Gu Qingtong watched as Yan Chi demonstrated, and persistently blinked her eyes at her, unwilling to give up. Her long eyelashes trembled with emotions, just like before in the changing room.
Yan Chi patiently waited for Gu Qingtong to finish acting spoiled and coquettish before reaching out to touch her cheek. Seeing this ambiguous gesture, Gu Qingtong was startled, and instinctively wanted to avoid it in front of the camera. However, she realized that Yan Chi’s target was not her, but to adjust the ski goggles to block the coquettish look in her eyes.
“Do you have the heart of a thief but lack the guts?” Yan Chi’s voice was calm, but it was captured by the microphone and transmitted to the audience. To outsiders, Yan Chi seemed to be saying that Gu Qingtong didn’t dare to learn skiing. But only Gu Qingtong knew that Yan Chi meant that she only dared to secretly convey her thoughts through eye contact.
To prove that she had the “guts,” Gu Qingtong followed Yan Chi’s instructions and arranged the skis in the shape of the number eight. Awkwardly, she stiffly took a step forward. Gu Qingtong felt extremely ridiculous and embarrassed while making this movement, sneaking away from the camera’s view. Her face under the ski goggles turned pink, whether from embarrassment or the cold.
However, in reality, she was wrapped tightly in her hat and ski suit, and her appearance was as flawless as ever. Stepping on the snowboard with seriousness and caution, she didn’t appear clumsy at all but rather exceptionally charming and adorable.
Especially while walking, she frequently turned her head to look for Yan Chi’s position under the ski goggles. The way she ensured that she could rely on Yan Chi for support if she fell was particularly heartwarming. Yan Chi was the closest person to her, naturally capturing every detail.
Although they were in front of the camera, the dependence revealed in her every move felt like little claws scratching at Yan Chi’s heart, making it slightly itchy.
Gu Qingtong was completely unaware of all this. She was simply nervous and anxious, but she managed to learn how to move on the flat snow and ascend slopes.
As she gradually gained control over the snowboard and began to move on the snow, she realized that the fear she experienced earlier wasn’t as terrifying as she had imagined.
Initially, Gu Qingtong heavily relied on Yan Chi for every step, but now she could confidently brake and move laterally on the snow. Since she could walk on her own, she no longer clung to Yan Chi out of fear. Instead, she quickly regained her previous manner of keeping a distance from her.
Stubbornly guarding the forced interaction line, she practiced step by step on her own. As she watched Gu Qingtong gradually become less reliant on her protection, Yan Chi knew that if she didn’t push a little now, she would miss this opportunity.
“You’ve mastered it quite well. Now let’s learn how to fall safely and properly,” Yan Chi’s eyes under the ski goggles seemed playful, but her voice remained as indifferent as during the previous instruction, saying everything casually.
“Huh?!” Upon hearing this, Gu Qingtong almost stumbled on her snowboard. Her previously relaxed expression turned fearful again, “Teacher Yan, didn’t you say… you wouldn’t let me fall?”
As she said this, Gu Qingtong suddenly remembered the time when Yan Chi gave her medicine before, and also promised that it wouldn’t hurt. However, they ended up enduring a night of torment.
She suddenly realized how many times she had been fooled by Yan Chi, and she still believed it every time.
“I won’t let you fall to the ground. I’ll catch you,” Yan Chi replied nonchalantly, and her tone seemed to get slightly more serious as she added a warning: “But if you don’t learn, you might end up hitting your head or spraining your knee ligament when you do fall. It won’t be just a momentary pain.”
Gu Qingtong was caught in a dilemma. On one hand, she knew Yan Chi wasn’t tricking her, but on the other hand, she felt hesitant about this approach.
So many people were watching now. Previously, it was unintentional, but now she seemed to be actively seeking intimacy.
Although the two of them were not strangers to hugging and getting close to each other in private, in front of the camera, Gu Qingtong was self-conscious and concerned about their hidden marriage.
She tried her best to maintain distance, but unexpected incidents kept happening, and the production team pulled out all the stops to make the two of them appear intimate in front of the camera. Thinking back to when Yan Chi appeared out of nowhere, she realized that her simple imagination was too naive.
Yan Chi didn’t rush her; she knew Gu Qingtong would eventually convince herself.
