Except for Ni Li and Gu Siwei, the other two groups of guests invited by the production team had varying degrees of popularity on the internet.
Yan Qing, with his back to the live camera, secretly found the official account, opened the announcement image, and some behind-the-scenes footage, quickly capturing the names of his fellow guests.
[Ling Chen, He Zijia]
[Sang Ning, Xia Xingchen]
Xia Xingchen? Was that the name of the redhead?
While Yan Qing was trying to put faces to the names, he happened to glance at Wen Jueli, who was sitting on a perforated steel chair. He was handsome, with slightly long hair swept back, revealing a smooth forehead. He was neatly dressed, and his calm demeanor gave him an air of elegance that created a sense of distance, as if there was an invisible barrier around him, separating him from the others.
Wen Jueli seemed to be living up to the external praise of him—elegant as a gentleman. He appeared to be accustomed to sitting quietly on the side, yet everyone’s gaze always seemed to land on him.
As if sensing the invisible scrutiny in the air, Wen Jueli turned his head and looked directly at Yan Qing. Yan Qing subconsciously touched his nose, and on a whim, he closed his phone and walked over to ask, “Aren’t you going to call grandpa and the others?”
Wen Jueli, with his very shallow eyes, displayed no emotions and nodded slightly. “I already talked to him before leaving.”
Yan Qing felt a bit disappointed. “I wanted to say hi to him.”
Wen Jueli replied, “Didn’t you call him a few days ago?”
Yan Qing blushed a little and said earnestly, “But it’s different this time. We’re about to go to a foreign country, cut off from the internet for 28 days, and essentially going into the wilderness. In any case, I have to assure him that I’ll take care of you.”
A moment of silence.
‘Take care of me?’ Wen Jueli was momentarily stunned. Did he look like someone who needed looking after?
[Hahaha, look at Mr. Wen’s expression. I’m dying of laughter.]
[No matter how you look at Yan Qing, he doesn’t seem like someone who can take care of others! Remember when he almost burned down the kitchen?]
At this moment, Liu Guosu suddenly entered the frame. He had a vibrating phone in his hand and gestured to Wen Jueli. Yan Qing saw the caller ID on the screen, which read “Wen Feng.”
Wen Feng? That name sounded familiar.
Wen Jueli paused for a moment, answered the phone then said coldly, “I’m getting on the plane soon. If anything happens, I’ll talk to you in a month.” Without waiting for a response from the other end of the call, he abruptly hung up the phone and turned it off.
Yan Qing couldn’t help but ask curiously, “Was that your little brother?”
Wen Jueli replied, “Yes… Do you remember him?”
If Yan Qing remembered correctly, ‘Wen Feng’ was the name of Wen Jueli’s uncle’s son. The man who had come with him when they first met.
Originally, Yan Qing wanted to ask why Wen Feng wasn’t chatting more with him, but now it seemed that Wen Jueli might not have a good relationship with his family.
Yan Qing didn’t want to make unwarranted speculations about someone’s family relationships. He remembered Wen Feng and his father from their first meeting, and how Wen Jueli had been distant and indifferent when talking to his grandfather a few days ago.
Perhaps, considering that Wen Jueli had returned to China at the age of seventeen after living abroad with his adoptive father, his relationship with his family might indeed be complicated.
Wen Jueli asked, “What’s wrong?”
Facing his gaze, Yan Qing shook his head, feeling that he shouldn’t continue probing. He smiled casually and said, “Of course, I remember. Wen Feng looks a lot like his dad, and he’s quite handsome too.”
Wen Jueli handed his switched-off phone to Liu Guosu and lowered his eyelashes. “Oh, they do look alike.”
Suddenly, a redhead appeared in their field of vision. Just as Yan Qing was trying to remember his name, Xia Xingchen, with a big smile, sat down next to him, patted Yan Qing’s shoulder, and said, “Are you still chatting with your husband?”
“…” Yan Qing froze for a moment. He didn’t dare to move and thought, ‘Could it be that this Xia Xingchen knows me? But I don’t know him, what should I do?’
Xia Xingchen didn’t notice his slightly stiff expression and continued, “What’s wrong? Are you upset that I’m disturbing your conversation with Big Brother Wen?”
