Chapter 14 Sister, Stop Being Frivolous
Seeing him swallow hard, desperately trying to hide his pounding heart.
Pei Muchan couldn't help but let out a pleasant, light laugh, the curve of her lips harder to suppress than an AK recoil. She was quite sure she had already struck a chord in his heart.
The poor little lamb was lost on the edge of ambiguity, struggling to stay conscious.
Her competitive nature even tempted her to wrap her arms tighter around Xu Qingyan's waist, pressing her raised chest against his, wantonly trampling over his remaining rationality, and with one push, pulling him into the abyss of ambiguity.
However, she held back.
After all, it was clear that he had already fallen for her, and it wouldn't be long before he succumbed under her pomegranate skirt.
She had not originally intended to participate in this kind of romance show, as she rarely made public appearances outside of work, even though the variety show paid well.
That was until the director, like a groveling dog, handed her the list of guests. Pei Muchan's gaze swept over the photos until it settled on one, and she immediately changed her mind.
She admitted that at that moment, there was a bit of spite in her decision as she impulsively signed up for "Love Hunter".
But Pei Muchan had no regrets; she had loved singing since childhood, and she had worked hard in high school to get into a top university just to gain her parents' support.
In college, she signed with an agency and exploded onto the scene with her album, sweeping the internet. Just like every other star, she gradually broke away from the company and established her studio.
Along the way, she had risen from obscurity to stardom, and then from the penthouse to the pit. Some said she had lost her talent, others said her performance declined, and yet others claimed she was overrated.
Whether the outside world's opinion was good or bad, she didn't care. From a fresh-faced 18-year-old newcomer to a declining 26-year-old pop princess, she had surpassed 99 percent of singers.
After three months of insomnia, she gradually changed her perspective and accepted the fact that her talent had ebbed.
Thinking that the title of pop princess was already void, and since she wasn't writing songs, she might as well do something she liked. Like... dating?
But in reality, she seldom interacted with people outside of work; her youth was spent working. In the entertainment industry... She didn't want to find someone within the industry, but outsiders seemed to lack common interests.
Having just hung up on her parents' nagging about marriage, she was troubled when, coincidentally, the director of "Love Hunter" approached her.
At first, Director Chen Fufeng didn't think Pei Muchan would agree to join the romance show, as she kept an extremely low profile. Aside from obligatory promotional activities, she almost never attended any public events.
Even for new song promotions, she would just post a simple Weibo post and seldom participated in offline shows, let alone agree to a romance show.
Despite knowing the chances were slim, the director still met with Pei Muchan with a desperate hope.
Pei Muchan had intended to decline politely, but when she saw a familiar face among the selected male guest photos, she couldn't help but let out a soft exclamation.
She had seen Xu Qingyan before, or rather, hadn't really seen him.
On someone else's phone, although the photo was pixelated and taken from a sneaky angle, and the boy in it looked young and green.
But those eyes were unforgettable. At the sight of the guest photos, Pei Muchan instinctively recognized the grown-up version of him.
The owner of the phone was Lin Wanzhou, her rival, who had successfully beaten her with a new album last year, becoming a hot, best-selling new pop princess.
A girl knows a girl best. Pei Muchan recalled the moment Lin Wanzhou discovered her looking at the screensaver photo on the phone, her unease at that instant.
Pei Muchan's eyes narrowed slightly, almost instantly untangling the relationship, and the boldest idea of her life surfaced in her mind.
"The white moonlight of old times? I can't be mistaken; it's just, what kind of person is the one Lin Wanzhou cares about?"
In the director's ecstatic gaze, she agreed to join the romance variety show under one condition—that Xu Qingyan be the only male guest option on the show.
The director naturally promised without hesitation and, after some investigation, Xu Qingyan received that life-saving call and signed a contract worth one million for the script.
Pei Muchan was unaware of the contract's existence.
The production crew thought Pei Muchan had taken a liking to the layman Xu Qingyan, and during the creative meeting, a screenwriter, on a whim, boldly proposed the contract plan.
The reasoning was that since Pei Muchan's persona was on the colder side, if the layman Xu Qingyan acted on his own, it might not create the desired effect for the show. Better to pair the two as an artificial couple and sweeten the interaction with a script.
.......
In Pei Muchan's mind, although she had no experience in love, being three years older than him was not for nothing. Besides, with her devilish figure, how could he remain unmoved?
At first, she worried he might be too eager and cling to her excessively. But in reality, from the moment they met, she was constantly outdone by Xu Qingyan.
This made Pei Muchan feel incredibly defeated. Her competitive spirit was larger than her courage, and seizing an opportunity, she flirtatiously teased him under the guise of discussing a film, not expecting the tactic to work surprisingly well.
As she was basking in self-satisfaction, she suddenly heard him take a deep breath and shout.
"Sister, don't talk dirty, I'm trying to drive seriously here."
Click!
The moment was shattered when the pink bubble filter, hastily added by the director's team for the two, broke. Even the barrage of comments lambasting 'Xu the dog' paused momentarily, and the smirk froze on the face of the director behind the scenes.
Who would know! I spent a fortune pairing these two!!
Zhou Mian from the prop team was also watching the live stream. He had just taken a sip of tea, reluctant to swallow it as he stared at the romantically ambiguous scene.
Hearing Xu Qingyan's sudden outburst, "Sister, don't talk dirty," he turned into a spewing fountain. Zhou Mian couldn't hold back and sprayed tea all over his colleague's face next door.
"Sorry, sorry!! Damnit, Nan, I apologize!! It wasn't intentional!"
The prop team colleague next door took the paper, wiped his face, and couldn't help but let out a laugh.
"This is hilarious, what kind of thought process does this male guest have?"
The comment section exploded frantically, some sympathizing with Pei Muchan for preaching to the unappreciative Xu Qingyan, others stunned by Xu Qingyan's audacious moves that knocked them off their feet. There were also some calling for Xu the dog's head—overall, a massive uproar.
At this moment, a little transparent member of the director's team came over, quietly approached the director, and said.
"Director, the live viewership for Pei Muchan's segment has already broken one million. The other male and female guests' car conversation scenes are too mediocre, and their popularity is being drawn away."
"Hmm, and then?" The director didn't look away from the screen.
Xu Qingyan's performance had completely taken him by surprise, but fortunately, the show's effect was good. He had originally informed him that they had no script for this part and told him to freestyle, never expecting him to go so wild.
The director prepared to take control of the situation at any moment, seeming somewhat distracted. Thinking to himself, if there are no topics and nothing to stir up, whom can one blame for the normal fluctuations in popularity?
"But Director..." The little transparent sounded somewhat anxious.
"Fans from Pei Muchan and Xu Qingyan's live room are going to other guests' live streams to comment and recruit viewers, and some of the guests have already expressed their dissatisfaction, their morale isn't very high."