Butterflies Fly Over Winter Chapter 5
byChapter 5 Over-interpretation
Shi Yunshan didn’t say anything. He gave the two of them a glare and then got down to business professionally.
“What’s our name?” Nie Chuiying asked.
[For 8!]
[Sapling, move over, let me say it!]
[Stop beating the dead Sapling, he’s about to break.]
The six of them smiled, forming “guns” with their index fingers and thumbs and pointing them at the camera: “For eight!”
[Who caught that wink from Final Review?]
[Me me me, it was me!]
[Who screen-recorded it?]
[Me me me, also me!]
[I beg you, DM it to me quickly, I’m literally being slain.]
[Who remembers that the last time these six appeared together was for last year’s album?]
[The music videos recorded separately don’t count! The last time they were actually together was two years ago when they visited Xi Ai on set!]
Xi Ai watched the comments and suddenly flicked the brooch she had been playing with toward Chu Yiqi.
Chu Yiqi looked down at it, suddenly feeling a bit of a headache—the kind caused by being hit with money.
[(Whispering) Actually, Final Review is also very ship-worthy when they aren’t at each other’s throats.]
[I see you, sister, but I just want to say: no fanservice allowed.]
[You two, it’s clearly been two years, so why are you still like this…]
[Who knows if they’ve been secretly dating in private? (Very quiet whisper)]
Chu Yiqi’s phone screen remained lit. She glanced at the comments and silently pushed the brooch back exactly as it had come, letting it slide toward Xi Ai.
Xi Ai propped her phone up on a stand to watch the comments while turning around to greet everyone.
A smile played on her face: “Long time no see~”
[Okay, so fake. Next.]
Her face suddenly went cold. “Kick them out!”
[Seriously, Little Ai, you should leave and let the next baby come in.]
Xi Ai stopped bickering and suddenly put on a very aggrieved expression: “I get it now. It’s just a case of loving the new and loathing the old, I understand…”
She even sounded a bit choked up as she spoke. By the time she finished, the corners of her eyes were red, making her look pitiful and mistreated.
[??]
[You, stop acting whenever and wherever you feel like it!]
[Hahaha, who told you to provoke a drama queen from a professional acting background?]
[Sister, I was wrong, I won’t talk about you anymore. Out of sight, out of mind, okay? So please, switch to the next person.]
[Wait, you’re still persistent about that?]
[If she actually leaves, you guys won’t be happy either.]
[If you Aiye and your idol are tired of looking at each other, then let me take over, okay?]
[Not allowed!!!]
[Sorry, we just like bickering with her. It’s like being a jerk to a friend just to hear them say ‘get lost.’]
Xi Ai smiled as she watched the comments scroll by, dropping the act: “I don’t admit to that ‘tired of looking at each other’ part. It’s clearly them who can’t stand the sight of me. Fine, next person it is… any volunteers?”
A deathly silence filled the living room.
[Stop pretending to have social anxiety!]
Su Luojian spoke up at the right time: “Ai Ai, just switch based on your mood. Give it to whoever you like.”
Missing the second half of Su Luojian’s sentence, Xi Ai scanned the room and immediately fixed a mischievous gaze on Chu Yiqi.
“An opportunity like this should be given to our ACE who just returned.”
[Ahhh, say no more. It’s finals season, let’s do a practice problem to review.]
[I don’t know, it seems like… normal teammate interaction…]
[Sister Luojian said, give it to whoever you like!]
Chu Yiqi remained silent for a moment, ignoring the comments. She said, “Since Teacher Xi can’t keep the conversation going, I’ll take over. Long time no see… actually, it hasn’t been that long. I did a livestream last month.”
[You don’t call that a livestream! You just came on, sang three songs, and then suddenly blurted out ‘forget it, I’m not streaming anymore.’ I mean, really?]
[Qiqi, you weren’t like this before.]
[Thanks to the Movie Queen for letting Qiqi come on. Qiqi, talk more.]
Nie Chuiying slowly raised her head: “Qiqi, don’t let your hand slip! Why did you kick me out!”
Chu Yiqi’s first thought wasn’t to explain why she kicked Nie Chuiying out, but rather the “slip of the hand” from yesterday.
She paused for a second, gave a light cough, and said, “You were an eyesore. You started spamming as soon as you joined, blocking me from seeing the comments.”
“I hate you. I’m switching to an alt account.”
“We recognize all your alt accounts. You’ll get kicked from those too.” Yu Nianxi had already silently pulled out a box of Pejoy, matcha flavored.
