CH 6

Chapter 6: Variety Show

Treasure Hunt was a very popular live variety show recently. It had both an edited version and a live version.

The edited version would be broadcast on TV. The ratings weren't particularly bad but not particularly great either.

What it was known for was the almost scary amount of viewers it had during the live-streamed version.

There was a resident guest on the show who was originally only a D-list celebrity. However, after a few episodes of the show, he could be considered a B-list celebrity relying on this variety show alone.

The other resident guests have also skyrocketed in popularity.

The show itself was actually pretty simple. For each episode, the program crew would write a script and then select a suitable venue according to the background of the script. They would also arrange for staff members to play NPCs.

The participants would be divided into two teams. Then, they would look for clues within the designated area and then look for where the treasure would be based on those clues. The team that finds the treasure first wins.

The theme of the last episode was the amusement park, and the staff all dressed up as cartoon characters.

The theme of this episode was the film studio, so the staff members would dress up as photographers, make-up artists, and models.

The crew was pretty rich, so they rented almost all the nearby studios. However, there were still a few studios that had long since been rented out already.

It wouldn't be that big of a problem. They could just go around those studios.

Hong jie entrusted Gu Qingchi to a makeup artist. The makeup artist was also pretty well-known. By then, she had already finished with the other models and was more than happy to see Gu Qingchi.

She picked up a makeup brush and awkwardly stared at Gu Qingchi for a long time.

"There's no need for make-up at all..."

Hong jie, on the other hand, had a bit of an idea. Her store had recently followed the trend and released a clothing line based on darker colors, the main element of which was emo culture.

"I want the decadent, dejected kind of vibe. I ordered a new batch of clothes, you know? They're all black and gray. Young people these days like this kind of style. Just have the makeup match the clothes."

The makeup artist made an OK gesture. She and Hong jie also knew each other privately, and they often communicated with each other.

"Ah, zip it, you. How many times have you told me already? I got it, don't worry."

She asked Gu Qingchi to sit down, looked at his face, and muttered to herself.

"The skin tone doesn't need any adjustment. There aren't any red spots, very pale. The hair is fine too, so shiny. Is the lip color too red? No, a pop of color with the dark clothes would be pretty good, nice contrast."

Hong jie tried to visualize how the new batch of clothes would look like on Gu Qingchi and hesitantly spoke.

"There...really doesn't seem to be any need for makeup, huh?"

He had a naturally model-like figure. Anything he wore would look good on him.

The makeup artist pondered for a bit and finally came to a decision.

"Let's have him change into the clothes first and take a look."

Hong jie was a bit older and had been dealing with clothes for most of her life. She might not understand other things, but she understood popular styles and trends. She could tell what matches with what with just a single glance.

Doc Martens, black jacket, and cargo pants, a classic outfit.

There were a lot of small accessories on the clothes. There was a skull on the back of the jacket, a thin chain hung on the front of the jacket, and there were countless pockets on the cargo pants. Only the Doc Martens were on the simple side.

The whole set of clothes was handed over to Gu Qingchi. The dressing room was right next to him. Gu Qingchi didn't waste any time and went to the dressing room straight away to change.

After a few minutes, he stepped out, sporting a completely different vibe. After changing his clothes, it was as if he had changed his entire person.

He was originally wearing a simple white shirt and a well-tailored pair of black pants, giving off a clean and refreshing feeling.

Now, wearing an outfit that reeked of trendiness, his aura was stronger, and even his beauty seemed to take on an offensive quality.

Compared to facial appearance, Hong jie paid more attention to figure and temperament. Gu Qingchi was 1.83 meters tall and had excellent body proportions. The loose-fitting trousers were a bit short on him, revealing a bit of his ankle.

Hong jie helped him tie up the elastic string of his pants.

She nodded in satisfaction.

"It's perfect, this figure, this proportion."

She gave Gu Qingchi two rings and a bracelet, all of them worn on his right hand. She also gave him a very long necklace, and, for his left hand, she gave him a half palm half finger glove.

