Until Gu Qingtong’s figure disappeared from the room, the photographer was taken aback. The guest, who had originally planned to create suspense and generate buzz, suddenly appeared. How did this happen?
He quickly turned the camera towards something else.
Beauty truly is the entertainment industry’s greatest asset. Gu Qingtong’s unexpected appearance for a few seconds not only caught the program team off guard but also amazed the viewers watching the livestream.
Even though Gu Qingtong had already left the live camera, the overall popularity of the livestream room quickly skyrocketed, easily surpassing tens of thousands of viewers.
The barrage of comments erupted, with many asking:
[Oh my goodness?! Was that the new guest just now? She’s so beautiful! Let us see more.]
[Program team, don’t force me to kneel down and beg you. In a minute, I want all the information about the beautiful sister!]
[Her looks are absolutely stunning. I love watching handsome guys and beautiful girls interact. Who’s with me?]
Amidst the flood of inquiries on the screen, one comment answered everyone’s question:
[I know, I know! That’s Gu Qingtong, who played the role of the female lead in her youth in “Eat Drink Man Woman.” She’s my precious little idol!]
The incident between Gu Qingtong and Yun Mingxuan only caused a stir among fans of the talent show at the time. Now, six years have passed, and apart from some persistent fans of Yun Mingxuan who still bother Gu Qingtong, no one really remembers her anymore.
Furthermore, since Gu Qingtong didn’t announce her participation in the variety show in advance, those haters naturally couldn’t follow along.
In the eyes of the audience, Gu Qingtong was just an unfamiliar and beautiful actress. There were no malicious comments in the entire livestream room. Instead, everyone happily gathered to admire her beauty.
So, when Gu Qingtong received the tablet to read the barrage of comments, she was surprised to see so many of them, her eyes widening.
“So… so many people!”
Saying that, she looked up in the direction of Sun Xiao, as if to confirm that her appearance was flawless.
Sun Xiao was speechless about Gu Qingtong’s idol baggage and shook her head.
In front of so many people, Gu Qingtong rarely showed a shy side, acting reserved and politely greeting the camera while introducing herself.
At the same time she officially appeared, the official Weibo account of the “Love Game” program announced that the third female guest was Gu Qingtong, finally giving the waiting audience an explanation.
Most of the audience were satisfied and looked forward to this choice.
Similar to the reasons mentioned in the previous barrage of comments, beauty is an important motivation and source of sweetness for shippers. Who doesn’t like to see attractive people?
However, there are always some people who are greatly disappointed or even completely let down, just like Yun Mingxuan’s private fans and assistant, Zou Jia.
When Zou Jia saw the official announcement Weibo post shared in the group, her first reaction was naturally disbelief. After all, what kind of status does Gu Qingtong have? How could she secure a regular spot on a variety show like this?
She didn’t even have time to help Yun Mingxuan order coffee. She immediately rushed to investigate the matter on Weibo.
“What’s wrong?” Yun Mingxuan, who noticed that her assistant seemed off, asked proactively.
Reluctantly, Zou Jia informed Yun Mingxuan about the situation, saying: “…How could she get this opportunity? I don’t believe it. It must be her father pulling strings again.”
Yun Mingxuan simply smiled softly, “Didn’t this variety show approach me before? I rejected it. It’s something we didn’t want. So what if it goes to Gu Qingtong?”
“But…”
Before she could say more, Yun Mingxuan interrupted her with impatience, “As the manager said, it’s just a variety show that creates fake relationships for publicity. The artists who participate are either struggling or have been out of the spotlight for a long time. Don’t worry about her.”
It’s rare to see Yun Mingxuan in such a state, and Zou Jia can only give up.
However, when she saw the unanimous praise in the comments of the official announcement on Weibo, she couldn’t help but feel a bit worried.
“Forget it, anyway, Gu Qingtong, who is such a waste, definitely won’t get far,” Zou Jia snorted coldly and went to order coffee.
Under the support of these enthusiastic fans and critics, Gu Qingtong, unbeknownst to her, already had the highest activity level among the six guests in her livestream room, despite not having a fan base or public recognition.
“For this livestream, the process is relatively free. First, the program team will have a truth or dare challenge with the guests to promote our show ‘Love Game.’ Afterward, the program team will no longer be involved, and each guest will interact with the audience on their own until the livestream ends.
