Chapter 23: “What are you thinking about? Your face is all red.”

On the other side, as soon as Ruan Li got into the car, Chen Jing grabbed her and asked, “Whose house was that? Why didn’t you go back home last night?”

“Oh, that… it’s a friend’s place. We happened to run into each other last night, so we went back together,” Ruan Li said, feeling especially guilty. This was the second time she had run off after sleeping with Fu Huaizhou. Last time, she could blame it on both of them being drugged, but this time, she had initiated it herself. Thankfully, she had alcohol as an excuse from the night before.

“I saw someone watching the place I stayed last night, so I won’t be going back for a while. Can you stop by every day and feed Lucky for me?”

Lucky was the cat Ruan Li was raising.

Chen Jing initially wanted to point out that the security in her complex was already very tight, so how could anyone unrelated get in? But on second thought, if someone had given them a hint, it wasn’t impossible—especially given the current state of things between Ruan Li and her family.

Ruan Li rested for a while in the makeup room, feeling utterly exhausted from last night. Whenever she closed her eyes, all she could picture was the man gripping her waist and pulling her up into his arms.

“What are you thinking about?” Suddenly, someone tapped her on the shoulder, scaring her into turning around.

“Why are you here?” It was Ye Mian.

Ye Mian sat down next to her, and her makeup artist immediately started working on her. “Of course, I’m here to join the show. I didn’t tell you on purpose to surprise you.”

Originally, she was going to enter the design department of Ye’s company, but the fashion show team wanted someone to join the program. When Ye Mian saw that Ruan Li was participating, she decided to experience it herself. Besides, with Ye Ze present, filming the show directly at Ye’s location was convenient.

“There’s a fashion show coming up soon, so I came to gain some popularity,” Ye Mian said with her eyes closed. “What were you thinking about just now? Your face is all red.”

Ruan Li started stammering. What she had been thinking about was definitely inappropriate to mention. She explained, “It must be the blush. It was applied too heavily.”

The makeup artist next to them, who hadn’t even used the blush brush yet, was confused. “?”

“Shi Xun is coming too,” Ye Mian suddenly said.

Both Ruan Li and the nearby staff were shocked. This was a low-profile, low-budget show why would a top-tier celebrity be attending?

“What’s he coming for?” Ruan Li remembered how, after the last red carpet event, many online commenters had speculated that the company was having Shi Xun promote a newcomer, and she was seen as the “leech” benefiting from his fame.

“He’s a tag-along, you know how he is,” Ye Mian said, just as a laid-back male voice echoed from the doorway.

“Of course I’m here to keep an eye on you two. One is my junior sister, and the other’s on her first variety show—naturally, I’m here to play big brother,” Shi Xun said as he entered in an especially flashy, vacuum-fitted black suit, casually sitting down in the women’s makeup room.

Both Ruan Li and Ye Mian shot him disdainful looks.

Since today’s filming was just for a teaser, it wouldn’t take long. Ruan Li and Ye Mian sat on a sofa in the reception room, while Shi Xun was naturally slated to make a grand entrance at the end.

There were only a few sparse comments on the livestream.

“Who are these two girls? They look good together.”

“This variety show is so obscure. Ruan Li’s Jasmine is my white moonlight! Why are there non-celebs here?”

Jasmine was the character Ruan Li had played in her debut film, where her death due to illness had left a lasting impression on many viewers.

“Didn’t you read the introduction? Both of them are top students from Beijing University’s design department, and one of them even won a national award.”

“What! Ruan Li isn’t just a pretty face she has an academic background? I might have to stop hating her.”

The producer briefly explained the rules: every episode would be live-streamed, and everyone would be assigned different roles to experience—some easy, some difficult.

“And now, let’s reveal our two celebrity hosts!” the director announced, as a man and a woman, looking quite familiar with each other, slowly walked out onto the red carpet.

The man was refined and courteous, none other than the popular actor Pei Ze. As for the woman, she seemed a bit nervous, looking fragile and delicate—it was actually Ruan Shu.

“Pei Ze! My hubby! Here’s to Astonishing Phoenix breaking all the ratings records!”

“Who’s the girl next to him? Why are there so many non-celebs in this show? I don’t like it.”

“She’s the female lead of Astonishing Phoenix, right? She does look like the sweet, innocent girl from the novel.”

“Her debut is in such a big IP project? She must have connections… (watching closely).”

Ye Mian frowned slightly at the sight of the girl in the white dress, her expression calm as she asked, “Why is she here? When we reached out, I don’t remember her being involved.”

Ruan Li, still sitting on the sofa enjoying the show, said nonchalantly, “Either she’s here to start a CP rumor early, or she found out Shi Xun was coming and wanted to ride the hype.”

Sure enough, when the director announced the final guest, he hyped it up dramatically, saying, “After this ad break, things get even more exciting!”

