All the penallists in the room were dumbfounded. With a heavy tone, Zhong Zeyuan spoke, "Our production team received ...
All the penallists in the room were dumbfounded.
With a heavy tone, Zhong Zeyuan spoke, "Our production team received a verified report fifteen minutes ago. It claims that one of our male participants, Chen Kaiwei, was already in a relationship before filming began and never broke up."
[!!!]
[what......]
[……]
[Holy sh!t, Chen Kaiwei is trending! His ex-girlfriend showed up in person to expose him—go look!]
[D@mn!]
The livestream camera had already turned towards Zhong Zeyuan.
He bowed solemnly to the camera.
"I apologise. As the chief director, I've failed to investigate the backgrounds of our cabin guests properly."
"We will immediately verify this matter with Chen Kaiwei. No more footage of him will be aired before he clarifies these things."
"Now, let me return the livestream feed to our panellists' observation room."
Zhong Zeyuan bowed—an executive producer had to apologise to the entire audience live on air.
This scene was something unheard of.
The comments on the live stream exploded.
The chief director had announced that a dating show participant was secretly in a relationship—so Chen Kaiwei had never been single after all… The CP that fans had emotionally rooted for suddenly became a joke.
The show had crashed entirely because of this!
Realising what had happened, viewers were furious and ready to vent their anger.
But when the camera turned to Yang Xueni, her face was frozen in disbelief.
She was already exhausted today, her make-up barely concealing her dark circles, and now, she had lost all control of her expression.
The shame and anger she currently felt had welled up from the sting of betrayal and misplaced trust!
She was consumed by an overwhelming suspicion and disbelief that she could have been so blind!
These feelings had made her feel that her whole world had turned upside down...
There were too many emotions swirling inside her for her to count.
Yang Xueni still couldn't believe it. "Director Zhong, are you sure?"
Instantly, even the viewers ready to criticise the show fell silent when they heard this question.
[Good grief, she's literally me right now — her angry face is even more expressive than mine!]
[...Seeing Sister Xueni, I suddenly don't feel mad anymore.]
[Even the guest teachers from the show have been fooled by him. Hm, I guess I can make peace with this now.]
[I just lost a favourite CP, but Teacher Yang Xueni has basically signed her life away with a life-saving agreement!]
[hhh!]
Yang Xueni was clearly very upset.
Just a moment ago, she was about to confront Bao Ruanruan and demand that she apologise to Chen Kaiwei.
But now... For Chen Kaiwei to be identified as a scumbag?
If he was a scumbag, then what does that make her?
In the previous few episodes, she praised him, calling him a gentleman with good morals. She had also made a bet with Bao Ruanruan, arguing firmly based on reason, and even agreeing to harsh terms of 'agreeing to help Bao Ruanruan with one matter' and 'not laying hands on her'...
The audience should have been the angry ones, but Yang Xueni was even angrier and more hurt than they.
She was practically the spokesperson for all the wronged viewers—the very embodiment of the live stream comments!
"Director Zhong, this isn't a joke—we're live right now!"
Then came Zhong Zeyuan's voice.
"He's already trending on Weibo."
"Li Xuan from the cabin and a woman claiming to be Chen Kaiwei's girlfriend have both released chat logs accusing him of wrongdoing."
Yang Xueni: "!"
"Can you give my assistant the mobile phone? I want to look at them immediately."
[+1!]
Yang Xueni took the phone and immediately lowered her head to check the logs.
The live broadcast camera even zoomed in on her.
— Chat logs between his girlfriend and Chen Kaiwei on Qixi📹
.
— Prenatal check-up records showing she's four months pregnant.
— A chat record from three weeks ago when he broke up with her.
— Screenshots of Chen Kaiwei casually admitting to hooking up and cheating in his friend circle.
— The text message in which Chen Kaiwei confessed to Li Xuan on the same day.
[I've become numb! Scumbag!]
[Holy sh*t, how dare he!]
[Didn't his classmate say he was a pure, straight guy who'd never dated before?!]
[So he was just playing us!]
[Well, d@mn, he's juggling three1 at once!]
Yang Xueni: "...!"
Her expression showed that she had been tricked, causing her world to collapse, and she began to doubt her 'three views2', was immediately captured in a live close-up.
[She's literally me.]
[Poor Sister Xueni.]
The live camera panned across the panellist's table.
Jiang Xu, who had constantly praised Chen Kaiwei, was equally conflicted and embarrassed.
