Chapter 49: Epilogue
<Captive> became very popular.
It didn't have a good start, but as time went on, people became more addicted to it. It was not like Liu Jun's other songs. <Captive> had darker undertones, and the message was really vague as well.
Netizens began dissecting the lyrics, trying to interpret it.
The song was tagged as a 'love song', but the lyrics were the words of a possessive lover who wanted to take the girl he loved as a captive. Because it was so controversial, Liu Jun was hounded by many reporters who wanted to interview him about <Captive>.
Despite the pressure, Liu Jun never gave a direct answer as to what was his inspiration for writing the song.
Since <Captive> was so popular, it made sense that the people starring in its music video became popular as well. Liu Jun was already well-known, so the spotlight fell on his co-lead, the relatively obscure actress that everyone seemed to be talking about in recent days.
Not only because of <Captive>, but also because of the new TV drama series that became a direct hit immediately after it was aired.
...
CY Entertainment company.
Su Jing slapped the newspaper on her desk and glared at her artiste, who was busy trying to look contrite.
"Hui Yin, how many times do I have to tell you? Be more aware of your public image! Taking two four-year olds on a walk around one of the most popular parks in Beijing...the gossip about you dating Liu Jun haven't died down yet, and now there's another rumor going on that you got pregnant at an early age and had a pair of twins with a random man from a one night stand. How am I going to explain this?"
Hui Yin wanted to make amends and protested, "But Sister Su, I wore a mask and sunglasses..."
"And you think that doesn't make you look conspicuous? It basically screams out 'actress in hiding, please take a picture of me' to the paparazzi!"
Hui Yin squirmed in her seat and didn't know what to say. She mentally cried tears of blood.
How could she have known that she would still be recognized despite her disguise? Being famous is really hard, ah!
Su Jing pinched nose. "And Fei Hong is starting to move in the dark too..."
Fei Hong, the famous and A-list actress that had been suppressing Hui Yin for years, had finally returned from abroad. It was unknown what kind of ripples she would cause in Hui Yin's life again. It seemed that peace and Hui Yin were never meant to be long acquaintances.
Hui Yin stood up and went behind Su Jing to massage her shoulders.
Coaxingly, she persuaded, "Sister Su, don't stress yourself out too much. She hadn't stomped me out when I was at my lowest before, so how could she suppress me now that I have momentum?"
A cold light flashed across Hui Yin's eyes. After all that she went through, did Fei Hong really think that she was still the same weak girl as before? This grandma endured bullets, cleaned twenty-three bathrooms, and met a drunkard god! Is there still anything in this world that this grandma couldn't accomplish?
It was just a matter of time before she topples Fei Hong and takes her position as the No. 1 Most Popular Female Artiste in the industry.
After addressing the various concerns of her manager and finally reassuring her, Hui Yin left her office and went down to the underground parking lot. A car waited for her there, with the driver dozing deeply on the steering wheel.
Hui Yin shook her head and smiled. She snapped a photo of his drooling mouth and knocked on the window.
A pair of sleepy eyes blinked at her, looking confused. After seeing the girl raising her eyebrow at him with her hands on her hips, Jiang Xu yawned and gave her a wide smile. He opened the car door and stepped out.
"Wifey."
Hui Yin dodged his open arms and ignored his crestfallen look as she asked, "Just how many hours of sleep do you get on a daily basis? Do you want to spend your whole life being half-dead?"
He pouted. "But you were taking too long."
Hui Yin rolled her eyes. "I was only gone for ten minutes."
They got into the car and Hui Yin clicked on her seatbelt. She opened the glove compartment and took out one of her hair ties that she began to habitually store there.
She and Jiang Xu had been dating for two months now.
She was due to accompany him in revealing their relationship to his parents next week, which Hui Yin felt nervous about. She already knew Mr. and Mrs. Jiang, but she was only introduced as a friend last time when they were still studying in the university. Knowing how strict upper-class families were, it was very likely that the meeting wouldn't end well.
Hui Yin looked at Jiang Xu and reached out to straighten his tousled hair. Jiang Xu obligingly leaned his head closer so that she didn't have to strain her arm.
Her eyelashes fluttered down and Hui Yin said after a moment, "Jiang Xu, no matter what, we're not going to stop being friends."
Hui Yin learned her lesson well. This time, she was going to put her own happiness first. She would not fall into the same routine of pleasing other people and trying to see herself through their eyes. That way, she would not lose sight of who she was.
If Mr. and Mrs. Jiang didn't like her, then Hui Yin would just accept it. She would not try her best to become 'worthy' of their son and be accepted in their exclusive social circle. Hui Yin was uncomfortable trying to be formal and following the rules of wealthy families anyway.
She was worthy of him now, with her empty wallet and her status as a 'lowly' actress. Not if. Not when. She was worthy of his love right at this moment, and if they thought that she wasn't, then Hui Yin wasn't going to bend over backwards for them.
If she and Jiang Xu didn't work out, then Hui Yin could only try to move on and not trap herself into a loveless marriage again.
Jiang Xu lifted his head and studied her resolute face. He smiled.
"En."
He was certain that they would not stop being friends. That was their starting point, so how could they go back there? They could only advance forward and be something more.
He drove Hui Yin back to her apartment. After returning back to the present, Hui Yin directly packed her things and moved to a new apartment. She invited Jiang Xu for tea, but he still had to go back to the company so he reluctantly left.
