Chapter Thirty-Three: A Promising Pupil

Tang Zhichu was also guiding Chen Siyang.

In truth, his relationship with Chen Siyang was far more complicated than what others saw.

Mutual affection? No, it was much more solid than that.

Simple fondness might lead to quarrels, sulking, or silent treatments, but was what they shared really so simple?

It was not, and that was why they could remain calm and avoid losing their composure.

Thus, the confrontation everyone witnessed had come to pass—a veritable battlefield.

Chen Siyang even seemed to have the upper hand over Zhou Yun.

Zhou Yun shrugged; she knew there was no advantage to be gained today. The situation was not something she or Chen Siyang could control—it was all in Tang Zhichu’s hands.

Whomever Tang Zhichu favored would appear to be the winner.

Beneath the table, Zhou Yun suddenly lifted her leg and kicked Tang Zhichu, then stood up.

“If you’re not eating, fine. I’ll just count it as keeping my figure. Whoever eats last has to clean up!”

With that, Zhou Yun left the kitchen.

Jiang Lan wanted to tidy up the bowls and boxes, but Tang Zhichu stopped her. “Lan, you go rest as well. I’ll take care of it.”

Jiang Lan glanced at Chen Siyang and Tang Zhichu, then said, “Alright, then I’ll leave it to you two.”

She got up, with Huang Zejun following suit, still confused.

This was a relationship reality show, with so many cameras all around—didn’t Chen Siyang and Zhou Yun care about appearances?

When everyone had gone, Tang Zhichu finally rose, slowly.

Seeing that something was off in the way he stood up, Chen Siyang asked, “What’s wrong with you?”

Tang Zhichu replied bitterly, “We went hiking—from two in the afternoon till five. She was ruthless, wouldn’t let me rest; I feel like my legs are done for.”

Chen Siyang remained composed; Tang Zhichu didn’t seem to be faking it, so she asked, “Hiking?”

He nodded.

“Yun is a professional at that. But why hiking for fun?”

Tang Zhichu nodded again. “Yeah, it was exhausting.”

Something seemed to come to Chen Siyang’s mind, softening her gaze. “Then sit down, I’ll tidy up.”

“Let’s do it together.”

Cleaning up wasn’t complicated today; everything was takeout. All they had to do was throw out the leftovers and wash a few bowls and chopsticks.

While washing the dishes, Tang Zhichu suddenly said, “Take your time, I’m going to fetch something.”

“What is it?”

“You’ll see when I bring it down.”

Tang Zhichu limped out of the kitchen and went upstairs.

Chen Siyang stared at his retreating figure, lost in thought.

In the past few days, she had taken many steps—reaching out to old friends, and even auditioning for the sequel to “World in the Painting.”

She had spoken with He Jin, admitting that she was wrong before—not for rejecting the industry’s unwritten rules.

Back then, Chen Siyang had believed that if she honed her professional skills, opportunities would come to her.

It was just like those girl group auditions: do your best, and people will notice.

She had always thought that strict self-discipline was enough, that if you bloomed, the butterflies would come.

Now, she realized she’d been too stubborn, just as in this situation: He Jin, having experience from the first film, could speak with the director and even recommend her. With that, she landed the audition.

The director was very pleased—though it was a small role, it was an important step.

She had secured this without any agent interference.

Perhaps this was what people meant by social savvy, though it wasn’t quite what she’d imagined. It only required a bit of flexibility.

You had to take that first step yourself; if you never voiced your desires, how could you expect a pie to fall from the sky?

Chen Siyang thought her change came from gradually taking charge of her own life, but He Jin had joked that perhaps a man was the reason for it.

That gave her even more to ponder.

It was precisely these thoughts that allowed her to face today’s situation with such composure.

She had joined the show out of confusion, hoping to push her own boundaries.

Her transformation truly began after her date with Tang Zhichu. It wasn’t that she’d changed drastically, but the process had given her much more clarity than before.

While she was lost in thought, Tang Zhichu returned.

He approached her with a black beret in hand.

“You didn’t wear the last hat I gave you. This time, here’s a black one. Bucket hats are cool, but they give off a distant vibe. Among us it’s fine, but what about at the company?” He handed the hat to her.

“This one shows your whole face. It doesn’t make you seem aloof; in fact, it adds a touch of charm. Think about which one you want to wear.”

Chen Siyang squeezed the hat gently and whispered, “Thank you.”

Tang Zhichu nudged her with his elbow, as if to say, “No need to be so formal.”

Then he resumed cleaning up.

After a moment, Chen Siyang said, “For the sake of the hat, I’ll forgive you.”

Tang Zhichu tilted his head. “What did you say?”

“Nothing at all!”

…

Late at night, after a shower, Tang Zhichu lay in bed reviewing the day.

Shouldn’t be any slip-ups, right?

No need to worry about Zhou Yun; she’d figure things out herself. She might even thank him later—would picking Yang Jiaxing have had the same effect?

He had prepared a gift for Chen Siyang. Rationally, she wouldn’t hold a grudge; emotionally, she probably wouldn’t either.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

Tang Zhichu got up.

He opened the door to find Chen Siyang in white pajamas standing outside.

Under the light, her skin was as pale as snow. “This is for you. I added sea salt.”

She held a basin, steam rising from the water inside.

Tang Zhichu took it from her.

“A foot soak should help a lot. I’ll head back now.”

“Thank you.”

Chen Siyang smiled and turned to leave. At the doorway, she looked back and softly wished him goodnight.

Tang Zhichu shook his head—not in resignation or puzzlement, but in satisfaction.

Hmph. Little Chen has truly grown.

Saying he’d been bullied by Zhou Yun—wasn’t it because of you?

And now, here comes the hot water.

A student worth teaching indeed.

…

The next morning, Tang Zhichu came downstairs at eight, his legs still sore.

He’d made up his mind upon waking: he really needed to get serious about working out.

Not because of Zhou Yun’s disdain, but because this was a matter of stamina and breath control.

This would help with singing. In his previous life, his brief singing career had only seen him as a guest at other people’s concerts.

In this life, surely he could manage at least one concert of his own?

Going downstairs, he saw everyone gathered together. He wondered why they were all up so early.

“Good morning!” Tang Zhichu greeted them loudly from the stairs.

“Morning!”

“Hey, morning, Old Tang!”

“Good morning!”

…

As Tang Zhichu drew closer, he saw that a piano had appeared in the villa!

“Wow, whose is this?” Tang Zhichu’s eyes widened, looking at Huang Zejun and Yang Jiaxing.

Was someone about to pull out another big move?

Huang Zejun shook his head. “It should be from the production team. I heard some noise last night; turns out they brought in a piano.”

Tang Zhichu was a bit skeptical. “Can any of you play?”

Jiang Lan nodded. “A little, but it’s been a long time since I touched the keys.”

Chen Siyang chimed in, “I can play a bit, too.”