Chu Feiliang lightly tapped the rim of the bowl in front of her with her chopsticks. Before Rong Guang could speak, her attention was drawn to Chu Feiliang.
Duan Nong’s nerves also seemed to tense up along with Chu Feiliang’s tapping.
After a moment, Duan Nong finally gritted her teeth and said, “Don’t you know it’s rude to tap your bowl while eating!”
“Isn’t it just that old people always say tapping your chopsticks while eating means you’ll become a beggar?” Chu Feiliang simply tossed her chopsticks aside, crossed her arms, and said, “I’m so good-looking, even if I were a beggar, I’d be the one who gets the most money. You shouldn’t discriminate against beggars.”
Duan Nong choked on her words, a mouthful of rice stuck in her throat. It wouldn’t go up or down for a long moment. She rolled her eyes and gulped down a spoonful of congee, which finally managed to push it down.
Chu Feiliang watched her cough for a while before saying, “Since you brought up manners, let me ask you, what was that about you snatching Rong Guang’s food the moment you came in?”
Rong Guang blinked.
There was actually still food left, and she wasn’t that hungry anymore.
It would be a waste to throw it away anyway. Giving it to Duan Nong… hmm, it was a good way to save it, very convenient.
Duan Nong froze and looked at the bowl in her hands.
Rong Guang didn’t have a large appetite, so her bowl hadn’t been filled with much rice to begin with. It was also very fluffy, and now it looked like there were only three or four mouthfuls left.
Duan Nong swallowed, hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly lifted the bowl and said, “Are you still eating this?”
“No, I’m done.” Rong Guang shook her head and declined.
Duan Nong grunted in acknowledgment, mumbled something, then snorted lightly at Rong Guang and said, “You still haven’t answered me. Why is she here?”
Chu Feiliang pointed at the table, an expression on her face that screamed ‘Are you blind?’ She said, holding back, “Take a look at what’s on the table.”
“Food.” Duan Nong suppressed her anger and looked around. The fish wasn’t finished; nearly half of it was untouched and clean.
She deftly flipped the fish over and started eating it gleefully with her rice.
After a couple of bites, she looked up and said, “Is there any more rice? I’m so hungry—Shishi and Yi Chun, come eat too. The three of us trained all morning, went back to the company at noon, and then rushed over here. We didn’t even have time to eat.”
Tang Shi agreed, and Yi Chun also nodded. They found two chairs and sat down at the edge of the table.
Rong Guang watched for a moment, then said, “…I’ll go get you some rice.”
It wasn’t until Rong Guang sat down again that Chu Feiliang rubbed her stomach. Feeling about eighty percent full, she put down her chopsticks.
She picked up her soup bowl, sipped it slowly, and answered Duan Nong’s earlier question. “Because Rong Guang specially made a whole table of food to treat me today. That’s why I’m here.”
Duan Nong paused mid-bite, looked at the table, picked a fish bone from her lips, and said, “You cooked this yourself? All of this?”
Rong Guang nodded in acknowledgment.
After she served the remaining rice to Yi Chun and Tang Shi, there was none left. Rong Guang had nothing to eat. She propped her chin on her hand, glanced at the small cold side dishes, and said, “Yes.”
Duan Nong’s eyes widened.
Just then, Chu Feiliang stood up, went to the cabinet to get another set of bowl and chopsticks, and separated a portion of rice from the untouched side of her own bowl, giving it to Rong Guang.
Everyone present saw Chu Feiliang’s action. Duan Nong was the first to shout, “Don’t give her your leftovers, she has her quirks…”
Rong Guang was taken aback, but she waved her hand, her eyes curving into a smile. “Thank you, Teacher Chu.”
Duan Nong opened her mouth, then closed it unhappily.
After portioning out the rice, Chu Feiliang gracefully sat back down and said, “Of course I know she has her quirks.”
That’s why the portion she gave Rong Guang was from the side she hadn’t touched yet.
Rong Guang explained with a smile, “Teacher Chu eats from one side of the bowl, so the other side is completely clean, just like new.”
