Chapter 42: Absolutely Not, Absolutely Not – What Can’t I Hear?
Song Mingzhi had a very good memory.
In certain situations, she could even remember specific moments very clearly, as if plucked from the past, replaying them repeatedly in her mind.
This symptom was somewhat similar to hyperthymesia, but Song Mingzhi’s case wasn’t that extreme. It was just that after being trafficked as a child, her memory became better than before, perhaps because she couldn’t remember anything before that except her name, so she paid extra attention to later events.
Song Mingzhi remembered that warm afternoon, Dong Ling drunk, the smooth and beautiful lines of her calves beneath her skirt, the loose chain, like a rope pulling at her memories, clearly visible.
Recalling it again, she could almost smell the scent of alcohol and the warmth of Dong Ling’s breath near her ear.
And her loose black hair, flushed cheeks, and confused, innocent eyes.
Memories had colors.
Those ankles wrapped in straps were still vivid in her mind, the interweaving of white and blue, the shape of her protruding ankle bones and the curve of her foot arched in the high heels, she remembered them very clearly.
She saw the figure on the flower-vine swing from afar and only felt a sense of familiarity, her intuition pulling her closer, and her guess was confirmed as she approached.
The person sitting on the swing was wearing a cat face mask, only her lips and chin visible, paired with her attire, she looked like a Japanese shrine maiden.
Song Mingzhi met her eyes and confirmed her guess.
Seeing her smile and actions, she knew Dong Ling didn’t want to be exposed, so she smiled back and walked towards her original destination.
The cameraman quickly followed, Tong Qing was a little unsure, she glanced at the woman who had left the swing, only her back visible, and went to search for her own task location.
[Hey, hey, hey? Why did she leave again? Do they know each other?]
[Although we can’t see her face, she looks like a beauty!]
[Song Jie actually smiled, she’s been expressionless the whole time, it must be someone she knows and is familiar with!]
[Blindly guessing CEO Dong! Not very subtle, cameraman, you’re not doing your job, you didn’t even give us a clear shot of the beautiful sister.]
[Where are our eagle-eyed detectives! Compare and analyze quickly! If it’s really CEO Dong… I can’t, I think I’m going to faint.]
Dong Ling looked down at the comments on her phone, she didn’t care if they recognized her or not, she wouldn’t admit it anyway.
She didn’t admit it last time with the comparison pictures, although the CP fans had already decided, but kissing the female lead with camera angles was part of the male lead’s script, what did it have to do with her, the vicious female supporting character?
What she was worried about now was that the task system hadn’t given her the reward yet, her mind was empty, no mechanical voice, but the countdown was clearly 24 hours, it was still far from the task deadline, and she would receive a notification if the task failed after accepting it.
Dong Ling couldn’t help but ask: [021, is it delayed again?]
021 replied: [No, tasks with time limits within a few days usually aren’t delayed. Delays usually occur with tasks that have time limits of a month or longer and more complex judgment criteria.]
Like that script task with a 5% progress reward, the task system had to confirm that the movie brought popularity and traffic to the female lead, that it was a successful work, before giving the reward.
Dong Ling felt a little empty, so her sudden appearance on the show wasn’t a surprise to Song Mingzhi?
It was quite normal, this level of surprise wasn’t enough.
Dong Ling tugged at the corners of her lips, feeling her previous idea was a bit naive.
She had come excitedly to join in the fun, but now, Dong Ling was no longer in the mood, even feeling a little irritated and wanting to leave.
But this thought only lasted for a moment before disappearing, Dong Ling’s mind was a little chaotic, so she didn’t even think about how Song Mingzhi recognized her so quickly.
Dong Ling moved according to the director’s instructions through the earpiece. This was the frustrating part of this program.
While the guests were searching for the second NPC, every time they went to the wrong location, the three NPCs would move a certain distance. Even if some lucky guests encountered the three NPCs in advance, unless they found the second NPC immediately, it was impossible to return to the original location and find the third NPC directly.
Dong Ling walked forward thoughtfully, still thinking about how to complete the task, what would count as a surprise for Song Mingzhi.
