They surrounded me right after the breakup.

At the entrance of the teahouse.

Guo Fan and Xu Li stood on the steps, watching Jiang Han and Shen Qingning get into the car.

Liu Cixin lagged behind, leaning against the door frame.

"President Jiang, it's my treat tonight. Let's go eat some local Shanghai cuisine."

Guo Fan was still immersed in excitement, his eyes shining brightly behind his glasses.

Xu Li chimed in, "President Jiang, you're returning to Jingzhou tomorrow, so we absolutely have to treat you well tonight!"

"Next time," Jiang Han said, opening the car door. "I have plans tonight."

Guo Fan followed Jiang Han's gaze to Shen Qingning in the car, nodded knowingly, and stopped insisting.

Liu Cixin straightened up and waved to the Yangtze River and the Han River as a farewell.

The car drove out of the old street. Shen Qingning took off her sunglasses and turned her head to look at Jiang Han.

"Does Yaoyao know you're using her as a shield?"

"What do you mean by 'shield'? I just promised her I'd pick her up for dinner tonight."

Shen Qingning smiled and didn't ask any further questions.

She leaned back in her seat, took off her high heels, and stepped barefoot onto the carpet inside the car.

The black silk on the instep gleamed faintly in the twilight.

"Today at the teahouse, when Mr. Liu said he sold the copyright for 100,000 yuan, your expression was a little different from usual."

"What's different?"

"You usually make decisions very quickly..."

Jiang Han sighed: "10 yuan...it's not just about the money!"

"When someone gives away their best, and the whole world tells them it's worthless..."

"That's why you said you wanted to help Teacher Liu get the copyright back."

"If I could, I would definitely take it."

Shen Qingning did not ask any further questions.

She simply moved her foot half an inch, placing the instep against Jiang Han's calf.

The sensation of touch through the black stockings was both close and distant.

The car stopped at the entrance of the film set.

The sign for Aurora Dubbing Studio hangs at the entrance of a gray-walled building deep inside the park.

Shen Qingning put her high heels back on, the thin black straps tightening gently at her ankles.

The recording studio door was ajar, and conversations could be heard coming from inside.

The director's voice came through the door first.

His name is Zhou Ming, the founder of Aurora Studio, a veteran in the domestic animation dubbing industry, with half of his hair turned white but speaking extremely fast.

"Yaoyao, you're not feeling well today. You recorded that line six times."

"I know, Director Zhou, I'll try again."

"It's not a matter of trying again. Your voice is naturally thin, and the high notes that you can usually hit in one breath sound noticeably strained today."

"Didn't you get enough rest the past few days? Don't try to explain to me, I can tell your condition just by listening to your voice."

There was a few seconds of silence.

"I had trouble sleeping in the hotel last night because I couldn't sleep in the right bed."

Lin Yaoyao tried her best to maintain an indifferent tone.

"You can get so sick of sleeping in unfamiliar beds? Never mind, never mind..."

Jiang Han gently pushed open the door, and Lin Yaoyao was standing in the middle of the recording studio.

She was wearing a loose beige sweatshirt, her hair was casually tied into a low ponytail, and she was wearing soft-soled slippers used in recording studios.

He was flipping through the script in his hand, but his eyes were fixed on the ground, and a suspicious blush appeared on the back of his ears.

"President Jiang?" Zhou Ming noticed the doorway first.

"Shen Qingning is my colleague at the company."

Zhou Ming nodded politely, his eyes quickly darting between the two women and Jiang Han.

Lin Yaoyao was able to dub six challenging crying scenes in one go yesterday.

My voice was so hoarse this afternoon that I had to practice my everyday conversations repeatedly.

"That's all for today, Yaoyao, go back and get some rest."

Lin Yaoyao's tense shoulders finally relaxed, and she put down her script and walked out of the recording studio.

As she passed Jiang Han, she deliberately turned her head away from him, the blush on her ears spreading all the way to her neck.

……

The lights of the Peace Hotel came on in the twilight.

The pyramid-shaped spires took on a warm, coppery green hue against the deep blue sky.

