Two large packages from his family waited downstairs. Chu Mingcheng carried them into his utility room and set them on the floor.
The utility room stood empty—a windowless, sealed space with potential.
Chu Mingcheng envisioned installing a small cabinet along the far wall for his tackle box and fish cooler, with organized storage for hooks, lines, bobber stoppers, and other supplies.
For the side walls, he'd mount a rod rack on the left for his fishing rods and a speargun rack on the right, storing his wetsuit and diving gear below.
Once complete, anyone entering would imdiately recognize a serious angler's setup.
Perfect!
After placing his online order, he tore open the packages and extracted all the gear.
His parents had sent the tackle box, but the fish cooler remained at ho. He'd originally left it in his car trunk, so they probably hadn't noticed it.
No matter—now that he owned the boat, he needed two or three insulated coolers anyway. He'd buy a small one for now.
Chu Mingcheng organized all his fishing rods, then returned to the living room to flip through his newly acquired study materials.
The text proved tedious after just a few minutes. He switched to the mobile app, diving directly into practice questions.
Just like studying for a driver's license: morize correct answers for missed questions, then repeat endlessly.
This reinforcent thod would naturally embed the material in his mory.
Ti passed unnoticed. After Chu Mingcheng had cycled through the practice questions at least three tis, Jiang Luoluo returned.
She'd changed into conservative pajamas and carried a faint, sweet fragrance mixed with moisture—clearly fresh from the shower. A laptop rested in her hands.
She settled onto the sofa, positioned the laptop on her lap, and opened it. "Give your video files. I'll edit them first."
"After editing, you can write subtitle scripts, and I'll help with voiceover work."
"Maybe I should just use text-to-speech software. I don't want to trouble you," Chu Mingcheng said, handing over the mory card.
"It's no trouble. I usually have nothing to do after practice anyway."
"Speaking of which, if you're editing for , who edits your videos?" Chu Mingcheng asked curiously.
"Mine are different—they require professional editing. Usually i-jie handles filming and assists with post-production. I'm only responsible for choreography and performance. I collaborate with others for costus, makeup, and props."
Dance video production was indeed more complex than Chu Mingcheng's simple clips, requiring even background music copyright fees.
With just over two million followers and no managent company backing her, Jiang Luoluo didn't dare hire extensive staff. She disliked managent duties, preferring collaboration arrangents.
Even her photographer, Zhang Ruoi, worked part-ti.
The vast majority of her fans were initially drawn by her appearance, then beca devoted followers through her professional dancing and inspired choreography.
This approach yielded high fan engagent. She also accepted advertisents, endorsents, and occasional comrcial performances, earning enough to live very comfortably in Xian.
She'd learned video editing by observing Zhang Ruoi.
While not professionally trained, editing Chu Mingcheng's videos was child's play.
After her explanation, Chu Mingcheng found her even more impressive—a multitalented woman who simply couldn't cook.
Jiang Luoluo opened the first video, one Chu Mingcheng had edited himself, showing Mimi eating fish.
Seeing Mimi, she slapped her thigh. "Oh! I'd completely forgotten about Mimi without this video! How is she? When are you planning to bring her over?"
"Not until next year. And there'll be several new family mbers by then!"
"I'm looking forward to it. Mimi should be due soon, right?"
"Should be. Want to call my mom and ask?"
"No, no, no—ask her next ti!" Jiang Luoluo quickly stopped him.
Though Chu Mingcheng had only been here two days, she felt comfortable with their current dynamic.
If An Xiuwen saw her here at night, she'd undoubtedly face gossip and teasing, potentially disrupting their stable rapport.
They hadn't known each other long and needed more ti to understand each other, slowly becoming part of each other's lives.
Chu Mingcheng's offer was naturally a joke.
He was equally satisfied with the current situation and didn't want constant parental nagging.
With that topic dropped, they focused on their respective tasks without further conversation.
Ti slipped by unnoticed until ten o'clock arrived. Tired from studying, Chu Mingcheng put on his Bluetooth earbuds to listen to music.
While browsing, he discovered a collaboration between two renowned artists, Sa and Zhou. Though released two years ago, he'd never heard it.
A duet by these musical legends? Chu Mingcheng was definitely interested.
The mont he pressed play, Zhou's distinctive vocals began—opening with a powerful flourish!
Soon, Chu Mingcheng was completely absorbed. Unfortunately, the song was disappointingly short, not even four minutes.
When he finished listening and opened his eyes, he found Jiang Luoluo staring intently at him.
"Uh, why are you looking at like that?"
Jiang Luoluo extended a pale, delicate hand. "Where's the other earbud? Don't you know to share when listening to music?"
"Here. I just didn't think of it," Chu Mingcheng said, quickly handing over the second earbud.
