SH – Chapter 7

Yun Chu was adorable when she was confused.

Jian You studied her with great interest. She already looked young for her age, with fair skin and newly cut short hair that didn’t pass her chin, curled slightly. Her beautiful peach-blossom eyes were wide, her thin lips parted as she slowly let out a single syllable: “Ah?”

Only then did Jian You say, “After all, I owe you for one round of dishwashing.”

Yun Chu blinked, as if her vocal system had malfunctioned, and once again managed only a single syllable: “Oh…”

Her voice was low, betraying no emotion.

By the time she came to her senses and thought of something else to say, Jian You had already closed the door. Yun Chu sat there in a daze for a while before messaging Zhou Zhitao, sending more than ten messages in a row: “What does she mean by that!”

Zhou Zhitao was flying from Hawaii to San Francisco and was currently somewhere over the Pacific Ocean, so she naturally had no time to answer her questions.

Yun Chu washed the dishes dejectedly, then carefully covered the camera in her room to get ready for a shower. Remembering that Jian You had never been on a variety show either, she sent her a message reminding her to cover her camera as well.

Jian You’s reply came quickly: Got it.

Concise and clear, without a hint of personal emotion.

Yun Chu tossed her phone onto the bed. Another message came in, also from Jian You: Thanks 🙂

Yun Chu’s eyes lit up. She rolled around happily on the bed once, then opened her side Weibo account and composed a post: Some people just have that kind of magic. A single, casual word can kill you, and another can bring you back to life.

Her side account had few followers, but a comment appeared as soon as she posted.

It was from Chen Jing’s side account: Stop being so dramatic. The Qing Dynasty is over. Life and death aren’t decided by a single word-not even a judge can do that!

Yun Chu: …

She refreshed again, and there was another comment.

Jiang Jiang: You have time to be dramatic here, but no time to reply to my WeChat?

Yun Chu: …

This “Jiang Jiang” was her direct superior, the head of Mangosteen Entertainment’s film department, the young and promising President Jiang Yu. Although they were at the same company, the film department had so many people, and Yun Chu was a nobody, so the two of them had never crossed paths.

They had met at a lesbian bar. Jiang Yu had hit on her. Glass tumblers clinked crisply on the bar top, and the light, smooth fabric of Jiang Yu’s black slip dress brushed against her arm.

Jiang Yu leaned in and whispered in her ear, “Hey beautiful, let’s get to know each other.”

She didn’t recognize Yun Chu, but Yun Chu recognized her.

Yun Chu leaned back, creating some distance, and greeted her, “Hello, President Jiang.”

Jiang Yu: “…?”

Yun Chu said, “Mangosteen Entertainment.”

Jiang Yu was quick on the uptake. She immediately realized she’d hit on one of her own employees. Not wanting to lose face, she gritted her teeth and threatened Yun Chu, “…If you tell anyone, I’ll blacklist you.”

Yun Chu nodded earnestly. “Don’t worry, President Jiang.”

Seeing that she was sensible, Jiang Yu gave her a slight nod and told the bartender, “Put her tab on my account for tonight.”

Yun Chu gave her a sweet smile. “Thank you, President Jiang. In that case, I won’t be polite!”

It should have been a chance encounter, but Jiang Yu later found her number through internal company files and added her as a friend. Though they pretended not to know each other in public, they gradually became familiar in private.

Upon hearing that Yun Chu was going on a dating show, Jiang Yu had expressed strong opposition and told Yun Chu to come to her office.

Yun Chu didn’t go, nor did she reply to the message, which led to this situation.

Yun Chu figured that the heavens were high and the emperor was far away. She was already on set for the recording, so what did she have to fear about whether Jiang Yu approved or not? She replied defiantly: I’m not going. What are you gonna do about it?

Jiang Yu: Yun Chu, you’ve really got some nerve, huh? An artist on the rise going on a dating show???

Yun Chu: On the rise in your dreams, maybe!

Jiang Yu: …Are you questioning our company’s ability to promote people?

Yun Chu: Do I need to?

Jiang Yu: Heh!

Yun Chu: Boss, you have to be considerate of my situation.

Jiang Yu: ?

Yun Chu: Look at you, hanging out in bars picking up girls every day, changing girlfriends whenever you feel like it. And me? Have I ever had a girlfriend? I’ve been single for over twenty years. Now that I finally have a chance to date on the company’s dime, how could I possibly pass it up?

