12:27 a.m.
Shen Zhiyi sat on the edge of the bed, clutching her phone tightly.
She had looked at the photo on the screen so many times she'd lost count.
It was a photo of her mother.
She was wearing the light-colored jacket she usually wore when she went out, a grocery bag in her hand, standing at the entrance to an alley near home.
The photo was startlingly clear.
Even the expression on her mother's face could be seen perfectly.
Shen Zhiyi's fingertips were ice-cold.
She tried to tell herself not to panic.
But her heart was beating faster and faster.
Who was that person?
How did they know where her mother lived?
And why were they taking pictures of her?
Her phone vibrated again.
[Unknown number: Do you know what fear feels like now?]
Shen Zhiyi didn't reply.
The other person quickly sent another message.
[Unknown number: If you really care about Lin Wanxing, you should know what to do.]
She stared at the words.
Tears slowly gathered in her eyes.
Finally, she replied.
[Shen Zhiyi: What do you want me to do?]
The other person didn't answer right away.
Several minutes passed.
A file was sent over.
It was a video.
Shen Zhiyi hesitated for a long time.
In the end, she opened it.
The video showed her mother returning home from the market that afternoon.
The person filming was not far away.
They didn't say a word.
They simply followed her the entire way.
Until her mother walked through the front door.
The video ended.
Shen Zhiyi's hands began to tremble.
She couldn't hold back any longer.
She immediately called Lin Wanxing.
“Zhiyi?”
The call connected, and Lin Wanxing's voice came through.
“You're still awake?”
Shen Zhiyi didn't say anything.
“Zhiyi?”
“Wanxing...”
Her voice was thick with tears.
Lin Wanxing sat bolt upright.
“What happened?”
“Someone...”
Shen Zhiyi drew a deep breath.
“Someone took pictures of my mom.”
Silence fell on the other end of the line.
“What did you say?”
“I received photos.”
“And a video.”
“They know where my mom lives.”
Lin Wanxing's voice immediately turned calm and composed.
“Send everything to me.”
“Okay.”
“Don't delete anything.”
“Mm.”
“Don't go outside alone right now.”
“I know.”
“Lock the door.”
“Okay.”
Lin Wanxing paused for a moment.
“I’m coming over.”
Shen Zhiyi immediately said, “No.”
“Why not?”
“If someone is watching me...”
“I'd be even less comfortable leaving you home alone.”
“But you could be photographed too if you come here.”
“Zhiyi.”
Lin Wanxing's voice was soft.
“I didn't fall for you because of some photos.”
“So I won't abandon you because of them, either.”
Shen Zhiyi's tears spilled over instantly.
“I'm so scared.”
“I know.”
“I really don't know what to do.”
“Then don't try to figure it out alone.”
“Leave it to me.”
Less than half an hour later, the doorbell rang.
Shen Zhiyi stood behind the door.
She checked the person outside through the peephole.
Lin Wanxing stood at the door, her hat pulled low.
There was no one else behind her.
Only then did Shen Zhiyi open the door.
The first thing Lin Wanxing did after entering was check the locks.
“Are the windows locked?”
“Yes.”
“What about the balcony?”
“Locked too.”
“Good.”
Only then did she let out a small breath of relief.
Shen Zhiyi stood beside her.
“You really came.”
“Mm.”
“Didn't you say we'd deal with it tomorrow?”
“Something like this can't wait.”
Lin Wanxing sat down on the couch.
“Show me those messages.”
Shen Zhiyi handed over her phone.
Lin Wanxing read through them one by one, her expression growing darker.
“What about this number?”
“I don't know.”
“No other way to contact them?”
“No.”
“Have you encountered anyone strange before?”
Shen Zhiyi shook her head.
“No.”
Lin Wanxing fell silent.
She took out her own phone.
“I'll have the company file a police report.”
Shen Zhiyi froze.
“But if we call the police...”
“This isn't just entertainment news anymore.”
“This is stalking.”
“It could even constitute a threat.”
“We can't handle this on our own.”
Shen Zhiyi nodded.
“Okay.”
1:30 a.m.
Lin Wanxing's manager, Gu Nanqiao, arrived as well.
The moment she entered, she pulled out her laptop.
“I've already contacted a lawyer.”
“The company will handle the relevant evidence too.”
“Zhiyi.”
She looked at Shen Zhiyi.
“Don't reply to that number again.”
“Don't respond to any messages at all.”
“Do you understand?”
Shen Zhiyi nodded.
“I understand.”
Gu Nanqiao turned to Lin Wanxing.
“And you.”
“Don't go anywhere alone for the time being.”
“I'll arrange security.”
Lin Wanxing nodded.
“Okay.”
“There’s one more thing.”
Gu Nanqiao hesitated.
“The company wants you to temporarily take down today's statement.”
Lin Wanxing raised her head.
