Chapter 71 New Year
Yu Shuling was amused by his earnest expression. She picked up her fruit tea, inserted a straw, and carefully tasted it before giving her serious feedback:
"It does seem somewhat similar. The sweetness comes from the fruit itself, so there shouldn't be any added sugar, but there's a hint of honey that balances the sourness." At this point, Yu Shuling suddenly turned to look at him with some suspicion. "What, you didn't make it yourself, did you?"
"I thought the fruit tea that Teacher Yu gave me was pretty good, but I don't have time to make it myself, so I can only ask the milk tea shop to make it for me."
You Jingzhou didn't deliberately boast about how amazing he was, but it was clear that this person had a good tongue; he had basically copied his recipe and remembered it quite well.
"Great, you have a good memory."
Yu Shuling gave a lukewarm compliment.
Seeing her unremarkable reaction, You Jingzhou felt a strange sense of disappointment. Just moments ago, he had acted like a large dog seeking praise, but now he had reverted to his usual demeanor. He concealed his unusual reaction well, but the observant Yu Shuling noticed every detail.
It made her smile slightly.
In modern terms, Yu Shuling had romantic experiences in her past life, but those weren't really "dating"; they were more like arranged marriages. While the emperor was still in the Eastern Palace, he treated her politely, but deep down he couldn't hide his flamboyant nature. Yu Shuling had never liked arrogant and sinister men, and You Jingzhou, with his gentle yet not weak demeanor, was indeed the type she found more agreeable.
Having just escaped from the tiger's den, Yu Shuling had no intention of dating a man so soon. Moreover, she still had that much professional ethics; she couldn't very well embarrass herself after stepping on Jiang Wenxi's foot.
However, it was also clear that You Jingzhou had a good impression of her. Since they were all adults, Yu Shuling wasn't so narcissistic as to reject him at the slightest sign of friendliness. You Jingzhou quickly returned to normal; he was very approachable, chatting and laughing with everyone, easily becoming one of them, and there was nothing particularly special about him and Yu Shuling.
Three days after filming You Jingzhou's music video, You Jingzhou's manager personally drove her and her assistant to the airport. Because she had other plans for the afternoon, she specially bought an early flight ticket. Yu Shuling had gone to bed early the night before and hadn't checked her phone. She only discovered a long string of missed calls when she arrived at the airport.
I didn't answer, but the other party kept calling more than ten times, but I blocked them with the "Do Not Disturb" option each time.
Yu Shuling noticed the number wasn't saved in her contacts and sent it a text message with some confusion. She only saw a reply after she got off the plane:
[Yu Shuling, have you forgotten your own name? You're even blocking your own father? I see you don't know the meaning of the word "shame" in public. Why haven't you paid the money from the first half of the year? If you don't come back this week, don't consider me my daughter anymore. I don't recognize you as my unfilial daughter!]
From the short text message, Yu Shuling could only tell that the person was the original owner's father, who had been blocked by his daughter.
Although she didn't have the original owner's direct memories, it was like talking to NPCs in a game; whenever she encountered a character, her memories would be triggered. Soon, Yu Shuling remembered that the original owner had a blood-related father.
The reason I say "blood relatives" is because this man, apart from having a one-night stand years ago, has done almost nothing in terms of responsibility. The original owner's mother couldn't stand it anymore and divorced the man long ago, letting the child take her surname. She raised the original owner until she was a teenager before going to find her own happiness, not wanting to have anything to do with her previous life anymore. The mother and daughter had no contact afterward.
As for the man, besides having a silver tongue and a decent face to win over his beautiful wife, he had no other skills. The mother was the sole provider for raising the child. Later, he incurred gambling debts, and after the original owner entered the entertainment industry, he followed her around offering to help pay them off. Out of desperation, the original owner continued to help him pay off debts, harboring resentment towards her parents for a long time.
Yu Shuling was not the original owner of this body and had no attachment to this stepmother, so she didn't think there was anything wrong with a woman pursuing her own happiness. The woman raised her until she was fifteen years old, when she was already capable of living independently, and even gave her a sum of money, which was actually enough for the original owner to finish university peacefully and normally.
As for the man, he hasn't paid a single penny of the child support he's legally obligated to provide, and now he's jumping up and down demanding money from her. Yu Shuling isn't stupid.
She readily sent the man a message:
[A faster way to profit than blackmail might be begging. You pay back your own debts; who wants to be your family? You dare come looking for me? You're useless.]
After confirming that the message was sent successfully, Yu Shuling immediately blocked his phone number without saying another word, thus saving herself from spending any of her text message fees, and successfully infuriating him.
Zhang Fan had seen his daughter on TV recently, and she seemed even more beautiful than before. He could easily find videos of her girl group performing online, so she must have become famous. Zhang Fan was tempted, thinking his daughter would be as easy to manipulate as before, but Yu Shuling blocked him without saying a word.
