Top-tier Auntie in the Entertainment Industry

11 - 20

Chapter 11

What's going on?

Didn't you say you were going to study? Why are you reading Anatomy and Physiology?

The on-site program crew looked at each other in blank dismay, obviously not knowing what Song Anan was up to.

The audience in the live studio exploded.

【OMG! Song Anan is pretending too hard here. That's not how you rebuild your image】

【What? Is Song Anan addicted to her nerd image? Can she really understand professional books like Anatomy and Physiology?】

【Is it possible that this is just her hobby and interest? There's nothing wrong with liking medical books, right?】

【Humph, you like medical books? Then why don't you take the exam for medical school instead of joining the entertainment industry and participating in these shows?】

【You think it's easy to get into medical school? She's in the entertainment industry because her grades weren't good enough for medical school】

【You guys need to mind your own business. The little auntie can read whatever books she wants, it's none of your concern. Go eat your carrots and stop meddling】

【I'm speechless. Those shouting that the little auntie should stay out of the entertainment industry if she's able - are you jealous? Or is it just sour grapes?】

【Speaking of which, Song Anan has really surprised me. She looks so gentle and well-behaved, but is actually fierce and capable, capturing two big guys bare-handed and resetting their arms with ease. And now she's reading Anatomy and Physiology...】

【Who isn't surprised? From the livestream these two days, I get the feeling the little auntie has a lot more to her than meets the eye】

The fans and antis in the live chat were arguing intensely. But for most of the audience, their attention remained fixed on Song Anan - specifically, what she would say next, and how the Anatomy book was related to those online rumors, if at all.

However, Song Anan's next actions caught everyone off guard. She simply opened the textbook and started reading intently.

Audience/Crew: "..."

She's actually just reading the book?

Isn't she going to take this chance to explain anything?

The director looked puzzledly at Jiang Han. But seeing his unconcerned expression, a thought suddenly occurred to him.

He turned to Song Anan and tentatively asked, "Little auntie, are you planning to become a doctor?"

Hearing the director's question, Song Anan slowly lifted her gaze from the book: "Yes, I'm going to be a doctor."

She said she's going to be a doctor.

The director was taken aback for a moment. On the surface it was a simple statement, but it carried deeper implications.

"So you're planning to take the medical school exam when you apply for college?" the director asked.

Song Anan nodded slightly, but mid-nod she changed her mind and shook her head.

"I'm already enrolled in university," Song Anan said matter-of-factly.

Everyone: ???

What?

She's already in university!

Didn't she just turn 17? Even if she started school early, she could have taken the college entrance exam this year.

Wait, it's early July now, the exam results are out but acceptance letters haven't been sent yet.

The director breathed a sigh of relief. Based on Jiang Han and the others' reactions, Song Anan must have done very well on the exam, otherwise they wouldn't be so confident.

"I took the college entrance exam two years ago," Song Anan waved the book in her hand, "I'll be starting my third year this fall."

So she's going to be a doctor in the future.

Director/Crew: !!!

【What?! But isn't Song Anan only 17? If she's starting her third year, doesn't that mean she got into college at 15?!!】

【Holy crap! I'm 17 this year and only starting high school. Did the little auntie start school super early?】

【Kids usually start elementary school at 5-7, then 6 years of elementary, 3 of middle school, 3 of high school. So for Song Anan's case, she must have started early AND skipped grades】

【I can't believe the little auntie is studying medicine! No wonder she was so skilled at resetting bones yesterday - she's got professional training!】

【Medical students don't necessarily know how to set bones, depends on the specialty. But in any case, Song Anan is clearly very accomplished】

【What's the big deal, probably some third-rate school. If she really went to some super prestigious university, why wouldn't Song Anan reveal the name?】

【Right, not all colleges are equal. If you've really got the goods, why be shady about it? Probably because if she names it, we would have never even heard of it】

The director could guess what was up from Jiang Han and the others' composed reaction.

Based on their confidence, Song Anan's university must be quite reputable.

"Little auntie, can you reveal which university you attend?" the director asked.

Song Anan nodded.

But before she could respond, Song Linchuan proudly interjected, "My little auntie is a student at University B, majoring in Clinical Medicine."

Even though the director was mentally prepared, hearing "

Chapter 12

Song Linchuan's decision left Jiang Han a little surprised at first, but he soon accepted it.

Filing a lawsuit, so be it. After all, the rumors about Song An'an were mostly spread by Song Linchuan's antifans. This would be a good chance to give those antifans a warning.

Song Anan's reputation as a bookworm was well-deserved. She was completely focused on the book in her hands, not lifting her head once as she turned page after page.

After some time, as if tired from reading, she lifted her arms to stretch and glanced at the clock on the wall, startled to find it was already 11:30.

She didn't realize she had been reading for so long.

Seeing that Song Linchuan wasn't at his seat, Song Anan closed her book, got up, and was about to go look for him when she saw him and Jiang Han walking over from the direction of the study.

"Auntie, were you looking for me?" Song Linchuan asked.

Song Anan nodded. "Yeah, I saw it was about time for lunch and wanted to ask what we should eat."

She had always had a good appetite, and reading made her hungry faster, so she was quite hungry now.

When Jiang Han heard this, he was about to ask what the two wanted to eat so he could order some takeout.

But then he remembered one of the "three rules" Song Anan had given Song Linchuan that morning: healthy diet!

Eating takeout wouldn't really be considered healthy, would it?

"Auntie, didn't you say you wanted to eat healthy this morning? Why don't I go buy some ingredients for you two to cook at home?" Jiang Han suggested.

He knew Song Linchuan was a terrible cook. After all, he had managed to burn eggs into charcoal when tasked with frying some on a variety show.

But glancing at Song Anan, he suddenly felt more confident. With Auntie here, it should be no problem.

Even if Song Linchuan couldn't cook, it was no big deal. This learning prodigy could pick up anything fast, cooking would be a piece of cake for her.

Jiang Han had a mysterious, unwavering faith in Song Anan these days.

What's more, in a couple days they had to join the other cast members for group filming, and based on his experience from previous seasons, the cast always had to cook for themselves. This could serve as good practice.

Cook themselves?!

Song Anan's eyes narrowed slightly, involuntarily flashing a hint of evasiveness.

She turned to look at Song Linchuan, and the aunt and nephew exchanged a glance, both seeing that familiar lingering fear in each other's eyes.

If there was one thing the two were most alike in, it was probably their lack of cooking talent.

But while Song Linchuan was at most a kitchen idiot whose cooking always ended in disaster, at least there was no danger to life and limb with him in the kitchen.

Song Anan was different. She was a kitchen killer who could literally blow up the kitchen.

Yes, blow it up for real.

She had to be rescued by firefighters in the end and was even used as a negative example in the local news channel's program.

But of course she couldn't say any of this out loud. It was too embarrassing, and Song Anan had her pride.

She looked at Jiang Han, hesitating for a moment before saying, "Actually, I think there are a lot of healthy options with takeout too. We don't necessarily have to cook it ourselves."

Song Linchuan nodded eagerly. "Right, right! That private kitchen we had yesterday was pretty good. Let me see if they deliver."

If nothing else worked, they could always go out to eat.

Jiang Han: "......"

Livestream viewers: Hmm... feels like they're hiding something!

After browsing through the food delivery apps for a while, aunt and nephew finally decided to go out to eat. There were a few nice private kitchens near their complex, and one specialized in healthy, light cuisine, which was just to Song Anan's taste.

After lunch, instead of wandering around, the two went straight home.

The production team had given them an hour for lunch break, and Song Anan planned to take a half-hour nap in her room to recharge.

Just as she reached her bedroom door, Song Linchuan called out to her. "Auntie."

Song Anan stopped and turned around to look at Song Linchuan. "What is it?"

Song Linchuan seemed unsure of how to say it. He paused for several seconds before speaking. "There's something...I thought about it and still feel I should tell you."

Taken aback, Song Anan asked, "Is it about me trending on social media this morning?"

Song Linchuan looked surprised. "You already know?"

Song Anan nodded. "Yeah, I found out at lunch. My fangirl roommate told me."

To be precise, Li Sirui had sent her a message first thing in the morning, but she hadn't checked her phone all morning.

Song Linchuan said guiltily, "I'm really sorry, Auntie. It's all because of me that you got dragged into this."

If she hadn't joined the show with him, none of this would have happened, and she wouldn't have been slandered like this.

Song Anan strongly disagreed. "What does this have to do with you? I chose to join the show myself, don't take everything upon yourself."

She patted Song Linchuan's arm reassuringly and said with a smile, "Don't worry, I'm totally fine. Those people don't matter to me one bit, I don't care what they say at all."

Song Linchuan was stunned for a second before feeling relieved.

What kind of person his auntie was, it wasn't like he had just met her yesterday. He knew she wasn't just saying this to comfort him, but that she truly didn't care.

Comparatively, it was him who had been overthinking things just now.

As his mother would say, his auntie had an extraordinary sense of detachment ever since she was little.

It seemed like in her world, she only ever focused on the people and things she cared about, nothing else could affect her.

"Auntie, seeing all that stuff online really doesn't upset you at all?" Song Linchuan was still curious.

Song Anan shook her head and answered honestly, "It's a little upsetting, but I was mentally prepared, so it's fine."

Song Linchuan frowned. "Mentally prepared?"

Song Anan nodded. "I knew beforehand that there would definitely be criticism if I joined the show, but none of that matters. As long as I'm clear about what I want, that's enough."

Although she didn't follow the entertainment industry, having Li Sirui as a friend gave her some insight into its twists and turns.

In this circle, the more popular you got, the more gossip would arise.

Of course, Song Anan didn't think she was getting popular, just that she knew Song Linchuan had quite the following, so she expected there would be gossip when she decided to join the show.

But none of that was important. She joined the show to help Song Linchuan deviate from the original storyline and change his cannon fodder fate.

As long as it didn't hinder her from achieving this goal, everything else was insignificant.

Song Linchuan was stunned for a second. He felt like he had heard someone say something similar before.

That's right, it was...Pei Kuang!

Back when he had first joined the talent show, he was viciously attacked once, the first time he had faced such maliciousness from strangers. At the time, he had trouble accepting it.

He remembered asking Pei Kuang, who had also been severely bashed, how he dealt with it. Pei Kuang had said something like this - think about why you joined the show in the first place, there's no gain without pain.

As long as you achieve your purpose, you don't have to take the rest so much to heart.

He had to admit, his auntie's mindset was quite similar to Pei Kuang's in this aspect.

Of course, Song Anan had no idea what Song Linchuan was thinking. Glancing at her phone, she suddenly said, "Xiaochuan, could you do me a favor?"

"Sure," Song Linchuan agreed without a second thought. "What is it?"

Song Anan thought for a bit before saying, "Well, it's not a big deal. Just that fangirl friend of mine wants an autographed photo..."

"I got it, she wants my autographed photo, right? No problem, I'll have Jiang Han bring some over this afternoon." Song Linchuan's eyes lit up as he exclaimed joyfully.

"That fangirl classmate you mentioned, she must be my fan, right?"

Song Anan: "......"

She really wanted to say no.

The truth was, Li Sirui had asked her to get an autographed photo of Pei Kuang as compensation for hiding her identity as Song Linchuan's aunt.

So she thought that since Song Linchuan knew Pei Kuang, she could ask him for help.

But facing Song Linchuan's expectant expression, she just couldn't bring herself to say it out loud.

Oh well, she would find another chance to bring it up later.

*

It was just past 7 pm. At the underground parking garage of B City Airport, Pei Kuang and his manager Li Dong got into a black business car.

As soon as Pei Kuang got in the car, his assistant passed him a sandwich from the front passenger seat. "Have a bite first to fill you up a bit, Pei Ge."

Li Dong also urged from the side, "Eat something. You were sleeping on the plane and didn't get to eat."

Pei Kuang nodded lightly.

First he took off his hat and face mask, revealing his still exquisitely devilish features.

The exhaustion on his face was hard to hide though, his eyes tinged red - clear signs he was dead tired.

"Thanks." His voice was somewhat hoarse as he accepted the sandwich from his assistant and slowly started eating.

Li Dong instructed the driver to start driving. The black business car quickly left the underground parking garage and merged into the night.

The sandwich wasn't big, and Pei Kuang soon finished it.

After catching some sleep on the plane and getting some food in him, he finally felt some strength returning to his body.

Seeing Pei Kuang like this, Li Dong also felt bad for him, but there was no helping these sudden circumstances.

The past few days, due to scheduling issues at the drama set, Pei Kuang had pulled two consecutive all-nighters right before wrap-up in order to catch up. He had been busy to death.

As soon as filming finished, they rushed straight to the airport without even a breather.

"Rest while you have the chance, let's go over the schedule for the next few days," Pei Kuang said lightly.

Li Dong's thoughts returned and he immediately took out his schedule book.

From the airport to Pei Kuang's home, the drive would take over an hour. They had just finished going over the schedule for the next week when the car pulled into the residential complex.

Looking out at the apartment towers, Pei Kuang seemed to remember something. He took out his phone and opened his WeChat conversation with Song Linchuan.

Pei Kuang: Are you home?

Song Linchuan replied quickly: Yes.

Pei Kuang didn't continue the chat. Instead, he put his phone away and turned to Li Dong. "Did you bring the gift I asked you to prepare?"

Li Dong was confused. "What gift?"

Pei Kuang frowned. "The ** perfume set."

Li Dong immediately recalled. "Oh right, it's in my suitcase. I'll give it to you when we get to your place."

But Pei Kuang shook his head. "No need, give it to me now. You guys can help bring my luggage home later."

Then he directly told the driver in front, "Stop at that building up ahead, I'm getting off."

The driver responded affirmatively.

Li Dong now also understood what was going on. Looking at the apartment building ahead, he asked, "You're going over to Song Linchuan's now?"

Pei Kuang nodded lightly. "Mm, I'm too busy coming up, don't know when I'll get a chance again."

Although they lived in the same complex, with both their packed schedules, opportunities for them to meet were still quite rare.

The car soon came to a stop. Li Dong frantically rummaged through his suitcase and handed Pei Kuang a prettily packaged tote bag.

"You have a brand event early tomorrow morning. Don't stay too long, go home and rest early." Li Dong instructed.

"Mm," Pei Kuang responded lightly.

Then he directly opened the car door, tote bag in hand, and got out of the car.

Watching Pei Kuang's retreating figure, Li Dong couldn't help scratching his head.

Strange, he felt like he was forgetting something, but for the life of him he couldn't remember what it was with his jumbled state of mind right now.

It was only after Pei Kuang entered the building that Li Dong told the driver to leave.

Probably wasn't anything important.

Li Dong and the assistant brought Pei Kuang's luggage into his home. Just as they finished, Li Dong suddenly slapped his forehead as he finally remembered what he had forgotten.

He still hadn't told Pei Kuang that Song Linchuan's aunt was actually a young woman!

He had been so dizzyingly busy the past few days that he actually forgot about this.

Thinking of the set of 30+ perfumes that Pei Kuang was carrying when he got out of the car, Li Dong couldn't help but hold his forehead.

"Oh no, how could I have forgotten such an important thing. No, I have to call Pei Kuang right away. I hope he hasn't arrived at Song Linchuan's house yet."

Li Dong hurriedly took out his phone, preparing to make a call, when his assistant stopped him: "Brother Li, it may be too late already."

Li Dong was a little confused: "Too late for what?"

The assistant pushed his phone in front of Li Dong. On it was the livestream room of the Song family's aunt and nephew in "Our Dearest".

On the screen, it clearly showed Pei Kuang standing at the door of Song Linchuan's house.

In his hand, he was holding the paper bag containing the 30+ perfume set of a certain brand!

Chapter 13

After dinner, Song Linchuan and Song Anan were bored and decided to watch TV in the living room.

The TV was playing a medical documentary, which Song Anan found very interesting, but Song Linchuan started feeling a little sleepy.

The two of them didn't know how long they had been watching. Suddenly, Song Anan felt a little uncomfortable in her stomach and hurried to the bathroom.

As soon as she left, Song Linchuan immediately pressed pause on the TV remote.

He stretched and finally felt more awake.

No wonder, this stuff was just so soporific.

Song Linchuan picked up his phone from the coffee table and glanced at the screen. He didn't see any new messages from Pei Kuang, which made him feel a little puzzled.

He didn't know what wind had gotten into that guy. Pei Kuang had just messaged asking if he was home, and then there was no sound from him.

Just as Song Linchuan was thinking about whether he should send another message to ask what was up, the doorbell suddenly rang.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, he saw it was already eight o'clock. Song Linchuan was taken aback.

Who would come knocking at this time?

They hadn't ordered any takeout either.

Besides, the security guards in this residential compound were usually very strict. Even food delivery people had to get in contact with the resident first before they could enter.

Song Linchuan went to the door feeling puzzled. He turned on the video intercom and saw who it was. He couldn't help looking surprised, a rare bewildered expression on his face.

He opened the door and saw Pei Kuang standing outside. He blurted out, "What are you doing here?"

Pei Kuang quirked an eyebrow, just about to say something, when he happened to meet eyes with the cameraman who had rushed over.

The livestream bullet screen exploded: "Oh my god!!!"

Pei Kuang just froze for a second before turning to look at Song Linchuan again. "Is this not convenient?"

By now Song Linchuan had regained his senses, and remembered that Pei Kuang had said he was coming to visit his aunt.

"No, I..." he said, glancing at the cameraman who had followed Pei Kuang inside. "Oh, we're filming a variety show. No inconvenience."

After saying this, Song Linchuan seemed to remember something. He quickly asked, "Are you okay with this?"

Entertainment companies usually had some restrictions on their artists. Song Linchuan wasn't very clear about Pei Kuang's circumstances.

"If it's inconvenient for you, we'll be finishing up soon. I can come find you after," Song Linchuan said.

Pei Kuang smiled and shook his head. "It's fine with me, either way is okay."

He looked at the cameraman and said, "Is it convenient for your crew? If not, I can leave first and come back after you guys wrap up."

The cameraman quickly waved his hands upon hearing this. "No need, no need! It's convenient for us!!"

How could they dare to claim any inconvenience?

Come on, this was Pei Kuang they were talking about!

This was someone they might not even be able to invite over normally. And now he was appearing on their show for free. Only a fool would reject that!

Not to mention... the cameraman looked at Song Linchuan, then looked at Pei Kuang again. Having these two top and currently most popular male celebrities privately gathering together, the popularity and topic value was simply unimaginable.

There were already some Song Linchuan and Pei Kuang cp fans watching the livestream. The moment they saw Pei Kuang appear, they immediately went nuts.

[Ahhhhhhh, omfg omfg! I can't believe this is really Pei Kuang, my 'never imagined this could happen' series]

[Wahhhh, what kind of magical variety show is this, seeing my otp appear together on screen, mama mia, I'm about to cry]

[Song Pei cp forever!]

Aside from the cp fans, the other viewers were also very surprised.

After all, there were only so many top A-list celebrities in the domestic entertainment industry, and Song Linchuan and Pei Kuang happened to be two of them sharing the spotlight.

So even if they weren't very familiar with Pei Kuang, most people had at least heard of his name before.

[Earlier I saw some online gossip that Song Linchuan and Pei Kuang were just a marketing gimmick. But they don't look fake, after all they seem to have the kind of relationship where they visit each other privately]

[Well I'm the kind of person who's too lazy to even reply to messages if I'm not on good terms, let alone meet up in private]

[Haha, ignore that arrogant cp fan up there self-promoting their ship again. Both of them have clearly stated they're just friends, and you guys can still ship them? Ridiculous]

[I'm not a Song Pei shipper, but as a longtime veteran of the cp fandom, I can say from experience that the more nonchalant and open the real people are about it, the more likely it is they really are just friends]

[As a cp fan, I'm saying who cares! No matter if it's romantic love, friendship, family love, brotherly love, as long as there's something real there, I can ship it!]

[Wait wait! Are we missing something here? From Song Linchuan's reaction earlier, it seems like he didn't know Pei Kuang was coming over. So the question is, how did Pei Kuang get in?]

[Oh right! It was mentioned earlier that Song Linchuan's residential compound had very strict security measures. Visitors who don't have access cards or aren't brought in by residents aren't allowed in, right?]

After coming in, Pei Kuang went with Song Linchuan to the living room.

Song Linchuan took a bottle of water out of the fridge and lobbed it over to Pei Kuang from afar. "When did you get back?"

Pei Kuang twisted the cap open and took a sip. "Just now."

Song Linchuan was surprised. "Just now?"

Pei Kuang nodded lightly. "Mm. I had just gotten back when I messaged you. The car was passing by your building, so I had the driver drop me off."

[Oh... so it sounds like Pei Kuang lives in the same residential compound as Song Linchuan. No wonder he could just come in]

[I knew it! There was paparazzi news before saying the two lived in the same compound. This confirms it]

[It seems like Pei Kuang must have something urgent, since he came straight to Song Linchuan's place without even going home first]

Glancing around, Pei Kuang cut straight to the chase. "I said I was coming to visit your aunt. Did I come at a bad time? Is she not home?"

Song Linchuan plopped down unceremoniously on the sofa and gestured for Pei Kuang to sit.

"No, my aunt is at home but busy with something. Just wait a bit, she'll be out soon."

Pei Kuang nodded lightly and put the gift bag he was holding down on the coffee table before sitting down.

Song Linchuan cocked his chin at the gift bag direction and said cheekily, "What did you bring...for me?"

Pei Kuang didn't get annoyed. He casually draped his arm over the sofa armrest and chuckled. "Don't want you cursing me to an early grave."

