Winged Neko: Thank you to @Momo, @Rin, @HewerG, @KSP, @Kofi – supporter, @Mango, @Amal, @Violetfog @ArkhamButterfy for the ko-fi (♡ˊ͈ ꒳ ˋ͈)
Any text in Bold was originally in english.
Han Cheng sat up in the dark, feeling depressed, as if his heart was broken.
He wasn’t in a relationship yet, yet he spent every day like an adolescent boy, yearning to see his crush in his dreams.
This was simply unrealistic. Han Cheng lay down again, distraught.
Finally, he couldn’t help himself. After waking up the next day, he searched online to see if such a person really existed.
The results surprised him. Not only was there such a person, but Shen Qingshu was actually a celebrity, just like in his dreams.
In his dreams, he was a celebrity, with that pure, beautiful face. To his surprise, he also looked like the celebrity in real life.
Could such a coincidence really happen?
Han Cheng found this too fantastical, too unbelievable.
He anonymously posted a question on a dream interpretation forum: [Has anyone else experienced this? One day, you meet someone in a dream and fall in love with them. Even after waking up, you still remember their every smile and every gaze. Then, suddenly, one day, you discover that there’s actually someone like them in the world, with the same face, name, and even identity. What… is going on?]
The netizens of the forum replied in succession: [Sister, wake up! There’s no way this could be possible.]
[Sister, are you writing a novel?]
Han Cheng read through the responses one by one until he came across this one: [If you’re serious, sister, then, putting aside all conspiracies and trickery, he’s the man of your dreams. It’s possible you were a couple in a past life, and in this life, memories of that past life are surfacing in your dreams, guiding you to continue loving him and being with him.]
Han Cheng read in silence. He had always been a staunch materialist, averse to all nonsense, but he felt this explanation was the correct one.
He felt no reluctance, and even let out a sigh of relief, as if he had finally found the answer.
He thought that he in his dream must be the real him. That’s why he sometimes couldn’t tell whether it was Zhuang Zhou dreaming of a butterfly or the butterfly dreaming of Zhuang Zhou. 1
He couldn’t tell whether the person sitting here now or the one living in the dream was the real him.
Both were him, both were the real him.
Han Cheng reopened the webpage and began searching for Shen Qingshu. As he searched, he decided to check Weibo. As soon as he opened it, he saw a trending search for Shen Qingshu. It seemed he had just been released from the hospital after getting into an accident, and today he was at a promotion for the cosmetics brand he had previously endorsed.
Han Cheng clicked on the video on the trending search forum and watched the person in the video smile gently, his voice clear and pleasant—even his voice was exactly the same as he remembered.
He quickly searched for the mall where he had been promoting his endorsement, but found that Shen Qingshu had already left.
Han Cheng wanted to see him, and couldn’t wait.
He wanted to see him up close, to see if he was the man of his dreams, the Shen Qingshu who had always been there for him and loved him.
He thought for a moment, then picked up his phone and called the brand manager. “I agree to your earlier suggestion of hiring a celebrity to endorse ‘The Win’.”
“Really?” the brand manager exclaimed in surprise. “Director Han, it’s great that you agree. When you get back, I’ll review the celebrities I think would be suitable.”
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“No, no need to bother. I already have someone in mind. You know Shen Qingshu, right? He’ll be the one.”
“Shen Qingshu?” the manager frowned. “Shen Qingshu wasn’t on the list I gave you. While he’s popular and has a good image, he hasn’t promoted our game before, and he’s not as enthusiastic towards us as other popular celebrities.”
“I think he’s suitable.” Han Cheng looked at Shen Qingshu’s photo on the website, and the more he looked at it, the more he liked him. “He’s the one.”
With that, the manager couldn’t say anything else. He could only say, “Okay.”
“Contact Shen Qingshu’s agent and discuss the endorsement. We’ll go to his company now, and then you can contact his agent to discuss the endorsement. As for the endorsement fee…”
Han Cheng paused briefly, then laughed again. “Let’s just say 100 million. Consider it a gesture of our sincerity.”
100 million—unwavering devotion2—perfectly reflects his feelings for Shen Qingshu.
He just doesn’t know if this Shen Qingshu is the same Shen Qingshu from his dreams.
If not, then he might not get this exclusive endorsement fee.
The brand manager nearly dropped his phone in shock. “How much? 100 million? Director Han, we’re The Win! We don’t need to give such a high endorsement fee, 30 or 50 million is good enough!”
They’re The Win, aren’t they? They’re even more famous than Shen Qingshu!
Some elementary school students might not know Shen Qingshu, but there certainly aren’t any who haven’t played The Win!
“We’re The Win. Just 30 or 50 million for a spokesperson is way too low-class,” Han Cheng retorted. “Alright, get going now. We’ll meet at Chengfeng Building later.”
“Chengfeng Building?”
“That’s the address of Shen Qingshu’s agency. Let’s go to his office first and wait for him there. That way, he’ll understand our sincerity and meet us tonight.”
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Brand Manager: “No, director Han, how do you even know his agency’s address? Is that something a boss like you should be concerned about?!”
We’re The Win! The nationwide success! Especially since you’re offering him 100 million for an endorsement. Do you even need to know his agency’s address? And even need to wait for him ? !
He should be waiting for you!
That’s 100 million ! ! !
If you just sit there, he will crawl right over to you, okay ? !
The brand manager felt completely baffled. Did Shen Qingshu cast a spell on director Han? Why else would he suddenly decide on the deal, not just tell him, but also rush to visit him overnight with 100 million, insisting on handing it over tonight, fearing he wouldn’t accept it!
What kind of magical plot is this? director Han, do you really have no personal connection with this Shen Qingshu?!
1 Zhuāng Zǐ’s dream of a butterfly is a Chinese idiom that comes from Zhuāng Zǐ’s《庄周》story in the book《庄子·齐物论》. The story is about Zhuāng Zǐ, who dreamt that he was transformed into a butterfly during the Warring States period, and when he woke up, he did not know that he was the butterfly or Zhuāng Zǐ.
This idiom means that it is not known whether Zhuāng Zǐ dreamed of becoming a butterfly or the butterfly dreamed of becoming Zhuāng Zǐ. It is used to refer to a wonderful dream or to metaphorically describe the ever-changing nature of life.
2 Welcome to Winged Neko’s dubious Chinese lesson (if this is wrong please correct me in the comments, I feel like I dived too deep with this one). I think the idiom this is referring to is 一心一意, one heart one mind, single minded/ devoted. Why do 10 and 8 represent single-mindedness? Because of maths, 10 to the power of 8 = 100million. This is my top contender theory.
The other is, the Chinese character for heart is 心 (xin).
When visually analyzed, the character 心 (xin) can be broken down into components that resemble the Chinese numerals for eight (八 – bā) and ten (十 – shí). ¯\_ (ᵕ—ᴗ—)_/¯ Don’t ask me how much time I spent researching this.
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