Ren Qingzhou called his mother, saying that he wouldn't be able to go back for the time being.
It has to be said that Ren's mother was very trendy. She even followed entertainment gossips: "The journalist took such an ugly photo of you. I hardly recognized that was my son."
Hearing his mother's complaint, Ren Qingzhou was momentarily speechless: "Mom, that was a paparazzi shot, and it was so blurry. How could you even tell it didn't look good?"
"So your industry is really unhealthy. Paparazzi like that should be boycotted by the whole industry. It's a blatant violation of people's privacy."
"By the way, you're going to visit the girl's parents. She's suffered so much because of you. If I were her, I definitely wouldn't marry you. There are just too many troubles." Ren's mother didn't forget to remind her son that it was time for him to meet his future in - laws. It was already quite impolite for them to find out about their daughter from such entertainment news.
"Isn't it a bit abrupt for me to go to their house now?" Ren Qingzhou was still unsure about the timing. "Would her parents think it's not appropriate for their daughter to marry someone like me?"
"You two have been dating for a while, haven't you? You should have gone to their house a long time ago. I don't even know what to say about you. If I were your future mother - in - law, I'd also think you're unreliable."
After being scolded by his mother, Ren Qingzhou, who had little confidence to begin with, was completely deflated.
"Wait until your father comes back in a few days, then bring her home. Alright, I have to go to the company. You figure it out yourself."
Anyway, he had to go back to the studio first. There were still a bunch of things waiting for him from Li Momo.
There had been quite a few entertainment journalists following him these days. Li Momo even changed his flight for him.
But it seemed to be of little use. As soon as he got to the airport, it was crowded with people. The airport in City S always had a large flow of people, and this congestion was so bad that it even caught the attention of the airport staff.
It was very difficult for Wei Guo to escort him in alone. The airport had to dispatch some staff to barely maintain order and squeeze a path for him to get in.
In the crowd, entertainment journalists were constantly asking questions, and the fans were extremely excited.
Su Tang and he arrived at the airport separately. They only met up when they were about to board the plane.
There were so many people outside that Ren Qingzhou almost missed his flight.
Although a large number of people couldn't get in now, there were still people taking pictures.
Su Tang subconsciously kept her distance from him and even wanted to act like a stranger.
Then she watched as Ren Qingzhou got closer and closer to her. Finally, he directly took her suitcase and grabbed her hand.
He said, "Now we can date openly."
This relationship had been so hard. They were the closest people to each other, but they couldn't be a part of each other's public lives.
They had pretended to be strangers in countless public occasions. Now they could finally tell everyone that they would walk the rest of their lives together.
After the plane landed, Li Momo came to pick them up. On the way, she started pouring out all the details of the past few days.
"Since yesterday, your fans have been dropping. So far, almost all the fans you gained from participating in "Youth Trainee" are gone, and there might be even more losses."
"Most of the fans you gained were passers - by fans, but the ones you lost were probably mostly girlfriend fans."
"As for "A Picture of the Land", there's no movement for now. Maybe there's still some time before the drama is aired. By the time it airs, the heat of this incident will have died down, so it won't have a huge impact on it."
"Regarding "Youth Trainee", when you planned to announce your relationship that morning, I contacted them in advance. So far, it seems they have no intention of terminating the contract. But you should be prepared that you might have fewer shots in the future."
For variety shows like this, unless the mentor has some serious moral issues, the show usually won't terminate the contract. After all, terminating the contract means paying a large amount of liquidated damages.
Moreover, post - production plays a very important role in variety shows. Now that Ren Qingzhou had announced his relationship, the "mentor - trainee CP" line that the show wanted to promote was completely dead. It was predictable that his part would be cut in the subsequent editing.
As for how much it would be cut, it all depended on what the production team thought.
After all, it was quite common for some mentors to have less than ten minutes of cut footage in an episode.
"The most serious issue for now is that your contract with Fanny is about to expire, and they have no intention of renewing it."
"Besides, the three brands that had contacted us before are now on the sidelines. They might decide on future endorsements based on how this incident develops."
Compared to variety shows or TV dramas, brands care more about an artist's ability to drive sales. Announcing a relationship is a devastating blow to the purchasing power of fans.
It's equivalent to a restructuring of his fan base, getting rid of the real girlfriend fans.
