Dating My Drama Queen Girlfriend On A Slow-Paced Variety Show - Chapter 51

Li Yue strode down the stairs and took the water handed to her by her assistant.

“Thanks.” She gave a small smile, her tone casual, but her grip on the bottle cap was firm enough to make the veins on the back of her hand pop.

The little assistant scratched their head, heart fluttering. Li Shen always looked people right in the eye when she spoke, and her gaze was so gentle, who could handle that? Being Li Shen’s assistant was truly both a blessing and a curse.

The assistant silently recited a mantra three times: Li Shen and Luo Shen’s love is as solid as gold and will last forever.

When Yu Bilan rushed over like her hair was on fire, Li Yue, who was mid-drink, raised her left hand to signal for her to wait. After finishing the water and letting out a sigh of relief, she finally turned to Yu Bilan.

For some reason, even though Li Yue looked calm and gentle as usual, Yu Bilan sensed a “survival against all odds” vibe in her eyes. Is our telepathy deepening? Yu Bilan wondered.

Joy briefly trumped anger, but just as Yu Bilan was about to speak, a troop of “monkeys with wings” came clattering down the mountain. At the head was the girl with the braided hair, whistling and banging a thick stick against an iron bucket held in her left hand.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

“The weather is dry! Beware of fire hazards!” she shouted.

The troupe behind her chimed in with “Zhu-zhu-zhu,” and at the very back, one person was swaying their head while blowing a suona.

Astonishment replaced joy, and Yu Bilan’s anger surged to match it. She had been woken up early for a video conference with the company, and before leaving, she specifically told the assistants to watch this crew. She had realized it: Li Shen wasn’t reliable either!

This group was like stars meeting the moon, a complete conspiracy of mischief!

“What are you all doing?! Bang, bang, bang…why don’t you pull your own heads off and bang those instead!” Yu Bilan roared, telling the “Owl” group to behave like proper monkeys!

Having successfully finished the second phase of filming and reaching a “friendly understanding” with the production crew (or so the “monkeys” thought), the Owls had grown bold. They felt they could stand their ground against Yu Bilan now. Braids, in particular, wasn’t scared anymore, she swaggered over to show Yu Bilan the bucket.

The bucket was filled with a thick layer of ash and a few unburnt corners of joss paper (spirit money).

Yu Bilan frowned, feeling it was a bit unlucky. Everyone was alive and well, why burn this stuff?

Li Yue took the chance to grab another bottle of water, chugging it before crushing the plastic bottle into a flat disc. She explained to Yu Bilan, “It was for the shoot.”

“The shoot?”

Yu Bilan’s frown deepened. She remembered Li Yue asking the crew to bring joss paper up yesterday. Although she was the manager, she usually didn’t interfere with artistic performance, especially on a show like Inspiration Explosion, which relied on free expression. (The “Crossing the Great River” incident was an outlier because normal music shows don’t involve life-threatening river crossings.)

“You’ll see when the show airs!” Braids said loudly, trying to act tough while hiding behind Li Yue’s back.

Li Yue looked Yu Bilan in the eye and smiled gently. “We picked up all the scattered paper after filming. There’s a public cemetery at the foot of the hill, so we went to a designated burning spot. Maybe some lonely ghosts nearby needed it?”

She spoke of such things in a voice so soft it made one’s ears tingle, her bright eyes crinkling with a hint of a smile.

Yu Bilan’s ears felt numb and her heart fluttered under Li Shen’s gaze, but her skin crawled at the words. Burning money for ghosts? Is that appropriate? What if something bad happens!

Yu Bilan was superstitious about these things, much like film crews picking auspicious dates for opening ceremonies. Li Yue stepped sideways to shield the Owls, saying casually, “It’s fine. I burned it. If anything happens, it’ll come for me.”

She lowered her lashes, dropped the flattened water bottle into Braids’ bucket, and patted her shoulder to tell her to toss the trash. Following the swaying bucket with her eyes, she thought distantly: If they really could come find me, I’d actually want them to help me pass a message.

Too bad.

The corner of Li Yue’s mouth twitched coldly for a split second, but by the time she looked up, her smile was warm again. She shifted the topic effortlessly: “Sister, you ran over here in such a rush. Did something happen?”

The reminder snapped Yu Bilan back to reality. Her expression changed, and she pulled Li Yue toward the van, whispering harshly, “Yes! I’ve had a bad feeling since Teacher Luo trended last night. Sure enough, something happened!”

Luo Mingzi’s trending topic had appeared out of nowhere. Those in the know found it laughable. Su Pei had quickly used Luo Mingzi’s official account to dismiss rumors of her “offending someone” as false. The trending topic was taken down shortly after, and related info was wiped clean.

However, the gossip-seekers simply moved to anonymous forums, detailing exactly how Luo Mingzi had “offended” people, with descriptions so vivid it was as if they were there. Some even claimed she was being blacklisted and would retire soon.

Yu Bilan’s face flushed with anger. “The news that you are a permanent guest on Late Village has been leaked early!”

“Hmm?”

Director Liu, who had been dazed after the shoot, feeling like his soul had drifted away with the smoke was hauled into the car.

