As the sky gradually darkened, the streetlights on both sides lit up, and night was about to fall.
Lu Chen drove his Zhonghua X7 through the heavy traffic at a speed of no more than 10 miles per hour.
Although Capital City had shed its "traffic jam city" label years ago, during rush hour, the roads of the Second and Third Ring Roads were still very congested, often experiencing blockages that left people helpless.
"Hello, dear listeners, this is Capital City Music Radio FM102.6. The next song is 'Happy Angel' by Chen Fei'er, wishing everyone a wonderful evening!"
Listening to the FM broadcast from the car radio, Lu Chen couldn't help but turn his head to the right.
In the passenger seat sat a woman dressed in a T-shirt and jeans.
Her oversized white T-shirt, resembling a batwing shirt, was covered in various English letters, and the splattered colors gave it an exaggerated postmodern style, which is exactly what trendy young people love these days.
The black-blue jeans were made of thin material, with multiple rips exposing her fair skin underneath.
She had her hair tied up in a fluffy ponytail, thick purple eyeshadow on her face, and a pair of colorful glasses perched on her delicate nose. Her red lips were striking, and long purple-gold hoops dangled from her earlobes, sparkling under the passing car lights.
Such a look is common in WeChat groups and Feixin groups, mostly coming from those selfie-obsessed girls born in the 90s. They chase fashion and color, enjoying personalized decorations.
Even if it looks very exaggerated.
However, Lu Chen really had nothing to say; he never dreamed that Chen Fei'er could dress like this!
If a paparazzo caught Chen Fei'er in this outfit, and she nevertheless ditched all her assistants and entourage to go out shopping and dining with him, it would definitely make headlines the next day.
Her image would be completely ruined!
What about the sweet song Heavenly Queen? What about the Jade Girl's leader? What about the goddess that everyone looks up to?
All of it would be shattered!
Lu Chen felt a headache coming on, and the pressure was immense.
How did he agree to this?
Alright, Lu Chen had to admit that the temptation of shopping with a Heavenly Queen was hard to refuse.
Chen Fei'er clearly wasn't doing this for the first time. After he got out of the Mercedes-Benz van, he waited outside for just over half an hour, and when he saw this Heavenly Queen again, she had completely transformed.
Even walking openly on the bustling street, no one would probably recognize her true identity!
Chen Fei'er noticed Lu Chen's gaze, as if she knew what he was thinking, and softly said, "People like us don't have our own lives; it feels like we live for others. Our appearances are glamorous, but behind the scenes, we bear so much pressure."
"When Wang Bin got into trouble, I wasn't surprised at all because he started that way a long time ago; he couldn't control himself."
"I don't want to relieve pressure in a self-destructive way, so whenever I have the chance, I run out to be an ordinary person, to shop for clothes, to eat things I usually wouldn't dare to eat, to go to amusement parks and ride roller coasters, to play games in arcades."
She spoke her story, blending with the song that belonged to her coming from the radio.
Lu Chen was silent.
After a moment, he curiously asked, "Sister Fei, are you not worried about coming out with me?"
After all, he was a young and strong man! If something happened to her, she would probably have to swallow it herself.
"What are you thinking?" Chen Fei'er playfully rolled her eyes at him and said, "I consider you like a younger brother; my brother is the same age as you!"
She smiled and said, "If I could be ten years younger, I might really consider you."
Chen Fei'er never shied away from mentioning her age; she was 30 this year, 8 years older than Lu Chen.
She had a good impression of Lu Chen, admired his talent, and trusted his character.
Lu Chen smiled wryly and rubbed his nose, speechless.
Chen Fei'er blinked and asked, "Lu Chen, you don't have a girlfriend, right?"
Lu Chen nodded, "Yes, I don't have any thoughts in that direction for now."
Chen Fei'er sighed, "That's true; our artists' dating lives are different from ordinary people. We are always exposed to the spotlight, and we often have little time together, leading to many breakups."
Suddenly, she said, "Xiaochu really likes you; have you considered her? She's a very cute girl!"
Xiaochu?
Lu Chen was taken aback but quickly realized that Chen Fei'er was referring to Mu Xiaochu.
He shook his head, "I see Xiaochu as a younger sister."
Hearing Lu Chen's response, Chen Fei'er immediately laughed— she had just said she considered Lu Chen a younger brother too!
The sweet song Heavenly Queen smiled beautifully, and even her heavy makeup couldn't hide it.
The atmosphere inside the car became warm and harmonious.
The stagnant traffic began to move again.
When Lu Chen parked the car in a lot near Shichahai, it was already completely dark.
That evening, it was agreed that Chen Fei'er would treat him to dinner, but she didn't want to go to any luxurious restaurants or five-star hotels. Instead, she craved the local snacks of old Capital City, so they headed to Shichahai.
