Her Majesty The Empress Has Made Her Debut In The Center Position [Ancient to Modern] - Chapter 40.2

Ji Zhao had never felt so anxious before.

She couldn’t tell whether she was afraid of disappointing Yu Cheng with something she might do while drunk, losing the imperial dignity, or having the events of Yu Cheng’s eighteenth birthday night repeat themselves.

But where could Yu Cheng possibly go? Withdraw from the competition? Go abroad to find Su Jing?

She didn’t know.

She didn’t dare to think about it.

She was unwilling to admit she needed Yu Cheng, yet she couldn’t deny it. This went against everything she had learned about imperial conduct over the years.

When she was nervous, she couldn’t smile. With a stony expression, she rode her horse, following the photographer’s instructions to start, stop, look at the camera, or gaze into the distance. After the shoot, the photographer was utterly satisfied.

“This expressiveness! This presence in front of the camera! Absolutely stunning!” The photographer kept scrolling through the images on his computer, showing them to the production team. “These don’t even need retouching—they’re perfect as is! A little more editing would ruin the mood!”

He called out to Ji Zhao, “Teacher Ji! Want to come see these?”

Ji Zhao had seen Yu Cheng approach and was about to go to her when the shout stopped her. She hesitated, but by then Yu Cheng had already been called away by another photographer for a photo shoot.

Song Jiangjiang jogged over. “Let me see, let me see!”

Ji Zhao, however, was preoccupied with something else. “Did you ask her? Why did you talk for so long?”

Song Jiangjiang replied quietly, “I asked.”

“And what did she say?”

“She said that after you got drunk, you went back to the dormitory and hugged her. Zhaozhao, I’m not judging you, but how could you take advantage of someone while drunk?” Song Jiangjiang teased. “At least she turned off the dorm cameras.”

Ji Zhao hummed in acknowledgment.

Then, with a self-assured air, she added, “What’s wrong with a hug?”

Being hugged by the Emperor was a blessing eight lifetimes in the making—a feat worthy of firecrackers and celebration in the Great Qi Dynasty. How could that possibly be called taking advantage?

Ji Zhao half-heartedly glanced through the photos. Just as Yu Cheng finished her photo shoot, she called out, “Come here.”

Yu Cheng’s expression froze momentarily.

Coming, coming.

Song Jiangjiang’s leg trembled with excitement. The Yuzhao CP pairing must get her vote! she thought. She’d been strategizing for Yuzhao to get together, employing the “letting go to capture” tactic. If Yu Cheng played her cards right, this romance was as good as won!

She gave Yu Cheng a meaningful look: Now! Reject her! Be yourself!

Yu Cheng took a deep breath and was about to speak when she met Ji Zhao’s puzzled gaze. Ji Zhao tilted her head, her eyebrows arching slightly, as if asking why she hadn’t come yet.

Her heart skipped a beat, like a little deer had kicked it.

Before she could react, her feet had already carried her forward. “I’m here.”

Song Jiangjiang: “……”

Seeing Yu Cheng act so cheap, she’s beyond saving!

As the sky darkened, the setting sun painted half the heavens crimson. Thick clouds, like colorful cotton candy, gradually faded in the lingering sunlight until the sun sank below the horizon. The scattered clouds dissipated, leaving the bright moon to shine down.

Under the staff’s guidance, the trainees organized themselves to set up the venue. Though not as polished as professional work and hastily prepared, it still looked presentable. What delighted Ji Zhao most was that the production team had invited local chefs to roast a whole lamb using traditional methods.

“I wonder when they’ll be back,” Zhou Yuting said, pulling down her sleeves and gazing down the path. “It’s weird without so many people around.”

In the Dramatic group, only Tong Wei had been eliminated, leaving Yuting feeling both wistful and relieved.

Tong Wei’s personality still needed tempering. Allowing her to debut or gain more fame would have been detrimental to her growth. Yuting wasn’t relieved that Tong Wei was gone; she was relieved that Tong Wei still had a chance to mature.

Once you enter the entertainment industry’s arena of fame and fortune, it’s all too easy to let the glitter blind you. What looks like a smooth path is often riddled with pitfalls.

Ji Zhao also looked around. “If they don’t come back, we won’t get to eat the whole roasted lamb, right?”

Pei Jia swallowed hard beside her. “Boss Ji, is there any way you could send someone to fetch them?”

Chen Xingzi’s eyes lit up. “If I don’t get to eat soon, I’m going to start crawling around in the dark.”

