Mini-Theater 1:
Xiao Shulang: I didn't say anything strange?
Xiao Jiang: There shouldn't be?
Qin Shuang: Yes, you confessed your feelings;
Xiao Shulang: ! ?
Mini-Theater 2:
Qin Shuang: I've been single for so long, it's impossible for me to fall in love with someone so quickly;
Voiceover: But he said he likes you—
Qin Shuang: "..."
Chapter 26 There's a feeling that some kind of signal is quietly ringing... and it's ringing in a rather ambiguous way.
Xiao Shulang only realized that Wang Hao had sent him a lot of messages while he was in the car. He probably stopped after contacting Xiao Jiang and finding out that he was drunk.
He called Wang Hao directly, and as soon as the call connected, Wang Hao's excited voice came from the other end: "My brother, why didn't you tell me you could write songs before!"
Because I hadn't worn it before.
Fortunately, Wang Hao wasn't really looking for an answer; he was just exclaiming, "Wow, I was stunned when the director sent me the sample footage. You're amazing! I knew you were incredibly talented and proficient in everything!"
Xiao Shulang chuckled: "It's really not that bad."
"The 'Radiant Star' show edited a few previews for the next episode, cutting out about ten seconds of your singing segment and releasing it with the footage blurred." Wang Hao chuckled. "Guess what? It's trending on social media! Everyone's guessing who it is!"
Xiao Shulang didn't follow entertainment news, so he had no idea that a short trailer of just over ten seconds had gone viral and everyone was discussing who this person was.
"Holy crap, this song is amazing! I searched for it, and I can't find it anywhere online. Is it an original song?"
"Whose solo is this?! Release the full video already, I want to see my new crush!"
"I only watched the show because I love listening to music. I remembered all the contestants with good voices, but this mysterious person's voice doesn't sound like any of them. Who is this person?!"
The audience members present that night had all signed agreements with the show and couldn't reveal anything. Those who couldn't resist commenting, "I know, but I just can't say," only fueled the curiosity of even more people.
Wang Hao looked on with delight and pride, thinking, "That's right, it's my artist!"
"Wait until the show airs tomorrow, then let's see who dares to say you can only make a living with your looks." Wang Hao felt better. "I have an idea. If the response is good, you can finish writing this song and release it as a single."
Xiao Shulang: "If the response is good, will the company fund the production of the song?"
Wang Hao: "That's right. If you get attention, you can make money. Of course, the company is happy to spend money to help you. It's a win-win situation for us!"
Writing a complete song, releasing it, and promoting it all require effort and money. If the company can help, Xiao Shulang would be happy to do so.
"Then let's look forward to the response." Xiao Shulang didn't make any promises. It's good to have expectations, but if they don't meet expectations, we should be able to accept it peacefully.
"Oh, and there's good news too. Your shop's business is all settled, and the money will arrive tomorrow—six million after tax."
The market price is indeed higher now, Xiao Shulang was very satisfied. He casually asked, "Luo Tian didn't cause any trouble when he vacated the shop?"
“He wouldn’t dare,” Wang Hao snorted. “The new buyer has also hired someone to urge the progress; he can’t afford to offend them.”
"That's good."
Once the money arrives and he has the initial capital, he can then figure out how to further expand his assets.
After hanging up the phone, out of curiosity, Xiao Shulang clicked on the entertainment news and found that the trailer with the added blurry filter had been analyzed by netizens in all sorts of ways, with all kinds of speculation and praise. He, the person in question, coughed lightly—the praise was too much; he was really not some kind of god descended to earth.
Xiao Shulang felt embarrassed when he saw others praising him online, but little did he know that last night he had praised someone to the skies, saying that he was the best in the world. How high was the wave that Qin Shuang felt in her heart?
Unfortunately, the person who stirred up the waves didn't know this, because he had completely forgotten about it.
