Lin Xiaoman looked at Ji Zhixian, and he also turned back to glance at her before pulling her behind him to protect her. When the footsteps approached, Ji Zhixian first tripped the person and then subdued them with a grappling technique.
“Ah—” the person let out a miserable cry.
“Lin Xiaoman recognized the person first, “It’s Xie Chi.”
The thin, tall man sprawled on the ground was indeed Xie Chi, though he was wearing all black and a mask, making him hard to recognize. Lin Xiaoman only identified him by seeing her own portrait on his backpack.
“Why were you following me?” Lin Xiaoman helped him up and brushed the dust off his clothes.
Xie Chi glanced at Ji Zhixian warily and remained silent.
“It’s okay, you can tell him,” she said.
“While investigating the anonymous packages you received, I couldn’t trace the specific address or sender, but I confirmed they were sent by one person. I noticed that everything in the package was something you had previously mentioned, so I suspect this person is very close to you. But I was afraid of alerting them, so I secretly followed you to try and find this person.”
Xie Chi rarely spoke and found explaining everything difficult, but Lin Xiaoman showed no impatience, listening carefully.
“Thank you for your hard work,” she said.
Lin Xiaoman knew how challenging this was for Xie Chi, who was afraid of going out.
The man in front of her lowered his head, gripping his clothing hem, his bright eyes obedient and heartbreaking.
“I’m fine. You don’t need to force yourself,” Lin Xiaoman took out an umbrella from her bag’s side and opened it for him. “You should have just told Xiao Bai about this instead of doing it yourself.”
“I’m worried about you,” Xie Chi said softly.
“I’ll take care of her,” Ji Zhixian suddenly spoke, his gaze fixed on Lin Xiaoman’s hand holding the umbrella. “I’ll be responsible for her safety.”
Xie Chi glanced at him and said nothing.
“Trust him,” Lin Xiaoman’s voice softened when speaking to Xie Chi. “He will protect me.”
Xie Chi lowered his head. Lin Xiaoman was looking at Ji Zhixian, her bright eyes seemingly glowing.
He suddenly understood something.
“I see,” he said in a low voice, his gaze darkening.
“Let’s go, I’ll take you to your favorite Japanese cuisine,” Lin Xiaoman patted his back. “Xiao Bai discovered it and said you’d definitely like it.”
They went to a sushi restaurant. While waiting for Xiao Bai at the hotel’s ground floor, they coincidentally met Director Qian and Huo Qizhi, so all five went to the sushi restaurant together.
Knowing about the lobster allergy, Lin Xiaoman avoided seafood entirely, ordering a spicy hell ramen and adding several spoonfuls of chili.
“Can you really eat this?” Xiao Bai saw the chili covering the soup.
“This is the only way to enjoy it,” Lin Xiaoman smiled.
This was Huo Qizhi’s eating method, and she did this to attract his attention.
Now, she understood Huo Qizhi better than anyone. By catering to his preferences, she hoped to make him fall in love with her again.
Then would be the time for Huo Qizhi to regret.
What was a little spiciness compared to that?
Lin Xiaoman ate a mouthful of noodles, tears forming from the spiciness, but she endured silently and continued eating.
Huo Qizhi noticed her tears and handed her a tissue.
“This is just a reflex. It’s actually not spicy at all,” she waved her hand, appearing nonchalant.
“Are you sure it’s not spicy?” Xiao Bai looked skeptical seeing her reddened eyes. “Should we order something else?”
“No need, I can handle it,” Lin Xiaoman ate two more bites, momentarily stunned by the spiciness.
“Are you really okay?” Xiao Bai looked at her carefully. “You never eat spicy food normally. What’s going on today?”
Lin Xiaoman thought that before finishing the ramen, she first needed to silence Xiao Bai, as he was about to ruin her entire plan.
“So… it’s fine,” Xiao Bai, sensing her gaze, said with strong survival instinct, “Want some more chili?”
“Waiter, bring two bottles of milk,” Huo Qizhi ordered.
“I don’t need it,” Lin Xiaoman reflexively refused. But she immediately regretted it.
If even Xiao Bai could tell she couldn’t eat spicy food, how could Huo Qizhi not notice?
Huo Qizhi had never liked strong-willed women; he liked her because their beginning was beautiful. But as time passed, their incompatibilities gradually emerged.
She was too assertive, but Huo Qizhi also had his own thoughts.
Raised and pampered since childhood, she rarely listened to others’ perspectives.
So they would sometimes argue and give each other the silent treatment.
She remembered that after every argument, Huo Qizhi would apologize while saying, “If only you could be less assertive.”
He liked gentle women, like Xie Xueer, not her.
So now, acting this way would only backfire and make him despise her.
She helplessly ate another bite of spicy food, tears uncontrollably flowing again.
“Here.” Huo Qizhi handed her another tissue, explaining, “I wanted milk.”
He could see at a glance that the girl in front of him was forcing herself, which should have made him feel disgusted, but seeing her reddened eyes reminded him of Tang Fei’s first time eating ramen with him – spicy and stubbornly silent – his heart softened.
“Shall we eat something else?” Huo Qizhi’s tone was gentle, and in the dim yellow light, his eyes looked even more deep and warm.
Lin Xiaoman realized that in front of strangers, he was always gentle.
“Okay,” she laughed, presenting the innocent demeanor she thought Huo Qizhi would like.
When she returned to the hotel, Lin Xiaoman opened Weibo and found that someone had posted photos of them eating together. Several shots showed Huo Qizhi handing her tissues and milk, one with him looking tenderly gentle, the other with her bright, romantic smile. Their CP fans were as excited as during the New Year:
— Oh my god, I’m shipping them for real!
— They’re so sweet, I’m declaring they’re together!
— I’ve never seen Huo Qizhi get this close to any other female celebrity, they must have something going on.
— That look, they’re definitely in love.
— Their looks are so powerful.
— Sorry, I’m jumping on this ship, their CP is sweeter than any other!
Xie Xueer saw the screen full of “sweet” and “together,” unconsciously gripping her phone tightly.
From the first moment she saw Lin Xiaoman, she had been worried – this person looked too much like Tang Fei. She knew how much Huo Qizhi loved Tang Fei. If she hadn’t deliberately provoked things, taking advantage of Huo Qizhi when he was drunk and acting submissively gentle, they would never have been together.
She had always been Huo Qizhi’s lover, using gentleness to keep him by her side. Huo Qizhi’s pride made it hard for him to tolerate Tang Fei’s strong personality, yet he was also deeply in love with her confident and proud demeanor.
Xie Xueer understood that as long as Tang Fei was around, Huo Qizhi would never be with her. But she never expected Tang Fei would die in a car accident.
She thought it was finally their time to go public.
But Huo Qizhi said it wasn’t the right time.
So she waited and waited, only to find another woman who looked like Tang Fei.
Calming herself, Xie Xueer dialed Huo Qizhi’s number. He didn’t answer. She panicked, calling repeatedly until the fifteenth time when the call connected.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’ll bring you lunch tomorrow,” Xie Xueer said softly.
“You called so many times just for this?”
“I haven’t visited you on set, I’ll come see you tomorrow.”
“No need, I’m very busy now.”
“Then you should eat well. The food on set isn’t good.”
“No need.”
“You sound tired. How about I make your favorite spicy chicken tomorrow?”
“I said no!” Huo Qizhi suddenly raised his voice.