The two were used to poking fun at each other in private. Song Linchuan scoffed reflexively, about to retort, but noticing the cameraman out of the corner of his eye, he shut his mouth in the end.

[Hahaha, you can tell from the way they banter that their relationship is definitely close]

[Yeah, they seem pretty relaxed around each other]

[Lol I bet I'm not the only one who noticed Song Linchuan was about to say "for daddy" right?]

[Normal normal, male bonding always comes with trying to one up the other by calling them dad, big bro, etc]

Pei Kuang didn't keep selling it and explained directly. "It's my first time visiting an elder, so I prepared some gifts."

Song Linchuan had guessed it was probably presents for his aunt. After all, when had this dog ever brought anything over for him?

[Yo, so Pei Kuang actually came specially to visit the aunt?]

[Visit the aunt? Elder? Is it just me or does Pei Kuang's wording sound a little strange?]

[Uh, Pei Kuang still doesn't know the aunt is actually a young auntie right? He did say it was his first time meeting her]

[No way, this show has been airing for two days already. Song Linchuan and Song Anan have been trending searches for two whole days. Unless Pei Kuang was in some remote mountain village with no internet, even if he just had village-wide access he'd know]

[Uh...hard to say for sure]

The sofa directly faced the TV screen. As Pei Kuang sat down, the first thing his eyes landed on was the paused documentary image. A flash of surprise went through his eyes.

"You like watching this documentary too?"

In real life, Pei Kuang had rarely seen people who enjoyed this kind of medical documentary, especially the one Song Linchuan was watching, which covered the history of medical diseases.

At this time, the bullet screen audience didn't bother leaving Song Linchuan any face at all, and immediately started exposing all his weaknesses.

[Hahahaha, Pei Kuang you're thinking too highly of Song Linchuan. Whether he understood it or not I don't know, but I do know he was bored to sleep]

[Lol the way Song Linchuan looked like he really wanted to sleep but was forcing himself to stay awake, isn't that just me in class?]

[Well I don't have much right to mock Song Linchuan, since I straight up fell asleep watching earlier myself]

[Right? This kind of professional material documentary, probably only the auntie as a medical student would find it super interesting]

[I'm ashamed to admit it as a med student myself, but I can't really watch this stuff either *sigh* I guess this is the difference between academically mediocre and academically stellar]

[Uh...did anyone else notice Pei Kuang used the word "also"? So he meant he likes watching it too?]

[I think Pei Kuang has played a doctor role several times?]

[Pei Kuang fan here to explain! My bro has portrayed doctor roles three times - respiratory, cardiothoracic surgery, and oncology!]

[Dang, what's with Pei Kuang's special interest here, he seems to have a thing for doctors lol]

Song Linchuan glanced at the paused documentary on the TV and waved his hand. "No, my aunt likes it."

His aunt likes it?

Pei Kuang quirked an eyebrow, rather surprised.

Just then, sounds suddenly came from the bedroom direction.

Pei Kuang turned to look and was taken aback when he saw Song Anan. His first reaction was confusion.

"You have other guests over too?" Pei Kuang asked Song Linchuan.

Song Linchuan waved Song Anan over and introduced her. "My aunt."

Pei Kuang's smile froze and he said in astonishment, "Your aunt?"

Then he looked at Song Anan again - white T-shirt, light blue sweatpants, high ponytail...

And a face full of youthful innocence without any makeup. She looked fifteen or sixteen at oldest, much younger than he had imagined.

Song Linchuan cocked his chin. "Yeah, what, you have a problem with that?"

Pei Kuang: "..."

[Hahahahaha, just look at Pei Kuang's reaction, he clearly had no idea the aunt was a young auntie! His reaction is just too pricelessly authentic]

[Pei Kuang: I suddenly don't want this brother anymore]

Seeing Pei Kuang suddenly in her home, Song Anan also felt a little lost.

Luckily Song Linchuan timely stood up and waved Song Anan over. "Auntie, this is my friend Pei Kuang. I mentioned to him earlier that you were coming to stay with me, so he said he wanted to come visit you specially."

Upon hearing Song Linchuan's words, Pei Kuang, who had also stood up, couldn't help halting in his steps.

He discreetly glanced at Song Linchuan.

Very good, this guy did that on purpose.

Song Anan was also surprised. Came to visit her specially?

She really hadn't expected that.

Also, Song Anan took a look at Pei Kuang. If she hadn't misunderstood, wasn't using the term "visit" a gesture of respect, used by juniors to show esteem to elders?

Although it sounded a little strange at first, Song Anan quickly realized - she was Linchuan's aunt, and Pei Kuang was Linchuan's friend, so it made sense for Pei Kuang to treat her as an elder.

After thinking for a few seconds, Song Anan tugged at the corner of her mouth and smiled at Pei Kuang in a way she thought was kind and amiable, "Hello, I'm Song Anan, Song Linchuan's auntie."

Pei Kuang felt the little auntie's expression was a bit strange, but he didn't have time to think much of it, "I'm Pei Kuang, nice to meet you, little..."

Seeing Song Anan's smile again, Pei Kuang paused. Even if he was slow on the uptake, he realized where the problem was.

Song Linchuan was trying hard not to laugh at the side. He knew his little auntie very well. She had always had a strong sense of being an elder since she was young.

Although she doesn't usually deliberately put on airs as an elder, once she confirms that the other party really sees her as an elder, she will definitely maintain the demeanor of one.

In her words, this is called cannot be disrespectful!

So under the expectant gaze of the little auntie and the mocking look of his friend, Pei Kuang opened his mouth, "Little...friend."

【OMG! What kind of address is that from Pei Kuang, little friend?】

【Hahaha, the little auntie cracks me up. Was she being serious just now with that benevolent smile? I've only seen that kind of smile on my grandma's face.】

【But come to think of it, you can't really blame the little auntie. It was Pei Kuang who used honorifics first, so Song Anan was just going along with him.】

【The biggest troll is Song Linchuan! He clearly knew Pei Kuang misunderstood but still deliberately misled the little auntie. He was just waiting to see Pei Kuang make a fool of himself!】

Little friend?

Song Anan was stunned. What kind of address was that?!

As far as she could remember, no one had addressed her that way after she turned 10.

Song Anan wasn't dumb either. After being stunned for a few seconds, she also saw some clues.

In fact, whenever Song Linchuan's classmates and friends met her when she was little, they generally didn't know how to address her either.

She could understand this. After all, she was obviously younger than them in age.

But being called little friend gave her the feeling that she was still a child, which made Song Anan feel a little unhappy for some reason.

"I'm already seventeen," Song Anan said seriously, looking at Pei Kuang, "I'm not a little friend anymore."

Pei Kuang met Song Anan's gaze. The little auntie's clear eyes looked straight into his, honest and purely beautiful.

At this moment, he suddenly understood Song Linchuan's thoughts a bit. No wonder he had hidden the little auntie so carefully before.

However, to say it again, Song Anan's features belonged to the exquisite and cute type. This kind of appearance made her look naturally young in the first place.

Add to that the artless innocence she exuded, she did seem younger than her actual age.

"Oh?" Pei Kuang asked in pretend puzzlement, "You're not an adult yet, aren't you still a little friend?"

He had obviously noticed the little auntie's displeasure, but for some reason, seeing her reaction made him want to tease her a bit.

Song Anan was rendered speechless, "...I'll be an adult next year."

Pei Kuang's eyes were full of laughter as he nodded heavily as if thinking hard, "Okay, I'll remember that."

Song Anan: "???"

Remember what?

"Next year, I definitely won't call you little friend." Pei Kuang said solemnly.

The subtext was that he would still call her that for now.

Song Anan: "..."

【Hahaha, I bet 50 cents worth of spicy sticks that Pei Kuang is deliberately messing with her.】

【I can't, my face hurts from laughing. Pei Kuang is too naughty, he's clearly bullying the little friend.】

【The little auntie wants to refute him but can't, isn't she just too adorable! I'd want to tease her too if I were him.】

Song Linchuan's original intention was to see Pei Kuang make a fool of himself, but who knew this guy would turn the tables and start teasing Song Anan instead. Of course he wouldn't stand for it.

"Pei Kuang, stop changing the subject. I told you to address my little auntie properly, what are you rambling to her about random irrelevant things for?"

Pei Kuang shrugged, replying very candidly, "I can't help it. I wanted to pretend to be young too, but she's too young to call little friend, I really can't say it."

Song Anan blinked and said in a very understanding tone, "Then call me by my name, it's okay."

As long as he didn't call her little friend.

But Song Linchuan was unhappy. "Hey, what are you talking about? Even if she's young, she's still an elder..."

He suddenly realized a problem mid-sentence, and his voice rose several degrees, "Pei Kuang, you punk, who's pretending to be young?!"

Everyone: "..."

Gotta admire his priorities!

After all that, the awkwardness between Pei Kuang and Song Anan had dissipated somewhat.

The three sat back down on the sofa, with Song Anan next to Song Linchuan and Pei Kuang diagonally across from them on the side.

The coffee table between them made the gift bag on it especially conspicuous.

Pei Kuang also glanced at the gift bag, then looked at Song Anan, seeming to remember something. His heart skipped a beat.

Crap!

The gift he chose didn't seem appropriate.

Just as he was wondering how to subtly gloss over this, Song Linchuan suddenly pointed at the gift and said, "Didn't you say you prepared a gift for my little auntie? Come on, give it to her."

Song Anan was startled and looked at Pei Kuang, "A gift?"

Pei Kuang nodded stiffly, "Yeah, just a little something, a greeting gift."

Song Anan let out an obedient "Oh" and accepted the gift with thanks. Then the little auntie had a thoughtful look on her face.

He had specially prepared a greeting gift, he was really too polite.

Then shouldn't she give a return gift as propriety, Song Anan thought.

But this happened so suddenly, what should she do? She didn't prepare anything.

Thinking of something, Song Anan's eyes lit up. She suddenly looked up at Pei Kuang and said, "Wait here for me."

Without even giving him a chance to react, she stood up abruptly and ran back towards her room.

【Huh? What's the little auntie going to do? Why did she suddenly run back to her room?】

【Right, isn't the next step normally to unwrap the gift? I really want to know what Pei Kuang got her.】

【To be honest, I've had my eye on the gift bag in his hand since he came in.】

【Cameraman, what are you waiting for, go follow her and see what she's up to!】

...

The cameraman really wanted to follow her, but he couldn't.

According to the filming requirements, their filming crew's area of activity didn't include Song Anan's room.

This was specially requested by Song Linchuan to protect Song Anan's privacy.

Pei Kuang turned to look at Song Linchuan.

Song Linchuan vaguely guessed what Song Anan was going to do, but he didn't say it outright.

On Song Anan's side, after jogging back to her room, she pulled out a suitcase from the corner.

She remembered that during Chinese New Year, an elder from her hometown had given her a red envelope that she hadn't opened yet. It was in the hidden compartment of the suitcase, and it could come in handy now.

Anyway, Pei Kuang was Song Linchuan's friend, so he could be considered a junior. Giving him a red envelope as a greeting gift wouldn't be too inappropriate, Song Anan thought.

Sure enough, the red envelope was in the hidden compartment of the suitcase. Song Anan opened it and counted the money inside.

A total of six hundred and sixty six yuan, a mix of small denominations and larger bills!

Very auspicious numbers, perfect for a greeting gift.

Song Anan resealed the red envelope and went back to the living room in a good mood.

She walked up to Pei Kuang and handed the red envelope over directly.

Pei Kuang was startled, not reacting for a moment, "This is for me?"

Song Anan smiled, her voice light, "Yup, for you, a red envelope!"

Pei Kuang: "..."

【Hahaha, the little auntie is so sincere! What's a better way to win someone's heart than giving them a red envelope?】

【Wow, our little auntie is so thoughtful! Her first reaction after receiving a gift is to think about giving a return gift, her upbringing is just too good! I love her!】

【Wait! If I'm not mistaken, isn't it elders who give red envelopes to their juniors? The little auntie's move is savage!】

【Nice, with the red envelope, Pei Kuang's status as nephew is confirmed, heh.】

After hesitating for a moment, Pei Kuang still accepted Song Anan's red envelope.

Mainly because facing the little auntie's expectant gaze, he really couldn't bear to reject her, otherwise it would seem like he did something terribly wrong.

Sure enough, once Pei Kuang accepted the red envelope, Song Anan was visibly relieved.

As long as he accepted it, otherwise she really wouldn't know what else to give as a return gift.

Song Linchuan glanced at the red envelope in Pei Kuang's hand and couldn't help but snort.

He knew about this red envelope. During Chinese New Year when his little auntie went back to their hometown with his parents to pay respects to their ancestors, a grandma who was their neighbor had given it to the little auntie. It was said she had offered prayers for blessings with it at the temple, and his little auntie had treasured it at that time. Who knew she would actually give it to this Pei Kuang guy.

Song Linchuan let out a cold humph, saying, "Shameless, you're a grown man, how can you brazenly accept my little auntie's red envelope?"

When he didn't even get one!

【Oh! If I'm not seeing wrongly, Song Linchuan is definitely jealous!】

【Song Linchuan: How come she gave him a red envelope and not me!】

【Hahahahaha, I'm dying, Song Linchuan seems to have forgotten that he's a grown man too, yet he still shamelessly asks the little auntie for pocket money!】

Pei Kuang looked provocatively at his friend and said with a smile, "You know, apart from the red envelope given at the start of filming, I can't remember how many years it has been since I've gotten a red envelope. I'd better keep this well."

After saying that, he put the red envelope into his pocket right in front of Song Linchuan.

And patted it twice.

Song Linchuan: "..."

Seeing that Pei Kuang didn't reject it, the corners of Song Anan's mouth turned up slightly, and two shallow dimples appeared on her cheeks.

The livestream audience laughed for a while, then began eagerly wondering what was inside Pei Kuang's gift.

So the bullet screen was flooded with requests for Song Anan to hurry and unwrap the present.

The staff member timely acted as the mouthpiece for the audience, "Little auntie, why don't you take a look at the gift Teacher Pei got you?"

Song Anan turned to look at Pei Kuang and asked, "May I?"

Pei Kuang hesitated, then nodded with difficulty, "...you may."

【Ahhh, the little auntie has such good manners. She still asks the gift-giver for permission before unwrapping a gift in front of them!】

【Wait! I noticed Pei Kuang seems a little troubled, could it be he sent something inappropriate inside?】

【Wow! Things just got interesting. I'm even more curious what's inside now!】

Song Anan wasn't stupid. She naturally noticed Pei Kuang's hesitation too, and didn't know whether to unwrap it or not for a moment.

But before she could make up her mind, Song Linchuan had quickly taken the gift bag from the coffee table, "Let me do it."

From the gift bag he took out a packaging box from a certain luxury brand. Judging by the packaging, it looked very exquisite.

Song Linchuan unwrapped it while mumbling, "I wonder what's inside, it's wrapped so tightly."

After struggling with it for a while, he finally got it open.

Song Anan craned her neck curiously to look. A faint, pleasant fragrance wafted out.

Inside the box were seven delicate small bottles, seven different types of perfume.

【Whoa! I know this perfume gift set, it's the latest release from ** this year, I heard it's pretty hard to get.】

【Waa, so envious! This is a high-end luxury brand my brother started endorsing this year. This set is limited edition, I've been wanting to buy it but can never snap it up in time!】

【Isn't it a bit inappropriate for Pei Kuang to gift products from his own endorsements?】

【Haha, who made the rule that you can't gift endorsements to others? If it's good stuff, what's the problem?】

【Tsk tsk, Pei Kuang really knows what he's doing, perfume is a very suitable gift for girls.】

【Suitable?! Uh...I'm starting to understand what Pei Kuang was hesitating about earlier. Although this perfume is very nice, it's not really suitable for the little auntie.】

【Eh, I think I know too...】

【Ahhh, sisters, don't leave! Explain clearly, what exactly was Pei Kuang hesitating about, how is it not suitable for the little auntie?】

The program crew keenly caught the key information on the barrage and quickly went online to check the introduction of this perfume. After taking a look, the staff couldn't help but hold back a little.

"Teacher Pei, if we didn't get it wrong, the perfume you gave to little auntie is mainly marketed towards women aged 30 and above, right?"

The scene suddenly froze as Song Linchuan and Song Anan both turned to look at Pei Kuang at the same time.

The barrage first fell silent for a few seconds before being filled with "f*ck".

[F*ck! F*ck! 30+, hahaha, is Pei Kuang here to be funny?]

[I'm laughing to death! The top celebrity actor actually gave a girl who just turned seventeen a perfume set for women in their 30s, what kind of straight man steel operation is this?]

[No wonder Pei Kuang was so reluctant when he heard he had to unwrap the gift on the spot, this is too embarrassing.]

Song Linchuan pointed at Pei Kuang, at a loss for words for a moment, and could only squeeze out a sentence in the end: "Pei Kuang, you are really something."

Pei Kuang was also a little embarrassed: "It was my oversight. I really didn't expect your little auntie to be a little girl."

At the same time, he couldn't help feeling a little relieved that he didn't buy fur.

After speaking, Pei Kuang turned to look at Song Anan again, with a hint of apology on his face: "This gift doesn't count. I'll make up for it later."

Song Anan kept waving her hand and said, "No need, no need, this is great."

After thinking about it, she added, "It's okay, I'll grow to be thirty."

The subtext was that she could still use it in the future, so it wasn't wasted.

[Wuwuwu, the understanding little auntie, but I have to remind you that it will expire.]

[Hahahaha, the plastic brotherhood between Pei Kuang and Song Linchuan is going to kill me with laughter.]

[Actually it's understandable. You could tell from Pei Kuang's reaction when he first saw Song Anan that he really didn't know the little auntie's age.]

[Ahhhhh, no, I feel like I'm obsessed. Why do I feel Pei Kuang's "little girl" strangely a bit doting?]

[Wuwuwu, I also feel Pei Kuang and the little auntie are so shippable.]

[Considering grouping the two into a CP.]

[Little girl? Wuwuwu, I instantly imagined eight hundred super sweet doting fics with age gap.]

[You upstairs are of evil cults, stop imagining this forbidden love!]

[Let's not randomly pair up like this, our little auntie is still underage, absolutely not!]

[How bold! Hurry and bring in underage protection laws to protect my little auntie!]

[Laughing to death, no need for underage protection laws, with her big nephew Song Linchuan here, no one else can get close to the little auntie!]

[Song Linchuan is on his way here with his giant 800 meter long sword!!]

[Song Linchuan fans: Ship my brother with Pei Kuang instead, spare the little auntie!]

[Pei Kuang fans: Ship my brother with Song Linchuan instead, at least it's legal!]

...

At 9 pm on the dot, the live broadcast ended on time amidst the audience's reluctance for it to end.

The program crew left reluctantly, and Song Anan also returned to her room, leaving only Song Linchuan and Pei Kuang in the living room.

Without the camera, the two were obviously much more relaxed. Pei Kuang casually leaned to one side of the sofa, not having to worry about any image at all.

"Drink?" Song Linchuan asked.

Pei Kuang nodded, "Red wine, drink less, just right to help sleep."

Song Linchuan lightly hmm-ed and got up to go to the wine cabinet for wine.

As if suddenly thinking of something, Pei Kuang took out his phone and opened Weibo.

Sure enough, as he had expected, search terms with him and Song Linchuan appeared in the top ten hot searches.

Pei Kuang didn't hesitate at all, and sent a message to Li Dong in WeChat: "Help control the online opinion about the hot search, and notify the publicity department not to take advantage of this to gain any popularity."

When Li Dong saw the message Pei Kuang sent, he couldn't help but sigh.

He knew this would happen.

Just after seeing the hot search terms, the publicity department had called to ask him about it, but after thinking about it, he still rejected it.

Knowing Pei Kuang as well as he did, Pei Kuang would never steal the limelight on this show, where Song Linchuan and his little auntie were the main characters.

Sure enough, as he expected, Pei Kuang sent a message right after the show ended.

But for artists, in this era where popularity is king, seizing every opportunity for promotion and maintaining continuous exposure is the most basic operation.

And "bundling" and bringing others down are the two most common and effective instant marketing tactics in the entertainment industry.

Li Dong understood this reasoning, but Pei Kuang, who entered the entertainment industry at fifteen without any backing and fought his way up to his current place in the domestic entertainment industry, would understand it even more.

Or rather, Pei Kuang was deeply aware of the cruelty of competition in the industry, and did not shy away from those tactics.

But Song Linchuan was an exception.

Logically speaking, with both of them now popular male artists, competition was inevitable, but over the years, both sides tried their best to avoid conflicts of interest.

Sometimes when Li Dong was on the side watching, he didn't really understand why the relationship between Pei Kuang and Song Linchuan was so ironclad, after all, Pei Kuang and Song Linchuan were two completely different personalities.

Song Linchuan was the kind of proud and arrogant, who usually looked displeased at everyone, while Pei Kuang was the kind who looked gentle and easy to get along with, but actually had a strong sense of boundaries.

Yet somehow two such distinctly different people had such a good relationship, which was really strange.

After Pei Kuang finished instructing Li Dong about the hot search matter, he exited WeChat and opened a web page.

This time he typed a line of words into the search box. When the search results page appeared, his hand scrolling the screen couldn't help but pause.

Pei Kuang didn't expect that searching "Song Linchuan little auntie" would bring up

Top scorer in college entrance examination?

Sophomore at B University?!

And she's...a medical student!!!

Pei Kuang subconsciously glanced at the TV not far away. No wonder she liked watching medical documentaries.

But he really didn't notice just now that the little auntie was so outstanding and a top student.

