Chapter 5

Amid the deafening noise, their gazes intersected once again.

In the interplay of light and shadow, he looked at her from below the stage, while she looked at him from above. They were in a reciprocal gaze.

A few seconds later, Sheng Qingli shifted her gaze away from him, suppressing the myriad of thoughts swirling in her mind. She turned her head and casually answered the host’s questions.

The event did not last long. Besides the initial brand introduction and the host’s Q&A session, the fan benefits Sheng Qingli had promised were the main attraction.

The staff collected various questions written by fans and put them into a lottery box. Sheng Qingli would draw three questions and answer them. Additionally, she would randomly call out a fan’s number for a quick Q&A interaction, and if the selected fan was female, Sheng Qingli would hug them.

These activities were limited to fans inside the venue, but even this was enough to make other artists’ fans envious of Sheng Qingli’s supporters.

When Sheng Qingli first started her career, she had planned these fan benefits to make the event more engaging and less awkward. Even after becoming famous, she not only maintained but added extra benefits for her fans, which made others envious of her generosity and humility.

As the host announced the start of the fan interaction segment, the crowd’s screams, including those from the official live broadcast for fans who couldn’t attend, grew even louder.

“Ahhh, we finally reached this part!!”

“Ugh, let me see who the lucky fans are today!”

As the staff brought up the lottery box, Sheng Qingli smiled warmly and waved to the fans from all directions once again.

After a moment, the staff handed the lottery box to her.

The host, seizing the opportunity, asked, “Are you nervous about this part, Qingli?”

Sheng Qingli looked down and smiled, her eyes sparkling, “Not nervous.”

The host, momentarily distracted by her radiant smile, responded, “Alright, let’s start drawing the questions.”

Sheng Qingli accepted the task with a smile, drawing the first question from the box and opening it.

The host and cameraman followed, projecting the question onto the big screen behind them—“What are your plans next, and when will you start filming again?”

The first question was quite standard and easy for Sheng Qingli to answer, “I’m still discussing my next project. I’ll let everyone know once it’s confirmed.”

She paused and added with a smile, “I won’t be lazy this year; I’ll be filming more.”

Some fans expressed their disappointment, wishing for more gossip, and criticized the tame questions.

When Sheng Qingli drew the second question, she showed a brief moment of surprise.

The question on the screen read—“Do you currently have a boyfriend?”

This unexpected question caused a flicker of surprise among the staff and host.

Typically, fans allowed into the venue were long-time supporters from fan clubs or significant partners of the brand. Such fans usually wouldn’t ask personal questions in public.

The host quickly tried to diffuse the situation, taking the question from Sheng Qingli’s hand with a smile, “Let’s—”

But Sheng Qingli interrupted, “I don’t have a boyfriend right now.”

She felt that avoiding the question might make her seem evasive, giving critics an opportunity to attack her.

Upon hearing Sheng Qingli’s answer, a fan shouted, “Wife!! I’ll come after you!!”

The fan, holding a loudspeaker, was very enthusiastic.

Sheng Qingli tried to suppress her laughter, smiling with her eyes curving, “Alright.”

Moments later, hashtags like #ShengQingliSingle #ShengQingliWaitForFansToChase #ShengQingliEventLive surged on trending topics.

After the second question, the anticipation for the third question was palpable, with everyone wondering if it would be another explosive topic.

The third question was indeed another personal one—“What is your ideal type?”

Seeing this question, Sheng Qingli wondered if it was a coordinated effort. Although somewhat resigned, she maintained her smile.

Avoiding a familiar gaze, Sheng Qingli pondered for a moment before replying, “I don’t have a specific standard for my ideal type.”

She pressed her lips together and her long lashes fluttered, “I value the initial impression.”

The host engaged naturally, “Does this mean you don’t have many requirements when choosing a partner?”

“…Not really.” Sheng Qingli said somewhat shyly, “I do have some minimum requirements.”

The host asked, “What are those minimum requirements?”

Sheng Qingli responded, “Tall and handsome.”

Her answer brought laughter from the audience and praise for her honesty and cuteness from the live stream viewers.

The host couldn’t help but chuckle, “Just those two things?”

“Yeah, other than those, it depends on the feeling.” Sheng Qingli admitted candidly.

While the two were engaged in the Q&A on stage, Ying Zheng nudged the indifferent person beside him, teasing, “You meet the minimum standards, so you still have hope.”

Pei Qingci gave him a cool glance and then turned her attention to the person on stage whose ears were reddened from lying, silently sneering—little liar.

With the previous two questions nearly getting out of control, the final additional benefit was relatively smooth.

Sheng Qingli drew a female fan, who had been a fan of hers for years and liked the movies she had acted in. So, when she interacted with Sheng Qingli on stage, her questions were all related to movies.

Before leaving the stage, Sheng Qingli took the initiative to give her a hug.

–

At the end of the event, Sheng Qingli glanced casually at a corner, where the familiar figure was no longer present.

She sighed in relief but felt an indescribable sense of loss.

It wasn’t until she got into the car and left that Tong Tong handed her the phone, bringing Sheng Qingli back to her drifting thoughts.

“Sister Lin calling.”

Sheng Qingli answered, and Lin Lin said on the other end, “The event went well today. I asked the person in charge about the fan interaction. Almost all the fans in the venue were yours, but there were also some rival fans or people interested in your personal life.”

Sheng Qingli responded, “It’s not a big deal, and the questions weren’t too outrageous.”

Lin Lin said, “I agree. We won’t pursue it further.”

