Every time an unexpected incident occurred, Gu Qingtong’s mind would go blank and her instinctive reaction was to rush to help. This time was no exception. Perhaps seeing that her step backward didn’t reveal any unusual signs, when Yan Chi walked up to her, her voice didn’t carry any emotions. She simply asked: “Is your foot okay?”
Gu Qingtong knew that if she mentioned her injury, it would only make the atmosphere more tense. So, she didn’t say anything, just shook her head. The editors and executives from the fashion magazines breathed a sigh of relief. After all, the idea of the building tour and the platform appearance was proposed by them to the variety show production team later on. She hadn’t expected Yan Chi to agree in the first place.
She had only asked the production team to convey their intention, not really expecting her to agree. Everyone in the fashion industry was astute, and the “devil” chief editor was particularly adept at reading people. Seeing Yan Chi’s attitude towards Gu Qingtong, she began to speculate vaguely. Considering the previous events and suddenly understanding, perhaps the reason Yan Chi had agreed was related to this newcomer, Gu Qingtong!
Not only had she brought this obscure artist onto the year-end cover, but it seemed likely that she also intended to help her expand her connections within the fashion industry.
Gu Qingtong was initially invited as an afterthought while they were trying to bring Yan Chi to the year-end banquet. Everyone went to great lengths to secure Yan Chi’s attendance, hardly paying much attention to Gu Qingtong. Even the chief editor was fully aware of the clear distinction in treatment between individuals in the fickle fashion industry.
Having Gu Qingtong step in temporarily to manage the situation was one thing, but this time, the direct neglect and carelessness had led to this kind of situation…
No wonder Yan Chi, who usually remained emotionally distant and composed, was clearly irritated. As for the relationship between Yan Chi and Gu Qingtong, the chief editor didn’t dwell on it. After all, in this industry, there were various types of relationships, and they came and went like the usual few patterns. This wasn’t something they needed to curiously probe into.
The chief editor knew that her previous apology lacked sincerity, and it was evident that she was just going through the motions. While the insignificant Gu Qingtong might not care, it didn’t mean Yan Chi was willing to let it slide. With this in mind, they suddenly had an idea and took the initiative to speak: “Although you weren’t injured, the responsibility for this incident falls entirely on us. It was indeed a grave negligence on our part. I wonder if Miss Gu has any intention and availability to attend our year-end gala and walk the red carpet. At that time, we won’t let such things happen again.”
Although she didn’t explicitly state it as compensation, everyone present understood the implication behind her sudden invitation. Upon hearing this, Yan Chi didn’t say a word; her eyelashes just dropped slightly, concealing some of the pressuring coldness she had displayed earlier.
She knew the chief editor had hidden some ulterior motives in her words. While offering compensation, she was also using Gu Qingtong to persuade herself to attend their red carpet event. However, since she had achieved what she wanted, it was enough.
On the other hand, Gu Qingtong was taken aback. Mousha’s gala red carpet?!
Who doesn’t know about the superficial nature of the fashion industry, where they praise the high and scorn the low? The year-end red carpet event is a “battleground” where everyone competes for attention, relying on invitations to A-list and B-list celebrities to boost their prestige.
Mousha’s standards were even higher, giving off an air that ordinary people can’t possibly reach. Did they ever invite C-list celebrities to their gala last year? It seems even Yun Mingxuan, at the height of her fame, wasn’t invited during her peak years, let alone now…
Before Gu Qingtong could speak, Sun Xiao, who came with her, smoothly took over the conversation: “Hello, I am Gu Qingtong’s manager. Thank you very much for the invitation, Chief Editor. I believe we can discuss the details of the red carpet event and scheduling after they’ve finished their current activities.”
Sun Xiao being a manager naturally understands better than Gu Qingtong how challenging it is to vie for resources in the fashion industry. When someone feels guilty and wants to compensate, you shouldn’t let such a great opportunity slip by!
Moreover, Gu Qingtong just entered the fashion circle, and her starting point is Mousha’s cover and the red carpet event. If everything goes as expected, she’s already gaining recognition in the industry, and her journey will only become smoother from here. After all, there were many A-list celebrities who were not well-liked within the industry, often referred to as “fashion industry pariahs.”
Gu Qingtong looked at Sun Xiao, who was just scolding Mousha moments ago and now had suddenly changed her tone. It was quite unexpected. Although she knew that the Chief Editor’s attitude had changed significantly due to pressure from Yan Chi, deep down, this sudden shift from being overlooked to being highly regarded…indeed felt quite good.
