episode_0022

Lush lips parted, exhaling scorching breaths.

An indelible mark was seared into memory.

Shen Xixi leaned back, her chest rising and falling as her breathing gradually slowed. Her fingers ventured forth—those snow-white, delicate digits were just about to brush against—

A phone rang in the restroom.

Then, a knock sounded at the door.

“Professor Shen Xixi, Professor Lin Yi, are you in there? I just woke up from being drunk, my head still spinning. When I came to, you were both gone. The server said you might have gone to the restroom…”

The voice outside belonged to Yun Ling, slightly hurried and laced with apology.

“Tch, what perfect timing, showing up right at this moment.”

Shen Xixi’s brow furrowed slightly, her hand pausing mid-motion. In an instant, her interest waned, replaced by dull indifference.

Of all times, why now?

Stuck in the middle of things, left hanging—may your instant noodles forever lack seasoning packets, may your egg tarts only ever have crusts.

And may your purple mood never have battery!

“Oh, yes, I’m in here. Professor Lin Yi seems to have stepped out to take a call. Why don’t you head back to the room first? I’ll be out shortly.”

Shen Xixi took a few deep breaths before responding gently to Yun Ling outside.

“Oh! Right, of course. I’ll go wait for you both in the room.”

Yun Ling exhaled in relief. She had worried that her poor alcohol tolerance—passing out after just a few sips—had made Professors Shen Xixi and Lin Yi think she was disrespectful, prompting them to leave in anger. If that were the case, she’d have been inconsolable.

But… didn’t that server say Lin Yi had also gone to the restroom?

Shouldn’t there be separate men’s and women’s sections? Why did it feel like she’d knocked on a single-unit restroom just now?

Had Lin Yi already left to make a call, and they’d simply missed each other?

Hearing the fading footsteps outside,

Lin Yi inexplicably let out a quiet sigh of relief. Good, she didn’t notice.

Otherwise, he’d have no idea how to explain this.

His gaze fell on the woman still nestled against him, and his arm instinctively settled around her waist.

“Hiss—!”

Shen Xixi felt Lin Yi’s hand snap away as if burned. A faint smirk tugged at her lips as she smoothed out his disheveled clothes, then pulled away from him.

“Heh, let’s head back. Professor Yun Ling is waiting impatiently. Like you said, our main focus today is discussing your novel—making it a true milestone in the male-oriented market.”

“I don’t care about work. I’ll do what needs to be done. But those videos…”

Lin Yi’s words were cut off by Shen Xixi’s sharp gaze.

“You can unblock and re-add me on WeChat now, right? As for future contact… Xiao Yi, remember to come when called. You do know there’s no way to explain those videos to your wife, don’t you?”

Shen Xixi tugged at the corner of her lips, deliberately exposing the soft pink inside of her mouth. “If you don’t want those neatly packaged videos sent to your wife’s phone, you understand, right?”

Lin Yi stood frozen, staring at the familiar cavity he’d explored countless times before. His headache worsened.

Pulling out his phone, he unblocked and re-added Shen Xixi’s WeChat.

Then he changed her contact name from the old note to her real name: Shen Xixi.

“What’s this? The old note was perfect—Passionate ✈️. Doesn’t that symbolize the peak of our past relationship? Using my real name is so boring. If you must change it, ‘Wicked Woman’ would make me happy too.”

Shen Xixi laughed brightly.

On her own phone screen, however, were countless red exclamation marks.

Messages sent in regret after their breakup—every single one failed to deliver.

The moment she’d foolishly agreed to break up with Lin Yi, she’d regretted it. But he had vanished like smoke, disappearing into the crowd without a trace.

“If you insist, then how about Cao Cao?”

Lin Yi’s eye twitched as he changed her contact name to Cao Cao.

This world had its own Romance of the Three Kingdoms, but Zhuang Yayun had never been interested in it—let alone aware of the term’s modern connotations.

“Ehehe~ 🥰🥰🥰 Not bad. I like it.”

