Love Variety Show: The despised me exploded in popularity

The car slowly passed the crossroads, and Pei Muchan stared blankly at the crimson taillights ahead, lost in thought.

It wasn't until the Audi entered the underground parking garage of Jiangpan Residential Area that she slowly came back to her senses. After parking and seeing him getting out of the car too, for some reason, her heartbeat inexplicably began to quicken.

He had taken her home like this many times before, it was just that they hadn't seen each other for half a month.

In the elevator, the two of them silently stepped in.

Xu Qingyan wanted to say something, sensing that Pei Muchan's mood was a bit off. But the words reached his lips and turned into silence, as if everything that needed to be said had already been said.

Exiting the elevator and entering the vestibule, he watched Pei Muchan change shoes. She looked back at him, said nothing, and slowly changed her shoes before preparing to enter her apartment.

"Goodnight," he said from outside the door.

"Hmm, goodnight."

Click, the gap in the door slowly closed.

Pei Muchan didn't turn on the light, walking instinctively to the sofa and setting down her bag. She slumped to the floor, curling up and burying her face between her knees.

Thump, thump, thump, in the pitch-dark living room the only sound was the beating of her heart.

Five days after he left, things began to feel off. Everything became uncontrollable. Sometimes, she would zone out while brushing her teeth.

Sometimes, in the office, she would suddenly look up at noon and ask without thinking.

"Where to eat for lunch?"

After asking, all that replied was silence. His empty desk was cleared of everything but the computer, as if he had never been there.

Just like when he first arrived, he always liked to put everything back in a cardboard box after work.

It was as though he could leave any second with the box in hand, leaving no trace behind. Back then, she had to beat around the bush and took some effort to make him throw away that box.

Now, the boomerang had hit her, as she stared at the empty desk in a daze. She thought that maybe he wouldn't be in the office anymore, that she would be alone again.

Unable to bear it, she bought a doll online and placed it on Xu Qingyan's workstation.

Such artificially created "traces" did not ease her anxiety.

Xu Qingyan had left too quickly, impossible for anyone to keep up.

He could write songs like "Late Marriage," and "Qing Tian," and even produce stylistically unique music videos. From "Annual Rings" to "Blue and White Porcelain," she saw no limits to Xu Qingyan's talents.

Being involved behind the scenes of the Spring Festival Gala seemed to be an ordinary thing for him. In just half a month, he went from being a lackey to the director's assistant.

Pei Muchan felt helpless, as if she didn't know when it started. He seemed to have gone far away, and the gap between them... had been closed, only to be followed by a new distance opening up.

He had made new friends, and perhaps soon, he wouldn't need her help anymore. She had become the one relying on him, as if she had nothing to offer in return.

She didn't know anyone, not to mention the people at the main station or Chang'an Broadcasting.

All her numerous thoughts slowly spread throughout the living room.

About half a minute later, Pei Muchan suddenly raised her head and swiftly stood up. Moving effortlessly in the pitch-black living room, she hurried toward the door.

Without her phone, she grabbed her elevator card and ran out. She didn't change her shoes, entering the elevator in slippers and stared unblinkingly at the changing floor numbers.

Xu Qingyan might have left already, maybe if she was quick enough...

Pei Muchan didn't know what she was doing, just feeling a crush of words in her heart. She didn't know what to say, she just... didn't want to part ways right now.

Ding!

The elevator doors slowly opened, and she ran out in her slippers, clutching her elevator card tightly. Past that door, the light spilled down at the turn in the hallway.

Turning the corner, the view opened up.

A white BMW had taken the spot where the black Audi A8 usually parked. Her steps gradually slowed, and her suspended heart began to fall.

Buzzing filled her ears again.

In the vacant underground garage, she stood still for half a minute, and with a delayed realization, saw she had forgotten her keys and hadn't brought her phone; the door was locked with a mechanical lock, and without a phone, she couldn't call anyone to unlock it.

