Dating My Drama Queen Girlfriend On A Slow-Paced Variety Show - Chapter 17

Outside the small courtyard was a large flat area that looked like a grain drying ground. Currently, it was covered in construction debris from the floor tiling, which You Yang was busy clearing away with a broom.

Li Yue stepped over the threshold and gave You Yang a smile.

Since Li Yue had arrived for the recording, the two hadn’t exchanged many words, making things a bit awkward. You Yang thought for a moment and said, “Li…”

“Just call me Da Li,” Li Yue offered. You Yang immediately let out a sigh of relief and replied hurriedly, “Teacher Da Li, you can just call me Xiao Yang. That’s my nickname.”

After a stiff introduction, the drawback of not having a professional host among the regular cast became apparent. You Yang kept sweeping vigorously and asked bluntly, “Teacher Da Li, you’re a singer, right? Do you have any works?”

Li Yue replied, “I just debuted, so I don’t have many works yet.”

You Yang: “Oh, oh!”

Luo Mingzi popped out from inside the house, holding two baskets to interrupt their awkward chat. She stood beside Li Yue, staring straight at You Yang, and asked, “Student Xiao Yang, don’t you ever go online?”

“How can you not know how popular our Li Yue has been lately!”

You Yang swallowed hard and said, “I’ve been busy! I have a new album coming out and dance practice to do. Our manager keeps a very strict eye on us, we usually have to hand over our phones after posting a social update.”

Luo Mingzi gave a soft huff. “Our Li Yue has released a single, too.”

From the courtyard, Wu Xuezhen called out loudly, “After dinner, let Xiao Yue sing for us. Her voice sounds so comfortable, she must be a great singer!”

“Right, a cultural performance,” Pi Dajun added.

Every guest came with a “mission” the cast was very familiar with this routine!

Luo Mingzi flipped a basket onto her head, speechless. “Have none of you heard Late Home? You didn’t realize that Li Yue is the one who sang Late Home?”

“Such a distinctive, beautiful, and peerlessly elegant voice!”

The three regular cast members were collectively shocked.

You Yang truly hadn’t heard it, his manager only occasionally showed him highlight clips after the show aired. Their company was strictly managed for fear that negative online comments would affect the artists’ moods and, consequently, the album production. Pi Dajun and Wu Xuezhen had watched the show, but…

“My goodness, I was wondering why she sounded so familiar!” Wu Xuezhen walked out excitedly carrying a rice-washing basin. “I told Dajun at the time that this girl sang beautifully! I even had my manager download it so I could play it on my phone every day, but I never noticed the singer’s name! Oh my god!”

Pi Dajun immediately waved his hands. “It’s not that I didn’t recognize the voice, it’s just that I barely heard Li Yue say a word! I thought she was just being cold and aloof!”

Li Yue smiled. “I’m just tall, not ‘cold.'”

Everyone burst into laughter, saying they looked forward to Li Yue’s live performance tonight. Luo Mingzi, still with the basket on her head, shouted: “Director! Please have the instruments ready. I want to see an ’82 Veromca sitting in the middle of the courtyard before I get back!”

Director Liu immediately searched for what a “Veromca” was, only to find it was a historic guitar brand. The price of the first item she clicked on had two more zeros than the guitar the production crew had prepared.

“…”

Director Liu picked up her phone and said, “I’ll add an extra dish to your dinner tonight.”

Hmph. With Li Yue here, who cares about your extra dish?

However, if the crew added a dish, Li Yue would have to cook one less. Luo Mingzi held up two fingers, and Director Liu nodded in “humiliation.” Only then was Luo Mingzi satisfied, taking Li Yue’s hand to lead her to the vegetable garden.

Wu Xuezhen finished steaming the rice and came out of the kitchen. Seeing their retreating figures over the low wall, she said sheepishly, “How embarrassing. I really do love Late Home. I play it while we’re recording. Oh, you should have told me earlier that Li Yue sang it,” she said to the cameraman.