It is one of the most unique buildings in the Bund's collection of international architecture.

Inside the revolving doors, the floor was covered with dark marble, and crystal chandeliers hung down, illuminating the entire lobby brightly.

The three of them sat down by the window, where the Huangpu River was visible, and the office buildings of Lujiazui on the opposite bank formed a strip of light.

Jiang Han took the menu from the waiter and flipped through a few pages.

He ordered several traditional signature dishes: crab meat lion's head meatballs, stir-fried river shrimp, and Shanghai-style smoked fish...

I also ordered another serving of white fungus soup.

"Let me soothe that lady's throat."

Lin Yaoyao kicked him under the table, all because Jiang Han had made her practice various vocal ranges last night.

Shen Qingning held her teacup and admired the newly placed cold dish platter, pretending not to see anything.

"We often heard people mention this store when we were in school, saying that there was another era behind the revolving door."

Appetizers were served one after another.

The smoked fish is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a perfectly balanced sweet and salty sauce.

When the crab meat lion's head meatballs were served, the moment the lid was lifted, the steam carrying the fresh aroma spread out.

Five fist-sized lion's head meatballs lay in the clear broth, their surfaces studded with orange-yellow crab meat granules.

Stir-fried river shrimp are pinkish-white and translucent, with a bouncy and crisp texture.

Lin Yaoyao took a bite of the lion's head meatball, and her eyes lit up.

"It tastes better than my mom's. Last time, she specially hired a chef from Hangzhou to make soup for me. I said it was bland, and she said that a young girl like me doesn't know what broth is."

"I'll bring her here when she comes back to Shanghai next time."

"You know how good Mom is at cooking," Jiang Han casually added.

"Actually, my recording performance wasn't too bad today," Lin Yaoyao quickly changed the subject.

Shen Qingning put down her chopsticks: "Mainly because I didn't sleep well last night."

Lin Yaoyao almost choked on the white fungus soup in her mouth: "Qingning, you're quite active today!"

"You're more relaxed when you're out and about than when you're at home." Shen Qingning picked up her teacup and raised it slightly towards her.

"And I'm stating the truth..."

A cruise ship sailed by on the river outside the window, becoming a low background sound.

After wiping her mouth, Lin Yaoyao picked up her chopsticks again, deciding not to engage in any further verbal exchange with Shen Qingning.

She knew all too well the fighting prowess of her former nemesis.

In the past, when they argued in the group, Lin Yaoyao usually had the upper hand by striking first.

But now, sitting face to face, Shen Qingning spoke the most hurtful words in the gentlest tone.

Shen Qingning finished the last mouthful of the white fungus soup and dabbed her lips with a napkin.

"Yaoyao, I suddenly have an idea."

Lin Yaoyao's chopsticks hovered in mid-air as she warily raised her head.

"Your body proportions are actually quite different from mine. Your upper body is fuller than mine, and your waistline is higher than mine, but your legs are very well-proportioned."

Shen Qingning scrutinized her best friend's legs: "If she wore black stockings, the effect wouldn't be the same style as mine..."

Clang!

Lin Yaoyao's chopsticks fell onto the marble tabletop, bounced, and rolled to the edge of the plate.

She hurriedly picked up the chopsticks, her face flushed red.

"No way! That style doesn't suit me! I usually wear hoodies and sneakers."

"It's just a try-on; I didn't tell you to wear it tomorrow."

"Trying won't work either; my legs aren't as thin as yours."

"The slimming effect of black stockings is a physical phenomenon and has nothing to do with your natural body size."

"Then I won't wear it either!"

"It's rare to see you so nervous," Jiang Han said with a smile from the side.

Lin Yaoyao turned to him: "You're not allowed to speak!"

The hoarse voice cracked by half a note due to the high pitch.

Shen Qingning smiled, her lips pursed: "No rush, let's talk about it when we get back."

Lin Yaoyao moved the remaining half-cup of white fungus soup in front of her to her own bowl and buried her head.

The blush at the base of her ears hasn't faded since she left the recording studio.

It looked especially vibrant under the crystal chandeliers of the Peace Hotel.