The Scumbag A Really Doesn't Want to Become Famous [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 34

[…]

[Now everyone’s ellipses don’t represent speechlessness, let these six dots symbolize our awe]

[…Only our Teacher Jiang could pull this off]

[Teacher Jiang, if you ever quit acting, maybe consider becoming a modern poet]

[Please use this response as the show’s promotional tagline]

[Going to try shooting today, hahaha]

[Can’t bear to see today’s livestream end]

[Teacher Jiang, it’s always you, every word you speak is pure poetry wuwuwu]

[Why can’t I be Teacher Jiang’s girlfriend? I’ll cry myself awake dreaming about it tonight]

[Selfishly hoping Teacher Jiang never dates, jealousy would utterly destroy me]

The barrage of comments from netizens became unusually unified after Jiang Musheng’s remarks, even forgetting to criticize Yu Youqing momentarily.

All guests including Yu Youqing were stunned, no one expected Jiang Musheng to respond with such sincerity.

One might even call it solemnity.

Ji Fu: “The girl Teacher Jiang likes must be incredibly fortunate…”

Yu Youqing silently agreed in her heart.

Even the production crew took several moments to recover, by which time Jiang Musheng had already returned to her seat.

“When did you become so eloquent, Teacher Jiang?” Xu Liyu teased, raising an eyebrow. “Whose message prompted such a serious response?”

Jiang Musheng glanced at her: “I’d answer anyone’s question about this properly.”

“Fine, fine we know you take this seriously.” Xu Liyu laughed while feigning disapproval. “All this talk about heartbeats and targets, I don’t understand your flowery language, just that it sounds impressive.”

Cheng Shunzhu turned back grinning: “You’ll understand when you meet someone special. Right, sis?”

Having received Ji Fu’s message last, he’d clearly completed their mutual selection.

“…” Caught off guard again, Yu Youqing momentarily panicked before noticing Jiang Musheng wasn’t looking her way. Calming down, she nodded: “Right.”

Though she couldn’t personally relate to Jiang Musheng’s description, it felt like love should indeed be that way, a bullseye strike of destiny.

Yu Youqing automatically attributed these poetic words to inspiration from Jiang Musheng’s white moonlight, feeling inexplicably sour.

Why wouldn’t you cherish this! How could you not be with Teacher Jiang, white moonlight girl!

The director cleared his throat: “With all messages shared, we’ll conclude today’s recording. Those who completed mutual selections gain tomorrow’s interaction opportunity. Others will receive alternative tasks.”

Ji Fu asked curiously: “Did anyone match?”

Yu Youqing, knowing she and Jiang Musheng must have matched glanced secretly at the actress but stayed silent.

She even felt a headache coming on.

Hadn’t she been trying to avoid Jiang Musheng? How did things turn out like this?

The director remained mysterious: “That stays confidential for now. Matched pairs will receive special missions, you’ll know when the time comes.”

The cameras wouldn’t be turned off during the evening rest period, but the live stream would be discontinued, giving the guests some free time. Any interesting moments that occurred during this period would be edited into the final broadcast version.

After the message segment ended, everyone returned to their rooms.

Once inside her room, Yu Youqing finally let out a sigh of relief. Wei Xi had gone to shower, so Yu Youqing picked up her phone and realized that she and the other guests had been added to a group chat created by the director for easier communication later on.

She was still thinking about Jiang Musheng’s words, typing them out letter by letter into her phone’s notes.

No matter how many times she read them, they sounded perfect. And no matter how many times she read them, she couldn’t help but envy the person Jiang Musheng liked.

Before long, Ye Miaoyi started bombarding her with messages.

【Wow, you’re amazing, babe! I watched the livestream today too!】

【I saw how skeptical the netizens were about you and Jiang Musheng, but you actually left her a message!】

【If you like her, go for it!!!】

When she saw this last message, Yu Youqing quickly turned her phone upright, afraid the cameras might catch it.

