Chapter 1

“Qiao Cen, wake up.”

Inside the black car, a staff member wearing a red vest and a yellow hat called out to the young man sleeping in the backseat.

The young man had a youthful and handsome face, and while he was fast asleep, he appeared particularly well-behaved, like a prince in slumber.

Seeing that he didn’t respond, the staff member called out again. The young man didn’t wake up, but the young girl sleeping next to him opened her eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

She had just woken up, and her voice had a husky, sleepy quality to it.

The staff member, seeing this, immediately smiled and explained to her, “Miss Qiao, we’ve arrived at Nanxinghai. You need to get off here and walk a few minutes to the recording location.”

Qiao Chuchu felt as if she had just closed her eyes for a moment. She hadn’t expected to arrive so soon. She rubbed her groggy eyes.

“Okay, I got it.”

The young man next to her was still asleep. He even turned over, burying his face into his sweatshirt, leaving only his eyes exposed before he stopped moving.

If he hadn’t been keeping his eyes closed the whole time, Qiao Chuchu might have thought he had already woken up.

“Qiao Cen, wake up.”

“We’ve arrived at the recording location, time to get off.”

She reached out and nudged him, and Qiao Cen finally responded, slowly waking up.

When he saw Qiao Chuchu’s delicate and fair face, which looked somewhat similar to his own, Qiao Cen froze for a few seconds before realizing where he was.

He sat up straight, flashed a sweet smile, and called out in a sugary voice, “Sis, you’re awake? Did you sleep uncomfortably? I’ll give you my cushion.”

“No, it’s fine.”

Qiao Chuchu waved her hand, secretly feeling grateful.

【After living for eighteen years, getting such a handsome and thoughtful brother for free, how lucky am I?】

Qiao Cen chuckled foolishly. He didn’t realize his sister thought so highly of him. He was so happy!

However, Qiao Chuchu thought to herself, 【Why does he look a bit silly when he smiles?】

Qiao Cen’s smile froze on his face, looking as though he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, feeling downhearted. QAQ.

Qiao Chuchu was confused: 【What’s wrong with him? Why is his mood changing so quickly? Is he feeling unwell?】

Qiao Cen quickly changed the subject, “Sis, what did you just say?”

Qiao Chuchu replied, “We’ve arrived at the recording location.”

Qiao Cen rolled down the car window and looked outside. Sure enough, he saw the Nanxinghai sign. “Just in time, my legs have gone numb from sitting. Let’s get out and stretch.”

The two of them got out of the car and took their luggage. Qiao Cen quickly took both Qiao Chuchu’s suitcase and bag.

He smiled, “Sis, give them to me. I’m a boy, I’m stronger, I’m better at doing the heavy work.”

Before going on the variety show, his parents and older brother had repeatedly reminded him to take good care of his sister. If she wasn’t feeling well, he was the only one she could turn to.

Even without their reminders, he knew he had to take care of her. After all, she was someone he had only just found, and he would never let her down.

Qiao Chuchu smiled. “Thank you for your hard work.”

“It’s nothing. It’s what I should do,” Qiao Cen replied. “I should be thanking you for coming with me to the variety show. Otherwise, I wouldn’t know who else to turn to at this urgent time.”

Qiao Chuchu smiled but didn’t say anything. Actually, accompanying Qiao Cen on the variety show wasn’t her original intention.

—

When Qiao Chuchu was three years old, she accidentally got lost during a trip and was abducted by human traffickers into the mountains.

After a miserable year, she was abandoned by the traffickers due to a serious illness and nearly died by the river.

Perhaps by some divine mercy, she was saved by a young couple who were by the river sketching. This couple had been unable to have children for various reasons, so they adopted her.

She was happy in her new family, and her adoptive parents treated her well. It wasn’t until the spring of her twentieth year that she was found by people claiming to be her biological parents.

It turned out that she had another happy family. She was the beloved young lady of the wealthy Qiao family. She had a pair of loving parents, an older brother, and a handsome younger brother who was an idol in the entertainment industry.

