Dating My Drama Queen Girlfriend On A Slow-Paced Variety Show - Chapter 34

Luo Mingzi’s small floral patterned duvet was successfully snuggled onto the neighboring bed, pressing tight against the light blue sheets. Under the covers, the pink duvet shifted as someone’s leg unceremoniously hooked over the person next to them.

Li Yue kept her eyes closed, intentionally letting out a muffled grunt from the weight. Luo Mingzi giggled and leaned in, nuzzling her head into the crook of Li Yue’s neck. Li Yue reached out to pull her closer by the shoulder, her palm naturally coming down to pat Luo Mingzi’s head.

“Close your eyes.”

Luo Mingzi hurriedly complied.

The room fell silent as the two drifted into dreamland. Outside the small courtyard, the drone pulled back, capturing the tranquil scene of the entire village.

Meanwhile, on the “Star Sector” of the internet, a hub for entertainment and gossip, a massive wave of netizens was idling away their lunch break.

[It’s been so quiet lately, no tea to spill.]

[There’s tea every day, depends on whether you’re willing to drink it.]

[This child only wants the high-quality tea.]

[With Goddess Luo away, the online world has lost some of its color.]

[You guys denounce her every day, yet call for her every day. You clearly love her!]

[Not me. I acknowledge her beauty, just as I acknowledge her acting isn’t fit for a leading lady.] [Speaking of which, did Luo Mingzi’s coming out just blow over like that?]

[Entertainment marketing, man. It’s all fake. Who actually believes it?]

[I DO!!!]

[Luo Mingzi caused such a scene, and yet her fans aren’t even mad. I see so many people with her fan badges joining that CP topic group… what was it called? “LiZhi”? Looking at the volume, #LiZhi has to be the hottest CP of the year, right? Hotter than actual couples or on-screen pairings.]

[What do you call them? A “Variety Show Couple”?]

[Not necessarily. It’s only mid-year. There are lots of dramas coming in the second half. If the LiZhi fanservice doesn’t keep up, it’ll probably fizzle out.]

[NO….I want more beautiful girls sticking together! Can they just be packaged into one show together?] [Li Yue is a singer, Luo Mingzi is an actress. Package them where? They don’t have a project to promote!]

[But Li Yue is genuinely great. Good looks, strong talent, and she keeps a low profile. Since her debut, the only things that trend are her performances or variety clips. None of that messy marketing. I think she’s great.]

[Is that why Luo fans are satisfied? Because she didn’t bring home some weird-looking “brother-in-law”?] [She brought home a “sister” hahaha. The LiZhi group is currently debating if they were dating back in college. I read a whole night of college AU fanfiction. I’m a believer now!]

[Help, our undercover agent has been turned!]

[Ship if you want, but don’t take it seriously. You’ll only hurt yourself in the end.]

[Which university did they go to anyway? If they really dated in college, wouldn’t some classmate or friend come out and say something? There isn’t even a fake classmate. My shipping heart is parched.] [Has Luo Mingzi’s schedule for the second half of the year been leaked? A Dream of Southern Heaven fell through, and I haven’t heard of her joining any other cast. Has Goddess Luo finally realized her acting isn’t good enough to eat this bowl of rice and retired to live a quiet life?]

As soon as this mocking guess was posted, a chorus of “NO” erupted.

[The gossip circles cannot exist without Luo Mingzi!]

[She’s only been acting for three years. Give her more time. I’m willing to give her another chance just for her face!]

[There are plenty of actors with worse skills. Why should only Goddess Luo quit? I refuse to accept this!] [Heh, look at you people. And you dare call yourselves Luo haters?]

[I recently became a fan of Li Yue, but why is there no news of her?]

[Isn’t Li Yue recording Inspiration Explosion? And Luo Mingzi has Evening Village.]

[I saw the recording photos for Inspiration Explosion, the video a passerby took under that overpass. It looked so cheap. Did the budget go toward buying Li Yue’s guitars?]

[Speaking of guitars… have you guys seen the recent “Star Talk” about Li Yue acting like a diva?]

[?] [Huh?]

[Li Yue acting like a diva?]

[Are you talking about the same Li Yue I know? The “Light Cloud” Li Yue?]

[Who else… they say she has no manners and is snatching resources.]

[??]

[Li Yue is signed to Huaguan. She has such momentum right now, her single is still #1 on the daily charts. Whose resources does she even need to snatch?]

