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

Chapter 156 This Sweetness Is Not That Sweetness, Long Moon Shines Bright
At 8 p.m., Qibao Old Street in the twilight resembles a ribbon adorned with shimmering light, with the warm yellow glow of lanterns reflected on the bluestone pavement.

After leaving the hot pot restaurant, Jiang and Qing tacitly chose to take a walk together to dispel the strong smell of hot pot on their bodies and digest their food.

As Jiang Qing led Chen Duling across the arched bridge, his gaze fell upon her bright eyes above her mask, reminding him of something important.

"Do you have any plans for your next project?"

"Yes, I'm going to be a guest star on the set of 'Are You Safe?' playing a new employee who is being harassed and cyberbullied."

Chen Duling gently tugged at his hand, giving him a pitiful look.

"Let me tell you, this character is really pitiful."

"So the reason you took this role?"

Jiang Qing saw that the girl was putting on an acting show again, and a slight smile appeared in her eyes.

Dudu seems to be getting more and more lively in his presence.

"You need to learn because your acting is bad!"

Chen Duling answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Dr. Jiang must know that my acting skills have been criticized quite a bit. In the past two years, I have been trying out various different roles in the hope of improving myself."

She said this with a very serious expression, and her eyes revealed a spirit of not giving up.

"Wow, Teacher Chen is really dedicated."

Jiang Qing raised her hand and gave her a thumbs up.

"Perhaps it was before, but when I visited the set last time, I observed that your acting skills have improved a lot."

"That's for sure, there have been some positive results."

Chen Duling gently raised her chin, revealing a proud little expression, which added a touch of liveliness to her usual aloof demeanor.

As if suddenly remembering something, she pulled Jiang Qing into the alleyway filled with oil-paper umbrellas.

"Today was supposed to be the wrap-up day for our film crew, but the trending topics are all about you and those two top female celebrities."

Why didn't you mention it this afternoon?

Jiang Qing let her lead her forward by the hand, never expecting such a thing to happen.

"If I had known, I would have gone to the film set to give you a wrap-up celebration."

He wasn't lying at all; Yang Wei had practically dragged him to the Tencent press conference.

"No need for that, although the director might be very happy."

Chen Duling turned around and smiled, quite satisfied with his reaction.

"The whole group was gossiping about you this afternoon."

Chen Duling took her phone out of her handbag and waved it; the lock screen wallpaper was a group photo of the entire film crew.

"The producer said that if our show can achieve even one-tenth of the popularity of your scandal, we'll invite a Michelin-starred chef to the celebration party."

Her eyes were mischievous, and Jiang Qing couldn't help but touch his nose.

Girls really do hold grudges.

Jiang Qing was about to speak when she was suddenly interrupted by the shouts of the sugar painting stall in front of her.

The old craftsman's wrists flew, and golden syrup solidified on the bluestone slab into a phoenix with outstretched wings.

Chen Duling stood there, mesmerized, until Jiang Qing held up two sugar paintings and presented them to her, depicting a phoenix and a dragon linked head to tail.

"Only children make choices."

He tore open the glutinous rice paper packaging, and the sweet aroma of syrup filled the air around their noses.

Chen Duling pulled down her mask and bit off the dragon horn from his hand, her tongue swirling up the crumbs of sugar.

“So sweet~”

She squinted her eyes contentedly, like a cat being petted.

"Yes, it's very sweet."

Jiang Qing nodded in agreement as she looked at her adorable appearance.

This sweetness is not that kind of sweetness.

As I passed by the teahouse, the sounds of Suzhou storytelling mingled with the aroma of Biluochun tea.

Jiang Qing suddenly pulled Chen Duling to the carved wooden window and looked down at the small face in front of her.

"Should I post a Weibo now?"

He looked down to unlock his phone, the screen light illuminating the tiny beads of sweat on Chen Duling's nose.

"Shall we take a group photo and congratulate Teacher Chen on wrapping up filming?"

"Let's not, it's too deliberate."

Chen Duling smiled and reached out to grab his phone, but her high heels got stuck in a crack in the stone slab.

Jiang Qing put his arm around her waist and their backs bumped against a brick wall covered in flowers, dark red petals fluttering down onto their shoulders.

In the distance came the clear shouts of boatmen, and the lanterns on the bow of the awning boats cast streaks of light like scattered gold on the river.

