A trace of sadness stirred in Xu Jiayi’s heart for reasons unknown. He had only pretended to make her his temporary assistant to tease her, but over these past few days, Xu Jiayi found himself developing different feelings.
He discovered that in the evenings after returning to the hotel, his mind was filled with the image and voice of this little mouse. For some reason, seeing her holding back tears on the way back to the company had sparked a desire in him to embrace her.
Now, seeing that she could be amused by him brought Xu Jiayi a greater sense of joy than usual. He had to admit that such a short time together had made him feel reluctant to part with Shi Xinxin.
Perhaps this reluctance had been confirmed the moment they first met at the bar, but he simply hadn’t realized it yet.
Despite this, to see more smiles from Shi Xinxin, Xu Jiayi was extremely cooperative during the shoot, and the day's work was quickly completed.
What followed was the magazine's more intense layout and editing work, which would only be more demanding. On the way to the airport to send Xu Jiayi off, Shi Xinxin kept receiving urgent messages from the work team, but she didn't want to bother Xu Jiayi with them.
Seeing her phone constantly buzzing with messages, Xu Jiayi thought about it and finally couldn't bear the thought of her staying up late to work overtime. He instructed the driver to take her back to the company first, while he and his assistant would proceed to the airport.
However, as a condition, he asked Shi Xinxin to leave him all her contact information. Shi Xinxin, accustomed to Xu Jiayi’s eccentric requests, didn’t think much of it.
Back at the magazine office, after several days of continuous overtime, the year-end issue was finalized and sent for printing. Shi Xinxin breathed a sigh of relief.
After the celebration banquet, she could finally return to working at her small original magazine. She shared this good news with her best friend immediately, and they were both ecstatic.
However, what she didn't expect was that not long after she returned to City B, Xu Jiayi’s studio also moved its headquarters to City B, and it was very close to Shi Xinxin’s magazine office.
Suddenly, this street became quite lively. For reasons unknown, shortly after Shi Xinxin returned, the magazine office received a long-term collaboration contract with Xu Jiayi, which made the editor so happy that he almost dreamed of smiling in his sleep.
Yet, Shi Xinxin felt a hint of worry.
Christmas was approaching, and the magazine was planning a special issue related to the holiday. The city’s amusement park was busily preparing for it, and the magazine quickly established contact with them.
They also invited Xu Jiayi to visit, hoping to capture some promotional photos. Xu Jiayi readily agreed, but requested that Shi Xinxin accompany him throughout, just like before.
Everyone found this normal, but Shi Xinxin felt a vague sense of unease. If it turned out to be a situation like with Sheng Chenjin, she would have to distance herself from Xu Jiayi.
Perhaps she was destined to walk separate paths from these wealthy individuals, and any forced union would only lead to bad things.
As a public figure like Xu Jiayi, she needed to stay even further away. Therefore, during work, she tried her best to seize every minute, finishing her tasks as early as possible and then using various excuses, claiming to feel unwell and needing to go home to rest early.
Now that she was back in her own apartment, the editor was not overly harsh with Shi Xinxin, especially since she had already completed her work, so the editor couldn’t force her to stay.
Seeing this, Xu Jiayi decided to advance his plan.
That day, everyone wrapped up the shooting early. Shi Xinxin, citing an appointment with friends, declined the dinner invitation with everyone and returned to her apartment early. Xu Jiayi did not stop her.
However, at nine o'clock that night, he called Shi Xinxin. "Are all the raw photos with you today?"
"Yes, they are with me, but the photographer has another copy."
"Don't say anymore, the photographer's copy is lost. Hurry over to the amusement park. If those photos are damaged, we might have to reshoot tonight."
Shi Xinxin was a bit confused. The raw photos were fine on the USB drive, so how could they be damaged? What was going on?
She remained silent on the phone for a while, making Xu Jiayi anxious. "Hurry up and come over, or things will get troublesome soon."
"What exactly happened?" Shi Xinxin felt a little uneasy.
"I'll explain when you get here. I have to go now." With that, Xu Jiayi hastily hung up the phone. After some thought, Shi Xinxin figured there must be something urgent. She quickly grabbed her bag and hailed a taxi to the amusement park.
However, when she arrived at the amusement park, she found it brightly lit but completely deserted. She slowly walked towards the Ferris wheel, where they had filmed the promotional photos that day.
If they had to reshoot, everyone should be gathered there. Yet, as she reached the foot of the Ferris wheel, there was still no one. Then it occurred to her, this must be another prank by Xu Jiayi.
She stood still, took out her phone, and was about to call Xu Jiayi when suddenly, fireworks, ignited by someone, shot up from the grassy area behind the Ferris wheel.
Colorful sparks soared into the sky, transforming the dark canvas into a dazzling spectacle.
At this moment, Xu Jiayi quietly emerged from behind her and gently tapped her shoulder, startling Shi Xinxin. "What are you doing?"
Xu Jiayi, as if performing magic, produced a bouquet of flowers from behind him. "For you."
Shi Xinxin didn't understand why he was giving her flowers, but she politely accepted them and held them in her arms. Before she could ask, Xu Jiayi gently took her hand.
Shi Xinxin was startled by his action. "Shi Xinxin, will you be my girlfriend?"
"What?" She was completely bewildered. What was going on?
"I asked if you would be my girlfriend?"
"You called me here for this? What trick are you playing now? Are there any scary toys hidden in the flowers?" Shi Xinxin understood his words but didn't believe this was a serious proposal.
She tried to pull her hand away, only to realize that Xu Jiayi had no intention of letting her refuse.
"Please, be serious. Do I look like I'm joking? I specifically rented out the amusement park. There's no one else here tonight but us. This isn't a prank show," Xu Jiayi said, shaking Shi Xinxin's shoulders and forcing her to look at him.
"Oh, really? Then who was setting off the fireworks just now? You appeared right after the fireworks started. The distance from the lawn to here is too far; I don't believe you could run that fast." Shi Xinxin's mind wasn't on what Xu Jiayi had said. She still believed he was trying to trick her.
Xu Jiayi was a little helpless. He released her hand, not expecting Shi Xinxin's focus to be on this question. He had to explain. "Alright, I admit, that wasn't me. It was staff I hired."