Chapter 24 Awkwardness This is my son

After being busy these past few days, the restaurant's preparations have stalled on logo design and interior illustrations.

She wasn't satisfied with any of the sample images provided by the advertising agency. They had a rigid, mass-produced feel that failed to achieve the effect she desired.

She wondered if there were any private studios, and while searching online, she came across a sharp comment from a netizen: "Although college students' works are not mature enough, in terms of inspiration, they far surpass those of the corporate slaves who have been beaten down by society."

This gave her an idea.

Zhuang Fuyao went to ask Bagel if he had any suitable recommendations.

Bagel recommended someone, a senior from her university days.

After graduating, Jing Song opened his own studio, hiring outstanding graduates from major art academies. He offered high salaries with low pressure, and his studio's works were diverse and vibrant.

This perfectly meets Zhuang Fuyao's requirements.

We agreed to meet at a bar this weekend to discuss related matters.

Song Qing and Cheng Fan also came over.

Upon hearing the restaurant's design requirements, Song Qing said, "Actually, Bagel could do it. Although she mainly draws game concept art when she's working, she used to love drawing ancient-style figurines when she was slacking off. Her drawings..." She couldn't quite describe them, "Anyway, you'll know once you see her work."

Zhuang Fuyao was slightly surprised.

Jing Song also said, "Yes, Bagel is very talented in this area."

As he spoke, a gentle smile graced his face, and his eyes were full of admiration for Shu Run.

"No, no." Shu Run shook her head awkwardly. "What my sister needs is traditional Chinese style illustrations, which I haven't tried in a long time."

Song Qing sighed.

She knew that Shu Run was very talented and gifted, but she lacked self-confidence.

Left with no other choice, she took out the draft that Bagel had sent her and said, "Take a look, isn't it full of inspiration? You can feel its charm just by looking at it."

These few figures in the ancient style, drawn with just a few hasty strokes, have a simple structure, yet their charm is incredibly profound.

Everyone felt their eyes lit up.

Zhuang Fuyao asked Bagel expectantly, "Does your company have a policy that allows us to take on side jobs?"

Shu Run hesitated for a moment, then said, "Yes, it's possible."

But she worried that she wouldn't be able to do it. "How about I draw it first and you see if it's suitable?"

"OK."

After finishing our work, we all got together to drink, chat, and play games.

The drinking games that are popular now are not much different from those of the past, and Zhuang Fuyao is very skilled at them.

The others were pretty much the same; they had all played it to some extent.

Only Shu Run wouldn't. She went to bars very rarely, and most of the time she went with Song Qing. The two sisters would just chat when they were together, and they never played any drinking games.

"It's okay, I'll teach you."

Jingsong would give instructions from the side, and sometimes when Bagel lost a game, he would even drink for him.

Cheng Fan looked at it with a look of pure adoration for the couple, and also with the longing for love that someone who hasn't experienced relationships before might have.

Cheng Fan: [Sister Fuyao, those two are such a good match!]

Upon receiving this message, Zhuang Fuyao almost choked on her drink.

Cheng Fanguang had heard that Bagel had a boyfriend but had never met him, so he probably assumed that Jing Song was Bagel's boyfriend.

wrong……

She had never met Bagel's boyfriend, so could this so-called senior really be Bagel's boyfriend?

She texted Song Qing to confirm: [Qingbao, is this Bagel's boyfriend?]

Song Qing suddenly coughed violently, her face turning red. She waved her hand while laughing, "I choked, don't worry about me."

Song Qing: [Of course not!!!]

Song Qing: [To be honest, when I first met Jing Song, I also thought he was interested in Bagel. Later I realized that he's just a considerate and polite person. Simply put, he's like that to everyone. His concern for Bagel is probably only that of a junior sister.]

Zhuang Fuyao: [OK, OK, I understand.]

She knew that some men were born with that kind of gaze, looking at everything with deep affection, which could easily lead to misunderstandings.

However, why did the name Jing Song sound familiar to her?

-

Two days later, Bagel sent over the first draft, which Zhuang Fuyao found very satisfactory.

Considering Bagel also has a full-time job, the temporary arrangement is that the character illustrations for the distinctive logo will be handled by Bagel. The remaining scene illustrations and other character illustrations will still be handled by Jingsong's studio.

In addition, Cheng Fan also agreed to stay and work at the restaurant.

Song Qing might have to go on tour soon, and it's hard to say when she'll be back in Jiang City.

So whenever she had free time, Song Qing would call them out to hang out. They wouldn't do anything special, just drink and chat aimlessly.

Zhuang Fuyao took some time during the day to sign the contract with Jing Song. That evening, she went to the bar to meet with Bagel and Cheng Fan, carrying their contracts with her.

When the four of them got together, they had that crazy, college-student vibe.

For example, we need to sign a contract right now.

To avoid disturbing others, they didn't turn on their flashlights, only the light from their phone screens, and gathered together.

Zhuang Fuyao was worried that they wouldn't be able to read the entire contract: "How about we sign it another day, or we can sign it in the car later?"

Bagel and Cheng Fan said in unison, "No need!"

Then, taking advantage of the dim light, the two of them looked at the contract.

