Jin Luo hadn't seen the news; after she left, Jiang Chang had come into the office.
"Bro, you really went for the jugular. We don't have much of a background, and you did that to Liu Corporation's eldest son. Aren't you afraid they'll find out and seek revenge on us?"
It was strange, but ever since that night when his brother came out of the bar after drinking, he seemed like a completely different person.
Before, he was a bit arrogant and impulsive, and he also had a soft spot for the entertainment industry's darling Zhao Xiangxiang. Gu Jinshen's bankruptcy had something to do with her as well.
But now, his brother was calm and composed and no longer paid attention to Zhao Xiangxiang's movements. When asked about this girl, his expression was blank, as if Zhao Xiangxiang meant nothing to him.
Although he felt his brother had changed entirely, like a new chip was installed in him, he was quite relieved now.
He used to have feelings for Zhao Xiangxiang, but she didn't like him back at all. Zhao Xiangxiang was interested in the Qi Family's legitimate son, Qi Linxia, that "born with a silver spoon" golden young master.
It was better that his brother gave up early; even if he did pursue her, he would only end up as a backup option.
He wasn't sure if it was his misconception, but he felt his brother was paying quite a lot of attention to this Jin Luo now.
He was curious about only two people right now: his brother and Jin Luo. The Jin Luo he got to know yesterday, and the information he looked up on her, were totally inconsistent—yeah, like two different people.
He thought he must have not slept well, otherwise, why did everything seem changed after he woke up from a sleep?
After leaving the restaurant owned by the boss lady, Jin Luo was ready to take the bus home.
Then she saw two beautiful girls waiting at the bus stop.
"Xiangxiang, what shall we eat later?"
"Eat... garlic pork ribs," Zhao Xiangxiang recalled eating this dish last time with Li Xi.
"I want to eat that too!" Li Xi exclaimed in surprise, as Xiangxiang had the same thought as her.
Standing by the roadside, Jin Luo overheard them talking about food and began to crave it.
Even though she had already eaten her fill at the boss lady's restaurant, the conversation of the two girls irresistibly drew her in.
As Zhao Xiangxiang and Li Xi prepared to board the bus, they noticed Jin Luo.
The girl in front of them looked pretty and innocent and flashed them a friendly smile.
"Hello," Zhao Xiangxiang, taken aback, was the first to smile politely.
"Hello," Jin Luo said, returning the nod politely, "Are you going to eat something delicious?"
Zhao Xiangxiang paused, "Yes."
Seeing the lively sparkle in Jin Luo's beautiful eyes, she couldn't help but ask, "You... want to join us for it?"
Upon hearing this, Jin Luo nodded eagerly, like a pecking chick, "Mhm mhm mhm."
Li Xi, who was watching this overly familiar girl, asked, "Are you really coming with us?"
Her voice wasn't as gentle, for this was their first encounter with such an over-friendly stranger, and they were wary of being scammed.
"Yes, is that okay? I have money, I won't eat for free," Jin Luo thought they were afraid she wouldn't pay.
"Sure, that's fine," said Zhao Xiangxiang gently.
And just like that, Jin Luo made two new friends on the street and accompanied them on the bus to have a feast at the mall.
Jin Luo hadn't really been out on the town before, as aside from being familiar with Gu Jinshen, she only had those two, Li Xiaolei and the others.
Gu Jinshen was usually busy with work, and Li Xiaolei along with Chen Yousheng also had endless shoot schedules; it seemed only she was a bit more idle now.
They arrived at a high-end-looking Chinese restaurant.
Then they entered, and Zhao Xiangxiang led them into one of the private rooms, where they ordered their dishes.
Over the course of lunch, Jin Luo became acquainted with Zhao Xiangxiang and the other girl.
While chatting, Jin Luo found out that Zhao Xiangxiang was the female protagonist in a book and blurted out in surprise, "So you're the protagonist."
"Protagonist? What protagonist?" Zhao Xiangxiang asked, puzzled.
Jin Luo quickly shook her head, realizing her slip-up, "I just think you're kind-hearted and beautiful, like the perfect lead actress on TV."
Zhao Xiangxiang laughed upon hearing this.
Li Xi said proudly beside her, "You're absolutely right, my Xiangxiang is an artist, she's been the leading lady in many films."
Jin Luo smiled in surprise, "Really? Then we're all in the same line of work, aren't we?"
Upon hearing this, Li Xi was astonished. She's one too? Was this delicate flower really a star? She hadn't been conned out of money or taken advantage of, had she?
Zhao Xiangxiang said, "No wonder you looked familiar to me."
Jin Luo put down her wine glass, took a plastic takeout box from beside her, and began to fill it with food, then she took another one filled with rice.
Seeing her packing a meal, Li Xi asked curiously, "Jin Luo, are you taking food to someone else?"
"Yeah," Jin Luo said, smiling.
Zhao Xiangxiang and Li Xi looked at each other but said nothing.
They were quite curious, but it was someone else's private business, and it wasn't their place to pry further.
After dinner, Zhao Xiangxiang and Li Xi offered to take Jin Luo home, and she did not decline and agreed.
When Zhao Xiangxiang and Li Xi arrived at a rather rundown residential building complex by car...
After getting out, they fell silent upon seeing where Jin Luo lived.
Their gaze towards Jin Luo was filled with sympathy, this girl was having it really tough, even worse than when they had been down on their luck.
The two of them suddenly overflowed with compassion.
Zhao Xiangxiang thought, 'This poor girl, we should be nice to her from now on.'
Li Xi reflected, 'No wonder she ate like a starved ghost reincarnated, not wasting a single grain of food, and even bringing an extra portion home, she's living so modestly.'
"If you ever run into trouble in the future, you can come to us," Zhao Xiangxiang paused, carefully selecting her words.
"Sure, you two as well," Jin Luo responded, smiling, completely unaware of the duo's thoughts. She was just happy to have made two new friends today.
Then, Zhao Xiangxiang and Li Xi left.
At five-thirty in the afternoon.
When Gu Jinshen came back, he saw a packed meal left in the living room.
He couldn't help but look towards the tightly closed door nearby, his eyes deep.
Jin Luo, having woken up too early today and not slept well, had gone back to bed after coming home.
When she awoke, it had already grown dark outside.
Seeing him sitting on the sofa reading a magazine, she walked over and said, "Was the food I brought back today good?"
"Mm," he replied concisely.
Jin Luo beamed, "I met two sisters today, and I had dinner with them."
Gu Jinshen looked up, "Where did you meet them?"
"Just on the way home," Jin Luo said,
"'Island Challenge' is about to start filming; have you got all your stuff ready?"
"Yeah, I'm all set," Jin Luo smiled.
Two days later, the reality TV show "Island Challenge" officially began filming, and it was shot in the form of a live broadcast.
Because it was live, the artists paid even more attention to their behavior, knowing that any slip-up in front of the camera could be magnified and criticized by the netizens.
Jin Luo quickly packed her luggage at home.
"Did you bring everything?" Gu Jinshen reminded her.