Mo Yushen: "I know him. He's a friend of my grandfather."
Xi Jia finally felt a little more at ease, having stumbled upon a common topic by sheer chance.
She explained why she became interested in writing: "The first article I published was sent to Mr. Yue's magazine, where he had a column at the time. He even left comments on my article."
That comment made her even happier than if her article had been published. Deeply encouraged, she then began writing novels, completing her first domineering CEO novel at the age of thirteen.
Looking at it now, it's unbearable to read. An old-fashioned CEO romance novel.
Following her words, Mo Yushen asked, "Does Mr. Yue also know you?"
Xi Jia shook her head. "We've had no interaction whatsoever. I sent him an email later, but I guess his inbox was full, so he didn't reply. I'm using a pen name, not my real name."
Mo Yu knew her name was Se Se. Such a young age, yet she had chosen such a pen name. "What pen name?" he asked, feigning ignorance.
Xi Jia: "Se Se. Actually, I wanted to call her the 'Se Se' from 'Mu Jiang Yin', but I felt it had too many strokes, so I changed it."
Mo Yushen didn't know how to respond, so he didn't say anything. After finishing his meal, he picked up his water glass and drank some water.
Xi Jia glanced at him; he seemed listless. He was probably too uninterested in blind dates and wanted to end this oppressive experience.
The next step in this tactic of feigning indifference was for her to proactively suggest going home.
Xi Jia glanced at her watch. "It's getting late, I won't keep you any longer. I need to go home and continue writing my script."
At 11 o'clock, the two came out of the restaurant.
Mo Yushen didn't exchange many pleasantries with Xi Jia. He nodded slightly to her and walked straight to his car.
Xi Jia looked at that aloof figure; this man was... irresistible.
Mo Yushen instructed his driver to return to his own villa, not to visit his father-in-law. He called Ji Qingshi to let him know that the blind date was over and Xi Jia was already on her way home.
It was noisy on Ji Qingshi's end; he was at the clubhouse. He came out to answer the phone, "How is it?"
Mo Yushen: "It's pretty much the same as before. We'll sign the divorce papers in a few days."
Ji Qingshi was completely confused. "What divorce agreement?"
Mo Yushen didn't mention that he had signed this before on a blind date; he only said that Xi Jia had suggested signing something like a contract, and he didn't know what her true thoughts were.
"Keep pushing her, or she might refuse to sign the divorce papers."
Ji Qingshi agreed and asked him if he was going back to stay that night.
Mo Yushen: "I'm going back to my own place. Are you at the club?"
Ji Qingshi hummed in agreement.
Mo Yushen: "What did you mean by that Weibo post yesterday?"
Ji Qingshi didn't want to talk to Mo Yushen, whose reaction time was always delayed overnight.
I hung up the phone.
Someone came over.
Ji Qingshi's profile was that of Chu Shan. He and Chu Shan had many mutual friends; in fact, many of his friends later became Chu Shan's friends as well.
After he broke up with Chu Shan, Chu Shan kept in touch with his friends. She needed connections and resources in that circle.
Chu Shan had the same question as Mo Yushen: "Your Weibo post yesterday was very confusing." Even though he and Ye Qiu had broken up a year and a half ago, he still posted photos of Ye Qiu.
What is this man thinking?
Ji Qingshi remained silent.
Chu Shan offered him a cigarette, but Ji Qingshi didn't take it. "I don't smoke. I've quit."
Chu Shan put the cigarette in her mouth but didn't light it. She gently bit the cigarette holder, then took it off after a few seconds. "Are you this picky now, only smoking that particular brand?"
The last time she ran into Ji Qing, he was still smoking, but it was a foreign brand of cigarettes, not expensive, but mass-produced.
Ji Qingshi repeated, "I've given it up."
Chu Shan was slightly taken aback, then realized that he wasn't joking when he said he had given up.
Ji Qingshi: "I'll go in first."
Chu Shan nodded, waving her hand, "I'll have a cigarette." After Ji Qingshi walked away, she opened the window. A cold wind rushed in, stinging her face.
She didn't light a cigarette or bring a lighter; she originally intended to borrow one from Ji Qingshi, but he had given up smoking.
She doesn't smoke when she's with Ji Qingshi.
After the breakup, she was under a lot of work pressure, and she doesn't know when it started, but she became addicted.
She still couldn't understand his several Weibo posts.
Over the course of more than a year, he posted three messages intermittently.
There hasn't been a single negative news story related to Ye Qiu. Friends around me say that Ye Qiu's fans have done a good job controlling the online comments; there haven't been any of the rumors and gossip about her and Ji Jinzhu.
Perhaps it's not Ye Qiu's agent controlling the comments, or perhaps it's Ji Qingshi who's having the comments controlled.
Chu Shan closed the window. Perhaps she was overthinking it; that man of hers was too arrogant.
She took the cigarettes back to the private room and sat down next to Ji Qingshi.
Chu Shan put the cigarette back in the pack and looked at Ji Qingshi, "Is it difficult to quit smoking?"
Ji Qingshi countered with, "What do you think?"
