Chapter 14
Camping to watch shooting stars.
After thinking about what Lu Jiuxu said, Su Xingyao looked at him with some surprise, and then he realized that he was asking her whether she wanted to go with him.
Su Xingyao was a little surprised.
After all, judging by Lu Jiuxu's personality, he should be the kind of person who rarely takes the initiative to invite anyone...
But he heard it very clearly just now. The other party was clearly inviting him, and it was not the kind of invitation that was made casually just for the sake of courtesy.
Lu Jiuxu would not do this, nor does he need to do this.
Su Xingyao glanced at the sky which was already getting late.
This is not the best time to go camping.
So the other party is indeed waiting for me...
Su Xingyao was a little surprised, but she also felt that nothing seemed abnormal.
Although it seemed that he and Lu Jiuxu had never specifically confirmed their relationship.
But it seemed that somehow, they all regarded each other as friends who got along well with each other.
After quickly figuring it out, Su Xingyao looked at the other party.
He noticed that Lu Jiuxu's eyes were always on his face.
Meeting the other person's gaze, Su Xingyao politely declined the invitation.
"I have an appointment tomorrow morning, so I may not be able to make it in time."
He didn't lie.
He has a very important thing to do tomorrow, and he had already made an appointment with the other party yesterday.
If I go camping tonight, I probably won't be able to make it back in time.
Lu Jiuxu's expression didn't change when he heard this. He just nodded in understanding and didn't ask any more questions.
Su Xingyao smiled apologetically and prepared to walk into the villa with her suitcase.
Although he refused straightforwardly, he still felt a little regretful in his heart.
He has never seen a shooting star in his life.
The first time he heard about a meteor shower was when he was five years old.
At that time, my sister told him with great anticipation that she wanted to see the meteor shower with her own eyes and make a wish under the gorgeous starry sky...
His sister told him that wherever there is a shooting star, wishes will come true.
He was too young at the time to know what a shooting star was.
But seeing how his sister was longing for it, he silently planted a wish in his heart.
I hope that one day I can go and see it with the person most important to me.
Although his sister can no longer see it, he still hopes to have the opportunity to see it with his own eyes on his sister's behalf.
When Su Xingyao thought of her sister, she couldn't help but lower her eyes, and somewhere in her heart began to ache.
At this moment, Lu Jiuxu's voice came to my ears again.
"You can go tomorrow night."
Su Xingyao was distracted and didn't hear clearly. He raised his head again and looked at the other party in confusion, "What?"
"Tomorrow night too."
Lu Jiuxu's tone was indifferent, but there was no trace of impatience.
"It will be available these two days, and tomorrow night is also fine."
Lu Jiuxu's two sentences instantly lit up a light of expectation in the eyes of Su Xingyao, who was originally lost.
"Will I be back in time by five tomorrow afternoon?"
Lu Jiuxu hummed softly.
"I can catch up."
The next day, Su Xingyao went out early.
He is going to meet the editor and chief director of "The Voice of China" today.
When Su Xingyao followed Lu Zhiyun and logged into the LostTide account, she had received an invitation from the program team.
But at that time, he thought that the director Xiaoli's unconventional invitation was an advertisement, and almost blocked the other party.
But when he logged into Weibo again later, he found that the other party had persisted and sent him a private message again.
This time the other party didn't say any nonsense, but introduced the competition to him very carefully.
The other party wrote more than 10,000 words in total, and in the end, afraid that he would not believe it, he directly posted all the program records.
Su Xingyao patiently read every word she said and was moved by her sincerity. Then the two successfully added each other on WeChat and made an appointment to meet today to discuss the specific matters.
Su Xingyao looked up at the rising sun outside the car window.
He actually didn't expect that his pseudonymous account would be remembered by the directors and screenwriters in the circle.
Because his parents really hate his music, he hasn't updated his work on this account for two or three years.
The works on the homepage were basically written when he was studying abroad.
Only when he was away from his parents during that period did he have the opportunity to share his works with some music lovers in the circle.
But that was also a long time ago.
He has written many songs over the years, but has never released any of them.
There is actually a very professional music studio in the Shen family villa.
But parents only allowed Shen Huaixi to use it.