Only when she stopped according to the director’s instructions did she realize where she was.
This was a place called Rainbow Bridge, not a ride, but more like a pedestrian overpass, painted in rainbow colors on both sides, connecting two areas.
Because it was a children’s amusement park, it wasn’t very high, about two or three stories, the railings on both sides were relatively high, effectively preventing children from falling, and the glass of the enclosed walkway was also painted with small rainbows.
Dong Ling was afraid of heights, even at this height, she felt a little dizzy looking down.
“CEO Dong, you don’t have to move from this location, just wait for Xiao Song (Song Mingzhi) to find you.”
Dong Ling responded and stopped looking down.
The children coming and going weren’t afraid at all, some even running back and forth excitedly on the Rainbow Bridge. Dong Ling took a deep breath, lowered her eyes, and focused on the small rainbow in front of her.
Dong Ling was actually quite proud, she would rather endure it than let others see her fear, even if they couldn’t possibly see it.
If she had just spoken up, the program team would have immediately arranged for her to be an NPC in a different location, but Dong Ling didn’t say anything. It wasn’t the middle of the bridge, but on one side, so it wasn’t a big deal.
She figured that the reason she was so comfortable around Song Mingzhi, besides her being the female lead and her personality, was because she had embarrassed herself countless times in front of Song Mingzhi.
By now, she didn’t care anymore, she had no face left to lose.
She couldn’t define Song Mingzhi as just a friend, after all, in her heart, Song Mingzhi was different from Chen Shang Shang and Tang Qianxi.
The connection between them was difficult to define, like her relationship with Xuan Du, and with He Diesheng.
To distract herself, Dong Ling put on her earphones again and started watching Song Mingzhi’s live stream.
Song Mingzhi had already found the second NPC by the fountain and was receiving her task.
[You call this a fountain??? Dog program team, come get scolded!]
[We’re all fools, I knew the program team was tricky, but I didn’t expect them to be this tricky.]
[I really didn’t expect this thing to be called a fountain…]
[Damn, she’s really fast, Tong Qing next door is still looking for ducks, already starting to imagine how tricky her “duck” clue is…]
There was a drawing area in the children’s amusement park, a large drawing board where many children could draw together, and on the back of this drawing board, there was a cat dancing in a fountain.
Keyword: fountain.
Dong Ling’s eye twitched, wasn’t this too absurd?
Because the second NPC was difficult to find, there was no need to answer any questions, they could directly receive the pouch containing the badge and the clue card.
Song Mingzhi took the card and saw the keyword on it.
—Mask.
Song Mingzhi suddenly had a realization and strode quickly in a certain direction.
[What’s happening, what’s happening, help, can someone explain?]
[Why is Song Jie running? Slow down! The cameraman can’t keep up!]
[Looks like she figured it out…]
[Looks like she figured it out…]
[What did she figure out?]
[The clues are connected, not independent. The second one is a fountain, related to the first clue, “cat,” so the third one…]
[It’s the cat face mask! The one Song Jie saw before!]
[OMG, OMG!]
[Song Zhong sisters, can you tell us?! Is that CEO Dong or not?!]
[Don’t make things difficult for our detectives, the previous shots didn’t focus on her, we can’t see clearly at all.]
Although Dong Ling had added filter words, she could still glean some clues from the comments, and she thought with satisfaction, it’s good that you can’t see clearly.
[Ahhhhhh! Song Jie’s running speed, if this isn’t love, then what is it! I’m so invested in this CP, not Song Zhong, but this one, it feels so right, female celebrity x visiting civilian girlfriend.]
[…But why can’t it be another female celebrity? Showing off their affection so secretly.]
[Regardless of whether it’s a friend or not, that person seems quite special to Song Jie, otherwise, how could Song Jie recognize her at a glance, and even smile, and now she’s running so fast?]
[Song Jie changing her course of action just for this person… It’s over, sisters, I’m hooked, I’m living here in Song Mingzhi’s live stream today!]
The Song Zhong girls knew their ship wasn’t officially recognized, and it was normal for a celebrity to have multiple CP pairings, so they remained silent, remembering to keep their excitement within their own circle.
