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By the time Song Zhi finished filming and returned to the car, Jiang Yan Zhou was nowhere to be seen.
She asked Xiao Xu: “Where’s that Buddha who was sitting here just now?”
Xiao Xu, after finishing the last sip of soup, managed to suppress a burp: “He stormed off in anger.”
“Stormed off in anger?”
Xiao Xu nodded: “Didn’t you film a kissing scene? That angle happened to be blocked, so he couldn’t see it was staged. All he saw was the two of you hugging, kissing passionately as if your lips would break.”
Thinking about his expression earlier, Xiao Xu still felt a bit scared.
His jealousy was not small.
Hearing that Jiang Yan Zhou had stormed off in anger, Song Zhi felt quite pleased inside.
After sitting down and wrapping herself in a blanket, her mood visibly improved, even her tone when speaking to He Hanyang became more affectionate: “Why did you eat so little? Aren’t you hungry?”
What He Hanyang saw earlier, Jiang Yan Zhou had also seen.
Fortunately, hearing Xiao Xu’s explanation, he knew it was just a camera trick.
He quietly said: “I ate before coming.”
Song Zhi nodded: “I haven’t thanked you yet.”
He lifted his gaze, seemingly puzzled.
Song Zhi said: “Thank you for the porridge.”
He paused for a moment, only saying: “It was close by.”
A two-hour round trip is considered close?
Song Zhi suddenly found this little brother unexpectedly cute. Although he appeared indifferent on the surface, inside he was just a twenty-year-old kid.
Most of her fans were nerdy guys with limited social circles.
In her eyes, He Hanyang belonged to this category. The reason why he spoke less was different from Jiang Yan Zhou.
The latter simply didn’t bother to speak, while the former didn’t know how to communicate with the outside world.
Professional esports players didn’t have much free time, especially those at the world champion level like him.
His practice hours were longer than others.
His rare leisure time was spent sleeping, and the people he interacted with most were his teammates.
Song Zhi suddenly got interested and wanted to tease him: “A few days ago, a dating reality show contacted me. I wonder if you’ve heard about this.”
He was drinking water and choked upon hearing Song Zhi’s words, turning away and coughing several times.
Song Zhi seemed quite satisfied with his reaction.
Unexpectedly, this hot-tempered little brother was quite innocent inside.
“I heard the production team also contacted you, and you agreed.”
He coughed even harder.
Having been around Jiang Yan Zhou for too long, Song Zhi almost forgot that not all men in this world were scumbags.
At least there were still some pure-hearted young wolves.
Eventually, He Hanyang was called back by his coach’s phone call.
Even without speakerphone, the angry yelling on the other side was clear enough for Song Zhi nearby to hear every word.
He specially skipped training to bring her porridge, and ended up being dismissed with a casual “It was close by.”
This comparison made Song Zhi feel increasingly resentful towards Jiang Yan Zhou.
But she vaguely felt that this scene was familiar, déjà vu.
Xiao Xu was busy tidying up the dishes and plates, not forgetting to flatter Song Zhi: “Sister Song Zhi has such charm.”
Though the flattery was cheap, Song Zhi quite liked it, resting her face on her hand: “Xiao Xu has really improved your taste lately.”
Xiao Xu immediately fawned over her: “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Song Zhi’s fever hadn’t subsided; she still felt weak and powerless.
Her whole body felt scorching hot.
Even talking was difficult.
She glanced at the thermometer beside her, painfully averting her gaze. Could it be that she really needed an injection?
She hated pain and most of all, needles, ever since she was a child.
Just getting a skin test required several people to comfort her one after another.
Song Luo, with his bad temper, gave up after comforting her twice.
Qin He would always cover her eyes for her. Pain often stemmed from fear; the more she looked, the more scared she became.
The hospital staff envied Song Zhi for having two brothers who doted on her.
Growing up amidst everyone’s envy, she heard it so often that she didn’t find it remarkable.
In her senior year, with heavy academic pressure, Song Luo and Qin He took leave to come out, making sure she got the needle properly before returning to school.
They came back to pick her up after she finished.
The LCD screen in the infusion room was playing a story about sheep and wolves. Song Zhi yawned watching it.
Boring and tedious.
If the infusion lasted too long, the mouth would turn bitter. Moreover, she came on an empty stomach, feeling both hungry and sleepy.
Outside, it was raining heavily. The night was dark, thunder roaring.
