Chapter 57 – Necklace
Qiao Huaiyao was eating cake, and at the words, he couldn’t help but smirk, pouring a glass of warm water for him. “Did you just go out?”
Bai Jinyan shook his head, took a sip of water, and said, “No, it was from the director.” The cake looked unremarkable, but the taste was quite unique.
It was only then that Qiao Huaiyao noticed the small missing piece on the cake. He raised an eyebrow. “Director Zhao asked me to livestream just now. My phone is full of photos, so I used your phone.”
“Okay,” Bai Jinyan said as he put down the cup, glanced at the phone upside down on the table, and leaned down to give him a peck. “I’ve booked a restaurant for tonight. I’ll come to you after we finish shooting.”
Qiao Huaiyao nodded. “Alright.”
Bai Jinyan had only left for a short time during the shoot to bring a cake and didn’t stay long. After a brief moment, he left after delivering the cake, leaving to continue filming the remaining scenes.
After Bai Jinyan left, Qiao Huaiyao propped up his phone. Although only his voice was heard, the barrage was filled with Bai Jinyan’s name.
[“Show your face, show your face!!!”]
[“Now that you’re here, don’t you plan to let us see even a glimpse? Hello?”]
[“Exactly, I knew it. Waiting in this livestream room, sooner or later we’ll see Bai Jinyan (or hear his voice, it counts).”]
[“Since the last time he showed his face at the awards ceremony, he hasn’t appeared in public, right?”]
[“Bai Jinyan, seriously, do you have any awareness as a star?! Post a nine-grid photo on Weibo!”]
[“What did Qiao Qiao say was delicious? What did the director give?”]
…
The cake’s packaging was not completely opened, revealing only a portion of the cake inside. The topic was temporarily put on hold. Qiao Huaiyao leisurely rolled up the edge of the packaging and ate slowly.
Seeing someone in the barrage asking what he was eating, Qiao Huaiyao held up the cake and showed it to the camera. “This, it should be cake.”
Chocolate cake.
The brand on the packaging was one he hadn’t seen before. Qiao Huaiyao allowed the livestream audience some time to take screenshots before putting it down.
The cake was not large, roughly the size of half a palm. Qiao Huaiyao ate slowly, and towards the end, the cake didn’t become too overwhelming or sickeningly sweet.
After finishing the piece of cake, Qiao Huaiyao wiped his hands, making sure there was no chocolate left. He then went to grab his own notes. If the chocolate melted accidentally and stained the paper, it would be difficult to clean.
He cleared his throat and said, “Let’s continue with the second half of the chapter.”
Barrage: [“Although I don’t understand, I could listen to Qiao Qiao reading notes for a year.”]
[“The same professional terminology, when my chemistry teacher talks, I want to snooze, but when Qiao Qiao talks, I feel like I’m not doing justice to him because I can’t understand.”][
“Nice voice, good-looking, and a genius at Qing University. How did I deserve you to livestream for me?”]
[“Nuwa, what’s going on, sobbing… this little lively character is quite something.”]
[“Nuwa: This little guy is quite lively.”]
…
The livestream popularity occasionally dipped to three dots, occasionally rose in real-time viewers, and then within a few seconds, it would revert to three dots. It was evident that some people were continuously attempting to enter this livestream. However, the number of people trying to enter was greater than those leaving. The livestream software staff were trying their best, but even after expanding to the maximum capacity, they were struggling.
Furthermore, with Bai Jinyan’s voice appearing briefly just now, even though it was just for a moment, and he didn’t say much before hastily leaving.
But that part of the content was captured by fans on Weibo, and more of Bai Jinyan’s fans started trying to enter the livestream.
Zhao Jiamo was initially happy about the popularity, then realized belatedly…
Their server seemed to be struggling.
Zhao Jiamo: “…”
This was the first time he felt so embarrassed.
The feeling of barely maintaining stability earlier had just vanished now due to the surge in popularity.
He had spent so much money to repair the server; he needed to find time to replace it.
Fortunately, the livestream was still running normally, but the app and livestream webpage couldn’t be accessed.
Zhao Jiamo messaged Qiao Huaiyao: [Are you really not considering a long-term livestream contract?]
Qiao Huaiyao paused at his fingertips and replied: [No.]
Livestreaming wasn’t an interest; explaining the notes was—
The latter part of the first chapter was finished much faster than Qiao Huaiyao had anticipated.
Bai Jinyan hadn’t returned yet.
But it was definitely too late to start the second chapter. Qiao Huaiyao leaned towards using the remaining time to wait for his brother to finish filming and come find him.
Qiao Huaiyao closed the notebook and said, “That’s it for today’s livestream.”
The barrage immediately cried out.
