Episode 9 | Can We Go Back to the Way We Were?
5:17 a.m.
Shen Zhiyi's phone suddenly vibrated.
Still groggy with sleep, she reached out and found it.
The screen was filled with consecutive messages from Zhou Yuqing.
【Yuqing: Zhiyi, call me as soon as you wake up.】
【Yuqing: Don't look at Weibo yet.】
【Yuqing: No matter what you see, don't respond.】
Shen Zhiyi woke up instantly.
She sat up.
The unease in her heart was even stronger than yesterday.
But this time, she didn't listen.
She opened Weibo anyway.
The number-one trending search.
It was——
#LinWanxingShenZhiyiConfessionRecording#
Shen Zhiyi's breath caught for a moment.
With trembling fingers, she tapped into it.
It was a recording barely more than ten seconds long.
There was a lot of static.
But she still heard her own voice clearly.
“Actually... I think I might really have fallen for you.”
Then came Lin Wanxing's voice.
“I like you too.”
Just two short sentences.
Yet they were like a bolt of lightning,
blowing up the entire entertainment industry.
The comments had already gone insane.
“This is real, right?”
“So yesterday's photos weren't publicity?”
“Are these two women really dating?”
“Are they coming out publicly?”
“This newcomer is about to be huge.”
“Hasn't Lin Wanxing always kept her relationships private?”
“Who recorded this?”
“That’s terrifying. Someone secretly recorded them?”
It was only when Shen Zhiyi reached the last comment that she truly understood.
This wasn't an accident.
Someone had deliberately been stalking and recording them.
And that person had been near the riverbank yesterday.
Her hands began to tremble.
Her phone suddenly rang.
It was Lin Wanxing.
Shen Zhiyi answered immediately.
“Wanxing...”
The other end was very quiet.
“You saw it?”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t be scared.”
Lin Wanxing's voice was as calm as ever.
“The company is handling it.”
“But that recording...”
“I know.”
“Everything we said yesterday was recorded.”
“Yeah.”
Shen Zhiyi bit her lip.
“I’m sorry.”
Lin Wanxing's tone suddenly turned stern.
“Shen Zhiyi.”
“Stop apologizing to me.”
“But—”
“You did nothing wrong.”
There was silence on the other end for several seconds.
Only then did Lin Wanxing say softly,
“If someone really wants to pursue this,”
“I’ll face it with you.”
Shen Zhiyi's eyes instantly reddened.
“But you’ll lose so much.”
“I know.”
“The company might...”
“I know.”
“You might not even be able to act anymore.”
Lin Wanxing was quiet for a while.
“Then we’ll find another way.”
“But I won’t throw you under the bus.”
Shen Zhiyi tightened her grip on the phone.
Her tears finally fell.
Seven in the morning.
Lin Wanxing's company called an emergency meeting.
The conference room was packed.
Managers, PR staff, lawyers, and the production team were all there.
Everyone looked grim.
“We can’t suppress the trending topic anymore,” the head of PR said.
“And someone is continuing to release private photos of the two of them.”
“We have to decide on a direction first.”
Lin Wanxing sat at the far end.
“What direction?”
“Deny it,” the head of PR said.
“Deny the recording's authenticity.”
“Say the voice was edited.”
Lin Wanxing looked up.
“No.”
Everyone turned to her.
“Why not?”
“Because it’s real.”
She was perfectly calm.
“That’s my voice.”
The conference room fell silent.
Her manager frowned.
“Wanxing, do you know what admitting it means?”
“I know.”
“Your endorsements.”
“I know.”
“Your upcoming movies.”
“I know.”
“Even the image you’ve built over the past few years could be completely redefined.”
Lin Wanxing was silent for several seconds.
“Then let it be redefined.”
Her manager stared at her.
“Wanxing.”
“I’ve made up my mind.”
She looked at everyone in the room.
“I don’t want to protect myself with lies anymore.”
Meanwhile.
Shen Zhiyi was also summoned to her company.
She sat in a conference room.
A document lay in front of her.
“This is the company’s proposal for you.”
Zhou Yuqing pushed the document across the table.
“If you’re willing to cooperate, you can suspend all public activities for now.”
“Once the attention dies down, you can make a gradual comeback.”
Shen Zhiyi flipped through it.
“What about Wanxing?”
“She has her own way of handling it.”
Shen Zhiyi looked up.
“So we’re supposed to separate?”
Zhou Yuqing didn't answer.
The silence itself was an answer.
Shen Zhiyi lowered her head.
“What if I don’t agree?”
“Then the company will be in a difficult position.”
“I know.”
“Zhiyi.”
Zhou Yuqing sighed.
“I’m not trying to pressure you.”
“It’s just that the entertainment industry is very realistic.”
“You’re still young.”
“You have plenty of opportunities ahead of you.”
Shen Zhiyi stared at the document on the table.
“What about Wanxing?”
Zhou Yuqing fell silent.
“She’s already made it to where she is.”
“She’s different from you.”
Shen Zhiyi suddenly laughed.
“So she’s supposed to bear it all alone?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what did you mean?”
She lifted her head.
For the first time, her gaze was so determined.
“If we really love each other,”
“why does someone have to be sacrificed?”
Zhou Yuqing had no answer.
That afternoon.
The production announced that filming was suspended.
All the actors were temporarily told not to report to the soundstage.
