Chapter 32 Variables
If she were to ask this rhetorical question directly, the audience might not understand its deeper meaning, but someone in front of her would definitely think she was being sarcastic.
So, to avoid unnecessary social conflict, Mu swallowed back the question that was on the tip of her tongue and chose a more considerate explanation: "He probably saw that the kitchen was empty and just made some desserts."
Guo Zifu's eyes darted around, clearly wanting to ask more questions, when she felt her wrist being gently squeezed.
"Mumu, are you feeling any better from your cold?"
Seeing Guo Zifu wink at her, Meng Shuning shook her head helplessly and looked at Mu Jiu with concern: "You suddenly got sick yesterday and couldn't go out with everyone. Sister Qi Qing was thinking of taking you out for a meal alone next time."
Although Mu Jiu was feeling drowsy yesterday due to a fever, he still had some recollection of this part.
The novel's plot also features a similar scene, where the female CEO Qi Qing is a prominent "strong woman" character among the female guests.
Compared to the other female guests, she has a more decisive and sharp demeanor when she's working.
But upon arriving at the cabin, contrary to the impression in the trailer, she invited everyone to dinner at the booked hotel, where they chatted warmly and amicably.
This "everyone" naturally included Fang Yucheng. Because the original owner saw Qi Qing as yet another formidable rival vying for the male lead's affections, she made some barbed remarks during the meal, all of which were easily deflected by her…
However, back in reality, none of the confrontations occurred. Hearing Qi Qing's concern, Mu Jiu nodded sincerely: "I'm sorry, the onset of my illness was so sudden and worried everyone. I'm much better today."
She paused, as if thinking of something, and said, "...But when I woke up, I found that none of you were here during the day. You were worried that I would delay the filming."
Meng Shuning gently explained, "Everyone has work during the day, and the director said that the main activities are scheduled for the evening, so you can rest assured."
Shushu is so gentle! I wish I could live with her and have her care for me when I'm sick.
[Want to dream? Books are mine!]
[Speaking of dinner last night, the hotel Qi Qing treated us to was incredibly expensive; the female CEO is certainly generous!]
[Last night? Let's not even mention Fang Yucheng's absolutely hilarious expression when he was mistaken for Ling Zhao.]
Ling Zhao waited in the living room until very late last night; he must have been worried about Jiu Jiu.
[This is just random, love-struck nonsense. I'm speechless. They can even find sweetness in this?]
...
After exchanging a few brief pleasantries and finishing the pudding, Mu Jiu parted ways with Meng Shuning and Guo Zifu before returning to his room.
I had just closed the door when my phone vibrated again.
Mu Jiu returned to the bedside and made sure that the camera wouldn't capture the phone screen from her angle before reopening the message interface.
[0N: Maybe I can open a dessert shop]
[mujiu：]
Upon seeing this seemingly random statement, Mu Jiu's immediate reaction was that the other party had finally been implicated in a fraud case because they were too easy to talk to.
Do you have the money to start a business?
...Wouldn't telling him the truth be too hurtful?
Mu Jiu thought for a moment and then deleted the words he had typed. He had only typed half of his reply when the other person's message popped up:
[0N: The manager of the coffee shop where I work part-time said that if I become popular, he'll transfer the shop to me at a low price so I can open a dessert shop.]
[mujiu: That just sounds like the store manager doesn't want to work hard anymore.]
[0N: Even so, you still think my pudding is delicious?]
Pudding is innocent.
The aroma of ripe tropical fruits still seems to linger on the tip of your nose, not to mention the pudding's smooth and rich texture and its pleasant, not-too-sweet taste.
Mu paused for a moment.
[mujiu: It's delicious, thank you.]
There was no reply from the other end for a long time. Just when Mu Jiu thought the conversation was over, a message suddenly popped up in the chat box again.
[0N: MG contacted me to confirm my upcoming schedule]
MG is the brand that recently contacted them for their perfume advertising campaign.
According to the contact person, the producer seems to have learned about the two of them through "Our Past" and strongly requested that they participate in the filming of the perfume advertisement, and also showed a considerable degree of sincerity (in terms of salary).
Among the numerous text messages bombarding her with messages from her agent, Sister Chen, one or two mentioned the recent progress of MG's negotiations.
[mujiu: My agent has already made contact. You just need to tell your agent your convenient time, and the brand will then coordinate and confirm the time.]
After I sent it, the input status on the other end paused briefly.
[0N: Oh]
Ling Zhao's attitude seemed a bit off.
Mu Jiu sensed something was wrong and frowned slightly.
Even when she recalled the novel's plot, Ling Zhao's scenes weren't described in much detail in the original novel.
However, judging from the facts, it is not surprising that his company and agent had given up on him long ago, or that they had a conflict of interest with him, given that he was so hated by the entire internet in the original work that he had to leave the entertainment industry.
[mujiu: If you can make the decision, you can also send me your schedule, and I will have my agent coordinate everything.]
Such words might offend the other party at this time. Although she and Ling Zhao had vaguely formed an impression of being linked together, they were, after all, from different companies, and their schedules were considered private matters...
[0N: I have no other schedules, the only one is this variety show.]
