Chapter 26: Follow the Procedure, Right Now

"...What did you say?" Quan Hao was momentarily stunned, even doubting his own ears for an instant.

"I said, I think Teacher Yu's musical accomplishments are very high—at least higher than yours or mine," Li Wanbai replied, her brows arching playfully. "After all, I can't carry a tune to save my life."

Quan Hao clenched his teeth. "Li Wanbai, if you know you're tone-deaf, don't give random opinions! Why do you assume Yu Baichuan's musical achievements must be greater than Ma Xu's? Just because he's older? Be careful, or Ma Xu's fans will come after you!"

"It doesn't matter, I'm not afraid. There are already plenty of people online who criticize me—it's a form of love, really. And anyway, wasn't it you who wanted to discuss music first, Teacher Quan? Teacher Yu can't answer for himself, so someone has to reply to you." Li Wanbai smiled, showing a hint of a canine tooth. "As for why I believe Yu Baichuan's musical accomplishments are higher than Ma Xu's... it's simple, really: he's my idol."

Quan Hao was left speechless.

[This is hilarious. I seriously suspect Li Wanbai is referencing Quan Hao's infamous tone-deaf history from variety shows.]

[Doesn't anyone think it's rude? Quan Hao and Yu Baichuan are both big stars; why does LWB get to jump into their conversation?]

[To the person above, are you still living in feudal times? Did you not get the memo when New China was founded? It's the 21st century now—do you really believe in this nonsense where only the elite can talk and others mustn't interrupt? It's ridiculous.]

[They're filming a variety show, they're equals—just colleagues. Wait until Quan Hao speaks and no one dares respond, it'll be awkward and you'll learn.]

[Hey, hey, hey, isn't anyone else finding Yu Baichuan and Li Wanbai incredibly sweet? They've been married for years, yet she still calls him her idol. It's adorable!]

[Found my people—I think it's adorable too!]

[I've criticized LWB for being dramatic, for being useless, but never for her looks, and never for her relationship with Yu Baichuan.]

[Honestly, Yu Baichuan has acknowledged Li Wanbai's existence since his debut. How could there be no feelings? He's crazy about her!]

[Ugh! You actually ship them? Guys, please, eat something decent. Isn't this just a story about a clueless pretty face dragging her boyfriend down? What's there to ship? Please, spare us.]

[Exactly. If it were someone else, I'd ship it. Yu Baichuan and Ye Xiruo? Sure, at least Ye Xiruo really wants to succeed, unlike Li Wanbai, who just lies back and leeches off Yu Baichuan!]

[So what? No matter how much you want to ship, you can't—they're legally married, with a certificate and everything. If you want Ye Xiruo as the mistress, go ahead and ship it—I don't care. Anyway, every kind of person has their own fans.]

[Haha, you know, just now when Ye Xiruo walked in and saw Yu Baichuan, her eyes practically glazed over. Maybe she's actually interested.]

[Is all this bickering fun? Can't you just watch the show properly?]

---

The production team sent out this bullet comment, smiling slightly as their gaze returned to the public livestream display.

Quan Hao shot a subtle glare at Li Wanbai, then took out his phone, his pale jade-like fingers tapping and swiping across the screen.

Li Wanbai, sensing something, instinctively pulled out her own phone as well.

A user with a cat avatar sent a flurry of messages: 'Why are you defending Yu Baichuan? Aren't you two getting divorced? What's going on now?'

Li Wanbai froze.

So they knew each other after all, and their relationship seemed fairly close—close in intimacy, at least, not necessarily harmonious. Given how Quan Hao seemed ready to devour Li Wanbai, no one would believe their relationship was excellent. Otherwise, Quan Hao wouldn't know about their divorce proceedings.

Li Wanbai glanced up at Quan Hao, who gave a low huff, turned away, his expression calm again, and spoke softly, "I would think so too. After all, Teacher Yu is quite something—one of the few in today's entertainment industry who can compete with me. If his musical accomplishments fell short of a newcomer, I'd have to laugh at him!"

Yu Baichuan looked at him, offering a polite yet distant smile, saying nothing more.

As they chatted, the small villa's door opened again, and the last two guests finally arrived.

One was the veteran variety show star Wang, and the other was the subject of their recent conversation, Ma Xu.

Li Wanbai curiously leaned forward to see Ma Xu's true appearance.

Judging by his name, she had expected Ma Xu to be a tall, burly man, but he turned out to be a classic boyish idol, with a youthful and adorable face entirely devoid of any rugged masculinity.

Li Wanbai straightened up, then quietly slumped back onto the sofa.

She couldn't deny that Ma Xu was very handsome, but like Mu Sang, he simply didn't fit her preferences.

Yu Baichuan suddenly shifted, blocking her view, and addressed the newcomers, "You’ve arrived? Was your journey smooth?"

Wang and Ma Xu exchanged a look, both startled by the attention, and hastily replied, "It was smooth, just a bit of traffic, so we were late. Sorry about that."

Quan Hao crossed his arms, looking at Ma Xu with hostility: "You're the one..."

Ma Xu drew a sharp breath, standing frozen in place, unable to fathom how he had become involved with this formidable figure.

---

"Forget it, it's not important. You're not even as good as that other guy," Quan Hao waved dismissively, muttering to himself.

With all six guests gathered, the show could finally begin.

Yu Baichuan took out the task card given by the production team and, his voice like a mountain spring, announced, "Dear guests, welcome to the recording of our variety show. We hope that in the days ahead, you'll enjoy experiences unlike any before.

The theme of the first episode is 'Peach Blossom Spring.' Your task is to live here for three days without relying on any outside assistance."

"Wait! What does 'no outside assistance' mean?" Ma Xu raised his hand, his face an innocent, bewildered expression.

As soon as he spoke, everyone's attention naturally shifted to him, including the bullet comments.

[Oh, our little Ma baby is so cute!]

[The clever Ma detective is online!]

Ye Xiruo laughed, "Yes, I was about to ask too. Not accepting any outside help—does that mean they’ll take our phones?"

"Quite possible," Ma Xu replied with a smile.

[The production team’s instructions are so vague! If it weren’t for Ma baby’s question, we might’ve been fooled.]

[Ma baby and little Ye’s interaction is adorable. I'm shipping it hard.]

[They really feel like a golden boy and jade girl—what should I do?]

[Six guests, only two girls. I hope the other female guest pays attention to what a real clever detective looks like.]

[Our little Ye is already defusing the production team’s traps, while someone else is just pretending to be a rock.]

Li Wanbai mused, "Is it about money?"