Chapter 48: Withered Trees Come Back to Life: Our minds are united.

As time went on, Yu Jintang felt more and more that Xiahou Cheng gave her a strange sense of familiarity.

The feeling was too subtle for her to pinpoint exactly what was wrong. However, she was quite interested in this person, especially now that Xiahou Cheng was checking in with her in the chat every day, reporting the latest status of the dried branches grown with her tears.

Xiahou Cheng now takes her precious Xue Liu with her wherever she goes. She puts it in her RV in the morning, goes to see it after filming, and then takes it back to the hotel in the RV at night.

Yu Jintang was afraid that she would damage the plants. Especially one day, Xiahou Cheng came out of the bathroom and was seen carrying her bottle of tree branches.

Rumors began circulating within the production crew that actor Xiahou had a fetish.

Several extras huddled together and whispered, "Don't you guys think XHC seems to have some mental issues?"

The others nodded in agreement: "We've heard of the Mad King before, but seeing is believing."

"Doesn't she feel embarrassed? She's acting crazy all the time, it's unbearable to watch..."

"Keep your voice down. I really don't understand what she's doing. Can't she just be a normal person...?"

"Exactly, no wonder he doesn't have many friends."

Xiahou Cheng suddenly appeared: "Excuse me, are you guys playing with crickets called Xiahou Cheng?"

"Ahhhhhh!" The group of people stumbled and fell in terror.

Xiahou Cheng walked over slowly, single-mindedly tending to the withered branch in her arms: "I don't live to be understood by anyone, and it's enough that Yu Jintang is the only one in this world who understands me."

Yu Jintang didn't find it strange, but she was a little curious as to why she treasured the bottle of tree branch so much.

Xiahou Cheng proudly took a new photo of her; the pile of dry branches was still just a pile of dry branches.

Tulip Tree: [It hasn't sprouted yet.]

Xiahou Cheng: [It was bound to happen sooner or later.]

Tulip Tree: [How long does it take for the seller to say it will sprout?]

Xiahou Orange: [Sprouts in one week, bursts into bloom in two weeks]

Yu Jintang: [How much time has passed now?]

Xiahou Cheng: [Two weeks]

Yu Jintang: [...]

[Does Teacher Yu know the symbolic meaning of fresh willow branches in snow?]

Yu Jintang clicked on the image and swiped the screen to zoom in.

She gazed at the pile of withered branches, and suddenly a thought struck her: [A dead tree coming back to life?]

Xiahou Cheng replied after a while: 【Our minds are united】

Yu Jintang: [Like entering an empty field!]

Yu Jintang found herself increasingly comfortable spending time with Xiahou Cheng.

After filming wrapped up for another day, she called Feng Manhong, who was on set reshooting, to go for drinks. But the actress, Feng, said she was a little tired and left looking quite energetic.

Yu Jintang turned to Qin Lan and Jiang Yan, who were removing their makeup, and asked, "Old Qin, are you and Teacher Jiang going?"

Jiang Yan: "Teacher Qin, are you going?"

Qin Lan glanced at Yu Jintang and said, "Do you think everyone lives like you, indulging in a life of debauchery? I need to go back and read the script."

Yu Jintang: "Old Qin, you didn't say this when you used to go clubbing with me all night. Now you're pretending to be all high and mighty? Are you afraid someone will be unhappy?"

Qin Lan didn't even blush: "Don't talk nonsense. Who drank with you all night? That didn't happen."

Yu Jintang turned away silently, and Xiahou Cheng, who was leaning against the side, suddenly spoke up: "Teacher Yu wants to go to a bar?"

"Could it be you too?" Yu Jintang grinned in surprise, and immediately locked eyes with her.

Xiahou Cheng gave a wicked smile: "Teacher Tangtang, let's go."

“Okay, Teacher Chengcheng.” Yu Jintang affectionately took her arm: “Hold my hand tight, let’s walk together.”

Xiahou Cheng's legs went weak, and she almost fell. Fortunately, her fever didn't affect her face, and Yu Jintang didn't notice anything amiss.

It was getting late, so she asked the owner of Nile Club, and they said there were no private rooms available for the day.

"Does Teacher Chengcheng mind sitting in the lobby?" Yu Jintang covered the phone and turned to ask her.

Xiahou Cheng was already excited, but upon hearing this, he started rambling again: "I'd even sit on the toilet."

Yu Jintang said into the phone, "Okay, please prepare a private restroom for us."

