As soon as the words were spoken, Gu Zhaoping noticed that everyone went silent and looked at her with strange expressions.
She glanced around, her eyebrows slightly twitching.
“Would everyone like to have a little chat?”
Everyone else: “…”
Well, they weren’t really into that, to be honest.
The photographer awkwardly whispered to the director, “Director, should we air this part?”
The director, still recovering from the earlier blunder, immediately made a decision, gesturing with a snap of his hand. “Air it, of course! Why wouldn’t we?”
He had a hunch that this moment could become a meme!
This was more ridiculous than those variety show guests!
Others might be pursuing dual degrees, but you’re studying cello while doing that? And jiu-jitsu, chess, and even what was it again? Astronomy archaeology?
Is this even human?
Are you living on 240 hours a day?
If one didn’t know better, they’d think you were abstracting life.
This footage was swiftly saved to the archives, and the other guests turned their attention back to their interviews.
Only Chu Yanze took another look at Gu Zhaoping.
Although he was quiet and indifferent, he was very perceptive when it came to reading people.
He felt like Gu Zhaoping wasn’t the type to boast.
And the way she spoke didn’t seem rehearsed she seemed genuinely comfortable with her words, as if it was just her daily routine.
Liang Zhiwei, however, wore a concerned expression.
After the meet-and-greet recording, the groups were about to be divided, and then each person would film their day’s vlog.
The next recording session would involve the groups cooking a big meal together.
When it came time to divide the groups, Gu Zhaoye was still absent.
Zheng Anling couldn’t help but ask the director, “Director, should we continue waiting for Mr. Gu? Should we wait for him to arrive before dividing the groups, or do we do it now?”
The director was actually very nervous.
But he instinctively scolded Zheng Anling, “Why the rush? Mr. Gu will come once he’s finished with his business.
If you’re in such a hurry, why don’t you contact Mr. Gu yourself?”
“Well, it’s just that the numbers don’t quite add up,” Zheng Anling replied.
“We only have 10 guests right now, and we need four people per group.
One group has already been formed, but the remaining two groups have three people each.”
“If Mr. Gu doesn’t come, then these two groups will be even, but if Mr. Gu comes, one of the groups will have one person less than the other.”
Zheng Anling spoke up clearly, pointing out the issue.
She wasn’t like the director, a grumpy old man who only knew how to lose his temper and flatter others. She was genuinely working.
The director realized the problem.
Now that the groups were being formed, apart from the four pre-existing groups, the remaining people were Ruan Nian, the Li siblings, Liang Zhiwei, Chu Yanze, and Gu Zhaoping.
This was a tricky situation.
Ruan Nian couldn’t be in a group with Liang Zhiwei, and she definitely couldn’t be in a group with Gu Zhaoping.
So, did that mean Gu Zhaoping and Liang Zhiwei had to be in the same group?
The Li siblings couldn’t be split up, so Chu Yanze would have to join Gu Zhaoping’s group to balance it out.
If Gu Zhaoye arrived, would he join Gu Zhaoping’s group, forming a sibling combo, or would he join Ruan Nian’s group?
The answer was obvious.
No one expected Gu Zhaoye to choose anyone else; he would only choose Ruan Nian.
So, whether Gu Zhaoye arrived or not was crucial.
If he didn’t come, the two groups would be balanced; if he did come, Gu Zhaoping’s group would be one person short.
At this point, the director had no choice but to bite the bullet and ask Ruan Nian, “Teacher Ruan, we have a problem with the groupings.
We wanted to ask Mr. Gu whether he’s coming or not for the next two episodes?”
Ruan Nian was still angry about him starting the live stream, and dealing with the aftermath of the controversy had her on edge.
Hearing this question only made her more irritable.
“I already told you, Mr. Gu will come once he’s finished.
Do you want me to pressure him?”
After saying this, Ruan Nian realized her tone was too harsh, which didn’t match her usual persona.
She quickly softened her voice.
“Mr. Gu is a busy person.
I can’t just keep pestering him over a small matter like this.
It wouldn’t look right if his subordinates saw me constantly messaging him.
It’s not appropriate.”
“The production team should understand. After all, Mr. Gu is not just an ordinary boyfriend.
He can come and go as he pleases.
I’d like to respect his time and schedule.”
