Chen Ran was momentarily stunned.
She was wearing a mask and had changed her hairstyle, but Chen Ran recognized her at a single glance.
"Why are you here?!"
There was a hint of joy amidst Chen Ran's surprise.
He truly hadn't expected her to come.
Zhang Fanzhi looked at him with composed ease, blinking as she said, "You said you’ve never been to Huahai, so I came to pick you up."
Chen Ran laughed. "I’m not a child. If you just gave me a location, I could have taken a taxi there!"
"Get in the car first!" Zhang Fanzhi said.
Chen Ran snapped back to reality. This was Huahai Airport; it wouldn't be good if Zhang Fanzhi was photographed by someone.
Even though she was wearing a mask, people have sharp eyes, and a mask can't hide everything.
Chen Ran sat inside; the one driving up front was the assistant, Xiao Qin.
Zhang Fanzhi pulled down her mask, revealing her exquisite face. She let out a soft breath; it was already stuffy in the car, and wearing the mask made it even more uncomfortable. A flush of red had warmed her fair face.
Chen Ran looked at her, his eyes somewhat unable to move away. Seeing her look over, he hurriedly said, "Actually, I didn't need to trouble you like this. It wouldn't be good for you if you were recognized."
"I didn't want to come either, but the director and producer have arrived. I was afraid you’d dawdle." Zhang Fanzhi appeared very calm.
Chen Ran believed her. He had heard yesterday that the director and producer of Flying Against the Wind only had this one day, and they hoped to handle everything.
In reality, it was just signing an authorization; Tao Lin and Zhang Fanzhi had already negotiated everything else.
"If pride hadn't been coldly slapped down by the sea of reality..."
Zhang Fanzhi’s phone began to ring.
It was the song she had just recorded over the last two days. she had sent it to Chen Ran to listen to and had also clipped a segment to use as her ringtone.
Zhang Fanzhi slowly took out her phone and answered the call.
"Xiyun, where did you go? How did you disappear in the blink of an eye!"
Tao Lin’s somewhat anxious voice came through the phone.
Zhang Fanzhi glanced at Chen Ran and said impassively, "It's Chen Ran’s first time in Huahai. I was afraid he’d waste time, so I came to pick him up."
"You went to pick up Chen Ran? You could have let Xiao Qin go! Why did you go running off too? Besides, Director Lin and the others haven't even arrived yet. If Chen Ran is a bit slow, he’s slow; as long as he arrives before evening, it's fine."
Tao Lin was somewhat speechless. Realizing something, she asked, "You wouldn't happen to be..."
"I’ll talk to you later. It’s too stuffy in the car; I don't want to be on the phone." Zhang Fanzhi didn't wait for her to finish and hung up immediately.
Poor Tao Lin, holding her phone, hadn't even reacted yet. Looking at the disconnected call, she was so angry she nearly rolled her eyes.
The anger in her heart made her feel as if she had raised a white-eyed wolf.
Zhang Fanzhi didn't know what Tao Lin was thinking. Seeing Chen Ran looking at her, her earlobes turned red instantly.
"Was that Sister Lin calling?" Chen Ran asked.
He had vaguely heard some sound but hadn't heard clearly what was said.
Zhang Fanzhi said as if nothing had happened, "It was her. She said we can take our time going back; the director has something else to attend to for a bit."
Chen Ran said, "If I’d known there was no rush, you wouldn't have had to come."
Zhang Fanzhi knit her brows. "Not happy that I came to pick you up?"
"I didn't mean that. I just feel that you're usually quite busy," Chen Ran explained.
"I’m already here, so stop talking about it." Zhang Fanzhi’s face stiffened.
She glanced at Chen Ran, feeling as if her good intentions had been fed to a dog.
"Are you angry?" Chen Ran caught the hint and asked in a low voice.
"No, why would I be angry? I should be thanking you for coming to help." Zhang Fanzhi spoke expressionlessly.
