Chapter 3: Socially Anxious Star 03
【It seems like Jiang Kong still hasn’t apologized to the senior whose screen time he hogged】
【Ridiculous, isn’t he embarrassed? Just looking at his camera shots makes me feel awkward】
【Back when Song He’s face looked terrible, Jiang Kong acted like he was completely blind and even leaned over to talk to him afterward】
【He really goes to any length just for camera time, completely speechless】
【I’m getting a little anxious—Jiang Kong isn’t going to snatch Old Pei’s screen time when the time comes, is he? Don’t say Old Pei is a Film King and a senior; isn’t Song He a Film King? He can even be considered Old Pei’s senior】
【I can already imagine the situation when the variety show airs in advance….】
【Old Pei’s very first variety show, is it really going to be ruined by someone like Jiang Kong?】
……
Jiang Kong looked at the constantly refreshing comments. He could spot the internet water army subtly guiding and stirring up the atmosphere among them, as well as a large crowd of Pei Wusi’s fans who had been riled up into posting. Yet, he did not care in the slightest.
Only after listening to his assistant trace through the full sequence of events did he ask, “What did Brother Wen say?”
Brother Wen was his celebrity manager.
The assistant curled his lips. “Brother Wen said to suppress it first while he contacts people to dig around and find out who’s actually behind this smear campaign.”
Jiang Kong nodded, having no objections to this handling method.
“The faster it’s suppressed, the better.”
That way, when his sister woke up, she wouldn’t see him on the trending topics.
The assistant nodded repeatedly. “Got it, got it.”
As he spoke, a bit of curiosity crept into his voice. “Brother Jiang, I’ve never heard you mention you had an older sister before.”
Jiang Kong paused his makeup removal movements and tilted his face slightly to the side. “Did you see those two bodyguards who came over with us this morning?”
The assistant nodded. “Those two burly guys?”
“Mhm.” Jiang Kong let out a soft snort. “My sister hired them for me, saying she was worried it wouldn’t be safe with me running around all over the place. I mean, what danger could I possibly be in…”
Assistant: …
When Jiang Yi woke up at seven in the morning, the trending topics related to Jiang Kong had already been taken down.
After finishing her morning wash, she first went to the kitchen to place the ingredients prepared last night into a ceramic pot to simmer, then stepped into the courtyard to begin a light jog.
When her jog ended, she practiced a round of Baduanjin qigong. By the time she was fully freshened up and seated at the dining table, the red date and sticky rice porridge in the ceramic pot was cooked to perfection.
The moment the lid was lifted, a wave of hot white steam billowed out. The thick porridge gurgled as small bubbles burst at the surface, churning the viscous texture. The sticky rice had been cooked until soft and mushy, while red dates and goji berries dotted the surface, instantly spreading a rich, sweet fragrance through the air.
Jiang Yi used a white porcelain spoon to stir it gently, preparing to start her breakfast, while the home robot Xiaoxi—fully charged after a night’s rest—began broadcasting today’s schedule for her.
“Today is Saturday, May 30th. Sunny weather, temperatures ranging from 25 to 29°C.
……
Finally, Xiaoxi reminds Jiang Yi that you have a short-term outing scheduled for tomorrow afternoon at three o’clock. Don’t forget to pack your luggage today~”
Jiang Yi’s hand holding the porcelain spoon froze. Her whole person seemed like a light bulb being switched off, instantly dimming down.
Going out.
Filming a variety show.
A neighboring city.
A duration of two and a half days.
Interacting with strangers.
Key words approached her like looming mountains, packing immense pressure. Jiang Yi couldn’t help but feel a bit restless and irritable.
When Jiang Kong hurried back ahead of schedule wheeling his suitcase, he saw his older sister sitting by the balcony holding a book, staring off into a daze.
“Sis!!”
He waved enthusiastically from downstairs.
Jiang Yi was instantly delighted. All those messy thoughts were tossed to the back of her mind, and her low spirits immediately turned around.
With a familiar, close person accompanying her, even her anxiety while packing her luggage in the afternoon was reduced by quite a bit.
“…Just think of it as the two of us signing up for a group tour together.”
Right before leaving, Jiang Kong comforted her.
“Besides, I heard the place we’re staying at over there has a lot of space and a great environment. It’s pretty similar to here, with trees and water.”
