Chapter 34: Big killer whale & little sea otter (2)
Night soon arrived, and Ling Na and Qiao Dai went to the banquet.
In the magnificent hall, countless handsome men and beautiful women were wearing gorgeous clothes straight out of a movie, glasses of champagne in their hands, dazzling with paper and gold1.
Most of the guests of tonight’s banquet were business partners and only a few celebrities who had participated in the pre-publicity had been invited; the fact that a newcomer like Qiao Dai could join the festivities was something people couldn’t even envy.
“That’s Mr. Zhang of Shengshi.”
“That lady over there is Mr. Gu’s wife.”
Although Ling Na was very excited, she seriously did her best to introduce Qiao Dai to her contacts and have her attract as much attention as possible.
“Come on, let me introduce you. This is Qiao Dai.”
The director found her and the crowd and had not forgotten what he had said earlier. Because he was so satisfied with today’s shooting, he couldn’t help but compliment her in front of others.
“To get such high praise from Brother Zhang, I can only look forward to the completion of the film.” Listening to Director Zhang, the others became a little curious. Truth was, in their hearts, they didn’t have many expectations for a newcomer but as Director Zhang kept talking about her, they started to feel a little moved. After all, if it was just a scene, saying it once was enough and there was no need to tell everyone, especially at this type of event. Was it possible that this girl named Qiao Dai was that excellent?
Director Zhang laughed, raised the glass of wine in his hand, and motioned to his assistant to show the video. The assistant quickly took out his phone and started playing an excerpt of the footage.
After watching the video, the people who had been smiling indifferently just now, opened their eyes wide and turned to look at Qiao Dai as if they had just found a little treasure. This time, their gazes and opinions had greatly changed.
“I have seen your official portrait. Are you interested in another similar theme? A two-page picture. Oh no, the cover is good too.”
“I have a few MVs that lack a female character, see if you can think about it?”
The overwhelming number of invitations almost knocked Ling Na out and she quickly accepted everyone’s business cards. Qiao Dai kept thanking everybody and after a while, they finally got the chance to leave and take a breath.
“Oh my God, I can’t believe we got so many!”
Ling Na counted the business cards in her hands, the pile almost too thick to fit in her purse. She put away all those valuable contact information with joy and grabbed two glasses of fruit wine from the waiter before handing one to Qiao Dai.
Qiao Dai looked at the lemon-colored liquid in the glass curiously and took a tentative sip. The slightly pungent taste spread on her taste buds, making her squint and stick out her tongue. A little bitter, but also a little sweet.
After her first sip, Qiao Dai quickly got used to the taste and even started to think it was delicious. Soon, she had finished the whole glass.
“Sister Ling Na, I’m going to the bathroom.”
“Okay, go ahead.”
Her body temperature had slowly risen as she drank her glass and Qiao Dai felt that her mood had become inexplicably restless. Her head was a little dizzy and she wanted to find some cold water to pat her face and wake her up.
***
Outside the banquet hall, there was a flower bed full of blooming colors. The cold light of the moon spilled on the deserted courtyard in some sort of lonely tranquility.
Qiao Dai walked by the huge French windows, raised her head, and looked up at the moon. The dark sky was like the ocean at night and the soft light looked like the sparkling waves and unconsciously made her stop.
The waves, the water, the salty air… In a trance, Qiao Dai felt as if she was smelling the familiar scent of seawater.
Qiao Dai’s nose twitched and she instantly broke out of her groggy state. Her eyes widened in surprise and she followed the tinge of salty air instinctively to the second floor. In her confused mind, she opened several doors and opened her eyes wide again when faint blue water appeared in front of her.
Big, big sea!
The bright moon reflected on the water from the floor-to-ceiling windows, waves of light undulated on the surface, and a serene and beautiful atmosphere enveloped the surroundings. It was quiet around and there was no one.
Qiao Dai, who hadn’t swum freely for a long time, couldn’t resist the temptation. She quickly changed back to her little sea otter’s form, folded her clothes on the shore, and jumped in: it really was seawater!
