Chapter 79: “Good News is Approaching.”
The location selection for the final episode of This Is Love was a city with a particularly long history and an exceptionally heavy past.
Dai Keqing still held his small megaphone, but compared to the previous times, his expression was visibly joyful to the naked eye.
“Hello everyone. For reasons everyone knows, Zhou Mi has withdrawn from the filming of This Is Love, and we have welcomed a new guest—”
[Hahaha! What a ‘reason everyone knows’!!]
[I can already see the director’s happiness. I just don’t know if this happiness is because Zhou Mi left or because of the official announcement with El.]
[Hahaha! Need you ask? It’s definitely the official announcement with El! I really didn’t expect the director to have a thing with El. No wonder when Zhou Mi just argued a couple of sentences with El before, the director looked like he wanted to tear Zhou Mi apart. So he was protecting his husband!]
[Protecting what husband! Who is the husband and who is the wife between El and the director is still hard to say!]
[What’s there to be confused about? El looks like the Top at a glance, and the director looks like he’s destined to be the Bottom.]
[Enough! If you guys don’t feel bad for the director, I do! Someone so good-looking and high-profile! Just one glance! And you can tell who is on top and who is below between him and El!]
[Hahaha! You didn’t let him off either!!]
[Your focus is all on whether the director is the one on the bottom. I’m different; my focus isn’t only on whether the director is on the bottom, but also on the new guest!]
[So who exactly is the new guest! Filmed for four periods! Every period has a new guest! Will the new guest coming this time have some special card again!!]
Dai Keqing began to announce the guest’s identity: “This new guest must be slightly heard of by many netizens. She is Xiao Xiao Xin, Sun Yunxin! Let us welcome her with applause!”
[Xiao Xiao Xin?]
[Holy shit! Could it be that Xiao Xiao Xin? That beauty blogger whose family is super rich! The Xiao Xiao Xin who produces various 2D makeup looks with god-tier restoration every time!]
[It’s her, it’s her, it’s really her! Heavens! The program team actually invited her! This is too that, isn’t it!]
Amidst the noise of the bullet comments and the applause of the guests, a woman walked out wearing a snow-white “Bulaji” (vintage dress) with a Prussian blue short jacket over it.
The woman had long golden hair tied up in a bun at the back. Her azure blue eyes, the emerald brooch she wore, and the brown leather suitcase in her hand made it obvious at a glance that she was cosplaying a certain anime girl.
“Hello everyone, I am Xiao Xiao Xin, Sun Yunxin. I am very happy to become a guest of This Is Love. Please take care of me.”
[Ahhh! It really is her!!]
[Violet! She’s cosplaying Violet Evergarden! It’s simply too accurate, okay!!]
[…Leaving aside her makeup and cosplay ability, which are indeed strong, but is it appropriate to cosplay a Japanese character in a place like Nanjing?]
[Nothing inappropriate. This is inherently her job. Besides, she didn’t say she disrespects history.]
The bullet comments argued into a mess.
Dai Keqing picked up the megaphone: “The theme of this episode is Roleplay. Guests need to play their respective roles and work together to complete tasks. Due to the special nature of the theme, it only requires 48 hours, so there is no need to choose rooms for this episode.”
“Now, guests please begin drawing factions. Guests who draw the same faction will also be each other’s dating partners for this episode.”
Staff members brought out ten small black balls.
Soon, all ten guests finished drawing. Dai Keqing continued, “Please stand together with the guest who drew the same number. Under the guidance of staff members, enter the set to draw faction and mission cards.”
Unfortunately, this time Huo Chen and Lin Huaizhi were not drawn into the same group. Instead, he was grouped with the new guest, Sun Yunxin.
The woman extended her hand toward Huo Chen, smiling quite gently. “Hello.”
“Hello.”
Huo Chen lowered his eyes to glance at the woman’s hand, returned the greeting, but showed no sign of shaking hands.
It wasn’t until Sun Yunxin withdrew her hand that the man asked a sentence as if suddenly remembering something: “Your surname is Sun, right?”
Sun Yunxin was stunned, then smiled and said, “Yes, surname Sun, the Sun from Sun Wukong. Mr. Huo seems to know someone with the same surname as me?”
“Don’t know them.”
Three short words were like a rest note, successfully turning all of Sun Yunxin’s desire for conversation from something to nothing.
