After that whole ordeal, Cheng Luo did not dare to browse Weibo recklessly anymore. It was only later that Jiang Wei told her she should just open a private account to avoid being discovered.
After finishing her chat with her agent, she finally opened the chat box with her ex-wife. Zhai Qing’s message surprisingly did not mention the recent incident at all. Instead, she informed Cheng Luo that she had found a preschool for Nono and enrolled her.
Cheng Luo frowned slightly upon seeing the message. Such a young child starting school already? There would be plenty of years for studying later in life. However, once she learned that it was Nono’s own request, Cheng Luo no longer had any objections.
The incident passed like a minor interlude that no one took to heart. Consequently, no one noticed that the number of followers in the “Qing-Cheng Romance” super-topic had actually doubled. By the time they would eventually realize it, it would be too late.
“Hey, we have a half-day off this afternoon. Why do we not go out for a stroll?” Jiang Wei enthusiastically egged Cheng Luo on. “In the blink of an eye, we have been stuck in this mountain gully for half a month. No shopping and no beauty treatments for half a month.”
Cheng Luo felt a bit tempted as well. Moving back and forth between the hotel and the set every day was becoming a bit tedious, no matter how dedicated she was. Thus, she nodded and agreed.
“Yay! I am going to book a spa appointment right now. My face is so dry it is actually peeling.”
Cheng Luo had no objections. Since the assistants were also on break, it was just the two of them going. Jiang Wei dressed up specifically for the occasion, wearing a white “Chanel-style” jacket paired with a black skirt and soft pink stilettos. She looked every bit the wealthy socialite.
In contrast, Cheng Luo wore a plain black turtleneck sweater and matching casual trousers, with only a calf-length white coat over them. She looked somewhat elegant, at least.
If it were not for the fact that Cheng Luo still had a decent face, Jiang Wei would have wanted her to change clothes before heading out. When going shopping, one naturally had to dress beautifully because beautiful looks lead to a beautiful mood.
Cheng Luo did not even give her a glance in response to these remarks. Although she was still young, she lacked that trace of girlish vitality compared to Jiang Wei. After all, strictly speaking, she was no longer a young girl; she was a divorced and parous young adult.
“Excuse me, do you two ladies have a reservation?”
“Yes, a reservation for two at one in the afternoon.”
“Great. Miss Jiang, correct? This way, please.”
Jiang Wei walked ahead with the “clack-clack” of her stilettos. Cheng Luo could tell that Jiang Wei had been cooped up for too long; she was practically prancing with joy.
“You two have such wonderful skin, though it is a bit dehydrated. Would you like to open a membership card with us? You can come in every month for a hydrating repair treatment. The winters in B City are dry, so it is quite necessary.”
Jiang Wei found the service very comfortable. Moreover, she realized she would be staying here for a long time. As the weather grew colder, her skin would surely get drier. “Then I will get a card. Cheng Luo, do you want one?”
“My skin does feel much better. I will get one too. However, are there any discounts for the two of us?”
“Oh, you are a big star now, why are you being so stingy?” Jiang Wei had always been very willing to spend money on her self-packaging. After all, as long as the beauty remained, the fans remained, so she did not view this amount of money as significant.
Not wanting to attract too much attention while out, Cheng Luo quickly interrupted Jiang Wei. “Stop. Even if I were a billionaire, a discount is a discount.”
But the shop assistant nearby looked at them with excitement upon hearing this. “It really is Cheng Luo! I did not believe it when she said it just now. Our boss is a fan of yours. She will definitely be willing to give you a discount. I will go call her over right now!”
“Wait,” Cheng Luo regretted it. She was about to say she would take it without a discount so they would not bother the boss, but the assistant was so excited that she started running in her small heels. Cheng Luo did not even get a chance to finish her sentence.
Jiang Wei threw up her hands and looked at her helplessly. “See? It probably would have been better to just pay full price.”
A moment later, a woman with permed, wavy hair walked straight toward Cheng Luo and excitedly took Cheng Luo’s hands in hers.
“Cheng Luo, long time no see!”
Cheng Luo studied the woman’s features carefully, but after a long while, she still had no recollection of her.
“I am sorry, but you are?”
“You actually forgot me! We were interns together at Qingfeng. I just happened to run away before my internship ended. We were on quite good terms back then.”
Cheng Luo only gained a slight impression after she said that. However, she was still surprised.
“Xiao Qi? Your appearance has changed so much, I did not even recognize you!”
The woman gave her a meaningful look. “Look at what kind of shop I run. Of course I have to keep myself looking pretty. Besides, when we were interns, we were so exploited that we went bare-faced all day. Where was the time to dress up?”
“But I remember you were transferred away halfway through your internship. I was sad for a long time. I thought you had successfully become a permanent employee. How did you end up becoming a big star?”
Encountering an old colleague brought those memories flooding back to Cheng Luo. However, after thinking it over, she could only summarize it in four words: “It is a long story.”
Cheng Luo added, “But looking at it now, leaving was a good choice. At least you do not have to squeeze onto the morning peak subway just for an attendance bonus anymore.”