She clutched her elevator card tightly, took a deep breath, her feelings nearly at breaking point.

Suddenly, a car headlights twinkling, drove slowly into the garage from the entrance. She shielded her eyes with her hand and saw the familiar black Audi, standing stunned for a moment.

The car came to a stop, and he got out.

"You... What's this?"

Pei Muchan didn't speak, but directly lunged at him, hugging him tightly.

"Hey, my waist, damn." Xu Qingyan took several steps back, almost knocked off balance by her, "What's gotten into you? You're not wearing shoes and you're crying."

"Don't tell me, you lost money?"

"When I was little, I lost ten yuan and couldn't find it even after two days, but I didn't cry as hard as you are." He comforted her in his clumsy way, "What happened to you?"

Pei Muchan just kept crying, her entire body trembling lightly, hugging Xu Qingyan tighter and tighter.

"Hey, someone's coming, Boss Pei."

She didn't care, burying her face in his chest to hide her face. Tears slowly soaked through the coat, spreading a circle of faint, dark water stains.

"I'm really going to be out of breath soon, sister. Could you give me a reason before you kill me?" Xu Qingyan had known something was off with Pei Muchan's mood, so he purposely came back to check on her.

He had planned to go upstairs and ask, only to encounter the dispirited Pei Muchan as soon as he returned to the underground garage.

He was also perplexed. Could it be that the old master was hospitalized? It seemed Pei Muchan didn't like to keep pets, with only a potted plant barely surviving at home.

"...It's none of your business!"

"It's not impossible, but you have to let me go first, or how can I care for you?" Xu Qingyan continued to tease her while gently patting her back.

"What happened, crying like a child?"

"When I was drinking powdered milk, you were already able to beat up Huang Kefan."

With a snort, Pei Muchan was amused by him and slowly loosened her grip. After wiping her tears, the situation suddenly became somewhat embarrassing, and her face turned red.

"Huang Kefan told you?" Her voice was still a little tearful, with a husky end.

"Yes, he said you used to beat him up a lot when you were kids." Xu Qingyan smiled, "He said Pei Fatty..."

Before he could finish, Pei Muchan pinched his waist, causing him to cry out. It didn't actually hurt that much; Pei Muchan seemed to have cried out all her strength earlier.

"What's wrong with you?" He asked again.

Pei Muchan mumbled for a long time before she could finally say something.

"I didn't bring my phone or keys."

"Shouldn't the property management have a spare key? There should be someone on duty now." Seeing her change the subject, Xu Qingyan went along with it.

"Yeah."

Xu Qingyan glanced at the time, half past nine.

He wasn't in a hurry to ask more, following Pei Muchan to the property management to verify her identity and retrieve the spare key. After all was said and done, it was only natural for him to enter her place.

"You left home without your keys and phone, yet remembered to turn off the lights?"

Pei Muchan hung her head, silently turned on the light, and placed the spare key on the table. In the living room, the light from the ceiling lamp shone down on them both.
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Xu Qingyan leaned on the sofa, giving Pei Muchan a once-over.

"You seem off today."

"No, I'm not." Pei Muchan pursed her lips, turning her head to look away as the flush on her face hadn't faded.

"Let me guess what's going on with you. Can't be because it's been too long since you last saw me." Xu Qingyan said earnestly, "So you saw me out of the blue and cried from joy, right?"

"No, it's not."

"Then you must've been treated unfairly, who's bullied you?" He asked.

Pei Muchan didn't answer, keeping her head down. Finally, after half a minute, she uttered a word.

"You."

"My conscience clear, I've done nothing," Xu Qingyan said with a look of surprise, "Just now downstairs, it was you who almost snapped my ribs."

"I'm just not used to it, having no one to eat with me." Pei Muchan said tenderly, speaking very slowly as if she had made a big decision, "In the future, you won't eat with me either, will you?"

Xu: "???"