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Starting the Variety Show Journey
The three of them looked at Nan Pei, each with a different curve to their smiles.
They were all waiting for Nan Pei to give them the coffee and flowers, hoping to show their uniqueness.
Nan Pei’s heart was racing faster than ever, his fingers trembling slightly, the coffee nearly spilling.
But he knew that the more panicked he was, the quicker he’d be exposed.
So, Nan Pei took a subtle breath, suppressing his panic, and, wearing a surprised expression, said, “You’re all here?”
The three continued to stare at Nan Pei, still waiting for the coffee and roses in his hands.
Nan Pei’s hands felt like they were being burned by their intense gazes.
The system’s voice trembled too: “Host, what do we do now…”
Nan Pei slowly smiled, calmly turning to Candy at the door, speaking just loud enough for the three male leads to hear:
“Secretary Jiejie, why didn’t you tell me they were here too? Could you please prepare two more coffees?”
His tone carried a hint of surprise but didn’t seem flustered.
Candy, slightly embarrassed by the “Jiejie” title, nodded, “Okay, I’ll go right away.”
Nan Pei’s words were clever. The phrase “they’re here too” meant different things to each male lead. To Song Jingchen, it referred to the other two, and to Lu Bairan and Duan Heng, it referred to the others as well.
This seemed to convey a message: I only wanted to give coffee to one person, but since the others are here, I’ll have to give out three.
And the “Secretary Jiejie” title wouldn’t reveal his long acquaintance with Candy.
None of the three male leads doubted his words.
Nan Pei stepped forward, gently placing the coffee on the edge of the table, equidistant from all three.
Then, he said apologetically, “I couldn’t carry three cups at once, sorry.”
The three stared at the coffee, each with a different expression.
Clearly, they all wanted to be the first to drink Nan Pei’s coffee, but they were too far to reach it.
Nan Pei knew the importance of the order; the first cup should go to the most important person in his heart.
With all three male leads present, giving it to any one of them would be unreasonable.
The system suggested, “Why not drink it yourself, Host?”
Nan Pei replied, “No way, it’s too hot.”
The lesson from the Tom Yum Goong soup taught him not to drink things recklessly.
Soon, Candy brought two more coffees.
But their eyes were still focused on the first cup, each wanting to prove they were the most special to Nan Pei.
Nan Pei smiled and said, “Let me show you a magic trick.”
With that, he swiftly shuffled the three cups of coffee, his speed rivaling any professional magician.
The three male leads were momentarily stunned.
Nan Pei stopped and asked with a smile, “Guess which one is the first cup?”
They looked confused and conflicted, bewildered by Nan Pei’s actions.
Duan Heng frowned, “How would I know?”
Seeing this, Nan Pei chuckled, “Actually, I can’t remember either.”
Then, he casually placed the coffees in front of each of them, finally settling the coffee issue.
But the roses were still there.
So, Song Jingchen looked at the roses, paused, then raised an eyebrow at Nan Pei, knowingly asking:
“Who are the roses for?”
His tone was full of confidence.
The other two also looked at the flowers by Nan Pei’s side.
Sitting across from them, Nan Pei glanced at the roses and said nonchalantly, “Oh, I bought them on the way. I saw an old lady selling flowers and decided to help her out.”
The flower shop owner was indeed an old lady, so Nan Pei wasn’t lying.
After speaking, Nan Pei put the roses away, hiding them behind him.
Before the three male leads could react, Nan Pei suddenly said:
“Since today’s meeting is important, please set your phones to meeting mode.”
The three male leads, not receiving the roses, looked displeased.
But they still set their phones to meeting mode.
The next second, Nan Pei picked up his phone, looking serious as if handling business.
He messaged Song Jingchen: [Jingchen Gege, the roses were for you, but if I give them to you, they’ll think you invited them because of my flattery, not your keen insight, which would damage your image.]
Song Jingchen glanced at his phone, pondering.
He thought Nan Pei’s reasoning made some sense.
Song Jingchen looked at Nan Pei, eyes filled with delight, knowing Nan Pei always considered him, and was surprised by his thoroughness.
Then, Nan Pei quickly typed a message to Duan Heng: [Xiao Duan, sorry, I didn’t know President Song would be here. He’s one of your investors, and if he misunderstands our relationship, it could affect you.]
Duan Heng, seeing the message, was slightly stunned.
He hadn’t expected Nan Pei to be thinking of him.
Duan Heng replied: [I understand.]
Next, Nan Pei messaged Lu Bairan: [Xiao Ran, it was thoughtless of me to bring flowers today. You’re a popular artist, and misunderstandings would be troublesome. Besides, these flowers are too cheap. Next time, I’ll get you ninety-nine golden roses, guaranteed to make everyone envious!]
Lu Bairan, seeing the message, remained calm.
He had guessed why Nan Pei acted this way, so he wasn’t surprised.
After a moment, he replied: [No need.] Referring to the ninety-nine golden roses.
The three male leads calmed down, understanding that Nan Pei cared about them, which was why he didn’t give the roses, so they didn’t pursue the matter further.
Nan Pei breathed a sigh of relief.
The system, relieved, asked seriously, “Host, were you really not a player before?”
Nan Pei insisted he wasn’t a playboy.
He just wanted to complete his mission.
The meeting began.
Song Jingchen looked at Nan Pei and said, “For this travel variety show, I want to invite Lu Bairan as a regular guest and have Duan Heng as the first episode’s guest. What do you think?”
His tone carried a hint of seeking praise, as he was inviting people under Nan Pei’s care, which was a help to him.
Nan Pei naturally caught on, quickly showing a surprised expression, “Really? You’re really willing to have Lu Bairan as a regular and Duan Heng in the first episode?”
