Dating My Drama Queen Girlfriend On A Slow-Paced Variety Show - Chapter 45

Li Yue sent the other guests off to their cars, lingering for a long while with Luo Mingzi. Finally, Agent Su, having reached the limit of her patience, dragged Luo Mingzi into the car and ruthlessly slammed the door shut, cutting off their longing gazes.

“…”

Li Yue paused for a moment, then waved at the receding car. Behind her, a voice spoke ghost-like: “Is the exhaust that good-looking?”

“It’s alright.”

Li Yue turned around, offering Yu Bilan a calm smile.

Why is she smiling so beautifully! Yu Bilan clutched her chest and whispered, “Control yourself, Goddess Li!”

“You’re still a newcomer who just debuted. There’s a sea of stars waiting to be conquered, and the entertainment industry is full of people playing mind games and scheming. You can’t let them catch any leverage to make a fuss!”

Compared to Yu Bilan’s anxiety, Li Yue remained composed, showing a curious expression: “Leverage?”

“Between her and me, what kind of fuss could they possibly make?”

After all, wasn’t the biggest “story” already created by the two of them?

“…You have a point.” Yu Bilan was speechless.

Ever since Li Yue participated in Late Night Countryside, her name and Luo Mingzi’s had become inseparable. Still, Yu Bilan worried. She didn’t want malicious people to stir up trouble and felt that the love between Goddess Li and Goddess Luo must be protected by her!

Li Yue stared at Yu Bilan’s clenched fist for three seconds before calmly asking, “Shall we head out?”

It was time for them to leave as well.

Before Yu Bilan could speak, Director Liu emerged with a backpack and a suitcase, leading a massive crowd. He raised his arm and shouted, “Departure!”

In the night, a bus painted vibrant green carried the crew toward the distance. Two hours later, it stopped in the coastal downtown area of Panshan City.

Simultaneously, a plane from Nanhai City landed. A group of colorful people pushed multi-colored suitcases, shyly yet deeply pulling down their hats and masks under the curious gazes of passersby, walking “coolly” into the airport fruit shop.

Late at night, on a certain social platform, in a certain Super Topic.

[Dull. Today’s Late Countryside was dull.]

[Same here, dull.]

[Jin Kai is still funny, but after laughing, I silently opened Episode 5 for the third rewatch.]

[Rewatch +1]

[I really… really… want to ship them… want some sugar… want sweet, sweet sugar… Lychee (Li-Zhi), I want to eat Lychee. Where are the Lychee…]

[Hiss, coming out to scare people in the middle of the night! Get out!]

[The aftereffects of “Lychee” are too strong. Who else has been scouring for sugar in the corners for the past two weeks? The show clips are worn out, and the few screenshots of social media interactions are scrubbed raw. I’m so hungry I’m about to gnaw on the Huaguan building! Lychee! My Lychee, I want to eat Lychee!]

The Super Topic was, of course, “Lychee” the CP (Couple) tag for Li Yue and Luo Mingzi. Their fans called themselves “Litchi Candies.” As the sixth episode of Late Countryside aired, Li Yue’s appearance seemed like a fleeting flower. After the craze of the fifth episode, the “scandal” heat had slightly cooled during a week without updates. The retreating tide left the Lychee Candies begging for food, desperate for a new supply of sugar.

Unfortunately, their wailing changed nothing. Instead, it drew mockery from Luo Mingzi’s anti-fans, who ridiculed her for having no talent other than “shipping” and accused her of playing games and hanging out with whoever was popular, intentionally trying to start a fight between Luo and Li’s fanbases.

Luckily, Li Yue and Luo Mingzi belonged to the same company. Huaguan knew exactly what their relationship was. Since Li Yue appeared on the show, the PR department had been monitoring public opinion closely. They acted immediately when they saw people stirring trouble, calling for fans to stay rational and not be manipulated. Then, they gave away ten signed posters of Li Yue from MasterZ (MZ).

As Li Yue’s first magazine since her debut and a cover feature at that her fans were highly focused on this month’s MasterZ, buying it the moment it hit the shelves.

