Rapid Collapse (GL) - Chapter 4

Han Ning was lost in her thoughts, her mind wandering. When she suddenly heard the unexpected question, she let out an “Oh,” took a moment, and then replied, “I did write it… It took so much effort to get you to agree, how could I not?”

Her voice carried a hint of grievance, which Shen Xi picked up on. The red light had thirty seconds left. She adjusted her posture, held the steering wheel, and turned to glance at Han Ning’s side profile. “How much did you write?”

“I locked myself away for three days and wrote over ten thousand words… It was exhausting,” Han Ning sighed, crossing her arms behind her head.

Those three days had been a torment for her. Only then did she realize that even writing a story she loved was incredibly difficult. She kept revising and adding details.

Eventually, it felt like an obsession—every sentence she wrote seemed wrong to her.

So many times, she wanted to give up. But deep down, she had this stubbornness, a strong desire to show her writing to the original author. She gritted her teeth and kept going…

The traffic light turned green, and Shen Xi’s car continued forward.

“Later, when I finally finished, I gathered my courage to show it to you. But then, you had already deleted me…” Han Ning finished, pouting unhappily.

Shen Xi could hear the frustration and resentment in her tone. Her heart skipped a beat, and she blinked guiltily. Now that she thought about it, this was indeed her fault. She had assumed Han Ning was just a reader trying to butter her up for authorization, never realizing that those two days when Han Ning had “disappeared” were actually spent writing an extra chapter for her story.

The car entered the underground parking lot. After parking, both of them got out and walked side by side. Seeing Shen Xi’s lack of reaction, Han Ning felt a little upset. She quickened her pace, stood in front of Shen Xi, and looked at her beautiful face before directly asking, “Tell me, why did you delete me?”

Shen Xi stayed silent, searching for an excuse. Han Ning stared at her intensely, her cheeks slightly flushed.

Neither of them noticed that, from a distance, a man wearing a baseball cap inside a black car had taken a photo of them.

“I… slipped,” Shen Xi muttered as she stepped past Han Ning and kept walking.

Han Ning, following closely behind, immediately exposed the lie. “Oh? And you also ‘accidentally’ deactivated your Weibo and disbanded the reader group? I don’t believe that for a second!”

“Believe whatever you want…” Shen Xi had no way to answer, so she simply quickened her pace and stepped into the elevator.

Han Ning didn’t live in this building, so she had no choice but to give up. She frowned, looking like a scorned lover, and turned to leave.

On the 20th floor, the elevator doors slowly opened. Shen Xi’s mood visibly improved. She entered her apartment, changed her shoes, put down her bag and keys, then grabbed some clothes and went for a shower.

Half an hour later, she emerged from the bathroom in her pajamas, her damp hair draped over her shoulders. She sat at her desk, opened her laptop, and stared at the document, zoning out. She couldn’t focus on writing—Han Ning’s resentful face lingered in her mind.

She reached for her phone from her bag and hesitated for a few seconds before sending a message to Liang Xun. At that moment, Liang Xun was having dinner. Hearing the notification, he didn’t check his phone, assuming it was just a random app notification.

“Ugh…” Shen Xi’s face showed slight frustration. She bit her fingernail, scrolled through her contacts, and called Zhou Heyang.

Zhou Heyang was out having dinner with Liang Xun. His phone vibrated on the table. Seeing the caller ID, he was surprised. He picked up hesitantly, “Hello?”

Shen Xi’s voice came through. “Director Zhou, I want to discuss a role with Han Ning, but I don’t have her contact info. Could you send me her WeChat?”

Understanding the situation, Zhou Heyang felt relieved and spoke in a fatherly tone.

“Shen, it’s late. You should rest. Work is important, but health comes first. Let’s talk about it tomorrow, okay?”

Shen Xi bit her lip. Why was Zhou Heyang being so difficult? She quickly called out before he could hang up, “Director Zhou! Uh… just send me her contact, please. I really need to talk to her. I’ll rest afterward.”

