Chapter 102 I'm Not Here to Relax
The "I" that came out of her mouth subconsciously made Ren Limeng pause suddenly. She continued speaking very quickly, as if to hide the inexplicable panic in her words, but her white face, which was still deliberately stiff and without a trace of smile, betrayed her.
Ren Limeng's nagging accusations and questions were in his ears, stern and serious, but Shen Xingzhi couldn't help but smile. He tilted his head slightly and listened quietly to every word of Ren Limeng. The boat was still shaking violently with the water flow, and every bump seemed to rush straight into his heart.
"I don't have any family anymore. If something happens someday, after checking my social connections, I might have to trouble you, my ex-wife, to go there."
Chen Xingzhi's voice was light, and his calm statement was as light as a leisurely stroll in the garden, and there was a hint of deliberately created ease, but it successfully made Ren Limeng shut up instantly.
"Shut up! That's impossible! Your dad...?"
Ren Limeng glared at Chen Xingzhi suddenly, and whispered to scold him for his casualness. A hint of surprise suddenly flashed across her eyes, and her voice slowly softened, carrying an unconscious and indescribable complex emotion.
She remembered that not long after they separated from college and Shen Xingzhi had just made his debut, the news of Shen Xingzhi's mother Qiu Quan's death spread like wildfire. But Shen Xingzhi's father Shen Yunren was a well-known businessman. She remembered that she hadn't seen any news about his past life on the Internet in these years?
"We've severed ties."
Shen Xingzhi's cold voice carried a hint of imperceptible annoyance. This morning, when he saw Ren Limeng's father come to see Ren Limeng, he was really envious for a moment, but Shen Xingzhi knew clearly that he would not have this blessing in this life.
This cold and hard sentence concealed many stories that were insignificant to outsiders. Ren Limeng tactfully pursed her lips and lowered her eyes silently, without any intention of asking any further questions. The atmosphere that was just warm and harmonious suddenly turned cold.
The only sound between the two of them was the crackling sound of the rushing water, which created ripples like white flowers.
Ren Limeng straightened up, gathered her spirits, and thought about the scene just now. She couldn't help but continue in feigned anger, "Don't change the subject. Don't you think your actions just now were dangerous? Although the scenic area is basically safe, this is nature. If you commit suicide in the rapids, even gods can't save you. Do you want to die? Then... can you please have mercy and think about me? I'm innocent. Even if you can't think straight and act impulsively, can you find another place where there are no people? Don't..."
Ren Limeng was unable to continue speaking. She felt a surge of anger in her heart and her words became more and more impulsive. She was not blaming him for his actions that would affect her. She just felt that no matter what, he should not do such a dangerous thing.
Thousands of words can be summed up in a simple sentence "I'm worried", but Ren Limeng couldn't say it at all. She felt that she would never be able to say such words again in her life.
Noticing that Chen Xingzhi's face, which was as bright as the moon in the autumn night, was suddenly attacked by frost and turned gloomy, even though the situation became worse and worse, Ren Limeng still continued to speak in a low and weak voice after she came to her senses.
Her brain finally felt that her expression seemed a little off topic. Ren Limeng's eyes flashed slightly, but she didn't want to lose her momentum at this moment. She thought quickly about what to say next, but her ability to express herself as a host seemed to be disrupted by the shaking of the water.
Until Shen Xingzhi interrupted her, "I just want you to relax a little. Drifting is a very happy thing. Aren't you tired of holding you all the time?"
The sound in her throat seemed to be suddenly blocked, and Ren Limeng was rarely stunned. For a moment, she found it difficult to describe this feeling. It was like the soft big bed she had imagined while staying up late at night to make a hosting plan at her workstation one day, or like a big hand that suddenly reached out when she was stuck in a swamp while filming on location in the fields.
Ren Limeng suddenly fell silent. When their eyes met, her eyes seemed like two bottomless springs, with turbulent waves at the bottom. Ren Limeng tilted her head slightly, trying to hide the waves in her heart with the movement of her eyes, making her eyes appear calm and indifferent, as if her violently beating heart was just caused by the rubber boat moving in the turbulent waves.
"Shen Xingzhi..."
Stop it.
She couldn't afford to play an emotional game now.
Ren Limeng never thought that she would be like this at the age of 32.
When she was a child, she imagined herself as a nationally renowned Huangmei Opera performer at the age of 30, poised in front of countless spotlights and cameras, taking Huangmei Opera to new heights, starring in her own classic repertoire, and fulfilling her parents' long-cherished wish to revitalize Huangmei Opera.
On the day she resolutely changed her major at the age of eighteen, Ren Limeng secretly vowed that she would carve out a world of her own. Even if she didn't know what to do, she believed in herself and was confident that all the embarrassment was temporary. At the age of thirty, she would be both smart and beautiful, and be able to dominate the workplace.
When she decided to pursue hosting as a career in college, Ren Limeng imagined herself as the center of attention at the age of 30, calm and charming, with one personal show after another going viral. She believed that with her own efforts, she could become a household name and a candidate that people would think of when talking about the Golden Melody Awards.
