CH 11

Cheng Qing leaned against the vehicle window, watching Luo Xi’s cheerful feet swing back and forth. She shook her head, not knowing what had made Luo Xi so upbeat, but was delighted that she was.

‘I don’t want you to feel sad,’ Cheng Qing thought as she stared deeply at Luo Xi. If you’re happy, you don’t have to be the novel’s dark, miserable, and hopeless character. 

From the viewer’s perspective, Cheng Qing looked pleased as she saw Luo Xi’s happiness.

【My princess is so happy! Her feet are starting to swing back and forth.】

【I always feel that things are not so simple. The two looked at each other full of deep meaning just now. Hehe…】

【Celery means that it’s good to cook if you’re happy.】

After this comment was said, a bunch of ‘Celery’ was commented on the bullet screen.

【Is ‘Celery’ Cheng Qing and Luo Xi’s cp fan group name?】

【Yes, yes, but we are self-conscious and won’t make trouble. Seniors, give me a lot of advice!】

【So quick! The CP fans already have a name?】

【Hahaha, Promise Eternity was in the trending searches yesterday, how can a cp fan group have no name?】

【Thank you sister for your acknowledgment.】

【How appropriate the name is for these two, promise and celery. Hahaha…】

【Because they are a match made in heaven~! (*^▽^*)】 

【My family’s commitment is that in every perspective, it is a perfect match.】

The name, Celery, immediately came out and was shouted happily.

Of course, Cheng Qing and the others couldn’t see these comments.

After a few minutes, the car came to a stop in front of a barbershop. Cheng Qing took the lead as she stepped out of the vehicle while her students followed one by one.

Since there was no prior appointment to book the barbershop, many bystanders around the store became ecstatic when they spotted the three celebrities.

“Ah, it’s Liu Suoyu!” Although Liu Suoyu was the anchor of the live broadcast, his popularity was as high as that of a star.

“Luo Xi is so beautiful, even more beautiful than in the video.”

“Lin Shandie is so cute too. She signed with a big variety show right after she debuted in this year’s draft!”

This was the first time the three celebrities had been brought out in the open without a bodyguard, and soon, a crowd started to form around them.

They were all quite nervous and stood close to one other, each huddling near Cheng Qing.

The assistant director saw Cheng Qing waiting by the door and asked her, “Aren’t you going to go in?”

Cheng Qing turned to face her and smiled softly, “Sure, but you’re paying.” She then turned around and opened the door to an exorbitant atmosphere.

Rows of jet black vinyl seats[1] filled the barbershop, many expensive hair products lined the walls from left to right, and the enormous mirrors were edged with brilliant lights. The three students walked in behind Cheng Qing, eager at the opportunity to have their hair treated.

The assistant director hastily directed the cameraman to follow the group and captured Luo Xi racing in small steps to Cheng Qing’s side. 

Cheng Qing grinned as she watched Luo Xi approach her so adorably. 

Just when everyone was indulging in Cheng Qing’s gentle smile, she suddenly asked the owner, “Boss, do you want free advertisement?”

Luo Xi: “???” Huh?

Liu Suoyu: “???” Huh?

Lin Shandie: “???” Huh?

The boss, a non-mainstream person with purple hair, bounced up and down while saying, “If you don’t mind!” when he saw the gorgeous celebrities behind Cheng Qing.

“Come along then, give this princess a good hair treatment first.” Cheng Qing smiled faintly as she pulled Luo Xi over.

Luo Xi looked back at her with a numb face. You aren’t going to spend money on me?! 

o(ㅠ‸ㅠ)o You have no heart.

The boss was quite easy to talk to, and he accepted all three celebrities for free with a wave of his hand. 

Outside of the shop, hundreds of admirers lay stomach-to-glass on the windows, trying to peer inside.

“How long will this take, boss?” Cheng Qing asked as she approached a sofa in the back and sat on it, resting her chin on her palm. 

“A little over an hour!” 

With one hand, the boss brushed Luo Xi’s hair while gathering products in the other.

Luo Xi looked in the mirror to see a bored Cheng Qing, and immediately furrowed her brows.

Pulling back the hair being brushed by the owner she said, “Boss, I want the most expensive service you have.”  

“Yes, yes.”

Cheng Qing remained silent and still did not respond. 

“The one with a thousand yuan,” Luo Xi added, pouting her lips.

“Of course, of course.”

Luo Xi looked in the mirror for any reaction from Cheng Qing, but noticed that she was just looking at the task list. 