Whenever he mentioned anything related to music, his parents would turn cold and make sarcastic remarks.
His father told him to stop doing useless things all day.
My mother even said directly that there was nothing special about his singing and she didn’t want to listen to him sing at all.
He had no right to make his own choices in the Shen family, nor could he mention any of his hobbies.
Otherwise it will be like graduating from high school.
He had just told his parents that he wanted to go to a music college to study more professional music knowledge, but they sent him abroad and forced him to study finance, a subject he didn't like.
"Sir, we have arrived at your destination."
"OK."
Su Xingyao took out his mobile phone, scanned the code and paid, then pulled down the brim of his hat and put on a mask before getting out of the taxi.
Following the navigation, he walked to the cafe where he had made an appointment with Xiaoli and sat down in a relatively secluded corner.
Twenty minutes later, a middle-aged man and a cutely dressed girl came to the table.
The girl asked politely, "Excuse me, is this LostTide?"
Su Xingyao looked up at them and said, "Yes, please take a seat."
"Sorry for the wait."
The middle-aged man also nodded to Su Xingyao, and then sat opposite him.
"Hello, I'm Song Yingming, the chief director of The Voice of Nature."
After briefly introducing himself, Song Yingming set his sights on the young man opposite him.
Although the mask, sunglasses and hat he wore almost completely covered his face.
But he still felt that this person looked particularly familiar.
He had thought it was a bit strange when he heard Xiaoli tell him that LostTide proposed that if they wanted to participate in the competition, they should not show their faces.
Now that he had met her in person, the familiarity of the other person immediately confirmed his guess.
This person’s identity is definitely not as simple as an internet celebrity creator.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have made such a strange request.
However, Song Yingming has participated in talent shows and filmed dating variety shows. He has been working in the entertainment industry for so many years and has successfully won the title of the No. 1 variety show director in the domestic entertainment industry. He has seen all kinds of big scenes.
So he asked Su Xingyao straight to the point.
"I think you should also understand that although singing is a competition of singing skills and strength, we also need a sense of atmosphere when we are doing a program."
"If you don't show your face, you'll be at a huge disadvantage compared to other people in the competition."
"And if you make it to the next round or the finals, it's actually quite difficult to hide your identity in front of so many audiences and backstage staff after so many rounds."
The issues Song Yingming raised are all very realistic.
However, Su Xingyao had already thought of these when she decided to participate in the competition.
He came here today to discuss things with the director.
“I hope to be able to compete wearing a balaclava.”
After saying that, he drew a simple drawing of a little bear with his finger in the air.
"It's just that kind of doll costume. You can't see the body shape or the person inside. I will make some improvements to it during the competition so that it won't affect the singing."
Song Yingming nodded when he heard this, and thought the idea was interesting.
Su Xingyao continued, "But there is one thing I would like to trouble you with, Director."
"My voice... can I do some processing throughout the whole process except for singing? I also need to process the parts outside the stage."
When Song Yingming heard Su Xingyao mention the voice, he felt that the voice of the person opposite him was more and more familiar.
Several people's faces flashed through his mind quickly, but he didn't look at the other person.
Although Song Yingming did not guess the other party's identity, after hearing what he said, he already had a rough idea in his mind.
A person who needs to find a way to disguise his identity...
It goes without saying that if we really invite the other party, it might cause a lot of trouble if the identity is accidentally exposed after the show is broadcast.
Xiaoli, who was standing by, also noticed something was wrong.
She quickly and nervously looked at the director with a pleading look on her face.
She really likes LostTide's talent and voice, just like every ordinary fan, she hopes to give her idol a stage to show his talent and let more people hear his singing.
Xiaoli's nervousness made the atmosphere tense as well.
Su Xingyao looked at Xiaoli who was worried about her, and looked at Song Yingming's face calmly through her sunglasses.
He had anticipated all this, so he asked to meet with the director-general to let the other party decide whether to sign a final contract with him.
Song Yingming smiled.
"Hey relax, relax."
After calming down the nervous Xiaoli, he said to Su Xingyao in a relaxed tone, "What you said is actually not that difficult to do. The program team can fully meet your requirements."
He made a whispering gesture towards Su Xingyao, "But before I confirm your true identity, I still want to ask why you want to do this."