In fact, on her 30th birthday, she was reporting a flood news story all night long, and even drove to the scene that night. The agricultural channel had few people and a lot of work to do, and the boundaries between hosts and reporters, and work in front of the camera and behind the scenes were not so clear.
Ren Limeng still remembers the live broadcast in which she was covered in rain and mud but still spoke calmly and clearly. She also remembers all the tiredness after a busy day. It was not until she opened her phone and was flooded with birthday messages from banks and apps that she realized she was already 30 years old.
It was also from that time that she felt that she needed to make a change. There was nothing wrong with the agricultural channel, but the tiring and unchanging life like a frog in boiling water was not what she wanted. She wanted everyone to remember her, remember her voice, and make their own voice heard.
Being on "Shan Hai" is a thrilling and desperate gamble, but apart from hosting, which is her passion and career that she has persisted in for many years, Ren Limeng does not want to take any more gambles.
She is thirty-two years old and can't afford to lose.
Just like her spine that was always straight in front of the camera just now, no matter how flustered she was inside, she had to smile calmly and composedly. Chen Xingzhi was right to say that she was dignified, but as long as she could always maintain her dignified attitude, what did it matter whether it was true or false?
“Shen Xingzhi, I’m not here to relax.”
The sunlight sprinkled on the splashing water surface, covering the whole body of Ren Limeng and Shen Xingzhi. Ren Limeng seemed to feel dazzling, squinted slightly, closed her eyes for a moment, and opened them quickly again.
The corners of her mouth were still filled with a smile that showed no emotion. The look she gave Shen Xingzhi finally hid all irrelevant emotions, leaving only a serious expression with some deliberately revealed ambition.
"Thank you, but you don't need to. If you really care about me, I just hope that the recording goes well."
Suddenly, a stagnant silence filled the surroundings. After experiencing a period of turbulence, the rushing river water seemed to have exhausted all its strength and finally flowed slowly, restoring the tranquility of the water surface.
In the narrow rubber boat, Shen Xingzhi lowered his eyelids slightly, and his long eyelashes cast a faint shadow under his eyelids. He felt that he could grab Ren Limeng by just stretching out his left arm, but in fact, what he was holding was just a light breeze that came and went in the canyon without a trace.
In the scorching summer, even in the cool canyon, the air seems to have solidified into a thick wall, airtight and pressing down on the heart.
"......good."
Shortly after passing the sharp bend, Ren Limeng saw the program staff and scenic area personnel dressed as fishermen rushing along the shore. The disrupted camera equipment and recording microphones returned to normal in an instant. The unexpected episode caused by a rapids was not worth mentioning and would not affect the program recording in the slightest.
After quickly adjusting everything, the heavy orange rubber boat swayed back to the calm water surface, and the recording process continued in an orderly manner.
"Bawang Gorge was so thrilling! Han Tai and I almost capsized, but luckily Han Tai was quick enough to hold onto the side of the boat. Han Tai, thank you so much for today! The production team was really reliable to find you and Chu Yue to be both our teachers and guides!"
It was lunchtime when they finished rafting. Chen Xingzhi and his group sat in a restaurant box that had been arranged in advance. Chen Xi looked at Han Tai, who was sitting at the lower seat, with a smile on his face, and there was a hint of approval in his voice.
"Yeah! Sitting in the rubber boat, rushing down with the current, it feels like riding a roller coaster. It's so exciting! Chuyue and Hantai have worked so hard this week. On behalf of the general public, I strongly demand that you, Meixiang Theater, give you a raise!"
Guan He also echoed from the side, his laughing voice infected everyone present, and the box was filled with peace.
"Thank you, Brother Guan He. This is what we should do. Everyone, try our stewed oxtail, potato slices, meat cake, glutinous rice lotus root, twice-cooked pork in casserole, sour rice noodles, and yellow croaker soup. They are all Mei City specialties. Li Meng and I have been eating them since we were young."
As soon as everyone sat down at the table, the waiters came in with the dishes. Han Tai picked up the teapot and poured tea for everyone. Li Chuyue stood up and introduced the dishes enthusiastically as the waiters served them.
Hearing her own name, Ren Limeng's eyes flickered slightly. She looked deeply at Li Chuyue, whose demeanor and movements were natural and smooth. She curled her lips and smiled, "Indeed, there's this shop called Mei Dashao. I remember there's also one in the alley next to Meixiang Theater. Is it a chain store?"
"right."
Li Chuyue looked into Ren Limeng's clear eyes, her voice slightly paused, and she sighed with a hint of nostalgia, "Limeng, do you still remember? When we were little, we only had a small shop. Whenever we won a prize in a competition, we loved to go to his shop to celebrate. Over the years, the boss has opened four or five branches, and it has become a well-known check-in spot. Many tourists come here specifically to check in."
Ren Limeng and Li Chuyue turned their gazes to the sides in tacit understanding. The familiar dishes from the small shop were served on delicate yet unfamiliar white porcelain plates. Ren Limeng listened to Li Chuyue's explanation, seeming a little melancholy and happy. "Then I have to taste it carefully to see if the taste has changed!"
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