Chapter 84 She was truly on the verge of surrender.

Luo Xing read each sentence carefully. Every line was an explanation for her, each one a confession of sorts. On her phone, Shen Que had sent a message. For the first time, she turned off her phone without replying. She wanted some peace—her mind was in chaos.

Her thoughts were so jumbled that she couldn’t think about anything at all.

She locked herself in her room for two days to calm down. Besides eating and sleeping, she devoted all her attention to the preliminary competition, burying herself in work. She kept herself so busy she had no energy left to dwell on those troubling matters.

A doorbell shattered the barrier Luo Xing had built around herself.

Her heart trembled. She couldn’t imagine who would ring her doorbell at this hour.

She walked to the door like a ghost, eyes vacant. Even when she was standing at the threshold, her thoughts were elsewhere.

She glanced absently through the peephole.

A woman stood outside—somewhat familiar.

She opened the door, her lashes still lowered. “May I help you?”

“I’m your neighbor. I brought you some fruit to try; it’s very sweet.”

Luo Xing saw the grapes in her hands.

“Thank you, but that’s not necessary.” She knew the woman meant well, but right now she couldn’t accept anything—her mind was already overwhelmed with information. She didn’t need more.

“Oh, you don’t like grapes? I have mangoes at home, too.”

“Oh dear! How did you get out? Come back inside with me!”

A door to another room opened. Luo Xing looked over.

Her mind finally began to clear. She recognized the two people before her.

This was the same patient who had suddenly laughed at her in the elevator the other day.

Remembering her earlier behavior, Luo Xing felt embarrassed and accepted the grapes. “Thank you, ma’am. I must have been half asleep just now.”

“What’s your name?” the lady asked with a smile.

Luo Xing pressed her lips together and smiled. “Ma’am, my name is Luo Xing.”

“Luo Xing! What a lovely name.”

“Mom—”

At that moment, the elevator nearby opened, and a tall figure stepped out, wearing a baseball cap and a mask, dragging a suitcase. He called out “Mom” directly to the woman standing in front of Luo Xing.

Luo Xing looked over.

She recognized him instantly. “Qi… Qi… Qi Zhi?”

She couldn’t believe it. Her mind went blank.

Qi Zhi was equally surprised to see Luo Xing there. His first instinct was to suspect Luo Xing had sought out his mother on purpose—after all, fans had tracked down his mother’s address before, using their affection for him as an excuse. That was why he’d sent his mother to Beicheng to recuperate.

But a memory surfaced—the time Luo Xing had helped him out at TH. He stopped himself from imagining the worst.

Luo Xing was so excited, she could barely speak. Qi Zhi’s mother actually lived next door to her. And the lady who had startled her in the elevator was his mother.

Qi Zhi invited Luo Xing into their home. There were only his mother and a caregiver inside. The place was spotless.

Qi Zhi had Luo Xing sit on the sofa, then went to pour her a glass of water.

“Qi Zhi, you…” Luo Xing didn’t know where to begin. There were so many things she wanted to ask, she didn’t know how to start.

She clutched the glass he’d handed her—her hands were shaking. If she told Yun Cai her idol had personally poured her a glass of water, Yun Cai would probably scream in excitement.

“Thank you.” Qi Zhi sat across from her, holding his own cup. His mother had been taken to her room by the caregiver.

Luo Xing was puzzled. “Why thank me? I only accepted some fruit from your mother.”

She felt a bit guilty—she’d nearly refused the kind gesture because she was preoccupied.

Qi Zhi’s next words caught her off guard. “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have come back so soon to be with my mother. So, thank you. If there’s ever anything I can help you with, just let me know.”

The smile on Luo Xing’s face faded.

She suddenly understood what he meant.

She nervously rubbed the rim of her glass and looked at Qi Zhi. “Why are you thanking me?”

Qi Zhi hesitated. “Gu Shiyan helped me, didn’t he? Wasn’t that because of you?”

He had met Gu Shiyan before. Gu Shiyan had always ignored the conflicts between Lu Yuanyi and himself, never interfering. But after Luo Xing showed up, Gu Shiyan began to ask about him. Later, Gu Shiyan met with him, offering to help him escape from Lu Yuanyi and asking if he was willing.

Qi Zhi and Gu Shiyan weren’t close, so the only explanation he could think of was Luo Xing, Gu Shiyan’s girlfriend. He’d noticed at the bar last time that Luo Xing was a fan of his, though he hadn’t dared to acknowledge it then.

“Luo Xing, it was Gu Shiyan who helped me break free from Lu Yuanyi, and I’m grateful to you for that. If it weren’t for you, Gu Shiyan probably wouldn’t have gotten involved.”

Luo Xing lowered her head. “Actually, Gu Shiyan and I broke up a long time ago, so he must have helped you for some other reason.”

She hesitated as she said this. Truth be told, she didn’t want to believe Gu Shiyan had helped Qi Zhi because of her—she just didn’t want to fall for him again.

She was already close to the edge. For the past two days, she’d forced herself not to think about him, and her resolve was wearing thin.

Qi Zhi noticed her inner turmoil but didn’t know what had happened between them. He smiled and changed the subject. “You’re a fan of mine, aren’t you?”

He smiled a little awkwardly. “I realized before, but I couldn’t admit it in that situation. Sorry. Even though I’ve left the industry, I suppose we can be friends now?”

Luo Xing was silent for a long time. She looked at his outstretched hand, and with trembling fingers, reached out and touched it lightly before pulling back. Her voice was trembling, “I… I have a friend who really, really likes you too! Could you give me a signed autograph for her? She was just crying to me, saying it was such a pity you’d left the scene before she got your autograph or a photo with you.”

Qi Zhi smiled. “Of course. If your friend wants a photo, that’s fine too.”

Then he added, “But I’ve already retired, so I hope you and your friend can keep this a secret for me.”

Luo Xing nodded eagerly.

“If she finds out you live next door, she’ll probably want to move in with me,” Luo Xing joked, taking out her phone to call Yun Cai.

But in her excitement, she hadn’t checked her messages. There it was—a new message from Assistant Song.

Since returning to Beicheng, Assistant Song hadn’t contacted her.

Luo Xing clicked it open.

The color drained from her face, her expression turning tense.

Choking on her breath, she hurriedly got up to leave, not even having time to say goodbye to Qi Zhi.