Butterflies Fly Over Winter Chapter 8

Chapter 8 Love is Restraint

Xi Ai closed her eyes and pointed at a comment—[The look in Xuenan’s eyes at the end of South of the South, that incredibly complex one, an encore!]

Xi Ai froze for a moment. This was a character she had played, and a tragic one at that.

During her moment of hesitation, Chu Yiqi silently backed out of the app to look it up.

When Xi Ai saw the phone pop up beside her, she suddenly felt a pang in her chest. Her eyes landed on the butterfly-pendant hair tie on Chu Yiqi’s wrist, and she forced herself to swallow back a remark.

“…Thanks.”

That look was indeed complex. It held the shock, daze, and disbelief of seeing someone who looked exactly like a lost lover. Tears gradually welled up, only to turn into self-mockery and a sense of helplessness. Finally, those emotions dissipated, blending into a touch of sorrow and disappointment—half yearning, yet wanting to let go.

As the curtain fell, Xuenan said, “They say I’m the one who went mad.”

“But I remember we loved each other.”

“But who am I, after all?”

Xi Ai remained silent for a long time, then blinked and suddenly slipped into character.

Looking up from the butterfly hair tie, she gazed directly at Chu Yiqi beside her.

Chu Yiqi wanted to leave, but worried about affecting Xi Ai’s performance, she stayed rooted to the spot.

Even though it was Xi Ai who was in character, Chu Yiqi couldn’t help but clench her hands, feeling an inexplicable bitterness in her heart.

Despite it having nothing to do with her, Chu Yiqi felt a wave of pity and regret.

Perhaps that critique was right—when a good actor’s emotions are on point, they can influence the person they are acting with.

By the end, the corners of Xi Ai’s eyes were flushed red. Seeing the look in Chu Yiqi’s eyes, she didn’t rush to move.

Chu Yiqi quickly shook off her misplaced emotions, yet she unconsciously raised her hand.

By chance, a tear that had been hanging in the corner of Xi Ai’s eye fell at that exact moment. Feeling a slight warmth on the back of her hand, Chu Yiqi pulled back as if she had been burned.

Xi Ai had snapped out of character at some unknown point. She instinctively reached out to grab Chu Yiqi’s wrist, but stopped just a short distance away. She only gave a very light smile.

It was hard to tell if that smile came from the heart or if it simply fit the character.

The others didn’t hear that faint, soft laugh, but Chu Yiqi heard it clearly.

She felt it must have been the former.

Chu Yiqi sat back down on her cushion without saying a word, quietly waiting for the next group.

[Who understands this? That final hesitation to touch, and then missing the chance without saying anything… it really kills me.]

[Even though it has nothing to do with the movie itself, this fated BE vibe is everything.]

[Is anyone writing fanfiction!!]

[Calling the Vegetable Garden, you’ve spoiled my appetite for anything else.]

After Xi Ai sat down, she vaguely felt Chu Yiqi’s gaze, but she didn’t look back. She just kept her eyes down, chatting with the bullet screen.

“Can you go act in another BE?” A rejection almost slipped out of Xi Ai’s mouth. Remembering she couldn’t just say “no,” she had to urgently retract her words.

This sudden retraction caused her to choke.

Xi Ai: …

The resulting cough was earth-shattering. Even the group next to them, who were arguing over who should start first, stopped their bickering. They all looked at Xi Ai with complicated expressions as she leaned against the table, covering her face, never forgetting her image for a second.

Chu Yiqi was confused for a moment, thinking there was nothing wrong with the question. She then silently pushed Xi Ai’s cup of honey pomelo tea toward her.

Xi Ai coughed until tears came out, but she didn’t forget to find time to speak: “Don’t look, stop laughing, especially you!”

With her head lowered, she pointed accurately at Chu Yiqi, who was sitting across and slightly to the left.

Chu Yiqi looked up with difficulty: …? I haven’t even laughed out loud yet! I just wanted to laugh but didn’t!! You’re biting the hand that feeds you!!!

Chu Yiqi was already tired from holding back her laughter, so at this accusation, she simply stopped holding it in. She slapped the water cup down: “So what if I laugh!”

[Hahaha Qiqi is speechless: I didn’t laugh, shut up.]

[Doesn’t matter, you did! I’m the one coughing, so I have the final say!]

