Chapter 28

After driving Chi Wanzhao away, Kong Xiyan sat alone on the bed. Her fingers unconsciously wandered to her lips, which tingled and felt slightly swollen. From the doorway came Yanyan's innocent meowing. She irritably pulled the blanket over her head and turned over to sleep.

The next morning, she was awakened by her alarm before dawn. She hadn't slept well the night before, so when the alarm rang, she quickly turned it off. Less than ten minutes later, Fu Qiu called.

Kong Xiyan answered, still groggy: "Hello?"

Fu Qiu asked cautiously, "Sister Kong, are you still asleep?"

Kong Xiyan paused for a few seconds, then sat up immediately and rubbed her eyes. "I'm up," she said.

Fu Qiu sighed in relief. "Good. I'm waiting in the car."

"Okay."

Kong Xiyan hung up. After washing up and changing, it was just past five in the morning. There wasn't even a hint of light on the horizon—the sky was as dark as ink.

She grabbed her bag and got ready to head downstairs. As she passed the room next door, she noticed the door was ajar. Wind blew in through the half-open window, and the chill that rushed over her made her frown.

Kong Xiyan stood motionless outside the room for a long while. The phone in her bag buzzed again. She silenced it quickly, a flicker of hesitation in her bright eyes. Finally, she turned to go downstairs.

Just as she reached the stairs, she looked back at the room with the open window. Gritting her teeth, she turned and walked back into that room.

The bedside lamp inside was off, with only faint light from the hallway filtering in. Afraid that turning on the light would disturb Chi Wanzhao, Kong Xiyan felt her way over to the window and shut it against the cold wind.

The bed was right next to the window. As Kong Xiyan lowered her gaze, she didn't see Chi Wanzhao, who should have been asleep there. Astonished, she was about to think more about it when a voice came from near her ear: "What are you doing?"

Chi Wanzhao's sudden voice startled Kong Xiyan. She took two steps back, and Chi Wanzhao, worried she might fall, quickly pulled her thin waist into an embrace. The bed was right behind them, and since Kong Xiyan had backed up too quickly, Chi Wanzhao couldn't stop her momentum; they both fell onto the bed.

The room was pitch dark, with only a sliver of hallway light filtering in. Kong Xiyan could make out Chi Wanzhao's delicate features and her bright, dark eyes.

"I..."

She started to explain why she was there, but her phone began buzzing again with another round of vibrations. She abruptly pushed Chi Wanzhao away, sat up, and fumbled to pull out her phone from her bag. "Hello? Yes, got it. I'll be right there."

Then, as if her butt were on fire, she scurried downstairs. A moment later, Chi Wanzhao heard the apartment door close.

She fell back onto the bed, rubbing her eyes that hadn't slept all night. Thinking of how the woman had just bolted like a startled rabbit, she couldn't help but smile.

In the darkness before dawn, some feelings slowly settle, while others are only just beginning to ferment.

Kong Xiyan arrived at the shoot right on time. The others' gazes swept over her briefly before they huddled together again to whisper among themselves. Fu Qiu leaned in and murmured, "Sister Kong, you probably haven't heard—Director Sun was furious yesterday."

Kong Xiyan glanced at Director Sun, who was nearby, his face dark. She shook her head. "What happened?"

Fu Qiu looked mysterious. "I only heard this from others."

"I guess it's about Guo Yixi."

Kong Xiyan's face showed understanding.

Guo Yixi's move had slapped Director Sun directly in the face, and losing face in front of everyone had galled him. No wonder he was angry.

She withdrew her gaze and walked into the dressing room. When she changed into her costume, the makeup artist was waiting outside. Seeing her come out, the makeup artist greeted her: "Sister Kong, good morning."

"Good morning."

Fu Qiu came over to help her adjust her costume, then guided her to sit for makeup. People passed by outside, and only fragments of conversations about "Guo Yixi" and "Director Sun" drifted in.

The makeup artist standing to Kong Xiyan's left squeezed some cream onto the back of her hand and said to the other makeup artist, "Sister Kong's skin is so soft it could make water."

The other makeup artist smiled. "Right, haven't you seen the online comments about that scene where Sister Kong leaps into the water? They call it 'emerging from the water like a lotus.'"

