Chapter 97 — A Night of Futile Vigil

Without any delay, the male lead in Director Chen Dan’s film smoothly fell to Cheng Yishu, and for a time the media paid even closer attention to Cheng Yishu’s daily coverage and every move he made.

At Tianjiang Apartments...

Da Lingzi was busy packing in the walk-in closet, taking out one piece of clothing after another and turning them over in her hands, unable to decide whether he should bring thicker clothes or lighter ones, whether the temperature difference between morning and evening would be a problem...

After all, Da Lingzi had never been to Yunnan.

"Brother Cheng, how many pairs of shoes do you want to take? Do you need dress shoes too, or just sneakers?" Da Lingzi’s voice drifted out from the closet, while Cheng Yishu still sat on the sofa in a daze.

The afterglow of sunset filtered through the gauze curtains and gilded the fingers that held the cigarette, until the faint sting of it finally brought Cheng Yishu back to himself. He stubbed the cigarette out in the crystal ashtray on the coffee table.

"Oh my, Brother Cheng, why are you smoking again?"

Da Lingzi came over with one shoe in her left hand and another in her right, muttering, "Your craving’s getting worse lately. If the company finds out, they’ll say something again."

"What does it matter? Think of it as studying the character. The role requires it." Cheng Yishu smiled faintly at her.

Da Lingzi looked at him without comment. These past few days Cheng Yishu had been smiling more, talking a little more than before, yet somehow he still felt hollow, unreal, as though the whole person were made of mist.

Compared with this, Da Lingzi still thought the old Cheng Yishu—quiet, cool, with an occasional dry joke—was more comfortable to be around.

Cheng Yishu glanced at the shoes Da Lingzi had taken out, and his eyes settled on one pair.

A pair of this summer’s new white Air Jordans, with two clumsy ducks drawn on either side in sky-blue marker. Yes, blue ducks...

At first, when he saw Ranran awkwardly holding a paintbrush and carefully doodling on them, Cheng Yishu had not even had time to feel sorry for the new shoes before he heard Ranran say very earnestly:

"Brother Yishu, today the teacher taught us how to draw ducklings. The teacher even praised me and said mine was the best. Now I’m giving the duckling to you as a surprise. Look—does it look nice? Do you like it?"

He no longer remembered how, after that, he had restrained his fury and coaxed the little princess into smiling again. Anyway, after that, whenever Ranran was around, Cheng Yishu never again dared let her be alone with the sneakers he loved.

"These shoes are painted like this. Should we take them to be cleaned?" Da Lingzi asked uncertainly, holding them up.

She did not remember any sponsor sending over such a graffiti version of the shoes, so it was not hard to guess this must have been the masterpiece of that little girl, Ranran.

Even now, she still clicked her tongue. Only Ranran would dare do something like this...

"No need." Cheng Yishu looked at the shoes again and said softly, "Throw them away. They can’t be worn anymore anyway."

Da Lingzi froze. Cheng Yishu’s expression did not look like he was speaking carelessly.

But to throw away such an expensive pair of shoes just like that?

"...Oh." Da Lingzi nodded. "Then should I take this pair?"

She lifted the other shoe again, and Cheng Yishu stood up.

"Suit yourself. No need to ask me. Just pack a few sets that are comfortable and convenient to wear."

Passing by Da Lingzi, Cheng Yishu walked toward the bedroom, but stopped again at the doorway. Looking back, he saw Da Lingzi still standing there staring at him.

"What are you staring at me for? I’m sleepy. I’m going in for a nap. Once you’re done packing, go back and rest. The flight is early tomorrow morning, and Kai will be coming too... See you tomorrow."

The bedroom door was softly pulled shut. Only then did Da Lingzi blink mechanically and let out a breath before turning her gaze back to the pair of shoes that were now beyond saving.

Trending news never cared what industry it came from. Once something made it onto the charts, there was no way for it not to become common knowledge, especially for those in the circle who monitored every ranking day and night.

The relationship between Lin Xiaowen and the general manager of Randong Group had truly startled everyone, yet Chen Kai and Da Lingzi still had to pretend to be calm.

