The Prime Minister Becomes a Global Sensation After Transmigrating into a Pariah - Chapter 4

After changing, Lou Yishu emerged from the dressing room.

He wore a pure white suit jacket embellished with gold and silver diamond fragments, scattered across the fabric like a brilliant firework display. Upon closer inspection, the collar featured delicate hidden patterns that shimmered under the lights.

Underneath, Lou Yishu wore a matching collared shirt, the fabric hugging his graceful, swan-like neck with the buttons fastened neatly to the top. This added a touch of disciplined elegance to his naturally gentle aura. His shoulders were perfectly proportioned, requiring no padding to fill out the suit, which in turn made his already slender waist appear almost narrow enough to be encircled by a single hand. The white trousers made his legs look exceptionally straight and long; he was quite literally a walking clothes rack.

“Brother Yishu, you look so handsome!” Lin Hui exclaimed as she returned from her call, utterly dazed by the sight of him.

She cupped her face with both hands, a stream of praise pouring out: “You look like a prince! Grandma’s makeup suits you so well! You’re so beautiful, I’m going to cry—”

I want Brother Yishu to be my wife, Lin Hui thought, though she didn’t dare say it aloud for fear of being scolded.

As the saying goes, “Fine clothes make the man, and a fine saddle makes the horse.” In this outfit, Lou Yishu looked incredibly distinguished. Although he had been praised for his looks since childhood, he never truly felt his appearance was anything extraordinary. To him, everyone had two eyes and one mouth he viewed those compliments merely as a form of affection from his parents and elders.

However, he genuinely thought Qiao Yuxi was beautiful, his features were like a painting, and his eyes seemed to hold a thousand stories.

“Thank you, Grandma. You have truly been a great help to me. I don’t know how to repay you… perhaps we could have dinner later? My treat!” Lou Yishu balled his hand into a fist and tapped his own chest twice, attempting to use the social graces he had spent years perfecting.

Meanwhile, the other makeup artists, who were eavesdropping on the conversation, waited for Lou Yishu to be humiliated for trying to “curry favor” with Lin Chunyan. After all, Lin Chunyan a top-tier celebrity stylist in the domestic industry, was known for being old-fashioned and strict. she never allowed anyone to take advantage of her.

Word was that a big-name star once tried to hire her and hidden a layer of gold leaves at the bottom of a garment box as a bribe. A single gold leaf was conservatively valued at 13,000 yuan, and the box contained at least a hundred.

The box was eventually returned. When the star opened it, they found the hundred gold leaves had been shredded by scissors and mixed with leftover cotton scraps from fabric production.

Golden on the outside, but rotten on the inside.

Since then, Lin Chunyan never styled that star again, and her famous disciples followed suit. The industry learned its lesson: no one dared to try and “climb the social ladder” with her through such means.

To everyone’s shock, however, the expected rejection never came.

“Hahaha splendid! If Xiao Shu is treating, then this old lady won’t be polite! Let’s go for morning tea.” Lin Chunyan’s laughter was hearty. She looked directly into Lou Yishu’s clear eyes; as she had aged, her own eyes often seemed to carry a faint, watery glint of nostalgia.

After making arrangements with Grandma and Lin Hui, Lou Yishu headed toward the backstage area to begin filming.

Lin Chunyan watched his retreating figure, the studio lights bisecting her aged face. She tapped her cane on the floor and turned to Lin Hui. “Did you find her?”

“I did. Her name is Lili. Grandma, how should we handle this? Someone is stirring up trouble online. They’ve bought bots, and the topic is trending fast.” Lin Hui handed the phone to her grandmother.

The hashtag #TravelLoveGuestLouYishuIsUgly had reached the top. Clicking it revealed a post from a “leaker”:

#LouYishu #TravelersLoveDiary #TravelLoveGuestLouYishuIsUgly

I was so excited to go to the filming site, but I ran into this bad luck!

[Image]

The photo was a clear, front-facing shot of Lou Yishu in the “ugly” makeup Lili had applied. The comments below were a dumpster fire:

• “My god, the domestic entertainment industry is really scraping the bottom of the barrel.”
• “Ugh, how am I supposed to ship anyone with him? Why did you ruin my meal?”
• “You’re still thinking about shipping? You must be starving.”
• “I don’t get it. Putting him next to Qiao Yuxi is like putting a cartoon in a live-action movie. Hilarious.”
• “Don’t start a fan war, and don’t mention my brother Qiao, thanks.”
• “Exactly. Qiao-Qiao never does variety shows. He’s finally giving the fans a treat; don’t bring my baby into your fights. Not interested, not participating.”
• “Your precious Qiao Yuxi is joining a romance-themed variety show, yet you’re still calling him ‘Brother.’ What a bunch of clowns.”
• “I advise some netizens to stay in their lane. Qiao Yuxi is an actor, not an idol. Who cares if he does a romance show or falls in love? Mind your own business.”
• “Wait, wasn’t this thread about Lou Yishu being ugly? How did we get to Qiao Yuxi? But seriously, Qiao Yuxi’s acting is phenomenal.”

