Before she had even woken up properly the next day, Qiao Jingjing received a call from Ling Jie. First, she told her about Director Li wanting to meet, then asked, "Did you go to the movies yesterday?"
Qiao Jingjing was startled: "Was I photographed?"
Ling Jie sounded disdainful: "Why are you so jumpy? Even if you were photographed going to the movies alone, what's there to panic about?"
"...Oh."
"I think you should start dating. Such a beautiful girl going to the movies alone on Singles' Day, sigh, even I feel a bit embarrassed as your agent."
What kind of logic was that? Had Singles' Day already become Valentine's Day?
Qiao Jingjing was still somewhat surprised, "You're actually encouraging me to date?"
Ling Jie made a dismissive sound, "Times have changed, it's not like before. Look, even your fans tease you about being single. Alright, I'm hanging up now. Remember, meet Director Li tomorrow at 3 PM, prepare well."
Qiao Jingjing felt helpless: "Director Li's movie hasn't revealed anything, just a title. What should I prepare? I've already watched all his previous works."
Ling Jie thought about it and agreed, "Then that's fine, just improvise when the time comes."
After hanging up, Qiao Jingjing went on Weibo to search for that photo. Although blurry, it was still quite nice. Relieved, she was about to close the image when she suddenly noticed something and zoomed in.
Sure enough, Yu Tu was standing in the corner. In the photo, she was collecting tickets while Yu Tu was watching her from the corner?
It really felt like a spy thriller.
She saved the picture, then her thoughts began to drift.
Dating
Hmm, maybe it wouldn't be so bad? But at the very least, he'd have to be as handsome as Baili Shouyue?
Well, yes. Qiao Jingjing's recent favorite hero had shifted from Zhuge Liang to Li Bai, and now to Baili Shouyue. Because sniping down low-health enemies with one shot felt just too satisfying!
After lunch, she and Yu Tu had a 5v5 battle in the living room, each commanding four computers. She used Baili Shouyue.
Surprisingly, she managed to snipe Yu Tu several times.
After taking him down with one shot, Qiao Jingjing looked at him suspiciously: "Are you going easy on me?"
"Yeah."
"...I don't believe you."
Yu Tu laughed, "Then why ask? When have I ever gone easy on you? If you couldn't hit me even once, that would be my failure."
That made sense~ After all, he had taught her how to play Shouyue step by step.
Yu Tu truly wouldn't go easy on her. He still won that round in the end. By now, Qiao Jingjing didn't feel particularly upset about losing to Yu Tu, but she still needed an excuse.
"It must be because the system assigned me computers that can't manage minion waves properly."
Yu Tu thought the computers were being unfairly blamed. Miss Qiao lost purely because she kept chasing after him to fight.
Qiao Jingjing checked the time and stood up, "Let's go watch the live stream. Xia Xue's broadcast is about to start."
Xia Xue was one of the professional players Qiao Jingjing had recently become obsessed with.
Lately, Yu Tu had been getting her to watch competition videos, and she had become a fan of several professional players. She binge-watched their matches and interviews, then went to platforms like Douyu and Chushou to watch their live streams. While there, she also checked out various game anchors and was genuinely amazed by their popularity.
"If I hadn't debuted yet, I could have been an anchor too, singing and playing games or something."
Yu Tu had no objection to the singing part, but "Playing games?"Qiao Jingjing declared without a hint of shame, "I was too busy acting before to play seriously. If I were a professional anchor, of course I'd practice properly. Just singing wouldn't be enough."
She wandered around idly, thinking she could also teach makeup, fashion, and yoga—truly multi-talented and destined for fame.
As for the professional players Qiao Jingjing liked, Yu Tu had once commented: "They're all quite good-looking."
Qiao Jingjing: "...Don't insult me. It's mainly their skills, and they just happen to be good-looking."
Their viewing setup had become quite sophisticated now. Previously, they'd watch on phones or Yu Tu's computer until one day Qiao Jingjing remembered they had a small home theater, immediately opening up a new battlefield.
Projecting on the big screen was much more comfortable than computers or phones, plus they could play games while watching.
