Chapter 88

Chapter 88

At 4 PM, the first live broadcast of "Opposite-Sex Friends" officially began.

The intense program promotion had been going on for more than two months, and with popular idol Lù Yīfēi’s strong appeal, plus Ān Yě and Diāo Tóng’s stable fanbase, even before the broadcast started, the viewership was rapidly approaching a million.

The screen was filled with fans flooding the bullet comments. Ān Yě, standing in the guest area, glanced at the large screen provided by the production team and saw her celebrity avatar as the bullet comments flew by.

She couldn’t help but think, if Chí Tuō wasn’t doing the show right now, he might be at work helping her boost her popularity.

This thought made her smile instantly. As the live broadcast camera swept by, the screen was suddenly filled with bullet comments carrying her avatar.

The director was very sharp, holding the camera on Ān Yě for two seconds before slowly moving on to the other celebrity and regular guests.

To keep the audience guessing, everyone wore sponsored grey and white sportswear, and the regular guests all wore black masks, each with a numbered label.

The uniform outfits made Chí Tuō’s height stand out, making him quite noticeable.

Bullet comments:

[Who’s friend is the handsome guy in #3? His height and long legs are a bit too superior.]

[Didn’t Ān Yě’s childhood friend come too, the one who draws turtles?]

[Is the childhood friend a lawyer? Could it be #4? He looks solid, more like a successful person.]

[#1 could also be a possibility, #1’s shoes are the most expensive.]

[This time, I’m really looking forward to it. Yīfēi, Yīfēi, Yīfēi, sky-high!]

[...You fans are really bold, did you not understand the meaning of "opposite-sex friends"? OPPOSITE-SEX! FRIENDS! Has the idol world become so open-minded?]

So far, the bullet comments were still quite normal.

Qí Wéi was testing the waters, and so was Huàn Zhòu.

The host for this live broadcast was different from the one in the morning. This one was more familiar, a host the production team often worked with, and their ability to control the atmosphere was much better than the one in the morning.

After quickly confirming the simple game rules, he called on #1 Guān Shèngyù and #5 Xiè Xiǎolíng to come up and draw lots.

Ten different-colored lots were prepared, and the ones for Guān Shèngyù and Xiè Xiǎolíng were removed. The rest were shown to them with prompts to guess. Guān Shèngyù went first.

This was the privilege of the previous game’s winner, and since Guān Shèngyù had won, the prompt given was so simple it felt like they were going easy on him.

Ān Yě’s lot was light green, with the words "City of the Sun" written on it.

Guān Shèngyù chose Ān Yě’s lot first. After selecting, he stood there and smiled at Ān Yě.

The live camera followed his gaze to capture Ān Yě.

Ān Yě really didn’t want to take the camera shot and kept her head down, fiddling with the drawstring on the sleeve of her sponsored sportswear. When the host revealed the lot’s contents, she had just pulled the drawstring all the way out, and her expression blanked for a moment.

Bullet comments:

[Hahaha, did she just tear apart the sponsored clothes?]

[Hahahaha, sorry, my Ān Yě loves to tear apart props, the bouquet from "City of the Sun" last time was also torn by her.]

[Is it just me, or has Ān Yě’s persona changed a bit in the last month or two? She didn’t seem this lively before?]

[No, seriously, why is no one focusing on the fact that #1 chose Ān Yě first? Doesn’t this deserve a connection?]

[Isn’t it too obvious? The production team asked everyone to vote for 24 hours, but to have the first pick immediately like this? Wouldn’t the production team kill them for this?]Bullet comments:

[To be honest, #1’s gaze at Ān Yě looks really... affectionate. Feels like there’s a story?]

[Are you delusional? In less than five seconds of screen time, you’re reading affection into it? If a street dog looks at you for a second, does that mean you’re pregnant?]

[What’s wrong with you? Isn’t this show all about shipping CPs? The way you speak is so unpleasant.]

[? Isn’t this show about friendship? Can we not think of everything as romantic just because it’s an opposite-sex person?]

[Hahaha, help, Ān Yě just stuffed the string back into the sleeve!]

Up to this point, the bullet comments became chaotic.

Guān Shèngyù’s first affectionate moment was largely overshadowed by Ān Yě’s clothes-tearing antics.

Then, Xiè Xiǎolíng picked Lù Yīfēi, and the bullet comments exploded again.

Ten minutes later, the first groupings were announced. Guān Shèngyù chose Ān Yě, Yáo Ruò’s friend, barbecue restaurant owner Zhāng Sēnlín, Zhào Pī’s friend, graduate student Zhào Qióng, and Diāo Tóng.

Xiè Xiǎolíng chose her friend Lù Yīfēi, Chí Tuō, singer Zhào Pī, and comedian Yáo Ruò.

The tasks for both groups were quite simple. Guān Shèngyù’s group was to go to the northern village to prepare ingredients, while Xiè Xiǎolíng’s group went to the southern village. The requirements were three meat dishes and three vegetarian dishes; the first group had to have fish in their meat dishes, and the second group had to have chicken.

These were standard variety show processes. The two groups took separate actions for ten minutes, and the rhythm of the bullet comments started to calm down.