Tang Shi murmured in agreement; her eating habit was the same.
Duan Nong couldn’t help but look down at her own bowl of rice, which she had already ravaged into a messy, multicolored concoction with sauce splattered everywhere. “…”
Yi Chun kept her head down and ate. In this situation, she felt that anything she said would be inappropriate.
They ate for a while, but the atmosphere remained a bit stagnant. After some thought, Rong Guang went to open a few bottles of wine.
She usually lived with Chacha, so the alcohol stocked at home was mostly fruit wine and red wine, which she occasionally drank to help her sleep.
She liked the tipsy feeling of being half-drunk. It helped her sleep, and after drinking, her sense of happiness would soar. That half-drunk feeling was very addictive.
After two glasses of wine, the atmosphere at the table finally improved a little, and everyone’s movements became a bit more relaxed.
At least Chu Feiliang, holding that unique wine glass of hers, looked like a contented cat.
Duan Nong looked unhappily at the soy sauce dish in front of her, which was so shallow one lick of the tongue would empty it. She said aggrievedly, “Why do I have to drink out of this?”
Rong Guang said without batting an eye, “There are no more bowls in the house to use for wine.”
Even the dozen or so plates they were using today were bought with Chacha just before she went to pick up her grandma.
She had already bought several extra sets of bowls and chopsticks as spares. Even so, the bowl she ended up eating rice from wasn’t a proper bowl, but a takeout container—she had accidentally ordered an extra one before.
It felt wasteful to throw it away, so she had thought about keeping it to use as a simple flowerpot later.
Otherwise, she probably would have had to cup the rice in her hands and eat it like a rice ball today.
Duan Nong was a little drunk.
She was a terrible lightweight. Her face was already red, and her eyes were moist. When she heard Rong Guang say there were no more bowls, she didn’t fuss over it. After an “oh,” she picked up the soy sauce dish and downed it in one go.
Then, she held it out domineeringly and said, “Fill ‘er up!”
Shua shua, two more hands shot out.
Tang Shi and Yi Chun’s eyes sparkled as they both looked at Rong Guang with anticipation.
Rong Guang paused for a moment, but still filled their “glasses.”
Then she glanced at it—five-percent plum wine. It couldn’t possibly get them drunk enough to start acting wild, could it?
However, she had ultimately overestimated the three’s tolerance for alcohol.
But it wasn’t so bad that she couldn’t handle it.
Rong Guang watched the three of them, who, after drinking, had zoned out and were staring blankly at “Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf” on the TV. She clutched her head with a headache and looked at Chu Feiliang. “Sister, do you want to go upstairs and rest? As for these three…”
Her lips twitched. She wasn’t sure what to do with them.
Take them to the company or back to the dorm?
She couldn’t handle three people by herself… It wasn’t that they couldn’t walk, but Rong Guang was worried they’d get dizzy while walking. She only had two hands; she couldn’t support them all.
Chu Feiliang looked at the three people on the sofa and narrowed her eyes for a long moment.
She said, “What time are your grandma and Chacha coming back?”
Rong Guang thought about it. Given her grandma’s personality and her desire to… play matchmaker for her and Chu Feiliang, they probably wouldn’t be back until very late.
It was just getting dark outside. Plus, the weather had been very clear today. There were still many people out for a walk, and there was even a sunset, a rare sight in winter.
Her grandma would probably stay out even longer. It wasn’t out of the question that she and Chacha might have even gotten a hotel room and wouldn’t come back until the next day…
After thinking, Rong Guang said, “Very late.” Chu Feiliang was struck speechless for a moment by those two words.
Then she said, “I’ll take Duan Nong and Yi Chun down first—you take Tang Shi. We’ll meet downstairs later. We’ll take them to Duan Nong’s house for now.”
She didn’t know where Rong Guang’s old dorm was. Even if she did, if she appeared in that residential complex and was recognized, it would only lead to more trouble.
Besides, they had all been drinking and couldn’t drive. The only one who could drive was Wang Lujie, who was resting upstairs.