This restructuring period could be short or long, and no brand was willing to take such a risk.
"This is all normal and predictable. If worst comes to worst, I'll focus on my album in the second half of the year."
"But you didn't take on many commercial performances or activities this year. You basically only filmed one TV drama and participated in one variety show in the first half of the year. If you focus on the album in the second half, there might be financial problems with the studio's operation."
"It's okay. Money is a small issue. I'll handle it."
Li Momo realized for the first time that her boss was not only an actor and a singer but also a rich second - generation.
"Alright, then there's nothing else. Everyone in the studio is very busy now. You won't be able to help much even if you go. How about I take you home?"
"And you should stay at home more and go out less."
"Then take us to the high - speed railway station."
Ren Qingzhou opened the mobile app and checked. The next high - speed train would depart in two hours, and there were still tickets available.
He turned to look at Su Tang: "Let's go back to your home."
Su Tang was caught off guard.
She had been listening to the two of them discussing work in the car and thought it had nothing to do with her.
She never expected the topic to suddenly turn to her so abruptly.
"Ah?"
"Isn't it time for me to go back and meet our parents?"
It was indeed time, but it still felt a bit sudden. What should she do?
Adopting the principle that it's the same whether you face it or not, Su Tang decided to seize the day: "Alright, then let's go back."
Then she weakly added: "I don't know how my parents will react. Anyway, you should be mentally prepared. Teachers are good at lecturing..."
In fact, she really didn't know what Su's mother would say about them.
But she could predict that her mother would probably be dissatisfied.
"It's okay. I've already stolen their daughter. I should let them scold me a bit." Ren Qingzhou said that since he had won the girl's heart, he could bear the anger of his future in - laws.
Li Momo, who was sitting in the front, couldn't help but interject: "Are you just going back like this? Shouldn't you bring something?"
Although she didn't have much experience, she had never seen a son - in - law go to his girlfriend's house empty - handed in TV dramas.
"Let's buy something after we get off the train." Although Ren Qingzhou didn't know what to buy, he would have to call his mother later to ask.
"Then I wish you success." Li Momo didn't know what else to say to her boss. "Also, although it's not a first - tier city and there aren't as many entertainment journalists, you should still keep a low profile."
As a qualified assistant, she always had to worry about her boss's work.
Li Momo dropped them off at the high - speed railway station. The two of them entered the station, went through the security check, and then directly boarded the train.
It was not until they got on the train that Su Tang remembered to call her mother.
"I'll call my mother." Su Tang pointed to her phone and walked to the aisle.
"Mom, I have something to tell you."
"Um... I'm going to bring my boyfriend back..."
Hearing this, Su's mother couldn't sit still: "When?"
"Today. We're already on the high - speed train and will arrive this afternoon." As she was speaking, the train's announcement sounded, as if to confirm her words.
Now Su's mother was not just restless; she was anxious: "You child, you never inform me in advance. You're coming back this afternoon, and you only call me in the morning. How can I get everything ready in time?"
"No need to prepare. Just wait for us." Su Tang said that she wanted it to be a surprise. If her mother was well - prepared, it would be a problem.
"Alright. Do you want your father to pick you up at the station?"
"No, no. We'll take a taxi back ourselves."
"Okay, then your father and I will wait for you at home."
As soon as Su's mother hung up the phone, she informed Su's father: "Hurry back from school. Your daughter is bringing her boyfriend back."
On the other side, Ren Qingzhou was also on the phone, consulting his mother: "Mom, what should I bring when I visit my future in - laws for the first time?"
Ren's mother thought her son was really an action - taker. She had just mentioned it in the morning, and he was putting it into practice in the afternoon.
"Ask your girlfriend what her parents' hobbies are, and then buy the expensive stuff. That's always right." Ren's mother showed her attitude of not caring about money.
"If I had known you were going to meet the parents so soon, I would have gone to buy the gifts myself. I'm really not at ease with you doing it alone."
"I have to carry so many things all the way..."
"Alright, anyway, it's too late now. You can just figure it out and buy something."
Ren Qingzhou had been in City S in the morning and was on his way to meet his future in - laws at noon. He was really a bit nervous.
This situation made him even more nervous than his first stage performance.
Back then, he was afraid of screwing up the show. Now, he was afraid of screwing up his life.