Chapter 51
That night, Yan Zhen was pinned down to sleep by a very cheerful Zhao Baoshang.
The next day was the filming for the program Big Stars and Their Star Fans. Tang An sent Yan Zhen a message during the day, informing her that the schedule had changed; they were to take a plane to a neighboring highland for the shoot.
While Yan Zhen was packing her luggage, she thought of Director Wang. She called him and said, “I have to fly elsewhere for a reality show, so I might not be able to attend the celebration banquet.”
Director Wang replied, “No worries, we’ll push the date back. Lu Ming is busy too.”
“Lu Ming?”
“Yeah, she’s in the same show,” Director Wang said. “With her little boyfriend.”
Yan Zhen remembered Han Xiaomeng mentioning Lu Ming before—it seemed as if she had been cursed. She asked Director Wang about Lu Ming’s recent situation. After chatting for a long time, Director Wang summarized: “She’s definitely been cursed. Otherwise, who would give away all their belongings to someone else?”
Yan Zhen was about to ask for Lu Ming’s number when Zhao Baoshang walked over and called for her to head out. Yan Zhen turned around and was startled by Zhao Baoshang, who was dressed entirely in black. “Why are you dressed like that?”
Zhao Baoshang had put a lot of effort into her look. She wore a black shirt paired with a small leather skirt and black leather sneakers. Her originally brown hair had been dyed black, long, and straight, and her fringe was styled back with hair wax, creating a cool “slicked-back” look.
Very cool.
After admiring herself in the mirror for a long time, Zhao Baoshang finally dared to step out. “How do I look?” She tilted her chin slightly, looking very confident.
“You look very hot,” Yan Zhen said.
Zhao Baoshang frowned and emphasized, “I’m not hot.”
Yan Zhen walked over and felt the material, discovering the leather skirt was lined with fleece.
Yan Zhen: “…Are you really not hot?”
Zhao Baoshang tugged at her skirt, huffily took it off, and changed into another one. “How about now?” She had switched to a chiffon pencil skirt.
Yan Zhen praised her repeatedly, “Beautiful.”
Zhao Baoshang laughed. “You little vixen, always sweet-talking.” She walked over and pecked Yan Zhen on the lips. Yan Zhen blinked, her face heating up from the unexpected kiss.
The staff arrived to pick them up in a rented van. Zhao Baoshang and Yan Zhen, dragging two large suitcases, were the first to board and waited for the other members.
A staff member asked, “What did you bring in these suitcases? Is it all clothes?”
Yan Zhen smiled. “You can open them and see.”
The staff member opened them to find half a suitcase filled with yellow talisman paper, and the other half filled with cinnabar, black dog’s blood, rattan strips…
The staff member silently closed the suitcase, unable to think of a follow-up question.
After about fifteen minutes, two students from Imperial Capital University arrived. Coincidentally, Yan Zhen knew both of them. One was Wang Huan, and the other was Lin Wu, the girlfriend of the “military brat” and Yan Zhen’s junior high school classmate.
The moment Lin Wu saw Yan Zhen, she said haughtily, “Some people can only win trophies in competitions; their sense of entertainment is so poor they have no friends. To think you’d go out dressed so rustically.”
The staff felt awkward. Lin Wu had also come from Global Supernova, but she clearly hadn’t moved on from that show and was still looking to start a fight for attention. Fortunately, Yan Zhen ignored her.
Yan Zhen was cutting a watermelon. After slicing a small piece, she asked Zhao Baoshang, “Do you want some?”
Zhao Baoshang said, “No, otherwise I’ll be going to the bathroom the whole time.”
“But this watermelon is very sweet. Let me give you a spoonful.”
Zhao Baoshang backed away in disgust. “Don’t give it to me!”
“Fine then.” Yan Zhen withdrew the spoon and put it in her own mouth.
Zhao Baoshang watched Yan Zhen’s lips, glistening with watermelon juice, and then the spoon that had just been in Yan Zhen’s mouth. Suddenly, she had an epiphany.
The little fan was hinting at me just now… I’m so slow, how did I not notice?
Zhao Baoshang hurriedly grabbed the edge of Yan Zhen’s skirt. Yan Zhen, currently scooping watermelon, asked in confusion, “What is it?”
“I want to eat now,” Zhao Baoshang said.
Yan Zhen scooped a star-shaped piece of melon and held it to Zhao Baoshang’s lips. “Come, open wide.”
“Ah—” Zhao Baoshang complied.
Yan Zhen popped the watermelon into Zhao Baoshang’s mouth. The surrounding staff had seen this kind of thing countless times since morning and silently pretended to be calm. Only Lin Wu looked on in disbelief.
“Aren’t you two disgusting? Even eating watermelon has to be like this?” Lin Wu shouted.
