Chapter 36: Please Stop Crying
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
When Liang Youyou saw Gu Xizhi, she felt that she had traveled through time. It had been a long time since the villa called. Liang Youyou was about to go into the bathroom to touch up her makeup, but she saw Gu Xizhi with her face flushed red.
"Did you just get kissed forcefully? Your cheeks are so red," Liang Youyou spoke directly, making a playful remark. She didn't expect Gu Xizhi to not scold her after hearing this, but instead, she immediately lifted her head to look at her.
Liang Youyou's expression was filled with astonishment at the moment. "No way! Who is it? Ex-boyfriend?"
She didn't have to mention "ex-boyfriend," but when she heard those words, Gu Xizhi's confused emotions actually calmed down. With a particularly composed demeanor, she said, "Just got forcefully kissed by a scumbag." She casually walked out of the bathroom, her appearance pretending to be chic.
It's quite a coincidence, really. Just as Gu Xizhi walked out of the bathroom on one side, on the other side, she actually encountered the ex-boyfriend that Liang Youyou had mentioned.
With only a few steps between her and Le Cheng, Gu Xizhi looked at him standing under the richly colored European-style wooden window, engaged in conversation. After a few moments of contemplation, she thought it would be a good idea to ask him a few questions. So, she walked up to him with light and brisk steps.
"Mr. Le, I've seen the work you sent last time. If you're available, we can arrange an audition next week."
"Thank you very much for that, Mr. Li. Is next Tuesday okay? I still have something on Monday..."
"Excuse me." Gu Xizhi stood in front of Le Cheng and an unfamiliar man, her smile was friendly as if it had just been melted by the spring breeze. "I have something I'd like to discuss with Mr. Le Cheng. Could I borrow a few minutes?"
Seeing Gu Xizhi smile at him like that, the unfamiliar man immediately said, "Please, go ahead." Then he promptly left the area around the window.
Le Cheng and Gu Xizhi were the only two left in front of the huge European-style wooden window. Because the terrain was remote and sparse, Le Cheng looked at Gu Xizhi with a lot of impatience.
"What are you here for?
"Mr. Le, it took me a long time to build up my mental resilience to not feel disgusted when I had to come and talk to you. However, I want the right to question the things that have been done. I can honestly say that I haven't done anything wrong throughout the past few months together. What benefit is there to speak like that in front of the media?"
Le Cheng grew even more impatient. "That's how it is in the entertainment industry. Is this your first day in this circle?"
Gu Xizhi's gaze towards him was quite perplexed. "I used to think you were just a scumbag, but now it seems like you're a scumbag without any conscience at all?"
"Gu Xizhi." Le Cheng smiled suddenly, with a contemptuous expression on his face, "You're still as naive and troublesome as before. Do you think I'd take back what I said just because you threw out a couple of insults?"
"I don't expect to salvage your conscience anymore. I only hope it doesn't get even darker."
"Don't worry, there are plenty of things to deal with. If they don't hold special significance, I don't have time to care whether you live or die." He chuckled as he spoke. "But didn't your agency block back things about you? I just realized you have great ability. Did you suddenly have a revelation and sleep with Sun Tingyou, or did you exhaust yourself dealing with over twenty media outlets?"
"Le Cheng," Gu Xizhi struggled to control her emotions. "It's simply not true."
"What are you so excited about?" Le Cheng's tone became more and more contemptuous, "Or did I hit the nail on the head? If it's true, you can tell me. Maybe we could consider getting back together?"
"Shameless."
"You're delusional. You won't even let your own boyfriend touch you. Do you really think you're a goddess of the century, capable of controlling men with just your looks?"
"So you're finally willing to admit that the breakup was because of this reason?" Gu Xizhi looked at him with a cold smile. "You're truly despicable."
"As a normal guy, when faced with an abnormal woman, the only choice is to find a normal one."
