CH 29

Zheng Baozhu still remembered that day when she wore a new dress and used her mom's curling iron to style her favorite curls. She happily set out.

Meng Yaxin had reserved a table at the rooftop restaurant of the hotel and invited some close classmates to join her for a meal. Originally, they hadn't planned to invite Qu Zhi, but Mother Meng, who was treating them, insisted on inviting the top student of their grade to encourage others to learn from him.

Meng Yaxin thought that Qu Zhi might decline the invitation given his cold and distant personality. However, to her surprise, Qu Zhi readily accepted the invitation to join them for dinner.

Zheng Baozhu and Qu Zhi lived in the same neighborhood, and theoretically, they could have gone together, but their relationship had always been rocky, so they both chose to take separate taxis.

Although they set out separately, they arrived at the hotel at almost the same time.

As both of them got out of their cars simultaneously, Qu Zhi glanced at Zheng Baozhu, who was dressed up for the occasion, and without saying a word, he walked into the hotel. Although he didn't speak, Zheng Baozhu already understood a thousand words from his eyes.

"Qu Zhi, what do you mean by that look just now?" Holding the gift prepared for Meng Yaxin, Zheng Baozhu caught up with him and asked, "Can't stand seeing me, huh?"

"..."

Qu Zhi remained silent and walked straight to the elevator, pressing the button. Zheng Baozhu didn't want to take the same elevator with him, but when she saw the other elevators had long waiting periods, she reluctantly decided to go in with him.

In the elevator, it was just the two of them. Zheng Baozhu looked Qu Zhi up and down and asked, "Are you empty-handed? What about your birthday gift?"

"In my backpack," Qu Zhi replied.

Zheng Baozhu glanced at Qu Zhi's backpack. Oh my, who would bring a backpack to a classmate's birthday banquet. :)

He wouldn't be preparing to perform a math test for everyone later, right? :)

Thinking about this, Zheng Baozhu looked at him suspiciously, "Did you prepare a set of test papers to give everyone as a birthday gift?"

"..."

"You're thinking too much."

"That's good, then," Zheng Baozhu then picked up the little gift box she prepared and waved it in front of Qu Zhi, "This is the lipstick I got for Meng Yaxin. It looks really nice."

Qu Zhi glanced at it and said, "Makeup is not allowed at school."

"That's fine; she can use it when she goes to university. Anyway, we'll be graduating soon," Thinking about this, Zheng Baozhu was a bit excited. She heard that Qu Zhi was planning to study abroad, which was great news.

Zheng Baozhu! You can finally get rid of the disaster that is Qu Zhi!

Just as she thought of the word "disaster", the elevator suddenly shook and the lights went out.

Zheng Baozhu let out a high-pitched scream in fright. Fortunately, the lights quickly came back on, but the elevator was still stuck. Zheng Baozhu looked at Qu Zhi in the corner and asked nervously, "What's happening?"

Qu Zhi remained in his place but stepped forward to press the buttons for other floors. When there was no response, he pressed the emergency call button and said, "It seems like it's malfunctioning."

"Malfunctioning?" Zheng Baozhu turned pale when she heard those three words. She instantly imagined various scenes from movies and TV shows where elevators plummeted to the ground, "No way, why do you look so calm as if nothing is happening?"

Qu Zhi turned around and glanced at her, "Then what should I do? Panic with you?"

"..."

Zheng Baozhu pursed her lips, took out her phone, and tried to make a call, but the signal was particularly weak, and she couldn't get through. Her composure was starting to break, "Qu Zhi, you really are a jinx. I shouldn't have taken the same elevator with you!"

"..."

Qu Zhi also took out his phone and checked the signal, which was indeed very weak. His calls couldn't get through either, "I already pressed the emergency call button. The people in the control room should have heard it."

As he finished speaking, the elevator suddenly dropped again, scaring Zheng Baozhu, who screamed, "Aaaahhhh!"

Even the composed Qu Zhi, a sixteen-year-old boy, felt a bit scared at this moment. He glanced at Zheng Baozhu and walked up to press all the floor buttons, then he helped her up from the floor, "Lean against the wall, tuck your head down, and bend your knees, standing on your tiptoes."

While instructing her, he adjusted Zheng Baozhu's posture correctly and then took the same position himself. With tears in her eyes, Zheng Baozhu looked at him and said, "This position looks so ugly."

Qu Zhi: "..."

Zheng Baozhu was indeed Zheng Baozhu. Even at a time like this, she was still concerned about whether the position looked ugly or not.

He gently pushed Zheng Baozhu's head back and pressed it against the wall, saying, "Don't look at me, tuck the back of your head against the wall. This position protects the spine. Bending your knees is because ligaments are the only tissue rich in elasticity. If the elevator drops, using your knees to absorb the force is better than using your bones."

