Chapter 42: Chance Encounter

B City was a top-tier metropolis, much larger than A City, with transportation networks connecting in all directions.

The moment Gu Liuguang stepped off the plane, the bustling city dazzled her eyes. It was the first time she felt a city could be described as beautiful.

The people here also had more poise than those in A City. There were many people doing group lives in the area where she worked, and they were all more refined in their styling and outfits. But that refinement always carried a layer of artificiality, like mannequins—not to mention the clothes they wore for lives.

Even under full live-stream lighting, you could still spot that plastic-y vibe. In everyday life, it came off as cheaply made, like paper-mâché, making her worry it’d fall apart after two steps. It wasn’t even as high-quality as what others wore for flower-arranging lives.

Just the people Gu Liuguang bumped into at the airport in B City were beyond what A City could compare to. Before this, she hadn’t truly felt like a country bumpkin. She’d always thought B City was only a bit better than her hometown, and the people she interacted with were the same.

It wasn’t until they reached the parking lot that Gu Liuguang somewhat realized Ye Qingying was a film empress with both fame and critical acclaim, incredibly wealthy—a type of person she might never reach in her lifetime in this world.

Ye Qingying’s assistant had come to pick them up in B City, and they headed straight to the parking lot.

Ye Qingying’s assistant was a girl who looked to be in her early twenties. She called out “Sister Ye” and started hauling the luggage. She had surprising strength and loaded it up in just a couple of moves.

Gu Liuguang didn’t sit idle either and pitched in to help. But just as she pushed the luggage over, the assistant glanced at her, took it from her hands, and loaded it up. Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but she glanced at Ye Qingying and ended up saying nothing.

The assistant got into the driver’s seat and smiled at Ye Qingying through the rearview mirror. “Sister Ye, straight back to Mist Mountain Villa, or should we drop this one off at the hotel first?”

Ye Qingying glanced at Gu Liuguang and asked her, “Send over your friend’s address, and we’ll drop you off.”

Gu Liuguang didn’t know anyone in B City. When asked for her “friend’s” address, she froze for a second but kept her composure on the surface. She pulled out her phone and pretended to send a message. “Give me a sec, I’ll check.”

In her mind, she frantically urged the System to give her any address.

Worried the System would refuse again due to plot involvement, Gu Liuguang quietly searched online for rental listings, ready to copy one herself.

Once the System provided one, Gu Liuguang sent it to Ye Qingying without hesitation. “This place.”

Ye Qingying glanced at the address but said nothing, forwarding it straight to the assistant.

The assistant set the navigation, started the car, and said with a smile, “That’s still in B City’s rich district. It was on the hot search a few days ago—a bunch of accounts with location tags trying to ride the wave. I haven’t checked it out yet.”

Ye Qingying subtly glanced at Gu Liuguang, who pretended not to hear.

Ye Qingying smiled too and turned slightly to look at Gu Liuguang. “This wouldn’t happen to be some rich ‘friend’s’ place you know, would it?”

Gu Liuguang feigned surprise with an “Ah?” “No idea, my friend didn’t mention that.” She glanced at the assistant up front. The car had already left the parking lot. Seeing Ye Qingying about to speak again out of the corner of her eye, she quickly cut in with feigned thoughtfulness. “Is it inconvenient to go there?”

“If it’s not convenient, I can just take a cab later. You can drop me anywhere.” She gave Ye Qingying a soft smile. “I need to pick up some souvenirs anyway.”

The assistant fell silent, glancing back repeatedly and waiting for Ye Qingying to speak.

Ye Qingying frowned and rubbed her brow. Gu Liuguang’s interruptions had left her a bit frustrated, but she wasn’t willing to outright tell her to get out up front. She relaxed back into her seat and said casually, “Wherever you’re going to buy stuff, Xiao Zhong can drive us there. It won’t take much time.”

Gu Liuguang didn’t say more. She knew what Ye Qingying wanted to do—talking herself hoarse wouldn’t change it. In the end, she claimed she had no idea where to buy things in B City since it was her first time and let Xiao Zhong drive straight there.

Gu Liuguang planned to hang out in the mall for a bit, then text Ye Qingying that something came up and she wouldn’t ride back with her.

When they arrived, Gu Liuguang got out of the car and saw Ye Qingying on the other side looking like she was about to get out too. She nearly yelped in shock and furtively looked around before whispering to Ye Qingying, “Sister Ye, why are you getting out?”

Ye Qingying kept the car door open with one foot on the ground. She looked back at Gu Liuguang while stepping out, then spoke to her over the roof of the car. “To keep you company, of course.”

Gu Liuguang: …

This was beyond ridiculous. Gu Liuguang even worried Ye Qingying might follow her all the way to the “friend’s house.”

Gu Liuguang rarely went shopping. Before, she’d only been dragged to counters for bags, perfumes, and lipsticks. Since this was for gifts, she planned to imitate that and head to the counters, following the directory to the floor.

It wasn’t until they were in the elevator that Gu Liuguang remembered she was short on cash.

She turned to Ye Qingying, debating whether to ask to borrow money, and saw Ye Qingying constantly adjusting her “gear”—fiddling with her sunglasses or pressing down her hat.

The three girls standing behind them kept staring at her and Ye Qingying, their phones clearly sneaking photos.

The elevator stopped at the second floor, and a guy and a girl got on, forcing them to shuffle back a bit.

