Quick Travel to the Clouds

Yun Chu carried the large thermos bucket she had carefully prepared and boarded the high-speed train to the film and television base.

Unlike the quiet and cool scenes when Luo Yunshuang was filming art films before, this time the crew was much larger and the set was bustling with people.

Yun Chu successfully completed the visiting procedures and found his sister's rest area.

"Sister!" Yun Chu saw Luo Yunshuang in a smart suit at a glance. She was drinking water during the break. There was a hint of fatigue on her face, but her eyes lit up instantly when she saw her sister.

"Xiaochu!" Luo Yunshuang walked over quickly and gave her sister a big hug. "You're finally here! I've been eating so many boxed lunches these past few days that I almost forgot what home-cooked meals taste like."

Yun Chu smiled and handed over the thermos: "I guessed you were craving something, so I brought you something to satisfy your craving!"

Open the thermos and the rich aroma will immediately spread. The first layer is a secret oil-splashed pulled noodles with hot chili and garlic red oil. The noodles are wide and chewy, and the chili oil is bright and attractive.

The other layer is chilled sesame cold noodles coated with thick sesame paste and sweet and sour sauce, which is refreshing and relieves greasiness; in the interlayer of the thermos, there is also a small box of pickled cherry radish, which is crispy, sour and sweet.

"Wow! Oil-splashed noodles! My life is back!" Luo Yunshuang cheered, then lowered her voice, "Wait, Xiaochu, can you... give me a few more portions? Especially that cold noodles and pickled radish, they make me drool just by smelling them. Can you share some with your partners?"

She winked and hinted at the leading actors and assistant director nearby, "Everyone's been filming late-night scenes non-stop these past few days, and they're all exhausted and tired of their boxed lunches. You're a timely help!"

Yun Chu immediately understood: "No problem, sister, I brought a lot!" She took out the clean small bowls and plates she had prepared and packed them carefully.

Luo Yunshuang carried the portioned delicacies and walked towards the table where the male and female protagonists and the assistant director were gathered together to discuss the script, like a peacock with its tail spread out (the kind of proud one).

"Teacher Li, Teacher Wang, Director Zhang, would you like to try it? My sister made it herself, and brought it as a token of appreciation for visiting the set." Luo Yunshuang smiled appropriately, with a hint of pride in her voice of "Look how great our little chef is."

At first, several big names politely declined, but they could not resist the temptation of color, fragrance and taste and Luo Yunshuang's sincere sharing, so they all accepted it.

"Wow! This oil-splashed noodles is so authentic!" The tough guy Mr. Li who plays the male lead's eyes lit up as soon as he took a bite, and his fatigue dissipated a little.

"The cold noodles are so refreshing! The sauce is amazing!" The heroine, Sister Wang, nodded repeatedly and couldn't help but pick up another piece of cherry radish with her chopsticks. "This side dish is pickled really well, sweet, sour and crispy! Teacher Luo, your sister's cooking skills are good enough to open a shop!"

The assistant director also praised it highly: "Teacher Luo, this meal is really heartwarming. It's a hundred times better than takeout!"

The originally somewhat polite and unfamiliar atmosphere instantly warmed up during this unexpected food sharing.

Everyone was eating, chatting and sighing, and the topic naturally extended from food to the taste of hometown and interesting things about filming.

Luo Yunshuang joined in their conversation, and sharing became more natural and smooth. The previous sense of distance melted away a lot in the relaxed atmosphere.

This snack, which carries a strong taste of "home", has invisibly opened the first door for my sister to have a harmonious relationship with the core members of the crew.

Yun Chu watched her sister chatting and laughing with everyone from a distance. The fatigue in the corners of her eyes was replaced by smiles, and her heart felt warm.

She lowered her head to clean up the half-empty thermos, and suddenly felt a pair of eyes falling on her.

She subconsciously looked up, her eyes passing over the busy figures, and unexpectedly saw a figure wearing a baseball cap and a mask leaning against a pillar in the rest area a little further away.

Although the figure was wrapped tightly, Yun Chu felt that the pair of eyes that were exposed, which were filled with a hint of surprise and uncertainty, were somewhat familiar...

The pair of exposed eyes, with a hint of surprise and imperceptible inquiry, pierced through the noisy voices on the set and fell firmly on Yun Chu.