Hui Yin was proud of him. He was becoming more industrious these days, even choosing to work overtime when there were a lot of things to do. Before, he usually left as soon as he could. It was great that he was starting to strive harder in improving the company that he inherited. Hui Yin helped him out sometimes, when her schedule wasn't too busy.
She had just signed a movie contract, and this time she managed to nab the role of the second female lead. From acting out extras to being one of the main cast, it was a very big leap to Hui Yin's career. It could be seen at once how much <Captive> and her idol drama series had helped her.
After eating lunch, Hui Yin changed into an airy dress and picked up her umbrella to shield her from the heat. Her new apartment was in the Haidian District, which was also near Yuyuantan Park. Hui Yin sometimes went there to calm her mind, but she didn't make it a habit despite the close distance because there were too many people there.
Winter had just ended, so spring was about to begin. As the best place to enjoy the showcase of flowering cherry blossoms, Hui Yin was excited to go to Yuyuantan Park and enjoy the Cherry Blossom Festival that was held in the park every year.
Hui Yin walked between the long rows of cherry trees. She held up her hand underneath her umbrella and watched as pale pink blossoms landed on her palm.
Hui Yin's hair was tied into a low ponytail, her dress fluttering in the soft breeze. Her eyelashes were lowered as she looked at her palm, her pink lips slightly parted. Petals fell around her like snow, which made the whole scene look even lovelier.
Lu Shen, who was about to leave and go back to his car, stopped in his tracks.
He had been here two hours before Hui Yin came. He had a meeting with a client on a hotel near the park, and saw the cherry trees on full bloom as his car drove by.
He didn't know what came over him, but he had a sudden urge to stop and take a look at the falling cherry blossoms. He was obsessed with them these past few weeks. He was not a sweet man, so he rarely gave gifts to Nian Zhen, the fiancée that his parents chose for him. He also didn't take her out on a date, despite his mother's constant pestering.
But, when he saw a cherry blossom hairpin being displayed on a shop he passed by last week, Lu Shen impulsively bought it. After a few days of keeping it on his pocket, he felt that it was ludicrous and stopped doing it. He had no one else in mind, so he gave it to Nian Zhen.
After all, they were going to be married next week.
Lu Shen looked at the girl underneath the cherry blossom trees and thought to himself that the hairpin would probably suit her the best.
He knew her. Or at least, her face was familiar to him. A grateful director called him last month and thanked him profusely for investing heavily in his drama series. Lu Shen didn't know what he was talking about, so he called in Assistant Yan to explain it to him.
Apparently, he was the biggest sponsor of that director's idol drama series. He even upped their budget and personally told him to watch over one of their actresses and treat her well. When Lu Shen investigated this actress that he had no memories of, he learned that she was the one who saved him from his car accident a few years ago. He even made her his fiancée because that was his promise to her.
Assistant Yan was alarmed that Lu Shen seemed to have lost a big chunk of his memories. In his panic, he called the best doctor in the country to examine him. Lu Shen didn't refuse. He felt that it was too peculiar, especially since the only one he seemed to have forgotten was that actress, the girl named Hui Yin.
It was learned then that Lu Shen suffered from retrograde amnesia, a sequelae from his car accident. The doctor assured him that it was perfectly natural for some side effects to only show after a few years. Retrograde amnesia meant that while his older memories remained, some selected parts of his recently formed memories would be erased.
So Lu Shen knew Hui Yin.
But at the same time, it could be said that he also didn't know her.
Hui Yin felt a gaze on her and turned her head. Her breath escaped her body as her eyes fixed on the tall figure standing not far away from her.
The cherry blossom petals fell between the two of them.
As they stared at each other, the very air seemed to be holding its breath, rendering the whole world in pale colors and soft focus.
Lu Shen looked at her. In the bright morning sunlight he looked more handsome and more human than she had ever seen him.
Without thinking about it, he took a step forward towards her.
Hui Yin's eyes flickered.
As if she was echoing him, she took a step forward too.
They walked towards each other, slowly shortening the distance between them.
As he came closer, his features began to increase in clarity. Those same pair of dark eyes which seemed to be carrying a deep intensity whenever they looked at her. His expression that always looked indifferent, and the lips that never seemed to smile.
His black trench coat made him look even taller, and Hui Yin knew that if he hugged her, her head would only come up to his chest.
These thoughts passed in her mind for only a few seconds.
And then they passed by each other.
Hui Yin's steps faltered a little, but she continued walking forward.
This was the choice that she made.
She could only stand by it.
They were perpendicular lines that crossed once but continued on their way without converging. After this, she would probably not meet him again. With their difference in status, it was highly unlikely that they would ever meet.
Hui Yin lifted her head and gazed at the cloudless blue sky. It was better like this. She got her freedom, and her career was starting to soar. She would not look back at the one thing that could undo it all.
Maybe it was supposed to be like this from the very beginning.
Hui Yin's lips curved.
She was currently very happy.
Not many people had the chance to recreate themselves. Hui Yin was glad that she had been reborn. After so many trials and difficulties, she came out stronger. Her path this time was going to be different from the path she took back then, and she didn't know what kind of mistakes she'll commit this time or the new people that she would meet.
But she would face all of it head on.
With her eyes clear and her spirits high, Hui Yin continued walking away.
Behind her, the man who was already very far away slowed down his footsteps.
In the end, he couldn't resist.
He looked back.
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