Baihe Fan

Chapter 5: Dinner

Xia Linxia was left completely bewildered.

As soon as the door closed, she immediately let go, looking around with her head held high, “What kiss? You want to kiss? Dream on! Do you think you can kiss these lips that have been kissed by an angel?”

Ji Fengxue pursed her lips, crossing her arms as she curiously examined Xia Linxia.

Xia Linxia became even more boastful, “What are you looking at? Let me tell you, even though we have a contract now, don’t expect to get anything from me! Not even a crumb of tofu!”

Ji Fengxue turned her curious gaze towards Xiang Huaimeng, “You must have had a hard time dealing with such a carefree person.”

“There’s no choice; she’s a money maker,” Xiang Huaimeng said gratefully. “Thank you for what you did just now.”

“No problem,” Ji Fengxue replied.

Xia Linxia, feeling completely ignored, shouted in frustration, “Hey! Did you hear me talking? What are you two chatting about… What? I’m trending again? Let me see!”

She happily opened the trending topics on Weibo, but her smile froze.

Public flirting?

What’s with these pictures?

In the photo, only their side profiles were visible. Xia Linxia’s body mostly obscured Ji Fengxue, with a jade-like hand on her shoulder, making it look like they were kissing…

“These unscrupulous media, they have no morals. I’m going to scold them,” Xia Linxia said.

“No, please don’t!” Xiang Huaimeng grabbed her phone, her emotions fluctuating wildly. “Can you just stay out of trouble for a few days? You’re about to be on a variety show; don’t go in with a bunch of scandals!”

“What variety show?” Xia Linxia asked.

“A dating show. Teacher Ji will be notified soon as well,” Xiang Huaimeng replied, turning to Ji Fengxue as if she were already part of their team, or rather, someone they could communicate with normally. “Teacher Ji, it might be a bit troublesome. If Linxia makes any mistakes, please don’t mind her. She’s used to being wild. If you could keep an eye on her, it would be great. In any case, this will be a bit of a hassle, so please bear with it.”

Ji Fengxue, seeing her distressed expression, patted her shoulder. “Okay.”

Xiang Huaimeng looked at her as if she were her own mother.

Feeling ignored again, Xia Linxia stepped between them. “Hey, hey, hey, I’m still here. Don’t treat me like I’m invisible.”

“I don’t even consider you a person,” Xiang Huaimeng said, exasperated.

Ji Fengxue didn’t stay long. She waited until most of the onlookers had dispersed before preparing to leave.

Xia Linxia suddenly asked, “Why didn’t you respond to Fu Xiaoxuan earlier?”

Ji Fengxue paused, looking at her.

“What do you think Xiao Yuran will think after watching the live stream?” Xia Linxia stepped closer, scrutinizing her face for any sign of emotion—shock, surprise, regret, or even smugness—but found none.

Ji Fengxue stood there calmly, as if discussing an irrelevant person.

Xia Linxia felt defeated, not bothering to dig into these messy affairs. Leaning against the door handle, she said, “I don’t care what happened between you all in the past or what will happen in the future, but for this year, you better not make me wear a green hat. Got it?”

Ji Fengxue smiled, tilting her head slightly. “Xia Linxia, I find you more interesting than I thought.”

Xia Linxia paused, tracing the door handle’s patterns with her finger. After a moment, she opened the door and stood at the entrance. As Ji Fengxue walked past, she couldn’t resist pulling her back and whispering, “Don’t fall in love with me. I’m much more ruthless than Xiao Yuran. I’ll dump you hard and mercilessly.”

Ji Fengxue raised an eyebrow, gently patting her shoulder. Her smile didn’t reach her eyes, her long lashes hiding her emotions. “Then let’s wait and see.”

Xia Linxia: “Heh.”

Ji Fengxue: “Ha.”

The two parted on bad terms.

In the evening, they got into the same van and headed to a Michelin three-star restaurant for dinner. The car ride was painfully quiet.

Xiang Huaimeng texted her newfound comrade-in-arms, “What do we do? I’m starting to worry about this year’s work. I might not survive it. This job is too hard! I want to quit!”

