The work area on the first floor of Ruanning Music is outwardly quiet.
The sounds of keyboards clicking, mice clicking, and files rustling filled the air; everyone seemed incredibly busy.
But if you look closely, you'll notice that the young woman from the publicity department has been staring at the screen for almost ten minutes, and the cursor on the document is still stuck after the first word of the first line, without moving an inch.
She finally couldn't hold back any longer, leaned closer to her female colleague, and asked in a low voice:
" Che Baby... no, Cheng Che has been up there for so long, what are they doing?"
His voice was low, but it couldn't hide the excitement within.
Her fingers tapped lightly on the table, the rhythm quickening.
The female colleague glanced at her, hesitated for a moment, and whispered:
"No way, this is a studio. Even if President Yan likes it, she wouldn't... do that in the studio, would she?"
After saying that, she herself lost confidence.
She opened her mouth, then subconsciously added, "But... that's Cheng Che."
After those words were spoken, both of them fell silent.
That's Cheng Che.
The list of Asia's most handsome men was just released yesterday, and he took first place with the most votes.
The voting data for that ranking was outrageous; not only Xia Country, but also South Korea, Japan, and Southeast Asia combined received more votes than Xia Country itself.
Especially in South Korea, a South Korea male celebrity initially made a strong statement, which resulted in South Korean women starting to hurl insults at him online.
"That's it? This is how you try to scam Che Baby? Ladies, are your eyes even okay?"
"This face would be just an ordinary person standing next to the security guard at the entrance of our community, and you're actually comparing it to Cheng Che?"
"Even the fish in the Han River have a more distinctive face than this male celebrity. When will South Korea men finally recognize their own appearance?"
"I'm not saying this male star is unattractive, I'm saying that when he stands next to Cheng Che, the camera automatically blurs him out."
"If Cheng Che were to audition in South Korea, the rankings of all boy groups' visuals would have to be rewritten. Not rewritten, but completely erased and started over."
"I voted until 3 a. m., my fingers were numb from clicking, but it was worth it. After all, this is the first time I've seen a true ceiling on the beauty ranking."
In the end, the South Korea male star's votes were nearly doubled, Cheng Che firmly held first place.
"A man like that," the female colleague said, then sighed, "I wouldn't be able to resist him either."
"But it's been so long, it can't be, right?"
The young girl thought about it and agreed with her, nodding.
"That's true. It's been two hours. Even if Che Baby is in good health, he shouldn't be that sick, right?"
The female colleague didn't react at first, paused for a moment, then understood what she meant, and glared at her:
"You filthy devil!"
The young girl chuckled and didn't say anything more.
But the expression on her face clearly showed that she was still imagining things.
A few people from nearby workstations also gathered around. One of them whispered, "I think they're dating, they're really sweet." Another added, "Yeah, Cheng Che has come to our studio so many times, and every time he's looking for President Yan."
Someone else whispered, "Then why are you staying so long? Aren't you thirsty from kissing?"
No one answered this question.
This is the scene that Xiao Zhou saw when he came out of the office.
A group of people pretended to be working, but their eyes were actually all glancing towards the second floor.
She coughed, and everyone immediately lowered their heads. The keyboard clatter suddenly intensified, but it sounded noticeably more fake than before.
Xiao Zhou didn't say anything and went upstairs by himself.
She was also curious about what they had been doing for so long.
As I walked to the end of the second-floor corridor, the door to the recording studio opened.
Yan Ruanning came out, looking haggard.
Her hair was a bit messy, her eyes were lifeless, and she seemed to have all her energy drained away.
She leaned against the doorframe, her hand on her forehead, muttering something that sounded like, "Why did I have to make things difficult for myself?"
Cheng Che followed behind her, looking radiant.
He had taken off his wire-rimmed glasses, but he looked energetic and had a smile on his face.
Standing in the corridor, Xiao Zhou looked at the scene and his heart skipped a beat.
She glanced at Yan Ruanning, then at Cheng Che, her expression shifting from curiosity to complexity.
She sighed inwardly: Oh, my dear Yan, you can't tame such a formidable man.
Yan Ruanning walked to the middle of the corridor and saw Xiao Zhou; her expression became even more aggrieved.
She wanted to say something, but swallowed it back.
I can't exactly tell Xiao Zhou, "I did two math tests and I was forced to do a third one."
If word gets out, where will she put her image as a top-tier female celebrity?
Cheng Che walked over to her and said with a smile, "Let's continue with the test this afternoon."
Yan Ruanning's expression changed visibly.
She immediately shook her head, very quickly, then turned around and grabbed Cheng Che's arm.
"No more testing, no more testing." Her tone softened, and she looked up at him with a cute expression. "How about this, I'll take you out to eat, and then we'll go shopping. It's on me."
Cheng Che glanced at her, then at the arm she was holding, and smiled.
"You're treating me?"
"Yes, it's my treat." Yan Ruanning nodded vigorously. "Eat whatever you want, buy whatever you want, it's on me."
She had thought it through very clearly.
The afternoon is only so long; with lunch and shopping, the test time will inevitably be used up.
Cheng Che thought for a moment.
He really wanted to go out.
The main issue is that he really wants to spend money right now.
With so much money coming in one after another from endorsement fees, he hardly spent any of it, except for buying a car and sending money to his parents.
He wanted to go to the mall and see what he could buy.
"Okay." He nodded. "Let's go together."
Yan Ruanning was taken aback.
She just made up the story, "I'll take you out to eat and then go shopping at the mall." It was just something she made up on the spot to avoid doing her test.
But he said, "Let's go together." Isn't that a date?
After she realized what was happening, she coughed, released his arm, took a step back, and turned her head away.
"Fine," she said, her tone haughty, "I'll reluctantly accompany you."
Cheng Che smiled without saying a word.
The two went downstairs.
The staff on the first floor all looked up in unison, then all looked down again.
But everyone was glancing towards the stairwell out of the corner of their eye.
Yan Ruanning led Cheng Che into her lounge, pulled out a hat and a mask and handed them to him, then began to disguise herself.
The hat was pulled down low, and the mask was pulled up above the bridge of the nose, leaving only a pair of eyes visible.
The two people went out through the back door and got into the car.
Cheng Che started the engine, and the car drove out of the park and merged into the main road.
In the rearview mirror, the white building of Ruanning Music was getting farther and farther away.
Yan Ruanning sat in the passenger seat, glanced at Cheng Che's profile, then looked back out the window, smiling happily.