In addition, considering that Gu Qingtong had indeed suffered a grievance, nearly getting into trouble and being looked down upon, and nobody knew about her injured foot, she felt justified in accepting the apology and compensation.
With all these thoughts in mind, she accepted the Chief Editor’s apology and compensation after expressing her gratitude. Once Gu Qingtong agreed, Yan Chi turned to the Chief Editor and said: “You can directly contact my manager, she knows how to proceed.”
The Chief Editor couldn’t conceal the hint of delight on her face upon hearing this. She understood Yan Chi’s implication – having her contact the manager meant that arrangements would be made. Her gaze discreetly shifted towards Gu Qingtong’s direction. She sighed internally, convinced that she had made the right move. It seemed that she should pay more attention to this emerging talent in the future.
But speaking of which, with her looks, she’s already famous enough; the fashion industry is known for loving beauty and wouldn’t let someone like her go unnoticed. What she probably needs is just a little more polishing. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Yan Chi and Gu Qingtong were escorted to participate in the event together.
Whether it was because of the previous incident or because Yan Chi was present, the security measures were significantly tighter and more detailed compared to before. There were quite a few accompanying security personnel following the two of them, creating an impressive setup that Gu Qingtong had never experienced even in her own family.
Worried that Yan Chi might notice her injured foot, Gu Qingtong deliberately positioned herself slightly behind her.
Yan Chi interpreted Gu Qingtong’s behavior as her usual avoidance and shyness around strangers. There was a fleeting emotion in her eyes, but she didn’t say anything about it.
The meet-and-greet on the floor turned out to be less strenuous than Gu Qingtong had anticipated. After all, it was mostly about meeting and interacting with the company’s employees as a form of goodwill. Apart from the throbbing pain in her ankle from the earlier incident and the poised smile that felt almost permanently affixed to her face, there wasn’t much to feel awkward about. Most of the people present weren’t fans, and their reactions and discussions were more genuine.
They were mostly amazed by the attractiveness of both Yan Chi and Gu Qingtong. At such close proximity, even candid photos taken by passersby turned out to be quite remarkable.
All of that was manageable, but the platform promotion that was equivalent to a fan meet-and-greet was where the nightmare began! She heard there were various fan interaction games and quizzes…
As Gu Qingtong contemplated, she felt a wave of nervousness. Who knew if the organizers would be even more deceptive than the production team? After all, a magazine like Mousha had long been dealing with fan communities and knew exactly what they wanted to see. They not only selected fans to attend the event in person, but also, as they had promised to the fans beforehand, arranged for video recordings and live broadcasts.
However, it wasn’t the kind of live broadcast where the guests controlled the camera, but rather a fixed camera shooting from the stage.
As the group of people descended the stairs, the live broadcast had already been pre-tested and the online viewing channel was open.
Those staunch fans of Yan Chi who had previously claimed not to be interested or wouldn’t attend were ultimately unable to resist the temptation and came, pretending to ignore what had happened earlier. However, the “Silent Gaze” fans, relying on the rewards they had received from buying magazines, displayed their arrogance in the barrage.
Online interactions were not as peaceful as offline; there was a strong tendency to continue arguments in the barrage.
[Teacher Yan, please come out! After that variety show live broadcast, we haven’t seen you again. I can’t wait until tonight’s show airs, wuwuwu!]
[Did the previous Yan fans buy the magazine? If you didn’t buy it and still want to see our CP1Couple Pairing interactions, isn’t that embarrassing?]
[It’s the first time I’ve seen someone so happy about being treated as a leek. Just using common sense, it’s clear that Mousha is doing this for their own year-end red carpet promotion. Sacrificing dignity for the sake of traffic is just disgraceful. If you’ve got the guts, ask the magazine to set up a paid membership live stream; don’t let everyone in.]
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There were also some impatient viewers who were annoyed by both sides: [Can’t you just watch quietly? Are you going to keep arguing endlessly?]
The fans of both sides and the “Silent Gaze” fans had been waiting below for a while, and as soon as they saw any movement, they became agitated. This commotion reduced the mutual taunting in the barrage to some extent.
However, this time they were going directly to the stage without passing through the fans, eliminating the safety hazard from before. Coupled with the lesson from the near fall earlier, everyone had toned down their behavior a bit. There wasn’t the same pushing and shoving to vie for a view that would disrupt the scene.
