Chapter 12 Single-Cause Contact Effect
[mujiu: What made you think of saying that?]
Mu Jiu stared intently at the pre-recorded video released by the production team, analyzing Ling Zhao's micro-expressions while scrolling through the footage, his thoughts wandering far away.
At the moment she heard the line, "I hope she can choose whoever she wants," several scenarios flashed through her mind.
It's no exaggeration to say that all her previous efforts to convince the audience that they had been in a relationship were less effective than the impact of his words.
Not only did it further elaborate on their character settings, but it also left ample room for imagination regarding their romantic experiences.
Although her partner claimed he couldn't act, it all seemed like he was just being modest...
[0N: You gave me the "10" gesture, doesn't that mean you want me to win?]
He got a perfect score of 10, and even scored an extra point in overtime.
[mujiu: ……]
[mujiu: Oh right, that's right]
Knowing full well what his hand gestures meant, Mu Jiu exited the chat interface with a slight sense of guilt and, as usual, glanced at the program team's account activity.
Mu Jiu was taken aback when several notifications popped up as soon as she opened Weibo before she clicked on the trending topics list.
The top star's treatment was much better than his and Ling Zhao's. Not only was the trailer broadcast during prime time, but the topic also made it to the trending searches.
Of course, Mu Jiu suspected that according to the program team's plan, Meng Shuning and Fang Yucheng should have been the first national CP to be voted out, but she and Ling Zhao intercepted them halfway through, which led to the trailer being rushed out at the last minute.
However, regardless of the circumstances, judging from the number of views and trending topics, the production team has indeed capitalized on the popularity of top celebrities.
#MengXiangChengZhenTrailer#
#Meng Xiangcheng's love at first sight is eternal#
#My favorite couple actually dated#
...
Mu Jiu didn't plan to watch the trailer closely; instead, she went straight to the comments section to check the trend of the comments.
As usual, the front row photos are comments from fans of both sides promoting their own "older sister"/"older brother". Then, the CP fans exclaim that their favorite CP is real, and "Meng Xiang Cheng Zhen" still seems to have lingering feelings for each other after the breakup, crying out for a reunion.
Although the content of the trailer had nothing to do with her, Mu Jiu still found a comment thread in the vast sea of comments that was related to her:
Please, please, this time, that female celebrity with the two-character name should stop exploiting her brother. My heart is breaking just seeing the guest lineup announced by the show's production team.
Didn't the person upstairs see yesterday's trailer and episode clips?
Why would I contribute views to a trailer with only the number two?!
Ah... never mind the girls on the first floor.
[This statement is too harsh; they can't accept it being too casual.]
What are you guys even talking about?
...
Morning and evening?
Mu Jiu typed the keyword into the search box with a puzzled look.
After seeing multiple edited clips from the live stream and comments on Weibo from netizens who seemed to be under the influence of dopamine, she decisively logged out.
Something's not right.
Something is very wrong, even 10 or 20 percent.
[mujiu: Starting tomorrow, text messages from the show will be sent to other people.]
[0N: ?]
incredible.
After stepping out of the super topic for a while, Mu Jiu's eyes were filled with disbelief.
She and Ling Zhao actually have a fanbase who ship them as a couple?!
Not to mention that the original owner's fans were somewhat disheartened because of his constant hype and pursuit of Fang Yucheng over the past few years.
After the show started filming, other guests would occasionally have fans visiting the set, waiting outside the recording area for their idols to appear, but Mu Jiu didn't see any so-called fans before or after entering the house.
Not to mention that CP fans, who have extremely high requirements for the intensity of love and attach great importance to the intimate interactions between the two CP members, would actually be so blind as to fall for the only "ex" couple who have never been in a relationship?
This group of fans, whose origins are completely unknown, quickly rallied on her social media accounts, pushing down the haters who had consistently dominated the top of her rankings.
For the first time, Mu Jiu began to doubt himself.
In her mind, the audience's perception of her and Ling Zhao should be that they are old friends who still get along peacefully after breaking up.
This was only their second day at the cabin, or even if you count past midnight as the third day. She hadn't had any intimate contact or sweet interactions with her partner at all.
No matter how you look at it, it shouldn't be her problem.
Filled with questions, she clicked on yesterday's edited version of the episode again, and also watched the recorded video of today's episode that @her Weibo post mentioned.
She finally realized something.
The reason she ended up in such a disadvantageous situation is because she was in the same frame with Ling Zhao too much.
Single-cause contact effect.
The psychological phenomenon of developing a positive feeling towards a familiar object because it appears frequently in one's vision and daily life.
Although she and Ling Zhao have a bad reputation online, the audience of "Our Past" is largely the group of people who don't pay attention to the gossip about them and Fang Yucheng.
In other words, even if Fang Yucheng and Meng Shuning have an astonishing number of fans, it's impossible for everyone to be online every day. Perhaps the addition of naive students who only started connecting to the internet during summer vacation, who are unfamiliar with healthy relationships, led to this misunderstanding.
