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

Chapter 173 The Unconvinced Xiaotian, the Clingy One

Late at night, Jiang Qing had just come out of the bathroom while drying her hair when her phone screen suddenly lit up with a WeChat video call invitation from Tian Xiwei.

He glanced at the wall clock, which showed 10:53, and hovered his fingertip over the answer button for two seconds before pressing it.

"Good evening, Mr. Jiang! It's rare to see you take the initiative to call me."

The girl on the screen was wearing a white sundress, her hair was casually pinned up with a shark clip, and there was a half-eaten spicy rabbit head takeout on the coffee table in front of her.

Guess which movie I just watched?

The camera suddenly pans to the TV screen, where "The Devil Wears Prada" is showing the female lead changing clothes.

Jiang Qing casually draped a towel over the back of the chair, watching Tian Xiwei hop in front of the sofa and spin around, her lace skirt fluttering as it swept across the script on the coffee table.

"Do you like my new nightgown?"

She deliberately pressed the phone camera down.

"The shopkeeper said this is called the 'Man-Slaying Battle Robe'."

Jiang Qing placed her phone on the bedside table and looked down at the girl on the screen who seemed completely unaffected.

"The email you sent to the marketing account at 5:37 was quite creative."

Tian Xiwei froze in mid-air as she raised the rabbit head, oily chili seeds dripping through her fingers onto the script cover.

She grabbed the tissue box and wiped vigorously, but her voice was light and cheerful.

"Ugh! This place's rabbit heads are way too spicy!"

"The tricks Gong Yuhan taught you?"

Jiang Qing picked up the bottled water from the bedside table.

"Pretend to accidentally like and then unlike, and hire a group of online trolls to stir up trouble."

With a "thud," the half-eaten rabbit head fell into the takeout box.

Tian Xiwei slowly wiped her fingers with a wet wipe, then suddenly leaned close to the camera and widened her eyes.

"Jiang Qing, are you spying on me?"

"Don't change the subject."

Jiang Qing paused for a moment as she twisted the bottle cap.

"And stop trying to look cute."

The girl on the screen suddenly smiled, revealing two dimples, and sat down cross-legged on the sofa with her bare feet.

"Yes, I did it!"

She grabbed the StellaLou plush pillow next to her and punched it twice.

"Why should Zhou Ye be able to trend on social media with you so openly? I'm just stating the facts, what's wrong with that?"

Just as Jiang Qing was about to speak, Tian Xiwei suddenly shoved her phone in front of her face.

"Do you think my new contact lenses look good? They're 14.5mm diameter and a starry gray!"

As she spoke, she blinked hard, her long eyelashes almost brushing against the camera.

"Tian Xiwei."

"I know, I know!"

She slumped into the sofa, utterly dejected.

"I just can't accept it!"

The ears of the StellaLou doll in her arms were pulled out of shape.

"That day by the Pearl River."

The sound suddenly faded.

"You didn't push me away."

Jiang Qing looked at the girl with puffed-up cheeks on the screen and remembered the lingering aroma of bamboo noodles on the girl's lips.

He tapped the edge of his phone with his finger.

"So you're resorting to these childish tricks?"

"Who told you to post a photo of yourself with her!"

Tian Xiwei suddenly sat up as if she were a carp leaping out of its shell, not even bothering to pull the straps of her tank top off her shoulders.

"I felt so bad watching your CP fans celebrating and seeing strangers talking about how well you two are a good match. I want others to know that you also got me the female lead role in 'Qingqing's Daily Life,' and you even got it personally from Mr. Li at Baidu. Even if many people don't believe it, I want to make this public!"

Just as Jiang Qing was about to speak, the screen suddenly shook violently.

A few seconds later, the camera stabilized, and Tian Xiwei hopped barefoot to the front of the walk-in closet, pulling open the closet door with a whoosh.

"look!"

She winked at him like she was showing off a treasure, her closet overflowing with JK uniforms and OL skirts.

"like or not?"

She pulled out a white lab coat-style dress and held it up against herself, then took out a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and put them on her nose.

"Dr. Jiang, the code is throwing an error again!"

The deliberately drawn-out ending of the syllable carries the sweet and glutinous flavor unique to Sichuan and Chongqing.

Jiang Qing looked at the girl in the camera who was cosplaying enthusiastically and suddenly remembered her latest search record: "How to make a science and engineering guy's heart race".

He flicked the camera with his finger.

"Wear this to the film set?"

"certainly not!"

Tian Xiwei peeked out from behind the cabinet door, her eyes glistening with tears.

"Wear it when you come to visit me on set!"

