"Now that exams are over, what are your plans?" After finishing the topic of majors, Chen Cheng raised an eyebrow and asked with a smile.

Deng Xiaoqi's eyes went wide. "We're planning to go out and have some fun," she said, looking at Chen Cheng expectantly. "Brother Cheng, are you coming?"

Chen Cheng shook his head. "Do I look like I have time to play?"

He didn't have to clock into an office, but he was working anytime, anywhere.

He definitely couldn't go out to play; even if he did, he wouldn't be able to relax.

With the training of zen1.0, new problems cropped up every day waiting for him to solve;

There was also a huge sum of money in Hong Kong betting on gold returns.

He couldn't fully trust his subordinates with either of those matters.

"Uh..." Deng Xiaoqi pursed her lips, feeling an immediate sense of disappointment.

Chen Cheng smiled. "Where are you guys planning to go?"

Lin Miaomiao shook her head. "No plans yet. We're going to discuss it with CEO Jiang and Qian Sanyi tomorrow."

Deng Xiaoqi thought for a moment. "On the way over, Miao Miao and I had a brief chat. We'll likely head north—the Central Plains, the Capital, Chang'an, Hexi, and then North of the Great Wall, things like that."

"Go see the North."

Chen Cheng couldn't help but chuckle.

It was an obsession for Southerners to go see the North or to see the snow.

Just as it was an obsession for Northerners to go see the South or see the ocean.

Looking at Deng Xiaoqi, he thought for a moment. "Go record a new song some other day."

Deng Xiaoqi had only released one song, 'Against the Light', in the past six months. Although the response was very good, she didn't have the same level of popularity as Xiao Ye.

Deng Xiaoqi was instantly energized. Forgetting about filming the video for Lin Miaomiao, she spun around and stood up, looking at Chen Cheng in pleasant surprise. "Brother Cheng, you wrote a new song?"

Chen Cheng shook his head. "No, I copied it from someone else."

"Ugh~" Deng Xiaoqi performed a tactical lean-back. Not only did she not believe Chen Cheng's excuse, but Qiao Jingjing and Xiao Ye wouldn't believe it either.

Watching her antics, Chen Cheng laughed in spite of himself. "Do you want it or not?"

Deng Xiaoqi dashed over and leaned down to give Chen Cheng a peck on the cheek. "I want it, of course I want it."

"Only a fool wouldn't want it."

This action left Lin Miaomiao dumbfounded.

*Gulp.* She swallowed nervously and murmured under her breath, "Hao Zi, you're really going to have your heart broken."

The corner of Chen Cheng's mouth curved up. "Don't you want to hear if it suits you?"

"Mhm~" Deng Xiaoqi shook her head. "No need. If Brother Cheng thinks it's suitable, then I can definitely sing it."

Chen Cheng: "..."

"Go back and find Lin Yu when you're free. Record 'Meeting', 'Dark Sky', and 'The Meaning of Travel' this summer. Just like before, release them all as singles."

Deng Xiaoqi nodded obediently. "Okay, Brother Cheng. I'll get in touch with President Lin in a bit."

In terms of pop music, Chen Cheng planned to push Deng Xiaoqi toward becoming a 'niche singer'.

This also suited her future growth path.

After entering the Central Academy of Drama, freshmen weren't allowed to take outside acting jobs.

But that didn't affect singing. She could participate in one or two variety shows every winter and summer break and occasionally sing online.

That was more than enough to maintain her popularity.

By the time she could take on acting roles, Chen Cheng had a stack of youth angst scripts in his head.

After plucking the works of that niche singer, he'd pluck from the one who liked giving people 'courage'.

With the representative works of those two...

Given the standards of the entertainment industry in this era, these representative works would be enough for Deng Xiaoqi to hold her position as a Diva for twenty years.

Just thinking about it was enough.

In the future, the expressions of the professors at the Central Academy of Drama and the Central Conservatory of Music would surely be quite a sight.

