Although Qi Xiao was eager to ask Zhou Chongyu for clarification, they were immediately whisked away to separate makeup stations upon arrival, leaving no opportunity to talk. Regardless, the show was set to film for a long time, so Qi
Xiao reasoned that asking a bit later wouldn’t make much difference.
Qi Xiao’s manager and assistant were already waiting in the dressing room. Upon seeing him enter, both wore hesitant, loaded expressions; assistant Xiao Jin’s eyes even brimmed with a touch of worry. Baffled by their reaction, Qi Xiao blinked and asked, “What’s wrong?”
In the end, Su Mei spoke up first, choosing her words with extreme care: “You and Lu Xingliang, are you two getting along okay?”
So that’s what this is about! Qi Xiao understood now. Everyone was probably worried he was being picked on by his senior. He assured her, “Senior is pretty nice, actually. He hasn’t made things hard for me at all.”
Hearing this, Su Mei let out a small sigh of relief.
Su Mei had only found out after the fact that the agency had bought the trending topic on their own initiative. She hadn’t expected the company to actually target Lu Xingliang just to chase clout.
Naturally, being associated with a Film Emperor was a huge boost, but everyone in the industry knew Lu Xingliang had always despised being tied to clout-chasing stunts.
With a famous director for a father, Lu Xingliang had been in the spotlight since his debut. Right from the start, numerous starlets had entertained thoughts of cozying up to him. One actress he had collaborated with seized an opportunity when they were photographed alone together, buying paid armies and releasing press releases to heavily hype a fake romance. This left Lu Xingliang tied to her name for over half a year. It was only when that actress got involved in a scandal and was shelved that the rumors between them finally died down.
Ever since then, Lu Xingliang had been exceptionally vigilant on this front. Over the years, he had been virtually free of scandal. Whenever misunderstandings arose, his studio would issue an immediate clarification. A situation like today’s certainly wasn’t worth his team issuing an official statement, but the moment Qi Xiao’s name was tied to Lu Xingliang’s on the trending topics, it meant offending him.
If the two had no intersection, it would be one thing. But now they were on the exact same show, seeing each other day in and day out—and Lu Xingliang wasn’t necessarily known for being particularly broad-minded.
As it turned out, Su Mei’s concerns were entirely justified. She just hadn’t anticipated that Qi Xiao and Lu Xingliang had been on completely different wavelengths from the very start, leaving Qi Xiao entirely oblivious to any hostile undertones.
Qi Xiao sat before the mirror as the makeup artist prepared to remove his current makeup. He reached for his phone to kill some time, but Su Mei quickly chimed in to stop him: “Um, Xiao-Xiao, how did filming go for you today?”
At her question, Qi Xiao put his phone down and thought for a moment before saying, “Pretty smoothly, I think. Everyone’s really nice.”
“Though being the Liar is so hard.” He puffed out his cheeks slightly in complaint. “The production team handed me a mission card right out of the gate.”
Despite having studied diligently for a long time, practical application was indeed a whole different ballgame. Qi Xiao was truly learning the lesson of how theory falls short in practice. He had even prepped so many flirtatious lines, yet hadn’t been able to use a single one.
Su Mei patted his head affectionately, offering comforting words: “Just treat it as a vacation and have fun. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself.”
Qi Xiao gave a soft “Mm,” though inwardly he disagreed. How could I just brush it off?
Even if he failed his mission, the production team would only issue a minor penalty. But at the end of the season, there would be a special “Liar Segment”—recounting the entire show from the Liar’s perspective! While others would be sharing their smooth moves and clever flirts, he would be sitting there having failed even his very first mission. That would be way too embarrassing!
I need to find another way to act cute to Lu Xingliang, Qi Xiao thought to himself.
Meanwhile.
While getting his hair styled, Lu Xingliang opened Weibo.
The trending topic concerning him and Qi Xiao from this morning had long since been taken down, but he clicked into the search bar and typed in both of their names anyway.