As expected, reluctantly, Gu Qingtong slid back slowly while leaning on her ski pole. Her face showed the forced interaction and a strong desire to survive as she said: “Then…sorry to trouble you, teacher Yan. It’s all for the mission! Wait until I learn it, then I won’t need to bother you anymore.”
Although she didn’t look at the live broadcast or the filming crew’s cameras, she emphasized “all for the mission,” as if she wanted to stick that label on her forehead.
The underlying message was clear: “I really don’t want to be close to teacher Yan. It’s all the production team’s fault. Don’t overthink it!”
Chu Yu looked at the two and casually said: “Ah, yes, yes, yes.”
The barrage also echoed, [We understand. It’s all part of the ‘mission’ by the production team. Whether it’s real or fake, as long as we get to enjoy it, it’s good sugar!]”
Since the beauty had already satisfied their eyes, everyone was wondering when “Silent Gaze” would finally come together.
Obviously, the fans of the “Silent Gaze” CP1Couple Pairing had already fallen for the charm of the “arranged marriage before love cp” trope, where everything could be glued together! Especially when Gu Qingtong’s reluctance and hidden perseverance in being forced to be close provided great satisfaction to everyone’s mischievous sense of humor.
Without even looking, Gu Qingtong knew that the audience must be cheering again, but Yan Chi’s instructions had already reached her ears: “You can try combining the ‘eight-shape control’ and ‘parallel turn’ that I taught you earlier. You might feel like you’re about to fall, and that’s normal. When you feel like you’re going to fall, just fall towards me.”
“Wh-what if you don’t catch me…” Gu Qingtong whispered, clearly still worried about ending up on the ground.
Yan Chi paused before saying: “This is the second time today that you don’t trust me.”
Each sentence held meanings unknown to the audience, only known to Gu Qingtong. Yan Chi was referring to the punishment from earlier….
She took a few deep breaths to prevent her face from turning red again, attracting unnecessary attention.
Gu Qingtong’s eyes secretly glanced over, trying to see Yan Chi’s expression when she made the promise to put her mind at ease, and she softly said: “Then you must catch me, okay?…”
She didn’t call Yan Chi “Teacher Yan” but “You,” indicating her reminder to Yan Chi to be careful.
“I will.” Yan Chi also looked at her. Even through the ski goggles, she could still feel the burning intensity of Yan Chi’s gaze.
The panic in Gu Qingtong’s heart surprisingly dissipated a bit because of Yan Chi’s promise. Using the force from the ski pole on the ground, she bit her lip and began to slide forward.
Starting with a parallel turn, she then bent her knees inward, forming an “eight” shape with the two snowboards pointing inward. However, this pleasant feeling only lasted for a moment. In the next second, the snowboard hit a bump of snow, causing Gu Qingtong to lose control, and her true colors were exposed.
She also forgot how to brake, so she looked around for Yan Chi’s position, closed her eyes tightly, and leaned directly towards Yan Chi’s side.
Without the slightest struggle, she appeared to be pretending to fall and expecting kisses and hugs to get up. It was like a staged performance of ‘Oops, I fell, now I need some cuddles to get back up’.
Instead of meeting a hard surface, she landed on something soft and familiar. Gu Qingtong knew that Yan Chi had indeed caught her. But it seemed that her lips had also touched a warm patch of skin.
Sensing what she might have done, Gu Qingtong immediately opened her eyes and saw Yan Chi’s slender and fair neck exposed under all the layers of clothing.
Oh no, it was one thing to bump into her, but why did she accidentally kiss her too!
Gu Qingtong was startled and quickly tried to get up from Yan Chi’s embrace. She nervously stared at the place where she had just kissed Yan Chi, unsure if the camera had captured that moment. Then, she saw Yan Chi’s fingertips touch her neck, gently rubbing the spot where she had kissed.
If Yan Chi hadn’t done that, it might have been unnoticed, but this slight touch made the previously unnoticeable area turn red…
Now the whole world knows!
Gu Qingtong felt that Yan Chi must have done it on purpose. Earlier, Yan Chi had left a “mark” on her neck, and now it seemed that Yan Chi wanted to leave a red mark on the same spot on her own neck.