The moment those words left her mouth, Chen Ran was certain she was truly angry.
He said very seriously, "I'm very grateful you came to pick me up. Seeing you suddenly at the airport just now, I was indeed very happy—or rather, a bit surprised. I was just afraid of delaying your work, and also afraid of you being recognized on the road, causing unnecessary trouble and having a negative impact on you."
Seeing his sincere look, the air of anger in Zhang Fanzhi's heart dissipated somewhat.
Hearing Chen Ran say he was a bit surprised when he saw her, her gaze became unnatural. She turned her head slightly and said:
"I only came to pick you up because of work. If you’re not happy about it, take a taxi yourself next time!"
In the front, Xiao Qin’s face as she drove looked quite pained.
She had already been nervous enough about sneaking out with Sister Xiyun and being scolded by Sister Lin later; now she couldn't even drive in peace.
The conversation between Chen Ran and Sister Xiyun in the back made this rookie assistant’s heart feel a bit sour.
Was this the "fake relationship" Sister Xiyun had so solemnly sworn it was? It certainly was "fake" enough!
……
Zhang Fanzhi had her own assigned apartment and a workstation at the company, but she rarely went there. Tao Lin handled the busywork while Zhang Fanzhi spent most of her time in the apartment.
Xiao Qin drove the car into the garage. As soon as she got out, she encountered a grim-faced Tao Lin.
"Sister... Sister Lin..." Xiao Qin looked incredibly nervous.
Tao Lin didn't make things difficult for Xiao Qin. If Zhang Fanzhi wanted her to go out, it was impossible for the assistant to disobey. However, since she hadn't given Tao Lin a heads-up, she definitely needed to be punished—though not now; that would be for later.
Zhang Fanzhi, meanwhile, acted as if nothing had happened, nodding her head in greeting.
"I've brought Chen Ran here. When will Director Lin arrive?"
Tao Lin felt a "toothache." You're just going to act that unbothered?
She wanted to say something, but when she saw Chen Ran behind Zhang Fanzhi, she held it back.
She felt like if things continued this way, she’d reach menopause early!
Tao Lin ignored the ungrateful wolf and forced a smile for Chen Ran.
"Mr. Chen, welcome."
Though she really didn't want to see Chen Ran—and even less so see him with Zhang Fanzhi—he had written the song and essentially done them a massive favor. It wouldn't be right to be neglectful.
Chen Ran saw her forced smile and found it amusing.
"Sister Lin, there's no need to call me Mr. Chen; it's so distant. Just call me Chen Ran."
Tao Lin thought to herself that she’d prefer to be so distant they didn't even know each other.
However, having been a manager for so many years, her ability to change her expression was quite good, and her smile became much more natural.
"Let's head inside first. When the director arrives later, we'll go to the hotel together."
Once Xiao Qin led Chen Ran into the apartment, Tao Lin pulled Zhang Fanzhi aside.
"You are my living ancestor, okay? What did you promise me a while ago? Why did you sneak off to pick someone up and even bring him straight to the apartment?"
Zhang Fanzhi pursed her lips and said, "Sister Lin, don't get the wrong idea. My dad called and insisted I go pick up Chen Ran; I had no way to disobey. Otherwise, if my parents notice something is wrong, they’ll start urging me to get married again."
"Really?" Tao Lin was skeptical.
Zhang Fanzhi nodded her head. "I don't lie!"
Tao Lin frowned.
"Even if Chen Ran can write songs, at his age, he’s still just a newcomer at the TV station. He can’t even be called young and successful. Why do your parents favor him so much?"
Zhang Fanzhi thought for a moment and said, "Chen Ran saved my father's life once, a few months ago."
Tao Lin instantly made the connection. She said speechlessly, "What era is this? Even if he saved a life, you can't use your daughter to pay him back!"
Zhang Fanzhi also sighed along.
"Yeah, that's what I think too. But this is also fine; at least my parents aren't urging me to marry."