One Pet Gets Married - Chapter 81

At 6 PM on Thursday, while Zhou Yi was eating lunch alone in her office, she received a notification from her special Weibo feed about a post from Chang Ye. She put down her chopsticks and clicked on it.

Chang Ye had written: “I’m very sorry, but I’ve been extremely busy lately. Tonight’s livestream plan will have to be canceled again~”

The comments were full of understanding.

“Although I miss Sister Little Ye in the livestream, seeing her so busy with work feels like she has a bright future ahead. I’m quite happy about that!”

“No worries, no rush. You focus on your work. Keep it up!”

……

Overall, the relationship between Chang Ye and her fans had a gentle, warm feeling. Moreover, since the premiere of “Food is Here,” Chang Ye’s popularity had been steadily rising. Everyone loved this gentle, charming, and polite young woman.

As Zhou Yi was reading these comments, she received a message from her college class monitor: “Hello, Chairman Zhou!”

Surprised by this sudden contact after years of silence, Zhou Yi raised an eyebrow slightly before opening the chat.

But before she could reply, the monitor sent a few more messages:

“Chairman Zhou, I heard you’re back in the country, is that right?”

“It’s like this: our class has decided to hold a reunion on the evening of the 16th this month. Would you be able to come? So far, more than ten people have said they’ll attend.”

More than ten people… Is Chang Ye among them? Thinking of this, Zhou Yi asked: “Will Chang Ye be going too?”

“Chang Ye? I can’t reach her. Chairman Zhou, why don’t you ask her?”

Zhou Yi stared at the screen for a while before replying: “Alright, I’ll ask.”

Meanwhile, Chang Ye was recording the eighth episode of “Food is Here,” a reality show.

The show had eight participants in total, paired into four teams. Each pair was responsible for themselves. Every episode, they received a theme and had to prepare a table of dishes based on that theme for professional food tasters to critique.

Unlike studio-based shows, this was filmed outdoors, and all ingredients had to be obtained by the participants themselves rather than being provided by the production team.

Of course, this was the unique selling point of this show compared to other celebrity cooking programs. Viewers often laughed at the ridiculous situations the participants found themselves in while trying to obtain ingredients. Sometimes, they’d be on the edge of their seats as time ran out and their favorite celebrity hadn’t even started cooking yet.

After a long day, Chang Ye was tired and sleepy when she finally got her phone back from her assistant.

As soon as she turned it on, she saw the message Zhou Yi had sent a few hours ago.

“Our college class monitor says our class is holding a reunion on the evening of the 16th this month. Are you free? Do you want to attend?” Zhou Yi had asked.

Chang Ye stared at the message for a while, lying on her bed and gazing at the ceiling without immediately replying. After some time, she opened her schedule.

She saw that she was indeed free that evening.

For some inexplicable reason, Chang Ye finally replied: “I’m free in the evening.”

“So, do you want to go?” Zhou Yi replied almost instantly.

“Okay,” Chang Ye sent back one word, then stared blankly at the screen.

“I’ll let her know then.”

“Mm,” Chang Ye looked at Zhou Yi’s profile picture for a long time, then put the phone aside and buried her face in her hands.

In the blink of an eye, September 16th arrived. It was a Sunday.

Although the reunion wasn’t until evening, Zhou Yi woke up early. Her entire closet was in disarray. Her clothes were all very similar, both in style and color—the eternal black, gray, white, and various shades of blue. They looked extremely minimalist.

Finally, Zhou Yi put on a white shirt dress, curled the ends of her hair, applied light makeup, and left wearing flat shoes. With her naturally cold face and lack of expression, it was difficult for her to look less aloof even when she tried.

The reunion venue was quite far from her place, taking over 40 minutes by car to reach.

It was a Japanese teppanyaki restaurant. When Zhou Yi entered, a waiter politely greeted her and led her to a private room.

Inside, she saw a long table with several people already seated.

“Hello everyone, long time no see,” Zhou Yi said coolly as she entered.

However, when they saw Zhou Yi, everyone became excited. Despite her coldness, hearing her voice made them all turn to look at her, speaking over each other: “Chairman Zhou, come, sit down!”

Zhou Yi nodded and finally took an empty seat.

Things were different after entering society. In the past, everyone called her Zhou Yi, but now they all addressed her as Chairman Zhou.

After sitting down, Zhou Yi scanned the room but didn’t see Chang Ye. She then looked at the empty seat beside her and couldn’t help but sigh. She hadn’t arrived yet—hopefully she hadn’t had to cancel at the last minute.

