"Not dieting anymore?"
Qu Zizhou watched as Gu Zhijing ordered two large braised pork chops, plus spare ribs and tenderloin - three dishes without a hint of green.
"Bro, I'm naturally beautiful. No need to diet." Dieting? That's never going to happen in this lifetime.
"Hey, Zhijing, who else is participating in that variety show of yours?"
"Where's the fun in telling you so early? You'll have to watch it yourself! It starts at 8 AM on October 1st, so remember to wake up and watch. No sleeping in allowed."
"What kind of variety show starts at 8 AM? Are you sure it's not the morning news?"
"Don't be ridiculous, of course it's a variety show. It's live, understand? No editing."
Chu Mingyan complained, "Eight o'clock is way too early. Don't people want to sleep in on the first day of the holiday? Will anyone even watch a live broadcast at 8 AM?"
Gu Zhijing gave him a look that said 'you just don't get it' and replied, "Of course people will watch. Let me put it this way - everyone except me in this show already has their own fan base. There will definitely be viewers."
Qu Zizhou immediately chimed in, "Our Zhijing is going to be on TV. How could we possibly sleep in and not watch? We not only have to watch, but we also need to vote for him and defend him against haters!"
"Impressive, you're quite professional," Gu Zhijing said, picking up a piece of spare rib with his chopsticks and placing it in his friend's bowl as a gesture of thanks.
"Of course." Qu Zizhou's sister, Qu Ziyao, was an avid fan girl. When she was at home, she often roped her brother into helping her vote for her favorite "brother" and defend him against haters. Even now that she was abroad, she would still remotely control her brother to help with voting from time to time.
Thanks to the "promotion" by his friends, the entire class and even many students from other classes knew that Gu Zhijing was going to be on TV, and they all expressed that they would definitely watch the show. Although Gu Zhijing wasn't a celebrity idol, this first appearance on a show had already earned him a small following.
Eventually, even Cen Xi heard about it and specially sent a WeChat message to ask Nian Suian about it.
Nian Suian briefly explained the situation to her and received a bunch of "fighting" sticker emojis in return.
Nian Suian hadn't expected Gu Zhijing to be so boastful; the show hadn't even started yet, but nearly everyone in school knew about it.
So, during dinner that evening, she asked Gu Junxing, "Zhijing seems to really enjoy being on the show. If he wants to become a celebrity in the future, would you agree?"
"After he becomes an adult, he can do whatever he wants," Gu Junxing answered without hesitation.
"I thought people like you would consider being a celebrity not a proper profession, and would want him to inherit the company or something..." Isn't that how it always goes in TV dramas and novels? If the male lead doesn't become a celebrity, he has to go home and inherit billions in family assets.
"People like us? What kind of people?"
Nian Suian didn't say anything, because she was afraid that if she opened her mouth, it wouldn't be anything nice. She had always felt that Gu Junxing's parenting style was quite outdated and feudal. In this day and age, he was still going with the "silent father's love" approach, always criticizing and rarely praising Gu Zhijing.
Gu Junxing didn't need Nian Suian to answer, and continued on his own: "He is a person with an independent personality who can decide for himself what he wants to do. As for the company, there's a profession in this world called professional managers, and judging by Gu Zhijing's current performance, they would certainly manage the company better than him."
Gu Zhijing was unaware of this conversation at home, but he didn't have any intention of becoming a celebrity at the moment anyway. His excitement about being on the show was purely because he found it novel and fun.
Qiao Peipei had already arranged with Nian Suian to take her and Zhijing to meet Director Wu on Saturday.
Meeting a director was a new experience for Nian Suian in both her lifetimes combined, so she specially curled her hair and applied light makeup.
Gu Zhijing also tidied up his hair and even borrowed some skincare products from Nian Suian.
Before leaving, Gu Zhijing went over to ask his father, "Do you want to come with us? The three of us could take the stage by storm!"
Gu Junxing, of course, refused without even thinking about it. However, not wanting to dampen his son's spirits, and seeing how excited he was, Gu Junxing quite affectionately said, "Have fun."
Director Wu had a background in variety shows, and for him, viewership was the golden rule. This unedited live broadcast was his proposed new approach.
He hadn't held much hope for the people Qiao Peipei found. In his plan, the non-celebrity guests were just background characters. Especially in a show broadcast from this perspective, who would pay attention to ordinary people? So it didn't matter much who they brought in. He agreed to meet today only as a courtesy to the Qiao family.
"Director Wu, these are the people I told you about, Miss Nian Suian and young Mr. Gu Zhijing. What do you think? I didn't lie to you, did I? Suian, Zhijing, this is Director Wu," Qiao Peipei introduced as soon as they entered.
They had agreed to meet at a tea room. As soon as she entered, Nian Suian observed Director Wu - center-parted hair, small vest... hmm, a very stereotypical image of a director.
When Director Wu saw the two people who entered with Qiao Peipei, his eyes lit up.
The young woman looked to be in her early twenties. She wasn't very tall, but her body proportions were excellent, and she was pretty, especially her bright, expressive eyes. Qiao Peipei wasn't wrong; with looks like these, she could be considered a beauty even in the entertainment industry.
The boy was clearly still a student, looking quite young and fresh-faced. However, he was tall and handsome. If he were to debut, he'd undoubtedly be a heartthrob.
Director Wu's smile widened noticeably. "If I may ask, what's the relationship between you two?"
When Qiao Peipei first talked to Director Wu, she deliberately didn't reveal their true identities, aiming to give him a little shock, just like when she first learned about their relationship and was still stunned when she got home that night.
"Sister and brother?" Given the age difference, that seemed the most likely possibility, but looking at their appearances, they didn't seem like biological siblings.
Qiao Peipei shook her finger proudly. "No, that's not it. If it were as simple as siblings, why would I make you guess?"
Gu Zhijing felt this guessing game was incredibly childish. With the way he and Nian Suian looked, it would be problematic to guess mother and son right off the bat. So he just revealed the answer directly, "Director Wu, we have a stepmother and stepson relationship. She's my stepmother."
"It's called stepson, not 'step-boy'!" Nian Suian said, exasperated.
"Huh?"
See? Gu Zhijing knew everyone would have this reaction. It was all his dad's fault, robbing the cradle at his age. Before he could finish his internal grumbling, he heard Director Wu exclaim excitedly, "That's perfect!"
"??? Perfect how? I don't quite understand." Nian Suian really couldn't comprehend the thought process of these artistic types. How was this perfect?