In the remaining five days, the two of them had a great time.
And they were also a bit wild.
Liu Yao craved Jiang Chen, and Jiang Chen responded to her desires. Every corner of the villa was marked with their presence, filled with memories.
Liu Yao reminded Jiang Chen of a girl he once secretly admired—the class beauty.
And Jiang Chen made Liu Yao think of the boy who had once stirred her heart.
It felt almost like they were trying to make up for something, or perhaps venting something...
Liu Yao dragged Jiang Chen to tour the famous spots of Sanya. They rode a surfing boat on Wuzhizhou Island, enjoyed the beachside sunlight at Yalong Bay, and strolled along the romantic Tianya Haijiao...
They even left their names on a lover's lock. However, while Liu Yao carved "Jiang Chen," Jiang Chen carved "Chen Lele" on the lock.
Good times are always short-lived, but they were undeniably wonderful.
Until the moment of departure, Jiang Chen never saw any sign of sadness or a single tear from Liu Yao.
"Sir, would you like some coffee?" The flight attendant's gentle voice interrupted Jiang Chen's thoughts.
"I'll have a cup," he said.
"Okay, please wait a moment."
A steaming cup of coffee was placed in front of Jiang Chen. Looking at the rising steam, Jiang Chen smiled faintly.
This trip had been quite nice...
But the question remained: would he ever run into that little girl again?
He suddenly smiled, not really knowing why he felt like laughing.
Glancing at the pure white clouds outside the window, and the middle-aged office worker beside him who was quietly resting with his eyes closed, Jiang Chen drank the coffee in one gulp.
It was slightly bitter, but still sweet.
The brief trip to Sanya ended, and Jiang Chen dragged his suitcase out of the Wanghai City airport.
This bustling metropolis...
He took a deep breath of the polluted air and flagged down a taxi.
"To Bailian."
Sitting in the front seat, Jiang Chen took out his nearly outdated Samsung phone, preparing to call Xia Shiyu. Just as he was about to dial, he noticed a small notification on his Weibo.
Weibo?
He clicked on the rarely used app and saw that someone had @ mentioned him.
"Had a wonderful vacation, thanks for your company @Jiang Chen."
The post was accompanied by a photo of a plane taking off, and Jiang Chen quickly realized it was his flight.
This little girl... she actually posted about me without me knowing... Jiang Chen couldn't help but smile. He remembered parting ways with Liu Yao at the airport, but he hadn't expected her to watch his plane take off.
He touched his chin, smiling a little smugly, and scrolled down. Most of the comments were people guessing who this "Jiang Chen" was. Since he was a third-rate celebrity, there weren't many comments.
After thinking for a moment, Jiang Chen typed out a response, half-jokingly.
"Haha, I really admire your acting skills. How about next time I fund the project and you star in it? :)"
"Sure, you said it!" came the instant reply.
A quick response?
Jiang Chen was taken aback.
"Hey, bro, checking Weibo?"
"Oh? You use Weibo too?" Jiang Chen asked with a smile.
"Of course, why wouldn't I? I enjoy reading the jokes these influencers post," the taxi driver said, chuckling. "You're probably looking at a celebrity's Weibo, right?"
"Haha, yeah. How did you guess?" Jiang Chen asked, curious.
"Well, there's a special verification mark next to their name, you should pay more attention," the driver said with a seasoned tone, "But honestly, these celebrities' Weibo isn't that interesting. They're so busy they don't even have time to reply to you. You must be new to this, huh?"
Jiang Chen chuckled and didn't comment further.
Just as he was about to type "You believe that was a joke?" he suddenly noticed that the Weibo post was gone.
"Where did the Weibo post go?"
"Deleted it, happens all the time," the driver said with a dismissive wave, looking like an expert.
Deleted?
This little girl... Jiang Chen sighed, feeling a bit amused.
It's just a movie, how much money could it possibly cost?
Liu Yao looked at the screenshot saved on her iPhone screen, a faint smile on her lips.
She held the phone close to her chest and took a deep breath.
"This bad guy... I've saved the evidence, you can't back out now..."
Talking to the air, Liu Yao smiled sweetly.
Those days were the happiest she had ever spent. While she admitted that part of the happiness came from the luxurious lifestyle, a bigger part was because of a certain person.
But what's wrong with that? Money was just part of that person. Just like her beauty—if she were ugly and flawed, would Jiang Chen still accept her?
Liu Yao hugged her knees, leaning back against her bed.
Suddenly, her phone rang—it was a name she didn't want to see. Her so-called boyfriend, Jiang Ming.
"Hey? Where've you been playing recently?"
"Vacation," Liu Yao replied coldly.
"Heh, why so cold? Don't even bother pretending anymore?" The voice on the other end was casual, almost indifferent.
"Tired," Liu Yao yawned.
"I had a movie I wanted to discuss with you, but what's up? Don't want it?" The mocking tone was unmistakable.
"Conditions?" Liu Yao asked, still half-hearted.
"Chairman of the Linhua Group, 35 years old, the main investor of this movie. You'll go spend a night with him in Room 502 at the Xinyuan Hotel."
"Do you really push your girlfriend out like that? Don't you think it's kind of... green?" Liu Yao's voice carried a hint of self-mockery. Jiang Ming was getting worse and worse.
But did she already put a "green hat" on him when she went to Sanya? Liu Yao thought of the man who had made her heart flutter.
"Hahahaha..." The laughter on the phone was ear-piercing, almost mocking. "Don't you know? Except for a few big stars I can't touch, every actress at Yunhua Media is my girlfriend. Anyway, here's the deal—if you don't want the role, someone else will. You haven't had a movie in two years, so I'm doing you a favor. Don't get too arrogant."