I Won Over My Best Friend’s Idol - Chapter 11

The director of Chasing the Light of Food had learned through the grapevine that the mega-star Zheng Yi had a rare half-month opening in his schedule…coincidentally aligning perfectly with the show’s filming dates. In a sudden bout of sheer audacity, the director sent over an invitation.

The director and his two permanent cast members had met by pure chance. Despite a bit of an age gap…the director was only in his early twenties…the three hit it off instantly for one simple reason: they all lived to eat.

That shared passion birthed this very variety show. Of course, launching a brand-new format was no walk in the park. The director had practically swallowed his pride and begged on his knees just to score sponsors.

“Ahhhh!!! Zheng Yi actually agreed to do our show!!” The director immediately fired off an ecstatic voice note into their three-person group chat the second he got the call from Zheng Yi’s manager, Chen Yuan, confirming the contract.

Liang Sihan took the news rather calmly. With barely any acting gigs coming his way these days, he was currently at home, enjoying a solitary drink. He was divorced; his ex-wife had cheated on him, and he had sole custody of their daughter, who was currently at a boarding school and only came home on weekends.

On the other side of town, Xiao Hong was stuck at a family gathering. When she casually played the voice message, her niece happened to overhear it. As a die-hard fan of Zheng Yi, the girl immediately begged to be brought onto the show.

Xiao Hong had originally planned to bring a male beauty blogger. Even though his sexual orientation was a bit ambiguous, the male-female dynamic would have made for much more entertaining television.

Frowning, Xiao Hong flatly refused. She couldn’t stand this niece of hers. The girl was exactly like her mother—completely lacking a moral compass, utterly tactless, and impossible to present in polite society.

Her niece stomped off with a pout. Xiao Hong thought that was the end of it, but before long, her older sister marched over, fiercely demanding that her daughter be allowed on the show.

“Our Niuniu is gorgeous. She’s bound to be a hit on TV! Not like you…you’re at your age and you still haven’t made a name for yourself, let alone hooked a wealthy husband. It’s settled then. I’ll buy her two new outfits tomorrow, and you’ll take her to the shoot the day after.”

Xiao Hong didn’t even get a chance to open her mouth; her sister ran the entire conversation. Though they were flesh and blood, her older sister had always looked down on her.

Just because Xiao Hong had better grades growing up and somehow stumbled into a singing career, releasing a few lukewarm albums, her sister viewed her as a textbook failure.

Her sister, on the other hand, might not have been book-smart, but their family had decent genetics. She had managed to marry a man with a stable job and solid benefits, settling down as a full-time housewife. With a daughter and a younger son, she had the perfect family. In the eyes of most people, her sister had successfully upgraded her life, leaving Xiao Hong…a thirty-five-year-old unmarried spinster…far behind in the dust.

After apologizing to the beauty blogger, Xiao Hong notified the director that she would be bringing her niece instead. She made sure to mention that her niece could be quite spoiled and stubborn, just so everyone would be prepared.

At that moment, the director’s brain was entirely consumed by the intoxicating joy of Zheng Yi joining the show. He couldn’t care less who Xiao Hong brought along. Besides, a spoiled brat meant guaranteed drama. Pair that with the massive traffic Zheng Yi would bring, and his very first show was practically guaranteed to be a massive hit!

Zheng Yi was enjoying a rare day off. Skipping breakfast entirely, he spent the whole morning lounging in bed, texting Kong Yinmeng.

He hadn’t revealed his true identity yet, so they were just chatting on WeChat. Since neither had explicitly brought up adding each other’s personal accounts under their real names, Kong Yinmeng had absolutely no idea that the user “Li” was actually the mega-star Zheng Yi.

She was even complaining to him about a “total creep” she’d crossed paths with recently, who kept finding excuses to get close to her. To make matters worse, her friend absolutely adored the guy, leaving her caught in a miserable deadlock.

Filming officially kicked off at C-City’s famous scenic spot, Lover’s Lake a destination named after a beautiful ancient myth.

“And now, let us welcome the six friends of Chasing the Light of Food to the stage!”

First up were Xiao Hong and her niece. Compared to the others, Xiao Hong had the lowest status; though she had released albums before, her sales were mediocre at best.

Liang Sihan was now 42 years old. In an entertainment industry saturated with fresh-faced young idols, he was definitely considered old, but his acting chops were undeniable. His partner was a freshly signed rookie from his agency who hadn’t starred in a single project yet…essentially a free tag-along hoping to pick up a few followers through the show.

Zheng Yi and Kong Yinmeng were the last to make their grand entrance. Once the other two groups stepped aside, Kong Yinmeng teased softly, “That young girl must be a huge fan of yours. Her eyes haven’t left you since we got here, and she’s giving me some serious, unprovoked hostility.”

Why did she call her a “young girl”? Because she truly was young…likely not even eighteen yet. The director had introduced her as Xiao Hong’s niece, a complete and total civilian outsider.

Zheng Yi pointed discretely above their heads. “The cameras are right there. You might want to watch what you say.”

Kong Yinmeng froze for a fraction of a second before quickly smoothing out her facial expression. “Ah, sorry, I forgot. But what I said is probably true anyway, right? No harm done.”

Inwardly, she was screaming at herself. She had promised herself she would play the quiet, elegant beauty on this show, keeping her mouth shut as much as possible. How had she failed to hold it in on literally day one?

“I’m just worried someone will maliciously edit the footage,” Zheng Yi replied smoothly. “But a clean conscience fears no rumors. I trust the audience is discerning enough to see the truth.”

The high praise he subtly handed the audience made Kong Yinmeng want to applaud. Talk about masterful wordplay…no wonder this guy had made it to the absolute top of the industry. Success like that was never a fluke.

