Translator: Moonlit
Editor: kiki
The director didn’t want to offend anyone, but Jiang Zirong was his guest, and now he had to bear the consequences.
If it weren’t for the need for ratings, he wouldn’t be in this dilemma now.
In the entertainment industry, you really couldn’t exploit the conflicts between stars, or the headache would ultimately fall on the backstage workers making the decisions.
This time, it was the director’s own doing, and he had to suffer the consequences himself.
In the beginning, Chu Ruochun didn’t provoke Jiang Zirong; it was Jiang Zirong who had been targeting him, even forming factions within the production team, repeatedly trying to discuss her use of witchcraft with him. So naturally, he was willing to let her have her way. Unfortunately, Jiang Zirong couldn’t bear the consequences after he exposed her.
The director was extremely frustrated, and the recording of the program was suspended for half an hour. He sent someone downstairs to buy coffee and had it delivered.
Jiang Zirong was so angry that her face twitched slightly, but Chu Ruochun didn’t let her threats affect him in the slightest.
The fact that such an incident occurred during the recording was no longer the most important issue. What mattered now was that it seriously disrupted the progress of the program’s recording.
The conflicts between artists should have been resolved by themselves, but the director also had an undeniable responsibility today. If he hadn’t put the two of them together, it wouldn’t have escalated to this point.
Although it seemed that Feng Qi and Chu Ruochun were not on good terms before, Feng Qi was now firmly on Chu Ruochun’s side.
Externally, Jiang Zirong marketed herself as a modern woman with a good temper, high education, and great wisdom. Her current yelling and screaming completely contradicted the image she had built for herself.
However, she was angry but dared not approach Chu Ruochun.
While the director was comforting Jiang Zirong, Chu Ruochun used the rose stamp in front of him to create a pattern.
Feng Qi was clearly standing on Chu Ruochun’s side: “What are you doing?”
Chu Ruochun asked him in return: “Do you know what the blindfold technique is?”
Feng Qi replied, “What do you mean?”
Chu Ruochun pointed to his own eyes: “The blindfold technique is about obscuring someone’s vision, preventing them from seeing the true nature or origin of things.”
Feng Qi seemed to understand his meaning.
Chu Ruochun sat down beside him and asked in a low voice, “Do you want to know what Jiang Zirong looks like?”
Most of the people on the recording set were watching Chu Ruochun closely. He infuriated Jiang Zirong, but he himself sat as if nothing had happened, waiting for the director to finish communicating with Jiang Zirong. It didn’t look like he was a newcomer who had just entered the entertainment industry. Could it be that he relied on Feng Qi? But they were from different companies, so it shouldn’t be the case.
Feng Qi, on the other hand, had never been too concerned about the opinions of the outside world. He made friends with whomever he wanted to, and he would never follow the crowd just because of a few words from others. Currently, he has a public friendship with other artists in the entertainment industry, and his reputation is quite good.
He would rather stand by Chu Ruochun, which indicated that he believed in him. This diminished the trust and sympathy that people had for Jiang Zirong.
Feng Qi was like an unmovable pillar, and even if Jiang Zirong got angry, she would be cautious about it. She wouldn’t actually refuse to continue recording, but rather, she wanted to assert her status in front of Chu Ruochun. She just didn’t expect that Chu Ruochun didn’t care at all about the so-called status in the entertainment industry. Instead, he confronted her face-to-face, which made her deliberately display her anger.
Feng Qi had no positive feelings whatsoever toward Jiang Zirong. He saw it very clearly; it was Jiang Zirong who provoked Chu Ruochun first. She was using the protective instincts of others towards vulnerable groups to put Chu Ruochun in a difficult situation. Feng Qi had no goodwill towards such a scheming person.
“Isn’t that how she looks like? Can she change?” Feng Qi only had a rose-shaped seal in his hand, making him appear somewhat pitiful.
“Don’t you believe what I just said?” Chu Ruochun asked with a smile in his eyes.
Clearly, despite Feng Qi having some fondness for Chu Ruochun, he still held onto certain beliefs, not entirely trusting everything she said.
“My imagination isn’t that rich yet. I can understand female celebrities getting plastic surgery, but how could I see her original appearance right here and now? Even if I were to splash water on her, it wouldn’t work. Nowadays, makeup products are waterproof.” Feng Qi was still curious. How would Chu Ruochun manage to show him Jiang Zirong’s original appearance in such a short time? Had she shown him a photo from before she had plastic surgery?
“Do you think she had plastic surgery?” Chu Ruochun shook his head. “She didn’t have plastic surgery.”
