Chapter 28

When Lu Yinnan complained to the director, “Teacher Yan, who used to be the stern head of the department, has now transformed from a cold-faced dean to a gentle teacher teaching minor subjects,” the person involved passing by, holding a cup of sugar-free lemonade.

Upon hearing this, he glanced at Lu Yinnan and didn’t even wave her over to recite the heroine’s lengthy lines on the spot. It could be said that he has a very good temper.

Recently, Yan Zhao has encountered good fortune, being beautiful and kind-hearted. His bright eyes shine like stars, always smiling at people. As a result, the entire crew is filled with the atmosphere of spring, and the filming progress is rapidly moving forward.

Coincidentally, the weather was good today, a rare sunny day after the chilly spring. The director discussed with them about filming the reunion scene ten years later at Building Four.

The cameraman followed behind Lu Yinnan, as she walked into the classroom in high heels. The place, which was supposed to be empty, now had a figure standing there.

A man in a crisp white shirt, highlighting his well-proportioned figure, with the hem tucked into his pants, showcasing a narrow and smooth waistline. He casually propped his hand on the windowsill, a cigarette held between his fingers, about to be brought to his lips. However, sensing someone’s arrival, he lazily turned his head.

His expression was initially indifferent, but at the moment he recognized the person, his pupils subtly shrank. Soon after, he put on the usual nonchalant mask and said casually, “Oh. You’re here?”

There are three great regrets in life: the scentless plum blossoms, the bony carp, and the unresolved feelings with an ex.

Huo Panpan and Guan Ying, that’s their relationship.

In this scene, they need to portray the awkwardness of meeting again after a breakup and convey the surging emotions between them. Zhong Ling watched from the side, sometimes feeling heart-wrenching and other times experiencing a rapid heartbeat.

And then her heartbeat reached its peak as Xiao Dou entered the studio with a certain man.

The man was dressed in a suit, broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted, with exceptionally long legs. Zhong Ling wasn’t familiar with high-end fashion, but her intuition told her that the cufflinks on the man’s sleeves might cost her a month’s salary.

Most importantly, this person was none other than the mysterious man who went for a walk with Yan Ge that night?!

Zhong Ling wasn’t foolish; regular guys wouldn’t come to pick someone up at night, quietly sneaking in without a word, and their relationship with Yan Ge was definitely not ordinary.

Before Xiao Dou could brief the director, Zhong Ling pulled him aside.

Zhong Ling asked curiously, “Who is he?”

Xiao Dou replied, “The director of the Oolong Tea Beverage Factory.”

Zhong Ling: “??? Are you kidding me?”

Xiao Dou said, “Why would I joke? We honest folks never lie.”

Zhong Ling continued, “Oolong Tea… the one Yan Ge endorses?”

Xiao Dou confirmed, “Yes!”

Zhong Ling squinted at Xiao Dou, who looked innocent and couldn’t tell when he was lying—those who couldn’t handle the psychological pressure would have scared themselves to death after dodging bullets and evading gunfire.

Zhong Ling didn’t know Xiao Dou’s previous job, and when she learned he was a newcomer transitioning from a fitness coach, she was genuinely persuaded.

Now, her gaze towards Shen Yuanting became somewhat complicated.

Although, compared to the financial giants and IT tycoons, the title of factory director might not sound impressive, but to put it plainly, he is still the boss, and the money earned might not be less than those in other fields.

Being with Yan Ge, it couldn’t be considered as “marrying down.” Sorry, she really didn’t know what term would be more accurate for a man devoting himself to another man, but you get the idea.

Shen Yuanting’s intuition was sharp, and he was sensitive to the surrounding gazes. Looking back, Yan Zhao’s female assistant was giving him a look of apology, even bowing to him.

The employees in the company often do this to him, but he couldn’t figure out why Zhong Ling would behave in such a manner.

Shen Yuanting didn’t dwell on it and instead opened a bottle of Oolong tea.

Now, the female assistant’s gaze became even more complex.

Shen Yuanting: “…” What’s the matter.

After finishing the shoot, Yan Zhao detached himself from the emotions and saw Shen Yuanting sitting in the rest area, chin resting on his hand, gazing at him intently.

Yan Zhao smiled, and the previously imposing attitude of Guan Ying disappeared without a trace.

Yan Zhao sat down, “Why are you here?”

Shen Yuanting: “Didn’t you ask me to visit?”

Yan Zhao was momentarily stunned; he thought the macarons from last time and this statement had balanced things out. But spending more time with Shen Jujus was undoubtedly a good thing. Yan Zhao smiled and asked, “How was my performance?”

Shen Yuanting replied, “Very good.”

Well, my acting skills weren’t developed over more than a decade for nothing.

