Chapter 67: Drum Pass Flower Part 1

The rain was still falling, though it had eased off from a downpour.

The hall’s lighting rigs from the production crew mingled with the natural dim yellow glow, giving even the raindrops visible trails, as if their landing spots had been perfectly framed.

Pastoral Idyll Campfire#

Qiu Chao’s First Love#

Xi Xi and Li Xi’s Chicken Butt Feud#

Drum Pass Flower#

The real-time trending topics kept updating in sync. Plenty of netizens who only vaguely remembered Qiu Chao’s name couldn’t resist their curiosity about a beauty’s first love and clicked right in.

The phrase “first love” came with its own rose-tinted filter—evoking dreamy illusions and tying straight into those spirited campus days.

Even if it wasn’t anyone’s personal school story, it still conjured up specific people and moments.

Qiu Chao’s first love.

It was just too intriguing.

This wasn’t a topic celebrities usually jumped to hype.

For one, it risked exposing underage dating scandals. For another, it could get one’s past dug up and linked to their current life, stirring up needless drama.

But people always had questions. If the fumbling crushes and attempts at love in puberty counted as premature romance, then why did life after college graduation get fast-tracked, saddled with marriage expectations?

The elders were always pros at preaching, wielding harsh realities to crush young dreams of love, linking it to studies and sketching out this illusion of “just hold on till…”

Just get into college, and it’ll be fine.

Just land a job, and it’ll be fine.

Just get married, and it’ll be fine.

…

But what did “fine” even mean?

That wasn’t the path Qiu Chao’s life had taken. She hadn’t gone to college. If you traced it back, her first job might have been helping her mother sell rice noodles.

Marriage, in others’ eyes, was the term linked to her and Yan Kai. They had come so close, just a little short. Otherwise, it would’ve been another tale of a female star marrying into wealth—years later, showing off her lavish rich-wife life with kids in tow on a variety show.

Was that “fine”?

It seemed even the predecessors hadn’t fared all that well.

But now, with the rain pattering steadily, Drum Pass Flower on pause and the bonfire down to half its flames flickering dimly…

Qiu Chao’s words always carried this timeless sense of desolation, easily reminding people of her humble origins.

It was like that part of her struggling through the mud—she never claimed to be a flower, always insisting she was a lotus root.

All those lingering threads from a broken lotus root stemmed from her refusal to accept her current lot.

She wanted too much, so she had to work twice as hard as anyone else. Even if she ended up with nothing, there was no room left for regrets.

【Who on earth is Qiu Chao talking about?! Damn it, I thought it was Yan Muyu.】

【No way, they’ve saved each other’s lives. If it was, Yan Muyu wouldn’t stay quiet.】

【Yan Muyu said that person was the unlucky one. Otherwise, wouldn’t she be cursing herself?】

【Li Xi’s question wasn’t planted by the production team, was it?】

【I’m dying of curiosity! Qiu Chao always comes off as the type who wants career over love. People even tallied her romances before—all just flings passing through. If she ever settled down, that person might get squeezed out! Jealous!】

Yan Muyu’s words carried a hint of scoff. Li Xi chuckled and turned to Qiu Chao. “Who’d turn you down? Care to elaborate, Miss Qiu?”

Qiu Chao shot back, “Isn’t this Drum Pass Flower? How’d it turn into storytime?”

Li Xi grinned slyly and glanced around at the others. “No one here wants to hear it?”

Ding Yingxue nodded eagerly like her life depended on it. Pei Wan propped her chin on her hand, smiling at Qiu Chao.

【Don’t let this chance slip!】

【Let me soul-swap into Ding Yingxue for a day! RT this melon king, and you can feast on everyone’s tea.】

Xi Xi said, “How do you keep dragging others down? If you want to hear it, own it—don’t sabotage everyone else.”

Her tone dripped with personal grudge.

Li Xi didn’t care in the slightest. She turned warmly to Liu Song instead. “What about you, Song Bao?”

Yan Muyu cut in with a “Hey!” “What’re you doing? Shouldn’t you at least ask the person herself if she wants to share a story?”

She was great at muddying the waters. “If you all want to hear, fine—everyone shares their first love.”

【Yan Muyu’s on a rampage.】

【Want to call her a pimp, but that might be too much.】

【Love this vibe in a setting like this! More please.】

【Hahaha, Ding Yingxue’s eyes lit up! Sis-con is terrifying wuwuwu.】

Li Xi: “Sure, I’m game.”

Qiu Chao had no intention of letting herself get turned into entertainment fodder. She tapped her water cup, directing Yan Muyu to pour her some.

Her fingers, stripped of nail polish from work, still looked slender and pale—tapping the ceramic cup was a sight in itself.

Yan Muyu obediently poured the water. Qiu Chao watched her lowered brows and eyes intently.

She thought to herself: Do you even know? When will you find out? What will you do when you do?

Will you regret it?

Of course not.

Not even Xu Xue’s death could spark your love. You, born without a heart, would you ever pause for me?

Qiu Chao stared so fixedly that when Yan Muyu finished pouring, she topped off Xi Xi’s cup next door as well.

Xi Xi said maliciously, “Then let’s start with Yan Muyu.”

Li Xi: “Perfect. You’re next.”

She even called out loudly to Liu Song: “Song Bao, opportunities like this are rare. Listen up.”

She was the type to smile sweetly while dumping filth from upstairs—Xi Xi’s teeth itched just watching.

But the audience ate it up, the barrage fanning the flames.

Yan Muyu: “Me first? I don’t have a first love.”

She set down the pitcher, spread her hands, and sighed.

