Back in his room, Yi Xing sat on the edge of the bed, holding a cup of hot water in one hand, taking sips now and then to soothe his throat after so much practice. With the other hand, he scrolled through Douyin, unaware that Ju Jingyi had already discovered him.
As he swiped his finger to watch the next video, a message notification popped up. It was a picture sent by Ju Jingyi. Curiosity piqued, he tapped on it, wondering if she was sharing her stage outfit with him.
After seeing it, he somewhat regretted opening it. It was a picture of him on stage, holding a microphone and singing. Just as he was about to exit WeChat, pretending not to have seen it, the other party immediately sent a string of messages.
【Ju Jingyi: Look what I found, your doppelganger!】
【Ju Jingyi: Can there be two people in the world who look so alike, or are you actually a twin?】
【Ju Jingyi: I know you saw the message, don't pretend you didn't!】
As for why Ju Jingyi knew he had seen it, it was because he accidentally tapped the typing box, and the note displayed directly changed to “The other party is typing…”. If he truly hadn't seen it, this wouldn't have appeared.
Yi Xing smiled helplessly. It was too late to hide now; the other party had even come knocking with a photo. Gritting his teeth, he sent his room number.
On the other side, the beautiful woman sitting on the bed, about to type, saw the message and immediately sat up. She put on the clothes lying beside her, looked into the mirror, and tidied her messy hair, leaving Lin Shiyi on the other bed stunned. Lin Shiyi then asked,
“Xiao Ju, where are you planning to go?”
“My friend knows I’m in Xing City and invited me to go out for a stroll. I’ll be back tonight.”
“Is it a boy or a girl?”
“A boy. You know him too; he took very good care of me on that variety show.” Ju Jingyi didn't intend to hide anything from her. She believed Lin Shiyi wouldn't spill the beans, and she also needed her to cover for her.
“Don’t tell me it’s Yi Xing?”
“That’s right, it’s him.”
“You go quickly, I’ll handle things here.” Lin Shiyi patted her chest, assuring her. Although she really wanted to meet this Yi Xing, it wouldn't be appropriate for her to tag along and be a glowing third wheel when a boy and a girl were going out.
“Okay, okay, I’ll be back early tonight.”
Ju Jingyi took her phone and room card, left the room, and took the elevator to the floor her phone indicated. She stood at his door and gently knocked.
After sending his room number, Yi Xing started tidying his bed, draped his jacket over a chair, trying to keep the room neat. Then he pulled up a chair and sat by the door, knowing that Ju Jingyi would definitely come up to find him.
As expected, the moment the door was knocked, he stood up and opened it, greeting the person outside, “Hello, have you eaten yet?”
If you don't know how to start a conversation, asking if someone has eaten is definitely a good option, applicable to greeting anyone.
“It’s already this late, of course I’ve eaten. Haven’t you eaten?”
“I’ve eaten too. Come in.” Yi Xing stepped aside, allowing the person outside to enter.
Upon entering the room, Ju Jingyi unceremoniously sat on the edge of the bed. There were only two places to sit inside: a soft bed or a hard chair. Anyone would choose the former, right?
Besides, she was already very familiar with the room's owner, so sitting on the bed was fine. It wasn't their first meeting; if it were the first time, she'd have to maintain her image and be a bit more reserved.
“Tell me, why are you here too?” she asked, crossing her legs.
“I also received an invitation, to appear as a member of the Hua Shao Group, right after your performance.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that day?”
“You didn’t ask me what my plans were for New Year’s Eve either.” Yi Xing put on an innocent expression. What was he supposed to say if no one asked?
“I proactively told you, couldn’t you have proactively told me too?”
“Then I’m telling you now, I’m participating in the Mango New Year's Eve Concert.”
“Too late!” She crossed her arms over her chest, making a pouting expression. Her expression didn't make people feel scared; instead, it made her seem a little cute.
Yi Xing stood up and walked over, leaning on his knees, bringing his head to the same level as hers, wanting to see if she was truly angry.
However, as soon as Ju Jingyi saw his face, she immediately turned her head, not wanting to make eye contact. Her anger was all feigned, and if they made eye contact, she might break character. She was already struggling to hold it in.
He also turned his head, and after several back-and-forths, someone finally couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing, reaching out a hand to playfully push the head in front of her.
“Why are you pushing me?”
“When I see your face, I just want to laugh.”
Hearing this, Yi Xing straightened up and walked into the bathroom without a word, looking at himself in the mirror with confusion. What was so funny about him? He was the first person to say his face was funny; others always praised his handsomeness.
He looked left and right, but couldn't find anything funny about his face. He touched his face and returned to the bedside. Ju Jingyi had also stopped laughing and was watching the person walking over, with an inexplicable gleam in her eyes.
Once he sat down on the chair, she finally asked, “I still don’t know what you’re like when you sing. Since it’s just the two of us, why don’t you show me?”
“Won’t you hear it tomorrow?”
“How can that be the same? Tomorrow you’ll be singing for everyone; now it’s…”
Although her latter words were left unfinished, Yi Xing still understood what she meant to express: now he would sing only for her. Of course, he wouldn't refuse; special people deserved special treatment.
He picked up the water cup nearby to moisten his throat, coughed lightly twice, and then his youthful voice followed.
Ju Jingyi listened quietly, her eyes full of focus and admiration. The person singing was completely different from how he was when she interacted with him privately, even more charming. If she were to rank them...
His protecting her while making plans on the show came first, followed by when he played the violin and sang, and finally his usual demeanor. Unconsciously, she became somewhat entranced.
A song's duration passed quickly. Yi Xing sat up straight and asked seriously, “How was it? Was it passable?”
But he didn't receive a response. He reached out and waved his hand in front of her eyes, which finally brought her back to her senses completely.
“What did you just ask me?”
“Was it passable?”
“More than that, it was incredibly good.” Ju Jingyi praised him lavishly. In her opinion, he was the best singer among actors, though he certainly couldn't compare to professional singers.
“Of course! Look who’s singing.”
In front of familiar people, Yi Xing never knew how to write the words “humble.” Everyone knew each other inside and out, so who was he being humble for?