After a short surprise, he continued to scroll down and randomly clicked on a video, which was the clip of catching the human traffickers yesterday afternoon.

When he saw Song Anan actually subduing two big men barehanded and easily dislocating both men's arms, the words "Hidden depths" instantly flashed through Pei Kuang's mind.

*

On Song Anan's side, as soon as she returned to her room, her phone buzzed with a series of message notification sounds.

She took out her phone and saw a bombardment of voice messages from Li Sirui, no need to guess that she had just finished watching the live stream.

"Ahhhhhhh, little Anan you've made it big, appearing on screen with my idol, so envious of you!!! "

"This morning I was still wondering if Pei Kuang would appear on your show, who knew he went that very evening!"

"Hehe, but speaking of which, little Anan, isn't Pei Kuang super handsome in person?"

Recalling Pei Kuang's face, Song Anan thought about it and truthfully replied, "He is quite good-looking."

Li Sirui didn't seem to expect Song Anan to reply so quickly, "I'm going, how did you reply my message so fast?"

"What do you mean?" Song Anan was confused.

Wasn't it very normal for her to reply when she sent a message?

Li Sirui also realized the contradiction in her words and quickly explained, "What I mean is, didn't you guys just finish the livestream? How do you have time to reply my message... Wait, don't tell me you were listening to my voice message right in front of my idol! "

Thinking of this possibility, Li Sirui's whole body went limp.

It's over, she had completely embarrassed their Pei Kuang fans in front of the man himself, such sinful deed.

Just as Li Sirui was wondering whether to "die to apologize", fortunately Song Anan's message came just in time to save her.

"No, they were talking in the living room, I went back to my room first." Song Anan replied.

Li Sirui finally breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good, you almost scared me to death just now."

After rejoicing, she cheekily added, "But come to think of it, it makes sense, when adults are talking, little girls should withdraw."

Song Anan: "..."

She suddenly felt like she understood a little better the phrase Li Sirui often had on her lips, fans follow idols!

Song Anan also recalled Pei Kuang calling her "little girl" just now, and she felt more and more disheartened.

She's already seventeen, how does she still look like a little girl.

Could it be, really because her face looks very young?

"Sirui, tell me the truth, do I really look very immature?" Song Anan asked dejectedly.

Hearing this, Li Sirui could imagine her puffed up angry look, and laughed instantly.

But from seeing Pei Kuang deliberately tease Song Anan during the livestream just now, she instantly understood her idol's mischievous taste.

She had deep experience of this, for some reason, Song Anan seemed to have some kind of magic that made people just want to tease her.

But Li Sirui also knew why Song Anan was so concerned about others calling her little. This had to start with a senior sister from their medical school's previous cohort.

That senior sister also looked young, and during her internship, even wearing a white coat she still looked like a high schooler, making patients not dare trust her, and causing doctor-patient disputes every other day.

It was said that senior sister was only halfway through her internship when she was politely rejected back by several departments, and in the end had no choice but to reluctantly take the research route.

And Song Anan's goal was to become an excellent clinical doctor, so after knowing about that senior sister's experience, she became especially concerned about this point.

Li Sirui called her, and as soon as the call connected, she comforted, "Anan, you're not the same as that senior sister, you really are young because of your age, it'll be fine in two years."

Song Anan glumly replied, "That's what you said two years ago too."

Li Sirui: "..."

Alright, the child has grown up and can't be fooled anymore.

"Don't worry, we still have a long time before our internships, and even then, you can wear those black-framed glasses our department head used to wear, looks really mature." Li Sirui said.

Song Anan was stunned, seriously considering the changes before and after the department head started wearing glasses. It did seem to make him look more mature.

She hesitated for a moment, clearly moved: "Would that work?"

Song Anan suddenly thought of something. "But I don't have poor vision."

Li Sirui said, "No problem, you can wear plano lenses, it's just a disguise anyway."

This time Song Anan was successfully convinced, and her mood instantly improved.

She chatted with Li Sirui for a good while longer, of course the whole time was Li Sirui chattering all sorts of flattery about her idol.

After hanging up the phone, Song Anan suddenly remembered something.

That's right, she still hadn't followed through on her promise to get an autographed photo of Pei Kuang for Li Sirui.

She looked towards the door. Should she go out now to ask him for an autograph?

Chapter 14

After a little while, Song Linchuan came back with a bottle of red wine and two glasses. He poured a glass and put it in front of Pei Kuang.

"Thanks." Pei Kuang didn't even lift his head, still looking down at his phone.

Song Linchuan glanced at him: "Busy with work?"

Pei Kuang shook his head, "No, just looking at some things online."

Then, he held up his phone to Song Linchuan: "See, your auntie is much more popular than you now."

Song Linchuan looked at the screen, which was searching Song Anan's webpage, and raised his eyebrows arrogantly, "Of course, my auntie is loved by all."

Pei Kuang chuckled softly and put his phone on the coffee table, then picked up the glass of red wine in front of him.

In the past, hearing this, he would have made fun of Song Linchuan.

But at this moment, he had to admit it made sense, little auntie was quite likable.

"I didn't get a chance to ask, why did you suddenly bring your auntie to participate in a variety show?" Pei Kuang asked.

The last time they met, he still stubbornly refused to do it.

Song Linchuan shrugged, "No particular reason, my auntie was quite interested in it, so she came along."

Pei Kuang was not surprised by this answer.

From his understanding of Song Linchuan over the years, this was consistent with his auntie's usual style.

"What about you?" Song Linchuan asked, "Now that this drama has finished shooting, what's next on your schedule?"

Pei Kuang leaned back lazily on the sofa and lazily replied, "What else could there be? I have some commercial engagements this week, and next week I'll start shooting a new drama, so I'll keep working on set."

"Still so hardworking?" Song Linchuan glanced at him, "If I'm not mistaken, you've been shooting this drama for half a year, why don't you take a break?"

Pei Kuang chuckled softly, "I'm used to it after so many years. If I suddenly have free time, I definitely won't feel comfortable."

Song Linchuan thought about it and realized it made sense. It seemed like ever since he met Pei Kuang, he had always worked at this pace, in an almost year-round uninterrupted state.

He thought about it and suggested, "You rarely appear on variety shows these years. After finishing shooting this drama, why not have your agent get you a more relaxed variety show? It would maintain your exposure while giving you a chance to relax."

"Let's forget it," Pei Kuang waved his hand, "Li Dong had the same idea before, but when we looked through variety shows, none seemed very suitable."

"Oh?" Song Linchuan raised his eyebrows, "How come?"

Pei Kuang replied, "Nowadays, the more relaxed variety shows on the market that could come to me generally fall into two categories - one is your current type of family life variety show, and the other is dating variety shows."

He lowered his eyes, with a hint of a strange smile at the corners of his mouth, "Family variety shows, I don't have a chance anymore. I can't go on a dating show, can I?"

Hearing this, Song Linchuan was taken aback for a moment.

Having known each other for so long, although he didn't know Pei Kuang's family situation very well, he had some understanding and vaguely understood the implied meaning behind his words "no chance with family variety shows".

He patted Pei Kuang on the shoulder, "What's wrong with dating shows? Flirting around is just your area of expertise, perfect for you."

Pei Kuang glanced at him, seeming to laugh and scolded, "Get lost!"

The two chatted intermittently while drinking, and unconsciously, most of the bottle of red wine was already gone.

As if suddenly recalling something, Pei Kuang paused abruptly and looked at Song Linchuan, "Six years ago when I terminated my contract with my former company, your auntie was only 11 years old, right..."

Song Linchuan was startled, then immediately understood the implied meaning in Pei Kuang's words.

Six years ago, at that time, he and Pei Kuang had both participated in a talent show, with both entering the top five and debuting together in a group, but belonging to different management companies.

However, the difference was that after entering the finals, Song Linchuan was signed by a well-reputed major management company in the industry,

But Pei Kuang had already signed with a management company before participating in the talent show, a small workshop-type.

His boss had short-sighted vision, and seeing that Pei Kuang had gained some popularity, began exploiting him in all ways, arranging schedules that were extremely packed, with no consideration for the artist's long-term development, only thinking of taking advantage of his bit of popularity at the time to make money.

Although Pei Kuang had just come of age at that time, he was a very ambitious person, and for the sake of long-term development, he naturally wanted to terminate his contract, but faced with a termination fee of several million, he was also helpless and could only continue to endure and look for the right opportunity.

However, his company became more and more excessive, and later actually wanted him to attend private dinner parties, intending to go down the path of trading sex for roles.

Pei Kuang was also at his wits' end, and could only turn to Song Linchuan, with whom he had a good relationship in the group at the time, to borrow money.

Although Song Linchuan had never publicly spoken of his family background, his words, actions, clothing, and possessions indicated a well-off family background.

However, Pei Kuang was right in not misjudging him. At that time, the Song family business was flourishing, a nouveau riche in the city's wealthy circle.

But the problem was that at that time Song Linchuan didn't have much money himself. Because he had dropped out of school on his own to participate in the talent show, angering his parents, they had even cut off his living expenses, let alone suddenly asking them to borrow millions.

Later, Song Linchuan had no choice but to turn to the only person in the family who unconditionally supported him at that time, Song Anan. Sure enough, as soon as Song Anan heard that Song Linchuan needed money, she took out her entire piggy bank without even asking why.

It was this money that helped Pei Kuang resolve his dilemma at that time.

However, Pei Kuang had long since repaid this debt in full with interest over the past few years, but he always kept this favor in his heart.

"Right, my auntie was a rich lady since she was little, otherwise how could she give me pocket money?" Song Linchuan said.

Pei Kuang still looked incredulous. For a little 11-year-old auntie to be so generous, even if their family was wealthy, this was still a bit excessive.

Song Linchuan naturally knew Pei Kuang's thoughts, but glanced in the direction of Song Anan's room, his eyes involuntarily deepening.

"It's a long story, there were indeed some reasons behind it. I'll tell you another time when there's an opportunity."

Pei Kuang nodded lightly, roughly guessing that there might be some inconvenient matters, so he didn't continue asking.

Just then, the bedroom door suddenly opened.

Song Anan walked over.

As soon as she came to the living room, her gaze fell on the bottle of red wine on the coffee table that was already more than half empty.

Song Linchuan was startled, and the alarm bells started ringing in his mind.

Crap!

They had just agreed to develop healthy eating and living habits this morning, yet were drinking alcohol late at night. His auntie must be upset again.

Song Linchuan's mind raced as he considered countermeasures.

A few seconds later, he suddenly sat up straight, pointed at Pei Kuang and said righteously, "It's late at night. I said drinking is not good, but he insisted on drinking. As the host, I couldn't refuse a guest, so I could only reluctantly drink a little with him."

Pei Kuang was stunned and looked at Song Linchuan, his eyes full of disbelief.

But Song Linchuan had no time to care about him at the moment. He smiled ingratiatingly at Song Anan, "Auntie, I only had a few sips."

As he spoke, he made a tiny gesture with his hand.

"The rest was all drunk by Pei Kuang. I tried to dissuade him but he wouldn't listen. I don't know how he can drink so much." Song Linchuan said.

Pei Kuang: "..."

He suddenly felt a little confused. If he remembered correctly, wasn't it Song Linchuan who proposed drinking, and he was the one drinking one glass after another?

However, Pei Kuang was no fool either. Seeing Song Linchuan's reaction, he roughly guessed the reason and supposed the little auntie didn't allow Song Linchuan to drink alcohol.

Pei Kuang thought about it, whether for Song Linchuan or to defend himself, he offered an excuse, "Drinking a little red wine is good for your health...right?"

Song Anan looked at him, seeming to ponder for a moment, then lightly hmm-ed, "It's fine in moderation."

However, she glanced at the nearly empty bottle on the table. This amount could hardly be considered moderate.

Following Song Anan's gaze, Pei Kuang gave an awkward little cough.

Luckily Song Linchuan timely changed the subject, "Auntie, did you need me for something?"

Song Anan shook her head, "Not looking for you."

Then she turned to look at Pei Kuang.

Pei Kuang was startled, somewhat surprised, "Looking for me?"

Song Anan lightly hmm-ed.

Pei Kuang raised his eyebrows, looking at Song Anan, waiting for her to continue.

Song Anan pursed her lips, organizing her words a little, before revealing her intention, "It's that one of my friends is your fan. Could you sign an autograph for me?"

Pei Kuang did not expect this.

He paused for a few seconds, seeming to think of something. His sidelong glance at Song Linchuan, he suddenly smiled at Song Anan, "Out of nothing, something?"

Song Anan blinked, a little confused, "Out of nothing, something?"

What does that mean?

Was he doubting she was lying?

The corners of Pei Kuang's lips quirked up, looking gently at her, "Don't worry, Linchuan is not such a petty person. Even if he knew you were my fan, he wouldn't be jealous."

As he spoke, he deliberately nodded towards Song Linchuan, "Right?"

"Like hell!" Song Linchuan directly elbowed him back, "You wish."

Let alone his auntie not chasing stars at all, even if she did, she would only be his fan.

Song Anan was stunned for several seconds before finally figuring out the implied meaning in Pei Kuang's words.

He was teasing her again!

Song Anan glared at Pei Kuang, her little face full of dissatisfaction with him.

The corners of Pei Kuang's eyebrows lifted, and he almost laughed out loud.

But he also knew to quit while he was ahead. Holding back his laugh, he said gently, "Is an autographed photo okay? If so, I can have my agent..."

"Wait, isn't your roommate my fan?" Song Linchuan suddenly interrupted Pei Kuang's words and turned to ask Song Anan.

Song Anan was startled.

Not good, she had forgotten about this.

She looked at Song Linchuan, opened and closed her mouth, a little embarrassed as she spoke, "I didn't say that, you assumed it yourself."

Song Linchuan: "..."

Song Anan was not someone who liked to shirk responsibility either. She self-reflected for a moment and said, "But it's not entirely your fault either. I didn't explain it clearly then, leading to your misunderstanding."

What Song Linchuan cared about was clearly not who was responsible. What he cared about was...

"No, what kind of taste does your roommate have?"

After speaking, he glanced at Pei Kuang, his face full of indignation.

At this moment, Song Anan was still holding a grudge, and uncharacteristically childishly chimed in, "Right, her taste has always been bad."

Pei Kuang: "..."

Hearing Song Anan's words, Song Linchuan immediately became all smiles.

Seeing the uncle and niece teaming up to make fun of him, Pei Kuang couldn't help but laugh.

Thinking of something, he raised his eyebrows playfully, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, "Are you sure, liking me means bad taste, hmm?"

He was born with a pair of captivating eyes that could seduce anyone. Even just staring at you expressionlessly, they could make one fall deep. Let alone when he smiled, the charm flowing between his brows was simply electrifying, unconsciously bewitching.

Song Anan suddenly froze, stunned for several seconds before slowly coming back to her senses.

Staring at this handsome face right before her, she could clearly feel her heart pounding rapidly in her chest, to an unbelievable degree.

Could this be what Li Sirui often mentioned - a 'fatal attraction' from his looks?!

"Pei Kuang, what the heck! Stop flirting around randomly!" Song Linchuan slapped Pei Kuang on the back, with a face full of disgust. "You're so young, yet so slick, tsk tsk."

Pei Kuang stumbled and nearly lost his footing. He glanced at Song Linchuan, a flash of helplessness in his eyes. This guy's hit was just too heavy!

But...

"Am I very slick?" he asked.

Song Linchuan: "Very slick!"

"Where exactly?"

"That line you just said, all of it was slick."

Hearing this, Pei Kuang heaved a heavy sigh: "I already said, that was a line from my previous drama."

Just now, he was suddenly struck by impulse and got into character, so he spontaneously acted out a scene.

Song Linchuan made a 'tsk' sound, too lazy to bother with him.

Yet for some reason, he suddenly pointed at Pei Kuang and looked seriously at Song Anan: "Little auntie, did you see clearly just now?"

Song Anan was a bit confused: "Huh?"

"Let me tell you, in the future, when you meet boys like him, you must keep as far away as possible. Don't get involved with narcissistic peacocks like him!" Song Linchuan said.

Although he knew Pei Kuang wasn't really like that, it didn't stop him from taking this chance to vaccinate his little auntie.

As the show crew had interviewed earlier, his little auntie was already seventeen. She would start dating eventually, so it was necessary to pave the way.

Song Anan paused, glanced at Pei Kuang, and said: "Peacock?"

Song Linchuan nodded heavily. "That's right, peacocks refer to those who look handsome on the outside, but use all kinds of sweet talk to deceive girls. In fact, they are extremely scumbags..."

The more Pei Kuang listened, the more wrong he felt this was going. He now understood Song Linchuan's intention, using him as a negative example to warn his little auntie. But he couldn't just slander him like that, could he?

"Hey, why are you ruining my reputation like this?" Pei Kuang said unhappily. "I already said, that was a line from my previous drama."

Song Linchuan scoffed. "I'm ruining your reputation?"

Pei Kuang nodded seriously.

But Song Linchuan ignored him and turned to Song Anan, asking: "Little auntie, do you know about his scandals?"

Song Anan nodded lightly. She often heard Li Sirui complain about them in the past.

She thought for a moment, then asked: "Which one are you referring to?"

Pei Kuang: "???"

Song Linchuan was also stunned, but soon pointed at Pei Kuang and laughed loudly.

"Hahaha, see see! Even my little auntie who doesn't follow entertainment knows about your many scandals. You still have the nerve to say I'm ruining your reputation!"

Pei Kuang felt awful. It was true he had quite a few scandals over the years, but those were all for publicity!

He tried to explain: "Those were all work-related. My private conduct is very decent."

Song Linchuan didn't refute this. After all, they had been good friends for years, and he still trusted Pei Kuang's character.

Terms like 'peacock' and 'scumbag' were indeed excessive.

Song Linchuan waved his hand dismissively. "That's unimportant."

He then pulled Song Anan to continue their previous discussion about 'scumbags'. It looked like he thought his little auntie would encounter one any second.

Pei Kuang: "......"

-

Without a doubt, whether it was the gimmick of having two currently popular male artists appear together, or the gift mix-up blunder, Pei Kuang's sudden presence on the show once again brought "Dearest Us" to a new level of popularity.

Looking at the back-end data, the production crew laughed until their faces cramped.

The next two days were still regular live broadcasts, but Song Linchuan's schedule was quite packed during this time, so Song Anan accompanied him fully.

When Song Linchuan went to commercial events, Song Anan waited backstage. When Song Linchuan went to the recording studio, Song Anan lingered outside...

The livestream audience also enjoyed watching it, like a first-person perspective into the work life of a popular male artist.

Of course, in addition, they also deeply experienced the self-discipline of a top straight-A student.

These two days, whenever Song Linchuan was busy working, Song Anan would not laze around either. It seemed she always carried a book with her, reading it whenever there was time.

The audience slowly realized that Song Anan actually barely played with her phone, except occasionally to reply to messages. This was truly shocking.

After all, in the current era where most people have cell phone addiction, feeling restless if they don't check their phone for a few minutes, Song Anan was all the more precious.

Especially those parents who saw their own kids glued to their phones all day, whether gaming or scrolling short videos. They thought Song Anan was simply too admirable.

Who wouldn't want such a well-behaved, cute, and low-maintenance daughter?

Thus, in just a few days, Song Anan's biggest title changed from 'national little auntie' to 'national daughter'.

After four days of consecutive live broadcasts, the first recording period of "Dearest Us" also ended.

The audience now had a basic understanding of each guest pair's circumstances.

Next, following the show's recording arrangements, the four guest pairs would converge and start group recordings for the next period.

However, before heading out for the next recording, the show gave the guests a day of break time. They could arrange their own activities and prepare for the upcoming intensive shoot.

The night before, Song Linchuan and Song Anan had already planned to utilize this rest day to properly relax - watching a movie and going shopping.

But unexpectedly, early morning Jiang Han suddenly came over, saying he was taking Song Linchuan to meet a very important director.

"Little auntie, are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Song Linchuan asked for the nth time.

Song Anan nodded very definitively.

He was going to meet a director for serious business. What was the point of her tagging along?

"If you get hungry, order takeout, okay. But don't mess around in the kitchen yourself." Song Linchuan still felt uneasy and reminded.

"If you get bored, just watch TV or take a stroll downstairs. The environment here is quite nice."

Song Anan said helplessly: "Linchuan, I'm not a child anymore. I'll be fine alone at home, so don't worry."

Plus, she wouldn't get bored either. She had borrowed so many books from the library before this vacation.

Jiang Han kept shaking his head at the side. How come he never noticed before that his artist was so naggy? It was fortunate the little auntie was easygoing, or others might have found him annoying long ago.

Finally, Song Linchuan still left reluctantly, looking back every three steps.

The moment the door closed, Song Anan couldn't help heaving a sigh of relief.

Alas, Linchuan was becoming more and more like her big brother. To quote her sister-in-law, his nagging skills were truly inherited.

After musing over this for a bit, Song Anan also busied herself. She always made plans when doing things. Faced with the sudden extra day, she quickly drafted a schedule in her planner.

Previously on camera, Song Anan had to consider the filming crew and interact with the live audience from time to time, inevitably getting distracted.

But now without that concern, she could devote full concentration. Naturally, her efficiency increased greatly. Before 5pm, she had completed her study plan for the day.

However, when one has free time, they tend to crave food. Song Anan was no exception. She now suddenly had a huge craving for snacks.

Alas!

She had originally planned to finish watching the unfinished documentary today, but now her mind was filled with thoughts of chips, cookies, and little cakes. The hungry worms in her stomach seemed to awaken, totally out of control.

In her previous life, due to health reasons, her diet had always been strictly controlled. Back then, having snacks was a luxury to her.

