PatPat-Chap88

Yu Zhou’s heart thumped inside, uncertain of Su Chang’s intentions. However, seeing her leave without any reluctance, she feared that she might not be able to enter the recording studio later since she couldn’t swipe her face.

So Yu Zhou quickly followed behind Su Chang.

But upon entering, it became awkward. The recording studio was just that – a recording studio. A few hotel-suite-like rooms were arranged with numbers indicating the different studios, and there wasn’t even a resting area.

Su Chang entered Studio 02 without minding Yu Zhou, while Yu Zhou wanted to see which room Xiang Wan was in. Thanks to the glass windows below the room numbers, she tiptoed and peeked into Studio 03. But she could only see the recording engineer and not who was recording inside.

Feeling sneaky, she quietly left, pressed the internal door opening button and went to the reception room across the hallway.

There were very few people in Su Chang’s studio, and she was the only one in the reception room. Probably because it had just started operating, there weren’t any waiters at the small bar. There were several bottles of foreign liquor on display that she couldn’t quite recognize.

Taking out her phone, she noticed that Xiang Wan had replied ten minutes ago, saying that they were rushing to record night scenes and would probably be recording until evening. She asked if Yu Zhou had anything urgent.

Yu Zhou hurriedly replied, “Nothing much, just wanted to see if you’re busy. How will you eat?”

Xiang Wan replied, “The crew ordered boxed meals. We’ll eat together. What’s up?”

Yu Zhou: “I came over today and Su Chang invited me to dinner. I thought we could eat together.”

Xiang Wan sent an “Oh~” emoticon and then replied, “Some other day.”

Yu Zhou stared at the reply, wondering who would use “some other day” in modern times. It didn’t seem very serious, but she was too embarrassed to point it out. Sigh.^[1]

She put down her phone and took out the notebook from her bag. The notebook she carried was indeed an actual notebook, not a laptop^[2]. She had a slightly outdated habit of carrying a notebook with her to write down random thoughts and maintain her handwriting.

However, she didn’t have any inspiration at the moment, so she tried to continue writing “Pat Me Please.”

Unexpectedly, using pen and paper made her ideas flow remarkably smoothly. The more she wrote, the more absorbed she became, and she spent an entire afternoon burying her head in her writing in the lounge.

When Su Chang came to look for her again, she saw Yu Zhou quietly leaning on the milky white table, bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, earnestly writing like a primary school student.

Su Chang had been uneasy in the recording studio just now, not knowing if Yu Zhou could stay in this unfamiliar place properly. To be more specific, she was a little afraid that Yu Zhou might leave again.

Since she didn’t agree to stay for a meal, there hadn’t been any movement afterwards.

The path from the recording studio to the reception room took only about 40 seconds. She walked at a leisurely pace, afraid to look up and see the empty tables and chairs.

But Yu Zhou had obediently waited for her all afternoon, quietly, looking very calm – as calm as her fixed seatmate in high school, who she knew would be there every day during class.

Su Chang walked over and Yu Zhou seemed lost in thought, not realizing that someone was approaching.

It wasn’t until Su Chang’s index finger knocked lightly on the table that Yu Zhou looked up – and grimaced at once.

“Hiss… my neck, my neck is stiff,” she said in pain.

Su Chang frowned, her emotions inscrutable in her eyes, wanting to instinctively reach out to help Yu Zhou massage her neck, but stopped herself. Holding her phone, Su Chang tapped it gently on the table and said, “Let’s go.”

Yu Zhou rubbed her neck and shoulders, did a chest expansion exercise, and then put away her notebook.

She slung her bag over her shoulder before asking, “Where are we going?”

Su Chang didn’t answer. She took her to the hallway and pressed the elevator button.

Su Chang hadn’t spoken to her again until they reached the restaurant. It seemed that the tables had been reserved in advance and a waiter called her Miss Su, leading her familiarly to a small private room with floor-to-ceiling windows.

This was a newly designed Chinese restaurant on the 13th floor, but the decor was very much like that of a French restaurant. The wooden tables and chairs were elegant and simple, the wallpaper plain, and only the chandeliers and wall lamps showed their high value.

The most significant decoration was the floor-to-ceiling window. Below was the bustling area of Jiang City. While it was still light outside, one could see the tiny matchbox-like cars. It was easy to imagine that when the night fell, the lights from the traffic would become the best decoration for this feast.

