Chapter 69

The camera lens shook toward the suitcase that had already been packed and placed beside the sofa.

Jiang Sisi said, “This isn’t great, is it? What if she really hid some little secret in there?”

A wave of bullet screen comments scrolled by.

“Have little secrets to make it fun!!”

“Yeah! Checking the luggage is exactly to see if Xiangxiang has any little secrets!!”

“This makes me want to see it even more!”

Jiang Sisi shook her head at the camera, then turned toward the bedroom and shouted, “Xiangxiang, we’re opening your suitcase.”

Leng Xiang was brushing on eyeshadow with a small brush when she heard the shout, and her hand nearly trembled.

Since she had agreed to join the show, she was mentally prepared for the production team’s sudden antics. She shouted back toward the living room, “Go ahead.”

Her suitcase didn’t have anything unspeakable in it anyway.

…

Wait, there really was something unspeakable in her suitcase!

Leng Xiang paused while applying her eyeshadow, no longer caring about her makeup. She rushed out of the bedroom.

In the living room, with Leng Xiang’s permission, Jiang Sisi said to the camera, “Alright, now we can see what’s really in this young lady’s suitcase.”

Jiang Sisi pulled her suitcase over, laid it flat, and with a “whoosh,” unzipped it. She placed her hand on one side of the lid and smiled mysteriously at the camera. “Want to see?”

The bullet screen comments cooperated perfectly.

“Want to see!!”

“Super want to see!!”

“Sisi, don’t tease us anymore!!”

Jiang Sisi opened the suitcase and laid it flat halfway.

Half of the suitcase was filled with clothes, the other half with books and daily necessities like towels, an electric toothbrush, a wooden comb, and so on. There was also a small pouch prepared for her daily skincare products.

The live broadcast didn’t have time to censor, so the skincare products appeared boldly on camera.

“That friend begging for a skincare tutorial, you got it!”

“Quick, take notes! I hope the replay doesn’t censor it. I didn’t see clearly yet. Sisi, don’t zip it up!”

“This brand is pretty cheap, I remember! Xiangxiang’s skin is so good, and she only uses this?”

“Probably naturally beautiful. Can’t envy that qwq.”

Leng Xiang’s suitcase was impeccably clean. Even the clothes were neatly folded with edges perfectly aligned and stacked together. The books and daily items were in the other half, neatly separated, with no extraneous objects at all. The tidiness was strikingly impactful.

“Holy crap!”

“Mom, I’m blinded!!”

“So neat it’s like OCD!!!”

Jiang Sisi laughed. “You can tell Leng Xiang is someone who loves cleanliness. But it’s too neat—nothing interesting here.”

Jiang Sisi was about to close the suitcase when she saw Leng Xiang rushing anxiously from the bedroom. “Wait!”

Jiang Sisi: “…???”

Leng Xiang looked at Jiang Sisi with a bit of guilt. “You…”

Jiang Sisi: “What’s wrong?”

Leng Xiang caught her breath, her heart pounding like a drum. It seemed Jiang Sisi hadn’t noticed the photo tucked in the suitcase’s hidden compartment.

Leng Xiang: “Nothing.”

The bullet screen comments scrolled again.

“I don’t believe it’s nothing! There must be some unspeakable secret in that suitcase!”

“Why did Leng Xiang rush out? You’re basically telling all the netizens there’s something shady in there!”

“Jiang Sisi was about to close it—why come out now?!”

“The one above hahahaha!!”

“Hidden compartment!! Hidden compartment!! The camera flashed by it—there’s a hidden compartment!!”

Jiang Sisi wore an earpiece, and the director team’s voice came through softly.

Jiang Sisi’s gaze swept over Leng Xiang’s face, a hint of amusement in her eyes.

Jiang Sisi said, “Hidden compartment?”

Leng Xiang’s face flushed red instantly, her panic visible to the naked eye.

“Hahahaha I can’t take it—Leng Xiang is so cute! She’s adorable! I’m losing it!!”

“Xiangxiang baby!! How are you so innocent!! That expression screams there’s something in the compartment!!”

“I’m gonna melt from cuteness—save me, she’s too cute!”

“Xiangxiang!! Mom won’t allow you to make that seductive face—Mom forbids it!!”

Jiang Sisi had already closed the suitcase but hadn’t zipped it yet. She looked up at her with a smile. “Can we see what’s in the hidden compartment?”

It was over. From the moment she rushed out, the persona the production team had assigned her was utterly ruined.

But Leng Xiang couldn’t care less about any persona now. Her palms were sweaty—she knew exactly what was in that compartment…

A yellowed photo of Jiang Sisi from her youth, which she had kept in there for many years and never taken out.

Leng Xiang appeared calm on the surface, but her heart was in her throat. She said, “No.”

Jiang Sisi shrugged noncommittally, zipped it up, locked the suitcase, dragged it over, and set it aside.

Jiang Sisi: “Alright, if the young lady says no, then we won’t look.”

A wave of boos scrolled across the bullet screen.

“Boo, just dropping it like that?! I was so looking forward to it!!”

“I noticed that quick flash of the compartment too. It looked thin—probably something paper-like.”

“Photo? Notebook? Love letter?”

“Love letter what the heck hahahaha!!”

“But Sisi’s so doting. Her tone asking Leng Xiang was so soft it gave me chills.”

“Raise the Si Xiang CP flag high!”

“Though I used to think it was just CP fans being delusional, now it really feels kinda yuri…”

“CP fans happily eating candy! Even if my fave RPS ends in heartbreak, eat the sugar while it lasts!!”

