Chapter 22: Surprise Q&A
When industry professionals mention Fang Yucheng, they never hesitate to shower him with praise. But if we were to name a few keywords associated with him on social media, they would probably be:
Popularity, talent, scandals.
It seems that all young, popular male celebrities are associated with these few words.
But he is undoubtedly the one who has done it to the extreme. Since his debut, he has received countless bouquets of flowers and participated in numerous grand ceremonies. Similarly, the scandals around him have never stopped.
However, the two longest-lasting rumored relationships with Fang Yucheng were with Meng Shuning and Mu Jiu.
Some people investigate their relationship to satisfy their voyeuristic desires, and incidentally embellish such information to spread it to the public, thereby gaining a considerable amount of attention.
Mo Chuhe smiled slightly, responding flawlessly to the staff's pleasantries, her gaze fixed on the previous video clip showing Meng Shuning and Fang Yucheng embracing and gazing into each other's eyes.
It's understandable that such a top figure in the industry would create a scandal with Meng Shuning, but it seems unnatural and deliberate to always involve such an unknown actress.
The rumor became even more intriguing after he learned that Ling Zhao and Mu Jiu were exes.
"Director Mo?"
"Director Mo, the video has arrived."
Upon hearing the voice, Mo Chuhe snapped out of her reverie and nodded, "Sorry, I was just a little distracted."
The video is a clip that Mu Jiu filmed today, which he requested to review.
Mo Chuhe looked at the scene before her again.
The tranquil and serene environment of the flowing water is gradually pulled away, while the hustle and bustle of the crowd approaches from afar.
The sound of gongs and drums brought the leisurely ink painting scroll into reality.
Amidst the throng of people, a figure leaped out.
As she leaped, the red string in her hair swayed, and the camera panned down, revealing a red mole on her earlobe.
The next second, the female constable swiftly and decisively pinned the suspect against the light fixture.
In an instant, several lanterns swayed simultaneously, and warm yellow light rippled across their bodies like water.
The light and shadow illuminated her eyebrows and eyes.
Mo Chuhe stood at the very front, yet she could still hear the quiet gasps of surprise from the staff behind her.
In terms of appearance, she is indeed dazzlingly beautiful, and the scene itself is bathed in a hazy, dreamlike glow.
It is a beauty that, even against a warm-toned background, still stands out—a beauty that is both sharp and chilling.
Mo Chuhe's expression shifted, and she casually dragged the progress bar to another point.
Amidst the grand smokescape, lighthearted celebratory music guides the camera along the long street.
His dark blue robes billowed in the wind as he moved, revealing the long sword at his waist.
The blade remained unsheathed.
As she brushed past him in the crowd, her hand suddenly grabbed the sachet that had slipped from his sleeve.
At the moment when the lights were at their brightest, she lightly twirled her index finger, letting the sachet spin in the air, her eyes filled with the same curiosity as a child seeing a toy.
Only when she turned around did she slightly raise an eyebrow at him, who was looking back through the crowd.
The scenes everyone filmed today were very short, and there weren't many opportunities to showcase their talents.
If Meng Shuning, who started as an idol, acts like she's on stage, making her presence impossible to ignore, even when her expressions are spot-on and her condition is perfect, it's as if she's portraying Meng Shuning from another era.
As for Mu Jiu, even her beautiful face in the story serves the role.
For a young actor, this level of acting skill is already quite impressive.
This only shows that she is an underrated actress, but it does not explain why she has been a long-standing rumored girlfriend of Fang Yucheng.
Mo Chuhe looked away, feeling bored.
After exchanging a few words, he found an excuse to leave the crowd.
He hadn't walked more than a few steps when his pace slowed down.
The phone screen lit up after being unlocked, displaying photos taken by Ling Zhao and Mu Jiu that afternoon.
——
[mujiu: Things have come to this point; we've embarked on a path of no return.]
[0N: ?]
[mujiu: Didn't you realize? We need close contact training.]
[0N: ……]
[0N: Should we choose a location where the camera can see us, or a location where it can't?]
[0N: This sounds like it could trend on social media]
Mu Jiu glanced at the camera in the distance, stuffed his phone into his pocket, and frowned.
Because the incident happened suddenly, she quickly adopted a back-to-back and staggered front-to-back posture to complete the second half of the filming.
Now, Mu Jiu wasn't sure if anyone had noticed anything amiss.
This also served as a reminder to her.
If anyone were to delve deeper into the intimate relationship between her and Ling Zhao, their fragile past relationship would be easily exposed.
There is almost no quick way to create this kind of atmosphere; it can only be achieved through a period of adjustment and close contact between the two actors to eliminate the sense of distance between them.
Mu Jiu had indeed considered such a significant risk factor from the beginning.
The problem is that the current plot development is not exactly the same as she imagined; in fact, it is completely unrelated.
In the original plan, she and Ling Zhao were supposed to gradually fade from the audience's view starting from when they entered the small house.
Losing the "couple" aspect in a dating reality show means being marginalized in various segments, or even having your scenes cut. Not to mention deliberately using game segments to increase physical contact between them.
But now that things have progressed to this point, let alone becoming invisible, she can feel the increasingly intense gaze the executive director is giving her and Ling Zhao.
Her acting skills have also hit a plateau, and her plans aren't always perfect. But this experience of things completely deviating from expectations is, to say the least, her first time.
Such a failure inevitably left Mu Jiu disheartened.
Even if you're feeling discouraged, you still have to find a way to cope.
However, just as Ling Zhao said, no matter how obscure they are, the show they are currently on is a live-streamed dating reality show.
Moreover, due to some unforeseen circumstances, they have also gained a group of fans who regularly stake out their CP (couple) pairings.