She paused, “I just received a call from a sports brand wanting to discuss a possible collaboration with you.”

A name flashed through Sheng Qingli’s mind, and she asked, “Who?”

“Ying Zheng, Mr. Ying. You should know him,” Lin Lin told her. “He also attended the event today. His office is next to the shopping mall. They are interested in discussing if you’re interested.”

Sheng Qingli knew Ying Zheng. When she and Pei Qingci were secretly dating, she had accidentally answered a call from Ying Zheng meant for Pei Qingci.

At that time, Sheng Qingli had asked Pei Qingci how a poor and obscure celebrity could know Ying Zheng.

What Pei Qingci had said in response…

Sheng Qingli recalled Pei Qingci saying he had saved Ying Zheng’s life. At the time, she had actually believed it.

“…”

Remembering this made Sheng Qingli angry.

“Li Li,” Lin Lin waited for Sheng Qingli to speak but didn’t get a response. “Didn’t you hear?”

Sheng Qingli came to her senses, “I heard.”

She lowered her eyes and said, “What do you think?”

Lin Lin replied, “You don’t have any endorsements that conflict with the sports brand right now. If the price is right, we can consider it.”

After all, Ying Zheng’s sports brand is highly recognized and has a good reputation.

Sheng Qingli said, “You decide.”

Lin Lin agreed, “Okay, I’ll communicate with them first.”

After hanging up, Sheng Qingli intended to close her eyes and rest for a while but suddenly remembered something. “Tong Tong, did you take any photos today?”

“Yes,” Tong Tong quickly picked up her phone. “Should I send you the photos from the event now?”

Sheng Qingli nodded.

Tong Tong knew Sheng Qingli’s habit of posting photos and directly sent her the raw images from the event.

Sheng Qingli downloaded and saved them, then logged onto Weibo.

At that moment, several trending topics on Weibo were related to Sheng Qingli.

Sheng Qingli didn’t look too closely. She posted the photos Tong Tong had sent her on Weibo with the caption: [Had a great time today.]

As soon as the Weibo post went live, many fans left comments:

“Ahhhh, wife!!”

“My wife is launching a beauty attack again”

“Wife, wait for me! I’ll come after you. I’ll be eighteen next year!!”

“Damn!!! Even minors are trying to steal my wife?”

“Ahhhh, Li Li doesn’t even have a boyfriend yet. Does this mean we still have a chance with her? Dreaming of eating pears.”

“CP fans, get lost!! Stay in your own circle!”

…

Strangely, Sheng Qingli’s new Weibo post started a heated argument.

But soon, the fans took over the main stage, and there were no more traces of CP fans in the top comments.

Sheng Qingli looked at Weibo and was suddenly reminded of Pei Qingci’s cold eyes… She couldn’t help but think again about why he appeared at her event.

Could it be that Ying Zheng had dragged him there?

Sheng Qingli thought for a moment; it seemed to be the only possibility.

Though she didn’t understand why Pei Qingci would agree, Sheng Qingli decided not to dwell on it.

She temporarily set the thought aside, closed her phone, and rested.

For the next two days, Sheng Qingli stayed at home and didn’t go out.

She had been too tired recently and needed to recuperate and regain her strength.

–

On Friday, Li Yuwei returned to Beicheng and dragged Sheng Qingli out.

The two of them dressed casually and wandered around the mall for a while before going for a meal.

Li Yuwei’s friend had recommended a private restaurant hidden in an alley, claiming it had excellent food.

However, the friend hadn’t mentioned that the restaurant required a reservation at least a week in advance, if not longer.

The two unprepared people arrived at the courtyard door and were told they couldn’t enter without a reservation.

After staring at each other for a few seconds at the door, Li Yuwei slapped her forehead lightly, “My bad, I forgot about this.”

Sheng Qingli smiled and wasn’t too concerned, “Let’s go somewhere else. We can come back here next time.”

As Li Yuwei was about to speak, a familiar yet strange voice came from behind, “Miss Li.”

Li Yuwei turned around and, upon seeing the person, her eyes lit up, “Mr. Ying, Mr. Pei…”

Ying Zheng nodded and looked at Sheng Qingli, who was wearing a mask but couldn’t hide her elegant features. He raised his eyebrows slightly, a bit surprised, “Miss Sheng is here too.”

Sheng Qingli looked up and made eye contact with the person who had glanced towards them.

After a moment, Sheng Qingli responded, “Yes, but we’re about to leave.”

“Have you finished eating so early?” Ying Zheng asked in surprise.

Li Yuwei blurted out, “No, we forgot to make a reservation.”

Ying Zheng was taken aback, glanced at the person next to him, and extended an invitation, “If you don’t mind, would you join us?”

He had made a reservation in advance.

Li Yuwei instinctively looked at Sheng Qingli. Sheng Qingli didn’t mind, but there was still Sheng Qingli’s ex-boyfriend across from them.

Sheng Qingli hesitated for a moment, her instinct was to refuse.

Just as the words were about to leave her mouth, Ying Zheng said, “I actually wanted to discuss a collaboration with Miss Sheng. Would it be convenient for you?”

“…”

With that statement, Sheng Qingli seemed to lose her reason to refuse.

She hesitated but nodded slightly, politely saying, “As long as Mr. Ying’s friend doesn’t mind.”

“My friend…” Ying Zheng drawled, glancing at Pei Qingci, and teased, “Even if my friend minds, it doesn’t matter. If he minds, we’ll just pretend he doesn’t exist.”

Sheng Qingli: “…”

Pei Qingci: “…”