Lin Huaizhi watched this scene and couldn’t help laughing out loud.
As soon as Sun Yunxin appeared, he knew this woman had a bit of interest in Huo Chen. Even he had to chase like that for Huo Chen to become his. Huo Chen could occasionally choke people into silence with his words, let alone Sun Yunxin who just met him.
She probably wouldn’t get a single nice word.
You don’t say, sometimes finding a Villain boyfriend gives quite a sense of security.
Xu Qiao and Lin Huaizhi were assigned to the same team. Seeing Lin Huaizhi’s expression looking at Huo Chen, the desire for gossip was written directly on her face: “Brother! Are good things approaching for you and Huo Chen!!”
Lin Huaizhi didn’t hide it from her and smiled. “Good news is already approaching.”
Xu Qiao froze for a moment before understanding the meaning of these words. Instantly, her eyes lit up like stars. “Together! Are you two already together!!”
The girl’s howl successfully attracted the attention of the whole venue.
Chu Xiaoran was talking to Fang Mo; the two were luckily assigned to the same team. It wasn’t until his eyes uncontrollably glanced toward Lin Huaizhi that he snapped back to reality.
Chu Xiaoran smiled, casting his gaze back onto Fang Mo, and began conversing with him.
Su Rui and Fan Fangfang were in a group.
Hu Xiaoxu was with El.
Five groups of guests headed to the set—that’s right, for this episode’s theme, the program team spent a huge sum to build a small-scale set, with the interior decorated like Nanjing in the last century.
[I seem to vaguely guess what script-kill (LARP) theme this episode is.]
The five groups of guests were divided again and received different factions—Lin Huaizhi and Xu Qiao’s group were the Japanese invaders, Chu Xiaoran and Fang Mo’s group were the Red Army, Hu Xiaoxu and El were war correspondents, Fan Fangfang and Su Rui were the Nationalist Army (KMT), while Huo Chen and Sun Yunxin were common civilians.
And the script-kill for this episode was clearly revealed—
The Nanjing Massacre.
After the First Sino-Japanese War, Japanese imperialism continuously plotted new conspiracies to invade China. After the Mukden Incident (September 18 Incident), Japan quickly occupied Northeast China. Using the excuse of a missing soldier, they shelled Wanping County, manufacturing the Marco Polo Bridge Incident.
After occupying the Beiping-Tianjin area, the Japanese army moved south along the Jinpu and Pinghan railways to expand the invaded territory, and continuously provoked in Shanghai to create an excuse to expand the war.
Subsequently, the Japanese army advanced towards Zhabei, and the Battle of Shanghai broke out.
Thereafter, the Japanese army landed at Quangongting and Jinshanwei in Hangzhou Bay. The Chinese army fell into a situation of being attacked from both front and back. Subsequently, the Nationalist leadership ordered a retreat.
November 12.
Shanghai fell, and the Battle of Shanghai ended.
The Chinese army retreated from Shanghai. The Japanese army took this opportunity to advance on Nanjing in three routes. The Nationalist leadership convened three high-level staff meetings to discuss the defense of Nanjing; only one general advocated for holding the city firmly.
December 1.
The Japanese army captured the Jiangyin Fortress. The headquarters demanded the capture of Nanjing, and the Defense of Nanjing began.
December 2.
The Nationalist Army’s main First and Second Fleets were sunk. The Nanjing Nationalist Government’s only water barrier was lost.
December 7.
The Japanese army launched a general attack, and Nanjing was surrounded on three sides.
December 12.
The Nationalist Army abandoned Nanjing and implemented a breakout.
Worried that the central army’s direct lineage would suffer too many losses during the breakout, Nationalist generals issued contradictory orders. Only the Guangdong-lineage 66th Army and 83rd Army successfully broke through the encirclement after paying a huge price. The acting division commander of the 159th Division died in battle. Other unit commanders fled without fully conveying the retreat deployment to their subordinates, abandoning their troops.
December 12.
Most Nationalist divisions crossed the river by boat. Many drowned or were shot in the river. Most soldiers who failed to cross the river or break out were scattered on the streets of Nanjing.
Early morning of December 13.
The Japanese army stormed into Nanjing city, beginning the Nanjing Massacre that lasted for more than forty days.
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