I Joined a Fake Variety Show (GL) - Chapter 51

After replying to Strawberries, Han Shutong was about to get up and return to the bedroom when she heard Zhou Xi ask, “Do you want to watch TV later?”

The third episode of the show was airing tonight.

Han Shutong hesitated, then nodded. “I’ll come out and watch after I’m done with my work.”

Hearing Han Shutong had something to attend to, Zhou Xi didn’t press further. She smiled and said, “Okay.”

Han Shutong picked up her phone and took a photo of the tulips.

Seemingly dissatisfied, Han Shutong took several more shots. Under Zhou Xi’s gaze, she smiled and said, “I want to keep a memento.”

Then, without waiting for Zhou Xi’s reply, she walked toward the bedroom. Han Shutong, turning to leave, didn’t see the unusual look that flashed across Zhou Xi’s face.

As she walked, Han Shutong sent the photos she took to Luo Shuiqiu.

Luo Shuiqiu: [They’re very pretty.]

Luo Shuiqiu: [Why did you suddenly decide to buy flowers?]

Han Shutong lay on the bed.

Han Shutong: [Teacher Zhou gave them to me.]

Luo Shuiqiu: [Ooh, not bad. Should I take this as you showing off to me?]

Han Shutong: [Read between the lines.]

Luo Shuiqiu didn’t know about Han Shutong’s confession to Zhou Xi. She simply saw this as the childish behavior of a person with a crush, so she didn’t reply to Han Shutong further.

Han Shutong, meanwhile, was busy with her task, starting to watch SweetCake’s video.

After her previous chat with SweetCake, SweetCake had sent her a few private messages, all hinting at and promoting the Zhou Han CP. Han Shutong saw them but didn’t reply.

Shipping one’s own CP felt truly strange, but the other party was Zhou Xi… Han Shutong had been trying hard to restrain herself from clicking on anything related to the two of them.

But tonight, Han Shutong broke her rule.

She watched segment after segment of the video edit, watching two characters, not even from the same drama, confess their love to each other, watching them part ways in life and death, watching them… kiss?

Han Shutong tapped the progress bar, rewatching the section where she and Zhou Xi kissed.

Purely, Han Shutong just wanted to see how they kissed.

After watching it twice, Han Shutong got up and took a sip of water, then exited the video and found the dialogue box with SweetCake.

@SimpleLove: I’ve seen the video. The 50-second mark, the transition is a bit rough. If you adjust the lyrics and… overall, that’s about it. Your progress is significant.

@HanShutong’sSweetCake: Ahhhhh, Master Jian! I love you! Master Jian, do you know? After you taught me how to edit that video, I uploaded it to Bilibili, and it got tens of thousands of likes, woohoo! Master Jian, there are so many people shipping Zhou Han on Bilibili now. This is all thanks to you!

A segment of SweetCake’s message made four large words flash before Han Shutong’s eyes: Immeasurable Merit.

Seriously…

Han Shutong never imagined she would be praised this way.

@SimpleLove: It’s Shi Fu (Master), not Shi Fu (Teacher/Craftsman).

@HanShutong’sSweetCake: Okay, your apprentice has noted it.

Han Shutong frowned. She was only correcting a mistake; she hadn’t agreed to take an apprentice.

Just as Han Shutong was about to clarify this with SweetCake, SweetCake sent her a new message.

@HanShutong’sSweetCake: Master, I’m going to revise the video now. If it’s urgent, you can message Little Strawberries.

Seeing this, Han Shutong remembered she hadn’t followed up with Strawberries yet.

Han Shutong ignored SweetCake and messaged Strawberries.

@SimpleLove: Hello, I’ve watched the video and given SweetCake some advice. Do you have anything else you need?

@Doesn’tLikeStrawberries: Nope! Thank you, Master Jian. I’ll mail the autographed photo to you tomorrow!

@SimpleLove: Thank you. I actually have one more question for you. May I ask it?

