I Joined a Fake Variety Show (GL) - Chapter 8

The quiet in the car was broken by soft, lingering music.

A few seconds after the music started, a woman’s voice appeared, filled with the solemn conviction of one entrusted with a great mission, willing to die for it: “To defend my country, I shall not fail my mission.”

The woman continued with many more lines, each as heroic as the last. The video’s background music was a classic old song about unrequited love. Against the melancholic tune, the sound alone, without the visuals, was enough to bring one to tears.

“Sister Zhou, what are you watching?” Bai Mo couldn’t help but lean over and ask.

Zhou Xi paused the video. “I’m watching a fan-made video on Bilibili.”

Zhou Xi had intended to search for the cut that Yan Meng Nuo mentioned, but when it came up, she noticed that the uploader’s homepage only had two videos: one was a personal compilation lasting about an hour, and the other was this five-minute mash-up.

Glancing at the two video lengths, Zhou Xi decided to watch the shorter one first, as she had already seen the content of the longer video, having acted in it herself.

Bai Mo’s interest was piqued. She asked, “Sister Zhou, can I watch with you?”

Zhou Xi hummed. “Of course.”

Both of them were engrossed in the video, while Han Shutong, sitting beside them, knew what Zhou Xi was watching the moment the music started.

Her heart immediately leaped. Perhaps this is the nervousness of being noticed by the original content creator?

Han Shutong turned her gaze toward the window, watching the lights flash past. To an outsider, it would look like Han Shutong was enjoying the scenery.

But in reality… she was using her ears to monitor the activity next to Zhou Xi.

Bai Mo finished watching the entire video, her eyes slightly red. “Wow, this video is cut so well!”

The five-minute video was a mash-up from five different TV shows, featuring five different characters. But thanks to the editor, every transition was seamless, like a shift in space and time.

Bai Mo sniffled and said, “Sister Zhou, this video is so tear-jerking. The editor is amazing! They seem to really understand your characters. Every line they cut together is so impactful. They must be a super huge fan of yours; they put so much effort into this.”

Zhou Xi nodded silently.

She had been stunned while watching.

She was only a minor celebrity, so Zhou Xi had never imagined a fan would spend so much time and effort editing a video of her. And just as Bai Mo said, this person clearly understood the characters and must have watched her TV shows many times.

Thinking this, Zhou Xi hesitated, then clicked on the creator’s private message, intending to say something, but then felt she shouldn’t. She returned to the creator’s homepage, silently clicked “Follow,” and saved both videos to her favorites.

Meanwhile, Han Shutong, sitting next to her, opened her phone.

After Bai Mo once again marveled at the great editing, she suddenly remembered that Han Shutong had also been looking into this sort of thing some time ago. She had tried to learn alongside her, but she was clumsy and gave up after a while.

Thinking of this, Bai Mo turned to Han Shutong and asked, “Sister Tong, didn’t you try to learn video editing for a while? How’s that going?”

Zhou Xi heard this and looked at Han Shutong. “You tried to learn editing?”

“Yes,” Han Shutong said. “I didn’t manage to learn it.”

Zhou Xi offered warm comfort. “Editing is difficult. It’s completely normal not to learn it.”

But Bai Mo said, “Then, Sister Tong, why don’t you watch the video Sister Zhou and I just saw? That creator’s editing is really good. If you follow along, maybe you’ll understand.”

As Bai Mo suggested this, Han Shutong looked down at her phone, feeling pleased after seeing the newly added item in her favorites.

However, after Bai Mo’s suggestion, she only said faintly, “No need.”

Bai Mo was about to ask why when the car stopped.

While unbuckling her seatbelt and saying goodbye to Bai Mo, Zhou Xi suddenly turned and asked Han Shutong, “Are you sleeping here tonight?”

Han Shutong was taken aback. She hadn’t considered it and instinctively shook her head. “No—”

Before Han Shutong could finish, Bai Mo spoke up, “Oh, right, Sister Tong, why don’t you sleep here tonight? I can go back and pack your luggage. It’s closer to the airport, so you can sleep in a little tomorrow. And—”

Bai Mo turned to Zhou Xi and asked, “Sister Zhou, are you afraid of ghosts?”

Zhou Xi suddenly became serious. “No! I’ve never done anything wrong, so why would I be afraid?”

At this, Han Shutong suddenly let out a small laugh. Hearing it, Zhou Xi immediately winked at her, signaling her not to expose her.

Yes, Zhou Xi was afraid.

When she lived alone, she would sleep with the lights on.

The reason for Han Shutong’s laughter was two-fold: on one hand, she was amused by the contrast between Zhou Xi’s words and actions; on the other, Han Shutong recalled an incident that happened during their school days.

It was one of the few interactions she had with Zhou Xi while they were students.

Seeing that Han Shutong wasn’t talking, Zhou Xi laughed and said, “Although I’m not afraid of ghosts, it would be nice to have someone accompany me.”

New residence, unfamiliar environment, and her lamp broke while moving. Her top priority was survival, so she absolutely had to get Han Shutong to stay.

Han Shutong raised an eyebrow. “Are you inviting me?”

Zhou Xi paused, then nodded.

“Okay,” Han Shutong agreed.

