Chapter 31 – Touch
Qiao Huaiyao felt that, in the current situation, there was no need to attempt further progress; things were already good enough as they were.
Being too fixated on the outcome, if it doesn’t meet expectations, wouldn’t it be even harder to endure?
For now, he could stay by Bai Jinyan’s side.
Qiao Huaiyao smirked, “Stop talking about this, let’s walk faster. Today, I’m treating.”
Qiu Shufeng hooked Wang Zhan’s shoulder, “Let’s go, that Sichuan restaurant is really popular. If we go late, there might not be any space left.”
“Hey—let go! Are you trying to strangle me?” Wang Zhan’s petite frame was being squeezed; he reluctantly moved forward.
Qiao Huaiyao chuckled at the sight, then put his phone away after sending a message to Bai Jinyan.
Seeing a person stumbling toward the crowd, Qiao Huaiyao quickly warned, “Be careful, watch your step.”
Qiu Shufeng waved his hand without looking back, “Don’t worry! No problem!”
Afternoon military training usually ended around five o’clock. Excluding cases where training wasn’t up to par and the instructor held them back, the timing was generally quite punctual.
\When Qiao Huaiyao’s training session ended, he messaged the driver. He changed out of his military uniform and was just in time to get in the car.
His chat history with Bai Jinyan was still on his phone from when they boarded the plane.
As they neared the airport, the car stopped at a busy intersection. Qiao Huaiyao glanced out the window and saw that the traffic light ahead wasn’t functioning, causing the intersection to be jammed with cars.
The driver explained, “It’s rush hour, once the traffic police come to clear it, we’ll be fine.”
With all four sides of the intersection congested with cars, it was uncertain whether the traffic police could get through.
Qiao Huaiyao tapped his phone screen, and the flow of traffic slowly moved. He suggested, “Let’s move the car to the right lane later, I’ll get out.”
The airport was just one intersection away. It would be much faster to walk there than to wait in traffic. “Sounds good.” The driver signaled and maneuvered through the traffic. “Once you’re across, I’ll wait at the underground exit. Is that okay? Parking isn’t allowed by the roadside.”
“Sure.” The sidewalk on the other side was much less crowded. Upon reaching the airport, the time was just right, not late.
The exit for the first-class cabin was on the second floor. Compared to the first floor, the second floor was larger and more spacious. There were hardly any people around.
The announcement of planes landing played repeatedly over the intercom. Qiao Huaiyao didn’t search for a place to sit; he stood by the exit, waiting. As first-class passengers disembarked, a few sporadic figures passed by, leaving the area behind them empty.
Qiao Huaiyao lifted the brim of his hat with two fingers and peered inside, faintly seeing two figures approaching. It seemed to be Bai Jinyan and his assistant.
Qiao Huaiyao was taken aback— did Lu Lu also return by land?
But… observing the surroundings, Qiao Huaiyao lowered his hat again and walked towards them.
He cleared his throat, intentionally altering his voice, and hurriedly said, “Bai Jinyan, I’m your fan, can I get an autograph?”
Lu Lu stepped forward, arms open, “Sorry, we don’t—”
Before he could finish, he felt a weight on his shoulder and lost control, stumbling backward.
Lu Lu exclaimed, “Huh?”
Bai Jinyan’s lips curved into a smile, “What did you just call me?”
Hearing this, Qiao Huaiyao immediately realized he had been found out.
He raised his hat brim slightly, teasingly saying, “I called you Bai Jinyan.”
Bai Jinyan tapped his hat brim with a fingertip, “Impudent
His tone was light and indulgent, lacking any real authority.
“Mmm!” Qiao Huaiyao squinted as he was tapped, removing his hat, “Why are you coming out so late?”
Only now did Lu Lu recognize who was in front of him.
He had initially wanted to step forward, but he now stood still, obediently holding the luggage.
Bai Jinyan didn’t answer; instead, he asked, “Did you check your phone?”
Qiao Huaiyao was taken aback; his attention had been focused on the exit, watching for Bai Jinyan’s appearance—when did he have time to check his phone?
He glanced at it briefly; the most recent message was from ten minutes ago.
Bai Jinyan probably sent it while still on the jet bridge. Bai Jinyan ruffled his hair, “No evening training tonight?”
“No.” Qiao Huaiyao replied, “Not for the next few days, until the end of military training.”
“The instructor said they want us to have enough energy for the final joint performance.”
While the joint performance didn’t contribute to grades, important leaders would be in attendance.
It was still quite significant.
Bai Jinyan took the hat Qiao Huaiyao had placed nearby, casually asking, “Are you participating?”
“No.” Qiao Huaiyao wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about these activities.
But if there weren’t enough participants from the company to fill the performance slots, they might randomly select lucky students to perform.
Qiao Huaiyao thought the chances were quite low.
They took a direct elevator to the underground level. Lu Lu didn’t bother with the luggage; instead, he did his assistant duties and opened the car door for Bai Jinyan.
However, as he was about to do so, Bai Jinyan had already opened the door. Bai Jinyan’s left hand hovered over Qiao Huaiyao’s head, protecting him carefully, retracting his hand only after Qiao Huaiyao had seated himself.
Lu Lu watched the cautious movement, astonished. He couldn’t help but feel a bit redundant.
Bai Jinyan closed the car door on his side, walked around, and glanced at Lu Lu, who was standing still.
Lu Lu immediately tensed up, and without a word, he put the luggage in the trunk and quickly got into the passenger seat—right beside Bai Jinyan.
At Nineteen Middle School, Bai Jinyan had been busy ever since official filming began.
Qiao Huaiyao occasionally finished training early or had half a day off, and he would come here. He would sit quietly on the side, not disturbing Bai Jinyan’s filming progress.
As the weather turned cooler, Bai Jinyan set up a heater on set, and his chair was replaced with a longer recliner.
Qiao Huaiyao huddled inside, a blanket draped over him, occasionally glancing outside.
This spot offered the best view of Bai Jinyan’s acting.
However, the nighttime scenery wasn’t always clear. Within arm’s reach, there was a small cart with various snacks and drinks.
To the right were a tablet and laptop, but Qiao Huaiyao hadn’t touched them. Most of the time, he was using his phone to take photos.
Over these days, he had already accumulated over 200 gigabytes of photos and videos on his phone. It slowed down the device, logically, but he wasn’t willing to delete any of them—even if some were duplicates. He had simply purchased a new phone dedicated solely to taking and storing photos and videos.
‘Buzz‘ Qiao Huaiyao tapped the screen, finished his potato chip, and wiped off the seasoning powder with a tissue. He looked at the messages in his group chat.
Qiu Shufeng: [Everyone! Something big’s happened. Not enough people signed up, and the instructor is furious. He’s demanding every dorm submit a performance. What do we do? @Study God.]
Wang Zhan: [Yeah, yeah, what should we do? @Study God.]