Zhao Baoshang’s movement paused, her eyes turning cold as she turned to look at Lin Wu. A staff member nearby slapped his thigh, thinking: Crap. On one side is Zhao Baoshang, on the other is the military brat’s girlfriend. I can’t offend either.
He quickly ran out with a microphone and asked Yan Zhen, “Is the watermelon good?”
Yan Zhen nodded. Zhao Baoshang, seeing her fan being approached, crowded in front of her like a mother hen protecting its chick, isolating the staff member. She snorted and said to Yan Zhen, “My grandpa grows plenty of his own. I’ll scoop some for you then.”
The staff member chatted with Zhao Baoshang: “Movie Queen Zhao seems to like Yan Zhen very much. You’re the first pair of celebrity and fan confirmed for the show. Is this harmonious relationship the result of a long cultivation process?”
Zhao Baoshang looked away. “No.”
The staff member’s eye twitched. No? Who are you kidding?
Fortunately, Yan Zhen was more cooperative. Having eaten the watermelon, she told a story: “We met in the countryside, then filmed a movie together, and now we’re roommates. That’s why we’re close.” The cameraman hurried to record this.
After boarding the plane, Yan Zhen slumped in her seat, feeling weak. The half-watermelon she had just eaten had turned into liquid, making her stomach feel bloated.
Zhao Baoshang rubbed her stomach for her. “Who told you to eat so much? And you won’t go to the bathroom.”
“Don’t rub,” Yan Zhen whined.
Zhao Baoshang lifted her hand, then gently placed it back. “It looks like you have a little baby in there.”
Yu Lian, standing in the aisle, saw Yan Zhen’s stomach and joked, “How many months along is this?”
Yan Zhen said weakly, “Lian-jie, you’re in this show too.”
“Yeah, there aren’t many people on this flight, so I was sitting in the back,” Yu Lian said. “I also saw Lu Ming. I remember you two know each other.”
Yan Zhen nodded. Yu Lian added, “Lu Ming is in the back too. Rest for now, I just came up to grab a newspaper.”
Yan Zhen wanted to go to the back to chat, but Zhao Baoshang pressed down on Yan Zhen’s stomach, expressing her displeasure. With her here, why was the little fan still unsatisfied?
Yan Zhen whispered, “Don’t press! I’m going to pee!”
Zhao Baoshang put on a look of disgust, but secretly loved it. “How can you make such a lewd sound? Hold it, the plane just took off.”
Yan Zhen had to endure it painfully, with a couple of tears prickling the corners of her eyes. Once the bathroom light turned on, she finally stood up tremblingly, legs clamped tight, and ran inside to find relief with Zhao Baoshang’s support.
Coming out of the bathroom, Yan Zhen went to the back seats and saw Lu Ming. “Master, long time no see,” Lu Ming greeted her.
Yan Zhen sat in the seat in front of Lu Ming. “Yeah, it’s been almost three months.”
Lu Ming joked, “Only three months, and now your status is higher than mine.”
Yan Zhen smiled. “I don’t know about ‘status,’ but I owe that initial sum of money I made when I came to the city to you. Without you, I wouldn’t have made it out of that town.” She spoke with nostalgia; Lu Ming was definitely responsible for her entry into the industry.
A camera was pointed at them, hoping to catch a touching “sisters’ reunion” moment, when a hand suddenly appeared. This hand dominantly and forcefully wrapped around Yan Zhen’s shoulder. The warm atmosphere was instantly shattered. After catching Zhao Baoshang’s side profile, the cameraman tremblingly moved the lens away.
After a few more words, Yan Zhen noticed the man beside Lu Ming. She assumed this was her little boyfriend. This man had silver-gray hair, pale skin, a straight nose, and was skinny. He was decent-looking, but his facial features suggested a philandering nature and a destiny of having no children. Lu Ming’s face still showed a destiny of having a child after thirty, which didn’t match this man’s at all. In other words, this man was definitely not Lu Ming’s “true partner.”
Yan Zhen heard Lu Ming call her, and she turned back to look at her, noticing that Lu Ming’s originally strong “career line” now appeared extremely flat. Looking at her fate, Lu Ming and that man had no overlapping destiny. Yet, for some reason, Lu Ming’s eyes were full of adoration when she looked at him.
It was indeed very strange. Yan Zhen felt that she owed Lu Ming a debt of gratitude; since she had witnessed Lu Ming’s abnormality, she couldn’t just ignore it.
“How did you two meet?” she asked Lu Ming and her boyfriend calmly.
Lu Ming’s eyes softened with affection. “How else? We met while filming.”
Yan Zhen was dazed. It was her first time seeing Lu Ming with such a look. The old Lu Ming, while not necessarily crude, would never show such a sickly sweet expression.
After speaking, Lu Ming poked the back of the man’s hand and called out, “Darling, do you remember our first meeting?”
The man replied dismissively, “I remember. We shared an umbrella on a rainy day, and you fell for me.” Lu Ming laughed softly. The man tapped her nose. “Stop asking. I’ll get annoyed if you keep asking.”