“Long time no see, Chairman Zhou is still so beautiful, it’s really enviable!”

“Yes, yes, and those long legs, it’s just…”

“Oh my, Chairman Zhou, your bag is so beautiful. Is it that… that famous brand’s limited edition?”

……

As soon as she sat down, everyone started flattering her enthusiastically. Zhou Yi could only smile and say thank you, then check the time again.

Just as Zhou Yi took out her phone, preparing to ask Chang Ye if she was done with work and where she was, the door to the private room opened again.

Everyone’s attention turned to the door.

Chang Ye entered with another girl, Ruan Lulu. Chang Ye wore an elegant flesh-colored off-shoulder short dress, carrying a matching bag. Her hair was styled in waves, making her look charming yet innocent. She was chatting and laughing with Ruan Lulu, showing no airs despite her recent rise to fame.

Who knows what Ruan Lulu said that made her cover her mouth and laugh.

“Look, our big star and Lulu have arrived!” the class monitor called out before Chang Ye could greet everyone.

Chang Ye waved her hand and shook her head upon hearing this: “Oh please, what big star? I’m barely D-list.”

“Now you’re just being modest! Although modesty is a virtue, you’re really famous now. My kid is only five years old and keeps asking to watch you. Every time ‘Food is Here’ airs, she practically glues herself to the TV screen to see you!” the monitor continued, chuckling.

“Really?” Chang Ye was surprised. “That’s such an honor!”

“Alright, alright, enough talk. You two come sit down!” the monitor said, pointing to the two remaining empty seats at the table.

“Oh!” Ruan Lulu, hearing this, absent-mindedly walked towards the empty seat next to Zhou Yi, preparing to sit down.

However, just as she was about to sit, someone nearby waved at her: “Lulu, come sit over here. Little Ye belongs with Chairman Zhou, let’s not disturb them!”

Hearing those words, Zhou Yi and Chang Ye’s hearts both skipped a beat unexpectedly. It seemed that in everyone’s eyes, they were still the same as before, nothing had changed. After all, they rarely kept in touch, and recent online rumors suggested Chang Ye and Zhou Yi were close, so everyone naturally assumed they were still the same as years ago.

Hearing this, Ruan Lulu knocked her fist against her head: “Oh my, I almost forgot. Look at my brain!”

“I’m so sorry, I’ll go over there!” Ruan Lulu apologized to Zhou Yi with an embarrassed smile before scurrying to the other side.

Zhou Yi watched Ruan Lulu’s retreating figure, then turned to look at Chang Ye.

Chang Ye stood there for a moment, clutching her bag strap. She nodded slightly to Zhou Yi, then walked over and sat down beside her.

“I thought you weren’t coming,” Zhou Yi said after Chang Ye put down her bag.

“No, it’s just that today’s filming tasks were quite heavy. I just finished shooting and rushed over here,” Chang Ye replied.

“Must be tiring?” Zhou Yi asked again.

Chang Ye took a deep breath and shook her head: “Actually, it’s not that tiring. It feels quite good, like I’ve found my life’s value. Being recognized really is a satisfying thing.”

“That’s good. I’ve been watching your recent shows. Whether in the danmu comments or Weibo discussions, the number of times your name is mentioned is rivaling the popular male stars,” Zhou Yi said, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly. “Keep doing what you want to do. Don’t give up.”

Chang Ye nodded with a smile: “Thank you.”

As they ate, someone suddenly brought up the topic of marriage. Once this subject was broached, everyone began lamenting about current issues like dowries, bride prices, wedding photos, ceremonies, and children.

Indeed, for people who have entered society, conversations typically revolve around family and career.

Zhou Yi and Chang Ye quietly listened to everyone discuss these topics, neither of them speaking up.

However, Zhou Yi was reminded of past events.

One winter, after Chang Ye returned from being a bridesmaid for a friend, she asked Zhou Yi: “If we get married in the future, would you prefer a Chinese-style wedding or a Western one?”

At the time, Zhou Yi had replied without thinking: “We haven’t even graduated yet, it’s too early. We’ll talk about it when the time comes.”

Chang Ye had gotten a bit angry and said, “Too early, too early. I’m just asking which style you like. Can you not be such a guy about this?” She then slapped Zhou Yi’s shoulder and went off to play with her friends.

Holding the glass in front of her, Zhou Yi closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them. She really was an unromantic conversation killer.

“Chairman Zhou, Chang Ye, what about you two? When are you planning to get married?” a red-faced man suddenly asked loudly.

Hearing this, Zhou Yi immediately raised her head.

“Well…” Chang Ye suddenly spoke softly.

