Chapter 28 Playing the green tea bitch? Acting delicate? That's her forte...
It's hard to imagine anyone remaining unmoved when a young and beautiful girl suddenly receives so many times more resources than her teammates. If it were truly due to her own abilities, that would be one thing, but Kawana's actions make it difficult not to have doubts.
Zhong Xinfan stared at Kawana for a moment, then belatedly realized that her gaze had been a bit too obvious. She silently looked away and lowered her head to look at her toes in silence, but she couldn't possibly have missed the fact that her gaze had just fallen on Kawana.
Gradually, the silence took on a faint air of tension, and the group began to grow increasingly agitated. Zhong Xinfan reacted most strongly, her lips pressed tightly together. When her gaze inevitably fell upon the other person again, unexpectedly, Chuan Nai abruptly raised her head.
"Shuling and I can go together." Her voice was soft at first, but then it seemed to suddenly gain courage. Kawana and Jiang Zhou's eyes met in the air, as if they were secretly competing. "I don't want to."
"don't want?"
In the past two years, due to the popularity of crossover, the idol industry has been on a serious downward trend. Most people just use the opportunity of talent shows to debut, gain some popularity, and then immediately disband and change their careers. Very few people can stick to it.
These large-scale variety shows are mostly dominated by actors, and Jiang Zhou seemed surprised that such a good opportunity would be rejected. Let alone being a guest on "Let Go!", even a special invitation to make a cameo appearance would be considered a good deal. Any idol in China would happily accept such a cushy job.
"don't want."
But under the surprised gazes of the others, Kawana once again seriously rejected the idea, emphasizing her desire to go with Yu Shuling as originally planned.
Jiang Zhou's gaze turned cold in an instant, so sinister that it seemed as if he wanted to devour someone. But unexpectedly, Kawana, who had been somewhat wary of him, turned and left after giving a brief reply.
Jiang Zhou's face darkened, but he couldn't just abandon his work and lash out, so he hastily sent out business contracts to a few people and called it a day.
Yu Shuling and Kawana's variety show is scheduled to start recording in two days. After reviewing the contract this afternoon, they have to rush to the recording location. The production team hasn't announced the theme of this episode yet, but Yu Shuling has already guessed it when she heard the recording location. It should be related to the forest.
The recording location was in Xicheng District.
Xicheng is considered one of the top tourist cities in China, famous for its lush national forest parks and primeval forests. During peak season, it attracts a large number of foreign tourists who linger there.
Since its premiere, "The Wilderness Secrets" has featured two themes: one on an island and the other on the edge of a desert. Both survival challenges lasted five days, with several guests dropping out early due to physical limitations. After learning she was expected to appear on the show, Yu Shuling quickly watched the first two episodes to get a general understanding of its style and characteristics.
The show consists of a male and a female MC who are experienced in following procedures and five to six guest stars. The format is somewhat similar to the popular game "Peace Elite".
It's a one-on-one competition with various challenges along the way, and only one person can win. The female lead in the original book also appeared on this variety show later on, but Yu Shuling stopped watching after seeing "herself" tragically disappear from the story, so she doesn't know the specific plot details.
The original storyline has actually changed. If it were set up the way it was, she would have continued to cause trouble on the dating reality show and become a foil for everyone, which would have led to her being despised by the entire internet. Her company would have suspended Lyer until the concert, and then her teammates would have had frequent incidents, leading to the disbandment of the group.
The system didn't say anything about Yu Shuling participating in this variety show, since the female lead hasn't appeared yet and she needs to keep causing trouble to stimulate the female lead's awakening.
The system's answer during the "Love Variety Show" was ambiguous. In fact, it hoped that Yu Shuling would follow the script, juggling several relationships and then frantically showing affection for Jiang Wenxi in the short period of time. Yu Shuling did not completely follow its instructions, but it was hard to find any fault with her.
Yu Shuling was indeed "dramatic," teasing Zhao Cheng in every way and ignoring the male guests. She was ruthless and confrontational on what should have been a sweet and romantic dating reality show, but the result was exactly the opposite of what she expected. As a result, the broken system would nag Yu Shuling incessantly.
Unable to bear its constant nagging, Yu Shuling asked what to do before leaving. The system gave a vague reply:
"Just make sure you interact with the male guests a lot, play the delicate and manipulative girl persona to highlight the female lead."
