Dating the Heartthrob Superstar Chapter 42: Searching for Meng Chao

Chapter 42: Searching for ng Chao

It wasn’t until noon that the typhoon completely passed.

The usually clean and tidy roads had been ravaged by the typhoon, with trees toppled and blocking the streets. The water had receded, revealing the ground once again, but trash was scattered everywhere in disarray. Even the low flowerbeds had suffered, their vibrant shapes now in complete chaos.

Everywhere, sanitation workers and firefighters were clearing roadblocks and garbage, and the city gradually returned to its orderly hustle and bustle.

The production team, however, received bad news: the seaside villa could no longer be used for filming due to typhoon damage. The large floor-to-ceiling windows had been shattered by the storm, leaving the house in utter disarray.

Because of the villa’s damage, filming was forced to halt. But ng Chao and Lin Qin’s schedules had already been set, and the production team couldn’t let their own issues delay the plans of the two stars.

Next month, ng Chao was scheduled to start filming for his movie. anwhile, Lin Qin’s team had secured a script he had shown great enthusiasm for, and he was also set to join its cast next month. Both production teams, keen on accommodating the leads’ participation in "We Are Together," had already postponed their start dates by a month. It was impossible for them to delay further.

The director was pulling his hair out.

Then ng Chao went to talk to the director. No one knew what ng Chao said, but when the director erged later, he was grinning from ear to ear, and the filming issue was resolved just like that.

With a decisive order from the director, "Pack it up, everyone. We’re moving to a new location."

Thus, the entire crew relocated from the southern city of Binhai to a small southeastern town.

This town, as it turned out, was ng Chao’s hotown. Although the ng Family had settled in Beijing decades ago, they had never forgotten their roots. Under the ng Family’s investnt and planning, the small town began to develop its tourism industry, becoming a popular local destination within the region.

The advantage of not being widely known was that it was sparsely populated, with clear air and a serene atmosphere.

The town, called Nanjiang Town, boasted simple, honest inhabitants and picturesque scenery. Nestled among the enclosing mountains stood a villa tucked away amidst a bamboo forest.

The villa belonged to ng Ke. According to his philosophy, it was vital to occasionally return to nature and savor the joys of life amidst mountains and rivers.

Though he said so, ng Ke was always so busy that he rarely had ti to visit. It would be a stroke of luck for him to spend even one or two days at the villa in an entire year.

The production crew wasted no ti in moving to the mountain villa. By the ti they set up their filming equipnt, night had fully fallen.

And of course, ng Chao had his reasons for choosing this villa as the filming location.

ng Chao stayed at the villa along with the production team, but Lin Qin arrived a day later.

When Lin Qin arrived, he would be dropped off at Nanjiang Town’s bus station and given a single keyword, leaving him to find ng Chao on his own.

The choice of Nanjiang Town was deliberate. For one, its beautiful scenery made it an ideal filming location. Secondly, its residents were honest and straightforward. Most of the young people had left town to work or attend university, while those remaining primarily learned about celebrities through television shows. Few would recognize Lin Qin, which ant he could ask for directions without drawing onlookers or adding to his social anxiety.

Lin Qin suffered from social phobia. Putting him into a small society was ng Chao’s way of helping him gradually adapt to the outside world. Although the journey would undoubtedly be riddled with challenges, requiring Lin Qin to confront many of his fears, ng Chao still felt heartache for him. But this was sothing Lin Qin had to experience.

He couldn’t remain in his small world forever; he needed to step out soday.

Lin Qin was unaware that this segnt of the program was entirely planned by ng Chao. Upon receiving the filming itinerary that night, Lin Qin briefly felt an urge to confront the director but quickly suppressed it.

He also wanted to step out—to be a better person, soone who could stand taller by ng Chao’s side. He wanted to fully break free and integrate into society. Once his impulsive emotions faded, Lin Qin cald down. He made a small cheering gesture to encourage himself.

Lin Qin leaned over the table to write in his journal when his phone chid softly nearby. It was a ssage from ng Chao.

Surprised, Lin Qin eagerly opened the ssage. Upon reading it, his eyes curved into crescent moons, and he laughed softly in delight.

ng Chao: I’m waiting for you.

Three simple words instantly dispelled the unease in Lin Qin’s heart, replacing it with a sense of wholeness and purpose.

In his journal, Lin Qin doodled two tiny stick figures representing him and ng Chao. Above his own figure, a speech bubble read: Brother Chao, I will do my best.

The next day, a provincial bus pulled up at Nanjiang Town’s bus station, and a young man stepped off. He was about 1.8 ters tall, wearing a baseball cap and dressed in a plain white t-shirt and jeans with white sneakers—exuding youthful charm.

The station was bustling, and when Lin Qin stepped off, his height, long legs, and distinct aura imdiately captured the attention of many. To top it off, a cara crew trailed behind him.

The gazes directed at Lin Qin made his steps falter slightly, but he mustered the courage to keep moving forward.

The production team’s hint was a straightforward, overly simplistic map. To make things harder, it didn’t even include directions. Lin Qin stared at the map, at a total loss.

The team also provided Lin Qin with two keywords, claiming that as long as he used the keywords to ask for directions, he would surely find his way and locate ng Chao.

The two keywords were "bamboo forest" and "house."

Lin Qin analyzed the situation, glanced at the map again, and concluded that ng Chao must currently be on one of the town’s mountains, with a bamboo forest and a house hidden among it.

His next task was to match the map with the town’s roads and follow the route he inferred—then he’d be all set.

Feeling a sense of direction at last, Lin Qin let out a sigh of relief.

He stepped out of the bus station. The sunlight poured down warmly, so bright that even with his baseball cap on, Lin Qin found it sowhat dazzling. He instinctively tugged the brim lower and headed forward.

Outside the station, groups of tricycle drivers were vying for passengers. So drivers eagerly approached potential custors, passionately inviting them to ride, while speaking in a dialect unfamiliar to Lin Qin.

The buzzing and chattering around him made Lin Qin’s eyebrows furrow beneath his cap, his forehead damp with sweat—he couldn’t tell if it was from the heat or his nervousness.

"No, thank you." Lin Qin repeated the sa phrase over and over. At first, his voice was soft, but it gradually grew louder. Since high school, Lin Qin hadn’t spoken this loudly in public, even though to others it was rely a normal volu.

At last, Lin Qin managed to escape the surrounding crowd of tricycle drivers. He exhaled in relief, realizing that in focusing on finding a way out, he had almost forgotten to feel nervous.

He couldn’t help but chuckle at himself, suddenly feeling a heightened sense of confidence.