【Ye Miaoyi: If you like her, why not be bold and pursue her? Why care about what the fans think?】

【Yu Youqing: I don’t like her, stop talking nonsense. Also: As artists, who else should we care about if not our fans? Jiang-laoshi has always been good to her fans.】

【Ye Miaoyi: Tsk, already defending her, huh? Others might not know, but I do. You get nervous the moment Jiang Musheng is around you, you’re not like that with anyone else.】

Yu Youqing’s fingers hovered over the screen for a long time, unable to come up with a rebuttal. Finally, she typed: 【That’s just a normal reaction when facing your idol.】

【Ye Miaoyi: If you say so. But now you have the chance to possibly start a relationship with your idol. You can get to know her, care for her, get closer to her. Are you really not even a little tempted?】

【Ye Miaoyi: Don’t lie to yourself. It’s better to act on your feelings than just feel them. Besides, you’re filming a dating show right now, anything you do is justified. But once the show ends, it’s different. Why not be a little braver?】

Ye Miaoyi’s words left Yu Youqing even more defenseless.

This is crazy, what am I thinking? For a brief moment, Ye Miaoyi had actually made her heart race.

Yu Youqing put her phone down and patted her cheeks, exhaling deeply.

Wei Xi came out of the shower and laughed at the sight. “Struggling to choose?”

Seeing Yu Youqing’s questioning look, Wei Xi explained honestly, “Since you took the longest listening to the messages, everyone figured you must have received multiple ones. So, do you have to make a choice?”

Yu Youqing said softly, “I really don’t know how to choose.”

Her voice was quiet, and in truth, she wasn’t answering the same question.

“Struggling that much? Just pick the one you like the most!” Wei Xi assumed she was torn between options. “When you truly like someone, it’s exclusive the person you really want to go on a date with is already in your mind. It’s the one you thought of when I mentioned this. Right?”

Yu Youqing looked at Wei Xi in surprise.

Wei Xi was younger than her and seemed introverted and shy, yet she had such sharp insight.

Yu Youqing murmured, “The spectator sees most of the game.”

Just then, a knock sounded at the door.

A staff member peeked in: “Xiao Yu, still awake? The director asked me to call you out to the rooftop pool on the fourth floor.”

Yu Youqing: “What’s it about?”

“You and Teacher Jiang matched each other’s selections, so you two get half an hour alone tonight to chat,” the staff member smiled. “Hurry up, Teacher Jiang should already be there.”

“Teacher Jiang!?” Wei Xi gasped. “Xiao Yu, so that message was for you! Then that question Teacher Jiang answered must’ve been yours…”

“So! You like?”

Before Wei Xi could finish, Yu Youqing immediately covered her mouth lightly: “No! No! I’m just Teacher Jiang’s fan. That’s a question every fan would ask.”

Wei Xi’s eyes sparkled as she whispered: “But every fan also dreams of sleeping with their idol.”

Yu Youqing swore she absolutely didn’t.

She headed straight to the fourth floor, seeing Jiang Musheng already seated in a chair, apparently she was late.

No close-up cameras followed them, no microphones either. The production team wouldn’t record audio, leaving only a distant camera shot. This was essentially thirty minutes of private time between them.

Yu Youqing quickened her pace. Her first words upon sitting down were: “Teacher Jiang, I’m sorry!” (for keeping you waiting).

Jiang Musheng turned, looking at her with an amused half-smile. Unlike her camera-cool demeanor earlier, her relaxed state made those peach-blossom eyes curve slightly upward, instantly reducing the distance between them. Moonlight shimmered across the pool’s surface, its fragmented reflections dancing in Jiang Musheng’s eyes, creating an unexpectedly tender effect.

Yu Youqing froze momentarily.

“Wanting to apologize again?” Contrary to expectations, Jiang Musheng actually laughed. She effortlessly guessed Yu Youqing’s thoughts and preemptively cut off what she meant to say.

Jiang Musheng was heart-stopping enough when not smiling, what more when she did.

“I haven’t been here long,” Jiang Musheng glanced at the seat beside her, signaling Yu Youqing to come closer. “You don’t have to act like you’ve seen a ghost every time we meet.”

