EFB Chapter 39 Oda and Junko's Insomnia
Chapter 39 Oda and Junko's Insomnia
As soon as the bell rang for evening self-study, Tian Xiwei rushed out of the classroom with her phone in hand. When she got home, she threw her schoolbag down and plopped on her bed, skillfully opening QQ and rapidly swiping her fingers across the screen.
"Huh?" She suddenly stopped, her eyes widening. Liu Haochun had posted a status update with a photo of a cake with candles on it, captioned: "Happy 17th birthday! Thank you Feng-ge and Xue-jie for the surprise~"
"Haochun's birthday?" Tian Xi slapped her forehead. She had completely forgotten! What bothered her even more was the "Thank you, Brother Feng." Brother Feng had bought her a cake and a gift?
She immediately opened a video call and dialed Liu Haochun's QQ.
"Feed? Weiwei?" Liu Haochun's face appeared on the screen.
"Haochun! Happy birthday!" Tian Xiwei's voice was eight octaves higher than usual, trying her best to sound happy. "I just saw your post, the cake is so pretty! Did Feng buy it for you?"
"Yes," Liu Haochun nodded, picked up the bracelet on the table and shook it, "and there's the bracelet Sister Xue gave me, it's really pretty."
Hearing "It was from Sister Xue," Tian Xiwei secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, the gift wasn't bought by Brother Feng. She smiled and said, "It's so beautiful!"
"Weiwei, my parents just called, I might have to hang up now," Liu Haochun said softly, glancing at his phone.
"Okay, go pick him up! Happy birthday, Haochun!"
After hanging up the video call, Tian Xiwei immediately opened the red envelope interface. She wanted to send 99 yuan, but then thought it was too little, so she changed it to 199 yuan and typed on the red envelope cover: "May our friendship last forever, and may we accompany each other all the way~"
Liu Haochun hung up the phone with his parents, looked at the red envelope sent by Tian Xiwei on his phone screen, and clicked to accept it.
She hesitated for a moment, then opened the chat window with Lin Feng, took a deep breath, and pressed the video call button.
In the editing room, Lin Feng was staring at a transition shot on the screen, repeatedly adjusting the rhythm. His phone vibrated, and seeing the name "Liu Haochun," he stopped what he was doing and answered it.
"Brother Feng." The girl on the screen smiled, her wisps of hair falling softly across her forehead.
"Still not asleep?" Lin Feng leaned back in his chair, relaxing a bit. "What is it?"
"Nothing much," Liu Haochun said softly, twisting the hem of his clothes with his fingers, "I just wanted to ask... are you still busy?"
"Yeah, we're doing post-production editing." He pointed to the screen behind him. "Almost done, time to wrap up."
"You're still working so late, you must be exhausted." Liu Haochun's tone was a little concerned. "You should take a rest."
"Okay, do you like the cake?"
"I love it! I love it so much!" Liu Haochun nodded quickly, her eyes curving into crescents. "Thank you, Brother Feng, for remembering my birthday. I'm so happy today."
She actually had so much more to say. She wanted to talk about how much she had improved during dance practice, how she almost cried when she saw the cake, and... how she missed him. But the words that came out were just, "Brother Feng, you should get some rest too. Don't overwork yourself."
"Okay, you should go to bed early too."
After hanging up the video call, Liu Haochun held her phone, her cheeks still burning. She lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling, her mind filled with memories of her time with Lin Feng: his gentle smile when they first met, his patient guidance during filming, and the bloodshot eyes she'd seen in the video call…
"I wonder when Brother Feng will be finished with his work..." she muttered softly, turning over and burying her face in the pillow.
At 10 p.m., Raymond Lam stretched out with a big yawn, his joints making a series of "click" sounds. He had finally finalized the last shot for the film's post-production. He turned off his computer, rubbed his sore eyes, and got up to go home.
Pushing open the door, Li Yitong saw the living room light was on, and she was curled up on the sofa watching TV. Hearing the noise, she immediately turned around, her eyes lighting up: "Boss, you're back!"
She was wearing loose loungewear, her hair casually pulled back, revealing her slender neck. Lin Feng walked over, and she nestled into his arms like a spoiled kitten: "It's so late today, let me heat up the food, it's getting a little cold."