Su Xingyao answered him half jokingly and half seriously.
"I'm afraid if I stand there directly, your show will be scolded and shut down."
Song Yingming waved his hand indifferently and pointed at his increasingly thinning hair. "Do you think I look like I'm afraid of being scolded?"
If any episode of his variety show was not criticized by the audience, Song Yingming would worry about whether he would lose his reputation as the top variety show director.
Song Yingming's tone was a bit exaggerated, and Su Xingyao and Xiaoli couldn't help laughing when they heard it.
After laughing, Su Xingyao also became serious.
He looked into Song Yingming's eyes and expressed his true thoughts.
"I just want to have a stage and sing."
“It doesn’t matter who I am, my appearance, background or past. I just want to communicate with everyone through music.”
After hearing this, Song Yingming fell into deep thought for a long time.
He looked fixedly at the person in front of him.
In fact, theoretically, what this young man did is very contradictory.
Since they are willing to participate in the show, it means that they all want to showcase themselves through this stage and ultimately gain popularity.
But he wanted to hide himself and only wanted to communicate with others through singing.
He didn't understand this contradiction, but the other party's last sentence really touched him.
After thinking about it, he agreed to the other party.
"Okay, I get it. There's nothing wrong with what you said. I can keep it a secret from everyone."
"But as a director I need to be responsible for the show. Now the identities of artists in any show must be verified, so before signing the contract, I still need to know who you are."
Su Xingyao nodded, then took off his sunglasses and mask.
After seeing clearly who was in front of her, Xiaoli covered her mouth in surprise.
But Song Yingming, who was standing aside, suddenly understood.
If this person is Su Xingyao, then everything seems to be consistent.
As he left, he touched his hair which had grown with great difficulty.
After many years, he couldn't think straight and started another music variety show, and another person who was blacklisted by the whole network appeared in the show...
Tsk.
This script looks familiar...
*
After finalizing the details with the program crew, Su Xingyao hurried back and arrived at the villa before five o'clock.
Lu Jiuxu had already prepared everything in advance. Su Xingyao didn't worry about anything. She just stuffed the luggage she had packed in the morning into the trunk and drove towards the campsite.
Su Xingyao has been traveling by car almost all the time these days, and she felt a little drowsy after getting in the car.
Seeing that he looked listless, Lu Jiuxu, who was driving, turned off the music in the car.
"You should take a nap first. I'll call you when we get there."
Su Xingyao was indeed a little too tired, so she didn't bother to be polite with him. She just closed her eyes and fell asleep quickly.
When he woke up again, it was already dark.
He glanced to the side and saw Lu Jiuxu playing with his mobile phone with his head down.
As if noticing his gaze, the other party raised his head.
"woke up?"
Su Xingyao hummed with a slightly nasal sound. He had just woken up and was not fully conscious yet.
"Come on down, dinner should be ready soon."
After Lu Jiu finished speaking, he opened the car door.
When Su Xingyao followed him and raised her hand to open the car door, she realized that she had been covered with a piece of clothing without knowing when.
It’s from Lu Jiuxu.
Su Xingyao folded her clothes and held them in her arms, then followed Lu Jiuxu to the trunk to get their things.
After getting off the car, Su Xingyao saw the scenery of the camping site clearly.
There was a soft meadow under my feet, surrounded by low rose walls. In the distance were rolling green hills, and nearby was a clear stream.
The breeze blew slowly, and the air seemed to carry the fragrance of grass, trees and flowers.
The moment she set foot on this land, Su Xingyao's mood automatically relaxed.
Lu Jiuxu led him around the rose wall, and from a distance he saw a group of busy young people in front of them.
Lu Zhiyun and others arrived earlier. There were several telescopes set up on the ground and the table was filled with various foods.
The tents and marquees had already been set up, and now a group of people were busy preparing a barbecue.
"Xingyao!"
Lu Zhiyun, who was busy grilling the squid, turned around and saw Su Xingyao. He stopped grilling the squid in his hand and ran straight to him.
"You finally woke up."
The first sentence Lu Zhiyun spoke revealed too much information.
Su Xingyao turned her head and glanced at Lu Jiuxu secretly.
