The Thirty-Fifth Star
Immediately after, a long beep sounded, indicating the end of the game.
Jiang Chuyi was still in a daze when she suddenly heard a heart-wrenching angry roar in her ear, “You traitor!!!”
The two of them turned their heads at the same time.
Ji Kai walked towards them, his hair standing on end with anger. He impatiently spoke into the walkie-talkie, “I want to report and expose the cancer of our team, Zong Ye. He’s definitely a mole. It’s one thing to go easy on them, but now he’s openly defecting to the enemy side. He has no competitive spirit whatsoever!”
Jiang Chuyi hurriedly spoke up, wanting to explain for him, “He’s not a mole. I caught him.”
“Didn’t we catch you? How did you manage to escape?” Ji Kai punched Zong Ye and put him in a headlock, cursing, “It’s all because of you, you useless bastard.”
Zong Ye let out a muffled groan as he was choked. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, and he apologized with a smile, “My bad, sorry. I’m useless.”
They continued bickering as they went downstairs.
In front of everyone, Ji Kai once again reported and exposed Zong Ye’s behavior.
After hearing it, Feng Miaotong and Chi Mengyue exchanged a subtle glance.
Xu Zhi patted his shoulder with a laugh, “Little Kai, learn from Zong Ye. He’s such a gentleman. Anyway, it’s just a game. There’s nothing wrong with letting the girls win.”
Zhao Guangyu immediately said, “Although we’re not on the same team, I support Brother Kai. When playing games, you need to have a competitive spirit. You can’t go easy on them!”
Jiang Chuyi maintained a smile and secretly pinched Zhao Guangyu, “Say less.”
Amidst the laughter and banter of the guests, the results of the game were being counted: Jiang Chuyi was the only survivor from the pink team, while the white team had three survivors.
In the group PK, the white team emerged victorious. Ji Kai, as the person who grabbed the most stars during the battle, was awarded the title of Star King.
The director said, “Your privilege is that in tomorrow’s game, you can designate any guest present to do one thing for you, according to your wish.”
By the time the filming in the building ended, it was already past three in the morning. The production coordinator told them to go back and get a good night’s sleep, and to gather in the hotel lobby at twelve o’clock noon tomorrow.
Getting on the production team’s bus, Jiang Chuyi leaned her head against the window.
The bus was quiet, and the exhausted group of people had all fallen asleep. Although she was tired, she wasn’t very sleepy. She absentmindedly caressed the bracelet.
This was the only star she had “grabbed” today, the star that belonged to Zong Ye…
When the announcement of “Zong Ye OUT” resounded throughout the building, her heart felt like it had been pricked by a needle, both painful and itchy.
When the game ended and the staff came to collect the props, Jiang Chuyi, for some unknown reason, actually quietly told the lady that she wanted to keep this as a souvenir.
Although the lady found it strange, she didn’t say much and agreed.
She discreetly turned her head and looked towards the back of the bus.
Zong Ye was sitting in the last row, his head tilted, looking out the window through the glass, lost in thought.
There were still cameras at the front of the bus, so she didn’t dare to stare for too long. Turning back around, she glanced at the sleeping Zhao Guangyu. Jiang Chuyi reached out and carefully pulled the coat covering him over to her knees, wrapping her phone in it. She stealthily poked Zong Ye on WeChat.
Zong Ye: “What’s up?”
He poked back.
Jiang Chuyi: “I’m a bit worried. When you gave me the bracelet just now, was it too obvious? Will your fans scold you when it airs?”
Zong Ye: “Aren’t we supposed to cooperate with the production team to hype up the CP?”
Just then, Zhao Guangyu drowsily opened his eyes and muttered, “Where’s my coat…”
Jiang Chuyi was startled and froze.
Fortunately, he only uttered that one sentence before immediately dozing off again.
Jiang Chuyi adjusted her posture before continuing to type, earnestly advising him.
“That may be the case, but don’t be too dedicated. We should still take it step by step. At least consider your actual situation.”
