It was already 5 p.m. when I came out of Qunxing Media.
Zhu Jinzhao, with her long, messy hair and a blank expression, got into Shi Jing's car.
"Chao Chao, what have you been through?" Jiang Jingwen poked her head out from the Cayenne next door, looking at Zhu Jinchao with a look of astonishment.
Zhu Jinchao unscrewed the mineral water bottle in his hand and drank the little water left in the bottle in one gulp.
"Phew..." She let out a long breath and slumped weakly in her chair. "That acting teacher is too abnormal. I only attended a few hours of class and I already feel like my body is being hollowed out."
“All the teachers hired by Qunxing Media are like this.” Shi Jing pulled out two pieces of paper, leaned close to Zhu Jinchao, and wiped the thin layer of sweat from her forehead. “The artists signed by Qunxing Media don’t have to attend any drinking parties or deal with the bigwigs in the industry.”
"Such privileges are something that artists from other companies can only dream of. Since you've enjoyed this benefit, you must definitely show some achievements in your professional field."
"I understand." Zhu Jinzhao's eyelids drooped wearily as she enjoyed Shi Jing's service with peace of mind. "The company's strict requirements for us are actually for our own good. Although I feel very tired, I don't have any resentment at all."
"Moreover, I'm not a professionally trained actor. If I want to make a name for myself in the entertainment industry, I have to work twice as hard and absorb all the crazy tricks my acting teacher uses!"
Shi Jing looked at her and smiled: "I knew Chaochao was the most resilient."
Zhu Jinzhao closed her eyes and hummed in agreement: "I want to go back and take a shower first, otherwise I won't be able to go out to eat with you guys."
"Okay." Shi Jing reached out and pulled the seatbelt next to her, and personally fastened it for her. "I'll take you back now."
Tonight, Shi Jing organized a dinner party, and the people who came were all his friends who had been close to him since childhood.
Aside from Qin Ming, Zhu Jinzhao didn't know any of Shi Jing's friends. But because Ning Shi and Jiang Jingwen were there, she wasn't so nervous.
The dinner was scheduled for 8 p.m., and the restaurant was located in a shopping mall owned by the Shi family.
Zhu Jinzhao went back to her room, took a shower, tidied herself up a bit, and then prepared to go out.
"Bang—"
The sound of doors closing in unison echoed down the hallway, and the three women sized each other up.
"...Hmm?" Jiang Jingwen looked at Ning Shi's outfit and curled her lips into a half-smile. "How come you're dressed even more disgustingly than me?"
Ning Shi straightened the skirt flap that was tied outside her jeans and said casually, "It's not worth dressing up for a bunch of men. I'm already being polite by dressing like a human being."
“...That’s true.” Jiang Jingwen inexplicably agreed with her.
She glanced at Jiang Jingwen's outfit, her disdain undisguised: "What kind of style is this? A floral shirt... paired with cropped jeans?"
Jiang Jingwen: "I just dressed casually, I guess you could call it a messy style."
"Chao Chao, what kind of trend is this overalls with only one strap?"
Jiang Jingwen shifted her mocking gaze to Zhu Jinzhao.
Zhu Jinchao frankly said, "My other strap fell off, so I'll just have to make do with this."
“No.” Ning Shi stroked her chin and slowly walked up to Zhu Jinzhao, giving her serious advice, “You should change your short-sleeved shirt to a tight-fitting one; it would look better with this combination.”
"Whatever," Zhu Jinzhao said nonchalantly. "As long as I'm dressed like a human being, who cares if I look better?"
"..." Ning Shi was speechless. "How about the three of us form a group? Let's call it 'Still a Person'."
Jiang Jingwen pondered for a moment, then nodded: "Okay."
Zhu Jinzhao: "I think it's a good idea too."
So the "still individuals" duo went downstairs arm in arm.
At 8 p.m. sharp, the five people arrived at the agreed-upon restaurant.
There weren't many friends who came, only five.
Shi Jing introduced them one by one: "Xie Lang, Song Lingyue, Shen Yichuan, Duan Qing, Xiao Jiming."
Hi.
The five men exchanged a casual greeting.
Shi Jing pulled Zhu Jinzhao to his side, and his tone of voice instantly became serious: "This is Zhu Jinzhao, a female celebrity who has recently become somewhat famous."
"The woman next to her is her best friend, Jiang Jingwen."
"Hello," Zhu Jinzhao greeted politely.
Jiang Jingwen followed suit and said, "Hello everyone."
"That's all good. Don't stand, sit down and let's chat."
These friends are all quite easygoing and don't like to make dinner parties too formal. After a brief greeting, they asked the waiter to bring the menu.
"The ladies should order first," Xie Lang said with a smile, placing the menu in front of Jiang Jingwen.
"Thank you." Jiang Jingwen took the menu and looked at it with Ning Shi.
The two of them casually ordered a few dishes and then handed the menu to Zhu Jinzhao.
Shi Jing leaned closer to Zhu Jinzhao, deliberately standing next to him: "I come to this restaurant often, and I've tried almost everything on the menu. If you don't know what to order, you can ask me."
Zhu Jinzhao nodded and, with Shi Jing's advice, ordered two less common dishes.
"Here you go." After ordering, Zhu Jinzhao handed the menu to Shi Jing.
But Shi Jing didn't take it; instead, she pushed the menu back to him, saying, "You take it, I'll look at it while holding your hand."
"Okay." Zhu Jinzhao always granted his small requests.
He was very familiar with the restaurant and had already decided what he wanted to eat. He specifically asked Zhu Jinzhao to hold the menu so that Zhu Jinzhao could give him feedback on the dishes he ordered.
"Chaochao, what do you think of this dish?"
"This dish is spicy, can you handle that?"
"These chicken feet are a bit sour, but I think they're very appetizing. Would you like to try them?"
"Tsk tsk tsk..." Across the long table, several men looked at Shi Jing, who was clinging to Zhu Jinzhao, and all shook their heads with a sigh.
Song Lingyue: "Gentle and patient. I've known Shi Jing for twenty years, and this is the first time I've ever seen these two words applied to him!"
“Me too.” Shen Yichuan took a sip of water from his glass, his eyes wide with astonishment. “It’s like I’ve seen a ghost.”
"Hey," Xie Lang turned slightly to the side, looking at Jiang Jingwen with curiosity, "Is Shi Jing like this in front of you too?"
Jiang Jingwen: "He will always be like this as long as he is with Chaochao."
Xie Lang frowned: "You guys can stand to watch this?"
"Why can't you stand it?" Jiang Jingwen didn't understand.
Xie Lang said, "Because there's too much dog food and I can't eat it! And Shi Jing smells too strongly of a dog. I can't help but laugh whenever I see him like this."
"Oh," Jiang Jingwen responded indifferently, "but I quite like seeing him like this."
"Why?" Xie Lang asked, puzzled.
"..." Jiang Jingwen stared blankly at him, then suddenly smiled mischievously, "Because I'm a fan of their CP!"
"Jing is going to take the imperial examination; he will be invincible!"
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