Chapter 123: Get Up and Shoot!
Ji Junxin, having confessed her feelings despite her earlier resolve to remain just friends, had been prepared for rejection. To receive a warm response after taking such a risk, with such a low probability of success, it was like being pulled from hell to heaven. The emotional rollercoaster was indescribable.
The most beautiful thing in the world was loving someone who also loved you.
But… the most beautiful thing must be wanting to kiss someone who also wanted to kiss you.
Ji Junxin thought this, turning over in bed. To avoid having her sleeping posture broadcast live, she had turned off the lights after showering. The room was dark, only the small indicator lights on the cameras flickering occasionally.
They had confessed hurriedly and clumsily last night, to avoid being seen by the crew or the audience. Mi Hongdou’s earlier question, Ji Junxin also wanted to ask… When did you start liking me? How long ago?
After “Imperial Secrets” wrapped, Ji Junxin had returned to Jiang City and spent a long time readjusting to living alone. It had been her usual life, yet after filming, she found it difficult to be alone again.
The “long time ago” Mi Hongdou mentioned must have been before “Imperial Secrets” wrapped up. Ji Junxin felt a pang of regret. If she had known Mi Hongdou’s feelings then, she wouldn’t have had to endure that loneliness! She wouldn’t have even gone to Japan, she could have gone to Shudian with Mi Hongdou for “Divorce, So Be It 2”!
Thinking about it now, that period of loneliness…
Mi Hongdou must have also felt… unhappy…
But it’s over now.
In the darkness, Ji Junxin touched her lips under the covers.
Their confession had been hurried and clumsy, but that limited time in the bathroom… hadn’t been wasted.
The bathroom’s soundproofing is really good… Ji Junxin had told Mi Hongdou she was going to bed after showering, but after a long time, there was no sound from the bathroom, she wondered if Mi Hongdou was asleep.
Well, good soundproofing is a good thing. In this remote, strange village, how could there be only one cockroach? Heh…
Ji Junxin was destined for a sleepless night.
Not just because of the unfamiliar environment and the cameras, but also because of… the events in the bathroom earlier.
Yes, not remembering, but reliving.
Mi Hongdou, showering, had no idea what Ji Junxin was… reliving…
This shared bathroom, accessible from both bedrooms, is a terrible design. Why not just have us share a bedroom? Well, with both men and women in the cast, that wouldn’t be appropriate.
But now, on the same team as Ji Junxin, Mi Hongdou found the shared bathroom… rather convenient.
After making her bed, Mi Hongdou had been tidying up her room when Ji Junxin opened the bathroom door. That simple, light green, ancient-style pajama set looked really good on Ji Junxin.
Mi Hongdou always felt that Ji Junxin looked good in ancient costumes, but the plain, single-colored team uniforms and pajamas, although cute… she still wanted to earn more coins and buy her more beautiful clothes!
Well…
Food first.
As she showered, Mi Hongdou thought about working harder tomorrow, to earn coins for Ji Junxin, for a better life. Lost in her thoughts, her shower took a little longer.
The viewers on the live stream had been buzzing since Ji Junxin pulled Mi Hongdou into the bathroom.
From their efforts to crowdfund for the Team Change Card, to Ji Junxin’s tearful embrace, plus their earlier performance in “Imperial Secrets,” the chemistry between them was undeniable. The “Sweet Red Bean Soup” fan group was flooded with new members, no advertising needed. In just a few hours, the group, just a few months old, was now rivaling the three-year-old “LuYu” group.
With the increasing number of viewers watching their live streams, when Ji Junxin pulled Mi Hongdou into the bathroom, the comments almost exploded.
There were no cameras in the bathroom, and their microphones had been removed. The perceptive viewers sensed a moment of sweetness, a CP needs sugar! Sugar! Sugar! They demanded that the crew film them! Get up and shoot!
Initially, a few rational fans had commented, They’re just dealing with a bug, do you really need to see it? Give us a break!
But as they entered the bathroom, the cameras outside unable to capture anything, the rational fans also joined the chorus of “Get up and shoot!”
Of course… the crew wasn’t asleep, but they couldn’t just barge into the bathroom.
They could only endure the criticism.
