Chapter 5

Ji Changyin felt a little wistful.

“I don’t mind. Find something for me.”

The original Ji Changyin had acted in two supporting roles. To be honest, her acting was decent. She wasn’t as good as Xu Chaomu, but she could still outshine quite a few of the younger actresses in the industry.

“How about doing a variety show to unwind? I’ll bring you the projects that have approached me recently.”

“What kind?”

“There’s a web talent competition looking for a presenter. Dream Chaser 101. Last year it was a boy group; this year it’s a girl group. The presenter mostly watches the show and adds a little sparkle. It’s not hard.”

“There’s a lifestyle show looking for a guest host. Everyone sits around eating together and trying out different ways of life.”

“There’s also an indoor variety show that needs regular guests, but I’m not keen on it. It doesn’t look very interesting, and there’s already way too much competition in that genre.”

…

Ji Changyin listened as Zhao Xi went through them one by one. In the end, she chose the talent show.

“I’ll do Dream Chaser 101. It sounds perfect for me.”

“If you join, you’ll probably need to prepare a performance for the opening, and you’ll have to learn the theme song with the mentors. Filming starts in the middle of next month, so you’ve only got about a month. I’ll need to find you a dance instructor, too.”

“Sure.” Ji Changyin rubbed her chin.

“Okay. I’ll have someone look over the contract. If everything’s fine, we’ll sign it.”

Ji Changyin stretched.

The male lead was boring. Watching a bunch of pretty girls sounded much better.

The next day, Ji Changyin didn’t leave the family home until after lunch. As she drove away, she let out a breath of relief. At least nobody had noticed.

She liked the atmosphere in the Ji family. She hoped she could gradually find her place in it.

It was strange, too. Her mother had made all the food she liked.

Ji Changyin tightened her grip on the steering wheel and took a deep breath. There were some things she didn’t dare think about too hard.

That afternoon, Ji Changyin went to sign the contract. Less than two hours after she got home, a rumor began circulating online that she would be a mentor on Dream Chaser. The post sounded convincing and even included a photo of Ji Changyin leaving Lychee Entertainment.

She was trending in no time.

Ji Changyin was a little exasperated. She’d never realized it was so easy to get on the trending list. The comments were full of criticism. Last season’s Dream Chaser had been an enormous hit, and everyone was looking forward to the second. People had been speculating about the mentors for a while, and compared with all the other names they’d guessed, Ji Changyin didn’t measure up.

Creek and River: “A mentor? Don’t scare me. What qualifications does Ji Changyin have to be one?”

Kinda Sleepy: “Um… If this rumor is true, I can only say Ji Changyin has guts.”

Trying to Drop 11 Pounds: “Who is this person?”

…

Ji Changyin reposted the rumor herself.

“How come I didn’t know I was going to be a mentor? Stop spreading rumors.”

After Ji Changyin personally stepped in to quash the rumor, the comments became a little less harsh.

Dream Chaser then announced it would start revealing the four mentors and two presenters the following day. The show began trending all over again.

“I have a feeling you’re going to get criticized again.”

“Let them. I don’t care.” Ji Changyin leaned against the couch and took a sip of coffee. “They have another presenter, too?”

“Mm. There are two this time. You’re the eye candy; the other one is the main presenter.”

Ji Changyin gave Zhao Xi a flat look. “I’m starting to wonder if you shoved me into this show.”

“Of course I didn’t. I have to ask, though—did getting rejected by CEO Wei upset you that much?”

Ji Changyin narrowed her eyes. “You could say that. From now on, I’m going to do what I want. I don’t have to wear myself out living for someone else, do I?”

“I’m glad you’ve come around. There are plenty of good men out there. You could keep a few at once if you wanted. You really weren’t worth hurting yourself over CEO Wei.” Zhao Xi smiled, practically beaming like it was New Year’s.

“Mm, I agree. Wei Jingbo is out of my life now.” Ji Changyin patted Zhao Xi’s shoulder. “So stop trying to comfort me. I don’t need it.”

“All right. I’ll leave you to it. I’ve already found a teacher for you. Training starts tomorrow morning. You’ll begin with the theme song. The production team says the two presenters only need to prepare one performance.”

