After the PD finished speaking, he handed Zhang Jin’an a card.
What?
Jiang Siyang’s eyes widened.
He quickly calmed down and thought back. Zhang Jin’an had looked a bit hesitant the moment he first saw the money; he must have had this idea even then.
Zhang Jin’an didn’t show any surprise. He calmly accepted the card and asked, “Then can I use my own money now? I want to buy some souvenirs.”
“You may.”
With the PD’s permission, Zhang Jin’an first went to a roasted meat shop. He asked the shopkeeper to grill three skewers and said he would be back for them shortly. After giving his instructions, he entered a nearby tea shop and selected some tea leaves. By the time he finished paying and stepped out, the skewers were ready. He stood at the shop entrance and said to the camera, “Alright, let’s go.” Carrying two bags, he headed toward Little South Mountain.
The post-production team fast-forwarded the footage, and the two split screens slowly merged into one. When the two finally met, the frame transitioned perfectly from two shots to one, bringing them into the same lens.
In the shot, one person stood at the top of a slope while the other was only a few meters away. They were surrounded by lush green trees and a scattering of passersby.
No matter who the guests were on *Friday Morning*, every episode inevitably drew praise for its cinematography. the production team put a great deal of heart into their filming; they were dedicated to infusing scenery into daily life, turning an ordinary day or a chance encounter into a memory worthy of being a wallpaper.
And they truly succeeded. At the very least, when Jiang Siyang saw this scene, he felt a strong urge to take a screenshot and set it as his background.
After meeting up, they went to the NPC together, successfully obtained their card, and then ascended the mountain.
The editors then released drone footage of the mountain scenery. Looking at the images filling the screen, Zhang Jin’an felt as if he had been transported back to that day.
It turned out the view of the horizon wasn’t quite what they had seen with their own eyes; it was even more enchanting and multifaceted, as if a painter had splashed colors across the sky at random, yet none of the clashing hues felt out of place.
The focus returned to the two of them.
“This trip today really kept making me think of the past,” his on-screen self said while looking at the distant sea. “I used to come here all the time to play, hiking up and down. There wasn’t actually anything fun to do, just the scenery, but I loved coming up here. It felt like if I came up once, I’d sleep more soundly.”
“It’s a pity I wasn’t born here and didn’t know you back then, so I couldn’t see the scenery from that time,” Jiang Siyang replied.
His on-screen self smiled and turned his head.
Although Jiang Siyang’s next line came quickly in the video—only three or four seconds later—Zhang Jin’an felt as though he had been staring for ten minutes at the time.
Zhang Jin’an turned off the bullet comments and watched quietly.
The camera panned to Jiang Siyang.
What kind of image was it? A youth appeared before everyone’s eyes; to his right were the sea and the setting sun, and to his left were the mountains and the world of men.
He stood amidst all creation.
He possessed that youthful aura that thousands yearned for—a fresh, clean appearance, with eyes that seemed to hold fragments of sunlight.
No wonder it went viral. It would have been a miracle if a shot like this *didn't* go viral.
Zhang Jin’an didn’t blink; he even held his breath as he watched the youth in the center of the frame smile gently. “The scenery back then must have been even more beautiful than it is now, right?”
In the next second, the camera turned to him. He shook his head and replied, “It’s very beautiful now, too.”
Zhang Jin’an watched the screen in silence.
So, that was the expression he had been wearing at that moment.
As the camera slowly pulled back, the editors added a series of captions:
【Every choice we make leads to a different destiny.】
【There is no right or wrong, good or bad in a choice.】
【As long as you don’t regret it and stay true to your original heart.】
【Time will tell you the final outcome.】
【We can meet at the mountain peak and watch the same scenery.】
“We can meet at the mountain peak and watch the same scenery,” Zhang Jin’an murmured the words aloud.
The scene transitioned from the fading glow of the sun to the foot of the mountain. The six members gathered once more to distribute prizes, followed by the final closing remarks. However, Zhang Jin’an checked the progress bar and saw there were still ten minutes left.
These ten minutes were a bonus "Easter egg." As soon as it started, Zhang Jin’an knew what it was—someone had secretly recorded the segment where they were eating and making bets that day.
Since it was a secret recording, no one had known, exposing their most authentic private selves. The bullet comments were laughing non-stop at this.
“I was just about to say, if it’s anything like today, the viewership ratings will at least break...” Director Jiang said, holding up three fingers.
Chen Yi: “Thirty thousand?”
Director Jiang shook his head.
Jiu Chang: “Three hundred thousand?”
Director Jiang shook his head again.
Jiu Chang guessed again: “Three million.”
Director Jiang: “Correct—three million.”
The editors paused the video here, using text that took up sixty percent of the screen to write: 【Director Jiang, Who Loses Every Time He Bets】.
The bonus clip ended there, but there were still four minutes remaining. Against a black screen, a photo of a baby slowly emerged, with 【Pan Ming】 written in the bottom right corner.