Shen Yican crossed her arms. “Aren’t you trying to lose weight?”

Chen Xingzi gritted her teeth. “Will people think you’re mute if you don’t say anything?”

The roasted lamb smelled absolutely mouthwatering. As it turned on the spit, fat dripped down, and when the knife pierced its skin, the thin layer of crispy, fragrant skin gave way to tender, juicy meat. The irresistible aroma captivated all the trainees, who stared at it raptly.

Yu Cheng asked Ji Zhao, “Does it look really good?”

Ji Zhao swallowed hard and shook her head. “No, not at all.”

She added to Yu Cheng, “People shouldn’t go crazy over food. That’s just ugly… but it really smells so good, I can’t stand it!”

Yu Cheng chuckled. “I’ll go ask the director.”

“Hmm?” Ji Zhao asked.

“To find out when they’ll be back,” Yu Cheng explained.

The assistant director said they were already on their way, but the production team needed to film some shots of the roasted lamb first. The trainees couldn’t eat yet, so they were asked to circle the bonfire and each given a piece of paper. “Please write down your dreams,” the assistant director instructed.

“Ten-year-old dreams, twenty-year-old dreams, whatever.”

Ying Tian raised her hand. “What if I haven’t even turned twenty yet?”

The assistant director, already nearing forty-five, was taken aback. “…Twenty is just a general reference! Just write down your childhood dreams and your current ones!”

Ying Tian clutched her small chest. “You’re so mean, Assistant Director.”

The trainees glared angrily.

The assistant director stood speechless.

Chen Xingzi muttered under her breath, “My only wish right now is to devour that whole roasted lamb! Every single bite!”

Ji Zhao asked earnestly, “Can we really write that?”

Shen Yican replied bluntly, “…Absolutely not.”

Ji Zhao sighed regretfully.

Staring at the blank paper in her hand, she turned to Yu Cheng and asked, “What’s your dream?”

Yu Cheng answered, “To protect my home and country.”

Ji Zhao pressed, “What about when you were ten?”

“That’s still my dream,” Yu Cheng replied.

Ji Zhao fell silent, realizing she’d forgotten—Esteemed Minister Yu had always wanted to protect her home and country, even as a child.

Ji Zhao tried again. “What’s your dream now?”

Yu Cheng countered, “What about yours?”

Ji Zhao pondered. “My current dream is to return home. The people must still be waiting for me. I promised them I’d celebrate the Qixi Festival with them this year.”

Yu Cheng paused. “…Oh.”

Ji Zhao, puzzled, asked, “What?”

Yu Cheng smiled at her. “Your wish is my wish.”

“Strange,” Ji Zhao rolled her eyes. “But we can’t write these dreams. I just heard they’re going to read them out loud later. Let’s write something more appropriate.”

Song Jiangjiang scribbled down her dream quickly. “Isn’t this easy? Of course, it’s to debut! Do you guys think if I threw a handful of candy at ten people, eleven of them would dream of debuting?”

Ji Zhao nodded. “It’s honest, but completely uncreative. When it airs, they’ll breeze through it quickly.”

Song Jiangjiang was silent for two seconds. “…Suddenly, I just remembered I have a new dream.”

Ji Zhao chuckled.

She wrote on the paper: “My dream is for everyone who likes me, and everyone I like, to be happy every day.”

As they wrote their dreams, the other trainees who had been taken away earlier returned. They had changed into their regular clothes and were each holding a gift bag. The circle around the bonfire expanded again, with the eliminated and advancing trainees each occupying half of the circle, creating a surprisingly harmonious scene.

Cheng Feiwan had already left, and the Assistant Director stood off-camera, serving as a prompter for the process.

“After leaving the big lawn, they went to the city to pick out gifts for their favorite trainees,” the Assistant Director explained. “The cost of the gifts was covered by the production team.”

One trainee grumbled, “The production team is so stingy! They only gave us a fifty-yuan budget!”

The entire field erupted in laughter.

The assistant director cleared her throat. “Alright, starting with number 35, please give your gifts to the trainee you support! And just a quick note: the trainee who receives the most gifts will get a special bonus!”

With a tight budget, the trainees had to get creative. To make the most of their fifty yuan, they scoured the boutique, buying hair ribbons for one, shark clips for another, and so on. In the end, they assembled the gifts into separate bags, ensuring everyone got something.