One downside of spring was the thunderstorms.
There weren’t many people in the infusion room, only a sleeping child and his mother accompanying him.
The nurse, fearing Song Zhi might get cold, thoughtfully gave her a hot water bag.
There were five bottles of medication—two large ones and three small ones.
It would take two hours to finish.
As she was being tortured by hunger and boredom, the glass door was pushed open from the outside. Jiang Yan Zhou walked in, carrying takeout boxes.
He must have used an umbrella, but the wind outside was too strong, and raindrops still landed on him.
His bangs were wet.
Song Zhi was startled, quite surprised: “How did you come?”
He walked over and placed what he carried on the table beside her: “I just finished eating, and brought some takeout along.”
Looking at the untouched feast inside, Song Zhi thought, “This is called bringing some takeout?”
It was as if he nearly brought the entire restaurant with him.
“Aren’t you supposed to attend class?”
“I skipped it.”
...
Song Zhi pursed her lips, leaning closer to him with an ambiguous smile: “Did you skip class specifically to see me?”
He glanced at her, indifferently saying: “No.”
Song Zhi: “?”
He said: “It was on the way.”
That statement made anyone want to swear.
Song Zhi was receiving the IV on her right hand, and her left hand couldn’t hold the chopsticks steadily.
After several unsuccessful attempts, she pouted, dropping the chopsticks and tugged at Jiang Yan Zhou’s sleeve, coquettishly calling: “Zhou Zhou~”
Jiang Yan Zhou, who “happened to pass by,” spent over half an hour just feeding her.
This little girl was extremely picky, refusing to touch carrots or greens.
Only after personally seeing Jiang Yan Zhou picking them all out did she agree to eat.
Occasionally, she worried about his studies: “How dare you skip classes in your senior year? Aren’t you afraid your top rank in the whole school will be taken by Brother Qin He?”
Without raising his head, he picked out the carrots for her: “Not afraid.”
Song Zhi seemed to detect a hint of disdain in his emotionless words.
Instantly transforming into a devoted fan girl: “Stop looking down on others just because you’re good at academics. Though Brother Qin He’s IQ isn’t as high as yours, he works very hard too.”
Facing her lengthy discourse, Jiang Yan Zhou slightly paused his actions.
He raised his eyebrows slightly, looking at her: “I don’t look down on him.”
“So why did you say something like ‘With his brain, he’ll never be able to snatch the top rank in the whole school even in his next life. How could I possibly be afraid of him’?”
Song Zhi, who arbitrarily expanded his simple “not afraid” into another meaning, stood with hands on hips, resembling a protective mother hen.
Jiang Yan Zhou was already accustomed to her erratic thinking.
But the “mother hen” soon teared up due to pain.
Her movements were too exaggerated, causing the needle to leak, forming a small bump on her fair hand.
When the nurse came to adjust the position for her, she vented her frustration at Jiang Yan Zhou: “How can you be such a boyfriend? Don’t you know your girlfriend’s needle leaked?”
Song Zhi was about to explain that he wasn’t her boyfriend.
But then she thought, Jiang Yan Zhou would explain himself. Why should it fall on her?
After a brief silence, Jiang Yan Zhou softly apologized: “I’ll watch her carefully.”
And indeed, he did watch her carefully.
Occasionally, he would ask: “Does it still hurt?”
Song Zhi’s attention remained on the word “boyfriend.”
Her heart inexplicably beat faster, and her ears turned red.
At the age of budding romance, it was easy to be disturbed by emotions.
The sudden influx of memories was interrupted by Xiao Xu’s voice: “Mr. Jiang?”
Song Zhi gradually snapped back to reality. Jiang Yan Zhou must have come over at some point; his face overlapped with the one in her memory.
The only thing unchanged was probably his increasingly calm and aloof demeanor compared to before.
She said: “Didn’t you storm off in anger?”
Jiang Yan Zhou glanced at Xiao Xu behind her, who guiltily lowered his head.
He bypassed the question, handing her the bowl in his hand: “If you don’t want an injection, drink this.”
The familiar scent of ginger tea.
“Did you make it?”
Regretting the impulsive question, Song Zhi felt stupid.
Such a dumb question would only make her seem equally foolish.
Taking someone for granted as a chef after they cooked a few meals for her.
The lofty eldest grandson of the Jiang family—just the number of chefs in his household was almost more than the staff around her.
