◎Don’t be nervous, I’ve got you◎
He slowly uttered a single sentence, stirring ripples in the depths of her heart.
The dressing room was no longer just the two of them; they were truly exposed under everyone’s gaze now. How could Su Yicen dare to pull her into his arms and say something like that?
If someone overheard or saw…
Song Chan didn’t even dare to imagine the consequences.
That sentence lingered in her ears, refusing to fade. Amid her tense and anxious mood, time itself seemed to slow down. She could hear her heart pounding rapidly in her chest, even the sound of blood flowing through her veins.
Her nerves stretched to the limit, she even had the illusion that everyone was silently watching them in the corner.
Suddenly, a voice rang out through the entire dressing room, drawing all eyes to the door.
“Chanchan!”
Song Chan didn’t have time to look up. In her extreme tension, she didn’t know where she found the strength, but she nearly shoved Su Yicen—who had his arm around her—off his feet.
She had almost gotten caught again, scaring her half to death.
Qian Ya’s searching gaze swept over the stunned staff in front of her before finally landing on Song Chan in the back.
“Chanchan!”
She brushed back her messy hair and hurried over, completely oblivious to the man from her computer wallpaper standing right next to Song Chan.
Qian Ya had always been bold and outspoken, with zero control over her volume.
“I just heard from Little Li that you and Su Yicen got into a fight?!”
“I just finished handling things with Li Shuning and rushed back in a panic.”
Perhaps from running too fast, Qian Ya was a bit out of breath. She lightly patted her chest to catch it while still worrying about Song Chan in front of her.
Seeing the person before her lift a hand awkwardly to cover her forehead, looking like she wanted to crawl into a hole in the ground.
Qian Ya turned back and realized that their spot had become the center of attention in the dressing room.
And the other protagonist from her words earlier—those pitch-black, cool eyes without a hint of emotion—were fixed right on her.
Holy crap! It was the real-life Su Yicen!
Qian Ya froze, then plastered on a flawless smile and quickly changed the subject.
“I think you two get along pretty well, not as tense as Little Li made it sound…”
Su Yicen’s tone was cool as he asked, “Teacher Song’s colleague, right?”
Song Chan nodded. Only after seeing everyone around them turn their attention back to work did she finally exhale.
She introduced her, “Qian Ya, a colleague from my department. She handles the finance section.”
At that, Su Yicen’s brows curved, a natural smile floating onto his face as he gave her a small wave.
His voice softened. “Hello.”
In that instant, Qian Ya’s eyes seemed filled with stars. She stared at Su Yicen in disbelief, unable to believe that the man from her computer screen was now standing right in front of her in the flesh.
He was Su Yicen! The handsomest man in the world, in her opinion.
And this man had just said “hello” to her!
Qian Ya instantly switched sides. She admitted it—she had seen a handsome guy and forgotten her friend, completely blanking on Song Chan.
“Su… Yicen… you, I…”
She clutched her hands to her chest, fangirling hard, stammering for ages without finding a proper way to address him before finally blurting out a confession.
“You’re so handsome. I’ve liked you for so long—I’m a die-hard fan…”
Song Chan hadn’t seen a scene like this often. She felt a bit helpless but couldn’t bring herself to interrupt.
For Su Yicen, this was nothing new. He waited gently with a soft smile until Qian Ya finished, treating her just like any other fan.
Once she was done, Qian Ya suddenly remembered. “But, Su… Teacher, why are you in Chanchan’s dressing room?”
Her gaze shifted between the two of them, her brows furrowing slightly.
“You two aren’t…”
Qian Ya saw Song Chan next to her frantically waving her hands in signal, and the words “not getting along” that were on the tip of her tongue got swallowed back down.
Su Yicen’s expression didn’t change, a faint smile still tugging at his lips as he calmly responded.
“I had a schedule and didn’t have time to change, so I borrowed Teacher Song’s dressing room.”
“I also came to congratulate Teacher Song on her first red carpet and cheer her on.”
His slow and methodical explanation was airtight. Qian Ya was completely dazzled by Su Yicen’s appearance. Controlling herself not to scream was already a huge effort.
Handsome, good family background, talented, kind-hearted, a face genius, and so polite too!
No wonder she was a fan!
Hearing this, Qian Ya’s fangirling intensified. She boldly tested the waters.
“Teacher Su, could I trouble you for an autograph?”
“Of course.” Su Yicen agreed without hesitation and even took the initiative. “We can take a photo together too.”
Qian Ya’s eyes widened in shock, her hand covering her dropping jaw as she held back a gasp.
“You mean… really?”
Su Yicen nodded with a faint smile. “Of course.”
He turned to Song Chan beside him. “Then, could Teacher Song help us out? Take a photo for us?”
He deliberately drew out his tone. “It shouldn’t trouble Teacher Song, right?”
With Qian Ya looking at her so eagerly, Song Chan couldn’t refuse. She stiffly smiled as she took the Polaroid, then shot Su Yicen a fierce glare when she turned to him.
Song Chan bit out each word like nails. “No trouble at all. Not one bit.”
She knew exactly what this man’s little scheme was. Last time, he’d used a similar trick to win over Zhou Qining.
He’d successfully turned her best friend to his side, and now she called nonstop to push their relationship along.
And now, he was trying the same tactic on her colleague—who just happened to be his fan.
After the photo, Su Yicen’s slender fingers gripped the signing pen and scrawled his name with flair on the Polaroid.
The utterly fangirl-struck Qian Ya had fully defected now and couldn’t help complaining to Su Yicen.
“Last time I asked Chanchan to get your autograph for me, she did, but then she treasured it and wouldn’t give it to me…”
“Oh? Is that so?”
Hearing this, Su Yicen finished signing with a final dot of his pen. He straightened up and looked at Song Chan with deep meaning.
