Vinegar
Faced with the continuous questioning from the production team, He Ying tapped Jing Dan’s leg, and Jing Dan understood.
Facing the production team, she slowly began, “What do you think, should we have any expectations, or should we consider each other as our destined one?”
At her words, the production team immediately went down on their knees.
“No, no, it’s just a casual question, there’s no need to answer if you don’t want to!” The director wiped his sweat, feeling immense pressure when speaking to the boss with such an indifferent demeanor!
On the other end, Hu Tu thought to herself, “…” You are quite good at pretending!
He Ying pursed her lips and smiled gently. Seeing the cold expression on Jing Dan’s face, it seemed like this was going to be a difficult situation, looking like she was not someone to mess with.
Later, the two of them got into the production team’s car and arrived smoothly at a tourist town in the neighboring city. The production team had rented a spacious guesthouse in this picturesque town, arranging everyone to stay there.
He Ying got off the car and looked at the guesthouse decorated with a rustic charm, feeling satisfied with it. Judging by Jing Dan’s expression, it seemed she also found it acceptable. The surroundings were beautiful, nestled between mountains and waters, providing a comfortable environment that would naturally appeal to beings like them.
After they got off the car, the two other pairs of couples who arrived first came out to greet them. There was a bit of awkwardness in their interactions, especially since the two of them were artists from Qingzhu Entertainment, while the other two, although not from their company, had a certain status in the industry that shouldn’t be easily offended.
He Ying could see that Jing Dan wouldn’t want to deal with this kind of situation, so she stepped forward to lighten the mood, saying, “Since we are all here to participate in this program, we are just guests on the show. Everyone should relax a bit and not act like they’re waiting to be scolded by the boss. The boss won’t scold you guys.”
With her words, the atmosphere immediately relaxed, and there was even some laughter.
—Haha, seriously, it felt like they were in a company meeting earlier, with the employees waiting for a scolding!
—Brothers, stand out! Let Qingzhu Boss see how good you are, and then she’ll definitely recruit you into Qingzhu!
—Wow, is this like an interview scene?
After a symbolic self-introduction by everyone, the director stepped forward to speak.
“As we’ve mentioned before, we will collect some CP behaviors selected by your fans, and you will need to act according to their preferences. Now, I will announce some CP behaviors suitable for this stage.”
“First, they want to see the main characters of the CP they ship sleeping in the same room, lying on the same bed!” the director said with a suppressed smile, surprised at the bold and wild ideas of the fans who participated in the voting.
“Of course, this only applies to same-sex CP, opposite-sex CP is currently not included.”
With this announcement, the opposite-sex CP couple breathed a sigh of relief, thinking the production team really had no morals to make them sleep together on the show!
He Ying glanced at Jing Dan, never expecting that after joining the program, they would openly sleep together like this…
—Ahahaha, good job, production team! They really dared to use the votes!
—Oh, my CP is sleeping on the same bed! I declare it, they are real!
However, before the fans could celebrate too long, after announcing some program guidelines, the live broadcast was immediately cut off.
—…Frustrating.
—…Annoying!
The director had a smile on his face, living up to the recent popular CP couple; the viewers were surprised by the heat of the live broadcast just now!
Today was not considered the official start of filming, but the production team would still document some material that could be shared online.
Jing Dan and He Ying pushed their luggage inside. Now that everyone was present, the first thing to do was to assign rooms. They were allowed to choose first, and they opted for the room on the second floor facing the lake. When they opened the balcony, they could see the shimmering lake, providing a beautiful view.
He Ying couldn’t help but smile softly as she watched Jing Dan folding clothes with a serious expression. She asked her, “Do you want to go explore the town later?”
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Jing Dan looked up and nodded earnestly.
After the two of them had finished packing up their luggage, they came downstairs. Perhaps because everyone else was busy, the first-floor lobby, aside from some staff members, was devoid of any other guests. This was convenient in a way, avoiding the need for small talk before heading out.
He Ying took Jing Dan outside. Although the town was a tourist spot, there weren’t too many people around, and it seemed the program had selected this location to give the town some exposure.
They hailed a two-person shared electric car, with He Ying driving and Jing Dan sitting behind. They began to explore the town together, enjoying the cool breeze. He Ying felt her mood becoming clearer and brighter as they wandered around.
