Ji Yu seemed to sense her mood and comforted her gently.
“She was just asking casually.”

Shi Xing nodded. Just then, Xiyu had already finished its dog food and hurried over to them. Ji Yu lightly tapped the dog on the head.

During the meal, he kept adding food to Shi Xing’s bowl.

By the time they finished eating, it was already late. Shi Xing was just about to stand up when Ji Yu called out to her,
“I’ll take you home.”

Xiyu seemed to understand what they were saying and pressed itself against her, reluctant to let her leave.

Shi Xing bent down and said goodbye to it.
“I’ll come visit you again next time.”

Even after they left, Xiyu stayed at the door barking nonstop. The moment they stepped outside, Ji Yu sensed something unusual lurking in the shadows.

“What’s wrong?” Shi Xing asked, puzzled.

“Nothing,” he replied calmly, though his gaze darkened slightly.

After Ji Yu drove her home, Shi Xing lay in bed, unable to shake the feeling that her eyelid was twitching more than usual.

The next morning, as soon as she woke up, her phone exploded with notifications. One by one, she opened the messages—and froze.

“Go check Weibo. Now.”

She hurriedly opened the app. At the very top of the trending list was a headline:

#JiYuRomanceExposed#

Clicking into it, she saw a video taken the night before—Ji Yu dropping her off at home. That must have been when they were photographed.

The comments were skyrocketing at a terrifying speed.

“Is this confirmed?”
“Probably just friends. She didn’t even stay over.”
“Not gonna lie, this paparazzi video feels like a drama scene.”
“Who is this girl? How does she even know him?”
“Douban already dug her up—Beijing–Hong Kong University of Chinese Medicine. Apparently she’s also the team doctor.”
“Wuwuwu… I used to ship Ji Yu with Huang Tangting. Guess I backed the wrong CP.”
“It’s not that big a deal if he’s dating. He’s an athlete, not a celebrity, and he’s already 24. The pressure’s probably all on the girl—netizens can be brutal.”
“……”

Just then, Ji Yu called her.

“Hello?”

“Don’t go on Weibo for the next few days,” Ji Yu said, his voice slightly hoarse.
“I’ll take care of it.”

“Okay.”
Shi Xing nodded, closed the app, and replied briefly to a few concerned friends.

Ying Xiaoxiao had also called several times. Shi Xing quickly answered.

“You got back together and didn’t even tell me?” Ying Xiaoxiao sounded overly excited, her voice climbing higher and higher.

“We didn’t get back together,” Shi Xing explained simply.
“I just went to his place to return something. Didn’t expect to get photographed.”

“Ohhh~ I see, I see,” Ying Xiaoxiao said meaningfully.
“Anyway, stay offline for a few days. No need to mess up your mood.”

“Mhm.”

“Oh right—are you free this weekend? Come hang out with me. I’m getting engaged soon. Help me pick out a wedding dress.”

“What?!”
Shi Xing practically exploded.
“You’re the real one pulling off big moves in silence!”

Ying Xiaoxiao laughed.
“I was planning to tell you today anyway. We just decided recently.”

“With Chen Cheng?”

“Who else—Li Cheng?” Ying Xiaoxiao joked.

Shi Xing laughed.
“Alright. I’ll come this weekend.”

Ji Yu’s team moved fast. In no time, all the romance-related posts were wiped clean.

When Shi Xing returned to work, she noticed her colleagues looking at her a little differently. She didn’t pay it much attention and focused on her tasks.

It was competition season, and the workload for team doctors had become intense. Not long after she arrived, she was called away again.

Inside the rehabilitation room, many athletes were already doing recovery training. The air was thick with the scent of medicated oil. Suddenly, someone tapped her on the shoulder.

She turned around—it was Huo Sikai from the swimming team.

“You free right now?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Give me a massage?”

Shi Xing agreed and followed him behind a privacy screen. He lay down while she began pressing several key acupoints.

They chatted casually.

“How much do you guys make in a month?” Huo Sikai asked.

Shi Xing pressed her lips together.
“Enough to support myself.”

He asked a few more irrelevant questions, then suddenly shifted gears.
“So… are you really with Ji Yu?”

Shi Xing frowned slightly and didn’t answer. When she finished the last step and was about to leave, Huo Sikai reached out and blocked her.

“How about you come with me instead?” he said lightly.
“I’m pretty interested in you.”

His tone made Shi Xing feel speechless.

