Love Variety Show: The despised me exploded in popularity

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Xu Qingyan leaned against the edge of the cabin, his two fingers pinching a smartphone that swung gently by the hem of his pants as he stared out the cabin's porthole at the vast ocean, his gaze complex.

There's a time when ambiguity gets the best of everyone.

The less secure one feels, the more susceptible they are to it, like a drowning person grasping at duckweed as if it were a log.

But he knew all too well that a seven-day romance reality show was nothing but a small, enclosed environment. The seaside, the sunshine, the torrential rains, the candlelit dinners, the photo shoots, the cable cars—each and everything was unreal.

It was like a dream woven out of utmost ambiguity, a colorful bubble that grew bigger as it was blown.

Perhaps from Pei Muchan's perspective, being firmly chosen by someone in a constantly changing environment provided a sense of security.

But for Xu Qingyan, he was simply doing a job.

The pop diva might not see things clearly, but he was lucid; a flutter in the heart was merely part of work.

It was only because his relationship with Shen Jinyue had suddenly improved that Pei Muchan felt jealous. Like a girl whose toy had been taken, her uneasiness reigned.

Jealousy, forget it, more accurately, "temporary jealousy." In a few days after the reality show ended, without Shen Jinyue, it was hard to say whether Pei Muchan would still care about him.

If they had no further interaction afterwards, it wouldn't matter, but the two still had professional engagements to fulfill.

He wouldn't go so far as to feign sentimentality, saying something like he dares not lead a beautiful person astray with a life of poverty, or claim that an austere reputation precludes indulging in wild escapades—he simply didn't want to waste time.

Ambiguity was a tsunami in itself; it came fast, left just as quickly, and all that remained was devastation.

Xu Qingyan picked up two fishing rods, preparing to leave the cabin, and murmured as he bowed his head, "In this lifetime, I've never lacked admirers, only money to spend."

Noon.

Under the scorching sun, You Zijun and the others couldn't endure the fierce sunlight and had returned to the cabin to rest, leaving Xu Qingyan on deck, the solitary figure holding an umbrella steadfastly manning his fishing spot.

You Zijun couldn't beat the others at cards and stood up, giving his place to Shen Jinyue. He walked over to the window, gazing out at the "true deity" on deck.

"Brother Xu! Come back! Take a break!"

He shouted towards the figure under the black umbrella, but silence was the only response. Xu Qingyan stood there, his back to the world, fishing in solitude.

"Don't shout, if there's no catch, Brother Xu won't come back," Liu Renzhi patted his shoulder. Song Enya was busy with cards, so he had some free time.

The cabin was not large, comprised only of a lounge.

Nian Shuyu rested to one side, while Song Enya played Fight the Landlord with Shen Jinyue and Chen Feiyu. Pei Muchan sat nearby, looking at her phone, apparently chatting.

Ding Dong.

Under the blazing sun, behind the umbrella, Xu Qingyan yawned, squinting through sleep-filled eyes at his smartphone.

Pei Muchan: "Stop fishing, come back?"

He moved his fingers and sent back two words with a tap, "No."

"You'll get sunburned."

"Then, did you bring sunscreen? Lend me some."

Pei Muchan: "...."

Xu Qingyan put down his phone, one hand gripping the fishing rod, and sat down directly on the deck. When tired of sitting, he'd stand; when tired of standing, he'd squat. There was no way he was leaving his post.

Damn, he was so sleepy; he yawned again. It was all Shen Jinyue's fault.

On WeChat, after Pei Muchan sent a string of ellipses, she fell silent. Lin Wanzhou, however, would message him every hour or so.

It was odd. Her messages were either a picture or a short sentence.

Like "it's raining," or "I saw a cute teddy bear." Eventually, even a pink trash can by the roadside was worthy of a photo sent his way.

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Xu Qingyan replied in a half-hearted manner, occasionally forgetting to respond but making sure to make up for it with the next message that came through.

He leaned on the railing of the boat, holding an umbrella with one hand and a fishing rod with the other, his gaze blank. His mind was filled with a jumble of thoughts, and his heart thumped wildly.

Chinese golden hits, TV and film scripts.

His emotions surged with fervor for a while, but he quickly calmed down again, his indifference returning. There were too many examples of good songs not making money if the original singer wasn't popular.

As for making movies, was that something ordinary people dared to think about?

Releasing one song after another, it was useless if you didn't know anybody. You couldn't just hold good songs in your hand only to end up working undercover for someone else—that sounded rather troublesome too.

After a lot of thought, the conclusion he came to was... to keep calm.

As he was daydreaming, someone gently tapped the surface of his umbrella.

Xu Qingyan looked confused as he shifted the black umbrella aside, first noticing a pair of white women's sneakers, followed by a pair of smooth and slender legs as white as snow.

The ankles were like ice and jade bones; the part higher up was covered by white trousers.

Sometimes, even though he had seen Pei Muchan many times, he would still be amazed by her beauty every time, far more beautiful than any so-called campus belle or goddess he had ever seen before.

It was hard to imagine how someone could possess such a perfect figure. From top to bottom, there was hardly a flaw, as if she were the illegitimate daughter of a creator.

In an era where being outstanding in one aspect was enough to self-proclaim as a goddess, Pei Muchan could have each part of her body enshrined in the Hall of Valor on its own.

Even covered in long sleeves and trousers, she still made it impossible for people to look away.

After moving the umbrella aside, the sunlight was blinding. He squinted reflexively, and Pei Muchan was reduced to a hazy, elegant silhouette with a golden outline.

"What's the matter?"

Pei Muchan was wearing long-sleeved silk, with a cap on her head. She glanced at him, deliberately putting on a mature-sounding tone.

"I'm afraid you'll get sunburned to death. I brought you some sunscreen."

"Cough, cough, cough!!" Xu Qingyan almost dropped the fishing rod into the sea in shock. "Can't you talk normally? You're kind of scaring me."

"What are you afraid of? Feeling guilty?" Pei Muchan twisted the cap open from the sunscreen.

"I... what do I have to feel guilty about?" Xu Qingyan let out a forced laugh, intending to reach out to take it, but realized both his hands were occupied—one with the fishing rod and the other with the umbrella.

The wind was strong at sea; if he let go of the umbrella, it would be gone forever.

Just as he was about to ask Pei Muchan to hold the umbrella for him, he heard her sigh softly and say,

"Never mind, I'll apply it for you."

Hmm???

Before Xu Qingyan could react, he looked up to see Pei Muchan's fingers dipped in creamy white sunscreen extending slowly toward his face.

A spot landed on his face and brought a touch of coolness.

Xu Qingyan paused, her fingertips were a bit cold, and it tickled as she evenly spread the sunscreen on his face at that moment. Pei Muchan's fingers were as if caressing his cheek.

Looking at her serious expression, her willow-leaf-shaped eyes gentle, her gaze unwavering,

he no longer wanted to lose his composure and put on a serious front. He breathed as lightly as he could, as if a butterfly was perched on his face.

Pei Muchan, as if crafting a fine piece of art, unobtrusively applied the sunscreen on Xu Qingyan. Her touch was gentle and skilled, the cream as cool as ice cream against his face.

She didn't seem to intend to skip any corner of his face, meticulously spreading the cream with pursed lips.

Xu Qingyan's heart was like a piece of iron, becoming scaldingly hot under the sunlight.