Substitute Lover [Entertainment Industry] - Chapter 65

“Eat more. I remember you liked this flavor.”

It was 7 o’clock at night, and the lights were bright.

Bai Yihan happened to be sitting opposite Jiang Cha, and she brought her a plate of caviar sushi, placed it gently on the table, and sat down. She always maintained the politeness of a normal friend and just the right amount of concern, her attitude was very subtle, yet it was impossible to fault.

“Thank you.”

Jiang Cha took the plate, not knowing how to react.

She just lowered her head, her long curled eyelashes drooping, reserved and distant.

Bai Yihan glanced at her.

Jiang Cha was as if she had just washed her hair, her long black hair was soft and thick, tied loosely behind her white neck, gentle and obedient. Her skin was soft and white, with a hint of girlish pink, like the petals of a cherry blossom in early spring, delicate and soft.

“Do you like to add wasabi?”

Ye Man brought over a stack of sauces and placed them by her hand. The light green wasabi was contained in a square black saucer.

“Just a little, that’s fine.”

Jiang Cha forked a piece of fish and dipped it in.

Bai Yihan smiled lightly: “I remember you used to cry when you ate wasabi.”

Before she could answer, Jiang Cha suddenly raised her head, covered her mouth, her eyes were red, and she was indeed choking with tears.

Bai Yihan sighed softly, and said softly:

“After so many years, you’re still the same as before.”

Jiang Cha couldn’t speak, her eyes were blurred with tears from the spiciness.

Just then, a white and bony hand held a cup and handed it over, gently patting her back while thoughtfully wiping her tears with a white towel.

“Drink some water.”

Ji Fan looked at her affectionately and said softly.

Jiang Cha: “…”

What was wrong with her today?

She glanced sideways at Ji Fan, her cheeks slightly red.

There was a slice of lemon in the glass, and the water was already cold. Jiang Cha was choking badly, so she didn’t care much and had to drink the water with the help of her hand, and her throat felt more comfortable.

“It’s so enviable.”

Ye Man said leisurely, “Your relationship is so good.”

Ji Fan didn’t answer, slowly put down the cup, and then took off her coat, asking Jiang Cha, “Are you cold?” Before Jiang Cha could answer, Ji Fan put the windbreaker on her shoulders and said softly, “Wear it, I’m afraid you’ll be cold.”

Bai Yihan lowered her eyes, and her pale pink lips pursed slightly.

Jiang Cha shook her head and returned the coat to her: “Are you feeling better from your cold? I’m not cold. You wear it yourself.”

“It’s great, you can get married.” Ye Man said with emotion, “Back then, I didn’t know that there could be love between girls.”

She sighed as she cut a piece of rib-eye steak.

“I didn’t know either,” Bai Yihan looked at Jiang Cha and said softly, “Everyone’s journey to understanding their sexuality is different, and the timing varies. Some people realize it earlier, others later. It’s just the way it is.”

Bai Yihan looked at her, her eyes bright, her voice soft, “I was just too slow back then.”

Jiang Cha looked up, startled.

Their eyes met.

A subtle atmosphere filled the air.

“Ahem,” Ye Man coughed, feeling a bit uncomfortable, and quickly changed the subject, “Um, do you want anything else? I can get it for you.”

“Thank you, no need,” Jiang Cha said, “I haven’t finished what’s on my plate yet.”

Her plate was filled with foods that Ji Fan thought tasted good. The person next to her was like a squirrel storing food for the winter, seeing anything that tasted good and feeding it to Jiang Cha.

Bai Yihan glanced at Jiang Cha’s plate and said lightly:

“She hates eating raw salmon.”

Ji Fan paused with the fork she was holding, “You don’t like it?”

“I didn’t like it before.”

Jiang Cha admitted.

“She doesn’t like raw meat, and she doesn’t like to drink alcohol. When Jiang Cha was with me before, she wouldn’t even drink RIO.”

Ji Fan looked at the wine glass by Jiang Cha’s hand, the red wine was already half gone.

“We were still young back then, it was different.”

Jiang Cha explained softly.

“How’s your tolerance for alcohol now?” Bai Yihan looked at her, “This wine has a high alcohol content, are you feeling uncomfortable now? Do you have a headache?”

