Chapter 62 – Good Looking
Qiao Huaiyao smiled and straightened the medal that was hanging down. Suddenly, he felt a tightness around his waist, causing him to stumble and instinctively take a half-step forward to steady himself, only to end up crashing into Bai Jinyan’s arms.
Bai Jinyan’s grip around his waist tightened slightly as he chuckled, “If only there were fewer people here…”
The audience was focused on the competition, not paying attention to them in the middle of the field.
Qiao Huaiyao pursed his lips, seemingly catching the implied meaning, and blinked lightly. When he turned to look at Bai Jinyan, his lips brushed quickly against his cheek.
The seemingly ordinary turn of his head concealed a hidden action, unnoticed by anyone.
Qiao Huaiyao’s eyes were full of mischievous delight as he silently mouthed, “Like this?”
Bai Jinyan’s eyes darkened, his hand moving up from Qiao Huaiyao’s waist to subtly press against his back.
With their proximity already close, any further approach felt dangerous.
“Brother,” Qiao Huaiyao’s eyes widened suddenly, “Wait, wait…”
Bai Jinyan ignored him, continuing to lean closer.
Qiao Huaiyao wanted to retreat but couldn’t make any obvious moves. His hands, pressing against Bai Jinyan’s chest, curled slightly as he whispered, “Wrong, Brother.”
Bai Jinyan glanced at the person in his arms, his tone lightly teasing, “Hm?”
Qiao Huaiyao cleared his throat, his gaze drifting uncertainly to the grass, “We’ll continue this later…”
He didn’t elaborate further.
Seeing the flush slowly spreading behind Qiao Huaiyao’s ears, Bai Jinyan lowered his eyes to hide his smile, then ruffled his hair, “We came back in a hurry. I left some things with the crew. Will you come with me to get them?”
Qiao Huaiyao nodded, responding softly, “Okay.”
…
The filming wasn’t complete, so there was no need to pack the rest area too meticulously.
They would still come back during downtime.
Only items that wouldn’t last or would be needed in the next few days were taken.
It happened to be the crew’s lunch break when director Qian Yibin came over to discuss the details for the next few days with Bai Jinyan. He noticed Bai Jinyan putting away a piece of paper.
Qian Yibin smiled and, instead of talking to Bai Jinyan, leaned against the doorframe and asked Qiao Huaiyao, “Xiao Qiao, how did you make that rose? I had someone try the tutorial you posted online, but it didn’t turn out well.”
It wasn’t that they couldn’t make it; it just didn’t look very good.
The 3D effect was there, but perhaps his friend lacked drawing skills, making the finished product somewhat decent yet unappealing.
Qian Yibin sighed, “The drawing was too ugly, so the final result wasn’t great either.”
Qiao Huaiyao thought for a moment and said, “You could prepare the solution and find someone good at drawing to try it.”
This solution was special, requiring the use of a glass rod for drawing and not a pen.
Moreover, the drawing wouldn’t show color initially.
Besides being skilled at drawing, the person needed a good memory to recall each stroke accurately, ensuring no deviations in subsequent strokes.
The 3D effect depended on the overall consistency; any minor difference would make the outcome less attractive.
Qian Yibin nodded, “Do you have any samples left? Are you selling them? I—”
Before he could finish, Qiao Huaiyao interrupted, “Not selling.”
Besides the first one he made, he had gradually bought materials to make a few smaller ones for himself.
But those were all meant to be gifts for Bai Jinyan.
Qian Yibin sighed, “I wanted to shoot a promotional video. I asked your brother for one, but he wouldn’t give it to me and told me to check his Weibo for the video.”
Seeing it in a video isn’t the same as seeing it in person.
But even in the video, the flower was already stunning, and it wasn’t due to any special effects—it was real.
Seeing it in person would undoubtedly be even more impressive.
However, Bai Jinyan wouldn’t let anyone see it. He rarely took out the folded paper, let alone opened it.
When Bai Jinyan came out, Qian Yibin didn’t try to buy the flower again. Instead, he handed over a USB drive and said, “You guys get back to your work. This contains the schedule for after the holiday. Please give it to your brother.”
Qian Yibin made a quick exit.
Bai Jinyan asked, “What did he say to you?”
Qiao Huaiyao handed him the USB drive, “He asked if the flower was for sale.”
Bai Jinyan responded calmly, “Ignore him.”
Qiao Huaiyao’s eyes curved into a smile, “Okay.”
…
Lu Lu brought out a small packed suitcase and put it in the trunk.
After getting in the car, he turned and asked, “Brother Qiao, where are we headed next?”
Lu Lu knew Qiao Huaiyao had a break after the sports meet, so he didn’t immediately instruct the driver to head back to the dormitory.
Maybe because it had snowed all night, the morning was a bit overcast and stayed that way until late morning.
By noon, the sky was much clearer than it had been earlier.
Qiao Huaiyao looked out the window at the sunlight and thought for a moment, “Shall we go for a walk outside? Or…”
It was still early, and going back to the dormitory seemed pointless.
Today could be considered a half-day break, perfect for going out for a stroll.
Bai Jinyan tapped his finger on his screen, “Let’s go here.”
Qiao Huaiyao glanced over, “An amusement park?”
It was the largest amusement park in the world.
Qiao Huaiyao had no objections to the destination, but amusement parks usually required advance ticket purchases. “Can we still get tickets now?”
“Yes.” Bai Jinyan checked the tickets, finding that while the regular ones were sold out, the more expensive tickets that allowed skipping all the lines were still available.
