Chapter 54.1

The matter of Xu Yuan and Meng Zhengrong appearing on the variety show was basically confirmed.

Father Meng did not express any opinions on this, while Mother Meng was somewhat disapproving, feeling that the couple did not need to “expose themselves.”

Fortunately, Meng Zhengrong was resolute in his stance and didn’t let Xu Yuan say anything. He took it all upon himself, saying it was a request from a friend and they had to agree, so he would bear the responsibility.

Meng Pingting was very supportive of her brother and sister-in-law participating in the show. She had her own ulterior motive and secretly pulled Xu Yuan aside to say that it would be great if she could get a personal autograph from Song Chaowen.

Yes, Meng Pingting was a big fan of Song Chaowen. Unfortunately, Song Chaowen was not a singer; he didn’t hold concerts, rarely appeared on variety shows, and when he wasn’t filming, he was elusive, making it hard to chase after him.

At this moment, hearing that her sister-in-law and brother would have close contact with Song Chaowen, Meng Pingting was the most excited person. She was already secretly considering the possibility of visiting the set when they recorded the show.

To Xu Yuan’s surprise, Mother Meng also liked Song Chaowen and said she enjoyed the dramas he acted in.

From this, it can be seen that Song Chaowen’s popularity is such that women of all age groups adore him.

Zhang Mian even specially invited Xu Yuan and Meng Zhengrong to a meal to express his gratitude.

He knew very well that Meng Zhengrong and Xu Yuan had no need to appear on any show; it wouldn’t bring them much benefit. However, since Meng Zhengrong agreed and Xu Yuan also consented, it was mostly for his sake, which deeply moved Zhang Mian.

Even the leaders at the station were surprised by how Zhang Mian managed to invite the president of the Meng Corporation and his wife. Those in the know said Meng Zhengrong was a man of loyalty, while those who didn’t knew said that Zhang Mian had a big reputation, to the point that even the owner of the Meng Corporation would listen to him.

Zhang Mian couldn’t help but smile wryly; he didn’t refute it. Friendship was limited, and using it once meant it would be one less time to use it in the future. He just hoped the recording of the program would go smoothly; otherwise, his friendship with Meng Zhengrong would be affected.

In other words, just because Meng Zhengrong had no objections didn’t mean his wife wouldn’t.

His friendship with Meng Zhengrong was one thing, but Xu Yuan was not very familiar with him. If any problems arose in between, Xu Yuan might have her own opinions, which was also a reason why Zhang Mian was feeling conflicted.

Xu Yuan called Yu Yu in advance, wanting to seek her advice. After all, Yu Yu had been in the entertainment industry for quite a few years and had ample experience.

Little did she know that Yu Yu would be shocked to hear that Xu Yuan wanted to be on a variety show, raising her voice without realizing it: “What? You and Mr. Meng are going on a show? A reality show?”

Song Yu, who was just hanging around in the crew, had managed to work his way next to Yu Yu because of his sweet talk. Although Yu Yu didn’t want to see Song Yu, she couldn’t say anything. It wasn’t that she didn’t have enough clout to change her staff; it was just that the higher her status, the more she had to keep a low profile. Otherwise, if news got out that she was acting high and mighty, it would be enough for the haters to jump on her for a long time.

Yu Yu still cherished her reputation, so she had to endure the situation. Whenever possible, she avoided talking to Song Yu and ignored him as much as she could.

As Yu Yu was saying this, Song Yu just walked in with a thermos in hand, containing almond milk, which Yu Yu liked to drink.

Upon hearing this, Song Yu was also stunned.

Meng Zhengrong was going to bring his wife onto a reality show? Was he out of his mind?

These two weren’t even celebrity actors; what were they doing joining such nonsense?

Yu Yu usually told Song Yu to leave, but she couldn’t bother with him at the moment and quickly asked over the phone, “Xiao Yuan, why are you being so reckless and wanting to go on a show?”

Hearing this, Song Yu thought to himself that he and his wife were truly on the same wavelength; they were both thinking the same thing.

After all, what kind of reasoning did two ordinary people have to join a show? They weren’t short on money, nor did they care about that little bit of fame. What were they after?

Xu Yuan patiently explained to Yu Yu, “Meng Zhengrong and I have thought it through. Considering all the circumstances, we’ve decided to be on this show. The planner and director of this program is a very good friend of his. Besides, you know that I’m in charge of the public welfare projects now, and I’ve been struggling with how to promote them. Going on the show is the best option.”

“Oh, I see.” Yu Yu accepted this reasoning, “Have you made up your mind? Once you’re on the show, no matter how well you do, there will be plenty of people criticizing you. If you’re determined to go, then it’s best not to look at the comments. Oh, and delete or lock your Weibo account. Got it?”

“Okay, sure. Besides that, what else? I rarely post on Weibo anyway.” Xu Yuan hadn’t considered this point; she indeed should delete everything related to Weibo.

Yu Yu actually had a ton of experiences she wanted to share with Xu Yuan, but she didn’t know where to start. “I haven’t participated in any variety shows, so just try not to be too ostentatious…”

She really felt for Xu Yuan; after all, having been in the entertainment industry for many years, she knew all too well what price one had to pay while being in the spotlight.