We have disabled the luxury gift channel. You can simply click the small red heart icon in the bottom right corner of each guest’s livestream room to send them free gifts. After the livestream ends, the guest with the most likes will receive a special ability that can be used during the variety show’s recording.”
The program team explained the rules to the audience in the livestream room.
Gu Qingtong couldn’t help but look at the bottom right corner of her tablet and indeed saw a red heart.
Although she was unsure about the situation in other livestream rooms, Gu Qingtong knew she had few fans and little fame.
The moment Gu Qingtong realized she would be at the bottom in terms of likes, her competitive nature kicked in. That just wouldn’t do!
Maybe… should she give herself some likes? Even a small achievement is still an achievement.
The red heart was right in front of her, pulsating, tempting her to click on it. Without hesitation, she discreetly placed one hand on the screen, tapping with her index finger. If her fans wouldn’t give her likes, she would give them to herself!
Director Bu obviously didn’t notice Gu Qingtong’s action and cheerfully brought over a cardboard box.
“First is the Q&A stage! The program team has collected a series of truth or dare questions and challenges from online submissions. Qingtong, you can pick one and see. The difficulty and excitement of the slips of paper vary, depending on the luck of each guest.”
“If you can’t tell the truth within the given time or fail to complete the dare, you’ll have to face the program team’s designated live punishment!”
Treating it as if nothing happened, Gu Qingtong naturally withdrew her hand from liking and casually reached into the box to pick one slip and open it.
“Please state your ideal type in terms of appearance within five seconds,” she read aloud.
Before Gu Qingtong could start thinking, the countdown from the program team had already begun: “Five, four, three…”
“Um…” She didn’t have time to think. The more hurried she was, the more her mind went blank. In the midst of confusion, she accidentally blurted out, “Yan…Serious demeanor!”
Upon realizing what she had said, Gu Qingtong was taken aback.
Luckily, she managed to correct herself in time. If she had actually mentioned the name “Yan Chi,” the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Laughter erupted all around, and even Director Bu found it amusing. “What does ‘serious demeanor’ mean? Qingtong, are you trying to fool us? That doesn’t count as a truthful answer!”
There was no choice but to patch things up clumsily in this situation. Now, Gu Qingtong could only try her best to explain with an air of calm and nonchalance.
“Oh, it means that kind of serious and aloof type, you know? Like a cold beauty who appears serious on the surface but can’t hide her excitement when her heart is moved. Doesn’t it resonate with people?”
However, as soon as the words fell from her mouth, Gu Qingtong noticed the subtle change in the expressions of the entire production team.
“Oh~ So, Qingtong understands that well?”
Oh no, in an attempt to prove her innocence, she ended up saying too much…
Gu Qingtong already had thin skin to begin with. Just when she had broken through her facade of restraint for the sake of her idol persona, her embarrassment broke through all at once. Her face turned red in an instant, and there’s a saying that goes, “Everyone has different levels of ‘XP1experience‘!”
A wave of laughter filled the barrage of comments.
[So, she’s a silly beauty after all. She’s really naive, haha, falling for the program team’s tricks one after another.]
[Haha, she even knows the meaning of ‘XP.’ It seems she really understands now!]
[Fellow viewers, which guest is supposed to be the aloof one? Isn’t this the perfect time to ship them together?!]
Seeing the barrage of comments, Gu Qingtong felt both annoyed and embarrassed, making her face even redder. “Stop laughing! Next question, next question!”
However, as it turned out, once a person starts having a streak of bad luck, fate won’t easily let them off the hook. Gu Qingtong looked at the newly drawn slip of paper and fell silent.
Director Bu suddenly became interested and leaned forward to watch the show. His mouth twisted into a smile the moment he saw the slip of paper.
“Hahaha, this one… You’ll have to handle it yourself,” he said, patting Gu Qingtong’s shoulder.
“Randomly select one guest’s contact information and make a live phone call. Without any explanation, directly recite one of the five cheesy love lines prepared by the production team in a passionate manner.”
Gu Qingtong helplessly informed everyone about the content written on the slip of paper.
“Attention, because this challenge and the subsequent pairing in the variety show are closely related, the guests who may be connected here are not limited to the six participants in today’s live broadcast. It also includes new guests, such as the 4th female and 4th male leads who will be joining later on.
Due to potential spoilers, the production team will apply special audio processing to their voices.”