Before leaving the building, Yan Chi, who had been allowing Gu Qingtong to walk behind her, suddenly paused and looked at Gu Qingtong:
“Let’s go out together. After all, it’s the business of being a CP.”
Her tone was casual, as if it were just a matter of routine business. Even Gu Qingtong instinctively took a step forward and followed her.
However, Gu Qingtong clearly overlooked how well their outfits matched now. They looked as if they were wearing a couple outfits deliberately arranged by the production team.
By the time she realized it, they had already walked through the automatic revolving door. Suddenly, the surroundings lit up, revealing them in front of hundreds of invited fans.
Even though Gu Qingtong had already amazed everyone once before.
But at this moment, whether it was the Yan Chi fans on the left or the “Silent Gaze” CP fans on the right, both groups erupted in cheers and screams. The reactions of the offline fans and the online viewers were in perfect harmony, drowning out all the previous arguments in the barrage.
The Yan Chi fans were seeing Yan Chi up close for the first time, and combined with the fact that Teacher Yan was wearing a rare formal suit today, it was hard not to get excited.
As for the “Silent Gaze” fans, they were naturally thrilled about the couple’s outfits.
[Oh my god! Teacher Yan’s formal suit look is so grade A!! I’m dead!]
[How can there be a woman who looks so good in formal attire?! Studio, let’s do more of this kind of makeup style in the future!]
[Is my eyesight playing tricks on me?! The couple outfits of “Silent Gaze,” I’m sold! The suspender suit and the little dress match so well, both in style and color!]
[I’m shook. As expected of Mousha, a direct hit! Much more generous with the sweetness than the “Pinch and Search2This term implies that the content creators are being somewhat stingy with information and are making the audience do the work of searching for details.” production team! The last CP I was obsessed with was also from Mousha’s production. Everyone can really look forward to the upcoming interactive segment; it’s going to be super thrilling!]
An abundance of barrage comments from both sides heated up, occasionally scattered with a few low-key compliments from Gu Qingtong’s fans. Taking advantage of the excitement, “Silent Gaze” had already climbed onto the stage amidst a chorus of “Teacher Yan,” “Silent Gaze,” and “Tongtong” chants.
The fans at the scene woke up as if from a dream and quickly grabbed their cameras to take pictures. Only Lizi, who had been rescued just now, stood amidst Yan Chi’s fans but blushed as she aimed her camera at Gu Qingtong.
Wuwuwu, Teacher Yan, please don’t blame me for being a turncoat fan3A term used to describe someone who was once a loyal supporter or fan of a particular team, organization, or individual but has switched their allegiance to a different team, organization, or individual.. Gu Qingtong, this woman is just infuriatingly sweet. Since the moment she was rescued earlier, her heart had completely surrendered, and she became a girlfriend fan of hers!
Gu Qingtong stood hesitantly on the stage, because Yan Chi was right beside her. She didn’t even dare to glance around, fearing that someone might misconstrue it as her stealing glances at Yan Chi. Yet, she also didn’t dare to look towards Yan’s fans or the fans of their CP. In the end, she could only fix her gaze on her own fans, forcing a somewhat awkward smile that seemed quite bittersweet.
In this moment, Gu Qingtong and her “Bronze Silk” fans naturally shared a bond, as they were all caught in the middle of an awkward situation. Of course, the fans of “Silent Gaze” knew that this was an opportunity for them to come out due to their magazine purchases. How could they let Gu Qingtong off easily? They were quite straightforward, directly heckling and shouting: “Tong Mei, Teacher Yan is watching you!”
Gu Qingtong was greatly surprised and reflexively turned her gaze in Yan Chi’s direction. She discovered that Yan Chi was simply looking straight ahead, and only then did she realize that she had been played by the CP fans.
Her attempt at managing her expression failed in an instant, shifting from a blank look to a sulky one. Laughter erupted throughout the venue, even Yan Chi had a smile in her eyes as she looked in Gu Qingtong’s direction. It was as if everyone had stumbled upon a treasure trove of amusement, and they proceeded to cue Gu Qingtong one after another:
“Tongtong, Teacher Yan is really watching you this time!”
“I’ve been itching to ask, what’s been happening in Tongtong’s closet? It’s been bothering me for a whole week. I’m an esteemed VIP, can you give me a sneak peek in advance?!”
