Chapter 8 Because I Like Her
I didn’t know yet that the internet had already erupted.
【Yeah, Cheng Zhi’s screen time is ridiculous.】
【Someone’s obviously pushing her.】
【Our Wen Rou sis is way better—if the show hadn’t cornered her, someone who never raises her voice wouldn’t explode like this.】
【Cheng Zhi get out of the industry.】
【Trash artist, stop leeching off our Song bro.】
【All you “Song You One Journey” shippers—here’s your journey out.】
…
“Because I like her.”
Song Nanzhou’s voice sliced through the tension.
I looked at him.
“In my eyes, Cheng Zhi is the best.”
“You don’t know how hard she works on a script for even a small role.”
Wen Rou shot back, “Like you would know. Didn’t you only start talking to her recently?”
“Who said that?” he answered calmly. “I’ve been watching her all along.”
“It’s not her fault she hasn’t had a breakout role yet. No one noticed the shining diamond right in front of them.”
“Cheng Zhi.”
He said my name softly.
I was already crying from his words. “Hm?”
He smiled and wiped my tears. “Don’t worry about what anyone else thinks. Just care about what I think, okay?”
I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I reached out and hugged him—this gentle, steady man.
He told me to only care about him.
He said I was the best.
I’d faced endless hate and slander since debut. I always smiled in public, acted like it didn’t touch me.
In front of my few hundred thousand fans I played the cheerful idol, hiding every negative feeling, bringing them joy.
No one ever asked how I really felt.
Except Song Nanzhou.
Back when we were secretly dating online, my grades dropped and my parents scolded me.
He said, It’s okay. Parents always want the best for you. Don’t take it to heart. Ask me if you don’t understand something.
When people talked behind my back, he said, Outside voices are just noise. Ignore what you don’t like.
He had always loved me with his whole heart.
And I, thinking I was doing the right thing, decided not to “hold him back.”
That self-righteous choice made us miss years.
I sobbed twice, voice hoarse. “Okay.”
Then, so only he could hear, I whispered, “Song Nanzhou, I like you too.”
All this time, I’d had no new relationships. I’d saved our old chat screenshots through countless phone changes.
Now I finally had the answer.
Song Nanzhou was the answer.
No one could ever compare.
He was the one I had never stopped loving.