Nie Chuiying: “…I’m doing it anyway!”
“Fine, fine, go ahead then. Who’s stopping you?”
[CYJJ has to use an alt account to watch her own livestream. Who is she trying to kill with laughter?]
[South Vegetable Garden: What did I do wrong again?]
[I’m seriously going to laugh at her alt account for the rest of her life. Right, Chaye?]
[Help, why do you guys have so many nicknames?]
Xi Ai looked at the comments: “These aren’t nicknames. They are an externalization of the love for her. Teacher Chu, hurry up and say a few more words. Does anyone still remember we have to cook for ourselves?”
Chu Yiqi nodded and said, “Then I’ll leave the rest to the leader.”
After everyone had been greeted, Xi Ai started stirring up trouble: “So, who’s in favor of the leader cooking, and who’s against it?”
“I agree,” Nie Chuiying nodded.
Xi Ai continued to add fuel to the fire: “I want douzhi!”
Meng Yike was silent, staring at Xi Ai with a silent question: ? Go buy it yourself!
“Wait, can you even stomach that yourself?”
Chu Yiqi really wanted to say: She can’t. But she held it back.
Xi Ai opened her mouth and then said quite frankly, “I can’t drink it.”
“…”
Su Luojian’s voice pulled the topic back in time: “Then everyone, let’s make breakfast together.”
[Actually, does anyone get the Cute Duo?]
[Yes yes yes! Usually, it’s Ai Ai running ahead and the leader rushing to save her.]
Chu Yiqi watched without speaking. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Xi Ai smiling at the comments while trying to drag Meng Yike along. She immediately looked away, pretending not to see.
Having achieved her goal, Xi Ai let go of the money-obsessed girl.
Meng Yike: …
Xi Ai and Chu Yiqi silently moved out of the camera’s frame together.
“Is your mood off?” Xi Ai asked, pretending to be oblivious.
Chu Yiqi immediately shook her head: “No.”
“Don’t frown.”
“I’m not.”
“Fine.”
Xi Ai nodded and didn’t press further. She picked up a water bottle to take a drink.
Chu Yiqi frowned. Before she could even figure out why she wanted to stop her, the words were already out: “Don’t drink cold things in the morning.”
Xi Ai blinked, suppressing the corners of her mouth: “Can I take that as concern?”
Chu Yiqi was silent for a moment before turning away, leaving behind a single sentence: “Maybe.”
Xi Ai stood there holding the bottle for a while, then put it down and walked away.
Chu Yiqi didn’t participate in the cooking. She stood at the kitchen door holding the camera, providing real-time updates on the comments.
“Why aren’t I going…” Chu Yiqi originally wanted to say ‘if I go, who will read the comments to you,’ but before she could speak, Xi Ai instinctively finished for her.
“Teacher Chu is injured.”
Chu Yiqi didn’t speak for a good while outside the frame. Only after a long time did she “condescend” to whisper a single word: “Right.”
[I’ve wanted to say this for a long time, but something is off with those two.]
[+1]
Chu Yiqi didn’t read those comments, picking a different one instead: “Sapling? Yunshan, they’re asking what you’re making.”
“Pancakes.” Shi Yunshan paused and flipped a pancake. “Xiao Chu, next time just say it directly. Come on, give us a full menu recital.”
[What the hell, a menu recital? Is this a crosstalk troupe?]
[Sometimes they really are quite similar.]
[Next, please enjoy For 8’s full-group cosplay of crosstalk actors.]
“Boiling noodles.”
“Baking a cake.”
“Egg tarts.”
“Mochi.”
Yu Nianxi whispered while whipping cream, “I feel like we’re being very extravagant.”
Meng Yike: “Look at the portions we’re making. Aside from your cake which we can save for the afternoon, which of these won’t be finished?”
“True.”
Chu Yiqi stopped listening to the rest. She looked at Xi Ai, feeling a moment of daze.
In truth, Xi Ai didn’t like sweets that much. It was Chu Yiqi, being from Suzhou, who preferred them.
After they got together, Xi Ai had actually learned how to make many desserts. Although they weren’t always particularly successful, Chu Yiqi had finished them every time.
“Ai Ai, I want the taro paste one! I’m working on it now, I’ll give it to you in a bit.” Yu Nianxi put down her bowl and leaned in next to Xi Ai.
Nie Chuiying: “I want matcha! I bought some, I’ll give it to you later. Add it for me!!”
Xi Ai was helpless: “Sure. Cut a mango for me though.”
