Oh No, My Tail Has Been Seen! - Chapter 22

Chapter 22: You Can’t Lose Weight Without a Full Belly

“Take a look at what you want to eat. I don’t eat seafood,” Bai Jin said, handing the menu to Su Miao, gesturing for her to look at it first.

Huh?

She had secretly tried to find out what Bai Jin liked to eat before. She heard she liked sweets, especially chocolate cake. But what Bai Jin didn’t eat was a mystery.

Now she knew that Bai Jin, like her, couldn’t eat seafood.

Even though she didn’t eat seafood either, she wasn’t picky about other things. Su Miao was about to say she didn’t want to order, but then Bai Jin held the tablet up in front of her.

The two looked at each other, and in the next moment, her hand, as if on autopilot, took the tablet.

Why did she always feel so weak when she looked at Bai Jin?

Su Miao scolded herself. Even if she liked her, she shouldn’t instinctively lower her head whenever she saw Bai Jin.

But it was fine this time; she had already taken the tablet.

With that thought, Su Miao’s fingers scrolled across the tablet to order.

The restaurant’s menu was very extensive, with almost everything she liked. So she casually selected a few dishes she always ordered when eating hot pot and then handed the tablet to Xu Qingqing.

Xu Qingqing looked at Su Miao’s order. Su Miao had mainly picked beef, and the vegetable page was completely untouched.

So, Sister Su Miao didn’t like vegetables.

But eating only meat wasn’t good, so she checked off a few vegetable dishes.

When she flipped back to the first page, she saw that they hadn’t ordered a soup base yet. This was a matter of personal preference, so she needed to ask. “We haven’t ordered the base yet. Sister Bai, Sister Su Miao, do you want the normal spicy nine-grid or the half-and-half pot?”

Without hesitation, Su Miao said, “Nine-grid.”

Bai Jin said, “Same.”

Hearing their answers, Xu Qingqing excitedly put a big checkmark next to “nine-grid.” “I like the nine-grid too. It’s only flavorful if it’s spicy enough.”

After they finished ordering, she handed the tablet back to Bai Jin, who put it aside without even a glance.

“How was reading the script?” Bai Jin took a sip of her iced tea, her eyes on Su Miao, taking in her every move.

Upon hearing her words, Su Miao was visibly stunned. She looked up at her, but there was no fear in her eyes this time.

“I re-read it and also looked at the other characters’ parts. I now have my own understanding of this character. She’s a self-serving person, a villain in the early stages, but she’s not just bad, she also has…” As Su Miao spoke, she recalled the notes she had made. Gradually, the character’s image began to emerge in her mind.

Talking to Bai Jin felt like introducing a friend of her own.

Bai Jin nodded, and a satisfied smile finally appeared on her face. “You analyzed it very carefully. I hope you’ll do this for every role you have in the future. The purpose of this hot pot dinner is to celebrate you learning to empathize with a character. And after this meal, you’ll need to start controlling your diet to get ready to join the crew.”

The purpose of this hot pot dinner was to celebrate her growth.

Su Miao felt a warmth in her heart even before she started eating.

At the same time, she was glad she hadn’t let Bai Jin down and had done what she was supposed to.

“Sister Su Miao, we’re joining the crew the day after tomorrow,” Xu Qingqing reminded her in a timely manner. “From now on, I’ll be taking care of you completely. If there’s anything I need to know, like any dietary restrictions, you can tell me in advance.”

Time was passing so quickly. She hadn’t been with Bai Jin on the show for many days, and it was already coming to an end.

“I don’t eat seafood, but anything else is fine.”

As soon as Su Miao said this, Xu Qingqing teased her with a look, then glanced at Bai Jin.

Xu Qingqing laughed. “It seems both of my bosses don’t eat seafood. I’ve made a note of it.”

For some reason, after Su Miao said that, she distinctly felt Bai Jin’s gaze fall on her.

Was she curious about her?

Or was she just surprised that they had the same habit?

When she thought about it more carefully, a person as aloof as Bai Jin probably wasn’t curious about what she liked. At most, she was a little surprised that she, like her, didn’t eat seafood.

Soon, the waiter brought the soup base and ingredients. As soon as the water boiled, they could start cooking the hot pot.

Su Miao had ordered the soup base: a nine-grid with normal spiciness.

All three of them could handle spice, and they ate this meal with gusto. When Su Miao thought that this might be the best meal before joining the crew—or even before filming was over—she couldn’t help but eat large mouthfuls of meat.

Since she was going to have to control her weight, she might as well have a good, hearty meal before she started.

What was that saying?

You can’t lose weight without a full belly.

Xu Qingqing knew Bai Jin was paying, so she ordered two more rounds of food and only stopped when she was completely full and satisfied.

After letting out a burp, Xu Qingqing looked at Su Miao and Bai Jin. The two of them were sitting leisurely, drinking iced tea, looking completely un-stuffed, unlike her disheveled state.