“Zhaozhao, Yu Cheng,” Jian Li, from Group B of “The Puppet Show,” crouched down in front of them, a shy smile on her face. “I have a gift, but I’m not sure if I should give it to you…”

Follow PD, who had been trailing her all afternoon, knew exactly what she was holding. Feeling a little sorry for her, he suggested, “If you’re not sure, maybe you shouldn’t give it?”

Jian Li was firm. “I won’t!”

She clenched her fist. “From now on, I’ll only be a screen stalker. What chance will I have to send gifts?”

Ji Zhao jumped, startled. Yu Cheng instinctively raised her arm to shield Ji Zhao, her voice cautious. “What kind of gift are you trying to send?”

Jian Li looked at Yu Cheng’s arm and murmured, “You really love her, don’t you?”

Yu Cheng froze, startled.

She turned to Song Jiangjiang, her eyes flashing with suspicion. Could Song Jiangjiang have leaked today’s incident?

Jian Li took the gift out of her bag. It was a small square box. Through the transparent lid, two silver rings were visible inside. She carefully opened the box.

Follow PD closed her eyes.

This CP shipping is getting a little too real! This is making Ji Zhaozhao and Yu Cheng so awkward! The thought of filming this awkward scene makes me want to claw at the castle walls—if—

Before she could finish the thought, Ji Zhao’s voice interrupted her. “Are these for detoxification?”

Follow PD: “……?”

What kind of strange angle is this?

Jian Li also: “Huh?”

Ji Zhao picked up one of the silver rings. “The design is quite unique, reminiscent of a ring. If worn on a finger, it wouldn’t arouse suspicion. It’s both discreet and maintains one’s dignity—a clever idea.”

Yu Cheng nodded in agreement. “Still two rings. You’re very thoughtful.”

Jian Li: “……”

She was bewildered. What’s going on here?

She was just a fan who, while browsing a boutique, saw a pair of rings that would look great on her favorite couple. On a whim, she’d bought them for Yu Cheng and Ji Zhaozhao!

How did this turn into talk of detoxification? Had the power struggles among the elite reached the point of poisoning?

Ji Zhao slipped the ring onto her finger and said to Jian Li, “Thank you.”

Jian Li mumbled, “You’re welcome.”

Yu Cheng also put on her ring. “Let’s test them later.”

Jian Li: “…… Huh?”

Wait a minute! These aren’t detox rings! They’re supposed to be a symbol of your unshakable bond!

Jian Li drifted away like a lost soul. Watching her retreating figure, Ji Zhao felt a pang of unease. “Do you think she feels too attached to these rings? Is giving them away too painful for her?”

Yu Cheng asked, “Your Majesty, what reward do you wish to give her?”

Ji Zhao replied, “She mentioned wanting to work for Timely Entertainment before. I’ll have HR contact her. If she’s willing, we’ll hire her; if not, we’ll give her some gold, silver, or jewels—whatever she prefers.”

After the gift exchange, the bonfire party officially began.

The succulent roasted lamb, fragrant and dripping with juices, was sliced into thin pieces, dipped in a special seasoning, and rolled into thin pancakes. The resulting rolls practically melted in the mouth.

In addition to the lamb, there were all sorts of other dishes, including a long table set up for hotpot. The spicy broth cut through the richness of the lamb, and the trainees happily munched their way from lamb to hotpot to grilled meat. Just as they were digging in, one of them suddenly shouted, “There’s a little slip of paper here! My dream is…”

“Ah!” she exclaimed. “It’s the dreams we wrote earlier!”

The slips of paper, bearing the trainees’ dreams, had been collected anonymously by the production team. Ji Zhao had initially guessed they would be read during the finals, but the team had come up with a clever twist: a treasure hunt for the trainees.

“Here’s one! ‘I hope to debut!’ This handwriting looks just like Song Jiangjiang’s!”

“Nonsense! This writing looks like a dog’s scrawl!”

“My dream is to sing for the whole world to hear! Campfire party on pause—I’m contacting the Envoy!”

“Hey, while you’re at it, ask the Trisolarans when they’re arriving!”

“What the…? I just want to eat in peace, and now there are dreams hidden in the food? And it’s so on-point! ‘To taste all the world’s cuisines without gaining weight’—even though there’s no signature, you can tell it’s…”

“Wait, what? I just want to eat in peace, and now there are dreams hidden in the food? And it’s so on-point! ‘To taste all the world’s cuisines without gaining weight’—even though there’s no signature, you can tell it’s…”

Chen Xingzi jumped up in frustration. “Pei Jia loves them too!”