As an illustrator, Shen Xixi was well-versed in online memes. Cao Cao—the woman prime minister from two thousand years ago who loved stealing husbands.

A meme that had only recently gone viral. Even frequent internet surfers might miss it if they weren’t in the right circles.

“Happy now?”

Lin Yi pocketed his phone, pushed open the restroom door, and strode out without looking back.

Behind him, Shen Xixi’s light laughter followed.

The click of high heels quickened as delicate fingers looped around his arm.

“Professor Lin Yi, don’t walk so fast. You do know gentleman’s etiquette, don’t you? When accompanying a refined lady, a man should offer his arm—a sign of respect.”

“……”

Lin Yi sighed inwardly but let Shen Xixi cling to him.

In this world, one of the few areas where men held an advantage was height.

Thus, this medieval tradition had persisted and endured.

They returned to the room like that.

The moment Yun Ling saw Lin Yi and Shen Xixi’s linked arms, her eyes shimmered with quiet envy.

Who in the company wouldn’t want to hold Lin Yi’s arm like that?

Handsome, radiant, confident, yet with a married-man charm—an undeniably gorgeous man. A rising star in male-oriented fiction, his unconventional style had even drawn a sizable female readership. Several colleagues openly admired him.

And yet, Shen Xixi had only just arrived and was already on his arm.

Meanwhile, Yun Ling—his editor, the one with the proverbial “first dibs”—hadn’t even gotten that far. She was lagging behind.

Maybe tomorrow I should just drag Lin Yi into a storage closet and have my way with—

Ahem!

No! What am I thinking? I’m a woman of the new era! I can’t regress to outdated romantic notions!

That kind of playboy behavior—treating men as toys—wasn’t what she wanted.

She yearned for mutual devotion, tender love—not some casual fling.

Yun Ling, stay strong! Don’t relapse into your old toy-collecting ways!

Unconsciously, Yun Ling straightened her posture, her soft curves jiggling slightly. “Professors Shen Xixi, Lin Yi, shall we continue? We still need to thoroughly discuss the new work’s setting and future direction.”

An hour and a half later,

The small liquor bottles on the table were empty.

The creative discussion was also nearing its end.

Yun Ling’s notepad was crammed full, her fingers slightly sore from writing. Pages upon pages of suggestions, ideas, and worldbuilding notes from her and Shen Xixi for Lin Yi’s new work.

Including the protagonists.

Shen Xixi had proposed naming the male lead Lin Yi—to help the author immerse himself and better articulate the protagonist’s psyche, thus attracting more female readers.

She’d also suggested adding a first love named Shen Xixi—so she, as the illustrator, could also immerse herself.

Lin Yi had wanted to object, but Yun Ling argued that since neither of their real names were public, using them would enhance the sense of investment—even add a layer of使命感 (mission).

If this became the pioneering male-oriented novel she envisioned, its success would cement its place in literary history.

So the suggestion stayed.

By 3:50 PM, the marathon dining-table meeting finally concluded.

“Well then, Lin Yi, we’ll meet again next Monday. Until then, I’ll handle the illustrations for your current project. I expect your new manuscript draft by our next meeting.”

Shen Xixi curled her fingers playfully, lifting her handbag with slender wrists. Her high heels crossed slightly as she tapped Lin Yi’s chest with a smile.

“Until next time.”

Lin Yi waved halfheartedly.

“Lin Yi, since Shen Xixi and I are heading the same way, we’ll take off first. Do have the new draft ready by Monday.”

Yun Ling, too, was all smiles. After hours at the table, formalities had melted away.

“I’ll do my best.”

Lin Yi watched the two women leave.

Rubbing his temples, he exhaled heavily, frustration and gloom weighing on him.

A past he should’ve severed long ago had resurfaced—right as he was engaged to another. And now, with those unreleasable videos held over him…

For now, compliance seemed his only option.

He’d have to take it step by step.

And find a way to erase every last one of Shen Xixi’s damning recordings.