Cheng Luo chatted with Nono for a few more minutes before sending her off to wash up and go to sleep. In the end, she still did not concede on whether Zhai Qing could come along, simply saying they would discuss it when the time came.
After hanging up the video call, Cheng Luo promptly switched the channel. She replaced the drama currently airing with the one Nono had just mentioned. This particular series consisted of sixty episodes and had taken Cheng Luo over six months to film. Her memory of it was very vivid, and she skillfully navigated to the specific episode.
There was nothing strange about it. Her performance and lines were both excellent; she had even been praised on the trending topics at the time. Cheng Luo remained completely perplexed.
Just then, her stomach began to growl. She had no appetite during dinner, yet she was suddenly starving right before bed. Adhering to the strict requirement of maintaining her best condition on screen, Cheng Luo resolutely decided to go to sleep on an empty stomach.
Perhaps because the hunger was so uncomfortable that night, she even dreamed of starving. Her stomach felt as if a ball of fire were burning inside it.
On the first day of her winter internship, Cheng Luo arrived at the office building at 7:30 AM. Carrying a canvas bag that screamed “student,” she looked up at the seemingly endless skyscraper, feeling a mix of nerves and excitement.
She took several deep breaths, forced herself to look composed, and walked inside.
“Miss, how can I help you?” someone asked as soon as she entered.
Cheng Luo gripped the straps of her backpack with both hands. “I am here for an internship.”
“Oh, the interns go this way,” the receptionist said, pointing in a specific direction.
Cheng Luo was about to head forward when a distant elevator door suddenly opened. A woman wearing a casual white blazer and a black fitted pencil skirt stood inside.
Even from a distance, Cheng Luo was instantly captivated. A wave of maturity radiated from the woman, making it impossible for Cheng Luo to look away.
Zhai Qing held a cup of coffee. Just as she was about to take a sip, her eyes shifted toward Cheng Luo as if sensing something.
Cheng Luo’s heart skipped a beat. Once she regained her senses, she quickened her pace and hurried away.
That meeting made her realize just how wide the gap was between her and Zhai Qing. Before arriving, she had naively thought Zhai Qing might come to see her personally. Shaking off her disappointment, Cheng Luo began her work at Qingfeng Technology.
It was a tech company, and although Cheng Luo was not in a research and development role, she was still kept busy from morning until night. Because she was an intern, the tasks assigned to her were numerous and disorganized. Sometimes, her only option was to grab a few bites of cold bread while running between errands.
One afternoon, everyone else in the office had gone to lunch, leaving only Cheng Luo to organize files. She had woken up late and skipped breakfast, and by now, her hunger was unbearable. Her vision began to darken in waves. She bit her lower lip and curled up with her arms around her stomach, hoping the posture would ease the pain.
Zhai Qing had a designated person who delivered her lunch every day, so she never had to worry about it. However, for some reason today, she suddenly decided she needed to retrieve a document herself. She looked around her office and realized everyone had left.
During work hours, she rarely visited the lower floors; usually, people came to her to report. Feeling a sense of novelty, she arrived at the employee workspace. She found the file she needed and was about to leave when she heard a faint, rhythmic humming sound.
Zhai Qing paused to listen, then turned toward the source of the noise. All she could see was the top of a black head. Driven by her responsibility to care for every subordinate, she walked over without hesitation.
“What is wrong? Are you having a nightmare?”
Cheng Luo could feel someone nudging her, but she did not even have the strength to lift her head. She could only manage a weak whimper. “Hungry, hungry, hungry, save me.”
To be honest, Zhai Qing did not hear the first part clearly, but she caught the last two words. Seeing the girl remained motionless, Zhai Qing decisively helped her sit up. Sure enough, the girl’s face was deathly pale, and her lips were devoid of color.
Zhai Qing quickly grabbed a piece of candy from a neighboring desk and stuffed it into the girl’s mouth without a word. Only then did she look closely and realize that the person in her arms was someone very familiar.
As the candy melted, Cheng Luo’s vision gradually cleared. “Thank,” before she could finish, Cheng Luo stopped abruptly. “Why is it you, Senior?”
Zhai Qing’s expression was far from pleasant. Her slender eyes narrowed slightly as she spoke in an unfriendly tone. “Why did you not go to eat? Did you not realize your blood sugar was low?”
“I am sorry. My work was not finished yet. I wanted to finish before eating.” Cheng Luo lowered her head, humbly accepting the criticism.
Zhai Qing glanced at her desk, which was covered in minor tasks that were not urgent. “Is this all you have done over the past two weeks?”
Hearing the disappointment in Zhai Qing’s voice, Cheng Luo hurried to defend herself, but she opened her mouth only to find she had nothing to say. She truly had not done any significant work in the past half-month. She could only hang her head lower. “I am sorry, Senior. I let you down.”
“What are you having for lunch?”
The topic changed so quickly that a confused Cheng Luo pulled out a bag of instant bread. Zhai Qing did not even need to look to know it was full of additives. No wonder the girl looked much thinner than before; the baby fat on her face was gone, leaving only a chin sharp enough to poke someone.
“Do not let me see that thing in your hand again. Come with me,” Zhai Qing said, then strode away.
Cheng Luo stood up in a daze. Her legs were still weak, and she stumbled as she chased Zhai Qing to the elevator.
Zhai Qing was quick to grab her arm. If her reaction had been a second slower, Cheng Luo’s face would have had an intimate encounter with the elevator wall.
