Since Chu Feiliang had said so, Rong Guang naturally had no reason to refuse.
When you give someone a gift, if they genuinely like it, you feel happy too, with a sense of being cherished.
Chu Feiliang had always been this kind of person.
She always remembered the things her friends gave her and would actually use them. If she found something particularly good, she would give feedback and ask for more.
Even if it wasn’t good, she would say so honestly… and then ask her friend to get her something different next time.
This was good for both parties. At least, Rong Guang liked it this way, as she didn’t have to worry that the recipient disliked her gift but was too polite to say so.
She nodded, loosened her grip on Chu Feiliang’s hand slightly, and stood steady on her own. “Of course you can—Sister, when do you want it? Should I get it for you when I go back tonight?”
“That works. I’m not in a hurry,” Chu Feiliang said with a smile.
From the other side of the camera, Duan Nong made a ‘crackling’ sound as she opened a takeout container, deliberately rustling the plastic bag.
The room, with only Chu Feiliang and Rong Guang in it, was very quiet. It was impossible to completely ignore such a strong presence.
Rong Guang pursed her lips and glanced back.
She saw Duan Nong frowning, looking displeased, viciously opening a can of coke as if she wanted to crush the can itself. Her entire face was a capital letter of fury, her eyes fixed on the camera.
“Duan Nong?” Chu Feiliang tucked her hands into her coat pockets, tilted her head, and said, “You haven’t left yet?”
Rong Guang turned back in surprise.
Considering the time, Duan Nong should have wrapped up her filming by now.
Her role wasn’t very significant, and for some reason, the directing team seemed to have cut many of her parts.
Duan Nong hadn’t joined the cast purely for the sake of acting in the first place, so she didn’t care in the slightest about how much screen time she got. She did whatever Director Zhang told her to do. These past few days, she had reached the final stage of filming and seemed ready to leave at any moment.
But from what Chu Feiliang said… it sounded like she should have left long ago but hadn’t?
On camera, Duan Nong paused, then said fiercely, “Is it any of your business when I leave? Can’t I just stay on set if I want to!”
“It’s not my business.” Chu Feiliang chuckled lightly, unfazed by Duan Nong’s reaction. She shrugged, not at all surprised, and said, “I’m just checking in on behalf of your distant parents. They said you weren’t answering their calls or replying to their WeChat messages, so they could only ask me about your recent situation and whether you’ve been causing any trouble on set. Since I happened to see you, I thought I’d ask.”
Duan Nong froze, finally looking a bit awkward and belatedly nervous. “What did you say?” she asked.
“What do you think?” Chu Feiliang said. “I told them the truth, of course.”
Duan Nong paused, a chopstick in her mouth, and said through gritted teeth, “I knew you wouldn’t have anything good to say about me from that wretched mouth of yours.”
“Telling the truth is considered not having anything good to say?” Chu Feiliang scoffed.
Then she said, “I told you a long time ago, you’re not suited for acting. It’s fine if you want to make a guest appearance once in a while for a thrill or to experience life, but with your personality, you can’t settle down to polish a character, and you’ve never had any reverence for acting. Sooner or later, you’ll crash and burn. Do you really want to wait until you’re being flamed by the entire internet to feel regret? It’ll be too late then.” Chu Feiliang didn’t give Duan Nong much face. Seeing her attitude, she lost the mood for teasing.
She paused and said coldly, “Did you listen when I spoke nicely to you? Was it any use? Since speaking nicely is useless, why should I bother speaking nicely to you anymore?”
Duan Nong always felt a bit intimidated when facing Chu Feiliang and didn’t dare to talk back much.
She also knew she was the type who responded to harshness, not softness, and would only listen if someone was fierce with her.
But Chu Feiliang had always been a person with a cold face and a cold heart. Forget speaking softly to her; it was an act of mercy if she didn’t provoke her to death.
Because of this, Duan Nong had always been afraid of her and rarely dared to speak to her directly.
