I Joined a Fake Variety Show (GL) - Chapter 43

Han Shutong had no choice but to turn around and silently chop vegetables.

Whether intentional or not, the remaining two dishes that Xue Yun wanted were ones Zhou Xi had cooked on the show.

Zhou Xi had cooked them with Han Shutong watching and learning, so Han Shutong felt competent enough to handle these two dishes without asking Zhou Xi again.

But for some reason, Han Shutong’s attention kept drifting to the living room, listening to Xue Yun chatting with Zhou Xi.

Han Shutong couldn’t hear clearly, only knowing that throughout the conversation, Xue Yun asked Zhou Xi questions, and Zhou Xi replied.

Five minutes later, the sound of conversation disappeared. Han Shutong glanced outside and saw Xue Yun walking toward her with her phone.

The two made eye contact. Xue Yun handed the phone to Han Shutong. “Here, the phone.”

“Did you hang up?”

“Mhm. Xiao Xi hadn’t eaten, so Mom told her to go eat first.”

Saying this, Xue Yun walked over to the braised ribs pot, sniffed the contents, and gave Han Shutong a thumbs-up. “It smells good.”

Han Shutong remained silent.

The kitchen was quiet for a few seconds. Then, Xue Yun asked again, “Did you buy that dress for Xiao Xi?”

“Mhm.”

“You certainly don’t mind spending money.”

Han Shutong: “Teacher Zhou helped me a lot.”

“So you immediately spend hundreds of thousands?”

Han Shutong: “…”

She was found out.

“You need to seize the opportunity.”

The sudden statement made Han Shutong look to the side at Xue Yun.

Xue Yun winked at Han Shutong, taking on an I understand, my daughter expression. She said, “Mom just did some investigating for you. Xiao Xi is single and doesn’t have anyone she likes right now. You need to put in some effort. Maybe Mom will gain another daughter soon.”

Han Shutong stopped chopping. She turned to face Xue Yun, her voice laced with surprise. “Mom… how did you know?”

Han Shutong had never confessed to her family that she liked women.

“How could I not know what kind of person you are?”

In fact, Xue Yun had suspected it since Han Shutong was in school, but she had never asked Han Shutong about it or said anything.

Xue Yun felt she should respect her child. Since the child didn’t say anything, she wouldn’t ask.

But now was different.

Her best friend already had grandchildren. While she knew Han Shutong wouldn’t give her a child to play with, she couldn’t stay single forever.

Xue Yun had watched all the episodes of the show.

Although she primarily watched for the Bai Lu couple, she also watched her own daughter.

Throughout the two episodes, Han Shutong’s eyes never left Zhou Xi. Combined with subtle details that viewers wouldn’t notice, Xue Yun saw and remembered everything.

Her daughter’s kindness to Zhou Xi was… a little excessive.

In Xue Yun’s view, her level of concern for Zhou Xi had clearly exceeded the normal “college classmate” relationship Han Shutong had mentioned in her interview.

Seeing Han Shutong remain silent, Xue Yun turned to do something else, knowing she had guessed correctly.

She placed her hand on Han Shutong’s shoulder and chuckled softly. “Mom won’t say anything about you buying gifts for the person you like. But have you considered whether the person you’re giving the gift to will actually like it?”

“She said…” Han Shutong paused. “She likes it.”

Xue Yun smiled. “Do you know about Xiao Xi’s family situation?”

Han Shutong looked down and thought. Zhou Xi had never mentioned her family. Han Shutong only knew she had a younger sister, whom Zhou Xi said liked the merchandise Han Shutong sent. Other than that, she knew from Doctor Wu that Zhou Xi had a strained relationship with her father.

She didn’t know anything else.

Thinking of how hard Zhou Xi worked, even struggling to afford rent recently, Han Shutong felt a pang of sympathy and said, “Average family.”

“Then do you think Xiao Xi will still accept your gift after knowing the price?”

Han Shutong pressed her lips together.

Seeing Han Shutong’s reaction, Xue Yun was about to say something else when she suddenly thought of another matter.

“Tell me… if you and Xiao Xi got together, what if her parents didn’t agree?”

Xue Yun was already worrying about the potential issues they would face after coming out.

Han Shutong was momentarily speechless at Xue Yun’s sudden topic shift. She turned to chop vegetables. “You’re thinking too far ahead.”

“How can I be?” Xue Yun said in surprise. “I forgot to ask, have you confessed to Xiao Xi yet?”

Han Shutong remained silent.

Xue Yun understood again. “Why not? Are you afraid of being rejected?”

Still receiving no response from Han Shutong, Xue Yun spoke again. “What’s the fear in being rejected? I rejected your father so many times back then, and didn’t he still succeed in the end? Baby, you need to be a little thick-skinned, like your father. Otherwise, if you don’t say anything, how will Xiao Xi know you like her?”

Saying this, Xue Yun reached out and pinched Han Shutong’s cheek. She said tenderly, “My baby is so beautiful, how could she be rejected?”

Feeling the hand on her face, Han Shutong put down the knife and called out, “Mom.”

“Mhm?”

Han Shutong looked at Xue Yun expressionlessly, her voice tinged with helplessness. “I’m twenty-five.”

“You’ll still be my child even when you’re forty-five.”

The burst of tenderness was broken by Han Shutong’s single sentence. Xue Yun turned and walked toward the living room, saying as she turned, “Fine, continue cooking. I’m starving.”

