Chapter 28: The Small-Time Star and His Short-Tempered Sugar Daddy (Part XXVIII)
After dinner, the staff from the program team came by, collected everyone’s mobile phones, and issued a new phone to each of them.
“The numbers you will use during the program are already saved in the phones. If you need to contact each other, use this phone. We hope everyone abides by the program rules and does not privately add anyone’s contact information before the final segment arrives.”
“If there are special needs, you can contact our staff at any time for special handling.”
“In addition, please return to your respective rooms before nine o’clock for the next segment.”
Everyone returned to their rooms one after another around 8:30.
The program team couldn’t really let Fang Yinnian sleep in the living room. They secretly negotiated with him to pretend to live in the living room, and at 11:00 PM, when all cameras were off, they would arrange a separate room for Fang Yinnian.
Fang Yinnian didn’t have any objections. Because he was in a good mood, he was exceptionally easy to talk to.
But the atmosphere between Xiao Ji and Cheng Nuo became very weird. After returning to the room, Cheng Nuo sat on the bed near the door without saying a word, while Xiao Ji sat on the lounge chair on the balcony, enjoying the breeze, looking very leisurely and content.
Su Yu looked left and right. Seeing no one speaking, she took a bath towel and went directly to the bathroom to shower.
At 9:30 sharp, the program team’s broadcast sounded:
“After a day of getting along, guests who received a text message, please go to the public telephone booth fifty meters to the left outside the courtyard and call your heart-fluttering guest of the day.”
In this segment, only the audience outside the lens could see who went to the public telephone booth, and at the same time, who received a call.
Among the guests present, only those in the same room knew who left the room and who received a call under their roof, but they wouldn’t know who the call was from.
After the broadcast ended, none of the three people in Xiao Ji’s room received a text message.
They maintained the status quo, each silent.
But ten minutes later, Cheng Nuo’s phone rang first.
Cheng Nuo looked at the string of unfamiliar numbers on the phone, got out of bed, opened the door, and went outside.
037 began to broadcast: [Lie called. She told Cheng Nuo not to mind what happened at noon. She believes Cheng Nuo will definitely perform normally next time.]
Xiao Ji gave a hum and continued to enjoy the breeze.
He couldn’t ask Fang Yinnian what to do right now. He only hoped that he would receive a text message after Fang Yinnian.
This way, he could decide his actions based on Fang Yinnian’s behavior.
Just to prevent Fang Yinnian from settling accounts later.
Cheng Nuo soon returned from outside, looking like he hadn’t said much to Lie.
Su Yu glanced at Cheng Nuo, said nothing, and played a match-three game on her phone while wearing a facial mask.
Surprisingly, five minutes later, Xiao Ji also received a call.
He sat on the balcony, with the sliding glass door closed, and answered the phone.
The voice coming from the other side was Gu Yao’s.
Her opening line was: “Don’t curse at me.”
Xiao Ji didn’t speak, listening quietly.
“I didn’t know who to call. Although your words are unpleasant, you are quite sincere and probably won’t misunderstand others’ meanings so easily. Calling you gives me less psychological pressure, don’t mind it.”
Although Xiao Ji wouldn’t easily harbor goodwill toward people, he wouldn’t casually harbor malice either.
As long as they didn’t provoke him or annoy him, he generally chose to ignore them.
Hearing Gu Yao’s words at this moment, he just said “Okay.”
Seeing that Xiao Ji didn’t curse, Gu Yao let go of her hanging heart, then added, “If you don’t know who to call later, you can also call me. I won’t overthink it.”
Xiao Ji refused, “No need, thank you for your kindness.”
Gu Yao gave an “Oh” and paused. “Xiao Ji, do you have someone else you want to call?”
Xiao Ji didn’t curse, but said, “Forgive my bluntness, you are being a bit presumptuous.”
Gu Yao didn’t get angry at these words, just sighed, “Sorry, I lost my sense of propriety. Just curious, I didn’t mean anything else.”
Xiao Ji reminded her, “Time is almost up, you can hang up.”
Gu Yao said okay and hung up the phone.
Xiao Ji sat up from the lounge chair, hesitating whether to go downstairs and see what Fang Yinnian was doing.
Unexpectedly, just as he opened the balcony door, the phone in his hand rang again.
And this time, as soon as the call connected, he heard that familiar male voice.
“Do you know why I’m calling you?”
Fang Yinnian opened with the tone of a boss treating a secretary.
Xiao Ji pursed his lips. “I am your heart-fluttering male guest of the day.”
The truth was undeniably this, but Xiao Ji saying it so smoothly really made Fang Yinnian almost lose it. He nearly burst out cursing, asking if Xiao Ji really didn’t want to survive in the entertainment industry anymore.
His phrase “You f*cking” had just left his mouth when he thought better of it. Since he had already made the call, being evasive would only make it look like he was trying to hide something. It was better to go with the flow, openly diffuse the awkwardness with a joking tone, and pull a “darkness under the lamp” move, which would be less likely to arouse suspicion.
So he continued, “Let’s leave it at that then. Pack your things and come back with me. You don’t f*cking need to show your face in public anymore; I’ll keep you.”
Xiao Ji chuckled lightly. “Teacher Fang really doesn’t avoid suspicion. I guessed you wouldn’t call a female guest, but I thought you would call Teacher Cheng.”
There was no fault to be found in these words. Fang Yinnian and Cheng Nuo were good brothers. If Fang Yinnian didn’t have a heart-fluttering female guest, calling Cheng Nuo wouldn’t make people think too much; at most, a batch of weird CP fans would appear online to get scolded.
Regarding this, the reason Fang Yinnian gave was very sufficient: “His phone number has 4, 3, and 8. It makes me angry just looking at it. Who chose the phone numbers? Such a great picker.”
With an 11-digit phone number, from 0 to 9, nine digits, the probability of having 4, 3, and 8 was really not low.
Xiao Ji didn’t expose him, only deliberately saying, “But if Teacher Cheng knows you called me, he will likely be jealous.”
Fang Yinnian also laughed. “I think you are looking for a scolding.”
Xiao Ji continued to talk back to him. “I have a glass heart and can’t take it. If President Fang wants to curse someone, why don’t I give the phone to Teacher Cheng?”
Fang Yinnian knew Xiao Ji was doing it on purpose and had no desire to communicate with Cheng Nuo. He just explained half-truthfully:
“Alright, the rules require it. It’s inappropriate to call anyone. Don’t have any improper thoughts about me. Also, absolutely don’t call me later. I don’t want to answer.”
Xiao Ji agreed.
Over here, just as he hung up the phone, he received a message from the program team asking him to go out and make a call.
Xiao Ji walked out the door. Going downstairs, he saw Fang Yinnian in the living room, who had just returned from outside.
As their eyes met, Xiao Ji was warned again.
But Fang Yinnian just said not to call him again.
So when Xiao Ji stood in front of the telephone booth, he hesitated for a moment, found Cheng Nuo’s number on the phone assigned by the program team.
He planned to start by wearing down Cheng Nuo’s aura and luck, letting Cheng Nuo fall into the abyss step by step on his own.
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