Pei Ying looked at the message she just sent, her face covered in black lines.
Why did she hesitate for so long and then end up sending such a dull message...
She really wanted to recall that text, but even if she did, the receiver would still get a notification that a message was recalled... Why was Weixin so annoying. Since they were letting you recall a message, why couldn't they let you do it silently?
Just as she was grumbling about the inhumanity of Weixin, Song Nanchuan's reply popped up.
[Chuan Chuan] Goodnight. ^_^
Pei Ying was caught totally unprepared. What should she reply with?
As she was bewildered about what to do, Song Nanchuan skillfully sent another message. "What have you been up to these two days? I saw that you didn't eat breakfast until after 8, so you're not filming anymore, right?"
Pei Ying stared at the message. She hadn't expected him to be so attentive. He'd even taken note of when she posted about her breakfast...
[Pei Ying] Mm, I haven't had any work after the last project wrapped orz. But the online store I opened with my friend is having a promotion soon, so it's been pretty busy.
[Chuan Chuan] Online store?
[Pei Ying] Mm, for female attire. My main role is being the model.
Song Nanchuan seemed to recall seeing something like this in the files he'd looked over about Pei Ying. "I see. Suits you."
[Pei Ying] (shy) It's just a side job I do with my friend. If I just relied on actor's fees, I'd starve to death.
Song Nanchuan chuckled and his lips curved up slightly. "No need to worry. You'll get more work in due time. When I visited the filming site before, the director praised your acting and said you were better than Tao Tao."
Pei Ying laughed lightly when she read the message. Regardless of how her acting skills compared to Tao Tao's, Tao Tao was still the female lead. But she believed Song Nanchuan's words as well. She would get more work and things would develop in a good direction. As long as she continued to improve herself, she would find the right opportunity.
She'd always been an optimistic person.
As she was replying to Song Nanchuan's message, her phone suddenly started ringing.
Pei Ying stared a bit blankly at the screen. After a moment, her mind was even more blank.
It was Song Nanchuan calling.
She looked at the incoming call as if it were her enemy. After taking a deep breath and tidying her emotions, she picked up. "CEO Song?"
"Mm." It was the same beautiful and clear voice, but coming through the speaker, there seemed to be another charm added to it. "It's too much trouble to type, so I just called.
"...Oh," Pei Ying responded after several seconds.
The person on the other side of the phone seemed to have laughed. Then he said, "Isn't this our first time talking on the phone?"
"It is..." Pei Ying didn't even dare to breath too loudly, afraid that her breathing would give away how nervous she currently was.
"Feels pretty special," Song Nanchuan said, his voice still carrying a smiling tone.
Pei Ying clutched her phone and sat up straight, her face slightly flushed. "CEO Song, are you very busy with work?"
"Mm, a bit." A rare hint of weariness came through in Song Nanchuan's voice. "This client is a bit difficult, and the competitors have more leverage."
"Ah, then am I disturbing your rest?"
"It's fine." Song Nanchuan laughed. "I feel very relaxed chatting with you."
Pei Ying, "..."
But she was so nervous she could die.
"Mm, oh yeah, I had a photoshoot today. Do you want to see?" Pei Ying originally wanted to say something to distract herself, but... What did she mention that for?! Why would you ask someone else if they wanted to see your photos?! What a crappy question!
She couldn't even recall her words this time, and suddenly, she felt that Weixin was really quite humane.
Song Nanchuan was silent for a second. Then he responded, "Sure, send them to me on Weixin later."
"Mm..." Pei Ying's whole face blushed quietly.
"I saw that you're eating breakfast well every day. Are you making them from the recipe I sent?"
"Yeah. I'm using the ingredients you gave me too."
Song Nanchuan laughed. "What a good girl."
Those two words nearly caused Pei Ying's soul to fly up to the skies, especially because of that faintly discernible loving tone. It made each word weigh down on her like a meteorite. (Note: 'Good girl' as in well behaved. And when I say loving tone, it is that, but also like when you pamper or spoil someone... Often a child, but also loved ones in general.)
"Each day is determined by your morning, so you've got to take breakfast seriously," he said.
"...Mm, CEO Song, you too. Don't skip meals because you're busy..." Pei Ying's mind hadn't recovered yet, so she could only respond automatically.
Song Nanchuan replied, "It's late, so I won't bother you. Rest early. Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
When the sound on the other end cut off, she finally realized he'd hung up.
Good girl. Those words rang in her head like a magical tune. Maybe he'd just said it casually, without much meaning, but those words were really too intimate. Her heart was all confused.
[Chuan Chuan] Don't forget to send the photos
Seeing the text that Song Nanchuan just sent, Pei Ying was distressed once more. She was refusing inside, but since she was the one who suggested sending the photos in the first place, she could only accept the fate she brought to herself.
There weren't that many photos on her phone. Ren Shanshan had just sent her a few of them. She flipped through her album and picked out a few satisfactory photos to send.
Ah... Indeed, she was still embarrassed...
With a red face, she waited for Song Nanchuan's response.