It wasn't that Chen Cheng had a wicked sense of humor.

It was just that there were too many good things. Throwing any one of them out would be a winning card compared to songs of the 'Wide Noodles' caliber.

In the evening, the two of them finished dinner there.

Lin Miaomiao clamored to start a five-player queue. In the end, she dragged Jiang Tianhao, Deng Xiaoqi, Chen Cheng, and Qiao Jingjing, who was still on set, to play Honor of Kings for a while.

They won all three games. Qiao Jingjing, Lin Miaomiao, and Deng Xiaoqi each got an MVP title.

Jiang Tianhao was stunned. He never expected Chen Cheng to bring his 'master of fairness' skills into a game.

He immediately took out a small notebook to take notes—'Don't fight women for the MVP!'

When Lin Miaomiao and Deng Xiaoqi were leaving, Chen Cheng offered to have a driver take them home.

The two declined, saying they wanted to have some private girl talk, and left on their own.

Chen Cheng didn't think much of it.

Walking out of the alley, Lin Miaomiao peeked around to make sure no one was there before pulling on Deng Xiaoqi's arm.

With a look of horror, she asked, "You don't actually like Brother Cheng, do you?"

Deng Xiaoqi's expression was calm, not hiding it at all. "I do. Is there something strange about that?"

"Brother Cheng is handsome and smart..." Lin Miaomiao's eyes darted around. "But... there are so many girls around Brother Cheng."

"I don't believe you haven't noticed that they all have deep relationships with him."

Deng Xiaoqi didn't care. "So what? Have you seen Sister Xiao Ye and the others arguing or fighting with each other?"

"Uh..." Lin Miaomiao was at a loss for words. She really hadn't seen that.

The level of harmony among those sisters was even higher than between her and Deng Xiaoqi.

It was truly strange. Why?

Lin Miaomiao laughed awkwardly. "I guess not."

Deng Xiaoqi shrugged. "Then that's that. Brother Cheng is happy, and the sisters are happy too."

"Are there any other questions?"

Lin Miaomiao's eyes were wide, her worldview shattered. "But this is just too... too..."

For a moment, Lin Miaomiao couldn't find the right words to describe it.

Mainly because she was always mooching food and drinks off Chen Cheng.

She felt too embarrassed to use any unpleasant words to describe him.

Deng Xiaoqi pursed her lips. "I know what you want to say."

"Miao Miao, do you know?"

"Ever since the stuff about my mother spread through the school, I realized that what others point at or say really isn't important at all."

"What matters is what you think and whether you're happy."

"If other people's opinions make you unhappy, then why should you care about them?"

Lin Miaomiao's eyes went round. She had never realized...

...that her best friend, who used to get jealous over the smallest things, had matured to this extent.

"If Brother Cheng only had one girlfriend, I might have hidden this crush in the bottom of my heart."

"But that's not the case. So why can't I be one of Brother Cheng's girlfriends?"

This question left Lin Miaomiao completely dazed.

She even started to stutter, "Didn't you... didn't you like... Qian Sanyi?"

Deng Xiaoqi smiled. "That's ancient history, okay?"

Deng Xiaoqi thought seriously for a moment. "If I really think about it, I've liked Brother Cheng since the day I met him."

"Hehe~"

...

Looking at her infatuated smile, Lin Miaomiao's brow furrowed into a knot as she asked suspiciously,

"Are you sure it's love and not just admiration?"

Deng Xiaoqi shook her head. "It's not admiration. Actually, what I felt for Qian Sanyi was admiration. I thought he was good at studying and quite handsome."

"It wasn't until I met Brother Cheng that I slowly realized that a person being outstanding isn't the only reason to like them."

Lin Miaomiao tilted her chin. "Then what is?"

Deng Xiaoqi said without hesitation, "It starts with looks, develops through talent, and stays for character."

"The first time Brother Cheng sang 'Against the Light' for me, I was lost... hehe~"

Lin Miaomiao looked at her infatuated face, speechless.

..."