Chapter 39

Chapter 39

[Yes! I knew Wei Lan wouldn’t disappoint me.]

[This is how it should be. Everything before this was as dull as filling out a formulaic worksheet.]

Zhang Luwei did not hesitate over the question and answered just as quickly as before. “No.”

“Oh? Why? Do you think Lu Yao poses no threat to you?”

Zhang Luwei laughed softly. “Sister Wei Lan, does that count as your second question?”

Wei Lan had not expected her to be so bold and completely unafraid of the cameras. After a brief pause, she smiled and nodded. “All right. That counts as my second.”

Zhang Luwei said proudly, “Ever since I was young, I’ve always been the most outstanding person among my peers. I believe it will be the same in the entertainment industry.”

[What an arrogant statement.]

[I’d call it proud instead. I rather admire her. She says what she thinks, which is much more interesting than assembly-line modesty.]

Then it was Lu Yao and Zhu Yin’s turn.

Zhong Lingling remained the kindhearted elder sister, asking much the same questions as before.

“Why did you enter the entertainment industry?”

Lu Yao remembered her conversation with Zhu Yin that night.

A smile rippled through her dewy eyes. “Because I long to stand beneath the spotlight, watched by everyone, and shine.”

Song Shu joked, “You already shine brightly enough!”

Everyone laughed.

“Since your cousin even works as your assistant, I won’t ask what your family thinks.”

“My second question is for you, Zhu Yin,” Zhong Lingling said curiously. “You heard Lu Yao. It’s perfectly normal for a young woman to long to be the center of attention.”

“What about you? Why did you choose to become your younger cousin’s assistant? Don’t you want to be a great star?”

Zhu Yin answered solemnly, “Because this child is a little foolish. I can’t leave her unattended.”

[Pfft!]

[Unexpected, yet painfully honest.]

[Did anyone else see Lu Yao silently turn to look at her cousin when she called her foolish? She wanted to say something but didn’t argue. I’m dying.]

“As for becoming a great star…” Zhu Yin shook her head. “I’m not interested.”

“My turn!” Song Shu looked impatient to begin.

“Either one of you can answer my first question. Originally, you were older and younger cousins. Now, one is the employer and the other is the assistant. Has your relationship changed? When you make decisions, whom do you listen to?”

The question sounded ordinary, but on closer examination, there was plenty to explore.

Lu Yao answered without hesitation, “Zhu Yin.”

Hearing the sincerity in her voice, Song Shu raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Xie Fengyi had planned to ask any casual second question, but Xie Taotao, who sat beside the couple, suddenly raised her hand. “Can I ask one?”

Xie Fengyi immediately closed his mouth and looked at Lu Yao and Zhu Yin. “May Taotao ask?”

“Of course.”

Taotao’s eyes darted between their faces. “I can’t tell which one of you is prettier. Who do you think is prettier?”

Before Lu Yao could answer, Zhu Yin replied at once, “Yao.”

“Why?”

“Because beauty is subjective,” Zhu Yin said. “I think Yao is beautiful. As for me, outward appearance isn’t important.”

[Outward appearance isn’t important to me.]

[So pretentious and fake. I rather liked her before.]

[Uh, am I the only one who finds this a little strange? Lu Yao is supposed to be the guest this episode, but Zhu Yin keeps stealing the spotlight.]

No one noticed the slight movement between Zhu Yin’s brows as she became thoughtful.

Afterward, all the guests addressed their questions to Lu Yao. Zhu Yin did not speak again, and her presence immediately faded.

Then it was Wei Sheng’s group’s turn.

He instinctively looked at Lu Yao, only to force himself to stop just as the words were about to leave his mouth.

No. He had not wanted to ask Lu Yao at all.

After steadying himself, he turned to Zhu Yin. “Do you have a boyfriend?”

Zhu Yin: ?

This was clearly not in the script, because every guest present looked surprised.

The comments exploded outright.

[????????]

[Damn, damn, damn! What does this mean?]

[I’m wearing the exact same confused expression as the guests.]

[Does this mean what I think it means? Wei Sheng, do you truly not care if you break your fans’ hearts?]

Zhu Yin looked equally puzzled. She studied Wei Sheng’s expression carefully and confirmed that he was indeed looking at her.

She shook her head. “No.”

Wei Sheng’s eyes lit up. “Then what do you want in a partner?”

On camera, Zhu Yin’s expression visibly cooled. “You had one question. I’ve already answered it.”

She clearly did not wish to engage with him.

Realizing her attitude, the anticipation in Wei Sheng’s eyes vanished. He returned to his former aloof manner and sat alone in his chair, lost in thought.

[Help. My secondhand embarrassment is acting up.]

[What’s going on? Did Wei Sheng fall in love at first sight?]

[Is this really unscripted? It’s so awkward. They just met, and he asked whether she had a boyfriend on a livestream.]

[Why is Zhu Yin making such a sour face? Wei Sheng didn’t even say anything wrong. If someone showed interest in me, I’d be so happy I could fly.]

[I’m siding with the beautiful woman here. Fans, don’t apply a double standard. You’re free to embarrass me, and I’m free not to indulge you.]

.

“What was that supposed to mean from Wei Sheng?” Lu Yao asked as she walked beside Zhu Yin on their way to eat, her brows tightly furrowed.

She had originally thought well of all the guests. Wei Sheng’s inexplicable question instantly sent her opinion of him plummeting.

Did he not know he was a male celebrity with countless fans who fantasized about dating him?

But Zhu Yin cared about something else. She looked at Lu Yao with some delight. “You dislike him?”

Lu Yao did not know why she was pleased, but nodded honestly. “I don’t like him very much.”

“Excellent.” Zhu Yin sounded delighted. “He’s no good. Keep disliking him.”

This reality show had not originally been an important part of the plot. By a twist of fate, however, it had severed the heroine’s ill-fated connection with Scumbag Number Three. That was an unexpected bonus.

Barbara complained angrily beside her ear, “Host, I’m going to put a laxative in Wei Sheng’s cup!”

Other people might not know, but Barbara and its host knew perfectly well that Wei Sheng still had a girlfriend he had not entirely broken up with!

This popular young idol presented himself as unruly and unapproachable, but privately, he had a string of girlfriends and lovers, both inside and outside the industry. He even slept with fans. Yet his disguise was so effective that no one had discovered his true face.

In the original plot, he pursued Lu Yao for more than a year as an intense, devoted younger man.

By then, Lu Yao had successively seen the true faces of two beasts in gentleman’s clothing. When she suddenly encountered someone so passionate and seemingly devoted, she eventually fell for him.

Unfortunately, it was not long before Wei Sheng’s “official girlfriend” appeared and solemnly accused Lu Yao of being the other woman who intruded into their relationship. She produced a mountain of evidence.

At the time, both Lu Yao and Wei Sheng were at the height of their popularity. The revelation sent public opinion into an uproar.

To protect himself, Wei Sheng claimed that Lu Yao had seduced him. Countless people reviled her, and the career she had only just stabilized was destroyed overnight.

The scandal drove Lu Yao out of the public eye for years. Only much later, after Wei Sheng’s own misconduct came to light, was the old incident revisited and her name cleared.

For some unknown reason, however, his target now seemed to have become Zhu Yin.

Zhu Yin found that revolting and heartily agreed. “Do it, do it! I’ll add something extra for you!”