Chapter 20: Kiss

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“A rematch?!”

Hearing this, Deng Chao and Gu Qing’s pupils dilated in shock. They both turned to look at the camera simultaneously, their expressions radiating pure astonishment.

This scene, however, caused a sense of dissatisfaction to arise in the hearts of the two beauties, Yang Ying and Nazha.

*Hey, hey, hey, are we really that lacking in charm?*

Nazha could manage to comfort herself; after all, Deng Chao was a married man who had to uphold his marital duties and couldn't be too intimate with single female artists.

But "Big Baby" (Yang Ying) was actually a bit upset, deeply doubting her own allure.

She could feel that even though they were filming a show, Gu Qing would deliberately maintain distance, unwilling to make any overly intimate gestures.

Who wouldn't want to take advantage of a female artist?

But this kid simply wouldn't!

"Did I really run into a little Tang Sanzang?"

Gu Qing's avoidance made Yang Ying feel a bit impulsive.

She extended her moist tongue, tracing along her full lower lip, and hooked the biscuit crumb stuck to it, pulling it into her mouth.

***

Following the man in black, they hid once again under the bamboo hats in the flower field.

A new round of the challenge began.

Since everyone was experienced, they headed straight for the flowerbeds in the back.

"Lanxin! I finally found you!!"

Wang Zhulan excitedly lifted his bamboo hat, being the first to find his partner.

However, his physical strength had already been exhausted in the previous round.

Zhang Lanxin's long legs were being dragged directly on the ground; Wang Zhulan couldn't take another step.

Eventually,

"I'll carry you!"

Unable to bear it any longer, Zhang Lanxin took the initiative to bend down, hoisting Wang Zhulan onto her back to head toward the destination.

This reversal of roles had the surrounding people clutching their stomachs in laughter.

But a girl's stamina is ultimately limited.

Gu Qing and Deng Chao, carrying their respective partners, quickly overtook them.

"Labraka, go! We must win this time!"

Nazha cheered, making no effort to hide her determination not to lose to Big Baby.

"Qingqing, we are the strongest!"

Yang Ying felt the same.

"Hmph!!"

The two women locked eyes and let out simultaneous cold snorts in front of the camera, though it was unclear how much of it was for the sake of the show's effect.

Arriving at the finish line,

While the old Deng was still hesitating and making excuses about picking up the biscuit,

"Hold it in your mouth!"

Yang Ying acted with decisive efficiency, pressing one end of the biscuit against Gu Qing's lips.

Gu Qing instinctively opened her mouth.

The next second,

"AAAAHHHH!!!"

The entire crew on set screamed.

"Holy crap!"

Deng Chao glanced over curiously, his eyes bulging and his jaw nearly hitting the floor as he let out an involuntary profanity.

"Sister, you are truly fierce."

Nazha's beautiful eyes were wide with shock, and the small biscuit she was holding between her fingertips fell onto the table.

"Don't move!"

With both hands steadying the sides of Gu Qing's face, Yang Ying forcefully took the other end of the biscuit into her mouth. As she nibbled away bit by bit, her long eyelashes fluttered.

Soon,

Their noses were touching.

Big Baby did not stop; she bit further into the biscuit until she felt a soft sensation, at which point she pulled away as if struck by electricity.

She placed an elegant hand under Gu Qing's chin, her bright, shimmering eyes staring intently at her palm, her tone commanding: "Bite!"

*Cracker~*

A small crumb of the biscuit fell into her fair, delicate palm.

"Director!"

Looking at Big Baby's intense competitive spirit, Lu Hao was stunned. He raised the ruler with trembling hands and measured: "0.5cm, challenge successful!"

"YES!!"

Yang Ying jumped up happily, her ponytail swaying back and forth.

"Qingqing, we won."

Her face was flushed as she turned to embrace Gu Qing in celebration.

*Look at you, little brat, do you think your big sister can't handle you?*

"Brother Chao..."

"No!"

Seeing Nazha staring straight at him, Deng Chao shuddered and waved his hands frantically.

Due to this delay,

Zhang Lanxin and Wang Zhulan caught up, successfully completing the challenge and obtaining the clue for 3rd place.

At this point,

The challenge was settled.

Having obtained the third clue, Wang Zhulan and Zhang Lanxin opened the parchment provided by the director's team

"The color of the Water of True Love is the color of the rainbow."

