Why Did the Top Alpha Suddenly Stop Acting Out? - Chapter 25

Yi Qian swept a faint glance at Director Lu, who was egging them on.

Director Lu promptly shut his mouth, miming a zipper motion across his lips.

Pulling out a question, Yi Qian opened and read it herself before handing it to the staff.

Staff: “What is the one thing Shu Yi wishes Yi Qian would improve the most?”

Cai Yunyoo’s expression immediately changed as she leaned toward Long Xiaoqin and whispered, “If I remember correctly, this seems like one of those couple Q&A questions from the internet. The production team really knows how to play.”

Long Xiaoqin nodded in agreement.

The two wrote down their answers and revealed them.

Shu Yi: “Unprofessional work attitude.”

Yi Qian: “Too clingy.”

At Yi Qian’s answer, the room fell silent for two seconds. Cai Yunyoo excitedly grabbed Long Xiaoqin’s wrist, her smile utterly telling.

Director Lu picked up his megaphone: “Unfortunately, their answers don’t match. Failed attempt.”

Yi Qian peeked at Shu Yi’s answer, glanced around at the others, and said nothing.

Staff: “What is Yi Qian’s favorite thing Shu Yi has ever said?”

Shu Yi: “You can do it, you’re the best.”

Yi Qian: “Be good~”

The two looked at each other’s answers: “……”

Shu Yi gritted her teeth: “Did I ever say that?”

Yi Qian smiled with narrowed eyes: “You know whether you did or not.”

The onlookers who saw their answers: “……” These two seem completely out of sync, one’s all business, the other’s all lovestruck.

Staff: “How does Yi Qian act when she’s angry?”

Shu Yi: “Squats in a corner drawing circles.”

Yi Qian: “I never get angry.”

Shu Yi raised an eyebrow at Yi Qian’s answer, her expression inscrutable.

Cai Yunyoo whispered to Long Xiaoqin: “Confirmed, Yi-jie is lovestruck.”

Everyone else: Confirmed, these two are on completely different wavelengths.

Staff: “Shu Yi’s favorite color.”

Shu Yi: “White.”

Yi Qian: “White.”

Staff: “After working together for nearly a month, what’s your favorite thing to do together?”

Shu Yi: “The only thing we do together is work.”

Yi Qian: “Not telling you.” (smug expression)

Onlookers: “……”

Director Lu eagerly jumped in: “Yi-laoshi, a friend of mine here would like you to elaborate. How can we make that happen?”

“Elaborating isn’t impossible.” Yi Qian raised an eyebrow, crossing and recrossing her legs with an air of lazy elegance. “First, give me a W in living expenses.”

Director Lu, infamous for being stingy, instantly deflated, grinding his teeth. “Opening your mouth that wide, aren’t you afraid of choking?”

Yi Qian shrugged indifferently.

After several rounds, the pair with the highest compatibility score was Huang Xin and Cai Yunyoo, who matched four out of five answers. Next were He Tong and Long Xiaoqin with three matches. The lowest score went to Shu Yi and Yi Qian, who only matched one out of five.

Huang Xin looked at Cai Yunyoo: “What do you want to pick, Youyou?”

“?”

Cai Yunyoo gave her manager a puzzled look, teasing, “I don’t recall the sun rising from the west today. Since when do you ask for my opinion?”

Huang Xin raised a brow: “So, do you want to pick or not?”

Without hesitation, Cai Yunyoo replied: “Cashier.”

Stealing a glance at her agent, Huang Xin gave a slight nod indicating no objections.

He Tong sighed and said, “I’ll choose screwing bolts. Running around in a mascot suit all day is exhausting, at least with screwing bolts, I can sit down.”

Director Lu glanced at Long Xiaoqin, who was sitting silently to the side, and reminded, “Aren’t you going to ask the artist for her opinion, Agent He?”

He Tong smiled warmly and replied, “No need. Xiaoqin here is always the most obedient, isn’t that right, Xiaoqin?”

Long Xiaoqin nodded silently in agreement.

“What do the mascot suits look like?” Yi Qian asked the director.

With a ceremonious clap, Director Lu signaled two staff members to wheel out two Doraemon mascot costumes, one pink and one blue.

Aside from white, Yi Qian knew that blue was Ye Shuyi’s second favorite color, so she chose the pink one.

Once the tasks were assigned, Director Lu had everyone prepare to leave. Three vans were already waiting outside.

Before departure, Cai Yunyoo excused herself to fetch something from her room. When she finally dawdled back downstairs, she saw Yi Qian and Ye Shuyi already suited up in the mascot outfits. Excited, she ran up to them and said, “The blue Doraemon is so cute! Sister Yi, Sister Ye, can I take a photo with you?”

Ye Shuyi was about to refuse, citing her dislike for photos, but Yi Qian beat her to it, wrapping an arm around her shoulder with a grin. “Sure, come on.”

Cai Yunyoo happily pulled out her phone, aimed the camera at them, and chirped, “Say cheese!”