"You cooked dinner?" Lin Feng was taken aback. When he asked her to move in that afternoon, he had just casually mentioned that "it would be more convenient to live closer," but he didn't expect her to make dinner on her own.
"Okay," Li Yitong looked up at him, "I didn't know when you'd be back, so I prepared everything in advance. There's your favorite pork rib soup, shredded pork, and I also steamed some of the sausages you brought from your hometown."
"Thank you for your hard work." Lin Feng pinched her cheek. "I'll go heat up, you sit here."
"No need, no need," Li Yitong pushed him to sit on the sofa. "You've been busy all day, just rest. I'll take care of it, it'll be quick."
Ten minutes later, the three dishes were served.
"Try it quickly," Li Yitong looked at him expectantly, "and see if it suits your taste."
Raymond Lam picked up a piece of shredded meat with his chopsticks. The saltiness was just right. "Delicious," he nodded. "Even better than what you get at restaurants."
"Really?" Li Yitong smiled. "That's good. I put in less chili, just in case you didn't like it."
"We Sichuan and Chongqing people don't need spicy food for every meal," Lin Feng said, taking a bite of rice. "Home-cooked dishes should taste like this to be truly delicious."
He was indeed hungry, so he just ordered takeout in the afternoon and didn't eat much. Now, however, he had a huge appetite and ate three large bowls of rice, almost finished the shredded meat and sausage, and drank two large bowls of pork rib soup.
Li Yitong sat next to him, barely eating herself, but focused on serving him food, her eyes full of smiles as she watched him wolf down his food.
She eats little at night, a habit she's maintained for years to stay in shape. Watching him eat with relish gives her more satisfaction than eating herself.
After dinner, the two snuggled on the sofa to watch TV, chatting idly.
"Is the post-production of the movie all done?" Li Yitong leaned on his shoulder and asked softly.
"Okay, now we're just waiting for the approval."
"What about the later parts of 'The Beginning'?"
"Senior Brother Zhou is keeping an eye on it, it's almost ready." Lin Feng ruffled her hair. "Once it's released, I'll take you on a trip."
"Really?" Li Yitong's eyes lit up.
"Really, where do you want to go?"
"I'll go anywhere as long as I'm with you." She snuggled closer to him, her voice soft.
After taking a shower, the two lay in bed. Ever since they broke through that barrier, Raymond Lam had become completely obsessed with their "nighttime yoga," which was like a remedy for a tiring day, always allowing him to completely relax.
After two rounds, Li Yitong was exhausted and leaned against his chest, her cheeks flushed and her breathing a little rapid. She looked up at his chin and whispered, "Boss, do you think our show... will be a hit? I'm a little unsure."
"I definitely can." Lin Feng lowered his head and kissed her forehead, his tone resolute. "You have to believe in yourself, and you have to believe in me even more."
"Yes, I believe you." Li Yitong nodded, tracing circles on his chest with her finger. "But I always feel... I'm still too inexperienced, and I'm afraid the audience won't like it."
Lin Feng held her hand and whispered in her ear, "If you become famous, you have to promise me one thing."
"What is it?" Li Yitong looked up curiously.
He leaned close to her ear and whispered something.
Li Yitong's face flushed bright red instantly, and she playfully punched him: "Boss, you're so mean!"
Lin Feng smiled and pinched her cheek: "Okay?"
She buried her face in his chest, her voice barely audible: "Okay..."
At the same time, Tian Xiwei in the mountain city was still awake. She lay on the bed, tossing and turning, thinking about the cake in Liu Haochun's post. Feng Ge actually remembered Haochun's birthday and even bought a cake.
"No, no," she patted her head, "Brother Feng only treats Hao Chun like a younger sister. It's only right that Brother Feng is good to his younger sister." But the unease in her heart still lingered.
"I'll have to keep a close eye on things when we go to Beijing for summer vacation," she secretly resolved, hugging her pillow even tighter.
In her dormitory at the Beijing Dance Academy Affiliated High School, Liu Haochun couldn't sleep either. She remembered Li Yitong bringing her a cake earlier that day, saying, "Your brother Feng specifically asked me to buy this." A sweet feeling welled up inside her, but the thought of Tian Xiwei made her conflicted. Weiwei liked Brother Feng so much; did what she was doing count as…?
"I don't want to think about it anymore." She pulled the blanket over her head. "I'll remember how good Feng-ge is to me."