“When you fell just now, did you close your eyes? When you are sliding at high speed, if you close your eyes before falling, it’s easy to lose direction and end up with your face on the ground. For the sake of your career as an artist, you have to try a few more times,” Yan Chi said, as if she didn’t care about the mark on her neck at all, and continued to instruct Gu Qingtong in a professional manner. It was as if she was the only one in a hurry.
Gu Qingtong had no choice but to try again. She had no words to express her frustration.
Finally, she had to move her gaze away from Yan Chi’s neck and start again. This time, Gu Qingtong tried hard to open her eyes wide, seeking the black spot representing Yan Chi and fell straight into a softer place than before.
With her eyes open this time, she knew exactly where she fell. Luckily, it wasn’t the face-planting position from earlier; it was just the side of her face and ear that felt the softness. Otherwise, she would have become a legend… with her face washed2A humorous expression used when someone falls face-first, especially in a comical or embarrassing manner.
In this back-and-forth exchange, Gu Qingtong couldn’t control the blush spreading across her face anymore. She repeatedly exclaimed: “I-I’ve got it! No need to do it again!”
Yan Chi looked at Gu Qingtong, who was in such a panic that she couldn’t hide herself, and after a moment of contemplation, she finally spared her.
The viewers watching this segment initially only saw the two facing away from the camera, seemingly sticking close to each other. But the more they watched, the more suspicious it seemed. Combined with their unusual reactions, some viewers suddenly realized what had happened.
They rushed to share their thoughts in the barrage:
[Oh my goodness, did they really kiss? Tong Mei made Teacher Yan’s neck all red!]
[Not just a kiss, the second one almost crossed into the ‘midnight session’! Can I get a free pass to watch this?!]
[They’re so good at falling, it seems like they precisely targeted something special. It’s hard not to think of them as a young couple with hidden intentions. My mind is already imagining everything as a plot between a junior and a scheming senior, ahhh…]
Clearly, the program’s team succeeded in creating an engaging scene with the skiing challenge.
It appeared that Gu Qingtong was frightened by the close encounters from earlier, and it seemed like she had unlocked some hidden potential, conquering her fear entirely.
Without relying on Yan Chi, Gu Qingtong quickly learned how to ski. Every time Yan Chi demonstrated a move, she could perfectly replicate it after following along two or three times at most. Even when she was about to fall, afraid that Yan Chi might come to catch her and touch something she shouldn’t, she managed to apply the brakes and stop herself smoothly.
It could be seen that only magic could defeat magic! With this attitude, Gu Qingtong learned the basic skiing techniques and how to control the direction of skiing and braking. In the end, she even directly participated in the project arranged by the program team: sliding down the beginner’s ski slope in one go, and if she fell during the process, she had to start over.
“Are you sure it’s okay? After all, you’ve only learned for thirty minutes,” the program team looked worriedly at Gu Qingtong, who was already numb from the cold. She looked completely different from the hesitant Gu Qingtong who was like a koala, just a moment ago.
“What’s wrong with thirty minutes? Learning to ski in thirty minutes is clearly being extremely responsible to oneself,” Gu Qingtong said in a numb tone, recalling the comment that had scared her in the comments earlier.
To maintain the program’s duration, the team didn’t make the challenge slope too long or difficult. As long as the participants learned the basic skiing techniques and overcame their fears, sliding through the slope in one go wasn’t too difficult.
Riding on that determination, Gu Qingtong slid to the finish line in one attempt without any mishaps.
However, after passing the finish line and realizing she no longer had to endure the ordeal, the tight string in her heart loosened all at once, and she urgently wanted to brake.
But it became apparent that she had forgotten that she had just come down the slope at high speed, and the speed was not comparable to her practice runs. She used the same slow-speed eight-shape braking technique.
She nearly tricked herself and the inertia sent her lunging forward. There were cries of surprise all around, but Gu Qingtong was so scared that she could hardly make a sound.
The immense fear of falling returned, and she knew she was done for, preparing for the inevitable face-first landing.
Just then, a black figure rushed from the side and braked sharply next to her. Amid the falling snowflakes, Yan Chi caught Gu Qingtong’s falling figure, moving so quickly that even the camera crew couldn’t capture the moment.
Time seemed to stretch endlessly at that moment, and Gu Qingtong’s breath almost stopped. She looked up, gazing at Yan Chi before her, feeling her presence enveloping her body and heart. Even her every breath seemed filled with Yan Chi’s reassuring aura.