Everyone turned to look at her curiously.

“I’m sorry, everyone seems to have misunderstood something…” Chang Ye said with a smile, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

The others exchanged confused glances.

“Actually, Zhou Yi and I are just ordinary friends now,” Chang Ye steeled herself and said these words directly. “That’s how it is.”

Upon hearing those words, Zhou Yi lowered her eyes, her hand gripping the fork tighter and tighter.

“Oh, is that so? Well, I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” The man scratched his head and hurriedly apologized, then raised a glass of wine. “Let me drink to you as an apology, okay?!”

“It’s fine, really!” Chang Ye quickly waved her hand.

“Come on, if you don’t drink it means you haven’t forgiven me!” the man insisted.

“Then I’ll use tea instead of wine,” Chang Ye said, raising her teacup.

Zhou Yi sat there silently, picking up her wine glass and taking a sip. Perhaps the air conditioning was set too low; she suddenly felt as if she were enveloped by a chill.

“So do you have a partner now?” someone else asked.

“Right now, I just want to focus on work. Dating takes too much energy,” Chang Ye continued with a smile.

“Oh, oh, that’s good too!”

After that, everyone continued discussing various topics, with laughter and chatter mixing with the clinking of cutlery and plates. It was quite noisy. Occasionally, Zhou Yi could hear Chang Ye’s laughter. Amidst it all, Zhou Yi felt dazed, as if everything were surreal.

Several people toasted her during the meal, with all sorts of strange reasons for doing so. She didn’t refuse and drank each time. After several rounds, perhaps due to drinking a lot and eating little, her head felt even hazier.

The meal lasted about two hours, after which everyone decided to go singing. Gatherings always seemed to follow this pattern: eat, then karaoke. Nothing new.

As the group left the private room, Zhou Yi felt almost like a walking corpse. A waiter carrying something walked by, and she nearly bumped into them, not even noticing. But at that moment, a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her aside.

Zhou Yi turned her head to see Chang Ye’s smiling face. She looked quite happy.

“Be careful,” Chang Ye said, releasing her hand.

“Mm,” Zhou Yi nodded, glancing at Ruan Lulu who was walking arm-in-arm with Chang Ye, then turned back to continue walking.

Ordinary friends. She could now truly feel Chang Ye’s determination to exclude her from her world.

When they reached the parking lot, Zhou Yi had just opened her car door when she remembered she had drunk quite a bit. She closed the door again and took out her phone to call for a designated driver.

“I’ll drive,” Chang Ye’s voice came from behind.

Zhou Yi turned around to see Chang Ye standing there with a smile.

Without saying much, Zhou Yi nodded.

They got into the car. After Zhou Yi explained a few things about the vehicle to Chang Ye, she started driving towards the karaoke place.

During the journey, Zhou Yi didn’t say much, just hugged herself and stared at the passing scenery outside. Finally, bored of looking, she turned her head, let out a sigh, and closed her eyes.

“Not feeling well?” Chang Ye asked.

Zhou Yi didn’t answer, just breathed heavily and shook her head.

At the karaoke place, they entered a large private room and everyone started selecting songs.

Although the rotating lights from the karaoke machine fell on every corner, the overall atmosphere was still dim. Combined with the overly loud music, Zhou Yi felt somewhat oppressed.

After a while, the class monitor took up the microphone and sang the first song.

Zhou Yi wasn’t very good at singing, being tone-deaf, so she just sat quietly listening to others sing.

At one point, someone invited her to play a drinking game. After some thought, she joined in. However, perhaps due to her muddled state, she kept losing and ended up drinking quite a bit more.

Chang Ye sat to the side, alternating between chatting with Ruan Lulu and singing. But… she couldn’t help glancing towards Zhou Yi.

She had told herself not to care anymore, yet she still did.

“Lulu, your song!” Someone who had just finished singing passed a microphone to Ruan Lulu.

“Oh, okay!” Ruan Lulu took it, then grabbed another mic from the table and handed it to Chang Ye. “Chang Ye, come on, sing with me!”

“Alright,” Chang Ye said after a moment’s hesitation, taking the microphone with a smile.

The song was quite old—”Marry Me Today.”

Zhou Yi, who had lost badly and drunk heavily, hadn’t been paying attention to what others were singing. But when she heard Chang Ye’s voice, she looked up at the screen.

The lyrics displayed: Listen to me / Hold my hand / Walk with me / Create a happy life / Yesterday is too late / Tomorrow will be a pity / Will you marry me today…

“Chairman Zhou, Chairman Zhou, one more round!” A man called out to Zhou Yi.