The person replied with a “Yes.”

@SimpleLove: Why do you like the CP of Zhou Xi and Han Shutong?

After sending the message, Han Shutong became very nervous, realizing the person on the other end was likely Zhou Xi’s younger sister.

How would she answer?

Would it be… just the word ‘compatible’?

@Doesn’tLikeStrawberries: Besides being very shippable, they are both quite old, and they should have someone to keep them company. I like both of them, so I think they’re quite a good match.

Quite… old?

Han Shutong politely replied, “Understood,” then exited Bilibili, threw her phone onto the bed, and walked out of the bedroom.

When Han Shutong returned from her room, there was still an hour before the show started. Zhou Xi decided to find an animated movie to watch.

It was Minions. She quite liked these types of movies.

They were funny and very heartwarming.

Halfway through the movie, Han Shutong walked out of the bedroom, her face expressionless.

Zhou Xi called out, “Shutong.”

Han Shutong glanced at Zhou Xi, walked to the sofa, and sat down next to her. Her head naturally rested on Zhou Xi’s shoulder.

Zhou Xi’s body stiffened, and she subconsciously moved away slightly.

But the head on her shoulder followed her movement.

Han Shutong wrapped her arm around Zhou Xi’s arm and said softly, “Teacher Zhou, I’m in a bad mood. Can I lean on you for a bit?”

She wasn’t in a bad mood. She just wanted to be closer to Zhou Xi.

Zhou Xi stopped moving when she heard this. She asked, “Can you tell me about it?”

Han Shutong hesitated for a few seconds, then brought up the question that had made her uneasy earlier. “Are we old at twenty-five?”

“Why the sudden age anxiety?”

Han Shutong looked at the little banana-shaped characters on the screen, sensing that Zhou Xi had probably never considered this question.

Remembering what Strawberries had just said, Han Shutong sat up straight and asked Zhou Xi, “How old is your sister?”

With Han Shutong’s arm released, Zhou Xi subtly let out a sigh of relief, thus not dwelling on why Han Shutong was asking this question.

“Seventeen. She’s in her third year of high school.”

Third year of high school?

“Isn’t the pressure to study intense? Can she play with her phone?”

“It’s alright.”

When Zhou Xi mentioned Zhou Simei, a smile appeared on her lips. “My dad doesn’t have strict requirements for her studies. Plus, she’s naturally good at studying. Playing with her phone relies purely on her self-discipline.”

“It’s rare for parents to take a hands-off approach to their child’s studies. Your father is not an ordinary person.”

“He’s just afraid of raising a second me.”

“I’m sorry,” Han Shutong immediately said.

Zhou Xi chuckled, saying she was just joking.

Han Shutong paused after hearing this. “Teacher Zhou…”

“Mhm?”

“…Do you have a conflict with your father?”

“You could say that,” Zhou Xi laughed, her eyes fixed on the screen.

What kind of conflict?

Han Shutong hesitated for a long time and still didn’t ask the question.

Just then, Zhou Xi suddenly stood up and said, “The show is about to start. I’m going to the restroom.”

Han Shutong pursed her lips. “Okay.”

In the restroom, Zhou Xi looked down at the calendar.

There were still twenty-something days until her father’s birthday. Zhou Xi thought about it. The show should be recording its final episodes or already finished by then.

She wondered if she would be able to make it home.

Zhou Xi recalled her previous conversation with her sister and remembered that going home meant going on a blind date…

She opened WeChat and tapped on Zhou Simei’s avatar.

Zhou Xi: [Xiao Mei, did you find out the information I asked you to investigate?]

Zhou Simei: [What information, Sis?]

Zhou Xi: [Who is the person I’m supposed to go on a blind date with?]

Zhou Simei: [I found out. Do you want to know, Sis?]

Zhou Xi knew exactly what Zhou Simei was thinking: [What do you want this time?]

Zhou Simei: [An autographed photo of Older Sister!]