“Who’s the headliner? Why all the buildup?”

“This is boring. I’m out. I bet they couldn’t get any big names for this low-tier show.”

But within seconds, as the man nonchalantly walked down the red carpet with a carefree smile, a flood of viewers joined the stream, and the once-sparse comment section exploded with controlled excitement.

“What?! This is my destined husband! Ahhh, Shi Xun looks so flashy in that outfit!”

“How about suggesting the suit buttons pop open to show off some real strength?”

“I slid back on my knees who would’ve thought they’d actually get a top-tier celebrity to come?”

Shi Xun casually sat down in the middle of the sofa, unintentionally separating Ruan Li and Ye Mian. On camera, the two didn’t react negatively, instead just smiling and “staring” at him.

“Baby, Mom doesn’t allow you to sit between beautiful women!”

“It’s a showdown! I mean, these two girls look like a couple. Shi Xun is unnecessary.”

The director backstage was beaming with joy. Who could’ve predicted that such an ordinary show would suddenly have a top-tier celebrity join in, bringing with him investments from influential figures in Beijing’s elite circles? This instantly elevated the venue and the show’s production value significantly.

The teaser episode was mainly for introducing the guests and building hype for the show. As the live chat buzzed with excitement, the director announced, “In the first official episode, we’ll unveil our new show’s location and format. Will it be the workplace or the entertainment industry? Tune in the day after tomorrow!”

The livestream ended abruptly, and all the staff naturally surrounded Shi Xun, insisting on a group dinner to help the guests get to know each other better.

Shi Xun, knowing that the typical group dinner spots were not to his taste, simply waved his hand and said, “I’ll treat tonight, and we’ll book out a place.”

Everyone cheered. After all, it was well known that Shi Xun had strong connections, and dining with him in Beijing would definitely be a grand event.

When they arrived at the “Jing Pavilion,” everyone was stunned. The place was intricately designed, with carved beams and painted rafters, exuding a classical charm. It was hidden at the end of a street in the city.

Ruan Li was surprised too. She had been here a few times with the Fu family, and the level of exclusivity was comparable to that of Hua Banquet. She watched as Shi Xun took out a deep blue card, and the staff respectfully ushered everyone in.

The group was led into a private room in the secluded building. The whole floor was quiet, with only the orderly staff moving about. Aside from Ruan Li and Ye Mian, the others were visiting for the first time and had no idea that each room could potentially host influential figures shaping the future of Beijing.

With Shi Xun present, the women didn’t have to engage in the usual social drinking. However, there was a dish made with crushed peanuts on the table, which Ruan Li didn’t recognize. She accidentally ate a few bites, and soon began feeling dizzy, so she stepped out to stand by the railing outside the private room.

At the same time, at the door of another private room, a partner representative, drenched in cold sweat, was bowing and bidding farewell to a man, “Take care, Mr. Fu.”

Qin, his assistant, also didn’t dare speak much. After all, ever since the man in front of him had checked his phone during a meeting earlier, his expression had remained sour for the entire day.

Suddenly, the man stopped in his tracks. Qin looked ahead and saw a familiar figure a girl leaning against the railing, looking down at the floor below. She seemed dizzy and was resting her chin on her hand.

Ruan Li had a mild peanut allergy, so while it wasn’t serious, it left her feeling lightheaded. When she heard the sound of high heels behind her, she didn’t bother turning around. There was only one person who made such loud footsteps Ruan Shu.

Sure enough, Ruan Shu stood behind her, smiling as she spoke. “I heard from Dad that you need to return four hundred million to our family within a week. Sister, do you need my help?”

“If you have the money, why not use it to get yourself a few private lessons? Learn a thing or two about aesthetics and etiquette,” Ruan Li replied calmly.

Ruan Shu stepped forward. “Honestly, that guy Fan Zhou isn’t bad. If you go with him, you wouldn’t even need to pay the money back.”

Just thinking of that man made Ruan Li feel nauseous, especially with her allergy acting up. She was on the verge of gagging. “If you like him so much, go ahead. Don’t disgust me.”

Ruan Shu knew how repulsive the man was, yet after meeting Ruan Li, he had the nerve to look down on her, as if she’d ever be interested in him. Ruan Shu leaned in closer to the girl by the railing. “If people found out you owed a huge debt, it wouldn’t be hard to believe if you ‘took your own life in shame,’ would it? Of course, I’m just teasing, sister.”

Ruan Li whipped around and found Ruan Shu smiling darkly, her hand nearly resting on Ruan Li’s shoulder. Just as Ruan Li was about to move away—

A strong hand suddenly wrapped around her waist, pulling her away swiftly. She was locked tightly in a familiar embrace, the scent of wood enveloping her completely. The man’s voice was colder than usual, as if he were suppressing his anger.

“I wasn’t aware the Ruan family had someone so ignorant of the law?”