Xiao Bingwen was messaging Liu Shuhe while browsing Weibo.
Liu Shuhe: [Link] Liu Shuhe: [This big shot’s Weibo]
He clicked the link and saw a Weibo account with the character “Jian”. It only followed one account on Douyin but already had 2.01 million active followers.
Is this the lyricist’s Weibo?
Xiao Bingwen followed the account. When he heard Xu Nanjing’s voice, he looked up and saw Bai Lian putting blue tickets back into her school uniform pocket.
“Those tickets look kind of like yours,” Xiao Bingwen paused. They looked like arena tickets, but, “She seems to have quite a few?”
These tickets were ones Xu Nanjing could only get through connections.
The Chen family could get them too, apparently because they had a senior at the arena, but Xu Nanjing and Xiao Bingwen weren’t close with them.
Even then, Xu Nanjing only got three tickets.
Bai Lian clearly had many more…
That couldn’t be right? Besides, Bai Lian didn’t seem like someone who would go to such a bloody place as the arena.
Seeming to feel their gaze, the yellow-haired smoker looked up and smiled at Xiao Bingwen and Xu Nanjing. He wore a black T-shirt with skulls and a silver chain around his neck, looking quite spirited.
Xiao Bingwen said, “…probably not.”
The next day, Friday.
Bai Lian sent the organized materials to He Wen.
He Wen sent her a “thank you” message.
Through a long corridor, in the research institute office.
He Wen, wearing a blue radiation suit, stood in front of all the team members, head lowered as he listened to Jiang Fuli speak.
The underground laboratory was already cold, with cold white lights. High-tech machinery surrounded them. Jiang Fuli sat in his chair, a research paper displayed on the computer screen before him.
One hand on the armrest, the other pointing at the screen, glasses perched on his high bridge nose, his lips pressed tight.
His cold white fingertip stopped at an example, his head slightly tilted, “Repulsive and attractive forces have opposite curvature, one causing space contraction, the other causing expansion. You’re using this example for positive and negative energy?”
“What should I say about you?”
“Commend you for daring to challenge Dirac?”
He gave a cold laugh. The others knew this was directed at He Wen and lowered their heads even more.
He Wen: “…”
After Jiang Fuli finished reviewing everything, he finally stood up with his phone.
“Is this your literature review?” He looked at the printed documents He Wen was holding.
He Wen: “…Yes, new literature.”
Jiang Fuli gave him a cold look: “Don’t write acknowledgments.”
He Wen: “…”
After Jiang Fuli left, the other team members came forward. They mimicked Jiang Fuli’s words, then patted He Wen’s shoulder, “Daring to challenge Dirac, that’s our Wen! You’re going to be our lab’s next Dirac!”
Today only He Wen got scolded, and everyone else was gleefully watching his misfortune.
Holding several papers, He Wen smiled, “If you dare say another word, next time when Young Master Jiang treats us to dinner, you can order your own food.”
Others: “…”
He Wen turned back to his station and messaged Bai Lian to complain— [Got scolded today (crying) (crying) (crying)]
At Xiangcheng First High School.
When Bai Lian saw He Wen’s message, school had already ended.
She glanced at his reply. He Wen often got scolded, so she was used to it.
A crowd from Class 15 gathered together. Lu Xiaohan’s voice was loud, “We don’t need to go to Auntie Zhang’s these few days, Yan Lu will be recording a show there.”
Bai Lian followed slowly behind the group.
Head down, browsing questions on the Jiangjiang app.
She opened the app. The public chat was full of wailing, but Bai Lian didn’t notice, just scrolling through questions, mostly fill-in-the-blanks.
Lu Xiaohan and others were originally discussing intensely.
Until they saw someone standing at the milk tea shop entrance, their voices instinctively got much quieter.
Bai Lian looked up and saw Jiang Fuli standing in a corner outside the milk tea shop.
School had been out for a while, but the milk tea shop was still crowded. Jiang Fuli stood in a corner about two or three meters from the door, warm sunset light slanting through the roof.
He wore a black jacket, unzipped to reveal a snow-white T-shirt underneath. His bangs fell past his eyebrows as he casually scrolled through his phone screen, looking lazy and aloof.
When Ning Xiao and Tang Ming passed by, they respectfully greeted Jiang Fuli.
“Mm.” Jiang Fuli raised his head carelessly.
“I want to go see Yan Lu,” Bai Lian didn’t enter the milk tea shop. She used her phone to shield the still-glaring sunset, lifting her head slightly.
Auntie Zhang’s place was just ahead.
Jiang Fuli walked forward a bit, blocking the sunlight. “Let’s go then.”
He accompanied Bai Lian.
“You scolded He Wen today?” Bai Lian held her phone, somewhat curious.
Jiang Fuli’s expression was cold. He answered quite casually, “If describing facts counts as scolding.”
Hearing his tone, Bai Lian knew He Wen would get criticized again next week. She changed the subject, “Are you going fishing with my grandfather tomorrow?”
Jiang Fuli had been in the lab all week.
With two days off on the weekend, she heard he was going fishing with Ji Heng, but Bai Lian hadn’t figured out how they’d arranged it.
At Zhang’s home.
Mei Yi and his manager had already arrived.
The manager was a middle-aged man with a slightly plump build. Looking at the environment of Zhang’s backyard, he lowered his voice to speak with Mei Yi, “Your judgment was good.”