Kong Xiyan just gave a faint smile, not replying, at these flattering words.

Ever since Chi Wanzhao had shown up at the shoot that day, this kind of flattery had been everywhere she went. But they didn't dare speculate about her connection with Chi Wanzhao; instead, they claimed she'd latched onto Assistant Zhou.

When Kong Xiyan heard this conclusion from Fu Qiu, she was torn between laughter and tears.

Although it had been Assistant Zhou who'd stood up for her that day, Chi Wanzhao had been right there. Without Chi Wanzhao's approval, would Assistant Zhou have dared to abuse his authority, especially right in front of Chi Wanzhao?

But others didn't see it that way. After all, Assistant Zhou had considerable weight at Jingyan, as he was often around Chi Wanzhao. Moreover, in outsiders' eyes, Chi Wanzhao was too high to reach, not someone you'd dare to covet. So even though Chi Wanzhao was clearly on set that day, they only guessed she'd latched onto Assistant Zhou, not Chi Wanzhao.

Even Director Sun thought the same.

He'd even hinted that she should put in a good word or two for him in front of Assistant Zhou. Kong Xiyan looked at her reflection in the mirror—her delicate features becoming even more refined with makeup—and a hint of helplessness was visible in her eyes.

Before long, a knock sounded at the dressing room door. Fu Qiu hurried over to open it. Xiao Cheng's assistant stood outside with a bright smile, holding a bag of breakfast. Seeing Fu Qiu, he raised the bag. "Xiao Qiu, is Sister Kong there?"

Fu Qiu leaned to one side, looking at him. "She's in. What is it?"

The assistant handed the breakfast to Fu Qiu. "We started filming early today. Brother Cheng was afraid Sister Kong hadn't had breakfast, so he specially asked me to get some and bring it over."

Before Fu Qiu could get out a "No thanks," the assistant shoved the breakfast into her hands and waved, "Well, I'm off. See you on set."

"Hey!"

Fu Qiu watched him scurry away and felt a little exasperated. She carried the breakfast back to the vanity. Kong Xiyan glanced at her. "What's wrong?"

"It's just..." Fu Qiu caught sight of the makeup artist still standing nearby, so she smiled instead. "It's nothing."

With that, she set the breakfast aside and waited for Kong Xiyan to finish her makeup.

Half an hour later, the two makeup artists exchanged goodbyes with Kong Xiyan and left for the set. Only after they'd gone did Fu Qiu speak up, sounding agitated: "Sister Kong, do you know what this is?"

Kong Xiyan glanced at the bag to the side. "What?"

Fu Qiu held up four fingers. "This is the fourth time Mr. Xiao has sent something."

Previously, when they were filming late into the night, he'd sent midnight snacks.

Now he was sending breakfast.

Although Sister Kong had never accepted, him constantly sending things was bad—she'd already heard some people whispering about whether Xiao Cheng was trying to pursue Kong Xiyan.

To be fair, she used to like Xiao Cheng a lot, but ever since that day Sister Kong was bullied by He Lao and Xiao Cheng pretended not to see it, her regard for him had plummeted.

She didn't understand the entertainment industry's rules, but she could tell whether someone was genuinely good to another person.

Before, she'd admired Xiao Cheng while the glow of celebrity blinded her eyes, and Xiao Cheng's every move became magnified in her mind; she always felt he was really good to Kong Xiyan.

But if he were truly good, he wouldn't have watched her being humiliated like that and said not a word.

Clearly, his "goodness" came mixed with other things.

Thankfully, it wasn't too late for her to see his true character.

When Kong Xiyan learned that the items were from Xiao Cheng, her brow creased slightly. "Didn't his assistant tell him we don't want him sending things anymore?"

Fu Qiu pouted. "I did tell him, but he still sends them anyway."

Kong Xiyan looked away, seeing her troubled expression. "Then send them back."

Fu Qiu held up the breakfast as if it weighed a thousand pounds, resigning herself. "Alright!"

Kong Xiyan said, "I'm heading to the set first. You can come over after you've sent it off."

Fu Qiu nodded. "Got it, Sister Kong."

After Fu Qiu left the dressing room, Kong Xiyan also rose and headed out. Passing by the restroom, she heard sobbing from inside. She paused, stepped a little closer, and before she could ask anything, she heard a woman's small voice.