Shortly after, he found the post from the marketing account claiming Qi Xiao was a fan.
As it turned out, the so-called “evidence” was merely an interview from when Qi Xiao had just debuted. Lu Xingliang asked his assistant for Bluetooth earphones, then clicked on the video.
Evidently because it was recorded shortly after his debut, Qi Xiao looked noticeably nervous during the interview.
“Why did you decide to become an actor?”
“It was probably during my middle school years. One summer break, I happened to see a senior’s work on TV. There was an emotional breakdown scene played so brilliantly that I was instantly blown away by his acting. From that moment on, I became interested in the acting industry.”
“Oh? Would it be convenient to reveal that senior’s name?”
In the video, Qi Xiao offered a slightly embarrassed smile: “If I mention his name here, it might cause trouble for him, so I won’t say it.”
In truth, the contents of Qi Xiao’s interview didn’t point clearly to anyone in particular. If one were to reach, plenty of people in the entertainment industry fit that description. The marketing account’s claims held no water at all, making it all the more obvious that this morning’s trending topic was a deliberate publicity stunt.
Lu Xingliang let out a subtle scoff and casually tossed his phone to his assistant beside him.
Yet, for some reason, the scene of Qi Xiao speaking to him in that soft voice earlier kept floating into his mind.
Lu Xingliang didn’t consider himself a narcissistic person, but the tone the other man used back then didn’t sound like the attitude one should have toward someone they were meeting for the first time.
Especially that form of address.
He turned around and asked his assistant, “What does it mean when someone calls you Brother?”
Caught off guard by such a sudden question, the assistant was completely bewildered. Thinking it over, he replied, “Isn’t that a title fans use for their idols? It’s really trendy in fan culture nowadays. It doesn’t mean anything special—just a cozy, affectionate term.”
After a moment of silence, Lu Xingliang suddenly spoke up: “Give me the phone.”
The assistant hurriedly handed it back to him.
Taking the phone, Lu Xingliang lowered his eyes and hit the play button once more.
With makeup and styling complete, the guests gathered in the studio one after another for the shoot. After taking individual portraits for everyone, they shot several group photos of all eight guests together. Just then, the director beside them suddenly announced, “We have another segment coming up next.”
Everyone was taken aback. They had thought this was just a standard photo shoot and hadn’t expected an extra activity.
The director read out the rules: “We have four different colors of drawing lots here. Shortly, everyone will draw one. Guests who pull the same color will complete a couple-themed magazine cover challenge together.”
“We actually have to shoot couple covers?” Shen Ye exaggeratedly marveled. “What do I do? I’m suddenly a bit nervous.”
Lin Zhiyao chimed in, “The randomness of drawing lots is wild. The production crew really knows how to stir things up.”
With that, she shot a quick look at Liang Yi beside her, asking, “Is there a guest you want to shoot with?”
Being asked so directly, Liang Yi’s face flushed bright red as she stammered, “N-No. I’ll just see who I end up drawing.”
This segment hadn’t featured in the previous season, taking Qi Xiao slightly by surprise as well. However, he had always been fond of random activities, so he stepped up to draw first: “I got red!”
The rest of the guests followed suit, drawing their lots one after another. The eight of them checked each other’s colors and established their respective shooting partners for the segment.
Liang Yi and Lin Zhiyao were paired together; Shen Ye was grouped with Song Mei, a model who had barely spoken during the show; Qi Xiao was paired with Jiang Fei; and Lu Xingliang was grouped with Zhou Chongyu.
Seeing the results of the draw, everyone held their own thoughts.
Shen Ye looked quite pleased; Song Mei maintained her cool, unreadable face; Lin Zhiyao grinned at a blushing Liang Yi; and Qi Xiao instinctively turned to look at his partner, Jiang Fei. When she offered him a warm smile, he beamed back.
As for Lu Xingliang’s side, he and Zhou Chongyu were already standing the farthest apart. Upon seeing the draw results, neither showed much reaction, looking entirely indifferent to the upcoming shoot. The atmosphere between them inevitably turned somewhat stiff.