“Could you reenact the moment when you jumped into Teacher Yan’s arms in the escape room?”
The fans seemed to have uncovered the key to entertainment, and they playfully bombarded Gu Qingtong with their comments.
Gu Qingtong had never been teased and gossiped about like this before, and her face turned completely red. She stepped back, her voice lacking confidence:
“Don’t do this…..it might make Teacher Yan uncomfortable.”
The barrage of comments from the online viewers was equally stirred by the CP fans at the scene:
[Was our family this brave?! This is the first time seeing CP fans dance their way up to the main characters like this. Truly fitting for a wealthy household that sold 200,000 copies in just an hour!]
[Hahaha, Tongtong is even more shy than she was on the show. So soft and adorable. You bad people are making her blush!]
[Teacher Yan is laughing, right? Don’t just laugh, help your wife, Tongtong, and say something!]
In contrast to the fiery enthusiasm of the “Silent Gaze” CP fans, the Yan Chi fans who attended the event in person were more reserved. They had come with trepidation and didn’t dare to be as assertive as the CP fans, so they could only silently observe.
However, due to Gu Qingtong’s act of saving someone earlier and her undeniable good looks, she wasn’t bound by the same restrictions on stage. Though they didn’t say it out loud, the Yan Chi fans were somewhat like Lizi. They had changed their perception of Gu Qingtong to some extent and couldn’t help but observe her interactions with Yan Chi.
The coordination between the live audience and the barrage was driving Gu Qingtong to despair. Her attempts to downplay the situation weren’t effective at all. Her timid and deliberate evasiveness only fueled the excitement of the CP fans even more.
Finally, Gu Qingtong could only look at Yan Chi with a pleading expression: “Yan…Teacher Yan, they keep teasing us…”
“Oh~ Tattling, huh? Teacher Yan, help poor Tongtong out~” A meaningful chorus of “oh” resounded from the online viewers.
Only then did Yan Chi pick up the microphone and calmly say: “If you keep making a fuss and make her cry, you’re responsible for consoling her.”
“Who would cry?!” Gu Qingtong stared in astonishment at how Yan Chi was adding to the chaos, her voice filled with shock. She even forgot to call Yan Chi “Teacher Yan” and hastily turned to the audience: “Ah, ah, Teacher Yan is just talking nonsense, don’t believe her.”
The information Yan Chi casually dropped in her words earlier carried significant weight, evidently sparking another frenzy. The barrage went wild:
[Holy cow, is Teacher Yan outside of the show this impressive?!]
[Has Teacher Yan seen what Tongtong looks like when she cries? Did she actually comfort her before? For sure!]
[Program team, be honest, how much good stuff are you still holding back?]
Once the atmosphere in the venue had fully energized, the host finally came to Gu Qingtong’s rescue and began introducing the activities:
“……This is our first offline platform event for ‘Silent Gaze.’ Naturally, we’ve prepared several segments. Everyone is welcome to enthusiastically interact with Teacher Yan and Tong Mei!”
Of course, the host first enthusiastically promoted the year-end banquet and the variety show before getting to the main content.
“Now that we’re quite familiar, we won’t waste time with self-introductions. Let’s dive right into our segments.”
“Before we begin, we’ve gathered questions and challenges from several hundred audience members on what they want to ask ‘Silent Gaze’ and what they’d like them to do. We’ve selected thirty meaningful ones to create a game of ‘Truth or Dare.’ All the questions and challenges are in this box. Now, Teacher Yan and Qingtong, please each draw two challenges.”
The mention of “Truth or Dare” immediately reminded Gu Qingtong of the unfortunate challenge she had drawn during a previous live broadcast. Anxious to draw the slips of paper, she hurried over and reached her hand into the box, only to find that Yan Chi’s hand had also reached out at that moment. Whether it was accidental or intentional, it was unclear; nevertheless, the backs of their hands brushed against each other.
“Teacher Yan, first…”
Gu Qingtong reacted as if she had been shocked, swiftly retracting her hand as if it had touched something electric, her words trailing off incoherently. Despite her attempts to maintain a composed expression, the anxiety in her eyes gave her away.
[They’re practically holding hands while rounding off, my goodness! Who would have thought that not even five minutes into the event, there’s already more sweetness between them than in the “Silent Gaze” on the show?!]
[After this is over, I’m going to slow down and see who between them deliberately moves a beat slower to touch hands!]