"I didn't."

"It really wasn't me."

"That assistant was a temporary hire. I had no idea she'd post that in the fan group, and then it got leaked online! I didn't know anything about that fan group!"

Then a man's voice followed—Kong Xiyan recognized it as Director Sun's.

"No? Guo Yixi, you're a great actress. You've fooled me this whole time. What, now you've come to beg for mercy? Too late!"

Guo Yixi spoke between sobs: "Director Sun, Zhen, trust me, won't you? I only just found out about this myself."

Sun snorted coldly. "Is that so? So you mean the video wasn't released by you, the public opinion wasn't stirred up by you, the bots weren't hired by you? Guo Yixi, do you think I just started in this circle yesterday? You think I don't know what you're scheming?"

"But it really wasn't me!"

Guo Yixi felt inwardly wronged. If she really had done it, she'd take responsibility; but the blame fell on her while she was completely in the dark.

She only found out when it exploded on Weibo, where it was revealed that the leaked video came from her fan group.

In this matter, she had indeed put on the victim act, but that had been completely spontaneous—at the time, no one knew who'd leaked that video of He Lao, and she'd ridden the wave to grab a little sympathy, playing the pitiable card.

But now it was different.

Ever since it was learned that the video had come from her group, people had been viciously mocking her as scheming, accusing her of staging the whole thing and even taking He Lao down.

He Wei's fans were even sending her hate DMs nonstop.

That was what made Guo Yixi panic. She wasn't afraid of the unseen eyes online, but of Director Sun and He Wei.

Director Sun was the biggest backer she could rely on, and she absolutely couldn't afford to offend him.

Then there was He Wei.

If He Wei stirred up her fans and manufactured public opinion, all that spit could drown her.

She didn't have the strength to go up against He Wei.

Guo Yixi pitifully grabbed Director Sun's wrist. "Zhen, just trust me this once, I beg you."

Sun's face darkened as he shook off her hand. "That's enough. My stage is too small to host someone like Ms. Guo."

"Director Sun!"

Seeing him determined to leave, Guo Yixi finally dropped the pitiful act, and a vicious glint appeared in her eyes. "Sun Zhen, if you ruin me, I'll drag you down with me!"

Sun Zhen turned back to look at her, sneering. "Ms. Guo, watch your step."

Guo Yixi clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms without her noticing. She ground her teeth, hatred burning in her eyes!

Kong Xiyan had already left before Sun Zhen came out. As soon as she walked away, she saw Fu Qiu jogging over. She asked, her expression calm, "Sent it back?"

Fu Qiu, as if having completed some major mission, gave a solemn nod. "Sent it back!"

Before Kong Xiyan could ask about Xiao Cheng's reaction, she saw Xiao Cheng striding over in his costume. He wore a suit of armor and a helmet, his makeup making his features more angular—thick brows, big eyes, and a dignified bearing.

Standing in front of Kong Xiyan, he looked down at her. "Sister Kong."

Fu Qiu quietly took a step back.

With a gentle smile, Kong Xiyan asked, "Is something the matter?"

Xiao Cheng smiled, his starry eyes narrowing slightly. "Nothing major. I just wanted to ask what Sister Kong likes to eat. Did today's breakfast suit your tastes?"

As the saying goes, one can't hit someone who's all smiles. Xiao Cheng was beaming, so Kong Xiyan couldn't exactly brush him off coldly. After a moment, she said, "Mr. Xiao, don't be so polite. Fu Qiu takes good care of me."

Xiao Cheng made a show of being hurt. "So Sister Kong doesn't dislike the breakfast—she dislikes me."

Kong Xiyan gave a polite, apologetic smile. "That's not it either."

Before she could finish, Director Sun yelled through a megaphone: "Get ready!"

Suddenly the set bustled with activity. Kong Xiyan didn't want to prolong the conversation with Xiao Cheng, so she said with a shallow smile, "Mr. Xiao, I need to touch up my makeup."

Xiao Cheng nodded quickly. "Sure, Sister Kong, go ahead."

Once Kong Xiyan had moved away, Xiao Cheng's assistant popped up from behind him, pouting. "Brother Cheng, if you ask me, what's so special about Kong Xiyan? She even dared to send back what you gave. So ungrateful!"