Zhou Heyang found it strange how persistent she was, but after thinking about it, he figured it was normal for an author to be concerned about the characters. So, he agreed.

After hanging up, he sent Han Ning’s contact to Shen Xi.

“Oh? She actually asked for me?” Liang Xun had just finished eating. He casually picked up his phone and saw the message from Shen Xi, which she had sent half an hour ago, also asking for Han Ning’s contact.

The two men exchanged glances, staring at each other in silence. Zhou Heyang pointed at him in frustration. “Look at you! Learn from her! It’s almost ten at night, and she’s still working. And what are you doing? Just dragging me out to eat!”

Liang Xun wiped his mouth gracefully and replied sarcastically, “Director Zhou, have you forgotten? Weren’t you the one who said an hour ago that you wanted sushi?” Then he got up, tossing a final remark, “This meal’s on me. You handle the bill.” With that, he swiftly made his escape.

“You little fatty! Losing ten pounds doesn’t change that!” Zhou Heyang muttered, stuffing another sushi roll into his mouth.

Meanwhile, Shen Xi received Han Ning’s contact and sent a friend request. But twenty minutes passed, and Han Ning still hadn’t accepted it.

Shen Xi rubbed her fingers and stretched her stiff neck. She mumbled, “Does she not accept strangers?”

That seemed likely. Han Ning was a public figure now, a rising star. If she added everyone, her friend list would be a mess. Being cautious was understandable.

Shen Xi added a note with her name and sent another request, then patiently waited.

At that moment, Han Ning was watching a drama, sipping from a half-empty beer bottle. Her phone dinged again, but she was too immersed in the show to check it.

Ten minutes later, Shen Xi’s phone remained silent. She frowned and checked the time—it wasn’t even 11 PM.

“Could she be asleep already?” she wondered.

Then she remembered how Han Ning had dark circles under her eyes that morning. Actors often had irregular schedules. Maybe she had stayed up late the night before and decided to sleep early today.

Thinking this, Shen Xi turned off her phone and room lights, typing away furiously on her keyboard.

At 12:30 AM, Han Ning finished her episode. She shut her laptop, picked up her phone, and lay in bed, planning to scroll before sleeping.

The moment she opened her phone, two friend requests popped up on the screen. Both were from the same person. The second one had a note: Shen Xi.

Han Ning’s eyes sparkled, and she shot up excitedly, letting out a squeal.

Her best friend, Coco, always said that Han Ning’s home was one of the least likely places in the world to be haunted. Any ghosts would be scared away by her loud reactions.

Han Ning held her phone to her chest, her mind racing. She stared at the request but didn’t accept it. Instead, she typed a single word in the remark section: Hmph!

So proud!

After sending it, she turned off her phone and night lamp, but her heart still pounded.

She wouldn’t deny it—she was still holding a grudge over being deleted. She might have personal feelings for Shen Xi, but that was separate. Liking someone didn’t mean she had to act like a puppy with no dignity.

She wanted Shen Xi to explain in person.

As she hugged her plushie, she slowly drifted to sleep.

Meanwhile, in another building, the lights remained off. The computer screen showed past 1 AM. Shen Xi yawned, feeling her brain slow down. She checked her phone, only to see a WeChat notification.

But instead of an accepted request, the message read:
“Hmph?”

Shen Xi blinked in disbelief. “She… rejected my request?”

She found it ridiculous but also frustrating. She had waited so long, only to get a hmph in return?!

The more she thought about it, the more irritated she felt. She didn’t fall asleep until 3 AM.

The next morning, she barely made it to the film set on time. Han Ning, however, looked well-rested and greeted her cheerfully.

“Morning, Shen!”

Shen Xi, exhausted, forced out a, “Good morning…”

Han Ning smirked. “Didn’t sleep well?”

She was doing this on purpose.

Shen Xi clenched her jaw. This was far from over.