Coming to the rescue

The host nodded with a smile and tapped his tablet a few times.

"For the first round, Sang Yu, please share a kiss with the guest on your left."

"It's you, Lu." Duan Mufeng raised his eyebrows slightly, instantly interested, his face full of excitement at the prospect of a good show.

Everyone's eyes shifted in unison to someone else.

Sang Yu glanced blankly at Lu Mingxu, her cheeks blazing red, her hands so helpless that she had no idea where to put them.

The host chimed in with a timely tease. "Bro Lu and Xiao Yu were a hugely popular onscreen couple back then. You kissed so many times while filming. Why are you shy now?"

Lu Mingxu's brows knitted tightly, irritation unconsciously creeping into his expression, but he remained patient and explained in as gentle a voice as he could manage.

"Acting is acting, and real life is real life. Xiao Yu and I are just friends."

The live chat instantly exploded.

[Aaaah! Lu Mingxu! What are you waiting for?! Kiss your wife already, aaaah! You weren't this resistant when you were filming! What's going on?! Are you trying to end up begging her to take you back?!]

[You had your chance and you blew it, Lu Mingxu.]

[Future member of the groveling ex club.]

[They're not even a real couple. You keep going on about him having to win her back. I swear some shippers have completely lost their minds.]

[I have just one thing to say: toxic solo stans only lose it over a real girlfriend. When Lu Mingxu's parents died, Xiao Yu's family paid his tuition, supported him, and took him in. And now you're insulting Xiao Yu? Ha. Ungrateful bastard.]

[Can you stop being so ridiculous? How many opportunities has Bro Lu gotten your precious Xiao Yu over the years? Do you dare claim her current status as an A-list young actress has nothing to do with him? Bro Lu has put out one project after another all these years. What has your Xiao Yu done besides hype up her ship with him?]

The shippers and solo fans kept arguing in the live chat, and the livestream's popularity climbed along with their quarrel.

Lu Mingxu frowned. "We're forfeiting this challenge."

Sang Yu glanced at him and lowered her head in disappointment.

The host said, "That's fine. Then you two will have to take the punishment."

He clapped his hands as he spoke, and a staff member appeared carrying a tray.

Lu Mingxu's expression, which had just softened a little, turned completely cold.

The tray the staff member brought was filled with thumb-high glasses, with a freshly opened bottle of beer beside them.

"The punishment is three drinks each, filled to the brim." The host set the tray beside himself and winked at the two of them.

Duan Mufeng clicked his tongue softly, glanced at Sang Yu, then at Lu Mingxu, and said casually, "Come on, it's no big deal. Lu can handle his three, and I'll drink Xiao Yu's three for her."

But the host waved a hand just then and said with a smile, "Only the people involved can drink. You can't have someone else do it for you."

Duan Mufeng: "?"

For fuck's sake. They were asking for trouble.

Lu Mingxu knew the production team was deliberately manufacturing talking points, but their heavy-handed way of putting people through the wringer made his brow twitch, and he couldn't help his expression darkening.

Sang Yu's face flushed bright red, and she froze there, at a loss.

Jiang Keyan swept her gaze over the large tray of glasses, then toward the troubled-looking Sang Yu and the mischievously grinning host, before finally glancing at the grim-faced Lu Mingxu.

She clicked her tongue in irritation.

"Hurry up and choose! Will you drink or take the challenge?" the host continued with a wicked grin.

Just then.

Jiang Keyan threw an arm around Sang Yu's shoulders, and with a smacking sound, a faint lipstick mark instantly appeared on Sang Yu's cheek.

Lu Mingxu: "?"

Duan Mufeng: Smooth.

"?" Sang Yu's eyes widened, and she instinctively touched the spot that had been kissed.

Jiang Keyan stood, pushed Lu Mingxu out of his chair, and plopped down in it.

"What kind of stupid challenge is this? This seat is mine now! Our baby Xiao Yu is single! Single, you hear me? How can you let other men kiss her?!"

As she spoke, Jiang Keyan even made a show of glaring angrily at the host, fully committing to the role of a sulky young girl.

The host rubbed his nose. "The rules of the game..."

Before he could finish, Jiang Keyan suddenly stood, strode over to him, and planted both hands on her hips.

With a little huff, she gave a cold laugh that sounded almost petulant. "What? Do you have a problem with me, Jiang Keyan?"

Jiang Keyan drew out her words, stressing the word "Jiang," her gaze piercingly cold, without a trace of a smile.

The host hurriedly backed away, waving his hands frantically. "Just kidding, just kidding."

Jiang Keyan gave a soft huff, caught sight of the box beside him out of the corner of her eye, and casually plucked a fifty-yuan note from it.

"Hey!" The host tried to save the money.

Jiang Keyan returned to the sofa in a few quick steps and sat down. "All right! This round's challenge is complete!"

"Get on with the next round!"

She brushed past the challenge in a few words, leaving the host standing there in a daze, listening to the voice in his earpiece.

Fine. She wasn't someone they could afford to offend.

Duan Mufeng and Lu Mingxu exchanged a look, and Duan Mufeng shrugged.

"Thank you," Sang Yu whispered beside Jiang Keyan, wiping the mark off her cheek a little shyly.

Jiang Keyan waved it off, looking into her phone as she straightened the bow on her head, which had been shaken slightly askew.

[Hahaha, I'm dying. At least the production team knows who not to mess with.]

[Three drinks each? Only this fucking production team could come up with that. Just stirring up trouble.]

[Agreed.]

[Was it necessary to make things this awkward? I don't get it.]

The host adjusted his earpiece.

"Round two, Wen Yanyu."

Wen Yanyu looked up at the sound of his name and stared blankly at the host.

The host met his eyes, then looked down at his screen.

"Please open your contacts, call the first person listed under the sixth letter of the alphabet, and ask him what he had for dinner."

Wen Yanyu froze, his fingertips turning white as his grip tightened.

[abcde, f...]

[Fu? Fu Hanchuan? Nooo! Production team, don't stir things up!]

[Those two might not even have each other's contact details.]

[The production team's gambling on it for the buzz. If they do, they'll dominate the trending searches. Tsk, so sleazy.]

[So much for "random."]

[Things got so ugly between those two before, and now they're doing this. Production team, honestly, I don't even know what to say.]

[Production team! Don't mess with my baby! Bad! Back off! Back off! Back off!]

Seeing that Wen Yanyu still hadn't responded after a long while.

The host immediately began urging him on.