"Xiao Chu, am I really going to see a celebrity? Do you think it's too much for me to ask Ji Mubai for a hug when I see him?"
"I've never seen a live celebrity before, sob sob sob."
"...Did you only ever see dead things before?" Chu Yi couldn't help but retort, and Xiao Gao immediately countered online.
"What's the difference between seeing someone through a screen, being able to see them but not touch them, and being dead?"
"...You'll get beaten up if you keep doing that, I'm telling you."
[The other party retracted a message]
"Hehe, I didn't say anything."
"Right now, all I can think about is my little brother Ji Bai."
"What style should I adopt when I appear in front of him so as not to scare him?"
"I think the quiet and reserved style suits you very well."
"...Dog, you've changed."
What followed was a meme war.
After a round of exchanging pictures, Chu Yi's mood had calmed down considerably, except for the silly grin that lingered on his face for a long time.
When Cheng Li's reply finally arrived, she was much calmer and more composed.
"Isn't this the male celebrity you've been obsessed with lately?"
"Congratulations, my friend, your dream has come true."
"Hehehehehe..." All Chu Yi knew was that the pervert was laughing.
"Tsk tsk, you're having a blast, aren't you? Come out, the girls will treat you to a dance tonight."
"Why did you suddenly start dancing?"
"You won't believe it, but my family introduced me to a blind date, and I'm planning to scare him to death by going clubbing first."
"What the hell did your blind date do to you! Look at me and Qiao Anchen, we also went on a blind date and we're doing great now. Don't you dare cause any trouble!"
"Yours is a one in a thousand chance. I don't believe that any man who has to resort to blind dates is a good prospect."
"Alright, stop trying to persuade me. If you don't want to come, fine, I'll do it myself."
"..."
Cheng Li has always been bold and opinionated, so Chu Yi had no choice but to silently pray for her blind date.
The beauty of friends is that they can calm you down. When Qiao Anchen came back in the evening, he felt that Chu Yi was in a very good mood, but he was still a normal person.
Dinner was also extremely lavish, featuring not only Qiao Anchen's favorite dish, hibiscus shrimp, but also a squirrel-shaped mandarin fish.
These two dishes are known for their complex preparation. The shrimp must be headed, peeled, and deveined one by one. The squirrel-shaped mandarin fish is even more demanding, requiring extremely strict knife skills and precise control of cooking time.
Over the past six months, Chu Yi's cooking skills have been gradually improving, and he can now manage to cook elaborate dishes on the occasional occasion.
Qiao Anchen looked at the table in front of him, still feeling somewhat flattered. He raised his eyes to look at Chu Yi, cautiously probing her.
Is today a special day?
"No." Chu Yi shook her head with a smile, looking extremely happy.
"Just received some good news, so let's celebrate."
"What good news?" Qiao Anchen raised his eyebrows in surprise upon hearing this, and even paused in his work of serving rice.
"So... you know my comic got adapted into a TV series, right?" Chu Yi whispered mysteriously, leaning closer. Qiao Anchen nodded. He remembered that Chu Yi had specifically gone to sign the contract because of this.
"Now we need to get ready to start filming," she said happily, and Qiao Anchen was genuinely happy for her.
"That's great, congratulations."
"But that's not the point!" Chu Yi revealed his barely concealed excitement, his eyes almost sparkling with excitement.
"The main point is that my male lead is actually Ji Mubai!!!"
"..." Qiao Anchen's hand, which was holding chopsticks to pick up food, stopped abruptly. Looking at the abundant dishes on the table, he suddenly lost his appetite.
It turns out today's dishes weren't made for him, but for another man.
Qiao Anchen held back, took several deep breaths to calm down, and calmly picked up a shrimp, but couldn't taste any flavor in it.
Chu Yi was still excitedly talking there.
"Ji Mubai, the male celebrity I've always admired!! This is like a dream come true! I can finally meet him in person!"
"I'm so happy, it took me the whole afternoon to calm down, and I feel like I'm too excited to sleep tonight."
"Is that so?" Qiao Anchen said indifferently, looking down at the rice in his bowl, his expression unreadable.
"Yes! Of course!" Chu Yi was completely oblivious, thinking that Qiao Anchen was not interested in this topic, and then changed the subject to other things. Unfortunately, Qiao Anchen's response remained indifferent.
"Are you in a bad mood today?" When they were almost finished eating, Chu Yi asked him tentatively. Qiao Anchen lifted his eyelids, looked at her deeply, and didn't say anything. He then cleared the dishes and went to the kitchen.
Chu Yi sat there, completely bewildered, looking confused.
By nightfall, Chu Yi had a better understanding of the meaning behind Qiao Anchen's look, because she was not only too excited to sleep, she was completely unable to sleep.
The man's strength was unrestrained, heavy and ruthless. Chu Yi was down after only a few rounds, and all he could do was beg for mercy.
Qiao Anchen, who had let her go so easily just a moment ago, seemed oblivious to everything today, as if he had taken the wrong medicine. Chu Yi, with tears in her eyes, felt as if her body no longer belonged to her.
He said he was so excited he couldn't sleep, and he was so tired he lost consciousness.
Even after crying until her voice was hoarse and her mind was foggy, and she finally fell into a deep sleep from exhaustion, Qiao Anchen showed no signs of stopping.