After saying that, she blushed and grabbed a Lolita dress, then looked down at it.

"Ugh, why is this room so hot?"

Jiang Qing was charmed by her bold yet shy actions. Just as she was about to speak, the doorbell rang suddenly in the video.

Tian Xiwei hurriedly stuffed the skirt back into the wardrobe.

"It should be my assistant."

She ran while pulling at the slipping strap of her suspenders.

"Don't hang up! I'm coming right back!"

The camera was focused on the ceiling light, and Jiang heard the sound of slippers pattering away.

A WeChat notification sound suddenly rang out, and Zhou Ye's message box popped up.

"Could you please be a little later tomorrow morning? I want to sleep in a bit longer (please, please)."

He couldn't help but smile, already picturing the girl with her hands clasped together, her brows furrowed, and acting coquettishly. Just as he was about to reply, Tian Xiwei rushed back to the camera, panting.

"I'm back!"

She jumped in front of the camera full of energy, blinking her big, bright eyes.

"did you miss me?"

Jiang Qing looked at the beads of sweat on her nose and suddenly remembered the itinerary that Thirteen had found.

"Arriving in Beijing tomorrow afternoon?"

"What are you doing"

Tian Xiwei suddenly widened her eyes halfway through her sentence, looking just like a stunned manga girl.

You even checked my travel itinerary!

She rushed in front of the camera, smiling so broadly her eyes disappeared.

"Mr. Jiang, you care about me so much?"

"I just happen to know."

Jiang Qing's eyes softened as she recalled her earlier words.

"I'll send someone to pick you up."

Just as Tian Xiwei was about to cheer, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a chat window flashing on Jiang Qing's screen through the mirror behind him.

Her smile froze for two seconds before she grabbed the iced cola from the coffee table and gulped down two mouthfuls.

"You don't need to answer!"

The aluminum can was squeezed so hard it made a cracking sound.

"I have a company RV coming to pick me up! It's huge!"

Jiang Qing looked at the girl's angry face in the video and remembered the "how to be jealous elegantly" she had searched for that afternoon.

His eyes were filled with laughter, and his voice was soft and gentle.

"Tian Xiwei."

"what?"

The girl who was poking Stella looked up.

"You spilled your iced cola on the script."

"Ah! My script!"

"Jiang Qing, you did this on purpose! Why didn't you say so sooner!"

"That's settled then. Chen Duo will pick you up tomorrow."

Seeing the girl making a scene on the other end, Jiang Qing laughed and hung up the phone.

"What kind of person is he! He's so annoying!"

After the rescue was completed, Tian Xiwei looked at the chat box with Jiang Qing and muttered softly.

Immediately, she smiled, her eyes crinkling.

Sure enough, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

Jiang Qing, admit it, you care about me a lot.

Hehe O(∩_∩)O
-

The next day, at dawn, Jiang Qing arrived at Zhou Ye's apartment building.

He glanced at his watch; it was 7:29 when a message from Zhou Ye popped up on his phone screen.

"The door is unlocked, and the password is 961117."

Pushing open the door, you see canvas shoes lying haphazardly in the entryway, and opened bags of potato chips scattered on the coffee table.

A warm yellow light shone through the crack in the bedroom door, and the faint sound of snoring could be heard.

"Teacher Zhou?"

Jiang Qing knocked on the door.

"The sun is shining on my butt."

The silkworm-like mass wriggled twice and then poked out a small, cocoon-like head.

Zhou Ye had half his face buried in the pillow, his eyes narrowed into slits.

"Jiang Qing, it's only seven o'clock."

"Who said they wanted crab roe soup dumplings last night?"

Jiang Qing shook the insulated bag in her hand, and water droplets condensed on the chilled soy milk bottle dripped onto Zhou Ye's nose.

"Hey! Jiang Qing!"

She instantly became mostly awake, wrapped herself in the air conditioning blanket, and crawled to the edge of the bed.

"Did you buy Lao Gulou soup dumplings?"

"And taro sprouts."

Jiang Qing placed the bag on the bay window and casually picked up the slippers that she had kicked away.

"How late did you finish packing last night?"

"a little."

Zhou Ye stretched out a finger and shook it, then collapsed onto his shoulder as if his battery had died.

"I'm so sleepy my soul has left my body."

The fresh scent of shampoo mingled with the warmth of the blankets, and Jiang Qing flicked her forehead with her finger.

"Go wash up, I'll heat up your breakfast."

"Okay, Aunt Jiang..."

"Perhaps if you call me Dad, I'll respond."

"go away!"

