Song Wenjing in a rage, Chi Shuran off the rails

The production crew could do nothing about Lin Yuxuan's hollering. After all, he was a guest they had invited; they couldn't just tell him to shut up.

Chi An stood to the side, looking all too happy to watch the trouble escalate, his eyes blatantly declaring, "I did it on purpose. What are you going to do about it?"

Chi Shuran was even less likely to strike up a conversation. She remembered what had happened before, especially Sister Wang's "guidance," which had left her thoroughly wary of Lin Yuxuan. She didn't want another dating rumor with him, or she would be the one getting attacked again.

Neither he nor Chi Shuran wanted to ask what the production crew was planning, so they simply left it to someone else.

Just then, another black passenger van slowly came into view. Everyone looked over curiously.

The door opened, and the first thing they saw was a big, round belly. Then someone wearing a toad mascot head struggled out of the van, closely followed by someone in an "Ultraman" costume.

[That's not the same person, right?! Please tell me it's not the same person. Wasn't this the Ultraman who talked about Lu Wanqing at the airport?!]

[There are only two male guests in total. God! It had better not be him!!!]

[Please, don't take off the head. Let me hold on to a little hope.]

[Oh my god! You were forced into this, right!!! This wasn't your idea, was it!!!]

[This was the Ultraman who talked about my wife Wanqing, right?! They're on the same production team. There's no way these two don't know Lu Wanqing, right?!]

[How dare they talk about my wife Wanqing?! They're on the same show. Let's see if they have any shame! They clearly knew who my wife Wanqing was and still dared to talk like that. They did it on purpose, didn't they!]

[Maybe they're after Wanqing's star power and deliberately did this to get attention! Clout chasers! Shameless!]

The mascot head was too big, making it difficult to get out, and the "toad," unable to see the way, duly stumbled. Only "Ultraman" catching that round backside stopped him from flying forward.

"Ha-"

That brief laugh somehow made the atmosphere a little more awkward.

Seeing everyone else's expressionless faces, Lin Yuxuan's smile froze. He hid his bared white teeth, immediately lowered his head, and ducked a little farther behind Gu Zijin.

How awkward. Why wasn't anyone laughing? Wasn't that funny?

Little did Lin Yuxuan know that he was the only one concentrating on the two newcomers. Everyone else had their own thoughts.

Gu Zijin's gaze rested on the yellow dirt path ahead as he guessed what would happen next.

Chi Shuran was considering who might be inside the costumes, ruling out one name after another. Meanwhile, Chi An stared at Ultraman's two lightbulb-sized eyes, feeling as though he had seen him somewhere before.

Hadn't there been something like that in the crowd before boarding the plane?

He remembered silently calling these two idiots fools at the time, wearing that cumbersome crap instead of dressing properly for a flight.

"Uh... why isn't anyone talking?" Coming back to his senses, Gu Zijin looked at Lin Yuxuan hiding behind him, scratched his head, and spoke awkwardly.

"Saving their energy to put on an act once the livestream starts. We're all in the same industry. Everyone knows what everyone else is really like." Chi Shuran put her suitcase in front of Chi An, made sure he was bracing it, then plopped down on top.

"Look at that fat frog. Doesn't its expression look like an idiot's?"

"Now that you mention it, kind of." Lin Yuxuan nodded in agreement, standing with his weight against Gu Zijin's shoulder.

The four stayed where they were, watching the two unload their suitcases from the van and then walk toward them.

"Aren't you hot?" Lin Yuxuan looked up at the sun, then back at the two still wearing their mascot costumes, and asked in puzzlement.

Gu Zijin said, "Yeah, the livestream hasn't started yet. You can take the heads off first."

"Good point."

The toad nodded in agreement and struggled to lift his head.

"Aaah! It's stuck, it's stuck!"

"Bro! Bro! Bro! Help me!"

As Ultraman's face emerged, a scream came from the toad.

"Holy crap, bro, doesn't that Ultraman look kind of familiar?" Once she saw his face clearly, Chi Shuran forgot about maintaining her image and leaned straight over to whisper in Chi An's ear.

Chi An: "..."

Meeting Ultraman's reproachful gaze, Chi An involuntarily raised a hand, covered his mouth, and gave a light cough. He looked elsewhere and didn't answer Chi Shuran.

Noticing Chi An avoiding his gaze, Ultraman's already reproachful expression darkened further.

He reached up, grabbed one of the toad's eyes, and pulled upward. The mascot head came off successfully, revealing a handsome young man with thoroughly disheveled hair.

Chi Shuran widened her eyes and studied that face. Once she was sure, she burst out laughing. "Ohohoho! Your day finally came! Hohoho~~~"

To Chi An, that laugh... was more obnoxious than a dog and more infuriating than a monkey.

"Oh my god, Song Wenjing? Hohoho! I'm dying! Bro! Did you get a picture of him stuck in that head just now?! Hahaha! That was so mortifying! I need to print it out and stick it on the front door! Hahaha!"

Hearing what Chi Shuran said, Song Wenjing forgot his messy hair and flung away the mascot head in his hand. "Fuck! Chi Shuran! Look at you acting like a lunatic! And you're supposed to be a cool, mature beauty?! I seriously don't know what your agency was thinking! Crazy lady would suit you better!"

At Song Wenjing's words, Chi Shuran waved a hand and tilted her head to indicate she couldn't hear him, then raised her hand with her fingers delicately poised. "Ooh, ooh, ooh, he's mad! He's mad! So what if I'm crazy? I don't care~~~ Mor~ti~fied~ lit~tle~ toad~~~"

"Ohohoho~~~"

"Song Wenjing in a rage, Chi Shuran off the rails. Holy shit! Bro, we picked the right variety show!" Beside them, Lin Yuxuan excitedly tugged Gu Zijin's arm, his eyes sparkling as he watched the four ahead.

"...Maybe you should pay some attention to those other two over there." Gu Zijin felt he couldn't quite fit in with this crowd.

Song Wenjing said, "Bro! This is the crazy woman I told you about! Didn't Mom ask me where those dating rumors came from?"

"Back when we were filming, this crazy woman actually chased me with a shit-stirring stick! A fucking stick for stirring shit! This woman actually picked it up and chased me with it!!!"

"Urgh!"

Remembering that scene, Song Wenjing couldn't hold back a dry heave, leaving both his eyes red.

"Hilarious. He made himself gag."

Watching Song Wenjing, Chi Shuran laughed without restraint. As the matter of the shit-stirring stick came up, she looked at the expression on the man beside him, then pointed at the doubled-over Song Wenjing with open disdain. "Don't take those dating rumors as fact. I'm not interested in this man."

"Going to that fucking job was annoying enough, and then some dumbass claimed I had my eye on him. I'm out here working, and instead of thinking about money, I'm supposed to be thinking about some idiot? Hilarious. My eyes are brighter than lightbulbs. One glance tells me exactly what he's like."

"I'd sooner have my eye on a 1.9-yuan coupon for Cuocuo Milk Tea than him."

"I used a shit-stirring stick to beat him because it was the only thing that matched him. They're two of a stinking kind."