I Joined a Fake Variety Show (GL) - Chapter 61

The first two were halfway done, so now she added a third: Celebrate the festival with Zhou Xi and Han Shutong.

She had to admit, as one of the earliest fans of the [Zhou Han CP] Super Topic, although she was initially curious when she saw her sister paired with her idol, she gradually started checking the Super Topic eight hundred times a day.

Zhou Simei felt it was time to find her sister a partner.

Although their father had arranged a blind date for her sister, Zhou Simei had never even met the person and was completely unwilling to hand her sister over to a stranger.

But Han Shutong was different.

Zhou Simei had been a fan of Han Shutong since her debut, and she knew Han Shutong from even earlier than that.

When her sister was in school, she had mentioned Han Shutong, saying that although she had a cold personality, she was a very good person.

Since her sister had vouched for her character, there was no need to worry about Han Shutong’s integrity.

Zhou Xi was usually accommodating to Zhou Simei’s requests. Hearing her sister’s plea, Zhou Xi looked up into Han Shutong’s eyes, smoothing away the awkwardness in her heart. “You have scenes to film tomorrow morning, and Xiao Mei has to go home in the evening, so how about we meet in the afternoon?”

Han Shutong nodded. “I’ll book the restaurant.”

“I’ve already booked one,” Zhou Xi refused.

Han Shutong only acknowledged her with a simple “Mhm,” without any further reaction.

“Then it’s settled! We’ll eat together tomorrow afternoon~” Zhou Simei said to Han Shutong with a cheerful smile.

Han Shutong looked at Zhou Simei, her voice uncharacteristically soft. “That sounds great.”

To Han Shutong, Zhou Simei felt like a lifeline right now.

Although Zhou Xi’s previous rejection wasn’t harsh, Han Shutong knew it would be incredibly difficult to change Zhou Xi’s mind.

She was very grateful to Zhou Simei for speaking up for her.

Zhou Simei replied that it was no trouble.

Seeing the two interacting happily, Zhou Xi brushed back the loose hair near her ear and said to Zhou Simei, “Didn’t you say you needed to buy things? Let’s go.”

Zhou Simei had forgotten to bring a toothbrush, cup, and other necessities. She never used the ones provided by hotels, so she was waiting for the elevator with Zhou Xi earlier, intending to go downstairs to buy them.

Zhou Simei acknowledged her, then waved to Han Shutong. “Then, Older Sister Han, we’ll be going now~”

After Zhou Xi left, Han Shutong returned to her usual cold demeanor.

Bai Mo, however, was still laughing happily. “Sister Tong, you scared me so much earlier! When I saw Sister Zhou being so intimate with someone, I thought Sister Zhou had made a new friend.”

Made a new friend, forgotten an old one.

Bai Mo didn’t say the second half of the phrase. She knew Zhou Xi wasn’t someone who “preferred the new and tired of the old.”

But even though Bai Mo didn’t say it, Han Shutong thought of the second half of the phrase herself.

Hadn’t she been terrified herself?

The moment she saw Zhou Xi being so intimate with someone, Han Shutong felt her heart bleeding.

The so-called safety distance she had struggled to maintain for two days vanished in that instant.

The safety line had now become the starting line.

Just moments ago, Han Shutong finally realized that she couldn’t give up.

She couldn’t give up her feelings for Zhou Xi.

It was a feeling of unwillingness to be just friends, a desire to open her eyes and see Zhou Xi every day.

Downstairs.

The supermarket was only 500 meters from the hotel. Zhou Xi and Zhou Simei decided to walk there.

Zhou Simei walked along, asking, “Sis, why did you refuse Han Shutong earlier?”

Zhou Xi: “You were calling her Older Sister Han earlier, but now you’re calling her by her name?”

Zhou Simei stuck out her tongue. “I have to look like a good girl in front of my idol~”

In reality, she mostly called Han Shutong by her name when talking to friends. “Older Sister Han” was a new term for her.

Zhou Simei waited for a bit. When Zhou Xi didn’t speak, she said again, “Sis, you still haven’t answered my question.”

Zhou Xi still didn’t answer. She changed the subject. “Why are you asking this?”

“No reason. It’s just that, as a Wutong Leaf, I can’t bear to see my idol get rejected. It’s too pitiful.”

Pitiful?

Zhou Xi subconsciously recalled Han Shutong’s expression after she rejected her.

Zhou Xi raised her hand, palm open, to the area slightly below her chest.

She looked at the lifeline in her palm, her eyelashes slightly lowered.

She could still feel the sensation of Han Shutong’s lips on her palm that day: A ticklish feeling.

A tingling sensation had traveled along the lines of her palm, straight to her heart.

It made Zhou Xi’s heart tremble for a few seconds.

So much so that when she heard Han Shutong say Go wash it clean, Zhou Xi instinctively responded.

When Zhou Xi reached the bathroom, she turned on the faucet and reached out her hand.

But the moment her fingers touched the water, Zhou Xi quickly pulled her hand back.

She stared blankly at the spots where Han Shutong’s lips had touched, her mind racing.

One of the spots that had been kissed was where the heart line extended.

And it was there that the lipstick mark was much darker than in other places.

