CH 18.2

She suddenly had some doubts. Was Song Mingan’s acting opportunities limited because he was too deeply immersed in his roles?

Su Chengyang smiled and said, “Just call me Chengyang.”

“Okay, let’s sit down first.”

There were cameras everywhere in the room, and after shaking hands with Su Chengyang, Song Mingan did not leave and sat down next to her.

The two of them chatted aimlessly for a while, and Su Chengyang’s attitude was neither enthusiastic nor cold, but she got along well with Song Mingan.

Although this person is a bit too into the role, the feeling he gives off is not bad.

One of the staff standing by the door took a look inside and said, “They look like a good CP match sitting together, the wealthy young lady and the elegant scholar? Let the editing team pay extra attention.”

In variety shows, intentionally leading viewers to ship a couple is a common practice. Even if their conversation is normal, every sentence they say can be edited to appear with pink bubbles, as it is a way to attract attention.

As soon as the staff finished speaking, they heard footsteps behind them.

She turned around and saw the person leaving and nodded, “Mr. Lin.”

Lin Yu nodded slightly and looked towards the two people who were chatting softly in the room behind her. There was indeed a sense of refreshment.

After a moment, Lin Yu looked away.

He looked down and said to the staff, “Su Chengyang is just a newcomer, it’s not a good thing for her to be in a CP, do you understand what I mean?”

The staff’s eyes lit up and they lowered their heads, “I understand.”

“Thank you.”

Su Chengyang and Song Mingan, whom she met for the first time, did not have much to talk about and clearly felt the same way. They continued to chat awkwardly only to avoid making the atmosphere more uncomfortable.

Fortunately, not long after, another female guest came in surrounded by several cameras.

Upon seeing Su Chengyang and the other person, she smiled gracefully at them and they immediately stood up from their chairs.

“Sister Qi,” they said.

The newcomer was named Tan Qi, the only third-tier celebrity among the show’s guests. She had some experience in the entertainment industry and had even played one or two deeply memorable roles, but they were all supporting antagonists. In fact, her performances were so convincing that the audience had a strong aversion to her personally.

“Please sit,” Tan Qi said, familiarly greeting the two before sitting across from them in a white strapless dress.

“I heard that you just finished filming in Guannan and rushed over here?” Song Mingan asked.

“Yes, I did,” Tan Qi replied. “I rushed over here after finishing filming yesterday.”

Although Su Chengyang didn’t feel like there was much to talk about, she was still able to hold a conversation and not appear too distant.

Su Chengyang didn’t know when Xiao Lu had arrived at the door, but Su Chengyang glanced over and saw her taking pictures of her with her phone. Standing next to her was Lin Yu, who was chatting and laughing with the program’s director.

Lin Yu, who was in conversation with the director, seemed to sense Su Chengyang’s gaze and looked over at her, smiling naturally.

Perhaps Su Chengyang had been a stay-at-home for too long, or perhaps because she felt that she already had the funds to lay flat, Su Chengyang had a feeling of powerlessness. So as the remaining guests arrived one by one, she barely spoke, only briefly greeting them.

After all the guests arrived, the room became lively, and everyone was chatting with each other. Su Chengyang stared at the empty plate without blinking, sighed in her heart, and felt like she was going to starve to death. When will they eat?

“Chengyang, are you in a bad mood? It seems that you’re not very happy to see us.”

Suddenly, someone cued in Su Chengyang’s direction.

Su Chengyang looked up in confusion and saw a girl sitting across from her. She looked about the same age, with a clean and refreshing makeup, and a hint of a smile on her face.

Her question didn’t seem like she was trying to trap Su Chengyang, but it made people feel a bit subtle after hearing it.

Su Chengyang smiled and said frankly, “Sorry, this is my first time participating in a variety show, and I’m a bit nervous.”

At first, some of the other guests had some opinions about Su Chengyang. After all, even if she wasn’t happy, she didn’t need to show a bad attitude in front of the camera, right?

After hearing Su Chengyang’s explanation, everyone understood her feelings. Su Chengyang was a newcomer who had just made her debut, had only acted in one drama, and had been unfairly criticized and bullied by the actors from the same drama. She didn’t have much experience to begin with.

“You don’t need to be nervous. After all, everyone can be considered your seniors. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask us,” said Tan Qi, who was the most experienced artist among them. The others echoed her words.

