Chapter 54: A Pretty Sasaeng Fan?

Chapter 54: A Pretty "Sasaeng"?

"He seems quite attentive, even remembering things like this for you," Shen Ci remarked.

Gu Lianxing nodded without denial. "He really does take good care of me. At first, I didn't really like having a dorky guy following me around, but I've gradually gotten used to it."

Shen Ci nodded in understanding, then shifted the topic to inform Gu Lianxing, "I asked the department head for leave today. I've booked a 6:00 PM flight back to Shenzhen."

"Huh?" Gu Lianxing was startled. She hurriedly paused the girl group dance tutorial video on her computer and asked in surprise, "What's the date? The department head actually approved your leave?"

Shen Ci raised an eyebrow, giving her a "you know how it is" look.

Seeing this, Gu Lianxing rolled her eyes. "As expected, everyone is a slave to money. So, you're not going to watch Lin Biqi perform her punishment? I wanted to go watch it with you."

Running three laps around the arena while shouting that she was an idiot—just thinking about it made it sound spectacular and hilarious. It would be a pity to miss it.

Shen Ci pulled out her suitcase and said while packing, "I'm not watching. She won't do a punishment like that."

For a pampered, high-and-mighty socialite like Lin Biqi, her reputation was everything. Other punishments might be possible, but she would never follow through with one like this.

At that point, she might as well just stab her; it would probably be more straightforward.

"Are you that sure?" Gu Lianxing felt like they were missing out. "Then isn't our bet for nothing?"

Shen Ci smiled upon hearing this. "If she actually did that punishment, she'd likely spend the next few years of university life living under the shadow of that joke. If someone filmed it and posted it online, it would be impossible to erase. But if she doesn't do it, everyone will forget about the bet in a few days. Lin Biqi isn't smart, but she's not so foolish that she can't grasp such a simple truth, so she definitely won't do it."

"As for the bet, it's not for nothing. From now on, whenever we see her, we'll call her 'Lin Bitch.' I said it before—if she won't do it, we'll just change her name."

Gu Lianxing shook her head with a smile. "Fine, I guess we'll miss the show. Anyway, she's already embarrassed enough today."

Shen Ci had booked a first-class seat for 6:00 PM. Gu Lianxing walked her to the school gate and hugged her reluctantly. "With you gone for half a month, I'll be the only one left in the dorm."

Shen Ci patted her back soothingly. "See you after National Day. Just message me if anything comes up. I'll bring you some local specialties when I return."

"If Li Xiao comes looking for you again, should I say I don't know?" Gu Lianxing asked.

Shen Ci curled her lip indifferently. "Say whatever you want."

Gu Lianxing sighed, feeling that Li Xiao was somewhat pitiable, but one couldn't force matters of the heart. Ultimately, she remained firmly on Shen Ci's side.

On the way to the airport, Shen Ci told her sister the news of her trip home. In response, her sister sent her a photo of a deep-V evening gown.

"Do you like it, Sis?"

Shen Ci smiled at the dress in the picture. If it were her old self, she would have been extremely conservative; she wouldn't have even dreamed of wearing a deep-V gown like that.

But this time, she only wanted to live freely. Since Heaven was willing to give her a new chance, she was determined to live out a new version of herself.

To hell with the rules; her own happiness was what mattered most.

So, she replied: "The neckline isn't low enough. It would look better if it went a bit lower."

"If it goes any lower, it'll show your belly button, Sis."

Shen Ci laughed even harder. "That works too. It's beautiful. I'll wear it if I get the chance."

Upon arriving at the airport, Shen Ci first had a light meal in the first-class lounge and then quickly checked in through the VIP channel.

The moment she sat down on the plane, a distinct sense of trepidation washed over her.

Because the person she was about to meet was her mother, who was not yet forty-five.

She opened her WeChat chat with her mother. The most recent message was a birthday greeting sent by her mother on her birthday this April.

Scrolling up further, the chat was filled with one-sided messages from her mother, to which she had never replied.

"Mom, my flight arrives home tonight."

"Mom, what are you doing? I'll give you a surprise tonight."

"Mom..."

In the chat box, Shen Ci typed and deleted, typed and deleted again. After repeating this several times, she closed the dialogue box.

While she was immersed in her own inner world, someone suddenly sat down in the seat next to her.

Shen Ci instinctively turned her head to look. It was a man fully armed with a hat, a mask, and sunglasses. The moment he sat down, a scent of woody pine wafted toward her—it was very pleasant.

An assistant-like figure followed him, helped him settle his carry-on bag, and then handed him a thick folder.

The assistant and the rest of the team then headed toward the economy section in the back.

The man casually picked up the noise-canceling headphones beside him and put them on, projecting an aura of being isolated from the world and unwelcoming to strangers. Shen Ci gave him a surprised glance.

The man casually flipped open the folder, which was densely packed with text. As Shen Ci accidentally caught a glimpse of a few lines, she actually saw characters from "Destiny of the Phoenix."

Shen Ci glanced at him again from the side.

From behind his sunglasses, the man's peripheral vision caught a glimpse of Shen Ci, and his eyes instinctively brightened.

This sasaeng was actually quite pretty.

"I can give you an autograph, but you have to promise me that you won't engage in any sasaeng behavior again."

As soon as Xu Junhuan spoke, he said something that sounded completely nonsensical to Shen Ci.

With a look of bewilderment on her face, she watched as Xu Junhuan quickly pulled a blank sheet of paper from the folder and signed his name with fluid, sweeping strokes.

He then handed it to the stunned Shen Ci.

Looking at the scribbles on the paper, Shen Ci thought: *What is this?*

*Who is he?*

Seeing that Shen Ci didn't take the autograph, a hint of impatience crossed Xu Junhuan's brow. He turned his head to cautiously check his surroundings, and once he saw no one was paying attention, he lowered his mask and whispered, "You want a photo too, right? Hurry up, just this once."

If she weren't so pretty, he wouldn't have the patience to deal with a sasaeng.

"I don't know you," Shen Ci said calmly.

Xu Junhuan's eyes widened in disbelief. "Wait, you're saying you don't know me?"

Shen Ci furrowed her brows and stared at him intently for a long while. He looked somewhat familiar, surely someone she had seen in a drama, but she had only recently returned to her 20s and truly couldn't remember which male celebrities were currently active.

Seeing her reaction, Xu Junhuan awkwardly put his mask back on and muttered discontentedly, "Then why have you been staring at me?"

Feeling helpless, Shen Ci reached out and directly snatched the noise-canceling headphones off his ears. Before he could lose his temper, she explained, "You took the wrong ones. These are my headphones!"

Xu Junhuan: "..."

Shen Ci casually put on the headphones, adjusted her seat to a comfortable angle, and then turned her head and closed her eyes.

The flight would last three hours; she needed to get some proper rest.

Xu Junhuan stared awkwardly at the back of Shen Ci's head, looked around restlessly, and finally could only lower his head, pretending nothing had happened.