She was even more terrifying than Chu Siyue. At least when Chu Siyue was in a good mood, she could act imperiously for a while. After all, there was a large age gap between Chu Siyue and her, and Chu Siyue let her have her way in everything.
But Chu Feiliang wasn’t that much older than her and was capable of anything. When they were children, it was Chu Feiliang who had hit her the most.
Duan Nong thought with lingering fear.
But the indescribable feeling from just now made her feel so aggrieved that she felt like she was about to explode.
Furious, she slammed her chopsticks on the table, her eyes red. Emboldened by the fact that Chu Feiliang couldn’t reach her right now, she said, her anger turning into shame, “Then don’t bother with me! Who asked you to manage me! Do I need you to manage me!”
“Nongnong.” Rong Guang frowned, unable to watch any longer, and reprimanded her in a low voice.
In truth, given Duan Nong and Chu Feiliang’s relationship, no one in the entire crew could control Duan Nong except for Chu Feiliang.
She had heard from Wang Lujie before that Chu Feiliang had always been like an elder figure to Duan Nong. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she had watched her grow up.
Their families lived close to each other. When Duan Nong was little, no one was home except for a nanny who took care of her, which wasn’t good for a child’s development over time.
Following her employer’s instructions, the nanny would take Duan Nong to the Chu residence for a stroll every day. Grandma Chu loved children and had even earned a master’s degree in child psychology for the sake of the two Chu sisters in her early years. She was an expert in this field and knew exactly how to handle children.
What’s more, as a child, Duan Nong was exquisitely beautiful, fair and chubby. It was a good thing to bring her over to amuse the old lady.
If even Chu Feiliang didn’t have the right, then… she herself had even less right, and even less reason to interfere.
Besides, Chu Feiliang was only asking because Duan Nong’s parents had entrusted her to do so.
Rong Guang pursed her lips, unwilling to see Chu Feiliang targeted by Duan Nong like this. She said, “Do you have something else to say?”
One after another, they just wouldn’t let her have an easy time.
Duan Nong gritted her teeth, her throat bobbing twice. Stiffening her neck, she said, “Yes!”
“What is it?” Rong Guang was taken aback.
Duan Nong gritted her teeth again, jabbing her finger at Chu Feiliang’s figure on the screen. “You make her go away first! I won’t talk until she’s gone! It’s serious business, important business!”
The more she said this, the more helpless Rong Guang felt, thinking Duan Nong was being unreasonable.
“Nongnong…” She pressed the knuckle of her index finger to her brow, glanced at Chu Feiliang beside her, and then said softly, “If you have something to say, just say it. I have no secrets from her. There’s nothing she can’t know.”
At these words, both Duan Nong and Chu Feiliang were stunned.
However, before Duan Nong could react, Chu Feiliang was the first to speak with a light laugh. “Thank you for your trust, Teacher Rong. You two can talk. If I’m here, Duan Nong probably won’t be willing to speak. There’s no point in a standoff. Besides… my goal for today has already been achieved—I’ll wait for you over there. You two talk.”
Rong Guang watched Chu Feiliang’s figure walk to the balcony, a warm feeling spreading in her heart.
Chu Feiliang understood Duan Nong. She knew that as long as she didn’t leave, Duan Nong would really dig in her heels and not say a word.
In that case, the most awkward person would be Rong Guang. So, she simply took a step back and chose to go to the balcony.
Rong Guang turned back. “Can you talk now?”
Seeing Chu Feiliang’s figure disappear from the camera’s view, the expression on Duan Nong’s face relaxed. But when she thought of Chu Feiliang’s earlier stinging words, she didn’t feel so comfortable anymore.
Her brows were tightly furrowed, her expression unhappy. She said reluctantly, “What else could it be? Of course, it’s about the contract. What are you thinking? Yi Chun and Tang Shi are both planning to renew with the company and not jump ship. But you, you haven’t given a clear answer. Those annoying people, Chen Changping and Cai Xiang, have been pushing me to renew these past few days. I’ve asked several times, but they won’t say anything about you, so I had no choice but to come to you!”
Rong Guang paused.
