Chapter Twenty-Three
Xu Yi had just left Gu Yueyue's place when she was spotted by netizens in a public area.
—This route seems to have come from the supervisor's residence.
—It could also be from the program crew.
—Look at what Xu Yi is holding; that's solid proof of where she came from.
Xu Yi was holding two small gift bags in her arms, exactly the same as the eight-point small gift bags that Gu Yueyue had brought before.
So Xu Yi received ten small gifts all by herself?
#Xu Yi Gu Yueyue##Xu Yi's Gift in the Idol Stardom##Where Did the Gift Go @Gu Yueyue#
Because of the show's immense popularity, coupled with the support of Gu Yueyue's fans, Gu Yueyue and Xu Yi quickly made it to the top of the trending searches.
After returning to her dormitory, Xu Yi went straight to her room. From the luggage that Zhang Ya had prepared for her, she found a water cup. She washed the cup, carefully boiled water, and then reverently brewed a cup of herbal tea.
After that, she held onto her water cup tightly and wouldn't let go. During her meditation, she kept the water cup by her side and would take a sip after circulating her energy through one small cycle. This continued until Zhang Ya and the others returned from training, at which point Xu Yi was forced to stop her mechanical meditation and tea drinking.
Zhang Ya and her friends made plans to go to the cafeteria for hot pot.
The cafeteria offers a wide variety of delicious food, and training the celebrities to resist the temptation of food is a well-thought-out strategy by the production team.
So, in a cafeteria with all kinds of ingredients, making a hot pot is no problem.
Xu Yi didn't really want to go, but she was dragged along by several people.
Once the seven of them were seated at the same table, they realized with surprise that they hadn't invited Zheng Wan to come along.
Zhang Ya: "Oh no, I forgot to call Zheng Wan."
Shen Ningjiao: "If you've forgotten, then forget about it. You can call her next time; it's too much trouble to go back to the dorm."
Han Shixue: "That's not a good idea. We're a team after all."
Shen Ningjiao: "Then go and call her."
Han Shixue: "Then let's forget it. I don't want to make the trip."
Miao Lele: "How about we eat first, and then pack some for her to take back with us?"
Ruan Hanmei: "Takeout with hot pot?"
Zhuang Yan: "Anything edible can be packed up. Stop chatting and eat. I'm starving."
Zheng Wan was still crying in her dormitory, completely unaware that she had been abandoned by her team.
The same group of people who were arguing fiercely during the day unexpectedly became harmonious again while sitting together eating hot pot in the evening.
Han Shixue moved a plate of tripe away from Shen Ningjiao, who stared at her with wide eyes, "What are you doing?"
"You don't like this, so why is it in front of you?" Han Shixue naturally took it away. Shen Ningjiao angrily snatched a plate of duck blood from in front of her and said fiercely, "What are you looking at? You don't eat this!"
Indeed, the people who understand you best are either your lover or your enemy.
Zhang Ya practiced high notes all day, and her voice was almost ruined. She spoke softly and didn't dare to eat anything hot, rinsing it in cold water repeatedly.
Zhang Ya also noticed that Xu Yi was holding the cup she had bought for her, and she was very happy. She asked Xu Yi, "Xu Yi, do you really like this cup?"
"It's alright," Xu Yi said casually, glancing at the cup.
Zhang Ya was a little puzzled: "Is it just okay? Then why are you holding it the whole time?" She wouldn't let go of it even when she was eating.
Xu Yi's tone was cheerful, and her words were filled with a hint of merriment, "Because I brewed flower tea in it."
"scented tea?"
During previous training sessions, the girls went to rest in the adjacent vocal room early because the dance moves were simple. So, apart from Zheng Wan, the dance teacher, and a large number of onlookers, the other teammates were unaware that Gu Yueyue was going to give her flower tea.
Seeing that Xu Yi was drinking it like it was the finest nectar, Zhang Ya couldn't resist trying some herself.
"Can I have something to drink?" Zhang Ya asked her.
"You've never had it before?" Xu Yi asked, puzzled.
Zhang Ya thought for a moment, "I have drunk it." But no one has ever drunk it like you, feeling so blissful.
"You've already drunk all of mine, why do you still want to drink my tea?" Xu Yi asked, puzzled and unwilling to share.
She picked up the water glass, looking wary of Zhang Ya.