“I know that,” Xu Yuan replied, feeling she could handle the balance well. “What about this? Should I lose some weight? I’ve heard cameras can add weight to a person.”

“You’re not losing any weight!” Yu Yu scolded, “Just go to the gym to work out; don’t even think about dieting. You’re already very thin.”

“…Alright. How’s your filming going? Is it going smoothly?” Xu Yuan felt that Yu Yu had it pretty tough. Many people said being a star was good, with fast and easy money, but Xu Yuan knew that for Yu Yu, making money wasn’t easy. She only took one project at a time. Yu Yu had said that she didn’t want to be a star but an actress. This path was too difficult and exceptionally arduous.

Yu Yu glanced at the various bottles and jars on her makeup table and then at her slightly haggard self in the mirror, unable to help but smile bitterly, “It’s not bad; the director said I performed well.”

If it were just about being a star, it would indeed be a lot easier, but she wanted to be an actress remembered even twenty or thirty years later.

After chatting about various things, they hung up the phone. Xu Yuan didn’t want to disturb Yu Yu’s rest, knowing she had a hard time.

After Yu Yu hung up, she noticed that Song Yu was no longer in the small room. On the table nearby was the thermos. She stood up and walked over, opened it, and smelled the almond milk inside. Her emotions were complicated for a moment.

When Meng Zhengrong received Song Yu’s call, he was handling business matters and answered impatiently, “What’s up again?”

At that moment, Song Yu was sitting in a milk tea shop in Hengdian, where there weren’t many customers. “You and your wife are going on a show? When did this happen? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Meng Zhengrong rolled his eyes, “Do I need to tell you what I’m having for lunch? Just get to the point; I’m busy right now.”

“What kind of show is it that you’re going on?” Song Yu was still very concerned about this matter.

Meng Zhengrong had to temporarily put down his work. “It’s planned by Zhang Mian. You know Zhang Mian rarely speaks up. It’s not easy for him to open his mouth this time, so I couldn’t refuse.”

“What kind is it? I’m telling you, don’t take any adventure-type ones. I watched a show where stars had to eat mice and all that. Just skip that; your wife definitely wouldn’t handle it.”

Meng Zhengrong helplessly replied, “It’s not that; it’s just three couples going on the show. It’s not an adventure type.”

“Three couples? Who else besides you?” Song Yu was still very invested in this matter. He and Yu Yu shared the same view that this couple was purely out of their minds to go on a show. Unfortunately, since Meng Zhengrong had said so, it must be a done deal; it couldn’t be changed.

Meng Zhengrong didn’t want to share too much with Song Yu, but he knew he really cared about this, so he responded, “One couple is an elderly couple in their sixties, old actors. You wouldn’t know their names, but I guarantee you’ve seen their dramas. The other couple is Shen Li and Song Chaowen. Didn’t they get married last year? So, it’s just the three couples.”

Song Yu exclaimed, “Song Chaowen? Zhang Mian has some skills if he manages to invite him.”

Song Chaowen was known for being low-key; he had only been high-profile when announcing his relationship and quickly announced his marriage afterward. Even bystanders like Song Yu had to admit he was a real man.

He had enough clout and status; he didn’t need to appear on variety shows.

It was obvious that he was doing it for his wife. Shen Li hadn’t appeared in over a year, so she probably had new works coming up, and going on a variety show was the best way to promote them since she needed the popularity.

One had to admit that Song Chaowen was truly a good man.

Before Meng Zhengrong could say anything, Song Yu added, “Does your wife know that Song Chaowen will be there?”

“Of course she knows.”

Just as Meng Zhengrong was losing patience with the conversation, Song Yu slowly said, “You better pay attention to that.”

“Pay attention? To what?”

Song Yu replied, “You don’t know how popular Song Chaowen is? Basically, he gets no negative reviews. Not to mention anything else; even my Yu Yu is a fan of Song Chaowen. Your wife might be one of his fans too. Why did Xu Yuan agree to go on the show? Perhaps this is a factor in it.”

Meng Zhengrong immediately retorted, “Impossible.”

“Why is it impossible? Even my mom likes Song Chaowen. Whenever he’s on TV, she doesn’t even blink. You should test the waters and see if it’s true, rather than finding out during the recording that it’s the case.”

Although it didn’t matter much—everyone had their own idols—but generally speaking, if someone were to be called an idol, it meant they had little chance of meeting them.

If Xu Yuan were truly a fan of Song Chaowen, who hadn’t had the chance to meet him, Meng Zhengrong wouldn’t mind. But what if they did meet? How would Meng Zhengrong be able to suppress his inner feelings?

After hanging up the phone, Meng Zhengrong pondered over this matter. He felt that Xu Yuan probably didn’t have any particular star she liked. Usually, her taste was quite diverse when watching TV. Sometimes she watched anti-Japanese dramas, sometimes palace dramas, and sometimes even family dramas. He had never seen her get particularly excited about anyone’s appearance.

Although he thought so, Meng Zhengrong still kept it in mind.