[Tell us who she supposedly “snatched” from first, then we’ll judge.]

[Just found out, Yi Minhua. They say she snatched the July cover of MZ magazine.]

[Pfft, hahaha.]

[Move along, nothing to see here.]

[Li Yue’s single has dominated the charts for thirty days straight. She’s about to break a historical record. Does her track record not deserve an MZ cover? Saying Li Yue has no manners… does Yi Minhua set the rules in this industry?]

[Li fans, don’t be too ridiculous. How long has Li Yue been out compared to Yi Minhua? Is Yi Minhua’s talent worse? If you’re so brave, compare trophy cabinets! Have you even counted how many covers Yi Minhua has done?]

[Heh, the success of Li Yue’s song is just that good. She deserves this cover!]

The Corporate Battle

At the Yisong Media Building, Yi Minhua’s team was in a meeting with the marketing department.

The marketing manager looked at the data in his hands. “Li Yue is rising very fast, and she’s tied herself to Luo Mingzi. Unless we had stopped her from going on Evening Village at the start, her momentum is unstoppable now.”

Yi Minhua’s manager frowned. “Huaguan was doing fine with film and TV. Did they sign Li Yue because they think Luo Mingzi can’t carry the weight anymore?”

The room went silent. If Luo Mingzi “couldn’t carry it,” which artist in this industry could?

“Forget it. We can’t suppress her while she’s on top. We’ll stick to the old plan: bundle her in our promotions. Make sure that whenever people think of Li Yue, they think of Yi Minhua.” The manager rubbed his fingers, a confident smile playing on his lips.

Yi Minhua, who had been sitting quietly, frowned. “Why should I be bundled with Li Yue? How many years have I been in this circle? I need to be tied to a rookie?”

The manager soothed her, “Li Yue has Huaguan backing her and has latched onto Luo Mingzi. She’s on the rise. And she is talented. By taking the ‘powerhouse singer’ route and bundling with her, your reputation as a powerhouse singer becomes even more ingrained.”

“Think of it this way: no matter how fast she rises, isn’t she just creating hype for us?”

“Besides, you’re releasing an album in the second half of the year. I heard Li Yue is too. We have to consider sales.”

Yi Minhua’s team finalized the strategy: “Praise her openly, belittle her secretly, and bundle for marketing.”

However, two days later, before the momentum could even build, the “Male and Female Representatives of China’s New Generation Powerhouse Singers” campaign was swiftly crushed. Someone behind the scenes clearly didn’t want Li Yue’s name anywhere near Yi Minhua’s. Trending topics were suppressed one after another.

“Was it Huaguan?” Yi Minhua’s manager gasped. “Is Yu Bilan crazy? Minhua is an A-list singer with hits. We’re offering a win-win to boost Li Yue’s status, and she’s being this disrespectful?”

The marketing staff looked troubled. “We don’t know if it’s Huaguan. All we know is that the other side is incredibly wealthy. They aren’t giving us a single opening. Several platforms have already refused to take our drafts for trending slots.”

Just then, her phone rang. It was a staff member from Evening Village.

“Sister Ling, I’m so sorry. Our guest slots for the next few episodes are completely full. We really can’t squeeze anyone in.”

The manager’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Really? Not even for one episode? She can share a slot with other guests.”

“No, the contracts are already signed. Who appears with whom is set in stone. Changing it would be a breach of contract. Maybe next time?”

Wanxiang Village, Panshan

Yu Bilan sneezed and muttered a few words before crouching down to speak with Su Pei. “Sister Su, did you see our Li ‘God’ swimming up and down the trending searches lately?”

Su Pei adjusted her glasses and nodded.

“Yi Minhua’s side always uses these disgusting tactics. First they ‘touched porcelain’ with Teacher Yin, and now they want to stick to our Li Yue like glue. How shameless,” Yu Bilan complained. Then she paused, puzzled. “But it’s strange. I checked with the company, and they said they haven’t moved yet, but the search terms were already suppressed. What happened?”

Su Pei opened her phone, scrolled for a bit, and her eyebrows shot up. She understood.

“It’s fine,” Su Pei said. “Once we’re done here in two days, let’s sit down for a meal and have a proper talk.”

About Li Yue and Luo Mingzi.

The Departure

As the three female guest stars prepared to leave, Li Yue helped them lift their suitcases over the threshold.

“Thank you, Teacher Li!” Fu Bailing said. “Thank you all for taking care of us. If there’s a chance, we’ll definitely come back!”

