The entire shoot wrapped up faster than anyone had anticipated. As Robin changed back into her own clothes and stood by the door, she still felt a lingering sense of disbelief.
"Is it really over already?" she asked.
"They're all professionals," Cheng Hui replied, following closely behind Robin as they exited. "Now we just wait for the final video. I thought renting the studio for two days might not be enough, but it turned out we actually rented too much time."
With nothing left to do, Robin could head home. If she hurried, she might even make it in time for her afternoon livestream.
Just then, Cheng Hui suddenly suggested, "Robin, how about I take you around Qingcheng? There are so many fun things to see and do here!"
A hint of anticipation flickered across Cheng Hui's face, mingled with a touch of apprehension.
Theoretically, they were just collaborators who had only known each other for less than two days. Cheng Hui wondered if inviting Robin on a whim was too presumptuous. But their interactions had been so seamless, devoid of any awkwardness, that she had already begun to think of her as a friend.
Of course, Robin hadn't given it nearly that much thought. She now faced a dilemma: travel and have fun with her Rich Sister, or rush home to livestream and work.
Logically, returning home to livestream and continue grinding towards completing the Songstress challenge would be the wiser choice. Yet Robin decisively chose... to play with her Rich Sister.
"Sounds great!"
Everyone knows that studying hard improves grades, but when faced with a textbook and a computer, making the right choice can be incredibly difficult.
So difficult, in fact, that Robin caved instantly, opting to slack off.
Even regular jobs have rest days. After livestreaming continuously for a week, what harm could one day off do?
With that, Robin easily convinced herself, despite... the fact that she had only been working two to three hours a day during that week.
However, just as they were about to leave, a man in a suit suddenly approached Robin and Cheng Hui. He had been standing near the entrance of the photography studio earlier, seemingly staking them out.
As the man in the suit approached, Robin clearly saw Cheng Hui's expression turn icy.
The man rubbed his hands together and murmured, "Cheng Hui, about Ningke Mutual Entertainment... won't you reconsider?"
Before he could finish, Cheng Hui cut him off sharply. "I'm sorry, I'm really not interested. Please stop bothering me."
"This..." The man's gaze shifted from Cheng Hui to Robin, and he froze. "You... are you...?"
"I'm not who you think I am! I'm just a cosplayer!" Robin interrupted immediately, grabbing Cheng Hui's hand and pulling her away in the opposite direction.
From that brief exchange, Robin guessed the man was likely from some entertainment company, trying to scout talent. She could understand being harassed by phone, but why would they show up in person?
Wait a minute—he didn't seem to be after her at all. His target was Cheng Hui.
Indeed, as they fled, Cheng Hui couldn't help but complain to Robin, "That guy's been pestering me for weeks, trying to get me to join Ningke Mutual Entertainment. But I'm genuinely not interested."
"Mm-hmm," Robin nodded in agreement. "What's so great about joining an entertainment company? At the end of the day, artists are just employees—wage slaves. If you really want to make it in the entertainment industry, starting your own company is the best way to go."
Meanwhile, the man in the suit stood rooted to the spot, pulling out his phone to quietly call a colleague.
"I... I think I saw Robin."
"Robin? Seriously? The Robin who's blowing up online right now?"
"I was thinking, if we could sign her, would that be my ticket to the top? Can the company get her contact information? I want to try!"
"You're getting ahead of yourself. The company has already spammed her with private messages on Kuaishou, Douyin, even YouTube, but she never responds. I doubt she even checks those platforms."
"Then what about contacting the executives at those platforms directly? Getting her contact information shouldn't be too difficult, right?"
"We've already tried that. For some reason, Kuaishou and Douyin refuse to cooperate, no matter what we offer. As for YouTube, they don't even acknowledge us."
The perspective shifted back to Robin, who had moved on from the disappointing topic of entertainment companies. Cheng Hui now acted as her tour guide, leading Robin around the city.
Notably, while most people might appreciate the stunning mountain vistas and historical sites steeped in history, Robin was far more interested in the "food" and "fun" aspects of travel.
Beautiful scenery might be pleasant, but beyond admiring and taking photos, there wasn't much else to do. It grew rather monotonous. As for the famous historical sites, Robin, being from another world, had no understanding of this world's history. Visiting them felt like wandering in the dark, clueless and frankly less interesting than enjoying the scenery.
In contrast, the unique local cuisine—whether formal restaurant meals or street snacks unique to the city—provided genuine happiness and satisfaction. That's the true essence of travel, she thought.
As for "fun," Robin had always longed to experience activities like camping, skiing, skydiving, and scuba diving. Unfortunately, in her previous life, she lacked both the money and the time to pursue these dreams.
Of course, Robin kept these thoughts to herself. Since Cheng Hui had invited her, it was only polite to follow her lead. Making requests would only burden her host.
Unsurprisingly, Cheng Hui, like most girls, was more interested in sightseeing. She took Robin to many places in Qingcheng, showing her the golden terraced rice fields, the historic alleyways at the foot of the mountains, and the rugged, majestic mountain cliffs overlooking winding rivers.
As evening approached, the two were waiting for their meal at a highly popular local hotpot restaurant. Bored, Robin pulled out her phone and immediately noticed a message from Yu Lin: "Bird Sister, I'm so exhausted! I worked overtime yesterday and had to wake up early today, and I'm still stuck at work. Waaah~"
Robin glanced at the tempting hotpot before replying, "Yeah, I'm pretty tired today too. You should rest early if you're tired."
After responding, she started browsing Kuaishou. Her follower count was nearing four million, and even though she hadn't streamed or posted videos for the past two days, it was still climbing rapidly.
After a moment's thought, she posted a picture of a pigeon on her feed with the caption:
"I'll definitely be back tomorrow~ Coo~.jpg"
The very next second, Robin felt the ground tremble beneath her.