Chestnut Hair exaggeratedly greeted everyone, only to find that the people on the steps didn’t respond to him. What was even more infuriating was that Jiang Liyue acted like he didn’t recognize him at all.
“Could it be that you don’t know me?” Chestnut Hair said in an even more exaggerated tone, full of uncertainty and doubt, “We’re from the same company, Shengshi Entertainment. I’m Ye Qiyuan, the leader of The Seven.”
“…” Jiang Liyue didn’t want to waste any brainpower on this and didn’t bother to retrieve any memory from his mental archive. He just blandly replied, “Who are you?”
…
Sensing a slight tension between the two, Director Qian quickly intervened, “Let’s talk inside. Standing at the door isn’t the best idea, right? Come on in.”
Chestnut Hair’s eyes widened as he stared straight at Jiang Liyue, and anyone who didn’t know better might think he was giving him some kind of “Yuan” wife look.
With that misunderstood gaze, Chestnut Hair followed Jiang Liyue into the living room.
The living room was clearly divided into a filming area and a staff control area. A large group of staff was busy on the opposite side of the living room, with the sound of walkie-talkies going off one after another.
The living room was decorated with a warm, homey feel, featuring a cozy yellow fabric sofa. The decor and embellishments around it were also filled with a strong sense of home. It was evident that the production team had put in a lot of effort to make them feel “at home.” However, a group of unfamiliar strangers in such a setting could never truly get along like family.
Just like that thick-skinned guy who came up to recognize relatives and got a cold shoulder.
But there were also those who were very willing to follow the script and give the production team face.
“Ah Yuan, didn’t you go out? You’re back so soon?”
A girl with long hair tied in a half-bun said to Ye Qiyuan, acting as if she didn’t see anyone else. Her eyes and heart were only for him, appearing extremely devoted and focused.
“Ran into some trouble, don’t bother me right now,” Ye Qiyuan was already annoyed.
The girl felt wronged and lowered her eyes, looking pitiful.
Director Qian kindly gave the girl a way out, reminding her, “Sisi, Teacher Jiang and his assistant are here too.”
The girl seemed to notice for the first time, bowing repeatedly in apology, “I’m sorry, Teacher Jiang, I didn’t recognize you with the hat and mask. I’m really sorry.”
Jiang Liyue always let irrelevant people do their own thing, letting them move themselves, as responding would only lower his own level.
The girl confidently approached Jiang Liyue, showing a confident smile, and softly said, “Teacher Jiang, I’m Ye Qiyuan’s girlfriend, Ren Sisi. You can just call me Sisi.”
Ren Sisi, originally an internet celebrity, gained some fame online and was later signed by Talent Future (an agency) to become an artist. Her momentum has been great in the past two years, and she started playing lead roles last year. She and Ye Qiyuan met through a web drama jointly invested by Tianyin Future and Shengshi Entertainment.
After Ye Qiyuan joined the variety show, she naturally didn’t want to be separated from her boyfriend she had just started dating. Moreover, it was rumored that this was also Film Emperor Jiang’s variety show debut, which would undoubtedly attract a lot of attention. She hurriedly reported to her agent to cancel her subsequent schedule and joined Ye Qiyuan in this reality show.
Ren Sisi was very confident in winning the public’s favor in such a place to showcase personal charm. After all, she was a woman who was praised as a princess in the live broadcast room for her beauty.
Generally, boys with looks like Jiang Liyue’s would consider themselves extraordinary. Many girls would throw themselves at him, and he was used to it.
Instead, the more indifferent he was, the more it gave him a sense of disparity that he couldn’t experience elsewhere, which piqued his interest.
Ren Sisi was ready to see Jiang Liyue raise his eyebrows and look at her, but she found that Jiang Liyue was indifferent, ignoring her, and just followed the assistant beside him.
Ren Sisi was furious.
I want to see who this person is.
Ren Sisi then seriously looked at Zhao Chenxing. Zhao Chenxing was dressed in casual sportswear, looking sporty and sunny, very infectious. This temperament was quite similar to the recently popular young idol Xiao Xingyang.
Director Qian led Jiang Liyue to sit on the middle sofa, which would be the center position once the live broadcast started. With Jiang Liyue there, the live broadcast’s popularity could be guaranteed. If fans eagerly came to the live broadcast room and found their idol not in the most prominent position, they would drown him with their saliva.
Jiang Liyue didn’t sit according to Director Qian’s instructions but instead followed the assistant beside him.
Director Qian watched as Zhao Chenxing first found a single sofa at an angle, and Teacher Jiang followed behind, naturally walking straight to Zhao Chenxing.
Because Zhao Chenxing was thin, the single sofa had plenty of space left.
“I want to sit too, make some room for me.”
Zhao Chenxing was puzzled and pointed with his chin to the large sofa beside him. “Huh, there’s so much space, and you want to squeeze into a single sofa with me?”
“There are too many people over there, I don’t like it.”
“Come on, you’re the center position, and you want to sit in the corner?”
Jiang Liyue heard this and slyly glanced at Director Qian, saying, “Director Qian said, two people per group, we can’t sit separately from the start, right? That wouldn’t show team spirit.”
Director Qian was suddenly called out and quickly stepped forward to persuade, “Xiao Zhao, why don’t you and Teacher Jiang sit in a more central place together?”
Zhao Chenxing pouted and reluctantly moved to the middle, sitting with Jiang Liyue.
Director Qian noticed Jiang Liyue secretly curling up one side of his lips after sitting down, as if pleased that his scheme had succeeded.
Sigh, I don’t get it, I don’t get it.
Ye Qiyuan returned to the living room after finishing a phone call outside and found that the other three guests had already taken their seats.