The snack street at Shichahai is famous throughout Capital City, featuring renowned establishments like Yueshengzhai, Bao Du Feng, Chatang Li, Niangao Qian, Nai Lao Wei, Yangtou Ma, and Doufu Nao Bai, among dozens of century-old brands.
Originally, the snack street was hidden in the Xiaoyou Hutong next to Soong Ching-ling's former residence, in a large courtyard that could accommodate only a few hundred diners at a time.
Later, due to its popularity, the government redesigned and rebuilt it, connecting the old hutong with a new pedestrian street, adding more food stalls from across the country and even abroad, combined with modern shopping malls, creating an integrated space for dining, entertainment, and shopping.
Every day, the place is bustling with business, especially around six or seven o'clock when it gets incredibly crowded.
"I want to eat baodu, niangao, and doufunao," Chen Fei'er said casually, linking her arm with Lu Chen's, listing off her cravings: "And lamb skewers, shao mai, soup dumplings, and lemon juice!"
Walking along the ancient and charming old street, the two followed the crowd, looking like an ordinary couple.
Chen Fei'er was over 1.7 meters tall, and even without high heels, she complemented Lu Chen well.
Lu Chen was astonished, "Can you eat all that? Aren't you afraid of gaining weight?"
Chen Fei'er laughed, "Not at all! I only eat like this once or twice every few months."
Lu Chen relaxed, "As long as you're not worried, let's eat to our heart's content! If you want to eat, then let's eat!"
If Chen Fei'er wasn't worried, what did he have to be concerned about?
"That's the spirit!" Chen Fei'er smiled, "We're out to relax, so let's not overthink it. Being happy is the most important thing."
In other words, it was about being willful!
So the two willful individuals first ran to a stall selling lamb skewers, and Lu Chen ordered ten skewers.
"Add some spice!"
"Sure thing!"
The vendor quickly counted out the freshly grilled skewers and skillfully sprinkled chili powder on them, "That'll be fifty."
Each skewer was five yuan, and Lu Chen took the skewers but didn't pay.
It was Chen Fei'er who pulled out cash from her cute little bag, which probably held no more than fifty yuan, and handed it to the vendor.
"Thank you for your patronage!" The vendor took the money and shot Lu Chen a disdainful look.
A tall and handsome young man going out to eat and letting a girl pay? He must be either a softie or living off a woman.
What a waste of good looks!
Lu Chen didn't know what to say.
Earlier on the road, Chen Fei'er had emphasized that he would handle the items while she would take care of the payments.
And now, he was being looked down upon.
Chen Fei'er cheerfully took a few skewers from Lu Chen's hands and eagerly stuffed them into her mouth.
After chewing a few pieces and swallowing, she opened her mouth to breathe heavily, "So spicy! So spicy!"
She looked distressed.
Lu Chen quickly bought fresh orange juice from a nearby stall and handed it to Chen Fei'er.
"Refreshing!" Chen Fei'er clearly wasn't very good with spicy food, but after a sip of juice, she continued munching on the lamb skewers.
Her fearless attitude towards spice impressed Lu Chen.
However, if her carefree and unladylike eating habits were seen by her fans, who knows how many hearts would break!
As they enjoyed the lamb skewers, the two continued walking, stopping whenever they saw something they wanted to eat.
Niangao, doufu nao, shao mai, soup dumplings. They walked and ate, not needing to think about anything else— just eating.
By the time they reached the halfway point of the snack street, Chen Fei 'er's stomach was already round and she could hardly move!
She looked regretful, "There are still so many delicious things left to try."
Lu Chen chuckled, "Let's come back another time; let's take a break over at the pedestrian street for now."
Ahead was the intersection where the snack street met the pedestrian street; turning right would lead them to the shopping mall.
The pedestrian street leading directly to the mall had fewer people, with outdoor tea houses and coffee shops lining both sides.
There were also benches for tourists to rest.
Lu Chen and Chen Fei'er found an empty bench to sit down. They weren't exhausted, but they felt a bit stuffed.
Chen Fei'er had ordered a lot of food, and after tasting each item, she left the leftovers for Lu Chen.
Lu Chen's stomach capacity was limited.
"Hey?" Chen Fei'er suddenly brightened up and elbowed Lu Chen, "Listen!"
Lu Chen heard it.
"The brightest star in the night sky, can you hear me? The one who gazes up, the loneliness and sighs in their heart."
The song being sung was actually "The Brightest Star in the Night Sky"!
He couldn't help but turn his head toward the source of the voice.
Not far away, in the center of the pedestrian street, a street performer was playing and singing.
Singing Lu Chen's song.
"The brightest star in the night sky, can you remember, the figure that walked with me, disappearing in the wind!"
Lu Chen couldn't help but smile.
——
(End of Chapter)
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