Xinyue’s event this time was themed “New Life.” Chi Shuo stared at the name for a long while before guessing the boss’s meaning—perhaps it signified Xinyue’s first time holding such an event, a new beginning? It didn’t matter if she guessed wrong; it wasn’t important. Besides, the font and poster design for these two words were quite nice, and the stars looked good in photos taken against this backdrop.
People were gradually entering the venue, finding their name cards, and sitting down, waiting for “New Life” to officially begin.
The lights on and off stage were already set, the desserts on the tables prepared, and security guards stood ready at the main entrance.
After perhaps an hour, all the artists who walked the red carpet had entered the main venue, making it even livelier.
It was clear Xinyue had put a lot of effort into this event. The two hosts hired were high-profile, and photographers were scattered everywhere, even if some were brought by the stars’ own studios.
Chi Shuo stayed beside He Lindi, raising her camera along with her to photograph everyone who went on stage.
“New Life” wasn’t just a new beginning for Xinyue Company, but also for children in impoverished rural areas. The essence of the event was charity, using the money raised to buy supplies for donation.
Lin Xinyue, as the boss, was invited on stage first and gave a moving speech. Following him were the artists.
Xiang Qingya took the stage. Her fans up in the “mountain peak” seats screamed: “Qingya Qingya! You are the most elegant!”
Chi Shuo chuckled while taking photos, whispering to He Lindi, “This fan slogan… really lacks creativity. What’s with ‘You are the most elegant’?”
He Lindi, pressing the shutter, retorted, “If it were you, what would you come up with?”
Chi Shuo thought for a second: “Qingya Qingya! Kiss me!”
“…”
He Lindi didn’t react much, but a male colleague from Chi Shuo’s company nearby, responsible for photography, couldn’t help laughing. Since they were recording, he didn’t dare laugh too loudly, just leaned slightly closer to Chi Shuo and praised, “That slogan, aside from being a bit embarrassing, is pretty good.”
Chi Shuo humbly accepted the praise: “You flatter me.”
After speaking, she raised an eyebrow at He Lindi, looking somewhat smug. He Lindi’s lips curved. She leaned her head closer, her mouth near Chi Shuo’s ear, warm breath brushing against the surrounding skin. Chi Shuo felt a tickle but couldn’t dodge, forced to listen to He Lindi’s slightly lowered voice: “That slogan… you’re not allowed to shout it.”
He Lindi straightened up after speaking, returning to her professional state.
Chi Shuo softly replied beside her, “How would I dare?”
“Tsk.”
There were many people in the venue, and quite a few around them. Their whispered conversation, their intimate posture, stunned colleagues who thought their relationship was poor, especially those who had heard He Lindi coldly say “We’re not close” during the Mishi business trip.
Wang Rui was filled with doubt. As one of the staff members, she was currently standing next to Xia Zhou. Seeing Chi Shuo and He Lindi’s closeness, she couldn’t help asking, “Xia Zhou, Shuo Shuo and Teacher He from upstairs… when did they get so close?”
Her relationship with Chi Shuo and the others had improved significantly, but she wasn’t clear on some things. Besides, unlike Xia Zhou and Zeng Guai who were familiar with He Lindi, Wang Rui was a stranger who wouldn’t even nod if they met.
Xia Zhou followed her gaze, the curve of her lips widening: “Their relationship has always been good.”
“But last time on the business trip with Shuo Shuo, I saw Teacher He say with a cold face that she wasn’t close to Shuo Shuo.”
“Her tone was colder than the Mishi temperature by several degrees.”
“Just friends having a little spat, it’s normal.” Xia Zhou gave a very ordinary answer. “A cold war is just about who can say colder, harsher things.”
Xia Zhou recalled Chi Shuo’s “Is she worthy?” and found it amusing, but didn’t dare ask Chi Shuo if her face hurt now, otherwise her face would likely be the one hurting.
Soon, the hosts announced the next guest on stage was Shen Qu. Chi Shuo’s expression tensed. She heard the male colleague beside her sigh, “Shen Qu looks really cool today.”
Shen Qu wasn’t wearing a dress today but a sharp women’s suit. Having not seen her for a week, her complexion seemed better, perhaps due to the striking makeup. Standing on stage, she became the female star with the strongest aura in the entire venue.
Chi Shuo could almost be certain that He Lindi didn’t know she knew Shen Qu. Based on the current trend, unless Shen Qu took the initiative to say something, He Lindi would never find out.
While Chi Shuo’s thoughts drifted, Shen Qu on stage had already begun her heartfelt speech: “I took the initiative to come to Xinyue’s event today, even before Mr. Lin asked me, because this is a very meaningful event…”
The content was very official. Shen Qu delivered it emotionally, her voice pleasant. Coupled with the excellent sound equipment, the impact was even stronger.
Chi Shuo used the company’s DSLR, which had extremely high pixels. Even from this distance, she could see the tear glistening in Shen Qu’s eye as she grew more emotional, shining conspicuously under the lights like a newly polished diamond.
