But it doesn’t matter, she’ll handle it anyway.
Wen Xuelan reacted extremely quickly: “Right, right, right! In ‘Grandma’s Journey,’ there’s a show within a show called ‘Happy Fitness for Everyone.’ It’s to make sure everyone doesn’t forget to exercise while traveling. Why are you just getting here? We’ve been waiting for you for a while…”
It was only then that the audience in the bullet comment section finally understood what was happening—
[OMG! Grandma Wen is actually the mother of movie king Wen Han!!!]
[LMAO hahaha, is Grandma Wen tricking her son Wen Han into being a ‘porter’???]
[I’ve only ever heard of a play within a play, but ‘show within a show’ is pure genius. Grandma Wen’s improvisation is GOAT!]
[Grandma Wen’s serious nonsense is just too cute!]
[Even though I’m a fan of Movie King Wen Han’s looks and physique, his WTF expression is hilarious!]
[What is this, a massive mom-trap scene? I thought only post-90s parents could pull something like this!]
…
Wen Han: Show within a show???
Wen Xuelan didn’t even give her son a chance to hesitate.
She pulled Wen Han onto the stage: “Oh my! Sisters! Xingbao! Our other ‘porter’ is here!”
Wen Han’s arm was tightly gripped by his mother; he couldn’t break free at all.
Smiling on the surface, Wen Han leaned his head down and asked quietly, “Did you collude with my agent? You’d even deceive your own son? You’re really something…”
Wen Xuelan smiled even more sweetly: “The contract is signed, no backing out now. Be good, okay? Just this one trip, I won’t rope you in again.”
Wen Xuelan pushed his head down to make him greet her old friends.
Then, she pulled her son in front of Chu Xingxing: “Come, let me introduce you. This is Chu Xingxing, your partner, also a ‘little porter.’ I call her Xingbao.”
“Xingbao, this is Wen Han, my youngest boy. His nickname is Xiaonuan, he’s twenty-seven this year, and he’s single!”
The way Wen Xuelan introduced them was exactly like a young mother introducing a playmate to her shy son who just started kindergarten.
Because of the “surprise appearance” of the super popular movie king Wen Han, the live stream audience shot up to over 1 million in just a few minutes.
The viewership was still growing, and the bullet comments were lively—
[Tears of laughter haha! Wen Han’s nickname is actually Xiaonuan?! Isn’t that adorably contrasting cute?!]
[Wen Han: Mom, stop calling me out, please, I’m begging you.]
[Haha! Is Ms. Wen trying to set up her son on a blind date?]
[Calling her Grandma Wen? She’s clearly my mother-in-law!]
[Slurp… Am I the only one craving Wen Han’s physique? Oh man, that little glimpse of his arm is really tempting…]
—
Chu Xingxing looked at Wen Han’s handsome face and perfectly proportioned “double-door refrigerator” body, remembering that she had followed the movie king’s fitness live stream before.
No wonder Wen Han had looked familiar back then.
His eyes and brows were almost identical to Wen Xuelan’s.
Chu Xingxing extended her hand in a friendly manner, her eyes smiling: “Hello, fellow ‘porter.’ Nice to meet you. I’ll take good care of everyone during our upcoming trip.”
Wen Han usually immersed himself in filming and paid absolutely no attention to industry gossip, so he didn’t know Chu Xingxing.
Even though he was used to seeing countless beautiful women in the entertainment industry, after a few seconds of looking into Chu Xingxing’s eyes, Wen Han was still struck by her beauty.
Chu Xingxing wasn’t simply beautiful.
Maybe there were girls in the industry sweeter and gentler, but they didn’t possess that unique, cool aura she had.
Wen Han’s pupils contracted slightly, and his breath hitched for a moment.
“Son, the young lady has had her hand out for ages. Can’t be so rude.”
Wen Xuelan clicked her tongue, looking at Wen Han with dissatisfaction.
Wen Han was much taller than Chu Xingxing. He bent down slightly and politely, gently shook her hand.
“Hello, ‘little porter.’ I’ll take care of you all.” Wen Han’s voice was clear and bright, like a warm ray of sunshine on a winter’s day.
Chu Xingxing said cheerfully, “We’ll help each other and take good care of the grandmothers. As ‘porters,’ we might not have much else, but we’ve got plenty of strength.”
Wen Han couldn’t help but curl his lips, looking at her like an older brother looking at his niece who loved to brag.
