Chapter 31: A Minor Matter in the Elevator

InterContinental Hotel.

The bright lights illuminated the entire night sky. A taxi pulled up to the entrance, and a man and a woman stepped out. The two were Lin Yi and Tong Liya.

They arrived at the elevator lobby. "Let's go up," Lin Yi said, holding the door open for Tong Liya.

Tong Liya lifted her soft, fair hands to smooth her disheveled hair and quickly stepped into the elevator. It was 12:30 AM, and the elevator was empty, save for the two of them.

"Which floor are you on?" Lin Yi asked.

"The eighteenth."

After pressing the button, Lin Yi leaned against the wall, eyes half-closed. Tong Liya stood to the side, observing him. She had a rather good impression of this young man. Recalling the earlier events, the tips of her ears burned a fiery red; had he... really seen it earlier?

*Boom!*

A loud crash pulled her back to reality. The lights in the elevator flickered incessantly before extinguishing completely.

"Ah!" Tong Liya screamed in terror, clutching Lin Yi’s arm tightly. "I'm so scared."

"Don't be afraid, I'm here," Lin Yi comforted her, patting her back gently. "It’s just an elevator malfunction."

"Lin Yi, do you think we’re going to die?" Tong Liya buried her head against him, trembling.

"We won't."

"Are you sure?"

"I am."

Once Tong Liya’s emotions had steadied, Lin Yi took out his phone to check the signal. It showed only one bar, and that, too, was flickering. He tried to make a call to Li Xue, but there was no response.

The temperature began to drop, and a chill filled the elevator. Lin Yi’s face turned purple, and his teeth chattered. Tong Liya shivered, hugging herself; she had already taken the clothes from her bag to drape over her shoulders.

"Tong Liya, are you alright?" Lin Yi asked, noticing her persistent coughing.

"I’m fine, just too cold, *cough, cough*." Tong Liya crouched in the corner, her frame shaking.

Too cold? Lin Yi took a few breaths of the frigid air, gritted his teeth, and took off his jacket to wrap it around her shoulders.

"Lin... Yi, what are you... doing?" A wave of warmth washed over her heart. It had been a long time since anyone had shown such concern for her.

"I’m a guy, I can handle the cold better," Lin Yi said, rubbing his arms and blowing warm air into his cupped hands.

"Don't do this, you should wear it." Tong Liya tried to stand up to return the jacket, but her legs had gone numb from crouching for so long; she couldn't rise and remained half-bent. Seeing this, Lin Yi hurried over to help her. Tong Liya stood up, leaning against the wall, moved to tears.

"Lin Yi, thank you."

"Don't mention it. You can't keep crouching. You need to move around to keep your blood flowing," Lin Yi said, his legs shaking and teeth chattering.

"I'm having trouble breathing, Lin Yi."

Lin Yi suddenly realized the danger. The elevator was an enclosed space, and oxygen was running low. He had been too focused on the cold to consider it. Damn it, of all places, the elevator had to break down between floors. But at this point, survival was all that mattered. Lin Yi immediately pulled Tong Liya into an embrace.

"Lin Yi, what are you doing?" Tong Liya whispered, startled.

"Trying to stay warm! Hug me back."

After a long while, a flush appeared on Tong Liya’s face, and she whispered, "Okay."

*Thump. Thump.*

Two beating hearts echoed in each other's ears. Lin Yi caught the scent of her perfume and felt uneasy, a puff of warm breath brushing against her ear. *Damn it, how can I be thinking about such lewd things at a time like this?* he scolded himself internally.

"Lin Yi, have you ever been in a relationship?" Tong Liya asked, her head resting on his chest.

"No."

Hearing this, for some reason, she felt a flicker of joy.

"What about you? Have you?" Lin Yi asked, looking down at the woman in his arms.

"No."

*Click.*

The elevator doors suddenly opened, and light flooded in. A repairman stared, dumbfounded, at the two of them. Had he arrived at the wrong time?

Tong Liya snapped back to reality, quickly pulling away from Lin Yi's arms, grabbing her dress, and hurrying away, blushing. Lin Yi calmly picked up his jacket, shook his body, and said to the repairman, "It was freezing. Luckily you arrived in time, or we both would have frozen to death in here."

*Achoo!*

"I’m sorry, I didn't expect the elevator to malfunction at this time," the repairman said apologetically.

"It’s okay, not your fault," Lin Yi said, waving a hand.

*Achoo!*

"It's so cold, I won't keep you. I need to get back to my room."

Lin Yi walked quickly back to his room and immediately took a hot shower. The next day, he caught a cold. He didn't know how many tissues he had used or how many cups of hot water he had drunk, but his nose wouldn't stop running.

*Knock, knock, knock.*

Hearing the knocking, Lin Yi dragged himself out of bed, feeling weak. "It's you? Why are you here?" he asked listlessly as he looked at Tong Liya.

"I came to see you." Tong Liya smiled slightly, shaking the box in her hand. "I guessed right, you caught a cold."

Lin Yi: ... Was there anything to be happy about here?

"I have things to take care of, let's chat on WeChat." Tong Liya shoved the items into Lin Yi’s hands and left in a hurry.

*Achoo!*

Watching her retreating figure, Lin Yi gave a faint, wry smile. No wonder she knew he had a cold; she had one too. He boiled some water, made a pack of cold medicine, and crawled back into bed.

However, little did Lin Yi know that the internet had exploded.

"Popular star Tong Liya and rising singer Lin Yi caught on a secret date?"
"The untold secrets between Tong Liya and Lin Yi."
"Tong Liya and Lin Yi seen in an intimate encounter."
"An analysis of their deep, hidden relationship."

...

The Weibo accounts of both Tong Liya and Lin Yi were completely overrun. A group of uninvited guests—mostly young girls—flooded Tong Liya’s page.

"Trying to rob the cradle!"
"Exactly, look at your age. Are you even worthy of my Lin Yi?"
"Hmph, go look in a mirror."
"Brother Lin Yi belongs to me! No one is allowed to take him away."

Tong Liya’s fans were indignant and immediately fought back.

"My goddess would be interested in him? Lin Yi isn't even fit to tie my goddess's shoelaces."
"The people involved haven't even said a word, and you idiots are just yapping away."
"Who are you calling names?"
"Whoever is yapping, that's who."

...

The conflict escalated. Tong Liya’s fans organized and swarmed Lin Yi’s Weibo.

"Your fans are truly disgusting."
"Control your fans, don't let them bark so much."
"Lin Yi, if you're a man, come out and face this. Don't be a coward and let a woman take the heat. What kind of man are you?"
"That's right, and they call him a top scorer in the college entrance exam. Is he even worthy? Ugh! I’m blind. I thought he was as good as his songs, but he's just a coward."
"When did my Lin Yi ever need you to worry about him?"
"Don't spout nonsense without knowing the facts."
"Who started the spouting first?"
"Someone is clearly stirring the pot, can't you see that?"
"Stirring nothing, you're the ones doing it."