Yu Youqing: “I… don’t.” The words lacked conviction even to her own ears.

She sat down anyway, but her nervousness was palpable, she didn’t even dare lean back against the chair. Her gaze remained fixed on her toes, all traces of her earlier argumentative energy with Ye Miaoyi long gone.

What to talk about? Why was this so awkward? Or was she the only one feeling awkward?

Even the air seemed to freeze between them.

“Any plans for tomorrow?” Jiang Musheng broke the silence. Turning, she noticed Yu Youqing’s body language clearly broadcasting tension and discomfort.

“Are we… going somewhere together tomorrow?” The moment she spoke, Yu Youqing realized her redundant question after all, they were the only matched pair. Embarrassed, she rubbed her nose and prepared to retreat into turtle-like silence.

“If you want to bring someone along, that’s fine too. The production team didn’t specify.” Jiang Musheng pushed an untouched drink toward Yu Youqing, hoping to ease the younger woman’s discomfort. “Yu Youqing.”

Yu Youqing immediately turned and took a large gulp of the drink.

Jiang Musheng smiled again.

Yu Youqing lowered her head, thinking that Jiang Musheng probably didn’t realize it herself every time she smiled, her allure was overwhelming. It made people not only want to trust her unconditionally but also to draw closer.

Jiang Musheng’s eyes were the color of night, yet within them sparkled the brilliance of stars, utterly mesmerizing.

Recalling what Ye Miaoyi had said about her being noticeably different only around Jiang Musheng, Yu Youqing felt she was beginning to understand what that difference was. Nervousness was secondary; in her eyes, everyone else was just a guest, but Jiang Musheng, she was Jiang Musheng, still the untouchable, lofty idol in Yu Youqing’s heart.

Yu Youqing’s eyes blinked unconsciously, a small habit of hers when lost in thought.

“You know I’m allergic to peanut butter.”

Her fingers tightened slightly around the cup. Despite the cold winter wind, she felt a wave of warmth.

“Originally, in my message, I wanted to thank you for that. But I thought you might not want others to know, so I didn’t mention it.” Jiang Musheng’s tone was unexpectedly explanatory.

Yu Youqing gave a soft hum in response, then added as if remembering something, “You should be more careful in the future. It’s too dangerous otherwise.”

But Jiang Musheng asked, “How did you know I was allergic to peanuts?”

Yu Youqing mumbled vaguely, “Oh, it’s all online. I saw the anti-allergy meds in the first-aid kit and looked it up.”

“You’re very observant.” Jiang Musheng’s allergy wasn’t even known by many long-time fans. She knew Yu Youqing had done far more research than she let on, but she didn’t press further.

The Yu Youqing now knew how to take care of others and had matured in her interactions. Yet, beneath that effortless ease, Jiang Musheng sensed a trace of cautiousness.

The current Yu Youqing was undoubtedly wonderful, but Jiang Musheng found herself longing to see the Yu Youqing from two years ago, the one who stood before her with just the right amount of willfulness, perhaps a little spoiled, but radiant, lively, and full of life.

“What did you want to say?”

Jiang Musheng’s gaze remained fixed on Yu Youqing, stirring that uneasy feeling in her heart again. Finally, Yu Youqing tore her eyes away from the ground and drained her drink in one go, as if to mask her nerves.

“I just wanted you to relax a little, but it doesn’t seem to be working.” Jiang Musheng sighed helplessly, rubbing her slightly furrowed brow. For the first time in her life, she felt at a loss, wanting to sigh but holding back, afraid it would only add to Yu Youqing’s tension.

This side of Jiang Musheng was something Yu Youqing had never seen before. The weight on her shoulders lifted instantly, and she suddenly laughed.

In this moment, seeing Jiang Musheng at a loss with her, Yu Youqing realized just how high Jiang Musheng’s tolerance for her was. Once she relaxed, the conversation flowed naturally.

With no cameras around, Yu Youqing’s words grew bolder.

