Chapter 53: 053 Collaboration with Ye Zhao part 1
Z’s voice was deep when he said this, his pace slow, and the ending of his sentence carried a slight upward tilt, creating an indefinable atmosphere.
“I wonder who it was yesterday who was petting my hair, then hooking their arm around my neck and refusing to let go, forcing me to sleep on that cramped sofa all night. And yet today, as soon as you wake up, you’re a total stranger. Sigh…”
As Z recounted the events, Zhu Ran also remembered how, in his hazy state, he had petted the “big cat” from head to tail, from back to belly, even touching those soft paw pads, before finally holding the big cat all night long.
Once he replaced the image of the “big cat” with Z…
He had petted Z’s hair, touched Z’s face, stroked Z’s neck, and even slept while holding Z…
No wonder the fur had felt a bit stiff at first; that was Z’s hair with styling gel in it.
And the softness he’d felt wasn’t some paw pad, it was… Z’s skin.
This was… just terrible.
Zhu Ran’s fair skin turned red in an instant, giving off a delicious, intoxicated glow.
He kept his head lowered, afraid to look at Z, his fingers incessantly fidgeting with the hem of his shirt.
Z didn’t rush him; he simply watched the back of Zhu Ran’s fluffy head.
He watched the skin of Zhu Ran’s neck turn from white to a delicate pink, a color that seemed to emit a unique, enticing fragrance.
He looked and smelled incredibly tempting.
Zhu Ran spent a few seconds mentally preparing himself.
He had already done the petting and the sleeping; running away now would be wrong.
Zhu Ran spoke sincerely, “I’m sorry. I mistook you for something else last night. And I didn’t ignore your messages on purpose today; I just felt embarrassed and didn’t know how to reply once I saw them.”
With that, Zhu Ran stopped staring at the floor and looked up at Z—only to see the laughter dancing in Z’s eyes.
Zhu Ran had always loved Z’s eyes; the blue-and-gold color was unique, cold yet possessing a noble, reserved quality.
And right now, the depths of those eyes, which usually showed little emotion, were sparkling with amusement, more brilliant than the stars.
His heart skipped a beat.
The balcony was filled with stunning, blooming flowers, but Zhu Ran felt that none of them could compare to the way Z looked at this moment.
Zhu Ran’s earnest expression was mirrored in Z’s pupils. Those emerald eyes radiated a vibrant life, but their usual coolness had been stained by a flush of desire, a gentle tide that tugged at the heartstrings.
The tips of Z’s ears also turned pink.
He felt a bit hot, and a bit thirsty.
Z poured another glass of ice water and drained it.
The ice water lowered his temperature for a second, but it couldn’t suppress the racing in his heart.
Z steadied his thoughts and brought the conversation back to the matter at hand.
“I wasn’t blaming you. Just don’t ignore me for that long in the future; it makes me sad.”
Zhu Ran nodded. “Okay.”
“But…” Z changed the subject. “How was the experience of using the oversized cat pillow? Do you have any feedback? Is there anything that needs improvement?”
The words had barely left Z’s mouth before the heat Zhu Ran had just managed to suppress rushed back.
He shot Z a look, a bit annoyed. “Don’t ask me that.”
Then he hurried back into his room.
Seeing that retreating figure and Zhu Ran’s final, huffy expression, Z’s smile deepened.
He had never seen Zhu Ran look like a puffed-up pufferfish before; it was quite cute.
He loved every version of Zhu Ran.
Once in his room, Zhu Ran flopped onto the bed, burying his head in the soft pillows, his cheeks and ear tips burning.
A bit embarrassed.
“He’s asking for ‘body pillow feedback’… I was asleep and didn’t feel anything, how am I supposed to have feedback?”
Zhu Ran lay on the bed in a daze for a while until the heat left his face.
His optical computer lit up with a message from Z.
[Z: Heterochromia cat peeking around a corner.JPG]
Zhu Ran still felt a bit piqued; he hadn’t known the usually serious-looking Z loved teasing him so much.
[Zhu Ran: Black cat indifferent.JPG]
[Z: Heterochromia cat surprised]
[Zhu Ran: Black cat working hard]
After sending the emoji, Zhu Ran set his optical computer aside.
It was now 9:30 PM, the time he had agreed to meet Ye Zhao for their collaboration, so Zhu Ran logged onto Xinggou and went to the South 36th District to the holographic restaurant “Yuanqiu”.
South 36th is a street dedicated to holographic food, where one could taste all kinds of interstellar delicacies.
The shops sell holographic food while also providing discount vouchers for physical stores or kitchen-related decor and tools. This online-offline linkage keeps the revenue for these shops quite healthy.
