Chapter 86
Chapter 86
"Who's that?" She asked.
"My classmate." Liu Jin replied.
After staring at the pictures for about five seconds, reality finally sunk in. She immediately frowned.
"Xiao Yu… I can explain."
A mixture of emotions bubbled up inside Daiyu and she didn't know just how to react.
"Xiao Yu…"
Daiyu sighed and closed her eyes.
"Is it okay if I get angry for a few minutes?" She asked.
"… Okay. I'll wait." Liu Jin nodded.
Daiyu turned around and plopped onto the bed, burying her face onto her pillow. Liu Jin followed her and hugged her from behind. They stayed that way for about five minutes before Daiyu spoke.
"I'm not angry anymore." She pouted cutely and he chuckled.
"Feeling better?"
Daiyu shook her head and hugged him back. "Not yet."
"Okay. It's okay to not be okay." He gently kissed her forehead and stroked her hair.
"Why do you have pictures like that?" Daiyu asked, looking up to him in question.
Liu Jin then explained the real situation to her slowly. Upon hearing the story, Daiyu frowned.
"And those pictures are all over the forums?"
"Yeah…"
Daiyu buried her head onto his chest. She wasn't happy.
"Xiao Yu… I'm sorry."
Daiyu shook her head.
"It's not your fault. But I'm still upset."
"I understand."
"Now everyone will think that you like her." She pouted.
"I can explain the situation to them." Liu Jin suggested but Daiyu shook her head.
"No one will believe you when you have photos like that. They'll just think you're trying to clean things up."
Liu Jin frowned. She was right.
Daiyu sighed.
"I'm upseeeeet." She rubbed her face onto his chest and he chuckled.
"I'll fix this. Okay?" He gently coaxed her.
"How?"
"I'll think of something."
Daiyu paused before nodding.
"Okay."
Liu Jin kissed her forehead again and hugged her tightly.
After sorting things out with Daiyu, Liu Jin went to talk to Nana. He had a plan in mind but he didn't know if it would work. As such, he thought it best to consult with his mother first.
---
When Monday came, Liu Jin and Daiyu went to the academy together as usual. However, as much as they tried, they couldn't ignore the stares that they were getting.
Daiyu frowned.
"Xiao Yu…" Liu Jin held her hand.
Daiyu sighed before facing Liu Jin.
"I'm okay. Just a bit upset." She smiled and let go of his hand.
Liu Jin lowered his head, he too was frustrated.
They proceeded to her classroom without further speaking. After arriving there, Daiyu bade him goodbye before joining Chunhua inside the room.
"Xiao Yu! Are you alright?" Chunhua asked.
Daiyu smiled and nodded.
"How are you and your Jin-gege?"
Daiyu then told her the story from Liu Jin's side. Chunhua sighed.
"Thirsty hoes be everywhere."
Daiyu laughed heartily.
---
Upon arriving at his classroom, Suyin immediately tried to approach Liu Jin.
"Jin!" She called but he ignored her and proceeded to his seat like normal.
She then walked over to him but Zhihao stopped her.
"I just want to explain." She said upon being stopped.
"He doesn't need it. If anything, he needs you to stay away from him." Zhihao answered.
"But –
By this time, Liu Jin's patience was running dry. He stood up and glared at her, wanting to speak.
"Let me do this." Zhihao stopped him
Liu Jin gritted his teeth but sat back down. Zhihao then turned his head to face Suyin. He coughed, channeling his inner diva before speaking.
"Look here, bitch."
Liu Jin immediately buried his face onto his palm. Did he have to be this embarrassing?!
---
After class, Liu Jin went to fetch Daiyu.
"Xiao Yu." He called.
Daiyu smiled tiredly and walked towards Liu Jin. She had a long day fighting off stares and whispers. She knew that the girls were laughing at her. She tried her best to ignore them but her happy bubble could only fight off so much.
Upon reaching Liu Jin, she hugged him tightly and buried her face onto his chest.
"I'm tired. Make me happy." She pouted cutely and he chuckled.
"Okay." He smiled.
He then led her towards the car and off they went.
---
During the car ride, Daiyu remained quiet with her eyes closed. Because of that, she didn't notice that they weren't headed for the Wang Mansion.
"Xiao Yu, let's go."
Daiyu opened her eyes and was greeted by an unfamiliar place.
"Where are we?" She asked.
"We have something to do here. Zhihao and Ying Yue are already inside." He said as he descended the car and held out his hand to help her out.
Daiyu took his hand and together they entered the building. They took the elevators up until they reached a floor that seemed like a studio.
"What's going on?" She asked.
"Xiao Yu! Hurry, hurry!" Zhihao called. He came over and dragged her inside.
Soon, several women started fixing Daiyu's hair and makeup. She obediently sat down, not quite understanding the situation but enjoying it all the same. In another corner of the room, she saw Zhihao and Liu Jin being attended to as well.