For amid the hustle and bustle of the stop-and-go traffic, being able to look down and enjoy a leisurely meal seemed extravagant.

The waiter brought up the menu and then left.

Su Chang first flipped through the wine list, while Yu Zhou, sitting across from her, had no opinions on what to order and was idly biting her fingernail.

“It seems a bit expensive,” she said, trying to make conversation and wondering about the average cost on a food review app.

“It’s not cheap,” Su Chang said without looking up, “But I won’t change locations.”

Wow, you’re so cool, Yu Zhou was applauding with a poker face in her mind.

Miss Su seemed to have something against her. Even a fool like her could tell.

Su Chang put down the wine list: “Let’s not order any wine, or I’m afraid it’d be as expensive as your screenwriting fee.”

?

Yu Zhou’s hand clung to the edge of the table, confirming with her, “So you mean…I’m paying?”

Su Chang looked up: “What else?”

“You asked me to stay for dinner…” Yu Zhou hesitated.

“You came to me.”

Lol, irrefutable.

Yu Zhou raised her hand and touched the acne next to her eyebrows. She laughed dryly and said, “It’s okay, just order whatever you want, I’m almost receiving my royalties.”

“Oh, how many percent do you plan to give me?” Su Chang smiled gently.

“Huh?”

“Wasn’t I the one who supported you?” She sat in the chair, leaning against the backrest, helpless, mocking, but trying her best to ask calmly.

“Tick, tick, tick”, Su Chang played with a small decoration on the table, tapping it lightly.

One tap after another, like a second hand, urging Yu Zhou to speak.

Su Chang didn’t know why Yu Zhou came to her, making one excuse after another, and finally said that she cared about her being investigated by the tax authorities. But she was a bit annoyed at the lingering concern Yu Zhou had if she hadn’t thought things through.

For the past two months, Su Chang had actually planned to forget about Yu Zhou. However, this person who managed to dump her and stay away from her for more than half a year showed up at her studio door before the third month had even passed.

And then, she began to beat around the bush to Su Chang.

Su Chang had always been good at self-restraint, but she was always at a loss for Yu Zhou’s erratic behavior.

Yu Zhou shrunk her shoulders again as if she was being lectured although she was the one hurting others from the beginning. She stared at the pattern on the table, saying, “I’m sorry.”

The sudden apology only made Su Chang more annoyed.

Of course, she wouldn’t show it, but she remained patient and asked, “What are you sorry for?”

“I shouldn’t vent my anger on you. You have nothing to do with those things. I shouldn’t, um, disregard the feelings of those around me. What you said actually makes a lot of sense. Those things are really boring. It doesn’t matter what our relationship is—friends or whatever—we shouldn’t let those online things affect us.”

Yu Zhou spoke very slowly, stammering because she actually came over out of impulse. She hadn’t thought about entering a confession conversation, so these words were unprepared. She was thinking and speaking at the same time, knowing that her words were not very eloquent.

“I know you’ve done a lot, Su Chang, and you’ve been very kind to me. I know that. But I do have some issues myself. I haven’t adjusted well.” She added.

“Friends, huh?” Su Chang didn’t respond to this sentence and only picked up on a word from the previous one, smiling and asking back.

Yu Zhou looked at her, blinked, and thought it was inappropriate, but their relationship before was just friends…

Su Chang sighed deeply.

Then she asked, “Do you know why I asked you to stay for dinner?”

Yu Zhou shook her head.

“Before I met you at noon, I received a message in the elevator that the tax investigation of Skywall Culture had been exposed online.”

“Ah?” Yu Zhou panicked a bit and instinctively reached for her phone.

Su Chang pacified her with her eyes and stopped her.

“During the afternoon you spent in my studio, public opinion must have been raging. People would wonder if Su Chang, who has been working with him for years, has any problems or if Su Chang was investigated.”

“Or there might be anonymous tips saying that Su Chang has indeed been investigated.”

Every time Su Chang spoke, Yu Zhou’s heart sank a little deeper. She felt a bit overwhelmed. This was her first time discussing online public opinion with Su Chang, and she found that Su Chang’s tone was like discussing which wine here was easy on the palate.

