The snow had stopped on the way home.
But Wen Tingxue habitually walked in his footprints.
"Ouch!"
Without paying attention, she bumped into him and was flung away.
Fortunately, he reacted quickly and pulled her into his arms.
"What are you spacing out about?"
He asked, his arms encircling her.
Her mind elsewhere, she lagged far behind.
She didn't even react when he stopped.
Wen Tingxue blinked, and slowly looked up, his reflection clear in her dark, bright eyes.
Pure and sharp.
"Let's go back to the Imperial Capital," she said.
She ventured, and Yu Wenli raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
"You continue singing your songs, and I'll continue designing my posters, how about it?"
They were close, and the surroundings were extremely quiet.
So quiet that he could hear her heartbeat.
It wasn't very regular, a little erratic.
"Is that truly what you want?"
After a long gaze, he asked.
Wen Tingxue nodded without hesitation, "Yes!"
"Alright," he took her hand and they walked back slowly, "Then we'll go back."
Upon arriving home, she went to wash up.
Yu Wenli sat on the sofa for a while, then took his phone outside.
"Hello?" Que You answered listlessly, swiping to accept the call.
Yu Wenli got straight to the point, "I want to return to the entertainment industry."
"You want toβ you want to return to the entertainment industry?!"
Que You sprang up from the bed instantly.
Yu Wenli replied calmly, "You arrange it. I can get back into it anytime."
"No problem, no problem!"
Hearing he wanted to return, Que You became full of energy, assuring him repeatedly.
After hanging up, Chu Hefei's WeChat video call popped up again.
Que You hung up without a second thought.
The matter had been laid bare, and he had been begging for forgiveness during this time.
Que You was already annoyed and didn't want to deal with him.
Now that Yu Wenli was returning, he had even less time for him.
He simply blocked him.
Wen Tingxue came out of the bathroom and found he wasn't in the room.
Opening the window, she saw he was indeed smoking downstairs.
A tiny ember glowed vividly in the snow.
Perhaps sensing her gaze, the young man looked up, his face obscured by smoke, appearing even more alluring.
Their eyes met, and he instinctively extinguished the cigarette in the snow.
Wen Tingxue was speechless. Noticing he was still on the phone, she closed the window.
As she walked towards the dressing table, she suddenly realized something.
The entertainment industry was easy to leave, but difficult to re-enter.
The last time, to take care of her grandfather, he had retired for three to four months.
Upon his return, many things would be out of his control.
This time, it had been a full year. Given Mo Yichen and Fu Yuchuan's personalities, they likely wouldn't give him a chance to return.
Wen Tingxue bit her fingertip, took out her phone, and dialed Xie Jinyi's number.
She didn't want any involvement with the Han family for now.
But the only one who could contend with the Fu family was Han Xianyun.
Upon receiving Wen Tingxue's call, Xie Jinyi was surprised.
After listening to her, she said it was no problem.
"Sigh," Xiao Ya sighed.
Xie Jinyi asked her with a wry smile, "What's wrong again?"
Xiao Ya said, "Nothing's wrong with me, I'm sighing for you. You know, when you and Fourth Master were fine, nothing happened. But as soon as you quarrel with Fourth Master, trouble arises."
She felt worn out just thinking about it.
"Alright, it's not that big of a deal. Go call Han Xianyun and say I'm not feeling well."
Xie Jinyi put down her phone and lay on the lounge chair, applying a facial mask.
Ever since he fired his secretary, their relationship had been intimate for a period.
Especially when he personally promised, "We'll have a peaceful breakup one week before the engagement. During this period, I won't touch anyone other than you."
After so long together, it was the first time he had given such a promise.
And he had indeed kept it.
However, a week before the engagement, on the night they peacefully broke up, Yan Jinghe found her with a group of girlfriends.
They said they wanted to teach her a lesson.
At that time, she was outnumbered and inevitably got into a physical scuffle.
Yan Jinghe was injured and turned around to complain to Han Xianyun.
That scoundrel actually believed her fabricated story.
That night, he called her, asking what had happened.
His questioning tone immediately ignited her temper.
The two of them had a fight.
Later, he must have investigated the truth and wanted to contact her to apologize.
She didn't want to be entangled with him anymore, so she didn't answer.
It had been half a month since then, and the engagement between the Han and Yan families had likely been postponed again.
Hearing no news, he hadn't contacted her again.
Xiao Ya didn't know the full story and thought they were sulking.
