Chapter 49 Letting Down Your Guard

"Let Down Your Guard", explore the secrets in the heart of TA in the dead of night." After the host made a fixed opening statement, he turned to another host and said, "Brother Yuhe, do you know why we have to change the guest tonight?"

Yue Ning, who hadn't gone on stage yet, couldn't help but feel that the host was narrow-minded when he heard these words.

In her previous life, she was recommended to watch a late-night talk show in Hong Kong in the 1990s. In the show, three celebrities surrounded the guests and interacted with them in a relaxed atmosphere. Influenced by social trends, the topics discussed were very open. Although some topics were not suitable for children, they could not be said to be vulgar. They also allowed everyone to peek into the humanities and social conditions of Hong Kong during its rapid development.

The three hosts have their own characteristics, but they are all well-versed in both Chinese and Western culture, and are familiar with ancient and modern times. Their language is witty and humorous. Although they occasionally swear and make dirty jokes, they are very measured and do not come off as weird right from the start.

They are similar programs, so isn’t the difference a bit too big?

Just now, when Yue Ning was chatting in Cai Zhiyuan's office, she asked Cai Zhiyuan: They must have arranged a guest. Isn't it a bad idea for her to squeeze out that guest to go on the show?

Cai Zhiyuan told her that she was the one who came to the rescue. The male guest who was originally scheduled to appear on the show was photographed by paparazzi holding hands with a lady while traveling in Bangkok. The lady was the male star's wife of two years, but this news had not yet been disclosed to the public.

Although this male star is no longer the most popular, he still has a large number of fans, and the program team is afraid that the fanatical female fans will do something extreme.

Yue Ning understood immediately: this male star could not bear the consequences of losing fans, having fans turn against him, and then his career plummeting. In the final analysis, he wanted to enjoy the stability of marriage, but also wanted to maintain his image as a single idol.

Yue Ning just arrived in Hong Kong yesterday, and no one expected that her popularity would be higher than that male star. Yue Ning herself also publicly announced that she would be on this show, and taking advantage of her high popularity to replace the male star would benefit many parties and make everyone happy.

But wouldn't the host's words touch the nerves of those female fans? Was she trying to lead them to attack her, or was she trying to make things worse?

Another host could only laugh: "I don't know!"

"Please welcome Miss Yue Ningyue, who has become extremely famous since arriving in Hong Kong." said the host named Wen Yan.

Yue Ning walked onto the stage, and the TV station's stylist put on her makeup according to the most popular makeup at the moment. Just now Yue Ning thought that she looked old with this makeup at her age, but now she thinks that this bright makeup is just right.

Under the dimmed lights of the live broadcast room, her eyes and eyebrows were sharp, her coat was shining, and her steps were casual yet relaxed. How could her temperament look like that of an eighteen-year-old girl?

Yue Ning has always been known as a friendly female CEO. Someone once posted a photo of her getting angry in the office, and netizens said that even through the screen, her eyes could still make them feel sharp. Everyone realized that being friendly is just an appearance, and that people who have achieved such success are not simple.

This program often invites female artists, and the host is used to inviting female artists to put their arms around each other or put their palms on each other's backs when they sit down. At this moment, Yue Ning glanced around and didn't know where to put his hands.

Another person, Yang Yuhe, was standing a little further away. He gestured to Yue Ning to sit down. Yue Ning smiled after sitting down: "Hello, Uncle Yuhe, hello, Uncle Yan!"

Although this program is not exactly like crosstalk, it is a combination of one host and one joke. Usually, Wen Yan is the host, and he is very good at opening and guiding. Today, Wen Yan was a little dull, so Yang Yuhe took over and said, "You can't deny your age. Have Wen Yan and I become 'uncle'?"

With Yang Yuhe's introduction, Wen Yan had already reacted: "Miss Yue, you deliberately called us elders to remind us that you respect the elderly and love the young, so that we can be gentle with our words? If Miss Yue really thinks she is young, this is a midnight adult talk show, not suitable for children!"

"Hahaha!" Yue Ning laughed, "Mr. Wen has verified an old saying."

"What old saying?"

"A man stays young until he dies. No matter how old he really is, he thinks he is only eighteen." Yue Ning looked at Yang Yuhe, "Uncle Yuhe is an old customer of my grandfather. They have known each other for so many years. If I call him 'brother', it would be too disrespectful to him. If I call him 'uncle' and call you 'brother', wouldn't that be lowering your generation level for nothing? I'm only on the show once, it doesn't matter! Are you going to..."