Her phone vibrated and Pei Ying's heart trembled along.
[Chuan Chuan] They're really pretty. I feel like I'll sleep well tonight.
Pei Ying's face turned red faster than the human eye could see, and steam nearly started rising from her head. She fell backwards onto her bed and rolled up in her blanket.
That night, Pei Ying's heart felt light as a feather. She felt that whether she was 23 or 14, in the face of love, it was all the same. Her age didn't give her any advantages.
She didn't fall asleep until very late. The next morning, she was woken by the ringing of her phone. She reached out her right arm and felt around for nearly half a day before she finally found her phone. "Hello..."
"Pei Ying, you're still sleeping?! Before I left last night, I reminded you about our work for today!"
Ren Shanshan's angry roar gradually sobered Pei Ying up. "Eh?" she asked. She rubbed her hair and immediately sat up. "I'll head over right away!"
She quickly dressed and got ready, and then rode speedily in a taxi over to the studio. Pei Ying ran into Ren Shanshan's studio and dropped her bag. "Hurry, hurry, let's take the photos!"
Ren Shanshan looked at Pei Ying, her eyes probing. "Why is your complexion so bad? What were you up to last night?"
"...I was on the phone with Song Nanchuan."
Ren Shanshan blinked. "Did you talk all night long? Did you guys talk about some stuff that's not suitable for children's ears?"
"...We just talked for a few minutes. You didn't use the cleanser I gave you before, huh?"
Ren Shanshan rolled her eyes, and then she smiled gracefully. "Just a few minutes? CEO Song's a bit fast, isn't he?"
Pei Ying, "..."
She didn't hear, she didn't hear... There really was no way to talk to a filthy demon old driver like Ren Shanshan!
She picked up a set of clothes and headed to the changing room.
Because of the internet mall promotions, the studio was a flurry of activity. And since the staff that Ren Shanshan hired all took on multiple roles, everyone was extremely busy. Pei Ying couldn't just stop working after her photos were done either. Since no one had time to spare, she helped out with customer service.
With all the promotions happening, they also saw a sharp rise in the influx of customers to their store. It seemed to Pei Ying that bright and early each morning, she ran over to Ren Shanshan's studio. And it wasn't until the sky was dark that she left.
Although work was very tiring, it also kept her mind off of other thoughts. Three days passed just like that.
That day, she had also worked like a horse all day at Ren Shanshan's studio. Pei Ying took a shower and walked out of the bathroom. Out of habit, she picked up her phone and scrolled through it.
There was a new message on Weixin, and she quickly opened it.
[Chuan Chuan] I'm back. Are you free tomorrow afternoon? A friend gave me two tickets to a concert. Want to go together?
Pei Ying nervously swallowed. She thought for a moment. The official promotions for their store would start tomorrow. They'd spent the past week preparing for it already, so there probably wasn't anything left for her to deal with.
[Pei Ying] Sure. What time?
[Chuan Chuan] Tomorrow afternoon at 2. I'll pick you up.
Pei Ying listened to the clear sound of her heart beating. She tried her best to calm herself. "Okay. ^_^"
After that was taken care of, Pei Ying immediately pulled open her closet. She looked at the large array of clothes and started to put together her outfit for tomorrow.
Since they were going to a concert, she should dress slightly more formally. She tried on a few outfits, and in the end, she picked one of her favorites, a red dress.
It was an off the shoulder dress, a popular trend that year. It might still be a bit cold to wear it in the spring, but in order to look good, she didn't care about the weather. And besides, when she let her hair down, it was basically like wearing a shirt anyway.
Once she decided on her clothes, Pei Ying calmed down a bit more. Although she'd already eaten with Song Nanchuan twice, this would still be their first time going out together without anyone else.
When she thought of that, she suddenly grew anxious again. Should she figure out what to talk about tomorrow first? Lest they end up with more awkward moments of silence.
Pei Ying seriously thought about it, nearly forgetting to write down the ideas. She finally felt that she'd taken care of everything, when she suddenly realized that she hadn't asked about the type of music at the concert. She should have asked about that first.
After hesitating about whether to text Song Nanchuan to ask about the music, Pei Ying decided... to forget it and just go to sleep.
She wouldn't lose any sleep that night. No matter what else, she had to look good for her date... No, she meant, look good to go to the concert.
She hadn't even laid down for two seconds when she suddenly got out of bed to put on a face mask.
That was a close call. She nearly forgot about that.
The concert that Pei Ying meticulously prepared for and was greatly anticipating finally came.
Pei Ying had just carefully put on her makeup. While it wasn't as good as what a makeup artist could do, it was pretty good. She checked her phone for the time, and when she saw it was already 1:50, she grew ever more anxious.
When the familiar violin tune played, Pei Ying suddenly calmed down. She let out a deep breath and answered the phone. "Hello, CEO Song."
Song Nanchuan's voice sounded, "I'm outside your place. Are you ready?"
"I'm ready. I'll head down now." Pei Ying hung up and, like a soldier heading into battle, she walked down the stairs.