She didn’t wash it under the faucet. Instead, she left the bathroom. Seeing Han Shutong wasn’t in the room, she pulled out a tissue and gently wiped away the lipstick stain.

As the soft tissue slid across those spots, Zhou Xi only felt pain. They did not have the heart-scratching, heart-pounding… tickle that Han Shutong’s lips had left.

So, after wiping away the lipstick, Zhou Xi picked up the jacket—the one she could finally return—and went to Han Shutong’s door.

Zhou Xi didn’t know why she was doing this; she was simply following the promptings of her heart.

Following her heart’s instruction, she returned the jacket to Han Shutong, but when she saw the cigarette box in Han Shutong’s hand, she instinctively offered a reminder.

Only to be met with Han Shutong’s “Why are you telling me what to do?”

Yes, why was she telling her what to do?

She explained it was a suggestion.

But was it really just a suggestion?

Zhou Xi didn’t know.

Zhou Xi only knew that when she heard Han Shutong’s sharp “why,” the signal that had been guiding her heart suddenly vanished.

With the signal gone, Zhou Xi was no longer “controlled.” She reverted to her former self.

On the set, the two were only a meter apart. Zhou Xi heard Han Shutong say not to disturb. So, guided by the desire to respect others’ decisions, Zhou Xi didn’t bother her either.

She saw Han Shutong’s eyes, which had been full of tenderness, become distant and indifferent after that day. So, she pretended nothing had happened, acting the way they had during the first few days of cohabitation: familiar yet reserved.

But she had to admit, this mode of interaction was relaxing for Zhou Xi.

She no longer had to be cautious because of the other person’s confession, no need to deliberately maintain distance, and no need to feel guilty for accepting kindness.

But… why was there a hint of sourness in her heart?

Zhou Simei was walking ahead. She asked Zhou Xi several questions but received no reply. She turned around and saw Zhou Xi staring at her hand.

Zhou Simei walked over, looked for a moment, and said, “Sis, are you reading your palm?”

Zhou Xi snapped back to reality, lowering her hand. “Mhm, just a casual look.”

“What did you read? Why did you suddenly become superstitious?” Zhou Simei had just asked when she realized something. She covered her mouth and chuckled. “I forgot. You’ve always been superstitious.”

“Hmm?”

Zhou Xi was puzzled, not understanding why Zhou Simei would say that.

Zhou Simei laughed heartily: “Otherwise, you wouldn’t be afraid of ghosts!”

Zhou Xi smiled, walked up to Zhou Simei, and lightly patted her waist, muttering, “Little kid, teasing your older sister.”

“Is this teasing? Little sister is just speaking the truth,” Zhou Simei giggled.

“By the way, Sis, I asked you a question when you were looking at your palm just now.”

“What did you ask me?”

Zhou Xi hadn’t heard anything.

Zhou Simei: “Did you have a fight with Han Shutong? Is that why you refused to eat with her and us?”

Zhou Simei was perceptive. Noticing Zhou Xi constantly changing the subject, she made an accurate guess.

“No,” Zhou Xi said.

Afraid Zhou Simei wouldn’t believe her, Zhou Xi added, “Older Sister was just afraid you would feel uncomfortable having an outsider join us for dinner.”

Zhou Simei felt warmth in her heart, hearing Zhou Xi was concerned about her. She smiled and said, “Other people might make me uncomfortable, but Han Shutong won’t.”

“Why?”

“Because besides the fact that I like her, she has a very good relationship with you, Sis. You don’t know, you two have a—cough, cough—you two are filming a variety show together.”

Halfway through her sentence, Zhou Simei almost let slip that she was shipping her sister’s CP. She quickly covered up her embarrassment with a cough and then offered another explanation.

But it was too late. Zhou Xi had already guessed what the coughs were meant to conceal.

Zhou Xi looked at Zhou Simei gently, her voice full of helpless affection. “When you go back tomorrow, I’m going to ask Mom to confiscate your phone so you won’t be looking at nonsense all day.”

Zhou Simei was greatly alarmed. She hugged Zhou Xi and pleaded, “No, Sis! Without my phone, I’m like a fish out of water. I won’t survive a day!”

Zhou Simei added, “Besides, I’m not looking at nonsense. I’m studying online, okay?”

Zhou Xi: “Studying what?”

Zhou Simei paused. In a second, many thoughts rushed through her mind. Finally, she thought of SweetCake.

“Video editing.”

Zhou Simei complimented her own cleverness after saying this.

“Who are you learning from?”

“A Master.”

Zhou Xi chuckled softly: “Is the name Simple Love?”

Zhou Simei was shocked: “Sis! How did you know?!”

Zhou Xi: “I also know your editing account is called Doesn’t Like Strawberries.”

Before Zhou Simei could figure out how she was exposed, Zhou Xi asked quietly, “You said you’re studying. Then what about the Zhou Han CP mentioned on your homepage?”

Zhou Simei knew no matter what excuse she made now, she wouldn’t be able to deceive Zhou Xi, but she still said, “Uh… Sis, there might be some misunderstanding.”

The evidence was conclusive. There was no misunderstanding.

After returning to the hotel from the supermarket, under Zhou Xi’s watchful eye, Zhou Simei voluntarily left the Zhou Han Super Topic, unfollowed Simple Love, and promised to study seriously and stop looking at “nonsense.”