Chapter 40: The Premiere and Lingering Questions

“You’re finally back! The show is about to begin!”

Feng Qiqi, munching on potato chips, called out as she saw Lin Ziyao and Qin Yu return to the villa from bidding farewell to Qian Fang and Jiang Yi at the entrance.

Tonight marked the premiere arranged by Director Chen. Everyone had already settled in front of the living room television, waiting eagerly for the program to begin.

“Ziyao, are you feeling better?”

Xu Li, seated beside the television, looked at Lin Ziyao as she returned, asking with genuine concern.

That morning, the male guests hadn’t met Lin Ziyao. They had only heard from Dai Wen during breakfast that she had a fever, but before they could visit, Doctor Jiang had already arrived.

Yang Tian and Tang Wenjie, the male guests, were close in age to Lin Ziyao. To avoid any potential fan speculation about a romantic pairing, it wasn’t ideal for them to show excessive concern during filming.

Thus, it was most appropriate for Xu Li to speak up.

Facing Xu Li’s kind inquiry, Lin Ziyao reached up and touched her forehead, confirming that the feverish symptoms she’d woken with had finally subsided.

“Thank you for your concern, Teacher Xu,” she replied. “I’m much better, just still feeling a little tired.”

Listening to Lin Ziyao’s answer, Xu Li nodded and said, “That’s good then!”

“I’ll go upstairs to get something first.”

As she reached the living room, Qin Yu frowned almost imperceptibly, then released Lin Ziyao’s hand and walked upstairs herself.

Lin Ziyao found an empty spot and sat down, watching the countdown to the show’s start projected onto the television screen.

Director Chen, known for his unconventional approach, had immense confidence in this variety show. He had initially hoped for a simultaneous broadcast on television.

However, due to the limited number of episodes, no television station was willing to risk airing a short-term variety show that would only last a month.

Consequently, the premiere was confined to Tencent Video.

“It’s starting! It’s starting!”

Feng Qiqi had already put down her potato chips, ready to watch the variety show she had participated in.

Just then, a ten-second countdown appeared on the program’s reservation screen. At her reminder, everyone else also turned their attention to the television.

Only Lin Ziyao kept her attention on the staircase, wondering why Qin Yu was lingering upstairs for so long.

Just as the show’s countdown reached five seconds, Qin Yu finally appeared at the top of the stairs.

She descended, holding a thin blanket, and came over to Lin Ziyao, carefully draping it over her.

“The air conditioning is a bit cold. Don’t get a fever again.”

After ensuring Lin Ziyao was comfortable, she sat down beside her, and together they watched the first episode of the variety show.

The program began with a drone shot of the resort accompanied by narration, followed by the introduction of the guests.

Lin Ziyao still remembered this segment vividly, as it was related to the first task issued by the system.

Currently, the television screen showed the scene where Feng Qiqi first met Lin Ziyao, patting her shoulder and calling her a ‘green tea’.

The guests in front of the TV all looked at Feng Qiqi, whose face flushed. She feigned composure and said, “I was judging people by their looks back then. Seriously, Director Chen, why didn’t you cut that part out?”

With that, she aimed the blame squarely at Director Chen.

As an outstanding and seasoned expert at shifting blame, Director Chen naturally wouldn’t admit that keeping the segment was his own decision. With ease, he threw the editor under the bus.

“The editor told me this segment had a great effect and strongly insisted on keeping it.”

Somewhere in a temporary office, the diligent editor, toiling away on overtime, unconsciously let out a sneeze.

“Ziyao, don’t you have an opinion on this part?” Feng Qiqi was ready to pull Lin Ziyao into a serious discussion with Director Chen.

Lin Ziyao, who had been comfortably wrapped in her blanket, watching the show, was suddenly addressed by Feng Qiqi. She replied indifferently, “I’ll listen to Director Chen.”

The program continued to play, moving to the final part of the first segment. This was one of the mysteries hinted at in the preview: why Feng Qiqi had covered her mouth.

“Actually, I was quite curious at the time, Ziyao, why did you choose to rest your head on Qin Yu’s lap?”

The television now showed Lin Ziyao resting her head on Qin Yu’s lap, prompting surprised expressions from the assembled guests. Dai Wen seized the opportunity of the premiere to ask this question.

‘Actually, I wanted Qin Yu to rest her head on *my* lap at the time,’ she thought to herself, a secret smile playing on her lips.

But she certainly couldn’t say that aloud. So, she replied, “I was feeling a bit dizzy then and just needed somewhere to lean.”

As she finished, she met Feng Qiqi’s gossipy gaze. Helpless, she could only pretend not to notice.

At that moment, someone, not one to shy away from stirring trouble, began to fan the flames.

“Could you tell us how you felt at the time?”

Lin Ziyao shot a glare at where Qin Yu sat. Yet, Qin Yu met her gaze fearlessly, a slight smile gracing her lips. Ultimately, Lin Ziyao was the one who relented.

She could only voice her feelings: “It was very comfortable.”

Having received her answer, Qin Yu let the matter drop, no longer pressing her for further details on her feelings.

This brief interlude, of course, was also captured by the pre-installed cameras.

The show’s progress bar didn’t pause for their chatter. It was then that Lin Ziyao finally understood why Yang Tian and the others had returned drenched in sweat just from getting food.

Director Chen had arranged for a large truck full of food to be brought to the resort entrance. They were tasked with grabbing as much as they could within a limited timeframe.

“I still remember, to save time, Wenjie and I each grabbed several extra bags at once,” Yang Tian recounted.

Yang Tian and Tang Wenjie had the most to say about this segment. After speaking, they exchanged a fist bump.

Xu Li chuckled beside them; after all, his only contribution was to avoid holding the two young men back.

As the progress bar neared the end of the episode, Lin Ziyao, watching the show, noticed something amiss.

She leaned closer to Qin Yu and whispered, “Don’t you think there are too many shots of the two of us together?”

From the moment they arrived at the villa, she could clearly sense that the editor had given them special attention.

There were an exorbitant number of shots featuring both of them!

This felt incredibly strange!

Lin Ziyao turned her gaze towards Director Chen, quietly approaching him. “Director Chen, why are there so many shared shots of Qin Yu and me?”

Director Chen, harboring his own little schemes, naturally wouldn’t admit that he had specifically instructed the editor to include more of those shots. Instead, he skillfully feigned ignorance.

“You two are roommates and always together. Isn’t that perfectly normal?”

He had thought that since Lin Ziyao and Qin Yu were working together, their good relationship should be highlighted. However, he hadn’t noticed the extent during the review.

Now, after Lin Ziyao’s comment, it did seem there were indeed more joint shots in the final cut. He resolved to question the editor about it once filming concluded.

As Lin Ziyao spoke with Director Chen, the show’s progress bar reached its conclusion. All these events the guests had already experienced firsthand.

Only the audience, who hadn’t experienced it firsthand, would find themselves in the midst of a massive online storm after watching the show.