“I’m sorry…” Zhou Yi glanced at the wine bottles on the table. “I need to use the restroom.”

“Oh, oh, alright then.”

Zhou Yi stood up, swaying slightly as she walked to the door. She pushed it open, rubbed her head, looked up at the direction signs, then walked that way, supporting herself against the wall.

Music was everywhere, mixed with howling voices, making her feel irritated.

Inside the room, Chang Ye saw Zhou Yi leave but just pinched her wrist holding the microphone and continued singing loudly with Ruan Lulu.

Before they knew it, it was past 11 PM, and their time was up.

Everyone slowly left the karaoke place. Chang Ye and Ruan Lulu were planning to go eat barbecue.

However, Zhou Yi was quite drunk, feeling like everything around her was spinning. As she walked, she accidentally kicked a trash can.

Chang Ye turned back at the sound and saw Zhou Yi clumsily steadying herself against the wall. Her brows gradually furrowed.

Finally, Chang Ye told Ruan Lulu, “I’m sorry, let’s have barbecue another time,” and walked over to Zhou Yi.

“You’ve had too much to drink,” Chang Ye said softly, supporting Zhou Yi’s arm.

Zhou Yi looked at the ground and coughed twice. “…Where’s Ruan Lulu?”

“I told her to go ahead,” Chang Ye said.

Zhou Yi nodded slowly. “You’re not going for barbecue?”

“I don’t think I’ve fully digested dinner yet, so I’ll pass,” Chang Ye said, frowning as she looked at Zhou Yi’s pale profile. While others’ faces turned red from drinking, Zhou Yi’s became paler.

“Mm…” Zhou Yi nodded.

“Let me take you home first,” Chang Ye finally said.

Zhou Yi turned to look at her, and after a long moment, nodded silently.

After adjusting her bag strap, Chang Ye supported Zhou Yi as they left the karaoke place, helped her into the car, and drove her home.

Chang Ye had been to Zhou Yi’s place a few times before, so while not entirely familiar with the area, she wasn’t a stranger to it either.

After parking the car, Chang Ye rummaged through Zhou Yi’s bag for the keys, opened the door, and led her inside.

When the lights came on, a minimalist yet comfortable interior was revealed. The place always looked like an uninhabited model home, neat and spotlessly clean.

“I’ll take you to your bedroom,” Chang Ye said, closing the door and putting the keys aside before supporting Zhou Yi again.

“Mm…” Zhou Yi’s breathing was heavy.

Chang Ye then led her towards the stairs.

“Chinese style…”

Just as they stepped onto the first stair, Chang Ye heard Zhou Yi softly say three words. For a moment, Chang Ye’s mind went blank.

“Wh-what?”

“Back then, you… you asked me which kind of wedding I liked… I like Chinese style, and with hanfu…” Zhou Yi said, looking down at the floor, still in a daze.

Chang Ye didn’t respond, just turned her head to look at the handrail before continuing to help Zhou Yi up the stairs.

“Because… because you like ancient clothing…” Zhou Yi said with a faint smile. “And you look really good in hanfu…”

“You… stop talking. That’s all in the past,” Chang Ye said, her voice trembling slightly.

Zhou Yi looked at her, then lowered her head to look at the floor, swallowing.

“But you still care about me… don’t you?” Zhou Yi asked, turning to look at her as they reached the top of the stairs.

Chang Ye bit her lip hard, not saying a word.

“Don’t you?” Zhou Yi’s eyes became misty.

“Otherwise… otherwise, you could have… just left me there, but… but you were worried about me, weren’t you?” Zhou Yi continued asking.

“Alright, we’re at your room. I have things to do tomorrow, so I need to go now,” Chang Ye said hurriedly, opening Zhou Yi’s bedroom door and preparing to turn and leave as soon as she had helped Zhou Yi inside.

However, just as she turned, her wrist was grabbed.

“Zhou Yi…”

“Don’t go…” Zhou Yi said, tilting her head slightly and swallowing again.

“I…” Chang Ye looked up at the ceiling, feeling her own vision blur.

“Don’t go…” This time, Zhou Yi hugged her waist from behind.

“Zhou Yi, you…”

“Please…” Zhou Yi slowly released her, then bent one knee and half-knelt down.

Chang Ye turned around and saw the once proud and aloof person kneeling before her. In that instant, two streams of tears rolled down her cheeks.

“I’m sorry… Is there really no way for me to come back to you?” Zhou Yi asked softly, one hand on her bent knee.

She didn’t look up, so Chang Ye couldn’t see her face, only the drops of liquid falling onto the floor.