The person Jiang Xiuyan truly loved was Xie Jianyuan, the only son of the Xie Household. Their families were of similar standing, and they had met while studying abroad. Jiang Xiuyan
had secretly loved
Xie Jianyuan for seven whole years, but had never dared to confess.
Because Xie Jianyuan was completely straight and would never fall for a man. Besides, Jiang Xiuyan could never get past the Xie Household. If they learned he planned to lure Xie Jianyuan away, they wouldn't let the matter rest. That was why he had sought Xu Chun out.
Xu Chun looked at Jiang Xiuyan in silence for a long while, then gave him a gentle smile.
"Let's break up."
His tone was
light and
natural, as though he were merely discussing the weather. But Jiang Xiuyan's expression changed, and he stared blankly for a moment before finding his voice.
"Why?"
Xu Chun gazed at him impassively and said, enunciating every word, "No particular reason. I just don't want to be a counterfeit anymore."
Hearing the barb in his words, Jiang Xiuyan frowned. "When did you find out?"
Xu Chun smiled. "That doesn't matter anymore."
Seeing his expression, Jiang Xiuyan knew there was no salvaging things. He sighed and said, "Suit yourself." After a pause, he glanced at Xu Chun's worn cuffs and continued, "I'll transfer some money to your card. Take good care of yourself from now on."
Xu Chun smiled, and as he went on smiling, tears seemed to come to his eyes. He wiped his face and returned to his usual gentle expression, though sparkling tears still clung to his lashes.
The next second, he did something Jiang Xiuyan had never expected.
Xu Chun raised his middle finger at him and silently mouthed a few words, a gentle smile on his face.
"You're a fucking idiot."
When had Xu Chun ever cursed, let alone made such an indecent gesture? Even so, his signature gentle smile remained on his face, and somehow it didn't look out of place.
Jiang Xiuyan naturally read his lips, and shock and astonishment flashed across his face. But his expression returned to normal in an instant. Before he could say anything, Xu Chun stood up and walked out of the café without looking back.
A light rain was still drizzling outside. Xu Chun walked straight ahead with his back straight and □□, as though he couldn't feel the raindrops soaking his clothes.
Only when he reached a deserted spot did Xu Chun slow to a stop. At last, he crouched on the ground and buried his head deep in his arms, crying silently like an abandoned child.
"Brother Xu? Brother Xu? Wake up."
Xu Chun opened his eyes and realized he had somehow fallen asleep while getting his makeup done. The makeup artist had waved her hand in front of him for quite a while before managing to wake him.
"Sorry." Xu Chun rubbed his eyes and gave the makeup artist a gentle smile. When he smiled, a shallow dimple appeared on his left cheek, making him look especially handsome.
"It's fine, Brother Xu. Why be so polite with me?" The makeup artist couldn't help blushing. She took another look at Xu Chun's face and couldn't help marveling to herself that someone who debuted as a child star really was different. He had been handsome since childhood and stayed that way as he grew up.
Xu Chun smiled without speaking. His gaze fell on his reflection in the mirror, and his expression grew somewhat dazed.
He had dreamed about his past life again.
In his previous life, after breaking up with Jiang Xiuyan, he had planned to leave the entertainment industry and travel to clear his head. Unexpectedly, he had been caught in an avalanche while mountain climbing and buried beneath deep snow. He had thought he was certain to die, but when he opened his eyes again, he found he had been reborn four years in the past.
Four years ago, he had just turned twenty-four and hadn't yet met Jiang Xiuyan. He was at the height of his popularity, with so many major brand advertising offers that he could barely handle them all. Everyone in the industry called him Brother Xu, and even famous directors showed him some deference. That was nothing like how things had been after he fell from popularity, when everyone treated him indifferently and he had to wait more than half a day in the bitter wind for a supporting role.
Heaven must have known how unwilling he was to accept it, to send him back to this point in time. Since it had given him a chance to start over, he would make the most of it.
But why had he suddenly dreamed about his past life? Could it be some kind of omen?
At that thought, his pupils suddenly contracted.
"What's the date today?"
He abruptly grabbed the makeup artist's hand, his face a little pale.
"It's the seventeenth. What's wrong, Brother Xu?" The makeup artist was a little confused, but answered properly all the same.
Xu Chun closed his eyes slightly. That was right. He remembered it clearly: today was the day he met Jiang Xiuyan.
Back then, while he was filming, he had noticed a man in a suit standing beside the director, staring at his face and smoking in silence.
As soon as he finished filming, the man had come over and invited him to dinner. Faced with such a sudden invitation, Xu Chun had naturally refused. But afterward, Jiang Xiuyan had seemed possessed, constantly coming to see him. In the end, Xu Chun had relented and agreed to have dinner with him.
He had never expected that first step to lead into an abyss.
"What are you doing in here? This isn't your makeup room."
Xu Chun suddenly heard the makeup artist's voice from above him. She was speaking to a figure at the door, a trace of barely perceptible disdain in her tone.
"Sorry, I came to the wrong room," the person said hurriedly, head lowered and voice timid.
The person seemed familiar to Xu Chun. He frowned slightly and said gently, "Raise your head."
The person went rigid, apparently thinking he had angered someone important, and trembled without daring to speak.
Xu Chun's frown deepened. The makeup artist beside him thought he wanted to teach the clumsy newcomer a lesson and was about to speak up for him when a deep, magnetic voice suddenly rang out.
"Sorry, he's a little timid. I hope you'll forgive him, senior."
The person who had spoken up for him stood in the doorway. He was tall and slender, with handsome, deeply defined features. His face bore a strong resemblance to Xu Chun's.
It was none other than Xie Jianyuan.
Xu Chun felt as though a bolt of lightning had struck out of a clear sky, and it took him a long while to recover. In his previous life, he had only met Xie Jianyuan a handful of times, and they had barely spoken.