She kept chanting inwardly: Don't pick me, don't pick me, don't pick me...
"I'll join Chu Yu's group," Gu Jinhuai announced his decision succinctly.
Chu Yu: "..."
Seriously, a decent ex-boyfriend should stay as quiet as if he were "dead," not suddenly rise from the grave and come running over to team up with her!
Chu Chen, who had been observing from the sidelines for quite some time, grew increasingly suspicious as he looked Gu Jinhuai up and down.
Ever since this man had walked in, he seemed to have been staring at his sister. He clearly had ill intentions.
He couldn't be some brain-dead sasaeng fan, could he?
And so, as Chu Chen stood up, he silently squeezed between Chu Yu and Gu Jinhuai, using his body to put some distance between them.
Suddenly shoved aside, Gu Jinhuai frowned and turned his head, his gaze meeting Chu Chen's scrutinizing eyes.
Because of this move, both men let a faint trace of hostility toward the other show.
Though neither knew quite what they were being hostile about.
Before long, the production team led the guests out of the restaurant and set off toward the haunted house.
By then, news of Gu Jinhuai's appearance on the variety show had already spread like wildfire online.
[I remember someone in the bullet comments saying that if the production team could get Gu Jinhuai on the show, she'd eat a bowl while doing a handstand. Is that person still here?]
[Say no more. I need to hurry up and spend the night doing my summer homework. Damn it! Why did I make that ridiculous vow?!]
[Wait, is nobody paying attention to why Dreamboat Gu chose to join Chu Yu and her brother's group?]
At that moment, Xu Ruiqiu, editor-in-chief of GI Fashion Trends Magazine, happened to be working overtime at home.
She wearily rubbed her aching shoulders and let out a long sigh.
The print media market had been getting worse and worse lately, and their magazine's sales were nowhere near what they once were.
Only by collaborating with celebrities on cover shoots could they keep sales and profits somewhat steady.
The publication date for the next issue was fast approaching, yet the magazine still hadn't officially settled on anyone for the cover shoot.
The biggest stars were beyond their magazine's reach.
Lesser-known celebrities did virtually nothing for magazine sales, so inviting them would be a wasted effort.
This left Xu Ruiqiu fretting.
After another soft sigh, Xu Ruiqiu took out her phone, intending to browse some entertainment gossip to unwind.
Just then, several messages came in one after another in an entertainment gossip group where she had been a longtime lurker.
[A Little Rabbit: Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit! Have you watched the livestream? Gu Jinhuai actually went on a variety show, and he even chose to team up with Chu Yu!]
[I Crash into a Wall for My CP: Drawing on my years of shipping expertise, I suspect there's definitely more to President Gu's sudden appearance on the show. He might have his eye on one of the female guests.]
[Happy Planet: ?? Are you serious? So Gu Jinhuai chose to team up with Chu Yu because he has his eye on her?]
[I Crash into a Wall for My CP: Nay, nay. Friendship is open and easy; only love treads carefully. If President Gu dares to choose Chu Yu in front of all those cameras, it must be because he doesn't like her and therefore feels no pressure. So my guess is that President Gu might have his eye on one of the other two!]
[A Little Rabbit: You have a point.]
After reading through the entire chat, Xu Ruiqiu: "..."
What kind of nonsense was this?
Did netizens nowadays force their ships together this hard?
Still, Xu Ruiqiu had heard a little about Chu Yu.
While she was pondering this, several more notifications about Chu Yu popped up on her social media.
Xu Ruiqiu tapped a link, only then learning that Chu Yu and her younger brother had recently been flooding entertainment news.
As various posts sang their praises, the biographical information netizens had dug up about Chu Yu quickly unfolded before Xu Ruiqiu's eyes.
She had completed over two hundred solo skydives, had already mastered several languages, including English, French, and Spanish, in high school, and had dabbled in numerous hobbies, including skiing, surfing, and classical instruments.
Born into a wealthy family and backed by the family business, she had returned to the country three years earlier, officially signed with a talent agency, and made her debut as an actress.
Xu Ruiqiu also came across several pictures of Chu Yu and her brother together online.
At the amusement park, Chu Chen wore a white T-shirt and shorts, his wispy bangs falling across his forehead above his cool, stern face.
Chu Yu skipped along behind him, saying something with a smile on her face. Sunlight fell over them both, making the scene feel warm and everyday.
These pictures were screenshots netizens had taken from the livestream, without any professional retouching.
Even so, both siblings' figures and bearing were extremely photogenic, in no way inferior to any idol.
Xu Ruiqiu, who had previously been at a complete loss over the next issue's shoot, gradually brightened.
Right, she could absolutely collaborate with Chu Yu and her brother.
Their magazine still had some standing in the fashion world. For Chu Yu, who urgently needed to stabilize her celebrity status, it should be a very good choice.
And with Chu Yu and her brother currently riding a wave of popularity, securing a collaboration with them should also bring considerable gains for the magazine.
Xu Ruiqiu made her decision on the spot.
They would use Chu Yu and her brother for their next magazine cover!
She had to get these siblings on board!
Meanwhile, the show's guests had arrived at the entrance to the haunted house.
The haunted house sign overhead, radiating an eerie chill, made Chu Chen instinctively want to back away. But remembering that Gu Jinhuai might harbor ulterior motives toward his sister, he kept his feet in check.
Beside him, Gu Jinhuai pressed his thin lips together.
He had indeed come on this variety show because of Chu Yu.
Because even now, he still hadn't figured out why the two of them had suddenly broken up back then.
Gu Jinhuai turned to look beside him, hoping to find some information in Chu Yu's expression.
But before he could look for long, Chu Chen's impassive face suddenly blocked his view.
Then Chu Chen shot him a sharp glare, seemingly issuing a challenge.