Chapter 21: Our Mission

Li Wanbai sat up, vigorously rubbing her numb and aching cheeks, and cast a wary glance at the production crew. “You’re not planning to watch me get dressed, are you?”

The crew was visibly taken aback. The host forced a smile, quickly saying, “Ms. Li, please change your clothes!” She hurried away, leading the camera crew out to wait in the living room.

It wasn’t long before Li Wanbai came downstairs, dressed in fresh clothes, having hastily brushed her teeth and washed her face. She looked puzzled. “Do variety shows really start recording this early?”

Hearing her, the host turned to see Li Wanbai bouncing down from the top of the stairs, her heart pounding uncontrollably. Even as someone in the industry, she couldn’t help but marvel at Li Wanbai’s beauty—there were few in the entire entertainment circle who could compare.

Beauty is subjective, and the entertainment world is full of stunning women, but however one measured it, Li Wanbai was undoubtedly among the very finest.

“Ms. Li, I’ll be your exclusive host for the next few days. Please take care of me!” The host was a young, adorable girl whose smile revealed two charming dimples.

Li Wanbai smiled warmly. “Hello! May I ask your name?”

The host froze. “Ah?”

That wasn’t in the script—was this part of the process?

“You already know my name, so for fairness, I should know yours as well.” Li Wanbai winked at her.

[Seriously? Can’t Li Wanbai see how awkward this is for the host? Can’t she just follow the script instead of changing things on her own?]

[But honestly, I think Li Wanbai did nothing wrong. She just asked a name—can’t we treat this rationally? Why act like everything she does is a mistake?]

[I don’t care, Li Wanbai scores zero in my book. Whatever she does, she’s a disgrace to me.]

[…]

“My nickname is Sweetie. You can call me Sweetie, Ms. Li.” Sweetie looked a bit nervous, but her eyes betrayed a smile she couldn’t hide. She’d been in this line of work for a while, but never before had a major star asked her name so directly.

Li Wanbai nodded. “Sweetie, what should I do next?”

“Let me tell you about the flow of our variety show,” Sweetie replied with a cheerful smile. “The show is divided into four episodes, all broadcast live, which the company should have explained to you. Each guest has their own live studio, and when everyone gathers, there’s a common studio as well.”

Sweetie’s eyes curved into a smile. “Our show uses a mixed-task live broadcast format. That means the task and theme for each day could be different—maybe today’s a leisure show, tomorrow’s a competition. The way we decide the daily theme is by drawing lots!

As for who draws, the audience voted for Teacher Yu to draw on the first day. Right now, Teacher Yu should be selecting today’s task.”

She was right. In the neighboring Yu Baichuan studio, his host had already drawn six cards and handed them to Yu Baichuan.

“Teacher Yu, please draw today’s task.”

Yu Baichuan nodded and randomly picked a card. It bore only four characters: Peach Blossom Spring.

At that moment, a “ding” sounded in all six guest studios.

Li Wanbai nearly choked on her orange; Sweetie almost swallowed her watermelon the wrong way. After a moment of confusion, Sweetie recovered and said, “Looks like Teacher Yu has finished drawing today’s task.”

As if to confirm, the nearby walkie-talkie buzzed with the production crew’s instructions: “Attention all units! Please escort your assigned guest to Task Location One. Proceed to Task Location One!”

Sweetie stood up, still smiling. “Ms. Li, please follow me!”

Li Wanbai followed Sweetie and the others onto a large bus. Sweetie had worried that a star of Li Wanbai’s status might feel uncomfortable, but instead, Li Wanbai looked around with curiosity, chatting with Sweetie the entire ride, showing no sign of discomfort.

[Honestly, Li Wanbai handled this much better than Ye Xiruo next door. Look at Ye Xiruo, with that sour face—who’s she glaring at?]

[Don’t say that. If I were woken up abruptly, I’d be grumpy too. Isn’t morning grouchiness normal for everyone?]

[Can everyone stop picking on our little Ye? I hope the world loves me as much as it loves men!]

[Why make everything a gender issue? Look at the six guests—only Ye Xiruo is sulking. Even Li Wanbai is chatting amicably with her host.]

[Enough! If you don’t speak on the bus, there’s no camera time, no buzz. That’s Ye Xiruo’s own loss. I honestly don’t get why you viewers argue so much.]

Eventually, the bus stopped at a small villa on the outskirts.

Sweetie smiled. “Ms. Li, you can get off now!”

“You still haven’t told me what we’re supposed to do,” Li Wanbai asked in confusion.

Sweetie winked at her. “Don’t worry, Ms. Li. You’ll find out as soon as you get inside.”

Li Wanbai nodded, half-understanding.

Sweetie’s role accompanied her only this far. Watching Li Wanbai go, Sweetie muttered, “Who’s been spreading rumors about such a wonderful girl?”

Li Wanbai carefully pushed open the villa door. The layout of the first floor was clear: a huge living room, a semi-open kitchen to the left, a small bay window with two rocking chairs to the right, and ahead, the grand spiral staircase, under which several rooms seemed to be hidden.

Looking around, Li Wanbai realized aside from the production staff, she was alone.

The villa was so quiet she could hear the machines humming.

She pointed to herself, “Just me?”

The crew silently nodded. She cursed inwardly; they’d promised Su Orange would be her personal assistant, helping her navigate relationships. With Su Orange by her side, she’d feel secure even during filming.

Who would have thought the production team would break the mold—not allowing assistants, no breaks, and barging in so early in the morning.

Su Orange? Who’s Su Orange? Not allowed in.

Li Wanbai felt helpless, chose a spot, and sat quietly, waiting for others to arrive. After a moment, she glanced at the cameraman beside her, speaking sincerely, “Aren’t you tired? Want to chat while you work?”

[I think I see it now—this lady must be a chatterbox, right? She was chatting with Sweetie on the bus, and now she wants to talk to the cameraman!]

[What’s going on? Am I crazy? Why do I find this a bit cute?]

[You, upstairs, are definitely losing it!]

[She used to build a persona as the glamorous flower, but now it’s all about being a talkative little angel? Everyone knows that angel persona belongs to our little Ye!]

[Stealing everything from other women—seriously, what a turnoff.]