Chapter 113: Great Deal
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
Xi Mo was at a loss for words.
She lowered her head and looked at the open suitcase. The moment she heard Ruan Yesheng’s question, she froze for a second.
Right—why was it even more unacceptable for Ruan Yesheng to go herself?
She knew Ruan Yesheng was just joking. She also knew Ruan Yesheng probably enjoyed seeing her speechless like this. Xi Mo had always been proud and reserved, and if it had been before, she would've felt uncomfortable. No one had ever teased her like this. But now, she didn't mind. In fact, she even thought that if teasing her made Ruan Yesheng happy, then that was fine too.
After all, she wanted Ruan Yesheng to be happy.
But at this moment, she suddenly realized she actually still minded.
It wasn't that Ruan Yesheng was teasing her or asking those questions just to mess with her. What bothered her was something else—something vague. She couldn't see what it was, couldn't touch it, couldn't taste it.
She only vaguely understood: Ruan Yesheng was, of course, very sexy. But she didn't like others seeing that kind of sexiness in her. What she disliked even more was this hidden sexiness being captured on camera, then picked apart and stared at by all kinds of people.
On one hand, the entertainment industry was the easiest place to get labeled. Once you had a label, it was hard to shake off.
Zhao Xingyun had taken the sexy route, and now that label stuck to her. That lingerie ad brought her a ton of attention and even got her on the hot search, but lingerie ads always came with provocative poses and body close-ups. In a world like this, those kinds of shots were magnets for two types of people: the self-righteous moralists who acted like humans should only reproduce through cell division and saw even slight exposure as a sin—and the creepy kind, who everyone knew exactly what they were there for.
After that ad blew up, Zhao Xingyun did become more popular, but the comments about her also turned into complete chaos—some decent, some disgusting. Even Zhao Xingyun herself couldn’t take it.
Xi Mo always thought far ahead for Ruan Yesheng. She didn’t want her to end up in that kind of mess.
And on the other hand, she couldn’t really explain it—she just couldn’t take it. Maybe she was being selfish. Some kinds of beauty didn’t need to be shown to the world. She just wanted to hide it, protect it, let herself be the only one to admire it.
When she thought of that, Xi Mo felt even more awkward. Her body even started to heat up.
It was a shameful thought. Ruan Yesheng was a living, breathing person. She was free, unbound by anyone. So why did she sometimes feel like stuffing her into her pocket and not letting anyone see her?
Ruan Yesheng… wasn’t even hers.
She couldn’t figure out what the hell was wrong with her.
Faced with Ruan Yesheng’s relentless teasing, Xi Mo held it in for a long while. Her face even turned red. But right now, she just wanted to end the topic as fast as possible. So she put on a tough face and said, “There’s no reason. I… I just think it’s not okay. Just… no.”
Then she turned her face away.
The implication is to stop talking.
Maybe it was because Xi Mo had always been so rational. As far as Ruan Yesheng could remember, she’d never seen her act this unreasonable—like she knew she’d already lost the argument but still had to dig her heels in like a little kid.
Normally, unreasonable kids are pretty annoying in real life.
But right now, Xi Mo was stumbling over her words, clearly all bark and no bite, lacking any real confidence. She even seemed to know she was in the wrong, but she still insisted on pretending she was not.
That kind of look was not annoying at all—in fact, it only made her seem even more adorable. Ruan Yesheng watched her from the side, her heart bubbling over. The urge to hug her surged up again.
But she held back.
She was afraid she might scare her.
So Ruan Yesheng coaxed her with a soft smile and said, “Alright, alright, if you say no, then I won’t go.”
Only then did Xi Mo turn her head and look at Ruan Yesheng for a long moment before she finally confessed honestly, “I... just don’t like the idea of you shooting that ad. I don’t even know why I feel this way. Maybe it’s because of those awful comments people left about Zhao Xingyun after her ad went viral. It made me uncomfortable. I’m worried you’d have to go through the same thing.”
She paused for a moment, her face looking even more guilty, her voice much softer now. “I didn’t want to hide anything from you, so I’m telling you what I really think. But you’re your own person. You’ve got the freedom to do whatever you want. You shouldn’t have to change your mind just because of what someone else says. I shouldn’t have deleted that lingerie ad offer without asking. I should’ve talked it over with you. I’m sorry.”
She really regretted it. She knew she’d acted selfishly this time.
But she wasn’t a saint—everyone had selfish thoughts sometimes. She just hadn’t expected that hers would be about Ruan Yesheng.
And Ruan Yesheng clearly hadn’t expected her to say all that either. She was stunned.
But at the same time, being able to honestly tell her what she really thought, being able to admit she was acting out of selfishness and still say that everyone should make their own decisions—that was exactly the kind of thing Xi Mo would do.
“I was teasing you,” Ruan Yesheng finally stopped joking and said seriously, “I really didn’t want to go. You said you couldn’t shoot that kind of ad, but honestly, I can’t either. I’m picky with my jobs. I won’t choose something that doesn’t suit me.”
