The nanny van merged into the traffic.
Cheng Che leaned back in the back seat and glanced at Pei Jingshu next to him.
Her profile faced the window, and sunlight streamed in through the glass, tracing a clean line across the bridge of her nose.
My best friend was sitting in the passenger seat, looking down at her phone, but her ears were constantly perked up.
How come your Korean is so good?
Pei Jingshu suddenly turned around and asked a question in Korean.
Cheng Che replied to her in Korean, "I've been learning for a while. I can manage everyday conversations, but anything too complicated is beyond me."
Pei Jingshu's eyes lit up.
She noticed that although Cheng Che's Korean wasn't particularly fluent, his pronunciation was accurate and his intonation was natural.
She slowed down her speech and used simpler sentences to chat with him.
Have you ever been to South Korea?
"No."
Will you come again in the future?
"If there's a chance."
Pei Jingshu nodded.
She pulled a magazine out of her bag and handed it to Cheng Che.
My friend asked me to sign this for her. She said she really likes you.
Cheng Che glanced down at the magazine. The picture showed himself, but he had never taken a photo in that pose before.
He was wearing a black leather motorcycle jacket, leaning against a heavy motorcycle, his eyes cold.
The background is a dark, industrial style, with several lines of cursive text next to it.
"This..." He smiled, "I haven't taken this picture before."
Pei Jingshu paused for a moment, then turned to look at her best friend.
My best friend had already hunched her shoulders and her ears turned red.
"It was made by a fan." Pei Jingshu took the poster back, her tone tinged with helplessness. "I don't know where she got it from."
"It's nothing." Cheng Che took the magazine from her, took out a pen, and signed it. "It's quite nice. Please thank her for me."
My best friend leaned over from the front row, took the magazine with both hands, and said "Thank you, Big Brother Che " with a big smile on her face.
Pei Jingshu rolled her eyes at her, then turned back to look at Cheng Che.
What celebrities do you like?
Cheng Che thought for a moment. "It seems not."
"You don't follow celebrities?"
"Don't chase."
Pei Jingshu nodded happily, but she was thinking about something else.
It's good not to be a fan of celebrities.
If he liked a female celebrity, and that female celebrity knew he liked her, wouldn't she pounce on him?
As she spoke, she moved a little closer to Cheng Che.
Their shoulders were almost touching. Her voice suddenly lowered, tinged with sadness.
We're going back to South Korea tomorrow.
Cheng Che turned his head and glanced at her.
I don't know when we'll meet again.
Her tone was very soft, as if she were just making a casual complaint.
But her fingers were clenched lightly on her knees, her knuckles turning white.
Before Cheng Che could figure out how to respond, Pei Jingshu had already taken out her phone, opened WeChat, and handed it to him.
Let's exchange contact information. Come visit me in South Korea sometime.
Her eyes were bright, filled with an open and expectant look.
Cheng Che looked into those eyes and remained silent for a second.
To be honest, such a beautiful and proactive girl is simply irresistible to a man like him with zero experience.
He took out his phone, scanned her QR code, and clicked "add".
The moment Pei Jingshu saw that her friend request had been accepted, the corners of her mouth curved into a smile.
Then she did something that caught everyone in the car completely off guard.
She leaned in and kissed Cheng Che on the cheek.
Very fast. Very light.
It has a slightly cool feel, like lip balm.
Then she stepped back, her face flushed, opened the car door, and pulled her still-dazed best friend out of the car.
The two stood by the roadside. Pei Jingshu glanced back at Cheng Che, waved to him, and then quickly ran towards the hotel.
The sound of the car door closing was exceptionally clear in the quiet car.
Cheng Che sat in the back row, still holding his phone, the touch still lingering on his face.
He glanced out the car window. Pei Jingshu's figure had already run far away, leaving only a small dark green dot disappearing into the hotel entrance.
Qin Lie sat in the driver's seat and glanced at him in the rearview mirror.
"That brat," he thought to himself, "Looks like he's doomed with a girl this proactive."
Cheng Che leaned back in his chair and raised his hand to touch his cheek.
The feeling is still there, fragrant and soft.
He closed his eyes briefly, then suddenly opened them and shook his head.
I can't think about it anymore.
Thinking about it further would only affect the game.
He put his phone away, went back to the hotel, took a shower, and lay down on the bed.
He opened the system panel and glanced at the attributes.
[Stamina:78]
[Endurance: 74]
[Charm:74]
[Intelligence: 74]
In another twenty days, my stamina will reach eighty.
He guessed that by then he had reached the limit for the current stage. Then he looked at the mission.
[ Charisma Trial - Stage 4: Win the favor of 500,000 people. Current progress: 350,000/500,000.]
150,000 is still short.
Although the Tokyo Open is not a top-level tournament, it has a greater impact on Chinese people than the Magic City Masters.
He brought glory to the country, and coupled with the cross-circle spread effect of the " Barrier Breaker, his popularity increased at an astonishing rate.
However, the remaining progress...
Cheng Che glanced down at the [ Phantom Pinky Ring ] on his finger.
He suddenly thought of a solution.
Interview.
The Phantom Pinky Ring is designed to increase the other person's trust during face-to-face interactions.
If he goes on interviews and makes promises or expresses opinions in front of the camera, the audience's trust in him will increase.
As trust increases, favorability will naturally rise as well.
He was considering the feasibility of the plan when there was a knock on the door.
Cheng Che walked over and opened the door. Qin Lie was standing outside, looking more excited than usual.
He was holding a document with a logo that Cheng Che recognized very well.
"A fashion magazine wants you to shoot their cover." Qin Lie handed over the documents.
Cheng Che glanced at the brand name on the document cover.
Esquire.
He paused for a moment, stunned.
He was very familiar with that name; ever since he decided to enter the entertainment industry, he had researched and learned about every aspect of it.
The top men's fashion magazines in China feature only A-list male celebrities or the most prominent figures in their respective fields on their covers.
Among athletes, only a handful of legendary figures who have won a Grand Slam have achieved this feat.
Qin Lie added from the side, "They want you on the cover of their October issue. The theme is 'New Faces.' The photographer is Chen Man."
Cheng Che flipped through the documents.
Chen Man is one of the top fashion photographers in China, having photographed countless A-list celebrities and international figures.
Every cover she shoots goes viral.
"Well..." Cheng Che looked at Qin Lie, "What do you think?"
"Of course I'll take it," Qin Lie said decisively. "Don't you want to enter the entertainment industry? A fashion magazine cover is the best stepping stone. Besides, Esquire's audience isn't just in the fashion world; it's read by people in the business, cultural, and entertainment circles. Once you're on that cover, your value will be completely different, whether it's for endorsements or acting roles."
Cheng Che nodded.
He carefully put the documents away and placed them on the bedside table.
When will it be filmed?
"Anytime is fine. They believe you can at least make it to the quarterfinals, and your future is bright."