Chapter 27: Departing for South Korea

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"Teacher, my company..."

Gu Qing explained the reasons.

To this, Zhang Songwen could only offer sighs and sympathy; he didn't know what else to say.

"Ah Gu, take this money back. In the future, if you encounter anything you don't understand while filming, just send me a message and ask."

Zhang Songwen was undoubtedly gratified by Gu Qing's proactive attitude toward paying to learn acting. For such a good student, taking money would be like slapping his own face.

"Teacher Zhang, you need to earn money to support your family. Besides, if you don't charge me, I'll feel too embarrassed to ask you questions." Gu Qing didn't want to take advantage of anyone. "I'll definitely have to trouble you many times in the future."

Only after his repeated refusals did Zhang Songwen finally accept the transfer.

The two connected via video call. Zhang Songwen taught him through demonstration, covering everything from the basics of acting to line practice and emotional liberation... explaining it all to Gu Qing one by one.

When the topic reached emotional liberation, he even provided a personal demonstration, imitating the expressions and cries of various animals with exaggerated and comical facial expressions.

Gu Qing was full of admiration, but if he were truly asked to suddenly bark like a dog or make "ooh-ooh-ooh" monkey sounds and walk like one right now, he truly wouldn't be able to do it.

Fortunately, he was an idol artist. Even if Gu Qing were willing, his company would never allow him to take on such roles that deliberately made him look ugly for the sake of his public image.

Before they knew it, it was nearing midnight. Thinking about the fact that he had to catch a flight to South Korea the next morning, Gu Qing could only bid his teacher farewell and bury his head in his pillow to sleep.

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Time flew by, and the official recording period arrived.

The theme for this episode was "Oil Overlord," a crossover with Wang Baoqiang's previous "Lost in Thailand" segment.

When Gu Qing arrived at the airport, it was the familiar scene of "fan arrivals." This time, however, was different from the previous two instances. As the show's popularity surged, young passersby waiting for their flights also crowded around excitedly, wanting to take photos. He had gained a preliminary base of casual fans.

Upon arriving at the VIP lounge at the airport, aside from the *Running Man* production crew, there was another charming figure.

"Sister Baby?" Gu Qing's face lit up with the surprise of seeing an acquaintance. Since every artist travels to different cities for various activities and usually only meets up at the final destination, encountering her here was quite a coincidence.

"Hi~ Qingqing." Yang Ying waved sweetly, but her eyes behind her sunglasses were somewhat evasive, not daring to meet Gu Qing's gaze.

If it were before, she would have stepped forward to give him a hug long ago. But ever since the first episode of *Running Man* aired, her "Leader" had fulfilled his previous promise and proactively announced their relationship on his blog.

Logically speaking, "Big Baby" should have been very happy, but for some reason, when encountering Gu Qing—her nominal "CP" (couple pairing) from the show—she felt inexplicably guilty.

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"Little Gu (Qingqing, little brother), good morning."

"Brother Wang, Brother Xu, Sister Hua... good morning to you all too."

After greeting the surrounding staff one by one, Gu Qing sat down opposite Yang Ying.

"Qingqing, what have you been busy with these past two days?" Yang Ying lowered her eyes slightly, avoiding the youth's bright gaze, and forced a topic of conversation.

"Filming commercials, filming commercials, and more filming commercials." Gu Qing looked troubled, yet he couldn't hide the smile on his face.

"Old Xu, have you noticed? Even though we haven't seen Little Gu for two days, his aura seems a bit different." In the distance, several VJs following the artists chatted in low voices. Due to their profession, they were very sensitive to changes in artists and noticed Gu Qing's difference at a glance.

"It does... seem like there's a bit of a change." A burly man named "Old Xu" rubbed his stubbled chin and said, "It feels like he's less restrained; his temperament looks more easygoing and relaxed... Oh, right!"

"What?" the others asked curiously.