[Chen Nian]: Before you leave, make sure to transfer Xia Linxia to me. I like her.

[Xiang Huaimeng]: …

[Xiang Huaimeng]: No way, she’s my money tree! You’re trying to poach her from me?

[Chen Nian]: Still want to quit?

[Xiang Huaimeng]: … Not for now. I still have a mortgage to pay! So, Teacher Ji is still the cold type? The approachable attitude these days was just an act?

[Chen Nian]: She’s not cold, just lonely.

Lonely?

Xiang Huaimeng didn’t understand. Ji Fengxue, with her Best Actress title and numerous fans, was well-loved by the public. What could she lack? How could she be lonely?

Oh! She suddenly remembered Xiao Yuran. She was curious about the details between Ji Fengxue and Xiao Yuran, but Linxia never mentioned much about their past entanglements, only cursing Xiao Yuran occasionally.

The car stopped downstairs, where company-arranged paparazzi were ready to capture their affectionate moments entering the restaurant.

Just as the paparazzi packed up their cameras, the car window was tapped. Xia Linxia had returned and stretched out her hand. “Let me see the camera, were the angles good?”

The paparazzi obediently handed it over.

Xia Linxia flipped through the photos, pleased with the angles. The side and back profiles looked great, especially one where Ji Fengxue’s face was almost obscured.

She pointed to that one. “Use this one for the press release. It’s beautiful. Good job.”

The paparazzi looked puzzled and wanted to ask more but was silenced by her glare. “Got it.”

There was no need to continue taking pictures inside the restaurant, but the two were well-known enough that even with hats and masks, they were recognized. The dining area was neither too crowded nor too empty, just full enough. A table in the corner by the window had been reserved for a long time. As they walked in, people occasionally glanced their way.

Xia Linxia strolled ahead leisurely, but suddenly, someone pulled her arm, and she felt a warm hand in hers. Her eyes widened in surprise.

Ji Fengxue smiled, walking alongside her, and whispered, “Mind your behavior.”

Xia Linxia felt like she was holding a hot potato, her fingers stiff and unsure where to go. She let Ji Fengxue lead her to the table, finally feeling relieved when she got her hand back. She picked up a hot towel and wiped her hands, loudly explaining to the diners, “It’s so hot today. Just wiping off the sweat.”

But the diners had no idea who she was talking to.

When it came time to order, Xia Linxia looked at the menu, her eyes lighting up mischievously.

“Black truffle puff pastry soup, cheese-baked lobster, caviar, sea urchin soup, and fried onion rings…” Xia Linxia grinned. She might not remember Ji Fengxue’s favorite foods from the file, but she remembered everything she hated.

Onions, seafood, spicy food, cilantro.

She asked the waiter, “Can you add some cilantro to the baked lobster?”

Waiter: “Sorry, we can’t.”

Xia Linxia feigned disappointment and said seriously, “Your restaurant is too rigid. You need to innovate more. Cilantro captures the essence of the earth, and when paired with the lobster from the sea, it creates the ultimate gourmet experience.”

Waiter: “Sorry, never heard of that.”

Xia Linxia gave up, looking smugly at Ji Fengxue and winking with her left eye. “Darling, you must eat a lot later, okay~~”

The tremor in her voice made Ji Fengxue shiver. “Thank you. Then I won’t hold back.”

The dishes were brought out one by one, and Xia Linxia stared at Ji Fengxue with eyes sparkling, eagerly waiting for her to make a fool of herself.

As fate would have it, Xia Linxia’s intense gaze was misinterpreted by the onlookers as adoration. Online discussions about the romantic dinner between the two had already started gaining traction.

Both enjoyed the black truffle, and after a couple of bites, Xia Linxia thought to herself, “Wait until the next dish comes, then you’ll be done for.”

As soon as the cheese-baked lobster arrived, she eagerly scooped out a large spoonful of lobster meat topped with cheese, her mouth watering for a second, but she immediately offered it to Ji Fengxue, “Darling, eat up.”

Ji Fengxue looked at her, then leaned down to take a bite from the spoon.