Liu Yu had once told her that many male athletes had questionable private lives. Growing up in sports schools, enduring monotonous training year after year, they often sought excitement elsewhere. Still, this was the first time she had faced something like this firsthand.

She met his gaze and said slowly and clearly,
“Sorry. I’m not interested in you.”

Huo Sikai’s expression instantly darkened. He shrugged, grinding his teeth.
“You’d better not regret this.”

Once rejected, he turned hostile immediately. Shi Xing could already imagine that if anything went wrong for her in the future, Huo Sikai would be the first to kick her while she was down.

She hadn’t walked far when someone told her that Yu Jing was looking for her.

In the office, Yu Jing sat at her computer sorting through documents. Shi Xing knocked politely.

“Sister Jing, you wanted to see me?”

Yu Jing closed the folder and nodded.
“Sit down first.”

After Shi Xing sat, Yu Jing spoke slowly.
“The trending topic has been suppressed. But as your superior, I have to advise you.”

Her gaze fell on Shi Xing.
“This period is crucial for Ji Yu. He’s currently a seeded player in men’s singles for the national badminton team. The higher-ups don’t want him distracted by personal matters. So I hope you’ll handle your relationship as soon as possible.”

“I understand,” Shi Xing replied.

Yu Jing looked at her hesitantly, then called out,
“Shi Xing—”

Shi Xing turned back.

“What I just said was from a leadership standpoint,” Yu Jing said softly.
“But speaking as someone who’s been there… I really want to advise you—don’t date athletes. You can’t afford it.”

Her eyes dimmed slightly, as if recalling something painful.

“I’ll handle it soon,” Shi Xing said seriously.

When Shi Xing exited the Sports Bureau, she noticed a Cullinan parked in front of her. The window rolled down slowly, revealing Ji Yu.

He motioned for her to get in. She glanced around quickly and slipped into the car.

“You look so guilty,” Ji Yu teased lightly.
“Anyone watching would think we’re having an affair.”

Shi Xing shot him an annoyed glare. After a long silence, she finally said,
“There’s something I need to tell you.”

“Go ahead,” Ji Yu replied while driving.

She took a deep breath, as if making up her mind.
“We should stop seeing each other.”

The words nearly made Ji Yu slam the brakes. His dark eyes sank instantly, his jaw tightening.

“Who said something to you again?” he asked quietly.

“No one,” Shi Xing shook her head.
“This is my own decision. I think both our first meeting and our reunion were accidents. So it’s better to end it here.”

Ji Yu lowered his gaze to her, his eyes gradually darkening. After a long pause, he finally said,
“I’m taking you somewhere.”

When he parked outside his home, Shi Xing looked at him in confusion.
“Why did you bring me here?”

Ji Yu said nothing and walked straight inside. Shi Xing could only follow.

Xiyu rushed over excitedly. Seeing that no one paid attention to it, the dog trotted along behind them into the room.

This was Shi Xing’s first time in Ji Yu’s bedroom. The décor was minimalist, dominated by black and white—clearly the space of someone meticulous.

Ji Yu opened a cabinet and took out a blue-and-white umbrella. It didn’t match his usual style at all—it looked more like something a girl would own.

“This is…?” Shi Xing blinked and looked up at him.

“Didn’t you just say our meetings were accidents?”
Ji Yu met her gaze, his dark eyes unfathomable.

“I can tell you clearly now—none of it was accidental. Everything was something I planned long ago.”

Shi Xing’s breath caught. She couldn’t understand what he meant. At that moment, Xiyu ran over and circled them restlessly.

Ji Yu lifted his chin slightly.
“Don’t you always think this Samoyed looks familiar?”

Shi Xing frowned, realization dawning.
“You were that online friend?”

Ji Yu nodded, his gaze burning and sincere.
“I wasn’t deliberately trying to dig into your life. But after we broke up, I couldn’t stop myself from thinking about you.”

His voice was low, gentle, and lingering in her ears.

Shi Xing felt momentarily dazed, a soft place in her heart quietly stirred.

He continued,
“This umbrella—you gave it to me back then. You always thought we first met in the summer when I was eighteen. But actually—”

His tone softened.
“We had already met when you were eighteen.”

“When I was eighteen?” Shi Xing was completely confused.

Their eyes met. Ji Yu chuckled softly.
“Do you remember working part-time outside a convenience store back then… and giving an umbrella to a boy?”

Shi Xing’s memories slowly resurfaced. Her expression froze. After a long pause, she finally asked,
“You were that boy?”

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