Chapter 42
Chapter 42
Under everyone’s stare, Zhu Yin looked as if she had no idea what they meant. “I slept quite well last night too.”
Who wanted to hear about that?
Suppressing her excitement, Zhong Lingling asked tentatively, “Miss Zhu Yin, that soup you made yesterday…” The day before, she had addressed Zhu Yin directly by name.
Zhu Yin did not follow her lead. Instead, she grinned and asked, “It tasted good, didn’t it? I told you I had a gift for cooking!”
Song Shu immediately chimed in. “It was delicious! I loved it!”
Hope filled her face. “Zhu Yin, will you make it for us again over the next few days?”
Zhu Yin shook her head. “Doing it once in a while is interesting. Brewing soup every day isn’t fun.”
Zhang Luwei had only taken one sip the previous day. She was also the only person who had not woken late that morning. She had risen early, carefully dressed, and gone downstairs only to find an empty hall.
She remained baffled. “What’s going on? Was yesterday’s soup really that delicious?”
She hesitantly recalled the flavor. “It was… all right, I suppose?”
[We have an honest person here.]
[Wait, is the production deliberately creating an effect, or is this real? Was that soup really some kind of health tonic? Could it truly be that effective?]
Zhong Lingling smiled at her with maternal warmth. “Young people like you may not enjoy the flavor, but for an elderly person like me, it was perfect.”
Song Shu immediately added, “This middle-aged person needs it too!”
Xu Xinchen’s mother, Xu Jia, who was usually quiet and had little presence, spoke up for once. “My Xinchen liked it too.”
Xu Xinchen was a child who still had to complete summer homework while appearing on the show. The previous night, she had been exceptionally focused and efficient while studying. Xu Jia had not initially connected it to the soup, but now, what else was there to misunderstand?
What parent could resist such temptation?
Faced with everyone’s pleading gazes, Zhu Yin remained heartless. For the next few days, she and Lu Yao switched duties. Lu Yao cooked while she did other things.
The production suppressed the related trending topics. The viewers remained curious for two days, but when no one mentioned the matter again, they gradually lost interest.
But those who had personally experienced the benefits would never forget. Certain things were simply left, by unspoken agreement, within their respective private circles.
“Your judgment really is excellent.” Wei Lan smiled sidelong at her younger brother. “If you can win this woman over, I won’t say everything will go smoothly for you in the industry, but at least no one should dare block your path.”
Wei Sheng’s eyes were filled with determination to possess her. At first, he had only been drawn to Zhu Yin’s face and felt certain the two cousins would generate attention wherever they went.
He had never expected Zhu Yin to bring him such an enormous surprise.
In another room, Zhu Yin and Lu Yao were talking too.
They stood shoulder to shoulder, gazing at the vast sky.
“Now everyone knows I’m an exceptional master potion maker!”
Zhu Yin turned toward the young woman beside her. “And you, as my younger cousin, are their only way to reach me.”
She snorted. “Zheng Yushu, Ji Lingze–none of them can control you anymore.”
It was the first time she had spoken so plainly.
But Lu Yao had no attention to spare for them. Panic seized her. “Zhu Yin, a-are you leaving me?”
Zhu Yin: ?
She froze and looked into Lu Yao’s tearful face.
Realizing what Lu Yao had misunderstood, she laughed. “How could I? I haven’t watched you achieve fame and become the greatest actress yet.”
Hearing that Zhu Yin would not leave, Lu Yao sighed in relief, then blushed at Zhu Yin’s praise.
“The greatest actress?” Her eyes shone. “Do you think I can?”
“Of course.” Zhu Yin looked at her encouragingly. “You’re the person capable of summoning me from the stars.”
Zhu Yin decided to speak even more plainly. “You’re beautiful and talented, and you draw people to you. Many people in this industry will covet you. Mm, Zheng Yushu can be trusted now, but Zheng Yushu alone may not be enough to protect you.”
Once Zheng Yushu was dealt with, there was still Ji Lingze, and then Wei Sheng. Even if they all disappeared, who knew whether the plot would develop Scumbags Four, Five, and Six on its own?
After all, the world held so many perverts.
“As for me, I don’t want to follow you every second to guard you. I might as well do something big.”
Fragile human bodies always suffered one problem or another. Even when they did not, natural aging was something many people feared.
Even the tiniest display of Zhu Yin’s abilities was enough to make those people rush toward her one after another.
The more powerful Lu Yao’s backers were, the fewer people would dare harbor designs on her.
Events unfolded exactly as Zhu Yin predicted.
Take Wei Sheng. For some reason, he had switched his target from Lu Yao to Zhu Yin this time, but that did not matter.
He repeatedly tried to move closer to Zhu Yin in front of the cameras as though unable to help himself, hoping to generate romantic-pairing hype with her.
But after Zhong Lingling and the others, who had been indifferent on the first day, saw Zhu Yin clearly express her lack of interest in Wei Sheng, they began interrupting whenever he said or did anything inappropriate. Zhu Yin did not even need to ask for help.
Even when the production arranged activities, the staff unobtrusively kept the two apart.
Topics pairing the two romantically were suppressed so thoroughly that Wei Sheng could not push them up the rankings even by paying.
Zhu Yin did not need to act. They naturally handled those small inconveniences for her.
Lu Yao saw everything, and the flame of ambition gradually kindled in the young woman’s eyes.
The temporary guests’ week of filming soon ended.
The regular guests were reluctant to see them go.
They behaved this way whenever temporary guests left, but only they knew that their reluctance was sincere this time.
How they longed to drink one more bowl of Zhu Yin’s medicinal soup, Zhong Lingling, Song Shu, Xu Jia, and the others thought.
That evening, Wei Sheng apparently ate something bad. He suffered gastrointestinal distress, medicine had no effect, and he required emergency medical treatment.
No one thought to connect it with the guests who had already left.
Two days later, Wei Sheng returned to continue filming. During an evening game, he accidentally exposed his WeChat chat history.
The profile picture belonged to an unfamiliar young woman. Part of their conversation read:
[Baby, I only approached Zhu Yin for the show. She’s popular right now.]
[You’re the only one I love.]
[I loved the maid outfit last night. I got too excited and forgot protection, so remember to take the pill.]
[Same place Friday night. Wait for me. Be a little naughty.]
…
Some phrases were so obscene that they were censored when the messages spread online.
This time, Weibo truly exploded.
The production of I’m No Superstar suspended its broadcast overnight and replaced the guest.
Netizens carefully reconstructed the timeline from the messages and discovered that the night of the maid outfit was the final night Wei Sheng had spent in the hospital for his stomach trouble.
Even that had not stopped him from keeping his date.
Exclamations and abuse continued for several days.
In the end, the discussion inexplicably returned to I’m No Superstar.
[Remember how Wei Sheng showed interest in Zhu Yin on the first day the temporary guests arrived?]
[Zhu Yin disliked him at first sight. Every time Wei Sheng approached her, she looked disgusted. I criticized her for being rude at the time, but looking back, I was the blind one.]
[Was she born with a talent for identifying scumbags?]