Qin Lan turned to look at the two of them: "What, are you going to go to the toilet facing each other?"

Yu Jintang waved his hand dismissively: "Hey, it's not easy to find a kindred spirit, what's wrong with sitting in the toilet?"

"Teacher Tangtang is truly a heroine among women!" Xiahou Cheng clasped his hands in greeting.

"Oh, how can you compare to Teacher Chengcheng? Teacher Chengcheng is the real madwoman!" Yu Jintang quickly returned the greeting.

Qin Lan stared speechlessly at the two people who had inexplicably started acting out a scene: "I feel like I've been kicked out of the group chat."

Jiang Yan: "Finally, Teacher Yu has found someone who resonates with her."

Qin Lan: "I have a gut feeling..."

Jiang Yan: "There are too many people here, don't say it out loud."

The makeup artist who was removing her makeup: "..."

Qin Lan: "Then go back and check your phone."

Jiang Yan: "Teacher Lanlan can also come to my room to talk."

The makeup artist's pupils dilated in shock: "!!!"

Qin Lan: "Isn't that a bit inconvenient? What's your room number again?"

Jiang Yan: "5015, what time is Teacher Lanlan coming?"

Qin Lan: "Watch what time I finish showering."

The makeup artist didn't even bother removing her makeup; she just stood there typing: "Let me tell you, this weird couple might actually be real."

Two hundred onlookers quickly appeared in the gossip group: "What do you mean?"

Tell me, tell me, tell me quickly!

Has this weird couple updated their status again today?

Makeup artist: [Jiang invited Qin to her room! Qin even accepted!]

The two main figures continued their conversation as if no one else was around: "You know more than I do, do you think there's a chance?"

Qin Lan nodded and then shook her head: "It's uncertain. Yu Buguai mentioned last time that she plans to dedicate her life to a great cause."

Jiang Yan: "But I think someone and she are quite compatible, aren't they on the same wavelength?"

Qin Lan casually scrolled through her own super topic: "You can't use ordinary people's thinking to understand Bu Guai. Let alone resonance, she probably wouldn't talk about 'ten thousand butterflies flapping their wings'. She's stubborn to the extreme."

Jiang Yan remained silent: "So many years have passed, hasn't anything changed at all?"

Qin Lan: "Who knows? I think it's unlikely."

Makeup artist: ...Weren't you planning to talk in your hotel room?

Now that everything has been said, does that mean we won't go later?

After Qin Lan finished removing her makeup, she stretched and stood up: "Are you done? Take my car back, it's spacious."

"Right away." Jiang Yan wiped her face in front of the mirror: "My assistant just bought some avocados and vegetables, why don't you just have a bite at my place?"

Qin Lan looked down at her phone and said, "Why don't I just take another shower at your place? Do you have any towels? If not, I'll bring a set with me."

Makeup artist: Hey, there's still a living person here! Stop talking!!!

No one heard her thoughts, and Jiang Yan continued, "I don't have any of your clothes."

Qin Lan: "You don't usually wear clothes?"

Jiang Yan glanced at her ambiguously: "Ah, I'm just worried that Teacher Lanlan, um... it won't fit her."

Qin Lan glared angrily: "Jiang Yan, do you want to die?!"

Jiang Yan drawled, "Teacher Lanlan, don't be angry. Teacher Lanlan is always striving for improvement."

Qin Lan sneered: "If you call me that again..."

Jiang Yan readily agreed and zipped up her zipper: "I thought Teacher Qin would like it."

"Something's weird," Qin Lan muttered.

Nile Club had no available private rooms, and Xiahou Cheng suggested that since they were going to sit in the lobby anyway, they might as well go to another bar; quiet bars were too restrictive. Yu Jintang's eyes lit up, and she asked Xiahou Cheng if she had ever been to a nightclub. The two hit it off immediately and turned to leave.

It was 10 p.m., just as the crowd was about to begin their revelry. The atmosphere was electric, and Yu Jintang and Xiahou Cheng chatted animatedly all the way there, easily blending into the festivities.

Xiahou Cheng wasn't wearing a mask, but she spent ten minutes giving herself a dramatic makeover with bright red lips and black eyeshadow. At first glance, you would never guess that this supermodel is actually the crazy Xiahou Cheng.

The nightclub was incredibly noisy. Yu Jintang leaned close to Xiahou Cheng's ear and asked, "Teacher Chengcheng, would you like to go in and dance?"