"Fourth Master isn't answering."
Xiao Ya reported with a distressed face.
Xie Jinyi took off her mask and glanced at the number of calls.
Three times.
"Go do it immediately."
The moment the photos and text were sent, Han Xianyun's call came in.
Xiao Ya instinctively prepared to answer.
Xie Jinyi took her phone and hung up.
Xiao Ya stared at her blankly, "Sister Xiaoyi, it's Fourth Master's call."
She reminded her.
Xie Jinyi leaned lazily on the lounge chair, letting the blood flow from her leg.
Hearing this, she said faintly, "I just hung up his call."
If she didn't hang up, how would he come?
Xiao Ya didn't understand.
She had never understood their love story.
About ten calls were hung up.
Xiao Ya was afraid Han Xianyun would get angry.
Xie Jinyi, however, lay there calmly.
...
Twenty-five minutes later, Han Xianyun arrived punctually with a family doctor.
His expression was dark enough to drip water.
Seeing Xie Jinyi, he cursed, "Are you fucking crazy?"
Xie Jinyi chuckled, "Yes, I am crazy. I've always been quite crazy, didn't Fourth Master know that long ago?"
She deliberately provoked him.
Her tone was not exactly respectful.
The family doctor subconsciously held his breath for her.
To his surprise, Han Xianyun said nothing.
He snatched the medical kit from the doctor's hand, squatted beside Xie Jinyi, and lifted her skirt to examine the wound.
Before lifting her skirt, he glanced at the family doctor.
The latter immediately turned around.
The wound was on her inner thigh, not too far from her private parts.
"You do pick your spot well," he said sarcastically.
Xie Jinyi smiled, "Of course, otherwise why would Fourth Master come?"
After so long together, she had a good grasp of his personality.
If he was willing to soften his stance, it meant he wasn't tired of her.
But after these days of silent treatment, he wouldn't easily let it go.
Even if she used all her tricks, he might not show her a good face in a short time.
Since that was the case, she would take a unconventional approach.
What he wanted was for her to yield, right?
Then she would yield completely, so much so that he couldn't refuse.
In other words, he cared about her, cared about her body.
He wouldn't allow her to be injured.
The wound wasn't very deep, but on her fair, jade-like leg, it looked somewhat terrifying.
It was heart-wrenching.
Han Xianyun's hands were careful as he worked, his breathing also slowing considerably.
"Will Fourth Master do it? If not, let the doctor handle it."
Xie Jinyi blinked her eyes, acting up.
Han Xianyun glared at her fiercely, but the anger he had held back for days dissipated considerably.
"I hope you die of pain," he said threateningly.
Xie Jinyi giggled, "Xiao Ya, quickly, pour some tea for my doctor brother, hiss~"
Xie Jinyi gasped in pain.
The doctor gasped in fear.
"Who are you calling brother?"
Before the doctor could say anything, Han Xianyun looked up and asked with a strained smile.
"Brother," Xie Jinyi called him sweetly.
Much more charming than "doctor brother."
Han Xianyun hummed in satisfaction, stood up, and prepared to discard the cotton swabs.
Xie Jinyi grabbed his wrist, looked up at him, her slightly reddened lower eyelids conveying silent vulnerability.
Han Xianyun's gaze shifted, "What is it?"
"Since I called you brother, shouldn't brother help sister?" she asked, her eyes alluringly fixed on him.
Han Xianyun nodded without hesitation, "Of course."
Then, he narrowed his eyes, "Which sister?"
He instinctively thought it was her, but then he reconsidered.
No.
Although they had been in a cold war for the past half month, he was aware of her situation.
There was no need for him to help.
Xie Jinyi raised her eyebrows playfully, "How many sisters does Fourth Master have?"
"She came to you?" After a pause, he mumbled a little wronged, "Why didn't she come to me directly?"
Xie Jinyi wasn't aware of the specifics of the matters between Wen Tingxue and the Han family, only that there was conflict.
No one dared to ask about the exact nature of the conflict.
She feared it was something irreconcilable, which was why she had resorted to this tactic.
But now it seemed, it was just that girl throwing a tantrum unilaterally.
In Jiangcheng, at the Chi family.
"If you don't help him, then don't you dare touch me!"
Cheng Luolu stood at the steps with her hands on her hips, issuing a threat and warning.
Chi Ye stood on the first floor with a headache, "You don't have that deep a relationship with them, why are you sticking your nose into this?"
Cheng Luolu snorted, "Who is the reason I have no friends?"