"No need to make excuses for your shallow affections, isn't it simply because you like Qu Xizhi? So what? Would she care? Have you become a normal guy?"
Le Cheng chuckled. "Why wouldn't she care? Don't you know she was the one who came to me first? Speaking of which, she's much better than you in many ways. Not only is she more gentle, but she also knows how to take care of a man."
Gu Xizhi's expression immediately changed after hearing her last words, "Le Cheng, if you still have a little dignity, don't ruin other reputations."
"Why do you say I'm ruining her reputation? Do you know her well? Don't you know that women often act differently in front of others? Don't you wonder why things were going well and then suddenly we broke up?"
"Enough, I don't want to hear about it."
"If you don't want to hear it, I'll tell you anyway. That night, she came over and seduced me, taking the initiative to get into bed. Initially, there was no intention of breaking up. It was her who told me in bed..."
Pak—
Gu Xizhi slapped him before he finished speaking. Luckily, the location by the window is really remote. Le Cheng looked at the people talking and laughing in the distance, and he stopped talking, but smiled sarcastically, "What's wrong? Such a big reaction? Could it be that you still like me but can't accept the fact that I've been with other women?"
"I just wanted to let you know," Gu Xizhi said seriously, each word carefully enunciated. "You're extremely disgusting."
"Is it disgusting just because I've been with her? Or are you jealous of her?"
This translation is originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com please read it there. and check out other stories too.
Gu Xizhi's face looked exceptionally grim, but her tone was resolute. "I hope this is the last time we ever talk in this lifetime." She turned around and walked away.
When Liang Youyou saw Gu Xizhi again, she felt that she had time-traveled again. She looked normal a few minutes ago, but after a few minutes, she looked as if she had walked out of a black coal tank, her face was terribly ugly.
Since today is Zhao Ling's birthday, Liang Youyou still couldn't help reminding her, "Your face will make Zhao Ling think that you're not happy seeing her live so many years."
Because the dinner was still going on, everyone was laughing and chatting happily, so Gu Xizhi had no choice but to use her acting skills to try to hide her ugly expression, "I'm going back."
Liang Youyou deliberately teased her, "How can you leave without kissing Miss Qu?"
Gu Xizhi walked even faster.
Because she had hidden in the restroom for too long, when she returned to the banquet hall, the first game had already ended. Not wanting to attract any more attention, Gu Xizhi deliberately avoided the lively area and went back to where she had been earlier to retrieve her bag.
Tang Yu was still drinking and chatting with the people around him. When he saw Gu Xizhi coming over, he walked up to her with a smile, "We talked about dancing just now. Are you up for it now?"
With his reminder, Gu Xizhi remembered that she had indeed promised to dance with him. The games at the banquet had come to a halt, and now the entire hall was filled with the elegant and tranquil melody of a dance. The lighting was particularly enchanting, and the atmosphere was delightfully intoxicating. Despite not wanting to stay any longer after the previous commotion, when she looked at the harmonious and peaceful scene before her, Gu Xizhi decided not to decline Tang Yu's invitation.
The dim lights, red wine, and dance music seemed to stir emotions. On the dance floor, many men and women embraced each other, exchanging smiles and conversation. Gu Xizhi followed Tang Yu onto the dance floor. The enchanting atmosphere managed to infuse her emotions with an unexpected calmness.
In fact, as long as she didn't come across or hear Qu Xizhi's name, Gu Xizhi's emotional state remained quite good. As long as there was no interaction with her, she was still the same normal Gu Xizhi.
After dancing with Tang Yu, Gu Xizhi was about to leave the dance floor. At this time, the male singer who had just danced with Xie Lanfeng on the dance floor came to invite Gu Xizhi to dance to another song. Although Gu Xizhi was not very interested, for the sake of being polite, she still didn't erase her half-baked face.
The music sounded again, and Gu Xizhi and the male singer walked onto the dance floor. The dance music is beautiful and soothing, the lights are blurred and dim, and the chats on the dance floor are very happy.