“Jiang-laoshi, don’t you think I’m just using you for publicity?” Yu Youqing stared at her empty cup, only for another to be placed beside her moments later, the one that had been sitting in front of Jiang Musheng.

“I haven’t drunk it,” Jiang Musheng explained. “I know you haven’t either, and that’s enough. Do you care so much about what others think? Hype is just something people talk about you just need to be yourself.”

Yu Youqing didn’t know how Jiang Musheng could tell she hadn’t. When she had just signed with her new company, her development plan had explicitly stated she was to ride on Jiang Musheng’s coattails.

Besides, it wasn’t others’ opinions she cared about, it was whether Jiang Musheng truly despised her.

She cleared her throat lightly. “It’s just bad optics. Before coming on this show, I didn’t expect you to be here either.”

Yu Youqing paused, then added earnestly, “I really didn’t anticipate such a coincidence. But don’t worry, I’ll be careful on the show!”

She sounded as serious and cautious as a student reciting a pledge in front of a teacher.

For some reason, Jiang Musheng’s voice grew heavier. “Are you saying there’s someone else among the guests you’d rather interact with?”

“I…” Yu Youqing thought to herself that this was only the first episode, it was way too early for this. But since she had already decided to keep her distance from Jiang Musheng and didn’t want her to overthink her confession, she said, “I was quite impressed by President Xu.”

After she spoke, there was no response from Jiang Musheng. Yu Youqing looked up and met her gaze.

Everyone said Jiang Musheng was easy to get along with. Though her demeanor was cool and reserved, she always took care of her juniors and never lost her temper as long as interactions stayed within polite boundaries.

So why, then, did Yu Youqing sometimes feel that beneath Jiang Musheng’s calm surface lay something turbulent as if there was another side to her?

Her heart skipped a beat. For some reason, she saw deep scrutiny in Jiang Musheng’s eyes. Under that gaze, her breath hitched for a second. Not knowing why Jiang Musheng was staring at her like this in silence, she asked, “Is something wrong, Jiang-laoshi? Do you have something to say?”

“Have you made a decision about that script?” Jiang Musheng asked.

“I thought I’d already made myself clear. I’m grateful you want to help me, Jiang-laoshi, but I’d rather earn the role on my own. You’ve already done more than enough for me.” Yu Youqing was no fool. In her past life, she had been controlled by others and burdened with baseless accusations. She refused to let that happen again.

Jiang Musheng seemed to hesitate, but in the end, she chose to respect Yu Youqing’s decision.

“I wasn’t joking when I said I wanted to try. I hope you understand that.”

The poolside lights were blindingly bright. As Jiang Musheng spoke, Yu Youqing noticed her squinting slightly against the glare.

“Jiang-laoshi, what exactly caught your eye about me?” Yu Youqing had turned the question over in her mind but couldn’t find an answer, other than the resemblance to Jiang Musheng’s white moonlight. “This isn’t something to joke about. Honestly, ever since you told me, I’ve felt uneasy.”

“Did I scare you? I wouldn’t joke about something like this. I’ve already given you the reason tonight.”

When that person appears, you’ll know it’s her. There are no rules to matters of the heart.

Yu Youqing fell silent for a moment before looking solemnly at Jiang Musheng, her expression clearly disbelieving. “Teacher Jiang, I currently have no intention of pursuing romantic relationships. I understand how you feel, but I think you should keep trying, you might just win that person over.”

Jiang Musheng: “…?”

“Time’s almost up, I should head down first.” Yu Youqing stood up, neatly arranging the two empty cups before straightening her clothes. “If Teacher Jiang plans to stay here, you might want to ask the staff to dim the lights a bit.”

She left quickly, almost as if she were fleeing.

Jiang Musheng watched her retreating figure until it completely disappeared, then let out an almost imperceptible sigh as she glanced at the empty cups.

How had half an hour passed so quickly? It felt like she’d only managed to say a few words, she hadn’t even had time to finalize their meeting spot for tomorrow.

Yu Youqing was afraid of her and clearly reluctant to talk. Pressing the matter would only backfire.

Yu Youqing hurried downstairs.