Jing Dan sat behind her, watching He Ying’s hair fluttering in the wind, squinting slightly. Suddenly, the image of herself kissing He Ying last night flashed through her mind…
!
She kissed He Ying?!
Jing Dan was stunned, trying hard to recall. It seemed like she had kissed He Ying in her original form? In her original form?!
She furrowed her brows, finding it hard to believe. Was it just a dream? Who kisses someone using their original form?
But that sensation, it felt so real.
Strange, incredibly strange. It seemed like she even licked…
The more Jing Dan furrowed her brows, the more she felt that kissing He Ying must have been a dream. It shouldn’t have happened. If she really kissed He Ying, why wasn’t she angry? But from her memory, He Ying seemed to have been asleep at that time? How could she be angry while asleep…
Despite her doubts, she leaned towards it being a dream. If it wasn’t a dream and she had kissed He Ying like that, she should have woken up by now!
She glanced discreetly at He Ying and felt that her behavior today was normal, nothing out of the ordinary.
So, it must have been a dream after all.
Feeling relieved, she looked at the scenery on the side of the road, thinking that the town’s scenery was becoming more and more beautiful. It seemed she would have to find an opportunity to really eat the jelly!
By the time evening arrived, it was time to start considering dinner. It was well-known that He Ying was skilled in cooking, but as for the others who were used to having everything served to them at home, they really had no idea how to cook.
He Ying: “…”
She hadn’t expected that none of them knew how to cook at all.
Seeing this situation, Jing Dan furrowed her brows slightly and calmly suggested, “Let’s just order takeout.”
If He Ying had to cook for so many people, when would she ever have the time? And what made them think they deserved to eat the food she cooked?
Everyone: “…”
However, when Jing Dan spoke, no one dared to question her.
He Ying pulled Jing Dan and was about to play down the situation, but was silenced by Jing Dan’s cold stare.
He Ying chuckled inwardly, not expecting to be on the receiving end of that cold stare. In the end, she had to stand by Jing Dan’s side, letting Jing Dan take the lead, knowing that cooking duties would not fall on her.
However, if she didn’t cook, it presented another problem.
Watching Jing Dan eat the takeout with an expressionless face, He Ying worriedly whispered, “Don’t eat that, shall I go to the kitchen and cook something for you?”
Hearing this, Jing Dan quickly grabbed her and, showing a much better understanding of social cues this time, said, “No! If you go in now to cook, it will definitely not be just for me. Others will criticize you!”
Having spent some time in the human world, she had picked up on some things. In a group setting, one couldn’t give special treatment to certain individuals, as it would make others uncomfortable and potentially attract unwanted criticism.
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Seeing her serious expression, He Ying ultimately gave up on the idea and ate the takeout with her.
“Everyone, make sure to rest well tonight. Tomorrow, the program will officially start!” Once they finished eating, the director came out to address them.
He Ying: “…” It was clear he was holding back some negative emotions.
Heading upstairs to their shared room, He Ying checked the indoor surveillance and sighed deeply.
Being surrounded by cameras like this, it created such a feeling that made her extremely uncomfortable.
She felt uneasy, and Jing Dan felt even more so. As someone who always had to be mindful of her image, even when returning to the room, she couldn’t let her guard down at all. Holding onto her airs and graces, she feared that any slip-up would expose her face to the national audience.
She still remembered the last time she embarrassed herself in front of a national audience, and for quite some time, she couldn’t bring herself to see her aunt.
When it got a bit late, He Ying got up and covered all the cameras with objects, then urged Jing Dan to go take a shower.
Jing Dan refused, and with a serious expression, she reminded, “Two bottles of milk!”
He Ying couldn’t help but laugh and cry. Was the only motivation keeping her going on this show those two bottles of milk?
“Okay, you will find them when you come out,” she said helplessly.
Jing Dan was satisfied and took her pajamas into the bathroom, while He Ying went downstairs to prepare the milk for her.
“Teacher He.” The female artist from the company saw He Ying and quickly stood up straight, flashing her a charming smile.
He Ying looked at her, still having some impression of her, seemed like her name was Zheng Weiyi, who had taken her etiquette class before.
She nodded, acknowledging her presence.
However, Zheng Weiyi didn’t leave first. She watched He Ying go into the kitchen to prepare milk, and curiously asked, “Teacher He, do you still like drinking milk?”