“Sure,” Wu Xuezhen smiled. “Travel safely.”

Standing next to Fu Bailing, Li Tong balled her fists, pulled out her phone, and whispered to Li Yue, “Um, Teacher Li, could you…”

“Friends! Here are some fruits Li Yue and I picked on the mountain today. They’re already washed. Have some on your way back!” A sweet, crisp voice interrupted. Luo Mingzi beamed as she handed a beautiful bamboo basket to Li Tong and took Li Yue’s hand.

Li Tong’s surge of courage vanished instantly. She thanked them profusely and scurried into the car.

Once the doors closed, Li Tong wailed, “I didn’t get her contact info!”

Fu Bailing couldn’t help but say, “You’ve got guts! Trying to snatch someone from Teacher Luo!”

Li Tong blushed furiously. “I wouldn’t dare snatch her! I just wanted her contact info. She’s so ideal, waaaah.”

“Yeah, Teacher Li is so gentle and caring,” Zhu Ran added. “No wonder she managed to woo Teacher Luo.” She paused, then asked uncertainly, “They are a couple, right?”

Li Tong said shyly, “I think so… otherwise, I’d regret not getting her number even more! Argh!”

The Secret Call

As the car disappeared down the road, the four remaining hosts headed back.

“Two more days. New guests arrive this afternoon. Shall we rest for a bit?” Pi Dajun suggested.

Wu Xuezhen tucked her arm into his. “Sure, let’s go nap.” Pi Dajun rubbed his face, thinking his wife had really been ‘corrupted’ by their apprentice.

Left behind, Luo Mingzi signaled the cameraman, who took the hint and headed back first.

“What’s wrong?” Li Yue asked. “You’ve been off since we came down the mountain.”

Luo Mingzi pouted and turned off both their microphones. She pulled out her phone as it started buzzing. She showed the screen to Li Yue, the caller ID was from the capital, Shangjing.

Luo Mingzi answered it right in front of Li Yue.

“Hello,” she said coldly. “Is this the Queen Mother or the Jade Emperor?”

The person on the other end said something that made the “flames” virtually sprout from Luo Mingzi’s head. “Who isn’t speaking properly? When I spoke to you guys properly back then, what did you do? And now you’re pulling this nonsense again!”

“Huh? Li Yue?” Luo Mingzi glanced at Li Yue, who tilted her head curiously.

“Trending? What trending? A man?” Luo Mingzi rolled her eyes. “I was the one who chased Li Yue. I’m the one who won’t let go. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t love me! She loves me insanely! Men, women doesn’t matter, it’s impossible! Don’t try to drive a wedge between us!”

“If two women could naturally conceive, we’d have a whole soccer team by now! That’s how inseparable we are!”

A woman’s angry voice came through the phone: “Luo Mingzi, where are your manners!”

Luo Mingzi: “Hehe.”

The other side hung up in a rage. Luo Mingzi expertly blocked the number and huffed, “She clearly wants to check on me but can’t just talk like a normal person. Who needs her.”

Li Yue asked, “What trending topic?”

Luo Mingzi paused, looking up at Li Yue innocently. “I was too busy arguing, I forgot to ask… whatever, it’s not important. They just like making a mountain out of a molehill. They couldn’t threaten me before, and they definitely can’t threaten us now!”

“Mhm.” Li Yue draped an arm over her shoulder. After a few steps, she suddenly asked, “You want kids?”

Luo Mingzi’s face slowly twisted into a look of disgust. “No way. Having one ‘baby’ like you is enough for me!”

Li Yue suddenly pulled away, her palm pressing against Luo Mingzi’s forehead to push her aside. The Goddess of Music looked equally disgusted. “Get away. That’s greasy.”

Luo Mingzi: “!!!”

She watched in shock as the woman strode ahead. With an “Awoo!” of indignation, she gave chase. “You stand right there!”

Footsteps echoed on the long concrete road. Wu Xuezhen and Pi Dajun, who were strolling ahead, saw two shadows flash past them.

Wu Xuezhen clicked her tongue. “Young people… they really have so many ways to play.”

Near the entrance of the courtyard, Luo Mingzi spread her arms and laughed as she hugged Li Yue, who had slowed down for her.

She smiled radiantly. “Caught you this time, too!”

Li Yue looked down at the arms locked around her waist and smiled softly.

“Yes. Congratulations. You caught me.”