Chapter 68

*Extra: Daily Life of Shipping CPs — Husband Sings, Wife Follows…*
On the eve of the Spring Festival Gala, the news that Qin Sang would attend the recording of the Year of the Rabbit Gala had already spread like wildfire. It started because her name appeared on a rumored guest performance list, and then paparazzi caught candid photos of her heading to CCTV for a gala rehearsal. Even though she wore a long white down coat, a bucket hat, and a mask—keeping a very low profile—netizens could still recognize her by those extremely distinctive eyes. It was Qin Sang, without a doubt.
Qin Sang didn’t respond head-on. She only posted a photo on Weibo. The photo didn’t show her face—just a red rabbit and a peace sign—captioned:
“Please look forward to it.”
The supertopic was also extremely organized and disciplined. Any gossip involving leaked candid shots was immediately taken down, and fans weren’t allowed to publicize it. They just posted quietly in the supertopic—tacit understanding, entertaining themselves.
In fact, this wasn’t Qin Sang’s first year attending the Spring Festival Gala. In the third year after her debut, she’d already been invited to record once. But back then, she wasn’t famous enough, and the buzz was nowhere near what it was now.
This year was different. She’d just won Best Actress, and her relationship had pushed her into the eye of the storm. She came with her own built-in heat. This was her first major stage appearance after the dating scandal—would viewers not care?
Before the gala even began, plenty of fans and netizens were already squatting in front of their TVs watching the livestream, chatting in posts in the supertopic.
【My mom dragged me up at the crack of dawn to paste couplets and make dumplings. In the afternoon the whole clan came back in a flood. I finally survived the reunion dinner, and now I’m surrounded by seven aunts and eight great-aunts. I’m doomed.】
【It’s fine—worst case, they just ask some privacy gossip: how much you make, where you work, when you plan to marry. Mine is suffocating. My parents straight-up invited a blind date to spend New Year’s with us (dead smile).】
【I’m still squatting in front of the TV watching the gala. God knows how long it’s been since I watched TV, let alone the gala. Right now, except for my grandma and grandpa, no one’s watching. The elders are all playing mahjong. Wuwuwu so when does my wife come on?】
【Don’t panic, wait a bit—our turn is coming.】
…
Xie Zhiqing sat on the sofa, bored out of her mind, waiting. Old Master Xie had gone out to walk his bird, leaving only Old Madam Xie still sitting on the sofa. Huanhuan had just had surgery; her complexion wasn’t as rosy as before, but her spirits were pretty good.
Several uncles were chatting about political affairs. A few aunts and sisters-in-law were relaxed—playing mahjong and chatting.
Old Madam Xie sat knitting a sweater. Xie Zhiqing, meanwhile, held her phone and scrolled through Weibo’s supertopic, flipping through comments.
“Xiaoqing, when does Sang-sang’s program start?”
Xie Zhiqing hooked a finger around a cherry and popped it into her mouth. But the next second, her scrolling finger froze—because the supertopic had gone insane.
【AHHH my wife is on!】
【My wife is so beautiful tonight!】
【Go watch the gala! I won’t allow anyone to miss my wife’s peak beauty!】
Xie Zhiqing’s eyes lit up instantly. She looked up, excitedly shook Old Madam Xie’s arm, and said, “Grandma, look—sister-in-law is on!”
Old Madam Xie hurriedly fumbled for her reading glasses and put them on. Even the uncles and aunts who’d been playing mahjong and chatting all leaned over. “Where? Xiaoqing, which one is your sister-in-law?”
“Obviously the prettiest one.”
Xie Zhiqing was Qin Sang’s die-hard fan. Her supertopic level was already 17, and she was even a small moderator there. On the day Qin Sang and Xie Yuncheng’s relationship was exposed, she’d still been in class. Only after returning to the dorm did she find out that her cousin had actually started dating her goddess. She went crazy in the dorm, screaming for ages before she finally calmed down.
Huanhuan’s eyes were sparkling too. She pointed at the TV screen with a crisp little voice. “This one! Pretty sister! Little uncle’s girlfriend!”