“I told you I wouldn’t let you get hurt,” Yan Chi said.
Yan Chi caught Gu Qingtong with her body, and her shoulder was slightly sore from the impact. But Gu Qingtong seemed oblivious to any discomfort, her gaze fixed on her, as she spoke with a reassuring tone.
Gu Qingtong’s eyes flickered with uncertainty. She had so much to say, her heart was pounding uncontrollably, and something was about to break free from its cocoon inside her. However, before she could utter a word, the program team hurriedly surrounded them, looking worriedly at the two of them: “Are you okay? Teacher Yan and Xiao Gu…”
In the awkward atmosphere created by the staff, Gu Qingtong snapped back to reality. Although the pounding in her heart didn’t subside, her sudden impulse was quickly suppressed by her rationality, leaving her a bit perplexed.
She stood up from Yan Chi’s embrace, looking at her in a daze. It was then she realized she had forgotten to thank her properly, and quickly said: “Thank you, Yan….teacher.”
Both of them understood what the intense moment meant, but they were swiftly brought back to reality by their surroundings. They remembered they were on a variety show, that their hidden marriage couldn’t be made public, and… they remembered the “business alliance” that connected them while also restricting them.
In the end, they could only express their gratitude in silence and depart, as if nothing could be held on to.
“Did you get hurt from the fall?” Bai Jin’s injury was already enough to give the program team a headache, and now Gu Qingtong had an incident. They hurriedly asked Gu Qingtong in front of them.
Even Director Bu was contemplating whether it was appropriate to include such a potentially dangerous segment. After all, they had only considered how it could promote physical contact between the CP and create a thrilling and fearful atmosphere akin to walking on a suspension bridge.
Gu Qingtong shook her head, but she looked concernedly at Yan Chi, however, Yan Chi didn’t mention it at all.
“I’m fine,” Yan Chi replied.
Although she knew her shoulders would definitely be bruised, Yan Chi didn’t mention it at all. She didn’t want to cause any trouble for Gu Qingtong. If the fans and media found out that she got injured while saving the other person, she didn’t know what kind of speculations and interpretations would arise.
While others let out a sigh of relief, Gu Qingtong couldn’t help but worry about her shoulder. Her entire momentum was directed at her shoulder and arm when she collided with her. Would she really be okay?
“It’s good that you’re okay. I announce that Teacher Yan and Qingtong have completed the first two tasks and have earned the privilege to randomly form new CPs,” Director Bu declared, putting everyone at ease and continuing with the show’s flow.
Upon hearing this news, Chu Yu immediately walked over, smelling an opportunity. She didn’t dare approach Yan Chi, so she looked to Gu Qingtong, who was relatively easy to talk to. Remembering that she had helped her with the rhythm earlier, Chu Yu felt she had the right to ask for her help and spoke up: “Gu Qingtong, it’s fine that you didn’t choose me earlier, but you must send me off this time.”
Gu Qingtong remained composed. She was a bit worried about the audience’s potential criticism after sending Bai Jin away just now. Nevertheless, she graciously agreed, allowing the initial “Chu Wen” CP to reunite.
It was as if a heavy burden had been lifted, and Chu Yu finally finished her sentence in relief. After being untied by Gu Qingtong, she naturally became a free person and couldn’t wait a moment longer. She immediately went to find Bai Jin and Wen Ziyao to reunite. She was so ecstatic that she couldn’t help but sing her heart out.
While Yan Chi also had special privileges, she remained silent. Having these privileges put her in a more proactive position, which she intended to use to deal with similar situations in the future.
As the results of the privileges were revealed, the live broadcasts for the three pairs came to an end. The guests bid farewell to the audience and continued with the following tasks.
Although there were some minor frictions, the excellent performance of “Silent Gaze” attracted many new viewers to the show. It even prepared to trend on certain social media platforms.
During the short break, the accompanying photographers temporarily left, leaving Gu Qingtong and Yan Chi on the ski slope to organize their equipment.
“Are you going to change clothes?” Yan Chi suddenly asked as she took off her snowboard.
“Cough! Cough!” Upon hearing her words and realizing that the microphone was still on, Gu Qingtong was startled and coughed a few times. Now there was no excuse to learn how to ski anymore!