Qu Feifei, who had previously had an 'auntie smile3'' on her face, was now gritting her teeth in rage.
Xiao Qi and Zhou Minwen, who had been eating melon4, were completely stunned as they watched a juicy scandal unfold.
And then there was Bao Ruanruan, whose expression practically said, 'I knew it!' and 'Thank goodness I dodged that disaster'.
If you looked closely, you wouldn't see a trace of surprise in her eyes.
She was calm and composed as she took her thermos and sipped water leisurely.
She even had the presence of mind to wonder if her job was about to go down the drain.
"So… are we still filming this show?"
Bao Ruanruan wasn't dumb; after a moment's thought, a hint of worry appeared on her face.
Just an hour ago, she had been delivering a 'job-hunting speech' on the show, hoping that directors from other productions would take notice of her.
And now, was she about to be out of work because this variety show might be cancelled?
"Do I still need to come next week?"
"Director Zhong, will I still get paid for this episode?"
[! Pfft—hahahahaha!]
[Bao Ruanruan: Yay, I was right, he really is a scumbag… three seconds later: D@mn it, that scumbag's making me lose money!]
[Why must Prophet Bao Ruanruan suffer such worldly misery?]
[I'm dying of laughter — Bao Ruanruan, you're such a corporate livestock5! Turns out we're the same kind of people… I only care if I'm still getting paid, hehe.]
Zhong Zeyuan: "...!"
"Next week, we just happen to be introducing a fourth male guest."
"Oh," Bao Ruanyuan relaxed instantly. "Then it's fine."
However, she soon looked into the camera with solemn empathy.
"Take my advice: toxic waste should be buried early, for everyone's safety."
"Just like bacteria…"
She picked up the bottle of alcohol-based hand sanitiser on the table again.
"Easily wiped away, zero burden."
"Keeping you safe wherever you go!"
[Pfft, Bao Ruanruan, you're such a perfect brand ambassador.]
[Kiddo Ruan: "I told you so, but you wouldn't listen! Break up quickly and wash your hands quickly!"]
[Kiddo Ruan stands undefeated. I just bought the same hand sanitiser.]
[Xiao Bao: "D@mn, that rotten scumbag stinks! ...What? It doesn't affect my income? Fine, bury him, it's over, everyone disperse6!"]
[Just bought three more bottles of hand sanitisers ~~~]
As the host, Jiang Xu no longer knew what to say.
Yang Xueni sat there in a daze, unable to form a single coherent sentence.
Her mind was in a complete mess.
Chen Kaiwei was a scumbag.
Yet just last month, Lu Wenyao had sent her a personal message saying that Chen Kaiwei was his friend and asking her to speak well of him on the show. He also asked her to invite him to dinner with Yuxin if possible.
"!"
At that thought, Yang Xueni felt her soul leave her body.
A scumbag's friend—what would that make him?
"Some beasts are social animals," Bao Ruanruan explained kindly. "For example, lions and wolves."
And werewolves.
Yang Xueni: "...!"
She was completely losing it.
This episode finally ended amid a flood of on-screen comments urging people to 'buy, buy, buy' the hand sanitiser.
Bao Ruanruan was very worried about whether this dating show would survive.
However, Xue Jing wasn't worried at all.
He spent some time watching the livestream, during which he saw her play with great flair — sometimes acting as the 'prophet', sometimes pretending to be a 'villager', and sometimes even having others sign 'life-saving agreements' with her.ℹ️
She had the power to make the audience's hearts rise and fall.
Just like riding a rollercoaster, with all its ups and downs.
She had single-handedly taken all the highlights of the dating show for herself.
Xue Jing raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly.
Then he opened the notes app on his phone and wrote:
— Likes libraries.
— Dislikes amusement parks.
He then informed the dating show that Bao Ruanruan would be withdrawing from recording the dating show.
"We only signed a minimum contract of three episodes."
"We can leave anytime."
Xue Jing explained.
Chen Feng chuckled. "The production team wanted you to renew before, but Brother Xue never agreed."
Really, you just hammered Chen Kaiwei to death and ran8.
Chen Feng sneaked a glance at Xue Jing, half-suspecting that the hammered melon9 had been leaked by him.
The Chen family in Nancheng was undoubtedly to be so lively10 right now.
"Hmm, that's fine too."
Bao Ruanruan thought about it and decided that staying away from scumbags wasn't a bad idea either.