Traveler’s Love Diary the name alone promised emotional conflict. The show’s selling point was combining travel with a “dating show” format. Travel often exposed a person’s true personality, triggering both friction and romance. With eight people living together, the potential pairings were endless.

To spice things up, the production team designed games, the most explosive being the “Hidden Couple”: among the eight guests, one pair was actually a real-life couple.

Since same-sex marriage had recently been legalized, Travel Love seized the opportunity and invited eight male guests. In this season, the “real couple” was none other than Qiao Yuxi and “Lou Qingtai.”

Unlike most shows, this one was highly interactive. Not only could the live-stream audience vote on game content and team pairings, but for the season finale, the audience would vote to identify the hidden couple. If the audience guessed correctly, the couple would immediately announce their relationship on Boliao. If the audience was wrong, the couple could choose whether or not to go public.

In previous seasons, regardless of the vote, couples usually chose to announce for the massive surge in traffic. Consequently, the re-watch rate for Travel Love Diary was staggeringly high, as fans loved to hunt for “clues” and “sweet moments.”

Now, it was time for the pilot episode.

Lou Yishu bit his lower lip, feeling nervous. This program would be seen by the entire nation. Just then, the director informed him he would be the fourth to enter.

The show utilized both live-streaming and recorded broadcasts. The recorded episodes would be edited and uploaded to major platforms after the live stream. In the introductions, the most screentime usually went to the first guest and the “finale” guest.

Entering fourth meant Lou Yishu would likely lose a lot of screentime in the edited version. He didn’t mind; his paycheck wouldn’t change based on his minutes on screen. He just wanted to finish the show. If Lou Qingtai woke up afterward, he planned to buy a plot of land in the countryside, build a small cottage, and live a quiet life.

I wonder if farmland is expensive these days.

Shortly after, the first guest appeared Ye Qi.

Lou Yishu watched Ye Qi on stage. His right hand was wrapped in layer upon layer of gauze. Lou Yishu knew exactly where he had applied pressure; it was a move meant to teach a lesson that a quick trip to an orthopedist could have fixed. There was no reason for a thick cast after three days.

Recalling his research, he knew Ye Qi was a popular idol with a massive fan base. He mainly acted in TV dramas, and netizens often joked that while the female leads changed, Ye Qi remained a constant. Recently, he had been trying to transition into film. Among the eight, he had the most “die-hard” fans.

On stage, the host asked, “Ye Qi, what was your original intention for joining our show?”

Ye Qi replied, “Falling in love is secondary. I mainly came here to see my idol.”

Host: “Oh? Ye Qi’s idol? Who might that be?”

Ye Qi pressed a finger to his lips. “It’s a secret, but we’ll meet soon enough.”

The live comments went wild:

• “Omg, it’s definitely Qiao Yuxi! I’m shipping it already!”
• “Who understands the mutual attraction between a fan and their idol?”
• “Qi-Qi, Mommy loves you!!!”
• “I’m a ‘girlfriend fan’… but Qiao Yuxi isn’t a bad option.”
• “Look at you being picky.”
• “Hubby is so handsome! His hands are so pretty, let me lick the screen.”

After the basics, Ye Qi took a seat on the far left of the eight chairs. He even took off his watch and placed it on the seat next to him. Soon, the next guest arrived.

Shen Mo. True to his name (Mo meaning silence), he was a reclusive singer. He always wore black, with hair so long it nearly obscured half his face. Yet, his songs were instant hits. Whether he sang them or just composed them, they were guaranteed to top the charts. Writing a song for someone was a rare favor; if he liked you, he’d help you skyrocket; if he disliked you, you couldn’t even get past his front door.

When Lou Yishu read about him, he thought the man had a lot of character.

Shen Mo answered the host’s questions with “Boring” or “I don’t know.”

• “LMAO, Brother Silence hasn’t changed at all.”
• “I love that ‘you are all trash’ look in his eyes.”
• “Shen Mo, drop a new song! I’ve looped your last album 800 times!”

Shen Mo headed for the seats. Ye Qi tried to greet him, but Shen Mo kept his head down either he didn’t see or didn’t care and sat in the chair on the far right, leaving six empty seats between him and Ye Qi. Fortunately, the director cut the camera away before the awkwardness became too apparent.

The third guest, Su Er, was in a bind. Faced with a film industry senior on one side and a music legend on the other, Su Er a moderately popular idol who did both acting and singing, was nearly in tears.

• “Su Er is so cute, I want to squish him.”
• “Su Er should just sit by Ye Qi. Brother Silence lives in his own world anyway.”

Following the logic of the comments, Su Er chose a seat near Ye Qi. He didn’t realize those two center seats were meant for the “heavy hitters” like Qiao Yuxi and Shen Mo. The director sighed at the messy seating arrangement.

“Let us welcome our next guest,” the host announced with high-energy charisma. “Lou Yishu!”