Su Chengyang smiled gratefully, “Thank you.”

The topic was then moved on.

As the role of the ‘big sister’ among them, the camera mostly focused on Tan Qi, so several guests tried to find ways to talk to her.

There were a total of nine guests on the show, three male artists and six female artists. They all seemed to be familiar with each other, as if they had known or heard of each other before, but in fact, like Su Chengyang, they had only looked up a few of the others’ profiles before coming.

Talking might not necessarily get them on camera, but not talking would definitely mean no camera time.

Su Chengyang didn’t care at all, her heart was full of anticipation for when the show would serve the food.

Whenever someone walked past the door, Su Chengyang would immediately look up, eagerly waiting.

Finally, to Su Chengyang’s great anticipation, the director walked up to the table and said to everyone, “You’ve been on the road for a long time and must be hungry, so let’s eat and talk.”

Su Chengyang was so excited she almost cried.

For a whole month, she finally had a normal meal to eat!

During the meal, Xiao Lu glanced in Su Chengyang’s direction and saw the excitement on her face that she couldn’t hide, so she avoided her gaze.

After a moment, hotel servers came in one after another with trays in their hands. Su Chengyang sat up straight, trying to appear composed and didn’t look over immediately, mindful of the camera in front of her.

Smelling the faint fragrance in the air, Su Chengyang couldn’t help but salivate.

Looking at the plates of food that the servers brought, Su Chengyang eagerly anticipated in her mind where she should first cut the beef, how to send it into her mouth, and how many times she should chew. She thought about the rich meat juice rolling in her mouth and the wonderful taste of biting into the beef. Su Chengyang’s mouth watered, and it was about to flow out.

Just as she was eager to try and full of expectation, the server placed a plate of food in front of her containing fruits, vegetables, chicken breast, and salad dressing. Su Chengyang was completely stunned.

“Chengyang, is the hotel giving you special treatment?” the girl across from her sneered.

Seeing the familiar food on the plate, Su Chengyang’s mind was buzzing.

She looked at the hot beef in other people’s plates and then looked at her own plate of food, unable to believe it, and looked towards the door.

Lin Yu was still nowhere to be found. Xiao Lu caught her gaze and nervously smiled, then quietly turned away, avoiding her eyes.

Su Chengyang was bewildered, her emotions had been building up for over ten days and at this moment they erupted. She felt wronged and her eyes reddened in an instant.

Although Lin Yu had never said he would treat her to a big meal today, why should she be the only one eating this dry salad while everyone else was eating meat? She could occasionally indulge in a big meal without gaining too much weight, and she could just lose it afterwards, right?

This is just too much…

It’s just too much!

Su Chengyang’s only two dreams in life were to eat meat, and lots of it!

It had been a whole month and she was still stuck eating this thing.

What is this…

Su Chengyang felt wronged and retorted without hesitation, “If you like, we can exchange meals.”

“No, no, you go ahead and eat,” the girl replied.

The others treated it as a joke and didn’t continue the topic. Everyone was getting hungry.

Everyone was eating the food on their plates when the waiter brought some more dishes, placing them in front of Su Chengyang. The vegetables looked good and not oily, but Su Chengyang was craving for meat. She wanted it so badly that she felt like she was going crazy.

She regretted signing with Starlight Entertainment and no longer wanted to be an actress. She thought of her meat… her meat…

In frustration, Su Chengyang picked up a cherry tomato and listened to the sound of others cutting their beef with knives and forks. She couldn’t help but glance up, her eyes glistening with tears and her chewing paused momentarily.

Su Chengyang had always had good mental strength and was generally a stable person, but after a month of persevering, she felt like she couldn’t keep it up any longer.

She sniffled and wiped away her tears of grievance at the corners of her eyes.

‘Mr. Lin, what are you doing, Mr. Lin? Did you go eat, Mr. Lin? Can you eat it, Mr. Lin? I can’t eat anymore.’

Song Mingan noticed her unusual behavior and asked, “Chengyang?”

No one spoke at the table, and Song Mingan’s voice drew the attention of others, who looked at Su Chengyang with puzzled expressions.

When they saw Su Chengyang with red eyes and tears shimmering, a hint of disdain flashed across their faces.

After so many years, someone was still trying to garner sympathy and attention from the audience? That tactic didn’t work anymore and only made people resentful.

