I Joined a Fake Variety Show (GL) - Chapter 11

The water droplets landing above Han Shutong’s eyebrows provided a cold sensation that brought her back to the present.

Since Zhou Xi didn’t want to talk about it, she wouldn’t bring it up again.

Han Shutong’s expression softened. Following Zhou Xi’s directions, she walked to the sink and diligently began rinsing the vegetables Zhou Xi was nearly finished with. The cold water coincidentally helped cool Han Shutong down.

Han Shutong asked in a low voice, “What are you planning to make?”

“Simple home-style dishes: tomato and scrambled eggs, shredded potatoes stir-fried with green peppers…” Zhou Xi listed five dishes. “But the two of us probably can’t finish all that. Should we invite Xiao Bai over to join us?”

“She doesn’t have time,” Han Shutong instantly replied.

“Okay then.” Hearing that Bai Mo wasn’t available, Zhou Xi was only briefly disappointed. She didn’t pause to consider why Han Shutong could say so without thinking.

Zhou Xi asked again, “Do you mind leftovers? If so, I’ll just cook two dishes. Otherwise, it’ll be wasteful. Then I can cook the other three this afternoon. What do you think?”

Han Shutong placed the washed vegetables into a basin, then picked up the apron Zhou Xi had set aside. As she put the apron on Zhou Xi, she said, “I’m just the one who opens her mouth to eat. As for what to eat… whatever the chef says goes.”

Zhou Xi turned around, allowing Han Shutong to tie the straps for her.

Han Shutong’s fingers momentarily paused, as if she hadn’t expected Zhou Xi to be so cooperative. A smile spilled into her eyes but was quickly suppressed as she continued her task.

Zhou Xi didn’t notice how natural their movements were, as if they did this all the time.

Because Zhou Xi suddenly realized a problem. After Han Shutong quietly said, “Done,” Zhou Xi turned around and asked, “Do you cook?”

“No,” Han Shutong shook her head. “But I do wash dishes.”

Then, Han Shutong put a hand on Zhou Xi’s shoulder and said earnestly, “So, for the days to come, I’ll have to trouble Chef Zhou.”

Han Shutong’s meaning: You cook, I’ll wash the dishes.

Zhou Xi understood Han Shutong’s intention. She pointed to the side and said, “…But there’s a dishwasher.”

Han Shutong followed the direction Zhou Xi was pointing, frowning slightly. “When did I buy that?”

Zhou Xi: “…”

She was starting to doubt whether this was Han Shutong’s house at all.

It was indeed Han Shutong’s house, but she wasn’t familiar with it because she didn’t live there often.

“Then I’ll…”

Han Shutong didn’t finish her sentence before Zhou Xi ushered her out of the kitchen. “You go focus on your things. I’ll call you when the food is ready.”

After eating, Han Shutong still had to review scripts, so Zhou Xi didn’t want to bother her and went back to her room.

Full and satisfied, Zhou Xi collapsed onto the bed, which led her to start contemplating the future.

“I believe you will shine brightly in the future.”

Since the day she met the little girl, that sentence had been echoing in Zhou Xi’s mind.

Shine brightly?

She had joked then that she was a space heater, but weren’t space heaters only used in the winter?

Moreover… who even uses them anymore?

Just like no directors were using her.

Uncharacteristically, Zhou Xi sank into a state of low spirits and self-doubt.

Sighing, Zhou Xi flopped onto the bed, burying her face in the pillow.

She currently had nearly 50,000 yuan, and another sum would come in after the show. She had short-term living expenses and didn’t have to worry about the next meal.

She had been so firm when she told Qi Jie she was quitting the industry, but in reality, she couldn’t let go. Zhou Xi truly enjoyed the feeling of acting; at that moment, she was someone else.

She would immerse herself in the role and experience the joys and sorrows penned by others.

So, should I try again? Send out more resumes, and start as an extra in Hengdian?

But… what if it still doesn’t work out? That money won’t last long.

Or should I give up the dream of acting and find a stable job?

After much deliberation, before Zhou Xi could decide, a sudden phone call interrupted her.

Hearing the sound, Zhou Xi glanced at the phone’s location without checking the caller ID. She picked up the phone and answered.

