Chapter 23: The Scene Where Both Identities Are Exposed Simultaneously

Realizing that Jin Li was not someone to be trifled with, Lian Baozhi left after a few casual words.

Jin Li waited a little longer, but instead of Ji Qinglian, she saw the boy band "March Sky" walking out of the adjacent rehearsal room.

Four handsome men with distinctly different styles appeared before her in magnificent stage costumes. In that instant, the feeling that washed over her was—

Emmm, was video game reality manifesting? Had she stepped into a gacha pull scene?

Jin Li even idly wondered which of her favorite 2D characters they might be.

As she scanned the four members seriously, she suddenly froze. That person's silhouette...

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

Although the corridor was crowded, few people were speaking, and the echoes were heavy; thus, Jin Li's words were overheard by the boy band just as they were about to leave.

Subconsciously, the three teammates all turned their gaze toward Gu Cheng.

Gu Cheng:...

The moment he saw Jin Li, he recognized her immediately. He was quite surprised, but his immediate thought was to hide his identity.

It wasn't that he didn't want to recognize her, but considering they were in the same industry, if their private acquaintance were discovered, it would be troublesome. It was better to pretend not to know her to avoid his teammates' incessant questioning.

More importantly, Gu Cheng assumed that Jin Li wouldn't want to recognize him either. He hadn't expected her to be so frank as to call out his childhood nickname.

Gu Cheng tilted his head slightly, turned his steps, and walked to Jin Li's side.

One sat there, tilting her head up slightly, while the other lowered his head and leaned down. At the end of the corridor was a window, looking out onto a lush expanse of greenery.

In this setting, the pairing of a handsome man and a beautiful woman was so striking that the other three teammates felt they were being blinded by the sheer radiance.

Gu Cheng gave Jin Li a serious greeting: "Hello, Senior Li. I didn't expect to run into you here."

After her initial surprise, Jin Li smiled kindly: "Hello, Chengzi. I didn't expect to see you in this kind of setting either. I thought you were a fitness instructor or a fitness enthusiast; turns out we're in the same industry!"

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

This wasn't an intentional affectation, but rather a natural change in vocalization triggered by the movement of her facial muscles.

Seeing her smile, Gu Cheng also smiled back, looking somewhat shy.

He explained, "Actually, I recognized you the moment I came out. Your figure and hair are very easy to recognize. But I didn't come over to say hello because I thought you wouldn't want to recognize me. After all, my fame and fanbase are quite massive, and some seniors find that troublesome."

Jin Li had only one thought: *This younger brother is so blunt.*

She had read the profile of the boy band March Sky; the group's average age was 21. If she remembered correctly, Gu Cheng was also 21.

Jin Li hadn't expected Gu Cheng to explain himself to her, let alone be so direct about the reason.

To anyone else, it might have sounded grating, as if he were saying, *Your fans are too few to compete with mine.*

But in Jin Li's eyes, this was a form of sincerity.

Especially since Gu Cheng spoke with such a serious attitude; Jin Li did not miss the flash of nervousness in his eyes.

Looking at him, Jin Li gave him a sincere smile, two small dimples appearing on her cheeks.

"Don't be nervous. I'm not worried about that. Thank you for your kindness."

...

After exchanging a few casual words, Jin Li concluded with the tone of a senior addressing a junior: "Keep working hard. I'm looking forward to your stage."

With that, she stood up and left.

After she departed, the members of March Sky all maintained stern faces, remaining silent.

However, once they entered the elevator and the doors closed, the other three men's expressions changed instantly. They crowded around Gu Cheng, chattering incessantly.

"Senior Li? How do you know her? She's so sweet!"

"No way, you don't know Jin Li? Before she retired, netizens called her the number one sweet girl in the universe!"

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

"Uh... but I remember Gu Cheng also only returned to the country two years ago, right?"

The noise stopped abruptly. Everyone turned to look at Gu Cheng and asked in unison

"So, how do you know Senior Li?"

Gu Cheng frowned slightly and said calmly, "Use people's names, don't try to claim random relationships. Also, the elevator is moving."

In the next second, the band members took their positions, walking out with bright, youthful smiles and an air of being "cool, dominant, and arrogant."

As if nothing had happened.

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

***

Jin Li took a taxi back.

Sui Lingfang had offered to pick her up, but upon hearing she was still at the company, Jin Li decisively refused.

"Don't come. By the time you get here, the food will be cold. I'll take a taxi back myself. Sister Fang, don't worry, I can take care of myself."

Hearing this, Sui Lingfang did not insist on picking her up; she was quite trusting of Jin Li.

After getting off the boat, she arrived in Haikou.

Jin Li hailed a taxi at random. Sitting inside, she specifically pulled her hat down low and adjusted her mask high before stating her destination.

The driver was a young man and quite talkative.

Jin Li noticed that the drivers she encountered all seemed to be quite chatty.

The driver joked, "It seems everyone likes traveling in this kind of outfit lately!"

Jin Li: "Huh?"

Driver: "Yesterday I picked up four young people, and they were dressed just like this. I'm a young man too, so I asked them if this was the latest trend. Guess what they said?"

Jin Li's eyes flickered. Taking a taxi in a place like this, with four young people, dressed like that—could it be a coincidence that it was March Sky?

She asked curiously, "What did they say?"

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

Jin Li:...

She felt a momentary sweat, then her eyes lit up.

*Lesson learned, lesson learned. I'll do the same next time!*

It was currently the evening rush hour, and the roads were somewhat congested. Looking out the window, Jin Li spotted a Mazu Temple nearby and asked, "Do people here all worship Mazu?"

The driver said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "Of course! People along the coast worship Mazu to pray for business. This year, our village even sent Mazu on a plane to travel abroad!"

Jin Li's interest was piqued. "Driver, find a place to pull over. I want to go pay my respects to Mazu. Consider it a little sightseeing during my business trip!"

"You got it!"

The coastal Mazu temples were indeed different; the architecture was grand, with a massive statue of Mazu placed in front of the main hall.

But before she could see the statue, Jin Li first had to climb a very large...

Mountain.

A bit of a miscalculation.

Adopting the mindset of "since I'm already here," Jin Li put on her headphones and connected her phone to play English vocabulary audio.

She listened while softly repeating the words, memorizing them while simultaneously working as a mountain climber.

A loud shout: the male lead has arrived! Didn't see that coming, did you? ^_^

(End of Chapter)