Chen Duling suddenly quieted down and looked up at him.

"I'll have to make an appearance at the wrap party later, so the director specially left me a knife to cut the cake."

"It's only right, this is the kind of treatment the leading lady should have."

Jiang Qing brushed away the flower petals from her temple, her tone gentle.

"However, there is an important matter to be done before that."

"What... um~"

The unfinished words were cut off, and Chen Duling stared wide-eyed at the face that was suddenly so close to hers.

How did he manage to do it so smoothly?
He lowered his head, pulled down his mask, and found his lips in one smooth motion, completing the entire sequence without the slightest pause.

Could it be from training while filming with Mai Mai?
Chen Duling's mind was a little confused, but she soon had no time to think about it anymore, and was led astray by Jiang Qing.

The copper bells on the eaves were pushed aside by the evening breeze, their tinkling sounds shattering among the green bricks and gray tiles.

Chen Duling grabbed the folds of Jiang Qing's shirt at his chest, her eyelashes fluttering as she brushed against his cheek. The light from the lantern spilled in from behind, casting a hazy glow on their overlapping noses.

The warmth of Jiang Qing's palm supporting the back of her neck was hotter than a sugar painting. The fragrance of osmanthus wine wafting from the end of the alley mingled with his cool aura, creating a sweet and slightly intoxicating aroma.

A few dark red petals fell on Chen Duling's shoulder, only to be brushed away by Jiang Qing with a flick of her finger.

This action suddenly deepened the previously restrained kiss, and her body went limp, relying entirely on Jiang Qing for support.

The lights of the sugar painting stalls in the distance swayed in the wind, casting long shadows that overlapped on the mottled old wall like a lingering shadow play.

Chen Duling's ear tips were burning red as Jiang Qing's fingertips gently traced her spine, a tingling sensation creeping up her neck and making her shiver.

The sound of a camera shutter came from the opposite bank of the river. When the flash of a tourist taking night photos shattered this small, secret place, she realized that the soft warmth on her lips had turned into a lingering, feather-like sensation.

"Let's go, the director will be getting impatient if we stay any longer."

Seeing that her eyes were gradually clearing, Jiang Qing gently rubbed her nose against the corner of her reddened eyes, putting on a considerate look of concern for her. "It's all your fault!"

Chen Duling gave him a cute eye roll, gently pushed him away, pulled up her mask, and turned to walk away.

Her eyes still held a lingering allure, and that eye roll seemed more like a teasing gesture of feigned reluctance.

"Yes, yes, it's my fault, it's my fault."

Jiang Qing grinned as he watched her willow-like back.

He immediately left the corner and followed her in a few steps.

Chen Duling glanced at him sideways without saying a word, but her slightly swollen red lips under her mask quietly lifted up.

Actually, she liked it very much too.

It was a bit too daring, especially in such a crowded old street. Luckily, that spot was in the shadows.

But why does it feel like something's missing?
Never mind, I'll think of it later.

They continued walking side by side, the stone path gleaming blue in the moonlight, Chen Duling's high heels tapping out a crisp rhythm above.

She deliberately slowed her pace, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jiang Qing's shadow always overlapping her skirt, like a silent swimming fish.

A night heron suddenly swept across the river, shattering the starlight and moonlight reflected in the pond.

Chen Duling subconsciously turned her head and met Jiang Qing's smiling eyes.

She suddenly wanted to keep walking like this forever.

Together with Jiang Qing.

-

Upon arriving at the hotel where the film crew was having their dinner, Jiang Qing parted ways with Chen Duling in front of the banquet hall that their crew had booked, and did not go in with her.

If they show up together at this time, they will definitely become the target of everyone's attacks. After a few rounds of drinks, no one will think too much. Even a male rat would have to drink a few ounces. Going in will only cause more trouble.

Actually, Jiang Qing himself didn't care, but Chen Duling was more worried and wouldn't let him in, so he didn't insist.

Jiang Qing booked a private room not far from them, closed the door, sat down, and poured herself a glass of water.

We chatted all the way, and my mouth got a little dry.

"Thirteen."

After setting the water glass down, Jiang Qing tapped her phone screen with her finger.

Rippling blue light climbed along the glass, and Thirteen's chibi-style avatar emerged from the charging icon, yawning while wearing a sleeping cap.

"Working overtime requires coffee to keep going, boss, you're so heartless!"

