Lu Ren only realized the live stream had already started after he sat down on the sofa.
No wonder that cameraman had shoved the lens so close earlier; it was practically in his face.
…Wait a minute. If this was a live stream, did that mean the entire internet just heard Yin Beilin’s nonsense about changing clothes…?
Lu Ren’s face, which had just started to cool down, threatened to turn from red to green. Just then, he heard a sigh from the person beside him.
“It seems I still need to lose some weight.”
At Luo Jiuge’s words, everyone sitting on the sofa turned to look at her.
Lu Ren, sitting right next to her, was also surprised.
…Lose what? Did she mean lose weight?
But Luo Jiuge wasn’t fat at all.
She still wanted to lose more?
Lu Ren couldn’t help but think to himself: If I were Luo Jiuge, I’d probably be thinking I could eat a few more meals and gain a few pounds. I never expected she’d still be trying to lose weight.
“…Female celebrities are way too strict about their figure management.”
Over there, Rao Mengmeng also covered her mouth, her expression full of surprise. “Teacher Luo, where do you need to lose weight? Your figure is already great.”
Lu Ren nodded solemnly beside her. “Yeah, Teacher Luo isn’t heavy at all. Health is what matters most.”
As soon as he said this, Luo Jiuge gave him a hauntingly calm look. “Xiao Lu really has a kind heart.”
Lu Ren looked back at her blankly. “Huh?”
Playing dumb with me? Luo Jiuge sneered inwardly at Lu Ren’s foolish expression.
On the surface, however, she wore an apologetic expression. “If I hadn’t stepped on you, you wouldn’t have sprained your ankle.”
After Luo Jiuge finished speaking, the few people present all paused.
The bullet comments immediately flooded the screen.
…I’m speechless. I just thought Cimu had changed a bit, but now I see she’s still the same old Cimu.
…Not necessarily, though. Luo Jiuge’s heels in the trailer were really high.
Spraining an ankle just from being stepped on? And then she needs Lord Lin to carry her and help her up? I’m gonna throw up.
Are people still here trying to whitewash CL? Can you just get lost?
Heh, I get it now. Jiu’er must have accidentally stumbled backward during the trailer shoot, and Cimu just seized the opportunity to cling to her.
I just said I’m guilty of shipping this couple. I’ll commit seppuku with my bare hands to atone for my sins.
Lu Ren froze for a moment before the realization hit him.
No wonder Luo Jiuge had suddenly announced she was going on a diet; she thought she was the one who had caused his sprained ankle!
“No, no,” Lu Ren quickly waved his hands. “Teacher Luo, you’re not heavy at all! Really.”
Why are you guys still flaming her? Lu Ren just said it wasn’t Luo Jiuge’s fault.
Stop acting. CL, you’re just pretending.
Can’t you see? Cimu is just playing dumb so she doesn’t get blasted by Jiu’er’s fans when this goes public.
Luo Jiuge: “…”
Why isn’t he following the script?
She had expected Lu Ren to blame her for the incident, which would have given her the perfect opportunity to explain to the live-streaming audience that she had merely stepped on his foot…
Hmph. Luo Jiuge gritted her teeth inwardly. It seems Lu Ren is more formidable than I thought.
Luo Jiuge pressed her lips together. “It was indeed my fault for accidentally stepping on you, which caused your ankle to sprain. I apologize.”
What apology? I’m losing it! Lu Ren is clearly faking it! Besides, what level is our Jiu’er at? Why does she have to apologize to someone like Lu Ren??
My poor Jiu’er is so miserable.
Seeing Luo Jiuge’s apologetic expression, Lu Ren felt even more embarrassed.
“That’s… that’s not your fault… It’s my own foot, uh, I had an old injury on it.”
Seeing the beautiful Luo Jiuge’s melancholy expression, Lu Ren felt even more apologetic. “Really, you’re already great as you are. You don’t need to lose any more weight!”