Rong Guang glanced at Tang Shi and only then noticed that Tang Shi’s expression wasn’t good. She seemed to have something she wanted to say but was forcing herself to hold it in, which made her look very uncomfortable.
Tang Shi’s state startled Rong Guang. She quickly tugged on Chu Feiliang’s hand and whispered, “I’ll have to trouble you, Sister… Shishi’s mental state isn’t very good, and I feel something’s off. I’ll talk to her.”
“Mm.” Chu Feiliang patted her head and glanced thoughtfully at Tang Shi.
After a moment, she put on her coat and suddenly asked, “Tang Shi’s current state… can you handle it?”
“Mhm, I’m very familiar with it,” Rong Guang said, her eyes curving. “You don’t need to worry.”
Chu Feiliang pressed her lips together, went upstairs to call Wang Lujie down, and each of them took one person downstairs.
Faced with a real task, Wang Lujie stopped trying to find fault and started working without complaint, clutching her still slightly bloated stomach.
Only then did Rong Guang sit down on the sofa and pour Tang Shi a cup of hot water.
Tang Shi held the cup, pursed her lips, and before she could speak, tears welled up in her eyes.
She wiped at them haphazardly, seemingly trying hard to hold them back so she could at least speak properly, but instead, she choked up with sobs and couldn’t form any normal sounds.
Rong Guang, used to this, pulled a few tissues from the table and handed them to her, saying softly, “Take your time. I’m here.”
Tang Shi instantly broke down. Tears streamed down her face, and she gradually began to cry out loud.
Rong Guang quietly waited for her to cry for a while.
After about five or six minutes, Tang Shi’s emotions finally calmed down. She let out a breath, and even the expression on her face relaxed considerably.
Her skin was extremely pale, a cold white that was almost luminous. It didn’t look very healthy; you could even faintly see the blue veins beneath her skin, which made the redness around her eyes even more pronounced.
Rong Guang patted her back, wrung out a towel with hot water, and placed it over her eyes. “Feeling better?”
“Captain…” Tang Shi’s voice was choked. Perhaps because the towel was covering her eyes, she finally mustered the courage to say, “I have something to tell you.”
Rong Guang responded with a soft hum.
Tang Shi wiped her eyes for a moment, set the now slightly cool towel aside, and said with her eyes lowered, “You should… be careful of Duan Nong lately.”
Rong Guang frowned.
Tang Shi didn’t dare to look at her.
She rarely looked directly at people’s faces when she spoke, almost evasively keeping her head down. She continued in a low voice, “I know you’ve never liked internal conflicts within our group, and you especially dislike hearing people speak ill of others behind their backs… I don’t mean to slander Duan Nong. I know she’s not a bad person, but she’s too impulsive and easily used by others.”
Rong Guang pressed her lips together, then nodded lightly.
What Tang Shi said was correct.
She had been working hard since she was young, so her intuition about people was actually much more accurate than Rong Guang’s.
The only drawback was that while Tang Shi could see people clearly, she didn’t know how to deal with all the bizarre characters. Instead, because she didn’t know how to cope, she would close herself off even more, locking herself firmly in a safe zone.
This was also what caused her illness to worsen.
Seeing Rong Guang’s affirming expression, Tang Shi seemed to gather a bit more courage. “I don’t know the specifics. But you know… ever since… aside from group meetings, I haven’t really appeared at the company. You guys always relayed messages for me.”
Rong Guang hummed softly in acknowledgment.
Wherever Chen Changping was, Rong Guang would never let Tang Shi be alone.
Although Chen Changping hadn’t done anything to Tang Shi since his first failed attempt, Tang Shi was too young at the time. She would be terrified, afraid, and left with psychological trauma.
Rong Guang hadn’t told anyone about this, not Duan Nong, not Yi Chun.
Because of this, after so many years of care, Tang Shi was closest to her.
In her past life, when Rong Guang could barely survive, it was Tang Shi who provided a place for her and Chacha to live and even gave her some financial support every month.