As he spoke, he paused to think. “Doesn’t our family have another house in Beicheng? It’s been a long time since we went over there. If it looks nice over there, I’ll accompany you to check it out after filming ends.”
Jiang Yi nodded. After getting into the car, her tense nerves eased considerably.
Upon exiting the high-speed railway station, a vehicle sent by the show crew picked them up. Jiang Kong’s manager, assistant, and makeup artist had all negotiated with the show crew in advance to follow along in the vehicle.
Jiang Yi took off her face mask. After listening to Jiang Kong introduce everyone one by one, she reached out her hand to greet them, the roots of her ears turning bright red again without her realizing it.
Fortunately, her loose hair covered them, keeping them from being exposed bare to the open air.
She had already put on her outfit before leaving home, so she only needed to sit through makeup and styling inside the car.
Jiang Yi felt a slight resistance, but seeing a makeup artist naturally sit beside her and start picking out a suitable base for her, she didn’t know how to speak up.
After hesitating for a long moment, the makeup artist had already selected a bottle of base and started applying pre-makeup moisturizer for her.
Well…
Forget it.
Jiang Yi closed her eyes, her fingers carefully tracing every single edge and corner of her phone case.
The makeup artist worked very quickly. By the time she finished, they were only halfway through the drive, and Jiang Kong’s makeup artist next to them was still applying his makeup.
“D-Done?”
The makeup artist let out a soft chuckle, picking up two necklaces and putting them on Jiang Yi.
“Yes. Jiang Kong asked me to keep your makeup light and simple. Would you like me to add a bit more eye makeup?”
Jiang Yi shook her head rapidly. Shifting her gaze, she caught sight of herself in the mirror nearby.
Her skin was fair and translucent, her facial features delicate without feeling heavy at all. A touch of subtle shimmer accented her aegyo sal, making them appear even more prominent than usual. A layer of lip gloss was applied to her lips, bringing out a healthy complexion.
She looked almost the same as before, yet somehow subtly different.
The temperature in Beicheng was similar to Qingcheng—late May was short-sleeve season. Jiang Yi wore a loose white T-shirt paired with simple black trousers. As for her loose hair, the makeup artist helped tie it half-up, using a small accessory to secure a little topknot at the back of her head.
“How is it?”
“It looks good.”
Jiang Yi nodded repeatedly. “It’s very pretty, thank you.”
The makeup artist smiled. “I think it looks pretty too—simple looks great.”
Caught off guard by the compliment, Jiang Yi froze for two seconds. Immediately after, the roots of her ears—which had finally returned to normal—instantly grew scalding hot and red again.
“T-Thank you.”
Hearing the chatter, Jiang Kong turned his head to steal a glance at Jiang Yi and gave a thumbs-up.
“Beautiful.”
Before the words fully fell, his face was yanked back by his makeup artist. “Don’t move around, it’s not done yet.”
Jiang Yi looked up at his thumbs-up that hadn’t been retracted yet and couldn’t help pursing her lips in a smile, causing the nearby manager and assistant to sneak several glances at her uncontrollably.
Jiang Kong’s makeup was comprehensive, with every single strand of hair meticulously styled to ensure he looked refined without appearing overly artificial. By the time everything was finished, they were not far from the show’s filming location.
The staff inside the vehicle turned on the cameras to record in advance and began informing the two of the relevant rules for filming.
“In a moment, you will arrive at the villa arranged by the show crew, which will also be your residence for the next two and a half days. Once you reach the villa, you may independently select the room you wish to stay in. However, you cannot inspect the room layout in advance, and once a choice is made, it cannot be changed.”
“The program adopts a format where filming and broadcasting happen concurrently. Cameras are installed in every guest’s room, and their positions will be marked in advance. Under normal circumstances, the cameras will remain on from 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM. Aside from that, each group of guests will have a dedicated follow-cam assigned to them. Once the program officially begins, livestreaming hours are generally 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM, 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM, and 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM.”
“Each guest has two opportunities to close their livestream room, with each duration not exceeding one hour. If it exceeds one hour, the livestream room will automatically turn back on. Once the livestream room is closed, the guest’s private camera feeds—namely the room cameras and follow-cam—will shut down simultaneously until the livestream room is opened again…”
The staff member’s briefing was more detailed than what they had learned when signing the contract, though overall there were no major discrepancies.
