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

Chapter 269 Growing Greedier

At 1:13 PM, the winter sun in Luyang slanted into the lighter-themed film set.

Jiang Qing had just entered the film set when a clear, cheerful greeting stopped her in her tracks.

"Hey! Isn't this the male lead of our new drama that just got its release date announced?!"

Zhang Jingyi appeared wearing a light blue sweater and jeans. Her ponytail swayed as she ran, and she hopped over to Jiang Qing in just a few steps.

She tilted her little face up, her eyes gleaming with mischievousness.

"Dr. Jiang, your new drama has just been scheduled for release and it's already topping the trending searches. How does that feel?"

Behind her, Zhao Zhiwei and the others gathered around with smiles, chiming in with their own opinions.

"Teacher Jiang, congratulations on the release date of your new drama! The trailer is so cool!"

"The trending topics are exploding! Teacher Jiang's popularity is off the charts!"

"0111, what a lucky day! I'll definitely be there to watch the show! I'll contribute to Teacher Jiang's viewership!"

……

Jiang Qing took off her black down jacket and handed it to Chen Duo, revealing a light gray turtleneck sweater underneath.

He nodded to the group with his usual gentle smile.

"Thank you everyone, how do I feel..."

He paused, deliberately drawing out his words, and under Zhang Jingyi's expectant gaze, casually uttered two words.

"good."

"It's alright?"

Zhang Jingyi puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction and poked his arm lightly.

"Dr. Jiang, your reaction is too calm! This is the release date of your first leading role drama! It's trending on social media! If I were you, I would be so excited that I would spin around three times on the spot!"

Jiang Qing was amused by her childish actions, and her smile deepened as she took the script from Chen Duo.

"Okay, next time I'll try to be more excited and try to spin around three times for you."

His tone was relaxed, with a hint of sarcasm.

"Tch! Boring!"

Zhang Jingyi pouted in disappointment, like a kitten that hadn't received the praise it expected, and turned away muttering to itself.

"I knew you'd be like this! You're as still as a rock, nothing can stir your emotions."

Zhao Zhiwei smiled and tried to smooth things over.

"Jingyi, Teacher Jiang's demeanor is that of a great general, remaining calm in the face of danger! Right, Teacher Jiang?"

Jiang Qing just smiled and shook his head, saying nothing more. His attention had already returned to the script, and his calm and collected demeanor made Zhang Jingyi unable to help but turn around and glare at him again.

The afternoon's filming revolved around several key scenes of Li Xun playing games in his office. Jiang Qing quickly got into character, perfectly portraying the image of a genius who strategizes in the world of code and exudes aloof arrogance.

Zhang Jingyi's character, Zhu Yun, is like a bright flame, with a tenacious spirit that refuses to give up until she hits a wall, repeatedly trying to get closer to him.

The two actors' on-screen chemistry was so strong that their presence blended and clashed, creating a dazzling display of chemistry that Liu Junjie, watching from behind the monitor, nodded in approval.

"Cut! That's a good take! Excellent! Everyone take a break!"

After more than four hours of continuous filming, Liu Junjie's voice came through the loudspeaker.

Zhang Jingyi immediately snapped out of her character Zhu Yun's state and ran over to Jiang Qing, who was watching the playback with Liu Junjie, to look at the monitor screen.

"Jiang Qing, that last look you gave me was amazing! That feeling of seeing right through you but not bothering to call you out on it was so Li Xun-esque!"

Jiang Qing turned his head to look at her. Because of his performance just now, there was still a trace of Li Xun's sharpness in his eyes, but his voice had returned to its usual gentleness.

"Zhu Yun's aggressive questioning was also quite impressive."

"That is!"

Zhang Jingyi raised her chin triumphantly, then seemed to remember something.

"By the way, after work tonight a few of us are planning to go eat at a new braised chicken restaurant that just opened near the hotel. Jiang, would you like to come along? Let's celebrate your new drama getting a release date?"

"Yes, Teacher Jiang, let's go together!"

Zhao Zhiwei also came over to extend an invitation.

Jiang Qing raised her hand to look at her watch, then smiled and politely declined.

"Thanks, but I have an online group interview with the main cast and crew at 8 pm tonight, so I have to rush back to prepare. Maybe next time, I'll treat you next time."

"Ah...that's it."

Zhang Jingyi's excitement visibly faded, and she muttered to herself.

"Work again... I'm so busy."

She waved.

"Alright, alright, Dr. Jiang, you go ahead and get on with your important business. We're going to go get some good food!"

There was a hint of complaint in his tone, but he also understood.

Jiang Qing glanced at the girl and couldn't help but smile when she saw her secretly making faces.

He smiled and said goodbye to everyone, then left the set accompanied by Chen Duo.

7:45 PM, Binhu Shuangxi.

Incandescent lights bathed the living room.

