Chapter 83
In reality, whether she deleted the post or not, it was already too late.
Thanks to these messy “truths,” the popularity of “Ascending to Immortality” soared even higher.
The drama itself was well-made, and the various CP combinations, excluding the male lead, were captivating. With two intriguing real-life couples, it was dubbed the “drama with CP constitution.”
Fanfiction and fan-made videos flourished, but the two “official” couples still dominated the fandom.
One couple was publicly engaged, the other was already married with a child! It was a safe bet to invest in these ships!
Fanfiction, video edits, everything was in full swing.
However, Zuo Bian and Qin Ai’s CP was still more popular. Lu Letian and Chang Wensi had been in the entertainment industry for several years, and they had quite a few girlfriend and boyfriend fans.
Many people were supportive of their relationship, but many were also opposed.
But it was different for Zuo Bian and Qin Ai. Zuo Bian was a newcomer with no established persona, and her fanbase was relatively homogenous. As for Qin Ai, she had never even appeared in the public eye before the engagement announcement.
Both of them were talented and successful individuals, and most people were supportive of their relationship, so their CP had a huge following.
Fanfiction and fan-made videos about them sprouted like mushrooms after rain, gaining massive views within hours.
One video, made by a talented editor, stood out. It contained footage that couldn’t be found online, such as Qin Ai in her youth, Qin Ai at work, Qin Ai playing the piano, and even Qin Ai reading “36 Stratagems of Love.”
Other editors were limited by the lack of available footage of Qin Ai. The only resource they had was the few minutes of video from the engagement ceremony.
This led most editors to focus on Zuo Bian’s perspective. The sudden appearance of a well-edited video with abundant footage from Qin Ai’s perspective quickly rose to the top.
The video started with Qin Ai’s perspective. As a teenager, she was rebellious and prickly, intimidating to everyone.
But it was also clear that she lacked the composure and confidence she had now.
The video didn’t explicitly depict her youth or her life journey, but the faded photos, the sad and restrained eyes, the lonely figure playing the piano, spoke volumes. The audience could fill in the blanks themselves.
Within a few dozen seconds, Qin Ai transformed from a rebellious teenager into a powerful and aloof woman, beautiful and intimidating, seemingly heartless.
Even though you knew that your efforts and attempts to please her might be in vain, you couldn’t help but be drawn to her.
These scenes were tinted with a pale gray, but the colors gradually became more vibrant after Zuo Bian appeared.
As Zuo Bian rolled down the car window, sunlight illuminated her face, and she smiled. In that moment, the world lit up.
Then came snippets of their time together, their journey from strangers to lovers. It wasn’t a dramatic or earth-shattering love story.
Whenever Zuo Bian smiled, Qin Ai’s eyes would also light up with a smile.
A single glance conveyed everything.
The background music wasn’t a well-known song, but a never-before-heard piano piece.
Even those who didn’t understand music could tell that the pianist was skilled because they could feel the emotions conveyed through the music.
The piano melody started with a sense of confusion and rebellion, then transitioned into a light and joyful tune.
The fans who watched the video were clamoring for more, demanding that the editor make another one. They couldn’t get enough!
However, many fans were also curious about how the editor had obtained so much footage.
Qin Ai had been a mystery before her engagement with Zuo Bian was announced. Even a side profile photo of her was hard to find. How could this editor have so much footage?
Some observant fans noticed that even Zuo Bian’s scenes couldn’t be found online, leading them to suspect that the editor was someone close to Zuo Bian and Qin Ai.
【You’re all focused on the visuals, am I the only one who noticed the BGM?】
【I also noticed the BGM. I tried using several music recognition apps, but I couldn’t find it. Could it be that Editor Tiantian also plays the piano? Did they compose it themselves?】
【Let’s be even bolder. Maybe it was Qin Ai who played it.】
Their guess wasn’t far off. The creator of the video was indeed someone close to Zuo Bian and Qin Ai. However, few people would have guessed who it was because this person didn’t seem like the type to edit videos.
That’s right, Editor Tiantian was Qin Tian.
Sitting in front of his computer, Qin Tian yawned, a satisfied smile on his face.
“Hmph, who can compete with me, Qin Tian?” He was confident. He was an editor with exclusive access to footage, he could create any style he wanted. And if he didn’t have enough footage, he would just secretly film some more.
As a CP fan, Qin Tian often took photos and secretly recorded the song “Galaxy” that Qin Ai played for Zuo Bian. Now, all those materials were being put to good use.