"Stop joking, check Dudu's follow-up work arrangements."

"Okay! Searching for Ms. Chen Duling's schedule."

The thirteen-second spirit simulates the clicking sound of a printer working.

"Encrypted file 'Are You Safe?' production team confidentiality agreement detected, currently being cracked... Oh dear! The password is 123456789?"

Jiang Qing picked up her water glass and took a sip, watching as a chibi-style hacker character suddenly appeared on the screen, using a jack to pry open a safe.

"Don't touch their privacy policy."

"Yes, sir!"

The screen data stream transformed into an archive room scene, with Thirteen, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, peeking out from a pile of folders.

"Besides 'Are You Safe?', I also found the script for the movie 'The Fortress,' but its role was roughly equivalent to the braised egg in the crew's lunchbox—it existed but was insignificant."

The screen suddenly switched to an ancient Chinese style scene, and Thirteen, with flowers in her hair, transformed into a storyteller.

"The highlight is undoubtedly [Chang Yue Jin Ming], where Teacher Chen will play the villainous second female lead, Ye Bing Shang! According to data analysis from the original novel, this character has an 89% chance of being trending on social media for all the wrong reasons!"

Jiang Qing tapped rhythmically on the table with her fingertips, her brows suddenly furrowing.

Different colored dots of light flow along the timeline on the phone screen, labeled with keywords such as "Black Moonlight," "Crazy Beauty," and "Chronicles of the Three Realms."

"Blockbuster potential assessment?"

"Loading metaphysical parameters..."

Thirteen switched to the fortune teller skin, holding a crystal ball and shaking his head.

"The original novel's Baidu Index averages over 8 per day, the costume and prop budget exceeds S-level standards, and director Ju Jueliang directed the 83 version of The Legend of the Condor Heroes."

The data stream suddenly exploded into fireworks, and Thirteen, transformed into a chibi-style producer, jumped out holding up financial statements.

"But what's truly valuable is the audience's emotions! Based on a model of 327 million book reviews, scenes like the Soul-Destroying Nail kiss, the Jade Peerless Eye-Gouging, and the iconic jump from the city wall can send viewers' blood pressure soaring! It has the potential to be a blockbuster!"

Jiang Qing stared at the public opinion cloud map on the screen, where the red cloud representing the popularity of the topic was engulfing the entire screen.

Who is the production company?

The screen immediately switched to a capital relations network, and Thirteen's voice switched to a financial channel mode.

"Otter Culture holds a 47% stake, and the videos are commissioned by the Kuzi Video platform, however..."

The data spider suddenly emitted a red warning thread.

"The actual operation was carried out by Yu Zheng Studio. They wanted to replicate the fantasy romance formula of 'Three Lives Three Worlds'."

Jiang Qing's pupils contracted slightly.

He's no longer the novice he was when he first entered the entertainment industry. He knows the facts, though his reputation may not be great, he has indeed produced quite a few hit shows.

"If it has the potential to be a hit, help me get in touch with Ma. Never mind, let's contact the person in charge of Kuzi Video first. I want this female lead."

"Great River God, I do not recommend doing this!"

Suddenly, the alarm sounded, and the data stream solidified into a red exclamation mark.

"We detected that 78% of Yuzheng Studio's projects in the past five years have plagiarism controversies. Boss, what do you think?"

A legal relationship diagram suddenly unfolds in the air, revealing a 61% overlap in costume design between "Story of Yanxi Palace" and "Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace," and a steadily increasing bar chart showing the similarity in storyboards between "Arsenal Military Academy" and the Korean drama "The Tale of Nokdu"...

"The most crucial point is that the female lead has now been cast as Bai Lu, an actress under Yu Zheng's company. She has been very successful in the past two years, and the news of her casting has been circulating for some time. If you forcefully replace her with Ms. Chen Duling, she will probably be criticized to the point of being unable to access the internet!"

Thirteen's chibi-style image shows him covering his mouth with both hands, revealing a terrified expression.

Is it that complicated?

Jiang Qing paused in her tapping motion on the table, her expression displeased.

"Boss, please don't be in such a hurry!"

Thirteen transforms into Mario, wearing overalls, with two big, bright eyes that keep darting around.

"Who says the female lead has to be the best?"

Seeing Thirteen make a grin that was exactly like the meme, Jiang Qing raised an eyebrow.

"Ok?"

(End of this chapter)