Later on, Mother Ji asked Ji Zhen what he thought of Yun Duoduo—if he liked her and if there was any romantic spark.
Ji Zhen replied, “Duoduo is still a kid; I’m not going to mess with a young girl like her. Besides, I think she’s more suited to someone like Huai Jian. They look quite good together.”
Mother Ji glared at him. “What nonsense are you talking about? Huai Jian is a woman. How could she ‘be’ with Duoduo? Is it just that Duoduo doesn’t like you? Are you feeling rejected?”
“Sigh… you don’t understand.” He didn’t understand how to describe the vibe between Huai Jian and Duoduo, but it felt like even if they were two women, it just worked.
“Fine. I guess it’s just not meant to be. Duoduo is a good girl,” Mother Ji lamented with a sigh.
…
On the other side, Li Qinglian was busy observing Duoduo’s expression, occasionally dropping hints. “Ji Zhen is a very solid boy. He even helped us fix the roof. In the future, you should look for a boyfriend with those standards.”
It was the first time Duoduo heard the word “boyfriend” from her mother’s mouth. “Why are you overthinking things? I have no plans to find a partner right now. And… with my father as a ‘role model,’ I don’t want to just pick anyone. I think things are fine the way they are.”
With that, she grabbed a thermos and headed to Huai Jian’s room.
Perhaps because they were closer in age, they had more to talk about. Duoduo told Huai Jian what her mother had said. “My mom actually tried to set me up with Brother Ji. It scared the life out of me; I thought she was going to start a marriage countdown!”
Huai Jian, who was reading, felt her fingers stiffen. She turned her head to look at Duoduo, suddenly feeling a surge of tension. “You… How did you answer her?”
“I refused, obviously.” Duoduo poured a cup of hot water and handed it to her. “Sister Huai, we haven’t finished our talk since this afternoon. Shall we continue?”
Huai Jian had told her a lot about acting earlier, originally using the topic to keep her close, but she found the current subject much more intriguing. She handed the book she was holding to Duoduo. “I’ll give this to you. You can read it when you have time.”
Duoduo’s eyes lit up as she took it. “Thank you!”
“Let’s talk about something else,” Huai Jian suggested. Like your love life…
Duoduo flipped through a few pages. “What do you want to talk about?”
Huai Jian struggled to find the words; anything she thought of felt too abrupt.
Duoduo looked up. “How about we talk about Sister Anna?”
“Anna?” Huai Jian frowned. She didn’t really want to talk about Anna.
But Duoduo was clearly interested. Anna was practically her mentor and the one who discovered her. “Sister Anna is so amazing. If she hadn’t helped me, I wouldn’t have had the chance to be on this show.”
Huai Jian felt even more disgruntled. Was it Anna? No, it was me! The more she thought about it, the more sour she felt, yet she didn’t know how to explain it to Duoduo. Should she be direct? Or subtle?
While she was lost in thought, Duoduo was busy praising Anna to the heavens like a true fangirl. “I’ve seen her profile. she used to be in the army, then came back to be a manager and became a ‘Gold Medal’ agent almost immediately. So cool!”
Huai Jian began to wonder: was Duoduo admiring the “Anna” she chatted with online, or was she in love with the Anna from the Baidu Encyclopedia?
She desperately wanted to ask, but she knew she couldn’t. Asking would ruin the image of “Anna” in Duoduo’s heart and create an incredibly awkward situation between them.
After talking for so long, Duoduo’s throat was dry. Huai Jian handed her the water she hadn’t touched yet. “You really like Anna?”
“Huh? I…” Duoduo looked like she had choked on something. She shook her head frantically, trying to explain. “No… I just admire her. Sister Anna is my idol. It’s just… pure liking.”
But she didn’t look like someone who just admired an idol; she looked like someone who had their secret crush exposed. Huai Jian could see right through her.
So, she asked the question she had been holding back. “What are your views on dating? What are your plans?”
Duoduo had never really thought about dating, so she was a bit dazed. “Why are you suddenly asking that?”
Huai Jian was caught off guard by the counter-question. “It’s something every artist considers. Hasn’t your manager told you to think about it?”
In the industry, everyone maintained a “single” persona. Duoduo’s former manager had told her that for the next five years, aside from manufactured scandals for publicity, she shouldn’t have any real romantic involvements.
Duoduo said, “I’ve terminated my contract with my company. I’m a free agent now. I’ll just let nature take its course with relationships. I don’t want to do what my mom says—getting into a relationship just because it’s ‘suitable’ or because I’m ‘supposed’ to get married.”
“You terminated your contract?” Huai Jian asked.
“Yeah, right before the show. I plan to see how this variety show goes. If the response is good, I’ll keep trying. If it’s not for me, I’ll give up. Actually, I like singing more, haha.”
Huai Jian remembered her mentioning this before, though they hadn’t been close enough for her to pay much attention then. Now, moved, she said, “Would you like to sign with my company? I’ll have An… I’ll arrange for someone to lead you.”
“What?” Duoduo stared at her in shock. The surprise was too sudden. “I… Sister Huai, I’m not trying to sell you a sob story, I really was considering quitting, so…”
“I don’t think you’re trying to flatter me.” Huai Jian had made the offer herself. She knew Duoduo’s character, and more importantly, she had her own selfish motives.
Duoduo was so excited she became incoherent. She took a big gulp of water. “Okay… when do we talk about the contract?”
Huai Jian wanted it done as soon as possible. “I’ll send you a digital version of the contract later. Look it over carefully. We can sign once the show is over, okay?”
“Yes!” Duoduo stood up and gave her a deep bow. “Thank you, Sister! Meeting you is the best thing that ever happened to me. I don’t even know how to thank you.”
“No need…” Huai Jian said, but then immediately regretted being too selfless. She didn’t want to be that selfless. “If you really want to thank me, then act well. I hope you become a Best Actress one day.”
Best Actress was such a high level. Duoduo thought it would be hard, but if Huai Jian said she could do it, then she could! She pumped her fist to encourage herself. “Okay! I will work hard and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with you!”
Shoulder-to-shoulder? Huai Jian’s breath suddenly hitched. To be honest, she hadn’t even thought that far ahead. “Good. I’ll be waiting for you.”
Duoduo, oblivious to how much she was flirting with Huai Jian, asked, “Sister Huai, are you still leaving tomorrow? I haven’t even taken you fruit picking yet.”