Dong Ling, seeing herself being assigned two more identities, fell into contemplation.
She didn’t even release a video this time, didn’t even show her full face, Song Mingzhi just smiled, was it necessary to ship them so enthusiastically?
But now Dong Ling realized, how did Song Mingzhi recognize her so quickly? They were quite far apart at the time, weren’t they?
As Dong Ling was pondering, she suddenly heard crying.
She subconsciously looked towards the source of the sound. A child had fallen and was crying in the middle of Rainbow Bridge. It was lunchtime, and many families had taken their children to the restaurant, there was no one on the bridge.
Dong Ling put away her phone, looked at the little girl with a conflicted expression, and asked: “Where is your mommy?”
“I… I can’t find my mommy… waaaah…”
The little girl cried even harder, and some tourists below were already looking up.
“Then get up first, shall I take you to find your mommy?”
Dong Ling tried to encourage her, the floor of Rainbow Bridge was painted with many rainbows, but most of it was transparent, and Dong Ling felt dizzy looking down.
The little girl just kept crying, Dong Ling couldn’t do anything about it. She kept her eyes fixed forward, but when she walked onto the bridge, the open space on both sides made her legs tremble involuntarily.
Dong Ling squatted down and helped the little girl up.
She softly comforted the crying girl, whose face was red: “Don’t cry, where did you lose your mommy?”
“Jiajia! You scared Mommy to death! Why did you run off on your own?! Come here quickly!”
A woman rushed up the stairs of the overpass, breathless. She was already panicking because she couldn’t find her daughter, and seeing her daughter talking to a masked person made her even more anxious, afraid that it was a bad person, she rushed over, picked up her child, and left hurriedly.
Dong Ling, squatting in the middle of Rainbow Bridge: …………
Dong Ling thought adults should be brave, but when she stood up and saw the ground below, she felt dizzy again.
The midday sun was shining down, making her feel a little breathless.
If someone came from the other side at this moment, Dong Ling would probably worry about blocking their way, and to avoid their questioning gaze, she would quickly move to the side, to a safe zone, but no one came.
Humans were strange creatures, when facing their fears, if there was an audience, they wouldn’t be afraid, but if there wasn’t, the fear seemed to be amplified.
Dong Ling’s body was stiff, she didn’t even dare lean against the railing. Although she knew she wouldn’t fall, she still couldn’t help but imagine the disastrous consequences of falling.
On the other side, Song Mingzhi was looking for the flower-vine swing she saw earlier.
[Coming from Tong Qing’s live stream, I just want to remind you that the masked woman on the swing left after Song Mingzhi left.]
Song Mingzhi’s cameraman didn’t capture it, but Tong Qing’s cameraman did.
Seeing Song Mingzhi walking towards the flower-vine swing, the viewers frantically typed in the chat.
[Jiejie, come back, she’s gone!]
[Jiejie!!! She’s not there!!!]
[Paying one dollar to hire someone in the same city to inform the program team.]
Song Mingzhi didn’t know what was happening in the chat. She returned to the flower-vine swing, but the person sitting there wasn’t Dong Ling, but someone else.
Song Mingzhi was slightly taken aback, looked around, but didn’t see her, finding someone in such a large amusement park wasn’t easy.
That was the whole point, otherwise the live stream wouldn’t last the whole day. If it ended before nightfall, what was the fun in that?
[The other guests have all gone to lunch, Jiejie, go eat and rest!]
[Looking forward to Jiejie’s eating broadcast!]
[The lunch provided by this dog program team is actually quite good, a guaranteed eating broadcast, how nice.]
[Some eating broadcasts are truly heartbreaking, like xxx last time, so afraid of consuming too many calories, the food didn’t even look appetizing anymore.]
[Hahaha, thinking of that comedian who became a food blogger because of this variety show, nothing else, but watching him cook and eat is so satisfying.]
[With Jiejie’s looks, I’m already ready with a napkin to enjoy the feast.]
[Be more precise, it’s a luncheon, I’ve even prepared a tuxedo!]
However, despite the director’s persuasion through the earpiece, Song Mingzhi remained unmoved.