Xiao Qi beamed at this. “Exactly! And I do not have to act according to other people’s whims anymore. It is great!”
“By the way, is this your friend? She looks like a big star too. Quick, give me an autograph so I can show off to others. I told people we knew each other, but they did not believe me. They insisted I was bragging.”
Cheng Luo signed for her old colleague and took several photos together. Finally, she walked out with two cards that had reportedly received an exceptional 40% discount.
“Ahem.” Once they were further away, Jiang Wei cleared her throat. “Are you not a professionally trained actress? Why did you intern at a tech company, especially at Qingfeng?” She dragged out the last word pointedly.
Cheng Luo feigned composure. “Who says a trained actress must become an actor? Qingfeng is a big company. If you are going to intern, you go to the best place to give yourself a backup plan.”
“Oh, so that is how it is. Then, while you were there, did you never see the boss? I saw that trending search from a few nights ago. Looking at it now, it might not be entirely groundless. At the very least, you definitely know her!”
“I thought at the time that maybe your assistant really was the one looking at it to plan your current ship. However, if you know Zhai Qing, then it is very likely you were looking at it yourself. Maybe the two of you have even been in contact.”
When Jiang Wei said this, most of it was her own speculation. But looking at the silent person beside her, she suddenly felt an indescribable feeling. She wondered if she had actually guessed correctly. Zhai Qing was indeed a bit wealthier than her, but beauty is subjective. She was not exactly inferior to Zhai Qing, so why did Cheng Luo not ship with her instead? Jiang Wei had preemptively assumed that the “Qing-Cheng” ship was created with Cheng Luo’s consent.
“You are overthinking it. I was just a lowly intern. How could I possibly see her every day? At most, I saw her from a distance, the kind of distance where you cannot even see a face clearly. As for the trending search, the assistant really did use my phone and look at it by accident. The company already explained it.”
“Oh, alright.” Hearing this very reasonable explanation, Jiang Wei tentatively believed the story for now.
However, for the rest of the shopping trip, Cheng Luo appeared rather uninterested. Most of the time, she just sat in a chair watching Jiang Wei try on clothes, or she would stare blankly into space, her mind wandering.
They returned to the hotel before dark. Just as Cheng Luo took out her room card to swipe in, Jiang Wei suddenly called out to her. Turning around, a silver necklace unexpectedly appeared before her eyes. In the center was a small fish-shaped pendant, carved quite vividly.
Jiang Wei said to her with a grin, “You did not notice, did you? I bought it secretly while we were shopping. Since you did not seem to be in high spirits, take this as a gift. It is not expensive, but I picked it out at a glance because I thought it suited you perfectly.”
While Cheng Luo was still dazed and unsure of what to say, Jiang Wei quickly stuffed the necklace into her hand. Then, she ran toward her own room with a “clack-clack-clack,” swiping her card and closing the door in one fluid motion. Cheng Luo watched in amazement.
Standing there, Cheng Luo opened her palm to look at the little trinket. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she thought: I should give Jiang Wei something in return next time. Then, she tucked the necklace into her pocket and went inside.
“…”
The video froze at the moment Cheng Luo smiled. The necklace in her hand was magnified on the computer screen. Outside the screen, two slender fingers unconsciously tapped on the solid wood desk. The dull sound echoed back and forth in the empty study.
“Cheng Luo, come over here for a moment.”
Just as Cheng Luo was about to start organizing documents, she was called over by her supervisor.
“What is it, Sister Chen?”
“How much of the data you are organizing is left? How long will it take to finish?”
“There is still a portion left. I should be able to finish it today.” Cheng Luo speculated that she was being told she was too slow. She quickly added, “If you are in a hurry, I can eat lunch a bit later and strive to finish it.”
To her surprise, Sister Chen waved her hand with a slightly awkward expression. “No, no. From today on, you do not have to do these tasks anymore. Start following me to work on projects and learn some other things.”
“Really?! Sister Chen, you are the best!”
Sister Chen accepted the praise guiltily and added a reminder, “By the way, from now on, you must eat lunch on time. The company has a cafeteria, and interns have a meal supplement. Also, working during the lunch break is prohibited. Violators will be fined.”
Cheng Luo asked in surprise, “Since when was that a rule? I have never heard of it before.”
Sister Chen brushed it off. “It has been around for a long time. Did you not read the company regulations carefully? Alright, get back to work.”
On her way back, Cheng Luo mumbled to herself, “When did that start? How come I never saw it in the regulations? Oh no, will I be fined for the overtime I did before? Please, no!”
Cheng Luo spent the morning in trepidation, but after finding that no one came to look for her, she felt relieved. As soon as the lunch break arrived, she happily went to the cafeteria to eat.
However, upon entering the cafeteria, Cheng Luo noticed her senior was also there. Furthermore, the senior happened to look up at her, though she quickly withdrew her gaze.
Cheng Luo felt a bit puzzled. Does she not have an assistant deliver her meals every day? Why did she actually descend to the mortal world today?
The author has something to say:
Cheng Luo: I need to give the assistant a huge raise!