Yun Chu's heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason, her fingertips still stained with a smudge of oil from the edge of the thermos. This figure... was so tightly wrapped, but that outline, that glint in her eyes... she was almost certain of it.

At this moment, among the crowd sitting around sharing the food, Sister Wang, who played the leading actress, seemed to remember something. She turned her head and said loudly to the figure leaning against the pillar, "Xiaochen, don't hide there! Come over and try it too. Teacher Luo's sister's cooking is amazing!"

The figure seemed to hesitate for a moment, but still responded and walked over. As he walked, he took off his hat and mask.

A familiar face with a slightly sick look that Yun Chu had seen in the convenience store appeared in the sunlight, but now its complexion looked much better, less pale and more healthy. The fatigue between the eyebrows and eyes also faded, replaced by a more resolute and calm temperament.

It’s Chi Jingchen!

He walked to the table and bowed slightly to greet the director and leading actors: "Director Zhang, Teacher Li, Teacher Wang." His voice was much clearer and stronger than the hoarse and tired one when he was sick, but that unique magnetism was still there.

"Hey, Xiaochen is here." Director Zhang nodded with a smile, "Just in time for the treat! Teacher Luo's sister brought the taste of home."

Chi Jingchen's gaze naturally turned to Yun Chu, who was standing beside Luo Yunshuang and was still a little stunned. The corners of his mouth curved into a just right, polite and courteous smile: "Hello again, Miss Yun Chu, I didn't expect to see you here."

His wording was formal and slightly distant, completely different from the neighborly style he had in Chenxi Community.

Luo Yunshuang was quite surprised. She looked at her sister and then at Chi Jingchen: "Do you... know each other?"

Yun Chu came back to her senses and quickly replied, "Ah... yes, Mr. Chi... Mr. Chi lives across the street from us." She paused and explained, "During winter vacation, we happened to run into each other twice."

Chi Jingchen took the small portion of sesame sauce cold noodles and a plate of pickled cherry radish from Luo Yunshuang and thanked him.

He picked up a piece of crystal-clear radish with chopsticks and put it into his mouth gracefully. After savoring it carefully, he said to Yun Chu sincerely, "It's still so delicious. Your cooking skills are impressive."

His tone was sincere and appropriate, as an actor should be in social situations, but deep in his eyes as he looked at Yun Chu, there seemed to be a subtle glimmer of reunion with old acquaintances.

Sister Wang smiled and said, "I couldn't believe it when Xiaochen first told me he knew you. My husband was a fan of his farewell concert during the Chinese New Year, and we both watched the live broadcast and cried our eyes out. Those three hours were truly exhausting."

So that's how it is... The boy band disbanded... The three-year contract expired... Yun Chu remembered how exhausted he was before, and that grand, farewell concert seemed to be the last glorious ending of that past era.

Director Zhang patted Chi Jingchen on the shoulder and said admiringly, "He's incredible now. The boy band may have disbanded, but his career is getting better and better. He even set up his own studio. He's got a lot of ambition!"

"This time I specially invited him to come over to guest-star in the play as Master Lin, a rich second-generation who returns to China to inherit the family business. It's only a few shots, but it's very eye-catching. Xiaochen has thought about this character very thoroughly and grasped the state very accurately." The director's praise was obviously not a compliment.

Chi Jingchen smiled modestly and said, "Director Zhang, you're too kind. I'm still learning and exploring."

He turned to Yun Chu, his eyes more calm, "Disbanding is an end but also a beginning. Setting up a studio is also to try more possibilities. I won't stop singing, and I'm also learning acting. I hope to live up to everyone's trust."

These words were spoken to the director and the leading actors, but his final gaze fell gently on Yun Chu.

A wealthy young master? Yun Chu imagined it. His innate aloofness and slightly aloof temperament, combined with his current calmer state, really fit the character perfectly.

Sunlight streamed through the cracks in the ceiling of the studio. Chi Jingchen stood there. Compared to his previous impression of a pale and thin neighbor lying on the hospital bed, he looked tall and energetic, as if he had really opened a new chapter full of possibilities.

He glanced at the thermos beside Yun Chu, and said in a natural and sincere tone, "Thank you for visiting us on set. Thank you again for the noodles last time and the delicious food this time."

The familiar gaze lacked the unease and defensiveness of their first encounter across the street, but instead evoked the resolve and confidence of a career restart. And the eyes that gazed back were still clear, but now filled with a different kind of starlight.