The other party seemed not to have heard anything. He put the tent on the ground, unzipped it and began to set it up.
Lu Zhiyun knew that he had said something wrong, but he still couldn't control his mouth. He lowered his voice slightly and continued to speak in Su Xingyao's ear.
"My brother told me not to bother you before."
As soon as he finished saying this, Lu Zhiyun felt something coming towards him.
He swiftly stretched out his hand to block it.
It's a night light.
Lu Jiuxu's voice immediately followed.
"Next time you forget, go down the mountain and buy it yourself."
Lu Zhiyun chuckled and said "I dare not" several times.
Su Xingyao felt a little embarrassed when she learned that she had slept for so long and Lu Jiuxu was waiting for her in the car without getting out for fear of waking her up.
He walked over to Lu Jiuxu, picked up the tools and wanted to help him build it.
Lu Jiuxu didn't ask him for help.
"Go and have some rest."
Lu Zhiyun, who had already taken a few steps, quickly stepped back after hearing this.
"My brother is an outdoor expert. He can go into the mountains alone without any problems. Just let him do it himself."
"Let's go, let's do something atmospheric."
After saying that, Su Xingyao was pulled by Lu Zhiyun to hang a night light on the skylight.
Lu Zhiyun talks a lot but he doesn't know how to do it at all, and the lamps are hung crookedly.
Finally, it was Su Xingyao from Meishang Online who helped him re-wind the wire and finally fixed the night light.
After the power is turned on and the switch is turned on, the scattered night lights light up one by one.
The atmosphere of the campsite was instantly created.
It’s not just Su Xingyao and the other three who came here to camp today. Lu Zhiyun also brought a few of his friends.
Although they didn't know each other, no one was averse to Su Xingyao.
After Lu Zhiyun's brief introduction, everyone got along with him naturally.
One of them was said to be the hotel chef, who was particularly good at barbecue. He was responsible for almost all the food in the evening, and Su Xingyao helped him.
After several people divided the work and worked together for more than an hour, it was finally time for dinner.
The table was filled with all kinds of delicious food and fruits. Nine people sat around the table. Although it was a bit crowded, the atmosphere was extremely lively.
This was an experience Su Xingyao had never had before.
He had no friends at his adoptive parents' home, and he kept to himself after going to the orphanage.
Later, after I met Qin Mingchuan, I had a few friends for a short period of time.
It’s just that almost all these people broke with him because of Shen Huaixi.
He had a good relationship with his roommates when he was studying abroad, but everyone was more focused on their own fields and usually didn't go out to play.
So this was his first time to really hang out with so many people.
Originally, when Lu Jiuxu told him yesterday that Lu Zhiyun would bring a few friends, he was a little worried that he would not be able to fit in.
But this group of people tonight didn't make him feel that way at all.
After being busy for several hours, everyone was basically starving.
After the meal started, Lu Zhiyun immediately reached out for his favorite salt-baked shrimp.
However, he did not eat it directly, but put it into Su Xingyao's bowl out of loyalty.
"Xingyao, eat quickly, or those starving ghosts will snatch it all up soon."
Lu Zhiyun had just put half of the shrimp in when Lu Jiuxu stopped him.
“He can’t eat shrimp.”
Lu Zhiyun was confused by his brother's words. He didn't react for a moment and turned around to ask one word, "What?"
Su Xingyao glanced at the shrimp suspended in mid-air and explained to Lu Zhiyun.
“I’m allergic to it.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Zhiyun was so frightened that he quickly retracted his hand.
After thinking about it, he quickly threw the thing into the bowl of the person farthest away, fearing that this thing was poisonous and would infect Su Xingyao, so he put it far away.
"Then don't eat this."
After saying that, he seemed to have thought of something and asked Su Xingyao, "Do you have any other allergies?"
Su Xingyao nodded and told him everything she was allergic to.
After listening to this, Lu Zhiyun's mouth turned into an O shape, and his eyes were full of pity when he looked at Su Xingyao.
“So many people are allergic to it. This is too tragic…”
Su Xingyao smiled softly, "It's okay, it's not like I can't eat anything."
After saying that, he looked at Lu Jiuxu beside him.
The other party was also looking at him at this moment, with a dark and unclear look in his eyes.