"Fine, fine, I won't drink it. Don't act like I'm going to snatch it from you. Do you think I, Zhang Ya, need your little bit of tea?"
Zhang Ya scooped some food into Xu Yi's bowl and said, "Try it, it tastes pretty good. Don't just drink tea all the time."
"Hmm." Xu Yi picked up her chopsticks, tasted the tea, and quickly put them down again to continue drinking her tea.
Zhang Ya: "What's wrong? Is it not tasty?"
"It's alright." Xu Yi wasn't that obsessed with food; she was only eating like a mortal to maintain the energy intake of this body.
But now her body and soul are becoming more and more in harmony, so whether she eats or not is no longer important, as the spiritual power of her consciousness can fully supply the energy her body needs for daily life.
Others noticed their interaction as well, and Shen Ningjiao asked Xu Yi curiously, "Is your tea delicious? Why do you cherish it so much?"
Han Shixue remembered something and asked Xu Yi, "This tea wasn't given to you by Teacher Gu, was it? I saw online before that Teacher Gu likes to brew all kinds of flower tea in a thermos."
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhang Ya immediately turned into a wolf in sheep's clothing, her eyes gleaming with lust as she stared intently at the tea in Xu Yi's hand.
"No, I won't give it to you. It's mine." Xu Yi refused three times in a row. Under everyone's gaze, she put the lid on the teacup and held it tightly in her hands, as if they were about to start snatching it.
"Alright. It's yours, we won't think about it anymore." Shen Ningjiao didn't want to see her treating everyone like she was guarding against wolves.
While the others continued eating and drinking, Zhang Ya began to interrogate Xu Yi, "Tell me honestly, when did you become so close to Teacher Gu?"
"I told you the reason a long time ago. Because she is my... um, um..." Xu Yi was stopped by Zhang Ya before she could finish her sentence.
Zhang Ya glanced at the staff who were still filming the program footage next to her, then turned off her microphone and leaned closer to Xu Yi, whispering, "Even though the live camera is off, the film crew is still following us. Don't talk nonsense, it will cause trouble for Yueyue."
Xu Yi stopped struggling, and Zhang Ya released her, letting her mouth go.
Xu Yi: "Did you cause trouble for Teacher Gu?"
"Yes. You have to remember, you can't just say things like that in the future." Zhang Ya had been in the fan group for so long, so of course she knew what the fans' attitude was towards this. It was fine to talk about it privately or with friends in the fan group, but if you brought it up in front of the idol and said such things in public without any regard for the consequences, then you had definitely violated a taboo in the fan circle.
Xu Yi didn't understand why, but Zhang Ya's reminder must have its reasons, and Xu Yi silently remembered it.
"Okay, I'll be more careful in the future." Xu Yi thought for a moment. Miss Gu didn't even know about their relationship, so it was indeed inappropriate for her to tell others in advance.
Her gaze fell on Zhang Ya, wondering whether she should erase her memories of this part, but after thinking about it carefully, Zhang Ya never believed what she said, so it seemed unnecessary to do anything extra. Zhang Ya could even give her some advice.
This dinner brought the group of people who had been arguing fiercely during the day closer together. Of course, on the way back after dinner, Shen Ningjiao and Han Shixue started arguing again.
The specific reason is unknown, but the two of them were like two short-legged kittens, thinking of scratching each other's faces, but neither of them touched the other. They just waved to each other and ran to the dormitory together.
Zhang Ya only spent one day in the group, but as the team leader, she felt that the group had aged her several years.
Meanwhile, after Xu Yi left, Gu Yueyue received a suggestion from Xiao Ye.
"Sis, I think that kid is pretty good. Why don't we get to know him better and maybe bring him to our studio later?"
Gu Yueyue rejected Xiao Ye's suggestion. She turned a page of the book in her hand and said softly, "Xiao Xu still needs to study."
"Isn't the point of studying to find a good job and make money? The sooner you debut and become famous, the more money you can earn from just one movie that would take an ordinary person a lifetime of hard work."
Gu Yueyue neither refuted nor agreed with her, but simply said, "Let's see what Xiao Xu chooses in the future. Besides, our studio hasn't even opened yet, and nobody knows what the future holds. Even if she really wants to develop in this industry, we're not the most suitable for her."
"But she's the perfect fit for us. I've already heard that an agency wanted to sign her on the day of the audition."
