Episode 5
1004 Words
YunHe was still wallowing in her thoughts when the doorbell rang. It was late, and given that she had few friends in the area, she was puzzled about who it could be. She scurried to the door and opened it to find... a human-sized plastic bag.
"Ta-da!" the bag chirped, and Xiaotang's face popped out from behind it. "Surprise, YunHe! Did you miss me?"
Stunned for a few seconds, YunHe nodded honestly, "Surprising and touching!"
Indeed, Xiaotang had been on leave for a few days. Seeing that YunHe had no work and was cooped up at home looking miserable, she had come over to keep her company.
Regaining her composure, YunHe stepped aside, "Come in, it’s cold outside."
Xiaotang, rubbing her hands for warmth, stepped inside. "It's freezing out there, my hands are all red."
YunHe handed her a cup of hot water, "Warm up with this."
Gratefully, Xiaotang accepted the cup, her smile bright, "Thanks, sis."
As they sat down, YunHe finally noticed the large plastic bag Xiaotang had brought in.
Curious, she asked, "What did you buy?"
Eagerly, Xiaotang set down her hot water and smiled mysteriously, "You'll see!"
She dramatically opened the bag to reveal several cans of beer, all with the same packaging.
YunHe picked one up and read the label, "XX Beer, for a refreshing experience." She stared, then decisively tapped Xiaotang on the head with the can.
"Learning bad habits, eh? Why did you buy so much beer?"
Xiaotang winced, "It's not what you think! I thought you might be feeling down, so I came over to keep you company! The beer is just to cheer you up."
YunHe was skeptical, "Is it to cheer me up, or did you want to drink?"
Xiaotang pouted, "I really bought it for you! I don’t even drink that much usually."
Seeing her pout, YunHe finally laughed, "Alright, I believe you."
"Hmph."
"Thanks, Xiaotang."
YunHe's tone turned serious, which caught Xiaotang off guard. "Why so formal?"
YunHe just smiled and didn’t respond. She grabbed two beers, popped the tabs, and handed one to Xiaotang. Mimicking a tough guy, she said, "Little lady, shall we?"
In a deep voice, Xiaotang replied, "Let’s go!"
They started drinking. Xiaotang had brought ten cans of the most basic beer, with an alcohol content of less than 5%. But neither of them had much tolerance for alcohol, especially YunHe. After two cans, her face and neck turned red, and she became tipsy, her eyes half-closed.
Some people sleep when they're drunk; some become wildly uninhibited; others might even cry. YunHe was unique—she became unusually quiet, sitting silently, not uttering a single word.
Xiaotang, still somewhat conscious, thought YunHe had fallen asleep and tried to help her to bed. But just as she moved, YunHe suddenly opened her eyes wide and stared at her intently.
Her eyes, glossy from the alcohol, fixed on Xiaotang... Xiaotang felt fortunate she wasn’t a man, or she’d surely commit a crime!
Swallowing nervously, Xiaotang asked, "YunHe, what’s wrong?"
YunHe remained still until, after half a minute, her lips quivered, and she began to cry.
"Xiaotang, I feel so sad. Why does he have to treat me like this? I used to like him so much. It’s okay if he doesn’t like me back, but why does he have to...?" YunHe whimpered softly, more tears following.
Xiaotang, baffled, prodded, "Who? What did they do to you?"
YunHe sniffed, feeling even more wronged, "Cutting my scenes, snatching the scripts from me..."
Xiaotang was still confused but wanted to ask more when YunHe suddenly closed her eyes tightly, shifted to a comfortable position on the couch, and fell asleep.
Xiaotang: "..."
Who’s the elder sister here?
With a sigh, Xiaotang managed to get YunHe into bed and collapsed beside her. Pulling the blanket over them, she drifted off as well, the room quiet but for their gentle breathing.
—
Meanwhile, in a private tea house, Zhao Minghui was pouring high-grade Jin Jun Mei tea into a cup, casually asking Meng Jun, "I heard you've taken an interest in a minor celebrity recently?"
Meng Jun frowned, "Where did you hear that?"
"It’s my business to know these things. You’ve been interfering with my projects. What’s going on? Did she offend you?"
Remembering how she had pretended not to recognize him, covered her face as she passed, and then ran away without looking back, Meng Jun felt a surge of irritation and simply responded with a non-committal grunt.
"Why go to such lengths? Just take her contract and freeze it," Zhao advised nonchalantly.
Meng Jun didn't like the sound of that. "Who said I was going to freeze her out?"
"So, what is your plan?"
What was his plan indeed?
Seeing the poor quality of her shows, Meng Jun hadn’t thought twice before halting them. The investments were small, and they did nothing for her popularity; moreover, they always cast her in similar unremarkable roles.
There was no need to explain this to Zhao, who, seeing Meng Jun's silence, daringly speculated, "Could it be that you're actually interested in her? Trying to force her hand?"
Meng Jun objected to his phrasing, "What do you mean 'force her hand'?"
"So it’s true then?" Zhao chuckled, amused.
Meng Jun remained silent, but Zhao continued to probe, leading Meng Jun to admit reluctantly, "YunHe."
"YunHe?" Zhao paused, then remembered. "Oh, the girl from high school! She’s the one who used to chase you around, right?"
Meng Jun's face darkened at the memory.
Ignoring Meng Jun's discomfort, Zhao laughed heartily, "I've never seen anyone else who could stand up to you like she did. Quite the girl."
Meng Jun warned, "Shut it."
But it was too late. Assistant Chen, the only one out of the loop, had overheard everything, leaving Meng Jun to contemplate whether his intentions might seem like revenge to an oblivious YunHe. Maybe it was time to rethink his approach, not out of fear, but to ensure that he wasn't misinterpreted or causing undue stress.
- Writer
