Zhen Zhinian turned around and practically bolted the second she finished speaking, not daring to say another word for fear she might cry tears of awe at how handsome they were. Just as she stepped into the residential compound, she remembered she was still wearing He Junlin's jacket, so she immediately stripped it off and ran back out.
Zhen Zhinian: "Xiao He, your jacket."
The group had only taken a few steps when they heard someone calling out. He Junlin turned his head and said, "It's fine, keep wearing it."
Zhen Zhinian ran up to him and handed the jacket over. "I'm home now, and you guys still have a pretty long walk ahead."
He Junlin took the jacket. "Thank you."
Zhen Zhinian: "I should be the one thanking you. I don't know if we'll ever meet again, but I wish you success in suing them, a smooth third-anniversary concert, and most of all, I wish I manage to grab a concert ticket."
Song Yaxuan: "We'll meet again. I hope you get your ticket."
Liu Yaowen: "Wish you success in getting a ticket."
He Junlin: "May you successfully score a ticket."
Yan Haoxiang: "Success."
Ding Chengxin: "Wishing you get every ticket you want."
Ma Jiaqi: "Wishing you get every ticket you want."
Zhang Zhenyuan: "Wish you success. If you can't get one, I'll send you one. Thank you for saving Huan."
Zhen Zhinian: "Thank you, I'll support you forever. Goodbye."
Ma Jiaqi: "Goodnight, see you at the third anniversary."
Zhen Zhinian: "See you at the third anniversary."
Zhen Zhinian ran over to the security booth, eager to check the photos she had just taken. "Uncle, my phone, my phone!"
The security guard picked up the phone from the table and handed it to her. "Here. Those young fellows certainly are handsome, no wonder you were in such a rush."
Zhen Zhinian proudly replied, "Right? Not only handsome, but genuinely talented too."
Zhen Zhinian took the phone, opened the gallery, and saw there were over thirty burst-shot photos. She tapped on one and thought—they really looked both handsome and adorable. Good thing she hadn't made any terrible faces, otherwise she would've ruined the whole picture.
Zhen Zhinian shook her phone at the security guard. "Thanks, Uncle, goodnight."
The security guard laughed. "It's practically morning already, and you're saying goodnight."
Zhen Zhinian let out a few giggles and walked home.
Ma Jiaqi and the others walked back along the same path they had just taken.
Yan Haoxiang: "Are we still going back to sleep there?"
Ding Chengxin: "We can't stay there, it's not safe. None of you have showered yet, go grab your clothes and we'll wash up at a nearby hotel."
Zhang Zhenyuan looked at Huan trotting alongside them. "It's a miracle Huan ran into that girl. I don't even want to imagine what would've happened to Huan otherwise."
Yan Haoxiang: "Seriously. Those stalker fans were holding clubs, too. A more timid girl would've just walked away, but that girl was truly kind and brave."
Ding Chengxin: "She's genuinely kind, though that kind of kindness makes it easy for people to get taken advantage of. Still, kind people always end up well protected."
Song Yaxuan: "Do you guys think she was clever for using a fake livestream to trick them, or were they just that stupid?"
He Junlin: "Definitely because she was too smart. When she was about to get hit, instead of running away and abandoning Huan, she actually came up with a plan. Those stalker fans were pretty stupid too, though—not that stupidity is a bad thing."
Zhang Zhenyuan: "A girl like that is genuinely lovable. It's impossible to dislike her."
He Junlin: "Yeah, even just listening to her talk is interesting."
Song Yaxuan: "Her speaking style is hilarious. I couldn't stop laughing and spent the whole time pinching Yaowen's arm."
Liu Yaowen: "You not holding it in is one thing, but my arm is completely red from your pinching."
Zhang Zhenyuan: "So what about this whole situation?"
Ding Chengxin and Ma Jiaqi spoke in unison: "We'll talk about it when we get to the hotel."
Ding Chengxin: "Let's pick up the pace, grab our clothes, and get out of here."
Zhang Zhenyuan: "Mhm."
All of them had long legs and walked fast. Before long, they reached the residential compound and unlocked the gate with a keycard to go inside.
Yan Haoxiang: "I'll go to the security booth to pull the footage of us leaving and coming back."
Ding Chengxin: "I'll go do it. I already showered, so I don't need to pack clothes."
Yan Haoxiang: "Alright. That security guard is pretty easygoing; explain it to him clearly and he'll pull up the surveillance for you."
Ding Chengxin: "Got it. You guys try to be quick grabbing your things, and don't talk while you're in that house."
Ma Jiaqi: "Got it."
The six of them headed toward the house while Ding Chengxin walked toward the security booth.
When Ding Chengxin reached the security booth, he saw the security guard dozing off and hesitated to wake him up. He stood by the window for two minutes before finally deciding to wake him, giving a few soft calls: "Uncle? Excuse me, Uncle?"
The security guard wasn't disturbed in the least—you could argue a mosquito's buzz was louder.
Ding Chengxin stood by the window for another two minutes, finally resolving to raise his hand and tap the glass twice lightly. The security guard snapped awake, raised his head, and jumped in fright at the sight of someone standing at the window.
Security guard: "What do you want?"
Ding Chengxin: "Uncle, sorry to bother you. I live in this compound. Our dog went missing, so I wanted to take another look at the surveillance footage."
The security guard looked Ding Chengxin up and down. "Which building do you live in?"
Ding Chengxin: "The small villa on the far left."
Security guard: "You live in that villa too? Didn't some young fellow already come by around midnight or 1:00 AM to check the footage?"
Ding Chengxin: "Yes, we're together. He didn't capture things very clearly, so we need to double-check."
Security guard: "What's the name of the owner of that house?"
Ding Chengxin: "Li Fei."
Security guard: "How is he related to you?"
Ding Chengxin: "He's the boss of TF Entertainment, and we're artists from his company."
Security guard: "Alright, come on in."
Ding Chengxin walked into the security booth to check the surveillance footage.