Chapter 65

The program team had arranged shared dormitories for all the contestants. By Chen Nian’s reckoning, she ought to just check into one of those.

But that was obviously out of the question. Forget about moving in—whether Chen Nian could even get into the filming zone was a problem in itself.

So she hadn’t bothered booking a hotel yet, figuring she’d play it by ear and stay as close to Fang Zhi as possible.

“See?” Chen Nian said. “I don’t even know what the situation’s like over there with you all.”

“Aren’t you telling Auntie you’ve got everything sorted?” Fang Zhi turned to look at her. “Are you lying to her?”

“Why would I lie about that!” Chen Nian jabbed a finger toward the window. “Right now—as soon as we land—someone’s picking us up and taking us straight to dinner. How’s that not a perfect setup?”

Fang Zhi pursed her lips. “No idea if your friend can be trusted.”

“Trustworthy! One hundred percent!” Chen Nian thumped her chest. “She’s the editor-in-chief of Hongli. Come on.”

Fang Zhi blinked. “Never heard of it.”

Chen Nian sighed.

Hongli might not have much name recognition yet, but it wasn’t far off from exploding onto the scene as one of the country’s top fashion magazines.

In her previous life, Chen Nian had been tight with its editor-in-chief, Pan Yue. This time around, she’d deliberately submitted a couple of pieces to Hongli. Her intimate knowledge of Pan Yue’s tastes had made the process a breeze.

It wasn’t just smooth sailing on the submissions, either. Through their back-and-forth, Pan Yue had started treating Chen Nian like a kindred spirit, spilling all kinds of gossip and insisting over and over that if Chen Nian ever came to Shanghai, she had to get in touch.

Chen Nian had visited Shanghai before but hadn’t dared seek her out.

Pan Yue had no clue about her real age and chatted with her like they were peers. Last year, she’d even dumped a whole rant about her disastrous love life.

Showing up with the face of a twelve- or thirteen-year-old would’ve probably sent Pan Yue into a tailspin.

Luckily, she was fourteen now.

With a little primping and the right outfit, she could pass for more mature.

The kicker was that during one of their chats—while fishing for competition details—Chen Nian had let her actual age slip. Pan Yue had lost it with excitement, probably pulverizing her keyboard in the process, and hammered out exclamation points declaring she’d foot the bill for all of Chen Nian’s food, lodging, and transport in Shanghai.

Well…

What was Chen Nian supposed to do about that?

Enthusiasm like Pan Yue’s meant at least one meal together, covered or not.

The flight from Anliang to Shanghai was a long haul, and Chen Nian was dead to the world when the plane touched down.

Fang Zhi nudged her shoulder. The roar outside was thunderous. Chen Nian blinked awake and took the tissue Fang Zhi offered.

“Wipe your mouth,” Fang Zhi said.

“Oh.” Remembering something, Chen Nian turned to her. “Lend me some of your makeup.”

Fang Zhi’s brows knit together. “Makeup? Now? That’s asking for trouble.”

“Just lipstick,” Chen Nian said. “Lipstick’s all I need.”

Future stardom aside, Fang Zhi was blessed with natural beauty and a genuine knack for enhancing it.

She carried a full makeup kit in her bag for everyday emergencies—no, she saved it for stage time, applying it with perfect restraint right before showtime.

Chen Nian had never borrowed so much as a dab before. Fang Zhi’s sour expression, pinching from brow to lip, was unmistakable. Chen Nian grinned. “What, reluctant to share? Or jealous again?”

“You—”

Chen Nian cut her off quick. “Editor Pan and I are just online friends. She thinks I’m around her age. I’m worried the shock’ll be too much when we meet face-to-face.”

Fang Zhi fixed her with a hard stare.

Chen Nian met it head-on, utterly earnest. “For real. Swear.”

“How ‘online friends’ are we talking?” Fang Zhi pressed.

“Regular pals,” Chen Nian said. “Nothing like what you and I have.”

Fang Zhi relaxed. “Hold tight. I’ll fix you up after we land.”

“Sure thing,” Chen Nian said.

As the plane taxied down the runway, Fang Zhi whipped out her kit and worked fast, giving Chen Nian a quick touch-up.

Chen Nian had good skin to start with, and this wasn’t about glamour—just camouflage—so precision wasn’t key.

A layer of foundation to smooth things out, brows filled in, a smudge of eyeshadow, and finally a power-red lipstick that screamed confidence. Chen Nian checked the mirror and nodded, pleased with the stranger staring back.

“I say I’m eighteen—no one’s batting an eye, right?”

Fang Zhi snorted. “Heh.”

They’d barely stepped off the plane when Chen Nian’s phone buzzed with a call from Pan Yue.

Pan Yue rang three more times while they collected their bags.

Fang Zhi side-eyed the phone. “Adults these days really that antsy?”

Chen Nian chuckled. “Ah… you’ll see.”

At last, with everything sorted, they reached the arrivals pickup area.

Waving her hand vigorously, Chen Nian glanced over and spotted Editor Pan, who looked much younger than she remembered.

Meanwhile, Pan Yue didn’t budge.

She was wearing high heels and a sexy, elegant black gown, her long wavy hair full of allure, arms crossed tightly, not moving a muscle.