As the camera swept past, Qin Sang was stunning beyond words. Tonight she wore a red velvet gown. Her once-long hair had been curled, parted on both sides, and pinned with red bow barrettes. Several actresses appeared together, but only she held up against CCTV’s “death angle.”
Fair-skinned and beautiful, gentle and poised. A pair of affectionate eyes carried a shallow smile—seductive without trying.
“Oh-ho, Xiaochen’s taste is something else. No wonder he never liked any of the matches I had people introduce. Turns out he didn’t ‘not like’ them—he just has high standards.”
“This girl is really fresh and pretty. What was her name again—Qin what?”
“Qin Sang,” Xie Zhiqing supplied, then lifted her chin with extra pride. “Of course. Our Sang-sang is the universally recognized top-tier face in the entire entertainment industry.”
“Sister Xiaoqing, what does ‘top-tier face’ mean?” Huanhuan didn’t understand.
“It means goddess-level looks,” Xie Zhiqing said with a smile. “Back then, our Sang-sang was personally certified by ‘CCTV Dad’ as a fairy.”
No matter how many haters Qin Sang had, there was one thing no one could deny: that face of hers was simply unbeatable—flawless.
When Qin Sang once participated in a CCTV public-welfare project, CCTV had even officially praised her, calling her an outstanding young actor representative: beauty and talent both present, character and strength both soaring.
Otherwise, when Qin Sang was framed by her previous management company, she wouldn’t have been able to climb out of rock bottom so quickly. She truly worked hard and fought hard, so the higher-ups chose her as a representative and even spoke up for her.
With that kind of endorsement, and an official “like” in person, the doubters naturally had nothing left to say. After all, the higher-ups act cautiously; if there were real problems, they wouldn’t so easily step forward to state a position.
“Ah, Sang-sang is really beautiful tonight,” Old Madam Xie sighed, also a Qin Sang fan—thanks in large part to Xie Zhiqing’s influence.
“Of course. It’s just that cousin has no luck—he can’t see how beautiful our Sang-sang is tonight,” Xie Zhiqing said. She used to admire her cousin Xie Yuncheng, but ever since she found out he was dating Qin Sang, she found everything about him annoying.
Xie Zhiqing held up her phone and snapped photos like crazy, then posted them to Weibo. But when she opened Weibo, she found Qin Sang was already trending.
`#QinSangSurvivor#`
`#QinSangDisneyRunawayPrincess#`
`#QinSangStunningFace#`
Whichever tag you clicked, it was full of hot reposts and heated discussion.
【She can actually survive tonight’s death lens and bizarre angle—worthy of my wife.】
【Why do I feel like Sang-sang got even prettier after dating? She looks radiant, like she’s glowing. Tonight, standing next to the other actresses, it feels like she’s not even on the same layer. The others unfortunately became victims of the death lens, but Sang-sang is flawless 360 degrees. Is this normal? Is this a face humans can have?】
【Who understands, family—just now, the people at my house were chatting, playing cards, leaving the TV on just to make noise. No one was watching at all. Then Sang-sang appeared—boom, a whole crowd instantly gathered around.】
Xie Zhiqing didn’t think it was exaggerated. She was just stating facts: the moment Qin Sang appeared, everyone came over.
Clearly she wasn’t the only one with this experience. Under her comments, many people replied.
【I get it! My parents really dislike celebrities these days—they think they’re frivolous and can’t endure hardship. My mom always says the stars I like aren’t as good-looking as actors from her era. I admit it—Hong Kong stars in the 80s and 90s were breathtaking. But tonight, the moment Sang-sang came on, my parents started asking who she was, saying she’s pretty and sings well too.】
【Same with my grandma. She said the girl has bright, kind eyes and looks very approachable. She even said this year’s celebrity lineup is good—if they’re all at this level, just looking at their faces is enough to pass time.】
【Me too! My little nephew is only a month old. Everyone came over to see him this year. The kid is super afraid of strangers—he cries whenever anyone holds him, even his dad. He screamed his head off at dinner no matter how we soothed him. Guess what? The moment he saw Sang-sang, he stopped crying and just stared at the TV, grinning like an idiot.】
Xie Zhiqing thought it was only natural. She typed quickly:
“This proves our Sang-sang is the kind of person who wins over everyone—young and old. Next time someone says aesthetics differ and can’t be unified, me: please look at the photo.”
