Although she hadn't quite figured out the situation yet, Cheng Qing quickly stopped the young woman who was about to pay, smiling and saying, "No need, I'll pay myself."
Cheng Qing took out her phone, scanned the QR code on the bar to pay, then took a number and hid by the door to wait.
The enthusiasm of the shop staff was just too high...
Fortunately, although those people were chattering excitedly and seemed eager to rush over, everyone remained rational and just watched from a distance.
Remembering something, Cheng Qing took a mask out of her pocket and put it on. Only then did she understand what the staff member had said.
Fortunately, the people shopping outside didn't notice anything unusual, and Cheng Qing was able to wait quietly for the milk tea to be made.
While waiting, she began to carefully observe the place.
Zhangjiajie is actually an ancient town with a history of several hundred years. Over the years, in addition to preserving the old houses on both sides, a long main road in the middle has been specially built.
Inevitably, both ends of the street are lined with various shops, adding too much commercialism to this quaint town. Reviews of this ancient town have declined in recent years, with the most common complaint being its overly commercial atmosphere.
Cheng Qing didn't dislike this situation, since there wasn't enough income if she didn't open a shop.
The sky was overcast, dark clouds pressed down, and the sun was nowhere to be seen after the rain. Cheng Qing wondered if all the cups in the house smelled musty.
Out of the corner of his eye, Cheng Qing saw a pair of girls walking hand in hand in the distance. He was stunned, his gaze suddenly became a little unfocused, and his thoughts slowly drifted to Luo Xi in the distance.
Losy must know I left! She's angry, isn't she? That silly girl can even curse herself when she's angry…
Um?
Cheng Qing suddenly noticed that there were quite a few women holding hands on the street. She wondered if it was because she had some inappropriate thoughts, but seeing such a scene always felt a bit ambiguous.
It's not uncommon to see girls holding hands while shopping. I had just finished comforting them when I saw a pair of men walking by hand in hand.
Cheng Qing: "..." Boys holding hands while shopping?
"Hello, Ms. Cheng, your milk tea is ready." The voice of the milk tea shop girl came from behind. Cheng Qing came back to her senses, turned around, picked up the milk tea, and was about to leave.
"Can I take a picture with you?" The young woman mustered her courage and looked at Cheng Qing with wide eyes.
Cheng Qing: "...Fine!"
***
When Cheng Qing returned to the car, the staff asked her, "Ms. Cheng, do you find it convenient to get out of the car now?"
Cheng Qing glanced at him with a twitch of her lips, then gave him a cup of milk tea and distributed one to everyone else.
She grabbed a cup of milk tea for herself and sat by the window. Rain began to fall outside, the drops forming clear, glistening beads on the glass.
Cheng Qing looked down, took out her phone, opened WeChat, and searched for her own name. She had only typed "c" when the search terms "Cheng Qing" appeared in the search results.
Cheng Qing: "..."
Clicking into Chengqing's square, I was surprised to find quite a few of my own photos, each one meticulously edited with Photoshop.
With almost no effort, she found her and Luo Xi's video. Although she was prepared, seeing a group of fans heading to the Civil Affairs Bureau, Cheng Qing could only twitch her lips.
She took a closer look and saw that the number of likes and shares had reached the first-tier level. For a couple, this level is not easy to achieve!
She jumped out of the square and went straight to the trending topics, and sure enough, she saw her and Losi's pairing trending there.
She also learned for the first time that her and Losi's couple name was "Promise of Eternity".
At that moment, Cheng Qing finally realized it. She looked up at the staff and asked softly, "...Am I famous now?"
She had considered that her pairing with Losi might become popular. Although she was not clear about this aspect, she knew that most same-sex pairings were only popular within the industry, and a popular pairing did not necessarily mean that the people involved would become famous.
Although the director approached her to discuss the contract, Cheng Qing was only thinking about the CP value between herself and Luo Xi, and never thought that she could become popular on her own.
The staff member then laughed and replied, "Teacher Cheng, you've finally realized it." This year's hottest newcomer is no joke.
Cheng Qing: "...I was very surprised."
After hearing the news, Zhang Lingling and Zhou Yong also opened their phones to search for it. After reading the news, they looked up at Cheng Qing with surprise but also felt it was only natural.
Zhang Lingling and Zhou Yong weren't even surprised that Cheng Qing and Luo Xi were being described as a couple.
They could sense the difference between the two girls on set. If you really want to create a couple on TV, adding some music, special effects, and slow motion is enough to develop a 1-point ambiguity into a 7-point one.
Besides, the two of them already had a 70% ambiguous relationship; with a little embellishment, the outcome was predictable. The two drank their milk tea and congratulated Cheng Qing.
***
The nanny van took the three of them to their destination. Cheng Qing's location was the furthest, so she was the last one to be dropped off.
Before getting out of the car, the staff member called out to Cheng Qing, "Director Kong asked me to tell you that the higher-ups don't intend to replace you yet. The program has been changed to accommodate you and Luo Xi. If you can come back..."
Cheng Qing turned to look at him and simply said, "We'll see!"
***
Cheng Qing lives in a newly built residential area in Fanhe City. The location is relatively remote, but the rent is cheap.
A fully furnished studio apartment costs only 1200 yuan and has everything you need; just bring your belongings and move in.
Cheng Qing's apartment was simple; in its small size, there was a bed, a rug, a small kitchen, and a bathroom. Cheng Qing had a simple personality, and in the few months she had lived there, the apartment remained largely unfurnished.
Returning to the apartment she had left half a month ago, the room was exactly as it had been before she left. The sheets on the bed were no longer warm enough, so Cheng Qing threw them into the laundry basket and grabbed a thin blanket for herself.