“Yes, milk helps with sleep. It’s good to have a glass before bedtime,” He Ying replied with a gentle smile.
“Oh,” she responded, seeing that He Ying didn’t seem inclined to chat further, and left tactfully.
However, shortly after she left, a man entered the kitchen, one of the men from the same-sex male couple, whom they had introduced earlier as Bian Fengyu. He was tall and handsome, often referred to as the ‘attacker’ by their fans. (LP: Topping lol)
“Teacher He.” The man’s deep voice, calling out to He Ying, seemed even more magnetic.
“Hmm,” He Ying responded faintly, not paying much attention to the man as most of her focus was on the milk she was preparing.
“Having a glass of milk before bedtime is a very good habit. I personally also enjoy it. Could Teacher He please help me prepare a glass while you’re at it?” the man’s voice carried a light laughter, deliberately moving closer and leaning against the counter, creating a stylish pose with his hands resting behind him on the counter.
The man seemed quite confident in himself, and his fans particularly loved this pose of his, finding it very manly and stylish.
He Ying just glanced at him lightly and directly declined, saying, “Sorry, I’ve already finished preparing the milk. Jing Dan is still waiting for me upstairs, so I won’t accompany you.”
With that, she picked up the two glasses of milk and walked away without looking back.
The man behind her face darkened, watching He Ying’s figure with a faint sneer, using Jing Dan to pressure him. He knew very well that Jing Dan was aloof and distant, showing no warmth towards anyone. He didn’t believe He Ying could get close to her, thinking she must be trying to get close to Jing Dan by intentionally sticking around her.
At that moment, another man walked in and, after glancing at Bian Fengyu’s expression, smiled lightly and said, “You don’t stand a chance, mate.”
Bian Fengyu just gave him a cold glance and sneered, “Shut your mouth. What business is it of yours whether I want to do something or not? Don’t forget your own identity!”
Seeing the man’s reaction, Bian Fengyu turned and walked away without much response. They had been involved as a CP for so long, and he knew exactly what kind of person he was dealing with. But now, seeing his behavior, he felt it was necessary to consider his own future. He didn’t want to be dragged down by this fool in the future.
Smart people who observed Jing Dan and them wouldn’t think they were being insincere, but this particular individual just seemed blind, acting on his assumptions as if he were in the right.
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He Ying carried the milk upstairs. As she had been delayed downstairs for a bit, when she entered the room, Jing Dan had just come out from the bathroom, her wet long hair dripping water and soaking her pajama fabric.
Looking at Jing Dan in this state, He Ying said softly, “Either dry your hair or tie it up, or there will be no milk to drink.” It wasn’t winter anymore, but spring had just begun, and couldn’t this person feel uncomfortable like this?
Seeing the two cups of milk in He Ying’s hands, Jing Dan obediently went back to the bathroom to dry her hair until it was no longer dripping. However, while drying her hair, she couldn’t help but have some doubts.
Previously, whenever He Ying saw her like this, wouldn’t she come up and help her dry her hair? Why was it different today?
After drying her hair, Jing Dan looked at He Ying’s expression and asked with some confusion, “What’s wrong with you? You seem a bit unhappy?”
He Ying quietly glanced at her, thinking about the despicable attitude the man had shown towards her earlier. It seemed like he was trying to flirt with her, but in reality, he was just testing her relationship with Jing Dan. After all, she was relatively isolated in the entertainment industry, with limited influence, and could not offer him many benefits. On the other hand, Jing Dan was different; she could offer him far more than He Ying could.
She was just a bit angry that someone had set their sights on Jing Dan. Although she understood that in this industry, people’s intentions were often unavoidable, it still made her uncomfortable when someone openly targeted Jing Dan, and she couldn’t defend her position effectively. She admitted to feeling somewhat uneasy.
She wanted to have a legitimate position to stand in front of Jing Dan, to fend off all those who coveted Jing Dan. But unfortunately, her current status was nothing more than being a subject as a CP pairing among internet users.
“Jing Dan, let me ask you again, do you remember what happened last night?”
The author has something to say:
Seeing that the pre-subscription count has reached a rounded number, I’ve already postponed plans with friends who invited me to play mahjong. If I finish writing, there will be an extra update tonight. If it’s not updated by 8 pm, it means the update will be tomorrow. (rubbing hands)