Yue Ning made a gesture: "You know."

"That's fine!" Yang Yuhe said.

Wen Yan smiled: "So, I want to thank you!"

Yue Ning accepted it calmly: "You're welcome."

After warming up the atmosphere, Wen Yan picked up the newspaper, pointed at the picture and said, "Let's get to the point. You came on the show to reveal the mystery of whether you kissed or not."

"I didn't kiss her." Yue Ning didn't even keep the person in suspense and revealed the answer directly.

Wen Yan put the newspaper on the coffee table: "Are you here just to clarify?"

"I'm stating the facts." Yue Ning shrugged, "Don't you want to know whether I want to kiss you or not?"

Other female guests were often asked questions that they didn't know how to answer, but Yue Ning brought up the topics herself.

"Do you want to kiss?"

Yue Ning answered frankly: "Yes."

Qiao Junxian was sitting in the conference room, watching the live broadcast with his cousin. When he heard this, his coffee cup was placed on the table, and a few drops of coffee splashed out.

Before he could calm down, he heard Yue Ning say, "When Yue Ning, who was 18 years old and lived in a mountain village, saw Qiao Junxian for the first time, it was natural that she fell in love at first sight. A poem that couldn't be more appropriate popped up in my mind: 'When I first saw her in the thatched cottage, the bright moon was full in the window.'"

On TV, Yue Ning described his shabby hut and the moonlit night, and Qiao Junxian appeared just like that.

Qiao Junxian's heart was pounding. Cai Zhiyuan said in disbelief, "She really likes you?"

Even though he heard the heart-moving words, Qiao Junxian still shook his head: "Impossible."

Seeing that she was willing to talk, the two hosts asked her if there were any other stories besides the first meeting.

Yue Ning on the TV screen said, "Give me that can of Coke."

Yang Yuhe handed her the Coke, and Yue Ning shook her head: "Uncle Yuhe, this is the difference between you and Qiao Junxian. The first time Qiao Junxian invited me to drink Coke, he helped me open the can."

Yang Yuhe said quickly: "Give it here, give it here, I'll open it for you."

Yue Ning opened the Coke and took a sip: "Opening a Coke is no big deal, why would I need you to open it for me?"

Yang Yuhe was so annoyed by what she said that he lost his temper.

Yue Ning seemed to be recalling: "But you know what? The way he opened the Coke for me was so gentle and elegant. I thought of a line of poetry: 'The mountains are like jade, the jade is like you, and when we look at each other, we smile warmly.'"

Both of them are celebrities, and their articles are often seen in newspapers. Wen Yan couldn't help but be curious: "How many poems do you have to describe him?"

Yue Ning started by talking about how Qiao Junxian taught her how to fill out forms and sent her study materials, and then recited two lines of poetry.

Cai Zhiyuan got goosebumps when he heard this: "Ningning, this is too deliberate. I was wondering, should I let her look up at me at a 45-degree angle? I would rather let her cook two meals for me."

On TV, Yue Ning asked: "You said, Qiao Junxian was right next to my mouth at that time, did I want to eat him?"

"I do." Yang Yuhe felt that in this episode, he and Wen Yan were almost becoming mere decorations, so he decided to let Yue Ning direct and act in the show himself.

"Yes!" Yue Ning rubbed his hands. "Just when I was struggling with my conscience, my father's words came to my mind. He said: 'Baby, although the old saying goes "If the cook doesn't steal, the crops won't be harvested", you must remember that we must abide by the rules. Even if this dish is a delicacy from the mountains and the sea, you shouldn't eat it.' I also remembered Uncle Mo touching my pigtails and saying: 'Nannan, remember! It starts from emotion and ends with etiquette. This is what a gentleman does.' The two most important elders in my life are reminding me that I should be disciplined, moral, and restrained. I thought about it, but I didn't eat it in the end."

"You sound regretful?" Wen Yan laughed.

"No, no, I was secretly glad." Yue Ning smiled helplessly, "Later? Didn't you eat a lot? He wanted to take me to the beach to digest the food. I had just arrived in Hong Kong, everything was new to me, and when I saw a young couple hugging and kissing each other, I was shocked: Is this possible?"