"He looks even better when he smiles!" Old Xu said with lingering shock. "When those little apricot eyes curve, he's more beautiful than many female artists I've filmed. It's crazy—how can a man be so beautiful?"

"You don't get it. This is what they call being 'nurtured by fame'."

"I originally thought Chris Wu and Lu Han were the ceiling for male artists' looks, but I didn't expect Little Gu to be even more impressive."

"If Little Gu doesn't become a top star, I'll wash my hair while standing on my head!"

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After a period of waiting, everyone boarded the plane. As artists, "Baby" and "Gu Qing" naturally had to maintain a high status; it was impossible for them to fly economy. If it were leaked that they flew economy, their rivals would laugh themselves to death.

After saying goodbye to the *Running Man* crew, the staff members headed to the economy section. Because nothing had been arranged in advance, Gu Qing and Baby naturally could not sit together.

Big Baby breathed a sigh of relief. If she actually had to sit with Gu Qing, she wouldn't know how to explain it.

But immediately, she saw that the person sitting next to Gu Qing was a young girl. Upon seeing Gu Qing, the girl was both covering her mouth and squealing in a low voice, her face flushed red and her eyes sparkling. She wanted to shake his hand and take a photo, her whole body almost pressing against him.

*Creak...*

The expression behind Big Baby's wide sunglasses was already shrouded in shadow, appearing even darker.

And it didn't stop there. The flight attendants on the plane changed with every shift, coming enthusiastically to Gu Qing's seat to introduce snacks and drinks. Some just wanted autographs, but some even went as far as secretly slipping him a small note!

*Swish—*

Before the plane could take off, Yang Ying suddenly stood up, walked to Gu Qing's seat, and took off her sunglasses, revealing her beautiful face.

"Ah! You're Baby?"

"Are you guys filming *Running Man*?"

She gave a radiant smile and said gently to the young girl who had recognized her: "Yes, little sister... so, could I swap seats with you?"

Under the influence of her immense charm, the young girl left her seat feeling completely satisfied after getting her photo.

"Sorry, we don't want anything here." Yang Ying's smile remained unchanged as she looked at the flight attendant.

"O-okay, ma'am." The flight attendant left awkwardly.

Once everyone had left, "Are you stupid?!"

Before Gu Qing could even speak, Big Baby scolded him in a low voice. "They are all taking advantage of you, can't you see?"

"But they all said they were my fans," Gu Qing explained.

"What kind of fan slips you a note?" Yang Ying reached out irritably and pulled a small, crumpled ball of paper from Gu Qing's pocket. "When did this get in there?"

Gu Qing was shocked; he really hadn't noticed.

"It's a good thing I'm here. Otherwise, if you were caught on camera, it would be over." Yang Ying threw the note to the floor and stepped on it hard. "Don't you go learning from some male artists who seek thrills by specifically targeting flight attendants..."

"Their mouths aren't tight. If they take some photos while you aren't looking... hmph."

"Sister Baby, what kind of person do you think I am? I'm not that kind of loose person," Gu Qing said helplessly.

"Of course I know you're a good boy, but there are many temptations in the entertainment industry, especially after you become famous... you will face many things you can't even imagine." The anger faded from Yang Ying's beautiful face. She unwrapped the blanket she had brought and covered both of them. "So, you must maintain your integrity."

"Maintain my integrity?" Gu Qing's expression was strange. Coming from her, why did those words sound a bit like a dark joke?

But Big Baby was certainly right. Gu Qing felt this deeply himself.

"Alright, get some sleep. We start filming as soon as we land." Yang Ying took Gu Qing's hand under the blanket, tilted her head slightly to rest on the youth's shoulder, her long eyelashes trembling slightly as she closed her eyes.

Gu Qing's body stiffened slightly, but he soon relaxed. He gave a soft "mm" in response. The fresh scent of her hair lingered at the tip of his nose, and he also fell asleep leaning against his seat...

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(End of Chapter)