I Joined a Fake Variety Show (GL) - Chapter 38

To ensure Han Shutong didn’t sleep on the floor and to satisfy her own intentions, Zhou Xi found a pillow from the closet and placed it in the middle of the bed. After lightly patting it a few times, she said to Han Shutong, “This will do.”

With that, Zhou Xi lay down on her side. Looking at Han Shutong, who was still standing by the bedside, she said, “I’m going to sleep now. You should rest early too.”

Han Shutong looked at the person who closed her eyes immediately after speaking and whispered, “Goodnight.”

The rain outside was still falling, showing no sign of stopping.

Han Shutong turned and turned off the room light. The room immediately darkened again. Han Shutong didn’t use her flashlight but slowly moved toward the bed.

A few seconds later, as Han Shutong’s eyes adjusted to the darkness, she reached the bedside.

“Shutong.”

At that moment, Zhou Xi, who was supposedly going to sleep, suddenly called Han Shutong’s name.

Han Shutong paused her action of getting into bed and quietly replied, “Mhm.”

“What do you think about taking Lele to the amusement park tomorrow?”

Han Shutong looked at Zhou Xi. Although the room was dark, she could sense that Zhou Xi was also looking at her.

“Are we allowed to take Lele out?”

Children in the orphanage shouldn’t be taken out casually, right?

Zhou Xi paused, then replied, “Yes, we can. We just need to apply to the director.”

Han Shutong thought of Lele now, of her curly hair and sweet, milky voice. Her tone subconsciously softened considerably. “Good.”

“Shutong.”

Zhou Xi called out again.

Han Shutong was still in the same position as when she was about to get into bed; she hadn’t moved at all.

“Mhm.”

“Tell me,” Zhou Xi lay flat, staring at the ceiling, asking in the calmest tone possible, “What will happen when Lele is adopted later on…?”

This question had crossed Zhou Xi’s mind many times, but she had never asked anyone else.

This was the first time.

Late at night, rainy weather—the two perfect conditions for melancholy—combined to make the normally sleepy Zhou Xi emotional.

It wasn’t entirely the weather’s fault; part of the reason was Han Shutong.

Zhou Xi felt that Han Shutong’s words before turning off the light were a heartfelt conversation. After hearing Han Shutong’s inner thoughts, how could Zhou Xi possibly fall asleep right away?

She thought: How long has it been since I’ve spoken my mind to someone else?

It seems… a long time.

She closed her eyes, heard the sound of Han Shutong turning off the light, heard Han Shutong’s shoes scraping the floor, and felt an urge to confess her worries.

As Lele slowly grew up, this problem snowballed in Zhou Xi’s heart, becoming larger and larger.

Having been with Lele for so many years, she already considered Lele family. The mere thought that Lele would later have a new family and possibly a new name made Zhou Xi unable to stop overthinking.

She thought about the atmosphere of the new family, whether Lele would get used to it; she thought about the new parents, whether they had any tendencies toward domestic violence; she thought about…

She thought about many things. Even if her initial thoughts were happy, joyous, and fortunate, they all ended in tragedy.

Zhou Xi couldn’t control her pessimistic thoughts and desperately needed someone to help her out.

Han Shutong got into bed. She sat beside Zhou Xi and turned on her phone’s flashlight. The moment the light came on, she began to console her. “Lele is very lovable. The family that adopts her will definitely love her very much, cherish her, and she will grow up healthy and happy.”

Han Shutong’s voice was soft and gentle. If Bai Mo or Luo Shuiqiu were standing there, they would surely think Zhou Xi had possessed Han Shutong; they had never heard Han Shutong speak like this.

However, because Han Shutong rarely spoke this way, even though her voice was gentle, her tone remained cold.

It sounded awkwardly forced.

Zhou Xi also sat up, hugging her knees. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to see her again after she’s adopted.”

“As long as we keep in touch with Lele’s new family, we’ll be able to see her.”

Zhou Xi mentioned a few more of her worries, but Han Shutong provided a good answer to each one.