A young lady with such slender arms and legs, telling him she had plenty of strength?
After the pleasantries, Chu Xingxing didn’t forget the main task and went back to throwing darts.
She had already grasped the dart technique. To provide better stability for her elbow, she rolled up the right sleeve of her shirt just above her elbow.
She stood firm.
Measured the distance.
Then steadily threw the darts.
All five darts hit the bullseye perfectly.
Wen Han raised an eyebrow slightly and started the applause.
It was then he noticed the clearly defined lines of her deltoid muscle faintly visible under her rolled-up sleeve.
And her exposed arm, though slender, also had smooth muscle lines, clearly indicating she had trained specifically.
So did Chu Xingxing like fitness too?
Having a fitness buddy to train with during free time on the trip wouldn’t be bad?
Thinking this, his favorable impression towards her increased quite a bit.
He even began to feel a faint glimmer of anticipation for this semi-“forced” trip.
—
After carefully inspecting the dartboard, the production team had no choice but to accept defeat.
They promised to upgrade the grandmothers’ first trip to a luxurious standard.
At the same time, the production team revealed the destination for the first trip of “Grandma’s Journey”—
Pearl Island, a tropical resort island in Country T.
Pearl Island is Country T’s largest island, with the most complete facilities and the most entertainment options. The island is brimming with night markets, bars, and restaurants, making it a very mature, high-end resort destination.
Upon learning the grandmothers’ travel destination, the bullet comment section, which had just calmed down, suddenly exploded again—
[Help! I initially thought the grandmas were unlucky noobs, but they’re actually lucky pros!!!]
[What happened??? Need a rep!]
[Do you girls not know where ‘Let’s Travel Together’ next door is going yet?]
[The rep is here! The destination for ‘Let’s Travel Together’s first trip is also an island in Country T, but it’s an undeveloped, uninhabited island very close to Pearl Island!]
[I just checked the map; the two islands practically face each other across the sea. doge/]
[And here’s an even crazier coincidence: ‘Grandma’s Journey’ and ‘Let’s Travel Together’ start their trips on the exact same day?]
[Hahahaha, I’d love to see the psychological shadow of the entire ‘Let’s Travel Together’ cast.]
[This is truly ‘Walter’s mom giving Walter a door’—coincidental to the max hahaha!]
—
The preview episode of “Grandma’s Journey” only had one segment left: a fan Q&A via live connection.
Fans who successfully connected could ask the guest one question.
Chu Xingxing’s connection was scheduled second to last.
The four grandmothers went first.
The most popular, Wen Han, was scheduled last.
During the fan connections, the live stream camera would only show the guest who was currently connected.
Chu Xingxing had a short break.
Jiang Changsheng had already had his assistant prepare warm water and chilled fruit cut into easy-to-eat small pieces, and casually brought her phone over as well.
Wow! This level of treatment was something she’d never had before.
Chu Xingxing was starting to change her opinion of Jiang Xiaoshàozi as an agent.
Suddenly feeling a bit curious, she clicked into the live stream of the show next door, “Let’s Travel Together.”
More precisely, she wanted to see if Tian Mengtong had suffered any embarrassment or if her persona had collapsed.
—
At the same time, inside CBM Entertainment’s largest Sol studio, the preview episode of “Let’s Travel Together” was also holding its fan connection segment.
The fairly popular young actress Tian Mengtong sat on a high stool, smiling sweetly at the camera, waiting for her lucky fan to connect live.
[Wahhh my internet lagged and I had to re-queue, now I’m number 600…]
[I really want to connect with my Tongbao!]
[I’m number 10! I wonder if there’s hope! Last time Tongtong connected during a set live stream, I got through!]
[Taking good luck from sis!!! Before I saw it happen, I thought it was all staged!]
“Hello~ Welcome, baby!” Tian Mengtong’s voice was the standard sweet girl voice.
Today she had styled her hair into two cute buns, tilting her head slightly as she greeted the connected fan.
Her big, sparkling Casi eyes under her air bangs looked even more playful and cute.
“Ahhh! Is that you, Tongtong?! Is it really you, Tongtong?! Tongtong, mama loves you!!!”
The fan’s emotions were intense, her voice choked with tears.
Tian Mengtong blew a cute kiss kiss towards the screen and said with a smile, “It’s me. What should I call you, baby?”