No need to think—her comment got liked like crazy, everyone approving.
While Xie Zhiqing was photoshopping, a few aunts were watching TV and chatting. They asked the old madam, “Mom, when is Xiaochen planning to settle down? With such a good girlfriend, he isn’t in a hurry to marry her home? Isn’t he afraid someone will steal her away?”
“Don’t even get me started,” Old Madam Xie sighed. “I’ve persuaded him too, but whether he listens is up to them.”
Xie Zhiqing overheard and couldn’t help pouting. She didn’t want Sang-sang to marry her cousin at all. But then she thought—if Sang-sang married him, wouldn’t they be family? Living under the same roof, and seeing each other during holidays… wouldn’t that mean she could get closer to her idol?
Her thoughts stirred. She sent the Spring Festival Gala photos she’d snapped to Xie Yuncheng.
Sunny Day: 【image】
Sunny Day: Pretty, right? Too bad—even if she’s this pretty, you can’t see her in person today.
This Spring Festival, Xie Yuncheng hadn’t come back either. He said a task came up last minute so he couldn’t make it. He’d only stayed in Jingcheng for a few days before New Year’s, then returned to Beijing.
Xie Zhiqing just wanted to poke him. Who told him to steal her idol?
She was smug, thinking that even her lofty cousin could fall into the mortal world, and it made her happy.
But before she could enjoy it for long, Xie Yuncheng replied:
【How do you know I can’t see her?】
What did that mean? Xie Zhiqing stared blankly for a long time, completely confused. Before she could figure it out, Qin Sang’s performance was already over.
During the interview, the host asked whether she had any blessings for the audience in front of the TV. Qin Sang held the microphone and said with a warm smile, “I wish everyone a Happy New Year and that everything goes as you wish. And I also wish our motherland prosperity and strength, peace and well-being for the nation.”
Wuwu—as expected of the person she liked. The vision was broad. Even her smile was so beautiful. Xie Zhiqing pressed a hand to her pounding heart. Huanhuan tilted her head and looked at her. “Sister Xiaoqing, is your heart uncomfortable too?”
Xie Zhiqing only shook her head. Before she could speak, the gala moved into the next segment. The host spoke steadily through the introduction:
“There are people who carry the dreams of millions and set sail. There are people who stand at their posts, working silently to explore the unknown universe. There are people who roam among the stars, uncovering the secrets of the Milky Way. They are the aerospace representatives of a new era. Let us welcome Shenzhou X spacecraft designer XXX, Shenzhou X astronaut XXX… and the representative of senior aerospace engineers—Xie Yuncheng.”
Xie Zhiqing was stunned. And she wasn’t the only one. Qin Sang was stunned too. She sat below the stage. The moment she heard Xie Yuncheng’s name, her eyes froze for an instant—but quickly, she recovered.
Onstage, the host continued introducing the aerospace development of recent years. Each representative introduced themselves. When it was Xie Yuncheng’s turn, the camera swept over in that instant—and the cameraman’s hand trembled.
The young man stood straight and upright, wearing a deep navy uniform. On the left side of his chest was pinned a red national emblem. Calm and unhurried, he took the microphone, lifted his eyes, and spoke in a clear, powerful voice:
“Hello, everyone. I’m aerospace engineer Xie Yuncheng.”
This segment hadn’t been revealed in advance, so the public didn’t know the gala included it this year. In recent years, as domestic economic trade developed rapidly, technology also advanced at high speed. Aerospace technology, as a standout among them, had been rising quickly. Behind those extraordinary strides were the contributions of every aerospace worker—so the station designed this segment.
When the segment ended, the host likewise asked each of them to offer a short blessing. The man’s gaze was clean and clear. A very faint curve lifted at his lips as he spoke slowly:
“I wish everyone a Happy New Year and all the best. And I also wish our motherland prosperity and strength, peace and well-being for the nation.”