“Who is the other presenter?”

Zhao Xi was quiet for a few seconds. “Xu Chaomu.”

“Who?” Ji Changyin thought she’d misheard.

“Xu Chaomu.” Zhao Xi looked at her. “You said you’d moved on, so I didn’t object.”

“Oh. That’s fine. I’m just a little surprised.”

Ji Changyin was surprised. The internet was even more surprised.

The two presenters were announced at one the next afternoon. They stayed at the top of the trending list until eight that night, and even then, they didn’t fall off the list.

Chaomu Looks Best Solo: “I think one presenter is enough. Ji Changyin doesn’t need to be there at all. I can’t see what she’s good for. Is she just eye candy? Isn’t Chaomu beautiful enough for us?”

Here for the Tea Again: “Honestly, I don’t understand why Xu Chaomu keeps agreeing to these random variety shows.”

Look at That Moon: “Whatever. As long as the Young Miss doesn’t bully our Chaomu, I’m fine.”

…

Ji Changyin scrolled through the comments, rubbed her chin, and messaged Xu Chaomu.

[Ji Changyin: What made you decide to join the show?]

Compared with other actresses in her league, Xu Chaomu had appeared on quite a few variety shows. But this was her first talent competition.

[Xu Chaomu: The director helped me out before. I’m returning the favor.]

[Ji Changyin: What do you think about performing together?]

[Xu Chaomu: Sure. I happen to have some free time.]

[Ji Changyin: Want to train at my studio? I hired a teacher.]

[Xu Chaomu: Okay.]

Ji Changyin sent her schedule straight over.

[Xu Chaomu: Okay.]

The whole thing felt a little surreal. The original Ji Changyin and Xu Chaomu had barely interacted, but since Ji Changyin arrived, she seemed to run into Xu Chaomu every day.

Xu Chaomu mentioned it to Xu Le, who had no objections. She wasn’t especially fond of Ji Changyin, but since they were working together on the show, there wasn’t much to be done.

On the first day of class, Ji Changyin was five minutes late. By the time she arrived, Xu Chaomu and the instructor were already there.

She walked over to the two of them, who had been chatting in the studio.

“Sorry, traffic was bad.”

“It’s fine.” Xu Chaomu stood up. “I just got here, too.”

They picked a jazz duet. The choreography was fairly difficult, but it looked good.

“This is kind of hard.” Ji Changyin frowned slightly. In her previous life, she’d worked for more than twenty years, but deep down she was still a slacker.

“It’s okay. We have time.” Xu Chaomu looked at her. “I know you can do it.”

Ji Changyin had been about to ask if they could switch to a different dance, but hearing Xu Chaomu say that, she couldn’t bring herself to.

Xu Chaomu was very good. She learned quickly.

“I was in a girl group for two years, so don’t compare yourself to me.”

Ji Changyin stared at her. She hadn’t known that. “That’s impressive.”

She didn’t understand. Xu Chaomu was so perfect, and the author clearly liked her so much. Why hadn’t she just made her the heroine?

“Not really. Are you rested? If so, let’s keep going.” Xu Chaomu looked at Ji Changyin.

Ji Changyin: …

“I feel like I just sat down five minutes ago.”

“It’s been fifteen minutes.”

Ji Changyin let out a rueful sigh.

At least they only had class three times a week. It was only one dance, after all.

But after the day’s lesson was over, just as Ji Changyin was wondering what to do the next day, Xu Chaomu spoke up.

“Let’s practice again tomorrow. We’re presenters, so we should get it as close to perfect as possible.”

“I think we have enough time. We’ve got a whole month.”

“We still have the theme song, and from what I’ve seen, it’s even harder than our routine. I think you…”

Ji Changyin took a deep breath. A month was plenty of time to learn two dances. Who did Xu Chaomu think she was talking to?

“Besides, I’m only free for now. I may have other work later.” Xu Chaomu had apparently noticed Ji Changyin’s reluctance, so she explained.

Ji Changyin: …

The two of them looked at each other.

“Ah, okay. Let’s do it tomorrow.” Ji Changyin nodded. It wasn’t exactly something to be proud of, being less busy than another actress.