Under the constant monitoring of the live broadcast, any close contact between them could result in them being placed high in the voting, just like this time.
Outdoor live streaming only provides blind spots for them to hide their phone screens, while inside the Love Variety House, there are live streaming cameras operating 24 hours a day in public areas.
As for the bedroom, don't even think about it. If either she or Ling Zhao dared to sneak into the other's bedroom in the middle of the night, they would be sent to the top of the trending searches by bored netizens who have set up "surveillance room cameras".
Is there no way to have open and aboveboard physical contact without being misunderstood as a rekindling of old flames?
Of course, she didn't intend to do anything that could cause misunderstandings, like getting very close, sitting together, or hugging right from the start. Was there no other reason to just hold hands?
Just as Mu Jiu was in distress, a loudspeaker nearby broke the noisy chatter.
"The lantern festival will begin in half an hour."
Executive Director: "After spending a day together, has everyone become clearer about who they're interested in?"
"From now on, everyone will enter the cabin in turn and choose the person they want to invite at this moment. If the two are successfully matched, they will continue with the local specialty of double lantern parade. If the match is unsuccessful, after completing the individual blessing, they can take the program team's car back to the cabin to rest."
To some extent, this rule is quite humane, taking into full account the awkwardness of guests who hitch a ride but did not choose each other and still had to spend time together in the same space.
"Then, let's start with Yu Cheng and Shu Ning, in order..."
The sounds around me gradually faded away.
The waiting guests walked in twos and threes.
After a full day together, the atmosphere between many people seemed to have changed. Even the atmosphere between Xiang Wan and Qi Youxiang wasn't as stiff as it had been when they first met.
Even though things had improved somewhat, Xiang Wan was still reluctant to look in Qi Youxiang's direction. After noticing Mu Jiu's gaze, she jogged over.
Xiang Wan: "Have you decided who to choose?"
"Um……"
Upon hearing the question, Mu Jiu snapped out of his reverie and nodded casually.
Xiang Wan blinked, turned off the microphone, and deliberately lowered her voice: "You don't look well... Are you feeling unwell?"
Mu Jiu: "It's nothing."
Xiang Wan: "..."
Noticing Xiang Wan's disbelieving look, Mu Jiu said helplessly, "I just think it would be better if there were no cameras around."
If the audience were like in the novel, focusing on Fang Yucheng, Meng Shuning, or anyone else, she wouldn't need to have her interactions with Ling Zhao scrutinized frame by frame...
Seeing Xiang Wan's eyes widen, Mu Jiu suddenly realized that he had shamelessly said something like, "Let her cry in front of the camera for the audience."
Before she could apologize, Xiang Wan suddenly grabbed her hands.
"Me too!"
Xiang Wan was well aware of this idea.
This afternoon's shoot also made her feel, in a moment of daze, that she had returned to the ease and sweetness she felt when she and Qi Youxiang first got together.
But once reason returns, Xiang Wan can clearly distinguish the illusion from reality.
If there were no cameras, she might not have had to endure this agonizing separation, choosing instead to cry or lash out, instead of pretending to be well-dressed while her heart is actually broken beyond repair.
However, even so, Xiang Wan still felt that Mu Jiu's ending was different from hers.
Xiang Wan: "But I think..." Ling Zhao still likes you.
Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly stopped.
Last night, in the dim light, his eyes, hidden by silver-gray hair, looked at her intently and said, "You broke up because you didn't like each other?" It was as if a sharp silver blade had slicing through the facade she was trying to conceal.
The fact that these two people still care about each other even now suggests that they may not be entirely unaware of it.
They simply walked into their own dead end, unwilling to look up or face reality.
Xiang Wan wasn't sure whether revealing this secret would be a comfort to Mu Jiu, or...
"Teacher Mu, it's your turn!"
The calls from the staff nearby brought the two back to their senses.
Mu Jiu composed himself and waved his hand, "I'm leaving now."
Saying goodbye to Xiang Wan.
Mu Jiu walked alone into the makeshift hut.
Contrary to expectations, what awaited her was not a choice card, but a bright light, a close-up camera, and a group of staff.
Mu Jiu: ?
Although it was a bit strange, Mu Jiu obediently sat down as instructed by the staff.
The staff member first turned off the microphone, then lowered their voice: "Teacher Mu, I'm sorry, this is an extra Q&A live stream segment that the sponsor has added for the top 2 most popular couple, Chaomu CP. We will ask you a question based on the number of likes in the comments."
Upon hearing such a solemn confirmation, Mu Jiu felt a chill run down his spine, but nodded with feigned composure.
The contract clearly states that the sponsor will place corresponding advertising segments for popular guests, and the guests need to cooperate in completing this part.
Before participating in the show, Mu Jiu never imagined that she would encounter such a thing.
Before she could figure out how she got to this point, the staff kindly answered her questions.
On the background screen, the voting interface for #MyFavoriteCP# was brought up.
Fang Yucheng and Meng Shuning (Meng Xiangchengzhen) were initially leading by a wide margin, but in the lower column, Mu Jiu and Ling Zhao (Chaomu) also far surpassed the other guests in terms of CP votes.
In other words, if Meng Xiangcheng truly has a significant lead, then Chaomu has broken through that lead.
Mu Jiu: ...
She mentioned that her right eyelid had been twitching all day, and when she checked her social media backend, she found some old comments from her past film crews.
Before the storm in her mind could subside, the staff member on the other end turned on the recording equipment again, cleared his throat, and began asking questions.
"Mr. Mu Jiu, here is the question that netizens are most concerned about - what was the reason for your breakup with your ex?"
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