Therefore, after getting a healthy body in this life, she went a little overboard, only understanding moderation after starting medical school, restraining herself from eating too much or too often.

She set a rule for herself that she could indulge in desired snacks once a week. This both satisfied her cravings while not being too frequent.

Counting the days, yesterday was supposed to be her snack day, but she didn't mention it in order to accompany Song Linchuan's healthy diet.

A thought suddenly popped into Song Anan's mind. Why not take this chance while Linchuan is away to secretly eat some snacks?

Hmm...seemed not very proper.

She shook her head vigorously, trying to shake this idea out of her brain.

She had agreed to accompany Linchuan. If she went to sneak snacks by herself now, what would that make her? Song Anan berated herself.

However, some thoughts, once sprouted, were not so easily dismissed. After an intense inner struggle, her guilt finally lost out to the temptation of snacks.

"This could be considered a well-meaning white lie." Song Anan murmured to herself.

Although called junk food, snacks weren't entirely off limits. Song Linchuan was a special case, but she was fine!

One shouldn't be too rigid. Things should be handled on a case-by-case basis.

Yes, that's right!

After convincing herself, Song Anan took her phone and access card and headed out the door. There was a 24-hour convenience store right outside the complex, her destination.

She smoothly made her way downstairs, out the complex, and into the store. Familiar with the setup, she deftly picked out her favorite snacks.

Exiting the store after paying, Song Anan's steps were light and bouncy.

However, in order to perfectly conceal this illicit snacking trip, she had never planned to bring the snacks back home.

When she went out, she had already scouted out the 'fencing spot' - a small pavilion by a pond in the complex, relatively secluded and usually empty.

Song Anan skipped merrily to the 'fencing ground', holding a bag of snacks.

She first took out some napkins and spread them on the stone steps, then plopped herself down. Next, she brought out a pack of wet wipes and cleaned her hands.

With all preparations completed, Song Anan eagerly tore open a bag of her beloved chips and delivered a piece into her mouth.

As the crisp 'crunch' sounded, Song Anan's eyes narrowed blissfully.

Mm, so delicious!

Due to the upcoming month-long group shoot, she didn't know when she could eat these again. So this time, she bought all her favorite snacks - chips, purple rice bread, chocolate... She ate with great delight.

After finishing his commercial shoot, Pei Kuang dragged his exhausted body straight home, not wanting to go anywhere else. He had the driver send him directly back after entering the complex.

It was rare for him to return so early. As the car drove in, the sky had yet to darken. He shifted his gaze out the window, wanting to appreciate the environment of the complex while he had the chance.

It was somewhat amusing. At the time he bought this place, other than its security measures, the complex's environment was also a key factor he valued highly. But who could have thought, all these years he hadn't properly toured the grounds even once.

As the car moved along, Pei Kuang's eyes wandered casually.

Suddenly, his eyes fixed on a certain spot, a familiar figure.

Little auntie seems to be in a good mood, Pei Kuang's mouth corner unconsciously quirked up.

In fact, from his position, he could not see Song Anan's expression clearly, but he could clearly feel that she was in a very good mood.

Because - her feet were swinging happily.

"Stop the car," Pei Kuang said to the driver. "Just drop me off here."

The driver was stunned for a moment, although a little puzzled, but didn't say much more, stopped the car at the side of the road.

After Pei Kuang got out of the car, he walked directly towards Song Anan.

When he came over, Song Anan had just stuffed the last big bite of purple rice bread into her mouth.

But because she was too greedy, her mouth was so stuffed that she could only puff out her cheeks like a little hamster and chew vigorously.

Pei Kuang stood behind Song Anan and saw her like this. He couldn't help laughing out loud.

Hearing the voice, Song Anan looked back.

Out of an artist's self-awareness, Pei Kuang wore a duck bill cap and mask before getting off the car, making simple disguises.

Seeing the person behind her, Song Anan suddenly widened her eyes and was stunned.

Pei Kuang and Song Linchuan were not much different in height and figure. Coupled with the nervousness of a guilty conscience, Song Anan's first reaction was to recognize the person as Song Linchuan, and she was so frightened that she even dropped the chocolate in her hand.

Pei Kuang was also obviously stunned that he had frightened the person.

He bent down to pick up the chocolate on the ground and handed it to Song Anan, then took off his mask.

"Am I that scary?" Pei Kuang said with a light laugh.

Seeing that it was not Song Linchuan, Song Anan subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief: "No, I just didn't expect someone behind me."

Pei Kuang put the chocolate back in Song Anan's hand, and a trace of apology flashed across his face: "I'm sorry, I scared you just now."

Song Anan quickly shook her head. After all, she couldn't blame Pei Kuang for this. It was mainly because she was too nervous.

Her eyes couldn't help but be a little evasive. She stammered: "It's not your fault. Mainly because I was thinking too seriously."

Pei Kuang smiled and naturally saw the uneasiness of the little auntie. Although he didn't know why, he didn't continue on this topic.

He casually changed the subject: "How come you're alone, where is Linchuan?"

Song Anan answered truthfully: "He went to work. We don't have a show to record today, so I didn't go with him."

Speaking of this, she suddenly looked up at Pei Kuang, seeming to realize something.

She realized a very important problem.

Pei Kuang raised his eyebrows, "What's wrong?"

He was suddenly a little confused about Song Anan's train of thought.

She lowered her head to look at the chocolate in her hand, glanced at Pei Kuang again, and her mind raced.

How could she convince him not to say anything about her sneaking snacks?

Seeing her staring at the chocolate in her hand with a very tangled look, Pei Kuang casually asked, "Don't you like this chocolate?"

Hearing this, Song Anan's eyes lit up. "I like it!"

The next second, she handed the chocolate to Pei Kuang: "Do you want to eat it?"

Pei Kuang was stunned for a moment. "No need, you can eat it."

Song Anan seemed surprised that he refused. She blinked and asked, "Don't you like chocolate?"

After that, she didn't wait for Pei Kuang to reply, and directly took out all the other snacks,

"Then I have other snacks here that are also very delicious. Do you want to try them?"

Song Anan pushed all the remaining snacks in front of Pei Kuang, and then looked at him expectantly.

Pei Kuang raised his eyebrows. Faced with the little auntie's sudden enthusiasm, a trace of puzzlement flashed across his face.

He usually didn't like to eat these things, but in the end he couldn't bear to reject the little auntie's kindness, and picked up a half bag of potato chips from among them.

"Okay, thank you then."

Song Anan was stunned for a moment, with a trace of reluctance flashing in her eyes.

This was the half bag of potato chips she had deliberately left behind earlier. She was going to eat them after finishing the sweets, so she could get rid of the greasiness.

Alas, she should have bought another bag earlier.

Song Anan was silent for a few seconds, trying to struggle: "This is what I had leftover."

The little auntie's emotions were all over her face. Pei Kuang naturally didn't miss it, and couldn't help feeling amused.

He pretended he hadn't noticed the little auntie's reluctance, and started eating the potato chips directly.

"It's okay, I don't mind," he said with a low laugh.

Song Anan pursed her lips and gave a muffled "oh".

Forget it, don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Now the two of them could be considered accomplices, so it would be much easier to handle next.

There was a smile at the corner of Pei Kuang's mouth. He didn't even know what madness had come over him. A person who usually didn't eat snacks at all was actually on a whim in this pavilion, "snatching" snacks with the little auntie.

And what's more, he unusually felt that the taste of these potato chips...didn't seem to be bad.

Due to Pei Kuang's identity as an artist, after the two finished the snacks in the pavilion, they did not stay long, for fear of being recognized.

After walking around the community, Pei Kuang sent Song Anan to the entrance of Song Linchuan's building.

Song Anan was in no hurry to leave. She looked at Pei Kuang and kicked the toes of her feet embarrassedly, "About what happened today, can you...can you not tell Linchuan?"

Pei Kuang was startled. "What happened?"

Song Anan looked up at Pei Kuang. "That is... about you meeting me today."

Pei Kuang raised his eyebrows questioningly. "Why?"

He suddenly couldn't keep up with Song Anan's train of thought.

The two of them meeting in the community was not something to hide. Why couldn't Song Linchuan know about it?

Song Anan looked at him for a moment, wanting to speak but hesitating for a long time, before saying, "Recently I've been managing Linchuan's diet, and he can't eat snacks, so...so I have to lead by example."

Her earlobes turned slightly red, but she still had to grind her teeth and continue, "So I have to lead by example."

Pei Kuang paused for a moment, and finally understood why Song Anan was so enthusiastic earlier.

So it was to seal his mouth!

And no wonder she was so nervous when she first saw him, it turned out to be the guilty conscience of being caught red-handed.

Pei Kuang thought for a while and asked uncertainly, "Are you afraid of damaging your image in Linchuan's heart?"

"It's not about image," Song Anan subconsciously retorted, but after saying it, she realized it really was about image.

Pei Kuang lazily asked, "Then what is it?"

Song Anan pursed her lips, looking at Pei Kuang with her dark eyes, and said seriously: "It's the dignity of an elder."

Pei Kuang: "..."

Afraid of damaging her dignity as an elder?

The corner of his mouth subconsciously hooked. The little auntie was quite cute, she actually had this elder burden!

Pei Kuang forcibly held back his smile and pretended to be embarrassed: "This is a bit difficult. After all, Linchuan and I are friends. If I hide something from him, I always feel a little disloyal."

Song Anan's eyes flashed with astonishment and unease, as if she had not expected at all that Pei Kuang would refuse her after eating her snacks.

But she thought about it and felt that since the other party had already said so, she shouldn't insist anymore, and could only droop her head dejectedly.

Seeing this, Pei Kuang stopped teasing her: "But you helped me so much before, I can't forget kindness and justice..."

Song Anan stared blankly at Pei Kuang's leaving figure, her face full of confusion and puzzlement.

That day when Pei Kuang left, he insisted on making up for the gift, saying it was some kind of reward.

At that time, Song Anan was a little puzzled, but didn't take it to heart, thinking it was just a slip of the tongue.

But what did he mean just now?

When did she ever help him?

-

After returning, no matter how Song Anan thought about it, she couldn't remember when she had helped Pei Kuang, which made her a little bothered.

Theoretically speaking, the two of them had never met before, and they didn't have any connections. Did Pei Kuang misunderstand something?

After dinner, Song Anan decided to go to Song Linchuan to ask about the situation. After all, if she and Pei Kuang really had some connection before, then the only person who could have created a connection between them was Song Linchuan.

If it was a misunderstanding, it would be good to let Song Linchuan explain it clearly to Pei Kuang, she thought.

When Song Anan went to find Song Linchuan, he was packing luggage for a long trip tomorrow in his room.

The bedroom door was not closed. Song Anan still stood at the door and knocked on the door.

Hearing the sound, Song Linchuan looked up at the door, "Little aunt, why did you come over? Have you packed your luggage? Do you need my help?"

Song Anan waved her hand, "No need, I've packed it already."

Song Linchuan responded with an "oh", and didn't say anything else, just looked at Song Anan quietly and waited for her to explain her intention.

Song Anan pursed her lips and was silent for a few seconds: "Linchuan, do you know why Pei Kuang said I helped him before?"

When he heard this, Song Linchuan waved his hand and said, "Oh, you mean that... Eh, no, little aunt, you met Pei Kuang again?"

After saying this, he stopped what he was doing and looked at Song Anan in confusion.

He had been there the last time Pei Kuang came over, and didn't remember Pei Kuang saying this at all.

Song Anan was taken aback, met Song Linchuan's inquiring gaze, and suddenly felt a little uneasy inside.

But at the same time she couldn't help feeling a little annoyed. How could she have forgotten this? She had finally asked Pei Kuang this afternoon not to tell Song Linchuan that they had met, but she had let the cat out of the bag herself.

Song Anan's gaze dodged, and she vaguely responded with an "umm": "Yes... this afternoon, I walked around the community for a while and happened to run into him."

Fortunately, Song Linchuan didn't think much of it. He casually said, "Oh, so you two were quite a coincidence today. Come to think of it, Pei Kuang and I bought houses in this community one after the other, but we've never run into each other in the community before."

Song Anan nodded lightly. She really didn't expect that she had gone to such a hidden place to sneak snacks, but still managed to run into Pei Kuang. It really was quite a coincidence.

After reminiscing for a while, Song Linchuan didn't beat around the bush anymore, and said directly, "Do you still remember five years ago when I borrowed money from you?"

Song Anan replied, "I remember. At that time, didn't you say a friend of yours was in trouble and needed..."

Speaking to this point, she looked up at Song Linchuan, seeming to understand something.

Song Linchuan nodded, "That's right. The friend I mentioned at the time was Pei Kuang."

Song Anan was stunned for a moment. So that was what he meant by helping out!

But she really didn't know what Song Linchuan had borrowed the money for specifically. At that time, he said a friend of his had run into trouble, but she didn't know the person being helped was Pei Kuang. She only did it for Song Linchuan's sake.

So one thing is unrelated to another. He didn't need to thank her for it.

Song Anan thought for a moment and said, "But wasn't the money paid back long ago? I remember he even paid interest, right?"

If she remembered correctly, the interest was quite high.

Song Linchuan naturally understood Song Anan's meaning, and waved his hand helplessly.

"Little aunt, don't bother with him. That guy is just like that, he takes things to heart. I don't know how many times I've told him to stop dwelling on this matter, but he just won't listen. Just let him be."

Hearing this, Song Anan didn't know what to do either. Or maybe the next time they met, she could explain it clearly to him?

But she thought again that she and Pei Kuang didn't have any real connection to begin with, and didn't know if there would be another chance to meet again.

Let nature take its course, Song Anan thought.

The most pressing matter was tomorrow's group recording.

Thinking of the person she would see tomorrow, she couldn't help feeling a little uneasy in her heart.

Chapter 15

After resting for a day, the next morning before 6 am, Song Anan and Song Linchuan got on the program team's car and headed to the airport.

Song Anan had a habit of getting sleepy whenever she traveled for more than half an hour, regardless of the mode of transportation. This time was no exception, and she slept through most of the journey as they traveled for hours before finally arriving at a small village in the south to start filming for this season.

The car stopped at the entrance of the village. As they walked behind the program staff, they were led to a distinctive farmhouse.

Before they entered the courtyard, they heard a burst of joyful laughter coming from inside.

Song Anan turned to Song Linchuan, who nodded at her before pushing open the courtyard gate.

Everyone inside turned to look at them when they heard them enter. Apart from Song Anan and Song Linchuan, the other three groups of guests had already arrived.

At the same time, the cameraman's live broadcast camera had also turned to capture their entrance.

"Ah! The niece and nephew team have finally arrived. So excited to have them!" commented one of the viewers from the live broadcast.

"Top stars are different indeed! They make so many seniors wait for them. Impressive!" another viewer remarked.

"Speechless, what's with the sarcasm from above? The program team started early without notice, can they really blame the guests?" one more viewer chimed in.

The airing time of the second episode of "Our Dearest" was set at 11 am, according to the official Weibo account and the agreed-upon time with the guests. However, the program team typically liked to start early, and this time was no exception. They had set up their cameras in the farmhouse courtyard at 9 am, just as the first group of guests had arrived, and had already started live streaming.

Song Anan looked around the courtyard and could not help but be surprised.

She instinctively raised her right wrist and glanced at her watch, relieved to find that they were not late.

"Don't worry, you're not late. The program team started early again," Li Yu, the guest on the show, reassured them. Li Yu participated in the program with her husband, Guo Xiu, and was also the host of the popular fruit station program. Thus, she was responsible for controlling and livening up the atmosphere in the show.

"Hahaha, Sister Yu's use of the word 'again' is so vivid. Can't ignore the resentment in her voice, right?" another viewer joked.

"Li Yu: Can you blame me for having some resentment left? If it weren't for the program team's sudden ambush last time, how could my image have 'collapsed' so miserably?" responded Li Yu.

"Hahaha, her infamous hairstyle during the last airing morning came to my mind again. That should be her black history," chimed in another viewer.

"I've been following Song Linchuan and Little Auntie's live broadcast before this. I don't know what happened in other live streaming rooms. Can someone explain to me what black history is?" asked another viewer timidly.

"Hahaha, sister above, stay tuned as I recount the story..." another viewer replied, kickstarting a lively conversation among them.

The guests started familiarizing themselves with each other, exchanging pleasantries. However, the other three groups had already gone through their first round of introductions, so the main focus this time was on Song Anan and Song Linchuan.

"Hello everyone, I'm Song Linchuan, and this is my aunt, Song Anan," Song Linchuan introduced himself.

Li Yu smiled and said, "Hello, I'm Li Yu, and this is my husband, Guo Xiu."

Ji QiuBai also smiled and said, "Hello, I'm Ji QiuBai, and this is my younger brother, Ji An."

Shi Qing nodded slightly and said, "Hello, I'm Shi Qing, and this is my son, Qi MuShi." As she spoke, she pointed to a boy playing with a skateboard not far away.

It must be said that the show's production team really knows how to invite guests, as all four guests are top performers in their respective fields.

Li Yu, 35 years old, is a leading host in the fruit industry, while her husband Guo Xiu, 36 years old, is a famous comedy actor.

Ji QiuBai, 30 years old, is an up-and-coming actor, having won the best actor award for a literary film in the first half of the year, and is a young actor with considerable talent.

Shi Qing, 46 years old, is a three-time Golden Horse Award-winning actress, having been in the industry for thirty years and played many different types of roles on screen, ranging from deep affection to worldliness to innocence. However, she is herself a genuinely cool beauty.

If we count seniority, Song Linchuan's credentials may not be sufficient for him to be noticed by his seniors, but his popularity and topicality are the highest.

After all, the current entertainment industry is such that compared to hosts and actors, the popularity and topic of hot idol artists are higher.

Song Anan stood obediently beside Song Linchuan, occasionally glancing at the other guests, her face constantly showing a smile, looking very innocent and harmless.

But at the same time, she was secretly sizing up the other guests.

However, when her gaze fell on Ji QiuBai, she couldn't help but linger for a few more seconds.

Since she learned that their world was in a novel, Song Anan's focus had been on Song Linchuan, the cannon fodder supporting character, but that doesn't mean she wasn't paying attention to the dynamics of the male and female leads in the original book.

At present, because of her interference, Song Linchuan's storyline had clearly deviated from the book's development, but what made Song Anan more reassured was that the storyline of the male and female leads had not changed.

The female lead is still participating in the extreme variety show in the novel and is unlikely to have any further interaction with Song Linchuan.

As for the male lead, Song Anan couldn't help glancing at Ji QiuBai.

The novel did mention that before the male lead, Ji QiuBai, made a guest appearance on the extreme variety show, he had been participating in a lifestyle variety show, which now seemed to be their show.

In fact, until today, Song Anan was still a little uneasy about seeing Ji QiuBai in the show.

Her idea was simple, which was not to let anything in Song Linchuan's book intersect, including the male and female leads.

But now she has figured it out. Since she can't avoid it, she should adapt to it.

Besides, in the novel, Song Linchuan and Ji QiuBai never had any conflicts or disagreements throughout the entire story.

Therefore, it should be even easier for them to get along peacefully now that the female lead is not here.

But this is the first time Song Anan has seen Ji QiuBai in person at such close range, so she couldn't help but glance at him for a while longer.

As the male lead in the novel, Ji Qiuanan's appearance is undeniably impressive, but the book claims that his face is unmatched in the entertainment industry where handsome and beautiful people gather. Song Anan thinks this description is a bit exaggerated.

At least...the first person who came to mind in Song Anan's mind was Pei Kuang.

His face is obviously much better looking than Ji Qiuanan's!

Oh, right, Linchuan isn't bad either! She thought right after.

But perhaps since no one mentioned Song Linchuan, Song Anan felt a bit guilty for some reason and subconsciously looked sideways.

Song Linchuan noticed her gaze, leaned to the side, and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong, Auntie?"

Song Anan quickly shook her head and replied, "Nothing."

She silently withdrew her scrutinizing gaze and quietly added in her mind that Linchuan looks even better.

Perhaps to add credibility to her thoughts, Song Anan nodded earnestly.

Shi Qing had been monitoring Song Anan's side and naturally noticed all of her subtle actions, couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Everyone was stunned, turning their heads to look at him.

"What is Teacher Shi thinking about? You're laughing so happily," Li Yu asked.

Shi Qing chuckled as he waved his hand, his eyes falling on Song Anan, his voice dripping with teasing, "Is it because you still think your nephew is the most handsome?"

Song Anan widened her eyes in disbelief and looked at Shi Qing in shock, her face full of "how did you know" expression.

Shi Qing was amused by her reaction, laughing so hard that he bent down.

Others guessed what was happening and looked at Song Anan, then at Song Linchuan, laughing along with them.

Song Anan didn't expect her little thoughts to be suddenly exposed by someone, and after realizing what happened, her face turned red to the back of her ears, feeling a little embarrassed.

Song Linchuan patted Song Anan's hand as a comfort, then humbly said to everyone, "My Auntie's filter is a bit heavy, sorry for the trouble."

Although he said this, his expression clearly showed that it wasn't the case. The arrogance was unmistakable unless you were blind.

【Haha, this is so funny, can Song Linchuan be more arrogant?】

【Song Linchuan: I also want to be more humble, but I can't help it. My Auntie praised me as handsome.】

【Wow, Shi Qing is truly the three-golden actress. Her observational skills are too good, comparable to mind reading abilities.】

"I don't think it's entirely because of the filter," Shi Qing looked at Song Linchuan and smiled, "Hmm, you are indeed very handsome."

Upon hearing this, the other guests were stunned.