It seems the other person is in a more awkward position than I am.
Mu Jiu paused for a moment on the phone screen before informing the agent that Ling Zhao had no further scheduled activities.
She received a message shortly after sending it.
[broker:……]
[Agent: You guys really went all out with this CP hype. You broke up before even getting married and are now sharing an agent?]
[Agent: Okay, I'll go ask.]
After sending the message, Mu Jiucai felt his tense nerves relax slightly, followed by a feeling of fatigue from his still-unrecovering body.
She lay back down on the bed as she felt sleepy, but before falling asleep, she felt inexplicably uneasy.
But this strange feeling was quickly overshadowed by a wave of sleepiness.
Until dusk fell.
Mu Jiu woke up to the sound of deliberately light footsteps.
Xiang Wan was tiptoeing into the room when she saw that she was awake. She immediately put her hands together apologetically and said, "Did I wake you? I'm so sorry, I was just trying to sneak something away..."
Mu Jiu waved her hand to prop herself up, a movement that made her feel slightly dizzy, and thus she missed the hesitant expression on Xiang Wan's face.
"...You still don't look well." Xiang Wan leaned closer with concern. "Do you want to rest a little longer? I can talk to the production team about tonight's event for you."
"It's okay, I'm much better than yesterday."
Mu Jiu touched his forehead and felt a temperature even hotter than when he took a nap, so he couldn't help but frown.
But when she turned around and saw Xiang Wan's worried expression, she quickly relaxed her brow: "Judging from the evening's schedule, it shouldn't take long. I'll just drink some cold medicine and I'll be fine."
Xiang Wan: "Then let's all get some rest early tonight."
At the same time the two were chatting, the trailer, meticulously prepared by the production team, began playing in the live stream.
To the accompaniment of soft piano music, the image of raindrops falling on a lake creates ripples on the screen, accompanied by a gentle voice-over:
Saying goodbye to the past, every choice is a metaphor for fate, and every glance back is a whisper of the soul.
The scene flashed by Mu Jiu and Deng Minzhou exchanging glances on the sunlit ramp, Guo Zifu looking at Mo Chuhe's shy smile in the underground parking garage, and Ling Zhao holding a water glass and looking earnestly at Xiang Wanshi, revealing a subtle tenderness against the background music.
[The entanglements of the past may have transformed into gentle spring rain, or become willow catkins fluttering by the lake. There's no need to question the ending; let's see how fate transforms yesterday's fine rain into this summer's misty haze.]
The camera zooms in on the guests' gazes as they look at each other, and those unspoken moments are rendered especially moving by the slow motion.
Tonight, the female guests at the cabin will make a crucial decision—choosing dates for their exes.
Ultimately, will they choose to pursue the lover they once truly loved, or will they be unable to let go of their past relationships and make a different choice? Let's wait and see.
The number of comments in the live stream exploded exponentially the moment the topic of "choosing a date for your ex" came up:
The editing is like a zigzag cut within a zigzag cut, managing to capture the sense of destiny in every unconventional couple.
[What? Does that mean I might see the pairings of Suzuki Fukou, Hisafuru Daichi, and Musaka Hiyakata back in action?]
[The things the girls in front of me are shipping are so diverse, I'm a little scared.]
[This is so exciting! I love watching this kind of chaotic mix of couples. A fun-loving person passing by gave it a like.]
[Does the production team have to create drama to survive? Why can't they just lock Meng Xiangcheng in for real?!]
While the discussion was taking place in the live chat, everyone gradually returned to the living room.
When Mu Jiu went downstairs, she made sure to wear an extra coat.
When Meng Shuning saw her coming, she made way for her, but when she saw the expression on Mu Jiu's face, she was a little surprised: "Why do you look even worse than this afternoon?"
Hearing Meng Shuning's words, Guo Zifu also came over and touched Mu Jiu's forehead with the back of her hand: "It seems like you have a fever again?"
Mu Jiu forced himself to stay calm and thanked everyone, reiterating that he was alright. Only then did the living room gradually return to silence.
However, Ling Zhao still did not appear when the program team announced the time.
Deng Minzhou even glanced towards the door and jokingly asked the staff if the text message hadn't been sent properly and if someone had stood him up.
However, the ambiguous response from the other party and the fact that no one pushed open the door for a long time made everyone feel that something was amiss.
Noticing several gazes directed at him, Mu Jiu, though puzzled, simply lowered his eyes and acted as if nothing was amiss.
Just then, the executive director walked to the center of the living room and clapped his hands lightly to signal everyone to be quiet. Almost simultaneously, Mu Jiu's phone vibrated in his pocket.
She quickly glanced at it, using her coat as a cover.
It's a message from the agent.
[Agent: Something's not right]
[Agent: The contact person just called and we played games for ages, but it turns out the male lead for the advertisement still needs further discussion.]
After quickly scanning the messages and turning off the screen, Mu Jiu felt an increasing unease in his heart.
Just then, the executive director's voice rang out.
"Everyone, I have some regretful news to share." The executive director's voice interrupted her thoughts, and the living room fell silent.
"Ling Zhao will be suspending his participation in the recording of the program for the next few days due to personal reasons."
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