This time, she finally studied Duan Nong carefully.
Duan Nong had always had a carefree personality. She would speak her mind whenever she was unhappy, completely disregarding the consequences, since there would always be someone to cover for her.
Back then, she hadn’t given a single thought to how public opinion would affect her, which was why she posted that Weibo message and deleted all her own posts about herself.
Not only that, she later forced Yi Chun and Tang Shi to delete all their Weibo posts related to her as well.
So from the very beginning, the label of ‘traitor’ was firmly stuck to Rong Guang.
Even after Duan Nong personally tagged her in an apology on Weibo, Rong Guang never contacted her again, nor did she respond.
She couldn’t blame Duan Nong, but she couldn’t be with her like before either.
Her grandmother’s death was always a knot in her heart that she couldn’t undo, and it was still the same now.
Rong Guang was willing to believe that Duan Nong’s original intention in posting that message was to force her back to the company to sign the contract, to force her to bow her head and admit she was wrong, even if it was against her will.
But she probably never imagined that doing so would only push her further and further away, and make things more and more awkward.
Even if she couldn’t stand the infamy and chose to return to the company to renew her contract, her future treatment and situation at the company would be predictable. The conflicts would only pile up, not be resolved.
Unfortunately, Duan Nong couldn’t think of these things.
Most of the time, she only cared about her own happiness and couldn’t think that far ahead.
Pulling herself out of the jumble of past thoughts, Rong Guang looked at Duan Nong. Not wanting to provoke her, she could only try to soothe her, saying softly, “I haven’t decided yet. There’s been too much going on recently—let’s talk about it after I’m done with this period. There’s still plenty of time, anyway.”
Duan Nong didn’t pay much attention. The main reason she had started asking Rong Guang about this was actually to find an excuse to force Chu Feiliang out, as her presence was too much of an eyesore.
This matter was a very good excuse. After all, it was a private matter between an artist and a company regarding a contract. It wasn’t appropriate for her to listen in, so she would retreat on her own accord.
The goal was achieved; the outcome didn’t matter.
Anyway, she herself believed that it was impossible for Rong Guang to leave NO.1.
She thought for a moment and said, “I know the company hasn’t been giving you good resources lately, but didn’t you find this crappy drama to film yourself? You even skipped the last few concerts and refused to come. You have no idea how tired I am of explaining things to the fans.”
Then, Duan Nong glanced at her and said, “Don’t you worry. Cai Xiang and Chen Changping both told me that the overall environment isn’t great this year, and we’ve hit a bottleneck. We can develop into other industries later on. What are you afraid of? As long as I’m here, you won’t lack performance stages, nor will you lack concert and show invitations. Releasing records and albums is just a matter of time.”
She paused here and said, “Was it really necessary to go to all this trouble to cozy up to Chu Feiliang? What good resources can she give you, can she give you this much… You’d still have to start from scratch, a thankless effort… What kind of stupid things are you doing all day…”
Rong Guang suddenly let out a ‘tsk’, feeling a bit offended.
Duan Nong looked back from the other side of the camera, stunned. She heard that something was off in Rong Guang’s sound and said, a little dazed, “What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing’s wrong with her. She probably just thinks you’re too shameless but is too embarrassed to say it.” Chu Feiliang’s voice drifted over from the balcony again. She said slowly, “But it’s fine. She’s too embarrassed, but I’m not. Duan Nong, you’ve really got some nerve. It’s only been a few years, how did you become so shameless? You attribute everything to yourself. NO.1 has a large fan base and has never lacked for invitations. So it’s all thanks to you, and no one can survive without you, huh?”
Duan Nong was stunned, fuming with rage. “That’s not what I meant!”
“That’s not what you meant? I’ve been paying attention to your little group for a few years now. When have your resources ever been good? Even those flash-in-the-pan girl groups have much better resources than you do now. Do you really think those few connections you have can do everything?” Chu Feiliang gave her no face, her expression one of utter amazement. She looked at Duan Nong’s face on the phone screen and said after a moment, “Let’s not even talk about Rong Guang. Seeing you so self-righteous, I’m almost too embarrassed to call you out.”