"What are you listening to?" Jiang Luoluo asked after inserting it.
"A collaboration between Sa and Zhou called 'The Freely Walking Flower.' Their vocal interplay and harmonies are incredible—really addictive."
"Really? Let hear!" Jiang Luoluo reached over and tapped Chu Mingcheng's phone, replaying the song.
They closed their eyes, listening quietly together.
When the music ended, Jiang Luoluo slowly opened her eyes with a thoughtful expression. Chu Mingcheng remained perfectly still, afraid to disturb her concentration.
After a mont, she returned to the present and smiled at him. "Want to see dance?"
"Absolutely!" Chu Mingcheng nodded earnestly. A beautiful woman offering to dance in the dead of night—how could he possibly refuse?
Even if she were a ghost, he'd watch with tears in his eyes!
"Co on, let's go to my dance studio. You can film it for ." The song had clearly sparked creative inspiration.
Chu Mingcheng quickly followed, closing his door behind them.
And he got to film it too—how exciting!
At Jiang Luoluo's apartnt, he accepted the cara she offered and entered the dance studio while she went to change clothes.
Monts later, Jiang Luoluo erged in a long, pure white dance dress, carrying a paper umbrella and tablet.
She was barefoot... no, upon closer inspection, the observant Chu Mingcheng noticed adhesive pads on her soles.
Jiang Luoluo handed him the tablet. "When I'm ready, start the music."
"Got it!" Chu Mingcheng gestured his understanding.
Jiang Luoluo moved to the studio's center, opened her paper umbrella, and assud position, giving him an "OK" sign.
Chu Mingcheng pressed play, and music filled the studio through built-in speakers.
The hour wasn't too late, so it probably wouldn't disturb neighbors. Besides, if the dance studio had speakers, it surely featured soundproofing.
Sa's voice rang out: "Have you ever..."
Jiang Luoluo instantly entered character and began dancing.
Dressed in white and wielding a white umbrella, her expression turned solemn and dignified.
As the music swelled, the image of a proud snow lotus blooming on a mountain peak slowly materialized before Chu Mingcheng's eyes.
Born of nature, neither confined nor constrained—a flower existing only in the wild.
Chu Mingcheng's eyes filled with amazent. Was this the caliber of Jiang Luoluo's choreography?
She conveyed her intended aning so directly through movent that even a layman like him could understand perfectly.
[View Image]
Unfortunately, she stopped about one-third through the song. Obviously, complete choreography couldn't be created in such a brief ti.
"How was it?"
"Incredible!" Chu Mingcheng gave her a thumbs-up. "Your dance seed to portray a snow lotus—free and unbound in the natural world. It's a sha it was only a segnt; I wanted to see more."
"Ha! You understood it perfectly, which ans this part succeeded," Jiang Luoluo said, sitting beside him with a grin. "Actually, this dance connects to two of my previous works. Can you guess which ones?"
Chu Mingcheng had watched all her dance videos. Hearing this, he imdiately thought of her two most-viewed pieces. "Is it 'Double Happiness' and 'Ti'? Are you creating a third incarnation?"
【TN: References the Buddhist/Chinese cultural concept of reincarnation across multiple lives】
Jiang Luoluo nodded. "Exactly! I hadn't considered it before, but after hearing the song you shared, I suddenly realized it could connect to the previous two."
Chu Mingcheng grasped her aning and smiled. "The first life was a persecuted mortal, the second a snake demon unable to defy fate, and the third a snow lotus goddess who achieved freedom. That's fascinating!"
Seeing his complete understanding, Jiang Luoluo suddenly felt she'd found a kindred spirit, her excitent mounting. "Right! Exactly! I need to carefully consider the choreography for this song. Give the cara—I want to review which movents need adjustnt."
Chu Mingcheng gently tapped her head. "Do you know what ti it is? Go get so rest. Aren't you worried about noise complaints from dancing so late?"
"My soundproofing is excellent..." Jiang Luoluo grumbled, rubbing the spot he'd tapped. She started to argue, but eting his firm gaze, she felt unexpectedly guilty.
She lowered her head slightly and said obediently, "Okay, I understand. I'll go to bed now."
"That's better. You need proper rest to work effectively," Chu Mingcheng said with a satisfied smile, returning the cara.
"Then what about your all-night fishing sessions?"
"Uh..." Chu Mingcheng was caught off guard. From that perspective, he had no right to lecture her.
Seeing his expression, Jiang Luoluo burst into laughter. "Alright, alright, I'll sleep early. And you shouldn't fish all night anymore either. Your health cos first!"
"Deal. From now on, I'll only do evening fishing—no more all-nighters," Chu Mingcheng nodded. If he expected it from her, he had to set a good example himself.
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