[“Don’t go! It’s not even that late yet, Brother Bai hasn’t come back, don’t leave, Qiao Qiao!”]
[“I gained a lot from listening to the latter part of the first chapter. Thank you, Study God.”]
[“Don’t go! I’m still waiting to see Bai Jinyan. Really not planning to let him show up?”]
[“It’s obvious that Qiao Qiao is a first-time livestreamer and is unfamiliar with the process. Let me teach you. Before ending, you should announce the time for the next livestream and also say goodbye, my precious.”]
[“My precious? The teacher’s wording is gentle.”]
[“It’s good, it’s good. High-achieving students from other schools are watching the livestream, and the old perverts are restraining themselves a bit. I am deeply gratified.”]
…
Livestreaming consumed quite a bit of battery.
Fortunately, there were chargers in the lounge.
Qiao Huaiyao had been connected to the charger throughout the livestream, and after closing the livestream and checking, the battery was still full.
He tidied up the things on the table. Aside from books and notebooks, there was nothing else to take.
His phone had been vibrating, but Qiao Huaiyao thought it was messages from the small group, so he didn’t rush to open them.
When he was ready to leave, he tapped the chat app, only to find that the messages were not only from the small group but also from the class’s large group.
It was sent by the instructor several hours ago.
Instructor: [All members, students who failed the exam can come to this livestream to review. Our classmate Qiao Huaiyao is explaining exam-related topics.]
Calculating the time, it seemed to have been sent shortly after he started the livestream to explain the notes.
Qiu Shufeng typed silently in the small group: [I finally understand why it’s so hard to get into the livestream. It’s not just the professors; our department’s instructors have posted in all the relevant groups, and even the physics department got the message!]
Yu Luofan also said: [There are related posts all over the forum. The Study God has been appearing quite frequently on the forum lately, and many people know about S’s performance. The moderator even pinned a post with the livestream link, promoting everyone to watch.]
Wang Zhan: [Help… am I the only fool who couldn’t get in from start to finish until the livestream ended?]
Yu Luofan: [A lot of people are asking about the next livestream time now. Study God, do you have any ideas?]
Qiao Huaiyao replied: [Not at the moment.]
Yu Luofan: [Okay, I’ll go reply to them.]
When Bai Jinyan came in and saw Qiao Huaiyao still sitting at the table, he asked, “Haven’t finished yet?”
Qiao Huaiyao stood up and said, “No, the livestream has ended.”
He noticed Bai Jinyan’s hair was still dripping water, “Brother, did you take a shower? Why didn’t you dry your hair before coming out?”
The weather was cold now, and the production team wanted to provide heating, but only rooms with doors could be kept warm. Other places, whether using air conditioning or heat lamps, couldn’t retain warmth for long.
Qiao Huaiyao fetched a new towel and hairdryer from the dressing table, quickly wiping off the water from the tips of his hair. He turned on the hairdryer, “Aren’t you afraid of catching a cold?”
Bai Jinyan, aware that Qiao Huaiyao might be impatient, had just wiped his hair casually before coming out. Upon hearing this, he chuckled and said, “I’ll be careful next time.”
…
Today’s filming went smoothly. The crew finished early.
In the rest area, there were a few of Qiao Huaiyao’s coats, all of them either fleece-lined or relatively thick. The night was cold.
Normally, Qiao Huaiyao would only come here when he had no classes. He had been staying on set for so long, and the temperature in the lounge was high. Wearing something too thin, he might easily fall ill due to the significant temperature difference between indoors and outdoors.
Bai Jinyan had prepared ahead of time. As he came in from outside, with the temperature dropping today and a few snowflakes falling, it was colder than usual. So, he picked a thicker coat and said, “Wear this one.”
“Okay,” Qiao Huaiyao was wearing the one he had worn from school, which was a bit thin, and it wasn’t very cold around noon. Also, during class in the classroom, there was heating and air conditioning, so there was no need to wear something so thick.
Qiao Huaiyao put on the cap that came with the coat. The hat was a bit big, and when he let it hang down in front, it could cover half of his face. He pulled the edge of the hat slightly towards the back.
Bai Jinyan took it from him and helped him adjust it.
The edge of the hat had a ring of fur, gradually fading from light blue to white.
This color looked very clean.
Qiao Huaiyao tilted his head slightly, waiting obediently for Bai Jinyan to fix the hat.
Bai Jinyan’s eyes dimmed, and as his thoughts wandered, he couldn’t help but lean in closer, and their breaths intertwined as he planted a light kiss on his lips.
Very gentle, barely a touch. Pausing for a moment, he couldn’t help but kiss him again.
Qiao Huaiyao blinked lightly, “Um… brother?”
Liking someone too much could sometimes make it difficult to know what to do.