Xiao Shulang and Qin Shuang's cars arrived at the mountain villa almost at the same time. They were the first to arrive, while the other guests were on their way and almost there. The timing was perfect, and the production team turned on the live broadcast.
Viewers who hadn't had a live stream to watch while eating for two days were suddenly filled with enthusiasm, and the chat was flooded with comments as soon as the live stream started.
[Waaaaah, I've finally waited for you!]
I've watched the edited version over and over again, and finally there's new content!
[Qin Shuang and Xiao Shulang! Are they the only two who have arrived now?]
During the two days without the live broadcast, the production team released an edited version, which included footage shot after the live broadcast ended, allowing everyone to see more details.
You Ziang's family background became known to everyone. Furthermore, through some conversations and voice-overs, they learned that Xiao Shulang and Qin Shuang had arranged to go for a morning run together.
[Ugh, why weren't the morning run scenes filmed?! Is there something I, as a VIP member, can't see?!]
[+1, I'm counting on them getting some candy!]
Some people wanted to see drama, while others wanted to see sweet moments. During the two days that the live stream was suspended, some people started polls on the forum out of boredom. One was to vote for each of the six guests individually to see who was the most popular; the other was to arrange several couples to see which pairing everyone liked the most.
After the voting ended, Xiao Shulang's popularity was in the middle, slightly higher than You Ziang, but far behind the three celebrities who already had fans. However, among the most favored couples, he and Qin Shuang firmly held the top spot, and the gap between them and the second and third place was also quite large.
Most people think this way: Xu Baichang and You Ziang seem to be doing well right now, but Xu Baichang is still tied to Luo Tian, so things might be uncertain.
The pairing of Luo Tian and Xu Baichang is mainly supported by his fans;
As for Luo Tian and Yin Xingzhi, some people love watching the "you chase me, I don't love you" plot twist.
The remaining pairings are only for those who enjoy the spectacle, so they're not very competitive.
Xiao Shulang and Qin Shuang put their luggage away and went to sit in the front yard to drink tea, chat, and wait for the remaining guests.
After two days of rain, the sky was crystal clear, and the deep blue color was refreshing. Enjoying the scenery in the open air was simply the most pleasant thing to do.
There were many snacks and nuts on the table. Xiao Shulang was struggling with a pecan in his hand when a plate of freshly peeled nuts was handed to him.
There were sunflower seeds and peanuts, as well as hard-to-peel pecans and hazelnuts.
Xiao Shulang: ?
He peeled and ate them one by one, and before he knew it, Qin Shuang had collected a whole plateful, and they were all here.
Even with tools, some nuts were still difficult to peel, especially if you wanted to get all the kernels out, it took some effort. Qin Shuang spent a long time peeling them, but didn't eat a single one.
Xiao Shulang looked at the nuts offered to him: "Uh, aren't you going to eat some?"
Qin Shuang nodded and wiped her hands with a wet tissue: "You eat."
Was it peeled especially for me?
Xiao Shulang was flattered, but at the same time felt increasingly uneasy.
Their relationship seems good, but if it weren't for the added bonus of being on a dating reality show, it would just be the level of friendship. In a dating show, as long as the two of them appear harmoniously together, the comments would practically encourage them to get married.
Their interactions, whether during missions or in everyday life, are all within reasonable limits, regardless of how outsiders perceive them.
But this plate of nuts is a little different; it feels like some kind of signal is quietly ringing... and it's ringing in a rather ambiguous way.
Xiao Shulang was afraid that he was being too neurotic and overthinking things. Since the nuts had already been handed to him, he still wanted to eat them. It would be too embarrassing to keep the whole plate to himself, so he invited, "Let's eat together. I've been peeling them for so long, you should try some. They taste good."
Xiao Shulang originally wanted to push the plate between the two of them, but Qin Shuang reached over, picked up a piece, chewed it, and then commented, "It tastes good, you can have it."
The entire plate remained before Xiao Shulang's eyes.
The live chat is going crazy with comments.