“Ah! Tongtong, I’m Xiaowei. I’ve liked you since your debut. All the girls in my dorm really like you. You’re the first sweet girl we’ve ever liked. Sweet girls are the best…”
The fan chattered on endlessly, expressing her love for her idol, unable to stop.
Tian Mengtong was clearly used to fans’ enthusiasm, listening patiently and occasionally responding gently.
Seeing that time was running out, she kindly reminded the fan: “Baby Xiaowei, our connection time today is limited for each person. Is there a question you wanted to ask me?”
The fan’s emotions finally calmed down a bit: “Yes, yes, yes! I’ve always wanted to ask, Tongtong, what was your reason for joining ‘Let’s Travel Together’?”
Tian Mengtong’s eyes were bright, but upon hearing the question, the light in them seemed to dim for an instant.
This question, she had answered before in her fan group. No matter what, she couldn’t change her answer now.
Although she still had a smile on her face, a trace of loneliness flickered in the corners of Tian Mengtong’s eyes: “Because of my best friend. We promised to travel together.”
“Was it Chu Xingxing? Then why isn’t she here?” The fan’s voice gained a hint of anger.
Tian Mengtong smiled forcefully, nodded almost imperceptibly, then pursed her lips and shook her head slightly to cover it up.
Throughout, she never answered the fan’s question directly.
As long as she didn’t answer directly, it didn’t count as admitting anything.
Tian Mengtong felt she had already done her best and was kind enough. Despite Chu Xingxing sending such nasty messages to insult her on WeChat, she still thought about helping her secure a spot on “Let’s Travel Together.”
Anyway, Chu Xingxing’s acting wasn’t good; she had no real advantage in the entertainment industry. Switching to a “persona” and gaining notoriety through reality TV was still a viable way to make money.
After a brief pause, Tian Mengtong’s voice sounded slightly nasal: “Baby Xiaowei, sorry, but our connection time is up. It was really nice talking to you. Thank you for liking me. Sending you a little heart.”
The fan’s connection ended.
But the live stream hadn’t paused yet.
A male voice next to her, with a distinctly unpleasant tone, asked: “Is that the one you were supposed to do the bestie reality show with?”
Tian Mengtong still said nothing, the corners of her eyes tinged with a faint cherry blossom pink, smiling and waving at the screen.
How could the eagle-eyed loyal fans, always watching the live stream, not notice their idol’s grievance and forbearance???
This was a blatant betrayal!
Chu Xingxing really didn’t know what was good for her. Agreeing to be besties and then deliberately standing her up – she was definitely jealous of her friend’s success!
Countless Tian Mengtong fans stormed into the “Grandma’s Journey” live stream.
—
Having watched the entire live stream, Chu Xingxing almost laughed out loud.
Tian Mengtong really was something else.
Her acting was on point, no wonder she’d become a movie queen later on.
Those micro-expressions were absolutely amazing. She almost felt a bit of pity for her. Sweet girls really are the best.
But that last male voice with the unpleasant tone sounded a bit familiar?
The dressing room door opened.
Jiang Changsheng poked his head in: “Hey, it’s almost your turn. I asked Ken’s assistant to stay behind to touch up your makeup and get you ready for the fan connection.”
“Okay~” Chu Xingxing quickly sat down in the makeup chair.
Hey? She just realized something. The male voice from the live stream next door sounded very similar to Jiang Changsheng’s. No wonder it was familiar.
But that voice sounded a bit more mature.
Although Young Master Jiang was always trying to act mature, his voice still carried a strong youthful quality.
Barring any surprises, that voice should belong to Jiang Changsheng’s older brother, Jiang Chang’an.
—
Before going on stage, Jiang Changsheng stopped Chu Xingxing.
In the temporarily built backstage area, the space was dark and cramped.
Young Master Jiang raised his hand to cover her microphone, bent down sideways, and whispered quietly in Chu Xingxing’s ear: “Be prepared. I just found out that the live stream next door might have said some unfavorable things about you. If things look bad, I’ll cut the connection directly. Just watch my lead and follow my cues.”
Chu Xingxing smiled sweetly, straightened her lapel mic, and said: “No need for that. Let’s not play favorites.”
She knew that her live stream now had at least a few hundred black fans queued up, just waiting to passionately flame her during her connection.
But it doesn’t matter, she’ll handle it anyway.