At the Hotel

The directors of Late Village and Inspiration Explosion sat in a row on the sofa, scowling at the TV. To ensure everyone understood the situation, they had selected the version with “Danmaku” (scrolling comments) enabled.

On the screen were two women. One was a familiar face, Zhong Qingquan sitting in a warm light against a dark background, looking meticulously made up. Next to her was Min Xueren, also with long hair and a beautiful face. The two were chatting and laughing.

The comments were flooded with praise, calling them ethereal beauties.

Li Yue stood behind the sofa, fished a small mandarin orange from her pocket, and began peeling it. Yu Bilan, arms crossed in fury, turned to stare at Li Yue’s hands. At a time like this, she’s eating?!

Li Yue misunderstood and offered a segment of the orange to Yu Bilan. Want some?

Yu Bilan sighed and shook her head. How could a mere mortal compete with a God for food?

The person by the TV fast-forwarded the livestream from the previous night to a specific timestamp. As the video played, the voices and comments surged.

Zhong Qingquan appeared to read a comment, saying to herself, “Have I been bullied at work? … Xueren visited, didn’t you say in a stream a few days ago that you were being bullied?”

[Yes! Xueren won’t tell us who it is!] [Xueren is too nice, it’s frustrating!] [Tell us who, and we’ll get revenge for you!]

The comments were united in rage. Min Xueren’s smile faltered, replaced by a wounded expression. She said evasively, “They have a big name, it’s fine if they look down on me. I just want to work hard and become a great actress!” She gave a bright smile to the camera.

The screen filled with “heartbreak” emojis, with many demanding she expose the “bully.”

“Hahaha, like a face-slapping novel?” Zhong Qingquan chimed in. “We’re best friends, just tell me man or woman?”

Min Xueren’s expression became subtle. Zhong Qingquan “seemed” to realize something and gasped, “Is it someone I know?”

“Don’t ask, it’s not good for you. They are very out of line, but they aren’t people we can afford to offend. Besides, didn’t you just get that role from her…” She trailed off, but the chat exploded with “Luo Shen” (Goddess Luo).

Zhong Qingquan had only trended once this year, when she “stole” the lead role in A Dream of South Heaven from Luo Mingzi.

Zhong Qingquan acted as if she just realized. “No way… she made things hard for you?”

Min Xueren “accidentally” added, “Her, I can handle. But there’s another person, someone her agency is pushing hard. They got famous by being tied to her. Apparently, she got a permanent spot on a show, and she’s very arrogant, never even looks at me… I guess birds of a feather flock together. Quanquan, promise me when your show hits it big, you won’t treat me like that!”

The names were practically spelled out. Between the mentions of Luo Mingzi and the “pushed” partner, the identity of the second “bully” was obvious. Min Xueren had previously mentioned being on Late Village, so the “permanent guest” she was referring to was clearly Li Yue.

The Late Village crew was fuming.

Li Yue’s permanent status was under a strict non-disclosure agreement. This kind of manufactured “drama” was toxic for the show and its sponsors!

The “bully” in question finished her oranges and was now peeling a banana. Having filmed since early morning, Li Yue was starving. While the deputy director sighed about “beautiful women doing ugly things,” she pulled out a hard-boiled egg.

Benefits of being the Monkey King.

Li Yue squatted down to crack the egg on the floor.

Director Liu turned around and almost couldn’t find her. The room was waiting for her decision as the show’s leader.

Crack, crack. Even peeling an egg, Li Yue had a poetic air. Seeing her place the shells neatly on a tissue, Director Liu strangely calmed down. She turned and asked, “Has the footage been sent for review yet?”

The deputy director’s eyes lit up. “It was supposed to go today. I’ll stop it!”

“Good. Since they aren’t playing fair, don’t blame us for being ruthless. We’ll deal with the contract breach later. For now, we need to reshoot her parts.” Director Liu’s face was cold.

“Do we call the other guests back?”

“No time. Most have left Panshan City. Only Teacher Li is here.”

Director Liu said, “Then we find people nearby!” She was determined to scrub Min Xueren from the show.

Yu Bilan, sensing an opportunity, raised her hand. “The monkeys under my command are yours to use. No charge this time!”

Director Liu’s eyes sparkled, but they still needed a proper guest to fill the slot.

At that moment, Li Yue stood up, her tall frame suddenly commanding the room. She said calmly, “You Yang is in Panshan City. I’ll call him.”

The crew’s eyes lit up. They looked at Li Yue like she was a savior.

Li Shen…

Li Yue added, “Not just him. His whole group is here.”

Production Crew: “LI SHEN!!”

Director Liu wanted to shout it too, but she had one concern. She had heard rumors about Luo Mingzi and the Mu Lin Sen Group. She had rejected an unreasonable request from their assistant before but didn’t want to truly offend a giant like Mu Lin Sen.

Li Yue took a bite of her egg, listened to Director Liu, and tilted her head with a smile.

“It’s fine. Don’t worry. There won’t be any problems.”

Director Liu understood. She raised her hand: “LI SHEN!!!”