“Hello?” Zhou Xi buried her head back into the pillow, her voice muffled.

The person on the other end paused, then laughed. “Darling~ Finally willing to answer the phone?”

Yan Meng Nuo?

Zhou Xi lifted her head. “Is something wrong?”

“Of course,” Yan Meng Nuo replied. “What time are you coming to the company, darling?”

“What would I go to the company for?” Zhou Xi was confused.

Yan Meng Nuo: “To renew the contract, of course. Did you forget today is the day your contract expires?”

Zhou Xi: “When did I say I was going to renew? I already told you I’m not doing this line of work anymore.”

“If you don’t want to be in the entertainment industry, then why are you joining a variety show?”

Yan Meng Nuo’s words made Zhou Xi instantly sit up, her tone serious. “How do you know that?”

Zhou Xi hadn’t told Qi Jie she was filming a variety show, so Yan Meng Nuo couldn’t have heard it from her.

Then who was it?

Yan Meng Nuo chuckled. “You can’t hide things like that from me.”

“Yan Meng Nuo.” Zhou Xi called her name. After getting a response, she continued, “I don’t know where you got your information, but the fact that you’ve said it to me now makes me think only one thing: you’re monitoring me. Of course, you might say you aren’t—”

This was the first time Yan Meng Nuo had heard Zhou Xi’s tone so stern. Previously, Zhou Xi had used strong words, but her tone was always a gentle, half-joking one. But now…

Yan Meng Nuo was taken aback. She hadn’t expected to upset Zhou Xi and quickly said, “Of course I’m not.”

“Regardless of whether you are or not, I just want to tell you that starting tomorrow, I will no longer be an artist with your company, so whatever I do has nothing to do with you or the company,” Zhou Xi’s emotions slowly calmed down. She rubbed her brow. “And please stop calling me. As long as you are involved, I will not sign a contract…”

“…” Yan Meng Nuo said, “I understand.”

Yan Meng Nuo was the first to hang up. With two dial tones, the words Zhou Xi hadn’t said were swallowed.

Taking the phone away from her ear, Zhou Xi’s expression immediately changed, her eyes clouded with confusion. Who told Yan Meng Nuo?

Not Qi Jie, so could it be the show’s staff?

Considering Luo Shuiqiu also knew just now, maybe the production team contacted Yan Meng Nuo after finding out which company I was with, to ask about my situation?

Zhou Xi looked at her phone, wanting to call back to clarify, but her hand reached out and then pulled back.

Forget it. Let it go.

Yan Meng Nuo probably won’t contact me again anyway.

The day before the show started filming.

The production team came to check the equipment and gave Han Shutong a stack of papers, which Han Shutong glanced at and then handed to Zhou Xi.

“What is this?” Zhou Xi asked.

Han Shutong: “A script.”

The team leader felt embarrassed by Han Shutong’s directness and didn’t bother to deny it. He said, “Uh… it’s not exactly a script. This is just a suggested routine in case the two of you don’t know what to do. Take a look; it might be helpful.”

“Oh, I’ll take a look then.”

Just as Zhou Xi was marveling at the thoughtfulness of the production team, she opened the first page and instantly froze.

[Episode 1: The main purpose of the first episode is to observe the artists’ daily lives, so no tasks will be assigned. Just live as you normally would.

You’ll be filmed waking up in the morning without makeup. If the artist does not want to show their bare face, please inform us in advance so we can edit it out. Cook breakfast after waking up. To ensure there is filming material, it would be best if a little accident happens while cooking~

…]

Zhou Xi flipped through the pages. This stack of paper actually detailed everything Han Shutong was supposed to do in the first episode, down to specific times for certain actions. Because they only found out about Han Shutong’s roommate the day before, a few lines of suggested dialogue for interacting with the roommate had been handwritten on the paper.

Glancing at the staff checking the equipment in the living room, Zhou Xi walked up to Han Shutong and whispered, “People online say variety shows have scripts. I thought they just outlined the general direction, but I didn’t expect it to be this specific.”