Shi Qing is famous for being a cold beauty in the entertainment industry, and with her qualifications and strength, she never bothers with the so-called commercial mutual praise in the industry. Not to mention openly praising a male actor's looks, Song Linchuan is the first!

【Huh? Why do I feel that Shi actress seems to have a special relationship with her nephew and niece? Before they arrived, she wasn't so cordial with the other guests, was she?】

【Yes, indeed. When everyone was talking just now, Shi Qing seemed to have been staring at them the whole time.】

"Hehe, the entertainment industry is really practical, there's no other way, as the top star, even the best actress has to please me."

"Haha, are you okay there? Shi Qing is the triple gold award-winning actress, and her husband is the renowned director Qi Hui. Do you really think she needs to lower herself to please a popular celebrity?"

"Well, I think Shi Qing isn't interested in Song Linchuan in particular, but rather in his young aunt."

It must be said that netizens do have sharp eyes sometimes, and Shi Qing is indeed interested in Song Anan.

As for the reason, Shi Qing glanced at her son who was playing with his skateboard beside her and let out a sigh.

Shi Qing debuted at 17, and got married at 30. In these years, whether it was in her career or marriage, Shi Qing could be considered to have had an easy time.

But she also encountered a nemesis, her own unlucky son Qi Mushu, who was so mischievous he could flip the roof of their house.

In the past, she often heard people say that parents like obedient children, and Shi Qing didn't think much of it. But ever since she became a parent herself, she realized how difficult it was.

Before coming, Shi Qing had investigated Song Anan online, and found that she was a well-behaved and intelligent top student, who was truly likable.

Believing in the saying "Those who are close to vermilion get stained red", Shi Qing thought that if she let Qi Mushu spend more time with Song Anan, perhaps he too would be influenced by the top student.

"I heard you! I'll tell my dad when we go back that you said someone else was handsome!"

Qi Mushu, under his skateboard, braked to a sudden stop in front of Shi Qing, with a "I caught you now!" expression.

The veins on Shi Qing's forehead showed, and she barely managed to contain her expression.

Her hand was itching.

Qi Mushu had an unruly temper and was carefree all day long. After provoking his mother, he turned his head to look at Song Anan.

"I know you, you're really good at fighting."

Song Anan let out an "ah" sound, looking a bit puzzled as to how to respond.

Shi Qing could no longer hold back and ignored the camera in front of her, she directly slapped Qi Mushu's back with her hand.

"That's rude! Who taught you to greet people like that?"

Qi Mushu's face turned into a frown, "Mom, you keep hitting me, everyone's watching."

He had no face left.

Shi Qing didn't bother with him, and just smiled apologetically at everyone.

But Qi Mushu, despite his complaints, listened to what Shi Qing said and seriously greeted Song Anan.

"Auntie, hello. My name is Qi Mushu, I saw the video where you took down two big guys, it was impressive."

After saying that, Qi Mushu gave Song Anan a thumbs up, looking very admiring.

Boys of his age all had an inexplicable yearning for strength, regardless of gender, as long as it earned their respect.

"Your skateboarding is also impressive."

Song Anan had noticed Qi Mushu's skills with the skateboard earlier, it was very obedient under his feet.

Qi Mushu came to life when he heard this, "Auntie, do you know how to play skateboard?"

Song Anan shook her head, "No."

She had poor balance, and was afraid of falling, so she didn't dare to try.

"Then I'll teach you, and you teach me how to fight, okay?" Qi Mushu was full of expectation.

Song Anan wrinkled her brow slightly, and said seriously, "Fighting isn't good."

"I learned taekwondo to improve my physical fitness and self-defense skills, not to fight," Song Anan said.

Shi Qing couldn't help speaking up, "Qi Mushi, are you feeling restless? You still want to fight?"

"Oops, I said the wrong thing," Qi Mushi shrugged, "I meant to improve my physical fitness."

Shi Qing waved her hand, indicating him to stop bothering her.

Qi Mushi, who escaped from trouble, started asking Song Anan about the human trafficking incident that happened earlier, like an inquisitive child.

Song Anan, who had a good temper, didn't mind answering every question patiently.

As they chatted, Qi Mushi also dragged Song Anan to watch him skateboarding.

Shi Qing breathed a sigh of relief and looked at her talkative son with disdain. She and her husband were not talkative people, so she wondered how they had such a loquacious son who talked non-stop and gave her a headache every day.

"Mushi is so lively, he's in the second year of junior high school now, right?" Li Yu said.

Shi Qing nodded, "Yes, first year of junior high just started, and he hasn't been serious about schooling."

Whenever Shi Qing thought of Qi Mushi, she had a headache. To her, he was like a debt collector.

Li Yu jokingly said, "Shi teacher, everyone now says whoever has a daughter-in-law takes care of them. Why don't you betroth Mushi to someone so that you can be free from responsibility?"

"Betroth Mushi?" Shi Qing glanced at her son who was not far away and said with disdain, "With his personality, it's hard to tell if he'll ever find a wife."

The tone and expression she used clearly showed she was a concerned mother.

"But we have a suitable candidate right here," Li Yu said with a smile. "Look, he's so well-behaved in front of his cousin."

Everyone's gaze followed their conversation and looked over.

Not far away, Qi Mushi was demonstrating how to skateboard to Song Anan again and again, surprisingly patient and not easily annoyed.

The two children looked very attractive and pleasing to the eye.

To be honest, standing together like this, they really looked like a perfect match.

"Oh my god! Seeing them together like this, Qi Mushi and his cousin really have a certain chemistry," someone exclaimed.

"Exactly, Qi Mushi's personality is completely different from his mother's, but he looks just like her, like a copy," another person commented.

"Uh...but Qi Mushi is twelve years old, and his cousin is seventeen, it's a bit inappropriate, right?" someone pointed out.

"What's wrong with that? Age doesn't matter in love, and five years apart is okay," another person replied.

"Crying...the best love story is childhood sweethearts," someone chimed in.

Shi Qing raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Song Linchuan.

Song Linchuan's face twitched for a moment.

What's going on? Are you really considering this?

"...this doesn't seem appropriate," he finally said.

Li Yu was the type of person who liked to get involved in other people's affairs. She eagerly asked, "What's the problem?"

Song Linchuan understood social etiquette and hierarchy, and while it was one thing for a family member to object to their own child, outsiders like them had no right to say anything.

After hesitating for a while, he finally said, "....it's the age difference."

Li Yu quickly shook her head and said, "Linchuan, you just don't get it. It's very popular for women to date younger men these days. Plus, if we calculate it, Ji QiuBai's wife is only five years older than Guo Xiu. So we can say that she's holding on to two golden bricks!"

Song Linchuan didn't show any emotions on his face, but he couldn't help but feel distressed. Their family may have two golden bricks, but they still needed to consult with their own family.

He glanced over at Qi MuShi, who was not far away, and a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes.

Qi MuShi was just a little kid and didn't match up with his aunt.

"All right, Linchuan thinks that the seniority difference is not appropriate," Guo Xiu patted his own wife's arm and smiled.

"And besides, it's inappropriate for someone younger to set up an arranged marriage for an elder. You can't ask Linchuan this question," he continued after a moment.

After Guo Xiu's reminder, everyone suddenly realized this issue.

Looking at Qi MuShi, the little kid, and then at Song Linchuan, they burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, no, the thought of Song Linchuan calling Qi MuShi 'Uncle' makes me want to laugh my head off!"

"OMG! Everyone else calls her 'Auntie,' so the nickname has become endearing. But for Song Linchuan, it's different, and it's his actual aunt!"

The topic of arranged marriages was just a joke, and nobody took it seriously. The group quickly moved on to other topics and started talking about education.

When they thought about Qi MuShi's poor performance in school, Shi Qing became more and more worried.

Who would have thought that the actress who excelled in her performances would struggle with tutoring her own son?

Sigh, tutoring was even harder than acting for Shi Qing, especially with a student who struggled with his studies.

She turned to Song Linchuan and said sincerely, "When we choose our houses later, why don't our families become neighbors?"

Song Linchuan was taken aback. "What? How did we suddenly get onto this topic?"

Others were also surprised. Even if they were slow to react, they could see that Shi Qing's behavior toward Song Linchuan was out of the ordinary.

Did they know each other before?

That's not possible - there were no records of them working together.

Seeing their reactions, Shi Qing cleared her throat and showed a trace of embarrassment.

"I'm not afraid to be laughed at. I'm just so sick of tutoring that kid. It's a nightmare," she admitted.

Before they all came together to record the show, they were in separate rooms. Although the aunt and nephew pair garnered the most attention, the other three pairs were equally entertaining.

The couple pair, Li Yu and Guo Xiu, were funny and sweet after getting married, constantly posting on social media and sharing their happiness.

The brother pair, Ji QiuBai and Ji An, won over fans with their good looks, and many female fans filled their chat room.

As for the mother and son duo of Shi Qing and Qi MuShi, their daily routine was chaotic and hilarious, to say the least.

The source of all chaos was Shi Qing asking Qi Mushi for help with his homework. As soon as he started doing homework, the house turned into a madhouse, and even the usually quiet Shi was not spared.

It was clear that Shi had set his sights on Song Anan, a top student, right from the start. He wanted to ask her to help Qi Mushi with his math homework.

Everyone online was laughing at Shi, especially those who had experienced the same frustrations when helping their own children. They sympathized with his predicament.

Shi assured Song Anan that it wouldn't be too much trouble for her to help Qi Mushi with his homework, as long as she could find the time to give him some guidance.

"I don't know if it's because my math is too bad or because middle school math is more difficult, but I can't even understand some of the questions," said Shi helplessly.

Li Yu laughed and said she was also bad at math.

However, Song Linchuan didn't agree immediately. He wanted to check with his aunt first.

Shi nodded in understanding, as Song Linchuan wouldn't want to interfere in Song Anan's affairs without her consent.

Just then, Song Anan walked over. She looked at Song Linchuan with a puzzled expression. "What do you want to ask me about? Is there something wrong?"

"It's something I want to ask you for help with," said Shi, taking over the conversation. "Can I trouble little Anan for a favor?"

Song Anan blinked and obediently replied, "Just tell me what you need."

Shi was delighted, holding Song Anan's hand and patting it. "Thank you so much, little Anan!"

Song Anan smiled and said it was no trouble at all.

This simple exchange didn't cause any major ripples in the minds of those involved, but for others present, it gave them a potentially useful connection.

Shi Qing's husband, Qi Hui, was a key figure in the film industry, and by association, so was Shi himself. If Song Linchuan wanted to delve into the film industry later, he'd have a reliable link to help him.

At precisely 11 a.m., the second episode of the third season of "Our Dearest" officially aired.

The crew announced that they would be adding a new pair of guests: siblings.

Song Anan had never heard of this before, and when the new guests arrived, she couldn't help but be curious. When she saw who it was, however, she froze in place.

Jiang Kai!

What was he doing here in this program?!

Chapter 16

At this time, shouldn't Jiang Kai be participating in that extreme variety show? How did he end up here?

Song Anan's heart suddenly sank.

In the original novel, Jiang Kai was an important supporting male character. He and the female protagonist met on set and developed feelings for each other. Back then, both of them were unknowns in the entertainment industry, but they maintained a good private relationship.

When the female protagonist was participating in that extreme variety show, one episode required the guests to invite a friend to help out. The person she invited was Jiang Kai.

Because Jiang Kai and Song Linchuan used to be members of the same band, when Song Linchuan suddenly passed away, Jiang Kai fainted on the show and was devastated when he woke up. He cried bitterly and said that even though their band had disbanded, they had remained good friends privately over the years. The audience was touched by their deep brotherly bond.

After this incident, Jiang Kai gained a reputation for being compassionate and loyal. His popularity with the public surged.

Thanks to this boost in goodwill, his career also took a positive turn. He received many endorsement deals, variety show appearances, and acting offers. Within a few years, he successfully rose to become a first-tier male star.

When Pei Kuang came by earlier, Song Anan brought up Jiang Kai in passing while chatting with Song Linchuan.

Strangely, Song Linchuan's reaction was very cold, seeming unwilling to talk much about him.

This was out of character for him. For people Song Linchuan considered true friends, like Pei Kuang, even if he complained about them, he accepted them in his heart.

Moreover, the original novel also mentioned that when Jiang Kai and Song Linchuan first met on a show, they were not close at all.

In fact, because Song Linchuan was cold towards him, he was criticized online for quite some time. People said he was arrogant and bullied his former bandmate, proving he had poor character.

The so-called deep brotherly bond was all one-sidedly manufactured by Jiang Kai after Song Linchuan's incident, just to gain public affection. He would stop at nothing to get ahead in the entertainment industry.

From this, one could see that Jiang Kai was someone to be wary of.

However, this was not Song Anan's biggest concern.

What worried her more was that the original storyline had changed - Jiang Kai did not go on that extreme variety show as he should have, but instead came to this show with Song Linchuan.

This faintly unsettled her.

Song Anan slightly turned her body and looked at Song Linchuan worriedly.

From the corner of his eye, Song Linchuan noticed Song Anan looking at him. He didn't think much of it, assuming she had seen the online news and learned about his poor relations with Jiang Kai.

Without turning his head, he reached out and ruffled her hair to reassure her.

But when Song Linchuan's gaze fell upon Jiang Kai, a barely detectable coldness flashed in his eyes.

Logically speaking, it was no secret in the industry that he and Jiang Kai did not get along. Even if the show wanted to bring in a surprise guest, it should not have been Jiang Kai.

But the issue was that Jiang Kai had recently latched onto a wealthy older woman. She had some clout and went over the heads of the network executives to get Jiang Kai directly cast on the show.

The production team was helpless and could only come explain the situation in person. After hearing the background, Song Linchuan did not make things difficult for them, which led to today's events.

As soon as Jiang Kai appeared on camera, the livestream chatroom erupted.

[WTF! What is the production team doing bringing Jiang Kai on? They must be out of their minds!]

[Nooooo, Jiang Kai go away! Stay away from my brother!]

[Is the production team trying to stir up drama by bringing Jiang Kai? Don't they know he and Song Linchuan don't get along?]

[Song Linchuan and Jiang Kai don't get along? Weren't they in a band together before?]

[That can't be right. I heard they had some major falling out back then.]

[What happened? Anyone have the gossip? Sounds juicy.]

[I know this story. When they were still in a band together, Song Linchuan often bullied his teammates because he was more popular. Once backstage he beat up Jiang Kai and Jiang Kai had a noticeable bruise on his mouth when he went onstage to perform.]

[Haha, classic case of rumors being spread easily but hard to dispel. This has been debunked! The management already clarified this and Jiang Kai himself admitted he fell by accident.]

[Even though Jiang Kai did post anonymously later hinting that he was pressured by the agency into taking the fall...]

...

As the livestream chat heatedly discussed past grievances between Jiang Kai and Song Linchuan, Jiang Kai himself acted as if nothing had happened. After greeting the others, he headed straight for Song Linchuan.

"Linchuan, long time no see!"

His attitude was very warm, as if meeting an old friend after years apart.

In comparison, Song Linchuan's reaction was very cold. He lightly hmm-ed in response and that was it.

[Wow, what's with Song Linchuan's attitude? Isn't he being too arrogant to his former bandmate?]

[Tsk, he's a top star now, he has to act aloof to match his status.]

[Pfft, he's just a popular idol, what's there to be so cocky about? Terrible personality but still has fans, ridiculous.]

"It's been almost four years since we've seen each other, right?" Seemingly oblivious to Song Linchuan's deliberate coldness, Jiang Kai continued chatting away. "I heard you were at an event last time too. I went to your dressing room to look for you but unfortunately didn't see you."

These few simple sentences revealed a lot of information.

"Haven't seen each other in four years" - indirectly acknowledging their estranged private relationship.

"Went to your dressing room to look for you but didn't see you" - indicating that as former bandmates, he wanted to catch up but the gesture was not reciprocated.

But why didn't he see Song Linchuan? Was he blocked from entering the dressing room, or did Song Linchuan simply not want to see him?

[Four years since seeing each other? So they haven't met since the band broke up?]

[Well their status is worlds apart now, one an A-list star and the other a no-name. Clearly not running in the same circles anymore.]

[Sigh, that's showbiz for you. Obscurity is the original sin.]

[Not just showbiz, it's the same in real life too. No money or connections, who will look at you twice?]

[Heh, how is Song Linchuan any different from those fairweather friends who look down on others once they make it big? Disgusting. His poor character will be his downfall, just wait and see his popularity go down in flames!]

[Down with Song Linchuan!]

Song Linchuan glanced at him and, contrary to his usual attitude towards Jiang Kai, calmly replied, "Oh, I had to rush back to film on set that time, so I left right after the event ended without going to the dressing room."

He then added, "Next time you can message me in advance. I still have the same number."

[LOL, what injustice is Jiang Kai crying about? Song Linchuan says he still has the same number but Jiang Kai clearly didn't know and didn't try contacting him these past four years.]

[Hmm...am I the only one who finds Jiang Kai rather suspicious?]

[No you're right, going on shows just to play the victim, clearly trying to stir up public sympathy to boost his own popularity by vilifying Song Linchuan.]

[Classic underdog strategy played to perfection.]

Jiang Kai's expression remained neutral but he was quite surprised inside.

After years apart, it seemed Song Linchuan had matured a lot. In the past, he would have blown up over something like this. Yet now he was responding with such grace.

"That's good to know." Jiang Kai sneakily planted another barb.

While the words seemed innocuous, they subtly portrayed himself as a supplicant to someone of higher status.

This time, Song Linchuan didn't even give him a glance, just nodded perfunctorily to keep up appearances.

Seeing the other party not taking his bait, Jiang Kai was quite unwilling to let it go.

After these years languishing as a Z-lister, he was sick of it. He grew increasingly unbalanced as he watched his former contentious bandmate become more and more popular.

Why?!

Why were Song Linchuan and Pei Kuang held up as top stars while he was ignored as a nobody?

Pei Kuang was slippery as an eel with his words and actions. There was almost no chance to take advantage of him.

So Jiang Kai set his sights on Song Linchuan instead. He had planned everything out before coming - Song Linchuan had a temper and vicious tongue. Provoking him would be easy.

Given their difference in status, he could then portray himself as the perfect victim online, blackening Song Linchuan's name while fishing for sympathy to create buzz and turn things around for himself.

A top star's popularity, if utilized well, could rocket him straight up.

Jiang Kai was very clear that getting on this show was not easy. He didn't know when an opportunity like this would come again, so he had to seize the moment.

His gaze skimmed over Song Anan beside them. "You must be little auntie? I've heard about you but haven't had the chance to meet until now."

Song Anan politely nodded. "Hello."

Jiang Kai acted familiar. "Little auntie, hello! I'm Guo'er."

Guo'er? Song Anan was a bit confused.

The next second, it was as if a nerve had been struck in Song Linchuan. He strode forward and shoved Jiang Kai. "Jiang Kai, are you sick in the head?!"

Jiang Kai staggered back a couple steps, posing as the 'victim.' "Linchuan, don't get so worked up. I was just joking around, no ill intent."

But Song Linchuan would not let up and moved to grab Jiang Kai's collar.

The other male guests, after a few seconds of shock, hurriedly pulled the two apart.

[Making risque jokes about a girl is scumbag behavior, Jiang Kai's terrible character is clear to see.]

[WTF Jiang Kai is so disgusting. 'Little auntie' is a normal address but after his joke how can Song Linchuan call her that anymore?]

[Damn! Jiang Kai do you think you're very funny?]

[Heh, no wonder he's unpopular, it's deserved.]

[Whoa, Song Linchuan what are you doing? Isn't it just a TV drama reference joke?]

[Song Linchuan fans shouldn't overreact so much, it's just a joke. Can't take it?]

[I've heard Song Linchuan has a bad temper and is arrogant. Now I believe it.]

[Heh, daring to be so shameless and violent on camera, how much more brazen can Song Linchuan get?]

...

Song Anan pulled on Song Linchuan's arm and shook her head at him. "Linchuan, he said he was just joking. It's fine."

Song Linchuan opened his mouth as if to say something, but hesitated for a moment and ultimately remained silent.

Jiang Kai was secretly delighted inside.

At this time, Song Anan suddenly turned to look at him and gently said, "Sorry, but I didn't really understand. Could you explain the humor to me?"

These words left everyone at the scene and in the audience stunned for a moment.

But Song Anan looked at Jiang Kai innocently, like a child asking the teacher to explain something she didn't understand.

Jiang Kai's heart tightened.

He didn't know if Song Anan truly didn't understand or was just pretending.

But how could he explain this joke with risque implications? Should he say "auntie" and "Guo'er" are a couple so I'm taking advantage of you?

Would he dare say that out loud?

Undoubtedly, he would not!

Often, so-called jokes lose their humor when explained bluntly.

Jiang Kai deliberated for a bit before deciding to gloss over it with an excuse.

At worst he could explain it away as playing off a drama reference for variety effect.

That would allow him to subtly demonstrate his professionalism while making it difficult for the other party to press the issue.

Shi Qing glanced at Jiang Kai as if seeing through his thoughts and breezily commented, "Anan, I saw online you just turned 17 recently, right?"

The atmosphere instantly froze.

Jiang Kai's smile stiffened on his face.

At first glance, Shi Qing's seemingly irrelevant remark actually reminded everyone of one thing.

Song Anan was still underage!

Jiang Kai, you're a grown man making this kind of joke about an underage girl. No matter how you look at it, it's in poor taste.

[Holy crap! Now I understand why Song Linchuan is so pissed.]