Today Xia Xue was using Sun Shangxiang. Remembering Yu Tu was also excellent with Sun Shangxiang, Qiao Jingjing suddenly said, "Actually, you could go pro in esports too. You might become even more famous than them."
"...Esports has strict age requirements. How old do you think these players are?"
"Twenties?"
"The one you're watching now—I've seen his profile—is 18."
Qiao Jingjing was mentally shaken. "Eleven years younger than me?"
Yu Tu suspected her math was off. "Isn't it twelve?"
Qiao Jingjing immediately exploded. "I'm only 29! My birthday isn't until next month."
"...Very precise. I miscalculated." The rigorous researcher Designer Yu acknowledged her correction.
After watching the livestream for a while, they switched to some recorded matches. Qiao Jingjing was getting fired up, feeling restless. "There's a Semifinals match in a few days. Maybe we should go watch live."
Yu Tu: "...Can you go?"
Watching the competition livestream showed the venue wasn't actually very large, with seating for only about two to three hundred people. Qiao Jingjing would be too easily recognized.
Qiao Jingjing also hesitated briefly. Then she had an idea, pointing at the screen. "Look, before every match the commentators predict the Ban positions. How about we guess for the next match too? If we get them all right, we'll go."
As soon as she finished speaking, there was a "pop" and the big screen suddenly went dark.
Qiao Jingjing blinked, looking at her finger. Had she... disabled it with a single point?
Yu Tu couldn't help laughing. "Probably overheated protection. Let's play a Ranked Match first and try again later."
But after they played one Ranked Match, the projector still wouldn't turn on.
Yu Tu looked at Qiao Jingjing: "Last time you tricked me into coming to fix the purifier, you said you had a full set of tools at home?"
Calling it "tricking" really hurt feelings. Though the toolkit had been specially prepared last time to "invite" him over.
Ten minutes later, after asking Xiao Zhu, Qiao Jingjing finally found the toolkit and crouched beside Yu Tu watching him disassemble the projector.
"You really know how to fix this?"
Yu Tu said modestly, "I'll try."
After testing with a multimeter and other tools for a while, he said, "It should be a power board issue."
"So we need to replace that board?"
"Replacement is too expensive. Let's repair it."
Qiao Jingjing was somewhat impressed. "You aerospace people can even do this."
"This is basic. Aerospace is a systems engineering field—complex and vast. You need to understand a bit of everything." Yu Tu said casually, "If I went into welding, I'd be a first-class worker too."
Genius student, you're still as narcissistic as you were in high schoolQiao Jingjing watched him bow his head, focused on testing the machine, and pursed her lips, suppressing a laugh.
She was intently observing the repairs when her phone suddenly rang. Qiao Jingjing answered the call, and Ling Jie’s hurried voice came through, "Jingjing, Director Li changed the schedule. We need to return to Beijing tomorrow, and the meeting has been moved to this afternoon. Why haven’t you replied to my WeChat messages?"
"I didn’t notice. What time is it?"
"4:30 p.m. I’m already downstairs. The makeup artist and stylist are here too—we’re coming up right away."
Qiao Jingjing was taken aback. "Makeup and styling too?"
Ling Jie said, "Time is tight—they’ll help you get ready faster. Oh, I forgot, is your Teacher Yu there…"
Qiao Jingjing sighed. "Of course he is. And you’re bringing a whole group of people."
Ling Jie: "...Figure it out yourself. We’re already in the elevator."
Qiao Jingjing hung up. After a moment of thought, Yu Tu suggested, "Should I tell them I’m here to fix the appliances?"
Qiao Jingjing hesitated. "You’re a bit too handsome for that…"
"True." Yu Tu said, "Then close the door to this room when you go out."
There was no other choice—they were already in the elevator. Still, Qiao Jingjing felt the need to explain, "The makeup artist and stylist aren’t part of our team, so… Actually, Ling Jie has been wanting to meet you for a while."
The doorbell rang. Yu Tu urged, "Hurry."
Qiao Jingjing rushed to answer it, making sure to close the door behind her.
Noise erupted from outside. Yu Tu muted his phone and browsed Taobao to order a few parts. After a flurry of activity outside, Qiao Jingjing sent him a WeChat message: "I’m heading out. Wait for me to come back."
Yu Tu smiled. "Okay."
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