Shops hung with red lanterns, temporary roadside stalls selling New Year goods—all heralded the imminent arrival of the Spring Festival.
Qiao Sheng went to the courier station to pick up a package.
The young, pretty female employee’s eyes clearly showed a hint of disappointment when she saw Qiao Sheng.
Puzzled, Qiao Sheng recited the pickup code. The girl found her package with routine efficiency and handed it through the small window.
Out of habit, Qiao Sheng said, “Thank you,” which earned her a surprised second glance from the girl.
Qiao Sheng: “…”
After all, the original host never said thank you.
But then again, the original host rarely stooped to pick up packages herself—Gu Huo almost always ran these errands for her.
Suddenly, it dawned on Qiao Sheng why the girl had looked disappointed.
It was because she hadn’t gotten to see the handsome Gu Huo.
As the male lead with both talent and looks, Gu Huo was a rare gem inside and out.
The chance of encountering such a guy in real life was about as slim as winning a five-million-yuan lottery.
Even if you couldn’t have him, just admiring him from afar could make your dreams sweet at night.
After Qiao Sheng walked away, the young girl wailed, “I can’t do this anymore! I’m quitting!”
Another married coworker teased, “Come on, look at you. Just because you didn’t see that handsome guy, you’re this upset?”
The girl pouted. “This job is dirty, tiring, and full of nonsense. The measly pay isn’t even enough for me to buy a decent outfit. If it weren’t for the occasional eye candy as a perk, I would’ve quit ages ago!”
Qiao Sheng hadn’t gone far. Her shoelace had come undone, so she crouched outside the threshold to tie it, overhearing every word of the conversation inside.
She felt a little sorry.
The original host loved online shopping, so Gu Huo had to visit this place every other day.
But since Qiao Sheng, who was thrifty and practical, had taken over, she rarely bought things. And even when she did, she wouldn’t send Gu Huo to pick them up.
She never expected this would affect the courier station girl’s mood.
Still, though she felt apologetic, she had no intention of changing her ways.
“What I regret most is never mustering the courage to ask for his contact info before.”
Amid the girl’s lament, Qiao Sheng finished tying her shoelace, picked up the shoebox-sized package, and headed back.
She couldn’t tell the courier station girl that Gu Huo belonged to the female lead—no one could take him away.
Everyone else might as well give up!
Gu Huo wasn’t home; he had gone to work.
The house was empty, with only Qiao Sheng inside.
She used scissors to open the surprisingly light box and pulled out bags of colorful clay.
Outside the window, dusk gradually fell. Under the soft lamplight, the girl calmly kneaded a piece of flesh-colored clay, soon shaping it into the form of a head.
That night, a charmingly naive doll appeared on Qiao Sheng’s desk.
Qiao Sheng wasn’t just idly bringing her past hobby into this world to entertain herself or kill time.
She was determined not to hold Gu Huo back, but that didn’t mean she would just shout slogans while tightening her belt and living as frugally as possible.
In life, everything from eating and drinking to daily necessities revolves around one thing: money.
So she hadn’t given Gu Huo all six hundred yuan from the returned items—she needed to keep some seed money for herself.
Forced into this world, Qiao Sheng adopted a “since I’m here, I’ll make the best of it” mindset. She was determined to do everything she could to survive and thrive here.
Not wanting to spend Gu Huo’s money—correction, not wanting to spend the money of Gu Huo who is currently still poor—while needing to survive herself, what should she do? Simple: rely on her own efforts.
Currently, she is still a student. Unlike Gu Huo, who can juggle multiple responsibilities, finding a suitable job outside is somewhat difficult for her.
By chance, she came across a recruitment post for a handmade clay artisan on a community forum. The poster was a studio named Creative Clay. Qiao Sheng found the shop on a shopping platform; it specialized in selling or custom-making clay handicrafts based on provided designs.
What a coincidence.
Qiao Sheng didn’t have many hobbies—reading books, listening to music, and sculpting little figures.
Having sculpted so much, even if she wasn’t a professional, she wasn’t far from it.
Seeing this recruitment post, she was immediately intrigued. She promptly ordered clay online and, following the requirements in the post, created a finished piece. She then added the other party on WeChat, took photos, and sent them over. As for whether it would catch their eye and lead to collaboration, how could she know without trying?
Do her best first, then leave the rest to fate.
After finishing all this, Qiao Sheng clicked into a new group chat.
In the few days since crossing over, Qiao Sheng hadn’t been idle; she had been constantly seeking ways to earn money.
Through various channels, she successfully infiltrated a temporary job dispatch group.
The latest message was from the group owner, recruiting distributors for a job.
Eighty yuan a day, paid daily.
It was a promotional event for a supermarket’s Spring Festival discount sale.
Not much, but Qiao Sheng wasn’t picky.
She had worked grueling jobs before and understood the harsh reality that money is hard to earn.
Every penny counts; it’s better than only spending without earning.
She quickly replied in the group to sign up and soon received confirmation and work arrangements from the group owner.
The next day, Qiao Sheng woke up early, hastily ate a few bites of breakfast, slung a small crossbody bag over her shoulder, tossed out a “I’m heading out, I’ll be back before dark,” and hurriedly stepped over the threshold.
Gu Huo glanced at the time in surprise—it wasn’t even seven in the morning yet.
He went to the balcony, and before long, her solitary figure appeared in his line of sight. Dressed heavily, her steps were surprisingly light, as if she were heading to a fun party.
Gu Huo’s gaze fell on her long black down jacket.
Qiao Sheng was the type who prioritized warmth over style. Whenever she went out for fun, she made sure everything from her makeup to her outfit was perfect.
As for this bulky down jacket, which offered no aesthetic appeal but only warmth, she had worn it only once after buying it, and it had been gathering dust in the closet ever since. Until recently, when its owner rediscovered it, and it made a comeback, becoming her go-to companion for every outing.
Gu Huo almost never inquired about her whereabouts, lest she snap back with, “What’s it to you?”
Out of habit, Gu Huo naturally remained silent this time, as he always did.
She wasn’t a three-year-old child. If she wanted to go out, no one could stop her. Once she had her fill of fun, she would return on her own, like a bird returning to its nest.
The next day, Qiao Sheng left again before seven in the morning.
At the time, Gu Huo was hanging clothes on the balcony.
“I’m off.”
With those words, the door closed softly, and the sound of her footsteps faded from near to far, gradually disappearing.
Gu Huo knew Qiao Sheng best.
She was a typical struggle-to-get-out-of-bed person, especially when the cold wind blew outside. She’d cling to the bed as if welded to it, lying around all day like a parasite waiting to die.
But these past two days, she had broken from her usual pattern, leaving early two days in a row, seemingly busier than he was. What on earth was she doing?
Gu Huo couldn’t figure it out no matter how hard he thought.