Chapter 48 Zhou Zekai accepts gifts from Zhao Zhinian's fans on her behalf...
The fact that Zhou Zekai accepted gifts from Zhao Zhinian's fans on her behalf has indeed sparked heated discussions online.
CP fans were overjoyed, spreading the news far and wide, and exclaiming how great it is to be part of an all-star event; the main characters hadn't even officially appeared together yet, but they were already getting a taste of sweetness.
However, Zhao Zhinian, who was at the center of the discussion, was completely unaware of this.
She was standing in the center of the stage at the Tiny Grass Arena, holding the script and confirming the final rehearsal with the director.
As players from various teams arrived in Beijing one after another, there were many temporary changes to the roster.
Adjustments to contestants' schedules and changes in team personnel—every subtle change can affect the host's script.
Faced with these unexpected situations, she had to repeatedly check and revise, so she naturally didn't have time to take out her phone.
It was lunchtime, and Lin Shuang, the dutiful assistant, had ordered takeout for Zhao Zhinian. She had just brought the food back to the dressing room and was about to go to the front desk to see when Zhao Zhinian would be free to have lunch together when she opened the door and unexpectedly saw two figures not far away that shouldn't have been there at this time.
The captain and vice-captain of the Samsara Team, Zhou Zekai and Jiang Botao, were standing in the corridor.
Lin Shuang was taken aback. The contestants didn't have any filming or interviews scheduled for today; they should be resting or free at the hotel right now. These two appeared backstage and casually strolled past the dressing rooms, their gazes... clearly searching for someone.
Lin Shuang immediately had a guess in her mind.
Before she could even speak, Zhou Zekai's gaze had already fallen on her. The two had shared a meal at Zhao Zhinian's house before, and since Zhao Zhinian often mentioned this friend, Zhou Zekai naturally had some impression of her.
Seeing the backstage bustling with people, these two professional players were looking around suspiciously, drawing curious glances. Lin Shuang cleverly stepped aside to let them through the door, lowering her voice: "Is Captain Zhou here to see Chinen? Why don't you come in and wait?"
Jiang Botao didn't recognize Lin Shuang, so he glanced at Zhou Zekai and asked with his eyes. Zhou Zekai nodded almost imperceptibly and confirmed in a low voice, "Yizhan."
The two entered the dressing room, but Zhao Zhinian was nowhere to be seen.
As the person in charge of social interactions, Jiang Botao immediately put on a professional and gentle smile and took a step forward.
He wasn't quite sure how well Lin Shuang knew about the relationship between Zhou Zekai and Zhao Zhinian, so he came up with the most plausible excuse: "Hello, I'm Jiang Botao from Samsara. I happen to have nothing to do today, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to familiarize myself with the venue. I happened to meet some of Ms. Zhao's fans during the day who asked us to deliver gifts, so I wanted to see if Ms. Zhao was here."
This explanation made the sudden appearance of the two people and the backstage search for them seem reasonable.
Lin Shuang quickly introduced herself: "Hello, Vice Captain Jiang, I'm Lin Shuang, Chinen's temporary assistant this time. Chinen is still rehearsing up front, and I don't think she'll be finished anytime soon. Why don't you give me the gift first?"
The fan's gift was currently being held by Zhou Zekai. Jiang Botao was about to signal the captain to hand the gift to Lin Shuang when he noticed Zhou Zekai's gaze fall on the two untouched takeout dishes on the dressing table.
Zhou Zekai frowned and asked Lin Shuang directly, "Has she not eaten?"
Lin Shuang nodded: "Yes, the takeout just arrived, and I was just about to go call her."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Zekai, without saying a word, shoved the paper bag in his hand into Lin Shuang's hand and simply said, "I'm going."
Lin Shuang was taken aback and subconsciously took the gift: "Uh...uh?"
Before she could react, Zhou Zekai had already turned around, opened the door, and disappeared swiftly outside, leaving Lin Shuang and Jiang Botao, two people who weren't exactly acquainted, staring at each other in the dressing room.
The two exchanged a glance, and an awkward silence filled the air.
Lin Shuang chuckled twice, trying to start a conversation: "Um... Captain Zhou, he's really helpful..."
Jiang Botao returned a polite but slightly awkward smile: "Yes, the captain cares about his friends."
This wasn't Zhou Zekai's first time at the Weltmeister Arena. Following the route he remembered, he walked from the passageway to the stage. The stage was brightly lit, and he could hear staff adjusting equipment and discussing procedures from afar.
He quietly walked to the entrance of the audience seats and immediately spotted Zhao Zhinian on the stage.
She was wearing a simple white sweater and jeans. Perhaps because of the rehearsal, she was without makeup today. In addition, she was busy until late and looked a little tired. She was holding a script and communicating seriously with the director next to her.
