You might have fallen for him.

Seeing Shen Jin grumble on WeChat, Yun Xiaoran put his phone down and continued practicing with Zhou Zeyu. He was entering "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion" in the competition, after all, so he couldn't afford to take it lightly.

"Xiaoran, you're not planning to enter with this song, are you?" Zhou Zeyu asked in amazement, holding the sheet music Yun Xiaoran had brought as he stared at him.

The lyrics and melody of "Blue and White Porcelain" had already been astonishing, but compared with "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion," even its atmosphere seemed a little less impressive.

"Of course. That's what this song is for." Yun Xiaoran listened to his first recording with a slight frown, still dissatisfied. "Let's do a few more takes. The first one doesn't have enough feeling."

"Sure, Xiaoran. As long as you let me make music with you, you can use any of the instruments or equipment here." Zhou Zeyu happily continued assisting him. The song "Gentleman," which he had asked Yun Xiaoran to make last time, had stayed on VA Site's trending list for an entire day and even made its weekly must-watch list.

Half the music production community on VA Site was green with envy. After all, the lyrics and music had been written by the great Lone Cloud.

After several rounds of vocal practice without a single performance she was satisfied with, Shen Jin felt restless and irritable, though she did her best to keep her emotions from showing.

Wasn't he just a man? Three-legged toads might be hard to find, but two-legged men were everywhere. At worst, I could spend the time and effort to put on another act for my parents.

But that was easier said than done.

Yun Xiaoran had played the perfect husband at home. Over their two weeks together, Shen Jin had shed her initial assumption that he was an obsessive stalker fan. His ex-girlfriend was Li Qingxi, one of the Four Little Divas.

Creak-

The door opened, and Sister Hua stepped out. She immediately spotted Shen Jin sitting dejectedly in her chair. "Jin'er, come on. Let's go have lunch."

"I don't have an appetite right now. I don't feel like eating yet." Shen Jin sat listlessly in her chair. Even so, the diva's beauty hadn't diminished in the slightest; it was merely her lack of energy that made her look so dispirited.

"Come on. Whatever's happened, you still need to eat. You'll ruin your looks if you keep skipping meals." Sister Hua pulled Shen Jin up and headed outside without giving her a chance to object. Helpless, Shen Jin said:

"Then let's eat in the company cafeteria. I don't feel like going out today."

"All right." Sister Hua was a little surprised. Shen Jin had never liked eating in the company cafeteria before. Why the sudden change?

They each ordered the smallest portion of braised chicken with rice and sat across from one another at a table. Sister Hua was ready to dig in, but Shen Jin kept her pretty face raised, unable to stomach a single bite.

"We're best friends. If something's upsetting you, tell me. Maybe I can help you work it out."

A year older than Shen Jin, Sister Hua naturally took on the role of therapist, willing to listen to her troubles.

"No, nothing's happened to upset me." Shen Jin immediately denied it, but when her eyes met Sister Hua's steady gaze, she had no choice but to tell her everything.

"So that's what happened. It sounds like you've gotten so used to having Yun Xiaoran around that you can't do without him anymore." Sister Hua nodded thoughtfully and spooned some rice into her mouth.

"Who says I can't do without him? Right now, I clearly..." Shen Jin tried to deny it.

"Hmm?" Sister Hua looked up at her again, forcing Shen Jin to swallow her protest.

"Fine, I admit that right now... I'm a little too used to having him around." Shen Jin stumbled more and more over her words, her voice growing quieter until she lowered her head and spoke in a tiny whisper. "What should I do, then?"

As though she had known all along, Sister Hua put down her chopsticks and said seriously:

"Jin'er, you might be in love."

Sister Hua had originally wanted to say, "You've fallen for him." But she feared Shen Jin would either launch into a string of denials or say something that shocked everyone in the cafeteria.

"I just like the meals he cooks for me every day and the emotional support he gives me. I haven't fallen for him as a person."

Stubbornly, Shen Jin hurried to reject Sister Hua's interpretation. Her beautiful eyes darted from side to side, avoiding Sister Hua's gaze, while her hands seemed to have nowhere to go. The strands of hair at her temples fluttered in the light breeze, and she looked utterly flustered.

Impossible. How could I have fallen for Yun Xiaoran?

He's such a jerk. Who would ever fall for him?

Sister Hua felt helpless too. This girl simply refused to admit anything. Whatever she said, she had to argue the opposite.

"You already know Yun Xiaoran's ex-girlfriend was Li Qingxi. That proves he's not an obsessive stalker fan at all, right?"

"Right."

Shen Jin looked a little embarrassed. She had judged him through a lens of prejudice before, believing him to be a stalker fan, when he hadn't even known who she was.

"If Yun Xiaoran came home drunk after eleven tonight, would you open the door for him?"

"Of course not. Drinking that much and coming home that late-does he even see me as his..." Just as she was about to finish, Shen Jin seemed to realize something. The confidence in her beautiful eyes faded, and her thin lips parted as she quietly said, "Wife."

"You've already settled perfectly into a new role. You've changed without even realizing it."

"You used to stay at the office revising documents and doing other work. Now all you think about is getting off work and going home at eight to a hot meal." Sister Hua began listing all the ways Shen Jin had changed, leaving her stunned.

I really do seem to have changed quite a bit...

"But there are still fifteen days until your divorce. You can use those fifteen days to gradually detach yourself from him emotionally." They had finished lunch by then and were walking toward Shen Jin's private office.

Sister Hua had been about to urge Shen Jin to decide quickly whether she loved him or not, instead of being so coy and hesitant.

But then she thought that if love really could be so bold and straightforward, would there still be people in this world who missed their chance at it?

Shen Jin's heart was unsettled, her thoughts drifting somewhere no one could guess.

I just think Yun Xiaoran is a good husband, that's all. That's why I'm a little reluctant to let him go.

Having found a reasonable excuse to comfort herself with, Shen Jin felt much better.

After giving her advice, Sister Hua had left her office, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

With nothing to do, Shen Jin opened her phone and actually began looking forward to seeing whether Yun Xiaoran would message her. She was full of confidence now.

I haven't answered Yun Xiaoran's messages all afternoon. He must be furious by now.

If Yun Xiaoran really was that anxious, she supposed she could reply to him.