Explosive popularity
As Zhou Jingxing and Shen Zhou entered the hot pot restaurant, Zhou Jingxing was still in a daze.
I actually managed to get a date with Chen Zhou. Does this mean he's gradually accepting me?
During the meal, the two naturally talked about the recent reversal of public opinion online, which had been generating quite a buzz online these past two days.
"I didn't expect the public opinion to reverse so completely. But then again, several official media outlets have gotten involved, and so many big-name experts have endorsed it, so netizens can naturally distinguish right from wrong."
Zhou Jingxing nodded, "In addition, the people who initially slandered and defamed us have also been exposed as having problematic political stances. With further publicity from experts and the media, it's natural that good will prevail over evil."
Chen Zhou sighed, "I'm really lucky. I was attacked by the whole internet a while ago, and the company almost made me stop all my work at the exhibition. I thought it was a dead end, but unexpectedly, things took a turn for the better, and all those negative comments on the internet disappeared overnight."
Zhou Jingxing smiled slightly and went along with him, saying, "Yes, you are simply a chosen one, which means that the heavens have destined this exhibition to be a success."
Shen Zhou laughed and said, "You're exaggerating too much, but the current situation is indeed conducive to the successful holding of the restored cultural relics exhibition. Our hard work has finally paid off."
The two chatted and laughed, and time flew by. Zhou Jingxing always had endless things to say to Shen Zhou. He wanted to talk to Shen Zhou about everything from poetry and literature to the philosophy of life. If Shen Zhou agreed, he would also like to watch the snow and the moon with him all night long.
He had completely forgotten that he usually acted like a cold and aloof person, and he was completely immersed in the sweetness called "Sinking Boat".
The sweetness Zhou Jingxing experienced tonight came to an abrupt end when he ran into someone after paying the bill.
Seeing Zhao Xin's delighted expression, Zhou Jingxing immediately made a decision: he would get up early the next morning to go to the temple to burn incense, pray to the Bodhisattva to protect himself and Shen Zhou from villains, and also ask for a talisman to ward off villains to carry with him.
Oh right, we should also arrange for the socks with the villainous design to be worn.
No, why is this person so persistent?
So annoying.
While Shen Zhou and Zhao Xin were chatting, Zhou Jingxing stared at them with a resentful look, feeling extremely depressed. When would Shen Zhou finally discover Zhao Xin's true colors and break up with him?
Zhao Xin, unaware of his inner turmoil, was filled with the joy of meeting his sweetheart and crush. He smiled and asked, "Chen Zhou, Jing Xing, did you just come from the studio? Didn't you work overtime tonight?"
Zhou Jingxing suppressed the urge to roll his eyes at him. Chen Zhou, showing no sign of joy at unexpectedly meeting his lover, said to him, "Yeah, I didn't work overtime today." He seemed unwilling to say more and was about to leave. "Jingxing, let's go."
Zhou Jingxing was somewhat surprised by his attitude towards Zhao Xin, but he was more than happy for Shen Zhou and Zhao Xin to be at odds, so he hurriedly agreed, "Okay, let's go."
A look of displeasure flashed across Zhao Xin's face. He called out to Shen Zhou, "Shen Zhou, are you still angry? It can't be that bad, just because..."
Shen Zhou quickly interrupted him, "Zhao Xin, I don't want to talk to you about this here."
Zhao Xin glanced at Zhou Jingxing, whose face was full of curiosity, practically screaming, "Tell me what happened!" Zhao Xin ultimately didn't continue. He asked about the trip, "I wanted to remind you guys to go to the hot springs this weekend. Zhang Yang has asked me about it several times already."
Zhang Yang was their classmate who owned a hot spring hotel. Chen Zhou turned his head slightly, "I remember, I contacted him. Let's meet at the hot spring hotel on Saturday morning."
Zhao Xin then asked Zhou Jingxing, "Jingxing, how are you getting there on Saturday? Do you need me to drive and pick you up?"
"No need, I have two friends who are also planning to go, we'll drive there ourselves."
Zhao Xin smiled and said, "Oh? Welcome! See you then."
Chen Zhou said, "Since we've agreed, let's go." He then turned and walked away.
Zhou Jingxing didn't even bother to give Zhao Xin a perfunctory look; he quickly followed Chen Zhou over.
When Zhou Jingxing passed by Zhao Xin, Zhao Xin tried to flirt with him, but his expression changed when he saw the look on Zhou Jingxing's face.
He had always thought that Zhou Jingxing's aloofness towards him was a man's tactic, and that others had used this trick before, only to be won over by him in the end.
Just some little pleasures.
However, Zhou Jingxing's gaze towards Chen Zhou was strange. Zhao Xin had expected that look to appear someday when Zhou Jingxing looked at him, after they had struggled for a few rounds and Zhou Jingxing had been subdued by him.
Now Zhao Xin is beginning to doubt his own judgment.
Who exactly does Zhou Jingxing like?
On the way back to Shenzhou, when Zhou Jingxing was stealing glances at Shenzhou for the eighteenth time, Shenzhou finally couldn't hold back anymore, "What do you want to ask me? Hurry up and ask, I'm afraid you'll drive the car into the green belt."
Zhou Jingxing quickly looked away, "No, no, I don't want to ask anything."
When they arrived at Shen Zhou's apartment complex, Shen Zhou was about to open the door and get out of the car. He had already said his goodbyes when Zhou Jingxing suddenly tugged at his sleeve. "Wait! I still want to ask something."
Chen Zhou chuckled and leaned back in the passenger seat. "You've been holding it in all the way, haven't you? You probably want to ask me and Zhao Xin about it."
