Chapter 22 The Secret Exposed "Then why not be brave just this once!"...

Zhu Qingting knew that there would be a total of seven guests on the variety show "Passing on the Arts Across the Country," but when the production team contacted their dance troupe, all the guests had not yet completed the contract process, so they did not inform Zhu Qingting of the guest selections.

She didn't really care, because she didn't know anyone in the entertainment industry, and the selection of guests wasn't a factor in whether she accepted the project.

However, once everyone's contracts were signed and the guests were confirmed, the variety show's official Weibo account began promoting it.

Zhu Qingting then thought about finding out who the guests were, and then doing some preparation work, such as learning about their works, so that they would have common ground to talk about during the recording.

But she was instantly shocked by the official announcement on Weibo.

"Passing on the Arts Across the Land": #PassingOnTheArtsAcrossTheLand# Measure the world with our footsteps, engage in dialogue with civilization through art. This summer, join us on a cultural journey across Eurasia! Welcome our seven cultural ambassadors: @ChaiYundu @ChenYifei @DingYi @LiuXin @ShanZhiyi @ZhaoLin @ZhuQingting

The guests were listed alphabetically by their last names, and her name and Chai Yundu's name appeared in the same Weibo post, one at the very beginning and the other at the very end.

This is the second time their names have appeared in the public eye since the show "Street Dance of China".

Zhu Qingting stared at her phone screen, her fingers unconsciously tightening.

Although she had realized her own feelings and understood her love for Chai Yundu, and genuinely wanted to be with him.

However, she was not fully prepared psychologically, and this sudden opportunity to travel together caught her off guard.

Twenty-eight days of living and working together, filmed throughout the entire process.

It seems that fate is pushing her forward, and the God of Love is creating opportunities for her to get used to being with him in front of the camera and to making their relationship public.

"Then why not be brave just this once!" Zhu Qingting murmured to herself.

Then she stopped worrying about it and started searching for information on the other five guests. She carefully noted down each person's personality traits and representative works, and then slowly began to appreciate their works.

Meanwhile, Chai Yundu, upon learning that Zhu Qingting would be recording a variety show with him, also had mixed feelings.

Ever since receiving news from Zhu Qingting in Milan, he has been grieving the heartbreak of his breakup. His agent, Deng Jie, noticing this, arranged extra work for him in hopes of distracting him.

When Deng Jie learned that this CCTV variety show would allow him to travel abroad and relax while also showcasing Chinese martial arts, he immediately helped him make the arrangements.

At the time, Zhu Qingting's replacement had not yet been determined, so this official announcement on Weibo was also unexpected for them.

On one hand, Chai Yundu was heartbroken because Zhu Qingting might have a new boyfriend. On the other hand, the kiss in the dimly lit office gave him hope; he could sense from her reaction that she wasn't completely indifferent to him.

He knew that since the program team had already made the announcement, it meant that all the internal secondment procedures in her unit had been completed, and there was absolutely no way she could withdraw at the last minute.

This realization filled him with both trepidation and joy. He secretly resolved that, regardless of her relationship with that man, he would treat these twenty-eight days as his last chance.

The program's pre-show interviews were conducted live. The morning before departure, the Follow PD and his camera crew knocked on Zhu Qingting's door to film her packing and to interview her.

The moment the door opened, the camera captured Zhu Qingting with a bare face.

She was wearing loose loungewear, her long hair casually tied up, yet her back remained straight, exuding an outstanding aura.

The chat room immediately became active:

"Oh my god, is this a bare face? Her skin is amazing!"

"That physique is amazing, she truly is a principal dancer!"

"Nuwa's graduation project +1"

The crew members put on shoe covers and entered the house. Qin Youyou, who had been invited to help out, greeted the camera sweetly from the living room. With her friend present, Zhu Qingting seemed much more relaxed.

Two huge suitcases were laid out in the living room, next to a densely written list.

Zhu Qingting picked up the list and showed it to the camera, her voice gentle, "These are the things I've been thinking about bringing these past few days. I wrote them down on paper because I was afraid of forgetting anything."

She began to pack her luggage methodically, each movement exuding the elegance unique to a dancer.

"The weather in Europe is unpredictable during the transition from spring to summer, so I prepared a few lightweight windproof jackets that can protect me from the wind and rain without making me look bulky."

"These soft-soled shoes are what I'm used to wearing; they don't make me tired even when I walk a long way."

"This Lululemon tracksuit is comfortable and versatile, highly recommended!"

"I'm worried about formal occasions, so I'm planning to bring a few dresses."

At this point, she winked playfully at the camera, adding, "After all, I'm communicating with international friends, so I still need to pay attention to my image."

"Finally, I also need to bring some practice clothes and performance costumes."

She paused for a moment, looked at Qin Youyou, and said softly with encouragement from her friend, "Youyou, come to my dance studio and help me choose some. I want to choose some with traditional characteristics."

Then the two of them went into the dance studio in the house together. Zhu Qingting's large apartment originally had four rooms. She lived in one room, left one room for her parents who would come to visit occasionally, and the remaining two rooms were combined to form a huge dance studio.