【It's true that although Little Auntie Song is older, she's still a child. You were teasing her in a flirtatious way between men and women. Who wouldn't get upset over that?!】

【Yeah, it'd be weird if 'Auntie Treasure' Song Linchuan could tolerate that.】

【To be fair, while everyone is getting used to calling Song An'an 'Little Auntie' in an endearing way, it can't be denied that 'Auntie' is still an honorific term. What Jiang Kai said was really tasteless.】

【Tasteless? Haha, it's not that simple. Trying to seduce a minor, I'd say Jiang Kai is trying to break the law!】

【Tsk tsk, digging his own grave!】

【I feel like there's more to Song Linchuan's sudden anger. I've been watching the livestream, and he doesn't seem like such an impulsive person normally. Could there be some backstory we don't know about?】

【Wasn't it said they have some past grudge? Maybe it's related to that?】

【Wild guess - wasn't there a rumor before that Song Linchuan beat up Jiang Kai? Maybe he was running his mouth like this back then too?】

【If that's really why, then Jiang Kai totally deserved that beating.】

...

With Song An'an and Shi Qing pointing things out, the hesitant netizens instantly took a side.

The tables completely turned for Song Linchuan.

Jiang Kai gritted his teeth, but could only put on an apologetic face on the surface, saying it was just meant to be a joke and he didn't think that much.

The atmosphere was somewhat awkward for a moment.

But the show had to go on, and the director's team came in at the right time to lighten up the mood.

They first introduced the new guest - Jiang Kai's sister Jiang Yao, 18 years old, just finished taking the college entrance exam and will become a college student.

After going through some simple procedures, they went right into today's theme.

The director asked the guest team to send a representative to draw lots and complete the specified task to earn lunch.

Qi Mushishi eagerly volunteered, and no one had any objection.

But when he opened the lot he drew, everyone was stunned.

"Kill fish?" Li Yu said in disbelief.

Right on cue, the staff brought over a basin with a live fish swimming in water.

It was a big fish, Li Yu compared with her arm - it was as long as her forearm.

"Can anyone do it?" Li Yu asked the others.

The guests looked at each other and shook their heads.

【Hahaha, isn't the production team going overboard with killing fish right off the bat? So bloody】

【Tsk, celebrities sure are delicate, can't even kill a fish】

【No need to be sarcastic, I'm not a celeb, just an ordinary person, but I can't do it either】

【LOL, my mom's been cooking for decades, she can't kill fish either. That's totally normal, right?】

【Right, nowadays whether you go to the wet market or supermarket to buy fish, the vendor or staff will help you clean and process it. Super convenient!】

...

The guests all looked troubled, saying this task was too much and asked if they could switch to something else. But the production team insisted.

Their reasoning was sound - the theme of this episode was experiencing life, so preparing ingredients was very relevant.

As if recalling something, Li Yu looked to her husband Guo Xiu, "Dear, I remember you were on a show before where you had to kill fish, right?"

Guo Xiu held his forehead, "Wifey, you remembered wrong. That fish was already dead, I just had to scrape off the scales."

Li Yu sighed, "Well you still have some experience. Wanna give it a try?"

With the wife speaking, Guo Xiu had no choice but to roll up his sleeves and get to it.

He scooped the fish out of the basin onto the chopping block, then picked up a cleaver but was at a loss where to start.

After thinking for a second, Guo Xiu chose the less bloody approach - using the spine of the knife to knock the fish unconscious.

But with a full force knife strike down, either the angle or strength was off. The fish didn't get knocked out, instead giving a big flop that scared Guo Xiu into retreating two steps. The water flicked off the fish's tail happened to splash right on Guo Xiu's face, looking quite silly and messy.

This fish must be specially chosen by the production team, lively and tenacious.

Way too energetic.

"How about we skip lunch and just keep the fish alive?" Li Yu blinked and suggested.

Mainly because they really couldn't do it.

The others also reluctantly said they ate late breakfast so weren't hungry, skipping this meal was no big deal.

Looking at the flopping fish on the chopping block, Song An'an seemed to think of something and turned to the production team.

"Do you have sewing needles?" she asked.

Needles? The production team looked puzzled, "No..."

Song An'an looked thoughtful, suddenly recalling when they came over, the grandma next door was mending shoe soles with what looked like an awl.

That could work too.

"Wait here, I'll be right back."

After saying bye to the grandma, Song An'an immediately turned right out the yard, heading straight for the grandma at the next door.

"Grandma, can I borrow this needle for a moment?" Song An'an pointed at the awl the grandma was using to mend soles.

The grandma readily agreed without even asking why, and gave the awl to Song An'an.

Song An'an still explained properly: "Grandma, I need to use this needle to kill a fish, do you mind?"

The grandma waved her hand casually, "Why would I mind? This old lady doesn't have so many hang-ups. Go ahead and use it."

Song An'an thanked her and left with the awl.

Watching Song An'an's departing figure, the grandma couldn't help but ponder.

How do you kill a fish with a needle?

Not just the grandma, the livestream audience and guests in the yard were also wondering.

What's Song An'an getting the needle for? Is she really going to kill the fish with it?

Everyone felt Song An'an was thinking nonsense, such a thin needle couldn't possibly kill a fish.

They saw Song An'an walk over to the fish on the chopping block with the needle, then stab with the needle tip precisely into some spot on the fish's head.

The previously lively fish instantly stopped moving.

Lying perfectly still on the chopping block...

Everyone: "!!!"

Chapter 17

"Little auntie, how did you do that?" Qi Mushishi pointed at the fish stuck to the board in disbelief and asked.

Children are more curious. He had come over early to watch the whole process and saw it all with his own eyes.

Song Anan smiled at him and explained, "I heard a neurosurgery professor mention this method before. This is my first time trying it out, didn't expect it to work."

Qi Mushishi looked at her admiringly, "Wow, little auntie, you are so capable, you can do everything!"

Not only can she fight, but she can also kill a fish with one needle!

Song Anan quickly waved her hand and said modestly, "I'm a medical student."

This is considered relevant to her profession.

It's not that impressive.

After Song Anan's reminder, everyone suddenly remembered the human anatomy book she was reading before.

At first, they still felt that it was a bit scary to see such a soft little auntie killing fish.

Turns out, after seeing this, killing a fish should be nothing to her at all.

"Besides fish, can other poultry be handled the same way too?" Li Yu curiously asked.

Song Anan casually replied, "It works for animals with spines."

[Oh my god! If I understood correctly, humans are also vertebrates!]

[To say the gentlest words but do the most ruthless things, I guess this describes little auntie perfectly.]

[Wasn't there news before about a female medical student who stabbed her boyfriend dozens of times, avoiding all the vital organs every time, causing serious injury to the boyfriend but was still only convicted of minor injury!]

[Oh my god! Is that real?]

[Well, a martial arts expert with a black belt in Taekwondo who studies medicine, we don't have to worry about little auntie being bullied anymore.]

[Wahhh, little auntie's pure and innocent face always makes me forget about her capabilities!]

[I know, I always feel that she is just a little sister who needs protection. Haha, with little auntie, we are the ones being protected!]

[Uh... Song Anan really killed the fish, isn't that too cruel?]

[Damn, are you an idiot? Stop pretending to be so ethical here. You didn't say anything while eating meat, and now you say it's cruel?]

[Fool, give him the Leshan Giant Buddha to sit on!]

[Let me go off topic and ask, isn't Jiang Kai shivering right now?]

[Hahaha, so true! He messed with the wrong person.]

[Jiang Kai: I admit, the rule of law saved me.]

...

It has to be said, some of the online comments hit the nail on the head.

Jiang Kai was indeed not feeling very calm at the moment.

After Song Anan stabbed the needle into the fish's head, she suddenly looked up at him.

Out of guilt, Jiang Kai took that glance as a warning.

Song Anan was warning him!

Coupled with the motionless fish on the cutting board, he couldn't help but feel a chill down his spine at that moment.

However, Song Anan was actually wrongly accused in this matter. She just happened to glance over casually, without thinking too much about it at all.

It could only be said that those with guilty consciences often betray themselves.

With Song Anan's interlude, the rest became much simpler, just scaling the fish and gutting it to remove the internal organs.

Guo Xiu had experience scaling fish before, so that job was left to him.

As for gutting the fish, it naturally fell on Song Anan again, with her anatomical knowledge and practical experience.

After completing the tasks, the guests successfully obtained dinner from the program team, with meat and vegetables, very abundant.

At the dinner table, everyone was casual, sitting around the table and chatting while eating.

Li Yu, being the mood maker among the guests, looked at Song Anan who was silently eating and asked, "Little auntie, I saw online you're in your third year of university?"

Song Anan always ate very attentively. Hearing Li Yu calling her, she was stunned for two seconds before quickly swallowing the food in her mouth.

She nodded lightly and replied, "Yeah, going into my third year when school starts."

Li Yu raised her eyebrows, "Medical school is a five-year program. You're seventeen now, so wouldn't you graduate when you're nineteen?"

So young.

Song Anan shook her head, "No, my program is eight years."

Hearing this, everyone except Song Linchuan looked over curiously.

Eight years?

"Five years is for a bachelor's degree. If it's eight years, is it a combined bachelor's and master's program?" Shi Qing asked.

"There are two types of eight-year clinical medicine programs. What you mentioned is 5+3 integrated program, 5 years for bachelor's plus 3 years for master's. " Song Anan patiently explained.

"Mine is an eight-year combined bachelor's, master's and PhD program."

The others were still a little confused after her explanation, but understood one thing - Song Anan would get a doctoral degree instead of a master's degree after graduation.

[Holy crap! Any medical students here to explain? I'm still confused.]

[Yeah, skip all those professional terms, just tell us the simple version - which one is better?]

[One gets a master's degree, the other a PhD, it's pretty obvious!]

[Then apart from the degree, how about professionally? Medicine is a field that values true skills after all.]

[To keep it simple and crude, I won't go into the comparison process details. Overall, the 8-year clinical medicine program has more advantages, and has higher requirements for students.]

[As far as I know, the 8-year bachelor-master-PhD program in clinical medicine is only offered by some top institutions nationwide.]

[I see! So it means little auntie is very capable!]

[Wahhh, I'm going to tell my mom that this time I'm a fan of a top student, no, a top genius!!!]

[I've always admired medical students. They have so many textbooks, there are no key points at all in exams, the whole book is key points.]

[Of course, patients don't get sick according to key points.]

[There's a saying, don't become a doctor unless lightning strikes you, you can imagine what a tough job it is.]

[To be honest! When I first heard little auntie say she was a medical student, I was very surprised. Studying medicine is very difficult, being able to persevere is really not easy.]

[I've always wanted to say, although little auntie looks soft, she has a tenacity that ordinary people don't have, which is really rare.]

...

After lunch, the guests were brought back to the yard by the program team for the next segment - picking a house.

The production team had no tricks for this segment. They directly showed pictures of several houses and let the guests choose freely.

The houses were all ordinary rural courtyards with similar environments and layouts, nothing much to pick from. Everyone chose rather casually.

Just right, two of the courtyards were adjacent. Shi Qing got his wish to become neighbors with Song Anan.

Their courtyards were at the far east side of the village, relatively more secluded compared to the other ones. But being secluded also had its benefits, more tranquil.

Along the way, Shi Qing and Song Linchuan walked side by side behind, while Qi Mushishi pulled Song Anan along in front.

From afar, it looked like two parents taking their children out for a stroll.

Qi Mushishi chatted nonstop around Song Anan, while Song Anan didn't seem bothered at all, with a faint smile on her face as she nodded from time to time.

The two complemented each other nicely in their stillness and motion.

The village was not big. Soon the group arrived at their destination. After saying goodbye to each other, they each pushed open the door and entered their own courtyard.

After Song Anan went in, she didn't idle around, going through the new residence front and back.

It was just an ordinary rural courtyard. There were a total of three bedrooms, two adjacent, and one facing them across a narrow corridor, door to door.

The living room was not too big, but the furnishings were quite cozy. Next to it was a separate dining area.

The kitchen was a separate room in the yard, fully equipped with new cookware by the program team.

However, what Song Anan liked best was still the small courtyard. There was a grape vine in the corner of the courtyard, bunches of grapes hanging from the arbor, looking very pleasing.

The production team had also placed two recliners under the eaves. Lying on them at night, blowing the night breeze and stargazing, just thinking about it felt extremely comfortable.

The two chose the rooms facing each other, leaving the doors open and organizing luggage while chatting.

The camera crew following them simply set up the camera in the corridor, moving the lens from time to time.

"Little auntie, are you getting used to it here?"

"Yeah, pretty used to it," Song Anan said, "I like it here."

It gave her the feeling of home when she was little.

Song Linchuan nodded, good that she liked it.

As Song Anan hung up clothes in the closet one by one, she seemed to think of something and suddenly asked, "Linchuan, were you like Mushishi when you were little?"

Song Linchuan raised his eyebrows, "How so?"

Song Anan was about to say talkative, but felt that the word might not be very polite to Qi Mushishi.

She thought about her wording, "...good at conversing."

Song Linchuan: "???"

[Pfft, good at conversing my ass, little auntie clearly wanted to say talkative!]

[Hahaha, poor little auntie, she swallowed the words at the tip of her tongue.]

[Song Linchuan/Qi Mushishi: Little auntie, are you being polite?!]

Of course Song Linchuan wouldn't admit to this. He reckoned Qi Mushishi was twelve this year. When he was that age, Song Anan was only five.

Five years old probably didn't have many memories yet.

"When I was in middle school, I was a model student, excellent in both academics and conduct. All the teachers in school would praise me whenever they saw me, relatives and friends even more so. I was the epitome of a model child from another family."

Song Linchuan felt quite satisfied after saying that.

This should salvage the situation, right?

But Song Anan suddenly went silent on her end.

After a good while, she sighed and said in a slightly helpless tone, "Linchuan, have I told you something before?"

Song Linchuan let out an 'ah', a bit confused, "What is it?"

"Actually, I have very early memories."

"So when you were Mushishi's age, I remember a lot of things."

Don't try to fool her.

Song Linchuan: "..."

The bullet screen went silent for a second before being spammed with 'hahaha'.

Then, the live studio audience witnessed Song Linchuan using the excuse of "tired, going to take a nap" to close his room door.

—

In the afternoon, after the guests rested up, they were called back to the small courtyard by the program team again - to make dinner.

According to the requirements of the program team, the first meal would be provided by them, and the guests had to figure it out themselves afterwards.

However, the ingredients for the first day were still provided by the program team for now, whether they would continue providing was undetermined.

"How about we each make a signature dish with the ingredients?" Li Yu suggested looking at the ingredients on the table. "There's pork ribs, I'll make braised pork ribs."

Shi Qing pondered briefly, "Then I'll make steamed fish."

Song Anan blinked looking at the tomatoes on the table, "Then... I'll make tomato and scrambled eggs."

It was supposed to be simple, shouldn't be a problem, right?

"No!" Song Linchuan excitedly grabbed Song Anan, as if fearing she would enter the kitchen the next second.

The others were stunned for a moment, turning their heads to look at him.

"It's still better not to let my little auntie in the kitchen, for everyone's sake." Song Linchuan sincerely advised.

After speaking, he silently sighed. He had already thought of this before coming - the fact that his little auntie was a kitchen killer probably couldn't be kept secret.

If Song Anan kept finding excuses to avoid cooking every time, she would definitely be misunderstood as lazy.

Compared to attracting dislike, losing a bit of face didn't seem so important anymore.

After a brief shock, everyone vaguely understood something.

"Is it that little auntie doesn't cook well?" Li Yu asked tactfully.

Song Linchuan waved his hand, no longer keeping them in suspense. "It's more serious than that, she might blow up the kitchen."

To make his words more convincing, he took out his phone and showed everyone some photos and video clips that were even used as negative teaching materials on local lifestyle channels back then.

Having her dark history exposed so bluntly, Song Anan's face instantly turned red to the tips of her ears.

[LOL, this is hilarious! I can't believe little auntie has such an embarrassing past. Song Linchuan is too much for keeping this video. No wonder they reacted that way when their manager told them to cook for themselves last time.]

[No wonder little auntie and I finally have something in common - we are both kitchen killers! Famous ones at that!]

After Song Linchuan's efforts, everyone finally witnessed Song Anan's destructive power in the kitchen.

She was then successfully assigned to wash vegetables.

Farmhouse kitchens are generally not very big, and it was a bit cramped with so many people suddenly crammed inside.

Carrying the prepared ingredients, Guo Xiu looked around and said to Song Anan and Qi Mushishi: "Little auntie, Mushishi, you two kids go out and play. We have enough people here to handle things, and you won't be much help anyway."

Song Anan looked up, confused.

But she was washing vegetables!

"Leave those there, I'll wash them later," Guo Xiu said. "The kitchen is too small for this many people."

Song Anan obediently said "Oh," but still looked at Ji An and Jiang Yao enviously before leaving the kitchen.

Ji An was 19 and Jiang Yao 18. They were only a couple years older than her, yet they got to be treated like adults.

Meanwhile, she was 17 but got lumped together with 11 or 12 year old little Mushishi.

At the kitchen door, Qi Mushishi grumbled unhappily: "I'm 12 already, why do they still treat me like a kid?"

Song Anan silently sighed.

She was 17! So wasn't she even more miserable?

The livestream viewers laughed loudly at the dissatisfied looks on the two.

[Hahaha, Mushishi, be patient! Only little kids emphasize not being little kids!]

[People are such strange creatures. We wish to grow up when young, then get nostalgic for childhood when older.]

[Speaking of which, little auntie seems to be only 1 or 2 years younger than Ji An and Jiang Yao, but standing together they look very different.]

[I think their clothing styles make a big difference. It's been a while since the show started, and little auntie wears sporty outfits every time, looking very high school. I don't think she wears any makeup on the show.]

[You're right! Ji An has debuted after all, so his outfits are more mature. Jiang Yao's white dress today isn't bad, just a bit too made up looking mature.]

[Oh right, didn't they say Jiang Yao just took the college entrance exam? Has it been announced where she got in?]

[Who knows? The production team hasn't said. She's most likely aiming for the entertainment industry.]

[Not necessarily. They used to say little auntie came just to debut, but she explained she doesn't plan on entering the industry.]

...

The two of them looked at each other blankly outside.

Qi Mushishi looked expectantly at Song Anan: "Little auntie, what should we play?"

Song Anan shook her head. She didn't know either.

But she remembered her promise to Shi Qing earlier and said, "Since we have time now, let me tutor you in math homework."

Qi Mushishi: "..."

Uh...could he say no?

Clearly not.

Because...unfortunately, Shi Qing happened to walk past them just then.

In the end, under his mother's stern gaze, Qi Mushishi reluctantly went back to get his homework, bitterness and resentment written all over his face.

While he was gone, Song Anan went to ask the production team for a table and chairs to set up in the yard.

It was far enough from the kitchen to be relatively quiet, yet still in view of the cameras.

When Qi Mushishi returned, he laid out his math homework and looked at the problems with a pained expression.

Song Anan sat next to him and asked, "Which question don't you understand?"

Qi Mushishi scratched his head and randomly pointed to a blank space, "This one."

Song Anan nodded lightly and picked up his workbook to carefully look over the question.

Middle school math posed basically no difficulty for Song Anan, but Qi Mushishi was completely lost after she explained it.

Clearly he didn't get it.

Song Anan was silent for a moment before using another method. This time he seemed to understand.

After explaining several math questions this way, Song Anan could see Qi Mushishi struggling.

So she gave him a break to digest what they'd just covered.

"Little auntie, studying is so boring," Qi Mushishi complained bitterly, head down on the table. "What do I do if I don't like studying?"

Don't like studying?

Song Anan's brows furrowed slightly.

But he was still in middle school. What else could he do without studying?

Qi Mushishi also looked confused. "Then little auntie, did you like studying ever since you were young?"

Song Anan thought for a moment: "Can't say I liked or disliked it."

Qi Mushishi exclaimed in surprise.

What does she mean?

"How to put it," Song Anan carefully organized her thoughts, "From a very young age I knew what I wanted to do when I grew up. Studying was just the necessary path."

She wanted to become a doctor, but that required getting into the best medical school, which meant she had to study well.

It took Qi Mushishi a moment to grasp her implication.

He looked at Song Anan enviously.

Knowing what you want to do when you grow up from such a young age, how nice.

As for him, it seemed he'd never thought about it before.

Qi Mushishi knew his dad was a great director and his mom a great actress, but they had always been pretty hands off regarding his future, without requiring him to enter any particular industry.

For now, he didn't seem interested in becoming a director or actor like his parents.

Song Anan asked, "What do you like to do usually?"

"I really like playing games," Qi Mushishi said without hesitation. "But my parents limit my time and don't let me play too long."

Song Anan considered this, then asked, "Can you explain why you like playing games? Or be more specific about this 'like'?"

Qi Mushishi propped up his face and thought hard.

"Hmm...I like defeating enemies and boss fights in games, the harder the better. Because most people can't beat them, but I can. It makes me feel really accomplished, like I'm awesome."

Song Anan blinked.

She didn't play games herself, so she couldn't relate to the feeling.

"Then based on your logic, wouldn't the people who design and develop games be even more awesome?"

Qi Mushishi was startled, then his eyes lit up.

That seemed right.

The game developers designed everything in the game worlds. They were like the creators of those worlds.

No matter how accomplished game players became in-game, in the end they were still being led around by the developers.

Qi Mushishi's gaze suddenly became more focused as he looked at Song Anan.

"Little auntie, what if," he asked uncertainly, "if in the future I wanted to design games, would you look down on me for it?"

Song Anan shook her head. "Of course not."

