Showbiz Scandal: The Official Announcement of My Ex and Myself-Chapter 186: I Want Everyone to Know How Much I Like You
Yu Xia never considered herself someone who likes to act spoiled and cry, at least not since she debuted.
Whenever she got hurt, felt wronged, or missed her brother, she would endure it alone because there were no family members by her side to indulge her temper all the time.
She didn’t expect she would cry. Just a moment ago, she was speechless at Mei, and who could have predicted that she’d start shedding tears the moment she heard Xie Qingci speak?
She licked her lips, lay in his arms, and whispered, "It actually still hurts a bit."
Xie Qingci wrapped her in his coat, held her in his arms, kissed the top of her head, and his voice was hoarse and low when he spoke:
"Be good, let me see."
Her leg was covered with a loose and light piece of cloth, and after uncovering it, the red marks were still very obvious. The bruises from the massage looked a bit swollen and quite scary,
He gently touched it.
Yu Xia instinctively shrank back.
"What, does it hurt even like this?" He asked, frowning.
She shook her head, "No, it itches."
He propped her calf up with his palm, lifted it slightly, letting her foot rest on his knee, and then kissed from the bottom of her knee to her ankle.
"Why is it so cold?"
The ankle was too sensitive, so she shrank back again, answering him, "It’s normal, let go."
Xie Qingci held on without letting go.
Her cowering appearance was too enticing, with her hair ruffled against the large coat he lent her, her reddened eyes, lashes bathed in tears, and the way she half-bit her lips to avoid his gaze, showing a rare vulnerability.
He suddenly felt like a bully coercing a good woman.
And an intense urge to be even more forceful surged within him.
"Too cold, I’ll hold it," he looked away with restraint, finding a reason, "to warm you up."
Yu Xia: "Then don’t touch it."
Xie Qingci stopped his caressing movements, looked at her seriously, and asked, "Really can’t?"
"...Fine, touch it, shut up."
He lowered his head and laughed, hugging her tightly, brazenly whispering by her ear: "Then can I continue kissing you, it might help you forget the pain in your leg."
"...What, is your kiss a painkiller?"
"If you want that effect, I can give it a try," he brushed her hair aside with his fingers, teasingly said, "You know I’m good at learning, don’t you?"
Yu Xia knocked her head against his chest, making him laugh muffledly.
He stroked her face, and the two maintained a very close distance, their lips meeting and parting could easily touch each other.
"Rest for a day, okay?"
"No, it’s not serious, it’ll be better by tomorrow."
He swallowed slightly, "I’m really worried."
When he saw her fall from the roof, his heart almost stopped.
But on this matter, Yu Xia wasn’t open for discussion.
"This is something actors need to get used to; every profession has its risks. If you placed my injury on someone else, would you still think it’s serious? It’s not very serious, so there’s no need to hold up the entire production schedule."
Xie Qingci closed his eyes, gently biting her lip.
"Then I’ll come every day to apply medicine for you."
Every day? Aren’t you afraid of getting caught?
She suddenly remembered the main issue, pushed him away slightly, and asked, "Today... what did your manager say?"
"Told me to hold back a bit, but how do you hold back something like love?"
He continued nonchalantly, "My feelings for you are not a secret, I just want everyone to know."
She looked at his eyes in a daze, opened her mouth, not knowing what to say.
"So, you..."
"So, I don’t want to hold back, and you’ll have to accept more of my care, sister. How is it, aren’t you happy?"
More than happy, Yu Xia was evidently more bewildered.
Love isn’t something that can be measured by a universal standard, but she thought, "My liking for you is well-known," is probably the strongest extent of it?
When an overwhelming surge of affection engulfs someone, most people’s first reaction is hesitation, disbelief, then testing, and finally opening their arms to be submerged.
Her initial reaction was the same, but Xie Qingci’s eyes were too clear, like the calm sea concealing waves, easily reflecting her hesitance.
This seemed shallow and guilty compared to his dedication. It felt unfair not being able to reciprocate his love equally.
Her breath hitched, and she stammered, "I, I..."
Xie Qingci’s voice was gentle, "Just accept it, it’s not hard, is it?"
"Not hard... maybe."
"Right, I won’t make things difficult for you, just need you to accept. You see, just like kissing, you just need to focus a bit." He cradled her face and kissed deeply.
Yu Xia felt dizzy, as if it really was, just as he said, not the least bit troublesome.
She perched one foot on his knee, her whole body enveloped in his embrace, face flushed red, and during the deep kiss, there was an asphyxiating sense, making her toes curl involuntarily.
By this time, Mei was already at the door, listening to DJ songs so intently that her ears became deaf.
The next time there’s a senior DJ singing and dancing competition in the community, she might even take an award.
When the song "Can’t Bear the Hurt" looped for the fifth time in her earphones, the couple in the room finally parted reluctantly from their affectionate talk.
Xie Qingci politely thanked her and reminded her a few things about taking care of Yu Xia before slipping back into the adjoining room.
Mei rubbed her ears. When she went in and looked, Yu Xia was lying on the bed, with the corners of the quilt tucked in, showing a flushed face in the direction of the door.
Surprisingly, she was a bit bashful.
However, Mei became more serious, her eyebrows twisted tightly:
"You guys... planning to go public? Did he promise that he would treat you especially well after going public, only for you, and then you agreed when your heart softened? Sis! This won’t do! You can’t fully trust what men say!
At this time, he says he’ll treat you really well, but after going public, as he rises in popularity while your career might stall, he might reveal his true colors and further trouble you! After all, aesthetics in the entertainment industry have been unfair in recent years, male artists have a much easier time than female artists!"
Yu Xia: "???"
"I don’t think I said anything yet, and you’ve already come up with a 54-episode drama?"
Mei stuttered, "Um, you’re not planning to go public? Then you..."
Then why do you look all love-struck and happy, like you have no regrets in life?
Although she didn’t say it, her facial expression was way too obvious, and Yu Xia weirdly connected with her thought process.
"...I’m just a bit hot!"
Mei gave her a look that said, "Do you think I believe you?"
Yu Xia hesitated to speak, then turned over, her tone a mix of embarrassment and anger: "I’m going to sleep!"
Mei almost burst into laughter, "Then be careful with your leg, sis, I’ll go order a bone broth for you, to support your bones!"
"...Thank you, my dear Mei."
It’s just a swollen knee, not a broken leg, what kind of support is needed?
Mei didn’t care, she prepared to leave, and as soon as she opened the door, she ran into He Ci who was about to knock.
"I’ve ironed things out. Watch out from now on, don’t interact too much with Xie Qingci, we need to keep a low profile. Even though for now it’s his unrequited love and has nothing to do with you, once the media spins it, news of you both being in a mutual relationship will instantly spread across the internet."