Back when he was an extra on web drama sets, those girls around his age, or even just freshmen in college, even if they weren’t playing the female lead, would only eat one meal a day just to look good on camera. Some would only drink vegetable juice.
Once, while he was filming a night scene as a eunuch, a palace maid in the next shot fainted right in the middle of filming. It was because she had only drunk water for two days straight to reduce swelling, and eventually fainted from hypoglycemia.
Thinking of this, Lu Ren said with a worried expression, “Teacher Luo, a girl’s health is the most important thing.” He nodded solemnly. “You’re already very beautiful. You’re perfect just the way you are; you really don’t need to lose any more weight.”
Luo Jiuge: “…”
This person is so ruthless!
Luo Jiuge stared in shock at the “harmless” Lu Ren!
First, he’d pushed her, the one with the “sprained ankle”, right onto his own old injury, absolving himself of any blame. Then, he’d said she didn’t need to lose weight, that a girl’s health was most important, and that she was already pretty enough. This meant that if she lost any more weight, no other girl would stand a chance!
Saying this on a livestream… wasn’t he trying to make the fans think she was ungrateful?
Luo Jiuge, ever the meticulous thinker, quickly parsed the “traps” hidden in Lu Ren’s words. Her expression shifted instantly, her lips twitching into a strained smile.
“Oh, I see. Well, as long as you’re okay…” Luo Jiuge forced a laugh. “You’re right. Being pretty isn’t as important as being healthy.”
Rao Mengmeng watched this unfold from across the room, a sneer forming in her mind as she shook her head.
Luo Jiuge is exactly what I thought, just a brainless beauty riding the wave of popularity. The one I really need to watch out for is Lu Ren, the wolf in sheep’s clothing.
For some reason, Lu Ren felt that after he finished speaking, Luo Jiuge seemed unhappy.
It was hard to tell, though, since she was still smiling…
But Lu Ren just knew her expression wasn’t looking good.
Lu Ren swallowed hard. He felt like he was sitting next to an upgraded version of Yellow Oriole Plus.
With Demon King Yin on one side and a dark figure on the other, Lu Ren, looking every bit the elementary schooler, sat in the middle, clutching his knees and barely daring to breathe.
Don’t ask how this felt. It was a mix of sheer dread and a massive pain in the ass.
Fortunately, Director Qian finally started explaining the rules. Lu Ren listened and realized it was just a talent showcase.
Ah, so that’s why there are so many instruments here, he thought. Pianos, violins, even a microphone stand- now it all makes sense.
Director Qian smiled. “Since this is an interactive segment, the person with the most votes will win today’s ingredient reward!”
Audience voting… Will I even get to eat?
Lu Ren fell silent.
Remembering the “Cimu kiss my ass” and “Get out of the entertainment industry” comments from the morning, he sheepishly rubbed his nose. He had a strong feeling his vote count would be at the bottom.
This premonition only intensified when he saw Xu Qingqing, the first performer.
Xu Qingqing stood up without a word.
Dressed in a stunning, golden gown, she stepped across the living room’s Axminster carpet, picked up the violin from beside the fireplace, and rested it on her left shoulder.
The next second, her black hair flew out from beneath her jeweled headband as Xu Qingqing’s left hand danced across the strings. A series of brilliant spiccato notes suddenly rang out!
Lu Ren’s mouth dropped open into an “O” shape.
…Damn, that’s some serious skill-flexing.
What do you know? The score for Winter is always this hard to play. It’s just that there’s usually a string orchestra accompanying it. She’s playing it perfectly; her level is definitely on point. She must have been a child prodigy.
She actually looks pretty when she plays. So immersed. I appreciate that kind of attitude.
Just showing off, obviously.
…Can you guys stop being so malicious toward a girl? Even Cimu’s reaction is more normal than yours… I’m speechless.
Xu Qingqing finished her piece.
Lu Ren applauded enthusiastically. He clapped so loudly that the others joined in.