"Can you make her curls a bit larger?" Ying Yue asked the stylist.
"Jiejie? What's going on?" Daiyu asked.
"You're shooting for a magazine cover. All three of you." She replied with a smile.
"… Huh?"
Ying Yue chuckled.
"Jin wanted to overwrite his photos with Suyin. So he asked Aunt Nana to arrange for a photoshoot with you. But Aunt Nana got a bit too excited and booked a magazine gig instead. Jin ended up liking the idea though. He said he wanted the whole world, not just the school, to know of your relationship."
Daiyu paused before giggling.
"Then why is Zhihao-gege with us?"
Ying Yue laughed and explained that Zhihao didn't want to be left out.
"Jiejie, how about you? Won't you join us?"
Ying Yue shook her head.
"I'd like to live a quiet and peaceful life."
"… A peaceful life? Won't that be hard with Zhihao-gege around?"
Ying Yue burst out laughing.
"You're right. I think Zhihao's the only distraction I'll ever need." She replied with a smile.
"What's that? You need me?" Zhihao's voice interrupted them and Ying Yue rolled her eyes.
"I said you're a distraction."
"No, no! You said you need me!!!"
"I said –
"Yiiieeeee you need me!" Zhihao teased.
Ying Yue bit her lip, trying to suppress her smile.
---
Soon, the photoshoot began. Zhihao, Daiyu, and Liu Jin graced the cover in yellow, pink, and blue respectively.
"I want one with Xiao Yu alone!" Zhihao said as he pulled Daiyu's arm.
"You don't need one!" Liu Jin gritted his teeth and pulled Daiyu back.
"Go away! Pervert stalker!"
"Shut up! Go ask Uncle Tang for a couple shot!"
"Wh-what?!"
The cameraman laughed and took photos of them playfully bickering around.
Overall, the photoshoot had a lively and happy feel. Daiyu's smile was very infectious and her two big brothers openly smiled with her around.
Of course, the cameraman and the art director were very pleased as well. The three teens were easy to direct and most of their shots were taken naturally without instructions from the crew.
As a final shot, Liu Jin requested to have one with Daiyu together. The director agreed and the pair proceeded to their position.
Daiyu stood with Liu Jin hugging her from behind. Since he was very tall, she only came up to his shoulders.
"Xiao Yu." He called.
"Mmm?" She turned her head sideways and glanced over at him.
"I love you."
Daiyu blushed before her face bloomed into a beautiful smile.
"I love you too."
At that moment, the cameraman took the shot. It was perfect!
---
With funding from the Lius, Wangs, and the Zhengs, the magazine rolled out really quickly. They even had ads in billboards across the city, displaying the three teens.
The magazine had group shots, solo shots, and couple shots of Daiyu x Jin, Daiyu x Zhihao, and Zhihao x Jin too.
"Why did they print this?!" Liu Jin gritted his teeth as he looked at the page where he sat next to Zhihao, holding a bottle of water with a slight smile. Zhihao had his arm wrapped around his shoulder as he talked about something.
It was taken during their break and Zhihao was bragging about how many dumplings he could fit inside his mouth. Meanwhile, Liu Jin was thinking of how much of an idiot his friend was.
Still, from the angle of the shot, it looked like they were really close friends. He cringed and Daiyu laughed.
"Why do you always pretend to dislike Zhihao-gege when you love him a lot?" She teased.
"LOVE?!" Liu Jin abruptly stood up, all the cells in his body in immediate protest.
---
Several copies of the magazine were sent to the Wang Conglomerate and Wang Jing proudly displayed them at his office.
Of course, Victoria was very pleased as well. She had the magazine cover of the three teens enlarged and had it framed to hang on their living room wall.
Butler Tang kept a copy as well. He hid it inside his desk drawer but with how well-worn the magazine was, one could tell that he had looked through it a lot.
Nao Nao had one too. Daiyu gave him a copy and placed it inside her playhouse which was now officially converted into his doghouse.
---
Over at the Liu Estate, the twins laid on the living room floor, looking through the pages of the magazine.
"Daiyu-jiejie is so pretty!" Meili commented.
"I want a photo with Daiyu-jiejie too." Mingli pouted.
"Then let's fix this!" Meili stood up and went to get her big brother's camera.
The twins then took pictures of themselves, copying the poses in the magazine and had a maid print them out. After that, they pasted them onto the magazine, effectively covering Liu Jin and Zhihao.
"Hehe!" They giggled in unison.
"Mingli and Meili look good with Daiyu-jiejie!!!" Meili commented and Mingli nodded.
"Look very good!"
They then secretly snuck into Liu Jin's room and replaced his copy of the magazine with their edited one.
"Surprise for Jin-gege!" They cheered in unison.