Breaking Up

Sheng Ke said, "The person I'm looking for isn't up there."

Xie Yibai sensed there was more to his words. Had Zou Yan only joined a celebration party that had nothing to do with him because he was looking for someone? But that certainly had nothing to do with Xie Yibai, so he asked, "Did you come all this way just to pick him up?"

He didn't know what sort of relationship the two had, but it was hardly unusual for a director and producer to be close in private.

"We have something else to do. I'm waiting for him to come down." Sheng Ke wasn't lying. He and Zou Yan had a flight to Los Angeles the next morning. He didn't actually need to spend these few hours waiting here, but he wasn't picky about his surroundings. He only wanted a nap and a smoke, and the car was good enough for that.

"Oh... you two are so busy..." Xie Yibai sank into the clean, comfortable leather seat. With the wind and rain no longer battering him, his body gradually relaxed. Amid the faint car fragrance, the dissipating smell of smoke, and the strong scent of rain, his head suddenly grew heavy, as if he were halfway through shutting down, many functions disabled and only the most basic options left.

"Call me when my car gets here..." As he spoke, he closed his eyes, and his breathing grew slow and even.

Sheng Ke was almost shocked to see him fall asleep so comfortably, the way he might have been if a stray cat had flopped down at his feet and tried to shake him down. Since he had no experience dealing with stray cats, he was even less sure what to do with a living person who had fallen asleep just like that. He could only let Xie Yibai sleep.

After finishing a cigarette, Sheng Ke closed the window. His sleeves and pants had been soaked by the rain and clung damply to his skin. As the warm air blew over him, the sleepiness silently spread to him. Just then, a beam of light swept through the night and pierced the dim interior of the car. Xie Yibai slept soundly, undisturbed by either the light or his phone vibrating.

Sheng Ke saw a vehicle approaching through the rain, the buzzing in his ears. He adjusted the recline of his seat, twisted around, and leaned into the back seat to find Xie Yibai's phone. The screen showed an incoming call from his assistant.

He answered, and when he spoke, the person on the other end was plainly taken aback. "Who is this?"

Sheng Ke got straight to the point. "Are you on the first floor? Can you see the Flying Spur by the entrance? The license plate number is 2219. Bring the driver and two umbrellas over. He's asleep."

The assistant didn't understand what was going on, but he understood the instructions. He opened an umbrella and brought the driver over as directed.

Xie Yibai woke the moment the car door opened. The back of his neck ached slightly, and cold light brushed the tip of his upturned chin. The silver-white unicorn among his hair swung once, then slipped off his earlobe.

Unaware of it, he let the assistant help him out of the car. The toe of his shoe landed in a puddle, and the sound of rain drumming on the umbrella and the icy dampness on the back of his hand forced him back to reality.

I fell asleep... Xie Yibai rubbed his forehead. It hurt.

The passenger-side window was open. Across the seat, he caught a glimpse of half a face. Sheng Ke didn't look at him and merely said, "Take care on your way home."

A decent man. Xie Yibai thanked him in a daze and stepped out into the downpour toward his own car. He walked as if he were fleeing, and his assistant jogged alongside him, holding the umbrella over him.

Once back in his own car, Xie Yibai finally realized what had happened. A hot sweat of embarrassment broke out across his back. He scratched his head in dismay, regretting his carelessness.

Ugh.

But regret was useless. Xie Yibai complained to his assistant in a self-mocking tone, "You took so long to come that I thought that car was ours, so I got in... I mean, he was alone, and it was so late at night, but he didn't even lock the doors. I pulled on the door and it opened. Honestly, I was so embarrassed. But it's also my fault for not looking properly..."

The assistant was dumbfounded. "He's not your friend?"

"No, we've only met once. At least he wasn't a complete stranger." Xie Yibai waved a hand. "Forget it, forget it. Let's go home and sleep."

At that moment, Zou Yan was still at the dinner table, chatting and laughing with the others.

He wanted to pitch a script, and he didn't need to do much talking. Sheng Ke's ideas were so wildly imaginative and impractical, yet his films never lost money. They all turned a profit-and it was all thanks to Zou Yan's business acumen as a producer. Results spoke louder than any flowery sales pitch. The awards and box office figures were proof enough that he was a businessman who understood artistic value and knew how to balance imagination with reality.

On top of that, he had trained as a director and had a keen artistic sense. Some texts weren't suited to film and were better adapted into long-form dramas, like Binding Knife. There was nothing wrong with saying film and television went hand in hand. If he could master film, then a series would surely be doable.

When people were young and full of vigor, they always had a baseless, blind confidence that they could do anything. Zou Yan was fortunate enough to have something to back it up. Since Xie Yibai wouldn't accept his invitation, he would take the initiative and make his way into his circle.

As for the incident in which Xie Yibai had gotten into someone else's car by mistake, he knew nothing about it from beginning to end.

At one in the morning, the rain stopped. Sheng Ke took a nap, and when he opened his eyes again, it was because he heard someone knocking on the car window.

Zou Yan climbed drunkenly into the passenger seat and slowly fastened his seat belt. His eyes were bleary as he asked, "You've been waiting here the whole time?"

"Yeah." Sheng Ke disliked the strong smell of alcohol Zou Yan had brought with him, so he opened the windows on both sides, letting the damp wind sweep through.