In the first minute, Gu Xizhi and the male singer's dance seemed harmonious enough, considering it was their first time dancing together. However, as the dance reached its midpoint, the unlucky male singer noticed that Gu Xizhi kept zoning out, appearing distracted and unfocused.
With her dance skills, it wasn't that she was exceptionally skilled, but she should have been able to avoid frequently stepping on his feet. Even when she did, a simple apology or acknowledgment would have sufficed. However, throughout the dance, she stepped on him six or seven times, and she only realized it herself two or three times. Even after realizing it, she only apologized once.
The hapless male singer who was extremely confused, besides feeling sorry for his shoes, really wanted to ask her what was the matter, but from the beginning to the end, her gaze was always slightly lowered, so he didn't know how to speak.
Finally, when the song ended, the male singer released Gu Xizhi and prepared to leave the dance floor. However, he saw Qu Xizhi, who had danced with someone else earlier, coming over and saying, "Mr. Sun, your dancing is really impressive. Who did you learn it from?"
After the unlucky male singer surnamed Sun was praised, especially after being praised by a very popular and beautiful actress, he seemed very humble and flattered, "No, no, just dancing casually."
Qu Xizhi nodded and then turned to Gu Xizhi. "Miss Gu's dancing is also very good. Are you also self-taught?"
Gu Xizhi raised her head to look at her, feeling stung by the heavy irony in her words. After locking eyes with her for a few seconds, she turned away and walked off.
Perhaps because her mind was filled with images of Qu Xizhi mocking her, Gu Xizhi was walking when she was inexplicably tripped by something on the dance floor and fell to the ground.
Due to wearing a skirt, when she fell, her skin scraped against the ground, causing an immediate stinging pain. Gu Xizhi furrowed her brow in discomfort. Soon, those around her noticed the situation. Tang Yu, who was standing by the dance floor, immediately walked over, and the unlucky male singer surnamed Sun also approached.
When Gu Xizhi raised her head, Qu Xizhi also glanced in her direction, seeming to be prepared to come over and check on her. However, as she was halfway there, a poised woman intercepted her path. Qu Xizhi exchanged a few words with the woman, then the woman took her by the wrist and led her towards the dance floor, only giving Gu Xizhi a few glances over her shoulder.
Gu Xizhi, who fell to the ground, watched Qu Xizhi and the woman leave. Her already ugly face became even uglier. She ignored those who came over and got up from the ground on her own and left.
She picked up her bag, left the banquet hall, and prepared to leave. After spending the entire evening, Gu Xizhi felt like she had a streak of bad luck. Besides the troublesome events that occurred after Qu Xizhi arrived at the scene, the argument with Le Cheng earlier had also left her in a foul mood.
Her knee was still hurting, but Gu Xizhi didn't seem to care about it. She limped out of Zhao Ling's villa in this manner.
Sitting in the car, Gu Xizhi's assistant, Youyou, was surprised to see Gu Xizhi leaving so early. The weather could get quite cold in the evening, and she was concerned that Gu Xizhi might catch a chill. She quickly got out of the car with a coat and went to greet her.
(T/N: seems like there's really another assistant named Youyou)
The vehicles parked outside Zhao Ling's villa formed a long queue. Not long after, Youyou got out of the car and saw a shadow following Gu Xizhi coming out of the villa. Because the distance was still far, she subconsciously slowed her pace down.
Qu Xizhi saw Gu Xizhi leaving and caught up with her. The night air was chilly, and after stepping out, the cold air seemed to pierce the skin. Qu Xizhi saw the limping Gu Xizhi and quickly took a few steps forward to block her path, asking seriously, "Is your leg okay?"
Gu Xizhi passed by her and continued walking forward, saying, "Go away, there's no need for fake concern."
Qu Xizhi stopped her again, "Don't be stubborn, let me take a look."