Su Xingyao originally wanted to ask Lu Jiuxu how he knew that she couldn't eat shrimp, but when he was looked at like that, she forgot about it for a moment.
"The last time you came back, Aunt Zhang bought shrimps but didn't cook them." Lu Jiuxu seemed to know what Su Xingyao wanted to say and gave him a direct answer.
"She said you're allergic to it."
After explaining, he looked away, as if he had thought of something, and added in a low voice, "So you are allergic to these, too."
The people on the opposite side suddenly burst into laughter, talking about something unknown.
Lu Jiuxu's words were drowned out by their laughter, so Su Xingyao couldn't hear them clearly at all.
After finishing the lively meal, it was not yet eleven o'clock.
The meteor shower will not appear until around 4 am.
There is still so much time left, and if I go to sleep I'm afraid I'll miss it by accident, but just waiting is not a solution either.
So Lu Zhiyun suggested, "Why don't we play cards for a while..."
This proposal was agreed by everyone.
Su Xingyao originally thought that the cards Lu Zhiyun was talking about were playing cards.
But the other party took a box of mahjong from the car...
The barbecue chef quickly spread the tablecloth. Another person also looked at Su Xingyao and asked him with a smile, "Is Xingyao coming?"
Su Xingyao quickly shook her head.
"I don't know how to do this."
Lu Zhiyun called him again enthusiastically, "Come on, come on, I can teach you."
Su Xingyao smiled and waved her hands, "You guys play, I'll watch you play tonight and learn from you first."
Seeing that Su Xingyao didn't want to play, everyone didn't force him.
Lu Zhiyun took a seat first, then made a pause gesture to Lu Jiuxu in fear.
"Brother, masters like you are not allowed to participate in the competition."
Lu Jiuxu, who had no intention of playing mahjong, smiled helplessly and said, "I didn't say I wanted to play."
After getting this answer, Lu Zhiyun patted his chest with relief, and then complained to everyone.
"You guys don't know, last time my brother beat me so hard that I was left with nothing but my underwear."
Su Xingyao was amused by Lu Zhiyun's description.
He asked Lu Jiuxu softly, "Is it so exaggerated?"
In fact, he was very surprised that Lu Jiuxu could play mahjong.
In his stereotype, he felt that Lu Jiuxu was the kind of person who worked all the time and probably rarely had any entertainment life.
Su Xingyao looked at Lu Jiuxu with a smile.
He originally thought that the other party would be humble.
Unexpectedly, the other party nodded at him, and there seemed to be a smile in the corner of his eyes.
"Well, his New Year's money is still pawned to me."
The night wind blew Lu Jiuxu's words into Su Xingyao's ears.
In the light of the night light, he took another closer look at the handsome man in front of him.
This Lu Jiuxu is much more lively than usual.
*
Lu Zhiyun and the others were playing cards, and Su Xingyao was watching him play from the side.
Soon he understood from the other party what it meant to be addicted to being a weakling.
He had no idea about the rules, but after watching a dozen games, he basically figured it out. Yet, Lu Zhiyun still managed to lose every time.
After watching the four of them play mahjong for a while, Su Xingyao went to the place where they had eaten before and sat down to play with her phone.
He had been working intensively on the set for such a long time that he had not had a good rest after returning.
After the excitement, I feel a little sleepy now that I've relaxed.
Su Xingyao was lying on the table, swiping her phone aimlessly, and the movements of her hands became slower and slower.
Lu Jiuxu noticed the tiredness on his face and called him in a low voice.
"Go to bed, I'll call you later."
Su Xingyao was indeed sleepy.
He nodded, stood up and walked towards the tent that Lu Jiuxu had set up for him.
At first, sleepiness occupied Su Xingyao's mind.
But when he actually lay down, his brain became awake as a sexual reflex.
There was clearly the sound of laughter from Lu Zhiyun and his friends playing cards outside.
But Su Xingyao seemed to hear nothing.
Instead, there was the fear of being alone in a dark, enclosed space.
Whenever he closed his eyes, the scene that appeared before his eyes was himself being locked up in a small dark room by his adoptive father when he was a child.
The small dark room is about the same size as this tent.
