Something’s off.
Something’s really off.
The fans in the livestream also sensed something unusual.
【? Why does Brother Xi keep mentioning Jiang Ning? Are they close?】
【Even if they’re close, there should still be boundaries between men and women!】
It does seem a bit strange. The fans recalled the game just now and realized Brother Xi kept trying to get close to Jiang Ning.
The fans: ??
They had been happily waiting for Xi Yue’s punishment.
But who would have thought Xi Yue would actually go to Jiang Ning.
Even though Jiang Ning’s performance and personality so far had been good, it still stirred dissatisfaction and jealousy among Xi Yue’s fans.
In the livestream, Jiang Ning was also in agony: “Why don’t you ask one of the male guests?”
Xi Yue said matter-of-factly: “I’m not gay. Those fans are obsessed with BL. If I hug a guy today, tomorrow they’ll have a whole series of fanfics and fanart ready for me.”
The previously angry fans instantly fell silent: 【……】
The fans felt guilty.
Even though…
They actually had planned to do exactly that.
Jiang Ning looked at Xi Yue and saw that he really had no intention of asking anyone else. With so many people watching in the livestream…
Jiang Ning sighed and reached out to Xi Yue.
“Come on.”
Xi Yue was satisfied and spread his arms, ready to hug Jiang Ning.
Then.
Jiang Ning took his outstretched hands and shook them politely.
Immediately after, she wrapped an arm around Xi Yue’s shoulder and patted him like a good buddy.
After helping him complete the punishment, Jiang Ning quickly let go.
“Done.”
Xi Yue: “?”
The fans in the comments who had been full of jealousy: 【?】
The bystanders were almost dying of laughter.
【Full of revolutionary camaraderie, so touching.】
【Seriously, haven’t you fans noticed that the girl is actually a bit annoyed with your Brother Xi?】
The fans: 【……】
They noticed, but they wouldn’t admit it.
…
Next, it was Jiang Ning’s turn for Truth or Dare.
This time, a normal viewer came forward and didn’t make things difficult for Jiang Ning, only asking: “Why didn’t you continue acting back then?”
Jiang Ning: “My family arranged for me to study abroad.”
The viewer: “No wonder! Will you act again in the future? I’ve watched all the dramas you were in. Many of them have become classics now, and a lot of fans still love you.”
Jiang Ning: “Thank you for your support. If a director approaches me, I’ll act.”
The viewer: “So you joined this variety show because no director approached you?”
Jiang Ning: “Yes, and the director even advanced me some living expenses. May good people live long and healthy lives.”
The viewer was having too much fun asking questions, and the director quickly cut in.
“Alright, alright, that’s enough questions.”
The viewers who had been happily listening to their back-and-forth: 【?】
【Director, I advise you not to be ungrateful.】
…
The variety show livestreamed for just five hours but immediately dominated the trending charts, with iconic moments and quotable lines popping up one after another.
#Jiang Ning, Looks.#
#Jiang Ning and Xi Yue, the Comedic Duo.#
#Jiang Ning and Xi Yue, Revolutionary Camaraderie.#
Jiang Ning’s performance made most of Xi Yue’s fans change their opinion of her, no longer holding much hostility toward her.
They hadn’t understood why Star Glory would sign Jiang Ning, a newcomer just about to make a comeback.
Now they understood.
What a treasure of a girl—so much fun.
After watching the entire livestream and seeing the interactions between Jiang Ning and Xi Yue, I laughed so hard I got crow’s feet.
【Missed the livestream, watched the replay late at night and laughed until the rooster crowed. Elementary school students within a ten-kilometer radius thought it was dawn and rushed to school with their backpacks.】
【All the sour grapes who said that once Sister made a comeback, she’d definitely get top-tier resources, step forward now. This variety show was something Sister recommended herself, okay? Xingyao never gave her any resources. With Sister’s looks, once she was exposed, plenty of directors would be begging to work with her.】
【In an unnoticed corner, Wei Lan posted three Weibo posts condemning the director’s terrible game setup, hahahaha.】
【Sister, open a Weibo account!!! I’ve waited until the flowers withered!】
However, Xi Yue’s fans were more focused on the question asked by a fan during the Truth or Dare segment.
So, why wouldn’t Xi Yue answer such a simple question, choosing instead to accept the dare punishment?
The fans were utterly perplexed.
