As Cheng Qing went down the stairs, she felt lost.
She was confused about the path ahead, and even more confused about whether she could actually resolve the situation.
***
In one of the courtyards, Losi, of course, didn't wait for Cheng Qing and got into the car and left. Cheng Qing had no choice but to hail another taxi and follow behind.
When they arrived at the hotel entrance, the driver was still waiting there to apologize to Cheng Qing.
Cheng Qing comforted him, "You don't need to apologize, she's angry at me."
The driver breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that Cheng Qing really had a good temper, and it was a good thing that she could tolerate Luo Xi's little whims.
Kong Mingyan, who was waiting at the hotel, thought that even if Cheng Qing and Luo Xi had a fight, it shouldn't be too serious, right?
It wasn't until he saw Luo Xi enter the private room with a face flushed with anger, looking as if she wanted to kill Cheng Qing, that Kong Mingyan felt a toothache.
What on earth is going on?
Fortunately, Cheng Qing came in shortly after, and Kong Mingyan breathed a sigh of relief. The fact that Cheng Qing had come after them meant that the problem between the two shouldn't be too serious.
Everyone at the farewell banquet came directly from the amusement park, so Luo Xi and Cheng Qing were the last to arrive.
When they entered the room, the guests were already sitting around the table. Everyone greeted Cheng Qing and Luo Xi warmly, and Liu Suoyu stood up to welcome them.
Losi had changed into a simple, plain-colored long-sleeved shirt and black skinny jeans, a far cry from the youthful and delicate pink outfit she wore in the morning.
She glanced at Liu Suoyu who came forward to greet her, smiled, and then walked directly past Liu Suoyu to the table.
She couldn't say anything in front of so many people, but she acted by sitting down next to Lin Shandie in a huff.
It was obvious at a glance that she and Cheng Qing had a fight.
Liu Suoyu turned around and found that her seat had been taken. She pursed her lips in surprise and looked at Cheng Qing.
Cheng Qing smiled helplessly and asked Liu Suoyu, "Would you like to sit with me?"
Liu Suoyu smiled brightly and said naturally, "Then we must seize the opportunity."
So the two of them sat down in the remaining two seats, barely managing to keep the atmosphere harmonious.
Once everyone had arrived, the staff went to notify the waiters to serve the food.
Liu Suoyu quickly moved closer to Cheng Qing and asked in a low voice, "Did you two have a fight?"
Cheng Qing nodded: "Mm."
Liu Suoyu is such a gossip! How can someone with such a good relationship still argue?
So he quickly asked, "Why?"
Cheng Qing looked at Liu Suoyu with amusement: "What do you need to know all this for?"
Liu Suoyu said shamelessly, "Just curious! Maybe I can enlighten you?"
Cheng Qing shook her head: "You can't do it, you're too careless."
Liu Suoyu was speechless and very dissatisfied: "...That's not how it works. Maybe being carefree isn't a bad thing? Is it possible that you started arguing because you're too meticulous and have too many concerns?"
Cheng Qing was taken aback; there seemed to be some truth to what he said.
Liu Suoyu added, "Don't let my appearance fool you, I never argued with my girlfriends when I was dating before."
Cheng Qing: ...So how did you break up?
Although puzzled, Cheng Qing had no interest in other people's romantic experiences.
She lowered her head and pondered Liu Suoyu's words, finding them somewhat interesting. She couldn't help but sigh, "You're right. I'm used to thinking about everything too far in the future."
Liu Suoyu disagreed: "Life is only a few decades long, why think so far ahead? Life is inherently short, why think so far ahead?"
Cheng Qing didn't know how to respond for a moment, and could only utter, "But decades isn't a short time!"
Liu Suoyu laughed heartily: "Then shouldn't we enjoy it even more? Are we going to regret it for so many decades?"
regret?
Cheng Qing was taken aback. Yes! Is it better to spend a lifetime in lonely longing or a lifetime in regret? Which is more painful? It seems neither is much better, right?
To put it another way, how could I possibly believe that the person I'm thinking about for the rest of their life will only miss me?
For a moment, my heart trembled.
***
For the farewell banquet, Kong Mingyan was quite generous, ordering a Manchu Han Imperial Feast, encompassing land, sea, and air. The dishes, both meat and vegetables, were all quite expensive.
While everyone ate and chatted, several cameramen recorded the meal from various angles.
We'll try our best to give everyone a perfect ending in the final episode...
Cheng Qing and Luo Xi were sitting at the 6 o'clock and 8 o'clock positions respectively. She would look at Luo Xi from time to time, but Luo Xi would angrily turn her head away and not let her see her.
Cheng Qing: "..."
The two ate their meal quietly with little interaction, which made the others anxious.
However, since the person involved didn't say anything, others couldn't say anything either.
Halfway through the meal, Kong Mingyan finally spoke: "Thank you all for your hard work during these three months of filming. On behalf of all the staff of 'Best Partners,' I would like to raise a toast to you all."
As Kong Mingyan spoke, he raised his glass, and the guests followed suit. After a glass of wine, everyone relaxed and became more relaxed.