Although they were using abbreviations and numbers like "123123" and "so-and-so" to pronounce, she remained focused, stood tall, and exuded a professional aura.
Zhou Zekai stood and watched for a while, while the stage remained busy.
It looks like the rehearsal won't be over for a while.
Zhou Zekai did not go forward to disturb him. He silently walked to the front row of the audience, found a corner seat near the aisle with dim lighting, and sat down quietly, his eyes always following the busy figure on the stage.
About ten minutes later, the director finally announced clearly from the stage, "OK, you've worked hard today, everyone get some rest!"
Zhao Zhinian immediately bowed deeply to the staff on stage and the director in the audience: "Thank you for your hard work!"
She breathed a sigh of relief, stretched her stiff neck, and prepared to leave the stage.
Zhou Zekai, who had been watching her intently, immediately stood up and quickly walked from the corner to the front of the stage, wanting to call her back before she left.
However, he had barely stepped out of the shadows when he was noticed by another person at the scene who was still confirming the details of the scene.
"Captain Zhou?" The manager of Team Tiny Herb took a closer look under the dim stage lights, and after confirming it was Zhou Zekai, he was visibly taken aback: "What are you doing here? Is there something you need..."
Zhou Zekai was suddenly stopped, his steps faltering, and he uttered a muffled single sound: "Uh..."
He subconsciously turned his head to look at the stage, only to see that Zhao Zhinian had already returned the in-ear monitor to the staff and was about to walk down the steps on the side of the stage, about to leave his sight.
In his haste, he didn't have time to think. He stretched out his hand and pointed vaguely at Zhao Zhinian's retreating figure, explaining succinctly, "Tell her to eat."
The Tiny Herb manager looked in the direction he was pointing, and there was no one else on the stage except for Zhao Zhinian.
This scene instantly stirred up a long-forgotten memory in his mind: back in Shanghai, at Yingjie's fan meeting, Zhou seemed to have appeared abruptly in the same way, startling him and Yingjie.
In an instant, the Tiny Herb manager understood.
Seeing the fleeting look of anxiety on Zhou Zekai's face, so different from the calm and collected image of the gun king on the field, he quickly reassured him, "I understand, I understand! Wait here for a bit, there are quite a few staff members here, I'll go call them for you."
As he spoke, he quickened his pace, approached the edge of the stage, and called out, "Chinen! Wait a minute!"
As soon as Zhao Zhinian stepped off the stage, thinking that the manager had some work to explain, she immediately ran over with the script in hand, her face showing a questioning look: "What's wrong? Is there still a problem with the process?"
The Tiny Herb manager turned to the side and gestured with her eyes to the figure in the corner who, despite trying to minimize his presence, was still impossible to ignore due to his height and good looks. She teased him in a friendly tone, "It's not about work; your family member is calling you to dinner."
Zhao Zhinian followed his gaze and met Zhou Zekai's slightly awkward eyes.
She was taken aback at first, then a clear smile spread across her eyes, sweeping away the fatigue of the past few days.
Slightly embarrassed, Zhao Zhinian thanked the manager of Tiny Herb and quickly walked to his side: "Why did you come here?"
"I'm calling you to dinner."
Zhao Zhinian thought he was asking her out to eat, but the way he phrased it was a bit strange: "Hmm?"
“Backstage,” he explained simply.
Zhao Zhinian roughly understood, so she followed Zhou Zekai back.
"You came by yourself?"
"Together with Jiang Botao."
"Why are you at the venue today?"
"To see you."
When the two returned to the dressing room, the awkwardness between Lin Shuang and Jiang Botao had completely vanished. Lin Shuang was eating while gesturing wildly, and it was unclear what kind of consensus the two had reached during Zhou Zekai's absence, but they were now chatting amiably.
Seeing them push the door open and come in, Lin Shuang quickly finished the last few bites of rice, then turned to Jiang Botao and winked: "Deputy Captain Jiang, didn't you just say you had something to do and were not familiar with the way? I happen to be going that way, so I'll take you there!"
Jiang Botao readily agreed, "That's great, then I'll trouble you, Miss Lin. Captain, I'll go out for a bit, you two can talk."
The two of them moved in perfect unison, getting up, leaving, and closing the door with fluid, synchronized movements, as if they had rehearsed beforehand. The dressing room door clicked open, leaving the remaining two people alone.
The sudden alone time, coupled with the fact that the two hadn't seen each other for a long time, made Zhao Zhinian feel a subtle tension.
Zhou Zekai, however, appeared completely at ease. He naturally moved a chair over, carefully unpacked the takeout, and handed her chopsticks. The whole process was smooth and efficient, and his service was impeccable.
Zhao Zhinian thanked him softly and began to eat. However, being stared at so intently while eating made her feel rather uncomfortable.
She ate while trying to make conversation: "Have you eaten?"