Cheng Qing asked the owner, “Boss, one thousand yuan is so costly, don’t you need to make money?” Raising her eyes, she found Luo Xi staring at her in the mirror.

The boss shook his head, “No, no, for you it’s free!”

Luo Xi: “…”

Cheng Qing chuckled and called out, “Luo Xi,” with a smile. Luo Xi turned around hastily now that Cheng Qing’s attention was on her.

“Have you been staring at the money in my pocket?” Cheng Qing’s gentle eyes were full of amusement as she waited for Luo Xi’s reply.

Luo Xi looked up at the ceiling, “No, I could never.”

“Oh? You could’ve fooled me. ” Cheng Qing cheekily said and stood up, “Then I’ll just be out shopping while you three do your hair.” She made it a few steps to the door before Luo Xi’s head snapped up and grabbed her wrist.

“Wait! I want to go together later.”

Cheng Qing peered at her wristwatch and said, “Mm~ Time is a bit tight.” 

She wanted to do the shopping ahead of time so that they wouldn’t have to rush at the last minute to purchase everything.

“But I want to go together,” Luo Xi dipped her head.

Cheng Qing looked down at her, squatted, and slowly took her hand away from the hem of her sleeve. She smiled and softly whispered to Luo Xi, “I brought you here because you wanted to come. Do you believe the director will not punish you if I don’t finish the task?”

Luo Xi was dismayed and blushed with embarrassment. Cheng Qing remained still as she looked up at her and continued speaking after a second, “But if you want to come along, we can! After all, it’s only a game, and punishment doesn’t matter.”

“I’m sorry,” Luo Xi reddened, feeling even more guilty.

Cheng Qing froze for a second before her eyes softened, “Why do you say you’re sorry?” Her voice became gentle as she scooted closer to Luo Xi.

“I feel like I’m bothering you.” The inner corners of Luo Xi’s brows arched, and the edge of her lips turned down as she looked at the ground.

Cheng Qing stared at her blankly at first, then blinked a few times. In the novel, Luo Xi was never one to apologize. Even if she could lower her head a little, it wouldn’t be so black from behind.[2]

Cheng Qing’s expression mellowed in response to Luo Xi’s unexpected apology. She sighed, rose to her feet, and fiercely tousled her own hair.

“You don’t have to apologize.” Cheng Qing patted her on the back of the head and added, “Buying groceries is not your responsibility. Besides, I’m an amateur, do you believe that the assistant director would follow me?” 

Luo Xi was surprised for a moment before remembering, That’s right! Cheng Qing was only an amateur, the spotlight had always been on the superstars.

“Then I won’t do my hair!” Luo Xi said, holding Cheng Qing’s disheveled hair in both hands while she lifted her head to stare at Cheng Qing with her dazzling big eyes.

When Luo Xi’s gorgeous features filled Cheng Qing’s vision along with her delicate hands that lightly caressed her face, Cheng Qing flushed slightly. 

She turned her head to one side and placed the back of her wrist against her mouth to conceal her smile. 

Cheng Qing whispered to herself, “This is just too cute.”

“Hm?” 

Cheng Qing hurriedly coughed, “I mean, it was my decision to go to the barbershop, and besides, I have the money. Whoever holds it has the right to speak. You can simply rest here and relax, I’ll wait for you.”

Cheng Qing smiled as she patted Luo Xi on the head and returned to her seat. Luo Xi’s well-behaved appearance just now was too adorable.

A few screams sounded from outside the shop, pulling Cheng Qing’s gaze. Since when did chasing celebrities become so crazy? Does your throat hurt from screaming so much?

“Ahhhhhh! Is this something we can watch without paying!!!!! Kiss me!!!”

【Ahhhhhhh, what kind of fairy love is this?】

【How can you spoil her so much!!!】

【I’m doing it again, hold me up, I can knock.】

The number of celery was increasing day by day.

***

After the hair treatments were finished, time was running short. Cheng Qing just prayed that the prices for the items weren’t as high as she thought.

When they entered the market, they came across Zhang Lingling’s team in the seafood section, but she wasn’t the one leading the group. Instead, she followed behind the three celebrities as if she were invisible.

The team’s atmosphere felt uneasy, and since Zhang Lingling was not regarded as a significant person, she could only remain silent.

Zhang Lingling’s attention simply wandered around the products beside her when she noticed Cheng Qing from a distance.

She was overjoyed to see someone she recognized and half-ran to her while waving her palm above her head, “Cheng Qing!”

