Chapter 036: She and I Are a Study in Contrasts

Lu Jingshan didn’t expect Fang Yimeng to question him like that. For once, he paused before replying, “Why aren’t you in the recording studio?”

Fang Yimeng, holding the script Director Wang had given her, walked into the studio and replied nonchalantly, “What? Half a day apart and you’re already missing me?”

Every word she said carried a faint edge, and even someone as emotionally dense as Lu Jingshan could sense her slightly irritable tone.

Her soft, teasing complaints drifted through the phone into his ears. Meanwhile, the tall man stood at the staircase, backlit, one hand in his pocket, the other holding his phone to his ear, exuding a cool and distant aura.

When Fang Yimeng looked up, her gaze collided with Lu Jingshan’s deep, fox-like eyes.

He lowered his phone and said, voice calm and clear, “You’re upset.”

She looked at the handsome man in front of her and smiled faintly. “And how would you know that?”

She remained still at the stairwell landing, but Lu Jingshan took the initiative to descend a step, stopping just above her. He looked down, smiling slightly, and extended a hand toward her.

“I know because I’m the worm in your belly,” he said playfully, drawing out his words with a tone full of meaning.
“Let me guess—Liao Ran upset you again? Want me to find a reason to kick her off the show?”

Fang Yimeng wasn’t actually upset. She’d simply been thrown off by Director Wang reaching out to her again, and with Lu Jingshan calling right at that moment, she joked around just to lighten the mood.
She didn’t expect him to take it seriously.

She lightly tapped his chest with the rolled-up script in her hand.

Her sweet, teasing tone brushed past his ear, along with the faint fragrance of her perfume.

“If you get her kicked out, I’ll become public enemy number one on the internet. If you’re willing to let your dear ‘big sis’ be chased out of the industry by online trolls, go ahead.”

She gave him a sultry glance, eyes filled with amusement, then turned and strutted up the stairs on her 10+ cm high heels, heading back into the studio.

Inside, the space had been divided into five separate rooms, each with simple decorations—three in pink, two in blue.

Ever since she “awakened” from the narrative, Fang Yimeng didn’t like staying in her makeup room. Like the director, she pulled a chair into the main studio area instead.

While people bustled around setting up the space, she leisurely scrolled through the [iVisit] app manual on her iPad.

As the spokesperson, she had to at least look like one!

After more than forty minutes, the setup was nearly complete, and the trainees from the bootcamp had all arrived.

The mentors sat in their respective rooms, surrounded by the students. The atmosphere was lively and full of energy.

As Fang Yimeng joked to herself, it gave the illusion of having a classroom full of devoted disciples.

Well—everyone else had a full house. Her own room had only one person with her: Ou Xiangchen.

They sat there, staring at each other in awkward silence.

Li Ke held a thermos in one hand and the day’s script in the other. She placed a few miscellaneous items by the live broadcast stand and whispered, “Sister Yimeng, your throat lozenges and herbal tea are ready. Sister Meng Qing says don’t overuse your voice—there’s another variety show tonight.”

Ou Xiangchen sat beside Fang Yimeng, studying his script. Hearing the conversation, he looked up at his elegantly dressed mentor.

“You’ve been really busy lately?” he asked with obvious concern.

Fang Yimeng took a sip from her thermos and nodded. “Yeah, my schedule’s been packed. Things are overlapping.”

The young man seemed like he wanted to say more, but at that moment, Director Zheng’s voice boomed over a megaphone, calling for everyone to get ready.

A crew member came by and adjusted the livestream setup. With Zheng’s cue, the stream went live.

Fang Yimeng leaned forward slightly, half-lidding her eyes as she watched the screen.

Quite a few people poured into their room’s stream, but most of the early comments were screaming about Chen Zai (Ou Xiangchen).

“Finally! We get to see our Chen Zai live, sob sob sob—”
“Baby!!!”

All the usernames were clearly his fans. Fang Yimeng leaned back, subtly shifting the camera toward Ou Xiangchen.

He seemed startled by the real-time comments, his usually calm face showing rare signs of panic.

“Relax,” she said gently. “They’re just saying hi. Wave to them first. Then pick a few comments to answer—whichever ones seem easiest.”

She glanced down at her script, then tucked it away. Explaining the process smoothly, she decided that since it was just the two of them, maybe they could work in some light variety show energy.

But the barrage of “mommy fans” and “wifey fans” coming in was… a lot.

This was a golden opportunity for exposure—and the script felt more like a burden now.

As Ou Xiangchen nervously answered questions, a loud shriek came from the room next door.

It was Bai Lechi’s team—someone clearly performing a dramatic talent bit. The thin walls couldn’t block much of the noise.

“Hi everyone! Oh, don’t send gifts—hm? My schedule? I’ve got a new project coming up, official announcement soon!”

It was Liao Ran’s gentle voice, clear despite the background chaos.
Some viewers immediately picked up on it—fans who could recognize her tone in a heartbeat.

Compared to the noisy clamor of Bai Lechi’s side, Liao Ran’s solo stream sounded calm, poised, and overly sweet.

Fang Yimeng curled her lip and muttered under her breath, What a B-King.

This wasn’t a solo showcase, yet Liao Ran was chatting one-on-one with the fans like she was the only one on the show. Did she even care that her five students were likely just sitting there like statues?

The mental image of that made the scene instantly vivid—and Fang Yimeng couldn’t help but chuckle.

At that moment, Ou Xiangchen, having answered enough questions, moved aside to reveal his mischievously smiling mentor.

“Senior, some of your… black fans just entered the livestream,” he said.

“My dear emo-jie! Just saw the new variety show format. Took me forever to register, but I’m here!”
“Our hubby is so sweet. But thanks to Mentor Fang for giving Xiangchen this opportunity! I checked Liao someone’s room earlier—she was chatting alone. The awkwardness was off the charts!”
“Let me see what new black material our beloved emo-jie is generating today!”