“Then how can I see her original appearance?” Feng Qi felt like he was giving Chu Ruochun a challenge, and he rather enjoyed this kind of interaction with him. It was particularly intriguing.
“You’ll see it very soon,” Chu Ruochun teased.
At this moment, Jiang Zirong finished her discussion with the director. She returned to her seat, using the excuse of being magnanimous and not wanting to argue further with Chu Ruochun, who was a junior in the industry.
Jiang Zirong did want Chu Ruochun to publicly apologize to her, but when she mentioned it to the director, he seemed hesitant.
The cameras faithfully recorded that it was indeed Jiang Zirong who had provoked Chu Ruochun first.
The show continued to be recorded.
Chu Ruochun was sitting next to Feng Qi, and just before the official recording began, he whispered, “Keep an eye on the person across from you, Feng ge, and whatever you do, don’t blink.”
There was a faint scent of sandalwood, and Feng Qi’s nose twitched slightly. When he visited his hometown in the past, there was also a scent of sandalwood at home, but he always found it particularly unpleasant. However, today, he felt that even his own perfume was outshone by it, and it smelled somewhat pleasant.
“I don’t think we’ll see much, at most, she’ll remove some makeup, right?” Feng Qi blinked, becoming more inclined to believe that Jiang Zirong had simply undergone a full-body makeover.
Chu Ruochun said, “Seeing is believing.”
Suddenly, Feng Qi wasn’t so eager to know the truth anymore. He felt that Chu Ruochun had something mischievous in his eyes.
The recording began.
Chu Ruochun casually manipulated the rose-shaped seal in front of him, tapping it gently at the center. In an instant, invisible ripples spread throughout the entire recording set.
The attention of the six guests remained fixed on the screen, but the director, the recording director, and even the director’s expressions were gradually changing!
Who was this person sitting among the guests!
One of the more timid recording directors let out a scream!
“Director!”
“Wow, did we switch people?”
“But she’s wearing Jiang Zirong’s dress, and her entire appearance hasn’t changed.”
“Is this really Jiang Zirong?”
“Why does she look so ugly!”
“What is this thing?”
At this moment, Jiang Zirong’s true appearance was gradually revealed to everyone, while she confidently evaluated the men and women in the “Love Cottage.”
She had small eyes, high cheekbones, thick lips, and crooked teeth, and her face was covered in small pimples. Her chest had flattened, and her emaciated figure struggled to fill out the designer dress she was wearing!
Her arms were also covered in densely packed pustules, and those with trypophobia had already covered their eyes, unable to bear looking!
Ahh! Help!
They didn’t discriminate against people with average looks, but now it wasn’t just an eyesore; it was a catastrophic eyesore.
What on earth was happening?
And now, the most affected were not the staff members but the guests seated with Jiang Zirong, and the first among them to be impacted was Feng Qi.
Out of respect for Jiang Zirong’s status, the director had deliberately arranged for her to sit opposite Feng Qi.
Feng Qi’s scalp tingled. How had the person across from him transformed so drastically when he had just looked up?
Yes, Jiang Zirong seemed like she had changed her skin.
Chu Ruochun turned his head slightly and gave Feng Qi a look and a glance that said, ‘Isn’t it beautiful?’
Feng Qi clenched his fist tightly, fearing that he might show a disgusted expression. His upbringing didn’t allow him to do so. He averted his gaze, unable to look at the person opposite him.
He really couldn’t, so he turned to look at Chu Ruochun’s profile, trying to cleanse his eyes. Sitting across from Jiang Zirong was simply too much for his stomach to handle!
However, Feng Qi and Chu Ruochun managed to withstand the visual shock, but the other guests were facing such a sudden transformation for the first time. He Yanlang, who had just finished a cup of coffee, immediately spat it out.
“Ew!”
Tang Yujia let out a direct scream!
“Ah!”
Professor Zhao, being a bit older, held his chest and asked his assistant for medicine, “Oh my, Xiaochen, the medicine, medicine, medicine!”
The recording had completely come to a halt.
Jiang Zirong didn’t need to discover it; everyone’s reactions were proving one thing. They saw her and experienced emotions like nausea, screaming, and more. She touched her own face and lowered her head to look at her own body, and even she was startled enough to scream.
“How, how did I become like this?”
Right in front of her was a glass mirror that could reflect her face, and she saw her current self!
Where was her perfect face?
What about her figure that all the women in the entertainment industry envied? This flat, mediocre body with no curves wasn’t hers!