He repeated Song Jingchen’s words, joy evident on his face.
Seeing Nan Pei’s delight, Song Jingchen smirked proudly, saying:
“Of course it’s true, would I lie to you?”
Then, Nan Pei looked at Lu Bairan and Duan Heng, smiling, “What do you think?”
Lu Bairan, knowing Nan Pei was happy for his future, calmly said:
“The variety show seems nice, I have no objections.”
Duan Heng, understanding Nan Pei was pleased to enhance his commercial value, replied coolly:
“I happen to be free, so going once is fine.”
The three male leads reached a curious consensus on the variety show.
Nan Pei sighed in relief again.
For now, it seemed the variety show could advance all three male leads’ career lines, a good choice—if not considering the possibility of things going wrong.
Just then, Song Jingchen suddenly asked, “You’ll be at the recording site too, right?”
Nan Pei froze.
He was hesitating whether to go, and now Song Jingchen was pushing him into it?
Lu Bairan and Duan Heng also looked at Nan Pei, eyes filled with anticipation.
Nan Pei’s fingers tightened, having no choice but to say:
“…Such an important show, I’ll definitely be there.”
All three believed they were the “important” reason, and their moods improved simultaneously.
Before the meeting ended, Nan Pei found an excuse to escape.
He was going crazy.
“A show with all three of them?” Nan Pei couldn’t accept this fact, telling the system, “Do you think if I’m there, how long will I survive?”
“But if you don’t go…” the system pondered for a moment, “the three protagonists’ luck might not be enough, and something could go wrong.”
Hearing this, Nan Pei sighed helplessly, “A high-paying job indeed comes with high risks.”
Playing the sycophant to three male leads for a chance at revival and a ten-billion bonus, this job wasn’t simple.
The variety show’s recording was about to start.
The day before departure, the production team notified all participating artists, staff, and entourage to prepare their travel luggage and head to the first stop of the show—
The ancient town scenic area in the neighboring city.
Travel could be by personal car or the show’s bus, but everyone had to gather at the company entrance before departure.
The night before departure, all three male leads messaged Nan Pei.
Song Jingchen: [Don’t forget tomorrow’s recording, remember to get up early.]
Duan Heng: [Bring a few more outfits, it’s chilly, don’t catch a cold and hold us back.]
Lu Bairan: [Here’s a list of essential items I prepared, see if there’s anything you need. [Image]]
Nan Pei glanced at his phone, not in the mood to reply.
Just thinking about spending the next few days with these three male leads in the ancient town made him want to die.
Tomorrow morning’s gathering was the first test of this journey.
The system asked, “Aren’t you going to prepare your luggage?”
“Am I preparing to fetch scriptures from the West?” Nan Pei lay on the floor, feeling hopeless, “Tomorrow morning, I have to meet the three male leads again. Every time I meet them, I want to die. Can’t you understand my feelings, Fantong?”
System: “…”
System: “I understand, but at this point, you can only find ways to prevent the plot from collapsing.”
Nan Pei couldn’t figure out how things had come to this.
He sat up, trying hard to think of a solution.
“Tomorrow morning, if I drive to the meeting point, according to my persona, I must invite Duan Heng and Lu Bairan into the car.” Nan Pei analyzed seriously, “But if I don’t drive, I’ll have to hitch a ride with Song Jingchen and call him Jingchen Gege. Both ways will raise suspicion.”
The system agreed.
“So, the best way is…” Nan Pei pondered for a moment, then said, “Let Song Jingchen drive himself, Duan Heng ride with Manager Ruan, Lu Bairan with Chen Zixiao, and I’ll take the staff bus.”
The system praised, “Host, you’ve thought it through.”
Thinking wasn’t enough; Nan Pei quickly opened his phone, messaging the three male leads to follow his plan, claiming his car broke down, so he’d take the bus tomorrow.
“This way, at least during the trip to the ancient town, I won’t interact with them.”
Nan Pei confidently said.
The next morning, Nan Pei secretly took a taxi to the meeting point.
He saw Song Jingchen’s car, Manager Ruan’s car, and Chen Zixiao’s car parked nearby.
Nan Pei sighed in relief.
He placed his suitcase in the bus’s luggage compartment, carrying his backpack, happily boarding the bus.
At this moment, Nan Pei hadn’t noticed the subtle atmosphere inside the bus.
He took a few steps, looking for a seat, then suddenly stopped.
In the front row by the window, Song Jingchen sat upright, wearing a light, high-end casual outfit today, looking not only elegant but also youthful and vibrant, his handsome face even more striking.
Nan Pei stood frozen.
His heart skipped a beat, thinking, could he be this unlucky?!
The next second, Nan Pei cautiously shifted his gaze to other seats…
Lu Bairan sat calmly in a middle seat, wearing a gray-green plaid coat with a beige shirt underneath, exuding a fashionable aura.
He rarely wore a silver necklace, adding a touch of brightness to him.
Nan Pei nervously swallowed, continuing to look at other seats…
Duan Heng lounged in a back seat, wearing a blue and white sports outfit today, his long legs looking cramped between the seats, wearing new sneakers with a bit of ankle showing.
He also wore a headband, headphones around his neck, looking like a sporty boy straight out of a manga.
Nan Pei thought, is this the bus of doom?
He needed to get off.
Just as Nan Pei was about to run, the driver’s voice suddenly sounded:
“Passenger, the door’s closing, find a seat quickly.”
With that, the three male leads’ gazes all focused on Nan Pei, eyes filled with anticipation.
At that moment, Nan Pei realized something—
The seats next to them were all empty.
Author’s Note:
Variety Show Journey (×)
Battlefield Journey (√)
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Squishee[Translator]
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