When Mei Yi wanted to come to Xiangcheng to record with Yan Lu, his manager initially disagreed.
At that time, the Chongshu Jiuri controversy was too big, and he didn’t want Mei Yi getting involved. Who could have imagined that in this situation, Yan Lu would not only make an incredible comeback but also convert it into her own popularity.
These days she was unrivaled across social media platforms.
Internet users jokingly called this her “yearly feel-good story.”
Mei Yi was thirty, wearing sportswear, handsome and dignified.
Hearing this, he just smiled without speaking.
“But this show is mainly about getting along well with Yan Lu,” Mei Yi’s manager also knew Yan Lu’s personality. “Wang Xin says she’s quiet, so the show effect should be quite ordinary. Besides that one street, Xiangcheng doesn’t have many special features. Just treat it as a vacation.”
Mei Yi and Yan Lu weren’t close to begin with; calling it “ordinary” was already being polite.
Cameras were being installed in the living room and Yan Lu’s room. The show would start recording tomorrow. The director of “Come On, Friend” was talking to Sister Xin, “Don’t worry, we’ll try to edit it to be interesting, but besides Mei Yi, doesn’t Yan Lu have any other friends from inside or outside the industry who could appear?”
Nearby.
Ah Huang and Xiao Tian were helping clean the living room. Hearing this, they thought of the students from Xiangcheng First High.
There were some, just not famous ones.
“I’ll ask, but they probably won’t want to appear on camera,” Wang Xin smiled, somewhat sighing, “She does have some friends outside the industry.”
If Bai Lian would appear, the ratings would definitely be extraordinary, and that Young Master Jiang too. Just their faces alone would crush current trending stars.
But asking them to appear on camera?
Who had that kind of influence?
“Alright.” The director was somewhat disappointed. He looked down at Yan Lu’s show recording schedule: shopping, moving flowers, selling flowers, studying…
There wasn’t anything fresh worth showing.
He really wanted to invite Dean Jian to come, that would definitely make ratings explode, but Yan Lu and Wang Xin avoided the topic of Dean Jian.
The director was naturally disappointed.
Auntie Zhang had gone back to her hometown these past two days, leaving this area to Yan Lu. Yan Lu carried out a pot of flowers.
Speaking with Mei Yi.
“Tomorrow we’ll go shopping first, then buy groceries and cook in the afternoon?” Hearing Yan Lu’s unremarkable arrangements, Mei Yi’s manager wasn’t surprised. “Why don’t you invite two more friends, otherwise it might be awkward with just you and Mei Yi eating.”
Mainly because Mei Yi was male.
Yan Lu was about to reply.
Someone knocked on the door outside.
She put down the flower pot and went to open it.
Mei Yi and his manager looked toward the door.
Outside were two people, a man and a woman. The girl wore a loose school uniform, casually spinning a phone in her hand, her almond eyes slightly narrowed, looking quite lazy.
Her skin was extremely fair, her hair casually pinned up with two wooden hairpins, the sunset glow behind her, no other decorations on her person.
She looked like she was standing in a colorful manga.
She slightly tilted her head to speak with the man beside her.
The man beside her wore a dark jacket, appearing cold. His features were handsome, but too cold, his pressure too strong, making people afraid to look directly at him.
“Miss Bai, Young Master Jiang.” Yan Lu opened the door and greeted them in a low voice.
In the living room, Sister Xin saw Jiang Fuli and Bai Lian outside, also abandoning the director to run out and greet them.
This was the director’s first time seeing Bai Lian and Jiang Fuli, and their appearances startled him.
In all his years in entertainment, looks like theirs were rare, not to mention their aura.
“Who are they?” the director asked Mei Yi.
Mei Yi’s gaze fell on Bai Lian, “They’re Yan Lu’s friends.”
He had seen Bai Lian at the film set. That time with the spear, everyone present was shocked. Once seen, impossible to forget.
Mei Yi’s manager didn’t spend much time on set, he hadn’t seen Bai Lian and Jiang Fuli, so he asked, “Regular friends? Are they here to get screen time? Or are they new artists Time Light Entertainment is preparing to launch?”
With looks like theirs, Time Light Entertainment would have struck gold.
If they were regular people, he was ready to make an offer!
At the door, Bai Lian showed no intention of coming in. She stood there talking to Yan Lu, “You’re just buying groceries and cooking tomorrow afternoon? Didn’t Sister Xin say that would be boring?”
Sister Xin sighed helplessly, deliberately lowering her voice, “The director said the same thing, but what can we do? We only have these few things here. Miss Bai, would you like to bring your classmates to join tomorrow afternoon?”
Jiang Fuli stood beside Bai Lian with one hand in his pocket, not speaking.
“No.” Bai Lian shook her head, taking several tickets from her school uniform pocket and handing them to Yan Lu.
Bai Lian had heard that White Tank Top had many fans now.
Better than having Yan Lu demonstrate reading books for viewers at home.
“What are these?” Yan Lu hadn’t heard of these places, just instinctively taking the tickets.
Bai Lian hooked her lips slightly, “You can go here tomorrow afternoon. These are tickets, someone will meet you at the entrance then. It shouldn’t be boring.”
Jiang Fuli looked down—
Not boring, but might randomly scare someone to death.
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