Seeing Su Chengyang’s teary-eyed expression, everyone’s eyes became more disdainful.

——Using this kind of method to gain attention is really disgusting.

——She doesn’t actually think crying can be useful, does she?

——Nevermind, just pretend to cooperate and establish a good public image.

Tan Qi got up and grabbed a tissue, passing it to Su Chengyang across the table. Su Chengyang had no idea what they were thinking, but she felt extremely wronged at this moment. If someone comforted her, she would feel even more aggrieved.

“Thank you…” Su Chengyang choked out her thanks.

Tan Qi said, “Chengyang, you are a hardworking actress. We all understand your situation, but didn’t the bad guys get the punishment they deserved?”

“Yeah, Chengyang, relax. The audience can see through everything.”

“Eat something, don’t be so sensitive.”

“We are supposed to make the audience happy. We can’t bring negativity to them.”

Song Mingan gently patted her shoulder and comforted her, “Chengyang, have you been under too much pressure recently? I feel like you’ve lost weight. I watched your interview show before.”

Tan Qi added, “Chengyang, if you have any difficulties, just speak up. If you need help from your big sister, I’ll do my best.”

Su Chengyang didn’t expect them to be so kind. With tears in her eyes, she raised her head and choked out, “Sister…can I have a bite of the meat in your plate?”

After all, they were in front of the camera, and Tan Qi felt that Su Chengyang wouldn’t ask for anything too unreasonable. She was only saying a few polite words anyway.

So when Su Chengyang said it, she subconsciously nodded, “Okay… Huh?”

Everyone: “?”

Su Chengyang burst into tears, “I haven’t eaten any meat in half a month…”

“My agent won’t let me…”

Everyone: “…”

Looking at the pitiful Su Chengyang, Tan Qi couldn’t help but smile. The other guests also couldn’t help but turn their faces to the side, and the staff at the door laughed softly.

Tan Qi said helplessly, “Okay, come on! I’ll give you all of mine!”

“Thank you, sister!” Su Chengyang was grateful and took the plate and stood up from her seat. As she turned around, she saw Lin Yu, who had appeared at the door at some point, silently watching her.

Su Chengyang’s body stiffened, and her rationality, which had been suppressed by hunger, instantly took over.

Liquidated damages…how much were the liquidated damages again?

If she took one step forward, would Lin Yu’s bank account number be sent over in the next moment?

It’s impossible. Even if she starves to death, she can’t afford to pay the liquidated damages!

Su Chengyang sniffed and fought back her tears as she sat back down, reluctantly glancing at the plate in Tan Qi’s hands. Choking up, she said, “Thank you, sister. I think I should pass on it. If I eat it, I might end up homeless tonight.”

Tan Qi: “…”

Lin Yu: “…”

Everyone: “…”

Su Chengyang’s longing and aggrieved expression was particularly reminiscent of a puppy. This contrast added a touch of radiance to her appearance.

She sat back down, picked up a piece of fruit and put it in her mouth, glancing up at the door from time to time with a guilty conscience.

Lin Yu stood behind a group of staff, and because of his height advantage, Su Chengyang could just see his face. So for the second time, she saw an expression of utter speechlessness on his face.

You’re speechless? I’m speechless too!

Su Chengyang had never cursed at anyone before, but even silently cursing in her heart didn’t make her feel any better.

But she couldn’t dare to curse at Lin Yu either. He had nothing to say to her, body management was already something she was responsible for.

She was just frustrated. Her original body was so good. If only they could switch back.

“Chengyang, if you want to eat, just eat it.” Tan Qi saw Su Chengyang’s reaction and couldn’t help but laugh. Her smile was much more genuine.

From Su Chengyang, she saw her own shadow more or less. In fact, celebrities are not as glamorous as they appear on the surface. There are many things they have paid for behind the scenes. They just need to show their best side in front of the audience.

Su Chengyang is quite interesting.

Su Chengyang looked at the meat in Tan Qi’s plate and swallowed her saliva. Then she cautiously glanced in the direction of Lin Yu at the door.

Lin Yu stood behind the crowd, staring straight at Su Chengyang.

After a moment, she shook her head and said, “No need, I was just joking. I actually love fruits and vegetables. I love them very much.”

Everyone: “…”

Repeating it intentionally, it doesn’t seem like she loves to eat.

Then she lowered her head and ate the food in her plate with a furrowed brow.