Chapter 46

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Could the heavens hear Zhu Zixuan’s prayer?

The answer was no.

Lu Wuqi first revealed a mild smile, then slowly and deliberately opened her mouth to ask, “Excuse me, Teacher Zhu, what is the most regrettable thing you did in high school?”

After hearing Lu Wuqi’s question, Zhu Zixuan squeezed out a smile even uglier than crying. “Lu… Teacher Qiqi, how about you change the question?”

Lu Wuqi shook her head. “I really want to know this.” She only remembered that the two of them had conflicts during high school, but she couldn’t recall the specific details.

Zhu Zixuan’s odd behavior was quickly noticed by the other guests. Xiao Xinyi, who loved watching drama and stirring up trouble, even egged her on from the side, urging Zhu Zixuan to confess quickly.

“The most regrettable thing was probably rushing into a certain senior sister’s classroom and saying some pretty cringy middle-school phase words in front of the whole class.” Zhu Zixuan said vaguely, trying to gloss over it.

“What cringy middle-school phase words did Zixuan say?” Lin Zhi’s curiosity was also piqued, and he began to press her.

【Chuunibyou Teacher Zhu? I’m super curious too!】

【Come on, come on! I want to see the musical prodigy girl’s past!】

【Why do I feel like Teacher Qiqi knew something in advance? This question is way too spot-on.】

“That’s the second question already. I refuse to answer.” Zhu Zixuan looked at Lu Wuqi with a hint of pleading in her eyes.

Lu Wuqi’s eyebrow twitched slightly. After Zhu Zixuan’s reminder, she also recalled some details, and her expression turned subtly meaningful.

“Next round.” Lu Wuqi said. Since she had remembered now, it was better if Zhu Zixuan didn’t say it out loud. Otherwise, it wouldn’t just be embarrassing for one of them.

Zhu Zixuan let out a sigh of relief and quickly called for the second round of the game to begin.

But as the saying goes, what will come will come—you can’t avoid your fate. Lu Wuqi had no intention of digging deeper after getting her answer, but that didn’t mean the other guests, whose curiosity had been piqued, would let Zhu Zixuan off the hook.

By the fifth round of the game, Xiao Xinyi, who had rolled the highest number, earned the chance to either question or punish Zhu Zixuan.

“I choose truth or dare—dare!” Zhu Zixuan reacted quickly this time and immediately avoided the truth pitfall.

A brilliant smile appeared on Xiao Xinyi’s face. “Sure thing. My request is simple: Teacher Zhu just has to repeat that cringy middle-school phase line she said to her senior sister, right in front of everyone.”

Zhu Zixuan’s face darkened as she gritted her teeth and glared at Xiao Xinyi.

Xiao Xinyi! Watch out, or I’ll assassinate you after filming ends!

Xiao Xinyi blinked innocently. “Teacher Zhu, I’m just saying what a lot of viewers want to say. You wouldn’t mind, right?”

Zhu Zixuan slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, threw caution to the wind, and mustered all her courage to shout out that socially fatal line.

“Don’t think you’re so great just because the person I like likes you! What goes around comes around—maybe in a few years, the person you like will like me! We’ll see about that!”

Zhu Zixuan forced the words out, then couldn’t help but cover her face with both hands. She desperately wanted to slip into the cracks between the tiles and escape.

Aaaah, why did this life have to be so long?

She didn’t even need to think to know that this line would be her lifelong black history!

【Holy crap! That’s a bombshell of info!】

【Ah, my little miss had a puppy love in high school?】

【Help, I’m already cringing for Little Zhu!】

“Huh?” A blank look appeared on Xiao Xinyi’s face. After replaying Zhu Zixuan’s words in his mind, he couldn’t help but burst out laughing without any mercy.

“Hahaha! Zhu—Teacher Zhu, I never knew you had such bold ideas back in the day. What goes around comes around, and don’t bully the poor youth! Hahaha!” Xiao Xinyi was pretty close with Zhu Zixuan usually, so he mocked her without any reservations.

The relatively older Lin Zhi and Fan Ying were more composed—they just covered their mouths and chuckled, sighing about youthful recklessness.