The three cameramen dutifully carried on, and the director team had no objections to Jiang Sisi’s obvious leniency—in fact, they were delighted.

After all, whatever was in Leng Xiang’s hidden compartment was minor; sparking a wave of buzz was the real win.

The director team watched the online viewer count skyrocketing and felt gratified.

Leng Xiang let out a sigh of relief but couldn’t help glancing at Jiang Sisi a couple more times.

Public opinion was buzzing about her and Jiang Sisi, but mostly in jest—equivalent to saying they were close friends, just jokes. No one really thought they were together.

If the netizens found out she had a photo of Jiang Sisi in her suitcase, that wouldn’t fly. Mild fan service and yuri baiting were normal marketing; fans understood and loved it, boosting the show’s visibility.

But that didn’t mean the audience truly accepted same-sex relationships.

And most crucially, if Jiang Sisi found out she’d been carrying her photo for years…

She felt like she’d want to crawl into a hole or just vanish from the earth.

…

Leng Xiang brought Wang Linlin along, joining Jiang Sisi and the three cameramen as they all got into the Love Cottage’s car.

The Love Cottage was a four-story villa with a swimming pool and a massive sports field—fully equipped like a mini resort. It sat on the northern edge of B City, near the suburbs, flanked by a dense artificial forest.

At nine-thirty, the car pulled up directly to the Love Cottage’s entrance. Leng Xiang got out and couldn’t help sucking in a cold breath at the sight of the villa.

The world of the wealthy.

Jiang Sisi dragged her suitcase, walking beside Leng Xiang as they entered.

The rest of the Love Diary production team had arrived the day before, all seated on the sofa waiting for Jiang Sisi and Leng Xiang.

Jiang Sisi and Leng Xiang pushed open the door, first noticing the camera aimed at everyone on the sofa, then the people themselves.

Jiang Sisi said, “Sorry to keep everyone waiting.”

Leng Xiang remembered her aloof persona and just nodded without speaking.

Lu Rui wore a pink dress with a little vest jacket over it, looking youthful, vibrant, sweet, and lovely.

She stood up first to welcome them, smiling sweetly. “Welcome to the Love Cottage. I’m Lu Rui—we’ve been waiting so long.”

Sitting next to Lu Rui was the other female guest invited by the show, Bai Rou. She wore a white dress that made her look ethereal and fairy-like. She also stood, smiling mildly and reservedly. “Hello, I’m Bai Rou.”

She was probably going for the good-girl persona.

The three male guests were on another sofa and all stood up.

Yi Jing was Jiang Sisi’s old friend and didn’t hold back, giving her a big hug and slapping her back heartily. “Old Jiang, long time no see.”

Jiang Sisi was utterly disgusted. “Didn’t we see each other over New Year? Don’t move—you reek of scumbag.”

The bullet screen scrolled again.

“Hahahaha what’s ‘scumbag smell’?! Director Jiang’s still so blunt.”

“Yi Jing’s playboy persona holds strong—‘scumbag smell’ nails it.”

“No wonder they say Jiang Sisi’s circle covers half the industry. She knows everyone.”

Xu Xingche had at least spent some time on Jiang Sisi’s drama set, so he went over and shook her hand. “Hello, Director Jiang. Hello, Sister Leng Xiang.”

Leng Xiang nodded.

The last male guest stood a bit apart, his buzz cut catching Leng Xiang’s eye several times.

His brows and eyes were starry, his face sharply angular like chiseled by a knife, and at one-ninety-eight, he towered over everyone present.

In today’s industry, men with such rugged masculinity and sheer height were a rarity.

The buzz-cut guy’s voice was low and electric. Two simple words: “Qin Yang.”

Qin Yang had blown up last year as the villain in the patriotic hit film The Lion. He looked cool as hell on screen, drawing a huge fanbase despite getting his head blown off by the hero. His popularity soared.

Jiang Sisi shook Qin Yang’s hand. “I thought your acting in The Lion was great when I watched it. Nice to meet you in person. Let’s collaborate sometime.”

Qin Yang grinned, flashing white teeth. “Thanks, Teacher Jiang. I love your movies—looking forward to working with you.”

The bullet screen lit up with complaints.

“She’s already scouting talent? The show’s only been on an hour!”

“Gotta say, Director Jiang’s impressive—never forgets her films even on variety shows.”

“So the male lead for Teacher Jiang’s next movie is locked in? Locked in??”

Leng Xiang listened to Jiang Sisi’s words, her gaze repeatedly drawn to Qin Yang. She pursed her lips, saying nothing.

Self-introductions over, it was time to assign rooms.

In the Love Cottage, the three male guests shared one room. But with four women—the female guests plus the host—one room wasn’t enough, so they split into two.

Bai Rou and Lu Rui had arrived yesterday and naturally took one girls’ room, leaving the other for Jiang Sisi and Leng Xiang.

Hearing the room arrangements, Jiang Sisi and Leng Xiang exchanged a glance.

That meant, for the next three months, they’d be sharing a room.

Leng Xiang felt her face heating up.

The bullet screen exploded when the room assignments were announced.

“My Si Xiang CP sharing a room!! A room!! Aaaah!!!”

“This is the official force-feeding me candy down my throat!!!”

“Just get together already!! One room anyway!!”

“You upstairs are filthy!! Watch getting banned!!”

“Look at Xiangxiang’s face—she seems kinda blushing.”

“Hahaha not just blushing—when Jiang Sisi and Qin Yang were chatting happily about collab, you didn’t catch Leng Xiang’s expression. Looked jealous to me.”