However, this lofty eldest grandson of the Jiang family placed the bowl on the table beside her hand, lightly acknowledging: “I borrowed the crew’s kitchen.”
There was something waiting for him to handle back at the company. He left Xiao Xu a number: “If Song Zhi’s fever hasn’t subsided, give me a call.”
Xiao Xu nodded, holding the highly sought-after business card, instantly feeling his status elevated.
The business card of the president of Shenhuan—many big stars and directors couldn’t get it even if they begged for it.
Now it was in the hands of a small assistant, and it was given voluntarily by the other party.
The little assistant instantly swelled with pride.
Suddenly recalling a phrase: “When one person achieves enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven.”
He quickly spat: “What chickens and dogs.”
________________________________________
The two-day consideration period was over. Xia Wanyue, ostensibly asking Song Zhi’s opinion, had already negotiated terms with the production team.
Finally, they just needed Song Zhi to nod and sign the contract.
Adults always weighed pros and cons first. As a qualified adult, Song Zhi was no exception.
Signing this reality show was only beneficial for her with more pros than cons.
Compared to movies and TV dramas, variety shows had shorter filming cycles and were easier to gain fans.
The character positioning the company gave Song Zhi initially aimed for relatability, but with her ethereal beauty, even appearing at roadside stalls eating fried dough sticks and soy milk couldn’t make her relatable.
Xia Wanyue wanted her to perform well in this variety show, gain some fans, boost her popularity, and promote the movie later.
Developing both talent and popularity.
“The entertainment industry changes fast; popularity comes and goes. Don’t think you had high popularity recently. If you check your Weibo views now, they’re about to drop below 100,000. New dramas are strictly controlled now. Director Luo had people clear the set beforehand, and there are no paparazzi photos online. If you don’t have any other works appearing in the public eye before the movie release, who will remember you?”
“Moreover, no one can guarantee this drama will be a hit, not even Director Luo himself can confidently assure it. To be honest, the production team is interested in He Hanyang. If he didn’t agree, the production team wouldn’t approach you either. There are countless female artists in the industry with higher popularity and more fans than you.”
Song Zhi originally found her words somewhat reasonable but frowned uncomfortably at the latter part, officially reminding her: “This agent shouldn’t belittle our own prestige while boosting others’.”
Xia Wanyue compromised and nodded, trying to phrase her words more tactfully: “There are just a few hundred female artists with higher popularity and more fans than you.”
Song Zhi: “...”
Feeling not comforted at all: :)
After confirming Song Zhi’s attitude, Xia Wanyue said: “I’ll go to the production team this afternoon to sign the contract. Filming starts the day after tomorrow. Get prepared.”
“Prepare what?”
Xia Wanyue was speechless: “Of course, hide those expensive jewelry, clothes, and bags at home. The purpose of this variety show is to create a simple and pure little sister image for you. Control your princess-like temperament.”
“Oh.”
To air during summer vacation, the filming schedule for the variety show was tight.
She heard there were a few other imaginary couples, but during the reality show filming, they didn’t need to interact. They would only meet during the final event.
Xia Wanyue’s only concern rested entirely on Song Zhi.
This girl had too many unstable factors. She feared this reality show would magnify Song Zhi’s flaws infinitely.
Production teams naturally liked to create conflicts to boost ratings.
Among the selected artists this time, they were relatively average. The only discussion centered around Song Zhi.
Failed idol debut, buying awards, endless scandalous news, and landing the lead role in Director Luo’s film solely based on her looks.
Each single aspect was a hot topic.
Let alone Song Zhi herself, who embodied all these hot topics.
In the eyes of the production team, she was a walking promotional selling point.
Xia Wanyue naturally considered all this, but this kind of thing was mutually beneficial and symbiotic.
The production team utilized Song Zhi’s inherent topics, while Xia Wanyue utilized the platform provided by the production team.
Fair enough.
Song Zhi casually acknowledged, absentmindedly asking: “What’s the content of the show?”
“For a dating reality show, of course, it’s about dating. This time, the production team said you not only have to date in front of the camera but also have to ‘operate’ offline. Only then will the CP fans buy it.”
Song Zhi’s naive little brain didn’t catch on: “What does operating offline mean?”
“Of course, the things couples do privately.”
Thinking about what she and Jiang Yan Zhou did most privately, Song Zhi: “?”
Is this scale really broadcastable?
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