Lin Qingxu, who vaguely guessed what was going on, instinctively looked toward Lu Wuqi and asked her girlfriend with her eyes.

The senior sister Zhu Zixuan mentioned… that wouldn’t be you, right? The person she liked liked you?

Lu Wuqi gave a slight nod—unwilling to admit it but even more unwilling to lie to her girlfriend—then scratched her girlfriend’s palm with her index finger, signaling that her heart belonged only to her, from beginning to end.

The game had a total of twenty rounds. Lu Wuqi had no intention of showing off her dice-rolling skills in this purely entertaining setting, so in the eighth and seventeenth rounds, she chose dare and truth respectively.

The dare was simple: just pick any guest and kiss their cheek. For Lu Wuqi, this wasn’t a punishment—it was a chance to openly kiss her girlfriend.

The truth question was more interesting. The asker was still the drama-stirrer Xiao Xinyi. He probably saw Lu Wuqi as just a regular person, so he asked whatever came to mind without holding back.

“Excuse me, Teacher Qiqi, what is the thing you most want to hide right now?” Xiao Xinyi asked with a grin.

Lu Wuqi thought for a second and answered honestly. “I don’t want you all or the audience to know that the senior sister Teacher Zhu mentioned earlier is me.”

“Pfft—hahaha! I never expected Teacher Qiqi and Teacher Zhu to have such a fateful connection!” Drama-stirrer Xiao Xinyi lost it again.

“It’s quite fateful indeed. Teacher Zhu and I hadn’t been in touch for a long time. I never thought we’d meet again on this show.” Lu Wuqi said very seriously. “But let me clarify: I wasn’t in any puppy love, and the person I like wouldn’t like Teacher Zhu.”

“Ahem, of course. What happened before was all a misunderstanding. I believed some rumors without verifying them.” Zhu Zixuan said, looking a bit awkward.

Back in her sophomore year, she had been a wild, unruly kid. Provocation worked on her every time, leading her to do plenty of stupid things.

Luckily, her dad had sent her abroad for further studies afterward. Otherwise, she definitely would have turned into one of those spoiled young masters who needed adults trailing behind to clean up their messes.

Facing her middle-school phase self head-on was pretty socially fatal for Zhu Zixuan, but using this chance to clear up the misunderstanding with Lu Wuqi actually made it worth it for her.

After all, the Qi family’s businesses were far inferior to the Lu Family’s Wanbang Group. If she could befriend Lu Wuqi through this embarrassment, it would be a good thing for both Zhu Zixuan and the Qi family behind her.

–

After the clichéd truth or dare ended, the four regular guests got a basic sense of Lin Qingxu and Lu Wuqi’s personalities and confirmed they could take jokes. The dinner atmosphere in the live broadcast room was quite pleasant.

The default break time was nine o’clock, but they had finished eating by seven-thirty. Normally, the regular guests would go off and do their own things after dinner—some playing on their phones, some working on music.

However, to accommodate the two newcomers, Lin Zhi thoughtfully asked about their preferences and suggested playing cards or games.

“I don’t play games much, but I know a bit of poker and mahjong.” Lin Qingxu said modestly.

“Little Lin knows mahjong?” Fan Ying looked up excitedly. “Then let’s set up a game tonight? Lin Zhi knows mahjong too—he’s an expert.”

“I’m okay, just a hobby.” Lin Zhi smiled. “Teacher Fan, that still leaves us one short.”

“Doesn’t Little Xiao know a bit too? Why don’t you join to make up the numbers?” Fan Ying turned to Xiao Xinyi.

“I can, but I play pretty slowly. Hope the three teachers will go easy on me.” Xiao Xinyi touched his nose as he spoke. “Teacher Qiqi, do you know mahjong?”

“I’ve barely played, but I know the basic rules.” Lu Wuqi answered honestly. While studying abroad, she had curiously visited some casinos, including one run by a Chinese person that had mahjong, and she had tried it once.

“Then Teacher Qiqi, you try first? If it doesn’t work, I’ll step in!” Xiao Xinyi said.

Losing at mahjong wouldn’t cost money, but getting paper strips stuck on your face was inevitable. To avoid becoming the biggest loser, Xiao Xinyi decided to dodge for as long as he could.