He deliberately kept his voice low, and since everyone on set was busy, no one but Xiao Cheng heard him.

Xiao Cheng turned to look at him. The smile in his starry eyes had vanished, and he gave him a sidelong glance. "What the hell do you know?"

If Kong Xiyan were that easy to get close to, with so many people on the set, why would he even need to try so hard?

It was because she wasn't easy that she was special. That was how she could make his perseverance stand out, make him different.

Xiao Cheng watched Kong Xiyan's slender back, his gaze deep and lingering for a long moment before he finally looked away.

On set, the drama 【Breaking the Cocoon】 had now reached the point where Lin Liang confronts the Left Prime Minister. After the Emperor wipes out the Left Prime Minister's power, while celebrating, a surprise attack by border troops of Wei occurs; Lin Liang volunteers to head to the front lines.

The character Kong Xiyan portrayed, Chu Qian, stood atop the city gate and looked down at the man on horseback, full of ambition. Her eyes held endless affection, with a deep undercurrent of reluctance.

This scene was the last one between Chu Qian and Lin Liang before he lost his memory. Standing up high, Chu Qian vaguely sensed that this expedition wouldn't go smoothly, but his lofty ambitions left no room for her to raise objections.

All she could do was stand there and wait for his return.

Chu Qian looked with eyes full of hope at the man in the saddle. Lin Liang seemed to sense something, turned his head, and met her gaze. In his armor, with handsome, delicate features, he gave a faint smile that was open and bright.

In that instant, Chu Qian's eyes brimmed with warm tears, but she curved her lips and forced herself to smile, showing a hint of holding back tears with a lowered head and a half-concealed, shy frown.

Director Sun shouted, "OK!"

"Really good."

"The acting is just amazing."

"Absolutely. Online, Chu Qian's ratings are already the highest."

"Who would've thought."

Fragments of low chatter occasionally reached Kong Xiyan's ears, but she remained composed. Fu Qiu, meanwhile, overhearing the praise, raised an eyebrow and said, "Sister Kong, that was incredible!"

Kong Xiyan smiled without replying and went into the dressing room to remove her makeup.

After this scene came Lin Liang's encounter at the border and his rescue by the princess; her scenes became fewer after that, which was why she'd had a week off.

Kong Xiyan had just finished washing off her makeup and changing when she walked out the door and saw Xiao Cheng in his costume standing outside her room. She stepped out, brows pressed together. "Is there something, Mr. Xiao?"

Xiao Cheng smiled faintly. "No, it's just that your acting is so excellent. Would you have time to give me a few tips?"

Kong Xiyan looked down. "Mr. Xiao, you must be joking."

Xiao Cheng's handsome face took on a pout. "But I'm serious. You don't have many scenes left, right? How about going out for a drink some evening?"

Kong Xiyan replied with a faint smile and a shake of her head, "That won't be necessary. Thank you for the kind thought, Mr. Xiao."

Hearing her refusal, Xiao Cheng let out a sigh. "Alright, then go home and get some rest, Sister Kong."

Kong Xiyan hummed in reply, and as she passed by him, Fu Qiu quickly fell in step behind her. Once Xiao Cheng was out of sight, Fu Qiu said, "Sister Kong, is Xiao Cheng actually pursuing you?"

"You're overthinking it."

Kong Xiyan's expression was indifferent. Fu Qiu knitted her brows. "I'm not overthinking anything. Did you know? When I went to return the breakfast this morning, his assistant kept rambling on about how much their Brother Cheng likes you."

"But to me, he's not sincere."

"I'd prefer someone like Assistant Zhou!"

Kong Xiyan turned to give her a look. "You like someone like Assistant Zhou?"

Fu Qiu immediately waved her hands. "Sister Kong, don't misunderstand. I don't like Assistant Zhou, I just think he's a million times better-looking than Xiao Cheng!"

Kong Xiyan didn't look away, still watching her with a faint smile. "Why would I misunderstand?"

Fu Qiu bit her lip. "Sister Kong, don't keep it from me. Everyone on set is saying you and Assistant Zhou are dating."

"Wha-what?"