“Yuanqiu” was a restaurant decorated in warm yellow tones that specialized in egg-based dishes.
Steamed water-beast eggs, fried spider-beast eggs, and a trio of land, sea, and air eggs were among the distinctive dishes.
Zhu Ran arrived about five minutes early, ordered a portion of sweet and sour baked egg whites, and sat at his reserved table.
The baked egg whites were delicious and incredibly fluffy, and the sweet and sour seasoning perfectly masked the gamey taste of the eggs.
Zhu Ran’s eyes lit up, and he noted the physical address of the restaurant—it was on Jialan Star.
Five minutes later, at the appointed time, a figure with a wagging wolf tail and a youthful build hurried over.
“I’m sorry. You’re Zhu from Zhuying Anxiang, right? I’m Ye… Zhao.”
There was a slight hesitation in his voice.
He stared at Zhu Ran in a daze. The young man before him had pale skin and emerald eyes that radiated a natural life.
His aura was tranquil and peaceful, as gentle as blades of grass brushing against the body.
It was exactly the kind of aura Ye Zhao loved.
Ye Zhao turned his head slightly to look away and composed himself, a polite smile touching his features. “I’ve kept you waiting.”
Ye Zhao’s voice was clear yet resonant, and paired with his aggressive golden-slitted pupils and his constantly wagging tail, he looked very energetic.
Wait?
This person… looks familiar.
Zhu Ran recalled that when he had first opened his shop on Newbie Street, he had met a boy with a wolf tail.
The boy seemed to be a fan of Ye Zhao, and after learning Zhu Ran didn’t know the singer, he had given him an album voucher.
So much had happened since then that Zhu Ran still hadn’t redeemed the voucher.
He hadn’t expected to meet that person again today.
Except he wasn’t a fan of Ye Zhao, he was Ye Zhao himself.
Quite a coincidence.
Zhu Ran glanced at the wolf ears on the other’s head, which were twitching. “I haven’t been here long; I just arrived myself.”
Ye Zhao sat down across from Zhu Ran, his large tail resting obediently on his lap, the tip flickering from time to time.
He used his slitted pupils to stare at Zhu Ran; though his expression was neutral, the movement of his tail clearly showed he was in a very good mood.
Zhu Ran was confused. “Is there something on my face?”
Ye Zhao spoke bluntly, “Have we met before? You look very familiar to me.”
Zhu Ran nodded. “We have.”
“Where? Are you a fan of mine? Did we meet at a signing?”
“No. I met you before at the ‘Ye Zhao Merchandise Store’ on Newbie Street; you even gave me an album voucher.”
Ye Zhao wracked his brain for a long time before he managed to dig that memory out from a dark corner.
Back then, he had been searching for inspiration for his new album, and Zhou Zheng had suggested opening a shop on Xinggou to sell merchandise and boost his fame, so he’d gone along with it.
Then… while checking the shop, he had indeed met someone. He had a vague memory of it, but he had been so busy that he couldn’t remember such small details clearly.
If he’d known back then that this was the owner of Zhuying Anxiang, he would have added him on Starcom on the spot.
Ye Zhao’s wolf ears drooped. “I’m sorry, I don’t remember it very clearly.”
Zhu Ran: “It’s fine, we’re meeting again now.”
Ye Zhao immediately followed up, “Then have you redeemed the album? What do you think of the songs? Are they good?”
Zhu Ran looked apologetic. “Ah… the shop has been too busy, I haven’t had the chance to redeem it.”
Ye Zhao’s ears drooped again. “Oh… okay.”
But he brightened up a moment later. “Then go listen to them when you have time. I can give you free authorization to play my songs in your shop.”
Zhu Ran accepted the kindness politely. “Alright.”
After the pleasantries, Ye Zhao and Zhu Ran got down to business.
During the Zhuying Anxiang promotion, Ye Zhao had managed to reserve a pot of red roses through the VIP system.
Within two hours of receiving the roses, Ye Zhao had been flooded with inspiration and completed a new lead single titled “Red Rose”. He had decided on the spot to make “Red Rose” the title track, demoting the previous lead single—for which the music video was already filmed—to a b-side.
Ye Zhao adored the natural plants from Zhuying Anxiang; they not only wiped away the impact of negative reviews and improved his mood, but they also kept his inspiration flowing.
If the natural plants from Zhuying Anxiang were a fountain of inspiration for artists, why shouldn’t they be the same for him?
“I love the natural plants in your shop; I even gave you some advice before. My ID is ‘Ye Zhao-zhao-zhao-zhao,’ do you remember it?”
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