CH 34

Yu Zhou received a long string of likes, all from Peng Xiangzhi.

She even liked her Weibo post from 2018.

What was he doing? Digging up the past? Yu Zhou found it baffling.

She sent a message to Peng Xiangzhi: “Director Peng, has your Weibo account been hacked?”

Peng Xiangzhi replied quickly: “No.”

The next message read: “I just think you’re pretty great.”

…Well, that was unexpected.

The week went by peacefully. Without the recording, Yu Zhou even felt a little unaccustomed. During these days, she felt like she had been coated in a layer of professionalism, making her way through high-end buildings like an ambitious young person with clear goals.

Ding, ding, ding. As the clock struck twelve, Cinderella took off her glass slippers, stepped down from the pumpkin carriage, and put on her gray apron once again.

Time to be a salted fish.[1]

The wrap party dinner was probably the equivalent of the clock striking twelve.

Yu Zhou rarely attended these types of dinners so she didn’t know if she should dress up for the occasion. She chose the most expensive one from her common T-shirt collection, went to the hair salon for a wash and style, and put on some eyebrow makeup and mascara.

As soon as she was done, she regretted it. Every time she applied mascara, her eyelashes felt heavy and sticky, instantly making her sleepy.

Speechless.

In the end, her clothes for the occasion hadn’t been sent for dry cleaning because she used the money to buy a new outfit for Xiang Wan. She bought an old yellow, loose camisole dress and a sheer white casual jacket on Taobao, which only cost 130 yuan including shipping. There wasn’t much fabric or cutting, but Xiang Wan had a good temperament, making the outfit look sweet and slightly antique.

It was definitely more eye-catching than Yu Zhou’s ordinary T-shirt.

Xiang Wan let her hair down, styled it into loose curls, applied some makeup, and wore a pair of flat shoes.

“You look like a campus beauty,” Yu Zhou said, “More like the older sister type, not the younger sister type.”

Xiang Wan didn’t quite understand the sister-type reference, but she was happy to try a new style.

The dinner was set for 7 pm at a high-end Cantonese restaurant on Wu Gong Road. When checking the route, Yu Zhou also saw the average cost per person, which made her ponder.

Yu Zhou wondered if everyone in the voice acting industry was a rich second generation.

The two of them got out of the taxi and climbed a few steps before they were welcomed by the waitstaff into the restaurant. The cool and fragrant atmosphere was refreshing as the interior was decorated in a Cantonese style. There were mahjong-shaped decorations hanging from the ceiling and on the other side was a seafood section with large crabs as well as lobsters swaying gracefully.

Seeing the mahjong decorations, Yu Zhou felt a sense of familiarity. As she walked towards their private room with Xiang Wan, Yu Zhou pointed out the decorations, asking if there was mahjong in the Li Dynasty and if she could take Xiang Wan to play sometime.

With the beginner’s luck and her guidance, they would surely dominate the mahjong table.

Pushing open the door to the private room, there was an antique-looking large round table with a deep red color. The small suite had a sofa and tea table on one side, with a large screen playing a few Cantonese songs on the other side.

“From this moment on, remember the spring breeze and autumn rain, allow me to slowly grow indifferent to you within half a year…”

Seriously? Yu Zhou found it a bit funny that they were playing a sad love song at the wrap-up dinner.

Peng Xiangzhi was sitting in the center of the sofa, dressed in a red, body-hugging pleated dress that looked very seductive.

Only she, Zhou Ling and Gu Qian’an had arrived. The three were chatting and looked up when they saw Yu Zhou. Peng Xiangzhi smiled at her.

Yu Zhou felt a tingling sensation on her scalp, not knowing if she was mistaken, but she saw admiration and affirmation in Peng Xiangzhi’s eyes that seemed irresistible.

“Come, Zhouzhou,” she called her by her nickname, which made them seem much closer.

Yu Zhou pulled Xiang Wan and sat down on the sofa, feeling a bit uneasy.