After a brief discussion, Wang Zhulan gripped the mouth of his pink bottle and said firmly to the camera: "We aren't swapping!"

For the second group,

It was Gu Qing and Yang Ying's turn. The clue they received was: The color of the Mysterious Water is one of the colors of the ten national flowers.

"Qingqing, what do you think?"

"Baby-jie, among the ten national flowers, there are roses, peonies..."

Gu Qing pursed her lips, concentrating on the game. "The probability of it being red is the highest. We'll stick with red and not swap!"

"I'll follow your lead," Yang Ying nodded.

But little did they know,

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

Having obtained the high-level clue, Li Chen and Xie Yilin received the hint: the colors of the Olympic rings.

"The colors of the five rings are red, yellow, green, blue, and black..."

"Excluding Zhulan's pink, after seeing the clue, Gu Qing and Baby chose red."

After a brief whispered discussion,

"We'll swap for red!"

Li Chen smiled as he took the red bottle from Gu Qing's team, completely unbothered by the protests behind him.

As the game ended,

Seeing that it was getting late, Lu Hao temporarily suspended filming.

He arranged for the artists to rest and eat.

During the meal, the men naturally sat at one table and the women at another, chatting amongst themselves.

Gu Qing thought she might be interrogated, but no one brought it up at all.

Wang Zulan was tactful enough not to touch the topic.

Li Chen had kissed Xie Yilin himself, so why would he tease Gu Qing?

As for Deng Chao and Wang Baoqiang, they were relatively concerned about Gu Qing.

After all, this was just a show.

Fortunately,

As long as Gu Qing wasn't the initiator, it wasn't a big deal.

A woman forcefully kissing a man?

How big of a deal was that in the entertainment industry?

Which person at this table hadn't been kissed in the face by a crazed female fan?

In contrast,

The ladies at the neighboring table were in high spirits, chirping and discussing incessantly.

"Baby-jie, you were so cool just now!"

"Holding his face with both hands... was I really watching an idol drama?"

"Aren't idol dramas usually about CEOs holding the girl? Who says holding the guy is more satisfying!"

Xie Yilin was animated with excitement. Being an artist from Guangdong, her boundaries were quite loose, and she asked bluntly: "So, did you guys actually kiss? Did the little hunk taste good?"

"You kissed him yourself, and you're asking me how it felt?"

Yang Ying picked up a piece of seasonal vegetable and elegantly popped it into her mouth.

"Ugh, don't even mention it, his mouth tasted like cigarettes."

Xie Yilin curled her lip in distaste. "Besides, kissing an older man—how can it be as satisfying as kissing a handsome young guy?"

"If I were on his team, I guarantee not a single bit of that biscuit would be left!"

Such bold words made Nazha and Tang Yixin's faces flush with embarrassment, yet they couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration.

"Baby, did you guys actually kiss?"

Nazha asked, cupping her face.

"Probably not. I was just focused on whether we could win the game; I didn't notice if we kissed or not," Yang Ying said vaguely.

Her "Leader" (boyfriend) had said that they would announce their relationship after the show aired.

Therefore, to avoid making him jealous,

This biscuit-eating segment might need to be blurred out. She would have to communicate with the director's team privately.

Additionally,

What if Gu Qing, as one of the parties involved, didn't agree?

Yang Ying thought with a sense of uncertainty.

Would his company use this privately to stir up rumors?

She was clearly overthinking it.

When Li Li learned from Gu Qing's junior assistant's phone call that Gu Qing seemed to have been kissed on the show, her face turned pale with anger.

What was the most important thing for an idol artist?

Naturally, their "purity"!

In the eyes of a management company,

An idol is essentially a commodity, an object used to provide female fans with the fantasy of a "perfect boyfriend."

They must be clean, handsome, considerate, and gentle... as if they gathered all the beautiful qualities in the world.

Only such an idol could make female fans willing to part with their money.

In the entertainment industry, there has never been,

An idol who stirs up rumors with a female artist without their fans making a scene!

Li Li had long ago designed Gu Qing's persona.

A clean, refreshing, sunny, and cheerful "National Little Brother."

This corresponded to the "Jade Maiden" persona in the industry, focusing on pure charm.

Therefore, this biscuit-eating segment absolutely had to be blurred.

At most, it should leave room for the audience's imagination and speculation.

It was impossible for Li Li to let the production team broadcast the full content!

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(End of Chapter)