"Haven't you seen it before?" Wen Yan asked.

"Of course! How could I possibly see it in a small mountain village in the interior? Qiao Junxian also saw it, and he wanted to take me back. Turning around, it's over! An uncle about your age..." Yue Ning looked like he had said something wrong, "Sorry, Brother Yan."

"You'd better call me uncle!" Wen Yan smiled helplessly.

Yue Ning nodded happily and continued, "That uncle actually hugged a sister in her early twenties, his hand..."

Yue Ning made a gesture in the air: "I went over to take a look out of curiosity, but Qiao Junxian said 'Don't look at anything inappropriate' and dragged me away."

"At that time, I had a better impression of him," Yue Ning exhaled and asked Wen Yan, "Uncle Yan, where did the saying 'Do not look at what is inappropriate' come from?"

"Are you still testing me? In The Analects of Confucius, Yan Yuan asked about benevolence, and Confucius said, 'To restrain oneself and return to propriety is benevolence...'" Wen Yan said.

Yue Ning clapped his hands: "Yes! Yes! In my heart, he is a gentleman who restrains himself and returns to propriety."

"Qiao Junxian must be embarrassed by what you said. Is he really that good?" Wen Yan asked her.

Yue Ning smiled: "I have to thank Uncle Yan for this. When I heard some of your personal stories, it suddenly dawned on me."

"Me?" Wen Yan was surprised.

"They said that you pursued your third wife fiercely, wrote poems and books for her, so crazy, but after you got her, you blew your nose because she caught a cold six months after the marriage, you couldn't accept it, and finally divorced." Yue Ning looked at him and smiled, "I understood it all at once. How similar is my feeling towards Qiao Junxian now to when you pursued your third wife? Those are all perfect images we imagined in our minds, but we just put them on them. But people are human after all, they eat, drink, defecate and urinate, and they are bound to make mistakes. Even if they don't make any mistakes, we may suddenly dislike them. I asked myself: Can I tolerate Qiao Junxian being hairless like Grandpa Qiao? The answer is: No."

Yang Yuhe said: "Your thinking matured earlier than your uncle Yan."

"Uncle Yuhe, don't try to take advantage of Uncle Yan. Uncle Yan is even more immature than me. If he became my brother, what would he call you?" Yue Ning raised his head to drink up the Coke and put down the can. "But Uncle Yan, you are really... I won't say anything more, you are a scumbag, a real scumbag!"

I have to scold you even if I don't say anything? Wen Yan was also criticized for this matter back then, and he didn't dare to take up the conversation and discuss it in depth.

"Just like the fans who screamed that they loved Liu Jiayao, I also used to regard Qiao Junxian as a perfect idol, but this is not real life. In real life, most fans who shouted that they wanted to be Liu Jiayao's wife would become someone else's wife."

"So you've thought it through and don't like him anymore?" Yang Yuhe asked.

Yue Ning shook his head: "I like him! He is so nice, why shouldn't I like him? He is good at studying, polite, and willing to help me, these are all things I can learn. He found study materials for me, and I am going to take the college entrance examination in Gangcheng. I will also study hard, be polite, and be helpful. When I reach his age, maybe I will become Qiao Junxian in the eyes of others. This is the power of idols. He makes me a better person."

"This is also the question you asked at the beginning: Why do we have to change the guest tonight?" Yue Ning looked at the camera, "Chasing stars means following the footsteps of idols and drawing strength from them. But idols are also people. One day, if I discover Qiao Junxian's shortcomings, I will accept them; if I know the news of his marriage, I will bless him; or I may no longer regard him as an idol. I believe you in front of the TV are the same."

Cai Zhiyuan, who was watching TV, said: "She... is she teaching her fans a lesson? Isn't her saying this going to draw people's attention back to..."

"Why should she bear the anger of fans for others?" Qiao Junxian replied to his cousin and stood up to take her back.

The show seems sincere, but in fact, there is not a single true word.

"Let me ask you one last question. If you really understand Qiao Junxian completely, would you be his girlfriend?" Yang Yuhe asked.

Yue Ning looked at the camera and said: "If I want to get to know him, five years is enough. If he doesn't have a girlfriend by then and I still like him..."

"How about it?"

Yue Ning smiled proudly: "Then I will chase him."

Seeing this scene, Qiao Junxian couldn't help but laugh...