Zhao Baoshang tugged at Yan Zhen’s sleeve. “How much longer are you going to talk?” If she had to hear any more of these oily sentences, she was going to get annoyed too.
Yan Zhen felt Lu Ming was indeed acting strange and wanted to ask more to confirm what was wrong. She leaned forward to speak when she suddenly felt the air pressure drop beside her. Turning around, she saw Zhao Baoshang staring at her with a deep, somber expression.
Yan Zhen: “…What’s wrong?”
“I’m not very happy,” Zhao Baoshang said.
Yan Zhen thought for a moment. “Is it because I’m talking to Lu Ming? Then I’ll only say three more sentences.”
Zhao Baoshang’s face darkened further. “No.”
“Then two?”
Zhao Baoshang felt extremely aggrieved. She wanted Yan Zhen to only talk to her, only look at her, and not say a word to anyone else. What if this little blockhead was lured away by someone else?
Zhao Baoshang’s “peach blossom” eyes flickered as she bargained with Yan Zhen: “One.”
Yan Zhen nodded and looked at Lu Ming. However, she suddenly forgot what she wanted to ask, so she turned back to sit with Zhao Baoshang. “I won’t ask anymore.”
Zhao Baoshang’s face instantly cleared up. She looked at Yan Zhen and said softly and carefully, “Actually, I was jealous just now.”
Yan Zhen was stunned; she didn’t expect to hear those words from Zhao Baoshang. Jealousy only happens between very close friends.
Yan Zhen felt her heart swell with an overflowing emotion. She whispered back to Zhao Baoshang, “It’s okay. I used to get jealous a lot, too.”
Zhao Baoshang’s face warmed up, revealing a shallow, sweet smile. The little fan is definitely jealous for my sake. Her heart was expectant and pleasantly surprised. She frowned and asked, “What on earth were you jealous about?”
Yan Zhen shared her past with sincere emotion: “When I was little, during New Year, my Master would give me a chicken wing but give my junior sister the drumstick. I would be very sad and jealous.”
Zhao Baoshang’s smile vanished. She pinched Yan Zhen’s face. “Because of such a small thing?”
Yan Zhen quickly patted Zhao Baoshang’s hand to get her to let go, stammering a defense: “How is that a small thing? I… I never got to eat the drumstick before!”
Zhao Baoshang froze. Right, the little fan’s past life was so hard. She let go, suddenly thinking of that impoverished mountain gully. The fan had lived there for so long; her life was harder than she thought, even having to split chicken wings and drumsticks.
It was all her fault for not finding the little fan sooner and letting her live a good life. Zhao Baoshang suppressed her sadness and hugged Yan Zhen, wishing she could give her the best things in the world. “Don’t be afraid. Things like that will never happen again.” Afterward, she patted Yan Zhen’s back and promised, “When we get off the plane, I’ll buy you a drumstick to eat.”
The cameraman secretly filmed this scene but didn’t dare release it, only hiding it on his hard drive.
The rest of the flight passed peacefully. The various pairs of stars and fans sat in their seats doing their own things.
Lin Wu kept pestering Yu Lian with conversation. Lin Wu was a fan of Yu Lian and had gotten in through her “military brat” connections, likely thinking she could cling to Yu Lian’s coattails. However, after chatting for a bit, Yu Lian realized this person had ulterior motives and stopped talking much. Lin Wu eventually went quiet after being ignored.
Wang Huan was paired with a veteran actor, but she hadn’t really seen many of his movies. She had been slotted in to gain popularity for her new project. When the production team asked her, she had listed several top-tier actors. She didn’t expect to be paired with the one whose work she knew the least. Wang Huan didn’t dare say much throughout the journey. The veteran actor was friendly and asked her many questions, even discussing her performance in her last drama. Seeing that Wang Huan was uninterested, his expression soured, and he ended the conversation.
The plane landed in the highlands, and they took a van to their destination. The narrator began explaining the content of the show.
The mission for the first episode was mainly about “grabbing a house.” There were four pairs and four houses. Two were of normal quality. The remaining two were less than ideal. One was near a snow-capped mountain, where the temperature was inhumanly low. Another was by the moat; the moat was stinky, and the environment was terrible. Absolutely no one wanted to live in that one.
Zhao Baoshang took a liking to a small pink Western-style building. She said to Yan Zhen, “I want to live in there.” It was a local resident’s wedding house; the decor wasn’t extravagant but very cozy. The bed in the bedroom was two meters wide—plenty of room for two people to do anything. They would be staying here for two days. Zhao Baoshang felt this bed was the best choice.
Yan Zhen, however, felt the house by the moat had better Feng Shui and a superior terrain. But houses weren’t chosen freely; the way to get them was by winning a challenge and choosing based on the victory ranking.
Comments 0
You must be logged in to comment.
No comments yet. Be the first!