“Why?”
“This situation is more complicated than we imagined.”
“Someone is clearly targeting both of you deliberately.”
“The company is worried that continuing to make your relationship public will cause them to escalate.”
Lin Wanxing didn't answer immediately.
Shen Zhiyi lowered her head.
She knew how things had ended up this way.
To some extent, it was all because of her.
“We can take it down,” Shen Zhiyi said suddenly.
Lin Wanxing turned to look at her.
“Zhiyi.”
“If taking it down can make you a little safer...”
“No.”
Lin Wanxing cut her off.
“Why not?”
“Because you're making this decision while you're afraid.”
“I'm not.”
“You are.”
Lin Wanxing looked at her.
“Right now, all you want is to protect everyone.”
“But you've forgotten to protect yourself.”
Shen Zhiyi was stunned.
Gu Nanqiao looked at the two of them.
In the end, she let out a soft sigh.
“We'll decide tomorrow.”
“For tonight, get some rest.”
3 a.m.
After Gu Nanqiao left, the room fell quiet again.
Shen Zhiyi sat on the couch.
Lin Wanxing sat beside her.
Neither of them said a word.
After a while, Shen Zhiyi suddenly asked, “Wanxing.”
“Mm?”
“If I hadn't been in your life today...”
“Would you never have had to deal with any of this?”
Lin Wanxing didn't answer.
“Did I make your life a complete mess?”
“No.”
“But...”
“Zhiyi.”
Lin Wanxing turned toward her.
“Do you know what I hate most about you?”
Shen Zhiyi stared at her.
“What?”
“You always think you'll drag other people down.”
“You always think that if you just leave, everything will get better.”
Shen Zhiyi fell silent.
“But have you ever thought about this?”
Lin Wanxing spoke slowly.
“If I really thought you were a burden...”
“I wouldn't be sitting here.”
Shen Zhiyi's eyes reddened.
“Then why are you so good to me?”
Lin Wanxing looked at her.
She didn't answer.
She simply reached out and gently took Shen Zhiyi's hand.
“Because I like you.”
Shen Zhiyi lowered her head.
“But I'm scared.”
“So am I,” Lin Wanxing said.
“I'm afraid you'll get hurt.”
“Afraid this relationship will cost you too much in the end.”
“Afraid no one will accept us.”
“But...”
She paused.
“Being afraid isn't a reason to leave.”
Shen Zhiyi lifted her head.
Their eyes met.
This time, neither of them looked away.
The next morning, the situation suddenly took a new turn.
The police began investigating the unknown number.
The company also contacted several media outlets.
The news that had initially been spreading like wildfire began to die down.
But a new problem emerged.
Someone posted an exposé online.
“Lin Wanxing allegedly used a newcomer to promote her new movie.”
The article even included stills from the movie the two of them were making.
It implied that their dates had been deliberately arranged.
“So this was all movie promotion?”
“Was that recording staged too?”
“If this is publicity, then the newcomer is really something.”
“Lin Wanxing is already that famous. Does she still need to manufacture a ship?”
Public opinion turned again.
When Shen Zhiyi saw the comments, she wasn't angry.
She actually found them a little absurd.
Yesterday, people were saying the two of them were real.
Today, they were saying it was all fake.
That was the entertainment industry.
No one truly cared about the truth.
People only cared about a story they could discuss.
She turned off her phone, but just then, a message from Lin Wanxing came in.
[Wanxing: Are you awake?]
[Shen Zhiyi: I’m awake.]
[Wanxing: You don't need to come to the company today.]
[Shen Zhiyi: What about you?]
[Wanxing: I have some things to deal with.]
Shen Zhiyi thought for a moment.
[Shen Zhiyi: Can I come with you?]
The other person was silent for a while.
[Wanxing: Are you sure?]
[Shen Zhiyi: Mm.]
[Wanxing: Okay.]
2 p.m.
Lin Wanxing brought Shen Zhiyi to the company.
For the first time, without any cameras present, they walked into the same conference room together.
A thick stack of documents lay on the table.
Gu Nanqiao sat at the head of the table.
“We found something.”
Shen Zhiyi sat up straighter.
“What?”
“The account that first posted the photos.”
Gu Nanqiao turned the laptop around.
“This account was registered less than three months ago.”
“And it has no other content.”
“Its very first post was a photo of the two of you on the Ferris wheel.”
Shen Zhiyi frowned.
“So it was created specifically to target us?”
“Very possibly.”
Lin Wanxing asked, “Can we find out who it belongs to?”
“The police are working on it.”
“But...”
Gu Nanqiao paused.
“We found something strange.”
She opened another file.
“This account used to follow someone.”
Shen Zhiyi stared at the screen.
The name left her completely stunned.
Shen Ruoqing.
“Who is that?” Lin Wanxing asked.
Shen Zhiyi didn't answer.