The customers who witnessed this immediately took to the internet, reporting that Xia Linxia was personally feeding Ji Fengxue, and that the two seemed very much in love.

After a while, Xia Linxia asked in confusion, “Why aren’t you reacting at all? Are you acting?”

Ji Fengxue chewed slowly, then wiped her mouth with a napkin, saying calmly, “I want more.”

Xia Linxia, dumbfounded, scooped another spoonful and fed it to Ji Fengxue, who once again enjoyed it without any trouble.

Not giving up, Xia Linxia continued to feed her the caviar and onion rings that followed. Finally, she put down the spoon, holding back her anger, and gritted her teeth, “You falsified the information.”

Ji Fengxue remained unfazed and asked, “More?”

Of course not!

“Such important information, and you made it up!” Xia Linxia was so angry that she felt full, picking up her own utensils only to find that all the dishes on the table had been touched. The dishes, which she had specifically ordered to spite Ji Fengxue, were not to her own taste either. In the end, she could only turn to the one dish she could eat: the Parmesan cheese soufflé.

It looked good and tasted good, but it was quite high in calories.

Never mind, if she’s going to get fat, they’ll get fat together. So she divided a piece for Ji Fengxue, and from the outside, it looked like the two of them had a sweet and affectionate meal, serving up a huge helping of dog food to the onlookers.

Despite some wanting autographs, they were too embarrassed to interrupt, as the two of them looked like a perfect picture, with no room for a third wheel.

After dinner, they got back into the van. Xia Linxia asked irritably, “Did you fake all the information?”

Ji Fengxue leaned against the window, closing her eyes, and said, “Not all. Half true, half false.”

“Damn, I filled out all my information honestly, and you faked yours!” Xia Linxia was furious.

“Really?” Ji Fengxue kept her eyes closed, her lips curving slightly as her head rested against the window, swaying with the car. “I didn’t know you had a little turtle?”

Xia Linxia: “!”

“And the little turtle is really called Xia Wudi?”

Xia Linxia: “!!”

“And there’s a birthmark on your right shoulder blade?”

Xia Linxia grabbed a pillow and threw it at Ji Fengxue’s head, her ears turning a faint shade of red, whether from anger or embarrassment.

“Ji Fengxue! You’re dead!” she yelled, lunging forward and shaking Ji Fengxue by the neck.

Ji Fengxue coughed, caught off guard, and opened her eyes to look at her helplessly.

Xia Linxia stopped suddenly, the two of them just inches apart. She leaned in a bit more, blinking curiously.

To be fair, even at this close distance, Ji Fengxue’s skin looked amazing. Her nose was high, her eyes deep, her eyelashes long, and the corners of her eyes were slightly red, giving her an innocent look, like someone who had just cried.

Xia Linxia smiled, “You’re lying. There must have been something you didn’t like in the dishes earlier. This reaction proves it.”

Ji Fengxue didn’t respond, pushing her away.

Xia Linxia sat back a bit, her elbows resting on her knees, grinning mischievously. “So, what was it? The shrimp? The caviar? Or the onion?”

At the mention of the onion, Ji Fengxue’s eyelid twitched slightly, which Xia Linxia quickly noticed.

“Ah, so our dear darling doesn’t like onions. Got it, I’ll take good care of you in the future.”

Ji Fengxue glanced at her, the corners of her eyes still a bit red, and turned her head to look out the window, not wanting to engage.

Feeling victorious, Xia Linxia couldn’t help but lean close to her shoulder, laughing, “Tell me, darling, why don’t you like onions?”

Their heads were close together, separated by just a small distance.

Her breath brushed against Ji Fengxue’s ear, though she didn’t seem to notice.

Outside, the neon lights flickered by, reflected in their dark eyes like stars dotting the night sky.

Ji Fengxue raised her eyes to look at their reflection in the window, her eyelashes fluttering lightly. She turned to look at Xia Linxia’s peach blossom eyes and said, “Because eating onions makes your breath smell when you kiss. Do you want to try?”

Xia Linxia: “…!”

Old ginger is still spicier, and old women are still trickier! Xia Linxia was so annoyed that she hiccuped on the spot.