The lights flashed wildly, and Xiahou Cheng shouted at the top of his lungs, "Okay!"

Then the woman danced in, but didn't let anyone see; she spent the whole time flirting with a pillar.

Everyone around her looked at her like she was crazy, and no one came to chat with her.

The friction between bodies created a deafening sound wave that made my heart tingle.

Smoke rose, and the smell of alcohol filled the nostrils.

Yu Jintang took a big gulp of wine and twisted her body in a venting manner.

Countless people are drawn to Yu Guangli.

"Pass the card! Pass the card!" someone shouted from afar. Then a playing card was passed around, and soon a woman came closer with a playing card in her mouth, her eyes darting towards Yu Jintang.

Yu Jintang smiled and was about to do a backflip to kick the card away when a hurricane suddenly swept up beside her. Someone yelled, "What? I want to play too!" and crashed into a row of people in front of her, bringing the game to a screeching halt. He then snatched the playing card with his mouth and began to tear it apart.

The woman was terrified, and after saying "You're crazy," she turned and left.

Xiahou Cheng stood up straight without panicking, took out a wet wipe and wiped her mouth: "Teacher Tangtang, I regret it a little."

Yu Jintang laughed heartily: "Really? It seems Teacher Chengcheng has already let loose!"

Xiahou Cheng took a glass of wine and drank it all in one gulp. He turned around, took her left hand in his palm, placed his right hand on her shoulder, and began to hum a waltz tune.

As Yu Jintang began to follow her dance steps, Xiahou Cheng looked up at the sky, a strange smile of blissful devotion on her face.

Amidst the debauchery and revelry, two women danced a waltz with abandon.

The people around them stared at them as if they were ghosts, and automatically made way for the eight-meter-long stage.

The two spun like tops, crashing through the crowd, everyone giving way in their wake. Yu Jintang, still spinning, grabbed the wine glasses from either side of her, while Xiahou Cheng, her gaze unwavering, pulled Yu Jintang back to her original position with a forceful pull. She'd forgotten the waltz; she was now singing the national anthem.

They kept walking, gracefully amidst the bright lights and bustling crowds, completely absorbed in their own art.

Yu Jintang said with a happy expression, "Teacher Chengcheng is truly the most interesting person I've ever met."

Amidst the flashing lights, she could only see Xiahou Cheng's fiery red lips opening and closing, but couldn't make out her features: "Teacher Tangtang is also the most compatible person I've ever met."

＊

At three in the morning, the receptionist at the Tulip Hotel yawned.

There was no one around at this hour, and she was a little sleepy, so she sat in a chair and scrolled through her phone for a while. Then, the sound of singing gradually drifted in from outside the door, which woke the receptionist up; she stood up and looked outside.

The sensor door opened automatically, and a soft, pleasant electronic voice announced, "Welcome home."

Then came two women, their arms linked, each holding a bottle of liquor: "Let's row our oars... the little boat will push through the waves..."

The receptionist was dumbfounded.

“Waves!” Yu Jintang shouted, grabbing a handful of Xiahou Cheng’s curly hair.

“Waves,” Xiahou Cheng mumbled incoherently.

"Teacher Chengcheng, do you know, I always thought that when I grew up I would be like... uh... like you..."

Yu Jintang almost tripped and died at the door: "It's like Teacher Chengcheng, with fiery red lips, big waves in her hair, big breasts, a perky butt, and a slender waist..."

Xiahou Cheng didn't reply, but slammed his hand on the glass with a loud bang.

She clutched her forehead, crouching on the ground in pain, and after a long while said, "Teacher Tangtang is too well-behaved, it's not appropriate."

"Good girl? Who said I'm good girl!" Yu Jintang angrily rolled up her sleeves, revealing her arm tattoos: "I'm rebellious!"

"She's good-looking," Xiahou Cheng mumbled, taking two steps back before walking forward again and slamming into the glass once more.

The receptionist rushed over, noticing that the glass was cracked. A bodyguard following behind at a distance supported the two women and helped them into the elevator.

Xiahou Cheng was still dizzy from the impact, but the effects of the alcohol had subsided considerably. He managed to find his way back to his room and reached into his bag for his room key.

The bodyguard helped Yu Jintang stand to the side. Xiahou Cheng rummaged through her handbag for a while, finally finding it in her jacket pocket. She opened the door, turned on the light, and then Yu Jintang went inside.

"You've come to the wrong room. Your room is on the top floor," the bodyguard reminded him.

