Rapid Collapse (GL) - Chapter 33

Although Li Yan had a smile on his face, there was a hint of disdain in his eyes. Shen Xi turned to look at him. A few seconds later, she remembered who he was and nodded. “Yes, we have met before.”

Hearing Shen Xi say this, Han Ning couldn’t help but turn to examine Li Yan as well. A sense of vigilance arose uncontrollably in her heart, and her gaze became sharper.

“I wonder if I have the honor of buying Miss Shen a drink?” Li Yan asked with a friendly smile.

“Sorry, I don’t drink,” she replied with a forced smile, her voice soft but firm. “I get sick.”

After being rejected, Li Yan’s face visibly stiffened. His voice rose slightly, carrying a hint of frustration and anger as he said something even more inappropriate: “Miss Shen is still the same as before, keeping strangers at a distance! Maybe times have changed, and you’ve become even more arrogant!”

As soon as he finished speaking, Han Ning took the glass from Li Yan’s hand. Liang Xun saw this and quickly pressed her down, taking the glass from her hand and downing the drink in one go. He smiled to ease the tension. “Miss Shen really can’t handle alcohol. I’m her manager, so I’ll drink this on her behalf.”

Left with no choice, Li Yan walked away sullenly. Han Ning watched his retreating figure, her eyes burning with anger. She was so furious that she wanted to land a few punches on him.

“Damn it… what a scumbag!” Han Ning muttered under her breath.

“Behave yourself!” Liang Xun warned Han Ning in a low voice after hearing her.

After this small incident, Shen Xi’s mood worsened. She lowered her head and became even quieter, barely touching her food. Xu Lier placed some food on her plate and softly encouraged her to eat, but Shen Xi just smiled faintly and shook her head. Occasionally, she glanced at Han Ning, feeling a warmth in her heart.

If Liang Xun hadn’t stopped her in time, given Han Ning’s personality, she would have surely thrown the drink in Li Yan’s face. Shen Xi had no doubt about that.

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, Zhou Heyang, considering the late hour and the presence of some predatory men at the table, decided to send all the women home first to avoid another incident like Li Yan’s harassment of Shen Xi.

Han Ning was still fuming over what had happened. She pushed open the private room door with an unhappy expression, followed by Coco and Shen Xi.

The three of them shared a car ride. Coco drove in silence, suffering through the awkward atmosphere. Shen Xi sat in her seat, zoning out, while Han Ning, sitting beside her, pretended to be asleep without saying a word.

Han Ning couldn’t understand what Li Yan had said earlier.

How could the two of them have met before? And was that the same period when Shen Xi mysteriously disappeared from the internet for a whole year? What had she gone through that made her become a full-time writer and work so hard to earn money?

If it were before, Han Ning would have asked Shen Xi about these things. But now… she couldn’t bring herself to speak.

[“You will be the one I tell everything to.”]

Han Ning remembered Shen Xi saying this to her before. She snorted softly and thought, “I’ll be waiting for you to tell me everything.”

Coco finally sighed in relief as she pulled up at the entrance of Yuhe Xingyuan. Han Ning jumped out of the car, crossed her arms, and strode ahead with her long legs.

Halfway there, she realized she was walking too fast. She slowed down, carefully listening for Shen Xi’s footsteps to see if she was following.

Shen Xi saw how fast Han Ning walked and thought she didn’t want to talk to her anymore.

She hesitated for a moment before deciding to follow. But it was already late, and Han Ning had filmed so many scenes today—she must be exhausted.

And she wasn’t even sure if Han Ning wanted to hear her dredge up old, insignificant stories…

So she changed direction and returned to her own building.

When the sound of footsteps disappeared, Han Ning turned back after a while and saw no one behind her. In the distance, Shen Xi had already entered her building.

Han Ning retracted her gaze and thought to herself, “Telling everything… that was probably just something Shen Xi said casually.”

She lowered her head and let out a self-deprecating laugh before stepping into her building.

Shen Xi returned home, changed into slippers, and was immediately greeted by Thunderbolt, who ran up to her, meowing non-stop as if questioning why she had left it alone.

She picked Thunderbolt up, kissed its forehead, and opened a small snack packet to feed it. “Alright, alright, I’m back. I won’t leave you alone again…”

She glanced over at the cat bed, where two bowls were placed. The other one belonged to the cat that Han Ning had taken home. She scratched Thunderbolt’s chin absentmindedly, her eyes dim, murmuring, “She left, and you’re not happy, are you?”

After finishing its treat, Thunderbolt licked Shen Xi’s hand, found a comfortable spot in her arms, and started grooming itself.

“Then why did I let her go…”

Shen Xi looked at her cold, empty living room, unable to hide the disappointment in her eyes. That sentence sounded like she was asking the cat, but also like she was asking herself.

She was exhausted. After taking a shower, she returned to her bedroom. There were no traces of Han Ning left behind, except for the neatly folded pajamas she had worn before, resting on the bed.

The faint scent of Han Ning still lingered on the clothes and bedding.

Shen Xi lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling light, lost in thoughts of that night—the hand Han Ning had wrapped around her waist under the blanket, the heartbeat she felt as she fell asleep in her arms, her soft breaths after falling asleep, the little thoughts she had while brushing her teeth in the morning…

And that kiss under the sunset, driven purely by instinct…

“It was just the atmosphere,” she had said. “A misunderstanding.”

Thinking back on it now, she found it laughable.

She didn’t know when she fell asleep, but when she woke up the next day, Thunderbolt was curled up beside her. Seeing her awake, it rubbed its head against her and rolled over a few times, purring loudly.

She checked the time—it was just past eight. She got up to prepare breakfast for Thunderbolt and made some for herself. A quiet morning with just her and the cat.

For the first time, she felt this silence was a bit too much.

It was a beautiful day—sunny and warm. Shen Xi took Thunderbolt downstairs to bask in the sun. A crisp bell sound in the distance made Thunderbolt perk up, its round eyes searching for the source of the sound.

Seeing its reaction, Shen Xi smiled slightly and picked it up. “Curious little thing… let’s go check it out.”

She started walking forward.

But the bell sound didn’t ring again. Just as she was about to turn back, Thunderbolt sniffed the air and jumped out of her arms, running toward a flowerbed. Shen Xi followed quickly, worried about any animals that might harm her cat.

The bell rang again, along with a familiar voice. “Silly cat, the bell is for you to wear, not to chew on!”

Han Ning?!

Shen Xi stepped over the flowerbed’s edge and saw Thunderbolt happily playing with Flash, and sitting in front of them was Han Ning, chuckling to herself.

Han Ning looked up and met Shen Xi’s gaze. Her face turned expressionless as she picked up her cat and turned to leave.

Thunderbolt chased after Flash, and Shen Xi quickly called out, “Han Ning… let them play for a bit.”

Han Ning stopped, looked down at Thunderbolt, pursed her lips, and then put her cat down.

The two cats pounced on each other, playing happily.

For five minutes, Shen Xi and Han Ning sat facing each other—Han Ning watching the cats, Shen Xi staring directly at her.

Neither spoke…