Back at the company, Shen Tong compiled a list of TV shows and advertisements for them to participate in. Chen Xiaoyong's list was even longer than Su Xiao's. Looking at the list, Shen Tong felt a sense of satisfaction. All that remained was to guide them through various TV appearances.
The news about their afternoon press conference quickly aired on television, with many questions still surrounding the pair. TV programs continued to speculate.
Social media was buzzing with even more theories. Many people on Weibo were guessing whether they were a couple, even creating a poll asking, "Do you think Chen Xiaoyong and Su Xiao are dating? Support or not?" Their topic remained trending.
Before leaving work that evening, Shen Tong held a brief meeting to outline the upcoming week's schedule. Every day was packed with TV appearances, commercial shoots, or newspaper interviews.
"Whatever happens, we must seize this momentum to shoot to stardom," Shen Tong concluded.
"Take a photo together and post it online," she instructed. "Chen Xiaoyong, mention that the press conference was successful and thank Su Xiao and your manager. Then Su Xiao, you repost it."
After taking the photo, Chen Xiaoyong happily left to post on Weibo before heading home.
"When do you plan to take back control of your Weibo account?" Shen Tong questioned Su Xiao.
"When you understand my true thoughts," Su Xiao replied cryptically before leaving her alone in the studio.
Shen Tong tugged at her hair in frustration. She just couldn't understand Su Xiao's thinking. Sometimes she wanted to open up his head to see if it was wired differently.
Suddenly remembering she hadn't reported the press conference results to Xia Zixuan, she jumped up to do so. Just then, Sister Lan called.
"Hello, is this Shen Tong?" Sister Lan asked.
"Is the general manager looking for me?" Shen Tong asked cautiously.
"No, you don't need to report to him. He saw the news," Sister Lan said before abruptly hanging up.
Shen Tong stared at her phone in annoyance. It seemed Sister Lan had picked up Xia Zixuan's habit of hanging up before the other person finished speaking. She still had questions! Was the general manager happy or upset about the news? Now she was left wondering. She decided to deal with it later.
But how long would Liang Xiaoyuan be abroad? There had been no word from him, and she didn't dare call. She didn't even have a food delivery person to talk to.
Finally, she decided to send a text: "What are you doing now?"
After a long while, Liang Xiaoyuan replied: "Filming. What's up?"
Just as Shen Tong was about to respond, her phone rang. It was Liang Xiaoyuan.
"What's wrong?" he asked anxiously.
"Can't I text you without something being wrong?" Shen Tong retorted.
"Of course you can. I thought something might have happened," Liang Xiaoyuan said, his tone softening.
"Something did happen!" Shen Tong quickly added. Liang Xiaoyuan's heart skipped a beat. "I'm starving!" she exclaimed.
Hearing this, Liang Xiaoyuan couldn't help but chuckle. "You pig. Didn't you have dinner?"
"I did, but I'm still hungry!" Shen Tong pouted. "I really miss having food delivery."
"That's what you get for not appreciating my kindness before. Now you can't enjoy that service anymore!" Liang Xiaoyuan teased affectionately, his obsidian eyes twinkling.
"I appreciate it now, but you're abroad. What a pity!" Shen Tong said with mock regret.
"Well, when I get back, you'll have to treat me to a meal to apologize for exploiting me!" Liang Xiaoyuan joked.
"Oh, what's that? The signal's bad, I can't hear you. The company has poor reception. I've got to go! Bye!" Shen Tong quickly hung up. She wasn't going to let him trick her so easily.
On the other end, Liang Xiaoyuan couldn't help but smile. He dialed a number, then seemed to remember something and made another call to give some instructions.
Meanwhile, Shen Tong had finished calculating the final program details, contacted the wardrobe department, and confirmed all the specifics. She stretched, ready to leave when her phone rang. "Hello?"
"Hello, this is Express Delivery. You have a food order. Please come downstairs to receive it."
"Huh? Food delivery? When did I order?" Shen Tong asked, surprised.
"Just now. Your order of spicy chicken has arrived."
"What?" Confused, Shen Tong went downstairs. She looked at the delivery person, bewildered. When had she ordered food?
"A Mr. Liang pre-ordered this. Please sign for it," the delivery person explained with a friendly smile.
Shen Tong suddenly understood. It was him! She happily accepted the food and turned to go upstairs, but the delivery person's next words stopped her in her tracks.
"Miss Shen, you haven't paid yet!"
The scene felt oddly familiar.