What did she mean by changing clothes? Was she suggesting they continue their playful banter from earlier? Or did she have something more audacious in mind…?
Before she could ask anything, a small assistant from the program team hurriedly ran over and saved her from the situation.
The little assistant said to Gu Qingtong: “Qingtong, the director wants to see you. It seems there’s a slight issue with your microphone audio….anyway, he asked you to bring it to the control room for a check up.”
This provided a perfect excuse for Gu Qingtong to leave, and she quickly responded: “Teacher Yan, you go ahead. We still have tasks to do later, and I don’t want to waste any more time!”
Yan Chi had already dismantled the two snowboards and looked up at the program team with her usual calm expression: “If you have something to attend to, go ahead. Don’t keep Director Bu waiting.”
It was the first time the little assistant experienced Yan Chi’s cold and distant demeanor up close, and they couldn’t help but worry about Gu Qingtong.
Is everything really okay?….Why do I feel like teacher Yan doesn’t want Gu Qingtong to leave?
Gu Qingtong pretended not to notice and patted the little assistant on the shoulder, saying: “Let’s go, let’s go.”
As she watched Gu Qingtong’s retreating figure, Yan Chi’s eyes lowered slightly, hiding a hint of amusement in them.
Can she escape now? Can she avoid it tonight?
When Gu Qingtong arrived at the control room, she discovered that there was no issue with her microphone. It turned out that the director’s team had planned a hidden task for her.
Upon hearing this news, Gu Qingtong suddenly realized why the program team seemed so merciful earlier, only assigning money-making tasks without any malicious intentions as the mainline missions. It turned out there were hidden tasks as well!
“Why did I receive the task instead of teacher Yan?” Gu Qingtong muttered, obviously, each pair only had one person receiving such tasks to prank the other for the show’s effect.
In his heart, Director Bu thought, of course, it’s because no one dares to approach teacher Yan. But he justified it with a strong tone: “At the beginning, all three of them in your group chose you, so naturally, you are the one doing the task.”
Upon closer consideration, Gu Qingtong realized the reasoning behind it and didn’t continue to question. However, when she saw the task prop, her face instantly changed, and she looked at the program team in horror: “Director Bu! You… you!”
Even if these few pieces of paper turned into ashes, Gu Qingtong could still recognize them. Weren’t these the fanfiction she wrote when she pretended to be a fan of the on-screen couple in the past? At that time, to prove that she was indeed a fan of the main couple, she even handed several pieces to Director Bu like submitting an assignment.
She never thought that he would keep them until now!!
“Don’t be nervous. It seems that no one else knows about this.”
Director Bu had a bright smile as he shared Gu Qingtong’s fanfiction story about the drama CP on the set with the staff and the audience.
“This is the fanfiction for the CP that Qingtong wrote at that time. I took a look, and she indeed has great talent. Come on, Qingtong, read it for everyone,” Director Bu said as he pushed the papers toward Gu Qingtong.
Gu Qingtong quickly stepped back a few steps, using her whole body to express her refusal: “I’d rather not… “
“It’s okay. If you don’t want to read it, we’ll select some outstanding sections from it during post-production for the audience to enjoy,” Director Bu said with a teasing tone, almost wearing his devious intentions on his face.
“So, what is the task exactly? Are you asking me to write another piece right here on the spot?” Gu Qingtong clearly underestimated the program team’s trickery.
She took the red task card, and to ensure that the audience knew too, she read it out loud: “Please choose any scene from the fanfiction that the program team marked in red and act it out with your CP. If you fail to complete it or get caught, you will be considered a failure and get pranked.”
As she spoke, her voice began to tremble. After all, that fanfiction came from her own hands, and she knew exactly what was in it.
Gu Qingtong was the type of person who struggled even to write an 800-word essay, but at that time, she went all out to gain everyone’s trust, carefully studying many fanfictions. She borrowed the best elements from various works and managed to create a few thousand words of a decent story.
Even now, those plot lines were imprinted in her DNA!
Because the original CP in the drama had a tragic ending, never knowing about each other’s feelings, Gu Qingtong decided to make up for this “regret” in her fanfiction. In that story, she wrote a touching and passionate confession scene, where the male lead confessed his feelings to the female lead, and she responded by kissing him passionately.