With the production team’s additional explanation, Gu Qingtong felt even more helpless. She didn’t even know who the other person on the call would be, which made the situation even more awkward.
When she randomly selected a slip of paper and before she had a chance to glance at the number written inside, the production team swiftly took it away from her.
“Hello… uh, hello?”
After receiving the phone handed over by the production team, there was no sound coming from the other end for quite some time. Gu Qingtong had to suppress the urge to tap her toes impatiently and spoke first.
“Hello.”
Despite the various synthesizers masking the voice, she could faintly tell it was a female voice, which eased some of her tension.
Gu Qingtong took a deep breath and bravely looked at the script handed to her by the production team. “I’m about to start.”
“This is the back of my hand, this is the back of my foot, you are my…”
Initially, she was already struggling to say each word, and Gu Qingtong thought she had prepared enough. But when it came to the actual awkward moment, it was like slamming on the brakes. She gritted her teeth but couldn’t utter the words. She felt as rigid as a block of steel.
Both the production team and the live audience burst into laughter.
[Look at how she’s struggling! The production team has gone too far.]
[Shh, shut up! This isn’t romantic at all, it sounds like she’s grinding her teeth, hahaha!]
[Help! This is just the first challenge, and I’m already feeling so immersed. I’ve mentally moved into a three-bedroom apartment for Qingtong. Thanks.]
“Darling,” the voice on the other end suddenly spoke, seemingly realizing that her previous choice of words had some ambiguity. She added lightly, “You are my darling, that’s how it’s said, right?”
Gu Qingtong’s mind momentarily froze, almost thinking that it was Yan Chi speaking to her.
The calm tone was just too similar!
But she quickly snapped out of it. Even if it was a dating variety show, it was highly unlikely for Yan Chi to participate, let alone in a reality show. It must be due to the voice being processed in a special way…
Even though Yan Chi had only been gone for less than a week, why couldn’t she get rid of her presence from her mind?
Gu Qingtong was frightened and quickly wiped away the jumbled thoughts, focusing on completing the challenge.
However, with the reminder from the other party, Gu Qingtong felt somewhat reassured. Looking at the script in front of her, although she still felt a bit embarrassed, she could continue reading: “Um… y-you are my darling.”
But her voice still buzzed like a mosquito, especially the word “darling,” which was particularly unclear.
Seemingly aware that she was just fooling around, Gu Qingtong anxiously didn’t wait for everyone’s reaction and quickly read the next line, “Do you know what my flaws are?”
“..It’s you.”
So cold, so cheesy. Who am I? Where am I?
As the production team and the barrage of comments continued to laugh, Gu Qingtong suddenly noticed that the mysterious Female Guest No. 4 on the phone hadn’t made any jokes at her expense. She wondered how she managed to hold back.
Gu Qingtong was deeply moved by her consideration and immediately dismissed the idea of giving up, reading out the remaining three lines:
“Do you like drinking water? Then you’ve fallen for 70% of me.”
“I caught a cold because I have no resistance when I see you”…
After finishing the line, she suddenly felt relieved and said to the stranger on the other end of the phone, “Thank you so much for your help!”
“It’s nothing. You’re very cute.”
Somehow, everyone could hear a hint of indulgence in the processed voice.
The barrage of comments started pouring in:
[Dumb beauty and indulgent mature woman?! Wow, I’m loving this! I’m already shipping them before the show even starts. Dangerous!]
[As long as we make a big fuss about it, who’s to say we’re not a cult ourselves?]
[You guys are going at an 800x speed. We don’t even know who Female Guest No. 4 is yet. This is outrageous.]
However, the protagonist, Gu Qingtong, clearly hadn’t recovered from her social death. Her heart felt like ashes, as if she hadn’t even received the other person’s message. “There’s no need to console me, I can leave this Earth on my own”
After ending the call, Gu Qingtong finally gathered her spirits and continued with several rounds of the Truth or Dare challenge.
The questions she drew this time were all trivial truths.
For example, “Why did you decide to participate in the ‘Love Game’?”
Gu Qingtong answered without hesitation, “This is the first variety show that invited me as a regular guest. Of course, I had to come!”
Another question was, “Which guest are you more interested in?”
She had already anticipated this question and had done her research during this period. She put on the same enthusiasm she had when writing fanfiction and memorized a rainbow-poop-filled script praising each guest, taking the flattery to the extreme.