Bai Jinyan pressed his lips together slightly. He raised his hand to adjust the hat, and as he did so, he also gently stroked Qiao Huaiyao’s cheek, smiling as he said, “The driver is waiting outside, let’s go.”
Qiao Huaiyao mumbled his words, “Mm.”
…
Exiting the lounge, the production crew was directing the packing.
This scene involved relatively few extras, and the script was just a story unfolding from a school case. The location wasn’t large, just an abandoned school, so they didn’t need many extras. With fewer people, packing up was much quicker.
Lu Lu stood at the doorway of the hallway and didn’t go inside to the lounge.
He waited outside, holding two umbrellas in his hand.
Seeing Qiao Huaiyao and the others coming out, he went forward and handed them the umbrellas.
The snowfall wasn’t heavy, but as soon as it landed on the body, it melted, causing more inconvenience.
Bai Jinyan only took one umbrella, shielding Qiao Huaiyao under it, and walked out steadily.
Seeing this, Lu Lu silently opened an umbrella for himself, thinking that his older brother seemed to have done an assistant’s job like this before, not for the first time.
The unemployment crisis sounded an alarm.
Before getting into the car, Bai Jinyan handed the umbrella to Lu Lu, who was beside him. Lu Lu hurriedly approached and said with a grin, “Brother Bai, you sit, I’ll close the door.”
Bai Jinyan: “…?”
There was a special place in the car to store umbrellas. They were placed diagonally, and the rainwater would slide off the umbrellas and gather in a small box. When the water in the small box reached a certain level, it would automatically drain onto the ground.
Once Lu Lu closed the door, he went to collect the umbrellas, a smug smile on his face.
…
In the evening, Qiao Huaiyao sat in front of the computer with a laptop and an open notebook on the desk. He held a pen in his hand, occasionally pressing two keys, contemplating for a moment, and then deleting.
Bai Jinyan walked in, placed a fruit platter on the table, and asked, “Is the homework troublesome? How much is left?”
Qiao Huaiyao slid the mouse upward and replied, “I’ve finished my homework. I’m thinking about writing the report for the laboratory application.”
Finishing it early would allow him to submit it as soon as they start accepting applications, and an early submission might lead to an earlier approval.
Bai Jinyan nodded calmly.
Seeing Bai Jinyan’s composed demeanor, Qiao Huaiyao couldn’t help but chuckle and cut a slice of apple with a small sign, handing it to him. “I’m planning to apply for a lab. It’s a big deal; aren’t you surprised at all?”
Bai Jinyan took the piece of apple, ate it, and then gave him a kiss, saying with a smile, “If you could apply for a lab in high school, you would’ve had your own lab in high school.”
But high school couldn’t provide that kind of treatment. It was only in university that they reached out with an olive branch, and even then, the situation was such that if you chose a university’s lab, you would end up studying at that university.
At the time, Qiao Huaiyao’s choice of school hadn’t been decided yet, and he was busy preparing for the college entrance exams.
Qiao Huaiyao bent his eyes, “If I do experiments by myself and don’t work with a teacher, the organization of the work might be a bit challenging. I might need your help.”
“That’s not called helping.” Bai Jinyan picked up the fruit platter and fed him. “It’s part of my responsibility.”
Qiao Huaiyao was momentarily stunned; he had just been teasing his brother, but he hadn’t expected Bai Jinyan to respond like that. Qiao Huaiyao’s lips curled slightly, and he cleared his throat, speaking with a smile, “I’ll show you when I’m done.”
Bai Jinyan ruffled his hair, “We have an early class tomorrow. Why don’t you go to sleep early tonight?”
“I’m not tired yet.” Qiao Huaiyao often forgot about time when he was studying, and he never felt exhausted. Thinking could be relaxing.
After a moment of thought, he consulted with Bai Jinyan, saying, “I’ll go to sleep after I finish a third of the sequence.”
Bai Jinyan adjusted the brightness of the desk lamp and said softly, “Alright.”
Writing the laboratory application report required detailed but not overly detailed work, and Qiao Huaiyao was skillful at finding that balance.
While Qiao Huaiyao was writing, Bai Jinyan would occasionally come in with snacks or a glass of milk. Lemon water and hot tea were also placed within Qiao Huaiyao’s reach. The fruit platter brought in earlier had been peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces.
Qiao Huaiyao didn’t move much, continuing to add content to his report. Bai Jinyan glanced at the table; everything he needed was almost within reach. He then brought a chair and sat beside him.
Qiao Huaiyao kept his focus on the computer screen, and the fruit brought to his mouth was consumed without much thought. When Qiao Huaiyao was studying seriously, he was best at being fed, and he ate more than usual.