Jiang Qing had just finished showering, and her hair was only half-dry from being blow-dried, with a few damp strands still sticking to her forehead.

He was wearing a dark gray cotton pajama set, exuding a relaxed, homey vibe.

After pouring himself a glass of warm water, he sat down at the coffee table in the center of the living room, with several documents laid out in front of him, awaiting processing. The laptop screen next to him already had the Weibo live stream backend open.

At exactly eight o'clock, the live broadcast started on time, and the screen automatically split into several small windows.

The moment the live stream started, fans who had been waiting for a long time immediately flooded in.

Aside from Jiang Qing, the first person to successfully connect was Liu Yijun. The background looked like a study, and he was wearing a dark sweater, waving at the camera.

"Hello everyone, good evening! This is Lao Zhang reporting for duty!"

Next up was Huang Jue. He seemed to be outside, in a somewhat noisy background, wearing a baseball cap and sporting a familiar smile.

"Here we are! Hello everyone!"

Liu Tao's window lit up immediately afterward. She was clearly at home, wearing a fitted beige turtleneck sweater, and greeting everyone with a gentle smile.

"Hello everyone, I'm here."

The last window to light up naturally showed Zhao Jinmai.

In the video, she is wearing a loose and comfortable pure white sweater, her long black hair is smoothly draped over her shoulders, and she has a slight, shy smile on her face as she gently waves to the camera.

"Hello everyone, I'm MaiMai."

The voice was soft, with a slight static sound like when the microphone is first turned on.

Jiang Qing looked at the familiar faces on the screen, especially when he saw the girl with the curved eyebrows and eyes in the white sweater. His eyes softened involuntarily. He nodded to the camera, and his voice came through the microphone clearly.

"Hello everyone, I'm Jiang Qing."

Wow! Jiang Qing looks so cool in this casual home outfit!

Huang Jue was the first to make a joke.

"President Jiang's background looks very high-tech."

Liu Yijun also laughed and joked back.

Liu Tao echoed him gently.

"Jiang Qing, judging from the background, it seems you're at home too."

Jiang Qing smiled and nodded.

"Yes, it's definitely at home."

Zhao Jinmai didn't speak, but a faint smile appeared on her lips, her gaze lingering on Jiang Qing intentionally or unintentionally.

Having not seen each other for nearly half a year, she was even more certain of her feelings at this moment.

The chat room was now completely in a frenzy, with the number of viewers skyrocketing exponentially.

"Everyone's here! The anti-explosive couple is in the same frame!" "MaiMai looks so cute and sweet in her white sweater! Like the girl next door!"

"Jiang Shen is wearing pajamas! This languidly handsome man is killing me! His wet hair is so sexy!"

"Teacher Liu Yijun is so kind! Teacher Huang Jue is so funny! Teacher Liu Tao is so gentle! Mai Mai is so well-behaved! Jiang Shen is so handsome! I'm so happy!"

"The way MaiMai looks at Jiang Qing! I'm totally shipping them!"

……

At this point, the host began to steer the conversation, and everyone started chatting about interesting things that happened during filming.

"What I remember most clearly is that explosion scene."

Liu Yijun recalled.

"Jiang Qing's save was so professional! Even after Director Sun yelled 'cut,' he still instinctively protected Mai Mai's head."

"Yeah!"

Huang Jue immediately took over.

"At the time, Lao Liu and I were stunned, wondering if he had trained in martial arts."

Jiang Qing smiled, her tone relaxed.

"It was just a subconscious reaction. I was mainly worried that Mai Mai would get hit by the flying props."

As he spoke, his gaze naturally swept across Zhao Jinmai's small window on the screen.

Zhao Jinmai was looking down slightly, her fingers unconsciously twirling the loose threads at the hem of her sweater. When she heard herself mentioned, she immediately looked up, her cheeks slightly flushed.

She smiled at Jiang Qing's window and responded softly.

"Hmm...Teacher Jiang reacted very quickly at the time, which made me feel very safe."

Her eyes sparkled, filled with trust and a hint of shyness.

The host immediately followed up with more questions.

"And Mai Mai? It was your first time working with Teacher Jiang Qing. What were your special feelings?"

Zhao Jinmai thought about it carefully, then looked at the screen and spoke in a clear voice.

"Teacher Jiang is... exceptionally talented. He's not just good at acting; he knows a lot about everything. When we encounter logical or detail-related issues during filming, we can always get very clear answers from him. He seems very reliable."

She paused and added.

"Moreover, he is very caring and attentive."

"Oh? How exactly do you mean by being attentive?"

The host pressed for more information with great interest.

Zhao Jinmai glanced at Jiang Qing's window subconsciously, and her eyes met Jiang Qing's gaze.

Their eyes met across the screen, and Zhao Jinmai blushed even more, but she still mustered up the courage to speak.