Ān Yě had looked over the documents and roughly knew what Guān Shèngyù was planning to do. In the five-person group, she stood next to Zhào Qióng, with Zhāng Sēnlín between her and Guān Shèngyù.

Zhāng Sēnlín, a barbecue restaurant owner, was very sensitive about food. He had openly admitted at the dinner table that he came to the show for the appearance fee, and in keeping with the hardworking tradition of laboring people who do their job well when they get paid, he took the task very seriously. By the time they reached the designated location, his menu had already been revised four times.

Guān Shèngyù, as the group leader, had to approve the menu after Zhāng Sēnlín finished with it.

It wasn’t that awkward at first; discussing things together wasn’t an issue.

But Guān Shèngyù had such a commanding presence from the start that Zhāng Sēnlín was a little hesitant to provoke him. He was very cautious with his words.

Cautious, but diligent.

Several times, Guān Shèngyù tried to speak to Ān Yě, but Zhāng Sēnlín blocked him. Eventually, he impatiently pulled Zhāng Sēnlín aside, taking two steps to stand in front of Ān Yě.

Ān Yě was discussing with Zhào Qióng and Diāo Tóng whether the plants in the field by the roadside were sweet potatoes or potatoes when Guān Shèngyù suddenly approached. The three girls froze for a moment.

"Today, we must have fish as part of the ingredients," Guān Shèngyù said, looking directly at Ān Yě. "I can’t fish."

The self-proclaimed fishing king, Zhāng Sēnlín: "…"

Bullet comments:

[This #1... feels a bit disrespectful. #4 already said he could fish from the start.]

[But I feel like he’s been staring at Ān Yě the whole time.]

[Yeah, the way he walked straight toward her is so touching.]

[It’s like that classic boss falling for the innocent flower trope. Doesn’t listen to anyone else, only has eyes for her.]

[? Wait, where does Ān Yě look like an innocent flower? Have you never seen her murder and dismember people, or seen her scale walls and take heads from enemies?]

[Honestly, #1 ignoring #4 earlier was a bit uncomfortable. I’m putting myself in #4’s shoes, and now I’m feeling uncomfortable.]

[My little Diāo Tóng hasn’t said anything, is she in a bad mood?]

[Ah, this group has a strange vibe. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but something feels off.]Bullet comments:

[Ah, I still find this so ship-able. When #1 ignored #4, the disappointed expression on #4's face is so ship-able.]

[???]

[Can all the CP shippers just get off the planet!?]

Qí Wéi watched her own online army post that outrageous CP-comment, and after the bullet comments were quickly derailed, she clicked her tongue.

The online water army from Huàn Zhòu had clashed with her multiple times recently, but they had never managed to defeat her. The company had become too big and rigid, always thinking that flooding the media with enough quantity would control public opinion. It was outdated.

Nowadays, netizens had multiple sources of information, and they had been misled too many times by marketing accounts, so they weren’t buying into old tricks anymore.

On screen, Ān Yě showed no reaction to Guān Shèngyù's words. She gently poked the edge of the field with her foot, revealing a section of yellow: "It’s a potato."

Her voice was hoarse, but she sounded quite happy: "A few of them."

#2, Zhào Qióng, was a little scared of Guān Shèngyù and crouched down, repeating in a bored tone, "Really, yeah, a few of them!"

In the end, Diāo Tóng, not daring to ignore her boss, looked at Guān Shèngyù and replied, "Number 4 said he can fish."

"Then we need a fishing rod. Right now, we don’t have anything," Guān Shèngyù frowned. "We don’t have much time left; you’ve been staring at potatoes for ten minutes."

Bullet comments:

[...emmmmmm, that sudden feeling of being thrown under the bus by an incompetent superior.]

[Isn’t it because he kept being indecisive about the menu that everyone got bored and stared at potatoes?]

[Ah, I don’t like #1. My "worker bee" DNA is activated. I bet #1 is definitely an executive from the company.]

"Has the menu been finalized?" Ān Yě finally spoke, walking straight toward #4, Zhāng Sēnlín. "We looked earlier; the items the show team gave us in the roadside fields are only recognizable as chili peppers, onions, cucumbers, and lettuce. The others seem undercooked."

"If dinner requires three meat dishes and three vegetarian dishes, I think the menu that #4 mentioned earlier is quite good. Steamed river fish, braised chicken, and meatloaf with steamed eggs are relatively easy to get ingredients for. As for the vegetarian dishes, sweet and sour green peppers, garlic lettuce, and cold cucumber salad should work. What do you think?"

"Of course, that’s fine," #4, Zhāng Sēnlín, paused for a moment before nodding vigorously. "This combination is good, and it’s quick to make and nutritious."

He had thought no one was listening to him about the menu, since this group consisted of either celebrities or white-collar workers, and he, a rough man, seemed a bit out of place.

When the show team had communicated with him beforehand, they had mentioned that Yáo Ruò’s role was to be the "mood maker," helping to stir the atmosphere during awkward or silent moments. And as Yáo Ruò’s friend, he was expected to play a similar role if they were split into different groups.