He might not have any talent for gaming, but he had taught himself video editing at a young age, and his skills were impressive.
By the time the video was released, Zuo Bian had already started her acting training. Her parents hadn’t enrolled her in a class, they had hired experienced teachers to provide one-on-one lessons.
Du Yundong and Zuo Yan’s reasoning was simple: Their daughter deserved the best, and they were afraid of the past repeating itself.
Zuo Bian had often been bullied before. Although she was becoming more like a normal person now, they were still worried that she would be taken advantage of.
But Zuo Bian felt a bit disappointed. She often passed by the training class next door when she went to the bathroom. Seeing so many people learning together, collaborating on performances, she felt a pang of longing.
In her previous life, she had yearned for a school life, and it was the same in this world.
Her master had taught her separately because she was afraid that her mischievous senior disciples would be a bad influence. Now, in this world, she was already twenty-one, an adult. It was difficult to go back to school.
She had thought she could experience a classroom environment by taking acting lessons, but she was studying alone.
But Zuo Bian knew that her parents had her best interests at heart. She just glanced at the class and left.
555 sensed her low spirits.
【Host, do you want to study with them?】
‘Mm, I want to know what it feels like to study with others.’
Since her wish couldn’t be fulfilled in reality, Zuo Bian often read school-themed novels in her spare time.
At least she could experience it vicariously.
555 could sense her longing. It wanted to say that it could buy a “Time Travel Package” for Zuo Bian to go back a few years and experience school life. But it was deeply in debt and couldn’t afford the points required for the package.
It could use its credit, but it had already reached its limit. It had to pay off its existing debt before it could use it again.
555 sighed internally, deciding to fulfill the host’s wish after completing this mission and earning enough points.
‘But it’s okay if I can’t.’ Zuo Bian said this to 555, but it was also for herself.
Life was full of regrets. She had her parents, she had Qin Ai, a small regret like this was nothing.
Three months of intensive acting training, even with Zuo Bian’s talent, it was a tight schedule.
On the first day, she was already as busy as she had been on set. By the time she got home, it was already 8 p.m.
Zuo Bian realized she hadn’t called Qin Ai at noon, so she immediately called her from the car.
Fortunately, Qin Ai didn’t blame her. She knew Zuo Bian was busy.
Zuo Bian, however, felt guilty. After all, they had agreed to have three phone calls a day.
“If you feel so guilty and want to make it up to me, give me a kiss.”
Zuo Bian said with a hint of frustration, “But you’re not here with me.”
Qin Ai chuckled softly, her voice a low murmur. “Then give it to me when we meet, make it up to me properly.”
Zuo Bian felt her face heating up. She looked out the window, trying to change the subject.
“Qin Ai, what was it like for you when you were in school?” she asked.
“Nothing special, but it was good.” Qin Ai’s teenage years had been quite rebellious.
She had been in her “chuunibyou” phase, like many teenagers who thought they were special and different, finding their classmates childish and wanting to grow up quickly.
But after actually growing up, she realized how precious and rare those school days were. It wasn’t as bad as she had imagined. Looking back, her youthful and even absurd school days were like a vivid and unforgettable photo, forever etched in her memory.
Zuo Bian listened as Qin Ai shared some of her childhood experiences. Of course, these were carefully selected stories. Qin Ai wouldn’t tell her about her true embarrassing moments.
Zuo Bian imagined the scenes in her mind, but they were Qin Ai’s experiences, not hers.
“That sounds nice,” she said.
Qin Ai, sensitive as ever, detected the envy in Zuo Bian’s tone. “Want to visit a school?”
“Mm.” Zuo Bian replied.
She didn’t just want to visit, she wanted to study there.
“I’ll take you when you have time off.”
Zuo Bian couldn’t help but smile. “I just started working, and you’re already asking me when I’ll have time off.”
“Because I want to see you more.”
Qin Ai’s words made Zuo Bian’s smile fade slightly. They had just gotten together, and she was already so busy.
“I’ll try to learn faster so I can have some free time.”
“Xiao Bian is so smart, you’ll definitely learn quickly.” Qin Ai rarely called her “Xiao Bian.”
It seemed like she had savored the two words on her tongue before saying them, adding a touch of tenderness.
“Qin Ai, I miss you.”
“I’ll come have lunch with you tomorrow.”
Zuo Bian’s eyes lit up. “Qin Ai, won’t you be busy?”
“I won’t be busy, not for the next few days. Are you not welcoming me?”
“Of course, I welcome you.” Zuo Bian smiled.
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