As the buzzing of an electric toothbrush came from the bathroom, Jiang Qing sighed at the mess on the floor.

Five short-sleeved T-shirts and three pairs of sneakers were scattered around the suitcase, and the charging cable was wrapped around the curling iron like seaweed.

"Dr. Jiang!"

Zhou Ye poked his head out with his mouth full of foam.

"Help me pick out a necklace!"

Seven or eight jewelry boxes on the dressing table popped open at the same time, and Jiang Qing picked up the silver feather pendant.

"Matching your white T-shirt today."

"No, it's like going to perform in a stage play."

She spat out the mouthwash and poked at the pearl necklace with her wet fingers.

"this!"

"Like a middle school student who secretly wears their mother's jewelry."

"Jiang Qing!"

Zhou Ye, wearing a washcloth over his head, lunged at him, splashing water all over him. "Can't you say something nice?"

"Yeah, it's really beautiful."

"His expression looks so fake!"

……

Amidst the bickering, the two sat down at the table and began to eat breakfast.

Jiang Qing looked at the girl's excellent appetite and thought that her ability to eat without gaining weight was truly enviable.

He himself is not good at it; if he doesn't exercise and doesn't control his exercise, he is more likely to gain weight.

During their casual conversation, Zhou Ye scraped the last bite of sweet taro sprouts into his mouth, his cheeks puffing out like a hamster's.

"If only the boxed lunches on set were this good."

"I've booked a private chef for you."

Jiang Qing took the tissue she had clenched into a ball.

Meals are delivered every day at 11:30 a.m.

"Don't!"

Zhou Ye was so anxious that he kept stamping his feet.

"It would be so awkward if Hou Minghao and the others ate boxed lunches, and I had to make an exception."

"They said the crew had upgraded their meal standards, so I ordered a multi-person meal."

That won't work either.

She suddenly fell silent, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"Does Dr. Jiang know a lot about the entertainment industry now?"

Jiang Qing broke open the lava bun without changing her expression.

"I've been filming for almost two months now."

"Oh my, Dr. Jiang is quite the veteran in the entertainment industry now."

Zhou Ye almost poked the shrimp dumpling with the tip of his chopsticks, then suddenly lowered his voice as if he remembered something.

"Could it be that you guys were also... on set before..."

"No, I just heard Teacher Liu Yijun mention it before. Someone did this to pursue a female actress in the crew."

Jiang Qing picked up a crystal-clear shumai at just the right moment.

How long will this shoot take?

Zhou Ye's attention was diverted by the food, and he angrily bit off half of it.

"Yeah, it'll take four or five months to film."

She poked the back of his hand with the end of her chopsticks.

Will you come to visit the set?

"Of course, but it might be a little late."

Jiang Qing gently wiped the oil stains from the corner of her mouth with a tissue.

"I need to go back to Luyang to keep an eye on a project recently."

"Oh--"

With a drawn-out tone, Zhou Ye stacked the empty lunchboxes with a loud thud.

"A very busy person, huh?"

Jiang Qing couldn't help but chuckle at the girl's pouting face, and reached out to poke her cheek.

"Don't pretend."

"I'm not pretending, hmph!"

"Are you a puppy? Why are you whining?"

"You're the dog! I..."

The banter continued until breakfast was almost over.

After a quick packing, they headed to the airport.

At 8:35, traffic on the airport expressway gradually thickened, and Zhou Ye leaned back in the back seat, tapping on his phone.

"Sister Meng said a new murder mystery game store has opened in Hengdian."

"Seat belts must be worn in the back seat as well."

While waiting at a red light, Jiang Qing reached out and pulled the seatbelt next to her to fasten it.

"Message me when you land."

"Know it."

Zhou Ye clung to the back of the driver's seat.

"Brother Duo, could you turn the air conditioning down a bit?"

"Okay, Teacher Zhou."

Chen Duo, in the driver's seat, smiled and responded, seeing through the rearview mirror the girl huddled inside Jiang Qing's suit jacket.

Jiang Qing's suit jacket draped over her like a long coat, with the cuffs rolled up three times.

"Want to listen to some music?"

Jiang Qing handed over the phone.

"do not want!"

Zhou Ye kicked off his canvas shoes and sat barefoot on the leather seat.

"I want to see if Dr. Jiang's phone contains any secrets."

Jiang Qing raised an eyebrow and unlocked the app; the WeChat interface displayed the meeting minutes sent by Zhang Bin.

Zhou Ye scrolled through the photos a couple of times and found it uninteresting. He then clicked on the latest photos in the album, and there it was—a group photo of them from yesterday.