Fortunately, after a while, a sound, like a bug being squashed, came from the bathroom, and Mi Hongdou emerged.
The viewers gradually calmed down.
The crew, seeing Mi Hongdou calmly making her bed, were touched. She’s so professional.
As the comments returned to normal, a few senior “LuYu” fans drifted into Mi Hongdou and Ji Junxin’s comment sections, leaving a message: “Once you’ve chosen your CP, the world changes. – To our friends from Sweet Red Bean Soup, congratulations on your reconciliation.”
At first, the new Mi Hongdou/Ji Junxin shippers didn’t understand.
But they soon did!
When Ji Junxin opened the bathroom door, wearing her pajamas, and appeared in Mi Hongdou’s bedroom, the CP fans frantically switched between the camera angles in Mi Hongdou’s room, searching for the perfect view.
That look in their eyes… it was love! Wasn’t it! It was sugar! Sweet, sweet sugar!
They finally understood the meaning of “Once you’ve chosen your CP, the world changes.”
From now on, it’s a life of sugar and dog food, there’s no turning back…
Even after Ji Junxin turned off the lights in her room, and Mi Hongdou also turned off the lights after showering, the cameras only showing darkness, many viewers still kept the live stream open, hoping for a late-night treat.
Seeing the dark screens, the comments on Mi Hongdou and Ji Junxin’s pages were filled with fantasies of them sneaking into each other’s rooms through the bathroom. The “LuYu” fans, observing, commented, new CP fans, such wild imaginations!
The heartbroken “LuYu” fans went to bed, leaving the “Sweet Red Bean Soup” warriors battling the darkness!
The night passed.
No sugar.
Dawn arrived.
Those who stayed up all night were few. Fortunately, it was the first day of the National Day holiday, they could catch up on their sleep.
When the filming schedule was first decided, many at Qiong Yu hadn’t understood Qiao Rubai’s insistence on starting on September 30th. Logically, if they wanted to air during the holiday, they should start on October 1st, when most people were off work, guaranteeing a larger audience. Or start earlier and end during the holiday, for a higher viewership for the finale.
Qiao Rubai had said that starting on September 30th was perfect, people could cancel their travel plans and watch the show at home. Of course, she wouldn’t tell them the real reason: Yang Lianyi had also invested in “Reality Online,” and September 30th was her birthday.
The Qiong Yu staff thought she was joking. Cancelling travel plans meant losses! And who would cancel a trip for a reality show that would eventually be broadcast on TV?
Qiao Rubai, as always, had her way. And indeed, many viewers cancelled their travel plans and even bought new computers…
The show’s popularity was within Qiao Rubai’s expectations, but a surprise to many. Anyway, the viewers were happy, no CP, no problem, we have sugar, we have dog food!
Daily tasks started at 8 AM, team challenges at 9 AM.
Mi Hongdou woke up around 7:30 AM.
Ji Junxin had already had two meals of plain rice and pickled cucumbers the day before. Even without her saying anything, Mi Hongdou knew that she had reached her limit.
Unfortunately… their combined game coins… equaled zero.
Mi Hongdou regretted discarding the small bowl of chicken blood Jiang Lingling had collected while slaughtering the chicken, they had thought it was too little to make a dish. Now, thinking about it, it was still meat, what a waste!
Mi Hongdou got up early and went straight to the chicken-feeding task. She thought she was the first to arrive, but Yu Naihao was already there, mixing chicken feed.
Yu Naihao, who had always seemed immature and emotional, was surprisingly diligent.
“Good morning, you’re early,” Mi Hongdou said, her surprise and approval evident. “Alone?” Such a hardworking person, being forced onto Jiang Duo’s team, how pitiful.
Yu Naihao blushed slightly and, after a moment of hesitation, mumbled, “In our team, whoever earns the money, gets to use it.”
Mi Hongdou was stunned.
In broad daylight, on camera, such honesty!
Before Mi Hongdou could recover, Yu Naihao continued hesitantly, “Your team isn’t like that too, right? Sister Ji worked so hard washing clothes yesterday, for the Team Change Card…”
Mi Hongdou froze.
Wait! That resentful and accusing look, what’s that about!
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