The original owner deleted his WeChat, and now Yu Shuling has blocked his phone number. Men of this age generally don't use social media apps like Weibo or Green Melon, so once Yu Shuling blocks him, he's helpless.
As for the location, he couldn't find Lyra's dormitory either. No one had told anyone about the move. Zhang Fan was furious and realized that he was helpless against Yu Shuling. He had some spare money now, but he also had to deal with debt collectors coming to his door. He didn't have the mood to deal with his daughter for the time being, but he definitely remembered this setback.
After Lyra joined the new company, she had a formal manager, which made it much easier for her to get commercial performance opportunities. Not long after, her former male assistant, Xiaolin, also resigned from YueDong and came to the new company. When he saw the members of Lyra, especially Yu Shuling, he couldn't help but smile.
"I still want to work with you guys, and I'll definitely do my best!"
Xiaolin had only been out of school for a short time and was still a young man in his early twenties. The company assigned two female assistants to Lyra, since it was a girl group and it would be much more convenient for them to be of the same sex. However, male assistants could handle some of the miscellaneous tasks that were physically difficult for the girls. Xiaolin successfully passed the job application because he had worked with Lyra before and was still working with them.
From a working-class perspective, Xiaolin really liked these girls. Assistants and managers are different; they're only responsible for daily life and some trivial matters, without real power, and sometimes they have to be mindful of the artist's mood. Lyra has a good temper, while Yu Shuling used to be very decisive and cool when she confronted Jiang Zhou. Xiaolin was almost becoming a fanboy of Yu Shuling.
Not to mention, the company's current treatment is much better than that of the Elantra, and there is no agent bullying him. Xiao Lin has always performed well, and the company is considering training him to become an agent.
This period has been the busiest for Lyra since her debut. Besides commercial performances, she also landed an endorsement deal with a snack brand—not a top-tier brand, but one that everyone knows. During this time, they've also been preparing their first official album since leaving YueDong, and everyone is taking it very seriously.
Similarly, this is also the most powerful indicator of Lyra's popularity.
Not long after signing with the new company, the Lunar New Year was approaching. Time flew by, but Yu Shuling didn't feel any attachment to this "home." Her teammates knew about her family situation, and Li Song even invited her to spend the New Year at his home. Knowing that Li Song and Zhong Xinfan had good relationships with their families, Yu Shuling smiled and refused, telling them to go back by themselves and instead inviting Chuan Nai to spend the New Year with her.
Kawana isn't a native of Japan, and her family isn't here anymore, so going back would be troublesome. Besides, people abroad don't place as much importance on the Spring Festival. Lin Yujie's younger brother hasn't dared to come looking for her since Yu Shuling "educated" him last time, but Lin Yujie doesn't plan to go back for the New Year either, so they ended up splitting up.
Although their manager strictly required them to control their weight, the music video had already been filmed, and the weather after the Lunar New Year wouldn't be too revealing. As long as they kept their figures from becoming bloated and their faces from getting fat, they were fine. They indulged in unrestrained meals for several days.
On New Year's Eve, the three girls were in the kitchen researching how to cook. Kawana also showed off her culinary skills, making two dishes with brightly colored bell peppers and curry, and also cooking a fish according to the local custom.
This was Yu Shuling's first time experiencing a New Year with so few people. The festive atmosphere wasn't as strong, but being with good friends made all the difference, and joy filled the air everywhere.
They watched the Spring Festival Gala, but Lin Yujie showed little interest, while Chuan Nai and Yu Shuling were full of curiosity. Yu Shuling was quite surprised when Lin Yujie complained about her:
"I didn't expect you to like this? Everyone says the Spring Festival Gala gets more and more boring every year."
"It's alright, the venue setup is quite beautiful."
Some of the female hosts were wearing only cheongsams in such cold outdoor conditions. They looked beautiful, but Yu Shuling felt sorry for them just watching them. Even so, they still had to smile, which made one admire their dedication.
They were joking and complaining, and soon it was past midnight. Li Song sent out red envelopes in the group chat, and everyone took turns grabbing them. They even asked the lucky winner to treat them to dinner. It took more than an hour to end.
Since the start of the dating reality show, Yu Shuling has added many people's contact information. Although she is usually busy with work and doesn't chat much, she has received many blessings from all over the world. You Jingzhou's blessing and a friend request were just one of the many inconspicuous ones, like a wave being submerged in a flood.
On New Year's Eve, Yu Shuling led them in playing leaf cards and drawing flower fortune sticks. The three of them played together until two or three in the morning before reluctantly going to sleep. When she woke up late the next day, she saw a friend request from an unknown person and promptly rejected it.
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A note from the author:
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