Zhou Jingxing nodded, then quickly added, "I didn't mean anything by it. I just noticed you seemed upset, so I was concerned for you."
He looked at Chen Zhou and asked cautiously, "Did you two have a fight?"
Shen Zhou thought for a while, his expression changing several times, but in the end he nodded, "Yes, we had a bit of an unpleasantness."
"Great!" Zhou Jingxing almost burst out laughing, but he had to hold it in!
Zhou Jingxing lowered his head, trying to compose his expression. When he looked up again, his face was full of worry. "Is it because of me? It's all my fault. Let me go and explain to him, okay?"
Shen Zhou gave him a strange look. "It's none of your business. You don't need to do anything. It's just that we haven't reached a consensus on some things yet."
A good "green tea" girl is one who can make her brother make excuses for her. Teacher Sun Qian, did you see that? I've graduated! Hahahaha!
Zhou Jingxing then demonstrated his tea ceremony skills, saying, "Sigh, if I were your boyfriend, I definitely wouldn't make you feel so embarrassed and sad."
"Brother, you're so good to him, how come he doesn't appreciate it?"
Shen Zhou's expression changed. He thought to himself, "Zhao Xin shouldn't cherish this relationship anymore; he's already troublesome enough as he is. And what's with that way you address him?! What the heck is 'brother'?"
Chen Zhou actually asked the same question.
Zhou Jingxing lowered his head shyly, "You're two years older than me, so it's okay for you to call me that, right?"
This young wife's face is really... Luckily, Zhou Jingxing is good-looking, otherwise Chen Zhou would have just pushed open the door and gotten out of the car.
Unable to bear it any longer, Chen Zhou told him directly, "Although I am older than you, please call me by my name. Calling me 'brother' is a bit strange."
Zhou Jingxing looked puzzled. "Is it strange? Zhang Fei also called Liu Bei 'brother'."
Shen Zhou's lips twitched. "Lin Daiyu also called Jia Baoyu 'brother,' and Li Ping'er also called Ximen Qing 'brother.' How can these be the same?"
Zhou Jingxing glanced at him, blushed, and remained silent.
The atmosphere in this car, with its girlish infatuation, is so strange! Chen Zhou couldn't stand it anymore. He pushed open the car door, left with the words "That's it, I'm leaving," and strode away without looking back.
This week, two links in the provincial museum's work group sparked heated discussions and enthusiastic sharing. One was a commentary published by official media about the value of restoring cultural relics, and the other was an online pilot exhibition themed on the restoration and repair of cultural relics, published by Times Culture Company.
Looking at the long list of mentions in the work group and everyone's teasing chatter, Zhou Jingxing had a headache. He should have firmly refused to let Shen Zhou use his photo. However, given the principle that "Zhou Jingxing cannot refuse Shen Zhou," it was impossible to prevent Shen Zhou from using his photo. Or perhaps he could have suggested that Shen Zhou not use it for the cover.
Not only the staff of the Provincial Museum, but also netizens have paid a lot of attention and discussed the online pilot exhibition as soon as it was released.
It started with a group of girls saying, "Wow, the guy on the cover is so handsome! I need all his information within three minutes."
Later, as the online pilot exhibition gained wider and deeper exposure, attention shifted back to the content itself. This online pilot exhibition mainly consisted of real photos and videos of various cultural relic restoration processes, supplemented by some professional knowledge explanations and popular science, and even advertised the upcoming exhibition of restored cultural relics at the end, piquing the curiosity of netizens. Many people left comments saying they were already looking forward to the final exhibition of restored cultural relics.
This online preview exhibition received almost universally positive reviews due to its novel format, aesthetically pleasing design, rich and engaging content, and impressive special effects.
The only few negative comments questioned whether Times Culture Company's choice of a handsome man on the cover was a publicity stunt. These comments were quickly countered by netizens: the handsome man is a cultural relic restorer, and the photo depicts his daily work; it's not a publicity stunt at all!
The online preview exhibition became a huge hit, and Zhou Jingxing also gained some popularity. Someone online found out where he works, and all the recent reservation slots for visiting the Provincial Museum were snapped up that afternoon, mostly by young women who wanted to see him.
Some media outlets even tried to interview Zhou Jingxing, but he refused, as he disliked excessive attention. Later, remembering how diligently Director Jin worked to promote the provincial museum's culture, he suggested that the media interview Director Jin, which ultimately garnered a lot of attention for the provincial museum.
It can be considered a win-win situation.
Zhou Jingxing was completely unconcerned about his sudden surge in popularity; he was wholeheartedly looking forward to the hot spring trip he would take with Shen Zhou over the weekend.
Counting the days on his fingers, Saturday finally arrived. Zhou Jingxing had asked Shen Zhou last night and learned that Shen Zhou wouldn't be traveling with him. He wasn't disappointed at all, because he had also found out that Shen Zhou wouldn't be traveling with Zhao Xin either.
As the saying goes, the enemy's defeat is one's own success.
Zhou Jingxing was overjoyed, and his happy mood reached its peak when he arrived at the hotel reception to check into his room.
After quickly checking them in, the receptionist said, "Mr. Zhou, these are your and your friend's room cards. Your companions have already arrived and checked in. They are waiting for you in a private room on the second floor with our General Manager Zhang."
Zhang Jin blurted out, "Oh? How many rooms did we book this time?"
The receptionist checked the registration backend and replied, "You are a group of five, and you have booked a total of four rooms."
Four rooms? Zhou Jingxing had already told Shen Zhou that Zhang Jin and Sun Qian only needed one room. If Zhou Jingxing himself wanted one room, there would be two rooms left. Doesn't that mean Shen Zhou and Zhao Xin would each have their own room?
They haven't made up yet! Yay!
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