"I'll accept the arrangement given by the organisation ~"
Before dropping the girl off at Beijiao No.1 Residence, Xue Jing sent her a link to an online film appreciation course.
"After finishing the lecture, write a 500-word reflection and send it to me. I'll check it."
Bao Ruanruan: "???"
Why did life have to pick on her, this little meow-meow?
That night, Chen Kaiwei's identity as a wealthy second-generation heir was dug up on Weibo, and his pregnant girlfriend even exposed screenshots of his friend group's chat logs.
——Chen Chenchen: @LWY, Brother Lu, I'm counting on you for this show. If it works out, I'll increase our purchases from your company next year.
——LWY: Don't worry.
In an instant,
Themelon-eating4 netizens turned into Conan themselves.
[Purchasing? Brother Lu? The Lu Corporation???]
[! LWY... Lu Wenyao?]
[D@mn! The evil forces of capital!]
[Fun fact: Jiang Xu, who kept praising him on the show, has close ties with Huantai's artists. Huantai belongs to the Lu family.]
[...A nest of snakes and rats!]
Very soon, a video editing expert sarcastically edited a video.
Bao Ruanruan's remarks criticising the scumbag on the show were spliced together with this chat record. After thorough analysis, they concluded that, when she caused a scene at the engagement, Bao Ruanruan had indeed encountered the scumbag's friend — who was also a scumbag!
[F**k.]
[No wonder! I knew she had a sharp eye for spotting scumbags!]
[We should @TangYuxin here!]
[@LuWenyao, come out and explain yourself!]
The trending hashtag #LuWenyaoAndChenKaiweiAreATwo-ScumbagPair# shot to the top spot on the internet.
But it was taken down soon after.
[...It has been hammered11.]
[Your heart looks way too weak12, President Lu.]
[......For Bao Ruanruan, the truth has finally come to light.]
All the netizens who had been eating melon4 finally got the picture.
Lu Wenyao was determined not to respond. The reason was simple: he was a coward!
In the Lu Group's conference room—
Even at ten at night, the lights were still on.
The room was packed with shareholders and directors of the company.
"All shareholders have voted unanimously."
"We agree to remove Lu Wenyao from his position as president and replace him temporarily with Mr Lu Zhengda."
Lu Zhengda's secretary solemnly announced the decision.
Lu Zhengda nodded. "Send a company-wide email to every employee, and apologise to them."
The group's president had improperly colluded with a business partner behind the company's back.
The company's stock price would undoubtedly drop when the market opened tomorrow because of the scandal.
Meanwhile, Lu Wenyao was sitting in his office with all the lights off.
With his bloodshot eyes, he looked just like a trapped beast.
He hadn't expected Chen Kaiwei to be so foolish… as to leave incriminating messages on a woman's phone.
And now, he had even dragged Lu Wenyao down along with him.
But… he had to stay calm.
He still had a chance!
Only he could inherit the family corporation.
The phone on the desk kept flashing.
— It was an incoming call from Tang Yuxin.
He didn't pick it up.
At the filming set in Yancheng.
"Sis Yuxin, Teacher Yang Xueni just called. She asked you to return her call when you're free."
The assistant girl said after she had hurried over to Yuxin's side.
But when she looked into Tang Yuxin's eyes, she saw they were red and slightly swollen, as if she had been crying.
"Tell her I'll call her later. I'm not feeling well right now."
"Ah—okay."
When the assistant left, Tang Yuxin closed her eyes.
Suddenly, a control panel appeared before her.
[This month's affection ratings from all targets:]
[Lu Wenyao: 85% → 90%]
[Lu Wenhao and his fans: 35% → 30%]
[Yang Xueni and her fans: 82% → 80%]
[Han Mo and his fans: 62% → 60%]
[Qu Feifei and her fans: 75% → 73%]
[Qu Ji'en and his fans: 53% → 51%]
......
[Overall monthly approval: decreased by 3%]
[Penalty: appearance -3% (Bright-water-eyes buff removed, enlarged pores)]
"!"
Tang Yuxin opened her eyes and looked into the mirror.
Her eyes were bloodshot, and her dark circles deep and heavy—no amount of foundation could hide them.
The pores on her face had also enlarged.
[This month's fortune: Refer to the person whose support increased the most.]
[——Lu Wenyao's fortune: has hit rock bottom.]
[Your fortune is plunging rapidly!]