In the original story, the female lead, Qi Xiuxiu, is portrayed as a cute, innocent, and unpretentious lucky charm, a breath of fresh air among the many scheming and manipulative female celebrities in the entertainment industry. This is why she attracts the admiration of the male lead, Jiang Wenxi, and the bold pursuit of a group of male supporting characters. The system, fearing that Yu Shuling might not understand the hints, simply tells her directly.
Pretending to be a green tea b*tch? Acting delicate and fragile?
Yu Shuling twitched her lips.
Although she stopped using it decades ago, it used to be one of her specialties.
Back when she first married the Crown Prince, his household was already filled with beautiful women. Yu Shuling stood out with her exceptional tea ceremony skills, securing her position and power within the household. Later, when the Crown Prince ascended the throne and became the Emperor, his reaction to seeing a woman who was usually frail and sickly like Xi Shi (a famous beauty in ancient China) taking up arms and going to the battlefield was priceless. Yu Shuling still vividly remembers the Emperor's hypocritical and disgusting face.
The memories quickly subsided, and he looked at Kawana beside him, silently saying to the system:
"Isn't that a bit much? I'm just a nobody. What if I end up getting rejected by the male guest and then get eliminated early? Wouldn't you have to find someone else to do the task then?"
The system felt that what she said seemed to make some sense; ultimately, she was afraid of trouble.
"Then I'll enable a favorability query function for you. During the recording of this show, you can sense how much people like you. If it's too low, you can temporarily lower your favorability, okay?"
“Ah Tong,” Yu Shuling’s eyes lit up upon hearing this, “You’re really amazing. Without you, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to move an inch here.”
The system grunted but didn't say anything.
That evening, while Yu Shuling was washing up and taking a shower, a virtual panel popped up in front of her, with the favorability rating and corresponding name noted on it.
**
It wasn't until the day the show was scheduled to be recorded that Yu Shuling realized what the system meant by "interacting more with the male guests."
In order to maintain the show's popularity and mystery, the guests of "The Wilderness Secrets", which adopts a live broadcast format, are never officially announced or hyped up beforehand. Instead, a few silhouettes are released on the morning of the show to let fans guess whether their favorite guests have arrived at the scene. By the time the show officially starts, a large number of onlookers have already gathered.
Because the city where the show was being filmed was overseas, Yu Shuling and Chuan Nai had a 5 a.m. flight, so they had to get up at 3 a.m. to go to the airport.
The itinerary wasn't made public, and since they were using the VIP channel, there weren't many fans coming to see them off at this time. The company's arrangements for them were also very simple; only one personal assistant accompanied them. Xiaolin had some other things to take care of today, so she was taking a different flight.
Jiang Zhou's personal assistant, yawning incessantly, carried her own suitcase and makeup bag. The filming of "The Wilderness Secret" was quite long, and both of them had brought a lot of luggage, especially Yu Shuling, who even packed a 26-inch suitcase.
The two didn't talk much on the plane. Yu Shuling was quite sleepy and slept almost the entire time on the plane and in the car. By the time they arrived at the hotel where they were supposed to meet, it was already past six in the evening. Yu Shuling woke up because she was hungry.
The foreign cities are far apart, and you have to transfer flights. I don't know where the film crew found this location.
The hotel was lavishly decorated, but Yu Shuling was too hungry to appreciate it. As soon as she got out of the car, she dragged her suitcase and walked inside with her head down.
Just as she stepped into the hotel, her foot suddenly slipped. Fortunately, she was wearing running shoes that were easy to run in, which had a lot of friction. Even so, Yu Shuling almost fell.
Kawana, who was usually silent, reacted quickly. The girl swiftly raised her hand and firmly held Yu Shuling's waist, then pulled her back. Water full of rose petals fell from the sky the next moment. Fortunately, Kawana reacted quickly, otherwise the two of them would have been drenched.
This commotion completely brought Yu Shuling to her senses.
A burst of laughter followed by scattered applause came from the other side, and a man and a woman had already stood up. They were clearly the instigators of this farce.
It's highly unlikely that the hotel would make such a mistake. This show is known for giving its guests "little surprises," and if they hadn't dodged quickly, they would have been completely humiliated from the start.
Although Yu Shuling didn't seem to care much about her image, it was somewhat inappropriate for a girl to get completely wet in the summer when everyone was wearing light clothing.
