I Joined a Fake Variety Show (GL) - Chapter 49

Zhou Xi’s gaze followed the light, moving from far to near, from the window frame to the hands clasped around her waist.

She raised her hands and placed them on Han Shutong’s hands. This time, she still didn’t use force, but she still couldn’t pry open the hands overlapped on her abdomen.

The feeling of being lost and found again made Han Shutong terrified of losing her once more, so she did not comply with Zhou Xi’s wishes and didn’t let go.

“Teacher Zhou.”

Han Shutong’s husky voice made Zhou Xi pause her actions.

Han Shutong tightened her embrace, resting her head on Zhou Xi’s shoulder. The un-wiped tears on her eyelashes imprinted onto Zhou Xi’s shirt, quickly spreading into a dark, small circle.

When Han Shutong looked up, she saw it immediately.

Was this… the brand she left on Zhou Xi?

Looking at the dark spot, a strange thought rose in Han Shutong’s mind: With a brand, this person belongs to her.

Han Shutong then let go. Zhou Xi retreated from Han Shutong’s embrace.

Zhou Xi was not surprised by Han Shutong’s sudden release. After composing herself, Zhou Xi turned and handed the clothes she was carrying over her arm into Han Shutong’s arms.

“Do you want to go to the bathroom and change?”

Han Shutong hugged the clothes, shaking her head. “No rush.”

The most important thing right now was not the clothes, but the person who gave them to her.

Zhou Xi: “Mhm.”

The room returned to the silence it held before the people entered.

Zhou Xi wiggled her toes. The moment she returned to her starting position, she broke the silence. She called out, “Shutong.”

Han Shutong responded, her eyes fixed on Zhou Xi.

“I have something I want to tell you—”

“I know what you’re going to say.”

Han Shutong interrupted Zhou Xi. She raised her hand, wanting to smooth the stray hair near Zhou Xi’s temple, but she put her hand down just after lifting it.

Withdrawing her hand, Han Shutong said quietly, “I know my confession came as a surprise to you. Before this, you defined me as an old classmate, a friend, a boss—you never once thought of me as a lover. You never thought the person I liked would be you.”

The statement completely stunned Zhou Xi.

That was exactly what she was thinking.

How… how did Han Shutong know?

Or rather, how… how did Han Shutong know her so well?

“I also know that you heard what I said when you entered the elevator, but you went downstairs because you wanted to pretend you didn’t hear it. That way, you’d think our relationship would remain as pure as before. And you coming back…” Han Shutong trailed off, not continuing.

In truth, she hadn’t thought all this through yet. It only came to mind after she entered the room.

She understood Zhou Xi, but how could she understand her completely?

She didn’t want to say it, but Zhou Xi asked, “Why did I come back?”

One second, two seconds, three seconds… ten seconds.

“It’s a rejection, right?” Han Shutong tilted her head and smiled, but there was no mirth in her eyes.

Han Shutong’s throat was tight. She took a deep breath. “Just like you rejected Wu Yingran, ending the friendship and becoming strangers again. After today, I’ll be the second Wu Yingran. We won’t be friends anymore, no longer close. All that’s left is… the title of old classmate.”

The moment Han Shutong finished her last word, Zhou Xi let out a soft laugh.

Then, Zhou Xi called her name, her voice tinged with a slight coolness:

“Han Shutong.”

This was the first time Zhou Xi had called Han Shutong by her full name. Han Shutong looked up at Zhou Xi when she heard it.

Seeing Han Shutong’s red eyes, the slight annoyance that had risen in Zhou Xi vanished. She lowered her voice and said, “You are different from Wu Yingran.”

Wu Yingran would take advantage to kiss her when she was drunk, while Han Shutong, when she was drunk, would place a chair next to her bed, leaving a gap as wide as a person.

The two were incomparable.

When Zhou Xi realized Wu Yingran liked her, just as Han Shutong had just said, she only wanted to distance herself from Wu Yingran and become strangers again.

But when the person who liked her became Han Shutong, Zhou Xi’s first thought was denial. She didn’t believe someone like Han Shutong would like her.

Even after Han Shutong said it herself, Zhou Xi was still confused because she still didn’t know why Han Shutong would like her.

And Zhou Xi knew clearly that besides confusion, there were no other feelings—no disgust, no desire to distance herself, nothing like what Han Shutong had described.

Zhou Xi lowered her gaze.

“Besides what you just said, the reason I came back is because I wanted to tell you,” Zhou Xi smiled faintly. “Thinking about it now, you’ve always been very kind to me. But I always just thought you were a nice person, and I never considered any deeper feelings. So, to me, your affection came suddenly.”