Chu Shan smiled. "I love challenging myself to the hard mode. Starting today, I'm quitting smoking." She stood up, grabbed her bag, and said, "I'm going back. Are you staying a little longer?"
Ji Qingshi: "Okay. Be careful on the road."
Chu Shan nodded. Every time she heard those words, it felt like a lifetime had passed, as if they had never separated. He used to always remind her to drive like that.
Chu Shan did not linger and left the club.
She didn't go back to her usual apartment, but went to a house that had been recently renovated.
The house wasn't very big, and it was decorated in a country style.
She had some decorations made for Christmas Eve tomorrow night.
It was almost midnight. The neighborhood was unusually quiet, with only the occasional vehicle entering or leaving.
Chu Shan went upstairs and turned on the lights. The Christmas tree in the living room almost reached the ceiling, and the floor was piled high with various gifts. She bought some to treat herself.
Chu Shan turned on the Christmas tree lights.
She changed into the new season's long dress she had worn to an event a few days ago, took out her phone and recorded a short video. The result was quite good; the windows, wallpaper, sofa, coffee table, and Christmas tree were all in the frame.
On Christmas Eve, Chu Shan posted a Weibo post with only four simple words: "Merry Christmas." along with the short video.
Chu Shan's Weibo post wouldn't normally make it onto the trending topics list during this busy holiday. But then netizens discovered that this apartment was exactly the same as the one Ji Qingshi had posted about before.
The windows are the same. The wallpaper is the same, the sofa is the same, and the coffee table is the same.
Chu Shan wore this dress just a few days ago. It's a new style this year, not from an old video she filmed before.
In less than an hour, Ye Qiu and Ji Qingshi's names appeared on the trending searches.
Many comments say: It turns out that the person President Ji was secretly trying to confess to was Chu Shan, and Ye Qiu was just President Ji's sister's best friend.
This apartment belongs to Xi Jia, so Ye Qiu's photo is displayed here.
They may have celebrated Christmas early at Xi Jia's place.
One entertainment blogger took the lead in analyzing the meaning behind Ji Qingshi's three previous Weibo posts.
First Weibo post: Spring. Those two potted plants, maybe he bought them as a gift for Xi Jia, just posted them casually without noticing the photo, but Ye Qiu's photo was interpreted.
As for why neither Ji Qingshi nor Ye Qiu has clarified the 'rumor'?
Because Ye Qiu is currently filming in Chu Shan's drama crew, and she is playing the second female lead. This is the best resource Ye Qiu has ever had since entering the industry (it should be because Ye Qiu benefited from Xi Jia's influence, and Xi Jia arranged the role for her future sister-in-law Chu Shan).
This trending topic made Ye Qiu famous and also promoted Chu Shan's new drama, killing two birds with one stone.
The second Weibo post: Two movie tickets for a midnight showing. Ji Qingshi and Chu Shan were there to support Ye Qiu.
The third Weibo post: A photo of Xi Jia and Ye Qiu. Ji Qingshi wanted to use this photo to imply that he and Ye Qiu were nothing more than his sister's best friend.
Then there's Chu Shan's short video tonight, which completely clarifies that the rumors about Ji Qingshi and Ye Qiu are entirely unfounded. Ye Qiu and Huo Teng are the real couple.
Netizens left comments expressing their amazement, realizing how sophisticated the scheme was.
Upon careful reflection, they realized that it made sense.
If Ye Qiu and Ji Qingshi really got together, why would Chu Shan still let her play the second female lead? This drama is a big production; the second female lead's screen time isn't much less than the female lead's. There are two romantic storylines.
They concluded that the previous claims about Ye Qiu and Ji Qingshi were just hype.
Chu Shan's withdrawal from Weibo has shaped public opinion in accordance with her previous requests, achieving the desired effect.
She pressured Ji Qingshi to make a choice once again.
She was now standing at a crossroads, unsure which way to go. To her left lay Ji Qingshi, and to her right, a new beginning.
Whether you go left or right, it's a painful choice.
She decided to let Ji Qingshi make the choice for her.
The analysis by that entertainment blogger has also become a trending topic.
Even those in the know were stunned.
Ye Qiu's agent was with Ye Qiu; the two had just finished their event for the evening when this news broke.
Agent: "I don't know if it's because Chu Shan is more skilled, or if Ji Qingshi had a change of heart and wanted to give you a way out, so he asked Chu Shan to help post this Weibo and give you your freedom."
Regardless of the truth, "This is the best outcome. You've escaped unscathed, it won't affect your future boyfriend search, and it will also benefit your future acting career."
Ye Qiu gave a faint smile. It's quite good. She used to think that walking this path in the entertainment industry was very difficult, but later she realized that the most difficult part was the path of love.
She had completely let go of some things. If there was anything she still minded about, it was her current apartment. When it was being renovated, she was filming out of town, and Ji Qingshi basically found people to oversee the process for her.
She paid for it, and he found someone to design it.
Later, on his suggestion, she chose the pastoral style.
So that's what Chu Shan likes.
The roads are exceptionally congested tonight. There are even more cars than during the morning rush hour.
Ye Qiu looked out the window, seemingly lost in thought. Later, she logged into her Weibo account and reposted Chu Shan's post: "Peace and happiness (heart)"