“After all, this show is just a small thing for Mr. Gu. He doesn’t need the reward or the fame that the show provides, unlike others who would rush to get on it.”
The director looked awkward after hearing this, realizing how difficult her words made things.
He understood now but could only suppress his anger and force a smile.
“Alright, sorry, Teacher Ruan.”
Turning to his assistant, he mumbled, “She’s not even married yet, and she’s already acting like a rich lady. Once she gets married, it feels like the whole world will be serving her.”
“This program, they’ve already been given the chance to be here, and now they’re getting all these bad habits.”
Of course, he didn’t dare say it aloud.
In his heart, he had some doubts about Ruan Nian.
Thinking about Gu Zhaoping, the director’s feelings became even more complicated.
Ah, even this picky, bad-tempered lady is taking time off to be here for the show, and she’s cooperating.
Except for the awkward situation with Ruan Nian, nothing else has caused trouble.
Why couldn’t Ruan Nian and Gu Zhaoye be like this?
Chu Yanze, who had been sitting indifferently with headphones on, listening to his demo, paused when a staff member approached him.
The staff said, “Mr. Chu, your group is with Miss Gu and Liang Zhiwei.
Is that alright?”
The staff spoke cautiously. After all, Chu Yanze had a notorious reputation for being picky and difficult to get along with.
When he heard the question, Chu Yanze froze for a moment before casually removing his headphones, hanging them around his neck, and saying, “The three of us?”
“…Yes, that’s right.”
After a moment, Chu Yanze nodded.
“Got it, thank you.”
He was still so polite, which made the staff member momentarily stunned.
After the staff left, Chu Yanze took a sip from his juice, and as he drank, his eyes casually followed Gu Zhaoping’s retreating figure.
It seemed that Gu Zhaoping noticed someone was looking at her and casually turned around.
Chu Yanze was so startled that he nearly choked and pulled the chair back with a loud screech.
He quickly raised his hand to cover his mouth, coughing several times and grabbing a tissue to wipe his face and clothes.
Unfortunately, his outfit wasn’t thick enough, and when he wiped the juice off, his skin’s contours were clearly visible.
Chu Yanze paused after a few wipes, realizing something felt off.
He quickly looked up and noticed that Gu Zhaoping wasn’t looking at him anymore.
He let out a sigh of relief, pulled his coat to the middle of his body, and stood up.
“I’ll go change.”
The assistant was confused.
“Oh, okay.”
After changing into a new outfit, Chu Yanze was still a bit annoyed and ruffled his hair.
Did that older sister think he did it on purpose?
After the groups were finalized, Liang Zhiwei mustered the courage to approach Gu Zhaoping for her contact information.
“Miss Gu, should we add each other to a group?”
Gu Zhaoping thought it was a good idea and nodded.
She took out her phone and offered it to Liang Zhiwei to scan her QR code.
Chu Yanze remained seated, seemingly still immersed in his music, but his thumb unconsciously swiped across the phone screen, unlocking it.
Then it seemed like he was selecting some playlists, as if he didn’t hear their conversation at all.
Liang Zhiwei turned to him and asked, “Mr. Chu, are you joining the group too?”
Before she could finish the question, Chu Yanze had already extended his phone, his attention not on them, but on his QR code.
Liang Zhiwei was stunned.
She didn’t expect this difficult-to-please Chu Yanze to be so cooperative.
Once the group was set up, Chu Yanze took back his phone, looked at it for a second, then locked the screen and tucked it back into his pocket.
Gu Zhaoping, seeing that the recording for the day had ended, stood up.
“I’ll leave first.”
After she left, Liang Zhiwei was about to turn and bid farewell to Chu Yanze when she saw him standing up and saying, “I’ll leave first too.”
Looking at Chu Yanze’s retreating figure, Liang Zhiwei was still a little confused.
He had seemed so unhurried just now, so why… did he suddenly need to leave?
On the other side, Ruan Nian and the Li siblings were discussing the details of the shoot.
“My brother and I aren’t very good at cooking, so we’ll have to leave it to you.”
Li Xunxi wisely delegated the tasks.
She knew very well that neither she nor her brother had much experience with cooking, so they would have to leave this task to Ruan Nian.
Li Xunxi looked at Ruan Nian and smiled.
“You can cook, right?”
Ruan Nian’s expression was a little awkward.
She could cook, but not very well.
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