Chapter 16 (Hitchhiking)

Early in the morning, Mu Jiu wasn't woken by her alarm clock, but by a text message from the production team. Her eyes were still blurry, and she was so sleepy that her steps were unsteady. She even tripped over the threshold before fully waking up.

The live stream room was full of energy from the very beginning.

Last night I was like a badger jumping around in a melon patch, eating one melon after another.

[When I first heard that Xiao Xiang and Xiang Wan had talked about breaking up, I was both happy and sad. Both of them were artists I genuinely followed, but now I'm just a die-hard fan of Wan'er. /smile]

[The guests all have internet access, right? I wonder how they'll react when they see Qi Youxiang.]

[Mu Jiu's eyes are just like mine when I stayed up all night surfing the internet, hahaha]

I bet everyone on the show was secretly watching the trending topics. /doge

After arriving at the designated location, a friendly-looking staff member waited at the door and raised his hand to gesture for her to look at the wall: "Ms. Mu, it's your turn to choose the male guest for your next date."

Five photos are hanging on the wall.

Mu Jiu yawned casually, then acted out a series of gestures: widening his eyes in surprise, looking at the staff with confusion, and then lowering his head in thought.

Finally, after much hesitation, he chose the only photo without any people in it.

[The H country version did have new members joining later, but the production team is really tight-lipped about how quickly they arranged for them to be brought in.]

[It is suspected that the emergency was initiated because of Qi Youxiang's accident.]

Hopefully, the next guest won't reveal any more scandalous things.

[But why aren't there any photos of the newlyweds?! I hope he's not an ugly guy.]

Amidst the heated discussion in the live chat, Mu Jiu was about to leave the venue when the staff stopped her once again.

At the same time, her phone received a notification from the production team:

[Someone has chosen your ex as a date. Please wait in the chat room.]

In the past, given the prevailing online atmosphere, it would have been considered good enough if no one had used their real name to hurl insults; it would have been even more unlikely that anyone would have actively chosen Ling Zhao.

However, the situation has improved recently.

Whether it's Mu Jiu's comments on social media, or more practically, the glances and attitudes of other guests when they talk to her.

Even if it's just superficial peace, there's still a difference in atmosphere.

The reason for the improvement is not because of Fang Yucheng's fans, or because the "Meng Xiang Cheng Zhen" CP fans finally found her pleasing to the eye, but because of the Chao Mu CP fans.

These past few days, Mu Jiu has been watching live stream clips and the reactions of internet celebrities at a high intensity.

After Xiang Wan's unexpected hug, she realized that her understanding of love and relationships was probably flawed.

Therefore, she needs to make the most of the limited time to collect enough sample data to corroborate and refine her inferences.

The first step to facing reality is to accept the despairing fact that you and Ling Zhao have a CP (couple) fanbase.

There's a saying that most CP fans get hooked when the male lead takes the initiative.

Although this statement was difficult for her to understand, it was indeed supported by data.

To study the mentality of CP fans, Mu Jiu watched many "double standard" videos of other popular CPs. If the CP videos are sorted by time, it can be found that the early videos of enthusiastic fans mainly feature the male lead taking the initiative in terms of eye contact and body language.

Therefore, under this premise, by repeatedly analyzing the scenes, we were able to identify the moments in the comments where fans of the Chaomu CP (Chaomu and Zhaomu) were making comments. It can be said that in more than 90% of the cases where the comments were filled with "KSWL", "I'm shipping them", and "So sweet", Ling Zhao's comments were the reason for the scenes.

Therefore, Mu Jiu now has enough confidence to make a bold assumption—

The popularity of the Chaomu CP continues to rise, entirely due to the problematic lines improvised by Ling Zhao.

Of course, he can't be entirely blamed for this.

After all, Mu Jiu didn't believe at first that anyone could actually ship the two of them.

There's no point in going into detail about past problems; we should focus on identifying and addressing any gaps in our knowledge.

Starting last night, Mu Jiu forbade Ling Zhao from responding to any questions about her relationship. During the live stream, unless she was present, he was not allowed to answer questions related to her past romantic relationships.

This drastic decision was not Mu Jiu's original intention, but the current situation is quite dire, and no mistake can be tolerated.

"Our Past" had a higher starting point of attention than other variety shows because of the participation of two top celebrities.

Qi Youxiang, who has been making headlines in recent years, has had his past relationships unearthed, which is the peak of public interest in this ex-boyfriend variety show.

If any rash actions are taken during this period, it will immediately attract a large number of fans who want to dig up graves and conduct archaeological research.

The top priority is to reduce the discussion surrounding the Chaomu CP and dampen the expectations of CP fans regarding their past.

This brings us back to the incident yesterday where Xiang Wan overreacted, even attracting the attention of the live chat.

After reviewing the live stream footage from that time, Mu Jiu realized that his deliberate avoidance of Ling Zhao's movements was too unnatural.

The performance was so overtly staged that it was riddled with mistakes and omissions; it's understandable that this could be interpreted as lingering feelings...

In short, the matter of untying the knot should not be rushed.

When Mu Jiu followed the instructions and walked into the chat room, and sat down at the computer desk, the words "typing..." appeared on the dialog box opposite him.