She reached out and moved the wine bottle from Jiang Cha’s hand to her side, implying, “If I had a girlfriend, I definitely wouldn’t let her drink like this.”

As she reached out, there was something red on her wrist, very eye-catching. Ye Man took one look and exclaimed:

“Oh my god, you’re still wearing it!”

On Bai Yihan’s white wrist, there was a red string, handmade, with thin threads wrapped around each other, and two small golden bells hanging at the end, making her skin look very white.

Jiang Cha glanced at it and her heart skipped a beat.

Bai Yihan smiled lightly and lowered her eyes, “Jiang Cha made it herself, I can’t bear to throw it away.”

Jiang Cha’s expression tightened.

Why hasn’t she thrown it away yet? She doesn’t understand what Bai Yihan is trying to do. Regardless, she’s married now, so it’s inappropriate.

Ji Fan held the fork lightly, her gaze as cold as ice, and she stared at Bai Yihan without saying a word.

The person across from her seemed to notice Ji Fan’s gaze and raised her head, saying softly, “I can’t bear to part with it myself, it has nothing to do with Jiang Cha.”

Ye Man looked at her suspiciously, “There’s no need for that, it’s been so long.”

Bai Yihan looked a little downcast, “It’s just a keepsake. After I went abroad, I missed the days we spent together.”

“You were together.” Ji Fan said indifferently.

“Yeah.”

Bai Yihan smiled indifferently.

With a snap, the fork was placed forcefully on the porcelain plate.

Jiang Cha glanced at Bai Yihan and said, “No.”

Ji Fan pursed her lips, silent, her gaze slightly cold.

Bai Yihan paused and explained, “Don’t misunderstand, I mean, being together as ordinary friends.” She explained seriously, “I don’t have anything with her.”

The air was quiet.

Ji Fan propped her chin and frowned.

Her long eyelashes drooped, casting a shadow in her eye sockets. Her face was extremely pale, her brows furrowed, and her headache seemed to be starting again.

Jiang Cha leaned over to her ear and asked in a low voice and reproachfully, “Did you take your medicine? Does your head hurt again?”

Ji Fan shook her head, “It’s nothing.”

She stubbornly sat in place, her lips curled into a slight sneer, and she glanced at Bai Yihan again.

The person across the corner was lowering her head to drink water. Knowing that Ji Fan was looking at her, her attitude was still impeccable, and she even licked her lips lightly.

Bai Yihan’s pale lips curved into a harmless smile, “I’m sorry, I didn’t express myself properly just now, Ms. Ji, don’t be angry.”

If this continued, it would inevitably cause trouble again. Jiang Cha didn’t want to continue at all. The two people in front of her were clearly at odds, and it seemed like they would start arguing at any moment.

“I’m sorry,” Jiang Cha picked up her bag, stood up, and patted Ji Fan’s shoulder, “She’s not feeling well, so let’s go.”

Bai Yihan’s face turned pale in an instant.

She shook her head gently and smiled weakly:

“It’s okay, you take her back first, I’m used to being alone.”

In the quiet room, the surrounding conversations were soft, and the sound of the piano was like flowing water, peaceful and clear. Under the soft light, Jiang Cha’s long black hair was scattered, her neck was as white as jade, and her temperament was extremely clean, like someone who had walked out of a painting.

She watched Jiang Cha’s back as she walked away, and memories surged like a tide.

It was a rainy summer.

She was carrying her schoolbag home when her gaze stopped. On the bluestone road, there was a little girl squatting, hugging her knees, and seemed to be sobbing.

She was an extremely beautiful person.

Big eyes, a small, straight nose, plump lips, like a doll made of snow, fair and translucent skin, smooth and black hair, braided into two pigtails at the back of her head, and tied with a pink bow.

She was also wearing a white dress.

If it were another child wearing this, it might be a bit exaggerated, but not this girl.

She was as beautiful as a little princess who had run out of a fairy tale, and she immediately caught her eye.

It was raining heavily.

She was completely soaked.

Like a gardenia flower drenched in rain, the petals drooped weakly, arousing pity and compassion.

Jiang Cha’s big eyes blinked, looking at the ground. Her eyes were still wet, and her face was covered in both tears and rainwater. The pure cotton white skirt was soaked and clung to her body, feeling very cold.