After the shot, Yi Qian seemed reluctant to stop. “Since we’ve already started, why not take another one with the mascot heads on?”

Without waiting for Ye Shuyi’s protest, Yi Qian plopped the pink headpiece onto Ye Shuyi and donned the blue one herself. She tried to sling an arm around Ye Shuyi’s shoulder, but Doraemon’s oversized head bounced her back instead.

The mascot’s expression was permanently smiling, but its stubby arms made it look adorably confused when Yi Qian reached up to touch her head as if saying, “I’m not actually smiling, I was just born cheerful.”

She quickly dropped her bewildered paws and pressed her giant, beaming face against Ye Shuyi’s pink one, the two looking both joyful and intimate.

Cai Yunyoo excitedly raised her phone, thinking this was practically couple cosplay, and furiously snapped a rapid series of shots.

As soon as the photographer gave a thumbs-up, Ye Shuyi yanked off the pink headpiece, shoved it into Yi Qian’s hands, and carefully but swiftly removed the blue one from Yi Qian’s head before bolting out the door.

Watching the fleeing figure, Yi Qian smirked and leaned toward Cai Yunyoo. “Send me all the photos later. Every single one.”

Cai Yunyoo nodded knowingly.

The weather was unexpectedly clear, and with it being a weekend, the amusement park was packed.

The moment the two in their adorable mascot suits stepped in, they were nearly swarmed by visitors clamoring for photos. Fortunately, they handled it smoothly, handing out flyers between poses, though many visitors refused to take them.

As they walked and handed out flyers, circling nearly half the amusement park, the sun gradually climbed high in the sky, its scorching rays pouring down on the land where people reveled in joy. Meanwhile, the two inside their mascot costumes were already drenched in sweat.

When they reached the central plaza of the amusement park, the familiar strains of a song reached their ears. Yi Qian looked at the band performing on the square, and an idea formed in her mind.

She walked over to Ye Shuyi and pressed her large plush head against the other’s ear. From an outsider’s perspective, it looked like a pink Doraemon was kissing a blue one, their short paws half-raised like children raising their hands to speak, their heads bobbing adorably.

Passing tourists immediately raised their phones to photograph them.

Inside the costume, Yi Qian kept adjusting her position due to the oversized head, trying to find a comfortable angle to whisper, until Ye Shuyi finally stopped her fidgeting.

Ye Shuyi tilted her head: “What are you doing?”

Yi Qian: “I want to discuss something with you.”

“Use your body to talk? Stop rubbing against me, I’m not deaf.”

The corners of Yi Qian’s mouth curled up. As the other spoke, she could almost picture the embarrassed blush hidden beneath that smiling facade.

“I was thinking, there’s a band performing over there. This manual labor isn’t paying much. Why don’t we go busk instead?” Yi Qian’s voice brimmed with excitement.

“No.” Ye Shuyi refused outright. “If you go up to sing, you’ll be recognized the moment you open your mouth. Who knows what chaos would follow.”

Yi Qian’s cheerful voice carried obvious amusement through the grinning plush face: “Of course I know how famous I am. That’s why I wasn’t planning to sing myself.”

Ye Shuyi immediately understood her implication and rejected it just as firmly: “Absolutely not.”

“Then I’ll go alone. My manager better remember to protect me.” Receiving the expected answer, Yi Qian turned her large head and began walking toward the band at the center of the square.

Ye Shuyi immediately reached out with her stubby paw to grab the other’s arm.

Nearby visitors whispered: “Are they having a lovers’ quarrel? So cute though quick, take a picture!”

Yi Qian slowly turned her massive head back. Though her expression was invisible, Ye Shuyi could clearly imagine the teasing smirk beneath that costume, serious yet playful.

She knew Yi Qian wasn’t bluffing. If she said she’d do it, she meant it.

Ye Shuyi hesitated: “Is this money really necessary?”

“With this show’s ridiculous prices, you don’t actually think a few dozen yuan will last us the whole day, do you? There’s two of us, and I didn’t even eat enough this morning.” Yi Qian knew her weak spot.

Several seconds of silence passed between the motionless pair, while concerned onlookers wondered if they were about to witness a mascot brawl.

Finally, Ye Shuyi released her grip and muttered, “I wonder who was being stubborn as a mule last night,” before walking toward the band.

Yi Qian watched the adorable blue figure approach the bandleader and exchange a few words, then set up a phone on a tripod stand.

“Come one, come all! The band’s changing performers today! Those with money, spare some change; those without, lend us your cheers! Hope everyone enjoys the music!” The bandleader announced through the microphone.

Passing tourists were drawn by the hawking voices and gathered around when they spotted the blue Doraemon on stage.

Ye Shuyi didn’t say much. After a glance at the surrounding crowd, she pressed play on her phone’s accompaniment track.

The melodious music gradually flowed from the speakers, and the audience below spontaneously broke into applause. Meanwhile, Yi Qian, who was handing out flyers in the front row, paused slightly, if she wasn’t mistaken, this was the title track from her debut album.

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