After listening to him, Zheng Baozhu's heart pounded even harder, "So the elevator is really going to fall, right?"

"..."

Qu Zhi slightly pursed his lips and said, "Usually, elevators have five to six steel ropes, and there's a holding brake in the traction machine. The cabin also has a speed governor and safety gear. Unless all of these things malfunction, the elevator won't fall."

Qu Zhi's words brought some relief to Zheng Baozhu's fragile heart. She sniffed and asked Qu Zhi, "When will the maintenance team come? It's so tiring to stand like this."

Qu Zhi: "..."

It was indeed a bit exhausting.

"The elevator shouldn't drop again. You can relax a bit. If the elevator drops again..."

"Shut up!" Zheng Baozhu interrupted him, "Please, don't talk about it."

"..."

Qu Zhi fell silent.

Both of them shifted to a relatively relaxed position, waiting for someone to come and rescue them. Midway through, they managed to make a phone call, briefly informing the person on the other end of their approximate floor location. The time waiting for help felt particularly long. Although the elevator didn't drop again, Zheng Baozhu didn't dare to let her guard down.

When they heard voices from outside, Zheng Baozhu was relieved and excited. She pounded the elevator door as if she had seen her loved ones, "Uncle, we're in here! We're inside!"

After a while, the elevator door was finally pried open, and Zheng Baozhu let out a deep sigh of relief.

"Zheng Baozhu, you go up first, and I'll support you from below," Qu Zhi suggested. Zheng Baozhu didn't hesitate and climbed out, but halfway through, she suddenly realized she was wearing a skirt. She turned back to look at Qu Zhi, "Don't look at me!"

"..."

Qu Zhi said seriously, "I'm closing my eyes."

"..."

Regardless of whether he was telling the truth, Zheng Baozhu chose to believe him.

After Zheng Baozhu was safely out, the rescue team pulled Qu Zhi out as well. The two of them had been trapped in the elevator for over half an hour. At the top floor, Meng Yaxin had already received the news and was waiting outside. Meng Yaxin's mother had rushed over as well; if something happened to the two children inside the elevator, the responsibility would be significant.

"Baozhu, are you okay?" Meng Yaxin hurried over and looked at Zheng Baozhu worriedly. Zheng Baozhu tearfully hugged her, "I was so scared. I thought I couldn't get out, wuwuwu..."

"It's okay, it's okay. You're safe now," Meng Yaxin patted Zheng Baozhu's back, comforting her like she was a child.

"I had my hair beautifully curled today, but the curls are all gone now, wuwuwu..."

"It's alright! You're still the most beautiful!"

"Really?"

"Really!"

"Sob, sob, sob." Zheng Baozhu cried a few more times and took out the lipstick she had prepared for Meng Yaxin, "This is the lipstick I got for you, but it fell on the floor when the elevator malfunctioned. I don't know if it's broken."

"It's fine, even if it's broken, I can still use it!" Meng Yaxin said and didn't forget to inquire about Qu Zhi. He was their grade's top student and had represented the country in competitions. If he got hurt, it would be a big loss!

"Qu Zhi, are you okay too?"

"I'm okay," Qu Zhi glanced at the teary Zheng Baozhu, "You should take care of Zheng Baozhu."

"...Okay," This was the top student? Trapped in the elevator for over half an hour, yet he remained unfazed.

"Remember what happened?" Qu Zhi's voice came through the phone, pulling Zheng Baozhu out of her memories, "I remember you cried even worse than when you saw the puppy that other day."

Zheng Baozhu: "..."

A crooked log cannot make a straight plank1. :)

"Is this related to the post you made on your moments?"

Zheng Baozhu said, "I got trapped in the elevator again."

There was a brief silence on the other end of the line before Qu Zhi's voice came back, "Are you okay now? Where are you?"

"I'm fine, I came out safely, and I'm about to head back to the hotel."

Qu Zhi slightly furrowed his brows, "Are you driving yourself?"

"Yeah."

"Then wait a bit, calm down first before driving, and be safe."

"Okay..." The more Zheng Baozhu listened, the more it felt unusual. Was Qu Zhi this concerned? He called before even her mother did.

Suddenly feeling a little embarrassed, she raised her hand to touch her nose and changed the subject, "By the way, why are you so free today? I just posted on my moments, and you saw it?"

"...I'm outside this afternoon."

"Oh..." Zheng Baozhu replied, and then another call came in. It was from her mom.

"My mom is calling, let's talk later."

"Mhm," Before Qu Zhi hung up, he reminded her, "Drive safely. If not, get a designated driver."

"No need to worry that much, I'll hang up first." Zheng Baozhu ended the call and answered her mom's call, "Mom, what's up?"

