Unaware that Jiang Yin had frozen for a moment, Lin Shu carried on with her introduction: “I absolutely love the female lead’s character in this drama. She is so lively and cute, and the actress’s performance is quite good, very grounded, and not at all pretentious.” She continued to praise Jiang Zhen fluently, not holding back her admiration in the slightest.
“Are you her fan?” Jiang Yin could not help but ask.
“I was not before, but I am now after watching this drama!” Lin Shu happily turned the tablet back toward herself, touching Jiang Zhen’s face on the screen. “Our Zhenzhen is so talented and hardworking. I like her so much!”
“I like her too, I like her too!” Ji Xiaoning, who had finished posting to her social feed, leaned in. “But I am not a solo fan; I am a shipper!”
“Who are you shipping?” Hearing this, Xu Yao, who had been busy taking selfies with her new necklace, dropped her phone and pounced over excitedly, grabbing Ji Xiaoning’s arm.
“The female lead and the second female lead!”
Xu Yao cheered and hugged Ji Xiaoning. The two chirped like sparrows on a branch, beginning to count the “sweet moments” of this pairing.
Squatting on the floor, Jiang Yin silently pulled her suitcase back a bit, making room for the two fans who were wearing “maternal smiles.”
On the other side, Lin Shu walked over. While helping Jiang Yin pack her things, she turned her head and asked, “Do you guys only ship the characters in the drama? I think the real life chemistry is also great!”
Burying her head in organizing clothes, Jiang Yin looked up blankly, her face written with confusion and shock. Was this something you could ship?
Seeing Jiang Yin look over, Lin Shu perked up instantly. She grabbed her phone from the desk and began her presentation for the three of them: “Jiang Zhen and Shen Ningzhao used to be in the same company. Even after Jiang Zhen went independent, they still meet up frequently in private!”
“That does not prove anything; good friends meet up in private too,” Xu Yao and Ji Xiaoning walked over, and the four of them squatted around Jiang Yin’s suitcase.
“But what kind of ‘good friends’ are this intimate while eating? This is a video released just today, showing their lunch together this afternoon!” Lin Shu clicked on a video and showed it to the three.
In the video, a woman with long, elegant wavy hair and exquisite accessories sat opposite a girl dressed simply. The two were chatting, and after a brief exchange, the girl broke into a sweet smile.
In the next moment, the woman suddenly rose and sat down beside the girl. She then turned her body to block the girl, appearing to help her adjust her hair or clothing.
When the woman stood back up, the girl reappeared on screen, looking somewhat flushed.
The video ended.
“Is that not ship worthy?” Lin Shu waved her phone. “If it was just fixing clothes, she could have just told her where the mess was. Shen Ningzhao actually went and sat right in front of Jiang Zhen. Who knows what she did when the camera was blocked? Maybe the little couple was”
“Cough, this video was filmed secretly. Isn’t that illegal?” Jiang Yin could not help but interrupt her.
Lin Shu bumped her shoulder in dissatisfaction. “Why say such a killjoy thing!”
“Alright, alright. Although secret filming is shameful, it really does look ship worthy,” Ji Xiaoning patted Lin Shu’s shoulder. “Is there any other ‘sugar’?”
Hearing this, Lin Shu got excited again. She pulled Ji Xiaoning up. “There is, there is plenty! Let me show you!”
Xu Yao remained squatted next to Jiang Yin, shrugging her shoulders. “Real life ships are almost always fake. I am a rational shipper; the drama version is sweeter.”
Jiang Yin threw her a look of approval and appreciation.
After they finished packing together, Jiang Yin went to take a shower. By the time she returned, it was almost lights out. Everyone agreed to turn off the lights, and Jiang Yin climbed into bed to sleep.
Before sleeping, she scrolled through Weibo for a while, glancing at current events and entertainment news. Suddenly, a notification popped up at the top of the screen.
It was the Cat Protection Association she belonged to, posting a fund collection for cat food. Below it was a payment code and a notice about taking a few kittens for vaccinations tomorrow afternoon.
When university first started, Jiang Yin had no intention of joining any clubs; she had neither the time nor the money. But Lin Shu did not dare to go to the Cat Association interview alone and dragged her along. Eventually, they both got in.
The person in charge of the association was very kind. Most of the time, she paid for cat food and vaccinations out of her own pocket, only turning to the members for funds when absolutely necessary.
Initially, Jiang Yin planned to quit after one semester. But after participating in several rescue activities, she succumbed to the charm of the kittens and gave up the idea of leaving. Even when Lin Shu left the association a year later, Jiang Yin insisted on staying.
While signing up for tomorrow’s activity, Jiang Yin saved the payment code and donated some money to the association.
After exiting the payment app, she clicked back into Weibo. Upon re-entry, the home feed refreshed. The first recommended video that jumped out nearly caused Jiang Yin to drop her phone.
“Zhen-Ning Real-Life CP FMV.”
After quickly swiping past it, Jiang Yin absentmindedly browsed a few news items, taking nothing in. As if possessed, she scrolled back to the top, pulled out her earphones, and clicked on that video.
After her shower, Jiang Zhen opened her phone and received a call from Song Xi.