Seeing Duan Nong looking like she was about to cry from being told off, Rong Guang finally tugged cautiously at the corner of Chu Feiliang’s clothes.
Chu Feiliang hadn’t had her fill of talking yet. Seeing Rong Guang tugging at her, she smacked her lips, glanced at her twice, but ultimately didn’t continue.
She was afraid that if she said any more, Duan Nong would be angered to death by her.
Even so, Duan Nong was already furious.
Before Rong Guang could even react, Duan Nong, with tears streaming down her face, had already grabbed the phone on the table and smashed it violently onto the floor!
The screen spun wildly, and then the video call was suddenly disconnected.
Before it cut off, Rong Guang heard the sound of a door opening from the other side, followed by a soft gasp of surprise. Clearly, the person who had just entered was also quite frightened by Duan Nong.
Rong Guang looked at the darkened phone with a sense of helplessness and picked it up from the box.
Chu Feiliang’s hands were still in her windbreaker pockets. Seeing this, she lifted her chin and said, “Does she usually bully you like this?”
Rong Guang was taken aback. “Me?”
“Mhm.” Chu Feiliang nodded and smiled. “Who else could it be? Your other two teammates? I’m not too familiar with them.”
Rong Guang felt a little embarrassed.
This didn’t seem to be the first time Chu Feiliang had asked her this kind of question. She always felt that in Chu Feiliang’s mind, she seemed particularly easy for Duan Nong to bully.
After thinking for a moment, Rong Guang still explained, “She’s never bullied me. That’s just Duan Nong’s temper. Some people are just single-minded and have a fiery temper.”
“True. She’s not a bad person, but she’s truly stupid.” Chu Feiliang nodded and said, “She should really thank her parents for doting on her so much. Otherwise, with her personality, she would have been eaten alive long ago. How could she still be allowed to stir up trouble like this?”
For some reason, the phrase ‘stir up trouble’ suddenly tickled Rong Guang’s funny bone.
Her eyes curved into crescents. She put her phone in her pocket, took the crutch Chu Feiliang handed her, and slowly leaned on it to walk. Tilting her head, she said, “Sister, you didn’t leave just now. Is there something else you wanted to tell me?”
“There is actually one thing I forgot to mention just now.” Chu Feiliang tilted her head as well, her voice softening, even unconsciously taking on a hint of a pleasing tone. “Can you give me two more tickets? The ones from before probably aren’t enough.”
“Still not enough?” Rong Guang was a bit surprised. She had given her several tickets precisely because she was worried Chu Feiliang would want to bring more people.
After a moment, she nodded and said, “That’s fine. The tickets I gave you are for the VIP section. That whole area is actually for you all. It can hold more than ten people, all in the front row… I, I’ll have Yuanyuan bring you two more tickets.” “That would be great.” Chu Feiliang smiled and said to herself, “It might be a bit presumptuous to say this later—my grandma, the old lady, heard that I succeeded in chasing my star and insisted on coming along to watch. She said she wants to see it live and experience the youthful energy of you young girls. When you see her there, don’t be startled.”
The crutch in Rong Guang’s left hand tripped her left foot, and she almost fell flat on her face right there.
Chu Feiliang quickly steadied her, but caught off guard, Rong Guang still ended up burying her head in her arms.
After a long moment, she lifted her head from Chu Feiliang’s embrace and stammered, “You… you just said, who did you say is coming?”
“The old lady of the family,” Chu Feiliang said. “I really couldn’t refuse her. The old lady is getting on in years, so as a junior, I can only try to make her happy and not go against her wishes in anything.”
“Yes, yes, yes.” Rong Guang nodded repeatedly. “That’s how it should be. As long as the elderly are happy…”
Chu Feiliang was also quite pleased to have Rong Guang’s approval. She said, “So I might need a few more tickets. If my grandma goes, she’ll need to bring an auntie to look after her. My sister will need two people with her, and I’ll have to bring Lulu myself. Just in case, I’ll need at least two extra tickets as spares.”