On the third floor, she spotted a familiar staff member. Remembering the lighting situation upstairs, she stopped them and said, “Teacher Jiang is still up there. Could you adjust the lights for her? It’s too bright for nighttime.”

Though for Yu Youqing, the brightness had been just right.

She was terrified of the dark and needed more light at night than most people. It made sense that Jiang Musheng would find it harsh.

“Huh? Too bright? Teacher Jiang actually asked us to turn them up. She said…” The staff member scratched their head. Yu Youqing pressed, “Said what?”

“Teacher Jiang said there was a cat afraid of the dark and needed the light.”

Since when were cats afraid of the dark? And where was this cat? Yu Youqing was baffled, she’d only seen Jiang Musheng and the outdoor pool upstairs.

As soon as Yu Youqing returned to her room, Wei Xi sprang up from the bed. “Did you meet with Teacher Jiang?” Her eyes sparkled with gossipy excitement.

“It was arranged by the production team.” Yu Youqing flopped onto the bed, picking up her phone and murmuring, “Xixi, do you think cats are afraid of the dark?”

Wei Xi burst out laughing. “Aren’t they called night owls? Why would cats be afraid of the dark?”

“Yeah, why would cats be afraid of the dark…” Yu Youqing repeated softly, a fleeting thought darting through her mind too quickly to grasp.

“Never mind, I won’t overthink it.” She had no gossip to share with Wei Xi, so she quickly showered. By the time she came out, Wei Xi was already fast asleep.

Yu Youqing grabbed her phone, but before she could open Touchbo, messages from Tiantian were already flooding in.

Tiantian: [???!???!!!!!??]

Tiantian: [Link]

Tiantian: [Three minutes, you have to tell me what’s going on. Youqing-jie, it’s only the first episode!!!! I could just die]

Yu Youqing clicked the link, which redirected her to a post on Touchbo.

[“Can’t believe you, old six: Thoughts after the first episode of ‘Ten-Second Crush’, who wouldn’t say Yu Youqing is being hypocritical? First, she claims she doesn’t like Jiang Musheng’s type in the opening segment, then the next second, she snatches the sandwich right out of Teacher Jiang’s hands while eating. Is this really necessary just to grab attention, bro? And later, she even went as far as leaving a crush message for Teacher Jiang. Is this what you call ‘not riding on Teacher Jiang’s coattails anymore’? I’m speechless.”]

The post was published half an hour ago, but after that time, the number of replies had already skyrocketed. The buzz was undeniable.

[“I knew it! How could Yu Youqing be that nice? The moment she took the sandwich from Teacher Jiang’s hands, my goodwill toward her dropped straight to zero.”]

[“+1, I actually thought Yu Youqing might have genuinely turned over a new leaf when she said she’d bring food back for everyone. Now I need to snap myself out of it.”]

[“Is there some misunderstanding here? Otherwise, why does Teacher Jiang’s expression remain unchanged?”]

[“Don’t mistake our Sheng Sheng’s politeness for something you can trample on at will just so you know.”]

[“Even in the kitchen, it was Teacher Jiang who went to help clean up. There are just too many coincidences.”]

[“It’s precisely because there are too many coincidences that it seems deliberate.”]

[“But later, didn’t Teacher Jiang also give her heart-fluttering message to Yu Youqing? How do you explain that?”]

[“Can’t you see? Teacher Jiang had no interaction with anyone else. It wasn’t hard to guess she’d give the message to Yu Youqing, but who would’ve thought they’d actually match each other!”]

[“One thing leads to another, impressive move, Yu Youqing.”]

[“Might as well write ‘scheming’ on your forehead. Is this really necessary, Yu Youqing?”]

[“Honestly, can Teacher Jiang stop accommodating Yu Youqing? Don’t be such a pushover, or I’ll stop being a fan.”]

[“I don’t even want to watch this show anymore. Just seeing Yu Youqing makes me uncomfortable.”]