When Yan Chi finished drawing, Gu Qingtong cautiously extended her hand into the box. Just as she was about to unfold the slip of paper and sneak a peek, the host stopped her: “No peeking! The challenge of Truth or Dare lies in spontaneous honesty. If you look ahead, you’ll have time to think.”
Upon hearing this, Gu Qingtong reluctantly handed the slip of paper back to the host.
“Let’s see what Yan Chi’s first slip says,” the host glanced at it and smiled, “It’s a dare, and it’s one of the easier ones among all the slips. Too bad.”
“Please engage in eye contact for one minute as ‘Silent Gaze’.”
Sure enough, there was a wave of boos in the crowd.
[Where’s the person who said Mousha knows how to create excitement? Come out! I think she’s looking down on our ‘Silent Gaze’ that’s already come out of the closet. Do you know why the couple is named that? It’s because we want to see them look at each other without speaking every day. It’s better to have them perform a conversation on the spot!]
At this moment, the viewers in the live chat hadn’t seen the second part of the show’s first episode, so they didn’t know that this challenge was the “30-second eye contact challenge” that Yan Chi had given up.
But Gu Qingtong hadn’t forgotten about this matter. Before she could say anything, she heard Yan Chi beside her voice with no objections: “Let’s begin.”
Since Yan Chi had said so, Gu Qingtong could only turn around and carefully lift her eyes to look at Yan Chi. Although they had made eye contact countless times before, this was the first time Gu Qingtong was maintaining such a prolonged gaze with Yan Chi in front of so many people.
She had expected the awkwardness to persist, especially with the chorus of teasing coming from the audience. Yet, Gu Qingtong clearly underestimated the intense focus in Yan Chi’s eyes that seemed to draw her in.
Under the refraction of sunlight, Yan Chi’s light-colored pupils resembled a dazzling, radiant gem. The once ice-cold eyes, as indifferent as a glacial spring, now only reflected the image of Gu Qingtong, as if her presence filled both her eyes and heart.
Everyone knew that Yan Chi could convey intense emotions with her gaze, just like in a movie. However, at this moment, the contents of those eyes were unrelated to any emotion except Gu Qingtong.
As seconds passed, the surrounding sounds seemed to grow distant. Gu Qingtong found herself falling into a world that consisted only of herself and Yan Chi. The figure of Yan Chi in front of her seemed to overlap with some kind of shadow. The longer the gaze endured, the more she felt as though this eye contact transcended the barriers of time and space, an illusion as if the gaze came from a distant place.
Even her heartbeat began to race, and Gu Qingtong involuntarily licked her dry lips. Why…in such a situation, was there also an impulse to “kiss”?
Under the gaze of the audience, they could only see Gu Qingtong’s eyes starting to become somewhat hazy, a far cry from the awkwardness she had displayed just moments ago. Their gazes seemed tightly entwined.
This atmosphere seemed to isolate everyone else, causing even the audience who had been cheering earlier to fall silent, as if afraid to disturb the moment.
It was only when the host called out: “Time’s up!” that Gu Qingtong and Yan Chi both snapped out of it, simultaneously taken aback.
The strange atmosphere between them was apparent even to the livestream viewers separated by screens, giving off an aura of ambiguity and hidden currents.
The host had a faint sense that something was off and quickly tried to lighten the mood:
“They say Teacher Yan’s acting skills extend to the ceiling with just her eyes, and it’s true. She even made Qingtong stare in a daze, haha.”
Implicitly, the host was suggesting that what had just happened between them was just part of the act.
Gu Qingtong knew she was still participating in the interactive event and couldn’t dwell on that strange impulse. She could only respond:
“Teacher Yan’s eyes….well, they are an unusual light color, like gemstones, very beautiful. I got a bit lost in them for a moment…”
“Well, then let’s move on to the next slip of paper!” The host was eager to shift the focus away from the situation. While the audience found it strange, they couldn’t quite pinpoint what was off. Additionally, their curiosity about the second challenge Yan Chi was going to pick overshadowed their lingering thoughts on the previous moment.
“This time it’s a truth question, directed at Teacher Yan.”
“A fan’s question is: While re-watching an old interview of Teacher Yan, they suddenly noticed that in one interview, you responded to a question about your ideal type by mentioning that you have your own ideal type. Now, in five seconds, please tell us the similarities between your ideal type and Gu Qingtong’s?”
“Five, four, three, two…”