He really thought the appearance fee was quite high. For just five days of work, the money he was paid was about the same as the net income from his two barbecue shops in a month, so he wanted to put in more effort.

No one had paid attention to him earlier, and he had worried that maybe he had been too enthusiastic.

However, it was the biggest and most distant female star in the group who remembered every dish he mentioned, every single one. She had chosen the vegetarian dishes from the first two menus.

He immediately approached Ān Yě, eager to discuss the menu items with her again.

"How about soup? Like a mushroom chicken soup?" Suddenly, Guān Shèngyù interjected. "These dishes are too simple. What if we lose in the end?"

"Then we’ll sleep in the small cabins, with bunk beds and shared bathrooms," Ān Yě said, her expression blank as she looked at him.

This was the first time Ān Yě had spoken to Guān Shèngyù since the beginning.

Guān Shèngyù was taken aback.

He realized this was the first real conversation with Ān Yě, not just a polite exchange like shaking hands or saying goodbye.

He actually found that he didn’t care about her cold attitude and only thought to himself that he had misjudged her in the past.

Since that contract termination meeting, he had kept replaying the way Ān Yě spoke to that lawyer in his mind, the way her beautiful features had lit up with energy, that radiant aura.When Lián Shè first approached him with this plan, he refused.

Qí Wéi privately had quite a bit of leverage on Lián Shè, and now that Lián Shè had lost his influence in the boardroom, this battle could still be fought. So he had no intention of helping Lián Shè.

But then, on the Lantern Festival, he saw Ān Yě’s Q&A live stream.

And that raspy, lazy man's voice calling her "Ān Jiǔjiǔ."

At that moment, he saw the lively expression on Ān Yě’s face again, hidden behind the celebrity aura, the shy look that touched her private emotions.

And then he agreed.

Those vile plans they used on other stars preparing to leave were pretty much the same. There weren’t many resources in the entertainment industry, and for someone like Ān Yě, a top actress, there was only one. They had invested money and resources to build her up, but if she wanted to leave, they would make sure she gave it all back.

This was to serve as a warning, to let all those idiots in the company who were tempted to leave Huàn Zhòu see what would happen if they did.

He took on this variety show, even though deep down, he couldn’t sort out whether he was doing it for Huàn Zhòu or for Ān Yě.

At least, at this moment, he thought he might be doing it for Ān Yě.

Even though she spoke to him with that cold, distant expression, he felt that this show was actually quite good.

Five days. That would be enough for Ān Yě to see what she had lost. She would come around.

"We now have three families we can ask for help from, and each family can only help once." However, Ān Yě didn’t look at him again. Instead, she brought the focus back to the task. "We have all the vegetarian ingredients. For the meat dishes, we need fishing rods for the fish, chicken and eggs can be sourced from one family, and minced pork from another. That should be it."

The other three nodded in unison.

"...So, should we split up?" Ān Yě didn’t understand how she had suddenly become the team leader.

Over the past ten years, whenever she faced a difficult situation, her habit of adopting Chí Tuò’s perspective had become her way of solving problems. Chí Tuò was omnipotent, and with that mindset, she could handle many situations.

Like now.

"Five of us." Ān Yě looked at Zhāng Sēnlín. "Number 4, you and Number 1 go get the fishing rods, then head to the reservoir to fish, is that okay?"

Zhāng Sēnlín nodded vigorously. "No problem, no problem."

Guān Shèngyù furrowed his brows, about to say something, but when his eyes met Ān Yě’s, he paused, closed his mouth.

"Then the three of us will go to the other two families for the ingredients?" Ān Yě looked at #2, Zhào Qióng, and Diāo Tóng.

Diāo Tóng instinctively wanted to nod, but then looked at Guān Shèngyù, thought for a moment, and said, "How about, Ān Lǎoshī, you go fishing with #1 and #4? Over there, it’s all regular people..."

"I can’t fish." Ān Yě took a step back, still holding onto #2, Zhào Qióng, without letting go.

Diāo Tóng looked at Guān Shèngyù, scratched her head, and with a face full of righteous determination, said, "I tried, really."

Guān Shèngyù: "…"

He still didn’t understand how things ended up like this, even as Zhāng Sēnlín pulled him away.

By all accounts, he was the leader.

Wasn’t Ān Yě the one known for being a little wooden-headed at the company...?

The bullet comments were silent for a minute during this process, and then slowly began flooding in.

【Ān Yě... this time, her character setting for this variety show is pretty impressive.】

【This variety show doesn’t have character scripts, only process scripts. That’s how it was promoted before.】

【It should be without character scripts, otherwise how much money did they pay for this character setup for number one? Dumb and bad.】

【? What kind of quality is it to start attacking the amateur guests after watching for just half an hour?】

【If An Ye’s real character is like this, she’s a bit scary. After ten years in the industry, I’m just now realizing how good her leadership is…】

【…Ten years of debut and no negative reviews, you thought she’d be a delicate flower?】

【Why are you still watching the first group? Didn’t you know the second group’s about to blow up? Hahaha】

【What’s going on? Both my idols are here and you’re not heading to the second group?】

【The tallest one in the second group, number three, saw the goose and flew up. Hahaha, go watch!】