In the middle center position was Jiang Liyue, with his assistant, seemingly named Zhao Chenxing, on his left. On his right sat his good girlfriend, Ren Sisi. Seeing Ren Sisi’s eyes almost glued to Jiang Liyue, Ye Qiyuan was infuriated.
He stomped over to Jiang Liyue, looking down at Jiang Liyue’s fluffy black hair.
Damn, even the swirl on top of his head is so exquisitely unreal.
He’s a tough one!
Jiang Liyue’s light was blocked, and realizing the person in front of him was standing still, he slowly looked up, his gaze instantly turning sharp from soft, shooting daggers.
Ye Qiyuan had never experienced such power, and he involuntarily took half a step back.
Whoa! Was my half-step retreat serious?
Ye Qiyuan’s little heart was severely hit, but he pretended to have lost his balance, turning 45 degrees, and impatiently said to Ren Sisi, “Move, I want to sit here.”
Ren Sisi was confused, wondering where she would sit if he sat there.
Ye Qiyuan didn’t care what she thought, directly inserting a leg into the gap between the two. Before he could sit down, he saw Jiang Liyue disdainfully move a step to the side, immediately sticking to his assistant.
…
Alright, you gave me the space, I didn’t squeeze in, can’t blame me. Ye Qiyuan smoothly sat in the gap that could fit three people.
Zhao Chenxing felt that besides himself, the three people on the sofa had 10,085 thoughts. Seeing how much they wanted the center position, he quickly moved a bit to the edge of the sofa, leaving some space for Jiang Liyue.
Jiang Liyue’s leg lightly shook, but in the end, he didn’t move.
While everyone was scheming, sticking to each other, two people came down from upstairs.
One was a girl in a neat black and white professional outfit, looking impatient, and the other was an older man with quite a few wrinkles, dressed not so finely.
The two came to the living room one after the other, seeing that there were quite a few newcomers on the sofa.
The girl uneasily stepped back a few steps, while the middle-aged man stood confidently in front of the living room.
Zhao Chenxing stood up first, followed by a chain reaction of people standing up like in military training.
Ren Sisi, although not understanding, still stood up with the crowd.
Director Qian introduced them, “This is Bai Runzhi, a veteran martial arts instructor, involved in the production of most high-scoring martial arts films and TV shows on the market.”
Bai Runzhi’s physique didn’t match his elegant name but was very fitting for his profession. Although over forty-five, it was clear he maintained his physique well, with strong and powerful muscles.
“And this is Teacher Bai’s daughter, Bai Yanran.”
After being introduced, Bai Yanran politely bowed, “Hello, teachers, you can just call me Ranran.”
If Ren Sisi’s voice could be described as sweet honey, then Bai Yanran’s was refreshing lemon, making people comfortable.
Bai Yanran was a bit at a loss, actually shocked by the looks of the four present, a shock commonly known as beauty impact.
Especially the tall one in the middle, like a model, cold and self-possessed, with outstanding temperament, every feature crafted by nature. Bai Yanran couldn’t help but sigh inwardly, truly a two-dimensional character entering the three-dimensional world!
Jiang Liyue stepped forward to shake hands with Bai Runzhi, saying, “Teacher Bai, long time no see.”
“Xiao Jiang, it really has been a long time since we worked together. I knew you were a good seedling, heard you just won Film Emperor?”
“I don’t deserve it, I was just lucky.”
The two didn’t exchange pleasantries for long before Director Qian interrupted, “You all sit down first. Once the last group arrives, we can start preparing for the room allocation ceremony. Get familiar with the process.” Saying this, Director Qian handed out a few booklets to them.
*
Zhao Chenxing wasn’t very interested in this variety show but was intrigued by the new format of variety show plus virtual games. He wondered who facilitated this collaboration, as NEURON’s original intention was to create a groundbreaking game.
The sharp doorbell sound pierced through the noisy space, and the two directors went to greet the newcomers.
According to the director, the last group was a friendship duo, two men.
After they entered, introductions were made.
One was Zhan Wen, an old Film Emperor who had dominated the entertainment industry years ago, and the other was his friend Zhou Jiayu.
The two didn’t seem to match well. Zhan Wen maintained his physique and face well, not showing his age, looking around thirty, though he was actually thirty-five, with a somewhat aggressive appearance.
In contrast, Zhou Jiayu had a very fair face, looking like he couldn’t even truss a chicken, with a gentle and delicate appearance, like a little white rabbit that had strayed into a wolf pack.
*
There was another commotion when arranging seats, but fortunately, the senior Bai Runzhi wasn’t concerned about seating positions and sat with his daughter on two single sofas at an angle.
The old Film Emperor had a lot of style, sitting right in the middle of the sofa, with a brotherly demeanor, putting his arm around Zhou Jiayu’s shoulder, pulling him over.
Jiang Liyue and Zhao Chenxing were still huddled on the side, but poor Ye Qiyuan and Ren Sisi were squeezed into the corner, looking extremely aggrieved. But there was nothing they could do, as they were the smallest in terms of status and had no say.
Zhao Chenxing was still muttering about how troublesome it was to get a seat when Jiang Liyue quietly leaned over and whispered in his ear, “Let’s switch places.”
Zhao Chenxing remembered that there was still nearly two people’s worth of space next to Jiang Liyue, and beyond that was the great Film Emperor Zhan Wen. He didn’t quite understand, weren’t entertainment industry juniors supposed to respect seniors and hope to get more guidance? Why did Jiang Liyue seem to avoid him?
Zhao Chenxing didn’t really want to move, his ear twitched, and he subtly turned his body, wondering if Jiang Liyue’s words were leaking, making his ear itch.
Seeing Zhao Chenxing not responding and even moving further away, Jiang Liyue’s eyes darkened, and he said in a hoarse voice:
“Brother, I’m feeling a bit uncomfortable.”