The more persistent she was, the more annoyed Gu Xizhi felt. She stopped and argued with her seriously, "Miss Qu Xizhi, what exactly do you want? If I hadn't fallen just now, would there be a need for this pretense of care?'
"Okay, I apologize for what happened just now, but whether it's a true concern or not, do you really not know?"
"How would I know what Miss Qu is really thinking?" An agitated Gu Xizhi appeared quite unsettled. "Today it's with this person, tomorrow it's with that one, occasionally snatching someone else's boyfriend. All these messy relationships are really exhausting to even think about."
"It's not as messy as it sounds."
"I'm afraid it's even more messy than what I said." Gu Xizhi felt that her emotions couldn't be contained as she thought of Le Cheng's words earlier. "Even seducing a bastard like Le Cheng, your life is really messed up!"
"When did I ever seduce him?" Qu Xizhi seemed puzzled. "He approached me years ago, and at that time, I didn't even know who he was. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have said a word to him."
"What's the use of saying all this? You still talked to him!"
"Is speaking with him an unforgivable sin?"
"Yes, being mixed up with that kind of thing is simply extremely disgusting."
"If we're talking about getting mixed up, isn't he your ex-boyfriend? Who has a closer relationship with him after all?"
"He used to be a boyfriend, that's correct, but he means nothing now. Are you daring to admit that you didn't use any means to get close to him back then?"
"Of course, I'm willing to admit that I used means to break you up with him. He's not a fool who would believe anything easily."
Gu Xizhi's pupils dilated as she heard this, her face filled with disbelief. "Qu Xizhi, this is beyond enough. I used to think that even though your relationships were complicated, you at least had some basic decency. Now it seems like you're no different from those female celebrities with messy personal lives!"
"What are you talking about exactly?"
"What? Don't tell me you didn't know. Didn't you already admit to having that kind of thing with someone surnamed Le?"
Qu Xizhi furrowed her brows, clearly finding it hard to believe what she was hearing. "Where did you even come up with these ideas?"
"Now, it seems you're thinking of more than what's actually happened!"
Qu Xizhi paused for a moment, then nodded gently. "Okay, if that's how you want to think, I can't stop you." She turned to leave.
"Stop!" Gu Xizhi seemed to be refusing to give up until she made it clear. She stopped her from chattering, "You dare to do those things, but now you don't want to admit it?"
"Does it make sense to care about doing or not doing those things if you don't like me anyway?"
"It's just disgusting, unbearable, especially promiscuous!"
Qu Xizhi looked at her, her gaze slightly narrowing, "What did you say?"
Gu Xizhi, infuriated and overwhelmed, said it again, 'Disgusting and unbearable!'"
Qu Xizhi didn't speak anymore, but took a deep look at her, turned around, and left.
The distance between the two was so close. Before she turned around, the look she gave her made Gu Xizhi's heart suddenly feel cold. The intense hurt and dim disappointment in that gaze seemed to block her chest, making it hard for her to catch her breath all at once.
Gu Xizhi, whose mind was clouded by anger, seemed to suddenly wake up in an instant and had no idea why she had just said those words to her.
Obviously, what that bastard Le Cheng said doesn't need to be cared about, doesn't need to be taken seriously. She actually doesn't plan to believe it at all. But as soon as she thinks about the connection with Qu Xizhi, even if she hears Qu Xizhi's name coming from his mouth, she feels an immediate urge to kill him.
She's so good, how can he defile her? She'd rather have her own name come out of his mouth than have him mention her in front of anyone.
Her anger completely lost the right direction. Clearly, she shouldn't be like this now, but things got messed up because of her loss of reason.
Watching her turn away, Gu Xizhi almost instinctively grabbed her hand. "I'm sorry, I spoke without thinking. Just forget what I said."
Qu Xizhi didn't move, nor did she speak. The moonlight was so quiet, and her figure was stretched out so long. This slender silhouette made Gu Xizhi feel really uncomfortable. She couldn't help but lower her voice a bit when she spoke.