The night in the early morning is extremely dark...
In the dark room, his cheeks were swollen and his skin was burning from being beaten by the belt.
But he didn't dare to cry out loud and could only squat in the corner and shed tears quietly.
If he made any noise, his adoptive father would hear it and come back to beat him even harder than before.
And my sister will be implicated by him again and will be beaten even more severely.
The sound of the belt hitting flesh... the sound of my sister kneeling on the ground crying and begging for mercy...
Those past scenes kept resurfacing in her mind, and Su Xingyao felt that the scar left by the burn on her left butterfly bone seemed to start to hurt again.
Realizing that after all these years he still couldn't overcome his fear of such a small, dark and enclosed space, he had no choice but to walk out again.
Lu Jiuxu, who was originally looking at his mobile phone, looked up and looked at him with some surprise.
Su Xingyao had no way to explain, so she lied with a pale face.
"I'd better stay here. I don't seem to be sleepy anymore."
Lu Jiuxu didn't say anything.
He noticed that Su Xingyao's face looked very bad.
He took a quick look at the tent and finally said "OK" without asking any further questions.
*
Fu Qingyan held a glass of red wine in one hand and called Qin Mingchuan to a corner.
He looked up at the sky and said in a deep voice, "You can only see meteors at four o'clock."
Qin Mingchuan did not answer.
Fu Qingyan saw that Qin Mingchuan was distracted, so he jokingly complained to him, "Boss Qin, I've been filming abroad for three months, and it's not easy for me to come back. You should at least pay attention to me."
Qin Mingchuan lowered his head and took a sip of wine before he was willing to talk to him.
"Is Huaixi asleep?"
"Asleep."
"Are you in a bad mood recently?" Fu Qingyan turned and looked at Qin Mingchuan, and finally brought the topic back to what he wanted to say.
"I heard you changed all the movie star management."
"Um."
Fu Qingyan pulled the corner of his mouth, and said with some disdain, "Just because of Su Xingyao?"
Qin Mingchuan frowned slightly.
Fu Qingyan's tone made him feel a little uncomfortable.
He corrected the other party, "It's the management itself that has problems."
Seeing that Qin Mingchuan was actually defending Su Xingyao, Fu Qingyan raised his head with a little anger and drank the wine in the glass in one gulp.
"He doesn't deserve your kindness."
While speaking, Fu Qingyan's eyes subconsciously glanced at his arm.
Although the burn scars had been removed through surgery, he would never forget the scene.
If it weren't for Su Xingyao, he wouldn't have had such a big psychological trauma from fire.
Qin Mingchuan was already very annoyed because he couldn't contact Su Xingyao for some time.
Tonight Fu Qingyan brought up all sorts of issues, which made him even more annoyed.
Even though he and the other person were close friends who grew up together, he didn't want to talk to him anymore at this moment.
"I'm going to take a walk and be back later."
After leaving these words, Qin Mingchuan walked down the stream alone.
He looked up at the clear night sky and suddenly remembered when he was 18 years old.
It is also such an April when flowers are in full bloom.
At that time, he really liked to show his presence in front of Su Xingyao, so he asked her to climb over the wall to watch the meteors together at night.
But that night he forgot to set the alarm and fell asleep.
Later, Su Xingyao didn't mention this matter and he didn't take it to heart.
It was not until a long time later that he found out that Su Xingyao had been waiting for him on the playground all night.
The next day I had a fever and a cold due to the wind and lasted for a whole week.
After realizing it belatedly, he apologized to the other party and made an appointment to take him to watch the next meteor shower in this constellation.
However, so many years have passed, and there has never been a next time.
…
Su Xingyao quickly calmed down after leaving the tent and sitting next to Lu Jiuxu.
Listening to everyone chatting, the discomfort in his heart gradually subsided.
After relaxing, he soon fell asleep.
Seeing that Su Xingyao was sleeping soundly, Lu Jiuxu did not wake him up this time.
He turned off the other person's cell phone and put it on the table, then got up and went to his tent to get him a blanket.
Lu Jiuxu's movements were actually very fast.
It took less than a minute.
But when he came out of the tent, he saw a man standing next to Su Xingyao, looking at him with tenderness in his eyes.
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