CH 95

We’re Not Familiar

Upon hearing the host’s question, Su Shen couldn’t help but feel slightly nervous and looked down. She was really afraid that Xie Yan would do something unexpected.

However, the person on the big screen just smiled upon hearing that and said insipidly, “Because I like it, so I wanted to take on the role.”

“AHHHHHH!”

The fans below went madly crazy. If they could, they would’ve rushed up to the stage.

Su Shen breathed a sigh of relief but felt that his words were a bit strange, yet she still stood there indifferently and said nothing.

At this point, the host seemed to have remembered her — the female lead, and asked in passing as he looked at the big screen, “This seems to be your second time working with Su Shen. Do you guys have more of a rapport now?”

Hearing this, the person on the big screen seemed to look in the direction of Su Shen and replied unhurriedly, “We had a rapport from the beginning.”

“AHHHHHH!”

The fans could hardly control themselves, and the whole venue was filled with screams, only Luo Han, Li Xue, and the rest who seemed to be in the know remained indifferent. 

The host waited until the crowd quieted down before turning to Su Shen and asking, “Su Shen, what kind of person do you think Xie Yan is?”

Suddenly being called on, Su Shen subconsciously glanced at the big screen, only to meet with his gaze. She immediately cleared her throat and replied in all earnesty, “He’s very conscientious. He’s taught me a lot of techniques on set, and I feel like any progress I’ve made is thanks to Xie laoshi. But he usually doesn’t let me call him Xie laoshi, afraid that I’ll call him ‘old’.”

“AHHHHH! NOT OLD!”

The fans below started going crazy again, not expecting her to make a little joke at the end. The host also laughed, “So what do you call him in private?”

At that, Su Shen was taken aback. She had always called him by name, and Xie Yan had always called her by name too. They didn’t seem to have nicknames for each other.

“Just by name. Maybe that way he’ll feel a bit younger,” Su Shen said, unable to suppress a light laugh.

“So you’re saying I’m old?” The person on the big screen counter asked. 

His sudden words caused the fans below to scream again. Su Shen felt that they shouldn’t talk any longer, or else Xie Yan might not control himself. 

“Not old, not old. Xie laoshi is forever 18,” Su Shen politely smiled at the person on the big screen.

Dong Gu, on the other hand, almost couldn’t contain his laughter, and even Luo Han had a slight smile. They didn’t expect that the usually serious Xie Yan could make jokes.

Only the host could laugh without restraint, “AHAHAHA, it looks like you guys are pretty close.”

Su Shen maintained a smile on her face and swept a glance at the rows of cameras below before saying seriously, “Actually, he seems pretty boring, but he’s also actually pretty boring in private too.”

As her words fell, the whole room burst into laughter, even some of the photographers below couldn’t help but laugh. It was the first time someone had dared to poke fun at Xie Yan like this openly.

After laughing, the host looked at the big screen and said, “Xie Yan, do you think Su Shen’s right?”

Hearing this, the person on the big screen looked in the direction of Su Shen and said nonchalantly, “Actually, I’m not very familiar with her.”

At that, the fans below laughed, and Su Shen looked at the male host, “Let’s hang up, there’s nothing good to talk about.”

The host found the banter between the two of them quite amusing. In fact, there wasn’t much left to talk about. But he still smiled and turned to the big screen, “Well, we look forward to seeing you appear with the rest of the cast next time.”

Hearing this, the person on the big screen just uttered an “en” before hanging up the video call.

The host continued the interview with other questions. As the topic of the town still hadn’t subsided, he seized the opportunity to ask, “You mentioned before that you already have a boyfriend. Is he also from the entertainment industry?”

In an instant, almost all the cameras were focused on her. Su Shen held the mic, and her exquisite face showed no other emotions. “I can’t say for now, but I’ll tell everyone someday.”

Given such an opportunity to have an open interview, the host naturally wouldn’t let it go and continued to ask, “How long have you guys been together then?”

At that, Su Shen smiled and looked at the host. “That’s a secret.”

Since the host was not a cunning reporter and needed to control the stage, he couldn’t make it awkward for the artists, so he didn’t continue to pry further and instead moved on to other topics.

After the press conference ended, Su Shen did an interview with Tangerine Entertainment. When she left and got into the car, a swarm of reporters surrounded her, asking her questions about her romance. Fortunately, Yao Yin was prepared for this, and with the help of a few bodyguards opening the road, Su Shen was able to get into the car smoothly.

She still had to rush back to set at night, so Su Shen went to the airport immediately. Sitting in the car, Yao Yin was discussing her schedule with her. 

“I haven’t accepted any new gigs for you recently. You only have one variety show and a fashion event next week. After you finish filming your next movie, I won’t accept any new work for you. Take some time to focus on engagements, and take a break.”

Hearing this, Su Shen sitting in the rear just softly responded with an “mhm”. She had been constantly hopping from one production set to another for the past two years. It was indeed time to rest for a bit. 

On another note, as she thought of Xie Yan, Su Shen suddenly blocked him on WeChat and then leaned back to rest, feeling satisfied. 

She thought that Xie Yan would call her, but he didn’t. When she arrived at the airport, there were already many fans waiting for her. Despite the bodyguards opening the way, Su Shen still took a while to pass through security. She received a lot of gifts from fans, and she and Xiao Zhou could barely carry them all. In the end, some things had to be checked in.

