Chapter 38 Part 2

Bo He realized. "Is it the one who was recently caught cheating and hitting her daughter on the street, which ended up trending?"

Ouyang nodded. "The news became a huge scandal. Luckily, filming hadn't started yet. Otherwise, even if it was filmed, it would probably be hard to find a platform to broadcast it. Besides, they only signed a letter of intent. The investors would rather pay a penalty to terminate the contract. So, my chance came. I'm going to audition in a couple of days. It's a historical drama."

Bo He: "Are you confident?"

Ouyang: "It's a web drama, and I have Tong Jun's recommendation. As long as I perform well, I should have a sixty to seventy percent chance."

Bo He smiled. "Congratulations! Your hard work is finally paying off."

Ouyang hugged her. "Thank you, my dear Bo He. If it weren't for you, I definitely wouldn't have had such a great opportunity."

Bo He said cheekily, "When you get rich and famous, don't forget me."

Ouyang: "Woof woof woof!"

"Why did you buy so many packages?" Bo He asked, gesturing toward the boxes at the door with the tip of her foot.

"I almost forgot to tell you. These were all delivered during the day. The recipient is you," Ouyang said.

"I haven't bought anything online recently." Bo He was a bit puzzled. She looked at the sender's name on top and had a realization. "It must be from Sister Ling Shuang. She loves using the sender name 'Ao Xue'. Last time, I mentioned to my godfather that I wanted to eat some cantaloupe. He probably told Sister Shuang Shuang, and she sent a whole box over. I'll ask her about it later."

When Zhuo Yi told the story of how he became connected with Bo He, he had mentioned the actress Ling Shuang. This film empress, now a top-tier "big sister" in the industry, also held a place in that story.

Ouyang had lived with Bo He for a year and often saw her receive all sorts of packages. Before, she just assumed Bo He had bought them herself. Later, when Bo He said they were from relatives and friends, Ouyang didn't think much of it. Now it seemed those stories were not exaggerated.

Zhuo Yi, Ling Shuang, and the others hadn't just met Bo He a few times and become her god-family; their contact had likely never been broken over all these years.

Compared to friendships formed for personal gain, Bo He's attitude of asking for nothing in return was all the more pure and enduring.

Ouyang said with envy, "You have such great connections. Why didn't you enter the entertainment industry back then? Instead, you're slogging away as a minor employee. If you had entered the circle two years earlier, you'd be doing so much better than the average person by now!"

Bo He shrugged. "Your circle has too many talented people, and there's certainly no shortage of beauties. I'm no peerless beauty, nor do I have any acting skills. How far can one get just by relying on connections? Even those people with backgrounds you've seen or heard of, they either have outstanding and distinctive looks or solid acting skills. They have to have some value worth promoting, right?"

Ouyang: "But you met Brother Zhuo and the others many years ago, right? Why didn't you apply to a film academy back then?"

Bo He checked the delivery boxes one by one, replying casually, "To each their own, I guess. I don't like being exposed in front of a camera, and I have no desire to perform. Even if I forced my way into the industry relying on my godfather's connections, how long would the glory last? It's better to conscientiously do what I can..."

Her voice trailed off.

Seeing her staring at the sender information on the bottom-most box, Ouyang also leaned in to take a look.

"Qifeng Studio? It sounds a bit familiar..." Ouyang thought for a moment. "I remember now! Isn't that Director An's studio?"

Bo He frowned. "Are you sure?"

Ouyang: "Yes, you can check online, it's registered. Why would Director An send you something? Do you know each other?"

Bo He: "No, it was probably sent by mistake. I'll send it back later."

Her reply was crisp and decisive. She directly moved the other boxes on top, leaving only the bottom one, which she placed in the corner, solitary and conspicuous.

But no matter how Ouyang looked at it, she didn't think it was sent by mistake.

Ever since Old Pan had personally seen them off last time, she had felt that Bo He and Old Pan, or rather, Director An, were probably old acquaintances.

Moreover, this old acquaintance relationship gave off the feeling that it was Director An who was asking for a favor.

With Director An's current status and position, how could she possibly have a favor to ask of Bo He?

But what if it wasn't asking for a favor, but feeling guilty or indebted?

Bo He's attitude was strange, and Old Pan's attitude was even more unusual.

Ouyang started. She felt as if she had grasped something crucial.

Her heart pounded, and she didn't dare to think about it any further.

Bo He even specially instructed her, "Don't touch this box for now. I have to return it to them another day."

Ouyang, her mind occupied, answered distractedly, "Don't worry, why would I mess with your things!"

Curiosity was like a hamster trapped in a pocket, scurrying about restlessly. Ouyang could neither ask Bo He nor, even less likely, Old Pan. She could only go online herself to search for An Baohua's information, browsing aimlessly, not even knowing what kind of answer she was hoping to find.

But this search actually led her to discover something.

...

After Qin Chuan got back, he took a shower, had a bite to eat, then opened his phone and started checking his messages.

He finished reading the work-related ones first, then moved on to the personal ones.

On the way back, he had sent a message to Bo He as her game disciple. Now, opening it, he saw that she had replied.

Qin Chuan: Master, are you getting on the game?

Peppermint Tea: Just got back from overtime. I'm a little tired, don't really feel like getting on. Let's do it tomorrow.

Qin Chuan: Why have you been working overtime so often lately? And always so late.

After he confessed his gender and received her understanding, their relationship actually progressed further. Qin Chuan would even occasionally chat with her about non-work-related troubles, including his family relationships, albeit only with a few words.

As if sensing his sincerity, Bo He gradually became willing to say a bit more. Once the age gap was gone, communication between peers was naturally smoother. Compared to the stiff and rigid superior-subordinate relationship at the company, or the previous master-disciple relationship in the game where Bo He treated him like a kid, the two of them were now more like friends or brothers. Many things that couldn't be asked in reality came out naturally over the internet.

Peppermint Tea: I could have been back a little after nine, but on my way out, the elevator broke down. I was stuck in the elevator in the company building for almost a whole hour.

Qin Chuan: Are you okay? Were you the only one trapped?

As someone who already knew the whole story and was even a party to the incident himself, his face didn't redden and his heart didn't pound when he asked this question.

Peppermint Tea: Luckily, no. My boss was there, and two other young girls from the same building.

Qin Chuan: I remember you said before that your boss is difficult to get along with. He didn't take his anger out on you because of this, did he?

She sent a cute emoji.

Peppermint Tea: Not at all.

Qin Chuan: Why do I get the feeling there's something you're not saying?

Peppermint Tea: Haha, I just suddenly thought he was actually a little cute.

Qin Chuan read this sentence more than twice, and the tip of his nose gradually flushed red.

He found that he was now like a young girl in the bloom of her youth, harboring a secret crush, his heart fluttering like a trapped rabbit, a mess of nerves.

It was both full of anticipation and sweet.

And a small voice quietly popped up in his mind—

Qin Chuan, this is what it means to like someone.