Chapter 10 Part2 (2/2)
<>Please support the translation by reading it only from its actual site of posting, hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com. Thank you.
It was very lively inside the private dining room, and based on the sounds that could be heard, there were a lot of people.
Once the words were out, she felt that she was being overly corny and melodramatic; on top of that, Yi Wenze was not saying anything either. Right when things were feeling awkward, the door was pulled open from the inside and Wu Zhilun, his head bowed while he talked on the phone, strode out swiftly, nearly running into her.
Jia He was given a shock at this. Wu Zhilun, as well, reflexively took half a step backwards, but then the next instant a smug grin of ”Aha! I caught you guys!” spread across his face. ”How is it that I got here first?” Saying that, he quickly hung up the phone and lifted his head to look at his watch. ”You guys were 'held up' for half an hour.”
He brushed his eyes over Jia He, then swept them over to Yi Wenze, then back to Jia He, as if he was afraid they would not understand the connotation of his words.
Yi Wenze gave his shoulder a pat, his tone calm. ”Trust me, half an hour is too short. It's not enough to do anything.” His voice was neither loud nor soft, but it was just enough for the three of them to clearly hear.
Then, taking the hand of an utterly dumbstruck Jia He, he walked in the door.
There were many people inside that private room. She took a quick scan around and instantly spotted Tian Chu as well as the woman beside her. Over these years, though she had never seen her in person before, Jia He had watched many of her interviews and quickly recognized that woman to be Mai Jie.
Because Yi Wenze was holding her hand, Jia He was a little bashful. She gave a light nod. ”Mai Jie.”
Mai Jie's smile was very amicable. ”You must be Jia He, right? Tune of Yong'an's press conference is in a couple of days. I watched the trailer. If I haven't misjudged, your worth and price tag are going to be going way up.”
In such a setting, this was considered a very suitable conversation starter.
Jia He's heart warmed slightly, and her nervousness eased somewhat. ”Thank you, Mai Jie.”
Mai Jie smiled and patted her on the shoulder. Then, she finally turned slightly to look at Yi Wenze. ”When I called you the day before yesterday, no matter what you would not come here today. Now you've suddenly changed your mind?”
Yi Wenze had Jia He take a seat by his side before he removed his cap and offhandedly set it on the table. ”Something came up at the last minute, so I came here earlier than originally planned.”
This was a routine business dinner. As Yi Wenze had shown up hand in hand with her, everyone, regardless of whether she knew the person or not, immediately became well aware of their relations.h.i.+p. Despite the purposely put on natural smiles and casual conversation, Jia He could clearly see the prying curiosity in each and every pair of eyes.
By the second half of the dinner, Tian Chu had already had quite a bit to drink, having downed gla.s.s after gla.s.s.
Jia He watched this somewhat disconcertedly. She had seen this type of situation many times before, but once she became the protagonist of such a scene—and with so many people intently watching at that—she still felt a little discomfited. Moreover, the people here were from the company that Yi Wenze was a part of and had worked with Tian Chu for many years. No matter how Jia He looked at it, she seemed more like the outsider.
However, she appeared to be the only one who held these sorts of sentiments. Yi Wenze, in contrast, was very much unruffled. Before long, dinner was finished and he asked her in a low voice, ”Would you like to go back to the hotel to rest?”
At once feeling as if a burden had been lifted from her, Jia He softly asked, ”You don't need to be here? How about you tell me the name of the hotel and I'll just take a taxi there myself?”
He did not seem concerned. ”No, it's okay. I'm really tired, too.”
Deliberating for a moment, Jia He felt as well that the longer they sat here, the more awkward things would be, and so she was honest and stated her desire. Then let's go.”
After the two reached this consensus, Yi Wenze began tokenly clinking his gla.s.s with several people, saying that he had arrived from Shanghai and had not had a chance to get a good rest yet so was tired and would not stay to keep them company. No one tried to make things difficult for him; they only smiled and exchanged a couple of sentences of social niceties with him. There were also a few people who had had too much to drink and, with tactless looks at Jia He, tossed out a few jabs and heckling words at him.
Lisening to them, Jia He felt even more self-conscious, but as it was not fitting to let herself be bothered by drunkards, she only gave the excuse that she needed to use the washroom and then, getting up, fled from there. Just outside of the private room was a separate, dedicated washroom for the room, and naturally it was very quiet. Pulling out her phone, she sent a text message to Yi Wenze: When you're ready, just let me know. I'll wait for you at the door.