“It’s like a mother worrying about her child traveling far away. You’re simply overthinking and worrying about Lele’s uncertain future path.”

Zhou Xi didn’t understand relationships, but after Han Shutong’s words, Zhou Xi understood many things. She had been far too pessimistic about Lele’s future.

“Shutong,” Zhou Xi sat up straight, calling Han Shutong’s name. She met Han Shutong’s eyes and said, “Thank you.”

Han Shutong chuckled. “Can we sleep now?”

Zhou Xi lay down, pulled up the covers, and replied as she closed her eyes, “Already asleep.”

Han Shutong turned off the phone’s flashlight and lay down as well.

The room darkened again.

A few minutes later, a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky. Five seconds later, thunder roared.

“Teacher Zhou,” Han Shutong called.

“Mhm?” Zhou Xi was nearly asleep. Her voice was muffled.

“May I…”

“…lie closer to you?”

Another clap of thunder sounded, stopping Zhou Xi’s “What’s wrong?” from leaving her mouth.

So Han Shutong was afraid of thunder.

Zhou Xi didn’t expose Han Shutong. She nodded and said, “Okay.”

Hearing this, Han Shutong moved closer. Her arm pressed tightly against… the pillow.

“…”

Han Shutong cleared her throat slightly. “Thank you, Teacher Zhou.”

After she spoke, there was no reply from Zhou Xi.

The person on the other side of the pillow was already asleep.

Han Shutong rolled over, facing Zhou Xi’s direction. Looking at the silhouette in the darkness, she slowly closed her eyes.

A dreamless night.

Han Shutong woke up. After a few seconds of slowing her breathing, the first thing she did was look at the space beside her.

Han Shutong froze. She saw Zhou Xi’s head resting on the pillow between them, facing her. Han Shutong’s hand was resting on the pillow as well. From Han Shutong’s perspective, it looked exactly as if Zhou Xi was lying in her arms.

When Zhou Xi woke up, the person next to her was gone. Only the neatly folded blanket at the foot of the bed indicated that Han Shutong had slept right next to her last night.

Zhou Xi got out of bed. As she put on her slippers, she glanced at the blanket next to her, hesitated for a moment, and folded her own blanket as well.

After tidying up, Zhou Xi looked out the window. The rain had stopped, but the sun hadn’t come out.

Thinking it wouldn’t affect their plans to take Lele out today, she left the bedroom to wash up.

But as soon as she opened the door, she saw Zuo Yuan standing right in front of the door. Zuo Yuan turned when she heard the door open, her eyes locked on Zhou Xi.

Zhou Xi ignored her. After gently closing the door, she walked toward the bathroom. But as she reached Zuo Yuan, Zuo Yuan reached out and stopped her.

Zuo Yuan stared at Zhou Xi and asked angrily, “Why weren’t the cameras on?”

“Because the filming session was already over.”

Zuo Yuan became even more furious. “Then why didn’t you tell me?”

“Why should I tell you? Didn’t you say you were just visiting? Why do you care about the cameras?” Zhou Xi looked at Zuo Yuan, feigning confusion. A few seconds after asking, Zhou Xi lowered her voice to a whisper only the two of them could hear. “And didn’t you notice that your microphone has been off the entire time?”

Zuo Yuan ripped off the device wrapped around her waist. After checking it, her eyes widened. “You did this?”

Zhou Xi lowered her eyes and remained silent.

After Zuo Yuan arrived yesterday, the team leader brought her microphone. After helping Zuo Yuan put on the mic, the team leader sent Zhou Xi a message.

[Teacher Zhou, I didn’t turn on Zuo Yuan’s mic. Please help me keep it off.]

When Zhou Xi saw this message, she knew the team leader was trying to show goodwill. At the time, she didn’t know why the team leader was being kind to her. She only understood after receiving another message from the team leader later that evening.

[Teacher Zhou, because of this incident, Director Gao is replacing all the staff members in charge of your area. Could you please put in a good word for me?]

