“What… you’re saying Miss Qing’s first photo album exploded?! Mr. Liu, I told you my eye for talent is spot on…”
On the plane heading to Yun Jing, Liu Zhe lowered his voice as he spoke. Qing sat by the window, her head resting against the glass, seemingly asleep.
But Lu Yuan was not asleep, and she had heard Liu Zhe’s whispered conversation.
After Liu Zhe hung up the phone, Lu Yuan spoke.
“Mr. Liu, what exactly do you mean by ‘exploded’?” Lu Yuan asked with a smile, though her tone carried a subtle threat.
She was here as Qing’s bodyguard, but that was under the assumption Qing was still just an ordinary person, not a celebrity. If Qing became famous, the bodyguard’s enemies wouldn’t just be calamities anymore, but also extreme fans—and that wasn’t covered in the agreed payment.
“Uh, well… haha, it’s nothing,” Liu Zhe tried to brush it off with a laugh.
But Lu Yuan’s eyes fixed firmly on him made Liu Zhe realize he had to give her an explanation today.
“I’m sorry, Miss Lu Yuan! I’ll pay extra!” Liu Zhe clasped his hands together.
What? Extra payment solves everything?!
…
Extra payment really did solve everything.
***
The plane landed smoothly at Yun Jing International Airport, the cabin door opened, and the passengers filed out one by one.
Lu Yuan was the first to step out. She wore a baseball cap, half of her face hidden behind sunglasses, and a mask with a coat covering her combat suit underneath. Since this mission was protective in nature, she had to stay transformed the entire time, and to avoid being recognized, some disguise was necessary.
Though the disguise really made her look like one of those desperate night prowlers.
One hand pulling her suitcase, she deliberately positioned herself to Qing’s side, shielding her from the crowd flowing by. Despite a thousand grudges about having to walk with this natural airhead pervert, Lu Yuan was still Qing’s bodyguard now. Since she’d taken Liu Zhe’s money, she had to do her job.
Liu Zhe, dragging two huge suitcases behind, was panting heavily, his face a mix of exhaustion and excitement as he continuously scanned the highly modern airport facilities, muttering, “Yun Jing really lives up to its reputation, this airport is magnificent… Hey, Miss Qing, slow down, watch your step…”
***
Qing was still dressed in that smoky gray long dress, layered with a beige trench coat. Her pale blue hair fell smoothly over her shoulders.
She looked curiously at the new environment of the airport, like a child.
Well, her body was anything but “childlike.”
“Miss Lu Yuan, the car is already arranged, right at Exit 3,” Liu Zhe said while wiping sweat from his forehead and checking his phone.
“Mm, go straight to the hotel, take the VIP channel, avoid crowds as much as possible,” Lu Yuan ordered in a low voice, her eyes never ceasing to scan the surroundings. She hadn’t forgotten Qing’s Disaster Magnet Physique.
However, plans couldn’t keep up with changes. Just as they reached the arrivals hall, a crowd armed with long lenses, cameras, and phones erupted in screams, surging forward and instantly blocking the path!
“It’s Qing! It’s Miss Qing!”
“Miss Qing, look over here! Welcome to Yun Jing!”
“Ahhh, Qing-nee is so beautiful!”
Turns out Liu Zhe had arranged for fans and station sisters to meet them at the airport. He’d hoped to build momentum with this, but completely forgot Lu Yuan’s warning.
Lu Yuan could tell most of these people weren’t fans, but media instead. After all, the photo album had only just come out a few days ago. Qing’s fan base couldn’t have grown this big so fast.
The media were like a pack of hyenas, fighting over a fresh piece of meat. This rising star in the modeling world had attracted quite a bit of heat, and the media loved it.
Lu Yuan’s face darkened. Cursing her useless teammate internally, she immediately stepped forward, shielding Qing behind her with outstretched arms to block the crowd.
“Sorry, please make way! Miss Qing needs rest and will not be taking interviews!” Lu Yuan raised her voice, trying to maintain order, but to little avail. The media’s lenses nearly pressed against their faces.
***
Behind her protection, Qing seemed completely oblivious to the chaos. Her gaze drifted past the restless crowd and settled on a giant electronic billboard in the center of the hall.
It was looping an ad for the latest sports car, the sleek body weaving through light and shadow.
Her eyes froze, and her footsteps unconsciously halted.
She remembered Lu Yuan seemed to like cars.
Qing was so absorbed that her body leaned slightly forward, almost stepping out of Lu Yuan’s protective range.
“Hey! What are you looking at? Don’t move!” Lu Yuan felt the movement behind her, quickly turning back. Her elbow accidentally bumped Qing’s arm.
Only then did Qing slowly pull her gaze back, looking at Lu Yuan, then at the crowded people around them. Her expression was still blank, but she seemed to understand that the current commotion was because of her.
But she didn’t mind. She only cared about Lu Yuan.
She naturally reached out and gently grasped the wrist of the hand Lu Yuan had just touched.
Lu Yuan: “???“
The icy fingertips touched her skin, and Lu Yuan felt as if she’d been shocked, her whole body stiffening.
“What are you doing? Let go!” Lu Yuan whispered, startled and angry, trying to pull away, but despite the light grip, the strength was firm.