Why are all four girls in this scene looking at their computers?

Are the production team afraid I'll be able to see the words on the screen?

[Director, don't you know what we want to see? We're all here!]

The message was not sent out immediately.

So, while recalling the questionnaire that Ling Zhao had filled out earlier, Mu Jiu kept a close eye on the other person's state.

A few seconds later, the message from the other end finally came through.

[A: Good morning]

Mu Jiu hesitated for a moment, then started typing on the keyboard.

[B: Good morning...]

[A: I have a somewhat presumptuous question to ask.]

[A: Was Fang Yucheng involved in your breakup?]

[Wow, the suddenly enlarged screen startled me!]

[So, the messages in this chat box were sent by four female guests? Then B must be Mu Jiu, and who is A?]

[Are you really that bold to ask? This is so exciting right from the start?!]

Life is getting better for everyone; we can enjoy such juicy gossip every day.

Am I the only one who thinks this question is really lacking in boundaries?

That's right, it's just you; the only people present are bystanders having fun.

After a moment of surprise, Mu Jiu paused in his hand on the keyboard, but his thoughts quickly became clear.

First, we can rule out the possibility that the person on the other end is Xiang Wan.

Based on her understanding of the other party over the past few days, Xiang Wan always avoids the live broadcast camera's on time when discussing sensitive topics that could ignite controversy.

In addition, although a fifth female guest will join later in the show, it won't be now.

After eliminating these options, those who choose Ling Zhao are left with only Guo Zifu and Meng Shuning...

But does it matter who it is?

Mu Jiu hesitated for only a few seconds before typing his reply.

[B: Yes]

Given the striking resemblance between Ling Zhao and Fang Yucheng, and the seemingly plausible stories circulating on marketing accounts about her and Fang Yucheng's alleged attempts to win him over, it's clear that Ling Zhao and Fang Yucheng are a perfect match.

If she answered that it was completely unrelated, most people wouldn't believe her.

An obvious lie erodes other people's trust and will only make the current situation more unfavorable.

But if we admit it, there will be a different outcome.

[Mu Biao has finally revealed his true colors!]

I used to think Chaomu was a good couple, but this way of riding the coattails of trending topics is disgusting.

【*#&】

The live stream's purification mechanism was triggered passively, and most of the surging chat messages disappeared in an instant.

The two people, who were speaking anonymously, continued their conversation.

[A: I'm sorry, I asked a very impolite question.]

[B: There's nothing I can't say. Our last argument was indeed related to this topic.]

A mix of truth and falsehood makes it more believable, Mu Jiu thought, concealing his gaze.

Since appearing on the show, she has consistently avoided talking about Fang Yucheng.

She had previously believed that avoiding interactions with Meng Xiangcheng and not mentioning any topics related to Fang Yucheng would allow her to get away with it.

But that's not the case.

Fang Yucheng's fans' attention to her even drew attention from passersby.

If she doesn't try to explain the thorn she once had in Fang Yucheng, the longer she stays on this show, the deeper it will pierce, eventually becoming a bloody mess, just like the tragic ending in the original novel.

Objectively speaking, whether it's breaking free from the bond with Fang Yucheng or breaking free from the CP bond with Ling Zhao, it should be done step by step.

However, from the perspective of prioritizing the resolution of the main contradictions, she needs to deal with the most pressing issues first.

Since she admitted that the reason for the breakup was related to Fang Yucheng, the audience was more likely to believe her subsequent words.

After all, she dared to admit that the reason for the breakup was related to Fang Yucheng, so how could she possibly lie?

[B: But believe it or not, I didn't go on this show for Fang Yucheng.]

[B: So now, can we talk about Ling Zhao?]

After typing these words, Mu Jiu watched with satisfaction as the other party quickly apologized and steered the conversation toward Ling Zhao's preferences.

Whether it was intentional or unintentional to set a trap for her, the subsequent discussion could only revolve around Ling Zhao's preferences.

She admitted that her remarks were somewhat risky, but that being radical has its advantages.

At least for now, the viewers in the live stream should believe that she didn't participate in the show for Fang Yucheng's sake, and her CP fans should also cool down a bit after hearing her answer.

Mu Jiu only breathed a sigh of relief when she left the chat room.

She hadn't walked more than a few steps when she suddenly saw Ling Zhao standing at the door of the small house.

He exuded an aura of unapproachability, but his eyes lit up when he saw her. He took a few steps forward, but soon realized something and stopped.

Ling Zhao: Are you going out?

Before Mu Jiu could answer, her phone vibrated again in her pocket, and she subconsciously touched her pocket.

Ling Zhao: "It seems so."

Mu Jiu: ...?

[The male guests all knew the girls were going out on a date!!!]

Who understands the true value of this blockade at the door!

No, no, no, I was already heartbroken about Chaomu, why are you stuffing me with candy again?

Why did you guys think what was happening in the chat room just now was a tragedy? It looks like a sweet moment now!

[This puppy who'd rather be Fang Yucheng's substitute than leave Mu Jiu's side—who can't ship him?!]

...

Ling Zhao was silent for a moment, then, as if gathering her courage, she stiffly asked, "Can I hitch a ride?"