[Qiqi: I’ll laugh, I’ll laugh, I’ll laugh!]

Xi Ai stopped coughing. Seeing Chu Yiqi laughing, she didn’t stop her anymore. She slowly lowered her head to resume the previous topic: “We’ll see, it’s hard to say—basically, I’m the one suffering most, so I have the final say.”

Chu Yiqi had laughed enough. Hearing this, she let the corner of her mouth curl up in a helpless smile where the camera couldn’t see.

Xi Ai didn’t miss her subtle movement at all. Only then did she let the topic drop completely.

See, she looks so much better when she smiles…

Xi Ai cleared her throat and looked up. The final group had begun.

Yu Nianxi and Meng Yike went back and forth for several rounds without a winner. Xi Ai glanced at Yu Nianxi’s clenched fist, held tight to keep from laughing.

The people watching the livestream seemed to be using high-powered magnifying glasses, as they quickly caught Yu Nianxi’s small movement.

[Nianxi, stop pinching yourself hahaha.]

[Hand: What did I do wrong?]

Xi Ai acted as if nothing was wrong. She leaned forward slightly, opened her mouth, but then decided to just use her phone to send a message instead.

Chu Yiqi happened to see Xi Ai’s movement. It was clearly a look of wanting to say something but hesitating, yet she really didn’t say anything.

Did she cough so hard she gave herself a concussion? She actually has things she won’t say now.

Chu Yiqi was just about to think that her own illness hadn’t fully recovered and she was hallucinating when she received another message from Xi Ai.

Chu Yiqi: “…”

I knew it.

Chu Yiqi silently opened the message interface: [The third round is starting soon, Yu Nianxi is about to cry.]

To keep things simple, they had set the rules to a maximum of three rounds per group, thirty seconds per person per round. The first to laugh loses; if both hold out until the end, it’s a draw.

Although this gave a slight advantage to the side that started first, it was just a party after all, so there was no need to be pedantic.

After reading the message, Chu Yiqi’s face became even more deadpan. She stared at Xi Ai without a word—it wasn’t quite a glare, but it wasn’t entirely speechless either.

She actually wanted to say: “Look who’s talking, you lost right at the start. If you think Yu Nianxi is too sad, then you should just step down as leader.”

But perhaps she felt that if she said that, Xi Ai would just fire back. In the past, that person would likely have said: “Isn’t that because the person across from me was you? Winning or losing isn’t that important, and… haven’t you heard? It’s easy to smile when you’re looking at your crush.” Even now, she probably wouldn’t hear anything good.

Or perhaps she felt their current status wasn’t suitable for such talk. She couldn’t say exactly why, but Chu Yiqi just didn’t want to.

Regardless, she couldn’t bring herself to say or type such words.

While Chu Yiqi was considering, another message came from Xi Ai: [Is it that hard to reply to my message, Teacher Chu?]

Chu Yiqi pressed down the corners of her mouth and glanced up at the Best Actress, whose eyes were brimming with a smile. Finally, she reluctantly sent two words: [No.]

Then she added a full sentence: [It’s really obvious when you’re texting.]

Xi Ai’s smile suddenly vanished. Just as Chu Yiqi was about to marvel at how fast a Best Actress could change her face, the other woman glanced at the struggling Yu Nianxi and asked shamelessly: [Is it?]

[So what if it is?]

Chu Yiqi’s mouth twitched, feeling an urge to laugh. In the end, she didn’t even bother with the split-screen and focused on reading the bullet screen, though she just watched.

[Xi Ai, I beg you, stop looking at the person across from you ahhhh.]

[Sister, are you a solo fan? If you can’t beat them, join them.]

[+1! Heaven knows I used to seriously explain away every sweet moment.]

[Wait, Xiao Ai, you called her Yuni-filling, so what about us? Should we change our fan name and stop being called Yuni?]

[Hahahaha, Xiao Ai: Don’t blame me, I’m not responsible for after-sales service.]

[It’s okay~ Fans take after their idol.]

[MYK, give YNX a break hahaha, her hand is already red.]

Xi Ai looked up, resting her face in her hand as she watched the final round, her mind having long since drifted elsewhere.

As expected, calling her Teacher Chu was more effective.

–

Actually, back in the beginning, when their relationship was only slightly beginning to thaw.

