Chapter 23: The Scene Where They Both Got Exposed Together

Lian Baozhi realized that Jin Li was not someone to be trifled with, so after exchanging a few casual words, he departed.

Jin Li waited a while longer; Ji Qinglian did not arrive, but instead, the boy band March Sky emerged from the adjacent rehearsal room.

Four handsome men of distinct styles, clad in elaborate stage costumes, appeared before Jin Li, and in that instant, an overwhelming sensation struck her—

"Emmm, has the game bled into reality? Have I stumbled upon a gacha summoning site?"

Jin Li, with some leisure to spare, wondered: which of my favorite paper characters is it?

She carefully scanned the four members of the boy band, then suddenly froze; that silhouette...

"Chengzi?" Jin Li said uncertainly, her voice very soft.

Although the corridor was crowded, few people were speaking, and the echo was strong, so the boy band, just about to leave, heard Jin Li's words.

Instinctively, all three teammates turned their gaze toward Gu Cheng.

Gu Cheng: ...

The moment he saw Jin Li, he recognized her and was greatly surprised; his immediate thought was to conceal his identity.

It was not that he did not wish to acknowledge Jin Li, but rather that, considering they were peers in the same industry, if their private acquaintance became known, it would cause trouble; it was better to pretend not to know each other to avoid his teammates bombarding him with questions.

More importantly, Gu Cheng had assumed that Jin Li also did not wish to recognize him, yet unexpectedly, she had straightforwardly called out his childhood nickname.

Gu Cheng tilted his head slightly, turned on his heel, and approached Jin Li.

One person sat, tilting their head slightly upward, while the other bowed their head and leaned down. At the end of the corridor lay a window, beyond which stretched a ring of verdant greenery.

In this scene, the combination of a handsome man and a beautiful woman was so dazzling that the other three teammates felt nearly blinded.

Gu Cheng greeted Jin Li earnestly: "Hello, Senior Liz; I didn't expect to meet you here."

After her initial surprise, Jin Li smiled kindly: "Hello, Junior Chengzi; I also didn't expect to see you in such a setting. I thought you were a fitness instructor or an enthusiast; so we are actually peers!"

Beneath her smiling expression, Jin Li's voice became exceptionally sweet.

This was not her deliberately putting on airs; rather, under the movement of her facial muscles, her vocalization naturally changed.

Seeing her smile, Gu Cheng felt embarrassed and began to smile as well, with a touch of shyness.

He explained, "Actually, I recognized you the moment I came out; your figure and hair are very distinctive. But I didn't come over to greet you because I thought you might not want to acknowledge me; after all, my fame and fanbase are so massive that some seniors might find it troublesome."

Only one thought arose in Jin Li's mind: This younger brother is truly straightforward.

She had reviewed the profile of the boy band March Sky; the group's average age was twenty-one, and if she remembered correctly, Gu Cheng's age should also be twenty-one.

Jin Li had not expected Gu Cheng to explain himself to her, let alone to state the reason so bluntly.

Had it been someone else, they might have found it grating, as if implying, "Your fanbase is too small; you can't compete with mine in a PK."

But in Jin Li's view, was this not a form of sincerity?

Especially since Gu Cheng had spoken these words with such a serious demeanor, Jin Li did not miss the flash of nervousness in his eyes.

Jin Li looked at him and returned a sincere smile, two small dimples appearing on her cheeks.

"Don't be nervous; I am not worried about this matter. Thank you for your kind consideration."

Jin Li exchanged a few casual words with Gu Cheng, finally speaking in the tone of a senior addressing a junior: "Do your best; I look forward to your stage performance."

Having said this, she rose and departed.

After she left, the members of March Sky all wore stiff expressions, silent and speechless.

Once they entered the elevator and the doors closed, the other three men instantly changed their faces, surrounding Gu Cheng and chattering incessantly with questions.

"Senior Liz? How do you know this older sister? She looks so sweet!"

"No way, you actually don't know Jin Li? Before she retired, netizens called her the Universe's Number One Sweet Girl!"

"It's normal for Xiao Lin not to know; the Pink Girl Group wasn't very famous abroad, and he only returned to the country two years ago."

"Uh... but I recall that Gu Cheng also returned to the country only two years ago?"

The clamor ceased abruptly; everyone turned to look at Gu Cheng and asked in unison:

"So, how did you meet Senior Liz?"

Gu Cheng frowned slightly and said in a calm voice, "Call people by their names; don't blindly claim relationships. Also, the elevator is about to open."

The next second, the boy band members resumed their positions, walking out with faces beaming with youthful brilliance, combined with an arrogant, domineering, and cool demeanor.

As if nothing had happened.

Gu Cheng breathed a slight sigh of relief; finally, that part was over. But thinking of his three teammates' personalities, he felt a headache coming on again.

Jin Li took a taxi home by herself.

Sui Lingfang had originally said she would come to pick her up, but upon hearing that she was still at the company, Jin Li decisively refused.

"Don't come; by the time you arrive, the day lilies will have grown cold. I'll take a taxi back myself. Sister Fang, rest assured, I can take care of myself."

After hearing this, Sui Lingfang did not insist on picking her up; regarding Jin Li, she was quite reassured.

Disembarking from the ferry, she arrived at Haikou.

Jin Li casually hailed a taxi; sitting inside, she deliberately pulled her cap down low and raised her mask high before stating her destination.

The driver was a young man and quite talkative.

Jin Li realized that the drivers she encountered seemed to be very talkative.

The driver teased, "Recently, everyone seems to like traveling in this kind of disguise!"

Jin Li: "Huh?"

Driver: "Yesterday I drove four young people; they were dressed just like this. Since I'm also a young person, I asked them if this style of dressing was trending recently. Guess what they said?"

Jin Li's eyes shifted slightly; hailing a taxi in this place, involving four young people with this kind of attire—could it be so coincidental that it was the boy band March Sky?

She asked curiously, "What did they say?"

The driver clicked his tongue: "They said they were all minors, and that this kind of outfit made them look more like adults, which is cooler."

Jin Li: ...

She first broke out in a sweat, then her eyes lit up.

Learned it, learned it; next time she'll do the same!

This hour was the peak rush after work, and the road was somewhat congested. Jin Li looked out the window, spotted a Mazu Temple not far away, and asked, "Do the people here all worship Mazu?"

The driver said matter-of-factly, "Of course. Folks along the coast who make their living from trade all worship Mazu. This year, our village even sent Mazu on an airplane trip abroad for tourism!"

Jin Li's thoughts stirred slightly. "Driver, find a place to pull over. I'm going to pay respects to Mazu; consider it a bit of tourism squeezed into my business trip!"

"Sure thing!"

The coastal Mazu Temple was indeed different; its decoration was grand and imposing, with a huge statue of Mazu placed directly in front of the main hall.

But before she could even see the statue of Mazu, Jin Li first had to climb a very tall...

mountain.

A bit of a miscalculation.

Holding to the notion of "since we're already here," Jin Li took out her earphones, put them on, connected them to her phone, and played English vocabulary.

She listened while softly reciting and memorizing, all while moonlighting as a mountain climber.