Not long after, Shen Qu left the stage. Chi Shuo heard He Lindi sigh. Chi Shuo seemed to understand the meaning behind that sigh—it was likely because Shen Qu and she had indeed stopped contacting each other, and she had lost a friend.
Chi Shuo considered herself relatively understanding of Shen Qu. She knew why Shen Qu had cut off contact with He Lindi, but she couldn’t tell He Lindi.
The event lasted over an hour. Even though they had rested while sitting, the work still left them exhausted.
Chi Shuo wasn’t used to this workload. She had always stayed in the office before. Even when He Lindi took her out for photography lessons, she hadn’t stood for so long like today.
More crucially, it wasn’t over yet. After leaving this large venue, they had to return to the company for overtime.
The newly taken photos needed to be quickly selected and matched to each artist. Not just them, others at the company were also working overtime, some rushing to write articles for the official website.
Chi Shuo’s only difference from the others was perhaps that she was going to Xiyu’s office. The computer configurations in the photographers’ area were different from those of the clerks; processing photos was much smoother. Lin Xinyue had already arranged this with Xiyu’s boss. So, at 8 PM, Chi Shuo, He Lindi, and He Lindi’s assistant were still sitting in Xiyu’s office, selecting photos.
Chi Shuo selected the photos, while He Lindi and her assistant edited them. However, the current work content mainly focused on editing the photos of the higher-profile celebrities; the others would come later.
Xiyu also had people working overtime, but they were busy with Xiyu’s own matters. Only the three of them were here working on Xinyue’s event from tonight.
Six photos were selected for each artist. Chi Shuo’s task was relatively easy. He Lindi and her assistant’s task was more difficult because editing photos tested technical skill, and not every star could get away with just color correction.
Two hours later, He Lindi finally stretched lazily, leaning her head back against the chair. A few seconds later, the assistant said, “Teacher He, I’ve packaged and sent the files.”
“Okay…” He Lindi’s voice was thick with exhaustion. She rubbed her eyes, patted the shoulder of Chi Shuo sitting beside her, “Chi Shuo, let’s go.”
Chi Shuo had finished her task ten minutes earlier. Once she relaxed, sleepiness overwhelmed her, and she had dozed off leaning against the chair.
Lightly patted awake, the first thing Chi Shuo asked was, “Finished editing?”
“Mm.” He Lindi picked up the clothes draped nearby, let out a breath, and stood up. “Let’s go.”
Having sat for two hours, the leg soreness had eased somewhat, but the fatigue hadn’t lessened at all.
Because Chi Shuo had napped for a short while, she felt even weaker when getting up from the chair. She almost fell as she left the seat.
He Lindi reacted quickly, grabbing her arm, her face full of worry. “What’s wrong?”
Chi Shuo waved her hand. “Let me recover for a bit.”
Her sleepiness hadn’t dissipated. The near-fall just now jolted her awake.
He Lindi was still worried. From leaving Xiyu to going downstairs, she didn’t let go of Chi Shuo’s wrist.
The assistant beside them glanced over several times, sighing inwardly: Their relationship is really good.
Chi Shuo and He Lindi were unaware of the assistant’s thoughts. Right now, they just wanted to quickly go home, shower, and sleep.
Too tired, too sleepy.
They hadn’t driven. When returning to the company, it was a company-arranged car. Now it was late, and there were far fewer cars on the road than during the day.
The assistant had booked a Didi ride in advance. Soon, she bid them goodbye and got into her car.
He Lindi released Chi Shuo’s hand, took out her phone, and prepared to book a ride too.
The night sky was pitch black, not a single star visible. Chi Shuo tightened her clothes and asked, “Where are you setting the destination?”
“Your place,” He Lindi said. “Booking a car for you first.”
“What about you?”
“Me…”
Before He Lindi could finish, Chi Shuo said, “Come to my place. It’s a bit dangerous for you to go back alone.”
He Lindi’s eyes curved slightly. “Okay.”
Half an hour later, the two arrived at Chi Shuo’s apartment. Chi Shuo showered first. After blow-drying her hair mostly dry, she lay down on the bed, ready to sleep. Although her body was tired, she couldn’t fall asleep immediately.
Chi Shuo tossed and turned, got out of bed, opened her bedroom door, and stood before the guest room door.
She could hear the sound of He Lindi blow-drying her hair inside. Chi Shuo pursed her lips, knocked on the door. “He Lindi, are you… sleeping with me tonight?” She paused, explaining nervously, “I mean sleeping in the same bed.”
The sound of the hairdryer inside stopped. Chi Shuo gripped her hands, sweat forming on her palms.
A few seconds later, He Lindi opened the door, smiling radiantly. “Chi Shuo, sleeping with me… aren’t you afraid of any danger?”
She leaned forward slightly. “I’ve waited a long time for you to say this.”
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