The trainees chimed in unison, “But she doesn’t gain weight!”

Chen Xingzi: “……”

This is bullying! This is girl group bullying!

“Wow, this person’s handwriting is beautiful. Is it SimSun?” A trainee exclaimed, holding up a slip of paper found beneath a plate. “She wrote her dream: ‘May everyone who likes me be happy every day.'”

Yu Cheng glanced at Ji Zhao, who winked back, sharing an unspoken secret.

The wink sent Yu Cheng’s heart into a flutter.

“Huh? I found one too!” Qiao Yue hurried forward and retrieved a slip of paper from under a soda can. Unfolding it, she read aloud, “May I be happy every day.”

She paused, feeling the words sounded familiar.

Just then, the trainee holding Ji Zhao’s paper was standing nearby. She borrowed it, spread both slips of paper on the table, and as the flickering campfire light danced across the surface, she sensed a connection between them.

[May everyone who likes me and everyone I like be happy every day.]

[May I be happy every day.]

[The person I like is you.]

May you be happy every day.

May I become the person you like.

Qiao Yue stared blankly at the slips of paper. Song Jiangjiang swaggered over to her. “What are you looking at?”

Qiao Yue said, “Look at these two slips of paper.”

Song Jiangjiang glanced at them but didn’t see anything special. “The handwriting isn’t bad. What’s the matter?”

Qiao Yue whispered, “This font is called Songti. I’ve seen Zhaozhao and Yu Cheng write it before. Zhaozhao’s is better-looking. That’s this one.” She pointed to the slip on the left, then moved her finger to the right. “This one isn’t as good. That’s Yu Cheng’s.”

Song Jiangjiang was amazed. “You’re also an expert in handwriting analysis?”

“No,” Qiao Yue said. “Don’t you think these two dreams, put together, make for a subtly sweet pairing? I won’t even mention Zhaozhao’s—Yu Cheng’s is clearly a response.”

Song Jiangjiang’s expression turned serious.

As someone who already knew the insider information that Yu Cheng liked Ji Zhaozhao, she only needed a hint to confirm this was definitely a response. But did Yu Cheng want Ji Zhaozhao to know, or not?

So subtle… she probably didn’t want her to know, right?

Song Jiangjiang tucked the note away. “I’ll find a chance to give this to Yu Cheng. We’ll see what happens when she has the courage…”

Qiao Yue: “What did you say?”

Song Jiangjiang: “Oh, I said it’s so ship-worthy.”

Qiao Yue shook her hand. “You think the omens are ship-worthy too, huh? Go back and crunch the numbers for me. Yesterday, their super topic almost overtook yours and Zhaozhao’s.”

Song Jiangjiang: “……”

The vast grasslands offered no shelter, and it got chilly at night. The production team hurriedly distributed jackets to prevent the trainees from falling ill again. Meanwhile, the bonfire night program reached its final step: releasing sky lanterns.

“I haven’t released one yet,” Ji Zhao said, receiving her sky lantern. As she pondered what wish to make, she asked Yu Cheng, “Yu Cheng, have you ever released one? If you have, I’ll be really mad.”

Yu Cheng replied, “Once.”

Ji Zhao clicked her tongue. “When did you do it behind my back?”

“It was a while ago,” Yu Cheng said, striking a match and lighting the sky lantern. She and Ji Zhao stood on either side, holding the lantern aloft. The flickering light illuminated her face, her long, curved eyelashes framing an almost vulnerable expression. “Your Majesty, do you remember when I traveled to the frontier after turning eighteen?”

Ji Zhao had been angry with her for a whole year over that incident. “Yes, that time? Where was it?”

Yu Cheng hummed in acknowledgment. “I was passing through a small town on my way to the frontier. They were celebrating a gentleman’s wedding and invited travelers to join the festivities. That night, they released sky lanterns.”

Ji Zhao asked, “What wish did you make?”

Yu Cheng murmured, “At the spring feast, a cup of green wine and a song, then three wishes…”

First, may Her Majesty reign for ten thousand years; second, may I always enjoy good health; third, may I be like the flower of the other shore, never meeting again.

At that time, she felt unworthy of seeing Your Majesty again, so she punished herself.

But when the sky lanterns rose, she looked up at the faint light climbing higher and higher in the sky, and for some inexplicable reason, she found herself transported back to the night of her eighteenth birthday.

Your Majesty, drunk in her arms, looked up at her and shattered all her self-control.

She lowered her head and captured Your Majesty’s lips.

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