In the internet age, physical magazine sales had long declined. To drive numbers, besides signatures, every issue of MZ featured posters of the cover artist. These included not just photos from the magazine, but also unreleased behind the scenes shots.

Back then, Luo Mingzi had earned Huaguan an entire office building through her stunning performances in photo books. Li Yue’s cover debut didn’t start as crazily as Luo’s, but sales soon skyrocketed. Interestingly, many buyers weren’t even die-hard fans of Li Yue. Some just liked her singing on Voice for You and happened to see a newsstand with her face on it during their commute, picking it up on a whim.

There were even stranger stories.

[This woman is called Li Yue? I didn’t know. I just felt someone staring at me while I was shopping. She kept staring until I felt guilty and had to buy the magazine… hehe.]

[Lies. Just admit you were seduced by her beauty!]

[…But the photo selection for the cover is top-tier! She looks completely different from how she does in Voice for You and Late Countryside!]

[Yes, yes! It reminds me of that “Owl Crossing the River” variety show promo photo so aloof and cold.]

[I feel like there’s still so much about Li Yue we don’t know. It makes me look forward to her new songs even more. Can she bring more colors to her music like she did in this magazine?]

[Clouds… are aloof, cold, and cannot be possessed~ I want to see a different Li Yue too. So excited for her new variety show! Speaking of which, there’s been zero news of her for two weeks. I’m so anxious!]

[Everyone, don’t worry. Let me say something first, admire my signed version of the July issue of MasterZ! Every poster inside is signed! Only 100 copies! Only 100 signed copies in the whole world! AND I BOUGHT ONE!!]

[WHAT!!!]

[Why! I’ve been a hardcore fan following her music account since before she debuted! I finally finished my project, ran through every bookstore in the city, even newsstands! They all told me it’s out of stock! And you! You got a signed copy! Why!! Heaven is unfair!]

The lucky fan was flooded with “compliments” dripping with jealousy. Everyone then rushed to the official platforms of MZ and Huaguan to repost for the signature lottery, protesting that MZ was too stingy, only 100 signed copies? How could such a stingy magazine exist? “I won’t buy it, I’m definitely not buying it next time!”

The public outcry alerted the officials. The MZ social media manager arrived “late,” expressing surprise at the overwhelming enthusiasm. They announced that the July issue had sold out in less than seven days and they were forced to print more. To apologize, the second printing would also have “dropped” signed copies, and they would pick lucky fans on social media for more signed versions.

[Hmph. You say you’ll reprint, you say you’ll draw winners, but how will my wounded heart be healed? PICK ME!]

[I’m an old fan of MZ, followed you since you started. A little “inside favor” wouldn’t hurt, right?]

[I’m the loudest! You must give it to me!]

The fans were still “outraged,” demanding shortcuts and backdoors, or they’d “cry for you to see!”

Under such “threats,” the official Weibo account analyzed the situation calmly and slowly released a new piece of information:

“If I said the August issue features the first-ever double cover in MZ history, would that move your hearts?”

Under the post, except for a few magazine purists, the fans who came for Li Yue were cold: “Hmph. You think you can move us? Is Li Yue even on that double cover?”

The moment the question was asked, the Li Yue fans went silent.

Many people with candy-themed avatars suddenly stood up: “Hmm?”

“If… I’m saying if… if one of them is Li Yue, and the other is Luo Mingzi…”

“Impossible. One is a singer, one is an actress. They don’t have a common topic for a joint cover. If every ‘scandal’ got a joint cover, those magazines would stack higher than a 66-story building!”

“You seem to have a point, but I don’t want to listen to reason. What if?”

The plane to Beijing landed at 1:00 AM. A girl, yawning and slumped in a car, lazily picked the best photo she had carefully taken on the plane and sluggishly posted an update.

Luo Mingzi: What if? / [Image]

In the corner of the photo, the lights of ten thousand homes sparkled beneath the plane window.

An open magazine lay across the girl’s lap, showing a color page: a woman wearing a flower crown sat on a reef, one hand cradling her face, the other resting down, smiling tenderly.

And near her other cheek, someone in the frame had curved their palm to form half a heart.