When they landed, Yao Yin didn’t accompany her back to set. The chauffeur only sent her and Xiao Zhou back. However, a van kept following them. Su Shen was used to this kind of stalking, so she always made sure to pull the curtains tightly when she returned to the hotel.

When they arrived back on set, it was already 6:00 pm, and everyone was eating dinner. Su Shen asked the makeup artist to hurry and do her hair and makeup. As the press conference broadcasted live, Su Shen wanted to see what people were saying online but noticed that Xie Yan had made a post on Weibo, with a screenshot of her having blocked him. 

Xie Yan V: Calling me Xie laoshi in public, but does this kind of thing in private. [photo]

Netizen A: AHAHAHA, LMFAO!

Netizen B: When I saw “message sent but rejected by the other party”, I laughed and sprayed water all over my cat. [joy]

Netizen C: So sweet!!! Shipping my Crab Cake CP!!!

Netizen D: Who told you to say you’re not familiar with her? [joy]

Netizen E: Su Shen, you’re dead. My Xie laoshi is angry! [sly smile]

Netizen F: What’s with this strong smell of dog food*? [joy]

dog food – Chinese internet slang for PDA

Seeing this, Su Shen knew that Xie Yan was going to cause trouble. He had actually posted a screenshot. This was too brazen!

However, she quickly @ Xie Yan in a reply.

Su Shen V: We’re not familiar, thank you. [smiley face] // Xie Yan V: Calling me Xie laoshi in public, but does this kind of thing in private. [photo]

Xiao Zhou, who had been watching from the side all this time, quietly ate a huge pile of dog food and had been holding back until now. Who knows how much shock she has been through.

Su Shen still didn’t unblock Xie Yan. After it became a trending topic on Weibo, those antis accused her of using Xie Yan to hype again. No matter what she did, those people always had something negative to say about her, but she had learned to be accustomed to it.

This drama wasn’t aired weekly but was broadcasted at the prime time slot of 7:30 pm every night. The day before the premiere, Su Shen returned to her condo because their cast had to record a variety show earlier the next day.

Su Shen didn’t go over to Xie Yan’s house, and she didn’t know when he returned either. It wasn’t until the next day when she went to the recording studio that she saw Zhao Tong outside asking a staff member for the itinerary. 

Seeing her approaching, Zhao Tong quickly went up to greet her. “Su Shen, you’ve gotten skinner again.”

Zhao Tong wasn’t an alpha man like Xie Yan. He knew that girls liked it when people complimented that they had gotten skinnier. Su Shen smiled upon hearing his words and glanced over at the resting area in front of her. However, instead of asking about Xie Yan, she took off her sunglasses and said with a smile, “You’ve put on some weight though, it seems like the food there is pretty good.” 

“Absolutely not. How can their food compare to your cooking?” Speaking of this, Zhao Tong leaned in and whispered, “Yan ge has become even more picky, only eating vegetables and not even touching meat or fish.”

There were staff coming and going around them. Su Shen cleared her throat and didn’t say much before she and Xiao Zhou went to her own resting room. Meanwhile, Li Xue and the rest were in the adjacent resting room. It was clear that with fame came different treatment and status.

Su Shen had already gotten her makeup done, so she didn’t need to get any more makeup done. She was wearing a simple blue dress. Coming to her resting room, she sat down and let Xiao Zhou help style her hair a bit. Soon after, a female staff member came in and went over the show itinerary with her.

The drama was going to premiere tonight, but Su Shen didn’t feel nervous at all. After all, there weren’t many competing dramas in the same season recently, and as long as the post-production editing wasn’t bad, this drama wouldn’t flop.

After sitting down in front of her, the staff member looked at the script and said, “There’s going to be a game where it will test your understanding of your partner later. We will group you and Xie Yan together. Later, a staff member will tell you what Xie Yan wrote through the earpiece. There will be five questions, you only need to answer three of them correctly.”

Generally speaking, variety shows had scripts and routines, and some CP moments were very likely created by the production team. Su Shen didn’t have any objections upon hearing that and just responded with a soft “en”.

Just at this moment, the door was suddenly pushed open, and Xie Yan walked in. Like before, he was pretty casual and didn’t dress up for the show. At most, he just did his hair.

Upon seeing him, the female staff member immediately stood up and nodded somewhat excitedly, “Hello, Xie laoshi.”

It was the first time that she had seen her idol up close. The female staff member tried to maintain a smile on her face, and the other party also smiled at her. “I have something to say to Su Shen.”

As the female staff member was still immersed in the image of her idol smiling at her, she was suddenly brought back to reality when she heard his words. Glancing at Su Shen, she quickly and tactfully left the room. She felt that some rumors might not be groundless after all!

Seeing Xie Yan close the door, Su Shen leaned back on the sofa and covered her legs with her coat while casting a nonchalant glance at him. “Xie laoshi, we’re not familiar. Please behave appropriately.”

At that, he immediately came near and sat next to her. She tried to move away, but he tightly wrapped his arm around her waist before staring at her fervently. “If you’re not familiar with me, then who are you familiar with?”