Her adoptive parents had never hidden the truth of her origin from her and encouraged her to live with her biological parents, as they had been searching for her for fifteen years.

Faced with the eager and expectant gazes of her biological parents, Qiao Chuchu eventually agreed to stay with them for a while.

It was on the way back that she was bound by something called the “Gossip System,” which revealed many juicy tidbits to her.

For example:

【The son of a billionaire CEO is actually not his biological child, but the product of his wife’s affair with the handsome butler. The CEO has no idea, working hard every day to provide for the family, but unknowingly raising someone else’s child.】

【The wife of a certain top celebrity isn’t actually his real wife. She was replaced by another man before they returned to the country. The celebrity didn’t even notice and still slept in the same bed with the imposter.】

【A famous singer actually doesn’t like to wash his hair or bathe, but he loves to sniff his dirty socks. He piles up a month’s worth of socks on his desk and smells them. Unfortunately, after a month, he had to have part of his lung removed due to a fungal infection.】

【…】

There were many similar stories, and Qiao Chuchu was astonished. It was a real eye-opener.

At the same time, she learned the truth about the world they lived in: it was a book.

She and her top idol brother, Qiao Cen, are both cannon fodder in the ongoing drama where the male and female leads’ relationship is full of obstacles. Not only will they meet a tragic end, but they will also drag their biological parents into it, causing the whole family to face a miserable downfall.

The start of the tragedy lies in the variety show he is about to participate in, Dear Us, which invites family members, friends, and lovers to join and interact in a fun way.

It is on this show that Qiao Cen meets the female lead and becomes her loyal backup, forever serving as a stepping stone in the relationship between the male and female leads, until he meets his sad end.

When it comes to matters that involve life and death, how can she not take it seriously?

She’s still young, and she doesn’t want to be the one who suffers.

—

At the recording site of Dear Us, as Qiao Cen and Qiao Chuchu approached the designated red-line area set up by the production crew, they had already entered the surveillance zone.

The director immediately informed the cameraman at position 2 upon seeing them, “Qiao Cen and his sister are here. Make sure to get close-up shots of their expressions and follow them the whole way.”

Cameraman 2: “Got it, director.”

The guests were gathering outdoors, on a lush green lawn, surrounded by green trees and a clear blue sky with white clouds.

Qiao Chuchu and Qiao Cen finally arrived at the filming location, dragging their luggage.

Their figures naturally appeared on the live broadcast, and the lurking viewers were all brought into the spotlight, including some haters.

【Wow, Qiao Cen is so handsome! I’ll always have a crush on Brother Qiao!】

【Wow! The girl next to Brother must be the beautiful sister, she’s so pretty, I’ll call her sister out of respect!】

【Qiao Cen has such a bad temper, he’s clearly spoiled by his family. His sister looks like a poor little thing, forced to be on the show for money.】

【Oh, Qiao Cen is such a show-off. He knows he’s going on the show, so he’s holding the luggage. I bet after the recording ends, he’ll be bossing his sister around.】

【I won’t watch with these siblings around!】

—

A group of guests had already arrived on site: second-tier celebrities Bai Yun and her best friend Si Xiang, both of whom were fair-skinned, beautiful, and highly attractive.

Everyone loves beautiful people and things, and Qiao Chuchu was no exception.

【Wow! They’re so pretty, no wonder the boys in class are so crazy about them, it makes sense now.】

【Their skin is so fair, they practically glow. They look like fairies, so ‘^[1]“celebrity dies in the spotlight” refers to the idea that a famous person or celebrity’s downfall often occurs while they are still in the public eye, meaning their mistakes or … Continue readingcelebrity dies in the spotlight’ won’t happen to them, right?】

Suddenly, a voice rang out, causing everyone at the scene to freeze. They looked around but couldn’t figure out who had spoken or where the voice came from.

Everyone: What’s going on? Who’s speaking?

They couldn’t find the source of the voice, and just like that, it disappeared.

Although Qiao Cen had debuted for a short time, he already had quite a few fans, and Bai Yun was one of his music fans, having collected many of his albums.