Ono Shigetoshi, thinking from his own and Gu Yueyue's perspective, realized that their fledgling studio did indeed need such a promising artist, and it was clear that Xu Yi liked Gu Yueyue very much, so they could definitely take advantage of that.
Gu Yueyue, however, did not pay attention to this and did not notice that the blow had hit Xu Yi.
The next day, everyone started a new round of training. Xu Yi waited in the dance studio all morning but Miss Gu did not appear. When she released her divine sense, she found that Miss Gu was no longer at the Starry Idol Training Base.
Meanwhile, Miss Gu, whom she was thinking about, had already arrived at the Seaside Film and Television City.
There was still one scene with Ma Youcai that hadn't been filmed yet.
Ma Youcai had been eagerly awaiting Gu Yueyue's arrival on set. As soon as she arrived, he shouted, "How does it feel to be back in a girl group? Have you rediscovered some of your youthful energy?"
Ma Youcai was already in his early thirties, while Gu Yueyue was only twenty-five or twenty-six. The Gu Yueyue that Ma Youcai knew was introverted, composed, gentle, elegant, and serious, much like a middle-aged person who had experienced many vicissitudes and seen through everything.
Gu Yueyue also sensed the teasing in his words, smiled, and didn't respond.
When Gu Yueyue was getting her makeup done, Ma Youcai sat down next to her again and teased her by changing the subject: "I've been urging you for days, and I finally got you to come today. I thought you couldn't bear to part with that girl and wouldn't come."
"..." Gu Yueyue was both amused and exasperated by his teasing. "Director Ma, what are you saying?"
Ma Youcai reached up and touched his neck, his eyes falling on the necklace Gu Yueyue had taken off. He said in a strange tone, "Oh, what can I say? Just some sour words. You know, I've been pretty good to that girl. I arranged a supporting role for her on the first day we met and even introduced her to the audition. Why didn't I, Old Ma, get a sparkly necklace too?"
Faced with his teasing, Gu Yueyue smiled helplessly and put the necklace away.
Ma Youcai glanced at the box she used to store the necklace, and after seeing the logo on the box, he clicked his tongue again, "Not bad, she even specially customized a box from M. Why don't you buy a safe to lock it up? If you ask me, locking a necklace in a safe isn't cost-effective. You should build a golden house and hide that young girl away."
Gu Yueyue rolled up the script in her hand, slapped Ma Youcai's arm a few times, and scolded him, "You just can't learn to speak properly."
"How am I not speaking properly? It's just that you two seem to have a connection, and you care about that child. Why don't you try raising him?"
"..."
Gu Yueyue couldn't understand why, despite being a very proper person, she was surrounded by such unreliable friends.
Ma Youcai burst into laughter, "Just kidding. I love seeing you both angry and embarrassed like this."
"You can't make fun of other people's kids like that. If someone hears this and spreads it around, it will have a bad influence on the child." Gu Yueyue's tone became more serious.
Ma Youcai's smile grew even more amused, which angered Gu Yueyue so much that she stopped talking to him and silently began reading the script.
Seeing that she was ignoring him, Ma Youcai straightened his expression, pulled his chair closer to her, and whispered, "But I did hear a little rumor."
Gu Yueyue wasn't particularly interested in his news, because she had heard too many exaggerated and unsubstantiated fake reports from him. In short, whatever Ma Youcai said was just something to listen to casually; if you took it seriously, you'd lose. This was a lesson Gu Yueyue had learned after being fooled many times.
Ma Youcai whispered, "Do you know that troublemaker in the industry, the young master of the Zhao family?"
Gu Yueyue knew, of course, that a few years ago, this young master of the Zhao family had tried to seduce her, but she taught him a lesson and then became even more persistent in harassing her. In the end, she found the eldest son of the Zhao family and worked with him on a film. The two became friends because of the film, and then she used the eldest son's influence to make the young master of the Zhao family behave much better towards her.
Later, perhaps because Young Master Zhao had too many friends to keep him company, he forgot about her over time, and they have lived peacefully together ever since.
Mentioning her reminded Gu Yueyue of the nightmares she had during that time, and she asked Ma Youcai, "What happened to him again?"
"I heard that Zhao Sheng invested in the Star Project and took a liking to Xu Yi during the auditions. He might have his eye on that young girl."