On the other end of the chat, Jiang Yu rested her wrist on the window frame. A cigarette was wedged between her fingers. She flicked it lightly, sending sparks scattering into the night, only to be extinguished in the darkness.

She was dressed thinly, and a draft whistled in, rustling the hem of her clothes.

She asked Yun Chu, “Alright, tell me. Who caught your eye?”

At the same time, downstairs from Yun Chu.

Jian You opened her laptop. On the empty desktop was a single untitled document-the script for her new film. She sent the character biographies to the casting director: “We can start casting.”

The casting director, Song Pin, was an old partner of hers. He was surprised. “You’ve secured the investment already?”

Jian You: Mmm.

Song Pin: Director, the rumors online say you’re on this variety show for other reasons. That can’t be true, can it?

After replying to him, Jian You placed her phone face down on the desk, put on her glasses, and started reading the story again from the beginning. She read through it once before continuing to write. By the time she stopped, it was already past midnight, and she had several unread messages on WeChat.

The one at the very bottom was from Yun Chu.

A string of exclamation points, as if they were free, ended with a cute emoji. In reality, there were only two effective words: Good night!!! 【help me turn off the moon.jpg】

Jian You closed her laptop and replied: Good night

Jian You was woken by noise.

Even with a lamp on, she was a light sleeper; almost any sound would wake her. The room wasn’t well soundproofed, and she could hear new people arriving outside and Yun Chu talking to them.

“Hello, hello, my name is Yun Chu.”

“Ah! I recognize you! You’re Zhu Wan’er, right? I heard your cooking is delicious!”

“Your voices are so lovely! Are you voice actors? No wonder!”

“President Pei, I’ve heard so much about you!”

“Teacher Jian-time! to! get! up!”

…

Fifteen minutes later.

The entire cast of this season’s Little Tricks for Love had their first meeting at a long table in the dining room. The director was rushing them, so Jian You only had time to put on some lipstick to give herself a bit of color.

She sat at the end of the table, a dark red scarf draped over her shoulders, fiddling with her lipstick. Her gaze swept casually over everyone, matching them to the profiles she’d been given-the photographer Zhu Wan’er, the voice actress Wen Xi, the online singer Meng Zhaozhao, and the CEO Pei Wan.

Finally, her eyes landed on Yun Chu, who was sitting across from her.

Yun Chu must have been in an even bigger hurry. She hadn’t changed out of her pajamas or combed her hair. On top of that, a single tuft of hair was sticking up stubbornly on the right side of her head. Paired with her slightly childish pajamas, she looked utterly dorky and cute.

She calmly placed the lipstick on the table and pushed it toward Yun Chu. “You can use this.”

Yun Chu was a little embarrassed. “Is that okay?”

Wouldn’t that be an indirect kiss!

Jian You asked, “Do you find me disgusting?”

Yun Chu denied it. “No! How could I!”

Jian You hummed in acknowledgment. “Use it.”

“Shall we start with self-introductions?” Pei Wan, ever the CEO, cued the proceedings as if she were running a morning meeting. “Hello everyone, I’m Pei Wan.”

“My name is Wen Xi,” she continued. She was dressed in a Lolita outfit, the ties on her pigtails matching the color of her clothes. Pretty and sweet-voiced, she was the quintessential anime girl, and her voice was soft and cute. “I’m a voice actress.”

The online singer sitting with her, Meng Zhaozhao, seemed much more mature. Her chin-length hair was tied back, and she wore a suit jacket over a dark red dress, giving her a very capable look. “Meng Zhaozhao, online singer.”

“I’ve heard your songs.” Zhu Wan’er’s eyes curved into crescents when she smiled, and her whole demeanor was sweet. “Hello, I’m Zhu Wan’er, a photographer.”

Yun Chu had just introduced herself to them, so all eyes fell on Jian You.

Jian You began, “I’m-“

“Teacher Jian!” Zhu Wan’er, who was closest to her, eagerly cut off her introduction. “We all know you, you’re the famous director! I’ve seen every one of your movies! My absolute favorite is Kissed the Deep Sea. I’ve watched it seven or eight times!”

Wen Xi said, “Me too! I’m a huge fan!”

Meng Zhaozhao, meanwhile, pulled a notebook from her bag. “Teacher Jian, could you give me an autograph?”

Jian You: “…Alright.”

Yun Chu: “?”

Wait a minute! Is this a reasonable development? Is this some kind of fan meet-and-greet? Who created so many love rivals for her? She just wanted to know who did this!

