Chapter 42

Xia Lanzheng looked over warily: "What do you mean?"

Song Xinghuai took a puff of cigarette, and at that moment his eyes drifted far away, as if penetrating the tall buildings and falling to the end that Xia Lanzheng could not see.

"I forgot, you just went on vacation to the beach, so you should be able to swim. Let me put it another way, Brother Xia, stay away from the water recently."

Xia Lanzheng sensed a hidden meaning in his words, and the subtle feeling became more and more obvious.

Before he traveled through time, the original owner did smoke when he was hanging out with Yu Yang and his gang. How did Song Xinghuai know that?

The setting sun shone on the glass of the high-rise building opposite, reflected back, and fell right between Xia Lanzheng and Song Xinghuai.

This straight beam of light cannot be blown away or dispersed by the wind. It stands here like a sharp knife.

The sea and water mentioned by Song Xinghuai...all the signs pointed to the same place, a hint and reminder -

The cruise party where the original owner lost his life.

Song Xinghuai undoubtedly knew about this, but the problem was that he shouldn't have known. Could it be that he had experienced the same thing as himself and traveled through time?

No wonder the plot took such an unexpected turn, like a perfectly normal piece of music with one or two notes off-key. Xia Lanzheng didn't dare act rashly, nor did she dare reveal too much.

He took a step to the side, out of the reach of the sunlight.

"Summer is here, and there are indeed safety risks in this area. Thank you for your reminder."

Song Xinghuai's hand froze as he shook the cigarette, and the ash rubbed against the ashtray and fell to the ground. He looked at Xia Lanzheng again, only to see his dazzling smile.

He extinguished the cigarette butt and threw it into the ashtray filled with the emotional corpses of migrant workers.

"Well," Song Xinghuai said before leaving, "You're welcome."

The sun moved westward, and the afterglow of the sunset quietly changed its position, shining on Xia Lanzheng's face, but he did not react at all.

The sudden "contact operation" made him uneasy. Although he did not reveal his own information, he still realized that things were beyond his control.

Back in the screening room, the lights were already on. Song Xinghuai and his agent returned to a separate office to review the film, leaving Cheng Lan and the two agents alone in the room.

They had obviously seen the trending search as well, and were discussing countermeasures when Xia Lanzheng approached.

"The CP super topic has come out, this episode of the show is a hit." Yang Pengfei said.

Yu Jiawei turned around and saw Xia Lanzheng, and pulled him over: "How do you feel about this unexpected success?"

Xia Lanzheng's face turned pale, and she loosened her collar: "Ah... it's good."

"Very good?" Yu Jiawei said with a smile, "How about you two start a new trend?"

Cheng Lan spoke at the same time as him: "Brother Yang, please turn up the air conditioner temperature a little."

Xia Lanzheng hadn't even sat down yet when she heard this and suddenly looked towards Cheng Lan.

Cheng Lan sat obediently beside him, staring at him with the same look as on the day the show was recorded.

"That's not good..." Xia Lanzheng hesitated, "It's not good for Cheng Lan."

No popular artist is willing to be tied to an unknown artist.

As soon as the words fell, Cheng Lan shook his head and nodded: "Okay, no problem on my side."

When these words were spoken, the other three were all shocked.

Yang Pengfei asked: "Are you sure?"

Yu Jiawei glanced at him. Although he knew the pros and cons, he thought that his young artist was good in every way and was only one chance away from becoming a big star. Would Yang Pengfei say anything?

Cheng Lan said firmly, "Sure, what about you?"

Xia Lanzheng had other plans in mind, but he is still an artist of Xingpai, and Cheng Lan is considered his senior.

Since his seniors hadn't refused, there was no reason for him to refuse. Besides, this matter was altruistic no matter how you looked at it.

"If you agree, that's fine with me," Xia Lanzheng said. "Thank you."

Cheng Lan moved his lips, wanting to say that there was no need to thank him given their relationship, but when he saw Yang Pengfei and Yu Jiawei here, he swallowed his words.

"Alright then," Yu Jiawei clapped his hands, "Let's use this show to make a big splash."

With a thud.

The pen fell to the ground and rolled around, and the ink spilled all over the floor.

"no."