Fearing Zhou Chongyu might feel awkward, Qi Xiao couldn’t help casting a glance over. As if sensing his gaze, Zhou Chongyu offered him a gentle smile, as though trying to put Qi Xiao’s mind at ease.
The so-called couple cover naturally required more than just standing beside each other. The production team asked the guests to randomly draw photo templates from a pre-prepared tablet, and the pairs were expected to recreate the poses shown on the screen.
Shen Ye’s group drew first—a template where the male partner wrapped his arms around the female partner from behind. For two people who had just met, this was already considered quite intimate physical contact. Yet Song Mei showed no reaction, her expression looking more like she was carrying out a serious work assignment. Qi Xiao couldn’t help marveling internally—as expected of a professional model.
Meanwhile, Lin Zhiyao and Liang Yi’s pose was much simpler: one person reaching out to gently tilt the other’s chin. Though it carried a hint of intimacy, it was perfectly acceptable between two girls. During the shoot, Lin Zhiyao executed the gesture with natural ease, in stark contrast to Liang Yi, who looked utterly flustered.
Both groups wrapped up their shoots smoothly, and soon it was Qi Xiao’s group’s turn.
In truth, Qi Xiao was also slightly nervous. After all, he wasn’t particularly familiar with Jiang Fei, and pulling an overly intimate pose would inevitably feel a bit awkward.
When he looked at the template they drew—a shot of two people facing each other and sharing a warm, smiling gaze—Qi Xiao breathed an instant sigh of relief. Thank goodness.
When they first started posing, the atmosphere was a little quiet. Qi Xiao racked his brain, realizing he didn’t have many topics to chat with Jiang Fei about. Remembering the conversation between her and Lu Xingliang he overheard at lunch, he asked, “Sister Jiang, were you and Senior college classmates?”
Jiang Fei smiled, “Yes, we both graduated from the Shanghai Theatre Academy.”
So both of them were professionally trained actors! No wonder Lu Xingliang’s acting was so good. Qi Xiao asked curiously, “What was Senior like back in college?” Was he as intimidating as he is now?
“He debuted very early, so he was already somewhat famous when he entered the academy.” As if recalling something, a touch of gentle warmth flickered in Jiang Fei’s eyes. “I remember when school just started, Lu Xingliang helped pick up textbooks for the girls in our class and carried them to the bottom of our dormitory building. He only stood there for a few minutes, but in the blink of an eye, the girls from the entire building came downstairs just to catch a glimpse of him.”
“Wow,” Qi Xiao gasped, his eyes widening in surprise. “Then there must have been so many girls who had a crush on Senior, right?”
Jiang Fei nodded. “Oh, definitely. But he was super busy filming back then, so he didn’t really have time for romance.”
After chatting a bit more about Lu Xingliang’s college days, their photo shoot came to an end. Qi Xiao felt a sudden wave of embarrassment—he had initially intended to get to know Jiang Fei better, yet somehow the entire conversation had drifted onto Lu Xingliang.
Jiang Fei, however, gave him a knowing look. “You really like him, don’t you?”
“Huh?” Qi Xiao blinked, thoroughly confused. “I don’t.”
Taking his reaction as sheer embarrassment, Jiang Fei chuckled and gently patted his head. “Alright, I’ll stop teasing you.”
Qi Xiao was left with a head full of question marks.
Finally, it was Lu Xingliang’s group’s turn. The director called them over to draw a photo template, but Lu Xingliang remained standing where he was without moving. In the end, it was Zhou Chongyu who stepped forward to take the tablet.
He tapped the button, and a series of photos began cycling rapidly across the screen. Driven by curiosity, Qi Xiao couldn’t help but shuffle over to sneak a peek.
A few seconds later, the screen froze on a single image.
“Whoa!” Qi Xiao couldn’t help letting out a gasp of wonder.