sleepless cinderella ☆ d.sc | ✔

02

You climbed in beside Sicheng, offering him a hesitant greeting.

"What took you so long?"

"I live on the sixth floor," you deadpanned. "Which, I'm guessing, is why you didn't come up to get me."

At his silence, you rolled your eyes and brought your phone out of your new black clutch.

"I have a few more questions."

By the time you reached the venue, Sicheng seemed annoyed by your interviewing him. Which was fucking ridiculous, he asked you to interview him. This whole situation felt so off to you. Especially when the driver stopped the car right in front of where the red carpet started. You weren't going to actually walk the red carpet, right?

But then suddenly Sicheng wasn't beside you anymore and instead he was outside the car, opening your door for you and offering you a hand. And your heart stopped. You looked at him with a mild face of fear, and he stuck his hand further towards you insistently.

"Did you practice your smile?"

"You didn't tell me I was going on the red carpet!"

"What did you expect?" He snorted, taking it upon himself to grab your hand. "Now come on, the sooner we go the sooner it's over with, okay?"

You gripped his hand back and let him help you out of the car. Squaring your shoulders, you couldn't help clutching your bag until your knuckles were white as you approached the carpet. Flashes went off, successfully blinding you for a good part of it, which was either a blessing or a curse depending on how you looked at it.

Sicheng moved to instead offer his elbow out to you, and you gratefully accepted it, instinctively pressing close to his side. In this completely unfamiliar scenario, you couldn't help but cling to the only thing that was somewhat familiar to you for comfort.

Surprisingly, he provided you with some, moving his arm again to instead rub the small of your back soothingly. He leaned in towards your ear as the cameras kept going off.

"Smile, Y/N. You look like I'm holding you hostage."

"Aren't you?" You said back through clenched teeth.

He shook his head, pulling away from you with a fond smile. You plastered on your own smile as you looked back to the cameras again. Various reporters tried to thrust microphones towards you two, yelling out questions that you couldn't decipher over the pure sensory overload flooding into your brain in that moment.

Finally, you were at the other end, entering into the theater and away from the flashing cameras and insistent press. Thank god you weren't going to be that kind of journalist. You didn't think you'd be cut out for being a vulture.

Inside, you immediately let go of Sicheng's arm and took a step away from him, catching your breath. A woman dashed up to the two of you, a look of surprise so wide across her face that it almost seemed mocking. She was definitely familiar to you, but you couldn't put your finger on it.

"Never did I ever think I'd see the day Sicheng brought a date to a red-carpet event!" She practically squealed, reminding you of Chengxiao when you told her about your attending the event in the first place.

Your shock at her words must have been apparent across your face as hers turned concerned and a little sheepish.

"Oh, I misread this didn't I?"

"I'm—" Your attempt at explaining who you were and why you were there with Sicheng, he cut you off.

Suddenly his arm was around your shoulders and you were being pulled into his side, "Yep, my date. Y/N, this is Song Yuqi, my co-star. Yuqi, this is Y/L/N Y/N. My date."