The production crew figured it wasn't a bedroom, but a dance studio, so there shouldn't be anything they couldn't film, and since Zhu Qingting hadn't said they couldn't go in, they followed her into the dance studio.

The group was first struck by the space, which was as large as a professional dance studio. Then, as the camera panned around, they discovered that the walls were neatly covered with posters and stills of Chai Yundu.

From the early days of "The Bone Scheme" to the maturity of his recent works, each poster has been carefully framed and preserved in pristine condition.

Follow PD asked in surprise, "Teacher Zhu, are you a fan of Teacher Chai Yundu?"

Zhu Qingting smiled gently at the camera, her eyes sparkling with the unique brilliance of a fangirl, "Yes!"

"Let me tell you!" Qin Youyou excitedly chimed in, "I was blown away the first time I came to Zhu Zhu's house. Many of these are rare, out-of-print posters that she collected from attending offline events and premieres. Zhu Zhu would go to them whenever we didn't have a show. Later, I got hooked too, and we started going together."

The PD, still curious, continued to ask, "How long has Teacher Zhu been a fan of Teacher Chai?"

“A very long time ago, ever since his novel ‘The Schemer’ became a hit.” Zhu Qingting answered without hesitation.

"Why do you like it?" the PD pressed.

Zhu Qingting's eyes softened, "It's because of his dedication and inspiration. Since I got into this hobby in college, he has been my role model."

The two then discussed some of Chai Yundu's film and television works before the PD remembered to ask, "Does Professor Zhu know that you are flying from Shanghai to Budapest alone with Professor Chai this time?"

"Huh?" She really didn't know that.

"Because some of our guests are in Beijing and some are in Shenzhen, our production team bought tickets for flights that arrived in Budapest around the same time so that we could meet up in Budapest."

"I'm really looking forward to it~" she smiled sweetly.

At this time, most of the fans were in the other six people's live streams. Her live stream didn't have many viewers, but the audience's response was still enthusiastic and harmonious.

"Oh my god, oh my god, fans and idols are filming a variety show together! It's such a dream that I never even dared to imagine it!"

"The man is handsome and the woman is beautiful, I'm shipping this couple! I can't wait to see the sparks fly between them!"

"I couldn't even snag that poster for 'Mountains and Rivers' back then, I was so envious I cried!"

All of this was within Zhu Qingting's expectations. Now that she had decided to be with Chai Yundu and step into the public eye, she had no intention of hiding her feelings for him.

This seemingly unintentional exposure was actually a carefully planned scheme by her and Qin Youyou.

She wants to see what her fans think of her, whether it's good or bad, and she needs to improve her ability to accept it.

After selecting several sets of traditional practice clothes and dance costumes in the dance studio, they went to the living room to continue unpacking.

"Health is the foundation of everything," she said as she put the medicine box into the compartment. "It's essential to have your regular medications on hand."

"I was worried about not being able to adapt to the new environment, so I prepared some stomach medicine."

"These are patches and medicated oils to relieve muscle soreness and strain."

Next, Zhu Qingting began to showcase her daily necessities, including a multi-national compatible adapter, a high-capacity power bank, a portable folding kettle, and even a large bag of her favorite tea.

Then, she carefully stuffed several yellow bags into the corner of her suitcase with her hand, without explaining anything, but the comments section immediately became lively.

"Haha, even fairies love stinky snail rice noodles!"

"I suddenly feel like the fairy is down-to-earth!"

"I love this brand too!"

"Youyou, where is the gift bag we bought yesterday?" Zhu Qingting asked, turning her head.

Qin Youyou handed over an exquisite gift bag. Zhu Qingting took out the items inside one by one and showed them to her.

"These are some cultural gifts I prepared. There are silk handkerchiefs embroidered with the beautiful scenery of Jiangnan, paper-cut bookmarks with the twelve zodiac animal patterns, and Peking Opera mask keychains. I thought I could give them to people I meet on my travels." She smiled and showed them to the camera.

The suitcase was packed full, yet everything was neatly organized. Every compartment was used to its fullest potential, and every item had been carefully chosen. When she finally closed the suitcase, she patted it and said to the camera, "Okay, all packed!"

Follow PD hands over a paper DIY ticket, "Congratulations, Teacher Zhu, please sign for your boarding pass. Meet at check-in window F at 8 pm tomorrow night."

After seeing the production crew off, Zhu Qingting slumped onto the sofa, took a deep breath, and exhaled all the tension and anxiety of the morning.

"Zhuzhu, you did a great job." Qin Youyou held her hand to encourage her. "You know what? I really admire you. It takes so much courage to be able to show your feelings for him so openly in front of the camera!"

“I’ve never done anything so crazy before,” Zhu Qingting said softly, her eyes slightly unfocused. “To expose my feelings in front of the camera, to let everyone know that I’m his fan…”

Qin Youyou sighed, "But isn't that the most touching thing about love? It makes us brave and makes us willing to step out of our comfort zone."

“You’re right.” Zhu Qingting straightened up, her eyes shining with determination. “Since we’ve chosen to stand shoulder to shoulder with him, we can’t hide in the shadows forever.”