I really didn't intend to make a living based on my looks.

It was almost 10 o'clock when the recording ended.

The staff were tidying up the stage, and the male guests dispersed. As Fu Longfei left, he glanced back at Jiang Chen with a complicated look in his eyes, his lips moved, and finally he managed to utter a sentence.

"Dude, your face is ruining my future."

Jiang Chen ignored him.

He was looking down at his phone, a Nokia N97, a side-sliding phone with a 3.5-inch screen, which was considered top-of-the-line in 2010.

There was a crisp mechanical sound when the keyboard was pushed open.

This phone was bought for him by his dad after he got into the Beijing Film Academy. It can be used on QQ, browse the web, and play music. The screen resolution is also quite high. However, it is slow to respond, and it takes several seconds to open an app.

Actually, Apple just released the iPhone 4 a couple of days ago, and it's been all over the news.

However, that thing isn't available for sale in China yet; they're all grey market imports, and the price has been inflated to 7500 to 10000. Jiang Chen naturally wouldn't be a sucker for that.

The mainland China version will be officially launched on September 25th and will be sold via contract by China Unicom.

What's your QQ number?

Jiang Chen looked up and saw that Li Xue had appeared next to him at some point.

She changed out of the white dress she wore on stage and put on a loose sweatshirt. Her hair was tied in a ponytail, and she had no makeup on. She looked several years younger than she did on stage.

"What are you doing?"

"Don't worry, I won't steal your vegetables," Li Xue blinked, "I'll even water them for you."

QQ Farm is incredibly popular right now.

From sixty-year-old grandmothers to third-grade elementary school students, there are plenty of people who set alarms to get up in the middle of the night to steal vegetables online.

They steal in the office, on the bus, and even while squatting on the toilet, they have to use their phones to scan something.

"Did you steal anything today?" is almost as popular as "Have you eaten?" as a nationwide greeting.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Li Xue added, "I still have two Yellow Diamond Suns, adding you as a friend won't be a loss."

"I can even help you plan the space..."

Jiang Chen saw that she was indeed very sincere, so he handed her his phone.

Li Xue took the phone, typed in a string of numbers quickly, and asked as she handed it back, "Are you hungry?"

"good."

"I'm hungry. I've been recording all night, and I haven't even had a proper meal."

"Then go get something to eat."

"Eating alone is no fun." Li Xue blinked, looking completely innocent. "How about you treat me?"

Jiang Chen glanced at her: "Why should I treat?"

Li Xue replied matter-of-factly, "Huh? You're my boyfriend now, why aren't you inviting me?"

"Big sister, that's the script."

Li Xue's face darkened: "Who are you calling 'big sister'?"

"Besides, we held hands in front of the whole nation, do you still want to deny it?"

"That was an act!"

As soon as Jiang Chen finished speaking, Li Xue's eyes suddenly reddened.

Her nose was slightly furrowed, her long eyelashes drooped and trembled gently, her voice was soft and tinged with a hint of grievance, and she looked like she was about to burst into tears at any moment, staring at him with pleading eyes: "But...you held my hand..."

Jiang Chen was taken aback.

Wait, what's going on?

Weren't you acting all high and mighty just now?

Staff members nearby were already looking this way. An older woman carrying a bag walked by, her eyes glaring at them like knives, her expression clearly saying: Young man, what did you do to that girl?

Jiang Chen felt a chill run down his spine.

No wonder they were able to make it in the entertainment industry and act in shows big and small wherever they wanted...

"Okay, okay, I'll treat you to a meal, alright? Stop pretending."

The next second, the tears in Li Xue's eyes vanished instantly. She smiled, her eyes crinkling into crescents, and she gave a sly chuckle, showing no trace of her previous grievance.

She reached out and grabbed Jiang Chen's arm, shaking it lightly and excitedly, "Let's go, let's go! I know a super delicious restaurant nearby!"

The two emerged from the side entrance of the Shandong TV building. The night breeze in Jinan in June carried a hint of heat, but it was much better than during the day; at least the breeze on their faces wasn't a wave of heat, but rather a thin layer of dampness.

Jingshi Road was still lit up, the streetlights were dim and yellow, and the sycamore leaves along the street were so dense that they filtered the light into dots that were scattered on the ground.

The security guards at the TV station entrance were collecting the traffic cones; the day's recording had officially ended.

Jinan at this time of day isn't as orderly as it is during the day. There aren't many people on the streets, but every few steps you'll encounter an old man taking a stroll, his hands behind his back, listening to Lü opera on his radio, creaking and groaning as he slowly walks past them.

"Shall we take a taxi or walk?" Jiang Chen asked.

"It's just a walk, not far," Li Xue pointed ahead, "It's in that direction, over on Wenhua West Road, about a ten-minute walk."

In 2010, taking a taxi in Jinan was not cheap. The starting price was 7.5 yuan, and the price was 1.5 yuan per kilometer. The key problem was that it was difficult to hail a taxi.

There's no Didi or Kuaidi. If you want to hail a taxi, you either have to wave it down on the street or call 96576. The dispatcher will ask you where you're coming from and where you're going, and then say, "Just wait." As for how long you have to wait, that's up to fate.

Anyway, neither of them had anything urgent to do, so walking was fine.

The most vibrant and lively places on Wenhua West Road at night are not the main streets, but the alleyways that wind their way into the residential areas.

Rows of bicycles were parked along the roadside, and signs for document processing and room rentals were pasted on the utility poles. Below them was a row of small restaurants serving spicy hot pot, braised chicken, and Lanzhou noodles. The colorful light boxes on the signs reflected the oil stains on the ground.

Li Xue led him into an alleyway where a dense network of power lines and clotheslines hung overhead, with bed sheets and underwear swaying in the night breeze.

The air was filled with the smoke from barbecues, the aroma of stir-fried vegetables, and the scent of cumin.

"This is it!" Li Xue stopped in front of a shop.

The signboard wasn't big; the four characters "Lao Pang Barbecue" were a bit hard to read due to the smoke from the cooking oil. But there were seven or eight low tables set up at the entrance, and each table was full of people. The plastic stools creaked and groaned, and there were leftover skewers and empty beer bottles on the tables.

A shirtless man was chugging a bottle, while his wife was scrolling through her phone playing online games.

The proprietress was carrying plates out of the house when she saw Li Xue. Her eyes lit up: "Oh, Xiao Xue's here?"

"Sis!" Li Xue let go of Jiang Chen's arm and rushed over to give the landlady a hug. "I've missed you so much!"

"It's been a while since you've been here," the proprietress said with a smile, patting her on the shoulder. Her gaze fell on Jiang Chen, giving him a once-over. "Oh, who's this young man?"

Li Xue glanced back at Jiang Chen, a smirk playing on her lips, and took his arm: "My boyfriend, we just held hands."

The proprietress paused for a moment, looked at Li Xue and then at Jiang Chen, then laughed even harder: "Wow, Xiao Xue, you found someone so handsome!"

Jiang Chen was about to say "no" when Li Xue pulled him inside, turning back to call out to the proprietress, "Sister, are there any seats left in our usual spot?"

"Yes, I saved it for you!"

Jiang Chen: "..."

This girl from Jinan is so quirky and clever...

Li Xue walked familiarly to a table against the wall and sat down. The location was good, well-ventilated, with a view of the alley entrance, and a small light bulb overhead.

"Do you come here often?"

"I used to come here often. Their grilled skewers are the best in Jinan, especially the garlic cloves with pork and the grilled chicken wings. Let me tell you, they're amazing."