They left their restrictive families together and started a sweet cohabitation life. Everyone knew the situation with fanfiction; once they discovered the obsession of affectionate moments and….intimate scenes, Gu Qingtong immediately followed suit and surpassed the original works.
Thinking that if she wrote one kiss, she could write multiple kisses openly and extend the word count with similar plot lines. So, she arranged kissing scenes everywhere above the neck for the two main characters. As she continued to write, she couldn’t help but add more kissing scenes.
However, when she thought about selecting clips for the audience to watch, Gu Qingtong’s blood pressure skyrocketed. She was relieved that she didn’t write anything inappropriate initially. The scenes marked in red…could it be those scenes?! Gu Qingtong’s just-relieved breath quickly tensed up again. She no longer found the original drafts bothersome and eagerly picked them up to examine closely. Director Bu had carefully made copies and marked the key points without damaging the original manuscripts, ensuring that this classic work would be preserved and perpetuated.
Looking at it, all the marked parts were the words “kissing” and “kisses”, just like the red-lock word detection of a certain green software. Gu Qingtong could barely stand it and directly asked Director Bu: “Just tell me straight, are there any other options besides kissing?!”
Director Bu looked quite innocent and said: “Yes, the most classic confession under the tree is also marked in red.”
“So, the options are only kissing or confessing?” Gu Qingtong took a deep breath, trying to suppress the urge to tear Director Bu apart. No wonder they came to her for the hidden task. If Yan Chi were here today, they definitely wouldn’t dare to say a word.
Director Bu didn’t deny it, still smiling at Gu Qingtong: “Who made you write such an outstanding fanfiction? After reading these, I deeply feel that our show can only become popular by following this trend. Hugging and cuddling are too weak.”
“What’s the punishment for failing?” Gu Qingtong asked helplessly.
“If you don’t complete the task or are caught by the other person when the prank is about to happen, then tomorrow the program team will choose another fanfiction for the “Silent Gaze” CP, and teacher Yan will take on the task.”
The last sentence hit Gu Qingtong like a wake-up call, sealing off all her retreats. Who knows what more extreme plot lines the other CP fanfictions might have? And with Yan Chi’s impulsive personality, Gu Qingtong felt that she might actually do what the task required.
Gu Qingtong could only compromise and say: “Fine… I’ll take on the task. Kissing is impossible, so what are the rules for the tree confession?”
Director Bu had known all along that by presenting two undesirable options, Gu Qingtong would choose the lesser of the two evils. That’s why he arranged so many various red-marked kissing scenes.
“It’s just like what you wrote. Walk with teacher Yan to a tree, say the confession line, and see her reaction. That’s all,” Director Bu explained.
Gu Qingtong quickly picked up her fanfiction and glanced at it. She saw that she had arranged for the male lead to say the following line:
[There’s something I’ve never had the courage to say, I… like you.]
Looking at this line, Gu Qingtong felt distressed again. Why did this confession sound so serious and formal?! And when spoken from her own mouth, it didn’t seem out of place.
Seeing Gu Qingtong’s obvious unwillingness, Director Bu was very understanding and said: “Not willing? It’s okay; our program team is very generous. You can choose any one of the sixteen kissing scenes from earlier.”
“No need,” Gu Qingtong replied.
From the various forced kissing scenes earlier, Gu Qingtong had learned one thing: No matter the reason for being close together, as long as the audience saw them kissing, they would be thrilled. From then on, they would gossip that they had kissed in real life, and screenshots would continue to mislead new fans.
If it was a fake confession, everyone, from the program team to the audience, would know that the two of them had just met, so how could they confess so quickly? Everyone was just doing this for fun, and no one would take it seriously.
Thinking about this, the difference in importance became clear.
“In that case, let’s go with the tree confession…but can I tell teacher Yan the reason and consequences of this after completing the task?” Gu Qingtong negotiated with the program team.
Of course, Gu Qingtong knew that Yan Chi, with her keen perception, couldn’t possibly be unaware of the reason behind her sudden confession on the show. She wanted to clarify it immediately, primarily due to those “turn a deaf ear to the rules, focus only on indulging in the sweetness.” CP fans. The program team also didn’t want to prank Yan Chi too harshly, so they agreed to her request.
Gu Qingtong couldn’t help but feel a bit itchy. Was this the treatment of a top star? Bringing out Yan Chi’s name was that effective?