“This isn’t me, ah, this isn’t me!”
Jiang Zirong glared at Chu Ruochun, who was sitting calmly in his seat, more composed than anyone else.
“Is it you? Chu Ruochun, is it you? You did this to me!”
“Chu Ruochun, I, Jiang Zirong, will never reconcile with you in this lifetime!”
Chu Ruochun watched her descend into madness and said, “Miss Jiang, this is your true appearance. Why can’t you face it? Is it because you haven’t seen your real self for so long? Your transformation is even more powerful than beauty filters or Photoshop. Facing your true self shouldn’t be that difficult.”
“You’re spouting nonsense!”
Chu Ruochun no longer wanted to argue with someone who was so obstinate. “Tell the person who changed your appearance for you that their moral compass is too far off, and they shouldn’t always dabble in unorthodox methods. Someday, they will face the consequences of their actions. Also, tell them that they might not have been dealt with before, but now there’s time, and they will be dealt with. This is my advice.”
He gently tapped the rose-shaped seal on the table, retracting the released energy, and suddenly, everyone’s vision seemed to return to normal.
Jiang Zirong reverted to the appearance that the public recognized.
People shook their heads and started gossiping.
“Did any of you see something strange just now?”
“It seemed like it.”
“Jiang Zirong just…”
“But her face is normal now, and her figure is too!”
“So, what just happened?”
“She started arguing with Chu Ruochun again. She’s so strange, every time something goes wrong, she thinks Chu Ruochun is behind it!”
“Does she have something to hide?”
“Can someone tell me what just happened? Did my eyes play tricks on me?”
“Maybe… we encountered a ghost?”
The director couldn’t take it anymore. “There are no ghosts in the world!”
“Perhaps Jiang Zirong is an alien?”
“But Chu Ruochun said that the person behind her has a low moral compass,” someone mentioned.
The director hushed them, saying, “Quiet.”
After Jiang Zirong’s perfect face and figure had returned, she glared angrily at Chu Ruochun and stood up again.
This time, she was really not going to continue recording!
She left the recording set without looking back, and the director dared not stop her. Her manager was still in a state of bewilderment, repeatedly apologizing to the director.
Recording accidents had occurred repeatedly on the set, and the show’s staff members were on the verge of going crazy.
No one knew what to do at this point. The staff looked at the director, and the director looked at Chu Ruochun and Feng Qi, who were sitting among the guests.
During Jiang Zirong’s “transformation,” Chu Ruochun and Feng Qi remained the calmest among the guests.
Chu Ruochun received a pleading look from the director and once again took control of the situation. He lifted the coffee cup in front of him, which still had warmth, and took a sip. “Director, should we continue recording?”
The dark magic Jiang Zirong had used had been broken, and after today, it wouldn’t work anymore. Chu Ruochun’s target was the person behind her.
The director gritted his teeth. “Continue, continue, continue!”
The startled guests regained their composure and resumed recording. Everything that had just happened felt like a dream. They couldn’t tell if it was reality or if reality had abandoned them.
The rest of the episode was recorded smoothly. Except for Chu Ruochun and Feng Qi, the other guests seemed like they were sleepwalking. Fortunately, there was a script, and people in the entertainment industry had some acting skills. Completing the recording was not a problem.
After the re-recording, Chu Ruochun didn’t bring up the matter of the fourth male guest’s marital status, whether he was married or not. Instead, after the recording, the director specifically asked Chu Ruochun to have a chat in the conference room.
“Um, Ruochun, please don’t dwell on the things that might have offended you earlier.”
“Director, you’re exaggerating,” Chu Ruochun replied, his tone unchanged from start to finish.
“Is the matter with the fourth male guest true or false?” The director wasn’t even sure if the information he had initially received was true or false.
“It would be clear if you investigate his hometown,” Chu Ruochun replied, handing back the small microphone hidden in his collar. “I remember that in my country, even hosting a wedding banquet is considered a form of marriage, and it’s legally recognized.”
The director slapped his forehead. “I’m such a dimwit! I understand now. Thank you for pointing that out.”
“Can’t really call it pointing out, people are often deceived by appearances and lies,” Chu Ruochun said. “Director, if there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”
“I’ll walk you out!” The director was quite respectful.
Chu Ruochun chuckled, “Director, there’s really no need. I’m only nineteen, not ninety.”
The director, who was only thirty, sighed.
㇐
After leaving the recording set, Chu Ruochun and Yang Ran prepared to leave, and Chu Ruochun was somewhat disappointed to find that Feng Qi had already left earlier.
