You're overthinking it."

"Then why did you keep leaning toward Brother Yan? You were almost pushing him into the booth across the way. Didn't you notice? It was because of you that he finished his drink in one go and left."

"Li Zhao, are you being annoying or what?"

***

When Luo Xing woke up, her nose was congested, and her throat felt dry and uncomfortable. She sniffled, stepped onto the floor, and went to look for medicine near the water dispenser. The light was off; there was no hot water. She put the pills in her mouth and swallowed them dry.

The repetitive motion of swallowing left her mouth feeling dry and bitter. She touched her forehead; it wasn't very hot.

Luo Xing checked the time. It was already 8:00 PM. After sleeping this long, she wouldn't need to sleep at all tonight.

"Hello? Yuncai?" Luo Xing called back, having seen two missed calls from her.

"Why did you suddenly turn off your phone?" The voice on the other end sounded anxious.

Luo Xing let out a small laugh. "I wanted to take a nap, preferably one where no one would disturb me, so I turned it off," she explained.

Yuncai nodded. "You scared me to death! I thought something had happened to you. I'm on my way to your place now, and I’m bringing someone with me."

"Who?"

Yuncai replied, "Yao Xiangming. He suddenly said he had something to ask you. He wouldn't tell me what it was, kept it quite mysterious."

Not long after, the doorbell rang. Luo Xing went to open it. She was wearing a black, tight-fitting knit sweater paired with loose-fitting trousers—a very casual outfit.

"Xingxing!" Yuncai ran over and hugged her. "Why do you look so listless?"

Luo Xing smiled. "I'm fine, maybe I just woke up." She looked at Yao Xiangming. "What did you want to see me about?"

Yao Xiangming closed the door behind him. "Just a small matter."

Luo Xing poured them both some water. "Go ahead."

The three of them sat on the sofa. Yao Xiangming spoke slowly, testing the waters. "That business with you and Gu Shiyan—it caused quite a stir, didn't it?"

Hearing Gu Shiyan's name from someone else, Luo Xing paused for a moment. "What business?"

"The thing before it was posted online," Yao Xiangming said, taking a sip of water. "Do you know who posted it?"

Luo Xing nodded. "Didn't the police already issue a statement? It was Su Mo and Ke Yu."

Yuncai chimed in, "Seriously, how could Ke Yu be so despicable? Just because you didn't return his interest, did he really have to go that far? Compared to him, Gu Shiyan almost looks like a decent person."

Luo Xing: "..."

Yao Xiangming's eyelashes flickered as he listened to her earnest response. "Oh, I was just asking. If it really was Ke Yu, then I won't be hanging out with him anymore."

Yuncai rolled her eyes at him. "You should have done that a long time ago. You shouldn't have given Xingxing's contact information to Ke Yu in the first place. If you still hung out with him after this, I would have kicked you out of our group."

Yao Xiangming laughed. "I never really socialized with him deeply anyway, we just played ball."

Luo Xing felt a throbbing in her head. She pressed her temples; it must have been from sleeping too long. "Did you come find me just for this?"

Yao Xiangming: "No, that was just a passing question. I came to return something to you."

Luo Xing took the bag Yao Xiangming handed her. She opened it and saw it was the camera she had lent him previously.

"When did you borrow Xingxing's camera?" Yuncai took it from Luo Xing's hands to look at it. "I haven't even had a chance to borrow it and play with it yet."

Luo Xing didn't pay much attention. "Just keep me company while I have a meal." Her mouth tasted bitter, and she felt as if she were starving.

"Hey, Xingxing, are you using this? Can I borrow it to play with?" Yuncai hugged the camera and smiled.

Yao Xiangming's expression froze for a moment. "What would you even know how to use? If you break it, you won't be able to afford to replace it."

"Don't look down on me! It's not like I'm borrowing it from you, why do you care so much?"

Luo Xing looked at Yao Xiangming.

Yao Xiangming turned to leave, saying casually, "I'm just telling the truth. I only just returned it to Luo Xing, and she hasn't even checked it yet. If you break it, I'll end up having to split the cost with you."

Yuncai thought about it and realized he was right. Furthermore, Luo Xing hadn't had this new camera for long; having it borrowed by Yao Xiangming and then by her didn't seem right. Yuncai put it back with a look of disappointment.

Luo Xing told her she could take it, but Yuncai shook her head. "I'm afraid if Yao Xiangming broke it, he'd blame it on me later."

Luo Xing smiled. "I wouldn't make you pay even if you did break it." She had only played with the camera for a week after buying it before it started gathering dust.

"No, no, I don't really take photos that often anyway."

They went out for hot pot. Fearing her illness might worsen, Luo Xing ordered a yin-yang pot and ate only from the clear broth side. It was nearly midnight by the time they returned.

She didn't feel a hint of sleepiness. Luo Xing watched the neon lights flickering on the windowpane. Her gaze drifted to the camera sitting nearby. She picked it up and pointed it toward the floor-to-ceiling window, clicking to view the files.

She scrolled through the footage and saw a video. She paused, surprised—it must have been Yao Xiangming's. She shouldn't have watched it, but a familiar figure on the screen left her feeling at a loss, and eventually, she clicked on it.

The voice was Gu Ming's. Luo Xing skipped through the progress bar. Further along, Gu Shiyan left. She was about to turn it off when she heard Yao Xiangming's voice.

Yao Xiangming? Talking to Gu Ming?

Luo Xing was suddenly curious and continued to listen. After it finished, Luo Xing slowly pulled the blanket over herself. Her mind was incredibly clear.