"Did you stay up all night?"

Seeing that her sleep time was five hours and twenty-three minutes, she turned her head sharply, her nose almost hitting his chin.

"Take care of some work."

Jiang Qing smiled and put away her phone.

"Five hours should be enough."

Zhou Ye suddenly curled up into a ball and shrank into a corner, pressing his forehead against the car window without saying a word.

She didn't speak until the car entered the airport's underground parking lot.

"Don't do that again."

"how?"

“He came to see me without having slept well and even offered to take me to the airport.”

She fiddled with the seatbelt buckle with her fingertips, her little face showing an extremely serious expression.

"It would make me seem really immature, and... it would break my heart."

Jiang Qing paused in unbuckling his seatbelt, then suddenly leaned forward and braced himself against her ear.

"Teacher Zhou."

"what?"

She stared at the bluish stubble on his chin.

"look up."

Zhou Ye reluctantly raised his face, only to meet his smiling eyes.

Jiang Qing ran his thumb across her bluish eyelids.

"I wonder who sent me photos of the starry sky at 1 a.m.?"

"That's what I am"

The partition rose quietly, the soft touch silencing the unfinished words, and the strawberry-flavored lip balm melted between the teeth.

Zhou Ye gradually loosened his grip on the front of his shirt until the sound of luggage being moved came from the trunk.

Chen Duo's cough startled her so much that she jumped back like a rabbit, her forehead hitting the roof of the car with a "thud".

Jiang Qing chuckled as he rubbed her head.

"Isn't that stupid?"

"It's all your fault!"

Zhou Ye hurriedly put on his shoes, his ear tips so red they looked like they could bleed.

"I'm leaving! The staff are still waiting for me to join them!"

She rushed out with her carry-on suitcase, then ran back quickly, throwing her suit jacket through the car window.

"goodbye!"

Jiang Qing watched the girl's back as she ran towards the elevator, her hands and feet moving in unison, until the white figure completely disappeared around the corner.

My phone vibrated; I received a voice message with an emoticon.

"I'm not talking to you again if you stay up all night working next time! (｀⌒メ)"

He pressed the voice button.

"Received, Teacher Zhou."

Just as the elevator doors were about to close, Zhou Ye heard a cheerful response coming from behind him.

She hurriedly pressed the door open button, but only managed to see the car's taillights disappear around the corner.

The assistant handed me the boarding pass.

"We should go through security now."

The girl, clutching her phone, spun around in place and then suddenly ran towards the parking lot.

Her seven-centimeter-thick platform canvas shoes clattered on the ground as she moved faster and faster, leaving her assistant and agent unable to keep up no matter how hard they tried.

"Jiang Qing!"

The black sedan slowly came to a stop, and the rear window was rolled down halfway.

Zhou Ye leaned on his knees, panting, his bangs stuck to his forehead with sweat.

"I...my that..."

Jiang Qing looked at the girl who was panting heavily, pushed open the door and got out of the car. Before she could say anything, she was bumped into.

Zhou Ye's forehead slammed heavily against his chest, and his boarding pass fell to the ground.

"We video chat every day after we arrived at the film set."

He patted her back with a mixture of affection and helplessness.

"It's not like I can't see you anymore."

"Also, good morning and good night."

A muffled sound came from his chest.

"it is good."

"It doesn't have to be every day. Just let me know in advance if you need anything. I'm very understanding."

"it is good."

"Reply to WeChat messages promptly."

"As much as possible."

Zhou Ye suddenly looked up.

"must!"

Jiang Qing flicked her brow with his finger.

"Are you being reasonable?"

"I won't tell!"

She suddenly stood on tiptoe, lifted her mask, and bit his chin, leaving a faint tooth mark.

"Stamp it."

Jiang Qing smiled and pinched her earlobe, then picked up the boarding pass and put it in her palm.

"If we don't leave now, we'll have to change our tickets."

Zhou Ye backed away towards the elevator, gesturing with his fingers in the air.

You promised to think of me every day!

"Ah."

"every day!"

"Ah."

Jiang Qing only turned around and rubbed her numb arm after the elevator doors closed for the third time.

Suddenly, he felt something strange in his shirt pocket and glanced at it; it was the pearl hair clip that Zhou Ye often wore.

A new message popped up on my phone at just the right moment.

"I'll leave it as collateral! You can redeem it when we meet next time!"

He held up the hair clip to the incandescent light of the underground parking garage, the round pearl reflecting a soft halo of light.

He suddenly smiled.

This girl is becoming increasingly clingy.

(End of this chapter)