When the “mushroom” in the hallway appeared in Zhou Xi’s view, Zhou Xi found her answer—she did not dislike Han Shutong’s affection for her.

However, right now, she didn’t like Han Shutong either.

So, she had to reject Han Shutong.

Zhou Xi thought about rejecting her. How should she reject her? Say, I don’t like you. Say, you like the wrong person.

The words were on the tip of her tongue. Perhaps it was Han Shutong’s damp eyelashes that affected Zhou Xi, or something else, but the words that finally left Zhou Xi’s mouth were: “I need a little time to process this. After this period, I will give you an answer.”

Han Shutong smiled. The smile reached her eyes, connecting directly to her heart. As she smiled, she inadvertently pulled at something. A sharp, needle-like pain flashed in her chest and quickly passed.

Some time…

She could wait.

“Good.”

Han Shutong’s voice was cool, as if the Han Shutong from the spotlight had returned.

At noon, Zhou Xi rushed to the hospital.

When Zhou Xi entered the room, Lele was being fed by the director.

“Director,” Zhou Xi called. Both people on the hospital bed looked up at her.

Lele exclaimed in surprise, “Older Sister.”

Zhou Xi walked up and touched Lele’s head. “Be a good girl, Lele. Are you feeling better?”

“Much better. The fever is gone. I can be discharged after one more day of observation.”

Zhou Xi turned to the director. “Director, you must be exhausted.”

“Looking after the children is my duty. It’s not hard at all.”

Zhou Xi saw there was no extra food on the side table and quickly asked, “Have you eaten, Director? I’ll go to the cafeteria and buy you a meal.”

“No need, no need,” the director quickly stopped her. “I have other work to attend to. I was just about to ask Sister Wang to come look after her, but since you’re back, that’s perfect. You stay with Lele for a bit in the hospital. I need to get going.”

Zhou Xi: “Okay, I’ll walk you out.”

“No need. You feed Lele,” the director said, then bid farewell to Lele and left the hospital room with her bag.

A few minutes after the director left, Lele was almost finished with her meal.

Before taking the last bite, Lele thought of Han Shutong. She asked sweetly, “Older Sister, where is Older Sister Tong?”

Children grow up quickly. After a few days, Lele was speaking much more coherently.

“Older Sister Tong is busy with work,” Zhou Xi replied, feeding Lele the last bite of rice.

“I miss Older Sister Tong.”

Lele chewed her food. After swallowing, she pointed to Zhou Xi’s phone on the bed and said, “Phone call.”

Lele meant she wanted to call Han Shutong.

The moment Han Shutong was mentioned, Zhou Xi thought of the morning’s events.

Honestly, she didn’t want to contact Han Shutong yet. She was afraid of the awkwardness.

Zhou Xi immediately refused Lele’s suggestion, gently persuading her, “No, we can’t disturb Older Sister Tong when she’s working.”

Lele was very obedient. Whatever Zhou Xi said, she followed, not crying or making a fuss. She nodded. “Mhm, mhm.”

Zhou Xi stroked Lele’s head. Just then, her phone rang.

Zhou Xi picked up the phone. Speak of the devil. The caller ID showed Han Shutong’s name.

Just as Zhou Xi was about to answer, the ringtone stopped.

Zhou Xi looked at the missed call notification, then at Han Shutong’s WeChat avatar. She tapped on the red text. Looking at the two pop-up messages, Zhou Xi looked up and asked Lele, “Older Sister Tong called. Should we call her back?”

Lele nodded. “Yes!”

Zhou Xi hummed. Just as she was about to press the call button, Han Shutong called again, this time a video call.

Zhou Xi answered the moment the phone rang.

The first person Han Shutong saw was Zhou Xi, followed by the hospital bed behind Zhou Xi and the little child receiving an IV drip.

“You’re at the hospital?” Han Shutong asked.

Hearing Han Shutong’s voice, the awkwardness Zhou Xi had imagined didn’t materialize. Instead, it felt quite warm.

Zhou Xi nodded. “Mhm.”

“How is Lele?”

“Wait a moment.” Zhou Xi turned the phone to face Lele.

Looking at Han Shutong’s face on the screen, Lele obediently called out, “Older Sister Tong.”

Han Shutong tried to soften her voice. “Be a good girl, Lele. How are you feeling?”

“Grandma Director said… said Lele is fine now, just…”

“Just what?” Han Shutong quickly asked.

Zhou Xi also looked at Lele. Did the director not tell her something?

“Just Older Sister Tong… why didn’t you come to see Lele?”

Han Shutong chuckled. “I’m sorry, Older Sister can’t get away right now. When Older Sister is finished with work and goes home, I’ll come see you immediately, okay?”