Zong Ye: “Typing is too tiring. Can we talk in person when we get off the bus?”
Jiang Chuyi: “Okay, then you rest for a bit first.”
…
…
The bus arrived at the hotel where they were staying. The guests on the bus got off one after another.
Zhao Guangyu had slept the entire way and had now regained some energy. He kept chattering to Jiang Chuyi, “Sigh, I had some close contact with my idol today. I found that our personalities are quite similar. Also…”
“Mm-hmm.” Jiang Chuyi responded to him while glancing in Zong Ye’s direction.
He was walking with Ji Kai and also looked back in this direction, slowing his pace as if waiting for her to come over.
Zhao Guangyu tugged on Jiang Chuyi, “Hey?! Can you stop brushing me off?! I asked you what time we’re gathering tomorrow, and you just say ‘mm-hmm.’ If others don’t get angry, do you think they’re fools?!”
“The producer just told you, but you weren’t listening.” Jiang Chuyi didn’t want to attract attention by grappling with him in public. She was eager to pry off his hand. “Alright, go ask the assistant. I have something to do right now. Don’t bother me for now.”
“What do you have to do?” Zhao Guangyu pressed.
Jiang Chuyi hissed in a low voice, “None of your business.”
“You’ve grown up now and have become disobedient? What can’t you tell me? Just wait, I’ll go back and tell Chen Yi on you.”
Just as she was being pestered by Zhao Guangyu to the point of distress, a voice suddenly rang out, “Hey, Zhao Guangyu?”
Both of them stopped moving.
After greeting him, Zong Ye’s gaze swept over Zhao Guangyu’s hand that was tugging on Jiang Chuyi. His tone was calm, “Am I interrupting you two?”
Jiang Chuyi inexplicably felt guilty and didn’t dare to struggle anymore. She replied softly, “No.”
The atmosphere suddenly became a bit strange. People passing by them consciously detoured.
The four of them looked at each other. He spoke again, “Hello, Zhao Guangyu. I’m Zong Ye.”
Although Zong Ye’s face had a hint of a smile, Zhao Guangyu still felt an inexplicable oppressive feeling coming from him. After hesitating for a moment, he tentatively said, “Hello, I know you, but… do you have something for me?”
“I have something to discuss with Chuyi.” Zong Ye’s eyes were smiling, but his gaze remained on him the entire time. “Could you let her go and let us chat privately for a bit?”
Zhao Guangyu suddenly came to his senses. He let go of her hand and took a step back. “Oh, okay. Then you two chat.”
…
…
After sending Zhao Guangyu away, Jiang Chuyi silently followed behind Zong Ye.
He didn’t speak, and Jiang Chuyi also remained quiet for a while. After walking for a distance, she discreetly observed his fair side profile with the corner of her eye and couldn’t help but call his name, “Zong Ye.”
Zong Ye calmly hummed in response.
“Are you angry?”
Zong Ye’s footsteps paused for a moment, “What?”
Jiang Chuyi stopped with him, feeling uneasy, “I feel like you’re not in a very good mood.”
After thinking for a bit, Zong Ye said, “It seems like I am a little?”
“Why?”
She was a bit confused and tried hard to recall. Did she do something wrong? Or was it because of what happened during the game earlier? He was teased by others, so he was in a bad mood?
“Didn’t we agree to have a chat?” Zong Ye sighed softly. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
Jiang Chuyi immediately told him, “I wasn’t intentionally delaying. There were always people around you, so I just wanted to wait until no one was around to find you. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be good if we were seen.”
Zong Ye: “What’s wrong with the two of us talking? Why do you need to wait until no one is around to find me?”
Jiang Chuyi’s expression became strange.
She lowered her head and didn’t say a word.
How could she explain to him that she didn’t dare to talk to him alone because she had ulterior motives… She was afraid that if she got too close to him, her little thoughts would no longer be controllable and would leak out…
“Chuyi,” he called her.