Unbeknownst to Kong Yinmeng, she wasn’t the only one casually whispering away from the cameras.

“Gegé Liang, what do you think their deal is? Why did Old Song tell me to stay far away from Zheng Yi?” Miaoke, though also a young girl, happened to not be a fan of Zheng Yi.

When her agency found out Zheng Yi was joining the show, they specifically warned her. She had just signed with them and possessed genuine acting talent; the agency didn’t want her first taste of the public eye to be mired in a cheap dating scandal.

Liang Sihan felt a headache coming on. He knew their manager highly valued Miaoke. The fact that she had managed to get signed straight out of college proved she had raw talent, but the problem was she was still far too naive.

“Xiao Ke, don’t overthink it. They’re just friends. Remember, we’re filming a show right now!”

He didn’t explicitly point out the equipment like Zheng Yi had. Instead, his eyes darted meaningfully toward the camera operator. Miaoke caught his drift, poked her tongue out playfully, and fell completely silent.

On the other side of the set, however, things weren’t going nearly as smoothly. Niu Niuniu was also gossiping about Zheng Yi and Kong Yinmeng, and despite knowing full well that cameras were rolling, she didn’t bother to restrain herself in the slightest.

“Auntie, I’m just telling the truth. What’s the big deal? That girl isn’t even half as pretty as me. Why did Zheng Yi pick her as his partner anyway? Why don’t you talk to the production crew and have them swap me over to his team instead?”

Xiao Hong’s face was beyond dark. She felt she had been entirely fair to her niece, giving her a thorough lecture before the show even started. But Niu Niuniu let it go in one ear and out the other, completely disregarding her advice.

Knowing that her niece’s words were bound to attract massive backlash online, Xiao Hong couldn’t even be bothered to correct her anymore. Why waste her breath on someone who refused to listen?

When the director finally announced the arrival of Zheng Yi and his partner, Mengmeng, his voice trembled slightly with unmistakable excitement.

Xiao Hong, always the life of the party, immediately called out toward the director’s spot, “Xiao Wu! Control yourself. Remember you’re a boy, don’t go scaring our Xiao Zheng away.”

Xiao Wu coughed twice. The camera didn’t catch his face, but his voice boomed through the audio equipment. “Sister Hong, this entire show is riding on Brother Zheng’s coat-tails! How can I not be excited? Alright, everyone, our show officially begins now!”

The second the words left his mouth, six men dressed in black suddenly rushed out, snatching up all of their suitcases. The entire ambush happened so fast that no one had time to react.

As grown men, Liang Sihan and Zheng Yi put up a brief, token struggle, but realizing it was a scripted stunt by the crew, they let the suitcases go.

“Before you stand three red envelopes,” Director Xiao Wu’s voice echoed through a megaphone. “Inside, you’ll find either 88, 188, or 288 yuan. This will serve as your entire budget for the upcoming day. It’s time to test your luck! Each team will send up one representative for a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors. The winner gets first pick.”

Miaoke’s mouth moved faster than her brain. “What happens if you win the game but end up picking the 88 yuan envelope?”

Xiao Wu’s voice crackled back over the megaphone. “Then it just means you have terrible luck!”

Everyone: “…”

The other two teams sent up their civilian partners. Seeing this, Zheng Yi naturally nudged Kong Yinmeng, who was actively trying to avoid too much camera time.

“Fair warning, don’t blame me if I pull the 88 yuan one,” she muttered. For some reason, she had a terrible premonition that the number 88 was calling her name.

In the first round of Rock-Paper-Scissors, Kong Yinmeng won. In the second round, Miaoke won, leaving Niu Niuniu dead last. Her entire face instantly fell.

Compared to the indifferent Kong Yinmeng and the professionally trained actress Miaoke, her facial expression management was downright disastrous.

As the first to choose, Kong Yinmeng picked the envelope in the dead center. Niu Niuniu immediately let out a loud wail, complaining that she had wanted that exact one.

Kong Yinmeng completely ignored her. Without waiting for Xiao Wu to prompt the next step, she tore the envelope open. The moment she saw the cash inside, she realized the gods of fate truly had a personal vendetta against her.

“Please reveal the amount. This will be your allowance for the next twenty-four hours.”

Resigned to her fate, Kong Yinmeng pulled out exactly 88 yuan. The entire set erupted into laughter, Zheng Yi included. Talk about luck…this was legendary.

“Director, if the production budget is tight, just say so. You didn’t have to disguise it as a test of our luck,” Kong Yinmeng grumbled. Stuck with the lowest budget and listening to everyone laugh at her, she naturally directed her frustration straight at the director.

Xiao Wu rubbed his nose guiltily. The crew really was running on a shoestring budget.

Miaoke and Niu Niuniu opened theirs next. The grand prize of 288 yuan went to Niu Niuniu. She immediately threw a smug, provocative glance toward Zheng Yi’s side, only to find the two of them huddled together, completely missing her death glare.

“We get 44 yuan each. Once it’s gone, we starve,” Kong Yinmeng said, generously handing half to Zheng Yi. What was supposed to be a lucky number suddenly felt incredibly ominous.

Zheng Yi stared at the cash in his hand, utterly at a loss. Ever since he hit super-stardom, he hadn’t had to worry about money for a single day. “What can this small amount actually buy for a whole day?”

“Well, for starters, it can get us breakfast,” Kong Yinmeng said. “I’ve been to C-City before. I know a breakfast spot around here that is absolutely incredible.”

Right on cue, the director gave the order to disperse. “Alright everyone, you are dismissed! Go do whatever you need to do!”

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