"I've put the word out. Now I just have to wait for the fish to bite." Zou Yan was brimming with confidence. "I saw him tonight. He was sitting right next to me. He dyed his hair, hey."

I saw him too. Sheng Ke thought it but didn't say it. Instead, he asked, "Do you really like him?"

"How could I not? My heart's never beaten the way it did tonight." Zou Yan clutched his chest, entranced, and proclaimed his grand ambition. "A web drama? A web drama it is! Even if no one else will shoot it, I will!"

"Wouldn't it be more effective to confess to him directly than to go about it in such a roundabout way?"

"If you're going to pursue someone, you have to show real sincerity. He's a big star, surrounded by admirers wherever he goes, with people crowding around him three layers deep. Do you think he's short of confessions and bouquets?"

Sheng Ke said, "That's true, but I'm afraid you'll give everything one-sidedly, and he won't appreciate it in the end. What will you do then?"

"I'll move him with my sincerity!" Zou Yan declared passionately. "Sincerity can make even metal and stone yield! Just you wait and see!"

"I think it's better when feelings are mutual and both sides give and take. A forced relationship won't be sweet." After saying that, Sheng Ke offered no further opinion. He wasn't deliberately trying to make a fool of his buddy, but pouring money into promoting an actor as a backer was pure self-gratification. Besides, today's stars weren't like the performers of the past. They had money and influence. If flowers and confessions wouldn't move him, would the little bit of money Zou Yan offered?

Zou Yan could offer far more than a little bit of money-and that was the problem. It made him easy to lead around by the nose.

Who would have thought that the person he was worried about would not only dismiss his concern but snap back, "Oh, look at you, a lifelong singleton, giving people relationship advice. What qualifies you?"

"Fine, forget I said anything." Sheng Ke opened the navigation app, entered the airport as their destination, and focused on driving.

At two thirty in the morning, the car entered the parking garage beneath the terminal. Zou Yan had slept for a while in the car. He roused himself, got out, and took their suitcases from the trunk.

The car would be parked at the airport for three days, so before leaving, Sheng Ke checked it once for any documents or belongings they might have left behind. The check wasn't fruitless: he found a unicorn-shaped earring beneath the back seat.

It could only have been left by Xie Yibai. Sheng Ke glanced out of the corner of his eye. Zou Yan stood behind him, yawning as he watched over the two suitcases.

If I didn't say anything at the start, I can't say it now. Sheng Ke quietly closed his fingers around the earring, then shut the car door as if nothing were amiss. As he reached for the car key, the unicorn slipped into his pocket.

After locking the car, he tossed the key to Zou Yan. "You're driving on the way back."

Zou Yan was rubbing his eyes and had to free a hand to catch the key, along with the instruction. He bickered out of habit. "I only made you drive one extra time, didn't I? You're so petty."

Feeling guilty, Sheng Ke said nothing all the way. Though he didn't understand what he had to feel guilty about either. Heaven and earth could bear witness that it had been a pure accident, a mix-up Xie Yibai himself had caused. There was clearly a reason for it, and everything was aboveboard, so why should he find it hard to speak?

Yet whenever he looked at Zou Yan's face, he abandoned the idea of being frank. Ultimately, it was better to avoid extra trouble. It was just an earring; he could pretend he had never seen it.

Once something was on a person's mind, they couldn't help doing a few unnecessary things.

After entering the first-class lounge, Sheng Ke and Zou Yan each took a shower room, letting the hot water wash away the day's fatigue.

Zou Yan shaved in front of the mirror. People said a woman made herself beautiful for the one she loved, but when a man had someone in his heart, he would also take a fresh look at his appearance. He was tall and broad-framed, with clear, well-proportioned features. He also kept up a regular fitness routine and looked energetic. Once he cleaned himself up, he looked reasonably presentable.

In the other room, Sheng Ke had also just finished looking in the mirror. His skin was thin, and his face would flush unevenly after cleansing, especially at the tip of his nose and across his cheeks, making him look less stern than usual. He picked up his phone and, in just a few minutes, got hold of Xie Yibai's WeChat contact card.

As luck would have it, at three thirty in the morning, Xie Yibai woke up halfway through his sleep, thirsty. He drank two full glasses of warm water and felt a little better, then checked his phone while he was at it.

He had a new friend request on WeChat. This was his private account, where he only added people with a known connection, such as those who had scanned his code in person or been recommended by an acquaintance. The request showed that it came through a shared contact card. In their line of work, it was normal to keep irregular hours and be online twenty-four hours a day, so Xie Yibai didn't think much of it and accepted.

In the time it took him to drink some water, the other person sent him a message.

K: If Zou Yan asks you out in the future, please make sure you're interested in him before you say yes.

"Pfft..." Xie Yibai spat out half a mouthful of water.

He wiped the water off his phone screen, and when he looked again, the other person had already recalled the message.

Xie Yibai sent a question mark: ?

It turned into a red exclamation mark!

K has enabled friend verification. You are not yet his or her friend. Please send a friend verification request first. You can chat after the other party accepts. [Send friend verification]

Two words slowly emerged in Xie Yibai's mind: Dumb... ass...?

Chapter 9: Breaking Up

Sheng Ke regretted it as soon as he sent it. He immediately recalled the message and deleted the contact, but afterward he thought he'd acted too quickly. It seemed nothing he did was right. He put down his phone and got himself ready first. While putting on his pants, he remembered the earring in his pocket, and his thoughts began going around in circles.