Although the outcome differed somewhat from what I had anticipated, this incident did not affect my subsequent plans.
Mu Jiu took a deep breath, gradually accepting this absurd fact.
On the bright side, the fact that the two of them had dated is now accepted by most people.
Moreover, these CP fans haven't formed a large group yet, so the sweet interactions between the male and female leads will definitely grab the audience's attention.
She just needs to carefully maintain the impression that she and Ling Zhao broke up amicably.
The common approach, of course, is to openly support the other person's relationship and maintain a friendly relationship with the ex in daily life...
She still thought so a second before she saw the Chaomu CP tag.
Mu Jiu quickly typed a few lines in the notes app on his phone.
Now, she needs to urgently change the plan.
First and foremost, try to avoid being in the same frame as Ling Zhao.
As Mu Jiu pondered and swiped through the notes to add settings,
Xiang Wan, who had just come out of the bathroom, slammed herself onto the bed. A few seconds later, she suddenly said in a leisurely tone, "I watched footage of my ex-boyfriend and Shu Ning filming a music video today."
Mu Jiu nodded subconsciously.
Oh, I saw my ex-boyfriend...
Realizing something was wrong, Mu Jiu suddenly looked up at her.
Xiang Wan gently curled the corners of her lips: "You've already guessed who my ex is, haven't you?"
Mu Jiu blinked, unsure how to respond to the conversation.
But Xiang Wan didn't seem to need her answer, and instead spoke on her own: "He has never introduced me to his familiar circles. We've talked for a long time, but the people around him have never known that I'm his girlfriend..."
She laughed as if mocking herself: "But when I saw the scene in the MV today where they filmed a fake kiss, he blushed, just like when we first started dating."
"I'm telling you this because I want to quit the show."
Xiang Wan took a deep breath and lowered her eyes: "I really can't hold on any longer."
A development I never expected.
Mu Jiu tightened his grip on the pillowcase.
They won't be together.
'You should know who Meng Shuning likes.'
She subconsciously wanted to say those words, but the moment she saw Xiang Wan's eyes, Mu Jiu understood.
These words are useless.
From an outsider's perspective, she certainly felt that it would be better for Xiang Wan to completely abandon Qi Youxiang and live her own life as soon as possible.
but……
Mu Jiu was silent for a moment, then changed his approach: "If you've really made up your mind, I won't stop you, but what are you going to do after you leave the show and completely leave your ex?"
"Instead of grieving alone, why not shed tears in front of the camera?"
If she hadn't gone upstairs during the day, probably only a handful of fans would have known that Xiang Wan had cried.
To put it bluntly and realistically, given Xiang Wan's public image, it would have been more beneficial for her future career to "torture" fans on the show, but she chose not to do so.
In the novel's ending, Meng Shuning received all the votes from the male guests, and Fang Yucheng received all the votes from the female guests. Fans cheered, were moved, and shed tears for the couple's love.
As for Xiang Wan's tears, which she shed with her back to the camera, no one cared, and no one mentioned them.
Perhaps the other party is too busy to think about this now, but Mu Jiu doesn't want her to be forgotten.
Since they were all in the same industry, Xiang Wan understood the meaning behind Mu Jiu's words after just a few sentences.
No one spoke in the room anymore.
It wasn't until the light was turned off that Mu Jiu heard a soft "thank you" from the bed next door.
I slept without any dreams.
——
The next morning, the production team announced the day's schedule.
The female guests blindly choose their date based on anonymous gifts prepared by the male guests.
In the original storyline, the trailer released the night before caused many fans of the couple to be obsessed with it.
After winning the competition, Fang Yucheng decisively chose Meng Shuning. The two did not participate in the gift-picking date; they set off directly in the morning.
This time, however, the "Meng Xiang Cheng Zhen" couple missed the prime exposure time with the highest traffic in the live broadcast room the day before, and Fang Yucheng did not have a smooth volleyball match.
When Mu Jiu arrived at the location, the four female guests were gathered in the room where they were choosing gifts.
The four nicely framed gift boxes on the table contained a Polaroid camera, a fitness tracker, an aromatherapy diffuser, and a handmade miniature house.
Meng Shuning picked up the aromatherapy diffuser, glanced at it, and then put it down.
Guo Zifu also picked it up curiously: "What's wrong, Shushu? Didn't you just say yesterday that you haven't been sleeping well these past few days and wanted to light some aromatherapy for sleep?"
Meng Shuning's expression remained unchanged: "I'm quite picky about fragrances, and I've already ordered my usual aromatherapy products."
【No, Shushu! Oh no! I've missed my chance to have Meng Xiangcheng again!】
[Yesterday, when Shushu came back to her room and said she wanted aromatherapy, Yucheng was right next to her.]
Oh my god, this couple is so heartbreaking.
"I see."
