Xu Chacha quickened her pace, "Can you stop talking in such a weird way?"
What constitutes "weird" or "strange"?
"Just like that, it made it seem like we really had some kind of... impure relationship."
"Impure?" Wen Mubai gave a meaningful "oh," "That depends on how you define impurity."
Xu Chacha finally came down the stairs, panting. When she turned to the last half-floor of stairs, she caught a glimpse of a tall man standing at the top of the stairs waiting for her.
"You startled me." There's no need to talk on the phone face-to-face, so Xu Chacha put her phone in her pocket and said, "Just stand there and don't say a word."
"I'm innocent! I've been talking the whole time!"
Well, she just didn't notice.
"Come down." Wen Mubai opened his arms to her.
Perhaps it's a conditioned reflex, but every time Xu Chacha sees Wen Mubai doing this, she wants to jump into her arms.
When they reached the last two steps, she actually did it: she lunged forward, grabbed the person, and wrapped her arms tightly around her neck.
I'll strangle you.
Wen Mubai chuckled, his chest vibrating against hers. "Spare me, my sugar daddy."
"You're still acting! You're still acting!" Xu Chacha tightened her grip, but controlled her strength. "It's such a waste that you're a screenwriter, go act!"
"If I were to take on another job, I wouldn't have time to think about you, sir. Wouldn't you be lonely?"
"Wen Mubai!" Xu Chacha could no longer bear it and gritted her teeth as she uttered her name.
But then the motion-activated lights in the stairwell suddenly went out, as if some button had been switched off, and all the sounds went silent.
Xu Chacha was silent for a while, afraid that Wen Mubai would think she was really angry, so she spoke up to explain, "I'm not angry, it's just that you keep teasing me. Even a rabbit will bite when cornered."
"Hmm, will the rabbit bite me today?"
Wen Mubai's voice sounded closer than before, and Xu Chacha felt his warm breath on her cheek.
"You still dare to talk?"
"Then let me ask you something else."
"What?" Xu Chacha tried to open her eyes wide, but could only barely see her eyes, which were so close to hers, and could not see her expression or the look in her eyes.
Wen Mubai lowered his eyelids and then lowered his head. The fusion of their lips seemed to have become a smooth and natural touch between them.
This kiss was far more passionate and lingering than the previous innocent experiences. Xu Chacha couldn't help but pull her hand back from behind Wen Mubai's neck, her long fingers bending and digging into her flesh. The moment she opened her mouth, struggling to breathe, became the opportunity for him to take advantage of her vulnerability.
The kiss ended, leaving her more exhausted than climbing three flights of stairs. She could feel her cheeks burning again. Xu Chacha breathed softly and quietly prayed that the light would never come back on.
"Do you think this kind of relationship is pure?" Wen Mubai asked in a slightly hoarse voice, which sounded a hundred times sexier than usual.
Xu Chacha's legs were about to give way, but she slapped her hard and said, "Shut up."
Why is it that someone who is usually so proper can become so shameless and shameless, like a cunning old fox?
Wen Mubai smiled and said, "Okay."
Fortunately, the coat Xu Chacha wore today had a hood. She pulled the hood up to cover her head and tightened the drawstring with both hands, as if she wanted to hide her whole head.
"Aren't you bored?" Wen Mubai asked Xu Chacha after they got in the car, seeing that she was still like this.
Xu Chacha turned her head away, her voice muffled from inside her hat, "Mind your own business!"
Knowing that the young girl was shy, Wen Mubai didn't press her, but instead brought up another topic.
"You should cancel your lease on that place next semester and move in with me."
Xu Chacha was very wary, "Why move there?"
“It’s convenient to pick you up and drop you off, and I need to keep an eye on your increasingly irregular eating habits.” Wen Mubai’s words sounded quite serious. “At home, your aunt and uncle can keep an eye on you, but you really don’t pay attention at all when you’re out on your own. Chen Qianqian told me that you haven’t eaten any staple food for two weeks?”
"Really? It's alright..."
"Is your period late this month?"
"How did you know?" Xu Chacha looked at her as if she were a ghost.
"Because you carry a hot water bottle close to your body when you have your period." Taking advantage of the traffic light, Wen Mubai turned to look at her, "If you keep dieting like this, you can forget about having your period next month either."
"I know..." Xu Chacha muttered, "One thing at a time. I can take care of myself. I don't need to go to your place. Going there will only cause you trouble."
"It'll be easier for me to take care of you now that you're here."
"You're here again?"
"Hahaha."
...
The live stream that night was very successful. AS even paid to buy two high-ranking trending searches. Some people were shipping the sisterhood, while others were curious about who the so-called "golden canary" was.
Xu Chacha's identity could no longer be hidden; it was thoroughly exposed, with even videos and photos from when she was five years old being unearthed.
With her growing fame, many collaborations came her way, but Xu Chacha, with her high standards, rejected them all.
"Seriously, sister? You're always saying you want to make money, but you turn down what's offered to you?" Chen Qianqian asked doubtfully. "Is it only good if you go looking for it yourself?"
Xu Chacha leaned back on the sofa, nonchalantly chewing on dried sweet potato. "Well, I can't accept everything. It depends. Some are not suitable because of the price, and some are not suitable because of the brand."
"So what do you find acceptable?"
"I'll only look at anything that can increase my value." The TV was showing the model audition that Chen Qianqian had recommended to her last time. Xu Chacha casually pointed and said, "Look, this is it."
Model talent shows have been held in China before, but the so-called champion prizes were just empty promises and meager cash rewards; no one ever really rose to fame.
The show "Super Rookie" is different. It was initiated by former international supermodel Zhang Dingding. The initial evaluation was so harsh that the contestants, who were still fledglings, were thrown into the formal show to hone their skills. Because of her connections, the photographers and mentors she found to work with were all people with great influence and voice in the country and even the world.
