Huayu 2021: Isn’t he in the technology field?

Chapter 110 Time Capsule, with Hidden Motives

At eight o'clock in the evening, the moonlight was at its brightest.

Jiang Qing stepped onto the moonlit bluestone slabs and turned a corner in the alleyway next to Gulangyu Island.

The moment the video call connected, Chen Duling's fair and delicate face appeared on the screen.

She was tucking stray hairs behind her ear with a hair clip, and the warm yellow lamp cast a fuzzy halo of light behind her.

"Dr. Jiang is lost?"

She had a well-worn book of poems lying on her lap, clearly having just been reading it.

Jiang Qing scrutinized her clean, small face and turned the camera towards the sea.

"We're looking for the secret base that Tour Guide Chen mentioned."

The sound of the waves, carried by the salty wind, poured into the microphone.

"Especially the time capsule buried by a certain girl."

Chen Duling's fingertips unconsciously traced the pages of the book as she watched the flashlight beam flicker in the camera lens.

She didn't expect that right after chatting with Jiang Qing, he would start treasure hunting that very night.

When Jiang Qing squatted down in front of the crevice in the reef and held up the seashell engraved with "CDL 2012", she had not yet realized the seriousness of the situation.

"It turns out to be here."

"Wearing a floral dress at fourteen and buying satay noodles on credit?"

Jiang Qing wiped the seashells with the hem of her shirt, the sound of the sand rubbing against the shells mingling with her sudden, rapid breathing.

"Jiang Qing!"

She grabbed a cushion to cover half her face, the tips of her ears gleaming coral in the light.

"You are illegally digging up other people's dark history."

“This is called searching for memories, and…”

Jiang Qing deliberately dragged out the last syllable, looking at the girl's slightly forward-leaning shoulder and neck lines on the screen.

"Next time, I can use this to threaten Teacher Chen into treating me to satay noodles."

Chen Duling burst out laughing.

"The embarrassing story of me wearing a floral dress and running a debt at fourteen has become your leverage."

The waves surged in the distance, and Jiang Qing leaned against the damp rock wall, chuckling softly.

"The exhibition case in the history museum of Xiamen No. 1 Middle School still displays the model airplane from which you won the championship. So, the 'du' in Chen Duling's name is an onomatopoeia for the sparks coming out of a welding torch?"

"You even went to our school?"

Chen Duling looked at the screen in surprise.

"Well, after the reading session ended, I figured it wasn't far, so I went to check it out."

Jiang Qing smiled as she looked at her surprised expression.

"How could the school let you do whatever you want..."

Chen Duling swallowed her words halfway through.

"I almost forgot, Dr. Jiang's face makes him a guest of honor at any school."

She looked at Jiang Qing on the screen and joked with him.

Jiang Qing raised an eyebrow slightly, but didn't feign modesty.

After all it is true.

As they passed through Longshan Cave, Jiang Qing's flashlight beam swept across a rock wall.

The faded "CDLFLH 2010" made Chen Duling sit up abruptly.

"That doesn't count! I was with a friend when she threatened me. Look over there."

She hurriedly explained, her expression flustered.

"Did you get this carved while accompanying your best friend to see your idol?"

He deliberately traced the incomplete heart with his fingertips, then glanced at the other engraving that was indeed there.

"Back in Chen's day"

"It's also a way to relieve stress before the college entrance exam!"

She interrupted abruptly, her hair brushing against the lens and creating a glimmer of light.

"If Dr. Jiang keeps digging, I might..."

Before he could finish speaking, the camera suddenly turned to the old banyan tree at No. 32 Anhai Road.

Moonlight filtered through the branches, illuminating the delicate engravings on the bark—"Chen Duling 158cm".

"So you were secretly measuring your height here."

Jiang Qing leaned against the tree trunk and looked up to take a picture of the tree crown.

"Can you reach the welding torch holder now?"

"Jiang Qing!"

On the screen, Chen Duling looked like an anxious rabbit, her eyes wide open.

Jiang Qing knew when to stop and continued walking forward as if nothing had happened.

Chen Duling stepped barefoot onto the carpet in the RV, and the night breeze lifted the gauze curtains, letting in moonlight.