Zhou Xi told Han Shutong about it, and Han Shutong said she would handle it.

Seeing the anger building in Zuo Yuan’s eyes, Zhou Xi said calmly, “I understand that you want to succeed, but I hope you won’t focus your attention on Shutong and me. People need to be down-to-earth, don’t you agree?”

Zuo Yuan scoffed. “I never saw you as a threat from the beginning to the end.”

Zuo Yuan had forgotten all the things she had targeted Zhou Xi for, but Zhou Xi didn’t remind her. She just smiled faintly. “Then I truly thank you.”

Zuo Yuan choked on Zhou Xi’s attitude. She squinted at Zhou Xi and said, “As for Han Shutong, what does she have to do with you?”

“We are friends,” Zhou Xi stated.

Zuo Yuan laughed as if she had heard something ridiculous. “Zhou Xi, have some self-awareness, okay? Does a big, high-and-mighty celebrity like her need to be friends with you? Do you know why she even let you record the variety show with her? It’s only because you were trending before the recording and had some buzz, so she looked for you. You probably know that after the first episode aired, your video was dug up by netizens again. Just wait and see. Once the show’s recording is complete, Han Shutong won’t contact you again. Friends, hehe, friends. Zhou Xi, you’re ridiculous.”

Zuo Yuan was about to say more but was interrupted by Bai Mo entering the apartment.

Bai Mo saw the strange woman who had been here the day before and turned to Zhou Xi. “Sister Zhou, who is this…?”

Zhou Xi had been watching Zuo Yuan the entire time Zuo Yuan spoke that long, angry tirade. Hearing Bai Mo’s question, Zhou Xi slowly looked away. “Zuo Yuan.”

Bai Mo said “Oh.” “Hello, Miss Zuo. I’m Sister Tong’s assistant, Bai Mo.”

Zuo Yuan nodded. Hearing she was Han Shutong’s assistant, she spoke casually. “Shutong must still be asleep, right? I’ll go help you wake her up.”

Bai Mo called out to stop her. “Miss Zuo, Sister Tong already left for her morning run.”

Zuo Yuan’s turning motion froze. “Uh…”

Hearing that Han Shutong wasn’t home, Zuo Yuan didn’t want to stay a moment longer. Last night, she received a call from Gao Liang, who inexplicably shouted at her. Just as she was about to ask what happened, Gao Liang hung up, and subsequent calls went unanswered. She needed to rush off and find out what was going on.

Zuo Yuan greeted Bai Mo. “Little Assistant, I’ll be leaving now.”

Bai Mo nodded. “Goodbye, Miss Zuo.”

After Zuo Yuan left, Bai Mo turned to Zhou Xi and handed her the bag she was carrying. “Sister Zhou, breakfast.”

Zhou Xi took the bag and asked casually, “You bought it?”

“Sister Tong asked me to buy it. She also told you to eat it while it’s still warm.”

“Did you eat yet?”

“I’ve eaten. Sister Zhou, hurry up and eat before the cleaners arrive.”

“Cleaners?”

“Yes. Sister Tong said her room was dirty and called the cleaners. But since you two have plans to go out today, she asked me to supervise the cleaning.”

Zhou Xi pursed her lips and smiled. She was surprised when Han Shutong agreed to let Zuo Yuan stay in her room yesterday, considering Han Shutong’s mysophobia.

It turned out she had called the cleaners for today.

“Okay, I’ll eat after I wash up.” Zhou Xi placed the breakfast on the table and went to the bathroom.

While Zhou Xi was eating breakfast, Han Shutong returned home. After they ate, they tidied up a bit and headed out.

After spending the afternoon playing with Lele, the two brought Lele home. But when it was time to take Lele back in the evening, the sky started raining again. Reluctantly, Zhou Xi called the director of the orphanage to apply to bring Lele back the next day instead.

The director was also concerned about the safety of travel in the rain and agreed to the request.

Author’s Note:

When her arm was pressed against the pillow, Han Shutong thought: I shouldn’t have been so reserved before getting into bed.