Kong Xiyan had known that people on set were spreading rumors that she'd latched onto Assistant Zhou, and some even fantasized that she was the one throwing herself at him—after all, in their imagination, she was exactly that kind of loose woman.

But this "dating" thing?

She really was hearing it for the first time.

Seeing her look so shocked, Fu Qiu winked. "Did I hit the nail on the head?"

Kong Xiyan's smile faded, and she put on a stern face. "Xiao Qiu, you do know that spreading rumors can get you sued."

Fu Qiu widened her eyes in surprise. "I didn't! No, wait—Sister Kong, what do you mean? Are you and Assistant Zhou..."

Kong Xiyan looked at her seriously. "Assistant Zhou and I have absolutely no relationship. Strictly speaking, we're just colleagues. So don't go straining that scatterbrain of yours guessing."

Fu Qiu choked on her own saliva. "No relationship at all? Sister Kong, are you messing with me? Everyone on set saw that day that Assistant Zhou deliberately stood up for you. I'm not blind."

Kong Xiyan smiled without warmth. "No, you're not blind. You're blind in the heart."

Fu Qiu: ...

Right up until she'd sent Kong Xiyan to the entrance of the apartment, Fu Qiu still hadn't recovered from this major revelation.

Sister Kong and Assistant Zhou really had no relationship!!

That's impossible!

But then again, Sister Kong had never once mentioned Assistant Zhou to her. And as her personal assistant, Fu Qiu knew that apart from filming and going home, Kong Xiyan had no other activities. If she really was dating Assistant Zhou, they'd have to see each other at least once.

So it must be as Sister Kong said.

She and Assistant Zhou were just colleagues?

Fu Qiu felt her head spinning.

When Kong Xiyan reached the apartment building entrance, she asked the driver to help take out the things from the trunk. Fu Qiu came to her senses belatedly, got out of the car, and saw everything scattered on the ground. She asked, "Sister Kong, do you want me to help you carry them up?"

The driver also gave a simple, honest smile. "Yeah, Miss Kong. There's a lot of stuff. Let us help you take it in."

Kong Xiyan packed the small items together in a big bag, holding it with her left hand while her right arm cradled two black plastic bags. "No need, I'll head back first."

Fu Qiu searched for an opening to help, but before she could find one, Kong Xiyan walked a couple steps, then turned back. "Oh, right—there's something... never mind. I'll contact you tonight."

"Okay."

Fu Qiu stood behind her and watched until her figure disappeared into the apartment complex's villa area.

She snapped out of it, sighed, and murmured to herself, "Sister Kong is really too good."

The driver, who had come to stand by her side after closing the trunk, nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Miss Kong really is decent. You'd never guess she was involved in that thing three years ago."

"In the end, it's all about love that ruined her."

Fu Qiu's eyes dimmed at his words—that scandal would probably stick with Sister Kong for life. Thinking of that frail frame, she couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.

It was early winter, and the wind was biting as it swept in. Kong Xiyan carried her bundles and bags into the apartment. The moment she opened the door, she met Yanyan's brilliant blue gaze. Seeing it was her, Yanyan hopped over and meowed energetically.

Kong Xiyan set the things down in a corner of the living room, dropped her bag, and collapsed onto the sofa. The items weren't heavy, but toting them against the winter wind had taken a toll. She'd gritted her teeth through the effort and, once she was safely inside, all her strength sapped away. She lay back on the sofa to rest.

Yanyan, seeing her ignore it, hopped restlessly around her—first licking her cheek with its little pink tongue, then rubbing its head against her palm.

Kong Xiyan let out a sigh, turned her head to look at the cat. They stared at each other for a while, until Kong Xiyan finally said, "Not alike at all."

"Meow!"

Yanyan didn't understand what she meant, but it sensed it was being scorned, so it meowed twice, plopped itself down right on her loose hair, curled up, and fixed its gaze on Kong Xiyan's face, motionless.

That look seemed to carry some inexplicable grievance.

Kong Xiyan: ...

After a long pause, Kong Xiyan resigned herself and picked up the cat, rubbing its white forehead. Seeing that she'd be leaving for the countryside in a week, and already feeling reluctant, she couldn't help planting two kisses on Yanyan's cheek.

Then she held the cat at arm's length and started to wonder about last night.

Was Chi Wanzhao feeling the same when she had kissed her?