Han Shutong felt Zhou Xi’s proximity. “Director Gao previously ran a variety show where a few artists caused trouble and cost him a lot of money, so he’s just being extra cautious.”

Zhou Xi: “I see.”

Han Shutong: “We don’t need to follow this script. Just live normally.”

“Good,” Zhou Xi placed the script on the coffee table. “Otherwise, it would be weird if we had a fight.”

Zhou Xi was referring to a suggestion written on the paper: [If the day is too uneventful, you can pretend to have a fight with your roommate, then reconcile. The content of the argument can be…]

Regardless of anything else, Zhou Xi found it hard to imagine what Han Shutong looked like when she argued.

All this time, Zhou Xi hadn’t noticed anything that could cause Han Shutong to have strong emotional fluctuations. Han Shutong seemed indifferent to everything, as if she were devoid of desires.

Since she was done speaking, Zhou Xi stopped moving closer to Han Shutong.

Han Shutong’s eyes darkened when she noticed this. She asked again, “Do you want to know who it was?”

Zhou Xi’s eyes lit up. “Can you tell me?”

“Mhm.”

It wasn’t much of a secret, as most people in the industry knew.

Hearing that she could be told, Zhou Xi nodded. “Yes, I want to know.”

Han Shutong beckoned with her fingers toward Zhou Xi.

“Come a little closer.”

Zhou Xi immediately scooted closer to Han Shutong, nearly resting her arm on Han Shutong’s.

The person who achieved her goal is not so devoid of desires after all.

Since the variety show focused on Han Shutong, the production team hadn’t set up cameras in Zhou Xi’s room.

So, after Zhou Xi woke up, she didn’t rush to get out of bed but started scrolling through her phone.

@EatingGossipIsMySpecialty: Media reports that today is the start of filming for the variety show A Day’s Time, featuring four groups of guests: Han Shutong, Su Jingxing, the couple Bai Lu and Pei He, and Wu Yingran. The studio host is rumored to be Cheng Yongyuan from Caotai, along with a few observational guests from Caotai. Is there anyone you’re looking forward to?

Following this marketing account’s message, fans of the four celebrities immediately reposted it, creating hashtags. Before the production team spent any money, #ADay’sTimeFilmingBegins made it to the hot search.

Above it was another one: #HanShutong’sFirstVarietyShow

Zhou Xi saw this and clicked on it.

@StablePoint: So excited!

@HanShutong’sMilkTeeFish: I finally get to see what my older sister is like in her daily life!

@HanShutongIsMyWife: Wuwuwuwu my wife finally has a variety show! I’m so happy!

Zhou Xi’s gaze paused.

Wife?

A male fan?

Zhou Xi looked at the person’s profile picture—an emoticon—and then at their username. She hesitated before clicking on their homepage.

But when Zhou Xi saw that their gender was listed as female, she was confused.

How can it be female?

She clicked on the photo album on the homepage, which was entirely filled with pictures of Han Shutong. After scrolling through a few, Zhou Xi saw a photo of a girl posing with a poster of Han Shutong.

The caption: Ran into my wife while shopping today~ @HanShutong

It’s a female fan?

Then why is she calling Han Shutong ‘wife’?

Zhou Xi pursed her lips and clicked on Han Shutong’s Weibo page. Scrolling through a random post, she saw a flood of comments calling her ‘wife’ underneath.

Is this a trend now?

Zhou Xi scrolled through the comments while thinking.

Then, she accidentally copied a comment and even pasted it into the comment box.

Zhou Xi focused her eyes on it: [@GlutinousRiceRoot: Wife, look at me!]

The two characters struck Zhou Xi’s eyes. She frantically clicked the comment box and then pressed the delete key.

Just then, a knock sounded on the room door.

“Are you awake?”

It was Han Shutong.

Zhou Xi remembered the content she had just copied and, hearing Han Shutong’s voice, felt as if she had been caught red-handed. Zhou Xi’s face inexplicably flushed.

Shaking her head, Zhou Xi put down her phone and said, “Yes, I’m awake.”

With that, she walked toward the door.

However, as Zhou Xi put down her phone, she accidentally hit the send button on the screen.

The unsent content, aided by the fast internet, was sent out instantly.