“So, Teacher Song treasures my autograph?”
“Treasures it?” Song Chan scoffed disdainfully, snapping back irritably. “That thing? I threw it in the trash ages ago…”
She felt like a total tool, witnessing a mini fan meet-up—not just taking photos and passing pens, but listening to Qian Ya’s starry-eyed idol rants.
Song Chan couldn’t hold back anymore and interrupted her.
“Little Ya, are you done with your side?”
“Pretty much…”
Suddenly, Qian Ya remembered—she had come to find Song Chan for something important.
“Right, there’s something I need to tell you…”
“Something?…”
Song Chan glanced at Su Yicen beside her, her eyes clearly conveying her thought.
You’re superfluous here…
Song Chan waved him off, her intent to shoo him away obvious.
“Since we have business, Teacher Su, you go ahead with yours.”
Without waiting for Su Yicen’s reply, she hiked up her skirt and pulled Qian Ya through the chaotic crowd in the dressing room to a relatively quiet corner nearby.
Suddenly dragged away, the already-converted Qian Ya couldn’t help complaining.
“Chanchan, I think Su Yicen is pretty great. Handsome, good family, so serious with fans…”
“Why do you dislike him?”
Song Chan glanced back at him. He sat with his legs crossed on a chair, utterly composed.
Their relationship was too complicated to explain right now. Song Chan was helpless.
She countered Qian Ya. “What was it you said earlier?”
“Oh, right!”
Qian Ya slapped her forehead and quickly replied.
“Sigh, it’s still about Li Shuning. Her red carpet gown is the same style as yours…”
She emphasized, “The key is both her red carpet and banquet dresses clash with yours completely—totally different vibes.”
“What?” Song Chan found it hard to believe. This was such a low-probability event, and it had to happen between her and Li Shuning.
Song Chan knew full well that if she and Li Shuning showed up at the Charity Gala with matching gown styles, someone would put them side-by-side online for comparison. It wouldn’t be good for either of them.
Qian Ya kept going. “Li Shuning’s red carpet dress is an early piece from Tao Han at a niche brand—a pink chiffon gown. It’s nowhere near as mature and beautiful as onlyU’s, but since it’s from the same designer, the style and cut are pretty similar.”
“Her banquet one, I saw hanging in the dressing room—super similar to your red mermaid gown, but hers doesn’t show the back, and it’s overloaded with fussy decorations, like a gaudy peony. It’s pretty, sure, but that red dress screams nouveau riche…”
Qian Ya’s nonstop chatter filled her ears, but Song Chan’s gaze drifted forward—only to be firmly captured by Su Yicen sitting at the makeup table.
He sat poised at the vanity, picking up a water bottle for a sip. Nothing unusual there.
But under the makeup lights, the red lipstick mark on the bottle mouth stood out glaringly.
Song Chan’s heart skipped. She realized it was the bottle she’d drunk from earlier.
Su Yicen across from her didn’t care at all. He leisurely swirled the bottle, turning a plain mineral water into the vibe of fine red wine.
As his gaze fell to the mouth of the bottle and he lifted it toward his lips amid the noisy surroundings, Song Chan’s unease grew. And he was deliberately teasing her.
Terrified someone would see, she shot him a warning glance.
She knew he saw it, and she knew he was doing it on purpose.
Su Yicen showed no reaction. Instead, Qian Ya noticed her look first.
“Chanchan, are your eyes okay?”
Seeing her about to turn back, Song Chan grabbed her shoulders and squinted her eyes.
“Quick, help me check. I think my eye’s twitching…”
Qian Ya’s gaze returned to her, concerned. “You alright?”
Determined to sell the act, Song Chan lightly rubbed her eyelid and blinked.
She watched Su Yicen down the water in one go, casually screw the cap back on, and toss the bottle in the trash.
She shot him an irritated glare before circling back to the topic.
“I’m fine now. So, what do I do about clashing gowns with her?”
“There’s no time to change anyway.”
“We don’t need to change.” Qian Ya replied decisively.
“Chanchan, relax. With my expert eye as a face-connoisseur, I can guarantee Li Shuning’s gown doesn’t hold a candle to yours.”
“Whether it’s the cut, brand, styling, or overall look—you completely crush her.”
“If your dresses were compared side-by-side, hers would look like a knockoff.”
The dressing room buzzed with people and chatter. Qian Ya lowered her voice, getting straight to the point.
“Truth is, Li Shuning’s side couldn’t snag an onlyU gown, so they settled for something similar in style.”
“But they never imagined that the gown they tried everything to get—onlyU sent it right to your door themselves.”
Qian Ya’s words were a bit smug, but Song Chan had to admit it was the truth.
No time for more talk—the red carpet was about to start. Qian Ya had to head to the venue for a final run-through.
She patted Song Chan’s hand. “Don’t be nervous, baby. I’ll be down front waiting for you to walk the carpet.”
They hugged tightly, easing some of the panic in her heart.
As she left, Qian Ya didn’t forget to greet Su Yicen.
“Teacher Su, see you!”
Song Chan waved her off with a helpless sigh.
She hadn’t even run into Li Shuning yet, but the cover shoot had already sparked a little grudge between them.
Add this unavoidable gown clash, and bad blood was inevitable.
But with things as they were, she could only grit her teeth and take it step by step.
The banquet was stressful enough, carrying the weight of ZE’s image, and now this.
A suffocating tension filled her chest like a waterlogged cotton ball, leaving her breathless.
Su Yicen noticed her unease.
At some point, he had quietly come to her side.
His warm fingertips hooked lightly in her palm, hidden from everyone’s eyes. He clasped her hand in secret and gripped it tightly, giving her strength.
Su Yicen leaned down and whispered softly in her ear.
“Don’t be nervous, I’m here.”