Yu Jintang sang "Red scarves facing the sun" as she fell face down onto Xiahou Cheng's bed.

Xiahou Cheng stood there rubbing his eyes, asking, "What just went in?"

Bodyguard: "I'll carry her away immediately."

She walked over and tried to carry Yu Jintang, but Yu Jintang slapped her away, saying, "Don't disturb my sleep."

Bodyguard: "Miss, you've entered the wrong room..."

Yu Jintang shouted fiercely, "Shut up!"

Then he whimpered, "I'm so sleepy, I'm so sleepy..."

Just as the bodyguard was in a dilemma, he suddenly heard Xiahou Cheng chuckle gently: "Little puppy."

The bodyguard felt a chill run down his spine.

Xiahou Cheng went into her room and waved in the direction she thought there were people: "You guys go back, I'll pack up, don't worry."

The bodyguard didn't dare to move Yu Jintang, but he was also worried about Xiahou Cheng, who was facing the wall and talking. So he went downstairs and brought up some honey water. When he opened the door, only the bathroom light was on, and he heard someone retching inside.

Xiahou Cheng had vomited enough and walked out unsteadily. She pulled off Yu Jintang's boots and placed them at the foot of the bed. Then she pulled Yu Jintang into the quilt and curled her head up on the pillow.

She was exhausted and sat on the edge of the bed, panting heavily. Her fingers accidentally touched the ends of Yu Jintang's hair. She hesitated for a moment before touching it, gently brushing aside the hair that was covering her eyes, revealing a very innocent face.

"How come she's so cute?" she whispered, her voice gentle.

Then, she looked in the mirror with great satisfaction: "Thank goodness I was here; I scared away all the guys who tried to flirt with me."

Xiahou Cheng forced herself to get up and remove her makeup, then helped Yu Jintang apply it as well. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore and collapsed onto the sofa unconscious, still holding the makeup remover pads in her hand.

At five o'clock in the morning, a woman got up, staggered to the bathroom, and vomited violently.

A moment later, the sounds of flushing water and rinsing mouths filled the air. Yu Jintang staggered out, trying to walk back by herself. She had only taken two steps in the dark when her knee bumped into the armrest of the sofa.

"Ouch!" She only managed to utter one cry before she involuntarily tumbled in, landing on something soft. A wave of drowsiness washed over her, and suddenly two soft arms encircled her, pulling her tightly into their embrace.

Yu Jintang's last shred of consciousness was overwhelmed by sleepiness, and she fell into a deep sleep.

Thankfully, her phone alarm went off. When Xiahou Cheng opened her eyes, she felt numb all over, and every part of her body felt uncomfortable. She reached for her phone and touched something soft first: "Holy crap, sleep paralysis!"

The person in her arms screamed even more frightened than she was. The two of them huddled together and cried out for a long time before finally turning off the alarm. They both said at the same time, "What are you doing here?"

Yu Jintang: "Where is this?"

After regaining her memories, Xiahou Cheng gave a wicked smile: "Little girl, you have to take responsibility for your older sister."

Yu Jintang: "???"

He immediately looked down at his fingers.

“Dry.” She held up her hands.

Xiahou Cheng lazily squinted, pointing to his chest, which was a mess from being used as a pillow: "What do you mean by this?"

Yu Jintang looked around for a long time: "No, this isn't my room either."

“It’s my room,” Xiahou Cheng said. “You’re drunk. You forced your way in and climbed onto my bed. When I tried to pull you away, you yelled at your bodyguard. You can go ask him if you don’t believe me.”

Yu Jintang was even more confused: "Boo-er, according to you, shouldn't I be in your bed?"

Xiahou Cheng: "I was just wondering about that. I lay on the sofa all night, and someone who had a bed didn't want to sleep in it, so they insisted on squeezing onto the sofa."

Yu Jintang touched her nose: "Maybe I went to the wrong place to wash my face."

Xiahou Cheng felt she couldn't hold on any longer: "Teacher Tangtang, you're still sitting on me."

Yu Jintang said "Oh," got up, and casually touched her waist: "Teacher Chengcheng has a very slim waist."

Xiahou Cheng shuddered and pulled her back into his arms, his sexy curly hair lazily covering his eyebrows and eyes: "Woman, you're playing with fire."

Yu Jintang's dramatic impulse kicked in, but she quickly lost her composure: "Hmm... now I know other places are pretty good too."

Xiahou Cheng swallowed and let go of her: "It's time to go to work, Teacher Tangtang."