When she saw Jiang Qing find the wooden sign on the beach, the lid of the thermos cup clattered onto the poetry collection.

"CDL's Exclusive Stargazing Spot →"

The lettering on the back of the wooden sign has been softened by the waves—those who bring taro dumplings can redeem a reward.

"It turns out that tour guide Chen also believes in metaphysics."

Jiang Qing flicked the sand with the tips of his canvas shoes.

"Do you want the taro dumplings filled with red bean paste or...?"

"Jiang Qing!"

She suddenly moved closer to the camera, her eyelashes casting trembling shadows on the screen.

"Take seven steps to the right."

Fluorescent green bioluminescent algae undulate with the waves, forming shimmering arrows on the beach.

Jiang Qing followed the light spots to the back of the reef. The flashlight illuminated the cave, where a faded tin box contained a yellowed exercise book with a crooked rocket drawn on the cover in ballpoint pen.

A seventeen-year-old's wish list?

He turned to the inner page, where a certain line of text had been repeatedly darkened.

"I want to become a girl who conquers science!"

The sound of the waves suddenly became deafening.

Jiang Qing looked at the fair face in the camera lens and suddenly asked softly.

"now what?"

Chen Duling's fingertips traced the words she had read countless times on the page. Looking at the profile of the woman bathed in moonlight on the screen, she hesitated, wanting to say something but holding back.

"Now."

Jiang Qing noticed her hesitation and turned to face the rising tide.

"I want to buy time with satay noodles."

Chen Duling was stunned, watching him write the formula on the damp sand, the waves swallowing the last Greek letter again and again.

She suddenly spoke as the seventh wave receded.

"Take half a step to the left."

The moonlight just happened to illuminate the remnants of the formula.

No longer a cold symbol, but an ∞ made of seashells.

"Dr. Jiang's romantic gestures really wear out shoes."

She pointed to his wet trouser legs, her voice softer than the foam on the waves.

"but."

The sea breeze suddenly shifted, and the sound of a piano drifted from an old villa in the distance. Jiang Qing bent down and picked up a glass bottle that had been pushed ashore by the tide. Inside, a crumpled piece of paper had blurred handwriting, but half of the sentence was still legible.

"Hopefully ten years from now..."

He put it in his pocket before he finished reading, and when he looked up, the waves were already over his ankles.

"Chen Duling".

"Ok?"

"Taro dumplings taste good even when they're cold."

The video froze at this moment, the image freezing on her suddenly wide-open eyes.

The moonlight shattered into stardust on the crests of the waves, and the distant sound of a ferry whistle drifted over.

Chen Duling touched her burning earlobe, and a faint smile slowly curved her lips.

"Now... I want you to only have eyes for me."

-

The next day, at 8:13 AM.

In the Lianfa Cultural and Creative Park, where the morning mist had not yet dissipated, Jiang Qing stared blankly at the camera wrapped in red silk.

The scent of sandalwood mixed with the sea breeze wafted into his nostrils. He imitated Sun Molong by inserting three sticks of incense diagonally into the bronze incense burner. Amidst the swirling smoke, he heard a rustling sound behind him.

"Teacher Jiang, please be careful not to knock over the incense burner."

Zhao Jinmai turned to his side, tilting her head to reveal her snow-white collarbone above her white T-shirt.

"Last time on another film set, I almost knocked the offerings all over the floor."

Jiang Qing patted the collar of her white T-shirt, which was stained with incense ash, and looked down at her.

"It seems that Teacher Zhao is very experienced?"

"After all, the media has captured and criticized his incense-throwing pose."

She suddenly tiptoed and removed the gold foil from the end of his hair, her movements as swift as a hummingbird hunting its prey.

"The biggest fear during the opening ceremony is getting gold leaf on the surface, as it will reflect light."

She then walked away as if nothing had happened.

Jiang Qing watched her retreating figure, a flicker of emotion passing through his eyes.

He followed behind her, and ahead was the media photo area that had already been set up.

When the spotlight suddenly went off, Jiang Qing was pulled by Zhao Jinmai to stand in front of the backdrop.

More than fifty media outlets set up their cameras and microphones, forming a steel forest, with the sound of shutters mingling with shouts.