Finally, after negotiating with the program team, Gu Qingtong memorized the confession line in her heart. On her way back, she didn’t forget to change out of her skiing clothes in the dressing room before finding Yan Chi.
Luckily, Yan Chi seemed to have lost interest after being interrupted earlier, so she didn’t wait for Gu Qingtong in the dressing room. Thus, Gu Qingtong smoothly passed that hurdle.
When she reunited with Yan Chi again, it was already half an hour later.
Yan Chi leisurely glanced at Gu Qingtong’s attire before asking: “What did the program team want from you?”
After a moment of being stunned, Gu Qingtong finally realized that Yan Chi was trying to trick her. Fortunately, she remembered that the program team had approached her because of the malfunctioning microphone. She pretended to be clueless and replied: “Huh? Didn’t they say it was because of the microphone issue?”
Yan Chi casually brushed off the matter, saying: “I waited for quite a while, and I forgot about it for a moment.”
Gu Qingtong, afraid that Yan Chi might actually discover something, urged: “Teacher Yan, let’s hurry up and earn the money to stay at the hot spring hotel. Otherwise, we’ll have to sleep in the program team’s car tonight.”
“So, what’s your plan for this task?”
Upon hearing the word “task,” Gu Qingtong reflexively got startled, thinking about the hidden task again, and realized she was overly worried about failing.
She shook her head and replied: “Seems like I don’t have any good ideas…”
Yan Chi seemed unbothered by the program team’s interference and spoke calmly: “Then follow me. I’ve already figured out how to do it.”
Gu Qingtong had no idea when Yan Chi had made the plan. They were all busy with their tasks earlier, and she had no clue at all.
But since someone had already arranged it, Gu Qingtong naturally wouldn’t refuse. She obediently followed behind Yan Chi, pondering about her hidden task in her mind. She figured she might have to wait until they finished the main task of earning money to tackle the hidden task…..
Unlike the other guests who went to the program team’s arranged shooting locations, which were closed off to tourists in advance, the place Yan Chi brought Gu Qingtong and the cameraman to was a genuine tourist area. It was a high platform on Mist Mountain, where many tourists would come to overlook the sea of clouds. At this moment, while other famous scenic spots were closed for the program’s filming, this place had even more people.
Yan Chi, Gu Qingtong, and the cameraman’s presence naturally attracted the attention of many passersby, and they quickly recognized Yan Chi. However, perhaps due to the filming going on in the back, no one dared to come up close to greet them; they all watched from afar.
On the platform, there were not only tourists but also photographers, young students sketching, and small vendors selling mineral water and snacks. Gu Qingtong looked around and couldn’t figure out how Yan Chi planned to make money.
Then, Yan Chi looked up and her gaze fell on two enthusiastic art students who were sketching her with excitement in their eyes. She smiled and walked over to talk to them for a while.
“Could it be that teacher Yan can also draw?” Watching from a distance, Gu Qingtong and the cameraman exchanged surprised glances, feeling even more convinced that Yan Chi was simply capable of anything.
Those two students seemed to be Yan Chi’s fans, and their faces turned red as they were talking to her. After listening to what Yan Chi said, they nodded and shook their heads, looking extremely excited.
When Yan Chi returned, she was carrying several items in her hands. Seeing this, Gu Qingtong rushed to offer help but was declined by Yan Chi, leaving her standing empty-handed and curious.
She brought back two foldable chairs and a set of sketching tools, including a drawing board, paper, and brushes, all ready for use.
“You…want to make money by drawing?” Though Gu Qingtong had some vague expectations, seeing the setup in front of her still left her astonished.
“These are rented. I know a bit about sketching, so I thought I could draw portraits for the tourists,” Yan Chi’s voice remained calm, as if she was merely stating an ordinary matter. “Come and sit in front of me.”
“Me?” Gu Qingtong was surprised when asked to sit down, but then she realized that without a demonstration of her skills, nobody would likely approach them. So she straightened herself up and felt a bit excited to see what Yan Chi would create.
As she sat there, Gu Qingtong noticed that while Yan Chi wanted her as a model, most of the time she seemed to be glancing at her briefly before focusing on the canvas. She skillfully wielded the brush, completely engrossed in the process.
It seems like…she has long been accustomed to drawing this face?