The movie's future became uncertain.
Shen Zhiyi returned home.
She sat by the window, lost in thought.
She picked up the script.
Then flipped to the last page.
There was a line Lin Wanxing had once written for her.
——“Don’t be afraid to be yourself.”
Shen Zhiyi stared at the words.
Tears slowly trickled down her cheeks.
Her phone rang.
It wasn't Lin Wanxing.
It was an unfamiliar number.
She answered.
“Hello?”
There was no answer on the other end.
A few seconds later, a low voice came through.
“If you don’t want this to get any bigger,”
Shen Zhiyi's face changed.
“Who are you?”
“Stay away from Lin Wanxing.”
“What?”
“Break up with her.”
“I’ll stop releasing information.”
Shen Zhiyi tightened her grip on the phone.
“Who the hell are you?”
The other person gave a quiet laugh.
“You don’t need to know.”
“All you need to know is this.”
“Her future matters more than yours.”
The call ended.
Shen Zhiyi sat frozen in place.
For a long time, she didn't move.
That evening.
Lin Wanxing finally came to see her.
She hadn't told Shen Zhiyi in advance.
She was simply standing downstairs.
When Shen Zhiyi saw her, her first reaction wasn't happiness.
It was fear.
“What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to see you.”
Lin Wanxing looked at her.
“What’s wrong?”
Shen Zhiyi shook her head.
“Nothing.”
“You’ve been crying.”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Zhiyi.”
Lin Wanxing stepped closer.
“Look at me.”
Shen Zhiyi raised her head.
In that moment, all her grievances nearly overwhelmed her.
But then she remembered the call that afternoon.
She forced her emotions back down.
“Wanxing.”
“Yeah?”
“We...”
She paused for a long time.
“Should we break up?”
Lin Wanxing went completely rigid.
“What did you say?”
“I said,”
Shen Zhiyi did her best to keep her voice calm,
“we should break up.”
“Why?”
“Because this has already affected you.”
“I can handle it.”
“But I don’t want you to.”
“What don’t you want?”
“I don’t want to watch you lose everything.”
Lin Wanxing looked at her.
“So you decided for me?”
Tears began falling down Shen Zhiyi's face.
“I just...”
“Did you ever ask me?”
“No.”
“Then what gives you the right to decide?”
For the first time, Lin Wanxing's anger was unmistakable.
Shen Zhiyi cried as she said,
“Because I’m scared!”
“I’m scared that one day you’ll regret it.”
“I’m scared you’ll think meeting me was a mistake.”
Lin Wanxing fell silent.
She looked at Shen Zhiyi.
After a long time, she asked softly,
“Now look at me.”
“Tell me.”
“Do you really want to leave me?”
Shen Zhiyi opened her mouth.
But not a single word came out.
Because the answer was too clear.
She didn't want to.
Not even a little.
Lin Wanxing stepped closer to her.
“You’re allowed to be scared.”
“You’re allowed to cry.”
“You’re allowed not to know what to do.”
“But don’t push me away first just because you’re afraid of losing me.”
Shen Zhiyi cried even harder.
At last, she reached out.
And clutched the edge of Lin Wanxing's clothes.
“I don’t want to.”
“I really don’t.”
Lin Wanxing closed her eyes.
Then gently pulled her into an embrace.
Shen Zhiyi leaned against her shoulder.
For the first time, she cried without holding anything back.
“I’m sorry...”
Lin Wanxing gently patted her back.
“This time, you can be.”
“But it’s the last time.”
A long time passed.
Only then did Shen Zhiyi slowly calm down.
She lifted her head.
“Wanxing.”
“Yeah?”
“If we really have to face this,”
“then we’ll face it together.”
Lin Wanxing looked at her.
“Okay.”
“No matter what happens in the end?”
“No matter what.”
Shen Zhiyi took a deep breath.
“Then we’re not breaking up.”
Lin Wanxing smiled.
“Okay.”
Their hands slowly clasped together.
There were no promises.
They didn't know what the future held.
But at least this time,
they hadn't chosen to run away.
Eleven that night.
Lin Wanxing returned home.
She opened her phone.
The company's PR department had sent over the final draft of the statement.
It was only a few short lines.
“Regarding the recording and photos circulating online recently, our company does not deny the authenticity of their content. Lin Wanxing is currently in a close private relationship with Shen Zhiyi. Matters concerning their romantic relationship fall within their personal privacy. We ask the public to stop following and distributing materials without their consent.”
Lin Wanxing read it.
Then asked:
【Can we post this?】
The PR department replied:
【We can, but the consequences are impossible to predict.】
Lin Wanxing stared at the screen.
In the end, she replied with only one word.
【Post.】
Midnight.
The statement was officially published.
Within just a few minutes,
the entire internet exploded again.
At the same time, Shen Zhiyi received a message from an unfamiliar number.
【Do you really think admitting it means this is over?】
The next message
was a photo.
In the photo
wasn't Shen Zhiyi or Lin Wanxing.
It was someone she knew very well.
Her mother.
The color drained from Shen Zhiyi's face.
The phone slipped from her hand.
She sat blankly at the edge of the bed.
Only then did she understand.
The person threatening them had never been after just their careers.
They were after the person who mattered most to her.
Shen Zhiyi picked up her phone with trembling hands.
For the first time, she felt truly afraid.
She knew it.
This storm
had only just begun.