Chapter 108 "Invite Mr. Xia over."
After Xia Mian left the stage, Secretary Liu exclaimed, "Pingchuan, I never expected Xia to sing so well! What a golden voice!"
Secretary Liu, who is over fifty, doesn't know any adjectives to describe young people; he can only say "golden voice."
Zhou Pingchuan nodded slightly.
Secretary Liu: "He danced well too. I remember he was an actor?"
“He’s not just a pretty face,” Zhou Pingchuan said.
Secretary Liu thought to himself with a hint of sarcasm, "I'm praising Xia here, why are you making such a big deal out of it?"
Xia Mian never imagined that she would hear a word of praise from her incredibly cold husband, who had been sleeping in separate beds since they got their marriage certificate.
In fact, he didn't even know his "plastic husband" was there. This was his first official stage performance, so he was a little nervous. His attention was focused on the performance and the two "cotton fans," and he didn't look anywhere else.
Since he had used Chang Yi's dressing room, he didn't leave after going offstage. He planned to wait for Chang Yi and secretly plotted to take him out for a late-night snack.
For the past few days, the nutritionist Zhao Wei hired has been feeding him only grass, beef, fish, and chicken breast sprinkled with black pepper. Growing up in the north, he prefers strong flavors, and his mouth was getting so bland that he secretly gave the nutritionist a nickname—Breaking Bad.
Having finally escaped Breaking Bad's clutches, he was naturally going to indulge himself!
Chang Yi didn't keep him waiting for long; he returned to the dressing room in less than forty minutes.
"Bro," Xia Mian said, wrapped in a small blanket and almost asleep, "Are you rushing to your schedule?"
"I can leave tomorrow morning."
"Let's go grab some late-night snacks, it's such a rare chance to run into each other."
After leaving "Infinite Escape," he only collaborated with Chang Yi once on a new album, and they haven't seen each other since. Chang Yi smiled and said, "Okay, you won't renege on your promise about the 'dirty vinegar,' will you?"
"The vinegar is vinegar, and the snack is snack, so I definitely won't renege on my promise. Let's go, I'm starving!"
When two celebrities go out to eat, if staff members follow, it becomes a large, conspicuous group that's easy to be photographed. Besides, it's getting late, and everyone is quite tired. Chang Yi and Xia Mian each gave the team a late-night snack red envelope, and after seeing them off, they all got into Xia Mian's van.
In a corner of the parking lot, a black phantom with its headlights off stood like a lurking beast.
Driver Lao Wang exclaimed, "Oh dear! It seems Mr. Xia is about to leave. Should I honk my horn to stop him?"
There was no response from the back row.
Old Wang turned his head and saw his boss staring intently ahead with deep eyes.
He tentatively asked, "Mr. Jay Chou, should I call out to Mr. Xia?"
“No need,” Zhou Pingchuan said after a pause, “follow them.”
In the early winter nights of northern China, most restaurants are closed, except for barbecue restaurants, which are a staple for northerners' late-night eateries. The two drove straight to the nearest barbecue restaurant and booked a small private room.
The meat skewers arrived, glistening with oil and coated with sesame seeds, cumin, and chili powder. Just looking at them was enough to send shivers down your spine. One more bite, and it felt like life was complete!
I must say, the food at this little shop is really good. After finishing two skewers, Xia Mian got a craving: "You have to have beer with barbecue, right? I want to have a bottle."
"I'll stay with you."
The two hit it off immediately.
The shop only had the most basic beer. They each opened a bottle. Xia Mian was very picky. After just one sip, she frowned. Where was the rich aroma of hops? It was all alcohol mixed with technology.
But it suited the environment and the taste perfectly, and the two clinked glasses and were inexplicably happy.
The streets outside were quiet, and just as we were finishing our meal, fine snowflakes began to fall from the sky.
This was the first snow of the year, and also the first winter since Xia Mian transmigrated here. Gazing at the moon through the snow curtain, he was momentarily stunned.
Chang Yi looked at his slightly flushed face and smiled, "Are you drunk?"
"No, I was just thinking about something."
"What is it?" Chang Yi paused, "Is it related to marriage?"
"...No, it's about family matters. Speaking of which, I just remembered that Yu Nuo sent me a congratulatory message on the day of the wedding ceremony. I haven't seen any messages from you since."
After transmigrating into the book, Chang Yi and Zhang Yuno were the first friends he made. Now, with Xu Ning added to the mix, his social circle is only this small.
Chang Yi lowered his eyes. How should he congratulate Xia Mian?
He couldn't say congratulations.
After filming the challenge with Xia Mian, Chang Yi often watched their videos over and over again. Amidst his assistant's teasing, he gradually realized that he had fallen for Xia Mian.
But he debuted through a talent show, and it was his fans who worked tirelessly day and night, voting him one by one, that brought him to where he is today. He couldn't let his fans down, and he couldn't let down the career he loved. So he told himself not to overthink it and unilaterally cut off his contact with Xia Mian.
When news of Xia Mian's impending marriage broke, his emotions surged again. That time, he locked himself in the practice room, writing songs day and night. A few days later, he saw Zhang Yuno's WeChat message, asking if he wanted to buy a wedding gift for Xia Mian together.
He calmly replied: "I'm abroad and can't go back anytime soon."
Zhang Yuno expressed her understanding: "Let's wait until the formal wedding to buy it. It's too late to buy it now. We can prepare in advance then."
Chang Yi replied with "Okay". He thought he had adjusted himself, but today, seeing Xia Mian, he still lost his composure.
Unfortunately, at this very moment, the person he loved was already intimately involved with someone else. The matching rings on his ring finger gleamed blindingly.
He may disregard professional ethics, but he truly cannot cross moral boundaries.
"Bro, are you okay?" Xia Mian interrupted his reminiscence.
Chang Yi shook his head: "I'm fine."
"But your face looks a little pale."
"Maybe I haven't been getting enough rest lately because of my busy schedule."
"Let's go then," Xia Mian patted her stomach, "Let's eat our fill and go back to sleep."
The two got up to pay the bill, and Xia Mian insisted on paying. Any relationship will last longer if there is give and take.
The ground outside was already covered with a layer of white snow. As soon as Xia Mian stepped out the door, a ring of glistening snow fell on her head, just like a little angel.
Chang Yi raised his hand, emboldened by the alcohol, and finally mustered the courage to touch the top of his head—just like when he finally dared to bring up the topic of marriage earlier.
Just as it was about to land, a long "beep" sounded from not far away.
Inside the illusion, Zhou Pingchuan remained expressionless and instructed his bodyguard, "Bring Mr. Xia over."
Outside the Phantom, the bodyguards immediately took action, half-pushing and half-dragging Xia Mian to the back seat of the car.
As the car accelerated and started moving, the rapidly spinning tires kicked up a cloud of snow, which splashed all over Chang Yi's trouser legs.
Chang Yi didn't move or clean up; he stood there, his eyes blank. Suddenly, he realized that he might... never see that bowl of fermented bean curd again.
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