Rainwater dripped down strand by strand of hair.

Jiang Cha’s lips were tightly pursed, her expression a bit aggrieved, clearly a child who had run away from home after a quarrel with her family, only to encounter a heavy rain not far away.

“Where’s your home? Sister will take you back.”

The girl looked up at her when she heard her voice, her eyes wide.

Bai Yihan squatted down and looked at her levelly, wiping her cheek with her white fingertips, her eyes filled with a faint smile.

“If you don’t speak, then how about coming to my house?”

She held Jiang Cha’s hand and smiled, “Your hands are so cold. Be careful not to catch a cold.”

The girl had no defenses at all and was obediently led by her, not saying a word along the way. Bai Yihan chuckled. This girl, she probably wouldn’t even know if she was being kidnapped. It was simply inconceivable that she had grown up this big and still remained so innocent.

Gradually, Jiang Cha stopped crying.

Her eyes even revealed curiosity as she looked at her, hesitating to speak.

Bai Yihan wasn’t much older than her, and being looked at like that gave her a strange sense of pleasure, as if she had suddenly become a “big sister” who could protect her from the wind and rain.

That day, she brought Jiang Cha home, pushed her into the bathroom to take a hot shower, and since she didn’t have any spare clothes, she lent her own clothes to wear. The clothes were a T-shirt, slightly oversized, and Jiang Cha running around in it looked like a little monkey.

The two of them gradually became familiar with each other.

But not long after, Ye Man, who came to play at her house, recognized Jiang Cha and said that her parents were anxiously looking everywhere for her. Jiang Cha was scolded by her family and ran out crying, disappearing.

Bai Yihan dutifully sent her home.

She felt a little reluctant.

When she still didn’t know how to define feelings between the same sex, she clearly liked her so much.

By the time she realized it, Jiang Cha had already gotten married and had someone else.

Reality is not a script, no one will wait for anyone forever, and those who should have left have already left.

••••

It was the height of summer, and the rains were heavy.

One moment it was sunny, and the next, a sudden downpour caught passersby off guard.

Many people scrambled for shelter under awnings, sighing in exasperation.

It didn’t feel like it when you were indoors, but stepping outside and going downstairs, you felt your feet were unsteady.

Jiang Cha was a little tipsy. She didn’t have a good tolerance for alcohol, and the red wine she’d had was of an unknown strength, giving her a headache. People’s figures seemed to overlap in her vision. She followed Ji Fan downstairs, intending to go back, but when she looked up again, Ji Fan was gone, and the heavy rain outside had blocked her way.

As she waited, she looked out through the raindrops dripping down the awning. After looking around for a while, she still couldn’t see Ji Fan.

Without an umbrella, she could only join the others and be stuck there.

Feeling dizzy, Jiang Cha squatted down and closed her eyes slightly.

“Asleep?”

A voice asked.

Jiang Cha’s eyelids fluttered.

An umbrella opened, blocking the cold raindrops that were pattering on the ground. The umbrella cloth was transparent, and Jiang Cha looked up to see the blue sky and the white, slender hand holding the umbrella’s ribs.

Ji Fan was looking down at her quietly.

Jiang Cha coughed lightly, feeling a little uncomfortable when she saw who it was.

Ji Fan was wearing a snow-white shirt, her figure tall and slender. Her profile was partially obscured by a strand of black hair that had fallen over her ear, revealing a white and beautiful nose.

Ji Fan squatted down, “What are you doing squatting here?”

Jiang Cha looked at her, but didn’t speak.

Ji Fan looked into her eyes, then lowered her gaze, “Were you waiting for me to go home together?”

Jiang Cha stood up and took a step into the umbrella.

Ji Fan took Jiang Cha’s hand and simply said, “Let’s go, the driver is here.”

Looking down from the upstairs location, one could just see two young women holding hands, walking slowly and intimately in the rain.

On Youbai Road, a Porsche pulled over. The driver opened the door and held up a large black umbrella, ushering someone into the car. The car windows were made of transparent black glass, and from such a distance, one could only see the overlapping shadows of two people inside, swaying slightly and vaguely.

It looked like they were kissing.