One afternoon, Chu Yiqi was supposed to leave, but Xi Ai was still struggling in the practice room. Perhaps the saying about specialized skills was true—Xi Ai was fine with music and acting, but her dancing was sometimes like a marionette, and one handled by a novice at that, stumbling and stiff.

Chu Yiqi looked at her and left anyway. But less than ten minutes later, Chu Yiqi returned.

Xi Ai was a bit confused. In her memory, Chu Yiqi never missed a mealtime. Sure enough, glancing over, she saw Chu Yiqi carrying takeout, but it was a portion for two.

Xi Ai got distracted, and her movements became clumsy. Chu Yiqi’s voice rang out at that moment: “If that beat feels awkward, you can modify the movement slightly…”

After that day, such scenes often occurred between the two. Xi Ai, at some point, began calling her “Teacher Chu” constantly.

At first, it might have been a title to soften the atmosphere. In any case, it wasn’t inappropriate, it was just… it still sounded a bit strange.

Later on, after they truly became teammates, Xi Ai would still call her “Teacher Chu” from time to time, but it gradually evolved into a deliberate way to tease her. In fact, most of the time, she didn’t call her what the others did; she always used her full name.

Although in later years, as her fame grew and her skills were recognized, others would call her Teacher Chu as well. Yet, for some reason, when Xi Ai called her “Teacher” compared to others, it was different. Perhaps it was the variation in tone and the attitude of the speaker.

–

Chu Yiqi watched for a while, her attention drifting again because she could tell Xi Ai was spacing out.

Even though Xi Ai kept a smile on her face and her gaze shifted between Meng Yike and Yu Nianxi—anyone else would think Xi Ai was seriously watching the show—only Chu Yiqi could tell at a glance whenever Xi Ai’s attention wasn’t there.

It was just… after so much time, she could only guess that Xi Ai was remembering something from the past. She couldn’t synchronize with the specifics anymore.

What finally pulled Xi Ai’s attention back was Yu Nianxi finally reaching her limit. Once the time was up, she let out a sigh of relief and said, “Captain, can’t you just laugh for no reason for once?”

Xi Ai gave a snort of laughter. Amidst the noisy laughter and teasing, she looked at Chu Yiqi, then shifted her gaze back.

[Xi Ai, I beg you, stop fanservice-ing, I’m scared.]

[Where are you looking, sister? Let’s be a bit more restrained. Love is restraint ahhhh.]

[Ai Ai: Love should be bold and passionate.]

Xi Ai pursed her lips. She knew she shouldn’t look, but she still instinctively looked up at Chu Yiqi.

The two of them suddenly made eye contact and stared at each other: “…”

The moment their eyes met, they both looked down. Almost in sync, they raised their hands—one rubbed the tip of her nose, the other propped up her forehead, both obviously flustered as they unnecessarily tidied their hair.

[…I can’t take it, unfollowing for three seconds.]

[The person above, time’s up, are you okay hahahahaha. When people are embarrassed, they really get all flustered, Qiqi.]

Shi Yunshan: “You know what ‘for no reason’ means?”

Nie Chuiying laughed while dutifully relaying the fans’ comments: “Do you know what these little girls are saying? Ahem, ‘Immunity Department (MYK) has a strong immunity, huh? Yike: No can do, I’m immune to your attacks.'”

[Who’s laughing at ‘little girls’? It’s me!!]

[No, the six of them… I finally realized what’s wrong. I’m saying, what would happen if you guys just cast the screen? Everyone holding a phone and multitasking is kind of hilarious, what’s going on?]

[If you hadn’t said it, I wouldn’t have remembered. I second the motion (=^▽^=)]

The six of them must have seen that last comment. Everyone fell silent for a moment, raising their heads stiffly with a hint of confusion in their eyes. Looking at each other, they all seemed to want to see the same embarrassment in the others’ eyes.

The group soul of For 8, which appeared occasionally, was suddenly exceptionally strong.

They looked at one another and suddenly burst out laughing again. Of course, with Yu Nianxi being one extreme who couldn’t be bothered with her image, and Xi Ai being the other, never missing a moment to show off—mainly, perhaps, to show off specifically for a certain someone.

Author’s Note:

The drafts were from quite a while ago. I suddenly realized the fan names I set back then, Aiye and Qiuye, are a perfect match for the leads.

They seem to be a CP that is “Final Review” to the public but “Xi Yi Wei Chang” at home.