Huayu: Starting with Hextech

Shanghai, Pudong International Airport

Lin Xiao, wearing sunglasses and a mask, strode out of the arrival hall.

The flight from Changsha to Shanghai was delayed by two hours, and it was already 9 p.m.

Zhang Wei walked beside him, quietly reporting the upcoming itinerary as they went.

"Brother Xiao, there's a brand event tomorrow afternoon, and the interview with *Entertainment Weekly* tonight has been moved to the day after tomorrow. Also, regarding *Scarlet Heart*..."

"We'll talk about it tomorrow."

Lin Xiao interrupted him, his gaze already fixed on the familiar figure at the exit.

Tang Yan stood in the crowd of people picking her up at the airport, wearing a simple white T-shirt and jeans, her hair tied in a ponytail, and without makeup, looking somewhat haggard.

When she saw Lin Xiao, she forced a smile and waved.

Lin Xiao strode over, wanting to hug her, but Tang Yan took a half step back and took the suitcase from his hand: "The car is in the underground parking garage."

Zhang Wei tactfully said, "Brother Xiao, I'll be going now. Contact me anytime if you need anything."

The atmosphere in the car was so tense it felt like you could wring water out of it.

Tang Yan focused intently on driving, her eyes fixed on the road ahead, her lips pressed tightly together.

Lin Xiao sat in the passenger seat, turning his head to look at her.

The only sounds inside the car were the air conditioning and the low rumble of the engine.

"Tangtang," he began, "how have you been these past few days?"

"It's fine," Tang Yan replied briefly.

Is "Summer's Desire" going to air soon?

"Soon."

The question-and-answer session was dry and uninspired, like completing some necessary procedure.

The car drove onto the elevated highway, and outside the window was the dazzling night view of Shanghai.

The Oriental Pearl Tower gleamed in the night, ships ply the Huangpu River, and the buildings along the Bund were brightly lit.

The city is always so bustling at night, so bustling that it makes you forget all the fatigue and exhaustion of the day.

But at this moment, neither of the two people in the car could feel this prosperity.

"Lin Xiao." Tang Yan suddenly spoke, her voice very calm, unusually calm.

"Um?"

I saw your jacket on Yang Mi's Weibo.

Lin Xiao's heart clenched.

He had anticipated that Tang Yan would ask this question and had already prepared his answer.

But when those words actually came out of her mouth, he still felt a strong sense of guilt.

"We finished recording the show too late that day," he said, trying to keep his voice steady, "and we went back to the hotel to go over the script. I left my jacket with her. Her assistant sent it back to me later, but I forgot to tell you."

This explanation is reasonable.

Working late into the night, colleagues help each other out, sharing just a jacket.

But Tang Yan didn't say anything.

She simply nodded and continued driving.

The car drove into the residential area and parked in the underground garage.

The two entered the elevator one after the other, exited the elevator one after the other, and opened their apartment doors one after the other.

The whole process was like that of two strangers.

Lin Xiao put down his luggage and said, "I'm going to take a shower; I smell like an airplane."

"Mmm," Tang Yan responded, sat down on the sofa, and turned on the TV.

The sound of running water could be heard in the bathroom.

Lin Xiao stood under the showerhead, letting the hot water wash over his body.

He closed his eyes, but his mind was filled with images from this period—Yang Mi kissing his ear in the photo studio, her untying his tie in the dressing room, her wearing a bathrobe in the hotel room…

And Tang Yan's terrifyingly calm gaze in the car just now.

He knew she didn't believe him.

Or rather, she believed it, but she didn't want to believe it.

So I chose to remain silent.

Lin Xiao took a deep breath, turned off the water, dried himself off, wrapped himself in a towel, and walked out of the bathroom.

The TV in the living room was still on, but Tang Yan wasn't on the sofa.

The bedroom door was ajar, letting in light.

Lin Xiao pushed the door open and went in, then froze at the doorway.

Tang Yan sat on the edge of the bed, holding his phone in her hand.

The screen was lit, and the light shone on her face. Her face, which was always gentle and smiling, was now as pale as paper. Her lips were tightly clenched, and her eyes were bloodshot.

She looked up at him.

In that instant, Lin Xiao saw many things in her eyes—shock, pain, despair, and... utter heartbreak.

"Tangtang..." he began, his voice hoarse.

"The password is still my birthday," Tang Yan said softly, her voice trembling. "Lin Xiao, are you too confident, or do you simply not care that I've found out?"

Lin Xiao's heart sank to the bottom.

He walked over, trying to take the phone back, but Tang Yan held it tightly.

"I saw it," she continued, tears finally falling. "Yang Mi's WeChat, pinned to the top. Yesterday at dawn, it said, 'Lin Xiao, I can't sleep, I miss you.' You didn't reply, but scrolling up..."

She choked up:

"My heart was racing when you put your arm around my waist during the recording today!"

"'I miss you too.' — That was your reply."

"Then make it up to me next time we meet~"

Tang Yan looked up, tears streaming down her face: "Lin Xiao, how far have things gone between you two?"

Lin Xiao remained silent.

He didn't know how to answer.

Because even he himself didn't know what his relationship with Yang Mi really was. Were they on set as lovers? Were they a business couple? Was it mutual exploitation? Or...did they really develop feelings for each other?

"And there's a photo album," Tang Yan continued, swiping her finger across the screen. "So many group photos... behind-the-scenes shots from magazine shoots, candid shots backstage at shows, side-by-side in hotel corridors... in every single one, you're all so close, smiling so happily."

She clicked on the recently deleted items.

There was only one photo inside.

Yang Mi, wearing a white bathrobe and with her hair still wet, sat on the hotel bed, flashing a peace sign and a bright smile at the camera.

In the background, the bathroom door is half open, and a man wrapped only in a bath towel is walking out of it.

Although the image was blurry, Tang Yan recognized him at a glance—it was Lin Xiao.

The photo was deleted three days ago.

"Explain yourself." Tang Yan turned her phone screen towards him, her voice as cold as ice. "What's the deal with this photo?"

Looking at the photo, Lin Xiao instantly recalled the scene from that time—

That day, after recording "Day Day Up" in Changsha, it was already 1 a.m.

He and Yang Mi went back to the hotel together, indeed to go over the script for the next day.

But after entering the room, Yang Mi said she wanted to take a shower first and asked him to wait.

He waited outside for half an hour, and she came out wearing a bathrobe, her hair still dripping wet, and said, "Help me dry my hair."

While she was blow-drying her hair, she suddenly took out her phone to take a selfie. He happened to come out of the bathroom to get something and was captured in the photo.

Afterwards, Yang Mi said, "This photo can't be kept," and deleted it in front of him.

But she didn't tell him that she deleted the "Recently Deleted" folder; the original file was still there.

Or...did she recover later?

"That day..." Lin Xiao began, his voice hoarse, "We finished recording the show too late that day, and we were indeed going over the script in her room. She was taking a shower, and I was waiting outside. She took this photo casually and deleted it later."

"Deleted?" Tang Yan laughed, a laugh more painful than a grimace. "Lin Xiao, do you think I'm stupid? If it was just about rehearsing the script, why take a shower? Why wear a bathrobe? Why take these kinds of photos?"

She stood up, walked up to him, and looked up at him:

"Lin Xiao, let's go public."

This is not an inquiry, not a discussion, it's an ultimatum.

"Go public with your relationship, tell everyone you're my boyfriend, tell everyone you and Yang Mi are just colleagues, tell everyone those intimate interactions were all for publicity," she said, enunciating each word clearly. "And then, completely sever ties with her. Can you do that?"