The amount wasn’t large, but for Tang Shi at that time, it was already the best she could do.
She had always remembered that.
Tang Shi took a breath and continued, “I only remember that Chen Changping told Cai Xiang that if you really went to Universe Entertainment this time, on top of Sister Xuan leaving, Star Cluster would be as good as dead even if it didn’t collapse completely. It would be completely beyond saving. So, they won’t let you go easily. From what I heard, they plan to use Nongnong. After you leave, they’ll sell information to Universe Entertainment’s rivals, making whatever money they can. As for Yi Chun…”
When she got to this point, she looked troubled. “Yi Chun has been taking advantage of the turmoil surrounding you and Sister Xuan to secretly contact other companies.”
Tang Shi was looking out for her.
But Tang Shi wasn’t very good at organizing her words, and she spoke haltingly, but it was enough for Rong Guang to understand her meaning.
She thought for a moment and said, “Are you worried that Nongnong will be tricked by Chen Changping and Cai Xiang into doing something to hurt me?”
Tang Shi’s eyes lit up. She gripped the cup in her hands and said, “Yes, yes… that’s what I mean.”
She had trouble expressing herself. She knew what she was saying wasn’t quite right, but she didn’t know how to organize her thoughts more clearly.
But seeing that Rong Guang could understand her so clearly, Tang Shi’s lips parted in a smile, and she felt like crying again.
Rong Guang thought for a moment and said, “My next company isn’t Universe Entertainment.”
Tang Shi’s eyes widened. “Not Universe Entertainment? Then you…”
“It’s Big Dipper,” Rong Guang said softly, subconsciously glancing toward the door.
When Chu Feiliang left, she was wearing Rong Guang’s spare house slippers—a pair of fluffy pink slippers shaped like little bellies, with two rabbit ears and a fluffy ball on top.
Thinking of Chu Feiliang’s attire, she smiled, her eyes curving. “Big Dipper knows what they’re doing. I’ve already signed with them. You don’t need to worry so much about me that you wear yourself out. Think more about yourself—Shishi, our contracts are concurrent. There’s less than a month left. Whether you choose to terminate it or something else… if you don’t have a better option right now, I suggest you go to Sound Drunk Culture.”
“Sound Drunk Culture?” Tang Shi was taken aback.
Rong Guang nodded. This was also the last company Tang Shi joined in her previous life, and it was the company that practically brought her back from the dead.
This “back from the dead” didn’t refer to Tang Shi’s career, but to her illness itself.
Tang Shi had been suppressed the most severely at Star Cluster.
She was a talented singer-songwriter, but because she was part of a group and the company mainly promoted Duan Nong and Yi Chun, she had almost no channels or avenues to release her new songs.
But even so, she still had a few original songs that, after a fleeting appearance on variety shows, became very popular and widely sung.
Tang Shi was a little hesitant. “I’ve never heard of this company…”
“Sound Drunk is still a small company right now.” Rong Guang pressed her lips together and squeezed Tang Shi’s hand.
Her phone vibrated. She glanced at it; it was a message from Chu Feiliang, telling her there was no one downstairs and they could leave as soon as they were ready.
Rong Guang replied with an “okay,” then said to Tang Shi, “But Sound Drunk has a lot of potential for growth. They don’t have any big-name artists right now, so if you go over, you can get the best resources—and I heard that Big Dipper is planning to invest in them.”
Tang Shi nodded hesitantly. “I’ll… think about it. But you have to take what I told you to heart…”
“I know, I’ll be careful.” Rong Guang frowned. Thinking of Duan Nong gave her another headache.
She tidied up a bit and followed Tang Shi downstairs, one after the other.
In the car.
Perhaps because the morning training had been tough, and they had just eaten their fill and had a little to drink, the three of them fell asleep in the back not long after getting in the car.
Rong Guang and Chu Feiliang sat in the middle row and glanced back.
Chu Feiliang was holding her phone, scrolling through something. Rong Guang didn’t look, just let out a slow yawn.
