Chapter 82

However, at the thought of having to bring up that sensitive topic of "faking a CP" with Zhou Jin tonight, she really needed a bit of alcohol to bolster her courage.

After hesitating for a moment, Chen Duling finally nodded gently.

"Then let's drink a little." This book is first published on Tian Tian Kan Xiao Shuo, 𝒕𝒕𝒌𝒔. 𝒕𝒘, super convenient, providing you with an error-free and non-disordered reading experience.

"Drink Snow beer?" Zhou Jin suggested.

"I don't know much about alcohol, is this good?" Chen Duling asked softly.

"It's alright." Zhou Jin smiled, "Do you want it iced? The taste is better when it's cold."

"Then let's have it cold." Chen Duling nodded obediently.

If the person sitting opposite Zhou Jin right now were Yang Mi, that veteran driver who had seen it all would definitely roll her eyes in a charming way and instantly understand Zhou Jin's double entendre.

But unfortunately, sitting in front of him was the pure-as-paper Chen Duling, who was completely oblivious to all of this.

Not long after, the waiter brought over a few bottles of iced Snow beer that were emitting cold air.

The two clinked glasses lightly and each took a small sip.

Chen Duling looked at Zhou Jin with some surprise.

This was her first time drinking; she had thought the alcohol would be very harsh, but she didn't expect it to be cool and refreshing, not as bad as she had imagined.

Watching her reaction, Zhou Jin teased with a smile, "Beer is just like this; at room temperature, it's like horse urine, but iced, it's like national cellar liquor."

Hearing this colloquial and straightforward description, Chen Duling couldn't help but chuckle, and her previously tense nerves relaxed quite a bit.

In the time that followed, the two ate and chatted.

Zhou Jin was very measured and didn't deliberately urge her to drink, completely following Chen Duling's wishes; she could drink as much as she wanted.

After they were full, the barbecue was almost finished too.

Chen Duling had a very low tolerance for alcohol; although she had only drunk one bottle of beer in total, two alluring blushes had already appeared on her fair cheeks.

Under the warm lights of the barbecue restaurant, she looked exceptionally charming and moving.

Just as Chen Duling took a deep breath and had finished building up her psychological preparation to speak.

Zhou Jin put down his water glass first, looked at her with gentle eyes, and took the initiative to ask:

"Did you specifically ask me out tonight because you have something you want to tell me?"

Chen Duling was stunned for a moment, avoided Zhou Jin's gaze in a panic, and after a moment of silence, she finally gathered her courage and asked softly:

"Zhou Jin, may I ask... are you and Reba and Yang Mi very close in private?"

"Very close."

Zhou Jin didn't think much of it and added casually, "We are all very good friends."

Hearing this, Chen Duling's expression froze slightly, and a hint of imperceptible dimness flashed in the depths of her eyes.

So it was like that.

To be able to hype up scandals so unscrupulously online, they must be very good friends in private; otherwise, how could a female star of Yang Mi's status be willing to cooperate with the hype?

Chen Duling bit her lower lip and finally said what she had been holding back:

"Recently, the film promotion for *The Breakup Guru* has been everywhere. You and Yang Mi, as the leads, have been hyping up a CP online, and the movie has become popular because of it."

She paused, her voice becoming even smaller:

"So... the day you asked for leave to return to Hengdian, Director Su approached me privately. He said that if possible, he hopes that during the upcoming promotion period for *The Left Ear*, you and I... can also hype up a CP."

"This way, it can increase the buzz during the film's release..."

After saying all this in one breath, Chen Duling immediately lowered her head, not daring to look into Zhou Jin's eyes at all.

After waiting for a moment, seeing that Zhou Jin remained silent, a strong sense of disappointment surged in her heart.

She bit her lip, simply opened another bottle of iced beer, tilted her head back, and gulped it down.

Zhou Jin looked at the girl in front of him who was clearly a bit tipsy and couldn't help but feel a bit helpless.

He had just been pondering things in his mind and answered a beat too slowly; why did this girl have to act so self-abandoned?

However, the crazy look of Chen Duling, who was usually cold and aloof, letting herself go under the influence of alcohol, actually revealed a different kind of contrast.

Zhou Jin reached out, pressed down on the beer bottle in Chen Duling's hand, and gently took it away.

Amidst Chen Duling's stunned and slightly aggrieved gaze, Zhou Jin smiled gently:

"Sure."

Chen Duling's eyes widened suddenly, and she looked at him in total surprise: "Really, it's okay?"