She knew that name.
Before she entered the entertainment industry, Shen Ruoqing had been a senior student she'd worked with.
She had also been the first true friend in Shen Zhiyi's life.
More importantly—
Shen Ruoqing had once been in love with her.
“You know her?” Gu Nanqiao asked.
Shen Zhiyi nodded.
“I knew her before.”
“What was your relationship like?”
“We used to be close.”
“And now?”
Shen Zhiyi fell silent.
“We haven't been in touch for a long time.”
Lin Wanxing looked at her.
She didn't press her, simply waiting in silence.
Gu Nanqiao asked again, “When did you lose touch?”
“About two years ago.”
“Why?”
Shen Zhiyi clenched her fingers.
“Because she confessed to me.”
The room fell silent.
“She told me she liked me.”
“But at the time...”
Shen Zhiyi paused.
“I didn't accept her feelings.”
Lin Wanxing's gaze shifted slightly.
“After that, she left.”
“I thought we'd never see each other again.”
Gu Nanqiao frowned.
“Is it possible she did all of this?”
Shen Zhiyi didn't answer.
She didn't want to believe it.
She didn't want to believe that the person who had once stood beside her through the hardest days of her life could become this.
But every clue seemed to point in the same direction.
That night, Shen Zhiyi sat alone in her room.
She pulled up a chat history she hadn't opened in a long time.
The very first message was still from two years ago.
[Shen Ruoqing: If you ever regret it, you can come back to me.]
Shen Zhiyi stared at it for a long time.
Finally, she opened the input box.
[Shen Zhiyi: Was it you?]
She sent the message.
There was no reply.
Ten minutes passed.
Still nothing.
Shen Zhiyi was about to put down her phone when the screen suddenly lit up.
A new message.
[Shen Ruoqing: So you finally remembered me.]
Shen Zhiyi's heart sank.
She stared at the screen.
A second later, another message appeared.
[Shen Ruoqing: But it's already too late.]
Shen Zhiyi typed with trembling fingers.
[Shen Zhiyi: Did you take the photos and make the recording?]
This time, the other person replied quickly.
[Shen Ruoqing: Yes.]
Shen Zhiyi stopped breathing.
She never could have imagined that the answer would really appear.
[Shen Zhiyi: Why?]
After a long time, Shen Ruoqing replied with only one sentence.
[Shen Ruoqing: Because I just wanted you to remember.]
[Shen Zhiyi: Remember what?]
The other person didn't answer.
Instead, a photo was sent.
It was a photo from two years ago.
In it, Shen Zhiyi and Shen Ruoqing stood outside the school gates.
They were both smiling happily.
On the back of the photo, there was a handwritten sentence:
“If you'd chosen me back then, none of this would have happened.”
Shen Zhiyi stared at the words.
For the first time, she felt truly afraid.
She immediately called Lin Wanxing.
The call was answered almost at once.
“Zhiyi?”
Shen Zhiyi tried to keep her voice steady.
“Wanxing...”
“What happened?”
“I found the person.”
“Who?”
Shen Zhiyi closed her eyes.
“Shen Ruoqing.”
There was silence on the other end for several seconds.
Then Lin Wanxing asked, “What does she want?”
Shen Zhiyi looked at the old photo.
Her expression slowly grew complicated.
“I don't know.”
“But I have a feeling...”
“She doesn't just want to break us up.”
“It seems like she has another goal.”
Lin Wanxing's voice dropped low.
“Zhiyi.”
“Mm?”
“Don't go meet her alone.”
“I know.”
“Promise me.”
“Okay.”
Shen Zhiyi tightened her grip on the phone.
She didn't know what the future would become.
She didn't know what Shen Ruoqing truly wanted.
But for the first time, she understood.
Some things from the past don't cease to exist just because they've been forgotten.
And when the past comes knocking again—
The only thing she could do
was stand beside Lin Wanxing.
And face it together.
In the early hours of the morning, on the other side of the city, Shen Ruoqing sat in a dimly lit room.
Her phone screen still showed her chat with Shen Zhiyi.
She gently ran her fingers over the photo from two years ago.
Shen Zhiyi was smiling so happily in it.
But now, that smile no longer belonged to her.
Shen Ruoqing slowly closed her eyes.
“Zhiyi.”
“Do you really think...”
“this is all that simple?”
She picked up another file from the desk.
At the very top was a photo of Lin Wanxing.
Beside it was a date.
And an address.
She looked at the address, and the corners of her lips slowly curved upward.
“If you refuse to come back to me...”
“Then I'll just have to make you understand.”
“Some people...”
“aren't really someone you can throw away just because you say you don't want them.”
Outside the window, the night deepened.
Meanwhile, Shen Zhiyi was leaning against Lin Wanxing's shoulder.
She didn't know that true danger
had already begun to close in on them.”