Then I quickly cleaned the room, and it was already 6 o'clock when I finished.
There were many migrant workers returning home from get off work around. Cheng Qing sat alone on the carpet in front of the bed and suddenly felt that the tranquility she used to like was now eerily quiet.
Without the usual boisterous noises and Losie's radiant smile, the bedroom, where I was alone, suddenly felt a little unbearable.
She took out her phone and found Losie's hashtag, and sure enough, the first picture on the page was a photo of Losie.
The moment when Losi emerged from the airport and saw her fans, her radiant smile was captured in a photograph.
Her eyes and brows are full of charm, and her lips are always smiling. Who wouldn't love such a beauty that could make fish sink and geese fall from the sky?
Cheng Qing sighed, stopped thinking about it, put away her phone, and made herself a bowl of noodles.
Cheng Qing was a skilled cook; even a simple bowl of noodles tasted delicious. While eating, she turned her phone back on, wanting to check her WeChat messages, worried that there might be important information among them.
Some of the messages came from junior high school classmates, some from high school classmates, and some from university classmates.
Looking at these comments, Cheng Qing couldn't help but smile and think, "Luckily, none of them are elementary school classmates."
Besides classmates, there were also messages from the original body's family and relatives, mostly just asking why they went to participate in the program, etc.
The original owner's mother left a message: "Child, I personally do not recommend that you be with someone of the same sex."
On the other hand, relatives asked a variety of questions. How much was the salary? Was there a script? Even her younger cousin asked, "Cousin, you're amazing! Are you and Losy really together?"
With a mouthful of noodles, Cheng Qing looked shocked: "Everyone's thinking... is so open-minded!"
Among these messages, there was one from whom Cheng Qing couldn't discern the relationship. The sender appeared to be a girl, judging from the profile picture, she had long hair.
The chat history contains only one greeting text message from 10 years ago; the records after that are all blank.
This is a message the girl sent a few days ago. The message is quite interesting. She asked, "You acted too much, it's not you at all, but I don't regret it."
Cheng Qing hesitated for a moment, then turned off her phone and didn't reply to anyone.
"Oh no... the noodles are ruined. Ugh, I should have known better than to look at these messages." Cheng Qing exclaimed.
***
"Teacher Cheng went back?" Luo Xi stood in front of Kong Mingyan, chuckled speechlessly, and questioned, "You didn't plan to hold a thank-you banquet for your teachers?"
Kong Mingyan comforted her, "Didn't the agritainment business hold one before?"
Lossie's eyes reddened with anger: "Who holds a thank-you banquet so many days before leaving their teacher?!"
Kong Mingyan choked on his words: "They're everywhere!"
Unable to argue any further, Losi resorted to a shameless retort: "I don't care, give me Teacher Cheng's phone number, I need to call her and ask her. How could she just leave without saying goodbye? She..." As she said this, tears welled up in Losi's eyes, and she asked softly, "Did she ask me before she left?"
Kong Mingyan fell silent, looking at Luo Xi for a while before finally saying, "I didn't ask."
Losi stood there with her head down, not saying a word, looking utterly alone and pitiful.
Kong Mingyan didn't know how to comfort her, but before he could even open his mouth, Luo Xi threw away all the points cards in her hand.
Then, with a cold laugh, he said, "I'm not recording anymore."
After saying that, Luo Xi didn't give Kong Mingyan a chance to react and turned around and ran upstairs.
Kong Mingyan didn't pursue the matter, but simply told his assistant, "...call her agent."
Seeing that Director Kong was serious, the assistant was surprised: "She really isn't going to record?"
Kong Mingyan turned to look at him: "Don't you think she's just saying things out of anger? But she's serious."
***
When Luo Xi returned to her room and saw that Teacher Cheng was no longer there, her eyes welled up with tears.
This room is filled with memories of the two of them, from their first meeting to their separation. And then she just left without even asking?
Losi was heartbroken, and tears streamed down her face like pearls from a broken chain.
She staggered to the bedside, lay down in Cheng Qing's spot, and it took her a while to control her emotions and stop crying.
I don't know how long I lay there like that. The room was dimly lit, but the light couldn't illuminate the darkness outside the window.
Losi didn't move until the staff brought her her phone.
She answered the phone only after hearing it was her agent calling, put it on speakerphone and placed it next to her pillow, but she remained lifeless.
Fang Silei: "The director said you're not going to film anymore?"
Lossie: "I'm not recording anymore."
Fang Silei: "Are you playing a game? If you don't record, you'll have to pay a penalty."
Losi wasn't afraid at all: "I'm so poor I only have money left."
Fang Silei: "...You're quite the sophist! You didn't say you wouldn't record when you were being attacked online!"
Upon hearing this, Losi sat up angrily. She picked up her phone and said, "I'm angry about being attacked online, but I'm determined to prove them wrong. I'm going to record this and show it to those haters. I've been in this industry for so long, who have I ever been afraid of!"
Fang Silei was even angrier after hearing this, and said with a hint of disappointment, "Then can't you try to be more assertive and record it for your teacher Cheng, so she can know that you're doing just fine without her?"
Upon hearing this, Losi threw herself onto the pillow and cried out, "I don't want to, I don't want to record anymore. I don't like this feeling, and I don't want to like her anymore. I don't want to fight this..." After saying that, she added in her heart, "Fighting like this makes my heart ache."
Upon hearing this, Fang Silei didn't say anything, only saying, "Then let's not talk about her..."
Lossie was even more aggrieved and heartbroken: "Who else would she be talking about??? You know what? I asked her for her WeChat ID and she wouldn't give it to me!!! I thought she would definitely give it to me before I left. But when she left, she didn't even ask me."