Just as Yan Zhao was about to flatter himself with closed eyes, Shen Yuanting added, “I’ve slightly changed my opinion of Guan Ying.”

What? The male god with a bunch of book fans needed you to “slightly change your opinion”? On Weibo, there was even a special hashtag activity to vote for the most charming male protagonist, and Guan Ying was well-regarded.

Yan Zhao humbly inquired, “What do you think is not good about him?”

Shen Yuanting smirked, “Do you think he’s good?”

Yan Zhao didn’t hesitate, “He’s a scumbag! In the entire book, there are only three men who ridicule women, and he’s one of them!”

Although, at that time, the female lead irritated him with her nerves… but how could he tell Shen Jujus that he actually thought Guan Ying was quite broad-minded?

Shen Yuanting glanced at him, clearly seeing that he was following his own line of thought. But that was quite cute.

Shen Yuanting teased him, “Your heart is insincere.”

Yan Zhao patted his left chest, “I swear every word is true. If I lie, may I be chased by ghosts in my dreams.”

Shen Yuanting chuckled; this oath cost Yan Zhao quite a bit.

Yan Zhao asked, “So why do you dislike him?”

Shen Yuanting replied, “Because this character requires you to gaze affectionately at others while acting.”

Yan Zhao: “???”

Shen Yuanting: “Do you need me to describe it more concretely?”

Is he jealous? Shen Jujus is jealous over something like this? Yan Zhao looked at him suspiciously, grabbed a candy from his pocket, placed it on the table, and pushed it over with his fingertips.

Shen Yuanting unwrapped the candy and stuffed it into Yan Zhao’s mouth.

Yan Zhao: “…Everyone is watching.”

Shen Yuanting raised an eyebrow, “You can’t lift your hand from exhaustion, so what’s wrong with me feeding you?”

Yan Zhao: “???”

This skill of talking nonsense with open eyes is truly remarkable!

Yan Zhao and Shen Yuanting chatted for a while during the short break. As the director’s bell rang, urging the actors to resume their roles, Yan Zhao took a sip of tea to soothe his throat. Before going back on stage, he felt that whether Shen Jujus was genuinely jealous or not, a smooth apology couldn’t hurt. He said, “Guan Ying is just Guan Ying; it has nothing to do with me whom he likes. It’s for work, so please understand.”

Guan Ying’s love and hate belonged to Huo Panpan. As for him, it belonged to only one person.

Shen Yuanting smiled, sometimes Yan Zhao’s occasional sensitivity would give him a headache. “There is another reason why I don’t like him.”

Yan Zhao looked at him, “Are you going to tell the truth?”

Shen Yuanting stood up; he was tall, almost half a head taller than Yan Zhao. His eyes were as transparent as ice in the sea under the sun, but not as cold as them.

Yan Zhao felt a bit bewildered at times. He occasionally felt that Shen Yuanting was somewhat unfamiliar, as if the man were hiding something. Or maybe their relationship wasn’t as deep as he had imagined, deep enough for him to understand the most challenging part of this man’s personality.

But that probing thought was quickly dispelled by the man’s actions.

Shen Yuanting hugged him briefly, without lingering, then released him. “I wanted to hug you. I couldn’t resist for even a minute, let alone ten years.”

Yan Zhao looked at him in partial understanding. Was this because Guan Ying wasn’t manly enough, and the dragging with Huo Panpan had gone on for too long?

Shen Yuanting smiled, thinking it’s better not to understand. He didn’t need Yan Zhao to comprehend those dark thoughts in his heart.

Shen Yuanting pushed him towards the center of the camera, “Go.”

Ten years were too long, with too much uncertainty. Being able to endure for ten years, did that give others the confidence that they wouldn’t give up on him?

If you want something, you should hold onto it tightly and not let go.

The promotional efforts of the production team were experienced, and the continuous promotion of “You in Teaching Building 7” maintained a certain level of popularity.

As the filming approached its conclusion, a teaser video was finally posted on Weibo.

@TeachingBuildingSevenCrew: Reunion after ten years, long time no see. [Video]

Upon the release of the teaser, fans of the novel immediately spread the news, calling on fellow fans to judge this video. The crew mentioned that Lu Yinnan had passed the acting assessment, but after that, they only released posters. Who knows if her qualified acting is still cringe-worthy or not!

The progress bar started moving, the screen faded, and a woman with light makeup, wearing a black coat, appeared in the corridor. Her high heels tapped on the floor tiles at a steady pace, the coat swaying slightly. The woman’s expression was indifferent; returning to her alma mater brought neither joy nor nostalgia, as if she were just a passerby invited to a centennial celebration.

The perspective shifted, passing through the corridor’s windows overlooking lush trees, the teaching building across, and the distant sports field, where young boys were sweating it out.