Inwardly, Yun Chu was puffed up with anger like a blowfish, but on the surface, she kept a slight smile, seemingly unmoved by the great director’s star power. This impressed President Pei, who leaned over and whispered, “You don’t like Jian You’s movies?”

Yun Chu said, “I do.”

Pei Wan was puzzled. “Then why…?”

Yun Chu clenched her fist. “Because I already hugged Teacher Jian last night!”

Pei Wan let out a “wow.” “You two?”

Yun Chu said firmly, “Mmm!”

Pei Wan: “I didn’t expect that. Jian You seems so aloof, but she’s quite nice to her fans.”

Yun Chu: “…” That was some corporate-level interpretation.

Fortunately, everyone remembered they were there to film a dating show. The impromptu fan meeting quickly ended, and the production team came out to announce the first task.

Just as Jian You had said, they would be having lunch together. They now had to split into teams to get ingredients and, at the same time, find treasure chests hidden by the production team around the village. The chests were limited-first come, first served-and the team that didn’t find one would face a penalty.

Meng Zhaozhao asked, “How are we pairing up?”

Director: “You decide for yourselves.”

Meng Zhaozhao: “Then I’ll be with Wen Xi.”

Yun Chu glanced at Meng Zhaozhao in surprise. She noticed that Wen Xi also seemed surprised but didn’t object. Instead, she smiled and moved to stand closer to Meng Zhaozhao. “Okay!”

Yun Chu thought to herself that even though Chen Jing had repeatedly told her to ride Jian You’s coattails, and she herself wanted to be with Jian You, if she really followed Jian You everywhere, she would definitely be accused of clout-chasing. She didn’t care what netizens said, but she didn’t want Jian You to think that of her.

She hesitated, and just as she was about to ask Pei Wan to team up, Jian You suddenly said, “I’ll be on a team with Yun Chu.”

Yun Chu froze.

As if certain she wouldn’t refuse, Jian You took a GoPro from the production team.

Although there were cameras set up along the route for this outdoor segment, as well as drones filming, the production team hadn’t assigned any follow PDs in order to give the pairs some space. This meant the guests had to film their own close-ups.

The other guests all had their hair and makeup done perfectly. They took their GoPros and left to start the task.

Yun Chu was still in her pajamas. Worried about wasting time, she quickly picked some clothes from her suitcase, changed, and rushed downstairs without putting on any makeup. “Teacher Jian! We have to hurry-huh?”

Jian You was in the middle of doing her makeup, unhurriedly selecting a suitable shade of lipstick. She lifted her eyes and met Yun Chu’s gaze in the mirror.

Yun Chu blinked.

Jian You blinked back. “Which shade do you think I should use?”

Yun Chu glanced at her vanity. “…Teacher Jian, did you bring so many lipsticks because you’re running a personal shopping business?”

Jian You: “Hm?”

“Nothing,” Yun Chu said, walking over. She picked out a shade that matched Jian You’s makeup and urged her, “Teacher Jian, can you hurry up a little? If we don’t complete the task, we’ll get a penalty.”

But Jian You was in no rush. “What’s the penalty?”

Yun Chu said, “The production team didn’t say.”

“Then what’s the rush?” Jian You wiped off the lipstick she had casually applied earlier and put on the new one. She stared at Yun Chu for a moment, then said, “Yun Chu, come here.”

Yun Chu approached, not understanding why.

“A little closer.”

Yun Chu, completely unguarded, bent down and moved even closer.

Jian You still wasn’t satisfied. “Squat.”

Following each command with an action, Yun Chu obediently squatted down, tilting her head up to look at Jian You in confusion. “What is it?”

Jian You’s eyes shifted slightly. She suddenly felt that Yun Chu was like her cat-big eyes, beautiful and precious, innocent yet completely trusting. It made one’s heart soften unconsciously.

She heard herself say, “Let me change your lip color.”

Then, the lipstick touched Yun Chu’s lips.

Behind the camera.

Director: “An indirect kiss. That’s an indirect kiss, right?”

Assistant Director: “Mmm… that’s the second time today…”

Director: “Does Jian You actually want Yun Chu to wear her lipstick, or does she just want to kiss her?”

Assistant Director: “It’s obvious…”

The two looked at each other, reaching the consensus of rabid shippers. “Heh heh!”

Assistant: “…”

We’re working here, stop shipping!