“By the time you go back tonight, or just after we have this meal, perhaps some old stories will be brought up. Maybe it’s a picture, a picture related to you.”

Yu Zhou was startled: “Me?”

“Uh-huh…” Su Chang thought for a while, “I don’t know if you remember, but you once posted a photo of me at home on your Moments. I had just washed my hair, wearing house clothes, wiping my hair, and smiling at you.”

How could she not remember? Yu Zhou remembered it all too well.

Her eyelashes fluttered slightly as if she had a premonition of what was to come.

“That photo is my old scandal,” Su Chang told her calmly.

Back then, she had just taken on several popular roles from Skywall Culture and had become famous overnight. Since she was working solo, without any company background and had a striking appearance, people speculated that she had an illicit relationship with the boss of Skywall.

Later, someone posted the photo anonymously, claiming it had been shared in the boss’s Moments.

It was hard to know how many hands it had passed through before being linked to this outrageous story.

Nor did she know which ‘rival’ posted it at the time.

Now Su Chang was powerful enough that she had no rivals, but it also meant that in her climb to the top, she faced one ‘rival’ after another.

Such gossip belongs to the realm of ‘Believe it and it exists, disbelieve and it vanishes,’ and it cannot cause any actual harm; it is merely gossip by others. But it has always been the case that slandering a woman is the least costly method. Especially for young, beautiful, and capable women.

At that time, Su Chang had no experience in dealing with such incidents. Helplessly, she followed the forum’s instructions and took a photo of herself holding her ID, then filed a real-name complaint against the post.

Yu Zhou felt a bit overwhelmed, “Why didn’t you tell me about this at the time?”

“That forum isn’t very popular now, but it used to be quite lively back then. The Internet environment wasn’t great at that time, and it was quite filthy.”

Su Chang laughed, “The kind that might take you three or five years to get over.”

“Maybe it wouldn’t come to light.” Seeing Yu Zhou, who was too heartbroken to speak, Su Chang added this sentence.

“Even if it does come up again, it won’t cause any major disturbance, because the internet environment is much better now.”

“I’m telling you this because…”

Su Chang pursed her lips, “I don’t know why you suddenly came to find me. You might not have thought it through. You just thought I was in trouble and wanted to comfort me.”

“But I don’t need your comfort. I can tell you all the possible consequences I may bear and let you know that my endurance is much greater than you thought. So, I don’t need you to comfort me.”

“I cry and break down in front of you, not because of my misfortune or my experiences.”

“Rather, it’s because I don’t know whether, when the next storm arrives—whether it’s your storm or mine—you will instinctively hide away and let go of my hand.”

“I can’t afford to be abandoned by you for the third time, Yu Zhou.”

She told her calmly.

“I…I know I didn’t do well in the past,” Yu Zhou swallowed and chose her words carefully, “But I want to try to make firm choices too. But I don’t know if I can still…”

“Don’t just try.” Su Chang interrupted her.

“After parting with you, I realized how much I wanted to be with you. So my approach this time was deliberate. I hope you’ve thought it through rather than hastily coming to me to show your concern. You’re kind-hearted, love to take responsibility, but sometimes, it’s hard to distinguish between sympathy and love, making it quite agonizing.”

Su Chang whispered.

“Do you know the difference?”

Yu Zhou bit her lip.

Su Chang stared at the lip that Yu Zhou was biting and spoke softly, “I’m very tired. My work is exhausting, and dealing with you is tiring too. I’ve tried various methods, but the results haven’t been great. So, I might say some offensive truths to you.”

That would be…

“Ever since I pursued you, up until this very moment, facing you right here, every minute, every second, all I wanted was to sleep with you.”

She picked up the menu next to the wine list, flipped it open, and scanned the text, before continuing, “I’m going to order now, and you have about ten minutes to think.”

“Whether you want to stay or not and share this meal with me.”

1. Here Xiang Wan said ”改日” while people nowadays usually say ”改天”, and the character ”日” is used as a verb (almost same meaning as f**k) in some curse words, so ”改日” gradually has a meaning as ”改天再日”(f**k it another day). ^{[return to text]}
2. Notebook is ”笔记本” while laptop is ”笔记本电脑” in Chinese and people sometimes use 笔记本 for a laptop too. ^{[return to text]}