8.00 p.m.
That was when the production team would be releasing the promotional posters along with their first episode announcement. Once Tong Luo had washed up, she walked out of the bathroom to call Qi Wu over so that they could look at them together.
However, she walked out to find Qi Wu leaving their room.
Tong Luo silently stared.
Why was Qi Wu going out all alone at this hour?
An uncontrollable voice within her asked, Was Qi Wu sneaking out to meet her sugar daddy?
At that thought, Tong Luo could not resist peeking out of the window. Qi Wu just so happened to be walking out of the villa.
As for where she was going… It was the stadium.
*
Qi Wu appeared at the entrance of the stadium as promised.
As they would not be filming that evening, the contestants were all resting in their villas. Hence, only a few street lamps stayed on outside the stadium, lighting up the area with their dim lights.
Qi Wu silently stood under one of the street lamps so that she would be in the light.
Then, a frosty voice called out from behind her. "Turn around."
Qi Wu turned around.
Jin Si was standing just a few feet away from her.
He was dressed in a long black coat that accentuated his tall body and long legs.
The evening breeze rushed past them, causing the tails of the coat to sway in the wind.
Jin Si silently stared at her while breathing out tiny puffs of air, turned white by the chill of the night. Although visibility was low due to the blanket of mist in the area, he still had a clear view of Qi Wu's appearance.
It had only been a few days since they last met, but she felt like she had changed a lot.
If he had to pinpoint a reason, it was because she looked much better now than back then when she did not know a single thing.
She was doing her best to blend in with this world.
Deep down, Jin Si heaved a sigh.
With the light shining down from behind her, Qi Wu slowly walked from the light into the dark toward where he was.
Her pace was neither fast nor slow, but she did not hesitate at all.
Jin Si's eyelashes trembled.
This had been a sight he had fantasized about for years.
"Jin Si, candy."
Qi Wu's voice snapped him out of his dreamlike state.
He coldly pursed his lips. "You like it that much? Be careful. You might get cavities."
Qi Wu frowned and solemnly retorted, "I'm eating proper meals. I won't get cavities!"
Her voice was soft and sweet without a hint of aggression at all. It only made him want to tease her even more.
Thus, Jin Si's mischievous side awakened once more.
"Is that so? For the sake of your health, I don't think I should give you more lemon drops."
There was a blank look in Qi Wu's eyes.
It reminded him of that emoticon she had sent him a while ago. It looked just like her. Both looked so goofy and ditzy.
The corners of his lips twitched upward imperceptibly.
When he looked back down at her, he found Qi Wu glaring at him with puffed-up cheeks.
"Did you even buy them for me?"
She was so confident in her accusation.
Jin Si silently chuckled before letting out a scoff. "Am I that kind of person?"
When he saw that Qi Wu was still angry and refused to acknowledge him, Jin Si pulled out the jar of lemon drops from his pocket.
As he watched Qi Wu happily grab the jar of candy and tenderly hold it in her arms like a precious baby, Jing Si sighed. "You can only have two a day."
"Okay!"
Qi Wu's answer, while verbal, was somewhat dismissive.
Jin Si sighed once more but did not react in any other way.
Perhaps he did not realize it, but his patience for Qi Wu was greater than what it was before.
Suddenly, he asked, "Are you having fun?"
Hearing that, Qi Wu pushed aside her joy at having a brand new jar of lemon drops and seriously considered her answer.
A minute later, she solemnly nodded.
"Yes!"
She then held up a hand and counted with her fingers. "I met a lot of interesting friends. There's Tong Luo, Xuxu, Ke Lu, Tan Song… Jiang Yiran is a cute kid too."
If Jiang Yiran heard that the woman he thought of as a rival was calling him cute, he would likely explode.
Jin Si was confused.
Were there not only two? Why were there suddenly so many friends?
His face instantly darkened.
"Since you're having fun, why care about lemon drops?"
There was a slight frown of confusion on her face. "It's not the same."
"Ha."
Jin Si coldly chuckled.
With her jar of lemon drops in her arms, Qi Wu watched with bewildered eyes as Jin Si turned and walked away with an emotionless look on his face.
She slowly tilted her head.
Why was Jin Si angry?
Jin Si only realized he was seething with anger for some unknown reason when he got back in the car. He scowled. Soon, that ball of fury dissipated, leaving only cold logic in his brain.
He glanced up at Lou Ying, who was sitting in the driver's seat, and barked out, "Snap out of it. Drive."
"Yes, sir."
As Lou Ying did not dare to protest, he hurriedly started the car and drove off.
Jin Si had gone to the candy shop to buy the last jar of lemon drops available and drove all the way here just to deliver the jar of candy. In the end, he came back filled with rage.
As days went by, Lou Ying realized he did not understand the changes in Jin Si.
Was the ghost that enchanting?
*
When Qi Wu opened the door, she found Tong Luo leaning against the window and staring outside as though she was searching for something.
Qi Wu blinked and softly called out, "Tong Luo?"
Bam!
Tong Luo had jumped with fright and nearly fell off her chair.
She awkwardly turned around to look at Qi Wu. "You're back…"
As soon as she said that, she spotted the new jar of lemon drops in Qi Wu's arms.
"You went to pick up some lemon drops?"
Qi Wu nodded. "My debtholder bought them for me!"
Silence fell.
There was a conflicted look on Tong Luo's face as she found herself at a loss for words.
Why was Qi Wu so easily fooled that just one jar of lemon drops was enough for her?
However… Tong Luo stared at the jar of lemon drops in shock. "Is this from that famous handmade lemon drop maker on Main Street?"
Qi Wu did not understand what Tong Luo was referring to. Her eyes shined with confusion as she blankly asked, "What is it?"
There was a pause. "It's fine. Enjoy them."
In the end, Tong Luo did not tell Qi Wu about the lemon drop maker.
While she did not know much about high society, she had heard Tong Fei boast about how that lemon drop maker only sold their goods to the upper crust, so the price, taste, and even packaging of their candy was incomparable to the lemon drops sold elsewhere.
Still, anyone who could be Qi Wu's sugar daddy should not be poor anyway.
Tong Luo could not help but stare at Qi Wu.
She was already happily unscrewing the lid of her new jar of lemon drops.
As for the empty jar, she did not throw it away. Instead, she kept it somewhere safe and sound.
Upon noticing Tong Luo's stare, Qi Wu kindly offered, "You can have one, Tong Luo."
Tong Luo merely sighed. "I've brushed my teeth already. You enjoy it."
Although the sugar daddy was a powerful man…
He sure was stingy.
Qi Wu deserved all the lemon drops in the world!