Jiang Chuyi: “Hmm?”
Zong Ye was a bit helpless, “You being like this makes me want to apologize to you.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Because…” Zong Ye glanced at her and finally laughed, “your expression looks very aggrieved, as if I bullied you.”
Hearing this, Jiang Chuyi’s eyes widened, “Really?”
“Yeah.”
Her heart raced faster. She changed the subject, “Forget it, let’s discuss the important matter.”
“What important matter?”
“You know, the CP hype…” she reminded him.
“Does me intentionally going easy on you today count as hyping the CP?”
“It should, right?” Jiang Chuyi hesitated, “The main thing is, I rarely go on variety shows, so I don’t even know how to hype a CP with others to create program effects… I’m just afraid of not grasping the right degree and overdoing it, causing you to be scolded.”
Zong Ye also seemed a bit puzzled. He echoed her words, “Yeah, I haven’t been on a variety show before and don’t really know how to hype a CP either. The production team told me to cooperate as much as possible, but I have no experience and my acting skills are just average. I can only pretend that I’m in a relationship with you.”
Jiang Chuyi nodded out of habit. When she heard the last sentence clearly, she almost spit it out.
“Wh-what?!” Jiang Chuyi was stunned and stammered, “You-you’re pretending to be what?”
Zong Ye raised his eyebrows slightly, with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, and repeated it again, “In a relationship with you.”
Jiang Chuyi: “…”
She originally thought she was a variety show novice, but she didn’t expect Zong Ye to be even more naive than her… The two of them were simply hidden dragons and crouching tigers in the variety show industry.
“You don’t have to…” Jiang Chuyi swallowed, struggling and awkwardly enunciating, “sacrifice yourself like that.”
Zong Ye casually said, “Then does Teacher Jiang have any good methods?”
Jiang Chuyi frowned and stared at the shadow on the ground, “I’m still thinking about it.”
“If you can’t think of any, why don’t we try my method?”
She absentmindedly responded, “What?”
Zong Ye said solemnly, “Pretend to be in a relationship with me.”
Jiang Chuyi looked at him with complex emotions, feeling that she was being convinced by his bizarre train of thought, yet also feeling that something was off.
He lowered his voice, “Teacher Jiang’s acting skills are better than mine. Pretending to like me shouldn’t be difficult, right?”
Jiang Chuyi’s cheeks burned, and her heart pounded wildly. She knew this was unreasonable, but her mind was a mess at the moment, completely unable to think of anything.
In the end, emotion still overwhelmed reason. Jiang Chuyi impulsively agreed, “I’ll try…”
He was taken aback, then smiled, “Okay.”
*
Jiang Chuyi walked back to her room in a daze.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, she spaced out for a long time. Zong Ye’s words “pretend to be in a relationship” lingered in her mind.
She took a deep breath and finally couldn’t help it. She threw herself onto the bed…
Hugging the pillow tightly in her arms, Jiang Chuyi closed her eyes and guiltily apologized to all of Zong Ye’s fans, to the fans of BloodXGentle, to the people at IM, and even in the end, she apologized to Zong Ye’s future girlfriend.
She hoped these people could forgive her greed.
What Zong Ye probably didn’t know was that she didn’t need to pretend at all. She already liked him very much.
It just so happened that the production team arranged for them to hype a CP, giving her many opportunities to interact with him, satisfying her selfish desires.
Jiang Chuyi had never fought for anything since she was young.
She thought, just this once, she would be greedy just this once. After this time, she would be honest and never again desire things that didn’t belong to her.
Jiang Chuyi knew very well that pretending to be in a relationship for the sake of program effects was complete nonsense. She also knew that she might be scolded by Zong Ye’s fans after it aired, and even more so, she knew that she would cause Zong Ye to be scolded. But she still couldn’t help thinking, very selfishly thinking, that she would treat it as Zong Ye accompanying her in acting out a movie.
She would just be his leading lady in this movie.
When the movie was over, she would return him to them.