Surprisingly, the accessories didn't seem to clash at all, even with so many accessories piled onto one outfit. Rather, they actually seemed quite beautiful.

Although it looked pretty good, she still felt that something wasn't right. She looked up Gu Qingchi up and down for a while.

Gu Qingchi stood upright, giving her the same feeling as an aristocrat in a British TV series she had seen the other day.

"You and Chen Jiu are colleagues, aren't you? Looking at the way you stand, it must've become a habit."

That restaurant truly knew how to train its employees. All the waiters stood upright and had outstanding temperaments, but what Hong jie wanted wasn't etiquette and spirit, but decadence and dejectedness.

She frowned.

"Not like that. The photos won't turn out as good if you do it like that. Try to imagine that kind of languid feeling. Don't stand so straight. Actually, the feeling I'm going for isn't really languid. It's more, you know, negative, more frustrated, dark."

Hong jie spoke for a while but realized she wasn't super sure how to explain. She gestured vaguely.

"You know, like there's no hope in life, that kind of feeling."

Gu Qingchi understood a little. For a period of time, he was stuck in a very dark place. He had been in this state for almost two years, where he didn't want to do anything. He felt tired even when he moved his fingers. Even now, he often experienced bouts of depression.

It was very easy for him to slip into that kind of mindset. He simply needed to picture what it would be like if he hadn't been able to get divorced.

The effect was immediate. His whole person became visibly gloomy. His shoulders relaxed, his legs bent slightly, and he leaned against the wall. He looked exhausted as if there were no bones in his body. He raised his chin perfunctorily and asked.

"You got a drink?"

Sister Hong was pleasantly surprised. She really did have some liquor. She had intended for it to be a gift for Gu Qingchi to give to Chen Jiu. It didn't matter now. She opened the gift box and handed the bottle of liquor to Gu Qingchi.

Gu Qingchi took a look at it —— vodka.

He went ahead and bit open the bottle and took a gulp.

Some vodka slid down along his neck and settled on his collarbone.

The surrounding area suddenly became quiet. Regardless of whether they were a model or some other staff member, they all fell silent.

The makeup artist was stunned for quite a while, and her face slowly turned red.

She offered Gu Qingchi a seat.

"Come here, I'll apply some eyeshadow for you."

She spent a long time applying the makeup. The models and staff nearby began leaving the dressing room and entering the film studio one after another. When she was finished, the studio that served as the dressing room was basically empty. Pretty much everyone was in the other studio, beginning to start shooting.

Only Hong jie, Gu Qingchi, and the makeup artist were left.

The lighting in the studio wasn't very good. It was a bit dim.

Gu Qingchi leaned against the wall, carrying the bottle of alcohol in one hand. He had one leg bent, the other supporting his weight.

Hong jie reminded him.

"Don't get drunk. You'll be the last one to shoot. I'm gonna go take a look at how they're doing. Once it's your turn, I'll call you over."

As she left, she also dragged the makeup artist away, leaving only Gu Qingchi in the entire studio.

On the other side, the live stream variety show was going on in full swing.

The show had four hosts, and four guests would be invited to participate in the game every episode.

Two hosts would serve as the captains. One was a famous television star, and he would serve as the captain of the red team. The TV shows that he starred in were all very well rated, and his reputation in the industry wasn't bad either. He was a sort of big brother type of figure.

There was also an idol, and he served as the captain of the blue team. He had debuted through a talent show. He was well-rounded, good at singing and dancing, and had a good sense of humor on variety shows.

The live broadcast room had staff members providing commentary on the side.

"Currently, the blue team is getting further and further off track. They're heading the opposite direction of where the clue is and will soon walk out of the designated treasure hunting area."

"Although there are still a few studios ahead, you all know that our program crew is poor, so the area the blue team is heading towards is the studios that we did not rent out. If they happen to stray into this area, their team will lose points."