The spare tickets were likely for Director Zhang and a few industry bigwigs that Director Zhang would drag along.
But there was no need to tell Rong Guang about this. It would only add to her pressure and serve no real purpose. After all, she still had a long time to prepare before the concert. If she exhausted herself due to excessive psychological pressure just for the final performance, it would be a case of the losses outweighing the gains.
Rong Guang was stunned by this string of potential audience members in the stands. She couldn’t help but say with a sigh, “There… there are actually so many people…?”
If she met her sister’s grandmother and everyone else, would that count as meeting the parents on another level?
If the occasion weren’t so inappropriate, Rong Guang would have wanted to squat down, hold her head, and run two kilometers to calm down.
Knowing in advance that these people would be coming, Rong Guang agonized for a long time before she couldn’t help but ask, “Sister, your… your grandma, what kind of things does she like? Will she think our stage outfits are too revealing?”
Although the concert was in winter, the venue was semi-enclosed, so the temperature wouldn’t have much of an effect. And even if it did, they would still have to wear whatever performance outfits were planned.
For a performance of about three hours, the outfits for the first and second numbers might be a bit thicker, but once their bodies warmed up, the clothes for the later parts would become more and more explosive.
They weren’t too revealing, nor were they flaunting their figures, but they were a girl group after all. At the very least, the parts that should be shown would be shown.
And by a rough estimate, there would be tens of thousands of people in the audience. Although most of them would be girls, it was impossible for there to be no men.
Rong Guang truly began to sink into deep worry, afraid that Chu Feiliang’s grandmother would dislike her outfits.
—Fairy style, lolita style, uniform style, even sexy and cross-dressing as a man, all might appear on the preliminary list of options.
After all, as the final farewell performance, besides their well-known group songs from the past three years, they had to showcase their original, top-tier skills as much as possible, to make all the audience remember that they were an all-around girl group, not just capable of energetic songs and dances, but also ballads and exuding charm.
Chu Feiliang was a little surprised that Rong Guang would think this way.
She was amused and said to Rong Guang, “Give me your phone.”
Rong Guang, not suspecting anything, handed her phone to Chu Feiliang.
The screen was, as expected, still that black and white photo of Chu Feiliang.
The corners of Chu Feiliang’s lips curled up in a smile. Holding the phone, she said to Rong Guang, “See this? The house is full of pictures like this. Not just mine, but my sister’s too. Oh, and when my grandma was young, she had plenty of pictures like this too.”
Rong Guang was stunned. “When Grandma was young?”
“She was a great beauty when she was young, and she’s maintained herself well over the years. She was in the entertainment industry back in the day, too.” Chu Feiliang narrowed her eyes. “Back then, she even dared to wear a swimsuit for a photoshoot. She couldn’t possibly have become more conservative with age. If she were really an old-fashioned person, would I still be able to make it in this circle?”
Rong Guang suddenly felt an infinite curiosity for this grandmother she had never met.
Her eyes sparkled as she said, “If that’s the case, then I… I’m relieved.”
“There was nothing to worry about in the first place.” Chu Feiliang smiled. “Love me, love my dog. She already likes you very much.”
Rong Guang was pleasantly surprised.
Then she saw Chu Feiliang take out her own phone and open her WeChat interface.
On the screen was the chat history between her and her grandmother.
Rong Guang glanced at it and almost fainted—
Chu: Grandma, look at my new wallpaper.
Following that was the picture of her own lips, which, even as a thumbnail in the chat box, Rong Guang could see clearly.
Bright red, moist, and glossy. But at this moment, no matter how she looked at it, it felt incredibly embarrassing.
Chu Feiliang didn’t seem to notice, even pushing the phone closer and chattering on, “See it?”
“I see it!” Rong Guang had to use all her strength not to flee in panic. Looking at the twenty-second-long voice message below the picture, she asked without much hope, “What did your grandma… talk to you about after that?”
They were all voice messages.
She couldn’t even begin to guess!
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