*
The next day during the program recording, Jiang Chuyi was drowsy the whole way.
Feng Miaotong sat next to her in the car and found it a bit strange. “Chuyi, you’re so sleepy?”
Jiang Chuyi nodded drowsily, “I didn’t sleep well last night.”
“My gosh, you didn’t sleep well?” Feng Miaotong was quite puzzled, “I was so tired yesterday that I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. I didn’t even have time to shower.”
As they were talking, another commotion came from the back.
Chi Mengyue laughed as she dodged the small hammer in Xu Jiayu’s hand.
This was a regular segment during breaks. The group of people in the back were playing a word chain game.
Those who couldn’t continue had to be hammered by everyone.
Chi Mengyue seemed to be stumped a few times. Whenever it was her turn, several male guests would intentionally target her.
Feng Miaotong glanced at the commotion over there, turned her head back, and couldn’t help but feel a sense of loss in her heart.
Last time in Changsha, when it was just her and Jiang Chuyi, it was fine. Xu Jiayu would occasionally take the initiative to cue her. But when Chi Mengyue came, basically all the male guests of similar age surrounded her.
Feng Miaotong looked at Jiang Chuyi again.
She was still dozing off, seemingly unaware of what was happening around her.
She was really carefree…
But Jiang Chuyi’s popularity was low to begin with. Before hitching a ride on BloodXGentle’s success, she was basically a marginal figure in the circle. She probably couldn’t relate to Feng Miaotong’s feelings.
Feng Miaotong looked at the BloodXGentle members.
Wang Tan and Ji Kai were talking on and off. Zong Ye and Fu Cheng were both wearing headphones, sitting in their seats with their eyes closed, resting.
They didn’t seem to have any interest in the game Chi Mengyue was playing. None of them participated.
Seeing this, Feng Miaotong felt a bit more comfortable.
At least these aloof top stars maintained their aloofness and treated female celebrities equally, not rushing to fawn over them…
When the word chain game finally ended, the bus arrived at its destination.
Before going to the swimming pool to film, they needed to visit a few local historical sites.
As soon as she got off the bus, Feng Miaotong was shocked.
Why were there so many people?
The guests got off the bus one after another.
Until a certain figure appeared, the group of people blocked by the staff outside the line could no longer control themselves. They excitedly called out, and some even jumped up and shouted, “Zong Ye!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! Fu Cheng! Ahhhhh!!!”
“Wang Tan!! Zong Ye!!! Look over here!!! Ji Kai!!”
“Wow!” Quan Yongning was also startled by the scene before him. He joked, “The popularity of us few male guests is too high, isn’t it?”
Before entering the scenic spot, there was a long tree-lined path. A long cordon was set up, completely filled with fans holding BloodXGentle banners.
The dozen or so guests also tactfully slowed their pace, silently following behind the BloodXGentle members, waiting for them to take the lead.
After a brief moment of chaos, the fans consciously began to maintain order.
Zong Ye took off his sunglasses and hooked them in his hand. He walked while nodding to the fans by the roadside.
Ji Kai put his arm around Zong Ye’s shoulder.
This action elicited a few more screams.
Wang Tan raised his hand and greeted the people shouting his name.
Xu Jiayu clicked his tongue twice, “Impressive, this lineup…”
Chi Mengyue silently glanced at him twice, then looked at Zong Ye walking in front.
Once inside the scenic area, the director filmed a few shots of them visiting. He shouted through a megaphone, “Take a half-hour break first. We still have a few places to film. The guests can freely explore for now. When the time is up, gather outside.”
Under the scorching sun, the VJs following the guests also put down their heavy cameras and sat on the benches to rest.
Chi Mengyue found an opportunity to walk up to Zong Ye and made a sound.
He was looking down, holding his phone and sending a message. Hearing the sound, he raised his head.
Chi Mengyue tilted her head with a smile, “What, don’t you recognize me?”
Zong Ye looked her up and down, “What?”
