Mu Qiu didn’t plan to interfere with whatever decision he was going to make; she only wanted him to consider it clearly.
She nodded, "The script is good. If he decides to join the group as a screenwriter, I’ll avoid him when I visit the set."
She was truly making an effort to give him a sense of security.
Cheng Zhirang laughed, "Alright, thank you for understanding the petty thoughts of a boyfriend."
Mu Qiu leaned over and gave him a quick kiss.
He spoke of petty thoughts, yet he always appeared so gentle and elegant, not at all matching the meaning of those words.
Assistant Liang kept his gaze steady, concentrating on driving as he took them back to the villa.
Recently, Cheng Zhirang had been living here, so Assistant Liang was already familiar with the route.
Cheng Zhirang carried the mailbox upstairs, while Mu Qiu rushed ahead, running up the stairs and leaving a remark before entering the room.
"I’ll shower first; feel free."
He placed the mailbox on the sofa and first drew the curtains over the floor-to-ceiling windows, feeling more secure even though the glass was one-way.
As he closed the curtains, he glanced at the half basketball court outside, feeling a surge of tenderness within him.
Once the curtains were drawn, he entered the bathroom on the first floor, planning to shower first.
Having eaten hot pot, he felt uncomfortable with the lingering smell on him.
With no change of clothes on the first floor, he wrapped a towel around himself and walked to the middle of the living room to get a drink, looking up to meet the gaze of someone standing at the stairway.
Mu Qiu swallowed without changing her expression and walked down slowly.
"I want some water too."
Cheng Zhirang paused, filled her cup with warm water, and handed it to her.
He felt odd being only wrapped in a towel and thought of changing into clothes upstairs, but just as he was about to start heading up, Mu Qiu placed her hand on his abs.
Her eyes were incredibly bright, her palm gently sliding up from his lower abdomen.
"Since it’ll be taken off anyway, why not stay like this?"
Cheng Zhirang: "..."
——
No one knew where Mu Qiu gathered so much inspiration from, but by the next morning when Cheng Zhirang awoke, she was already seated in her secret nook.
The wall was covered in colorful sticky notes, doubling the amount since yesterday; he just caught her pinning a green sticky note filled with writing onto the wall.
Glancing down, there was a computer resting on her lap.
Cheng Zhirang felt somewhat disorganized, as though their roles had reversed. She had stayed up the whole night only to jump into work at dawn, while he slept soundly until daylight.
Ah.
He got out of bed and dressed quietly, heading to the kitchen without disturbing her.
Mu Qiu had already plunged into a frenzy of creative passion.
The inspiration accumulated over time erupted collectively, making her feel uncomfortable if she didn’t write about something.
Minor inspirations kept popping up, which she quickly noted on sticky paper and posted on the wall. Some cohesive ideas urged her to turn them into full stories, which expanded into outlines within her documents.
She had come up with new ideas for her next book. From food writing to tragic tales, comedic CEO stories to now fervently wanting to write sci-fi and fantasy, it was an endless cycle of change.
Every genre made her feel, "I must write this, it’ll definitely be a hit," and, "Not writing this would keep me awake."
But turning simple inspiration into a complete story wasn’t an easy task, so she felt conflicted and went to chat casually in the reader group, momentarily forgetting Cheng Zhirang calling her for breakfast.
Downstairs, Cheng Zhirang had already made breakfast, taken two calls, and read some fan letters, yet the person upstairs hadn’t come down.
With no choice, he went upstairs, standing at her room door, calling her again.
"Qiuqiu, breakfast first."
"Oh, wait a moment."
This moment stretched longer, leaving Cheng Zhirang at the table with an odd feeling of "solitude at an empty table."
Fortunately, Mu Qiu’s hunger compelled her to finally come downstairs and eat breakfast before continuing to fiddle with her phone and sticky notes.
Cheng Zhirang didn’t disturb her, sitting on the other side, earnestly reading the fan letters.
One letter was special, written collectively by fans who had supported him for ten years. The two sheets displayed a variety of handwriting styles, but it was clear that the content was carefully and painstakingly written in neat form.
Dear Mr. Cheng Zhirang:
Wishing good health upon receipt of this letter.
This letter is written collaboratively by many individuals, all having been fans of Brother Cheng for more than ten years. What we want to say is generally similar, so we combined it into this letter. Despite differing handwriting, our support for you remains united.
We watched you evolve from your debut at eighteen to the present, accumulating representation in numerous film and television works, walking many red carpets, receiving many awards, learning various skills, and endorsing many luxury brands. Step by step, you’ve become the Cheng Zhirang we know today.
Your dedication and gentleness have attracted so many fans; how fortunate we are to accompany you on this journey. We’ve followed you through ups and downs, relieved that the martyrizing occurrences don’t happen anymore, allowing you the capability and confidence to access better platforms and take on more scripts you love. We are really happy.
This year we heard you were doing a variety show, which initially worried us. What made you agree to participate in a type of show you never liked?
But now, it seems you genuinely wanted to be part of it; you’re becoming more relaxed and at ease. This change is delightful, since you can learn things from variety shows that differ from acting, and we gain more opportunities to watch you.
This year you fell in love. Although we don’t understand why you suddenly started dating Mu Qiu whom you’ve only seen a few times, it’s not important. We trust your judgment.
In the past, we empathized with your working the day after your birthday; now that you have a girlfriend, you can enjoy 520. We hope this year’s birthday and 520 are exceptionally delightful for you. A preliminary "Happy Birthday to Brother Cheng," a man at thirty can still have a cake with his girlfriend, right? We will remind her to buy one.
Lastly, don’t mind the rumors since the variety show aired; we don’t care about them, and neither should you. Cheng Zhi is already a mature fanbase community, and new fans’ departure doesn’t equate to all of us leaving. Don’t be sad; we will consistently accompany and support you.
Today’s stage was amazing! Did you hear the cheers and applause from Cheng Zhi below? They’re all for you, and we’ll forever cheer for and support you, unconditionally favoring you! Cheng Zhirang, you are the best idol in our hearts!
——Many Cheng Zhi who admire you, support you, and will forever admire and support you
The final part about the stage was comparatively scribbled, likely added hastily after the stage ended.
The living room was quiet, and Cheng Zhirang suddenly felt his eyes grow warm.
He was indeed fortunate to have such fan support and affection.