Panda Cub – Chapter 11

Set visit

Hu Tu was quick to act. Starting Monday, He Ying was scheduled to record a variety show for a total of three days, so she brought Jing Dan along for a set visit on Tuesday.

Following Hu Tu, Jing Dan arrived at the location where He Ying was recording the variety show. Inside the vast studio, a decent-sized audience had already taken their seats. Due to the epidemic from two years prior, this recording session was conducted by distributing tickets, strictly controlling the number of attendees.

She and Hu Tu had brought a plethora of snacks for the crew, and throughout the journey, Hu Tu was constantly in her ear, giving advice on how to interact with people—what to say, how to behave, and that providing food was also part of this.

Jing Dan was aware of her own shortcomings; having spent most of the time in the Panda Clan’s territory, she lacked ample communication and social interaction, and now was the time to learn.

“When dealing with the people from the show later, try to speak as little as possible to avoid causing trouble for He Ying, okay?” Hu Tu said, looking somewhat worriedly at the person beside her with a stiff facial expression.

Jing Dan: “…Oh.”

What kind of trouble could she possibly cause for He Ying?

Since they had notified the program team in advance, they encountered no obstacles when they arrived at the venue. Hu Tu didn’t lead Jing Dan directly to He Ying; instead, they found two seats among the audience and sat down. Hu Tu explained, “Let’s wait here for a bit; they’re in the middle of filming and won’t have time to attend to us.”

Jing Dan stayed quiet. Lifting her gaze to the stage, she could see, not far ahead, the elegant silhouette of He Ying. It appeared that He Ying was seated at the judges’ table.

“Is she here as a judge?” she asked softly.

Hu Tu glanced over, then turned her head to scout for other attractive beauties, replying offhandedly, “Of course, with her level of skill, who would dare to let her compete on stage and then critique her performance?”

Judge He Ying? One would need to have the competence to do that first.

“Is she really that impressive?” Jing Dan frowned, wondering if she had judged He Ying by her appearance.

Hu Tu turned back to look at her, eyes slightly widened, and exclaimed, “Jing Xiaodan, you still don’t know how formidable she is? She has danced circles around you!”

Although He Ying’s main forte wasn’t striptease, she had the fundamentals. With just a casual dance, she managed to capture the attention of most of the audience.

Jing Dan: “…”

Why did she have to bring up the past again!

She tried hard not to recall the scenes from that night, muttering under her breath, wishing she could poke a voodoo doll of He Ying! If it weren’t for her, how could she have lost control and reverted to her panda form that night!

Hu Tu, thoroughly enjoying the performance on stage, left the little panda beside her to her inner turmoil, her mind in a tangle.

Jing Dan forced herself to shake off the thoughts crowding her mind, beginning to seriously observe the variety show’s filming.

However, as she watched, she couldn’t help thinking that they had no resources of their own in the industry at present; it was all up to the company’s staff to go out and negotiate everything. Producing TV dramas or movies required high expertise and involved a long investment of time. Now, at the start, wouldn’t it be better to focus on variety shows?

She had a personal liking for TV dramas and movies, but the number of quality shows and films was dwindling. On the other hand, engaging variety shows had gradually taken up a large swath of her leisure time.

Her aunt had once said that if you want to be seen by more people, you must excel. So the same principle applies to the company, right?

If she wanted her company to be noticed, they needed to offer something impressive. Excelling in variety shows could be their calling card, right?

But what kind of variety show could refresh audiences, ignite their curiosity, and make them eager to tune in?

Watching Hu Tu ogling the beauty on stage and drooling, Jing Dan said with a touch of disdain, “Can you rein in your expression a bit? It’s embarrassing.”

You’re acting as if you’ve never seen an attractive person before. If others see you like this, they’re sure to think I’m some kind of weirdo.

“You don’t understand, this is an appreciation of beauty,” Hu Tu shook her head with a look that implied she couldn’t comprehend.

Well, in that case, I truly don’t need to understand.

Jing Dan muttered to herself, annoyed at how Hu Tu’s blatant staring made her feel utterly worthless.

Finally, when the intermission came, Hu Tu took Jing Dan to find He Ying, who was sitting in the dressing room, touching up her makeup. As they walked in, He Ying’s lips curved into a slight smile, catching Jing Dan’s reflection in the mirror.

Jing Dan, still lost in her thoughts, was oblivious to her behavior, but the keen Hu Tu noticed right away that He Ying’s attention was not on her at all.

Hu Tu: “…”

She had this peculiar feeling.

It was her who had introduced them, yet now she felt oddly excluded, as though they had pushed her out. Was it just her imagination?

Moreover, He Ying’s behavior triggered a sense of wariness in Hu Tu. Could it be that she had taken a fancy to Jing Dian?

With this thought, Hu Tu decided to find an opportunity to probe and see what He Ying’s intentions were.

“Hope we’re not disturbing you, He Ying?” she began with a light chuckle, pulling Jing Dan to sit beside her and shooting her a meaningful glance.

However, Jing Dan didn’t quite catch the implication behind her look.

Instead, she thought Hu Tu was signaling her to give the items they brought to He Ying.

Thus, Jing Dan piled the snacks she was carrying onto the table in front of He Ying and said coldly, “Here, for you.”

He Ying: “…”

Hu Tu: “…”

Wasn’t it clear from her signals that she should follow her lead and keep quiet? What was the point of their decades-long friendship if not even this could be understood?!

Watching the mound of snacks before her, He Ying couldn’t help but let out a chuckle, her gaze softening significantly as she looked at Jing Dan, “What made you think to bring so much stuff over to see me?”

With an expressionless face, Jing Dan said, “Hu Tu mentioned that this is part of social etiquette, it’s best not to visit someone empty-handed.”

He Ying: “…”

Hu Tu: “…”

I did teach you that, but I didn’t mean for you to spill the beans! She felt so embarrassed she could curl up her toes.

He Ying glanced at Hu Tu, then nodded in agreement, “Hu Tu is right, you’ve done well.”

Receiving acknowledgement, Jing Dan nodded slightly, maintaining her reserved demeanor.

A deeper smile played at the corners of He Ying’s eyes as she opened the food packages and, one by one, laid them out on the coffee table in front of Jing Dan. She spoke softly, “You’ve brought so much; I can’t finish it all. How about you stay and eat with me?”

As she spoke, she inched a little closer to Jing Dan.

Jing Dan’s eyes momentarily brightened at the sight of the opened pastries, now looking extra tempting, and she felt an eager stir within her.

She glanced at Hu Tu and saw her silent figure, eyes fixed solemnly on He Ying.

“Eat them yourself; they were all brought for you,” she finally said, against her better judgment, even though she really wanted to indulge.

He Ying, who knew what she was wrestling with, directed her gaze at Hu Tu, gesturing for her to step in and say something.

Hu Tu: “…”

No, she was perplexed. Was He Ying treating Jing Dan like a child, like a little sister? Why such a method of care?

Hu Tu: “…Even though they were brought for her, buying so much clearly meant there was a share for us too. The purpose was to enjoy them together with her.”

Hearing this, Jing Dan nodded in acknowledgement, indicating that she understood.

Then, with chopsticks and spoon in hand, she deftly divided all the food evenly into three portions, smiling contentedly.

“Now I know exactly how much I should eat for my share!”

He Ying: “…”

Hu Tu: “…”

The author has something to say:

Shaking my head with a sigh: Can one really find a wife like this?