In front of Cheng Yishu, neither of them mentioned Lin Xiaowen again, acting as though nothing had happened at all...

Cheng Yishu’s bedroom was entirely in pale blue.

Pale blue curtains, pale blue sheets, pale blue wallpaper, and on the bay window, pale blue cushions...

Only a few days ago, Lin Xiaowen had still been hugging that soft cushion, leaning in Cheng Yishu’s arms as the two of them fussed over one another over nothing in particular.

He still remembered the curve of Lin Xiaowen’s lips when she smiled, and the flutter in his heart when her soft hair brushed across his face.

He remembered even more clearly the serious expression she wore when she picked carrots out of his bowl and would not let him be a picky eater.

In truth, Lin Xiaowen had only come to this apartment once, yet it seemed as though every corner had been filled with her shadow. Even with his eyes closed, he could almost hear her voice, her breathing.

Cheng Yishu held the pale blue cushion and sat there in a daze.

"If you simply don’t like me anymore, then I can gamble once more and do everything I can to win you back. If it’s another man who has made your heart move, I can still find a way to make your heart hold only me again. If I cannot give you the future you want, then I can devote all my strength to building one for you..."

"But if you still simply love that man, and want to give Ranran a complete family, then what chance do I have to fight for you?"

Cheng Yishu suddenly gave a self-mocking laugh. How old was he now? What had he never seen? What had he never heard?

Even a relationship built over seven years could be false—let alone the mere few months they had spent together.

"Cheng Yishu, you’re ridiculous."

It did not matter. Tomorrow he would leave. Filming a movie was different from shooting a television drama. The schedule would be longer, and it could temper a person’s will even more.

Most importantly, he would be leaving this place. Like forgetting an old love, he could forget her quickly too.

Somewhere nearby, a few dog barks sounded, perhaps from upstairs, perhaps from downstairs.

Only a few barks, and then nothing more could be heard.

Last time, he had even promised Ranran that when her birthday came, he would give her a little puppy. The girl had been delighted beyond measure at the time...

Thinking of Ranran wrapping her arms around his neck and shouting "Long live!" over and over, Cheng Yishu could not help smiling again.

"You can’t keep pets. Wait until you’re a little older, all right?" Lin Xiaowen had always been stricter with Ranran.

"No, no... Brother Yishu already agreed!" Ranran refused to let go of the hand around Cheng Yishu’s neck, protesting in a tiny voice.

"It’s fine. All the health checks can be done properly. Children can raise dogs..."

Cheng Yishu murmured to himself in a trance. After a while, he realized with surprise that he had been speaking aloud without meaning to.

The corners of his mouth fell as he sat somewhat at a loss on the bay window.

Used to having the curtains closed around the clock at home, he suddenly wanted to look at the lights glowing in other people’s windows outside.

Cheng Yishu reached out, and just as his fingers touched the curtain, Ranran’s youthful voice rang again in his ears.

"I like yellow best, because SpongeBob is yellow. What color does Brother Yishu like... I guess Brother Yishu likes blue the best, right?"

"Why do you think I like blue?" Cheng Yishu found the little girl’s confidence rather amusing.

"Because blue represents the starry sky. Brother Yishu has stars in his eyes, so of course the stars like the starry sky."

"Ha... such sweet talk. You little trickster."

Cheng Yishu thought he was long used to Ranran’s elaborate praise, but he had not expected the little one’s skills to have improved.

"Cheng Yishu, don’t teach Ranran to talk like that!" Lin Xiaowen had her hands on her hips and wore a stern face.

"Come on, she’s the one who corrupted me, all right?" Cheng Yishu said with wounded indignation.

"Heeheehee..." Ranran covered her mouth and laughed secretly.

"You’re still laughing, still laughing..." Cheng Yishu gritted his teeth, teasing her and reaching for her ticklish spots. Ranran burst into laughter and ran off to find her mother for help. The two little troublemakers, one big and one small, circled around a helpless Lin Xiaowen and turned the room upside down.

In that little room, it always seemed to be filled with joy.