“Brother Chao, Sister Li, are you here because of what happened yesterday?” Zhao Xiaodao laughed. “Thank you so much for caring! But those two really are just my friends. They’re not con artists, and I didn’t pay them a single penny.”
She waited for Deng Chao and Sun Li in the café next to the airport, personally went out to greet them, ushered them inside, and served the coffee she had already ordered.
No matter what, their concern was genuine, and Zhao Xiaodao was genuinely touched.
“Xiaodao, who exactly were those two friends of yours yesterday? You never introduced us,” Deng Chao said with a smile. “Old Duan was a bit impulsive. We felt bad about it afterwards and didn’t get the chance to say hello. It was rude of us. When you’re free, introduce us properly. I’d like to apologise and maybe make some new friends.”
Zhao Xiaodao couldn’t help laughing. “Brother Chao, you always know what to say. You’re still trying to vet them for me, worried I’ll get scammed.”
“Not at all, not at all. I just love making friends,” Deng Chao waved his hand. “Most of my industry friends are in Beijing. There aren’t many people I can chat with in Haicheng. One more friend is always good.”
“Xiaodao!?”
Deng Chao hadn’t noticed, but Sun Li spotted the difference immediately.
She leaned in for a closer look, eyes full of confusion and flickering curiosity. “You…”
Zhao Xiaodao smiled proudly and raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong with me?”
They were all in the same circle and close enough to know each other’s backgrounds. There were no outsiders around, so Sun Li didn’t hold back. “Did you get injections in Haicheng yesterday?”
“What!?” Only now did Deng Chao take a proper look at Zhao Xiaodao. His eyes widened in shock.
Zhao Xiaodao leaned closer to Sun Li. “Sister Li, go ahead and touch. Do injections give results like this?”
Sun Li didn’t hesitate and reached out at once.
…
“Hiss…”
Sun Li sucked in a sharp breath and grabbed Zhao Xiaodao’s arm. “Xiaodao, how has Sister Li treated you all these years?”
Zhao Xiaodao nodded vigorously. “Sister Li has always taken great care of me!”
“Then…”
“But I really can’t help with this,” Zhao Xiaodao said sincerely. “My standing with them isn’t high enough. I don’t dare speak out of turn.”
She was telling the truth. She hadn’t known Lu Zheng and Lin Wan for long. Apart from yesterday, they’d only ever talked online, and she spoke more with Lin Wan anyway.
Although they’d had fun yesterday, Zhao Xiaodao, now fully aware of their abilities, didn’t dare act presumptuously, especially after discovering the miraculous effects of the beauty pill.
They were reclusive masters who didn’t want exposure. She had accidentally stumbled upon their identities, yet not only were they not upset, they befriended her and even gifted her such an incredible pill. That was already a huge honour.
If she used that as leverage to bring industry friends knocking on their door, she would be the one who didn’t know her place.
She would need to spend more time with them first, figure out the true value of these pills, and carefully sound out their attitude.
But her words completely stunned Deng Chao and Sun Li.
What was going on? Why was she suddenly talking about low status and not daring to speak?
“Is it not a beauty salon? Not some new type of injection? Not an amazing technician?” Sun Li whispered.
Zhao Xiaodao gave a wry smile. “Of course not. If it were any of those things, and in Haicheng of all places, would I need to introduce you?”
Sun Li thought about it and realised Zhao Xiaodao was right.
She was one of Haicheng’s top female stars herself. If such an amazing treatment existed, she would be their prime client. How could Zhao Xiaodao have experienced it first while she remained clueless?
Then the question remained: it was just beauty treatment. Why bring up status and not daring to speak?
This was a peaceful era. Celebrities had far higher status than in ancient times. Though they couldn’t compare to certain powerful figures, they were still above most professions, often far above.
Shouldn’t the people providing beauty services be the ones trying to keep big celebrity clients happy?
Seeing the confusion in Sun Li’s eyes, Zhao Xiaodao could only smile bitterly again.
She had been too excited earlier and hadn’t considered the trouble this would bring.
Strangers were fine; at worst they’d guess wildly and never ask her directly. But industry acquaintances were different.
Her naturally flawless, radiant skin was clearly beyond anything injections, skincare, or even surgery could achieve.
From a distance it might not be obvious, but up close, any professional could tell instantly that this was different.
She could tell. Sun Li could tell. And soon everyone she worked with on set or variety shows would be able to tell.
With people she wasn’t close to, she could brush it off. But with peers of equal status, she wouldn’t be able to fool them so easily.
Of course, she had two options: reveal information about Lu Zheng and Lin Wan and avoid offending anyone, or ask Lu Zheng to remove the pill’s effects. She was certain he could do that.
But after thinking it over, Zhao Xiaodao decided to shoulder the pressure herself. She just hadn’t figured out a good excuse yet.
Whatever. She’d deal with this couple first and think of something on the plane.
“Sister Li, it’s… complicated,” Zhao Xiaodao said with complete sincerity. “I’ve signed a confidentiality agreement. I really can’t say anything specific.”
“Confidentiality agreement?” Sun Li and Deng Chao exchanged glances, now even more uncertain.
Was it some new drug? But would clinical trials for a new drug use a major celebrity like Zhao Xiaodao?
And what did that have to do with her unconsciously saying she had low status and didn’t dare speak?
Things were getting stranger and stranger.
“There aren’t any side effects, right?” Sun Li asked worriedly.
“Definitely not,” Zhao Xiaodao replied firmly.
“You’re that sure?” Deng Chao asked.
“Of course!” Zhao Xiaodao nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world, without a moment’s hesitation.
Her confident demeanour felt oddly familiar to the couple.
“Sister Li, if you trust me, just give me a bit more time,” Zhao Xiaodao said.
She didn’t say what for, but Deng Chao and Sun Li knew it was about her dramatic beauty transformation.
“Of course I trust you!” Sun Li said quickly.
“Yes, yes, and we didn’t come just for this. We came because…”
Deng Chao suddenly stopped. A light flashed in his eyes. He exchanged a look with his wife and suddenly remembered where they’d seen that confident, resolute attitude before. Yesterday, when Zhao Xiaodao had defended her two friends. And the reason? Old Master Duan Chengyu had smelled a medicinal fragrance.
Medicinal fragrance… Chinese medicine…
Zhao Xiaodao had taken the pill right there and then… and today she looked like a completely different person…
“Was it that pill from yesterday?” Deng Chao blurted out.
Zhao Xiaodao’s heart skipped a beat, but her expression remained perfectly calm as she smiled. “Of course not. That was just a hawthorn pill my friend gave me.”
Deng Chao and Sun Li looked at each other, then nodded in unison. “We believe you!”