Zhou Zekai nodded, his gaze still fixed on her face.
Zhao Zhinian couldn't help but suggest, "Why don't you play on your phone for a while?"
Zhou Zekai tilted his head in confusion.
"It's a little strange and uncomfortable to watch me eat like this," she told the truth.
Zhou Zekai obediently took out his phone, but his gaze still uncontrollably drifted towards her.
Left with no other choice, Zhao Zhinian had to speed up her eating. When she put down her chopsticks and looked up, she found him staring at her again. She couldn't help but touch her face with her hand; after all, she hadn't put on makeup today. If she had known Zhou Zekai would be coming, she wouldn't have been so lazy. "What's wrong?"
Zhou Zekai hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice: "You said before that we should meet and talk."
Zhao Zhinian immediately understood. She glanced subtly at the door of the dressing room and raised an eyebrow slightly: "Are you sure you want to talk here?"
Seeing that he didn't seem to have reacted yet, she gently leaned close to his ear, her warm breath brushing against his ear, and whispered, "Go check the door, maybe there'll be a surprise."
The sudden approach made Zhou Zekai's body tense instantly, and the tips of his ears turned red at a visible speed. He belatedly realized what was happening, walked quietly to the door, and suddenly pulled it open.
Sure enough, Lin Shuang and Jiang Botao leaned against the wall on either side, perfectly cosplaying the door gods.
Upon seeing Zhou Zekai suddenly appear, a hint of embarrassment flashed across both of their faces as they felt caught in the act.
Lin Shuang tried to remain calm and explained, "What a coincidence, we just got back!"
She then turned to Zhao Zhinian and spoke rapidly: "I... I came back to get something... You don't need to worry about me, keep talking! Keep talking! Zhinian, since Captain Zhou is here too, I'll go back first! Captain Lou said he needs to talk to me about something!"
Jiang Botao immediately chimed in, "Brother Fang just called me. I came over to tell the captain that I need to head back to the hotel now."
Lin Shuang took all of Zhao Zhinian's other belongings, then stuffed the paper bag Zhou Zekai had given her into Zhao Zhinian's hand: "This is a gift your fans asked Captain Zhou to pass on. Remember to thank Captain Zhou properly! We're leaving now!"
As the door slammed shut, silence returned to the dressing room.
This time, it really was just the two of them left.
Seeing the two leave, Zhao Zhinian glanced at Zhou Zekai with a helpless expression.
Zhou Zekai, however, seemed unconcerned about the two who left, and persistently steered the conversation back on track: "Can we talk now?"
"What kind of gift is this?" Zhao Zhinian asked nervously, continuing to play dumb and change the subject, while looking down at the paper bag in her hand.
The bag contained four delicate handmade bow hair clips, a handwritten letter, and a notebook at the bottom.
"The bow, I might see if I get a chance to wear it on stage sometime." Because Zhou Zekai was next to her, Zhao Zhinian quickly glanced at the letter, then carefully put it away, her gaze shifting to the diary: "Besides the letter, why is there a notebook?"
"The notebook is mine."
"Huh?" Zhao Zhinian was taken aback.
"You need to hear about my past."
Zhao Zhinian then belatedly remembered this. She gently opened the notebook, and sure enough, it contained Zhou Zekai's notes and records of important moments and emotional journeys from the past few seasons.
"You still have the habit of keeping a diary?" she asked softly.
Zhou Zekai shook his head: "I tidied it up in my spare time recently."
Zhao Zhinian's heart skipped a beat.
She originally thought it was just a joke between the two of them, and asking Zhou Zekai to recount the past was a bit of a stretch for someone as inarticulate as him.
But he not only kept it in mind, he also came up with the most suitable way to express it.
She took a deep breath, the last trace of unease in her heart quietly dissipating. She lightly traced the cover of the notebook with her fingertips, then looked up at him: "The birthday present I gave you, that jade pendant with cloud patterns, are you wearing it?"
As if to prove how much he cherished her, Zhou Zekai immediately unzipped his down jacket, revealing the jade pendant nestled against his heart. He leaned forward slightly and gently presented the pendant to her.
Zhao Zhinian's fingers traced the jade pendant, which felt especially warm now, probably because she had always worn it close to her body. "You guessed right, this is indeed a pair. The other one is with my father; my parents begged for it together back then." She paused, her voice soft yet firm, "When he returns to China, I will get the other one and wear it myself."
Zhou Zekai looked up at her, as if digesting the weight of those words.
"Zhou Zekai, I like you."
Seeing that he remained in the same position without responding for a long time, Zhao Zhinian released the jade pendant, letting it gently fall back to his chest. She waved it in front of his eyes, a gentle smile on her lips: "What? If I confess to you face to face, you won't doubt that my account was hacked or that it's not really me, right?"
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