[I peel the shell, you eat the meat – classic boyfriend behavior]
[They haven't been distant after two days; in fact, they're even more affectionate than before! What's going on?!]
Brothers and sisters, I'm a little dazed, are they really together?
The latest episode of "The Blooming Star" hasn't aired yet, and everyone thought they had been separated for two days. Little did they know that they hadn't been separated at all; they not only worked together but also spent the night at each other's homes.
They even go out together; if paparazzi were to capture this, it would be practically solid evidence.
Not only were the audience dazed, but Xiao Shulang was also in a daze. He finished a plate of nuts in a daze, his gaze occasionally sweeping over Qin Shuang, but Qin Shuang was no different from usual, with a calm expression.
I'm probably overthinking it.
Xiao Shulang ate while thinking, and before he knew it, he had finished the whole plate. In addition, he had also eaten a lot of nuts and snacks earlier, so he successfully stuffed himself.
From eating instant noodles every day to being able to eat snacks until I'm stuffed, happiness has come too quickly.
Xiao Shulang dared not touch the snacks anymore. The remaining guests arrived one after another. When they passed by the door, they would usually greet the two people sitting in the courtyard, except for Luo Tian.
Luo Tian is now ignoring Xiao Shulang and Qin Shuang together, and there are hardly any people in the comments saying he's being impolite anymore, because everyone is secretly hoping they'll have a more intense showdown. When the camera pans across Xiao Shulang and then across Luo Tian, everyone is jokingly saying, "Let's fight!"
They really enjoy watching the drama unfold.
Zhou Tong and Tian Xiaole attended an interview as a couple these past two days, appearing as a pair and giving off a very "honeymoon" vibe.
Once everyone had arrived, the staff member said, "Welcome back, everyone! It feels like ages since we last met. We wonder if any of you have missed anyone in particular? Our production team has missed each and every one of you terribly!"
When they said "I miss you," the camera focused on each guest, trying to capture their expressions, but only Luo Tian and Yin Xingzhi made a sound.
Luo Tian naturally focused his attention on Xu Baichang, but Xu Baichang was facing the staff with a dignified demeanor. Just then, Yin Xingzhi looked at Luo Tian, and after noticing Luo Tian's gaze, he silently looked away, appearing very forlorn.
[Oh my god, Yin Xingzhi is so humble.]
[Yeah, Xu Baichang and Luo Tian had some interaction at first, but Yin Xingzhi never even received a single text message from Luo Tian expressing his feelings.]
I think he'll probably give up since he's not getting a response.
However, some viewers, after watching the edited version, became even more convinced of Yin Xingzhi's scheming nature.
The night before Yin Xingzhi sent the text message expressing his affection to You Ziang, they happened to learn that You Ziang's family was wealthy. Although Yin Xingzhi and You Ziang were drawn together by lottery the next day, I think Yin Xingzhi's change in attitude towards You Ziang was due to this realization of their respective identities, and his subsequent actions were all intentional!
It must be said that some people guessed very accurately and saw through Yin Xingzhi's true nature.
"Our new task has arrived," the staff member continued. "There's a village called Xingfu Village about three miles from here. Your next task is to help the villagers with their work in exchange for ingredients."
"It's still a group competition. Do you all remember that the winning guest from last round chose their teammates first?" The staff member waved the cards in their hand. "Let's reveal the answer!"
The staff flipped the card over, revealing the name on it.
Xiao Shulang wrote about Qin Shuang, and Luo Tian wrote about Xu Baichang.
No one objected to Xiao Shulang and Qin Shuang being paired together, but Luo Tian also dragged Xu Baichang into it, which made Xu Baichang's fans quite unhappy.
I always feel like doing missions with Luo Tian would be really tough.
[Exactly, anyone would be better than him. Luo Tian is the kind of person who would abandon his teammates and run away!]
Regardless of their opinions, the group assignments were finalized. You Ziang and Yin Xingzhi, who were not selected, were automatically paired up, and the group assignments were completed.