However, when he arrived at the parking lot, he realized that their car was still in its original spot.
Chu Ruochun walked over and knocked on the car window, and Feng Qi’s assistant opened the door.
Before opening the car door, they hadn’t heard any sounds from inside, but once the door was open, Feng Qi’s current condition was evident. He was huddled over a trash can, vomiting as if he wanted to empty his entire stomach.
“Are you alright?”
Feng Qi waved his hand, and his assistant explained, “Feng ge has trypophobia!”
Chu Ruochun felt a bit remorseful. “I didn’t consider everything. I’m sorry.”
Feng Qi rinsed his mouth with a bottle of water, giving Chu Ruochun a sly look, a hint of mischievous triumph in his expression, and no sign of remorse.
After catching his breath, he finally spoke, “I’ve realized that meeting you is never a good thing.”
Chu Ruochun pondered for a moment. “Well, it’s not entirely true. Without me, you might be in even worse situations.”
Feng Qi made way for him and said, “Come on, let me treat you to lunch.”
Chu Ruochun teased, “Can you still eat after that?”
“Don’t mention it,” Feng Qi rubbed his forehead.
His assistant chimed in, “Feng ge hasn’t been eating well lately. The food on the set is terrible, and the accommodations are basic.”
Chu Ruochun hopped into Feng Qi’s car, saying, “You guys are making a love story, and it’s this troublesome? Don’t love stories usually feature luxurious homes?”
The assistant replied, “It’s not like that. We’re shooting an artistic romance film.”
Chu Ruochun chuckled, “I must have had the wrong impression. Will there be those kinds of scenes?”
The assistant’s eyes lit up. “Yes, yes, yes! There will be bed scenes and kissing scenes!”
Chu Ruochun looked at Feng Qi with excitement. “Feng ge, you’re quite impressive.”
Feng Qi, who hadn’t acted in kissing scenes yet, felt a bit discriminated against but had no evidence. He felt a bit anxious at the thought of having to face the actress’s lips in the upcoming scenes. He shouldn’t have accepted this script. He thought about talking to the director to see if they could skip the kissing scenes and use a body double.
He didn’t want to dwell on the topic of the new movie and shifted the conversation, “What do you want to eat? My treat.”
Chu Ruochun remembered that Chu Ruolin had mentioned craving junk food a couple of days ago and said, “I want some french fries.”
Feng Qi was quite surprised, “Nothing else?”
Chu Ruochun shook his head, “Just this. A friend of mine asked me the same question before, and I said I wanted fries.”
Feng Qi remarked, “And he didn’t treat you to fries?”
Chu Ruochun nodded, “No, he didn’t.”
Feng Qi commented, “He’s really stingy.”
Chu Ruochun agreed, “Yes, very stingy. So, when I see him again, I must make him treat me to fries.”
During their conversation, the assistant quickly disposed of the trash from the garbage can, and then the car started.
Of course, Feng Qi didn’t take Chu Ruochun to a fast-food joint for fries; he took him to a Western restaurant where the fries were much better.
Chu Ruochun stared at the freshly cooked fries in front of him and fell into silence.
Feng Qi pushed a small fork and some ketchup toward him, saying, “I’ve been to this place before. Their fries are really crispy. Give them a try.”
Chu Ruochun picked up the fork and pierced a golden fry. It was indeed crispy and mouthwatering.
He closed his eyes in satisfaction, “Delicious.”
Feng Qi, seeing him enjoying the food, also felt hungry and said, “If you want to have them again, I’ll treat you.”
Chu Ruochun nodded, “Alright, you better keep your promise.”
Feng Qi emphasized, “I’ve always been a person of my word.”
Chu Ruochun didn’t comment on that. He looked up at Feng Qi and pierced another fry, thinking to himself, “Well, you haven’t been that reliable either.”
But the fries were really delicious.
After lunch, Feng Qi had to return to the film set; he had only taken a day off. Before getting into the car, Chu Ruochun handed him a small jade pendant engraved with charms.
“This is a token of appreciation for treating me to fries,” Chu Ruochun said.
Feng Qi accepted it without any pretense. This gift was neither too extravagant nor too cheap. He decided to prepare a more valuable gift in return.
Finally, Chu Ruochun hesitated for a moment and added, “Feng ge, please don’t accept any kissing scenes.”
Feng Qi pursed his lips, looking at Chu Ruochun’s fair, beautiful, and gentle face. He paused for a moment and replied, “I’ll think about it.”
Chu Ruochun was indeed fond of him!