The three words jumped out at her. Zhou Xi immediately thought of Han Shutong.

Because Han Shutong had just asked the same question half an hour ago.

Zhou Xi: [Why do you want an autographed photo? My autographed photo isn’t worth anything, and didn’t I sign one for you before?]

Zhou Simei’s reason for wanting the autographed photo was simple: she could tell that @SimpleLove was her sister’s genuine fan, and she wanted to mail more photos to encourage her to like her sister even more.

Although her sister had more fans now, those who liked her before the variety show aired were rare.

Furthermore, Zhou Simei felt that if she gave her more autographed photos, @SimpleLove would be less hesitant to ask her questions later on.

Zhou Simei: [Hehe, I gave that one away already.]

Zhou Xi: [Who did you give it to?]

Why would anyone want her autographed photo?

Zhou Simei: [I gave it to your fan. She really likes you. Her Bilibili feed is all about you, and she only edits videos about you.]

Looking at Zhou Simei’s description, Zhou Xi felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity.

Zhou Xi: [Can you share her homepage with Older Sister?]

Zhou Simei didn’t want to tell Zhou Xi about SimpleLove because she was afraid Zhou Xi would find out she was shipping a CP.

But she thought about it. @SimpleLove’s homepage didn’t have anything about the Zhou Han CP. Besides, @SimpleLove really seemed to like her sister. If her sister could chat with her, @SimpleLove would probably be very happy, and it would be easier to ask her questions next time.

Thinking that she might not need the autographed photo to solve her problem, Zhou Simei immediately did as Zhou Xi asked.

After sharing SimpleLove’s homepage with Zhou Xi, Zhou Simei wrote: [That’s the UP host. Take a look, Sis. Doesn’t she really like you? I wasn’t lying, was I?]

No, she wasn’t lying.

Isn’t that the person she was following?

It was exactly as she guessed.

Zhou Xi: [How did you get in touch with her?]

Zhou Simei saw Zhou Xi’s question and immediately panicked.

Zhou Simei: [I just saw it while browsing the internet, and I messaged her because I saw she liked you so much.]

Zhou Xi didn’t suspect anything.

Zhou Xi: [Mhm.]

Zhou Xi: [Your exams are coming soon. Focus on reviewing.]

Zhou Simei: [I know, I know. I’m going to bed now. Goodnight, Sis!]

Zhou Simei: [Oh, right. I don’t know the full name of the blind date, but I think his last name is Yan.]

Yan?

Zhou Xi only knew one person with the last name Yan.

Could it be related to Yan Mengnuo?

It couldn’t be that coincidental.

“Knock, knock.”

Just then, there were two knocks on the restroom door.

Han Shutong’s clear voice, perhaps because of the door, sounded a little warmer.

“Zhou Xi, are you okay?”

Zhou Xi stood up, looked at the toilet seat she had put down, lifted it, and flushed the toilet.

As the sound of flushing started, she opened the restroom door. Meeting Han Shutong’s eyes, she said, “I’m fine.”

Han Shutong stared at Zhou Xi for a few seconds. After confirming that her eyes were not red, she simply said “Mhm.”

She had thought Zhou Xi was hiding in the restroom crying because of what she had said.

The two returned to the sofa.

Zhou Xi’s phone screen still displayed @SimpleLove’s homepage.

She looked at the person’s meager dozen followers. For some reason, Zhou Xi tapped on the list.

She immediately saw the latest follower—@Doesn’tLikeStrawberries.

Zhou Xi easily associated this with Zhou Simei, as Zhou Simei’s WeChat name was the same.

Tapping on Zhou Simei’s homepage, she saw that her page wasn’t hidden, so all her posts were visible.

The first post was a repost about Han Shutong’s drama.

The second post was also about Han Shutong’s drama.

The third post…

Zhou Xi’s eyebrows furrowed.

It was a video repost. The video cover featured her and Han Shutong.

The caption read: [Zhou Han CP, “You are all I see”]