Fortunately, fate was kind to Cheng Qing; in this awkward atmosphere, the sky turned against him and it started to rain.
Autumn rain is not as torrential as summer rain; it carries a hint of coolness and is fine and dense, like smoke and mist, drifting across this endless grassland.
Because of the sudden autumn rain, everyone took shelter under the awning that Kong Mingyan had set up, and Cheng Qing turned around and shook the tent.
The portable tent pitched up instantly, the food was tossed inside, and then everyone crawled in, taking their down jackets with them.
Kong Mingyan gave everyone a down jacket, not even the last three.
The sudden autumn rain brought a sharp drop in temperature, and thin long-sleeved shirts were no longer enough to ward off the evening chill.
After Cheng Qing crawled into the tent, he waved to Luo Xi, who was standing outside looking dazed: "Come in!"
So, the slight grievance from before vanished without a trace. Losie smiled, ran out of the awning, and followed him inside.
Just like under the awning, you can hear the pattering rain hitting the tent inside, a gentle, rhythmic sound like beautiful music from heaven and earth.
Unlike a well-ventilated awning that gives you a feeling of having nowhere to stay and the desolation of feeling the wind howling all around, this is not a place to stay.
Because the tent was completely sealed off, I didn't feel cold at all after putting on a thin down jacket.
Because it's a portable tent, it's not very big. When you sit there with your knees drawn up, there's not much space between your head and the top of the tent.
But because they were small, she and Cheng Qing could only sit leg to leg and hand to hand. Through their clothes, although it didn't have the same indescribable affection or heartwarming ambiguity as when their skin was touching, they felt closer together now, nestled together and watching the light rain outside.
"Would you like something to eat?" Cheng Qing's voice was in her ear, just like when they first met. Her bright tone made Luo Xi's heart feel a little more cheerful.
Losi turned to look at her and couldn't help but smile broadly: "Have a lollipop."
She remembered that she received two lollipops as part of the mission, and at that moment, she felt a sweet warmth in her heart. Only eating candy could compare to the sweetness in her heart.
Cheng Qing didn't say anything, turned around and took out two small lollipops from the food behind her, gave one to her and kept one for herself.
The two unwrapped the candy and put it in their mouths. Sure enough, the sweet taste spread between their lips and tongues, and lingered in their hearts after swallowing.
Luo Xi turned to look at Cheng Qing, who was sitting there casually, one hand resting on her knee. She held a lollipop stick in her other hand, had a candy in her mouth, and gazed absently outside.
They might be watching the autumn rain draped over the sky and earth, or they might be watching the crowd under the awning across the rain curtain.
Her aura was serene, yet it made Rossi's heart skip a beat.
Seemingly noticing Luo Xi's gaze, Cheng Qing turned to look at her, her eyes cold. But when she noticed Luo Xi, the coldness vanished, and her eyes curved slightly. She smiled sweetly and asked her loudly, "What are you looking at?"
"Teacher Cheng is actually very beautiful." As if under a spell, Luo Xi blurted out what was on her mind.
Cheng Qing was taken aback, then broke into a smile, which in Luo Xi's eyes was like a hundred flowers blooming in spring.
Cheng Qing looked up and touched her face, her eyes full of smiles: "A woman of exceptional beauty and grace, with a gentle, dreamlike quality."
Luo Xi was taken aback, and asked blankly, "Liu Xu Wei Meng... what does that mean?" She understood the meaning of "Zhong Ling Yu Xiu" (meaning "exquisite beauty"), and upon thinking about it, she blushed slightly. "Beautiful things created by the gathering of the essence of heaven and earth" could refer to objects... or people.
Cheng Qing chuckled, "It's nothing." Then she asked, "Have something to eat! Climbing a mountain takes energy. Weren't you tired at the pavilion? Replenish your energy."
Losy hummed in agreement and said, "I want a sandwich."