"Sis Yuxin, the director says we have to reshoot all the scenes from the past three days—the producer's not satisfied!"
Her assistant rushed in again.
Tang Yuxin's vision went dark as she gasped sharply.
"Wait—give me my phone first. I'll call Xueni before I go see the director."
[Phone call options.]
[1. Pretend to be strong and say you're fine.]
[2. Hold back your sadness and still ask about Yang Xueni's work.]
[3. Give Yang Xueni some acting advice.]
[4. Scold Lu Wenyao for being a scumbag and cry about your grievances.]
After thinking for a while, she chose option 2.
Tang Yuxin took a deep breath. "Xueni, um, I saw the trending topic... I'm fine. What about you? Has your job on the dating show been affected?"
[Yang Xueni wasn't very impressed. Your support rating has only increased by 0.01%.]
Tang Yuxin: "!"
How could this be?
Before, whenever she spoke that way, it always worked — it used to boost her support rating by at least 0.5 to 1%!
Why didn't it work today?
[You've reached the daily call limit. Further calls won't affect support ratings.]
Tang Yuxin's expression changed.
The next morning, when Bao Ruanruan woke up, she finally saw Yang Xueni fulfil the repeatedly delayed 'pledge to save her life' punishment.
At 2 a.m., Yang Xueni tagged her on Weibo.
"Here are 100 repetitions... Bao Ruanruan, I... I love you."
Yang Xueni uploaded a recording.
In the first repetition, her voice trembled and she spoke very softly.
She even stammered in her confession.
By the hundredth repetition, her voice had grown louder.
It was as if the more she repeated it, the thicker her skin grew — her voice became louder and faster.
Bao Ruanruan: "……"
Listening to this early in the morning is actually quite refreshing.
[BaoRuanruanV replies to YangXueniV: Not bad. Just… don't recite it again next time.]
[BaoRuanruanV replies to YangXueniV: You're going to disturb netizens' sleep.]
[Puhahahaha!]
[I'm dying of laughter!]
[Low EQ comment: "Your line delivery is terrible — are you trying to summon ghosts?" High EQ comment: "Not bad, but I'm worried you'll disturb the netizens."]
[Hhhhhh!]
[Bao Ruanruan's disdain is real — poor Xueni!]
[Can't wait for Xueni and Ruanruan's Assistant to air soon!]
After last night's incident, Yang Xueni's 'Snowman group' also realised one thing:
Most of the online gossip was just catching the wind and grasping at shadows13. Nine rumours out of ten were fake; only one was real.
You really have to trust the true insider in the group — Grandpa Snowman!
"'Fashion Sense', Xiao Baozi. Don't call it a tailoring show… Designers are all quite temperamental."
Sitting in the nanny van, the corner of Chen Feng's mouth couldn't help but twitch.
In the back seat, Xue Jing raised an eyebrow.
Meanwhile, Bao Ruanruan was watching the greenery along the road to rest her eyes.
But every now and then, she would catch a glimpse of the M-brand high heels on her feet.
Her 'bun face' would puff up a little whenever that happened.
She felt as though they could rub through the delicate skin on her heels.
"These are the lowest heels we could find." Chen Feng sighed. "Just bear with it."
The show Fashion Sense is a professional variety programme on Banana TV, where fashion designers and celebrities collaborate to design clothing pieces and sell them to major brands.
This year marks its third season.
In order to overtake Chasing Dream's viewership ratings, the production team went all out this time, especially inviting four top designers from both inside and outside the country.
They also brought in five sponsoring brands to act as judges.
These five brands were all world-renowned, high-end fashion companies.
If a designer–celebrity team's work stood out, the companies would bid on the spot to purchase the design pattern for production.
In previous seasons, the highest bids often reached three to four million yuan.
Like the M-brand shoes that previously gave Bao Ruanruan a brand ambassador collaboration opportunity, this year, they wanted to expand into the field of clothing and bags.
This season, M joined the show as one of the brand judges, participating in the bidding process.
And, in a bold and undisguised move, they slipped their new brand ambassador, Bao Ruanruan, into the show.
Although she didn't really understand fashion, her involvement was intended to give her a 'fashion gold plating14'.
To ensure that their young artist wouldn't experience stage fright during the show,
Xue Jing arranged for a professional stylist to give Bao Ruanruan crash courses in fashion during her recent film appreciation classes.
Bao Ruanruan took notes diligently.
