Chapter 174: Stargazing and Moon-Viewing

After listening, Lu Wenchuan couldn't help but thank the production crew for coming up with that task; otherwise, progress between the two of them wouldn't have advanced so quickly.

"Mm-hmm, it's all my fault." Lu Wenchuan coaxed her for a while.

After taking a deep breath, Sang Yijia managed to adjust her state of mind. She glanced back at the production team, knowing she had made a fool of herself again, but she quickly persuaded herself: they were in a relationship after all, and kissing, hugging, and lifting each other up were perfectly normal things for a couple.

It was just being recorded and seen by others now.

It was no big deal.

"Let's go back." Lu Wenchuan pinched Sang Yijia's cheek, not even glancing at the camera, as if it didn't exist at all.

Sang Yijia withdrew her gaze and let Lu Wenchuan lead her outside by the hand.

***

Although the bullying controversy surrounding Sang Yijia had passed, some netizens were still unwilling to believe the official clarification, frequently visiting Sang Yijia's Weibo to leave comments demanding justice for the victim.

Manager Mo Yani was still busy arranging activities for the boy band. Coupled with Sang Yijia's previous declaration that she intended to retire from the entertainment industry, Mo Yani had shifted most of her focus to the boy band.

It wasn't until the evening of the second day of recording that Mo Yani finally learned about the matter.

Mo Yani called Sang Yijia: "Jiajia, the online community is paying a lot of attention to the bullying incident right now."

Sang Yijia received the call just before going to sleep, by which time the cameras inside the room had already been turned off.

Sang Yijia didn't have to worry about being overheard. "I've already had people contact the victim's family."

"Being able to clear your name is the best outcome," Mo Yani said with a sigh. "The progress on the web drama over here is going smoothly."

"Once you finish this show, we'll go for another audition, and then it'll be finalized." Mo Yani sounded a bit troubled. "However, it seems another actress is vying for the supporting role this time."

"Alright." Sang Yijia understood. She checked the time; it was just past ten-thirty in the evening. Judging by the ambient sounds coming through the phone, Mo Yani was still somewhere resembling a set.

"Sister Mo, work can wait a bit. Don't push yourself too hard." Having experienced sudden death once before, Sang Yijia knew all too well what that felt like.

"Good health is the only thing that truly matters."

Mo Yani fell silent for a moment. She thought to herself that if her family possessed even one-tenth of the real estate Sang Yijia owned, she wouldn't have to work herself to the bone.

"I will, thank you." Mo Yani's gratitude was entirely sincere.

Sang Yijia didn't say anything more.

The call ended.

Sang Yijia exited the call interface and saw a message from her second brother on WeChat.

[Little sister, I've already communicated with the school. The victim's family is also willing to step forward and clarify.]

Seeing the second half of the sentence, Sang Yijia's fingertips paused for a moment before she replied: Okay, thank you, Second Brother.

Sang Kuiwu replied in seconds.

[Little sister, you're still not asleep! Go to bed right now! With us handling these trivial matters, you don't need to worry at all!]

Seeing this, Sang Yijia couldn't help laughing out loud. She replied with a simple "good night" and exited the app.

Outside the window, moonlight filtered through the white sheer curtains, casting a soft, gentle, luminous white glow onto the window seat.

Sang Yijia's heart softened. She walked over to the window seat, took a photo, sent it to Lu Wenchuan, and attached a simple message.

After sending the message, Sang Yijia held her phone, wondering what Lu Wenchuan would reply with, but after waiting a while, no response came.

Sang Yijia frowned slightly, wondering if he had already fallen asleep.

The next second, however, her phone rang.

Sang Yijia's heart gave a violent jolt. She quickly turned down the volume before answering the call. "What are you doing?"

The soundproofing of the hotel rooms was very good; even if Sang Yijia played music loudly, Aunt Zhang next door wouldn't hear it.

Yet Sang Yijia felt a guilty conscience, scared to death.

"I'm at your door."

Lu Wenchuan's deep, magnetic voice sounded right beside her ear, making Sang Yijia's heart skip another beat.

"Want to come out and moon-gaze?" Lu Wenchuan continued, "There's a specially arranged camping tent on the hotel rooftop."

"We can look at the stars and the moon." Lu Wenchuan had arranged this suite long in advance.

He had planned to bring Sang Yijia up to stay for a night after the show wrapped up.

But upon receiving Sang Yijia's message, Lu Wenchuan couldn't wait any longer. Besides, tonight's moonlight was truly breathtaking.

He was eager to share it with Sang Yijia.

"Alright, wait for me a moment." Sang Yijia agreed with a soft "mm."

The moment the call ended, Sang Yijia immediately looked down at her attire: a simple pair of pajamas, completely unprovocative.

Taking a deep breath, Sang Yijia hurried over to the mirror to tidy her flowing long hair, then decided to tie it up into a neat bun.

Fully prepared, Sang Yijia opened the door and stepped out on tiptoe.

At the doorway, Lu Wenchuan was wearing dark blue pajamas. Seeing Sang Yijia in her light blue Doraemon pajamas, he couldn't help smiling. "Very cute."

"Your taste is so plain." Lu Wenchuan's pajamas had no patterns at all, just a pure, solid dark blue—definitely the kind of style Sang Yijia would never choose. But if it were green instead, Sang Yijia would consider it an peerless masterpiece found nowhere else in heaven or earth.

She was just that double-standard.

"Shall I wear matching ones with you next time?" Lu Wenchuan asked, then added, "You can pick the style."

"Then I want a green one with a hood."

Lu Wenchuan paused for a second, instantly understanding her implication. "Didn't they say online?"

"Without a touch of green on your head, how can life go smoothly?"

Sang Yijia was thoroughly defeated. "Where are we going to look?"

"Follow me." Lu Wenchuan took Sang Yijia's small hand in his. "Your floor is the top floor for the elevators, but actually, with this card, you can go up one more level."

As he spoke, Lu Wenchuan took a black card out of his pocket. "It was specially built by the hotel."

"Your idea?" Sang Yijia asked.

Lu Wenchuan shook his head. "No, the designer's."

"This place is close to the ocean, and combined with the unique environment and climate, you can see the night sky clearly here."

"It's completely different from the city."

Stepping out of the elevator, Sang Yijia took one look, and while she couldn't say the sky was blanketed with countless stars, there were indeed a great many of them.

"The most stars I've ever seen before were maybe a dozen or so." But looking up now, there were stars everywhere.

Sang Yijia watched quietly for a long while, momentarily reminded of her time in the orphanage. "The place I lived before was even more remote than this."

"It was a small mountain village," Sang Yijia said. "You could see a very beautiful night sky there."

"There were shooting stars, too." But Sang Yijia had only ever seen one, and she had made a single wish.

Lu Wenchuan listened quietly.

"Back then, my wish was that the orphanage would get better and better." That everyone would have enough to eat and wear brand-new clothes of their very own.

"Later on, that wish came true." Sang Yijia turned to look at Lu Wenchuan. "Yet it didn't completely come true."

Because she had come back.

Still, it didn't matter; Sang Yijia had already written her will long ago. All her assets would be donated to the orphanage, and her remains would be donated to a medical school to serve as a silent mentor for medical students.

Sang Yijia would never trouble anyone to handle her funeral arrangements.

"Lu Wenchuan, actually, during those days when I was working overtime, I could already feel it—my heart..." Sang Yijia lowered her gaze to her chest. "It hurts."

Therefore, sensing that something was amiss, Sang Yijia had hurriedly prepared for her final affairs.