Up close, she overheard the conversation behind them.

“She looks just like Ye Qingying. Could it really be her?”

“Why don’t you ask? That girl next to her is pretty too. Is she a celebrity?”

“Never seen her, but she looks familiar… Like Ye Qingying’s girlfriend.”

Gu Liuguang turned to look at Ye Qingying and met her gaze. Their eyes locked in the air.

Gu Liuguang silently asked Ye Qingying: When did I get a girlfriend?

Ye Qingying shrugged. She had no idea either. The elevator was getting crowded now, and worried about being recognized, she pressed her hat down harder.

This development felt seriously off. Wasn’t Ye Qingying’s real partner Lin Shixia? …Though Gu Shuang had mentioned Ye Qingying had a lot of rumors.

The elevator reached the third floor, and more people crowded in, squeezing them right up against the girls behind. She heard the three girls getting restless.

Ye Qingying pulled out her phone and texted Gu Liuguang. Gu Liuguang’s phone lit up; she unlocked it to check.

-Ye Qingying: Too many people now. I’ll head back to the car and wait for you?

Gu Liuguang didn’t reply but nodded to Ye Qingying.

The girls behind finally couldn’t hold back. One cautiously poked Ye Qingying’s shoulder. When Ye Qingying turned, she whispered, “Excuse me, are you Ye Qingying?”

Though phrased as a question, their excited chatter afterward made it clear they’d already recognized her.

Pretending otherwise wouldn’t fool them, so Ye Qingying simply nodded and naturally agreed to sign for the three girls.

By the time they pulled out paper and pens, the elevator reached the fourth floor. Ye Qingying soothed them while leading them to a secluded corner—signing first, then photos.

Gu Liuguang helpfully offered to take the pictures, reaching for one girl’s phone. Ye Qingying chimed in naturally, “Together.”

Gu Liuguang wanted to say she wasn’t a celebrity and didn’t need to be in the photos.

Before she could, one girl let out a quiet squeal, drawing everyone’s eyes. Her face flushed as she waved it off. “Nothing, nothing.” Then to Gu Liuguang, “Come on, miss, join us.”

If it had just been Ye Qingying saying it, Gu Liuguang might have politely refused. But with everyone insisting, it’d make things awkward. She agreed after a second’s thought.

Gu Liuguang meant to stand on the side, but the three girls positioned themselves like well-drilled soldiers, flanking them and squeezing her into the center with Ye Qingying.

Ye Qingying was on her left, the squealing girl on her right.

Reminded to look at the camera, Gu Liuguang instinctively struck her best live-stream pose and heard the girl beside her squeal again.

“Ah! So shippable!”

Gu Liuguang didn’t get it.

She thought one photo would do it and tried to step back out of the group, but the other two said to Ye Qingying, “Can we get a few more?”

Ye Qingying smiled. “Sure.”

Gu Liuguang: …

After a few shots with arms around waists and pats on the head, the three girls finally left. Gu Liuguang glanced their way and saw passersby stopping them, asking questions and frequently looking back.

Gu Liuguang turned to warn Ye Qingying something was off, but Ye Qingying smiled and said, “Seems like too many people recognized me. I’ll head back to the car. Come find me when you’re done.”

It was still early, and Ye Qingying wanted to treat Gu Liuguang to dinner.

Gu Liuguang couldn’t wait for her to leave but didn’t want to seem too eager. She nodded nonchalantly. “Got it, Sister Ye.”

Once they were gone, Gu Liuguang started checking nearby hotels—not the best, just the cheapest. Souvenirs were off the table now.

After confirming Ye Qingying had taken the express elevator down, Gu Liuguang pressed the button for the other one, just in case they crossed paths again.

Not long after Ye Qingying left, the passersby who’d stopped the three girls glanced toward the elevators. They searched for a while and only spotted Gu Liuguang, lingering on her beauty for extra looks.

Gu Liuguang pretended not to notice the passersby—or the three girls peeking from afar.

The elevator dinged open, packed with excited chatter. When they saw Gu Liuguang, the car went dead silent.

She hesitated a moment and stepped in, puzzled.

Once the doors closed, the talking resumed, but much quieter.

“Didn’t expect our luck today—actually seeing her in person!”

“She’s a hundred times prettier than in her dramas. Her skin glows! My friend called it otherworldly!”

“I heard from others: fans started lining up before the mall even opened, from morning till now, terrified to lose their spot. So intense.”

Gu Liuguang perked up her ears. She’d thought they meant Ye Qingying at first. But by the time they reached the first floor, she realized it wasn’t.

B City had the famous Hengdian Film City, where Lin Shixia was shooting. And this mall was well-known too—celebrities doing events here wasn’t unusual.

“Isn’t she still filming? Me and my buddy planned to go watch her.”

“It’s a pre-scheduled event. No one expected her to blow up like this. Judging by today’s setup, the organizers didn’t anticipate this crowd either…”

Gu Liuguang listened while waiting for the doors, curiosity building about who this celebrity they’d hyped up was.

She asked the System, but it acted deaf.

The doors opened, and Gu Liuguang hurried out toward the side exit. Her ride was almost at the pickup point.

The moment she stepped outside, deafening screams hit her like a wave, the crowd’s frenzied chants assaulting her ears from all sides.

“Lin Shixia! Lin Shixia!!”