Cheng Qing turned around to get it. The sandwich was wrapped in a transparent plastic film. Cheng Qing helped her tear off the film before handing it to Luo Xi.
Luo Xi didn't reach out to take it; instead, she lowered her head and took a bite. This completely bewildered Cheng Qing. She glanced at the sandwich in her hand, then looked up at Luo Xi, her eyes unreadable.
Losy looked up and smiled at Cheng Qing. After a while, Cheng Qing reached out and grabbed Losy's hand, stuffing the sandwich into her hand: "Eat it yourself." His voice was serious and earnest.
Losi: "..."
The sudden disruption to the atmosphere made Rossi angrily pick up her sandwich. Looking at the group of people across from her, who were stuck under the awning and unable to leave, she chuckled.
Take a bite of the sandwich and make a face at Liu Suoyu and Lin Shandie across from you.
The autumn rain was misty, but not so much that it obscured Losi's pride across from them. The two, deeply resentful of being provoked, were actually trying to find a tent just to get there quickly.
Otherwise, one could also be like them, finding poetic beauty in the autumn rain, observing the rain, people, and the passage of time.
He then tried to grab one of the two tents that were provided, but was naturally stopped by the staff. Kong Mingyan explained that everyone had down jackets because of the cold weather, which was a gesture of goodwill.
The other person got a tent for completing a task, but you got a tent for a task you didn't do—that's not fair. Therefore, the people on either side could only watch enviously as the two people opposite them hid in their tents watching the rain.
Cheng Qing and Luo Xi sat at the tent entrance, Luo Xi silently exchanging insults with several people opposite her. Cheng Qing felt a surge of joy; there truly are some people in this world who bring happiness simply by being near you.
She reached out of the tent and caught the cold raindrops, which fell one by one onto her palm, her wrist, and her heart.
Overwhelmed with emotion, she seemed to see the moment when the two parted, forgetting where she was, and began to sing a few lines softly.
"The wind blows and the rain turns into flowers, but time cannot catch up with the white horse. Do you still hold tightly the dreams you had in your youthful palm?"
Luo Xi was taken aback. Cheng Qing's voice was naturally suited for singing, especially for love songs with a touch of melancholy. Back then, that "A Thousand-Year Love Song" had captivated Luo Xi completely.
Luo Xi also heard from her agent that many people had contacted Cheng Qing wanting to buy her songs. Although Cheng Qing hadn't contacted anyone outside the company yet, the director had already informed her. However, Cheng Qing insisted that these were her friend's songs and therefore refused.
Perhaps it's because it's a song that a friend hasn't shared with the public, so listening to it always feels like cherishing it.
After listening to it once, it seems like a long time will pass before you hear it again.
The two sentences that Cheng Qing suddenly uttered made Luo Xi's heart tremble slightly.
Cheng Qing turned to look at her and saw that she was staring intently at her. She smiled and continued singing:
—"Clouds surge into summer, tears evaporate with time, on this road, have any of us lost our way?"
Luo Xi couldn't help but exclaim, "Teacher Cheng, you sing so beautifully!"
Cheng Qing replied, "Thank you."
Losi asked, "Is there anything else?"
Cheng Qing turned to look outside and slowly sang another line:
"We promised we would never separate, that we would always be together, even if it meant going against time and turning our backs on the whole world."
The song drifted gently through the heavens and earth, carrying a touch of ethereal beauty amidst the misty rain.
Not only was Luo Xi listening, but Kong Mingyan and the others on the other side were also listening.
But Cheng Qing only sang these few lines before stopping.
Losi, engrossed in the music, asked her softly, "Is there more?"
Cheng Qing chuckled softly, "Yes, but I won't sing it."
Losi was taken aback, snapped back to reality, and asked with dissatisfaction, "Why?"
"It's not appropriate for the occasion," Cheng Qing said, looking at the misty rain outside. "I don't want to sing anymore either."
Luo Xi knew Cheng Qing, so she didn't press the matter. She pouted and asked Cheng Qing, "What's the name of this song?"