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, I couldn't get out of bed at all. Not only did my back ache, but even the slightest movement between my legs caused a sharp pain.
The sheets were covered in water stains, and she felt sticky all over. Qiao Anchen hadn't tidied up at all last night and had just let her sleep like that.
Chu Yi was in so much pain that he was gasping for breath, but he was also incredibly angry.
That bastard!
Qiao Anchen worked overtime that night. Chu Yi's anger, which she had originally wanted to settle accounts with him, had almost subsided after a day. She hated her own good temper.
The chat window on her phone still held her insults towards him, a long string of messages she had sent on the first day of the morning, right after she woke up. At that time, she was filled with righteous indignation and wanted to have a big fight with Qiao Anchen, but he didn't reply to her at all.
The clock struck eleven, and Qiao Anchen still hadn't returned. Chu Yi carefully recalled the time she collapsed from exhaustion last night, which seemed to be around two or three in the morning. She couldn't help but think maliciously, "How come he didn't die from overwork?"
The thought had barely crossed her mind when Chu Yi slapped herself in the face. Wasn't that cursing herself? She didn't want to become a widow at such a young age.
Lost in thought, Chu Yi heard a noise from the door. Upon seeing Qiao Anchen's face, she snorted coldly, turned her back to him, and closed her eyes tightly.
It was a completely obvious "I'm angry and don't want to talk to you" attitude.
Qiao Anchen paused as he opened the door, then walked in with a normal expression. Looking at the obviously changed sheets and blankets, it seemed that his emotions from the previous day had already subsided.
Chu Yi was curled up in the blanket, a tiny ball, which involuntarily reminded him of the scene last night when she cried her little face and begged him in a trembling voice.
Qiao Anchen's heart softened. He walked over, knelt on one knee by the bed, reached under the covers, and pulled her into his arms.
"Does it still hurt?" he whispered in her ear, his voice carrying the usual calmness, yet with a touch of gentle tenderness.
I felt really bad and wanted to cry.
"Get away from me." She pushed away Qiao Anchen's hands that were holding her, and said in a low voice, her voice almost overflowing with grievance. Qiao Anchen's eyes softened even more.
"Let me see," he said, reaching down as if to her crotch. Chu Yi quickly grabbed his hand, her face instinctively turning red.
What are you doing!
"Get away!"
Chu Yi wriggled away from his embrace, then turned around and pushed him away completely, like a child throwing a tantrum.
Qiao Anchen stepped back as if to comfort him, and coaxed softly, "Okay, okay, I'll go, you go to sleep."
Chu Yi glared at him angrily, then turned her back on him resentfully and pulled the quilt up to cover her feet from head to toe.
Chu Yi refused to let him hold her when they went to bed that night. Qiao Anchen was too tired. After trying twice and being slapped away by her, he lay down next to her, closed his eyes, and fell asleep without realizing it.
Chu Yi waited for a while and found that he was no longer moving. She turned her head and saw that the man next to her was fast asleep, his breathing steady and even. Her anger, which had subsided, resurfaced. She tried to hold back, but couldn't, and kicked him hard under the covers.
Qiao Anchen winced in pain, frowned and moved slightly, uttering two mumbled words before falling into a deep sleep again.
Chuyi: "..."
Author's Note: Hahaha
I'll be giving away 100 red envelopes in this chapter!
P.S., we'll reach 2,000 pre-orders in just 100, and I'll add an extra chapter for you guys then!
(Although everyone is very principled and didn't add me to their favorites just because of the extra chapter, I, Jiang Dalv, am a trustworthy author. I said I'd add an extra chapter, and I will! Even if you don't add me to your favorites!)
58. Chapter 58
After getting up in the morning, Chu Yi received a package. The deliveryman called her, saying that the security guard at the entrance of the community wouldn't let her through.
She huffed and puffed as she ran downstairs in her pajamas and slippers, only to find two large styrofoam boxes.
Chu Yi was puzzled; it seemed she hadn't bought this item.
Regarding online shopping, Chu Yi is a diamond member. Every year at the end of the year, when her friends start frantically collecting "Fu" cards, scanning "Fu" characters, watering plants, and answering questions, she can easily obtain all the "Fu" cards plus rare cards.
It was once the envy of many.
This is enough to prove how valuable this membership is; of course, the corresponding spending amount is also considerable.
So, Chu Yi often couldn't remember what she bought. Anyway, daily deliveries were a must, since it was one of the few pleasures in her stay-at-home life.
After signing the delivery slip, Chu Yi took the box from the deliveryman. The moment it reached her hands, Chu Yi almost couldn't support the weight, and her body sank heavily downwards.
The young man was startled and quickly reached out his hand.
"Do you want me to deliver it upstairs for you?" he asked, but his gaze kept drifting to the car full of packages parked at the door. Chu Yi considerately declined.
"No need, I'm not far away."
She bravely carried the two boxes back home, walking through the long road and green area of the community. From barely managing to hold on at the beginning to gritting her teeth and persevering, she finally breathed a sigh of relief when she got on the elevator and arrived at her door.
Upon entering the room, Chu Yi immediately threw the styrofoam box on the ground, sat down to catch her breath, rubbed her reddened arms, and then mustered her energy to find a small knife for opening express packages and cut the tape along the edge of the box.