Her gaze was fixed on something behind Chen Nian—she wasn’t even registering Chen Nian’s wave.

Chen Nian lowered her vigorously waving hand and rubbed her nose. “Ahem.”

Fang Zhi glanced at Pan Yue, then back at Chen Nian. “You sure that’s your online friend?”

Chen Nian nodded. “Positive.”

Fang Zhi frowned. “Then why’s she acting like that?”

Chen Nian understood her confusion. Pan Yue’s real personality and appearance didn’t match her online persona at all.

“She’s just like that,” Chen Nian explained. “She hasn’t… recognized me yet…”

Fang Zhi didn’t say anything more. The two of them stepped out from behind the railing and approached Pan Yue, who was still standing ramrod straight, peering around intently.

Chen Nian cleared her throat softly. “Ahem. Um, Yueyue…”

Pan Yue shuddered visibly.

“Finally meeting in person,” Chen Nian said, flashing a smile as she extended her arm. “I’m Weiwei.”

Pan Yue turned her head slowly to look at Chen Nian standing beside her.

Pan Yue: “…”

She stared at Chen Nian for a solid two minutes before her lips finally moved, squeezing out a few faint words. “Who… are you?”

“Weiwei, remember?” Chen Nian said awkwardly, her cheeks flushing bright red. “Jianwei.”

Pan Yue: “…………”

Her face was utterly blank, but her eyes were a whirlwind of chaos.

After a long moment, she finally raised her hand and gave Chen Nian’s fingertip a perfunctory shake. “Um, tough trip. The car’s right outside.”

With that, she turned and strode away. Chen Nian hurriedly grabbed Fang Zhi and hurried after her, sticking out her tongue playfully.

Fang Zhi shot her a look and pulled out her phone, typing rapidly.

Chen Nian got a text from Fang Zhizhi:

【Who told you to trick her? Serves you right.】

Chen Nian: “…”

Pan Yue was shocked, of course, but in front of these two young girls, she swallowed all her surprise.

She helped load their suitcases into the car and took them to the restaurant she’d booked. Throughout the meal, she barely started any conversations.

Chen Nian knew she was feeling awkward, so she tried bringing up some of their usual photography topics—the things they loved discussing online. Pan Yue responded, but only with a few ums and ahs before steering the talk elsewhere.

She stuck to safe, everyday questions that anyone could answer without issue.

Like, was Shanghai too hot? How many days were they planning to stay? Any spots they wanted to check out?

Chen Nian sighed to herself. What was supposed to be a cozy meetup with her online friend had turned into a one-sided welcome from a stunning older sister.

After dinner, Pan Yue insisted on driving them to their hotel, but Chen Nian stopped her. “No need—we can get there ourselves.”

Pan Yue shook her head. “I’ll drive you. Dragging those suitcases around would be a hassle.”

“It’s mainly…” Chen Nian had no choice but to come clean. “I haven’t figured out where we’re staying yet.”

“Hm?” Pan Yue blinked in surprise.

Chen Nian explained, “Zhizhi’s got dorms. I’m hoping to crash there with her…”

Pan Yue nodded. “The Supernova Contest?”

Chen Nian confirmed. “Yeah.”

Pan Yue pulled out her phone. “I’ll make a call and check.”

Awkward as their interaction was, Pan Yue was genuinely going all out to help with Chen Nian’s situation.

After hanging up, she told Chen Nian, “You can’t get in right now, but I can reach out to the production team and see if I can snag you a staff credential. You…”

She trailed off midsentence, staring at Chen Nian. Chen Nian stared right back. Pan Yue looked away, fiddling with her phone as if checking a message.

“How old are you, anyway? Are you even an adult?”

Chen Nian pointed to her bold red lips and stretched out her arms and legs to flaunt her height. “Do I look underage to you?”

Pan Yue: “…No.”

Chen Nian: “…”

Chen Nian forced a laugh. “Haha, ha… baby face, you know?”

Pan Yue furrowed her brow. “Be honest. You’ll need ID to pick it up.”

Chen Nian sighed. “Fourteen.”

Pan Yue: “………………….”

A heavy silence stretched between them. From the side, Fang Zhi spoke up. “Editor Pan, thank you so much for hosting us. We can head back on our own tonight. If Niannian can’t get in, we’ll just book a hotel nearby…”

“No,” Pan Yue cut her off. Now that she knew how young they were, there was no way she could let two underage girls run around like that. “It’s way too dangerous for you two. And proper hotels won’t even let minors check in.”

“Like this, the official reporting is the day after tomorrow. For today, you two come back to my place with me first. Tomorrow, I’ll confirm things with the production team and then send you over.”

“Ah…” Chen Nian said, “Wouldn’t this be a bit inconvenient?”

“There’s nothing inconvenient about it.” Pan Yue tilted her head and shot her a glare. “I’m telling you, there are tons of bad people in Shanghai. If you go wandering around, watch out or human traffickers might grab you and sell you off.”

Chen Nian: “…Yueyue, you didn’t used to talk to me like this.”

Pan Yue: “Call me Auntie.”

Chen Nian: “…”

Fang Zhi responded very quickly, though: “Sister Yue!”

Pan Yue: “Hey, good girl. So clever.”

Chen Nian: “…………”