Yu Shuling glanced at Chuan Nai and, seeing that she wasn't wet, smiled at the person walking towards her.
"Sorry, sorry, I thought you two girls would be a little late. I was originally planning to prank someone."
The male MC, Xiao Shu, smiled and quickly apologized, then asked the hotel to get them towels. His gaze passed over Chuan Nai and landed on Yu Shuling, giving her a slight nod.
Although the edited version of "Heartbeat Start Project" that Yu Shuling participated in last time has not been fully broadcast yet, it has already become very popular online. In particular, her pranks on Zhao Cheng made him avoid her like the plague. Her variety show skills were off the charts, and Yu Shuling's fans have become the most numerous in the group.
This show was thought to be a dead end, but unexpectedly it not only gave Lyer a chance to come back to life, but also made some people keenly aware that Yu Shuling was on the rise.
Although the hope seems slim, many people in the industry know that Lyer's slump is mainly due to the company's mismanagement. Otherwise, with the talent of these girls, they should have been able to secure a place in the idol world.
Xiao Shu is a professional variety show MC, and also an artist from a rival company to Lyer's company, Zero Flag. Yu Shuling did her homework before coming.
Xiao Shu may seem to be joking, but the cameras are already in place. If they show even the slightest sign of impatience, it could be used against them.
Moreover, these kinds of variety shows usually notify the MCs in advance, and there are generally surveillance cameras in front of them so that the MCs can watch the monitors and improvise accordingly. It's hard to believe that they didn't know the two of them arrived first and that's why they played a prank.
Kawana wasn't too aloof outside; she smiled and greeted the other person. The girl had a beautiful smile with two shallow dimples that made her instantly likable.
The female MC, Zhou Ya, is a crosstalk performer. She's a bit plump, with a kind and approachable appearance. She quickly brought Yu Shuling a towel to dry off and considerately asked if she needed to change clothes. After receiving a negative answer, she lightly tapped Xiao Shu on the shoulder.
"I told you not to do it anymore, look how scared the girls are."
"Ouch! Sister Ya, be gentle, you're going to break my bones!"
Xiao Shu let out a strange "Aww," and exchanged a few jokes with Zhou Ya. His exaggerated expressions were clearly an act, which made the audience laugh.
As they deliberately tried to create a pleasant atmosphere, two more guests arrived: rising young actress Mu Yubing and actor Tao Liang. The two played siblings in the recently aired Republican-era drama "Wind and Cloud" (a drama without a romantic pairing), and both were gaining popularity. They came to the variety show to solidify their fanbase.
Mu Yubing's appearance is just like her name, a naturally aloof and cold beauty, but she is actually quite shy and timid. She speaks softly when introducing herself. Tao Liang, on the other hand, is a warm and outgoing person who quickly became friends with everyone.
After two more guests, a man and a woman, arrived, Xiao Shu suddenly sat up from the sofa and peeked out mysteriously. This strange behavior attracted the attention of the other guests, who all gathered around.
"What is Teacher Xiao looking at?"
Mu Yubing asked curiously, and before she could finish speaking, she saw a tall figure walking towards her from a distance, striding closer and closer. Mu Yubing had been watching from the doorway, but when she saw the face clearly, she raised her hand to cover her mouth to suppress a low gasp.
"Yes, it's my idol!" Mu Yubing's aloofness vanished, and she grabbed the glass door with one hand, excitedly reporting to Tao Liang.
"Your idol?"
Yu Shuling also became interested. Generally speaking, actors do not refer to their colleagues as idols. The boundary between singing and dancing idols and their profession is clear, unlike many fans who use "idol" to refer to both.
Seeing this, she also went to the front and peeked through the gap.
The boy's handsome and familiar features clearly came into view.
As the distance closed, Jiang Wenxi also saw Yu Shuling hiding behind. His heart skipped a beat, as if a needle had suddenly pierced his head, making him involuntarily furrow his brow.
Sensing his hostility, Yu Shuling confronted him indifferently, but noticed that Jiang Wenxi's gaze seemed to pass over her and land on Chuan Nai behind her. A faint look of disgust flashed between her brows, but he quickly hid it well when he got to the camera.
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Author's Note: I'm late with today's update, but I wrote a little extra as compensation, hehe.
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