Here, Su Ding sat on the sofa, exhausted, gulping down water.
Fortunately, the water was sponsored and readily available on the table, just requiring the cap to be opened.
She drank more than half the bottle before stopping.
Sweat beaded on her flushed cheeks, her fair skin, so pure it was almost flawless, was deliberately magnified by the camera crew.
Bullet comments:
"Holy crap! She's a true beauty, this is definitely bare-faced makeup!"
"Divine looks, I'm drooling."
"Tch, Mengmeng is the prettiest..."
As Su Ding panted, she instinctively glanced at the camera.
She remembered Xiao Yuan's instructions from earlier. She looked at the bottle, then handed the other two bottles to Cao Ruxue and Zhang Meng.
Cao & Zhang: ???
Su Ding somewhat abruptly recited a commercial slogan, then said earnestly, "This water is really good, you should try it."
Seeing her earnest endorsement, Cao Ruxue found her endearingly naive.
She laughed heartily, "I didn't expect you to be such a little advertising genius, Dingding."
Su Ding blushed from the laughter, feeling her insertion was a bit awkward. She managed a smile and drank water to cover.
Zhang Meng covered her mouth as she drank, casting a contemptuous glance at Su Ding from the corner of her eye.
Soon after, everyone had arrived.
Wei Yang was slightly older and looked energetic and outgoing.
Chen Xi was the youngest at sixteen, with a cool demeanor.
Lu Xi was the sunny, handsome type. He and Su Ding had just come from the same film set, so they were more familiar with each other.
Next was room allocation, with two double rooms and two single rooms available.
"You two youngsters can take the double rooms," Wei Yang said with a smile, looking at Lu Xi and Chen Xi. "At my age, I'm afraid you wouldn't be comfortable with me."
"Brother Wei, you jest. You're not old at all. I'm fine with any room. What about Xiao Xi?" Lu Xi asked.
"Mm," Chen Xi maintained his cool kid persona.
The boys' room situation was quickly settled.
The girls were still discussing.
"I really want to room with Dingding and Sister Cao," Zhang Meng said, stomping her foot in a spoiled manner.
"They're all adjacent, it doesn't matter," Cao Ruxue said with a smile, trying to placate her. "What are your thoughts, Dingding?"
"I'm fine with anything," Su Ding replied politely.
"I might wake up quite early in the morning. What time do you usually get up?" Cao Ruxue inquired.
"Ah, I'm such a late riser," Zhang Meng covered her face sheepishly.
Seeing her affected demeanor, Su Ding was reminded of Shao Lin, experiencing a visceral aversion.
Before Su Ding could speak, Zhang Meng linked arms with her and said, "Dingding, you mentioned before that you also wake up very early. Sister Cao, Dingding, I need to learn from you."
Cao Ruxue laughed, "Is that so? Then Dingding and I have quite compatible schedules."
Su Ding could tell Zhang Meng wanted the single room, so she deliberately jumped into the conversation.
However, since she didn't want to room with Zhang Meng anyway, she nodded, "Then I'll room with Sister Cao in the double room."
Cao Ruxue nodded, "Okay."
With the rooms decided, everyone began unpacking.
The rooms were on the second floor, and they had to carry their own luggage up.
"Su Ding, which one is yours? I'll help you carry it upstairs," Lu Xi offered proactively.
"Ah, no need. I only have one suitcase," Su Ding smiled. "Thanks."
Lu Xi's impression of Su Ding was still from the night she kicked open the door. Seeing her smile now, he became momentarily dazed.
He sheepishly scratched his head. "Alright."
"Brother Lu Xi, can you carry mine? Mine is so heavy," Zhang Meng inserted herself into their conversation, looking at Lu Xi with a pitiable expression.
"No problem!"
Lu Xi chuckled heartily and followed Zhang Meng.
Su Ding picked up her suitcase and went upstairs to start organizing.
By noon, it was time for cooking.
Zhang Meng volunteered to cook, wanting everyone to try her skills, and asked Cao Ruxue to help.
"Dingding, you just sit and wait for food. I need to thank you for helping me carry my suitcase."
With that, Su Ding was ushered out of the kitchen.
Taking the opportunity, Su Ding went to the staff to get her phone and called Jin Ye.
"Are you settling in?" Jin Ye asked.
"It's alright. Everyone's quite polite. Is Xiao Rui behaving at your company?"
"Mm, after I finish this document, I'll take her out to eat," Jin Ye's voice carried a hint of doting affection.
"Did your mother say anything about Xiao Xi? Has he... is he still with Shao Lin?" Su Ding asked casually.
Jin Ye was silent for a moment.
Su Ding directly said, "It's fine. I understand. I'll hang up now, I can't be away for too long."
After hanging up, she washed her face, striving to regain her composure, and returned to the recording.
"Can you help me solve this problem?"
As she stepped out, she was startled by Chen Xi, the usually silent and cool teenager.