Zhou Jin nodded amusedly: "It's just hyping a CP for promotion, it's not like we're actually getting a marriage certificate to be boyfriend and girlfriend, what's wrong with that?"

Hearing Zhou Jin agree so readily, Chen Duling started considering things for him instead, muttering in a low voice:

"But... once we hype a CP, whenever others mention me in the future, they will involve you; wouldn't you find that annoying?"

"And my popularity is far less than yours; us hyping a CP is completely sucking your blood, it has no benefit to you at all."

Zhou Jin smiled indifferently: "I don't care about that. For an actor to establish a foothold in the industry, the most important thing is acting skills."

"Hyping a CP can indeed bring temporary buzz and traffic, but if the acting isn't good, no matter how high the traffic is, you'll eventually be scolded by the audience; it's just cooperating with the crew's promotion, no need to think so much."

Seeing that it was about time, the two paid the bill and got up to leave.

They weren't staying at the same hotel, so Zhou Jin very gentlemanly walked Chen Duling all the way to the downstairs of her hotel, stopped, and prepared to watch her go in.

Chen Duling walked up the steps a few times, then suddenly stopped, turned around, and looked at Zhou Jin.

Zhou Jin looked at her and asked curiously, "What's wrong? Is there anything else?"

Chen Duling, under the influence of the slight tipsiness, had slightly red cheeks, her pair of clear eyes staring straight at Zhou Jin, her voice soft but exceptionally serious:

"Zhou Jin... next time, can we have a meal together again? This time, there won't be any promotional tasks, no purpose at all, I just... simply want to have a meal with you."

"Of course."

Hearing this answer, Chen Duling finally breathed a complete sigh of relief.

Her previously heavy footsteps instantly became light, and she turned and walked toward the hotel lobby.

Zhou Jin stood where he was, watching her back, which even carried a hint of joy, and couldn't help but smile lightly.

He really didn't expect that Chen Duling, who always looked cold and aloof on the outside, would have such a pure and cute side in private.

On the way back to his own hotel, Zhou Jin noticed a barbecue stall right by the side of the road.

Thinking that Li Yitong might still be waiting for him in the room on an empty stomach, he packed some skewers to take back.

"Beep—" The room card swiped open the door.

Li Yitong was lying on the bed, bored; seeing Zhou Jin enter, she immediately gave him a somewhat resentful look.

She had been waiting bitterly in the hotel alone, and had long been sleepy and hungry.

"Brother, I thought you had found a new love and forgotten about me."

Zhou Jin smiled and raised the steaming bag of barbecue in his hand, shaking it lightly.

"How could that be? I thought you must be hungry, so I specifically brought you a late-night snack."

Smelling the overbearing aroma of cumin and barbecue, Li Yitong's eyes lit up.

She had originally been holding back a little resentment, having waited so long without even eating dinner.

Now, seeing that Zhou Jin hadn't forgotten to bring her barbecue upon his return, the little resentment in her heart instantly flew to the clouds.

She immediately jumped up from the bed like a happy little deer, threw herself directly into Zhou Jin's arms, and gave him two hard kisses on the face.

"Brother, I knew you were the best to me!"

Zhou Jin held her up and said with a smile, "Alright, alright, come down and eat something first to replenish your energy."

Li Yitong, however, wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and shook her head coquettishly:

"I don't want to. I have a background in dance, and on the set of *The Return of the Condor Heroes*, I was hanging on wires and playing with swords every day; my stamina is very good."

She leaned into Zhou Jin's ear, her breath like orchids: "Right now... I just want to ride the horse."

Hearing this naked provocation, Zhou Jin's heartbeat instantly accelerated with a "thump-thump."

He casually placed the barbecue on the table nearby, walked directly to the bed holding Li Yitong, tossed her soft body onto the bed, and lay down himself.

Li Yitong moved agilely, flipped over, and like a heroic female general, sat directly on top of Zhou Jin, pinning him underneath.

Zhou Jin looked at the beautiful face above him, a wicked smile curling at the corner of his mouth: "Aren't you hungry?"

"Of course I'm hungry."

Li Yitong looked at him with seductive eyes and deliberately dragged out her voice, "However, it won't be too late to eat the barbecue to replenish my energy after I'm tired from riding the horse."

After saying this, she leaned down suddenly and kissed Zhou Jin's lips deeply.

After their lips parted, she rested her chin on Zhou Jin's sturdy chest, listening to his heavy and powerful heartbeat.

Subsequently, this evil and charming little kitten narrowed her beautiful smiling eyes slightly and said coquettishly:

"Brother, I'm going to start riding the horse now."