The movement brought a bit of color back to Cheng Luo’s face. Pursing her lips, she spoke sheepishly to the cold-faced woman. “Thank you, Senior.”
Zhai Qing said nothing. The elevator began to rise, and Cheng Luo could feel that Zhai Qing had not let go; she was still gripping her arm tightly. Cheng Luo shifted uncomfortably.
She was immediately met with a displeased look from Zhai Qing. “Do not move. What if you fall again?”
Cheng Luo wanted to say she would not, but after seeing Zhai Qing’s expression, she swallowed her words. Zhai Qing did not release her until she was pressed down into a chair.
Cheng Luo tried to control her eyes, which wanted to wander everywhere. Was this the Senior’s office? It was so clean and organized; the entire room was filled with the aura of an elite. Cheng Luo felt that if she just breathed the air here, she could work until the end of the day on an empty stomach. She felt a surge of motivation.
Several metal containers were pushed in front of her. Zhai Qing said calmly, “Open them. I do not know if they will suit your taste.”
Cheng Luo had a faint suspicion. When she opened them, she found them filled with rice and various dishes. “Senior, this is not right. If I eat this, what will you eat?”
“I just had someone bring up another portion.”
Cheng Luo thought to herself, “How come I did not see that?”
“Senior, why do we not eat together? There is quite a lot of food here,” Cheng Luo suggested, but Zhai Qing shut her down immediately. “Hurry up and eat. Go back to work on time when you are finished.”
“Oh, so she just does not want me to delay my work. Evil capitalist. But the capitalist’s food looks so delicious.”
Cheng Luo watched as the woman sat down at her desk and began reading documents. Without the pressure of being watched, Cheng Luo felt less self-conscious and began to eat.
It was delicious. The chicken drumsticks were fragrant, and the vegetables were wonderful.
Before she knew it, Cheng Luo had finished everything. Not a single grain of rice was left; anyone seeing the container would have thought it had already been washed.
“Senior, I am finished. Where can I wash the dishes?” Cheng Luo instinctively lowered her voice, afraid to startle the person working.
“No need. Just leave them there; someone will come to clean them up.”
The inexperienced Cheng Luo gave an “oh” in response. Silence filled the air again. After a moment, Cheng Luo felt increasingly restless sitting there while her boss worked. “Senior, maybe I should go back down to work.”
“It is not time to start work yet,” Zhai Qing said lightly, shutting her down again.
Cheng Luo gave another “oh.” After a short silence, she asked again, “Senior, where is your food?”
Only then did Zhai Qing put down her things and look up, her eyes sharp as she stared at her. “My assistant is not back at work yet.”
“Oh.”
“If you are truly bored, you can sleep on the sofa for a while. I will wake you. Do not make any more noise.”
Cheng Luo finally realized she was being annoying. She leaned back on the sofa, grabbed a nearby pillow, and pressed it against her face in frustration.
“I just had to keep asking questions. Now I have been rejected. Still, the way the Senior looks when she is annoyed carries the charm of a successful person.”
Having eaten her fill, Cheng Luo actually fell asleep after resting for a while. Zhai Qing picked up the pillow that had fallen to the floor. As she looked at the girl whose mouth was slightly open, revealing a glimpse of white teeth, a faint smile tugged at the corner of Zhai Qing’s mouth.
When Cheng Luo woke up, her stomach was still empty. She felt much better after chewing on a few slices of dry whole-wheat bread.
It had been a long time since she had eaten bread. Usually, she either ate the boxed meals from the film set or cooked for herself; she rarely ordered takeout. Tasting bread again, though a bit dry, she found the flavor quite good. Most importantly, it was convenient and filling.
She picked up her phone to see if there were any new messages, only to find that it had powered off at some point. As soon as she plugged it in and turned it on, hundreds of messages instantly popped up.
She looked at the messages in shock. Most were from her manager and assistant, with a few from her ex-wife.
Sensing something was wrong, Cheng Luo called her manager immediately. The call was answered almost instantly.
The manager’s voice carried a hint of helplessness. “My dear, what kind of artist browses Weibo using their official account?”
“…”
Cheng Luo’s brain stalled instantly. Her voice trembled as she spoke. “If I said my phone was attacked by hackers, would you believe me?”
The manager said succinctly, “No.”
Cheng Luo apologized immediately. “Sister, I really did not mean it. I just clicked in out of curiosity. Does everyone know now?” Thinking back to the content she had viewed yesterday, Cheng Luo wanted to bang her head against a wall.
The manager said cruelly, “Yes, everyone knows. However, the company reacted very quickly and issued a statement immediately. We did not admit it was you personally who viewed it.”
Actually, Cheng Luo did not quite understand how others had found out. She had only browsed Weibo yesterday and had been very careful not to like or comment on anything.
The manager told her that as long as she clicked into a specific Super Topic recently, people would find out. However, the specific content viewed would not be discovered, so she could relax. The manager then pressed her to reveal what she had been looking at.
To save face, Cheng Luo firmly claimed she was only curious and had not looked at anything strange.
After hanging up, she looked at the official statement. It turned out her assistant had taken the blame. Cheng Luo silently noted to herself that she needed to give her assistant a raise.
However, looking at the comments, several people with CP Fan IDs refused to believe the statement. They declared, “Qing-Cheng is definitely real! Here is the proof of their intersection!”