Chapter 45 Her Milk

Even without waiting for an answer, an answer was already on the tip of his tongue: that equally clear voice, the vaguely similar features between the eyebrows...

Just as Grandpa Li was about to speak, Grandma Yu returned with a cardboard sign, her phone still on a video call: "We're here! We even met a young man, he was such a nice guy..."

She shoved the screen in front of Qu Chen and said, "Here, this is my granddaughter, Weiwei, the captain of her group!"

Qu Chen stared wide-eyed at the familiar person on the screen.

On the other end of the video, Ling Wei seemed to be making final preparations. Her makeup was complete, making her already outstanding features even more exquisite and dazzling.

The makeup artist was busy fixing her hair at the back of her head, while tiny crystal stickers around her eyes shimmered slightly under the backstage lights, like glittering diamonds adorning her brows and eyes, making her look beautiful and even dreamlike.

She had already put on her usual sweet smile, ready to greet the "helpful young man" her grandmother had mentioned: "Hi...huh?"

The voice suddenly changed the tone the moment the face was clearly seen.

A kind-hearted young man?

No, no, no... Which of these four words can be associated with the world-weary face in front of you that makes you want to punch him?

If I had to say, perhaps only the word "small" could be considered somewhat related?

"What are you saying, child!" Grandma Yu's face wasn't in the frame, but her scolding voice came through clearly.

Ling Wei snapped out of her daze and realized that she had accidentally blurted out her innermost thoughts.

She quickly cleared her throat, her gaze meeting Qu Chen's face on the screen, which was even darker than before. She swiftly switched back to her impeccable idol-like smile, her tone polite and considerate:

"Hello! My grandma said you helped her a lot, thank you so much! You've worked so hard..."

Then, in a deliberately softer voice, she said, "Um, it's so noisy here. Could you please take my phone and walk around a few places for me? I want to check out the atmosphere and see my fans."

Grandma Yu immediately said, "Grandma can handle this little thing."

"Grandma~" Ling Wei's voice softened even more, with a hint of coquetry, "He's young, he's better at using a phone."

Qu Chen understood immediately. He realized that the atmosphere was just a pretense; the real purpose was to have something to say privately. He picked up his phone and said, "I'll go."

He had just walked to a secluded, shadowy spot when the person on the other end of the screen stopped pretending to be a sweet girl and switched back to the fierce demeanor from that night, lowering her voice to question, "How did you end up with my grandma?"

"Just a coincidence," Qu Chen said succinctly.

Ling Wei ground her back teeth. She believed it was a coincidence, but she was inexplicably angry. After thinking for a moment, she issued a warning: "Don't you dare take advantage of my grandma's phone to put anything weird on it!"

Qu Chen: "..." His image in her heart has really deteriorated.

"And another thing! Stay away from my grandma! You gloomy monster!"

Qu Chen retorted instinctively, "What's it to you? Your grandma likes me, so I'm not leaving."

"Get out!!"

For some reason, seeing her furious expression actually improved Qu Chen's mood. He leaned against the wall with a leisurely air and said, "I'm not leaving. If you shout again, I'll go tell your grandma right now."

Ling Wei: "......"

That damn tattletale!

She took a deep breath, calmed herself down, and said seriously, "My grandma can't stand seeing people looking down. You're such a gloomy person next to her, so watch your mood and don't let her worry about you."

She had just recovered from a serious illness.

Upon hearing this, Qu Chen unconsciously stood up straight, his expression becoming more serious, and retorted in a low voice, "I'm not depressed."

"You think this isn't pathetic? The way you look down at everyone makes you look like everyone owes you something! Seeing you like that makes me want to punch you twice. You're just asking for trouble..."

"Grandma." Qu Chen was about to activate the summoning spell.

"Okay, okay! I won't say anything more!" Ling Wei immediately gave in.

Qu Chen saw her phone screen shake slightly, as if someone had pulled her from the side, and she could faintly hear urging voices in the background.

She spoke rapidly, instructing, "Tell my grandma we're fifth to go on stage! That's all for now, I really need to get ready!"

Just before the video call ended, I could hear her muttering:

"What a damn helpful young man..."

Whose idol always swears? Qu Chen was at his wit's end. He turned off the screen, but he was stunned for a moment.

The black phone screen honestly reflected his current appearance; his tightly pursed lips had relaxed at some point, and the clear upward curve was obviously a smile.

He was actually laughing.

Qu Chen thought he was angry, after all, her merciless words that night had pierced his heart like a thorn.

Strangely enough, when I saw her through the screen just now, I felt a surge of joy in my heart. All the awkwardness and competition I felt earlier seemed inexplicably superfluous at that moment.

He composed himself, put his phone back in his pocket, and was about to walk back when his phone vibrated.

[Xiao Chen, my performance is about to start, will you watch? Remember to cheer me on!]

It's a message from Bai Wanqing.

With only 20 teams remaining, the schedule has been adjusted so that Groups A and B will take turns appearing on Qinghe TV on Saturday evening, with the broadcast taking place simultaneously from 19:30 to 21:40.

Since the previous rule of "priority selection of popularity votes" has been abolished, the order of appearance for the two groups will be determined by drawing lots, with Group A performing first.

Qu Chen stared at the message quietly, then calmly replied:

[Wanqing, keep going!]

That night in the car, he sat alone for a long time. Reason told him that he should investigate and find out whether Bai Wanqing knew about the wiretapping or whether she was really just playing along with him.

This should have made him very uneasy.

But after a long silence, he just felt tired and silently started the car.

never mind.

Whether it was intentional or had ulterior motives, it doesn't matter anymore.

It was indeed he who first distrusted people.

He deserved it.

After exhaustion comes a huge sense of bewilderment, with no idea what to do next or where to go.

He started the car, and her fierce yet incredibly vivid face, along with her closing words, kept flashing through his mind uncontrollably.

Want a large portion?

How can there be such an idol who makes you want to eat a huge portion of food?!

He felt a surge of resentment at the thought, but it also dispelled some of his confusion, and he subconsciously stepped on the gas.

For the next few days, he felt uneasy. The image of that person he hated would always pop into his mind unexpectedly, making him feel restless and upset.

At that moment, the inexplicable irritability dissipated considerably, and a long-lost sense of lightness rose in my heart.

When Qu Chen walked back to the first row, he saw Grandma Yu chatting enthusiastically with several young people.

She looked at the large light board in the lead girl's hand, her tone full of concern: "Girl, it must be tiring to carry such a big light board!"

That girl was Li Jinyue.

She arrived early to arrange the support activities and happened to meet Grandma Yu, who was holding a hand-embroidered handkerchief. She recognized the familiar group name at a glance.

Upon learning that the person in front of her was Ling Wei's grandmother, she was so excited that she almost jumped up. In fact, she was practically her grandmother too!