It seemed impressive, but in reality, she was just handing out compliments to everyone, without giving a definite answer to the question.
After all, Gu Qingtong was well aware that she didn’t have any CP2couple pairing in the show, so it was better not to get involved with anyone.
She would just honestly play the role of a laughter generator and a tool for entertainment.
Through this back and forth Q&A, the audience had a basic understanding of Gu Qingtong’s positioning.
It was apparent that she was still unfamiliar with love, but she approached each task arranged by the production team with a silly and earnest attitude.
Everyone was looking forward to seeing what role this “love idiot beauty” would play in the dating show.
After the game was over, according to the rules, the production team placed a mobile phone in front of Gu Qingtong and let her interact with the audience through live streaming. The other staff members left the camera.
Finally, Gu Qingtong had a moment to relax and look at her own live streaming room.
Thanks to the popular discussions about the announced guests and the combination of Gu Qingtong’s appearance and entertainment skills, her live stream room had reached a heat of 500,000 viewers and even obtained the rank of “8th on the Entertainment Ranking.”
This was her first time doing a live stream in front of so many people, and she felt more excited than nervous.
However, despite the high viewership, the number of likes in the bottom right corner was not as impressive.
It was evident that most of the viewers were just passersby looking for some amusement. To think even worse, perhaps this viewership was inflated by fake accounts sent by the platform itself.
In other words… there was a chance that she was still in last place!
With this thought in mind, Gu Qingtong’s recently relieved heart started to pound again.
She discreetly looked around, noticing that the staff members weren’t watching her. So Gu Qingtong quietly placed her hand on the heart button again and lightly tapped, generating likes for herself.
However, she seemed to have forgotten that the camera’s height was different now. It wasn’t just horizontal, but also captured everything below her knees.
Almost in the instant she hit the “like” button, she was caught red-handed by Liewen Hooke in the live stream:
[What is the streamer doing? It’s hilarious that she’s giving herself likes.]
[Tong Mei3Referring to Gu Qingtong as (little) sister is the epitome of a silly beauty, and her character won’t change, hahaha!]
[All of you are only concerned about having fun in the chat, but you don’t care that Qingtong has stooped so low as to generate likes for herself. Tears in my eyes. I’ll pay my respects first by giving a like, my dear family.]
As soon as Gu Qingtong saw the barrage of comments, her hand trembled, and she wished she could disappear into the ground. She could only plead pitifully, “I-I only gave myself around twenty likes. If I’m not allowed to do it myself, then the production team can clear them for me.”
Director Bu, who had just noticed that Gu Qingtong was liking herself, almost burst into laughter and casually said, “The rules indeed didn’t say that you can’t give yourself likes.”
With the support of the production team, Gu Qingtong’s dejected appearance vanished, and she quickly perked up. “Even the director said it’s fine, so don’t scare me!”
Although this incident was embarrassing, Gu Qingtong noticed that more people started liking her now that she had given herself likes. It was much more efficient than when she did it herself earlier. She ended up benefiting from her own misfortune.
Gu Qingtong’s livestream had a down-to-earth vibe, to the point where it felt like a voice call. This allowed the audience to feel her beauty impact up close.
With the added touch of vibrant orange makeup, Gu Qingtong’s already perfectly delicate features softened the inherent aggressiveness of heavy makeup. Every aspect exuded refinement, radiance, and a unique combination of sweetness and obedience, making her a standout presence in the entertainment industry. She was the kind of person that people would linger on at first glance in a crowd.
Seeing the barrage of amazed exclamations once again, Gu Qingtong proudly pouted her lips and showed everyone, “I woke up at 4 a.m. today for skincare and makeup. Even this lip makeup has three layers of gradient. I deserve a few compliments for this! After work, I’ll take a selfie with this ancestral makeup look!”
This was quite different from the answers given by other celebrities in the past, where they would modestly claim they didn’t know they were good-looking. However, this slightly smug expression somehow brought about a frustrating sense of superiority.
“My mom says that when a girl pouts her lips, it means she wants a kiss,” Gu Qingtong read a comment and naturally pursed her lips towards the camera. “Yeah, that’s right. Here’s a kiss for all of you, mua~”
The barrage of comments was filled with adoration:
[Tong Mei is so adorable! My fangirl heart is throbbing!]
[The beauty kissed me! Alright, I won’t wash my face today.]