“Tsk.” Chi Mengyue leaned slightly against the glass case of the display stand, “You forgot? You still owe me something.”
Hearing her say this, Zong Ye’s expression didn’t change much. He pondered for a moment, then asked strangely, “Owe you what?”
Chi Mengyue bit her lower lip, “A New Year’s greeting.”
“Zong Ye.” Wang Tan called him from not far away.
Zong Ye’s gaze shifted slightly, and he nodded to Chi Mengyue, “Sorry, I have something to do.”
It was the same scene and the same lines as last time. As soon as someone called him, he left.
Chi Mengyue didn’t expect to be thoroughly ignored again, left alone in place. She couldn’t help but feel stuffy in her chest.
She turned her head in annoyance and happened to meet Wang Tan’s gaze. He raised his eyebrows and smiled at her meaningfully.
…
…
“Can you fucking use a different method? How many times has it been? Every time you make me use this trick to save you.” Wang Tan said lazily.
“Thanks.” Zong Ye smiled.
Wang Tan clicked his tongue, “Next time, call Ji Kai. I don’t want to draw hatred. Just now, Chi Mengyue looked like she was going to eat me alive.”
“It’s not that serious.”
“You’re afraid Teacher Jiang will be jealous of your trick to attract bees and butterflies?”
“Can you lower your voice?” Zong Ye sighed.
“What, are you still afraid of people finding out?” Wang Tan chuckled, “Your eyes are practically glued to her, yet you don’t even dare to go over and strike up a conversation. Can you show some backbone, brother? What era is it now, and you’re still playing this secret crush game? You’ve been dragging your feet for so long, and you haven’t even held hands. You’re really embarrassing your brothers.”
Zong Ye laughed lightly, “Have you heard of boiling a frog in warm water?”
Wang Tan: “…”
Wang Tan tugged at the corner of his mouth and suddenly shouted towards the back, “Jiang Chuyi!”
Zong Ye paused.
Feng Miaotong and Jiang Chuyi both turned their heads.
Wang Tan waved at her, “Come here, I have something to talk to you about.”
Upon hearing this, Feng Miaotong couldn’t help but look at Jiang Chuyi.
Seeing Zong Ye beside him, Jiang Chuyi hesitated on the spot for a moment, pointed at herself, and confirmed again, “You have something to talk to me about?”
Seeing her reluctant appearance, Wang Tan urged, “Hurry up and come over.”
“Alright.”
Jiang Chuyi slowly shuffled towards them.
Her expression was stiff, and she didn’t dare to glance at Zong Ye at all. She looked elsewhere and mumbled softly, “What do you want to talk to me about?”
Wang Tan nudged Zong Ye, “Tell her, what do you want to talk to her about?”
Zong Ye stared at her, “Wang Tan wanted to ask you… Did you not sleep well last night?”
Wang Tan fell silent.
Jiang Chuyi felt guilty. She immediately made an excuse, “No, I slept quite well.”
“Slept well?” Zong Ye laughed, “Then with those dark circles under your eyes, are you planning to cosplay as a panda?”
With his words, Jiang Chuyi immediately quieted down.
Her gaze flickered, and she stammered, “Maybe I didn’t apply enough foundation. I’ll go back to the car later and touch up my makeup…”
Hearing her say that, Zong Ye smiled indifferently, raised his hand, and put his sunglasses on her eyes.
The sunglasses were a bit big. As soon as they were put on her face, they slid down half her nose bridge. Zong Ye used his index finger to push them up for her before withdrawing his hand and saying softly, “There.”
“…”
Not only Jiang Chuyi, but even Wang Tan was rendered silent for more than ten seconds by this scene.
He hissed and finally couldn’t help but ask curiously, “May I ask, are you two in a relationship?”
Having her thoughts exposed, Jiang Chuyi froze and didn’t make a sound.
Just at this moment, the sunglasses on her nose bridge slid down again. She weakly made eye contact with Zong Ye.
Zong Ye was at ease.
“You told him?”
