Chinese Entertainment: Top-Tier Boyfriends of Young Actresses

The next day, Su Yu flew to Shanghai.

At the end of January, Shanghai was not much warmer than Beijing; it was damp and cold, and Su Yu felt the cold wind seeping into his bones.

Wang Churan picked him up at Hongqiao Airport, wearing a cream-colored down jacket and a scarf wrapped up to her chin. She stood on tiptoe and waved to him as soon as she saw him coming out from afar.

"Here! Here!"

Su Yu dragged his suitcase over, but before he could say anything, Wang Churan grabbed his arm.

"I missed you." She buried her face in his sleeve and rubbed it against him, her voice muffled.

Su Yu glanced down at her: "We've only been apart for a few days."

"A few days isn't a long time?" Wang Churan looked up and glared at him. "Don't you miss me at all?"

"Let me think about it."

"Perfunctory."

The two left the airport and took a taxi to the restaurant that Wang Churan had booked in advance.

It's a local Shanghainese restaurant, not very big, hidden in an alley. Wang Churan said her friend had brought her here before, and the braised pork was exceptional.

Su Yu took a bite, and it was indeed delicious.

After dinner, Wang Churan dragged him to stroll along the Bund. Su Yu felt that the Bund was nothing special, and the wind was strong, making it quite unpleasant.

After strolling along the Bund, Su Yu suddenly spoke:

"How about we go check out the Shanghai Theatre Academy?"

"Now?"

"Um."

The Shanghai Theatre Academy's Huashan Road campus is small, and there are few people during the winter break. The red brick wall and ivy at the entrance stand quietly in the winter sun.

Wang Churan pulled him inside, pointing out the sights along the way. She was very familiar with the place, having come here often before.

"This is the Red Mansion, that's the rehearsal hall, and that's the theater. I've been here before to watch my seniors' performances."

Halfway through her shopping trip, Wang Churan's phone rang.

She answered the phone, responded a few times, and then hung up, looking at Su Yu apologetically.

"My mom asked me to go back home, saying there's something I need to take care of."

"Then you should go quickly."

"And what about you?"

"I'll find a place to sit and wait for you." Su Yu looked around. "I saw a coffee shop near the school gate when I came over."

Wang Churan hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "I'll be back as soon as possible."

She took a few steps and then looked back at him. Su Yu waved to her.

After she had walked away, Su Yu slowly walked towards the school gate. The coffee shop was diagonally opposite the main gate of the Shanghai Theatre Academy; it wasn't a large storefront, and there weren't many people there during the winter break.

Su Yu pushed open the door, ordered a drink, and sat down by the window.

Outside the glass window is the quiet winter street scene of Huashan Road, with bare plane trees and occasional pedestrians hurrying by wrapped in thick coats.

Su Yu picked up his cup and took a sip. His phone vibrated; it was a message from Wang Churan: "I'm almost there. Wait for me a little longer."

He replied "okay," and just as he put his phone down, he caught a glimpse of someone walking towards him out of the corner of his eye.

Su Yu raised his head.

A girl stood by his desk, wearing a cream-colored sweater, her hair down, her face small, and her big, round eyes staring at him with a hint of hesitation and barely concealed excitement.

Su Yu noticed a shallow dimple on her left cheek, which looked rather cute.

"Hello, are you Teacher Su Yu?"

Su Yu put down his cup and nodded: "Yes, I am Su Yu."

The girl's eyes lit up instantly, and her dimples deepened.

"It really is you! I'm a fan of yours. I've been following you since February last year. I watched the entire 'Forensic Doctor Qin Ming' series, and Lin Tao's acting was exceptional!"

She spoke faster, her voice trembling with excitement, "Could I get your autograph?"

Su Yu looked into her bright, sparkling eyes and nodded. He would naturally fulfill his little fan's request.

"Sure. What's your name?"

"Tian Xiwei".

Su Yu paused for a moment, his hand holding the pen still.

Tian Xiwei.

He looked up and glanced at her again—round eyes, a small face, and a shallow dimple on her left cheek.

It was her! No wonder she looked familiar.

He had seen her countless times in his past life; her big eyes and signature dimples made her easily recognizable in the entertainment industry.

This is someone he can remember; it seems this girl will have a good future.

"Still studying, right?" Su Yu asked casually.

"Yes, it's the Shanghai Theatre Academy, a freshman in the acting department."

Su Yu nodded and began writing in the autograph book.

The pen tip landed cleanly and crisply on the paper, and he wrote several lines before stopping.

"Tian Xiwei: Stick to your passion. You were born to stand in front of the camera. I look forward to meeting you on set someday. You will definitely be a better version of yourself then. Keep going! — Su Yu"

He handed the autograph book back, and Tian Xiwei took it with both hands, glancing down at it.

"Thank you, Teacher Su Yu! I will definitely work hard!"

Su Yu smiled. "It's almost Chinese New Year, aren't you going home yet?"

"I have a few guys to photograph, I'm going back the day after tomorrow." Tian Xiwei carefully put the autograph book into her bag, looked up and smiled at him, "I'm from Chongqing, so I guess I'm practically a fellow townsman of Teacher Su Yu."

"That's true, it's quite close to my hometown."

The two chatted for a few more minutes, after all, it was a very fortunate thing to meet a fellow villager from afar.

"I'll be going now, so I won't bother Teacher Su Yu any longer."

She waved to Su Yu and turned to walk towards the coffee shop entrance.

Su Yu watched the figure skipping away outside the glass door, then picked up his cup and took another sip.

When Wang Churan returned, he happened to brush past Tian Xiwei.

She pushed open the door and walked into the coffee shop, her gaze following the receding figure for two seconds before turning around and sitting down opposite Su Yu.

"Oh." She took off her scarf and draped it over the back of the chair, her tone tinged with a hint of sourness. "Teacher Su is really charming; she's chatting with another beautiful woman in no time?"

Su Yu put down his cup, his expression unchanged: "I ran into a fan, who was also from the same hometown, so we chatted for a bit."

"A fellow townsman?"

"Yeah, from Chongqing." Su Yu glanced at the figure that had already walked away outside the glass door. "She's from the Shanghai Theatre Academy, a freshman in the acting department. Come to think of it, she's your senior."

Wang Churan snorted, picked up his cup and took a sip: "So you two were having a pretty good chat."

Seeing her sour look, Su Yu still offered an explanation.

"We might still be in the same profession in the future." He took the cup back from her hand.

"Didn't you say that the Shanghai Theatre Academy is the school you want to apply to? Then she'll be your senior."

Wang Churan glared at him, then remained silent in a sullen mood.

Su Yu looked at her and waited for a while.

"What's wrong?"

Wang Churan lowered his voice.

"I'm afraid you'll forget me and not want me anymore, since so many beautiful girls like you."

Su Yu reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair that had fallen across her forehead behind her ear.

"You're so beautiful and smart, how could I possibly bear to leave you? As long as you don't leave me, I'll never leave you in this lifetime."

"You know how to talk."

These words immediately cheered up Xiao Wang.

The sky outside the window darkened, and the streetlights on Huashan Road gradually came on.

The two came out of the coffee shop, Wang Churan linked arms with him, clinging to him like a clingy kitten.

"Tomorrow is your birthday, how do you want to celebrate?" Su Yu asked.

Wang Churan hugged his arm and said cheerfully, "Anything is fine, as long as I'm with you."