Chapter 3: Personal Renovation
In the other car, Lin Qin also saw the trending news, his brows tightly furrowed, carrying a hint of guilt.
Chu Hong, his agent, snatched the phone from Lin Qin's hand and ordered, "You've barely slept. There's still some time before we reach the destination, so take a nap."
Chu Hong was Lin Qin's older cousin. He was the only artist under her wing, and she usually stayed by his side since Lin Qin couldn't get used to having strangers following him around. Chu Hong cared deeply for Lin Qin and could be said to look after him meticulously.
Lin Qin sat upright, defending himself, "I already slept on the plane."
Chu Hong sneered, "Meng was sitting next to you. You think you could sleep?"
Mentioning Meng made Lin Qin's face turn red, and he looked a little annoyed. "Cousin, do you think Senior Meng would be mad at me?" The internet said he didn't know how to appreciate good intentions, and honestly, Lin Qin thought so too. He couldn't help himself at that moment; it was completely out of his control.
"So you're only worried about upsetting Meng and not bothered by the comments online?" Chu Hong laughed in exasperation. She had been carefully shielding Lin Qin from the harmful remarks online, fearing they would hurt him, only to realize Lin Qin didn't care about them at all.
Lin Qin lowered his gaze, his fingers tangled together. "Well, they're not wrong. It really was my fault."
"Bullshit!" Chu Hong couldn't help but curse. Lin Qin knew perfectly well why he did it, didn't he? If you asked her, Meng wasn't entirely innocent—why did he have to lean in so close the first time they met? He deserved to be pushed away!
But Chu Hong held back from saying any of this. If she badmouthed Meng in front of Lin Qin, Lin Qin would definitely get upset. Don't be fooled by his seemingly soft, gentle nature—cross his bottom line, and he could be surprisingly staunch.
And Meng was his bottom line.
With a silent sigh, Chu Hong reassured him, "Don't overthink it. Meng isn't someone who holds grudges over little things. Once we get out of the car, apologize to him, and this will blow over."
Lin Qin nodded and agreed verbally, yet the rest of the journey was filled with unease. He felt like slapping himself hard. Why was he so impulsive at their rare chance of meeting? They barely exchanged words before he pushed him away. He couldn't help but agonize—did Meng hate him now?
The whole way, Lin Qin was consumed with anxious thoughts, and he only gathered the courage to get out of the car after dallying once they arrived at the filming location.
Not long after he stepped out, he saw Meng Chao walking toward him. Instantly, every nerve in Lin Qin's body tensed up.
Lin Qin: "Meng… Meng Senior."
Meng Chao smiled, his expression free of any resentment, as though the previous incident had never happened. He extended an invitation to Lin Qin, "Shall we go in together?"
Lin Qin hesitated for quite a while before finally mustering up the courage to say, "Senior Meng, I'm sorry. I… I didn't mean to push you." That short sentence left Lin Qin's face flushed bright red.
Meng Chao adjusted his glasses and burst into laughter. "Lin Qin, you're just too adorable."
"Huh?" Lin Qin lifted his head, looking at Meng Chao in confusion.
Suppressing the urge to ruffle Lin Qin's soft hair, Meng Chao smiled and said, "Don't worry. I know you didn't do it on purpose."
Meng Chao's expression was sincere, and his eyes behind the glasses locked directly onto Lin Qin's, causing Lin Qin's heartbeat to skip before he quickly lowered his head in a flustered avoidance. He mumbled, "Thank you, Senior Meng."
"No need to thank me. Now, shall we go in together?" Meng Chao extended the invitation again.
Lin Qin nodded and then followed behind Meng Chao, step by step, gazing at his tall back and smiling foolishly.
Senior Meng is really kind, Lin Qin thought sweetly to himself.
This time, the filming location for "Together With Us" was a seaside villa in Binhai City.
The salty sea breeze swept through, casting dappled shadows under the tall coconut trees. The fine yellow sand stretched out, while tiny hermit crabs scurried across quickly. The constant sound of crashing waves filled the air.
Warm sunlight spilled down as a few seagulls glided across the cerulean horizon where the sea met the sky. In the distance, a cruise ship appeared to be sailing by, casting a towering silhouette.
Everything felt leisurely and carefree—until Meng Chao and Lin Qin stepped inside the villa. Like a shattered mirror, the tranquility abruptly disappeared, replaced by bleakness.
The villa was bare and unfurnished. The walls were stark white without any decoration. Everything visible screamed that this tropical-style villa was no more than an empty shell.
The director spoke up at just the right moment, "This villa will be the home for both of you. To make it feel more like a real home, please renovate it as per your preferences. One more thing: the show's budget is limited, so please spend wisely."
Meng Chao: "…"
Lin Qin: "…"
You could at least have mentioned in advance that we'd need to handle the renovations ourselves! And seriously, what's with the so-called limited budget?
The director, apparently oblivious to Meng Chao and Lin Qin's mutual speechlessness, continued, "To ensure the show launches on time, I'll need you two to complete the villa's renovation by tomorrow nightfall."
Meng Chao asked, "Can we hire workers?"
The director replied, "You can, but their fees will come out of your renovation budget."
Gritting his teeth, Meng Chao said, "Alright."
The director clearly meant to make things difficult for him and Lin Qin. What choice did they have?
Lin Qin lightly tugged at Meng Chao's sleeve. Meng Chao turned to look at him, and Lin Qin, like a child caught doing something wrong, quickly withdrew his hand, looking a bit uneasy.
"What's the matter?" Meng Chao asked gently.
Lin Qin whispered, "Senior Meng, what kind of style do you like? You can tell me… I majored in interior design in college."
Meng Chao was somewhat surprised but then trusted him straightaway, saying, "I'll leave the designs to you. I didn't expect you to have such a strong skill set." It genuinely never occurred to him that Lin Qin had studied interior design, considering how unrelated his profession seemed to his current career.
Having earned praise from his idol, Lin Qin's eyes brightened instantly. He nodded firmly. "I won't let you down, Senior!"
As their gazes met, Meng Chao thought the day's sunlight seemed even more radiant.
Afterward, the two began discussing the design plan. As Meng Chao shared his preferred styles, Lin Qin diligently noted everything down, treating it as though he were fulfilling a sacred mission.
Meng Chao turned to glance at Lin Qin's serious expression and suddenly stopped talking.
Lin Qin looked up, his cheeks flushed, eyes shimmering with excitement. "Senior, is something wrong?"
Unable to resist, Meng Chao reached out and lightly patted Lin Qin's hair. It felt even softer than he'd imagined. But to avoid making Lin Qin uncomfortable, Meng Chao withdrew his hand as soon as it touched the strands.
Without giving Lin Qin time to react, Meng Chao asked, "What about you?"