“No, I have to look it up. It seems I really need to get online, otherwise I’ll be totally out of touch with society,” Wu Xuezhen said as she went to her room to find her phone. Seeing this, Director Liu arranged for a projector to be brought out and a screen to be set up in the courtyard.

When Wu Xuezhen came out with her phone, You Yang hurried over. He searched Li Yue’s name on social media, found a compilation of her stages from Music Because of You, and projected it onto the screen. He also wanted to hear the level of Li Yue’s singing.

Half a minute later, Pi Dajun walked over with his hands behind his back. The three of them stood in a row, staring at the screen.

The projector was from a sponsor, a high-end model used on-site with excellent sound quality.

The entire courtyard suddenly fell silent.

You Yang swallowed, clutching his broom tightly. He said in a small, terrified voice, “Sister Xuezhen, Uncle Dajun… can I just stay in the audience for the performance later? I don’t think I’m worthy!”

“…Don’t say such discouraging things, you’re not bad either!” Pi Dajun snapped out of it and patted You Yang’s shoulder encouragingly. “It’s just that compared to Li Yue… you have room to grow!”

You Yang: “Ah… room to be embarrassed.”

“…Drifting toward that late home…”

Luo Mingzi hummed the song, swinging the two baskets as she walked. Li Yue followed behind, reaching out to steady Luo Mingzi when she was about to step into the field.

“Thanks, baby,” Luo Mingzi said. To return the favor, she pointed at a row of bright green sprouts and said, “These are scallions!”

Li Yue: “Not bad.”

Luo Mingzi pointed to a plant climbing a trellis, passing on more knowledge: “These are bean vines!”

Li Yue: “Impressive.”

She even knows bean vines.

Greatly encouraged, Luo Mingzi led Li Yue to a patch of recently turned soil where nothing had sprouted yet. What was this again? Luo Mingzi paused. Li Yue tilted her head, looked into her eyes, and said, “Tomatoes?”

“Yes, yes, tomatoes!” Luo Mingzi clapped her hands, then turned to look at the ground behind them. “This side is eggplant!”

“If they grow and bear fruit successfully, I’ll bring some back for you to taste.”

Li Yue said, “I look forward to it.”

But they had to grow first.

In a moment of unspoken understanding, the two pressed their palms together and held them to their foreheads, beginning to use “psychic powers” to bless the two vegetable patches.

“So, what are we eating tonight?” Luo Mingzi, carrying the two small vegetable baskets, stared excitedly at Li Yue. Li Yue pointed at the scallions and said, “Cut some green onions. I’ll make you egg pancakes tomorrow morning.”

Egg pancakes!

Luo Mingzi sharpened her “claws” toward the scallions and yanked up several handfuls. She then looked up, her beautiful large eyes fixed on Li Yue, waiting for her to say which plant was the next target!

A cool breeze blew, and all the plants in the garden seemed to shiver.

“That’s enough. Let’s head back,” Li Yue said. She simply hadn’t bought any scallions.

Luo Mingzi blinked, looking down at the two baskets. Each basket was as big as a small washbasin, and each contained only a single handful of scallions, looking rather pathetic. Li Yue didn’t give her time to daze off, she picked up the baskets and, while she was at it, “picked up” the person too.

The cameraman’s lens lingered on the baskets in their hands for a long time, providing plenty of “artistic whitespace.”

The two strolled back, this time with Li Yue in front and Luo Mingzi behind.

Luo Mingzi felt a sense of emptiness from having done almost nothing. She stared at Li Yue’s back, her eyelashes suddenly trembling as she covered her mouth.

Could it be… Li Yue just wanted to take a walk alone with her, so she… The corners of Luo Mingzi’s mouth couldn’t help but curl up. She ran forward, put her arm around Li Yue’s shoulder, and pointed toward another path. “Let’s take this way. It leads to the back yard, it’s just a bit further.”

But taking that path meant they could spend a little more time together.

If it was with Li Yue, no distance was too far.