In the study, Chu Linchuan spoke righteously, turned on the hands-free mode of his mobile phone, and opened the trending searches on Weibo.

"I don't agree with this."

In the company's office, the marketing team was sitting at the table waiting for news. The plan was almost ready, and then they listened to Yu Jiawei's earnest advice.

"Boss Chu, the show is a hit, and so is Xiao Xia and Cheng Lan's couple. The marketing department and the sales team have analyzed it, and it's a win-win situation for both sides. This isn't some exaggerated hype; they're childhood friends, so just bragging about their friendship..."

Everyone fell silent and listened attentively. Chu Linchuan's cold and hard voice came from the receiver.

"Since you've already analyzed it, you naturally know the two sides of the CP model. Xia Lanzheng doesn't need to be marketed this way. He deserves to be seen, and he will be seen sooner or later. What good will it do him to force his growth?"

The team leader extended his hand for Yu Jiawei to take the phone, and he personally persuaded the determined Mr. Chu.

Yu Jiawei didn't do that. He sighed lightly, faced everyone's gaze, and replied, "I understand."

"Why?" someone was puzzled. "This is a very common marketing tactic. Why doesn't Mr. Chu agree?"

Another person grasped the key point: "Why did you personally ask Mr. Chu for instructions on Xia Lanzheng's matter?"

Yu Jiawei looked up at the sky and then at the ground, unable to hold back another long sigh: "I can't explain this to you guys clearly, let's just go our separate ways, so we can get off work early today."

In fact, Yu Jiawei was not surprised that Chu Linchuan said this.

Mr. Chu protected Xia Lanzheng so closely, he should have expected this. It was unclear whether this was a good thing or a bad thing, but Mr. Chu seemed unaware that Xia Lanzheng was a healthy bird.

No matter how expensive and gorgeous the golden cage is, it cannot hold it.

This matter soon reached the ears of Xia Lanzheng and Cheng Lan. Xia Lanzheng asked Chu Linchuan, who was working in the study at the time.

He raised his head from the documents and said calmly, "There's no special reason. You're our artist, and I don't want you to be at any risk."

The situation at Cheng Lan's side was different from the calmness at the Chu family. Compared to Yang Pengfei's confusion, Cheng Lan was more annoyed.

This incident was very telling, and that was Chu Linchuan's attitude. It was obvious that Chu Linchuan didn't want him to be too close to Xia Lanzheng.

Cheng Lan ruffled his hair and said, "Brother Yang, what should I do?"

*

The opening ceremony of Su Cheng's solo exhibition was scheduled for a sunny day, but on the day, the sky suddenly turned gloomy.

When Xia Lanzheng arrived at the entrance of the art museum, the weather forecast changed, indicating that it would be cloudy and rainless today, with strong winds.

Before the wind came, an unexpected person appeared on the scene.

It was rare for Chu Linchuan to wear formal clothes. The suit was well-tailored and made of luxurious fabric, which concealed some of the "bad" aura he had.

He looks much more handsome than Lu Yanqing in formal attire.

"Brother, why are you here?"

Chu Linchuan showed his invitation letter and asked knowingly, "I'm here to attend the young master Su's solo exhibition. What about you?"

There was something strange about the way he said "Su family," and he deliberately emphasized the words. Xia Lanzheng didn't think much about it and took out her own photo: "What a coincidence, me too."

The two entered the exhibition hall and stood at the front as the lights dimmed.

The curator must have consulted Su Cheng for his opinion. Vine-like green plants are climbing up the wall and extending towards the inside of the exhibition hall.

The preface uses the real name "Su Cheng", and the part describing the artist's background only introduces his educational experience.

Xia Lanzheng had learned all this in advance from the Internet. Su Cheng University was a top art school and had a good reputation even then.

He and Chu Linchuan quietly walked into the main hall. Where the vines connected hung Su Cheng's recent works. Just like Su Cheng's impression, they were silent and mysterious.

"Brother," surrounded by guests, Xia Lanzheng grabbed Chu Linchuan's arm and asked softly, "What do you think?"

Chu Linchuan lowered his eyes and looked at him: "I don't understand art."

Xia Lanzheng breathed a sigh of relief, but as she looked at these works, her eyes were still filled with admiration: "I don't understand them either, but I think they're amazing."