One particularly logical fan sister shared her thoughts in the fan community:
【Let me make a reasonable guess. The reason Brother Xi didn’t want to answer might be because the truth can’t be spoken. Since it can’t be spoken, he could have just made something up, and no one would have known, right?】
【But Brother Xi still chose not to answer. There’s only one possibility.】
【That is, he had to tell the truth.】
【Because Brother Xi knew that if he lied in front of the camera, it would definitely be exposed later, or he’d end up contradicting himself!】
After carefully reading this, Xi Yue’s fans had a sudden realization.
【! That makes so much sense, sister! I crown you the modern-day Sherlock Holmes!】
【So, sister, can you continue to deduce what the truth actually is?】
The Sherlock Holmes sister decisively replied: 【Can’t deduce it.】
All the Xi fans: 【…】
Might as well not have deduced anything at all.
After understanding the reason, they became even more unbearably curious.
…
Today’s ice-breaking game ended, and as soon as the livestream finished, on the way back to the villa in the car, Jiang Ning prepared to confront Xi Yue about what he was trying to do.
They had agreed to keep their distance in the show, so what kind of trouble was he trying to stir up now?
Fuming, she opened WeChat, only to see a notification pop up immediately.
【The recipient did not claim the transfer. It has expired, and the funds will be refunded within 24 hours.】
Jiang Ning was stunned.
Xi Yue hadn’t accepted the 50,000 yuan at all.
It was only then that she realized Xi Yue’s intention—he simply wanted to add her as a friend.
Jiang Ning fell silent for a long while before directly transferring the 50,000 yuan to Xi Yue’s bank card.
She knew Xi Yue didn’t need the 50,000, but this act of settling things made Jiang Ning feel a bit more at ease.
Jiang Ning had originally planned to send a voice message to scold Xi Yue, but in the end, she only calmly asked him one question.
【We agreed to keep our distance in the show. Were your words just hot air? Gone as soon as they were spoken?】
Xi Yue: 【The director set up a zero-distance game. What does that have to do with me? It’s not like I initiated it.】
Jiang Ning: 【Then you’d better remember what you said.】
Finally, it was Xi Yue’s turn to play dead, not replying to the message.
Jiang Ning had a headache.
…
Xi Yue, who had already taken leave and left the livestream, expressionlessly placed his phone face down on the table.
Qin Huai’an, sitting across from him, casually asked, “Who was that?”
“My ancestor.”
Qin Huai’an knew who it was.
Glancing at Xi Yue’s expression, he asked, “No hope of getting back together?”
Qin Huai’an’s words seemed to have stepped right on Xi Yue’s tail, making him bristle instantly. He snapped fiercely, “None of your damn business. Get to the point if you have something to say.”
Qin Huai’an coughed lightly before continuing, “Well, it’s your ancestor’s blind date, indeed a blind date. Her father introduced him to her at the homecoming banquet—the only son of the Zhou family. His family background is quite good, and he’s a director. You haven’t been in the country these past few years, but he’s been thriving, winning quite a few awards. That’s why you don’t recognize him but find him familiar. He’s a perfect…”
Xi Yue’s expression grew increasingly sour.
Qin Huai’an silently swallowed the second half of his sentence: “blind date.”
March wasn’t particularly hot to begin with, but the atmosphere around them suddenly dropped to freezing point.
Qin Huai’an rubbed the goosebumps on his arms and forced an awkward laugh, trying to lighten the mood.
“Haha… your, uh, ex-girlfriend is quite popular.”
Clearly, the attempt to lighten the mood failed.
Xi Yue’s icy glare swept over him, almost slicing him into pieces.
Qin Huai’an could only change the subject. “If you liked her so much, why did you agree to break up so easily back then?”
Xi Yue fell silent, downing a large glass of alcohol.
The burning liquor scorched his throat, masking the strange feeling in his heart. Only then did he speak in a hoarse voice.
“I didn’t want to break up with her back then. I felt she was acting very strangely during that time. I was afraid she might have encountered something unbearable and impulsively proposed breaking up. I just wanted to give her some time to calm down.”
Qin Huai’an had accompanied his good friend Xi Yue to study in Hong Kong back then, so he naturally knew what happened afterward.
Xi Yue didn’t wait for Jiang Ning to calm down; instead, he received the news that she had left the country without hesitation.
At that time, Xi Yue truly felt Jiang Ning had abandoned him. Not only did she not enroll in the university they had chosen together, but she also returned directly to Beijing.
During that period, even Qin Huai’an, who was closest to him, dared not provoke Xi Yue.
It took a long time for Xi Yue to calm down and begin investigating Jiang Ning.
Only then did he discover she had depression.