Bai Jinyan purchased the tickets for the same day, “Lu Lu.”
“Got it! Right away!” Lu Lu quickly helped the driver set the GPS coordinates, “Let’s go.”
Most amusement parks aren’t built in the busiest parts of a city.
Land costs are one factor, and the large area required for an amusement park is another, making it hard to find a suitable spot.
Only a few amusement parks are situated in bustling urban areas.
The largest amusement park in the world was built in the suburbs, avoiding excessive noise, but it was still conveniently connected by subway.
Qiao Huaiyao used his phone to search for guides on this amusement park.
He skipped the tutorials and focused on the recommended attractions.
There were dozens of attractions and many themed areas.
Trying every attraction in just half a day wouldn’t be enough.
There were also evening parades and firework dinners.
If they wanted to see both, they’d have to skip some attractions.
Qiao Huaiyao saved some useful analyses.
After finishing, they still had a long way to go before reaching the amusement park.
Qiao Huaiyao thought for a moment, then opened Weibo, deciding to add a note to the previous tutorial.
Creating this required drawing skills.
Otherwise, even with the solution, the result would just be a glowing blob.
His Weibo notifications were always maxed out at 99+, and he rarely checked them.
Occasionally, he would clear them out when Weibo lagged.
This time, he noticed many messages about the sports meet from people he didn’t follow.
Opening his mentions, the most recent ones were all from the same post.
Qiao Huaiyao curiously clicked on it, finding that someone had posted about his 1000-meter race on Weibo.
The sports meet had just ended, and there wouldn’t be any media people staking out Qing University.
Qing University didn’t allow the media to use the school for publicity—strictly zero tolerance.
The post likely wasn’t from a marketing account but from a fellow student.
The poster wasn’t verified but seemed to be an individual account.
Today’s Candy is Super Sweet V: [Today at the sports meet, our dorm wasn’t planning to go, but our advisor kept @-ing everyone in the group chat. So we had to get up early and head to the bleachers, facing the cold wind. We were all freezing. But then—ladies, do you know what I saw?!!]
[Pictures X9. OMG, let’s just say a big thank you to our advisor for pushing us to go! #YaoYan#]
[The video is still being muted. I’ll upload it once it’s processed.]
The Weibo post was tagged with CP fan hashtags and included nine pictures.
Qiao Huaiyao clicked to view them. They showed the hug at the finish line and Bai Jinyan holding him while stepping back.
Due to the super topic tags, the post had many comments, the most popular ones urging the poster not to edit the video and just upload it as it was.
A few comments in a row echoed this sentiment.
Qiao Huaiyao had been @-ed under this Weibo post, and naturally clicked into it first.
Afterward, he visited the poster’s profile and saw that shortly after the initial post, a video was uploaded.
Today’s Candy is Super Sweet V: [Forget it, just uploading it as is for everyone to enjoy.]
This Weibo post had even more comments than the previous one.
[Woohoo! Fresh candy from the new couple!]
[Ahhh——! Qiao Qiao is so handsome! Accelerating right from the start in the 1000-meter race—how can others even compete?!]
[Hahaha, the classmates nearby looked stunned: It was like a shadow zoomed past me.]
[800-meter struggler here, watching Qiao Qiao run so effortlessly.]
[Bai Jinyan waiting at the finish line, hugging you as soon as you cross—would you sprint for that?]
[Wow, you’re really daring. Have you not encountered Bai Jinyan from three months ago and felt society’s harsh lessons?]
[Okay, now we know Qiao Qiao’s strengths—aside from studying and looks, he’s also athletic. D*mn… is there anything he can’t do?]
[Preferring to walk backward rather than let go of him—ladies, isn’t this the ultimate ship material?!]
[Other people’s CPs: ‘We’re just friends.’ Our CP: ‘Come here, open your mouth, here’s some sweet candy for you. Is it enough, kid? Not enough? Here’s more.’]
…
Bai Jinyan leaned against Qiao Huaiyao, looking at the content on his phone, and remarked, “The photos aren’t very clear.”
From the bleachers, capturing a still photo of Qiao Huaiyao’s speed was almost impossible without highly professional equipment.
So these were most likely screenshots from a video.
Bai Jinyan scrolled through his phone’s gallery and showed Qiao Huaiyao a video he had recorded, “How do you like my shot?”
He had filmed it from the track, much closer.
It wasn’t professionally done, but he kept Qiao Huaiyao in the frame at all times.
Qiao Huaiyao, leaning against his shoulder, watched the video and praised, “It’s great, very professional filming.”
Bai Jinyan smiled, draping his arm over Qiao Huaiyao’s shoulder.
Qiao Huaiyao didn’t sit up, continuing to lean against him while updating his Weibo with additional details about the paper rose tutorial.
The paper rose tutorial had been trending for a few days.
Romantic and unique things always attract attention.
After Qiao Huaiyao posted the tutorial, a wave of people tried making paper roses.
From the topic discussions, many people posted pictures of their creations, with various shapes—some just a blob of mist, which was considered good compared to others.
Many people @-mentioned Qing University-certified students, including some alumni who were now full-time bloggers and joined the trend.
But their results were far from Qiao Huaiyao’s.
Qiao Huaiyao V: [The solution is simple to mix, but drawing the rose requires someone with a strong foundation in art.]
Comments:
[??? Simple solution?]
[Watching silently as someone who can draw but can’t mix the solution.]
[‘With a strong foundation in art’]