Yan Qing’s voice trembled slightly, “No, no.”
Xia Xingchen chuckled, “You really hide it well. If it weren’t for the hot search a few days ago, I wouldn’t even know you were married! Tsk tsk, you’re quite the enigma.”
While Yan Qing was brainstorming how to respond, a cute and stylishly dressed young woman walked over. She affectionately grabbed Xia Xingchen’s wrist and said petulantly, “Alright, why are you bothering Yan Qing and the others? Come on, my mom is looking for you.”
Then, she turned to Yan Qing and said, “Yan Qing, continue chatting with Big Brother Wen. We won’t disturb you.”
This young woman was Xia Xingchen’s girlfriend, named Sang Ning.
awkwardly responded with a nod.
After the two of them left, the crisis was temporarily averted. However, Yan Qing couldn’t help but feel uneasy. Xia Xingchen and Sang Ning clearly recognized him. What would he do for the next 28 days? If he slipped up, it would be embarrassing.
In just a few seconds, Yan Qing imagined the consequences of revealing his amnesia to the public, the way people would criticize him and Wen Jueli, and the disappointed looks he might receive from his parents. He couldn’t let that happen!
No, he couldn’t!
Even if it meant going against the contract, Yan Qing couldn’t reveal his memory loss. He had to put on a brave face and act as if nothing had changed. With these thoughts in mind, he got up from his chair and told Wen Jueli, “I’ll go check in my luggage first.”
Wen Jueli replied, “Sure.”
He watched as Yan Qing, holding onto Kan Hai, quickly walked away and disappeared into the crowd.
Rather than going to check in his luggage, it was more like Yan Qing was seeking a last-minute lifeline. He, Kan Hai, and a cameraman went to the restroom because this process couldn’t be broadcasted, and the cameraman waited outside with the luggage.
Inside the restroom, there was only a foreigner who didn’t understand Chinese. Yan Qing took off his microphone, breathed a sigh of relief, and didn’t hide his anxiety. He said, “Senior…”
Kan Hai had already guessed what was going on. “Did you forget to study any of the materials?”
Yan Qing replied with a hint of despair, “I’m sorry, I completely forgot.”
QAQ
“I knew it! You were like this back when we were in school. Even though you were a male host, you could still get so absent-minded that you ended up studying the female host’s scripts,” Kan Hai grumbled while taking out his phone. “Luckily, I have backups on my phone. Here, take a look.”
Yan Qing gratefully accepted the phone and quickly started going through the profiles of the four other participants.
“You should already know about Ni Li and Gu Siwei. Gu Siwei is the CEO of a listed company,” Kan Hai said. “Pay attention to the other four people; you know them all.”
Yan Qing raised his eyebrows in surprise. “I know them all?”
There was Xia Xingchen, who had been in the industry for two years, known as the Prince of OST Love Songs. He was one of the most popular and well-known new-generation singers.
On the other hand, Sang Ning had a background as a professional esports player, having won the FMVP title for three consecutive years in esports tournaments. She had since retired and become a game streamer.
These two were young, of similar ages, and had only been officially announced as a couple at the beginning of the year.
Kan Hai added, “Xia Xingchen had previously sung the theme song for an unreleased TV drama for you. But you got to know both of them because you went to an internet cafe to play games and met Sang Ning there. She introduced you to Xia Xingchen.”
“As for how they met, I don’t know, but just avoid that topic,” Kan Hai advised. “It’s better not to discuss it.”
Yan Qing nodded cautiously. “What about Ling Chen and He Zijia? They seem to be the first pair announced by the show.”
Kan Hai replied, “Yes, they have the highest popularity besides your group.”
Both Ling Chen and He Zijia were actors, but Ling Chen had a background as an idol group member. Online reviews of his acting skills were quite polarized.
Five years ago, they co-starred in a highly successful movie with a double happy ending for their characters’ love story. Many viewers were deeply affected by this. Their official announcement of their relationship last month claimed that they had been together for a full five years, catapulting them to the top of the trending topics.