Cheng Qing turned her head to see Zhang Lingling call her and smiled. 

She was about to wave her hand in response, but halfway through, Luo Xi ran into Cheng Qing’s arm and hugged it so tightly that she almost fell to the ground.

Everyone’s jaws dropped when they saw Luo Xi, who was known for having a bad temper, hug a person.

Zhang Lingling: “…”

Cheng Qing stood firm and looked down at the kitten perched on her arm. Luo Xi grinned at Cheng Qing as she lifted her head.

The cuteness of her action was too adorable for Cheng Qing to become angry so she asked, “What’s the matter?”

Luo Xi pouted her lips, “Can I buy something to eat?” Her eyes lit up as she patted her tummy with the other hand, “I’m hungry.”

“What do you want to eat?” Cheng Qing believed that she must have become hungry while her hair was being treated in the salon.

“Qingqing,” with a sweet voice Luo Xi said, “I want to eat sushi,” she tugged Cheng Qing’s arm even closer and pointed to a refrigerator on the side that held many plates of expensive sushi.

Ye Lingyun stood not too far from Cheng Qing’s group and rolled her eyes at Luo Xi’s request.

Previously, when Zhang Lingling’s team went to the supermarket to buy their items, Ye Lingyun had a craving for sushi and asked if she could buy some, but her request was immediately denied by Feng Qiuyi. 

Ye Lingyun became dissatisfied, believing that she deserved the food as a reward for her accomplishment.

She was also the one who led the team most of the time, besides, the plate of sushi was only two hundred yuan, why not buy it? As a result, the atmosphere of the team was a little unfriendly at this moment.

Ye Lingyun sneered to herself and thought that Cheng Qing would definitely not buy Luo Xi the sushi. Better yet, she would probably even educate her for always making unreasonable demands.

Cheng Qing took out the list and examined it, “Hm? It’s not on the list though.”

Ye Lingyun scoffed, ‘Hah! Sure enough!’

Luo Xi held Cheng Qing’s hand and pointed to the word ‘Seafood’ on the list.

“Seafood, this is seafood.”

Cheng Qing pondered for a moment before nodding, “Mmm, that makes sense, I’ll buy you some!” She then turned to face the two students behind her and said, “Since I have three students, it would be reasonable for you two to eat as well. Unless, of course, you don’t want to?”

They both vigorously shook their heads and said, “No teacher! We also want to eat~~”

Liu Suoyu and Lin Shandie silently thought in their hearts that they were very fortunate to be with Cheng Qing. They felt like they were eating better and that their quality of life has improved.

“Well, it’s settled then, let’s have some sushi!” Cheng Qing chuckled and motioned for her students to choose what they wanted to eat. 

Luo Xi thanked her with a pleasant smile.

Cheng Qing couldn’t help but pat her on the head and boasted happily, “You’re so polite today.” Nice job Luo Xi! No one can slander you if you keep up this courteous manner.

Ye Lingyun stood there with a stupefied expression on her face, she bought it just like that?!

The enthusiastic team merrily headed to the refrigerator and began selecting their favorite sushi. 

Zhang Lingling still stood to the side waiting for Cheng Qing, but as Luo Xi was picking her sushi, she smiled smugly at her.

From the first day, Luo Xi was irritated by Zhang Lingling’s cute and clingy behavior toward Qingqing. 

Zhang Lingling was provoked and her face became not-so-good looking when she saw Luo Xi’s smirk. She hastily sped away with her team.

“Oh, and by the way-” Cheng Qing turned to say hello to Zhang Lingling, but she was already gone. Cheng Qing scratched her head in confusion, “Where did she go?”

“Their task is to buy fruits so they won’t be in the same area as us,” Luo Xi said stiffly.

Cheng Qing nodded, “Mmm, that’s right.” After a few seconds, she subconsciously asked Luo Xi, “What else do you want?” while peering at her watch.

Cheng Qing nearly fell to the floor when she saw the time, “Shit, when did it become so late?!” Hurriedly dashing to the meat section, she left her students behind to pick sushi by themselves.

Luo Xi: “…” I was half happy…

Liu Suoyu and Lin Shandie: “…” We were also half happy…

Cheng Qing reached the meat section and turned around to check on her students, but the three of them were still happily selecting their plates of sushi from the refrigerator. 

Cheng Qing sighed and smiled as she cupped her hands around her mouth to shout, “After you’re done choosing your sushi, come here to help!”

“Okay~! Teacher, we’re coming now!” The three students responded obediently.