It was evening, and she was indeed a little sleepy.
“To the Duan family’s house?” Wang Lujie glanced at Chu Feiliang again.
Chu Feiliang nodded, put her phone away, and pulled her coat tighter around herself. “Yes, to the Duan family’s house.”
After saying that, Chu Feiliang looked out the window for a while.
While she looked out the window, Rong Guang quietly looked at her.
After a moment, Rong Guang heard Chu Feiliang ask, “Does Tang Shi have depression?”
Rong Guang was taken aback. She thought for a moment and said, “How did you know?”
The pathological signs of depression are very subtle. It’s almost impossible to tell from a person’s physical state unless they’re having an episode. Otherwise, even professional doctors can’t distinguish it.
Chu Feiliang paused, seeming to recall something. She lowered her eyes and said, “During the meal, I noticed Tang Shi didn’t have much of an appetite. She kept drinking water and would often thump her chest. I’ve seen… someone else act like that before.”
Rong Guang nodded. “Yes, she also has accompanying anxiety and bipolar disorder. Her condition isn’t good, but for now, she doesn’t have… hmm, self-destructive tendencies, and she’s trying very hard to cooperate with her treatment.”
Chu Feiliang acknowledged this, seeming very concerned about Tang Shi’s condition. Then she asked, “Do you know a lot about this illness?”
“I do.” Rong Guang frowned, sat up a little straighter, and glanced at the three in the back seat. “Tang Shi was very young when she first got sick. Back then, she was afraid to go to the hospital and didn’t dare tell her parents. I was the one who accompanied her to her treatments. The doctor couldn’t contact her guardian, so he told me all the important things to watch out for. I’ve been accompanying Shishi to see doctors for nearly four years now, so I know all the big and small details.”
Chu Feiliang slowly acknowledged this, her brow furrowing again as she leaned back in her seat without a word.
In the short time she had been driving, Wang Lujie had already looked back countless times.
Rong Guang looked at Chu Feiliang’s pensive expression and asked curiously, “Sister, what’s wrong? Do you have a role where you need to play a character with depression?”
Chu Feiliang came back to her senses and slowly replied, “…Yes, there’s a film where I have to play a character who is constantly battling moderate depression. I haven’t had any insights into it yet.”
“Oh.” Rong Guang scratched her cheek and said a little shyly, “If there’s anything you want to know, you can ask me anytime. I should be quite knowledgeable about it. If you don’t mind, I could… I could even help you run lines. I’m free anytime.”
“Okay.” Chu Feiliang’s lips curved into a smile, her eyes crinkling.
Before long, they arrived at the Duan family’s home.
Rong Guang wasn’t surprised at all. The Duan and Chu families were neighbors, but due to the layout of the residential area, they weren’t too close. From the Chu family’s gate, they still had to drive another few dozen meters inward.
What was rather surprising was that the Duan family’s house was brightly lit, as if someone was home.
Rong Guang froze, then suddenly slapped her forehead. “I think today is the day Auntie gets discharged from the hospital…”
Chu Feiliang glanced behind her and replied slowly, “It is. My grandma was saying she wanted to bring a gift and visit tomorrow. They’re neighbors, after all.”
Then she got out of the car and lazily pulled open the rear door.
As the door opened, a cold wind instantly blew into the car. The cross-draft howled through, startling Duan Nong so much that she shot up with a look of terror on her face. “What’s wrong? What’s happening? What…”
“You’re home.” Chu Feiliang pointed to the house not far in front of them. “Get out.”
Duan Nong’s face was blank. After being blasted by the cold wind for a minute or two, her whole body was stiff.
After a long moment, she mumbled, “Is today the day my mom gets out of the hospital…?”
Chu Feiliang gave a chilly smile. “It is.”
So Duan Nong had really picked a great time to go looking for Rong Guang at her house.
Ostensibly it was to train together, but in reality, she wanted to bring Rong Guang home with her.
If she let Duan Nong succeed, wouldn’t that mean she had lived these past few decades for nothing?
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