Chapter 2 You Fake Fan!
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As he got out of the car, several cameras aimed at him.
The footage of the guests meeting was pre-recorded and then swiftly edited into previews, but the real love reality show live broadcast would start after moving into the seaside love cottages tomorrow.
He emerged from the elevator to face two corridors decked with clean carpets in black and gold. After finding the corresponding room, following the reminder on the door, Xu Qingyan twisted the doorknob and walked straight in.
The entrance led to a semi-open family diner, with an L-shaped bar that was very conspicuous. The interplay of lights and shadows, along with the moisture drifting in from outside, created a strange sense of ambiguity.
A few people were sitting at the family-style L-shaped bar—two women and one man. Each person's seat was oddly separated by one empty spot.
Although all three had smiles on their faces, they occasionally flicked their hair or looked down to cough, creating an awkward atmosphere.
"Looks like someone's coming. Is it a male guest? It couldn't be a celebrity, right?"
"A star? Never seen him before."
"Should we say hello now... Hello!"
"Hi, hello, my name is Xu Qingyan."
Xu Qingyan entered, bringing with him a hint of the stuffy, rainy scent and reached out in greeting.
The production team had a rule that no one could reveal too much information before everyone had arrived. However, he felt the rule was unnecessary, because the guests' clothes and demeanor gave away quite a lot.
The sole male guest among them had above-average looks, wearing a black short-sleeved shirt without any obvious logo, and his bold gaze carried an air of casual superiority.
With a Richard Mille watch on his wrist, the wealthy guy took the initiative to greet him, waving his hand.
"Hello, my name is You Zijun."
"Hello, Xu Qingyan."
There was, in fact, not much for big men to talk about, and the other party was rather aloof as well.
The two female guests had risen early, and as Xu Qingyan turned his head, he noticed both had distinctive faces—one with a youthful-looking face with light makeup, the other with a breathtakingly beautiful mature look.
"Hello, my name is Shen Jinyue. Shen of the Shen by the Linshui River, Jinyue of the word jin for constraint, and Yue of the Moon."
A crisp voice rang out as Shen Jinyue smiled, revealing sweet dimples, her face appearing somewhat youthful.
Xu Qingyan couldn't help but look up and met a pair of clear eyes. Her doe-like eyes rippled with a clear smile, refreshing as a clean rain after a storm, delighting the heart.
She was wearing an exquisite white spaghetti-strap dress, her hair tied high in a ponytail. With delicate arched eyebrows and a straight nose, her smile revealed pearly white teeth and red lips. There was even a barely noticeable teardrop mole below the corner of her eye.
The spaghetti-strap dress fit her provocative figure perfectly, and her cleavage was distracting enough to draw a lingering gaze. Her soft, snowy white skin and the curvature left one unable to take their eyes off her.
"Hello, I'm Xu Qingyan." He stepped forward half a step, gently shook hands with her and caught a whiff of a scent akin to a faint floral fragrance mingled with her body odor.
"Pleased to meet you. Are you a performer?"
"No, I'm not, but I think I've seen you before." Xu Qingyan said.
As he spoke, he also observed Shen Jinyue's micro-expressions, noting that she didn't seem nervous in front of the camera. She seemed to have some experience dealing with cameras, unlike a complete amateur.
Upon closer thought, he realized this was the recently popular 'Reserved Moon' from Douhai, a puritanical internet celebrity with 30 million fans. Joining a love reality show?
"Are you the Moon?" he tentatively asked.
Shen Jinyue's eyes curved into crescents, seemingly delighted by his question. With a sweet smile, her ponytail swaying slightly, she nodded in acknowledgement.
"Yes, are you my fan?"
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"Right, what kind of blogger are you?"
As those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the living room instantly solidified, with You Zijun staring at Xu Qingyan with a shocked face while another female guest couldn't help but let out a light chuckle.
Shen Jinyue was even more embarrassed and whispered.
"I'm a singing blogger."
Xu Qingyan thought to himself, of course I know that, this is all part of the script. Don't blame me for being ruthless, blame the absurd amount the show team offered, I simply couldn't refuse.
Shen Jinyue's face was filled with a look of silent reproach, as if to say, "Are you really a fan of mine?"
The classic awkward silence was perfectly captured by the cameras, destined to become one of the incredible previews.
"Cough, I might have remembered it wrong," Xu Qingyan said before turning his head and finding his gaze landing on a firm chest, causing his breathing to become rapid.
"Hello, I'm Pei Muchan"
Pei Muchan's voice was steady and gentle, its soothing tone slightly husky, as if it was warmed by charcoal embers in her throat. Not at all stiff, it instead carried a bit of an alluring, big sister charm.
Her features were neat and delicate, with a slightly narrow face, which set her apart from the typical cookie-cutter oval faces—her face had a clear sense of bone structure, with just the right amount of facial depth.
Her lightly curled long hair casually draped over her shoulders, her eyes shaded with a soft brown matte eyeshadow. The moment her gaze met Xu Qingyan's, it transformed into the most gentle smile of a southern belle, captivating with red lips and white teeth.
She was wearing a grey vintage women's blazer with a black round-neck long sleeve shirt underneath, paired with tight blue jeans contouring her leg shape, and hips wider than her shoulders, sketching out perfect curves.
Geez, those jeans give off the impression of yoga pants.
Xu Qingyan couldn't help but silently lament in his mind, could this rotten love variety show actually afford such a goddess of beauty? Could it be that the director had sold his house?
"Hello, Xu Qingyan."
Xu Qingyan slightly bowed in a polite handshake, noticing the other person's fingers were ice-cold as he made contact and discreetly pulled back his hand.
However, the name Pei Muchan seemed familiar, like he had heard it somewhere before?
Before he could think further, sounds came from the entrance, this time it was a young man entering. A mild and delicate fresh meat with makeup on, he entered and greeted everyone with a demure bow.
"Hello everyone, my name is Bai Jinze."
Then the four of them took turns doing a brief self-introduction, which really just amounted to repeating their own names, as the show team had requested that identities be kept confidential.
But Xu Qingyan noticed that the way people looked at Pei Muchan was different and thought that some identities probably couldn't be kept secret, though he couldn't quite remember where he had seen her.
If she was a celebrity or actress, he really might not remember, as he had been busy running around for his mother's medical expenses these past years. With almost no time to rest, he had spent most of his efforts working hard to earn money.
In this world, everyone else might stop, but he couldn't.
He had never spoken about these things with his mother, for she couldn't help and would lose sleep worrying.
So far, five out of the nine guests had arrived, three men and two women. Before long, more commotion came from the doorway.
The slightly awkward words of greetings were halted as everyone turned their heads together toward the door, where, surprisingly, two male guests appeared at the corner at the same time.
One of them, with distinctive features and dressed in a Korean-style mature look, had his hair slicked back and wore a black long-sleeve shirt that made him look meticulous.
"Hello everyone, my name is Liu Renzhi."
The other male guest was in a suit with refined glasses, looking like a young professional who might be a lawyer or a doctor. Xu Qingyan guessed the man could be from one of those professions.
"Hello everyone, my name is Chen Feiyu."