Han Shutong brought Xue Yun back to the apartment she had been living in before the show recording. There were many empty rooms.

Since Xue Yun hadn’t had a chance to unpack her luggage, she took her bags to a room to unpack after dinner.

Han Shutong sat on the living room sofa, holding her phone. The screen displayed the photo Bai Mo had sent her that afternoon.

She missed Zhou Xi.

After refusing Zhou Xi’s invitation, Han Shutong had initially thought three days would pass quickly and she wouldn’t miss Zhou Xi.

Less than a day had passed, and her longing was overwhelming.

She had overestimated herself.

She had underestimated Zhou Xi’s place in her heart.

Her thumb brushed against the screen. Han Shutong hesitated, exited her favorites, and returned to the chat interface.

She opened the dialogue box with Zhou Xi.

She intended to type a message asking what Zhou Xi was doing, but in a change of mind, she initiated a video call.

The phone rang for three seconds. Han Shutong’s heart began to beat faster.

The video connected. Zhou Xi’s face appeared on Han Shutong’s screen.

“Shutong?” Zhou Xi called.

The nervousness before the call turned into a faint “Mhm.”

The background behind Zhou Xi showed a Chinese restaurant setting, suggesting she was still eating.

“You…”

Han Shutong opened her mouth, wanting to confirm her suspicion, but a woman’s voice from Zhou Xi’s side interrupted Han Shutong before she could finish.

“Zhouzhou, can you drink a cold one?”

Zhou Xi replied, “Yes,” and added a thank you.

Then she asked Han Shutong, “Shutong, sorry, what did you just say?”

Han Shutong said, “Nothing,” then paused and asked, “Is Yan Mengnuo next to you?”

“Mhm, we ran into each other at the hotel, so we had dinner together.”

Han Shutong asked instinctively, “What is she doing in M City?”

Suddenly, a hand reached out and turned the phone camera. Immediately, Yan Mengnuo’s face appeared on the screen.

Ignoring Han Shutong’s less-than-friendly gaze, Yan Mengnuo chuckled. “Why don’t you ask me directly if you want to know what I’m doing?”

Han Shutong watched the screen. Just as Yan Mengnuo retracted her arm, it brushed against Zhou Xi’s arm. Han Shutong was about to speak, but remembering Zhou Xi was nearby and could hear her, she held back.

She mouthed two words to Yan Mengnuo, then lowered her gaze. “Teacher Zhou.”

Hearing Han Shutong call her, Zhou Xi turned the camera back to herself.

Zhou Xi’s voice was soft. “Mhm? By the way, Shutong, did you call for something?”

“Nothing much, I just…”

Han Shutong paused, the words Xue Yun had told her replaying in her mind.

The words were deeply impactful.

Han Shutong hesitated, then said, “I missed you.”

In the same second.

“Miss, your cola.”

“Thank you.”

Taking the cola, Zhou Xi’s hand was instantly chilled by the cold bottle. She quickly placed the cola on the table and then addressed Han Shutong again, “What’s wrong?”

The waiter’s sudden arrival had made Zhou Xi miss Han Shutong’s words after the pause, so she had to ask again.

“…” Han Shutong chuckled. “I was just asking what you were eating.”

“Oh, I see.” Zhou Xi pressed the camera flip button. “Xiao Bai suggested we come here. She said it was a popular internet restaurant, but actually…”

“The taste is just average,” Zhou Xi said quietly. “I think it’s not as good as what you cook, Student Han.”

Zhou Xi’s single sentence amused the person who had been feeling down moments ago. Han Shutong smiled. “Then hurry back, and I’ll cook for you.”

“Okay.”

Han Shutong suddenly remembered the incident that earned her a complaint from her mother during dinner. “But I burned the dish tonight.”

“Burnt it? How did it get burnt? Did you turn the heat up too high?”

“I cooked it for too long.”

“Then…”

Yan Mengnuo, sitting next to Zhou Xi, heard every word Han Shutong spoke.

She was very surprised.

She had never seen Han Shutong be so… rambling.

Yan Mengnuo thought about it for a moment and became even more certain that the adjective she chose was correct: rambling.

Even sharing that she burned a dish.

But this feeling of sharing small details with someone was genuinely wonderful.

Yan Mengnuo took a sip of cola. Her eyes glanced at Han Shutong in the small screen window. Her eyes flickered, as if she had an idea, and the corners of her mouth curved up slightly.

She looked at Zhou Xi and asked, “Zhouzhou, I was thinking, I might go to N City tomorrow. How about I come with you?”

Zhou Xi: “You’re going too? Do you have work there?”

“No, I just want to go and have some fun. Can I?”

Zhou Xi couldn’t control Yan Mengnuo’s movements. She could only say, “Sure, but I have work, so I can’t play with you.”

Yan Mengnuo said it was fine. She looked at Bai Mo, who was still eating, and said quietly, “Well, we have this little friend here, don’t we?”

Bai Mo was sitting across from them and hadn’t heard their conversation. She wasn’t even aware Han Shutong had called.

Because she was engrossed in checking off famous locations and chatting with her friends.

“Superstar Han, I remember you filmed a drama in N City before,” Yan Mengnuo leaned her head next to Zhou Xi, taking another sip of cola. “Why don’t you recommend a few fun places for us?”