Yan Qing remembered that, if he hadn’t experienced his “time travel” due to the accident, he would have been planning to watch that movie with his roommate next month.
He asked, “So, how did I meet them?”
Kan Hai sighed. “Speaking of this, you might stir up some resentment.”
Yan Qing was puzzled. “What do you mean?”
“In the past, Ling Chen and He Zijia teamed up to film a TV drama. Fans and viewers were eagerly anticipating it, as it was a prime-time TV drama. However,” Kan Hai paused and his gaze turned deep as he looked at Yan Qing, “Due to your participation, this TV drama has been delayed until now.”
Yan Qing was taken aback. Was it really that strange?
Kan Hai continued, “Ling Chen is fine as a person, but you should be careful around He Zijia.” He lowered his voice, “He Zijia knows how to maintain her image in front of the camera, but off-camera, it’s uncertain. People in the industry say she has a bad temper. At that time, I wasn’t your manager, but your previous manager told me that He Zijia didn’t like you when you were filming that drama. She often made things difficult for you on set.”
Yan Qing swallowed hard, feeling bewildered. ‘Really?’
Not to brag, but Yan Qing had always been handsome since he was a child, he spoke well, had a good personality, and possessed these three major attributes. He hadn’t encountered many people who didn’t like him, except for when he was exposed to the public eye. However, he also knew that he couldn’t please everyone.
Now that he had a rough idea, Kan Hai patted Yan Qing on the shoulder and sighed, “This is your first variety show. Hang in there. The rest is up to you. By the way, the boss said a lot of good things about you and Jueli during the pre-filming interview, so be careful not to slip up. If you offend the boss…”
Kan Hai shuddered and didn’t finish his sentence, but Yan Qing understood the meaning.
“I’ll do my best,” Yan Qing promised.
After leaving the restroom, Yan Qing went to the coffee shop and bought several cups of coffee. He thought that since he had arrived late, he should buy something as an apology.
So when everyone, who had grown a bit drowsy while waiting for the plane, saw Yan Qing returning with several bags of coffee, their expressions turned pleasantly surprised.
Yan Qing apologized, feeling embarrassed. “I’m sorry for being late, and I didn’t know what to buy, so I got all Americanos as a small token of apology.”
Xia Xingchen, with his fiery red hair, said, “You don’t have to be so polite.”
However, there was a disconnect between his words and actions; while he said that, his hands had already taken two cups of coffee.
Yan Qing apologized formally. It wasn’t a big deal since his lateness hadn’t affected the boarding process, and everyone had a smile on their faces, urging him to relax.
Yan Qing not only bought coffee for the guests but also for the staff. When he handed a cup of coffee to He Zijia, he hesitated for a moment. He Zijia appeared to be around twenty-four or twenty-five years old, with a strikingly beautiful and delicate appearance, and she didn’t seem like someone who would bully others.
He Zijia also noticed his gaze, and under the live broadcast’s camera, her initially cold expression immediately turned into a bright smile as she said, “Thank you, Yan Qing.”
Yan Qing replied, “You’re welcome.”
He Zijia took the coffee and greeted, “It’s been a few years. I didn’t expect you to be married to Mr. Wen. I heard you two knew each other five years ago? Why didn’t I know about it?”
Her words sounded gentle, but Yan Qing caught a glint of shrewdness in her eyes, making him feel slightly uncomfortable.
Yan Qing was straightforward, saying, “Nobody knew, and when I met you, my husband and I didn’t know we would get married, right?”
His words left He Zijia momentarily speechless.
After distributing the coffee, Yan Qing breathed a sigh of relief and sat back in his seat, holding his own cup. Suddenly, he turned to ask, “Huh? Why don’t you have coffee? Don’t want to drink?”
At this question, Wen Jueli, who had empty hands, raised an eyebrow and looked at Yan Qing, then shifted his gaze to the coffee in Yan Qing’s hand. Those pale-colored eyes seemed to ask, “You bought the coffee, and now you’re asking me? Who should I ask?”
Yan Qing blushed and cautiously asked, “Could it be… you want to drink my coffee?”
“I bought Americanos, and they’re all the same… But if you want to drink it, that’s fine too.”