Huo Panpan’s voiceover came in: “I am convinced that time can make people forget everything. I forgot the dim and cramped classrooms in high school, forgot the just-unsealed lipstick in the dormitory trash can, forgot the scattered speech scripts in the university auditorium. But when I returned to Teaching Building Seven, to the classroom where all my inferiority and joy were hidden, I discovered that his influence on me was engraved in my bones. Even if I tried to forget everything, I could not forget him—— “

The scene shifted to the female protagonist Huo Panpan’s perspective. Inside the classroom of Building Seven, rows of computers stood, and on the blackboard, the most basic sentence from the C textbook, “hello world,” was still there. On the opposite side, leaning against the open windowsill, a lazy-looking man turned his head.

Years had treated him kindly. Even though the youthfulness had faded from his face, replaced by mature edges, he still remained a young man who could captivate hearts at a glance. With his usual unruly and slightly mischievous look, Yan Zhao said, “You’re here,” as if the ten years in between had never existed, and they just happened to span the timeline.

Subsequently, a flood of memories surged up—his determined figure on the basketball court, snowflakes on his hair on Christmas night, his impatient remark in the rain, and his sincere advice: “Just be yourself.”

After the video finished, fans of the novel were stunned for a while, almost going crazy. Ecstatic.

Huo Panpan, as the female lead, has considerable popularity, but the one with even higher popularity is the male lead, Guan Ying, who carries the entire novel.

And now, who is this person in the video? Isn’t it their awesome male lead?!

He can be mischievous one moment and aloof the next, acting silly on the left and elegant on the right. Damn, Guan Ying has stepped out of the book! The paper man has become alive!!!

Look at that impatient raised eyebrow, I’m willing to be that raindrop sliding down his determined face! And his silly smile, sunflowers all over the world turn towards him, he’s the little sun in the sky! Huo, that serious expression is just incredible, Cupid’s arrow bursts my heart, I want to waltz with him in the church for eternity!

Apart from Guan Ying’s fans, even regular book fans are going crazy. The campus romance drama next door always tries to belittle “You in Teaching Building 7” by boasting about their excellent production team and cast. A few days ago, they were flaunting after releasing their trailer, as if they were already smashing the ratings, while “You in Teaching Building 7” fans could only quietly wipe their tears with handkerchiefs. But as soon as the teaser from their crew came out, the bragging from the other side instantly turned into silence. How dare they compare their production team with ours? Do they have such talented actors and outstanding editing? Rubbish! You’re not worthy!

Compared to the buzz on Weibo, the atmosphere in the fan group is even more festive, like celebrating the New Year.

There is Immortal Zhao at home: [Ah! I can’t handle it anymore! I’m going to rush into the crew now, pick up my Zhao Zhao, and leap away from this dangerous society! From now on, I’ll raise silkworms, fetch water, weave cloth, and farm. With Zhao Zhao, it’s like having a fairy!]

I Have Salt: [???]

Jia Ge: [Why am I not an octopus? I want to give Zhao Zhao so many photos, as a family heirloom for my child.]

I Have Salt: [???]

Sweetie: [You mortals, stay away from Zhao Zhao! Don’t let the dust of the mundane world touch him!]

I Have Salt: [???]^[1]我有鹽啊(wǒyǒu yán a) = I Have Salt, so they called him Yanyan(saltsalt) or Sister Yan.

Jia Ge: [Sister Yan, what’s gotten into you? Excitement causing a language malfunction?]

I Have Salt: [Are you guys exaggerating a bit? It’s just a three-minute short trailer.]

Jia Ge said earnestly: [Sister Yan, as someone from the Xingren staff, you might not know how difficult it is for us small fans to get updates about Zhao Zhao. He’s been in seclusion filming, and we’re desperate. We even finished the rations we had two years ago! Now, finally, we have a short trailer. It’s like a long-awaited rain after a drought!]

I Have Salt silent for a moment, and replied: [Oh, I see.]

Three minutes later, it was not just rain, but a torrential downpour.

Jia Ge said happily: [Breaking news!!! Zhao Zhao just posted on Weibo with a selfie!!!]

Jia Ge burst into tears: [Breaking news!!! Zhao Zhao is replying to comments, wuu wuu wuu!!!]

Jia Ge said excitedly: [I want to squish Sister Yan into a ball, mwah mwah, you must have told Zhao Zhao!]

Then, she said reservedly: [But don’t do this in the future, we don’t want to disturb Zhao Zhao’s life QwQ.]

I Have Salt seemed to be doing something and replied slowly: [Okay. But don’t call me Sister Yan, I’m a guy.]

Jia Ge: [Hehe, no can do. The guys in our group are all part of the sisterhood.]

Sweetie: [It’s just the two of us male fans, don’t resist, you can’t beat them.]

I Have Salt: […]