Qiao Dai’s joy couldn’t be contained and she rolled happily in the water a few times, splashed around, and listened to the pleasing and relaxed sound of the ocean. She then lay on the surface and yawned; it was really too easy to fall asleep in her little sea otter form!
Her chubby body was covered in fur to withstand the cold of the sea but her paws had no fluff and she could only cover her eyes to keep warm. Qiao Dai stretched out her little limbs and rubbed her eyes, gradually dozing off. Oh, she really felt like sleeping, just like a little sea otter floating on the surface of the sea, slowly drifting along with the current.
But as she was falling asleep, the originally calm water began to ripple outwards in layers. Before she could react, she felt that she had hit something and the force made her drift in the opposite direction quickly.
Then, a slightly unpleasant voice was heard and reached Qiao Dai’s ears: “Go away, don’t swim in someone else’s pool.”
Qiao Dai: !!!
The sleepy Qiao Dai jerked awake and opened her closed eyes to see a killer whale staring at her with a fierce look, seemingly a little angry.
Killer whale!?
Qiao Dai became completely alert and swam back to the edge in a flash before climbing out. Only then did she notice the ocean was not there but it was a pool millions of times bigger than the one in her room!
Unlike Qiao Dai who had fled in a hurry, the orca was slowly swimming in the water and didn’t seem eager to hunt. Instead, he stopped at a distance from the shore and looked through the water at the panicked little sea otter.
“You-ou, hello…”
Qiao Dai’s voice was trembling and she looked at the giant predator in the water timidly, her whole furry body faintly shivering. Her body had become too weak, she couldn’t run!
As a member of the marine clan, Qiao Dai had retained her animal instincts, and looking at such a strong killed whale, she only felt scared. But was it her illusion just now or had she heard him talk? With that in mind, Qiao Dai decided to negotiate with the big brother orca to not eat her.
The killer whale didn’t speak anymore but his tail slapped the surface.
Ah, a bad-tempered killer whale!
Qiao Dai shrank into a ball on the shore and after waiting for a long time for the orca to speak, she asked tentatively: “Can I— Can I go?”
The big predator didn’t move and looked at her quietly. She shrunk her head again and she didn’t know how much time had passed when he suddenly said: “What do you think?”
Did that mean she could leave or she couldn’t?
Qiao Dai blinked and carefully moved closer to the pile of folded clothes she had placed on the edge. Whenever she took a step, the killer whale in the water would follow and slightly change the angle of his body, always staring at her.
Was he searching for her weakness? Qiao Dai shook some more but she also felt it was kind of unnecessary; she clearly had weaknesses all over. For marine overlords like orcas, a sea otter was nothing more than a small snack they could swallow in one bite. He really didn’t need to observe her so attentively.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to disturb you! I will go now!”
The moment she got to her clothes, she quickly grabbed them and ran to the dressing room, fearing the orca would regret letting her go and come at her. And from start to finish, the killer whale just watched her in silence from the bottom of the water.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Thank you big brother orca for sparring this weak little sea otter! I won’t bother you anymore!”
When Qiao Dai came out of the locker room after changing back, the big killer whale was still in the water and when he heard her say so, he slapped his tail again. Qiao Dai fled to the door and to the outside in fright.
But just before leaving, she turned her head and glanced at the pool. Amidst the azure water, the slightly curved dorsal fin looked a little bit lonely and the orca kept staring at her. Was it her illusion or did his fin looked a little bent? Only depressed killer whales would look like that, was it possible he felt unhappy? But she didn’t dare to think too much about it, after all, it was an orca and she was just a little sea otter. How could she know if he was upset? Qiao Dai turned around once more with some doubts in her head, and she didn’t know how long it was before the silence of the room was broken again in a splash of water.
***
Cheng Su changed his clothes and walked out. He turned the light on and the dim room became bright at once. Fine drops of water were falling from the tip of his hair and he slowly headed to the door. Only when he tried the door lock did he notice it was broken.
The figure of a young girl appeared involuntarily in Cheng Su’s mind and his eyebrows gently raised.
A weak… little sea otter?