After the live broadcast ended, marketing accounts immediately clipped segments of Yu Youqing and Jiang Musheng, captioning them as “sweet.” This instantly riled up Jiang Musheng’s fans, who had been holding back their frustration all day. By evening, discussion threads were already blowing up.

Occasional comments from neutral fans defending Yu Youqing were quickly drowned out by a flood of new hate.

Tian Tian: [“Did you offend someone?”]

Yu Youqing: [“…?”]

When she saw the post, her first reaction was disbelief. First, she had swapped Jiang Musheng’s food out of concern for her safety. Second, all those coincidental interactions with Jiang Musheng were genuinely unintentional.

But no one would believe that. In the public’s eyes, she was just a scandal-ridden celebrity who clung to Jiang Musheng for clout.

Had Jiang Musheng seen the post? Would she also think Yu Youqing was as hypocritical as the comments claimed? It was only the first episode, yet the backlash was already this intense. Yu Youqing couldn’t ignore the fans threatening to unfollow.

This was exactly the kind of negative impact on Jiang Musheng she had wanted to avoid.

Tian Tian followed up: [“The hate is growing too fast. We need to respond soon. Everything was fine this morning someone’s likely manipulating the comments, but we can’t trace who yet.”]

Tian Tian: [“It’s a dirty tactic, but don’t worry too much. Just focus on the upcoming recordings. Any idea who might be behind this?”]

Yu Youqing paused, her fingers hovering over the screen.

Who else would pull something like this but her former agency? She scoffed.

If they couldn’t have her, they’d ruin her that had always been their way.

Back then, Zhao Guili had treated her well, indulging even her occasional whims without complaint. Truthfully, Yu Youqing’s behavior had never been as bad as the media made it out to be just minor quirks, nothing outrageous.

However, the more popular she became, the more those baseless rumors from unknown sources were portrayed as truth. Back then, she was young and trusted her company completely, leaving all handling of these matters to Zhao Guili.

Even the so-called “widely known” incident of her allegedly throwing tantrums on set with a dark expression was simply because she had just lost a family member and was in poor spirits.

Zhao Guili was a cunning and shrewd agent. If Yu Youqing hadn’t accidentally overheard Zhao Guili’s conversation with the higher-ups, she might still be kept in the dark to this day.

“Don’t worry about Yu Youqing not making money for us. With her current reputation, where else could she go besides our company? She’s just an unstable young girl so easy to control. Just tell her that in her situation, no other company would take her in. Blackmail material? Release more of it, hire more trolls the harsher the backlash, the better! She won’t suspect a thing. In fact, she’ll be grateful to the company for ‘saving’ her.”

That was when she realized from the moment she rose to fame, she had been nothing but a money-making tool. To keep her willingly generating value for the company, Zhao Guili had intended to break her, crushing her self-esteem.

Yu Youqing: [I know who it is, my former company.]

Now that she was no longer under Zhao Guili’s control, her old company still refused to let her go. Yu Youqing understood clearly that mere words wouldn’t be enough to clear her name she needed solid evidence.

Tiantian: [You know??? Ah… I wasn’t going to tell you yet, afraid it’d upset you, but we also noticed it seems tied to your former agency. But still, we can’t just confront them directly right now, especially since you’re still filming the show, it wouldn’t reflect well on the production team. The turning point for the fans was when you swapped Teacher Jiang’s sandwich.]

Tiantian: [If I didn’t know you were avoiding any rumors with Teacher Jiang, I’d have thought you did it on purpose to get her attention.]

Tiantian’s chat box showed “typing” for a while before another message popped up: [But… why did you swap it?]

Yu Youqing: [That sandwich had peanut butter. Jiang Munsheng is allergic to peanuts… It could’ve been really dangerous if she ate it.]

Tiantian: [???]

Tiantian: [How did you know that?!]

Yu Youqing couldn’t exactly say she’d found out by spotting Jiang Munsheng’s allergy medication at her house, so she hesitated. Before she could reply, another message from Tiantian appeared.

Tiantian: [Damn, so you’re basically Jiang Munsheng’s savior?]

Tiantian: [Let’s ask Teacher Jiang to help clear things up!!]