Zhang Jin’an understood immediately. To better highlight the theme of this episode, the remaining four minutes were dedicated to showing photos of the members from childhood to the present.
Pan Ming came first, followed by Chen Yi. The photos were played in order from oldest to youngest. After Jing Shangshu’s segment finished, it was Jiang Siyang’s turn.
The first photo was a baby picture of him riding a wooden rocking horse. Everyone looks more or less the same as a baby; there wasn't much of a difference.
The second photo looked like it was from a kindergarten gala. In the photo, a little chubby kid sat on the floor with two patches of rouge painted on his cheeks, grinning widely at the camera.
This was somewhat unexpected for Zhang Jin’an.
“So Siyang was a little fatty when he was a kid,” Zhang Jin’an paused the video and took a screenshot.
The third photo was likely from middle school or primary school, a cutout from a group photo. The person in the photo was an enlarged version of the previous one, though his features were more defined than in kindergarten. His eyes were large and spirited, his nose bridge was quite straight, and he showed eight teeth when he smiled—very sunny and cute.
Zhang Jin’an took another screenshot.
The fourth photo was probably from a middle school sports meet. He was standing among his classmates, cheering them on with his mouth wide open, looking very serious and passionate. In this one, you could clearly see he had thinned down, and the advantages of his facial features were starting to emerge, though he was still a bit chubbier than his classmates.
Zhang Jin’an continued to take screenshots.
As soon as the fifth photo appeared, the bullet comments instantly filled the screen.
This was clearly a high school graduation photo—an ID photo. By this time, Jiang Siyang had completely thinned down. He had a clean, short haircut, and his bright, spirited eyes looked into the camera. The corners of his mouth were slightly upturned in a natural, refreshing curve.
An ID photo is a magical thing that can expose everyone’s flaws. Jiang Siyang had flaws too, but his composed smile made one forget them; one could only think that this boy was truly handsome.
Zhang Jin’an couldn’t help but smile. As he took screenshots, he remarked, “He’s not much different from how he is now.” Even the light in his eyes hadn't changed. If anything had changed, it was that his features had become more chiseled and his manner of speaking more mature; other than that, Zhang Jin’an really couldn't say.
Then it was Jiu Chang’s turn. Zhang Jin’an watched until the very last second. Only when the video automatically jumped to the next one did he exit the app. Upon opening WeChat, he found that Jiang Siyang had messaged him.
【Jiang Siyang】: Ge, did you watch the variety show?
【Zhang Jin’an】: I did. I watched until the very end.
Zhang Jin’an sent over all the screenshots he had just taken.
【Zhang Jin’an】: I didn't expect you to be a little fatty when you were a kid.
【Zhang Jin’an】: [Panda holding its head emoji]
【Jiang Siyang】: Ah.
【Jiang Siyang】: [Scratching head emoji] Do I look a bit silly?
Zhang Jin’an raised an eyebrow and replied without a moment's hesitation.
【Zhang Jin’an】: No, I think it’s very cute.
【Zhang Jin’an】: I can see the potential you had even then.
【Jiang Siyang】: I saw the part where you played the piano.
【Jiang Siyang】: You were already amazing in high school.
【Zhang Jin’an】: No, no, that was just a piece for a grade exam.
Despite saying that, Zhang Jin’an felt quite happy seeing Jiang Siyang’s praise.
【Jiang Siyang】: Oh, right.
【Jiang Siyang】: Ge.
【Jiang Siyang】: Can you send me Miss Zhang Shuyu’s Weibo handle? I forgot her username.
Is this kid going to follow Zhang Shuyu back?
Though a bit puzzled, Zhang Jin’an sent it over anyway. It probably wasn't anything major.
【Zhang Jin’an】: zrain
【Zhang Jin’an】: Why?
【Jiang Siyang】: Nothing important.
【Jiang Siyang】: Just that part in the show about finding the diary. I saw some bullet comments saying Zhang Shuyu had posted your diary before.
【Jiang Siyang】: I just wanted to go see what the "Dark Hidden Dragon" and "chuunibyou" were all about.
Zhang Jin’an’s eyes instantly widened, and he bolted upright.
【Zhang Jin’an】: DON'T GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Under Zhang Jin’an’s earnest persuasion, Jiang Siyang ultimately didn't check the Weibo and went straight to sleep instead.
In the middle of the night, some people scrolling through the fansite master zrain’s Weibo suddenly discovered that all the posts regarding Zhang Jin’an’s diary had been deleted. A few minutes later, zrain posted a new update visible only to followers.
[@Zrain]: How can someone be so heartless, ahhh! Calling me in the middle of the night just to make me delete my Weibo posts! And then you went to sleep right after I finished!!! Now I can’t f*cking sleep anymore!!!!!
***
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Unable to be Arrogant [Entertainment Circle] | Chapter 71 | A Glimpse of the Past | Novela.app | Novela.app