Guo Zifu said thoughtfully, "It's such a pity. Actually, I think you'd be perfect for it."
Seeing Mu Jiu pick up the fitness tracker on the other side, Guo Zifu also smiled and leaned over: "I was just thinking that the person who bought this gift has very peculiar taste."
Do you want to choose this one?
"No, I'm just like Shushu in that respect..."
Guo Zifu shrugged and rolled up her sleeves: "I already have one."
Mu Jiu looked into the eyes of the person next to him.
Even without knowing the plot of the novel, she had already guessed which male guest had given her the gift.
Deng Minzhou.
These past few days, she's been in the hut the least amount of contact with any man.
Choosing Deng Minzhou, whom fans jokingly call a "playboy type of handsome guy," instead of Fang Yucheng or Qi Youxiang, would require less effort.
He's good at reading the room and understanding subtle cues. Even when he encounters a girl he doesn't like in the novel, he'll still manage to have a pleasant time with her and won't embarrass her.
Most importantly, it seems that Guo Zifu doesn't care who her ex dates... at least that's how it appears.
After Mu Jiu chose his gift, Meng Shuning hesitated before selecting a Polaroid camera, Xiang Wan chose a handmade miniature house, and Guo Zifu opted for aromatherapy.
While the guests were kept in the dark about the final outcome and prepared for their dates, the viewers in the live chat had already deduced the final result through logical analysis:
So now it's Fang Yucheng x Guo Zifu, Meng Shuning x Qi Youxiang, Xiang Wan x Ling Zhao, and Mu Jiu x Deng Minzhou?
Do you know how much this hurts an omnivorous person like me? Even a random dice roll wouldn't leave me with no couples I ship!
[Those who were mentioned earlier were too picky. Isn't Meng Xiangcheng's dream come true too? I'll ship him first, you guys can do whatever you want.]
[Everyone's shipping is too skewed. I'm different. I want to send the production team razor blades and demand that Meng Xiangjun and Cheng Zhen appear together again!]
Everyone had their own thoughts, but when the guests went out to meet at the designated dating location, many viewers still dutifully opened the four live streaming rooms, like old men in a monitoring room, watching the dating progress of each couple.
On the other side.
After receiving a text message from the production team, Mu Jiu changed her outfit for going out.
I put on my fitness tracker, changed into a casual T-shirt, a sporty knee-length skirt, and sneakers, and went out with a small crossbody bag.
Perhaps this outfit doesn't look like something you'd wear on a date, but from the perspective of interpreting an actor's role, since the giver chose such a gift, the location must not be suitable for wearing clothes that restrict movement.
The meeting point is on the uphill side outside the cabin on the east side.
The shade of the trees covered the asphalt road, and the branches and leaves of the road measuring system were intertwined, with fine gold dust flowing out from only a small gap.
A gentle breeze rustled softly, and her flowing hair made her face clearly visible in front of the camera.
A car stopped in front of Mu Jiu.
The car window was rolled down, and the person inside was wearing a casual shirt with two buttons undone at the collar, loosely revealing their collarbone.
When I looked up, the other person paused for a moment, but quickly put on a relaxed smile: "I didn't expect it to be you."
Putting everything else aside, this scene is absolutely stunning!
[I initially thought Deng Minzhou's magazine photos were nice, but her acting in the TV dramas she did before seemed really stiff. But this scene is so natural and so full of pure love!]
[Please note that youth romance films absolutely need handsome men and beautiful women in the cast! It's like I'm eating at a state banquet; these two look so good even on live stream!]
Just as the barrage of comments was overwhelmed by the beautiful visuals, some viewers started shipping strange couples.
Meanwhile, another live stream presented a completely different style.
Xiang Wan and Ling Zhao stood together at the door.
There was a two-person gap between them, like strangers waiting to carpool.
During this time, Xiang Wan would occasionally glance at the man on the other side who was looking down at his phone. After hesitating for a long time, she still didn't take the initiative to start a conversation.
She wasn't sure if the other person was someone she was dating.
Although he arrived at the location sent by the production team via text message, and Ling Zhao was indeed waiting there, he didn't say a single word to him from beginning to end.
Perhaps he's waiting for someone else?
As time passed, Xiang Wan gradually denied this conjecture.
The handmade miniature toy house she chose had lush green grass inside, and included many cute plush animal models peeking out. It was so vibrant at first glance that it unconsciously calmed people down.
This led her to speculate that the gift might have been given by Fang Yucheng or Deng Minzhou.
but……
Xiang Wan watched as a taxi approached and stopped in front of them.
Then Ling Zhao stepped forward, opened the back door, and stepped aside, calmly looking at her.
Does this mean I'm getting on the bus?
Xiang Wan hesitated for a few steps forward, and as she passed the other person, she whispered, "Thank you."
However, once she was settled in the car, Ling Zhao closed the door, took a long stride, opened the passenger door, and got in.
...He sat down?
A note from the author:
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