Qing seemed not to hear, simply using Lu Yuan’s arm to lift herself slightly on tiptoes and looked once again at the billboard, then pointed with her free hand at the sports car on the screen, turning to Lu Yuan.
“What do you mean?” Lu Yuan didn’t understand what Qing was trying to express.
Qing thought for a moment, then pulled out her phone.
【Do you like it?】
Like it? Like what, the car? Was she asking if Lu Yuan liked cars?
Lu Yuan was momentarily stunned.
The fans erupted into even louder screams and camera clicks.
“Is that her bodyguard over there? Do they know each other?”
“They’re holding hands, they’re holding hands!”
“What’s this? Selling CP right after debut?!”
The scene became chaotic.
Finally, with the help of airport security and Lu Yuan’s near murderous glare, Liu Zhe, dripping with sweat, dragged the two VIPs through the crowd and dashed into the waiting nanny car.
***
As the door shut, peace finally returned.
Lu Yuan’s cheeks were flushed red with anger as she scolded Liu Zhe: “Liu Zhe! This is what you call low profile?!”
“All the media and fans showed up! What if a calamity breaks out? Will you take responsibility?!”
“And you!” She turned toward Qing, who wore an innocent expression, but for some reason Lu Yuan couldn’t bring herself to get angry at her.
After all, Qing had just asked if she liked the sports car — at heart, she did care about her… it just felt a little weird being cared about by a weirdo.
“No more touching me without permission, and no more weird questions! Understand?” Lu Yuan could only make a token reprimand.
Qing sat quietly on the leather seat, her gaze already drifting to the rapidly passing Yun Jing cityscape outside the window, ignoring Lu Yuan’s scolding as if she wasn’t the one who had caused the earlier chaos.
The atmosphere inside the car became tense. Liu Zhe hunched his shoulders, afraid to say a word and provoke Lu Yuan’s anger again. Lu Yuan crossed her arms, fuming as she stared out the window, trying to express her displeasure.
After a moment, she felt her sleeve being tugged very lightly.
Lu Yuan turned back, annoyed, and saw Qing had once again taken out her phone, screen facing her.
On it was written: 【Sorry.】
After the text was a clumsy system emoji of apology: 【(´･ω･`)】
“…”
Lu Yuan’s fury suddenly clogged up, struck by the straightforward yet somewhat comical apology. She didn’t know whether to be mad or not.
She looked into Qing’s clear green eyes, which showed no scheming or malice, only an innocent, almost animal-like purity. It was as if Qing truly realized she might have done something wrong, but didn’t quite understand what.
“Forget it…” Lu Yuan sighed, feeling like she was scolding an unruly child. “Just be careful next time. Especially in public places, absolutely no touching me without permission, and no actions that can cause misunderstandings, got it?”
Qing looked at her and slowly nodded. Then she lowered her head to type on her phone again, raising it once more:
【Do you like the car?】
She seemed oddly fixated on this question, coming full circle.
Lu Yuan was almost defeated by her baffling thought process, helplessly replying, “So what if I like it? Such an expensive thing…”
Before she finished, Qing’s eyes seemed to brighten slightly. She lowered her head, fingers rapidly tapping on the phone screen, as if calculating something, her expression unusually focused.
Lu Yuan suddenly had a bad feeling: “…What are you calculating?”
Qing looked up and showed her the phone screen.
It was a calculator app displaying the cost of the sports car, followed by an equal sign, then the total of Lu Yuan’s “bodyguard fee” plus the “extra payment” Liu Zhe had promised.
Then Qing pointed at the numbers on the calculator, gestured toward the now invisible direction of the airport outside the window, and finally looked at Lu Yuan with an expectant expression.
Lu Yuan stared for several seconds before incredulously deciphering her meaning: “You… you mean… use my bodyguard fee… to buy that car???“
Qing nodded firmly, as if to say, “See? The money is enough.”
Lu Yuan held her forehead, feeling her temples throb.
“First!” She raised one finger, trying to reason with Qing, “That’s my service fee! My hard-earned money! It’s not a budget for buying you cars!”
Qing tilted her head, apparently not understanding the difference.
“Second!” Lu Yuan raised a second finger, “Even if… even if you actually bought it, that car would be mine! Not yours! Got it?”
Qing nodded again, her eyes clearly saying, “But it’s a gift for you.”
In her logic, money = sports car = Lu Yuan’s happiness = her own happiness. So no problem at all. She didn’t care whose money it was, as long as Lu Yuan was happy.
Even if the money was Lu Yuan’s own.
“…” Lu Yuan had no energy left to argue.
So this girl had caused such a big scene, asked half the time if Lu Yuan liked the car, and now wanted to buy herself a gift with Lu Yuan’s salary? What kind of natural airhead with twisted logic was this?
Lu Yuan slumped back in her seat, staring at the flying Yun Jing cityscape outside, suddenly feeling that the next few days as a bodyguard would probably be a hundred times more exhausting than dealing with calamities.
Beside her, Qing quietly continued her unfathomable logic, calmly planning how to use Lu Yuan’s money to buy Lu Yuan a sports car, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.