Xi Ai reached out toward Yu Nianxi.
Yu Nianxi: “…Can’t you not…”
Nie Chuiying quickly covered Yu Nianxi’s mouth and then forced a recovery: “Don’t worry about it. If Ai Ai wants it, just go. I can’t live without food.”
Nie Chuiying silently broke into a cold sweat, thinking to herself: You’re such a blockhead. You ship them so hard usually, but you don’t remember at all that Qiqi loves eating mangoes.
[Wait, Ai Ai is allergic to mangoes!]
[My god, will someone go remind her?]
[My god, will someone go tell the CP fans there’s work to do!]
[My god, will someone go check on the solo fans, especially the Aiye? Are they still alive?]
[My god, the solo fans are already broken. Ai Ai, you’re so cheap.]
Chu Yiqi read the first two comments: “They’ve been reminded. Next.”
Hearing this, Xi Ai’s eyes curved into a smile where the camera couldn’t see. She said, “I remember, so I’m already peeling grapes.”
Xi Ai took the mango and started nitpicking Yu Nianxi: “I beg you, stop fanning me right next to me.”
Yu Nianxi looked at Xi Ai’s messy hair on one side and felt like laughing—the group’s favorite wouldn’t let herself be mistreated, so she immediately laughed and said, “I told you, you should tie your hair up. You wouldn’t listen. Hair always ends up getting messy.”
Xi Ai said indignantly, “Yuni Filling, you better have a good reason!”
[Hahahaha Yuni Filling, Xi Ai, you are the god of nicknames.]
[Wait, if she’s called Yuni Filling, what are we called!]
[It seems the Yuni have lost their name, hahaha.]
Chu Yiqi didn’t read it out loud, but she stood to the side laughing for a long time.
“Qiqi! Stop laughing!” Yu Nianxi glared at her, her threat carrying no authority at all.
Chu Yiqi straightened up and pursed her lips, but her eyes were still smiling: “Mhm, I’m not laughing.”
“You clearly are!”
“I’m laughing anyway!”
Chu Yiqi joked around for a bit. Seeing Xi Ai toss her head trying to get her hair to stay back, she suddenly stopped. She took the hair tie off her wrist.
She walked over. Standing behind Xi Ai, she instinctively raised her hand, wanting to help her tie it up.
It was a rather ambiguous gesture.
It was a subconscious habit formed in years long past.
Chu Yiqi realized what she was doing before she touched Xi Ai’s hair. She lowered her hand and handed the hair tie to her, immediately switching to a business-like tone: “Tie it up.”
“Thanks.” Xi Ai looked at the butterfly charm on it, and the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but lift slightly.
Chu Yiqi walked back and found that the direction of the comments had suddenly changed, and unusually, it wasn’t toward the CP.
[Wait, I… I just saw a post. Is Ai Ai injured?]
[??]
[Reporting—I went to check. Here’s the link.]
Chu Yiqi frowned. Looking at Xi Ai, who was acting like nothing was wrong, she felt inexplicably irritated.
If you’re hurt, just say so. What’s the point of hiding it from everyone and pretending you’re fine? Forget it, I’ll go find some medicine later.
Xi Ai suddenly received a call.
Su Luojian?
Xi Ai didn’t have time to think about what she had done to deserve a dedicated call before she answered.
“What happened?” Su Luojian’s tone was urgent. “Why didn’t you say you were injured?”
Xi Ai also frowned, thinking back carefully—was it during the reshoot of a fight scene?
Su Luojian happened to be away that day.
Xi Ai said, “Wait, I’m going to the balcony.”
[What’s wrong, Ai Ai?]
[Something’s up. Wait, what’s going on over there? Are they just suppressing it?]
On the balcony, Xi Ai let out a breath and said, “We agreed on it back then. It wasn’t a big deal anyway, so the matter was suppressed. Who leaked it?”
Su Luojian said, “I’m contacting people on my end. Tell me the truth, how bad is the injury?”
“It’s not serious. I went to see a doctor at the time. It was just my left hand.”
“You… I’ll come over this afternoon. Tell the others. This afternoon will be changed to discussing the new album.”
“Got it. I’ll get in touch with that side.”
Xi Ai didn’t go back to cooking immediately. She leaned into the beanbag chair on the balcony and clicked on the video Su Luojian had sent.
That happened three days ago.
Xi Ai had been suddenly pulled back to reshoot a scene. The day before that, the entire crew had been working overtime. After such high-intensity work, it was inevitable for some oversight to occur.