Dating My Drama Queen Girlfriend On A Slow-Paced Variety Show - Chapter 22.1

Clack. Li Yue set down her chopsticks. The clean porcelain bowl reflected her calm expression. Li Yue asked, “Was it because I debuted?”

The room fell silent. The question marks in Yu Bilan’s mind multiplied, she was already writing a novel in her head, some plot where Luo Mingzi was originally the Mu Lin Sen family’s fiancée but ran away from the marriage because she fell in love with Li Yue.

Luo Mingzi nuzzled Li Yue’s shoulder and said with a smile, “Who cares? Whatever they think or want to do, can they really stop us?”

Su Pei, who had been listening, said, “They will block resources for both of you.”

“However, given your current status, Huaguan can handle it.” Su Pei sighed and looked at Luo Mingzi. “In the end, you got your wish.”

Li Yue raised an eyebrow and met Su Pei’s gaze. Su Pei said calmly, “I certainly have no intention of playing the Wicked Queen.”

Luo Mingzi laughed heartily.

Her original plan had been to learn acting, improve her skills, and film good dramas. She wasn’t classically trained and had never touched acting before her debut. She admitted her acting wasn’t great, but the company felt she was young and could create more value by trying different things for a few years before attempting a breakthrough.

But now, Luo Mingzi had officially been accepted by two masters of the acting world and had the promise of Wu Xuezhen and Zhu Dajun taking her to their theater troupe to learn. Coupled with the mess at A Dream of Southern Heaven and the interference from Mu Lin Sen capital, Huaguan had held an emergency meeting overnight and finally agreed to let Luo Mingzi take the second half of the year off.

“But there’s one problem.” Su Pei turned the laptop toward the two girls who were practically glued together. “Your anti-fans are celebrating online. Zhong Jiaquan is being hailed as the ‘pesticide’ of the entertainment industry.”

Luo Mingzi covered her mouth, her beautiful face full of disbelief. “Is there any ‘pest’ as pretty as me?”

Li Yue looked at the photo on the screen and asked, “This is Zhong Jiaquan? I think I have a vague impression of her.” When she watched Luo Mingzi’s dramas, she only remembered one person, everyone else was forgotten instantly.

Su Pei said, “Because of you, her fame is skyrocketing, and her follower count is exploding.”

That was the reality.

Luo Mingzi leaned on Li Yue’s shoulder and asked, “Baby, do you think her acting is good?”

“I don’t remember,” Li Yue said honestly. Luo Mingzi’s dramas from the first half of the year had great viewership, but the reviews were disastrous. The three of them had a rough idea of Zhong Jiaquan’s skill level.

Luo Mingzi raised her hand and spoke in the tone of someone who had seen it all. “Fame and popularity… I don’t care about that anymore. If she wants it, let her have it.”

As long as she can hold onto it.

“But if they’re having a good time, why shouldn’t I?” Yu Bilan said, looking at the news. “Zhong Jiaquan and A Dream of Southern Heaven are clearly using you for hype. They probably won’t stop until the show finishes airing.”

Wasn’t there a single piece of news that could suppress this or rather, a more bombshell story to divert everyone’s attention?

Everyone fell into deep thought.

Li Yue tilted her head and kissed the corner of Luo Mingzi’s mouth. She stood up with the empty bowl and said casually, “There is.” Su Pei immediately put on her glasses and looked at Li Yue in surprise.

Li Yue smiled at her and said, “That depends on Sister Su.”

Su Pei raised an eyebrow and curled her lips into a smile.

People always loved to see a public humiliation, and this time the target was a top-tier star. Luo Mingzi’s fan base was massive, but she also had plenty of haters, not to mention black PR from underhanded rival agencies.

News about her was always constant and eye-catching. The news of her being “fired from the set” poking right at her weakness was the talk of the town all day. Countless people began anticipating the broadcast of A Dream of Southern Heaven, cheering for the actress who was supposedly “saving their eyes.”

Did Luo Mingzi’s acting even need to be “blacked”?

She had always just taken the criticism lying down.

The company didn’t release any specific news either, they simply forwarded the A Dream of Southern Heaven announcement regarding the “amicable termination.” Meanwhile, the legal department was tasked with handling false rumors claiming “Luo Mingzi acted like a diva on set” or “Luo Mingzi screamed at people at the theater.”

Could she be angry about losing a job? Luo Mingzi was so happy she could practically fly! The artist’s mood wasn’t affected at all, and the company remained equally calm, the drama belonged to everyone else.

However, the viewership for the new episode of Late Village was affected, seeing a visible spike. But the impact was different, it was flooded with mockery aimed at Luo Mingzi, drowning out normal discussion about the show and ruining the viewing experience.

[Can you guys go argue somewhere else? Not everyone cares about Luo Mingzi, okay?]

[I just want to watch a relaxing variety show while I eat. Can the haters stop spamming the comments?] [You say you’re Luo Mingzi’s anti-fans, but you’re acting like career fans. Are you this upset just because she dropped a bad drama?]

At the TV station, the marketing and promotion department for Late Village was dead silent. Everyone was staring intently at the real-time data.

Whether they could ride this wave of heat depended on this!

The preview!

At 9:59 PM, the preview aired.

The footage originally intended for the sixth episode had been urgently edited and swapped with the fifth, then stuffed into the preview for the fourth.

The heroine of the day’s trending topics, Luo Mingzi was seen groggily getting out of bed and walking into the living room. Four dazed faces were sitting in a row, drawing lots to see who would cook breakfast. The moment the girl in pajamas opened her slip of paper, the editors added a mischievous “looking for trouble” laugh sound effect, and Luo Mingzi froze completely.

Then, a doorbell rescued her. She dashed toward the door. The guest outside was blurred out, showing only the lower half of their body, the hanging hands were so beautiful people wanted to lick the screen, and the slender frame identified the person as a female artist.

And then, Luo Mingzi who had been mocked by countless people for an entire episode, opened the door without any guard and uttered the legendary line:

“You… you look just like my girlfriend!”

Within five minutes, clips and snippets soared to the number one spot on every social media platform. The server for the platform hosting the “Luo Mingzi comes out” tag crashed instantly.

At Huaguan, Su Pei sent a “thank you” message to Director Liu. Looking at the data from the marketing department, her lips curled.

Why did people always try to drag Luo Mingzi down, whether by leaching off her or stepping on her? It was because, in the end, “Luo God” was a god. Luo God was traffic, Luo God was popularity.

But the viral peaks of Luo God would, in the end, be harvested by Luo God herself.

Tonight, no one could sleep.

In a high-rise apartment not far from Huaguan, Li Yue leaned down and kissed Luo Mingzi’s face.

“Are you tired?”

Luo Mingzi stubbornly raised her arms. “I’m not tired!”

I can go again!

The outside chaos didn’t affect Luo Mingzi’s happiness in the slightest. She truly had half a year of free time with Li Yue.

A! Half! Year!

She could keep going!

Li Yue chuckled and lowered herself to hold her tight. Warm skin pressed together, hearts beating wildly beneath the surface. Luo Mingzi tilted her head and kissed Li Yue.

The bedside lamp cast a warm, dim yellow glow, peeking shyly into the distance. The kitchen had been tidied up completely, and the pot used for noodles was sitting by the sink, washed clean.

It reflected the moonlight from outside.

The moonlight fell evenly upon the world, landing on the closed window, sending greetings through the curtains to the people inside.

Li Yue brushed back her long hair, interlaced her fingers with Luo Mingzi’s, and smiled softly.

Since she was very “full,” it was okay to work a little harder.