Chapter 34: Big killer whale & little sea otter (2)
Night soon arrived, and Ling Na and Qiao Dai went to the banquet.
In the magnificent hall, countless handsome men and beautiful women were wearing gorgeous clothes straight out of a movie, glasses of champagne in their hands, dazzling with paper and gold1.
Most of the guests of tonight’s banquet were business partners and only a few celebrities who had participated in the pre-publicity had been invited; the fact that a newcomer like Qiao Dai could join the festivities was something people couldn’t even envy.
“That’s Mr. Zhang of Shengshi.”
“That lady over there is Mr. Gu’s wife.”
Although Ling Na was very excited, she seriously did her best to introduce Qiao Dai to her contacts and have her attract as much attention as possible.
“Come on, let me introduce you. This is Qiao Dai.”
The director found her and the crowd and had not forgotten what he had said earlier. Because he was so satisfied with today’s shooting, he couldn’t help but compliment her in front of others.
“To get such high praise from Brother Zhang, I can only look forward to the completion of the film.” Listening to Director Zhang, the others became a little curious. Truth was, in their hearts, they didn’t have many expectations for a newcomer but as Director Zhang kept talking about her, they started to feel a little moved. After all, if it was just a scene, saying it once was enough and there was no need to tell everyone, especially at this type of event. Was it possible that this girl named Qiao Dai was that excellent?
Director Zhang laughed, raised the glass of wine in his hand, and motioned to his assistant to show the video. The assistant quickly took out his phone and started playing an excerpt of the footage.
After watching the video, the people who had been smiling indifferently just now, opened their eyes wide and turned to look at Qiao Dai as if they had just found a little treasure. This time, their gazes and opinions had greatly changed.
“I have seen your official portrait. Are you interested in another similar theme? A two-page picture. Oh no, the cover is good too.”
“I have a few MVs that lack a female character, see if you can think about it?”
The overwhelming number of invitations almost knocked Ling Na out and she quickly accepted everyone’s business cards. Qiao Dai kept thanking everybody and after a while, they finally got the chance to leave and take a breath.
“Oh my God, I can’t believe we got so many!”
Ling Na counted the business cards in her hands, the pile almost too thick to fit in her purse. She put away all those valuable contact information with joy and grabbed two glasses of fruit wine from the waiter before handing one to Qiao Dai.
Qiao Dai looked at the lemon-colored liquid in the glass curiously and took a tentative sip. The slightly pungent taste spread on her taste buds, making her squint and stick out her tongue. A little bitter, but also a little sweet.
After her first sip, Qiao Dai quickly got used to the taste and even started to think it was delicious. Soon, she had finished the whole glass.
“Sister Ling Na, I’m going to the bathroom.”
“Okay, go ahead.”
Her body temperature had slowly risen as she drank her glass and Qiao Dai felt that her mood had become inexplicably restless. Her head was a little dizzy and she wanted to find some cold water to pat her face and wake her up.
***
Outside the banquet hall, there was a flower bed full of blooming colors. The cold light of the moon spilled on the deserted courtyard in some sort of lonely tranquility.
Qiao Dai walked by the huge French windows, raised her head, and looked up at the moon. The dark sky was like the ocean at night and the soft light looked like the sparkling waves and unconsciously made her stop.
The waves, the water, the salty air… In a trance, Qiao Dai felt as if she was smelling the familiar scent of seawater.
Qiao Dai’s nose twitched and she instantly broke out of her groggy state. Her eyes widened in surprise and she followed the tinge of salty air instinctively to the second floor. In her confused mind, she opened several doors and opened her eyes wide again when faint blue water appeared in front of her.
Big, big sea!
The bright moon reflected on the water from the floor-to-ceiling windows, waves of light undulated on the surface, and a serene and beautiful atmosphere enveloped the surroundings. It was quiet around and there was no one.
Qiao Dai, who hadn’t swum freely for a long time, couldn’t resist the temptation. She quickly changed back to her little sea otter’s form, folded her clothes on the shore, and jumped in: it really was seawater!