“Really?” Xi Mo’s eyes lit up a little, though she was clearly trying hard to hide her joy.
“Of course it’s true.” Ruan Yesheng leaned closer and blinked at her. “And I’m shy, you know. How could I shoot something like that? I’d be so embarrassed.”
Xi Mo: “…”
…How do you even say something like that about yourself with a straight face?
Ruan Yesheng kept staring “shamelessly” into her eyes. “I know I’m very sexy, but I want my sexiness to be seen only by someone I like. That’s private.”
Xi Mo: “…”
Stop talking already!
Ruan Yesheng’s voice was like a teasing ripple on water. “It’s a secret.”
A secret between just the two of them.
Xi Mo’s chest tingled at the sound of it. For some reason, when Ruan Yesheng said the word ‘secret’, it felt different. It reminded her of something Ruan Yesheng had once said—she did not want to know her secrets, only the secrets that belonged to the two of them.
Seeing Xi Mo’s face go pale one moment and red the next, it was clear she was shocked by what Ruan Yesheng had just said. Deep down, Ruan Yesheng kept laughing, but she didn’t show it much on her face. Only her eyes carried a bit of sticky sweetness as she said, “Why don’t you stay tomorrow?”
When Xi Mo heard her finally ask something, her gaze landed on Ruan Yesheng’s face.
But she didn’t answer right away. She barely held back her smile, kept her expression straight, and said, “What are you trying to say?”
Ruan Yesheng said, “What you said just now made a lot of sense. You said people are independent, that they should make their own choices and not blindly follow someone else’s will. No one belongs to anyone else—we all have our own thoughts. But that’s not absolute. If it’s someone you trust and care about, talking things over together is a good thing too. Nobody’s perfect. Who can guarantee every decision they make is right? People make mistakes, they overlook things. So before making a decision, listening to the other person and thinking it through carefully really matters.”
Xi Mo agreed with that completely. Most of the time, she did feel that talking to Ruan Yesheng was easy—because their views often matched.
High mountains and flowing water*—it’s rare to find someone who truly gets you.
*Friends who understand each other/ a soulmate/ko imdred spirits (a reference to an anecdote of the two great friends Bo Ya (伯牙) and Zhong Ziqi (钟子期))
This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
Ruan Yesheng understood her. And she understood Ruan Yesheng.
That was a good thing.
But Xi Mo still asked cautiously, “You’re saying all this—what do you really want? Just say it.”
She knew Ruan Yesheng too well. She could tell she was probably setting something up.
Ruan Yesheng laughed and said, “I’m saying that yes, deciding things on your own matters. But having someone to talk it over with matters too. So I hope you won’t leave tomorrow. If anything comes up, we can figure it out together.”
But Xi Mo kept pretending. "You can just call me. We can talk on the phone."
"Talking on the phone isn’t as good as talking face-to-face, right?" Ruan Yesheng was still smiling. "Please stay."
Seeing how Ruan Yesheng had gone in circles just to ask her to stay, clearly full of sincerity, and even followed up so actively, Xi Mo finally could not hide the smile tugging at her lips. The corners of her mouth lifted slightly as she said, "Alright. Since you asked so nicely, I’ll stay a few more days."
Ruan Yesheng said, "I didn’t say you should stay a few days though. I only said don’t leave tomorrow. Just one day is enough."
Xi Mo: "..."
"Ah," Ruan Yesheng said with a look of sudden realization, "I get it now. You stay one more day and throw in a few more. What a great deal, huh?"
Her tone had a soft, sweet lilt at the end, making one’s heart itch just hearing it. If someone else had said it, it might’ve come off as affected, but coming from her, there wasn’t a hint of that. It was just natural, as if coquettishness was in her bones, yet it carried her own slyness too.
Xi Mo knew how to pretend, and she knew Ruan Yesheng was just as good at putting on an act. She let out a cold snort, still keeping her momentum, and followed Ruan Yesheng’s words. "Just think of it as me celebrating wrapping up filming. A promo. Buy one, get a few free. Isn't it a good discount?”
"Such a good deal." Ruan Yesheng peeled the last tangerine segment and moved to place it in Xi Mo’s hand. "Here, a slice of tangerine With this promo, I’m buying out the whole thing."
Xi Mo glanced over and fixed her gaze on that tangerine segment.
But just as Ruan Yesheng was about to place it in her hand, she pulled back, raised her hand near Xi Mo’s lips, and gently brought the segment to Xi Mo’s mouth.
She smiled with her eyes half-closed and said, “Since you're giving me such a great deal, I should give something in return. Let me feed you too—just take it as my big promo.”
With the tangerine segment in her mouth, Xi Mo said nothing.
She looked at Ruan Yesheng and gently chewed. The weather was cold, and the tangerine juice was always chilly.
But somehow, this piece tasted even sweeter than the one Ruan Yesheng had fed her before.
And warmer too.
Author's Note:
Such a great deal! So here's the question—where can you find such an amazing big promo?
Guess we'll have to check if the universe's cutest organization has it[.
While eating tangerines, she fell into deep thought.