"For example, when filming night scenes, it gets cold, so he'll remind his assistant to prepare hot drinks for everyone. Sometimes, when there are technical terms in the lines that I don't understand, he'll patiently explain them to me..."

As she spoke, her fingers unconsciously curled up the hem of her sweater.

Jiang listened to her description with a gentle gaze and then chimed in at the right moment.

"Mai Mai is also very dedicated and has a strong learning ability. She can finish many emotional scenes in one take. She truly deserves to be called a child prodigy."

His tone revealed undisguised admiration.

"Wow!"

Huang Jue immediately started to jeer.

"Look at the chemistry between our male and female leads! Xiao Heyun and Li Shiqing are so in sync both on and off screen!"

Liu Yijun stroked his non-existent beard, looking quite content.

"Young people like us, having gone through life and death together, our bond is definitely special!"

Liu Tao covered his mouth and chuckled, watching the two young people interact on the screen, his eyes full of good-natured teasing.

The comments section went even wilder at this point.

"Ahhh, this is a sure thing! This anti-ship pairing is locked in!"

"Jiang Qing's gaze towards Mai Mai is so gentle! Mai Mai blushed! It's so sweet!"

"Huang Jue and Liu Yijun are my internet mouthpieces! Keep kowtowing to them!"

"MaiMai praises JiangQing for being reliable and meticulous! JiangQing praises MaiMai for being dedicated! They go to both ends!"

"Their eyes never left each other while they were talking! What else could this be but liking each other?"

……

The entire live broadcast took place in such a warm yet subtly ambiguous atmosphere. There seemed to be an invisible magnetic field between Jiang Qing and Zhao Jinmai. Whether it was their natural responses to questions or their occasional eye contact, they revealed a tacit understanding that was difficult for others to penetrate.

Liu Yijun, Huang Jue, and Liu Tao, these "veterans," perfectly acted as the atmosphere-creating team, pushing the live stream's popularity to a climax time and time again.

The hour-and-a-half live stream was quickly coming to an end.

The host began his closing remarks.

"It's almost time. Finally, I would like to ask the main creators to say a few words to the audience who have been supporting and waiting for 'The Beginning,' which will be released on January 11."

Liu Yijun spoke first, his face serious.

"I hope everyone will enjoy 'The Beginning,' like the veteran policeman Zhang Cheng, and join us on this thrilling, cyclical journey!"

Huang Jue was the second to speak.

"Never get lost while watching your favorite shows? Tune in to Tencent Video! You won't be able to stop watching!"

Liu Tao smiled and spoke in a gentle tone.

"The Beginning is a suspenseful and heartwarming work that will surely bring surprises to everyone. I hope you will all support it!"

Zhao Jinmai took a deep breath and then gave the camera a sweet and expectant smile.

"On January 11th, on Tencent Video, passenger Li Shiqing is waiting for you on bus route 45! Let's find the truth together and break the cycle!"

As she spoke, her gaze unconsciously drifted toward Jiang Qing's window.

Jiang Qing was the last one to speak.

He looked at the computer webcam with a smile on his face, his voice neither hurried nor slow.

"The cycle is about to begin. January 11th, Penguin Video. Looking forward to meeting you all. I am Xiao Heyun. See you in the car."

After he finished speaking, he turned his gaze to Zhao Jinmai's small window, where she was also looking at him.

The two looked at each other across the screen and smiled at the same time.

The live broadcast ended abruptly with the host's announcement, and the screen went black.

The living room returned to silence, with only the soft hum of the computer cooling fan remaining.

Jiang leaned back on the sofa and rubbed his temples.

He casually picked up his phone, and the screen lit up automatically, displaying the trending topics on Weibo.

"Live Stream from the Production Crew"

Jiang Qing, Zhao Jin, and Mai exchanged a knowing glance.

"Anti-fan couple live stream giving out sweet moments"

"Liu Yijun and Huang Jue have been implicated."

Click on the hashtag #JiangQingZhaoJinMaiMutualEyeConversation#, and you'll find it full of screenshots and GIFs from the live stream.

There were scenes of Jiang Qing's focused gaze as Zhao Jinmai spoke, moments of the two smiling at each other across the screen, and Zhao Jinmai blushing and lowering her head...

The captions were filled with enthusiastic comments such as "That gaze is so captivating!" "Perfect chemistry!" "Only a real couple could pull off this look!" "Let's shut this CP up!"

Jiang Qing looked at the screenshots, especially the one of Zhao Jinmai wearing a white sweater and staring at him with bright eyes. His fingertips lingered on the screen for a moment before he simply swiped across it and exited the Weibo interface.

He turned off his computer, got up, and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.

Outside the window, the dazzling lights of thousands of homes in Luyang on a winter night came into his view.

I seem to be getting... increasingly greedy.

(End of this chapter)