Lu Wuqi didn’t refuse and chose the seat across from her girlfriend. After Fan Ying, the veteran mahjong master, recited the rules once more, they began drawing and discarding tiles in order.

【Oh ho, Teacher Fan finally gets her wish! Last time she hand-shuffled mahjong was the previous episode!】

【I bet Teacher Fan and Teacher Lin Zhi will win. The biggest loser should be Teacher Qiqi, right? She seems like a newbie.】

【Not necessarily—not every newbie is like Xiao Xinyi. Last time’s flying guest had great luck and only got one strip after two hours.】

Fan Ying was the first dealer. She didn’t like a too-quiet mahjong atmosphere and chatted while discarding.

Fan Ying: “7 of Characters. Little Lin, that drama you filmed before—is it wrapped? I remember the release date was pretty rushed.”

Lin Qingxu drew a tile: “Yes, the TV station set it for August 1st, a little over a month away. 6 of Bamboo.”

“Pong! 7 of Characters.” Lin Zhi chimed in. “That’s pretty rushed, but Director Li’s post-production team is top-notch. Even rushed projects have quality.”

Lu Wuqi didn’t join the conversation. While drawing and discarding, she memorized everyone’s discards to deduce their winning hands.

Honestly, this wasn’t difficult for Lu Wuqi at all. After each had discarded six tiles, she pretty much had a grasp of the tile situation.

“Fa Cai.” Lu Wuqi said.

“Pong~” Lin Qingxu said. “9 of Bamboo.”

Lin Zhi drew a tile, thought for a moment, and followed with a 9 of Bamboo.

“4 of Circles.” Lu Wuqi directly broke up her pair of 4 of Circles.

“Mahjong!” Lin Qingxu pushed down her tiles and raised an eyebrow at Lu Wuqi. “Xiao Qi, pong-pong mahjong, plus mixed one color.”

“I lost.” Lu Wuqi calmly folded her tiles, then shuffled them. “Xuxu, stick it wherever.”

Lin Qingxu hesitated slightly, then stuck the paper strip on Lu Wuqi’s chin. She coughed several times to hold back her laughter.

“Xiao Qi, you need to play seriously. I’m no newbie, you know.” Lin Qingxu reminded her subtly.

Lu Wuqi instinctively looked at Lin Qingxu and, seeing the confidence in her eyes, understood what she meant.

It seemed her girlfriend’s mahjong skills were no joke at all—she didn’t need Lu Wuqi to go easy on her.

“Pong.”

“Chow~”

“Mahjong!”

“Self-draw!”

As time passed, Lin Qingxu and Fan Ying took turns winning almost every hand, their drawing and discarding speeds getting faster and faster. After an hour and a half, Lin Zhi’s face was covered in over ten paper strips.

“What’s going on? Why am I either feeding wins or getting self-drawn on? I’ve only won once so far!” Lin Zhi was starting to crack. “I demand a seat change. Teacher Qiqi, switch seats with me.”

“Sure.” Lu Wuqi folded her tiles. With the three strips on her chin now moved to below Lin Qingxu’s seat.

“Teachers, it’s nine o’clock now. We’re switching to outdoor shots only.” The executive director kindly reminded them at this point. “Tomorrow’s tasks start at nine and will be relatively intense. Please get some early rest.”

“Got it.” Lin Zhi replied, the smile that had been plastered on his face vanishing instantly.

After turning off his lapel mic, Lin Zhi ripped off all the strips from his face. “Teacher Fan, I’m beat. I’m heading to rest.”

Fan Ying nodded slightly. “Thanks for humoring me for these two rounds. Get some rest.”

“Teacher Fan, see you tomorrow.” After bidding Fan Ying goodnight alone, Lin Zhi stomped upstairs with a face full of displeasure.

Lin Qingxu blinked awkwardly. “Teacher Fan, was I wrong to win so many times?”

“It’s not your fault. Lin Zhi’s a sore loser when he doesn’t win.” Fan Ying smiled. “There are cameras during missions, so no worries.”

As for off-camera spots, just steer clear of him, Fan Ying hinted darkly.