"I don't know what's going on. I'm very annoyed when I heard him say you were together. I'm afraid your reputation will be ruined by him. You know, he's just a jerk, and you don't want to be bothered by a jerk."
She doesn't know why, but Gu Xizhi couldn't help but shed tears when she was obviously supposed to comfort others.
She didn't want to hurt her at all, but every time she talked to her, her emotions would become uncontrollable. Clearly, she used to be strong, but seeing the disappointment and hurt in her eyes made her feel really sad as if something beautiful was slipping away from her, and she didn't want to lose it.
Perhaps her slightly hoarse voice made Qu Xizhi notice something unusual, she slowly turned back and saw her tears wetting her long eyelashes as they flowed down her cheeks. Her expression immediately changed.
One hand reached back to hold her hand, while Qu Xizhi lifted her other hand and gently wiped away her tears with her fingertips. "Why are you crying? It's not your fault."
She didn't need to say it, but hearing her forgiveness made Gu Xizhi feel even more ashamed. The tears she had struggled to hold back continued to flow from her eyes.
There was no way to control her tears. Qu Xizhi stopped wiping her tears, but hugged her tightly, patted her on the shoulder, and coaxed her softly, "Please stop crying, okay?"
Perhaps the healing effect of the hug was particularly noticeable, as Gu Xizhi rested her head on her shoulder and choked back tears for a while. The tears gradually became less obvious.
After soothing her for a while and feeling that her emotions had calmed down a bit, Qu Xizhi gently pushed her away slightly and looked at her cheeks.
The moonlight is so faint, and her tears are so beautiful. Just looking at her like this, one would feel their heart touched by a nameless emotion, unable to escape the soft whirlpool.
She couldn't help it at all. Seeing her appearance, she couldn't help but lower her head and kiss her lightly.
Without any resistance or rejection from her, she just lowered her head, and when her eyelids dropped, her eyelashes covered the color in her eyes.
They are so close together, the complex emotions in her eyes always wrapped around her like seaweed. As long as Gu Xizhi's eyelashes fluttered gently, she could see the faint watery shimmer beneath her long eyelashes.
Qu Xizhi's heart softened, and she couldn't help but say softly, "I don't know what you're thinking now. I haven't done the things you said I did, and it's not as chaotic as you said. These past few years, I've just wanted to get close, that's why I made you break up with Le Cheng. It's because I really like you that I did all that. Will you believe me?"
Her voice was so gentle as if the moonlight had become softer because of her. It was quiet all around, and even the evening breeze felt less cold. Gu Xizhi's heart felt like it had been squeezed of all its words, and she didn't know what to say. She couldn't utter anything that would disappoint her further.
In front of the villa, two rows of cars were still parked there, and the wind carried the scent of osmanthus from the greenery when it blew. Gu Xizhi stood in the center of the wide road, silent for a long time, while Qu Xizhi stood patiently in front of her, waiting.
After a while, Gu Xizhi felt the hands holding her own tighten, and she couldn't help but speak, "I..."
At that moment, footsteps could be heard inside the villa. Gu Xizhi raised her head and looked towards the wrought-iron gate. Soon, she heard the sound of the gate being opened.
A woman walked out from the gate, and upon seeing Qu Xizhi, she immediately waved happily, "Xiao Qu, I've been looking for you everywhere. It turns out you're here. I got a piece of your favorite cake, hurry back."
Qu Xizhi looked at her for a moment, then immediately turned to glance at Gu Xizhi's expression. Gu Xizhi's face subtly changed, and she calmly released her hand, saying, "Go eat the cake first, I'll head back."
Qu Xizhi watched her retreating figure and whispered, "Xiao Jing..."
Gu Xizhi paused, tilting her head slightly. "There's still time. Go ahead, we'll talk about other things later."
Qu Xizhi wanted to say more, but Gu Xizhi had already disappeared step by step into the night.
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