Song Xi sounded deeply troubled on the other end: “How did you get photographed? Isn’t that restaurant known for its high end privacy? How did a paparazzi even sneak in?”
Jiang Zhen, equally plagued by a headache over this, looked helpless. “I do not know either. And of all things, that part was caught. Right now, the third item on the Weibo entertainment hot search is our CP. It has been all afternoon and the heat has not died down.”
“I have handled the hot search; the tag will drop shortly,” Song Xi sighed. “The key is that after the incident came out this afternoon, a popular variety show wants to invite you for an episode: the one about pets that is very hot lately.”
Jiang Zhen knew this variety show. Each episode features celebrities introducing viewers to a type of pet, from cats and dogs to snakes and parrots. It had gone viral on major video platforms for being both hilarious and a tear jerker. Many stars had reached out, hoping to appear as guest stars.
And Shen Ningzhao was one of the show’s permanent cast members.
Seeing that she had not spoken for a while, Song Xi said earnestly, “This is a great opportunity for exposure. Your new drama has great momentum, and this variety show is a major hit. If you perform well, it will be a huge help to your future.”
Jiang Zhen gripped her phone, hesitating. “But, Shen Ningzhao is also there.”
“I know what you are worried about,” Song Xi sighed deeply. “You might not like hearing this, but this is indeed the best solution right now. Zhenzhen, why don’t you consider playing into the CP with Shen Ningzhao?”
“The fact that the show invited us today is likely Shen Ningzhao’s doing; her family is one of the investors,” Song Xi continued. “I know your family has power too, but you haven’t made that public and you do not rely on them for your career, so”
After a long silence, Jiang Zhen replied, “I understand, Sister Song. Let’s do as you say.”
“By the way, I have chosen the script,” Jiang Zhen leaned back on the bed. “Let’s film that university campus drama.”
“Okay,” Song Xi sounded clearly relieved, her tone becoming much lighter. “I will get back to Director Lu in a moment.”
Before hanging up, Song Xi suddenly remembered something major: “Wait, isn’t your school having midterm exams soon? Remember to study!”
Jiang, Jinghe Film Academy student, who had completely forgotten about midterms, Zhen let out a scream. She jumped off the bed like a wild monkey and rushed to her desk, opening her long buried backpack to begin a painful review session.
The next day after classes, Jiang Yin met up with a few members of the Cat Association, preparing to take a calico and a tortoiseshell cat from the campus to the hospital for vaccinations.
The chosen hospital was quite large with reliable doctors, so they used it as their regular spot for the cats’ checkups and shots.
Jiang Yin arrived a little late. The other members were waiting for her under a tree at the school gate.
An Yu, the head of the association, saw her and waved with a smile: “Jiang-Jiang! Hurry over!”
This was An Yu’s pet name for her. Every time Jiang Yin heard it, she got goosebumps. After she had tactfully expressed her dislike for the name, An Yu stopped for a while, but the others in the association had grown used to it. They called her “Jiang-Jiang” with such enthusiasm that, over time, Jiang Yin had simply adapted.
Jiang Yin ran up in a few steps and took the pet carrier from An Yu’s hand.
“Luckily, this little calico is not heavy,” An Yu gave her a sweet smile. “But Jiang-Jiang is still the most thoughtful.”
The other two members took a step back, their faces full of mock disgust.
“Let’s go. How are we getting there?” Jiang Yin subtly dodged An Yu’s reaching hand and asked.
“I have already called a car,” another girl carrying a cat bag waved her phone. “The driver will be here soon.”
The four of them, with the two kittens, soon arrived at the pet hospital. Because the hospital was very famous, there were many owners bringing their “fur babies” for treatment. Although An Yu had made an appointment in advance, they still had to wait in line for a while.
The little calico, unable to sit still in the carrier, reached out its paws to scratch at the cage door. Jiang Yin extended a finger to push its paw back. Instead of retreating, the kitten poked its paw through the cage slots to grab Jiang Yin’s finger. The human and cat began to play together like this.
“Hey, look,” the two other members sitting beside her whispered as they chatted. Their voices were just loud enough for Jiang Yin to hear. “The variety show Our Friends officially announced the new guest for the next episode. It is Jiang Zhen!”
Capturing the keyword, Jiang Yin pricked up her ears and began to “eavesdrop” openly. She had heard Lin Shu and Xu Yao discussing this show this morning; apparently, it was filmed and aired weekly, collecting real time viewer feedback to adjust content, which earned it a lot of praise.
“I remember Shen Ningzhao is a regular. Does this mean we’ll see them in the same frame?”
“Won’t that be a total visual feast? I am definitely watching this episode as soon as it drops!”
“Wait, look. For the next episode, the production team seems to be collaborating with Mony Hospital to educate everyone on pet diseases. Isn’t that this very hospital?”
“It looks like it! They will be filming here this Friday. If we come to the hospital then, we might actually run into them filming!”
The two continued to chirp about the content of the next episode. Jiang Yin withdrew her attention and opened her phone.
She entered the keywords into the Weibo search box. The first result was the official announcement post from the show’s account. At the bottom of the post, a line of small text caught Jiang Yin’s eye: “Recruiting on-site volunteers. Click the link to sign up!”
After a moment of hesitation, she clicked the link.