"Time boils the rain." Just like her and her.
***
Seeing that the rain showed no signs of stopping, I was originally planning to take a picture of the vast grassland in early autumn, preferably on a sunny day.
But in this kind of rain, all you can capture in the end is a hazy, dreamlike beauty reminiscent of the Jiangnan region in the rain.
With their meal mission accomplished, there wasn't much to do in the rain. The staff who had gone down the mountain to get umbrellas returned, and everyone distributed them to each other before calling it a day.
The umbrella wasn't the best kind; it had a transparent film over it. When you held it up, you could see the raindrops pattering against the surface.
Losi opened her umbrella, then lowered it, looking up to feel the raindrops. But before she could feel them for even two seconds, the falling misty rain was blocked by another umbrella.
Luo Xi opened her eyes and looked up, only to see Cheng Qing looking at her helplessly: "Are you stupid?"
He caught his breath and retorted defiantly, "You're the stupid one."
Cheng Qing chuckled: "If you're not stupid, why would you get caught in the rain with an umbrella?"
Losi: "..."
Taking a leisurely stroll in the autumn rain can be quite pleasant, but seeing Luo Xi standing there getting soaked, Cheng Qing felt that it would be a real loss if she caught a cold.
Lossy snorted, raised her umbrella again, and knocked Cheng Qing's umbrella away. Lossy smiled smugly: "You don't understand, you idiot."
This time, Cheng Qing's breath hitched, but she quickly breathed a sigh of relief and smiled: "Fine, stay then! Are we going home?"
Going home? Losi was taken aback. This was clearly the villa area where the recording was being held; for Losi and her colleagues, this was their workplace. A real home was a place to relax.
But……
Luo Xi turned to look at Cheng Qing; she felt relaxed whenever she was by her side.
She lives in... a kind of home, right?
Therefore, when Cheng Qing asked, "Are you going home?" she felt a warmth in her heart and replied with a smile, "Yes, I am going home."
Because of the rain, no one was allowed to climb down the mountain. Everyone lined up and boarded the cable car, leaving only the staff to handle the rest of the arrangements.
As everyone came out of the door, they saw the nanny van already parked there. After handing the umbrellas to the people at the door, the group boarded the van in an orderly fashion.
Today's recording has officially ended, and everyone is sprawled on their car seats, feeling drowsy.
Liu Suoyu even had the mood to ask Cheng Qing, "Teacher Cheng, why don't you introduce your friend over? You could directly enter the singer industry."
Cheng Qing chuckled: "If she's planning to release a song, would she need to wait for my invitation? And if I wanted to be a singer, what would all these years of training have been for?"
Liu Suoyu had nothing to say: "That's true, I think I'll just take a nap!"
After saying that, Liu Suoyu fell asleep, Lin Shandie also fell asleep, and Cheng Qing, who had exhausted a lot of energy today, also fell asleep not long after.
Only Luo Xi, standing beside Cheng Qing, kept looking out the car window. The autumn rain on the mountaintop gave a sense of misty, beautiful scenery, but driving on the road, with the autumn rain enveloping this bustling city, gave a different feeling.
The car was quiet, with only regular breathing sounds.
Looking out the window, Luo Xi quietly reached out and took Cheng Qing's hand, which was hanging naturally at one side as he fell asleep.
After holding it, I noticed that Cheng Qing's palms were slightly calloused and rougher than mine.
Luo Xi smiled silently, mimicking Cheng Qing's tune, and sang in a very soft voice: "The wind blows and the rain turns into flowers, time cannot catch up with the white horse. Do you still hold tightly the dreams in your youthful palm?"
Inside the quiet car, the sleeping guests, and even the cameraman sleeping in the passenger seat, were unaware of the situation; only the driver could hear Losie's voice.
"I'm holding it!"
Author's Note:
Involves the song "Time Boils the Rain" by Yu Kewei
Chapter 66