Leaving aside the final prize money, in addition to a three-year contract with a well-known magazine, there will also be a collaboration with the renowned high-end luxury brand TY, allowing the team to appear at the four major fashion weeks to be held soon and make their mark on the international stage.
Because of the excellent production team and high program quality, the show has maintained high popularity for several episodes. Even the contestants who ranked outside the top ten in the first episode have generated considerable discussion.
Xu Chacha wasn't envious of anyone else; she was determined to compete with TY, one of the companies that rejected her for an interview.
She chewed the dried sweet potato with her teeth, secretly pushing them harder; she was just so incredibly defiant.
"Ah, I really like Wu Yao, can we not eliminate her? She only made a mistake this time, it's such a pity to eliminate her."
Xu Chacha watched a few episodes and inevitably developed some genuine feelings for the character. "But the editing gave a lot of hints, so it's probably her. I hope it's just scripted and she can be brought back later."
She did indeed think that Wu Yao was quite talented.
"Cha, here's your phone." Xue Miaomiao, who was preparing tea for the two aunts in the kitchen, brought over Xu Chacha's phone. "You're so forgetful. I heard it ringing for ages before I finally found it in the fridge."
Leaving your phone in the refrigerator is quite a feat.
"Unknown number." Xu Chacha glanced at the location of the number, then thought for a moment and hung up. The show was at a crucial moment, and the elimination announcement was about to be made, so she had to keep an eye on it.
But to everyone's surprise, the other party didn't make a fuss and called back soon. Xue Miaomiao had just said that the call had been going on for a long time, and Xu Chacha thought that she wouldn't have the patience for a normal spam call. So she answered the phone.
"Hello, this is Xu Chacha."
"Hello Ms. Xu, I am a staff member from the 'Super Rookie' program team."
Because she had the speakerphone on, the people on both sides heard it. The three of them looked at each other with puzzled expressions, and then Xu Chacha asked uncertainly.
"Excuse me, are you a scammer?"
“Uh…” The person on the other end didn’t expect her to ask that. “Of course not. We sent you a private message through our official Weibo account last night, but you didn’t seem to reply. Because the program recording schedule is quite tight, we had no choice but to call you.”
Xu Chacha has two phone numbers, one for work and one for personal use. The work number is displayed on her Weibo homepage.
"Really?" Xu Chacha stared at the tense atmosphere of the program, but the host Zhang Dingding kept the audience in suspense and refused to say who was eliminated. "Then can you tell me who was eliminated in the second episode? Was it Wu Yao? Did she come back to life?"
"ah?"
"urgent!"
Chapter 56 Filming
"This episode should have already aired; you can find out the result by watching the program."
As the other party maneuvered through those few words, Zhang Dingding's suspense was finally over. Xu Chacha and Chen Qianqian watched with bated breath, while Xue Miaomiao remained silent.
"Ahhhhh!" Chen Qianqian reacted the fastest, "You're not eliminated! You're not eliminated!"
The person on the other end of the phone must have heard the noise, because they laughed and said, "Oh, so you're watching this."
Xu Chacha then calmed down and started talking to her, "I just happened to see this."
"Actually, we contacted you today to discuss cooperation."
"Cooperation?" Xu Chacha asked in confusion. "Super Rookie" had been airing for so long, she couldn't possibly be asked to become a challenger halfway through the show.
"We would like to invite you to be a guest photographer for one episode to help the contestants complete the fourth episode of the photo challenge."
"Guest?"
"Go ahead, weren't you just drooling over their show? Now you won't even go when they invite you." Chen Qianqian nudged her with her elbow.
Xu Chacha made a "shh" gesture to her, signaling her to be quiet. (Note: The last sentence appears to be an unrelated advertisement and has been omitted from the translation.)
She's envious of others, but that's because she's envious of the champion's prize. Of course, being a guest is a different story.
"This issue's photographer is Mr. Yang Zhou, whom Teacher Zhang specially invited. They even invited Wen Mubai, the former editor-in-chief of HN, to be a temporary judge. The regular judges also include..."
Xu Chacha listened to her read it all out, but she didn't really listen carefully to the rest. She only caught one sentence: "Wen Mubai? She's going too."
"By the way, you and Teacher Wen are old acquaintances, aren't you?"
"So it was her idea to invite me over?"
"No, no, no, of course not. Teacher Wen signed a contract with the production team a long time ago. Originally, Teacher Zhang wanted to invite her to be a judge for the entire season, but she didn't have time. She only recently found some free time and replied to the production team that she could participate in the recording." Fearing that Xu Chacha might overthink, the other party explained in detail, "If you have watched our program, you will know that all the guests we invite are carefully considered. In fact, Teacher Hua Jing recommended you to us, and it was only after discussions among the other judges that it was confirmed."
Xu Chacha nodded, "But your guests in the previous episodes were either international supermodels or well-known seniors. In the fourth episode, a nobody suddenly appears. Aren't you afraid the show will be criticized?"
Her net worth has been thoroughly investigated online: the richest man in City A, the daughter of the Xu family, and the spokesperson for AS. With these labels attached to her, many people will definitely misunderstand "Super Rookie" as a program where money can buy you a spot. If public opinion is not controlled properly, the good reputation she gained in the early stages will be ruined.
Xu Chacha is very clear about her own position. She has a clear understanding of her own status in the industry and whether she is qualified to be a guest mentor.
Compared to the previous ones, her achievements are indeed not impressive.
"Professor Xu, please don't underestimate yourself. Although your influence and popularity in the field are slightly less than other teachers, we have studied your information and all the teachers have a high opinion of you. If you can agree to come, it will really be a great help to us."