"Dr. Jiang, look to the left!"

"Please take a look at this, Mr. Jiang!"

"MaiMai and President Jiang, come closer!"

"Teacher Jiang..."

When the camera turned to him, Zhao Jinmai suddenly reached out and straightened his mic collar, the action was very natural.

"The lavalier microphone will pick up your breathing sounds."

Her head was tilted to the side, and her voice was humming.

"An exclusive interview later."

"Is Mr. Jiang nervous about his first time acting?"

A reporter from NetEase Entertainment suddenly interrupted.

Jiang Qing turned to look in the direction of the question, just in time to catch Zhao Jinmai's hasty averting gaze.

"Yeah, I'm a little nervous."

He smiled and tapped the microphone marked with a loop symbol.

"But I have to correct you, this is my second time acting, although the last time was a cameo role."

Amidst the laughter, Zhao Jinmai used her script to cover half her face.

She stole a glance at Jiang Qing beside her, recalling the trending topics she had seen last night. At this moment, she felt that those formulas had all turned into the shimmering light in the corners of his eyes.

nervous?

Why did she only see the ease and skill?

Soon, they moved to the long table that the crew had prepared in advance, greeted Zhao Molong and others who were already waiting there, and sat down together.

When a Sina reporter asked Jiang Qing about her views on the criticisms from fans of the original work, she felt her trouser leg being gently tugged.

As Zhao Jinmai adjusted her posture, she used the tip of her canvas shoe to push the note with the prompt to his feet.

"Just like Li Shiqing didn't believe in cycles at first either."

He smiled as he rubbed the neat handwriting on the sticky note.

"But the data doesn't lie."

He suddenly bent down and pulled a bottle of mineral water from under the table.

"Would you like to help Teacher Zhao open the bottle cap?"

Zhao Jinmai's eyes widened amidst the bursts of laughter from the audience.

"Dr. Jiang is indeed suitable for playing high-IQ roles."

She unscrewed the bottle cap and then slammed it back on.

"Even changing the subject is so natural."

The media present looked at each other, exchanging surprised glances.

They discovered that the male and female protagonists, Jiang Qing and Zhao Jinmai, didn't seem to have any awkwardness towards each other; in fact, they seemed to have a strange familiarity with each other.

"Mr. Jiang, there are many comments online saying that as a genius who has received much attention from the world's scientific community, your choice to act in film and television dramas is suspected of being a waste of your proper profession. What is your response to this?"

The atmosphere suddenly froze when a man in his thirties raised his hand and asked a question loudly.

Zhao Jinmai glanced nervously at Jiang Qing beside her, her hands under the table instinctively gripping her knees.

Jiang Qing's expression remained unchanged. He glanced at the man's name tag with the "Yidian Entertainment" logo and was not surprised.

After all, aside from gossip media, major media outlets like Sina and NetEase wouldn't be foolish enough to ask him such a question.

"Has this media professional seen the episode of Peach Blossom Village that I participated in recording?"

He asked with a smile, bringing up a seemingly unrelated topic.

"Um... I've seen a little bit."

The man paused for a moment, then answered.

"I wonder if this media professional remembers that I once said on a program that my dream was to retire at the age of 30."

Jiang Qing glanced around at the numerous media present and grinned.

"So this isn't something I'm currently exploring what I can do after retirement; performing seems like a good option for me right now."

The scene was quiet for a few seconds, then erupted into a louder discussion than before.

Zhao Jinmai glanced at him with surprise, not expecting him to say such a thing.

As a student who has not yet graduated, even though she is studying at the Central Academy of Drama, it does not prevent her from admiring Jiang Qing, a double PhD from the University of Science and Technology of China.

But Jiang Qing's words sounded rather...

how to say?

It's just that they don't seem very ambitious.

"President Jiang, aren't you wasting your talent by doing this? With your abilities, shouldn't you focus on the field of artificial intelligence and contribute to the development of our country's science and technology?"

After a moment of stunned silence, the reporter's eyes flashed with excitement as he raised the microphone and pressed for more information.

The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the room immediately became tense.

Zhao Jinmai clenched her fists worriedly and looked at Jiang Qing beside her.

How would he answer?

(End of this chapter)