Chapter 5 - The interview
571 Words
Chapter 5 — The Interview
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I woke up to 400,000 followers.
I stared at my phone, then at the ceiling, then back at my phone. The number hadn't changed. @LinYue_Official had crossed into something I didn't have words for, and the comments under my last post had multiplied overnight.
the way she looks at him in the eggs clip i'm NOT okay
how did we not know about her before
new favorite couple. new favorite person. i'm obsessed.
Downstairs, the kitchen smelled like scallions and soy sauce. Xu Jinyan was at the stove with his back to me, sleeves rolled up.
"You're up," he said.
"Third step."
"I know."
I sat at the island. A plate of rice and eggs appeared in front of me. "Did you see the numbers?"
"I saw."
"Four hundred thousand. Yesterday I had bots."
He sat across from me with his own plate. "Zhou Min messaged. Entertainment Daily wants an interview. Eleven o'clock."
"Today?"
"Today."
I set my chopsticks down. "You're not nervous."
"I am."
"You don't look it."
"That's the point."
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The Entertainment Daily studio was all glass and white couches. A production assistant led us through hallways to a bright room where cameras were already positioned and a host was waiting on a cream-colored sofa.
Mina Chen. Sharp cheekbones, sharper smile. She shook our hands and gestured for us to sit.
"Relaxed," she said. "This is just a conversation."
The cameras rolled.
"Lin Yue, Xu Jinyan. Your livestream broke containment this week. How does it feel?"
Xu Jinyan glanced at me. "Strange."
"That's one word," I said. "I'm still processing."
"You were very calm on the stream," Mina said to Xu Jinyan. "Is that your natural state?"
"Mostly."
"And when you're not calm?"
He tilted his head. "I don't let people see that part."
"That's very honest."
"You asked."
Mina turned to me. "Lin Yue, something about your husband that would surprise people."
I thought for a second. "He remembers things. Stuff I mention once and forget about. Weeks later he'll reference it and I have to pretend I remember saying it."
"That sounds romantic."
"It's unsettling. But yes."
"And Xu Jinyan—something about your wife."
He looked at me. The camera lights caught the edge of his face. "She's braver than she thinks."
"You can't just—" I stopped. "We're on camera."
"I know."
"That's—"
"You asked for a fact. That's the fact."
Mina leaned forward, grinning. "This is why the internet loves you two."
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In the car, I watched the city slide past.
"You called me brave," I said.
"Yes."
"On national television."
"Was I wrong?"
I didn't answer. The streetlights caught his profile.
"How would you know?" I asked. "We barely know each other."
He was quiet for a moment. "Some things don't take long to see."
I looked back out the window and didn't say anything else.
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That night, I scrolled through my phone in bed. Clips from the interview were already up—edits set to music, his face when he said she's braver than she thinks, my face when I couldn't form a sentence after.
I closed the app and set the phone on my nightstand.
Downstairs, a door clicked shut. Footsteps. Then quiet.
Some things don't take long to see.
I pulled the blanket up and stared at the ceiling until I fell asleep.
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End of Chapter 5
- Writer
