During the meal, Liu Yiyi said very little; the conversation was mainly between Shao Qi and Shang Hui. The food had already been served—rice noodles, pancakes, fried rice, salads, and several small snacks. In Country T, meals are served on empty plates, and everyone uses shared chopsticks to take whatever they want.
Shang Hui pushed a plate of fried rice directly in front of Liu Yiyi. "You eat this," she said, looking at her, secretly implying she could order more if it wasn't enough.
Shao Qi looked at the rice in front of Liu Yiyi. That was easily enough for three people—could a girl really finish all of that? "Junior, can you finish that?"
Shang Hui chimed in to explain, "Senior, you don't know Yiyi; she can really eat." After all, she had witnessed Yiyi's appetite firsthand.
The meal went very pleasantly. Shao Qi watched the plate in front of Liu Yiyi—it was genuinely polished clean. Incredible. Where on earth did all that food go? She didn't look chubby at all. "Junior, are you full? Or should we order some more?"
Liu Yiyi gave a slight nod. "I'm full."
After paying the bill, Shao Qi drove them back to their respective apartments. He dropped off Shang Hui first since her place was closer. When getting out of the car, Liu Yiyi reminded her not to forget to apply her medicine, and they said their goodbyes.
Watching Shang Hui's retreating figure, Liu Yiyi turned back to get into the car, only to find the door wouldn't open. Shao Qi's voice sounded from the driver's seat. "Junior, sit in the front. I'm serving as your private chauffeur for the day, after all."
Liu Yiyi had no choice but to pull open the front passenger door and get in. After fastening her seatbelt, Shao Qi asked during the drive, "Why so quiet?"
"Thank you," Liu Yiyi said softly after a moment of silence.
"What are you thanking me for?" Shao Qi tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, looking half-understanding.
"You didn't stop me today." Liu Yiyi knew Shao Qi had wanted to let her teach Sange a lesson, but he also hadn't wanted the conflict between them to keep escalating.
"Liu Yiyi, you're a smart person. Knowing when to stop is the right choice. You can protect yourself, but you can't guarantee the safety of the people around you, can you?" Shao Qi wiped away his smile, gazing at her with a deep, unfathomable look in his eyes.
Liu Yiyi met his cool, detached gaze head-on. "You see things pretty clearly." This guy was also heavily guarded; she could tell just from this incident. As expected of someone mixed up in the entertainment industry—he knew when to advance and when to retreat.
*Rrrring—* The phone rang, shattering the heavy atmosphere. Liu Yiyi looked at the caller ID for Zhang Lin and answered in Chinese, "Hello?"
"Yiyi, class should be over by now, right?"
"Yeah. There was a freshman orientation tonight, and I'm almost home."
"You're still outside? Well, when you get back, give Qiqi a call. He's not doing too well."
"What's wrong?" Liu Yiyi's expression froze instantly. Had something happened to Qiyu?
"I asked Qiqi, but he didn't say. He just sounded very down."
"I know."
"Alright, I'll hang up first. Bye-bye, mua!"
As soon as Liu Yiyi hung up, she heard Shao Qi ask in the language of Country T, "Is something wrong? Your expression doesn't look too good."
"It's nothing."
"It's better to talk about things. Bottling it up can become a habit."
Remembering Zhang Lin's request, Liu Yiyi looked over at the driver. "Senior, can I have your chat ID?"
Shao Qi hadn't expected Liu Yiyi to proactively ask for his chat ID. Given her personality, she shouldn't have wanted too much interaction with them in the first place. As he wondered why she was asking for it, she asked again, "Can I?"
Shao Qi kept one hand on the steering wheel and looked at her. His pupils were dark as ink, as if they could suck a person's soul right in. She truly possessed a unique charm—a special kind of magnetism that made it impossible for him to refuse. In the end, Shao Qi recited his chat ID.
Liu Yiyi forwarded the number to Zhang Lin. They had already arrived at the apartment complex, and Shao Qi parked the car right in front of Jinxi Apartment. "Thank you for your hard work, Senior," Liu Yiyi said, stepping out of the car and heading inside.
Shao Qi glanced at her resolute retreating figure and let out a low chuckle. "Interesting," he muttered before driving away.
As soon as Liu Yiyi returned to her apartment, she called Qiyu, and the line connected almost immediately. "Qiyu, what happened?"
"Yiyi, you didn't answer my calls. I called several times," Shu Qiyu's voice came through, laced with tears.
Recalling the frustrating events of the day, Liu Yiyi forced herself to calm down. "I won't miss them anymore, okay?" she said in a very gentle voice. "How is your body? Did you go for your check-up with Uncle Su today? I'll check, you know."
"I went. Uncle Su said I should maintain my current status."
"Did you go for a walk today?"
"Yes. Usually, Yiyi takes me," Qiyu said, his voice tinged with sadness. "It was also me who let Yiyi go to Country T."
Hearing Qiyu's voice, Liu Yiyi felt a pang of regret for agreeing to it back then. "Qiyu, did you take your medicine?"
"Yes."
"Yiyi, mom is calling me." Qiyu puckered his lips and leaned close to the screen. Liu Yiyi pressed her face against the phone, and the sound of Qiyu blowing a kiss came through.
"I'll come back as soon as the break starts," Liu Yiyi comforted him.
"Okay. Yiyi, get some rest early." With that, he hung up.
Putting down her phone, Liu Yiyi's thoughts drifted back to what had happened a month ago.
"Yiyi, you received your admission letter from Country T, right? You should go."
"Who told you about this?"
"I asked Sister Linlin. Don't worry, Yiyi, I'll take care of myself."
"I'll apply again next year, after your surgery is done," Liu Yiyi said, looking up at Qiyu with a gaze full of indulgence as she stroked his soft hair.
"Yiyi, if you don't go, I'll be very sad. Plus, you can come back during the breaks. Go ahead. Besides, we have Sister Linlin, and mom and dad."
"I'm worried about you." Qiyu blinked his bright eyes at her. "The doctor said I can't take any strong emotional stimuli. Go on. When you come back, bring me lots of delicious food and fun things, okay?"
Knowing that Qiyu simply didn't want her to have any regrets, Liu Yiyi relented. "Okay."
Qiyu pulled her into a hug.
Snapping out of her memories, Liu Yiyi steadied her mind, picked up her pajamas, and headed to the bathroom. After getting cleaned up, she went to bed.
At his own place, after taking a shower and wrapping a towel around his waist, Shao Qi sat on the bed drying his hair. He picked up his phone and saw a new friend request. The message attached read: *I'm your fan, my name is Zhang Lin*, followed by a smiley face.
Shao Qi suddenly understood. No wonder Liu Yiyi had asked for his chat ID—she had been getting it for a friend. He knew that, given Liu Yiyi's personality, she would never proactively ask anyone for their chat ID on her own.
He tapped to accept the friend request.