"There are no superior or inferior professions, no big or small dreams. As long as you truly enjoy it, that's good enough."

Affirmed, Qi Mushishi was very happy.

But at the same time he had a new question. Song Anan wanted to be a doctor and studied medicine. What about him?

"What major should I study then?"

Song Anan considered. "From what I know, if you want to develop games, you'll probably need to study a computer-related major."

She wasn't too familiar with it either, so could only speak generally.

"Our school's College of Information Science and Technology has that major. You can check out their website."

Song Anan immediately pulled out her phone and found the college's official site for him to browse.

Qi Mushishi looked through it very seriously.

B University's College of Information Technology didn't only have computer majors, but also artificial intelligence, integrated circuits, and more.

A featured lecture on AI happened to be on the home page, so Qi Mushishi clicked in.

"AI can even be applied in medicine?" he exclaimed in surprise.

Song Anan nodded. "That's right. Nowadays AI has many medical applications, like smart healthcare, medical imaging recognition, and so on. It can greatly improve primary care..."

Qi Mushishi's eyes shone even brighter, as if a door to a new world had opened.

After chatting for a while, they looped back to tutoring homework.

"Actually, math is pretty interesting too. Look, each question is like a level in your games. You have to infer the creator's intent from the information in the problem, and solving a question is like cracking the level the author designed," Song Anan said.

With this new approach, the effect was still good. At least Qi Mushishi was interested now.

"For example, this question..."

"Wow! You're right."

"And this one..."

"Ah! This problem setter is so sly, using tricks in the text."

...

The livestream viewers who witnessed all this immediately erupted.

[Holy crap! Is this the power of a B University genius? My whole family is shocked!]

[Interest is the best teacher - perfectly demonstrated in Qi Mushishi!]

[Gotta admit, little auntie is pretty amazing.]

[Of course! She keenly identified what Qi Mushishi was interested in during their chat, and promptly adjusted her teaching method. Not something an average person could do.]

[Sigh, the gap between me and geniuses is clearly more than just a little...]

*

After dinner, since it was the first day, the production team didn't arrange anything else and just let the cast rest.

Song Linchuan had to discuss something with the director, so he and Song Anan didn't walk back with Shi Qing and her son.

On the way back, Qi Mushishi skipped along happily, homework workbook tucked under his arm, completely lacking the dejectedness from earlier after finishing homework.

"Mom, I think studying isn't that hard after all, it's pretty interesting."

Shi Qing faltered, twisting around to stare at Qi Mushishi, looking like she'd seen a ghost.

For this learning-challenged kid to suddenly say this...

Did he have some kind of awakening while getting tutored just now?

Or was it a proximity effect with the genius?

How was he so puffed up all of a sudden!

[Hahaha, Shi Qing's "I've seen a ghost" expression is too obvious!]

[Is Qi Mushishi determined to make progress now?]

Completely oblivious to his mother's reaction, Qi Mushishi rambled on, "I think B University is great. When it's time for the college entrance exam, why don't I try for first place for fun?"

Shi Qing: "..."

After thinking for a few seconds, she replied, "Sure, why not."

Hearing this, Qi Mushishi was very happy and turned to ask excitedly, "Mom, so you think I have the potential?"

"No," Shi Qing said solemnly. "I just think there's no harm in dreaming big."

Qi Mushishi: "..."

[Hahahaha, I'm dying, no doubt Shi Qing is the real mom here!]

[I can't breathe from laughing! The kid is still too young. He really thinks getting into B University is that easy, talking about casually scoring first place. Like it's cabbage on the street!]

[We all had silly naivete in our youth! I also harbored some "wicked thoughts" about B University back in the day!]

[Shi Qing: People should have dreams, doesn't mean they'll necessarily come true.]

Chapter 18

In the evening after finishing her live stream, Song Anan took a shower and went to the yard with her hair half dried.

Song Linchuan was lying comfortably on a deck chair with his hands crossed under his head, staring blankly at the night sky.

"I feel like this place reminds me of our childhood home in the countryside," Song Anan said with a light nod of her head. After drying her hair, she casually draped the towel over the armrest of the chair and laid down next to Song Linchuan.

Reminiscing, she said, "There was also a grape trellis at our old house back home. The grapes it produced every year were very sweet."

"Auntie, are you missing home?" Song Linchuan turned his head and looked at Song Anan as he said, "Why don't I go back with you after we finish filming this show?"

Song Anan did miss going back and seeing their old home.

Unlike Song Linchuan, she had spent the first eight years of her life living in their countryside hometown with her parents before moving away. Naturally, she was more emotionally attached to that place.

However, she had overheard Jiang Han discussing their schedule with Song Linchuan before. She knew he was very busy.

"No need," Song Anan waved her hand and said, "I still have some things to take care of at school after filming wraps up. Let's talk about it again at the end of the year."

Song Linchuan simply responded with an "Oh," thinking she really was occupied. He didn't insist further.

The two gazed quietly at the night sky.

After a long while, Song Anan suddenly called out, "Linchuan."

"Hmm?" Song Linchuan was startled.

"I saw online that you and Jiang Kai didn't get along in the past. Is that true?" she asked.

Song Linchuan didn't expect Song Anan to bring this up, but he had nothing to hide from his auntie.

"Yes, it's true," he admitted.

"Then, did you hit him before?"

"I did."

Song Anan had guessed they didn't get along well, but she was quite surprised to hear Song Linchuan had hit Jiang Kai before.

"What happened?" she asked.

This time, Song Linchuan hesitated.

What happened?

Song Linchuan sneered inwardly as his thoughts drifted back many years.

Back then, after completing an idol talent competition, he was ranked in the top five and the organizers put those contestants together in a five-member boy group to debut.

The group included him, Pei Kuang, and Jiang Kai.

Their relationship wasn't great but it wasn't terrible either at that time.

As a newly debuted group, they naturally had to frantically appear on shows to promote and capitalize on the competition hype.

It was during that time that Song Linchuan started frequently name dropping his auntie "Baobao" on shows. Her nickname started spreading then.

People found it quite amusing. Anyway, he would get brought up every time they were on a show in that period and gained a lot of attention.

Usually it was fine, variety shows naturally highlight whatever is trending.

Perhaps Jiang Kai was annoyed that Song Linchuan was stealing his spotlight. During a break backstage, he came back with a long face.

He didn't say anything explicitly but his expression clearly showed his displeasure, making things uncomfortable for everyone else.

Considering they still had to continue filming, Song Linchuan didn't bother with him and went off with Pei Kuang to get some peace and quiet.

But when they returned, they just so happened to overhear Jiang Kai spouting nonsense inside the room.

Not only was he disparaging Song Linchuan, but he even dragged Song Anan into it too.

Naturally it wasn't anything nice, not even fit for ears.

Of course Song Linchuan couldn't stand it and charged in, beating up Jiang Kai without regard.

This was also why Song Linchuan reacted so strongly today when Jiang Kai used Song Anan to pick at him.

He had malicious intent, it definitely wasn't just joking around.

However, this wasn't something Song Linchuan would ever tell Song Anan about, afraid of tainting her ears.

"Nothing much," Song Linchuan said nonchalantly, "we just didn't get along well."

Song Anan's eyebrows quirked up.

Didn't get along well?

That was great then.

She had been thinking about how to advise Song Linchuan to stay away from Jiang Kai. That man was sly and she was worried Song Linchuan would suffer losses from interacting with him.

"If you don't get along then don't get along," Song Anan said. "Later when filming, let's keep our distance from him."

It would be best if there was no intersection between Song Linchuan and Jiang Kai whatsoever.

Unaware of Song Anan's thoughts, Song Linchuan only thought she was being protective and felt extremely gratified.

But when he thought about Jiang Kai again, his expression inevitably darkened.

Jiang Han did have some dirt on Jiang Kai but it wasn't lethal for him.

If it was before, leaking it could still make him drink a potion of suffering.

But the situation was different now. Jiang Kai had backers, if they played it right, leaking it could even bring him a wave of popularity.

Song Linchuan wasn't stupid. Naturally he wouldn't cheapen Jiang Kai like that. He could only let him hop around a little longer.

But Jiang Han's side already had some clues so he wouldn't be able to hop for too long.

The night breeze shook the treetops, bringing a slight chill.

The aunt and nephew closed their eyes comfortably, the constant chirping around their ears bringing rare tranquility.

In a yard about half a village away, the Jiang siblings evidently didn't have such leisure.

Both were lowered their heads scrolling through their phones, ignoring each other.

However, their expressions were increasingly ugly.

Jiang Kai was messaging his agent to take down search trends and clear the forums.

Before coming, he had anticipated there would be some mudslinging since he was intentionally trying to step on Song Linchuan's head to move up.

The more fiercely they tore at each other, the more controversy there was, the higher the topic heat would be.

Then he could ride Song Linchuan's popularity as a so-called top star to gain black fans. It wasn't a bad idea.

But he absolutely didn't expect to be nailed to the pillar of shame by netizens just because of Song Anan.

They were saying things like intentionally using distasteful jokes was shameless, making suggestive remarks about a minor was tasteless and indecent!

He wanted controversy but not unilateral condemnation.

Jiang Kai rubbed his hair in agitation, increasingly regretful.

He shouldn't have been so careless.

Song Anan was different from Song Linchuan. Although Song Linchuan was quite popular these years, he also had his fair share of controversies.

But Song Anan was different. She had too good of a reputation among viewers. Not only did netizens like her, Jiang Kai saw today that the other guests were also exceptionally caring towards her.

Especially Shi Qing.

She seemed to genuinely adore Song Anan. Otherwise she wouldn't have stood up for her against him today.

And by extension, Song Linchuan was also able to bask in her glow.

This was what angered Jiang Kai the most.

Just as he was wallowing in all kinds of dissatisfaction, Jiang Yao suddenly slammed her phone on the table with a 'bang.'

"Ah! Annoying, so annoying!"

Jiang Kai was in a bad mood himself and naturally didn't have much patience.

"What's with you now," he said impatiently looking at Jiang Yao, "We're not home, no one is going to coax you here."

In Jiang Kai's eyes, Jiang Yao was spoiled rotten by their parents at home, throwing little tantrums at the slightest thing.

Hearing this, Jiang Yao got even angrier. "Jiang Kai, what do you mean? If I didn't come with you to film this show, would I be compared online to others like this?"

"For me?" Jiang Kai laughed coldly. "Jiang Yao, do you even believe yourself saying that? If you didn't cry and make a fuss about coming, would I have brought you?"

Jiang Yao was rendered speechless.

In fact, Jiang Kai's company had originally planned to arrange for another female artist to accompany him on the show. But Jiang Yao had insisted on going herself.

Jiang Kai had only obliged her as lip service. After all, she was still his little sister. Rather than letting this rare opportunity benefit some random woman from their company, it was better to give it to her.

Anyway, Jiang Yao also had plans to enter the entertainment industry.

Though unruly, Jiang Yao also knew her brother wouldn't indulge her and didn't dare to continue throwing a fit.

"Bro, that lady we met before coming here, didn't you say she was quite capable? Why can't she get Song Linchuan kicked off this show?" Jiang Yao asked.

That way, Song Anan would be gone too and there would be no one to compare her with.

Jiang Kai glared at her fiercely. "What lady, call her big sis."

Jiang Yao reluctantly uttered an "Oh," then pouted her lips in displeasure behind Jiang Kai's back.

What big sis? That woman looked nearly fifty, a whole generation older than her mom.

However, having mixed in fandom circles since she was a preteen, Jiang Yao also knew a thing or two about insider workings and unspoken rules.

Though her brother didn't explicitly say, she roughly guessed that woman must be the new moneybags her brother had cozied up to. Otherwise with his clout, how could he possibly get such hot variety show resources.

But she didn't care. Her brother having backers could only benefit her.

Jiang Kai had no time to bother with Jiang Yao. His own head was bursting with annoyance.

Humph!

He wanted to kick Song Linchuan out of the show too, but that would require the capability to do so.

*

Having slept early the night before, Song Anan and Song Linchuan got up early the next day when the sky had just brightened.

Participating in the show had basically reset Song Linchuan's schedule. Song Anan felt that was another satisfactory aspect.

Breakfast was provided by the production team but it wasn't time yet.

After washing up and getting ready, the two decided to take a walk around the village to get some fresh air and treat it as their morning exercise.

After circling the village, they came back when it was about time.

Passing by Shi Qing's home, the gate happened to be open.

Song Anan looked inside and saw Shi Qing and Qi MuShi were both in the yard.

"Sis Shi, MuShi, good morning!" she greeted them from the entrance.

Qi MuShi came bouncing over happily. "Auntie, good morning!"

Then looking towards Song Linchuan on the side, "Bro Linchuan, morning!"

Song Linchuan faintly nodded towards Shi Qing and Qi MuShi. "Morning."

Shi Qing also nodded lightly and seeing the direction they came from, asked, "Little Anan, what were you two up to?"

Song Anan obediently answered, "Linchuan and I got up early and had nothing to do, so we just walked around the village once."

Shi Qing smiled. "One whole round already. Up so early."

Then she shot a look at Qi MuShi beside her. "Look at Anan. Quickly learn from her. If I don't call you awake, you'd sleep till the sun shines on your butt every day."

Qi MuShi twisted his lips. "Mom, I'm criticizing you now. You can praise Auntie but don't drag me down too."

"This is dragging you down?" Shi Qing laughed.

Qi MuShi shrugged. "Isn't it?"

Shi Qing rolled her eyes at him. "Less lippy."

The mother and son bickered playfully while the aunt and nephew watched happily.

Having this kind of family atmosphere, it was no wonder Qi MuShi had such a cheerful personality.

"What are your plans for today?" Shi Qing asked Song Anan.

According to the show's filming arrangements, today was free activity time for the guests. They could stay home or walk around the village.

Of course, the guests could also visit each other.

Song Anan replied, "Linchuan has work today. I'm going with him."

Shi Qing uttered an "Oh," and casually asked, "Leaving right after breakfast?"

Song Anan shook her head. "No, he said we're leaving at 10:30. I plan on reviewing some books at home before then."

Qi MuShi immediately chimed in, "Auntie, can I come over to study together with you in the morning then?"

This remark shocked Shi Qing the most.

This stinky brat is serious! He actually took the initiative to study!

【OMG! Qi MuShi is serious about getting into Peking University! He's actually going to study for the exam!】

【Tsk, let the kid try hard. How will he know if he doesn't put in the effort?】

【I have a bold idea - years later, Qi MuShi actually makes it onto the Peking University admissions list!】

【Wow! This is totally an underdog success story. I suddenly really want to see how it goes down!】

【What underdog success, this is clearly a little sweet romance! That summer, the unlearned loser brother met the top student sister who changed his life. To follow in her footsteps, he reflected on his ways and decided to devote himself to studying. After much blood, sweat and tears, he...】

【Pfft laughing so hard! The cheesy, cringey plot!】

【Ahhhhh keep writing, don't stop!】

【Hahaha don't stop, don't stop! I'm a sucker for cheesy stories...】

Song Anan naturally had no problem and smiled in agreement.

After breakfast, Song Linchuan helped Song Anan move the table under the eaves and took out his script to read.

The livestream audience was already used to this scene.

Soon, the courtyard gate was pushed open from outside.

"I'm here!" Qi MuShi bounced in happily carrying his homework.

Shi Qing walked behind, looking at her unfortunate son with slight disdain.

This kid is too uninhibited, when will he become more steady?

Qi MuShi very consciously sat in the empty seat on Song Anan's other side, "Auntie, can I ask you about questions I don't understand later?"

Song Anan nodded, "Of course."

At this time, Shi Qing also walked over and instructed Qi MuShi, "You do it yourself first, save up the questions you don't understand and ask them all together. Don't interrupt every minute, that would disturb Anan."

He struggles to study well enough as it is, let alone disturbing Song Anan.

Qi MuShi scratched his head, lacking confidence, "I'll try my best."

【Haha Qi MuShi's so awkward】

【I totally relate as a bad student, I'm the fidgety type with no concentration】

【Speaking of concentration, I really admire Auntie. I noticed from the livestream she's always very focused when studying. No wonder she's a top student!】

【Let me share something magical. That time I was 'cloud learning' with Auntie, I was totally focused the whole time, oddly enough】

【Me too! 'Cloud learning' with Auntie is really efficient. To be honest with you all, I'm almost done with my summer homework already】

【Why else could it be? The atmosphere! Can't deny, study atmosphere really matters】

【Let's cut to the chase, I've taken out my summer homework and am ready to study with Auntie】

【+1 upstairs, I'm ready too. My mom just walked by and asked if this was a study livestream】

...

Since Shi Qing came along, Song Linchuan didn't feel right continuing with the script on his end.

The two of them walked off to the side to give the students space.

Shi Qing glanced at the script in Song Linchuan's hand, "Next production?"

Song Linchuan nodded, "Good timing to go over lines."

Shi Qing thought for a moment, "If you don't mind, could I run lines with you?"

Song Linchuan was clearly surprised.

Rehearsing with the three-time Best Actress winner, who wouldn't want that chance?

How could he possibly mind!

【OMG Shi Qing offered to run lines with Song Linchuan, she wants to coach him personally right?】

【Should be, why else suggest a run through? They aren't co-stars】

【Haha Shi Qing understands reciprocity. Auntie is tutoring Qi MuShi, so she returns the favor by coaching Song Linchuan's acting】

【Regardless, Shi Qing's skills are plain to see. Rehearsing with such an exceptional performer, even without specific teaching, as long as the other actor isn't totally wooden, there are bound to be benefits】

【Right, why else would young actors on sets like to follow veteran talents to learn?】

The livestream audience understood something Song Linchuan also clearly grasped.

"Of course, thank you. But won't this take up your time?" he asked.

Shi Qing waved her hand, "No schedule this morning."

Joining this show, her main job was Qi MuShi. With someone looking after the brat, she was completely free.

Song Linchuan didn't hesitate further and handed over his script.

Shi Qing took it and first read the plot summary to roughly grasp the storyline.

Since this drama hadn't started filming yet, they couldn't reveal specific details and content.

After clearing with the producers, Song Linchuan and Shi Qing's mics were removed.

To avoid disturbing Song Anan and Qi MuShi later, they walked over to the other end of the yard.

When Shi Qing first came in with Qi MuShi earlier, the production team had already merged both livestreams into one big stream.

Then this side presented quite an odd scene - the cameraman panned between the study group on one side and the acting group on the other.

Neither spoke, so the whole livestream was like a silent film.

Strangely, the viewer count barely dropped at all, no mass exodus.

But the bullet chat interaction clearly decreased, perhaps they really were 'cloud learning' as speculated earlier.

Time always flies when focused on a task.

At 11am when Jiang Han came to pick them up and pushed open the courtyard gate, she saw this harmonious academic atmosphere.

Song Anan tutoring Qi MuShi, Shi Qing coaching Song Linchuan.

The two teachers instructed earnestly, and the students listened attentively.

Jiang Han: ???

Felt a bit out of place here!

Chapter 19

Song Linchuan was going out this time to take a magazine cover photo, a job that had been scheduled ahead of time, and he had also notified the show crew in advance.

The photo shoot location was at a photography studio on the outskirts of the city, about an hour's drive from here.

After picking up Song Linchuan, Jiang Han drove the van straight out of the village.

To facilitate the shooting for the show crew, they had specially come in a passenger van.

After getting in the car, Song Anan and Song Linchuan sat together, while the camera guy set up his equipment with several people sitting in the front row, and Jiang Han sat in the copilot position.

Song Anan got carsick easily. For trips over an hour, she would typically put on headphones as soon as she got in the car, listening to music and sleeping.

The livestream viewers and Jiang Han all understood this, so no one found it odd.

Song Linchuan, on the other hand, hadn't said a word since getting in the car, just kept his head down typing away on his phone.

He would occasionally frown, with a solemn expression on his face.

This aroused endless curiosity among the livestream viewers, and the bullet screen was filled with people guessing who he was messaging.

Many even speculated that from the way he was hitting the keyboard so intensely, it looked like he must be arguing with his girlfriend.

Jiang Han's brows furrowed.

Did Song Linchuan have a girlfriend? He would know if that was the case.

Putting aside anything else, when it came to relationships, Jiang Han felt this artist of his was truly low-maintenance.

When Jiang Han had first started managing Song Linchuan, what he worried about most was him screwing things up in romance.

After all, since he was going the idol route, if a scandal exposed a relationship before he had firmly established himself in the industry, it would inevitably affect his career path.

But later, Jiang Han gradually realized his concern was completely unnecessary.

Whether in crews or at events, apart from work, Song Linchuan always maintained an 'avoid me' attitude toward his female co-stars.

And he had a sharp tongue. He had directly told an actress who came on to him that she was making trouble because she was ugly, and should go look in the mirror. That actress had ended up leaving in tears.

For a time, Jiang Han had even wondered about his sexual orientation.

Of course, the facts proved he had no interest in men either.

Jiang Han hesitated, then turned to Song Linchuan and asked, "What are you busy with?"

Without even lifting his head, Song Linchuan replied, "Writing character profiles."

"What character profiles?" Jiang Han was puzzled. "For your next role?"

Song Linchuan lightly hmm-ed in affirmation.

He knew Jiang Han wasn't making small talk for no reason. Something must be happening in the livestream.

So he stopped what he was doing and explained, "Teacher Shi asked me to write a complete character profile based on my own understanding, and said it would help me better portray the role."

Shi Qing had also specifically explained some methods for analyzing characters to him, as well as personal tips and experience with performing.

Song Linchuan felt he had gained a lot, so of course he wanted to strike while the iron was hot and absorb it himself.

That was why he had started typing away as soon as he got in the car.