Qiao Dai’s joy couldn’t be contained and she rolled happily in the water a few times, splashed around, and listened to the pleasing and relaxed sound of the ocean. She then lay on the surface and yawned; it was really too easy to fall asleep in her little sea otter form!
Her chubby body was covered in fur to withstand the cold of the sea but her paws had no fluff and she could only cover her eyes to keep warm. Qiao Dai stretched out her little limbs and rubbed her eyes, gradually dozing off. Oh, she really felt like sleeping, just like a little sea otter floating on the surface of the sea, slowly drifting along with the current.
But as she was falling asleep, the originally calm water began to ripple outwards in layers. Before she could react, she felt that she had hit something and the force made her drift in the opposite direction quickly.
Then, a slightly unpleasant voice was heard and reached Qiao Dai’s ears: “Go away, don’t swim in someone else’s pool.”
Qiao Dai: !!!
The sleepy Qiao Dai jerked awake and opened her closed eyes to see a killer whale staring at her with a fierce look, seemingly a little angry.
Killer whale!?
Qiao Dai became completely alert and swam back to the edge in a flash before climbing out. Only then did she notice the ocean was not there but it was a pool millions of times bigger than the one in her room!
Unlike Qiao Dai who had fled in a hurry, the orca was slowly swimming in the water and didn’t seem eager to hunt. Instead, he stopped at a distance from the shore and looked through the water at the panicked little sea otter.
“You-ou, hello…”
Qiao Dai’s voice was trembling and she looked at the giant predator in the water timidly, her whole furry body faintly shivering. Her body had become too weak, she couldn’t run!
As a member of the marine clan, Qiao Dai had retained her animal instincts, and looking at such a strong killed whale, she only felt scared. But was it her illusion just now or had she heard him talk? With that in mind, Qiao Dai decided to negotiate with the big brother orca to not eat her.
The killer whale didn’t speak anymore but his tail slapped the surface.
Ah, a bad-tempered killer whale!
Qiao Dai shrank into a ball on the shore and after waiting for a long time for the orca to speak, she asked tentatively: “Can I— Can I go?”
The big predator didn’t move and looked at her quietly. She shrunk her head again and she didn’t know how much time had passed when he suddenly said: “What do you think?”
Did that mean she could leave or she couldn’t?
Qiao Dai blinked and carefully moved closer to the pile of folded clothes she had placed on the edge. Whenever she took a step, the killer whale in the water would follow and slightly change the angle of his body, always staring at her.
Was he searching for her weakness? Qiao Dai shook some more but she also felt it was kind of unnecessary; she clearly had weaknesses all over. For marine overlords like orcas, a sea otter was nothing more than a small snack they could swallow in one bite. He really didn’t need to observe her so attentively.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to disturb you! I will go now!”
The moment she got to her clothes, she quickly grabbed them and ran to the dressing room, fearing the orca would regret letting her go and come at her. And from start to finish, the killer whale just watched her in silence from the bottom of the water.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Thank you big brother orca for sparring this weak little sea otter! I won’t bother you anymore!”
When Qiao Dai came out of the locker room after changing back, the big killer whale was still in the water and when he heard her say so, he slapped his tail again. Qiao Dai fled to the door and to the outside in fright.
But just before leaving, she turned her head and glanced at the pool. Amidst the azure water, the slightly curved dorsal fin looked a little bit lonely and the orca kept staring at her. Was it her illusion or did his fin looked a little bent? Only depressed killer whales would look like that, was it possible he felt unhappy? But she didn’t dare to think too much about it, after all, it was an orca and she was just a little sea otter. How could she know if he was upset? Qiao Dai turned around once more with some doubts in her head, and she didn’t know how long it was before the silence of the room was broken again in a splash of water.
***
Cheng Su changed his clothes and walked out. He turned the light on and the dim room became bright at once. Fine drops of water were falling from the tip of his hair and he slowly headed to the door. Only when he tried the door lock did he notice it was broken.
The figure of a young girl appeared involuntarily in Cheng Su’s mind and his eyebrows gently raised.
A weak… little sea otter?
