Qin Lie leaned against the wall in the backstage corridor, his temples throbbing.
He peered through the gap in the curtain at Pei Jingshu outside, his mind racing.
Of Cheng Che's many female confidantes, Pei Jingshu was the one he was most worried about.
Yan Ruanning and Su Miaoyin are both sensible.
They knew Cheng Che was pursuing an idol career and they knew how fans viewed their idols' relationships.
Therefore, their approach is restrained, an ambiguous relationship that "won't be noticed by outsiders."
Even if she liked him a lot, she wouldn't do anything in public that could get Cheng Che into trouble.
But Pei Jingshu is different.
This girl is outrageously bold.
During the Magic City Masters, she sat in the stands and publicly shouted " Cheng Che, I love you," and the video went viral online.
Qin Lie was on tenterhooks at that moment.
Later, Cheng Che won the championship, she waited for him at the hotel entrance. The two of them went out alone and were photographed, which trended on social media for a whole day.
Later, when she returned to South Korea, Qin Lie thought the matter had finally subsided.
When the first stop for filming " Walking the Flower Road Together " was South Korea, he felt a pang of anxiety.
They even prayed that Pei Jingshu would arrive later.
Who knew they'd arrive on the very first day?
Girl, aren't you being a little too clingy?
Qin Lie gritted his teeth, wondering, how did she get in?
The tasting group consisted of thirty random passersby that the staff randomly selected from the market.
Logically speaking, Pei Jingshu is a local South Korea and not on the program's roster, so it's impossible for her to have been specially invited.
unless--
He suddenly thought of a possibility.
Someone among the staff knew about Pei Jingshu and Cheng Che's relationship and deliberately let her in.
The purpose is either to create buzz or to mess with Cheng Che.
Qin Lie's face darkened.
After Pei Jingshu stood up and called out " Cheng Che," she herself was stunned for a moment.
She realized that everyone in the restaurant was staring at her.
The photographer, staff, thirty tasters, and Cheng Che, who had just brought in the dishes.
Her face flushed instantly.
She quickly sat down, the chair leg scraping the floor again, but this time much softer.
She placed her hands neatly on the table, head bowed, as if the shout from just now had nothing to do with her.
Jin Zhixiu sat down beside her and let out a long sigh of relief.
Her best friend used to be known for being aloof and cold at school.
After meeting Cheng Che, she came back and her whole personality changed.
I check Cheng Che's supertopic every day, watch his competition videos every day, and talk about his name every day.
The aloof persona has been completely shattered.
Jin Zhixiu sighed and glanced in Cheng Che's direction.
He was carrying the dishes toward the first table.
A black jacket, slightly messy hair, and a profile clearly defined under the restaurant lights.
As he bent down to portion out the food, his eyelashes cast a small shadow under his eyes.
Jin Zhixiu looked at it for two seconds, then looked away.
Then she glanced at it again.
All right.
She thought to herself: Who wouldn't love a man like that?
The sharing of food continues.
Cheng Che carried the shredded pork with garlic sauce, distributing it bowl by bowl.
Ning Qing stood beside her, helping to hand over the bowls with swift movements and a cold expression, as if she hadn't noticed Pei Jingshu's presence at all.
Cheng Che walked to the first table, where several South Korea girls took the bowls and stared at him intently.
He extended his hand to the left, and their gazes turned to the left.
He extended his hand to the right, and their gazes turned to the right.
When a girl took the bowl, she deliberately touched his wrist with her finger, then covered her mouth and laughed.
Cheng Che didn't react and continued dividing.
The second table, the third table.
When he walked to Pei Jingshu's table, Jin Zhixiu took the bowl first, smelled it, and nodded.
Then Pei Jingshu reached out her hands to take the bowl.
Her movements were very obedient, a stark contrast to when she stood up and called his name earlier.
Cheng Che placed the bowl in her hands and smiled helplessly.
Please give a good review.
Pei Jingshu looked up at his face, her eyes shining brightly.
"Definitely," she said, "I—"
She opened her mouth, then closed it again.
She originally wanted to say, "When did I ever give you a bad review?" but after thinking about it, she realized that the question was too ambiguous.
It's inappropriate to do this in front of so many people.
She lowered her head, picked up her chopsticks, and put a piece of shredded meat into her mouth.
She chewed a couple of times, and the corners of her mouth curved into a smile.
"Tasty."
Cheng Che nodded and carried the remaining dishes to the next table.
Pei Jingshu watched his retreating figure, her chopsticks frozen in mid-air.
Jin Zhixiu whispered from the side, "Could you tone it down a bit?"
Pei Jingshu ignored her and continued eating with her head down.
Backend.
The director stood behind the monitor, watching the footage of Cheng Che sharing the food, and couldn't stop laughing.
She initially thought the tasting segment would increase the interactivity of the show, but she didn't expect Pei Jingshu to suddenly jump out and call out Cheng Che's name.
In that instant, the tension on the monitor reached its peak.
A beautiful South Korea woman stood up and called out the guest's name in front of everyone, and the broadcast immediately went viral.
Moreover, she knew Pei Jingshu.
She had seen the video of Pei Jingshu shouting " Cheng Che, I love you" in Korean from the stands during the Magic City Masters.
Later, it was discovered online that Pei Jingshu was a vocal music student at Korea University and a campus beauty.
At the time, Cheng Che's fans were divided into two camps: one camp shipped the couple, and the other camp criticized the woman for trying to gain popularity by associating with him.
The director immediately found this girl interesting.
She turned and called over the staff member who was recruiting, pointing to Pei Jingshu's image on the monitor.
"How did you recruit this person?"
The staff member was a young man in his twenties, wearing round-framed glasses. He paused for a moment when he heard the question, then leaned over to glance at the monitor.
He stared at it for two seconds, then his expression changed.
"Director, I... I just invited her because she's pretty and I thought she could bring some prestige to the show. I didn't know she..."
"You didn't know she was Cheng Che's rumored girlfriend?"
The staff member's face turned pale. "I really don't know. I just think she's pretty, and the photos taken while she's sitting inside look good."
The director stared at him for two seconds, then smiled.
"Okay, I don't blame you."
She turned back and looked at the monitor showing Pei Jingshu eating with her head down, her mind already starting to race with new ideas.
This girl is still usable.
For example, in the next episode, she will be arranged to appear as a "surprise guest" on Cheng Che's mission route.
Or we could simply have her be a guest star for one episode, paired with Cheng Che.
As long as we keep things in check and prevent her from doing anything too outrageous, this could definitely be a hot topic that sparks discussion.
The director took out his phone and sent a message to the screenwriter.
"Check Pei Jingshu's contact information and talk to her after this episode is recorded."
After sending the message, she continued watching the monitor.
In the Cheng Che has finished serving the dishes and is carrying the empty plates back to the backstage area.
Ning Qing followed behind him, the distance between them now being half a step closer than when they left.
The director looked at the footage and smiled with satisfaction.