【I always thought Song Linchuan was an idol star, didn't expect him to take acting so seriously】

【I wanted to say before, during this time on the live show, whenever Little Auntie reads, Song Linchuan seems to always be next to her reading a script and taking notes. It looks like he's really working hard as an actor】

【Right, handsome and hard-working, and good to his family too, boys like this really are charming】

【Waa, my brother has always worked very hard, whether it's singing or acting, he really does treat every job seriously】

......

Now that the 'girlfriend' misunderstanding was cleared up, Jiang Han naturally didn't disturb Song Linchuan anymore.

Seeing his artist working so hard, he was of course happy to oblige.

With nothing to do, Jiang Han casually opened Weibo.

The hashtag #LearningAlongWithLittleAuntie# was prominently ranked near the top of trending searches.

Seeing this trending topic, Jiang Han was not surprised at all.

On the drive over earlier, he had also been watching the livestream, including the viewer interactions in the bullet screen.

Clicking into the tag, the first Weibo was a video clip edited together by an entertainment marketing account.

The video wasn't long, edited together fragments contrasting a segment of Shi Qing tutoring Qi MuShi with Qi MuShi's state later when studying together with Song Anan.

The video started with Shi Qing having Qi MuShi sit at a desk and work on test papers for half an hour, but Qi MuShi couldn't sit still, fidgeting nonstop, constantly checking the time, and finally laying collapsed on the desk wailing, "Ahhh...how is it not half an hour yet!!"

In the second clip, Qi MuShi sat next to Song Anan doing problems, completely focused, working through ones he knew and setting aside ones he didn't to ask Song Anan about later.

The video ended freeze-framed on Jiang Han appearing in the yard, Qi MuShi reluctantly saying, "Ah~ time went by so fast, I didn't even feel it..."

The caption on the video was: The only difference between top students and failing students is whether they have a Little Auntie!

The comments exploded in 'wtf'.

【Is this for real? Not just staged hype, right? How could it be so miraculous?】

【I'm goin! What's going on, I didn't watch the stream for one day at work, and my little MuShi has become so motivated?】

【For real for real! I was there in the livestream learning along, eyewitness】

【Livestream learning beneficiary here, no exaggeration, I even feel like Qi MuShi was acting out me】

【Hehe, learning together with top students, in a way that makes me a top student too】

The heated discussion blazed on, with many viewers even suggesting Song Anan start a separate learning stream.

Just have her quietly study on camera without doing anything else.

After browsing through Weibo, Jiang Han exited with a satisfied expression.

Speaking of which, Song Anan really was Song Linchuan's lucky star.

No!

She was his lucky star too!

Ever since she had accompanied Song Linchuan on that variety show, Song Linchuan's popularity hadn't waned during this time.

His reputation online kept improving, and his popularity with audiences grew steadily too. The quality collaboration opportunities coming his way were also increasing.

If these could still be considered within expectations, then becoming friends with Shi Qing was completely unexpected.

In their circle, nothing needed to be said about how important connections were.

To a certain extent, connections meant resources, especially for accessing upper level resources. Even if you were very popular, it didn't mean you could necessarily access them.

Before coming for this collective recording, Jiang Han had considered having Song Linchuan befriend Shi Qing.

If the senior Shi Qing could take Song Linchuan under her wing, it would only benefit Song Linchuan's future career.

But he also knew his artist too well. If told to deliberately curry favor with someone, not to mention Song Linchuan wouldn't be willing, even if he was, he wouldn't know how to go about it.

If he tried but failed to get along, and they became enemies instead, it wouldn't be worth it.

That was why Jiang Han had eventually abandoned the idea.

Who could have expected Shi Qing to like Song Anan so much that she took the initiative to ask Song Anan to tutor Qi MuShi?

Through repeated coincidences, Song Linchuan had actually struck up ties with Shi Qing.

This would probably make the jaws of many industry insiders drop.

Jiang Han couldn't help sighing, the old saying really was true after all.

Knowledge is power!

*

The car soon arrived at the photography studio.

After they went in, Song Linchuan was immediately pulled away by staff to get his hair and makeup done.

Since Song Anan didn't have anything to do, she wandered around looking around the studio, having slept too much in the car and needing to wake herself up.

After making a circle, she didn't find it very interesting, so they went back to the photography set.

The set wasn't large, with only a dressing room apart from the main space.

Song Linchuan was currently in the dressing room getting styled.

Since he needed to change, Song Anan didn't go in either.

So she brought the camera guy and found a place to sit down in the set, then took out a book from her bag to continue reading.

【It's starting! Little Auntie's 'cloud learning' class is open again, everyone quickly take out your homework and start writing!】

【Hahaha, my homework hasn't even been assigned, I'm always ready】

【Speaking of, it seems pretty noisy over there, can Little Auntie concentrate on reading books?】

【Heh heh, hasn't it been said that viewers are naive? She's not actually reading books, just putting on a show and establishing an image】

【Screw off upstairs! Little Auntie already said she won't join the entertainment industry in the future, what image is she trying to build?】

【Right, having a dirty mind just makes you see everything as dirty】

It was indeed not quiet in the set, since it was small, the crew was setting up props and equipment nearby, and people kept passing by.

But after Song Anan sat down, she placed the book on her lap, took notes with a pen while reading, seeming completely unaffected.

The camera guy following her seemed used to it already. He set up the equipment to the side, then just watched Song Anan through the lens. Slowly, he was drawn in without realizing it.

Nobody knew how much time had passed.

Suddenly, a 'click' shutter sound rang out.

The camera guy reflexively moved the lens toward the sound.

At this time, a stylishly dressed man was pointing a camera at Song Anan.

Song Anan's reaction was clearly a beat slow. A few seconds later, she looked up at the man.

A completely puzzled expression.

The man took the initiative to introduce himself, "Hello, I'm Xu Sen, today's photographer."

Song Anan paused, then said, "Hello, I'm Song Anan."

Then she looked at the camera in his hand, "May I ask if you need something?"

Xu Sen was taken aback, "Oh, I just snapped a candid shot of you, would you like to see?"

As he spoke, he handed the camera over.

Song Anan didn't sense any malice from him, so she took the camera.

There was indeed a photo of her inside.

The livestream viewers were dying of curiosity. The camera guy also performed well, zooming the lens in.

It was a side profile shot of Song Anan.

From the framing to the shooting angle, this picture was flawless.

After looking, Song Anan returned the camera and politely replied, "It's very nice, thanks."

Xu Sen responded, "You're welcome."

"You can give me your contact info, and I'll send you the picture later after I upload it."

Song Anan waved her hand, "No need to trouble you, thanks."

Xu Sen saw the guardedness in Song Anan's eyes, and didn't push the contact info matter further. But he turned to look at the camera guy beside them.

"Are you guys filming a show here?"

Song Anan lightly hmm-ed in affirmation.

Xu Sen was somewhat surprised. "Are you a celebrity?"

Song Anan shook her head. "I'm not."

Xu Sen raised his brow, but didn't continue questioning either. He directly got to the point.

"It's like this - I'm shooting a magazine cover, and I'm missing a model. I wonder if you're interested?"

【Whoa what's going on, asking Little Auntie to model?】

【It's not a scammer right】

【Very possible! It's a photography studio here, usually lots of small models and artists come by. They could be scamming using a photographer identity】

As if also considering this concern, Xu Sen directly handed over his business card.

"Don't worry, I'm not a scammer. You guys are filming a show here right, it's all recorded as evidence."

Song Anan wasn't actually afraid, because whether he was a scammer or not, she had no plans to model.

"Thank you, but no need, I don't have time and am not interested."

A flash of regret showed on Xu Sen's face.

He truly felt Song Anan was suitable.

But seeing that she really didn't have the inclination, he didn't insist.

When leaving, Xu Sen still left his card with Song Anan, saying she could contact him anytime if she changed her mind.

No one expected that right after Xu Sen left, the livestream suddenly blew up.

【Oh my gosh! I finally remembered who this Xu Sen is!】

【I remembered too. Isn't this Xu Sen known as the go-to photographer for fashion magazines? He has photographed many celebrities, right?】

【Damn! I just googled him and was blinded by the rows of international and domestic photography awards.】

【Wasn't that female celebrity photographed by him to stardom?】

......

This interlude did not affect Song Anan much, and she continued reading her book.

Not long after, Jiang Han came over.

Song Linchuan had already had his makeup and hair done. He just needed to change into an outfit for the shoot, but one piece did not fit well so the stylist took it to alter.

Seeing Song Anan enter the makeup room, Song Linchuan got up to greet her.

This was Song Anan's first time seeing Song Linchuan with full makeup on, and she was stunned for a moment.

Song Linchuan raised an eyebrow, "What's wrong?"

Song Anan came back to her senses and shook her head, "Nothing."

"I just think you look really good."

Song Linchuan was taken aback.

Good looking?

He chuckled softly, suddenly recalling how Song Anan had secretly sized him up against the other male guests when they first met yesterday to see who was more good-looking.

His aunt is so adorable.

Song Linchuan smiled, "Auntie, let me ask you a question."

Song Anan looked at him, "What question?"

"Am I the most handsome one?"

Song Anan let out an "Ah".

Was he the most handsome one?

Pei Kuang's face suddenly flashed through her mind. Song Anan looked at Song Linchuan again, somewhat hesitant.

Seeing her reaction, Song Linchuan immediately understood.

He had asked the wrong question.

For his meticulous aunt who was a science student, this kind of absolute question must have a certain scope for it to make sense.

"Let me rephrase it," Song Linchuan said. "Am I the most handsome male celebrity you know in the entertainment industry?"

That should be specific enough.

The scope was narrowed down to the entertainment industry, and limited to those she knew.

So who else could it be but him!

Song Anan pursed her lips, "...Don't compare."

Song Linchuan: "???"

Chapter 20

It was no exaggeration to say that Song Linchuan was as confused as he had been confident just a second ago.

Don't compare? What the hell?!

【Hahaha, I'm laughing to death, today's first joy is given by auntie, don't compare is quite interesting】

【Song Linchuan's confused expression is too funny, he feels like he has lost the whole world】

【Song Linchuan: Auntie, am I still your favorite nephew? Do you have other dogs...Oops, other nephews out there!】

【Laughing to death, auntie's "don't compare" directly burnt Song Linchuan's CPU, he must be wondering now who the "that man" is】

【Come on, let's learn the art of talking from auntie】

【Auntie: Some words I won't say directly, but you should understand】

【Song Linchuan: It was a misplaced affection after all】

【Ahhh I'm so curious, who is that most handsome male artist that auntie compared her beloved nephew to】

【+1 curiosity, from understanding auntie these days, she doesn't seem to know the entertainment industry well and probably doesn't know many male artists】

【Can it be the male guests on the show, Ji Qingbai and Ji An brothers are quite handsome, especially Ji An who is similar in age to Song Anan, very likely】

【Guo Xiu: What, am I not qualified to be on the comparison list?】

【Haha, Teacher Guo is a comedian who competes in humor】

【Oh right, what about Pei Kuang, auntie has met him before too】

...

Song Linchuan looked at Song Anan with a hint of grievance in his eyes.

Song Anan also felt a little guilty.

Should she say some comforting words to reassure him?

Song Anan thought for a moment, then said: "Actually, looks aren't that important. Shi jiejie said you have good aptitude for acting, I think you can work harder in this aspect."

After saying that, she added sincerely: "Don't you think so?"

Song Linchuan: "Yes."

【I'm going to laugh to death, how can auntie joke so seriously】

【But she doesn't think she's joking at all】

【Let me translate auntie's words for everyone - men shouldn't care about looks, you need true skills】

【Song Linchuan expressionlessly: Yes yes, whatever my auntie says is right!】

Just as the aunt and nephew were looking at each other, not knowing what to say, the stylist who had stepped out came back.

"Mr. Song, I've adjusted the clothes, please try them on to see if they fit."

The shoulders of this jacket didn't quite fit right, so the stylist made some modifications.

Since Song Anan only needed to try on the jacket, she didn't have to go out again.

Song Linchuan gave an "umm" and took off his original jacket, then casually took the clothes from the stylist's hands and put them on in a few moves, checking himself out in the mirror.

Not bad.

Song Linchuan was quite satisfied with himself.

However, when he turned around, he was met with Song Anan's complicated expression.

Song Linchuan rarely saw such an expression on his auntie's face.

How to put it, there was distaste, disapproval, and even a hint of worry.

The distaste and disapproval could be understood as her not liking these clothes.

But what was she worried about?

Not only was Song Linchuan puzzled by this, the audience in the livestream was also very confused.

Song Linchuan asked, "W-What's wrong?"

Song Anan looked him up and down again, her gaze stopping on the inner shirt at the collar. Her brows were slightly furrowed.

Wasn't his neckline a bit too low?

Before coming on the show, Song Anan had browsed Song Linchuan's super topic page once, and randomly clicked open a fan edited mashup video.

The screen was filled with words like "brother I'm available", "want to see brother's pecs", "so hungry for brother's body", "want to give birth to monkeys for brother" and so on...

It gave her a huge shock.

Song Anan walked two steps forward and stood in front of Song Linchuan, then raised her hand, trying to pull Song Linchuan's collar up a little.

"Young boys should dress more modestly, why wear something so revealing?"

Song Linchuan was a bit confused.

Following Song Anan's hand direction, he looked down. Revealing?

The theme for this shoot was sexy and wild, the neckline of the black silk shirt was a bit low.

But Song Linchuan still didn't understand why his auntie suddenly cared about this.

She didn't seem to care before, right?

After all, his mother Zhao Lady wore quite a lot of sexy clothes, and other than all the praises, he never heard his auntie say anything.

It was his dad who always complained.

Song Anan saw Song Linchuan's confusion, hesitating to explain: "I saw a video of you online before."

Song Linchuan still didn't understand: "What video?"

Song Anan pursed her lips: "It was edited by your fans, seems to be a mashup of some of your photos and videos."

Song Linchuan was puzzled.

What was wrong with a mashup video?

What did that have to do with his clothes today?

As they looked into each other's eyes.

Song Linchuan suddenly realized something.

The atmosphere became a little awkward for some reason.

【Haha I think I know which video auntie is talking about】

【Edited by fans? Don't wear so revealing? The clues are pretty obvious】

【Laughing to death, auntie is lecturing her grown up nephew online to keep his chastity】

【Wuwuwu auntie, please stop, that's our eye candy】

【Kids are hungry, auntie please feed us】

【Auntie, don't be shy, we're all family, nothing to hide, let my brother reveal boldly!】

【Song Linchuan's fans are killing me, do you understand why auntie is guarding against you all, don't you have any moral bottom line?】

【Auntie earnestly: Young boys need to protect themselves outside】

...

After understanding the reason, Song Linchuan was really speechless.

In fact, the clothes he wore today were quite decent, but facing Song Anan's serious expression, he swallowed back the words that had reached his mouth.

"Auntie, the clothes for the shoot are decided beforehand, there are no other clothes to change into now." Song Linchuan said.

"How about we just go with this today?"

Song Anan just wanted to see if she could pull the neckline up a bit, she didn't mean for him to change outfits, so of course she didn't have any objections.

Jiang Han immediately bootlicked: "Auntie, don't worry, we'll wear undershirts from now on."

As soon as he said this, it successfully triggered a wave of wailing and gnashing of teeth from Song Linchuan's fans in the livestream.

*

Shooting magazine covers was Song Linchuan's expertise.

The photographer had collaborated before, so the coordination went smoothly.

The entire shoot went very well.

Around 4pm in the afternoon, the shoot ended and Song Anan's group left the studio in their car.

The car drove smoothly.

Not long after, Jiang Han in the front seat suddenly gave an "eh" and even turned to look at Song Anan.

There was incomprehension and surprise in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Song Linchuan asked.

Jiang Han didn't answer him, but looked at Song Anan, "Auntie, do you know Xu Sen?"

Song Anan blinked, Xu Sen?

She shook her head: "Don't know him."

Jiang Han's brows raised slightly.

Don't know him?

Then how come Xu Sen's assistant said he had met auntie before?

The camera guy next to them couldn't help but remind: "Auntie, you met Xu Sen just now."

Song Anan clearly hadn't reacted yet.

"That photographer, who wanted you to model for his magazine cover." The camera guy added.

Song Anan finally realized, "Oh, it was him."

She turned to look at Jiang Han, "Met him just now at the studio."

【Haha didn't expect Song Anan to be a bit forgetful, it's only been a short while and she already forgot the person】

【Normal, human attention and energy is limited, things you don't care about of course won't stay in your mind】

【I always felt Song Linchuan was a bit silly sometimes, turns out he takes after auntie】

Jiang Han nodded, that matched up.

Just now Xu Sen's assistant had messaged him saying Xu Sen was interested in getting Song Anan to model for the 'Fashion Awards' cover.

He also said something about how after meeting Song Anan, Xu Sen felt she really suited the theme for the next issue, so he was very sincere about cooperating.

Let's just say, the 'Fashion Awards' was not just some simple magazine.

To put it this way, forget being on the cover, even just being featured inside, many top artists in the industry squeeze their heads for a chance to get into this magazine.

So why was this magazine so prestigious? Because it was known as the VIP gold card of the fashion circle.

Artists who had been on 'Fashion Awards' didn't need to worry about fashion resources anymore.

However, as for how Xu Sen contacted Jiang Han so quickly, it was a coincidence.

After being rejected by Song Anan, he felt it was a huge pity.

Song Anan's looks and temperament really suited the theme for the next issue of 'Fashion Awards'.

But Xu Sen could understand, the young auntie was clearly very young, it was good for her to be more cautious.

After leaving, Xu Sen was still thinking of getting his assistant to help ask around, the studio wasn't that big, it wouldn't be difficult to find out about a person.

That was also why he didn't continue persuading just now.

Who knew, Xu Sen had just left the studio and didn't even have time to contact his assistant yet, when his assistant contacted him first.

Saying he had gone viral online.

Only after Xu Sen found out did he realize, Song Anan turned out to be Song Linchuan's auntie.

Thus, he got his assistant to contact Jiang Han and explain his intentions clearly.

"What does Xu Sen want with my auntie?" Song Linchuan asked.

Jiang Han didn't beat around the bush and directly shared Xu Sen's intentions, also simply introducing Xu Sen and 'Fashion Awards'.

Then, he asked Song Anan's opinion: "They said recording for the show can be done after returning to City B, it won't delay the shoot."

Song Anan was a bit stunned after listening, she didn't expect Xu Sen to look for her again, and even more surprised that the other party was such an impressive photographer.

This also made her hesitant.

Jiang Han also just said Xu Sen had worked with Song Linchuan before, she wasn't sure if rejecting him would affect Song Linchuan.

Song Anan unconsciously looked to Song Linchuan.

Song Linchuan shook his head at her, indicating it wouldn't affect him: "It's up to you."

Only then did Song Anan feel relieved.

"Please thank Mr. Xu for me, but I really have no interest."

【Is there something wrong with my ears, Song Anan actually rejected it?! That's 'Fashion Awards'!】

【Oh my god! I didn't expect the magazine Xu Sen mentioned was 'Fashion Awards', shocking my whole family】

【Does auntie not know what 'Fashion Awards' means for a magazine?】

【Just now the manager explained it even if not explicitly, the general meaning was clear right, how could auntie not understand】

【What's surprising, auntie already said she won't join the entertainment industry, rejecting is just normal】

【Hehe, some people just wouldn't believe it earlier right, believe it now?】

【Speaking of, how can a photographer decide the magazine's model, shouldn't it be up to the editor-in-chief?】

【Let me tell you why, because this photographer is called Xu Sen, other photographers won't work!】

【Ahhh, did everyone notice, auntie looked at Song Linchuan first before rejecting, she's worried about affecting him right?】

【Wuwuwu another day of being moved by the mutual affection between aunt and nephew】

Jiang Han was not surprised at all that Song Anan rejected it.

It was completely expected.

After all, he didn't know how many collaborations he had pushed for Song Anan during this time, including some very top resources.

If people in the industry knew about this, I'm afraid many would be green with envy.

Jiang Han quickly replied to the other party, and the other party expressed regret but also understanding.

At the same time, Xu Sen's assistant also sent him a photo for Song Anan.

Jiang Han directly handed over the phone, "Auntie Song, Xu Sen asked his assistant to send a photo."

Song Linchuan didn't know about Xu Sen taking photos of Song Anan. He craned his neck to look over, "What photo?"

The cameraman is still very good at capturing the lens.

What was on Jiang Han's phone was the photo Xu Sen took of Song Anan, but it looked like the lighting and shadows had been reworked, making the whole atmosphere stronger.

The girl sits in the corner, head down quietly reading, her exquisite side face, calm and tranquil temperament, makes people inexplicably calm down.

No longer so restless.

After seeing the photo, Song Linchuan's eyes lit up, "Send me the photo."

"I want it as my phone wallpaper!"

Live stream netizens: Ah ah ah ah, Auntie Song, we want it too!!!

Following the director's instructions, the cameraman asked if he could also send them a copy to use as promotional material to post on the official blog.

"Everyone really likes this photo of Auntie Song, don't believe me? Just look."

After speaking, the cameraman handed his phone to Song Anan for her to see the barrage of comments in the livestream room.

The netizens in the live stream room got even more excited at this, and the barrage of comments flew up frantically.

Looking at the screen full of comments, Song Anan was a little stunned.

They were all praising her, and it made her embarrassed to see it.

"Thank you everyone for your love," Song Anan politely thanked them, while not forgetting to politely return the compliment: "You are all wonderful too."

The netizens joked around: Our little auntie, her social skills are grasped perfectly.