“Su Chang hasn’t arrived yet,” Peng Xiangzhi said gently with a smile. “Shall we wait for her for a while?”

Shall… we? Does she really speak like this in her everyday life? Yu Zhou felt goosebumps on the right side of her jaw.

“Uh, sure, no problem. There was a bit of traffic today,” she said, spreading her hands as she gently touched her palms, wiping away some sweat.

She then turned to Xiang Wan and asked, “Do you want to listen to any particular songs? There’s a remote control here, and it seems we can choose.”

Xiang Wan shook her head.

Peng Xiangzhi suddenly leaned over, bypassing Yu Zhou to ask Xiang Wan, “Wanwan, I told Zhouzhou earlier, did she pass the message to you?”

Without waiting for Xiang Wan to nod, she withdrew to take a paper bag from behind her, handing it to Xiang Wan, “Here, this is for you.”

Xiang Wan gracefully thanked her before taking the gift.

Xiang Wan placed the gift aside, her hand resting on the rope as she glanced at Yu Zhou.

“You can open it, no problem. If you want to see it, go ahead.” Yu Zhou almost felt like she was taking care of a child.

That is if Xiang Wan didn’t look a bit more mature today.

Xiang Wan took out two books from the package, “Self-improvement for Voice Actors” and “A Simplified and Traditional Chinese Character Dictionary,” as well as a small gift box. She opened it to find a microphone-shaped enamel badge keychain.

Xiang Wan held the keychain in the palm of her hand, examining it carefully, then hesitated before saying to Peng Xiangzhi, “This is too valuable.”

“Huh?”

Peng Xiangzhi leaned forward, not quite understanding.

It wasn’t that valuable… The badge only cost her around 60 yuan.

Xiang Wan looked at her again.

Peng Xiangzhi leaned back, whispering into Yu Zhou’s ear, “Why is Wanwan looking at me as if I’ve given her a family heirloom?”

Well, maybe in ancient times, an imitation enamel badge of such exquisite craftsmanship would have been considered a family heirloom.

“Put it away quickly,” Yu Zhou whispered to her.

Xiang Wan nodded as she carefully put away what she considered “jewelry.”

As they were talking, the screenwriter and post-production specialist arrived. It was their first time meeting, so they exchanged pleasantries while standing. Soon after, F and Qing Shen entered hand in hand, appearing to be old acquaintances.

F was very talkative, with a round face as well as round glasses, looking chubby and delightfully mischievous. As she entered, she exclaimed, “Author-sama!”

She felt that after communicating with the author on WeChat for months, they had become confidants, so she was very enthusiastic about their first face-to-face meeting.

“Ahaha.” Yu Zhou greeted her with a stiff smile.

“Who is this?” F quickly shifted her attention, pushing her glasses up while looking at Xiang Wan.

“Xiang Wan,” Yu Zhou introduced, “the one I told you about.”

“You mentioned her, but you never said she was so beautiful!” F wrinkled her nose and laughed.

Yu Zhou found it quite strange how the people she had chatted with in the virtual world seemed so different in reality. It was an odd distance, neither close nor unfamiliar, just made her feel a little uncomfortable.

She didn’t have many online friends; most of her friends in real life were childhood friends, so it was difficult for her to define the distance between online friends and interact with them appropriately.

Feeling a bit of social anxiety, she made an excuse to go to the bathroom. Xiang Wan was caught up in conversation, so she didn’t go with her. Yu Zhou leaned against the wall, playing on her phone for a while. When she felt it was time to go back, she pushed open the door to the private room.

It was still lively inside, but everyone had taken their seats, including the late-arriving Su Chang.

She must have just arrived, as she was bending over to grab some tissues. She was wearing a black shirt, with her pale, slender wrists visible from her sleeves.

Yu Zhou looked around, seeing an empty seat on Su Chang’s left, with Peng Xiangzhi seated further to the left and Xiang Wan beside her, looking up at Yu Zhou.

Instinctively, Yu Zhou wanted to sit next to Xiang Wan.