A chorus of boos rose. Ding Yingxue let out an “Ah!” “Really? No one’s that hopeless, right?”

Yan Muyu nodded frankly. “The first person I liked? I don’t even remember. It wasn’t really liking them anyway—just thought it was fun.”

【So scummy.】

【Reminds me of my first love. I think I just liked her face.】

Ding Yingxue: “Doesn’t have to be someone you dated. A crush counts.”

Yan Muyu: “You got one?”

Ding Yingxue hesitated with a “Uh,” glancing instinctively at Pei Wan.

Yan Muyu: “Your first love’s Pei Wan?”

【Rampage mode activated!】

【How does she say whatever?!】

【Ding Yingxue, you don’t have to look that scared, do you?】

Ding Yingxue waved her hands frantically. “No no no!”

Pei Wan nodded. “It was that guy from the class next door in high school, right? I remember you always talked about him. Even wrote him a love letter?”

Ding Yingxue: “Does that count as first love?”

Pei Wan: “That whole time, you hated going home. Mom said you always stuck around after class till he finished basketball.”

Yan Muyu let out a sarcastic “Ohhh.” “A crush, huh? Did you score?”

She had a knack for turning pretty words crude, but her refined looks made the contrast huge.

She was just… super punchable.

Ding Yingxue: “No! I was pure back then! Not like you, Young Boss Yan!”

Yan Muyu grinned. “What’s that? You trying to call me out?”

【I’m done.】

【Why do I feel like Yan Muyu’s in a bad mood?】

Li Xi: “Makes sense you’d have no first love—you’re too much of a player. So, first person you dated?”

Yan Muyu let out an “Ah!” “Why do I get all the grilling?”

Li Xi: “You’re the flirtiest.”

Off-camera, Qiu Siyuan couldn’t help laughing.

To the crew, this variety show was an unexpected smash.

The guests’ chemistry delivered twists and peaks galore, keeping viewers hooked without the team needing to script a thing.

Yan Muyu conceded. “Fine, whatever.”

Whether it was the guests there or the live audience, everyone could tell Yan Muyu was surprisingly easygoing.

But this question seemed to stump her—she clearly needed time to think.

【No way! Even your first hookup needs this much pondering?】

【Dead. She’s wild.】

【That rumor makes even more sense now.】

Qiu Chao: “Was your first date not with just one person?”

She cradled her teacup, propping her chin as she gazed at Yan Muyu beside her. In the play of light and shadow, her eyes held a tenderness the onlookers couldn’t grasp.

It was just… way too mocking.

【Lmao, savage!】

【Not gonna lie, wouldn’t put it past her.】

Yan Muyu: “Impossible. Am I that kind of person?”

Xi Xi nodded without hesitation. “You totally look it.”

The pointless back-and-forth nearly made Yan Muyu crack up. She sighed. “Honestly forgot. Pretty sure it was a senior.”

Her stray hairs veiled her brows and eyes, but not her smile. Everyone could see how different Yan Muyu looked smiling versus not—always with that alluring air of mystery on the flip side.

Qiu Chao: “How many seniors?”

Yan Muyu groaned. “Enough already! Why’s everyone ganging up on me? Next up, Xi Xi.”

Xi Xi scoffed. “Me?”

Li Xi prompted from the side: “Your ex-husband?”

【Savage +1】

【Scared they’ll actually fight—save us! Can you even say that?】

【Li Xi really holds a grudge against Xi Xi.】

【The list of people not on the show but constantly dragged: growing.】

Xi Xi rolled her eyes. “As if he deserves it.”

She wasn’t mad, just poured herself a drink and went on. “My first love was way better than him. Just didn’t like me back.”

Li Xi: “Never thought of rekindling with your first love? If the number’s still the same after twenty years, shoot a text.”

Yan Muyu: “Why do you keep stirring the pot? You’ve got some personal beef there, huh.”

Li Xi looked breezy on the surface, but her words packed gunpowder.

Xi Xi didn’t bother hiding it at all. When Yan Muyu called her out, she just shrugged. “Everyone knows there’s bad blood between Miss Xi and me. It’s still better than getting into an off-camera fight and trending for that.”

Li Xi was bold enough to speak her mind. “But don’t you all want to know the answer to my question?”

Her hair was choppy and uneven, and under the camera’s close-up, she perfectly embodied the image they’d pinned on her during that survival show years ago.

She was the type of wandering poet you’d spot on a rainy street—hardly bright and cheerful.

Yet every woman in this room had her own unique charm on screen, and none of them paled in comparison.

Yan Muyu chimed in, “Mainly, I just feel like you couldn’t take Xi Xi. Did you forget how she slapped her ex-husband so hard he got facial paralysis?”

【The production team’s wholesome reminder cracked me up: Please resolve marriage issues promptly.】

【These women are way too dramatic.】

【Feels like they’re just giving her ex free publicity.】

【Yan Muyu’s the type who pretends to break up fights but really just fans the flames…】

【Even Qiu Chao cracked a smile.】

Xi Xi sighed. “What’s the big deal? Who hasn’t run into a few scumbags in their life? It’s just a shame about my wasted youth.”

She propped her chin on her hand, staring blankly at the small cluster of flames dancing on the table.

Even her manager, who wasn’t a celebrity herself but was decked out just as glamorously, looked like a bunch of grapes ripened to perfection on the vine—always tempting people to imagine what she’d be like once plucked.

But grapes could dangle upside down too, just like ink splattered wildly, all raw intensity, all pure Xi Xi in her proud defiance.

She admitted plainly that she’d been blind, regretted the lost time, but had no real remorse.