Jiang Kong nodded. After thanking the staff, the vehicle slowly came to a stop.
“Welcome, everyone, to Beicheng—”
The staff member was the first to step out of the car, followed by Jiang Kong, and finally Jiang Yi.
“Welcome to The Strikingly Different Us!!!”
The staff member smiled, spreading their arms wide and shouting.
“Yay—”
Jiang Kong cooperatively raised his hands, laughing.
Accompanied by this back-and-forth banter, the atmosphere suddenly turned lively.
However, Jiang Yi only felt her scalp go numb.
Throughout the entire process, her eyes didn’t dare glance around erratically as she followed closely behind Jiang Kong. As they were about to step into the villa, her steps paused for a brief moment.
“?”
Jiang Kong picked up on it keenly, turning his head to query her with a look.
Jiang Yi was about to say something, but noticing that the guiding staff member was also about to turn around, she immediately shook her head to signal him to keep walking forward.
The two of them were the third group to arrive.
The first to arrive were Director Shen Ping and Shen Xiangcheng, and the second were Song Queen Luo Jiajin and Luo Xia. They were all in Beicheng, staying very close by.
Stepping inside half a pace behind Jiang Kong, Jiang Yi saw four strangers.
A middle-aged man with a neat, formal haircut wearing grey casual clothes sat on the middle sofa, frowning as he flipped through a magazine. To his left was a gentle-mannered young man with slightly long hair wearing a light-colored T-shirt, seemingly in a daze. To his left sat a short-haired woman wearing a color-blocked floral shirt and mid-length shorts, leaning lazily against the sofa while scrolling through her phone.
Meanwhile, on the right sofa sat a quiet and elegant middle-aged woman by herself. She wore a nipped-waist plain dress with softly curled long hair and exquisite makeup—eyeliner and eyeshadow all fully done—and was currently looking down at a book.
“Hello, seniors. My name is Jiang Kong, and this is my older sister, Jiang Yi.”
Jiang Kong took the initiative to introduce them with a polite bow.
Jiang Yi, for her part, offered a prompt greeting to everyone as he introduced her.
“Welcome, welcome.”
The dazing young man was the first to look up, flashing a gentle smile at the two.
“My name is Shen Xiangcheng, and this is my father, Shen Ping.”
“Hello.”
He spoke in an unhurried manner that sounded very rhythmic, the smile on his face exceptionally warm.
Shen Ping lifted his eyelids to sweep a glance across the two of them, nodded at them, and then withdrew his gaze to continue reading his magazine, his attitude noticeably cold.
On the other side, the short-haired woman looked over as well, tucked her phone away, and sat up slightly straight, a perfectly polite smile rising on her face.
“Hello, my name is Luo Xia—Xia as in summer.”
Immediately following was the middle-aged woman reading a book. She gently closed her book slightly, revealing the cover: 100 Questions on Health Preservation.
Then, she looked up at the two of them, curling the corners of her lips into a smile.
“My name is Luo Jiajin, welcome~”
“Thank you, thank you! Thank you, Teacher Luo!”
Jiang Kong shouldered the duty of communication. After a round of simple pleasantries, he quickly led Jiang Yi to sit down on the left sofa.
The living room returned to quiet once more—those dazing continued dazing, those reading magazines kept reading magazines, those reading books kept reading books, and those scrolling through phones kept scrolling.
Jiang Yi lowered her head and lit up her phone screen, repeatedly swiping across her home screen, opening application apps one by one, and exiting them one by one.
After quite a while, her slightly rushed and anxious feelings gradually eased within this blanket of quiet, and she began reflecting on the novel’s contents from her dream.
Regarding this variety show, the novel hadn’t written much. It only casually mentioned that the guests on the show either disliked Jiang Kong or ignored him outright.
Looking at it now, apart from Director Shen Ping, everyone else’s surface attitude seemed fairly friendly.
Could it be because of the cameras? The living room cameras should all be turned on right now…
Jiang Yi couldn’t help but quietly raise her head to look for the camera positions in the living room, but the moment she turned her head, she collided right into the gaze of a handsome young man rounding the corner from the entryway.
It was Pei Wusi.
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