His reply arrived shortly: All right. Don't worry, it will be very quick.
She had only just set down her phone when a hand pushed open the washroom door. Tian Chu, slightly tipsy, stepped inside. When she saw Jia He, she was somewhat taken aback. ”You're leaving now?”
<>This is a copy, taken from hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com. Please support the translation by reading it only from there. Thank you.
Jia He watched as she locked the door behind her. Somewhat unable to figure out what this was about, Jia He merely smiled. ”We drove all the way here and are a little tired now, so we want to head back to get some rest.”
Tian Chu's eyes were shrouded slightly by a mist of drunkenness and also something else. She was quiet for amoment before finally asking, ”How long have you and him been together?”
Jia He originally had not wanted to say anything, but seeing her like this, her heart softened a little. ”Not very long.”
Smirking, Tian Chu turned to look at herself in the mirror and wiped at a smudge beneath her eye. ”The prince and Cinderella? The distance between you two is pretty significant.”
At last, with this random comment that had come so abruptly, Jia He sniffed out the smell of gunpowder that came with a battle declaration.
It seemed it was inevitable that they would cross paths again, and then she would once more have to deal with such a situation… A bit of frustration rose in her from feeling like her hands were tied, but still she replied, ”In a certain sense, he is indeed like a prince to me. But I don't think I am a Cinderella who comes from an ordinary background and has only a kind heart to speak of.” She tried as much as possible to keep her tone gentle and mild so as to not provoke this person who was more than half drunk. ”If you judge based on normal standards, I have a harmonious family and also a pretty good career, and I also have the ability to pay a house mortgage and buy a car. Perhaps we will have differences in our family environments or differences in our cultures, and certainly friction and conflicts will arise, but none of those are big problems.”
These words were simply too serious and proper. After saying them, even she could herself could not keep to the mood, so instead she simply heaved a sigh and said in a half-joking tone, ”Life is full of uncertainties and ups and downs. Just look at those couple of years when Hong Kong had its financial crisis. A lot of artistes took a loss in the properties they bought. If one day in the future he, too, goes bankrupt from investment failure, I might even need to support the family and pay back the debts.”
This has always been the case, you know. A screenwriter is a career where you will still be sought after even when you are old. That is not the case for actors; too many have ended up poor and in abject straits in their older age.
Jia He filled in these words in her mind. And then, she gave herself a score of ninety for her performance here…
Still facing the mirror, Tian Chu did not speak again. Jia He also felt that there was no point to staying here any longer, so shortly after, she opened the door and escaped from there.
Only when the door had shut did she let out a lengthy breath. As she pulled out her phone, ready to send a text to Yi Wenze, she saw Wu Zhilun leaning against the side of the sink, his smile cryptic. ”There's no soundproofing here. I didn't listen in on purpose.”
<>Copyright of Fanatical, hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com. Translated with the express permission of the author for hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com only
Beijing No. 4 High School (Beijing s.h.i.+ Disi Zhongxue) is commonly referred to as ”Sizhong.” It was founded in 1907 as Shuntian Secondary School, and its current name has been used since 1949. It is considered a prestigious school, with many graduates being accepted into key universities.
This story was translated with the express permission of the author for hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com only. All forms of reproduction, redistribution, or re-posting are not authorized. If you are not reading this from hui3r[dot]wordpress[dot]com, the copy is unauthorized and has been taken without consent of the translator.
Additional Comments:
Just a reminder that Jia He and Yi Wenze have only officially been a couple for two weeks and three days, and their relations.h.i.+p started over the phone. This is still their first day seeing one another in person since they started dating. In fact, it hasn't even been 12 hours yet since Yi Wenze got off the plane.
Even with normal, everyday couples, when the relations.h.i.+p first starts, there is always a period when you're always wanting to please the other person, much less this relations.h.i.+p's beginning is far from “everyday.” Jia He is shy and she tends to be a thinker and less of a verbal communicator, but when she needs to, she will talk, just as she did here (and just as she did with telling her mom to drop the pressure about Gu Yu, or even when she was “facing off” with Tian Chu). As the relations.h.i.+p settles in, she'll find her voice. Sure, he may never lose the idol halo to her, but they'll find the rhythm of their relations.h.i.+p. ?
Completed:
1 of 1 Prologue
29 of 58 Chapter segments
0 of 4 Epilogues
Post navigation
<script>