Chi Ye: "..."
Cheng Luolu: "They are already my few friends. You must help, otherwise, otherwise..."
Her eyes darted around, and finally, she climbed onto the railing and threatened, "Or I'll jump down!"
Chi Ye: "..."
"That kid came to you, right?" Chi Ye hit the nail on the head.
Cheng Luolu turned her face away uncomfortably, repeating, "In any case, you have to help."
Fearing he wouldn't agree, she moved down further.
Chi Ye watched, his heart pounding, and gritted his teeth, "Don't you move! I'll help! I'll help, okay? Just stay there and don't move!"
He rushed up three steps at a time.
Chi Zerui hung up the phone with satisfaction.
Han Xianyun and Chi Ye joined forces, along with the Song family's influence in the entertainment industry and the Yan family's status in the arts and literature.
Even if Fu Yuchuan wanted to stop it, he couldn't.
On New Year's Eve, Xie Jinyi took the stage to perform, singing Yu Wenli's hit song "Short Haired Girl."
Yu Wenli and Wen Tingxue's CP fans immediately gathered.
Que You and Yu Yahe seized the opportunity to build momentum, with press releases about 'looking forward to Yu Wenli's return to the entertainment industry' flooding the internet.
Many netizens and fans followed suit, and soon it was trending.
Offline, various forces were mobilized.
Yu Wenli successfully appeared on the Spring Festival Gala stage, marking his smooth return to the entertainment industry.
His new song was "I Am Not a Monster."
From the perspective of someone with bipolar disorder, it sang his inner voice.
Calling for understanding.
It also indirectly confirmed that he had indeed been recuperating during his absence.
"There's a monster living inside me, but believe me, I am not a monster. Don't be afraid of me."
"Sister Xue, don't worry, I'll manage the guesthouse beautifully. I definitely won't shame you!"
The manager patted his chest and promised.
Wen Tingxue smiled, "I believe you!"
"Then when will you come back? Will you come back?" the manager asked reluctantly.
Wen Tingxue thought for a moment and said, "I will definitely come back, but I really don't know when."
Given Yu Wenli's current popularity, she would likely have very little free time.
She hadn't even returned to the Imperial Capital yet, and Song You and Tang Mobai were calling her non-stop.
Her schedule was packed, and she probably wouldn't even have weekends free.
Qiao Hui saw her off at the station.
There was no airport here; Lingxi had one.
Imperial Capital.
Song You picked her up and asked, "Are you planning to rest for a few days?"
Wen Tingxue hissed, "Do I have a chance to rest?"
Song You laughed, "Probably not. As soon as the news of your return was released, the number of bookings was terrifying. Your name is really effective."
"Tch," Wen Tingxue did not accept the compliment at all, "It's clearly your extensive network and big brand name."
After a pause, she said, "I'll be joining the crew tomorrow. Send me the bookings first, and I'll arrange my schedule accordingly."
"Joining the crew?" Song You asked, "Aren't you going back to Jiangcheng for the Lantern Festival? You didn't even go back for New Year's."
Wen Tingxue said, "I'm not going back. We had a gathering at the guesthouse a few days before the New Year. Work is more important."
Of course, more importantly, this job was related to Xie Jinyi.
She owed Xie Jinyi a favor and naturally had to repay it.
On the Lantern Festival Gala night.
Yu Wenli and Mo Yichen officially met backstage.
This was the first time Yu Wenli had encountered him since his return to the entertainment industry.
The Spring Festival Gala was too crowded, so they hadn't met unexpectedly.
"Long time no see, Teacher Yu."
Mo Yichen greeted him with a smile, as if nothing had happened.
Yu Wenli ignored his outstretched hand and smiled faintly, "I hope Teacher Mo can smile as happily tomorrow."
His words were too obviously laden with meaning.
Mo Yichen was startled, his gaze deepening as if he were judging the truth.
In the car.
Xiao Ya frantically called Han Xianyun.
He answered slowly.
When he did, it was noisy on his end.
"What is it?" he asked in a low voice.
Xiao Ya cried, "Fourth Master, Sister Xiaoyi is injured..."
"I'm very busy right now, I'll call you back later."
He interrupted and hung up.
Xie Jinyi, who had heard the entire conversation, let out a faint scoff.
Xiao Ya comforted her, "He might really be busy. He did say he would call back."
As soon as they arrived at the hospital, they saw the very busy Fourth Master Han accompanying another woman.