“Then you…”

Han Shutong and Lele chatted for five or six minutes. Zhou Xi finally moved the phone away, interrupting them so Lele could rest.

Han Shutong’s background changed, and she was wearing a mask. Zhou Xi instinctively asked, “Where are you now?”

“The scenic area bathroom,” Han Shutong said. “But I need to go out now, or Xiao Bai might come rushing in to rescue me.”

The moment she finished speaking, Bai Mo’s voice sounded from Han Shutong’s side.

“Sister Tong, are you okay?”

Han Shutong: “I’m fine.”

“Then why were you in there for so long? I thought… I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were on the phone.”

After speaking, Bai Mo told Han Shutong that the director was looking for her.

Hearing this, Zhou Xi immediately asked, “Are you going back to filming? I’ll hang up now.”

“No, wait,” Han Shutong said, then paused and brought up the excuse she had prepared earlier. “The production team said they wanted to film a segment of me talking to you on the phone.”

The production team had indeed mentioned this, but it was when they entered the scenic area. Han Shutong thought Zhou Xi was still on the plane at the time, so she hadn’t made the video call until now.

“Why?”

“Probably… to show our sisterly bond.”

Zhou Xi: “…”

Zhou Xi: “Okay, I understand. What should I say later?”

“Anything is fine.”

Just then, Bai Mo accidentally glanced at Han Shutong’s screen and naturally saw Zhou Xi’s face, which Han Shutong had enlarged. She exclaimed, “Sister Zhou!”

“Xiao Mo.”

“Are you at the hospital?”

“Yes.”

At that moment, Lele climbed onto Zhou Xi’s back, and Bai Mo saw Lele right away.

She gasped and lowered her voice in alarm. “S-Sister Zhou, is that your child?”

Zhou Xi quickly replied, “She is my younger sister.”

“You scared me to death, Sister Zhou! I thought you…”

Bai Mo didn’t finish the rest of her sentence. Zhou Xi thought she hadn’t heard clearly. She repeated, “Thought I what?”

Thought she had a secret child.

“Nothing, nothing! Sister Zhou, you didn’t hear anything,” Bai Mo stammered nervously. She looked up toward the distance. “Oh? It looks like the team leader is calling me over to help him. I need to go.”

With that, Bai Mo ran off into the distance, away from the awkward situation.

Instantly, Han Shutong was left alone again.

Oh no, she wasn’t. She still had Zhou Xi and Lele.

Lele was resting on Zhou Xi’s shoulder, playing with Zhou Xi’s hair. Zhou Xi looked at Lele’s every move through the screen, her eyes filled with affection.

Han Shutong also looked at the screen, but she was looking at Zhou Xi.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The only sounds they heard were the chatter of other people in the hospital room and the noise of tourists in the scenic area.

Han Shutong walked toward a corner, turning off her microphone as she walked.

Han Shutong walked to an unused corner by the wall, next to a row of pine trees.

She looked at Zhou Xi. Zhou Xi, unable to hear the tourists’ voices, thought Han Shutong was beginning to work and looked toward Han Shutong.

Their eyes met.

Han Shutong blurted out, “I missed you.”

Zhou Xi’s expression froze. She chuckled softly. “Student Han, we’ve only been apart for four hours.”

Han Shutong smiled. “I still missed you.”

Zhou Xi, on impulse, suddenly asked, “Are you chasing me?”

Zhou Xi said this to the phone very quietly. No one in the hospital room heard it, not even Lele.

Zhou Xi immediately regretted it, praying that Han Shutong hadn’t heard.

But contrary to her wishes, Han Shutong not only heard it, but she heard it clearly.

Han Shutong’s tone softened:

“No.”

“I’m just telling you what’s in my heart.”

Lele put down Zhou Xi’s hair at that moment. She squeezed into the camera frame and said to Han Shutong, “Older Sister Tong, I missed you… When I see Older Sister… I want to kiss Older Sister.”

Zhou Xi and Han Shutong: “…”

Zhou Xi moved the phone away slightly, and said gently to Lele, “Go lie down. Older Sister will tell you a story after she hangs up the phone.”

“Okay.”

Lele obediently lay down on the pillow, her eyes wide open and blinking at Zhou Xi.

Zhou Xi placed one hand on Lele, gently patting her.

After soothing Lele, Zhou Xi turned to Han Shutong. “I’ll look after Lele now. Call me back when you’re ready to film.”

Han Shutong smiled and nodded. “Thank you for your hard work.”

The next second, Han Shutong added, “I heard what Lele said just now.”

Without waiting for Zhou Xi’s reaction, Han Shutong ended the call.