“Hello, Qiao Cen! It’s such an honor to be on the same variety show with you,” Bai Yun said.

In front of this beautiful female celebrity who had defended him against haters online, Qiao Cen scratched his head and replied earnestly, “Thank you, it’s my honor as well.”

Bai Yun changed the subject. “When are you going to release your next album? Can you give us a sneak peek?”

Qiao Cen made a face, “It’ll be soon, soon. I promise it’ll be out before the end of the year.”

Bai Yun laughed. “I’ll be waiting.” She looked at Qiao Cen’s side and noticed Qiao Chuchu. “This must be Qiao Cen’s sister. Hello, you’re really beautiful.”

Qiao Chuchu smiled gently, revealing a small dimple. “I’m Qiao Cen’s sister, Qiao Chuchu. You’re also very pretty.”

【And she’s such a graceful and elegant lady, although she don’t have a good eye for making friends.】

Bai Yun was confused. “???”

What was she talking about?

Everyone finally realized that the strange voice had come from Qiao Chuchu? But she hadn’t said anything out loud? How could they hear her voice?

This was really strange!

The only one who remained calm was Qiao Cen, because he was used to it.

Ever since his sister came back, their entire family could hear her inner thoughts. At first, it was shocking and unbelievable, which was quite interesting. Eventually, they came to accept it, and he had been by her side, hearing many shocking secrets that had completely changed his worldview.

He had also experimented and found that as long as he was within 80 meters of her and they were in the same environment, experiencing the same thing, he could hear her thoughts.

Not just him, even the family’s butler, the housekeeper, and the driver could hear her voice.

Si Xiang, noticing that no one had introduced her, took the initiative and stepped forward. “Hello, Qiao Cen, I’m also your fan! I really like your work. Could you please sign this for us?”

She handed over a postcard she had prepared. Just as Qiao Cen was about to take it, Qiao Chuchu’s voice rang out again.

【Bai Yun is indeed a fan of Qiao Cen, but her best friend Si Xiang is not. She uses her relationship as a close friend to claim to be a fan of every artist she meets. After getting their autographs, she sells them at high prices to real fans.】

【She has made millions from this little business. She really knows how to make money, what a sly little move.】

Qiao Cen retracted his hand, pretending to scratch his nose.

Fortunately, he heard his sister’s thoughts. Otherwise, he would have been tricked by a fake fan. Hmph.

“I really am your fan!” Si Xiang, feeling embarrassed, shot a glare at Qiao Chuchu. She wanted to argue, but no words came out.

Qiao Chuchu, puzzled, thought to herself: 【Why is she glaring at me? I didn’t do anything to provoke her.】

【Where are the true fans? In her eyes, Qiao Cen is just a money-making tool. She’s really clever—knows that saying this in public will make it hard for Qiao Cen to refuse. He already has many haters, and if he refuses to sign, he’ll be criticized. If he agrees, then he’ll become her tool for making money.】

【However, Qiao Cen is lucky—this pen is broken, so he can’t write.】

Hearing this, Qiao Cen quickly took the paper and pen. As expected, he couldn’t write. He smiled and said, “Sorry, the pen’s broken. Let’s talk about it after the filming is over.”

Si Xiang could only frustratedly take the items back. “It’s fine.”

She turned to link arms with Bai Yun but was avoided by her. “Yunyun…”

Bai Yun said, “Go sit over there.”

She walked off first, leaving Si Xiang feeling both wronged and angry. Since it was a live broadcast, she couldn’t lash out, but before leaving, she shot a few glares at Qiao Chuchu.

Qiao Chuchu: 【Why is she glaring at me again?】

【I remember there’s some ^[2]“melons” (瓜, guā) is a slang term used in Chinese internet culture to refer to juicy or scandalous gossip, rumors, or shocking news. It’s often used to describe stories that are … Continue readingmelons about Si Xiang. Since we’re bored, why not check it out?】

【Wow, Si Xiang has a really well-hidden secret. She’s actually an old man? I would never have guessed!】