After ten hours on the plane, Li Jiao stepped off the aircraft with her entire body aching from the turbulence.
She truly hadn’t expected modern transportation to be so inhuman.
It wasn’t that she was timid—anyone’s heart would leap into their throat when experiencing turbulence thousands of meters above the ground.
Li Jiao rubbed her lower back; what she really needed now was to return to the hotel and lie down for a good night’s rest.
But…
“Wow, we finally get to meet everyone!”
The three other guests departing from City B had arrived at the airport in Country F just ahead of Li Jiao and her group.
The one who had just spoken was another popular actress, Tina, who belonged to an ethnic minority and had gained some fame through a historical romance drama last year.
Yawning, Li Jiao noticed the cameras already set up ahead and had no choice but to suppress her exhaustion and put on a sociable front.
“Xiao Jiao, are you tired? I have some coffee here—would you like some?” Zhou Wenyuan had always maintained the persona of a gentle, considerate older-brother figure.
“No, thank you,” Li Jiao declined with a shake of her head.
It was almost 10 p.m.; if she drank coffee now, she wouldn’t be able to sleep.
Noticing Zhou Wenyuan’s gesture, Lu Chexi quickly moved closer, not wanting to be outdone. Softly, he said, “Jiaojiao, just hang in there a little longer. We’ll be able to rest at the hotel soon.”
Aside from seeking more exposure, his main goal in joining this variety show was to build a CP (celebrity pairing).
Three years into his career, he had peaked early and remained stagnant ever since. If he didn’t break through soon, obscurity would be just around the corner.
Lu Chexi planned to replicate others’ success stories by testing whether stirring up CP rumors on a variety show could revive his career.
After observing the four female guests, however, he ruled out dancer Zhang Xuan—too hard to coordinate with; Tina was more popular than him and might backfire, attracting backlash; and internet celebrity Chen Lingxuan wasn’t on his level.
That left only Li Jiao, who had experienced Black Fame.
Her poor public image made her the perfect candidate—easy to use for CP hype and then quietly distance from afterward.
Li Jiao glanced up at Lu Chexi’s bangs, slicked with enough hair wax to reflect light, and caught a whiff of his overpowering cologne. Nauseated, she subtly shifted away.
Who’s “we” with you?
Seeing the undisguised disdain on Li Jiao’s face, Lu Chexi’s perfectly practiced smile stiffened.
Jing Shaoyin, a traditional opera actor dressed in a long gown who had been quietly observing with a smile, shook his head slightly at the scene.
The entertainment industry was truly a den of intrigue—more exaggerated than some of the dramas he performed in.
He had accepted the show’s invitation with the genuine intention of promoting Chinese opera, never expecting such a “surprise” on his very first day in mainland entertainment.
What Li Jiao hadn’t anticipated was that after all the socializing, there would still be a roommate selection segment upon checking into the hotel.
Had she invested so much funding into this, only for them not to afford seven separate rooms?
The other six participants, however, seemed completely accustomed to it, listening attentively as the production team explained the roommate selection rules.
After all, having a single room on a variety show was practically illegal.
The director rambled on and on. Bored, Li Jiao idly picked at her ear before randomly drawing a slip of paper handed to her by a staff member.
Yes, the room assignment rule was simply drawing lots.
Li Jiao unfolded hers: Number 1.
“Who’s number one?” a voice came from her right.
Turning, she saw that the energetic ethnic minority woman was about to become her roommate.
“I am,” Li Jiao said, holding up her slip toward the camera.
Tina beamed brightly as she trotted over to stand beside her. “Great! I get to share a room with Sister Jiaojiao!”
She affectionately linked arms with Li Jiao, then shot a challenging glance at Lu Chexi.
They were all seasoned players in this game—did he really think she hadn’t noticed his earlier attempt to stir up a CP buzz with Li Jiao?
Lu Chexi caught her look and immediately bristled with irritation.
Fine, he got it now. So Tina was trying to manufacture a yuri storyline with Li Jiao!
Li Jiao remained oblivious to the underlying tensions swirling around her, focused solely on extracting her arm from Tina’s grasp.
She truly couldn’t understand it—why did everyone feel the need to constantly grab and cling to others? They were all women, couldn’t they maintain some personal space?
Wasn’t all this hugging and clinging just nauseating?!
The final room assignments from the draw ended up with Zhang Xuan and Chen Lingxuan together, Lu Chexi paired with Zhou Wenyuan, while Jing Shaoyin drew the lucky straw and got a room to himself.
Finally, at two in the morning, Li Jiao could retreat to her room to rest.
She buried herself in the bed and, for the first time in what felt like ages, opened her phone to see a message from Song Li Sheng sent two hours earlier.
“Did you arrive safely?”
“Yeah, just finished today’s filming. So tired and sleepy,” she replied, adding a yawning emoji.
Glancing over at Tina, who was swinging her legs while doing her pre-sleep skincare routine, Li Jiao couldn’t help but feel a surge of admiration.
Right now, she didn’t want to do anything except sleep.
Just as she pulled the covers over her head, her phone lit up again.
Surprisingly, Song Li Sheng had replied: “[Hug][Hug] Then get some rest quickly. Good night.”
Noticing the time displayed on her screen, Li Jiao frowned slightly.
Why was Song Li Sheng still up so late? He never listened.
Thinking this, she typed back: “You should go to sleep too! Good night!”
But she didn’t have the energy right now to scold her disobedient little husband—that would have to wait until she got back home to properly discipline him.