She mentally eliminated the paths she had taken and walked towards the unexplored areas.
[Wait, wait, that’s not the direction of the restaurant, Jiejie, you’re going the wrong way!]
[Emmmm, those saying she’s going the wrong way must be new viewers, right?]
[dies laughing, anyone else might go the wrong way, but not our Jiejie.]
The director panicked and desperately tried to stop her through the earpiece.
The game stages were all pre-arranged. If Song Mingzhi won now, the game would have to end early, which would affect not only the variety show, but also the other guests.
Song Mingzhi had business acumen, she naturally understood this.
But she still continued walking forward, and soon, she saw a red figure in the middle of the overpass and immediately walked towards her.
[Damn… she found her just like that?]
[Seriously, officer… she’s truly an emotionless player, with all due respect, this is really going to attract haters.]
[Speechless, what’s going on? I just started watching my Gege’s live stream, and you’re about to finish the game, there’s no need to show off like this, newcomer.]
[Jiejie… this isn’t the time to be competitive, don’t go… ]
[Emmmm, Canghai, please don’t accept these kinds of gigs for Jiejie in the future, she really doesn’t have a sense of variety…]
[So annoying, what the hell, do you think it’s fun to end the show early and steal other people’s screen time?]
[It’s not easy for our Jiejie to be on a variety show, and she runs into such a competitive opponent, so unlucky.]
[Seriously, I don’t know if she’s just stubborn or has low EQ, how could she do this?]
A large number of fans from other fandoms flooded Song Mingzhi’s live stream, the chat filled with criticism and insults. Song Mingzhi’s solo fans and CP fans were trying hard to explain, but many unfollowed her.
The production team was in despair, but after watching for a while, they realized something wasn’t quite right.
When guests found the third NPC, they had to say the corresponding slogan. The slogan for each episode was the brand name of the sponsor, and this episode was sponsored by a fruit juice brand, so the guests had to say the brand name for it to be valid.
Everyone watched as Song Mingzhi walked onto the overpass and reached out to the woman with the cat face mask.
“Let’s go.”
[?????]
[Huh?????]
[I was ready to curse, but this…]
[What’s going on? What’s happening?]
[Who is this? You even bring friends to hook up with NPCs on the show?]
[Does this staff member know Song Mingzhi?]
[Please explain, what’s going on?]
At this moment, Song Mingzhi’s solo fans, Lan Zhi, and some netizens finally breathed a sigh of relief and started explaining the background.
Dong Ling had actually taken a few steps forward, mentally preparing herself for every step, hoping someone would appear, so she could use the embarrassment to overcome her fear and quickly cross the bridge, but no one came.
Until a figure suddenly appeared beside her and reached out a hand.
Song Mingzhi knew Dong Ling was afraid of heights, she knew Dong Ling was proud.
Dong Ling hesitated, she knew the cameras were rolling.
Song Mingzhi looked at her stiff posture, seemingly seeing through her struggle, and a mischievous thought arose in her mind.
She held the microphone attached to her collar and leaned closer to Dong Ling.
Dong Ling heard her say: “Should I cover your eyes and lead you across?”
Dong Ling’s eyes widened, and she looked at Song Mingzhi nervously.
The entire nation could hear this!!!
Only when she saw Song Mingzhi’s actions did she relax.
The comments were filled with question marks, some asking what was happening, some explaining, and most were screaming.
[Is my hearing broken? Why can’t I hear anything?]
[There’s something this noble Jinjiang VIP user can’t hear! Broadcast it!]
[Damn, Song Jie whispering in her ear, so hot.]
[I would donate an ear to hear what they’re saying!]
Seeing Dong Ling didn’t respond, Song Mingzhi smiled and asked: “Then should I carry you across?”
If Dong Ling wasn’t wearing a mask, her face would be burning right now.
She grabbed Song Mingzhi’s hand and whispered: “Let’s go.”
[Task ‘Give the female lead a surprise’ complete, main storyline progress +2%, current progress 42%.]
Dong Ling: ?
Task system, explain to me, what the hell is this surprise?
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