“Are you full?” As expected, people in the entertainment industry pay attention to their image. Xu Qingqing had learned a few weight control tricks herself, but she threw them all out the window at the sight of hot pot.

“I’m full. I ate a lot of meat, so I got full easily.” Su Miao looked at the table in front of Bai Jin, which was spotlessly clean, without a single drop of soup that might have dripped when she was picking up food. Even the used tissue was neatly folded and placed to the side.

If not for the obvious red stain from the soup base in her bowl, you wouldn’t be able to tell she had eaten at all.

It seemed that Bai Jin might have a bit of a clean freak or some minor obsessive-compulsive tendencies, needing to keep things around her in perfect order.

“I’m full. We can go back when you’re done eating,” Bai Jin said calmly, with no hint of impatience.

Xu Qingqing made an OK sign, glanced at the bubbling meat slices in the pot, swallowed, and lowered her head to continue eating.

Bai Jin’s phone screen lit up. She picked it up, looked at the message, and then quickly turned it off again.

She said to Su Miao, “You’ll probably be starting the next project immediately. I’ve already accepted the next role for you, but I won’t give you the script in advance. Just focus on doing a good job with the one you’re filming now.”

Su Miao nodded. She trusted Bai Jin’s arrangements for her.

After dinner, the group returned to the house. It was very late by the time they arrived. The three of them said goodbye and went to their respective rooms.

She hadn’t smelled it outside, but as soon as she entered her room, she could smell the scent of hot pot on herself.

Su Miao quickly went to take a bath. While soaking in the tub, she really wanted to stretch out her tail, but she was still in a public place. After a long hesitation, she decided against it and played in the water in her human form for a while before getting up.

After changing into her pajamas, Su Miao looked at the time; it was already eleven at night. She was just about to lie down on the bed when she heard a knock on the door.

“Su Miao, are you free? Let’s go sit somewhere for a bit,” Xu Sheng’s voice came from outside the door.

“Coming,” Su Miao said, looking down at her pajamas. She went to open the door, just a crack, and said softly, “Wait a moment, I’ll go change my clothes.”

“Okay.”

The autumn evening was still quite cool. Su Miao simply changed into a white long dress and put on a beige knit shawl before leaving the room.

Xu Sheng was also bare-faced, her complexion clear and clean. She wore a simple white short-sleeved shirt and long denim pants, holding a can of beer.

Seeing Su Miao’s gaze on the item in her hand, Xu Sheng quickly explained, “I’m drinking beer; you don’t have to.”

“Okay then.” Su Miao followed her and sat down in a brightly lit living room.

At first, neither of them spoke. Xu Sheng silently drank the beer in her hand. Su Miao secretly looked at her several times, noticing that her brows were constantly furrowed, and she looked very sad.

“You look like you’re not in a good mood,” Su Miao couldn’t help but ask. She had read somewhere that humans who drink alone are trying to relieve their inner sorrows.

Even when she had gone out drinking with her roommates before, everyone had smiles on their faces. Xu Sheng’s behavior was very unusual.

“Mm,” Xu Sheng responded faintly, with no further explanation, not planning to talk about what was bothering her.

Su Miao looked at her with concern, knowing clearly that if she didn’t want to talk, there was no point in asking further.

So she just stayed quiet, sitting silently beside her.

She was just keeping her company while she drowned her sorrows in alcohol.

“The variety show filming is almost over, senior,” Xu Sheng suddenly broke the silence herself.

Su Miao also nodded with a sigh. “Yeah, I’m really going to miss everyone.”

After saying that, Su Miao realized it sounded too formal. In a conversation between friends, it seemed a bit strange.

So she added, “I was re-watching the stage play we filmed together just yesterday.”

Xu Sheng let out a soft laugh and looked at Su Miao. Coincidentally, Su Miao was also looking at her, and their eyes met.

Perhaps because of the alcohol, Xu Sheng’s eyes were a little hazy.

Su Miao inexplicably read a different kind of emotion in her eyes.

Affection?

Su Miao was unsure and didn’t dare to be sure.

For her, these were unnecessary feelings. She was certain that her heart belonged to Bai Jin, and no one else could take it away.

Xu Sheng might have seen the rejection in her eyes, as she quickly looked away, then gave a self-deprecating laugh and let out a soft sigh.

“I’ll remember this time,” Xu Sheng said with a firm tone. Her eyes became gentle again as she looked at Su Miao. “I’ll remember everything about you clearly. If we meet on a film set in the future, don’t you dare forget me.”

“I definitely won’t forget you,” Su Miao said. She recalled all of Xu Sheng’s actions during this time. It seemed she really was special to her. The first time they met, she had helped her answer those difficult questions.

And later, she had taken her to appear in front of the cameras everywhere.

“Even if we’re not here anymore, we can still stay in touch. We have each other on WeChat. You can find me anytime if you need something, or if you want to share something, you can send it to me,” Su Miao said, shaking her phone in front of her.

Xu Sheng gave a low-voiced response.

“Okay.”