On the other end of the line, Su Mingxi asked, "Baozhu, I saw your post on moments. What happened? Did you see a mouse or a spider?"

"...Mom, it's not that. I just came out to do something, the elevator had a minor malfunction, but I'm fine now."

"What? Another elevator malfunction? I remember when you were in high school when you were stuck in an elevator, you were so scared, crying miserably..."

"..."

Zheng Baozhu hurriedly interrupted her, "Mom, I'm fine now. I'm driving, so I won't talk to you anymore."

"Oh, then focus on driving. Are you really not hurt?"

"I'm really not."

"That's good. I'll hang up then."

After Su Ming hung up the phone, Zheng Baozhu posted a unified response in her moments and then drove away.

Upon arriving at the hotel, she received a call from Gao Boyun. Zheng Baozhu opened the hotel room door, answered the call, and walked inside, "Director Gao, the casting results won't be out so soon, will they?"

"Of course not," Gao Boyun replied, "I saw your moments about the elevator incident, so I called to check on you."

"Oh, I'm fine. Thanks for your concern, Director Gao."

"That's good to hear," Gao Boyun then changed the topic, "By the way, let's talk about the role of Ye Ling."

"Sure," Zheng Baozhu put down her car keys, sat on the sofa, and continued, "Is this also part of the audition process?"

"Just casual chat, no need to be so formal," Gao Boyun said, "Some people say that the role of Ye Ling was written by the author just to increase the word count and earn more money. Even if this character is removed, it won't affect the overall plot of the drama. What do you think about this?"

"I don't agree with that. On the contrary, I believe the author created this character with a purpose and depth," Zheng Baozhu analyzed, "From the male lead's conduct during his memory loss period, we can see that he is inherently a kind and innocent person. He even saved the people in the village with Ye Ling, showing his heroic side. This sets the foundation for his later decision to abandon hatred and choose family and national righteousness, making it a logical and natural choice, as this character represents purity. I also see symbolism in the role of Ye Ling, representing the unblemished part of the male lead's heart that hasn't been consumed by hatred. It's because of this purity that he is able to preserve his humanity and not completely become a tool for revenge. Therefore, I completely disagree with any adaptation that portrays Ye Ling as a villain. Such a change would deviate from the author's original intention."

Zheng Baozhu then added, "Of course, this is just my personal understanding, and I'm not saying this to dissuade you from deleting the role."

Gao Boyun chuckled and said, "Don't overthink it. We never planned to delete this role. That's settled then. I won't disturb your rest anymore."

Gao Boyun hung up the phone and looked at Lin Ziqin beside him, "What do you think? The actor we selected isn't just making up the numbers, right?"

Lin Ziqin nodded slightly and replied, "Her understanding of the role is profound and her appearance is also outstanding. It's a bit of a pity for her to play such small roles."

But Gao Boyun saw it differently, "I think the role is just right. Although it's not a major role, it's an important one. The revised character settings in this adaptation are more in line with the audience's preferences nowadays. Introducing the audience to the story through this role is perfect. With her current acting skills, she can handle the role of Ye Ling perfectly. If we had given her a leading role, her weaknesses might have been exposed."

Lin Ziqin couldn't help but laugh, "I can tell that Director Gao really likes this actress."

Gao Boyun didn't refute and raised an eyebrow slightly, saying to Lin Ziqin, "You know, big directors like to discover and nurture actors themselves. I discovered Zheng Baozhu in the Film and Television City. I have that kind of eye for talents, just like with Su Ming and my father, who can appreciate each other."

Lin Ziqin responded, "Oh, I thought it would be me who you appreciate like that."

Gao Boyun smiled, "Teacher Lin is being modest. With your current status in the industry, I should be the one trying to get close to you, not the other way around."

Zheng Baozhu had no idea that Gao Boyun already considered her as someone he discovered and nurtured. At this point, she was still scrolling through her moments until she came across a photo of someone she wasn't used to seeing on moments – Qu Zhi.

What's going on? Did he finally realize that handsome guys should post selfies?

She stopped and looked closely. It turned out this post wasn't made by Qu Zhi himself; it was posted by their elementary school teacher, Teacher Zhang.

Zheng Baozhu was briefly stunned. She had Teacher Zhang on her WeChat because they met when Teacher Zhang visited Starlight Farm once and recognized her instantly. Even though so many years had passed, Zheng Baozhu couldn't recognize Teacher Zhang at first glance, but Teacher Zhang easily recognized her.

Since then, they became friends on WeChat. Since Teacher Zhang hadn't retired yet, her moments mostly consisted of their former elementary school students' daily lives. And today, a picture of a successful former student from more than a decade ago appeared in her moments.

Teacher Zhang: My student from over a decade ago is giving a lecture to the children at the school today. Isn't he handsome?