As Xu Qingqing walked past, she glanced in his direction. Though he knew she was definitely looking at Yin Beilin, Lu Ren still hurriedly gave her two thumbs up.
As expected of the young lady from Dongfang Zhuzhu’s novel, she plays like a pro!
Yin Beilin’s expression remained impassive, which Xu Qingqing had anticipated. However, the boy sitting next to him had been clapping like a seal and was still making such a foolish gesture… Xu Qingqing’s elegant brows furrowed, and she shot the boy a glare.
The next second, the boy awkwardly withdrew his hand.
Xu Qingqing was still a little dissatisfied.
Couldn’t he think of a better way to praise her? Like Bai Li, who would have said “bravo.” What was a thumbs-up supposed to be?
Not elegant at all!
Still, regardless of his reaction, Xu Qingqing felt a mix of pride and disdain knowing her superb piano skills had elicited such a strong response from him.
The performances alternated between men and women. Zhou Zichuan, being mindful of the order, was the second to go up.
Lu Ren watched him and thought Zhou Zichuan looked incredibly confident.
As expected of an idol, he thought, he isn’t stage-frightened at all.
Sure enough, as HOWL’s main dancer and leader, Zhou Zichuan requested a backing track and performed his group’s new song, singing and dancing at the same time.
Lu Ren didn’t understand the performance but was deeply impressed. Zhou Zichuan’s chest was vibrating like crazy, “thump-thump-thump-thump,” just like an electric massager.
Why is no one criticizing Zhou Zichuan? Are you treating men and women differently? I’ll be the first to call him out! His expressions are so greasy, gross!
Okay, his facial expressions are a bit greasy, but you have to praise his team spirit. He’s promoting his group even on a variety show. As expected of our Little Team!
Tsk, to be honest, I think Zhou Zichuan’s performance wasn’t as impressive as Xu Qingqing’s. Idols can only dance and sing after all.
Think about whether you can even do what he does.
The next guest was a female celebrity. That meant the one after her would either be Lu Ren himself or Yin Beilin.
As Lu Ren was still pondering what to perform, Rao Mengmeng, who was sitting opposite him, suddenly spoke up. “Director Qian, can Sister Jiuge and I perform together? A four-hands piano duet.”
Wow! Two stunning beauties playing a four-hands duet?! I’m grabbing my stool and moving closer to the screen right now!
Lu Ren looked over and realized that Luo Jiuge had already moved over to sit next to Rao Mengmeng, the two of them now sitting close together.
Luo Jiuge smiled gently. “We both play the piano. Director, would that be alright?”
Director Qian pondered for two seconds. “Give me a moment.”
Two seconds later, he returned with a beaming smile. “The livestream audience is really enthusiastic! Go ahead, goddesses!”
The two women performed Canon in D.
They happened to be wearing black and white, creating a striking contrast that somehow felt perfectly harmonious when they sat together.
Though it was apparent that Luo Jiuge’s piano skills were slightly weaker than Rao Mengmeng’s, she missed two or three notes; it didn’t matter. The sight of two beauties playing a four-hands duet was already a feast for the eyes.
Lu Ren and Zhou Zichuan clapped enthusiastically, showing their support.
What’s wrong with CL? Everyone else is so eager, but he’s just clapping like he’s watching a play.
He’s just setting up his “good guy” persona in advance. When his fans show up later, they’ll have plenty to defend him with: “Even if my baby doesn’t have any talent, isn’t he trying his best by cheering others on?!”
His over-eager attitude is so… emmm. Why can’t he be more composed like Lord Lin next to him?
Got it. White Porcelain is turning into a White Lotus.
I’m just a casual viewer, but is it really necessary to criticize him like this? Is it wrong to clap after a performance? Why aren’t you all scolding Zhou Zichuan?
Another fan pretending to be a casual viewer, huh? See, the fans are so cooperative with CL. They’ve already started selling the “good guy” persona.