Shen Tong stiffly turned around, a fire burning in her heart. She gritted her teeth. "Liang Xiaoyuan! You'll pay for this!" Somewhere abroad, a certain someone sneezed loudly, smiling as he thought, "Delivery service is getting faster. I wonder if she's enjoying her meal."
Shen Tong forced a smile and asked, "Is it possible to return this?"
The delivery person looked troubled. "I'm sorry, Miss Shen, but you've already signed for it. I don't think it can be returned."
Shen Tong was about to explode. She reluctantly pulled out 20 yuan from her pocket to pay for this 'revenge' supper, planning to go upstairs and call Liang to settle the score.
The delivery person added, "Mr. Liang said not to be too angry, Miss Shen. He'll treat you to a meal to apologize when he returns." He didn't understand why this customer was so strange, asking him to relay such a message, but he had done his job.
Hearing this, Shen Tong couldn't help but smile. Liang Xiaoyuan was full of surprises, though she suspected he was also getting back at her. If he thought one meal would be enough for her forgiveness, he was mistaken! Still, Liang Xiaoyuan was like a refreshing spring, seeping into her heart, making her feel his gentle presence without any annoyance.
Shen Tong ate her late-night snack contentedly, lost in thought. Stretching, she noticed it was already 11:30 PM. Looking outside at the dimly lit, empty streets with few taxis in sight, she abandoned the idea of going home. She decided to sleep in the studio, pushing tables together to make a bed. She had toiletries at the office anyway; being a little unkempt wouldn't hurt.
With these thoughts, Shen Tong removed her glasses and lay down on the desk. Soon, she was fast asleep.
Early the next morning, Su Xiao arrived at the company to retrieve his phone, which he had left in the studio the day before. As he opened the door, he found Shen Tong sleeping on the desk. At first, he thought she was dead, but upon closer inspection, he saw her chest rising and falling. Relieved, he began searching for his phone, trying not to wake her.
"Clang!" Su Xiao accidentally knocked over a chair. He froze, quickly turning to look at the sleeping Shen Tong. She only furrowed her brow slightly, not waking up.
Su Xiao was stunned. Without her glasses, Shen Tong's fair skin looked flawless. Her thick, slightly curled eyelashes fluttered with each breath. Her features were as delicate as a painting, with small lips slightly parted. The morning sunlight cast a holy glow upon her, revealing a beautiful woman in deep slumber. If not for her clothes being the same as yesterday, he might have thought she was a different person! It was as if someone had broken into the company and fallen asleep here, but it was undoubtedly Shen Tong – her distinctive glasses lay nearby.
Su Xiao found his phone on the desk and, for reasons he couldn't explain, took a picture of the sleeping Shen Tong. He then quickly left the studio and escaped to the practice room, his heart pounding. The image of Shen Tong without her glasses, sleeping peacefully, kept replaying in his mind. She possessed an inexplicable charm. He couldn't understand why Shen Tong deliberately hid her beauty behind glasses. In his experience, girls usually wanted to look as beautiful as possible for everyone to see. He looked at the "sleeping beauty" photo on his phone, utterly perplexed.
When Shen Tong woke up at 7 AM, she hurriedly put on her glasses, found her spare toothbrush in the cabinet, washed up, and went out for breakfast, bringing milk tea for Su Xiao.
Arriving at the practice room, she found Su Xiao there as expected. After he finished practicing, she offered him the milk tea. "Here's your milk tea."
Su Xiao's expression was a bit unnatural as he fought the urge to remove her glasses. He asked nonchalantly, "Why do you think a girl would deliberately hide her beauty?"
Shen Tong adjusted her glasses, startled. This was the most Su Xiao had ever said to her, and the topic was strange. She wondered if he had discovered something. Had he come to the studio this morning? But when she looked at his expression, it didn't seem like he knew anything.
Carefully choosing her words, Shen Tong replied, "Maybe she has her reasons."
Su Xiao focused on drinking his milk tea, not saying anything more, though his eyes held a thoughtful look.
Shen Tong observed Su Xiao's expression closely. He didn't seem to know anything; it was just his usual icy face. Still unsure, she asked, "Why are you asking this question?"
Su Xiao's eyes darted to her. "Just curious," he quickly responded.
Shen Tong grew increasingly uncertain whether he had seen her that morning. Her heart raced, but she didn't dare ask directly. It was frustrating. Finally, she decided it didn't matter. There was no law against wearing glasses, after all.