“I’m off to rest. You all pack up and hit the hay soon too. If the director came to remind us specially, tomorrow’s tasks are probably going to be tough.” Fan Ying said.

After only she and Lu Wuqi were left in the game room, Lin Qingxu let out a soft breath, a hint of confusion in her eyes. “Xiao Qi, was I too happy about winning just now, so I didn’t notice Teacher Lin Zhi’s expression on his face?”

Lu Wuqi thought for three seconds, then shook her head. “His face was covered in white strips. I couldn’t see his expression clearly, and I didn’t pay attention to it either.”

“I watched the live stream before. Teacher Lin Zhi is mainly in charge of controlling the flow and bailing people out. I thought he was a pretty easygoing person.” Lin Qingxu pinched the spot between her eyebrows.

She had still been too lax. How could she forget that she was recording a variety show and not actually playing cards with friends? In this kind of setting, she needed to pay attention to social graces.

“His easygoing nature is probably selective.” Lu Wuqi shifted her chair and reached out to drape an arm over her girlfriend’s shoulders. “Wasn’t Teacher Lin Zhi pretty polite to Teacher Fan? He had seven strips on his face because of you, six because of Teacher Fan, and three because of me.”

“If he really couldn’t handle losing, he should’ve just said goodnight to me instead of only to Teacher Fan.” Lu Wuqi comforted her softly.

Teacher Lin Zhi seemed like a nice guy, but he was actually just a snob who curried favor with the high and stepped on the low. He only dared to throw a tantrum at artists he thought had no backing when the cameras weren’t rolling.

“You’re right. I was the one who put him on a pedestal.” Lin Qingxu quickly sorted out her emotions and pulled her girlfriend to her feet. “Let’s go. Teacher Fan said tomorrow’s going to be exhausting. We should shower early and get to bed!”

She knew exactly what kind of place the entertainment industry was, didn’t she? She wasn’t some top-tier A-list celebrity. What right did she have to think she could be friends with just anyone?

“Okay.” Lu Wuqi didn’t say much more. But once they got back to the room, she wired some money to Director Dai at Dahai Entertainment, asking her to quickly arrange the recruitment work and help Dahai Entertainment build its reputation as fast as possible.

–

According to the staff, the indoor cameras and mics were all turned off during the outdoor live segments.

However, most of the guests were cautious. Even if the cameras were off, they’d cover them with a cloth bag or unplug the power cord to avoid any accidents.

Lin Qingxu was one of those cautious guests. After opening the door and entering the room, she pulled out the black bag that Little Assistant had prepared for her and started hunting for the cameras.

But after pacing around the room three times, Lin Qingxu still couldn’t find any cameras.

“Xiao Qi, do you think the production team forgot to set up cameras in our room?” Lin Qingxu asked doubtfully.

“Maybe.” Lu Wuqi replied. “Either way, we’re getting up before nine. It’s not bad if there’s no camera in the room.”

The production team wouldn’t forget something like that. It was just that their contracts were different from the others. The new contract specified that without permission, the show had no right to install cameras in this room. They could only have cameramen come in during the day for follow shots.

“True. Without cameras, it completely eliminates the chance of the director pulling any tricks.” Lin Qingxu tossed the black bag aside, chalking this discovery up to her good luck, then quickly locked the door from the inside.

“Xiao Qi, want to shower together?” Lin Qingxu draped herself over her girlfriend, speaking softly. “My shoulders are a bit sore.”

“Sure. Did you bring the massage oil?” Lu Wuqi wrapped an arm around her girlfriend’s waist and rubbed her nose tip against her cheek.

“I haven’t removed my makeup yet.” Lin Qingxu tilted her neck back. “I brought it. It’s in my makeup bag. After we shower, you can massage my shoulders?”

“Of course. At your service~” Lu Wuqi said with a smile, burying her head in her girlfriend’s neck. Her voice came out muffled. “No charge if you’re not satisfied.”

Hmm, if they showered together, she wouldn’t have time to sneakily take her medicine.

It looked like she’d have to show off her massage skills later and try to make her girlfriend so comfortable that she fell asleep during it.