Chu Linchuan pulled the sleeve out of his hand: "Well, you are indeed very talented."

This was not against his heart, but it was difficult to say. Chu Linchuan didn't want to praise Su Cheng at all.

"When did you become familiar with Su Cheng?" Xia Lanzheng asked as she walked to another work of art.

"I'm not familiar with them," Chu Linchuan said decisively, "but I have connections with the Su family. Although Uncle Su is still angry with Su Cheng, his son is holding an exhibition in China, and he can't wait to send invitations door to door."

Xia Lanzheng laughed and looked up at him in the light: "Isn't that great? I hope Su Cheng can really do what he wants to do."

Chu Linchuan was touched by his eyes for a moment, as if he understood Xia Lanzheng's inner thoughts inadvertently.

He touched his collar: "Is there anything you really want to do?"

"Hmm? Me?" Xia Lanzheng blinked, her eyes fixed on a fawn hiding in the woods. "I..."

There was a commotion at the entrance, drowning out Xia Lanzheng's unfinished words.

Xia Lanzheng was so attracted that she turned her head and saw Su Cheng slowly walking towards the entrance, surrounded by guests, congratulating him.

Su Cheng stood out from the crowd, truly an artist's attire.

The pigtails, the clothes and accessories that were contrary to formal attire even on important occasions, and the special gloomy aura around her.

Xia Lanzheng laughed again as she watched: "Brother, are all artists like this? Why am I stereotyping them?"

Chu Linchuan didn't look at Su Cheng, but kept looking at him. After hearing what he said, he shifted his gaze and happened to meet Su Cheng's eyes.

"You like this?"

Xia Lanzheng said: "This style doesn't suit me. In fact, I like loose pajamas the most. It would be great if people could wear pajamas when going out."

It took Chu Linchuan two seconds to understand what he meant. It was like talking to a cow.

Before they could approach, Su Cheng said something to the people around him and walked out from the crowd. He walked around to the innermost part of the exhibition hall, in front of a work covered by a white curtain.

Su Cheng exchanged glances with Xia Lanzheng from a distance, curled his lips, and smiled calmly.

Xia Lanzheng quietly raised her hand and greeted him, and he gently hooked his hand, which was hanging by his legs.

Chu Linchuan, who was half a step behind, saw the whole process clearly, and the corners of his mouth drooped uncontrollably.

They did not join the crowd, but stood at the very end. The white spot reflected on everyone's face seemed extremely sacred, suggesting that this was the most important work in the exhibition today.

The assistant stepped forward and lifted up the other corner of the curtain.

Everyone looked expectant, including Xia Lanzheng.

Counting down silently, three, two, one.

Su Cheng smiled and raised his hand. The pure white curtain blocked Xia Lanzheng's sight, and the wind it brought seemed to be mixed with the scent of vines.

Fresh and free.

My eyes flashed before a soft, pale white. Pale pink and smoky blue brushstrokes interspersed the painting, their hazy edges waiting to be discerned.

Xia Lanzheng took a step forward, got closer, and recognized that it was a pair of hands hidden in the colorful objects.

One palm is facing downwards, and the other is placed subtly on top of it. A little light shines through the gap, and in the center of the palm lies a light-colored mole.

With a sizzling sound.

Chu Linchuan's feet rubbed against the floor, making a slight sound.

At this moment, Xia Lanzheng also recognized the owner of these hands. He looked at Su Cheng, and Su Cheng's face was filled with an expression he had never seen before.

It was a complex expression, as if suppressing many unspeakable emotions, which eventually turned into this simple yet warm work.

Xia Lanzheng understood it, but it seemed as if she didn't understand it.

There were so many thoughts running through my mind that they all converged into shock.

He never thought that the casual action at that time was so important to Su Cheng, so important that he regarded his hand as the finale.

Xia Lanzheng pursed her lips and subconsciously looked for Chu Linchuan when she was unsure of what to do.

Fortunately, Chu Linchuan was right beside him, and he easily grabbed the hem of Chu Linchuan's clothes.

"Brother." Xia Lanzheng shouted.

Chu Linchuan's expression was no simpler than Su Cheng's. He controlled his emotions and hummed softly.

Xia Lanzheng licked her lips thoughtfully and asked, "Does this cost extra?"