Zhuang Fuyao smiled and shook her head, a hint of helplessness in her expression.

After they finished signing, she checked it again, her gaze fixed on Bagel's signature: [Shurun]

Her heart skipped a beat, and she looked at Bagel in disbelief. "Bagel, is your real name Shurun?"

“Yes, that’s right.” Song Qing put her arm around Shu Run’s shoulder and answered for her with a smile, “Don’t you think our little sister’s formal name and nickname are both very nice to hear!”

Zhuang Fuyao was stunned and remained silent for a long time.

So her best friend is actually the female lead of the novel, her future daughter-in-law?

No wonder the name Jing Song sounded familiar to her.

Jing Song is the devoted second male lead in the novel, always staying by the female lead's side as a friend and silently protecting her.

In order to dispel the female lead's concerns, he pretended to get along well with several other male friends, acting like a friend of women, but in reality, he was very principled.

She took a deep breath. "I'm going to the restroom."

Song Qing subconsciously stood up: "I'll stay with you."

Zhuang Fuyao ignored the makeup on her face and washed her face with cold water.

Song Qing handed her a tissue and asked with concern, "What's wrong? You didn't look well just now."

Zhuang Fuyao hadn't quite recovered yet, and shook her head, "I suddenly remembered something. I want to go for a walk outside. You can tell them later."

Song Qing couldn't bear to let her go alone. "Then I'll go with you! I'll call Bagel later and tell him we're going out to buy some things."

Zhuang Fuyao nodded.

……

Half an hour later, a man wearing a baseball cap entered the bar.

Liang Chaoluo casually sat down and checked the location sharing on his phone.

Yes, the map shows that Shurun ​​is indeed here.

After he started dating Shurun, their phones were linked and their locations were shared.

Sometimes when people are too busy to check their phones, if the other person wants to see them, they will use this to find their phone.

This was once evidence of their loving relationship.

Nowadays, however, it's being used to catch adulterers.

…

Upon receiving Song Qing's call, Shu Run didn't think much of it and said, "Okay, then come back soon."

After hanging up the phone, she repeated it to Cheng Fan.

Then the two continued talking about university life.

Cheng Fan had never been to university; he had only seen what university life was like on TV. The student dormitories in those TV dramas were very interesting, and the stories between the roommates were particularly fascinating.

"Actually, that's all embellished by TV dramas. Real undergraduate dormitories rarely have such nicely decorated two-person rooms. Most are four-person or six-person rooms, and not every room has a private bathroom. Roommate relationships also vary. Some get along very well, while others may often have conflicts."

"Moreover, during the college entrance examination, the teachers said that we would be able to relax once we got into university. In reality, we have to start university early, worry about failing courses, and then worry about internships and employment in our junior and senior years..."

In reality, this world is just a walled city. Cheng Fan envied them, and Shu Run also envied Cheng Fan's simplicity and happiness.

"Actually, I really long for rural life. When I first graduated, I wanted to rent a house there and stay for two months, but plans don't always go as expected, and for various reasons, I still couldn't go."

Cheng Fan scratched his head, somewhat puzzled as to why city dwellers would envy rural life.

Although he also felt that his home was quite nice, with fresh air and a good environment, and cats, dogs, and cows were all his friends.

But staying there would make it difficult to support himself and his family. In years with poor harvests, it would be even more disastrous.

Therefore, he still prefers to stay in the city.

Cheng Fan: "It's okay, you can come to my house with Sister Fuyao anytime you have time."

"OK."

Shu Run's eyes crinkled into a smile, but her gaze inadvertently fell on a certain spot, and her smile froze for a moment.

She saw Liang Chaoluo walking towards her with a dark expression.

Shu Run rubbed her eyes, momentarily doubting whether she had mistaken someone for someone else.

When she got closer and confirmed it was him, she was very surprised. "What are you doing here?"

Liang Chaoluo stared at her quietly for a while, then shifted his gaze to the man beside him, his eyes sharper than before, and he couldn't help but clench his fist.

If he hadn't known that Shu Run disliked short-tempered people, he would have punched him long ago.

Hitting someone at this time is indeed unsportsmanlike.

He gritted his teeth. "Is this your new boyfriend?"

Shu Run frowned, looking puzzled. Just as she was about to speak, Zhuang Fuyao's voice came from the side, "Chao Luo?"

After taking a half-hour walk, Zhuang Fuyao finally accepted that Bagel was Shu Run. As she walked back with Song Qing, they saw this tense situation.

What's wrong?

Liang Chaoluo was taken aback, and quickly composed himself.

He recognized Ms. Zhuang's voice...

He couldn't let Ms. Zhuang know that he had been cheated on; it would be too embarrassing.

Shu Run was slightly taken aback. "Sister...you know each other?"

Upon hearing this, Liang Chaoluo looked at Ms. Zhuang with a puzzled expression.

He thought that Ms. Zhuang had just seen them while she was having fun here, and judging from the situation, Ms. Zhuang had come with Shu Run.

Ms. Zhuang knows Shu Run?!

Zhuang Fuyao coughed lightly and introduced him with a hint of embarrassment, "This is my son..."