She was really giving it her all — all for the sake of securing a 'safe spot'.
In the past, she would never have worn high heels to record a variety show.
But now, she had wisely learned to find a middle ground.
After casting a patient look at the high heels on her feet, she began rummaging through her bag.
Chen Feng glanced at her through the rearview mirror.
"I've got some invisible band-aids. I'll give you one when we park."
"No need."
Bao Ruanruan fiddled around for a while.
Finally, she pulled out a pair of thin, soft, breathable, lightweight white hotel slippers.
Chen Feng: "!"
Xue Jing: "......"
The nanny van door opened.
The TV station's camera crew, waiting outside, sprang into action immediately, excitedly snapping photos.
Their eyes were fixed on the car.
Then they saw a pair of slender, snow-white legs stretch out from the back seat and touch the ground.
The bright red gown instantly fell, draping smoothly over her slim calves.
The crystal-encrusted M-brand heels shimmered with a pearly lustre; their design was elegant and refined.
The photographers grew visibly thrilled.
They turned all their lenses towards her.
Those legs, those feet—absolutely stunning!
But—
She only took a single step forward.
The girl paused slightly on her tiptoes.
She stopped and looked up at the sky.
Then—
Thud, thud.
She had dropped a pair of white… slippers… onto the ground.
Photographer: "?"
Bao Ruanruan slipped her feet out of her crystal shoes and quickly put on the slippers.
Then she strode off as if she were flying.
She quickly passed all the photographers in her stride.
Her fast movements had even stirred up a gust of wind.
The promo line for the show smoothly flowed out from her little red lips instantly as she passed by:
"Today's style credentials are brought to you by Bao Ruanruan."
Photographer: "......!"
Footnotes Full List
- 一对三 (yī duì sān) — literally "one against three," used here to mock him for dating three women at once.
- 怀疑三观 (huáiyí sān guān): Literally 'to doubt the three views'. 三观 (sān guān) is a cultural term referring to one's worldview (世界观 shìjièguān), values (价值观 jiàzhíguān), and outlook on life (人生观 rénshēngguān). The entire phrase means to question one's fundamental beliefs or moral compass.
- 姨母笑 (yímǔ xiào)' literally means 'auntie smile' — a slang describing a fond, doting smile, often used by older women or fans when seeing something cute or romantic. Here, it means she used to smile approvingly but is now furious.
- '吃瓜 (chī guā)' literally means 'eating melon', a slang for being a bystander enjoying gossip or drama — similar to "grabbing popcorn" in English.
- '社畜 (shè chù)' is a slang for overworked employees who live to work — equivalent to "wage slave" or "corporate drone."
- 埋了吧,没事了,散了散了 (mái le ba, méishì le, sàn le sàn le)" – Internet slang mimicking dramatic or funeral-like closure after gossip or scandal, meaning "let's drop it and move on."
- The terms 'prophet' and 'villager' came from the game of Werewolf.
- 锤死…就跑 (chuí sǐ … jiù pǎo) — slang derived from '爆锤 bào chuí', meaning to expose or publicly bash someone (often with evidence). Here, it's a metaphor meaning 'you exposed or destroyed Chen Kaiwei's reputation and then walked away'.
- 锤的瓜 (chuí de guā) — slang for a scandal or juicy gossip that has been 'hammered', i.e., exposed with proof.
- 可热闹了 (kě rènào le) — metaphorically means 'embroiled in chaos or drama'.
- 锤了 (chuí le) is slang from '实锤 (shí chuí)', meaning 'conclusive evidence has been found'. It comes from internet gossip culture — 'hammering down the truth'.
- 心虚 (xīnxū) literally means 'weak-hearted', but figuratively it means 'guilty conscience' or 'looking suspicious'.
- The phrase 捕风捉影 (bǔfēngzhuōyǐng) refers to baseless speculation or unfounded rumours.
- 时尚的金 (shíshàng de jīn) — literally 'the gold of fashion', meaning a golden coating of fashion or a fashionable gloss. Figuratively, it means to give something a stylish or trendy appearance — to make it look fashionable on the surface, even if it's just for show.
きつね's Musing
For those wondering whether Chen Kaiwei and Chen Feng are related, the answer is most likely no. Chen Kaiwei is from the Chen family in Nancheng, while Chen Feng is from the Chen family in Yanjing. Then again, they could be a long-lost branch of the same clan. 🤷🏻♀️
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