They began to talk about what had happened since the recording began.
Qi Shenghui spoke first, saying that he had been traveling around filming television shows and this was his first time participating in a variety show. He said he really liked the dynamic between the cast of "Best Partners," feeling like he was with family.
Everyone applauded.
Then there's Zhao Baibing. She said she's good at singing, learned a lot from variety shows, and received a lot of care from everyone.
Everyone continued to clap.
Neither of the two senior figures said anything else, nor did they offend anyone; they simply got through the event of revealing their innermost thoughts in an ordinary way.
The rest are either top celebrities or well-known internet personalities. Only Ye Lingyun and Lin Shandie are relatively unknown.
Therefore, they are careful with what they say, and they don't involve anyone else.
He only talked about some unforgettable things that happened during the recording and expressed his feelings.
As for those outside the entertainment industry, Li Mingyao, as the company's president, didn't come here of his own volition, but he still gave them face and said, "The person who impressed me the most is Teacher Cheng."
Li Mingyao was a man who spoke his mind freely, and overall he did praise Cheng Qing quite well.
This caused Cheng Qing to glance at him several times in surprise, feeling somewhat astonished.
Liu Suoyu followed suit, saying, "I also think Teacher Cheng is very good. In fact, the biggest thing is that after Teacher Cheng came, I felt that 'Aces Go Places' suddenly became the best duo."
Everyone laughed, and Liu Suoyu laughed too: "That's why I really like Teacher Cheng!"
Cheng Qing then looked at Liu Suoyu and said with a smile, "Thank you."
Li Mingyao squinted: "...Why didn't you thank me when I praised you earlier?"
Cheng Qing laughed: "It was too unexpected, I didn't have time."
Li Mingyao clicked his tongue, which meant he accepted the reason.
"And what about Teacher Cheng?" Lin Zichen, standing next to Li Mingyao, crossed his arms and asked with a half-smile, "Teacher Cheng, who among us do you think left the deepest impression on you?"
Cheng Qing was taken aback and looked at Luo Xi not far away.
Everyone started laughing, as if they already knew the answer perfectly well.
However, Cheng Qing said an unexpected name: "If I had to say who left the deepest impression, it would probably be Liu Suoyu today."
Everyone: "?"
Losi's gaze finally fell on Cheng Qing, and she glared at her fiercely, clearly displeased.
Cheng Qing smiled and said, "There's an old saying: 'The onlooker sees more of the game than the player.' I didn't understand this principle before, but Suo Yu has given me a good lesson today. Just a few words from him have enlightened me."
Liu Suoyu knew what Cheng Qing meant, and therefore smiled.
Cheng Qing looked at Luo Xi again and continued, "If I had to say who my favorite person is, it would definitely be Luo Xi. I came for her, and I will stay for her."
"Oh oh oh~~~"
Everyone finally heard what they wanted to hear and stood up to cheer.
Losi's face turned red, and she turned her head away angrily, clearly still fuming.
Cheng Qing kept her gaze fixed on Luo Xi's profile: "Because of emotions and desires, I tend to hesitate and look back. I'm sorry."
Losi paused for a moment, but still didn't turn around.
Kong Mingyan then gave the cameramen a look, signaling them to film these two more.
Later, everyone shared their unforgettable moments from the past three months. Naturally, this transformed a simple chat into a heart-wrenching farewell.
Especially the segment featuring Cheng Qing and Luo Xi, adding scenes of their first meeting and helping each other would naturally boost viewership.
Perhaps it's not a happy ending, but a bittersweet ending is also a hook?
***
After everyone finished eating and went outside, they found that it was drizzling again.
The staff, who seemed to have found the umbrellas somewhere, were distributing them to the guests one by one.
When the umbrellas were handed out to Cheng Qing, she took one, and the staff continued to hand out umbrellas to the next person.
Cheng Qing walked to the side, opened her umbrella to shield herself from the water droplets falling from the eaves, and then turned around before the staff and Luo Xi could react. Suddenly, she reached out and grabbed Luo Xi's hand as she was about to take the umbrella.
Luo Xi was startled and looked up at her in surprise. Cheng Qing smiled and pulled her down the steps at the door.
Losi snapped angrily, "What are you doing! She hasn't even grabbed her umbrella yet!"
Cheng Qing tilted the umbrella towards her, and Luo Xi became even angrier when she saw that Luo Xi didn't turn around: "Do you think that if you say a few words and apologize at the dinner table, others will forgive you?"
Cheng Qing stiffened: "I know you're angry, and I know I didn't do a good job."
Seeing that she was so mild-mannered, Rossi felt like she was hitting cotton, and got into the car in anger.
Neither of them spoke the rest of the way, and Luo Xi kept her chin up, staring out the window. She was thinking about packing her bags as soon as she woke up the next morning, not giving Cheng Qing a chance; she was going to fly away directly.
But through the reflection in the glass, she could see Cheng Qing sitting there alone, head bowed in thought, and Luo Xi felt a pang of pain in her heart.