However, Peng Xiangzhi called out, “Qi’an, move over a bit. Though the table is big enough, there’s no need to sit so far apart.”

Gu Qi’an moved and took the seat next to Xiang Wan.

Then Peng Xiangzhi smiled at Yu Zhou, “Zhouzhou, come sit next to me.”

The empty seat next to Su Chang was waiting for her.

Yu Zhou nodded and sat down. As she passed Su Chang, she caught a whiff of her familiar, light perfume. She glanced over, seeing that Su Chang had exposed her legs today, wearing shorts that reached the top of her thighs and a pair of short boots.

Su Chang handed Yu Zhou a tissue she had just taken for herself.

Trying to make conversation, Yu Zhou asked, “Just arrived?”

“Yeah, there was some traffic,” Su Chang replied.

“Oh.”

“How did you get here?”

“By taxi.”

“Next time,” Su Chang said, wiping her hands with the tissue while crossing her legs, “let me know, and I’ll pick you up along with Xiang Wan.”

Yu Zhou hesitated, “It seems like there won’t be a next time for this wrap-up dinner, right?”

Peng Xiangzhi, who was listening with her ears perked up, couldn’t help but want to kick Su Chang.

“There should be one for the second season,” Peng Xiangzhi said with a smile, trying to defuse the situation.

But discussing a wrap-up dinner for the second season seemed a bit premature, didn’t it?

“Oh, okay,” Yu Zhou replied, shrinking her shoulders, feeling like a quail sandwiched between the two of them.

Damn it. Why do I feel so uncomfortable?

She glanced at Xiang Wan, who met her gaze and then swept her eyes over the three of them before smiling.

Once the meal started, it wouldn’t be awkward anymore, Yu Zhou told herself.

After the dishes were served, the atmosphere indeed improved. Everyone was chatting and laughing, making the mood quite pleasant. Peng Xiangzhi felt a bit guilty for leaving Xiang Wan out, so she was exceptionally warm to her, actively offering dishes as well as talking about the food.

Gu Qi’an, who was sitting next to Xiang Wan, also seemed to like the well-behaved girl. Seeing that Xiang Wan enjoyed drinking fruit wine, she poured her another glass.

Watching Xiang Wan being well-received on both sides, Yu Zhou felt a bit complicated.

She was the one with the weakest connection to the crew, but she had received this treatment simply by showing her face. Moreover, she seemed to be enjoying the attention, like a noble lady.

“Xiang Wan,” Yu Zhou called her softly, “Drink less.”

“This wine is very good,” Xiang Wan told her.

“Even if it’s good, drink less. If you get drunk, I won’t be able to get you home,” Yu Zhou said, leaning back in her chair while speaking to Xiang Wan across Peng Xiangzhi.

Xiang Wan also leaned back, offering a glass to her, “You should try it.”

“I’m not drinking,” Yu Zhou insisted, wanting to stay sober.

Xiang Wan withdrew the glass, pressed it against her lower lip, taking another sip. Her eyes sparkled, the same color as the wine in the glass.

Peng Xiangzhi leaned forward slightly, resting on the table, and tapped a finger in front of Su Chang.

Hearing the sound, Su Chang looked up, seeing Peng Xiangzhi’s gaze traveled from Xiang Wan to Yu Zhou.

Su Chang moistened her lips, her chopsticks resting on the edge of a plate.

Peng Xiangzhi shot her a glare before withdrawing her hand.

At the dining table, Su Chang’s phone lit up. She swiped to open it, revealing Peng Xiangzhi’s message: “I hate that you’re acting like a block of wood.”

“Juat keep waiting,” Su Chang replied.

“You’re done for,” Peng Xiangzhi typed.

She saw Su Chang hesitate for a moment before reaching out to type a reply.

Peng Xiangzhi quickly sat up straight, waiting for her message. Finally, it came: Su Chang quoted the message “Juat keep waiting” and replied with a “Just*”.

Damn it! Peng Xiangzhi wanted to strangle her.