Back at the apartment, the two stood in the entryway changing their shoes.

Zhou Xi asked, “How many days will your business trip be?”

Han Shutong was flying out tomorrow.

“I’m not sure. I’ll probably be back a few days before the show starts filming.”

Zhou Xi then asked, “Are you sure you’re comfortable with me staying at your place?”

Zhou Xi often saw unpleasant stories online about classmates cohabitating. Although she knew she wasn’t “that type” of person, she was afraid her actions might annoy others.

Han Shutong finished changing her shoes and walked into the living room. The coffee table, which had been empty that morning, was now cluttered with various items.

Zhou Xi saw this and thought that this was probably the kind of thing that could be annoying. Just as she was about to explain that she forgot to put things away, she heard Han Shutong say softly, “It’s your home too.”

Zhou Xi was momentarily stunned. “I know, it’s my home for the next three months!”

Han Shutong offered no further explanation. “Mhm.”

Han Shutong had stayed there for a few days before, so she had pajamas and a change of clothes. When Han Shutong came out in her pajamas, she saw Zhou Xi standing in front of the refrigerator, muttering, “Brain freeze! How could I forget to buy something as important as ice cream!”

Turning around and seeing Han Shutong, Zhou Xi asked, “Shutong, is there a convenience store nearby? I want to go down and buy some ice cream.”

“Turn right outside the complex, and there’s a convenience store.”

Zhou Xi gave an ‘OK’ hand gesture. “Do you want anything? I can bring it back for you.”

Han Shutong: “I’m about to wash up. I won’t eat anything.”

Zhou Xi said “Ooh” and “Okay, go ahead and wash up then.”

The faucet in the main bedroom’s bathroom was broken, so Han Shutong could only shower in the living room’s bathroom.

After Han Shutong went into the bathroom, Zhou Xi turned and sat on the sofa, planning to rest for a bit before going downstairs to buy things.

Half an hour later.

Han Shutong turned off the water. As she was about to dry herself, she realized she had forgotten to bring a towel.

The towel was on her bed.

“Zhou Xi.”

“Zhou Xi, could you please hand me the towel from my bed?”

“Zhou…”

When the third call went unanswered, Han Shutong recalled Zhou Xi mentioning going downstairs to buy ice cream. She figured Zhou Xi must have gone out while she was showering.

The curtains in the living room and bedroom were also drawn.

So…

With a soft ‘click’, Han Shutong opened the bathroom door.

At the same time, a white towel appeared right in front of Han Shutong.

“Is this… it?!”

Eyes met eyes. The two stood motionless.

A few seconds later, Zhou Xi was the first to turn around, curving her arm backward. “Y-y-y-y-your towel.”

Only after the towel was taken and the sound of the door closing came from behind did Zhou Xi let out a breath.

“You’re home?”

Han Shutong’s voice was muffled through the door.

Zhou Xi gave an “Uh…” for a few seconds. “Yes.”

“Then why didn’t you answer when I called you?” Han Shutong asked.

Zhou Xi: “I… I went to find your towel for you.”

“Are you nervous?” Han Shutong’s voice was still muffled.

Zhou Xi took two more deep breaths. “N-no.”

It was only the first day, and such an awkward thing had already happened. Although they were classmates for four years, they had only showered together in the public bathhouse during freshman military training. But even the school bathhouse had partitions, so she hadn’t seen anything she shouldn’t have seen.

But today…

But… Han Shutong… seems to have gotten quite a bit bigger than she was in school…

Zhou Xi looked down at her own chest. Didn’t they say you stop growing after you become an adult? Am I the only one adhering to that rule?

Just as Zhou Xi was wondering how Han Shutong would silence her and in what position she would meet her end, the bathroom door opened.

The sound of slippers dragging on the floor amplified infinitely in Zhou Xi’s ears, growing louder and closer.

The scent of shower gel reached Zhou Xi first, followed immediately by Han Shutong’s voice.

“Why are you just standing there?”

She forgot to escape the scene.

“Uh…” Zhou Xi turned around and, seeing that Han Shutong was fully dressed, said, “I didn’t mean to.”

Han Shutong looked down and saw the woman’s face was flushed, and her earlobes were pink.

One would think their roles were reversed, and Zhou Xi was the one who had just been seen, not her.

“It’s nothing,” Han Shutong said.

Seeing that Han Shutong didn’t mind, the redness in Zhou Xi’s face slowly subsided. Thinking of changing the subject to lighten the mood, she blurted out, “Are you bigger than you were in college?”

The words were out before Zhou Xi could stop them. In her panic, she quickly walked toward the sofa.

As she turned around, she heard Han Shutong say, “Yes.”

Han Shutong’s reply was so natural that Zhou Xi relaxed and asked the question she had been pondering: “But didn’t they say adults stop developing?”

Han Shutong paused in the act of drying her hair, pursed her lips, and said, “I just gained weight.”

Gained weight? No, she hasn’t? If anything, she’s slimmer than before.

It wasn’t until Han Shutong went to blow-dry her hair that Zhou Xi realized what Han Shutong meant by “gained weight.”

She means I gained weight, but all the fat went to the right places, right?

Zhou Xi was genuinely envious.