Chapter 34: The Second Episode Airs; The Siblings Excel

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Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, a week had passed.

The second episode of *Keep Running* was about to officially air.

With the popularity accumulated from the first episode and a week of buildup, the show's heat had increased significantly.

Many students returning home from school, or office workers arriving home from work, turned on their TVs or computers, eagerly anticipating the broadcast of the second episode.

At this moment,

A young girl was lying on her bed, scrolling through her phone.

"Dudu dudu——"

A QQ call came through directly.

"Xiaoxue, hurry, hurry, hurry! My husband's show is about to start!"

"Xiaokui, stop rushing me. It's just a variety show, is it really worth getting this excited about?"

The girl's name was 'Xiaoxue,' and she was Xiaokui's college roommate and best friend.

To be best friends, they naturally shared similar hobbies.

Both of them loved following celebrities,

Except that Xiaokui was a general fan, while Xiaoxue was a "single-push" fan (dedicated to one idol).

Her idol was one of the top-tier stars returning from abroad

'Her Highness, Megny!'

As for her best friend's "husband," who was a new fan, Xiaoxue had a vague impression of him.

"Gu Qing?"

"Isn't he just that little nobody who tried to leech off my husband's traffic not long ago?"

As for the so-called "divine beauty" mentioned in the promotions, Xiaoxue listened with disdain.

In her eyes, there was only one true divine beauty in the whole world, and that was their 'Her Highness, Megny'!

Even that silly deer next door wasn't worthy of even touching her!

"Forget it, I'll just watch the show for a bit, otherwise Xiaokui will be pestering me with questions again tomorrow."

Xiaoxue picked up the tablet placed by her bedside and clicked on the latest episode of *Keep Running*.

Her restless legs swayed gently like a pendulum, her fair toes occasionally curling and stretching, causing the bedsheets to ripple with fine wrinkles.

On the screen,

The short introductory skits filmed by each member appeared.

The group's humorous and funny performances managed to pique Xiaoxue's interest in watching the show.

"Strange, why hasn't that guy Gu Qing appeared yet?"

Xiaoxue frowned slightly; she had come specifically to find faults.

As she spoke,

The crisp ring of a bicycle bell sounded.

On the screen, a fine drizzle wove a curtain of pearls, and the bluestone pavement reflected a cool, watery light.

A youth walked out from the misty rain, his knuckles holding the umbrella appearing even more translucent and white, the hem of his raven-blue long robe rippling with every step.

"He..."

Xiaoxue swallowed hard.

Fine,

She admitted, this kid actually had some looks.

No wonder her best friend was so infatuated.

However, relying on just this,

He was still far from being able to defeat her Highness, Megny!

Besides her handsome appearance,

Her Highness's 'talent' was her most prominent feature!

In the movie *There is a Place Only We Know*, Her Highness's exquisite 'acting' had left Xiaoxue mesmerized.

Did this brat have that?!

He actually did.

"Ham... ham..."

"Hamburger."

Gu Qing's shy and bashful demeanor perfectly captured the awkwardness of a young man dealing with his crush.

And Yang Ying also displayed the best acting of his life.

His soft, gentle voice and tender, water-like eyes overflowed with unspoken affection.

"The... the acting is alright, about thirty percent of Her Highness's level."

Xiaoxue couldn't help but let out an "auntie smile."

After this,

The edited content of the second episode unfolded before Xiaoxue's eyes one by one.

The intense confrontation to snatch the "Water of True Love,"

The sudden drizzle while waiting for the boat,

Gu Qing naturally raising his hand to shield Yang Ying from the raindrops, and after boarding the boat, the "Big Baby's" confession: "Now, you are mine."

Accompanied by the show's ambiguous BGM, Xiaoxue let out a muffled "argh" and bit into her pillow, her cheeks flushing red.

Following that,

After Deng Chao set off first and ended up soaked like a drowned rat, finding a lifeline and trying to hitch a ride on the boat,

Nazha held hands and bumped into Gu Qing's arms.

One second, pink bubbles from an idol drama filled the screen,

The next second, the camera focused on the dark-faced "Big Baby," accompanied by special effects of dark clouds and thunder.

Under the deliberate guidance of the production team, the tension between the two women intensified.

"Fun, this is so much fun."

"Nazha and Gu Qing, Baby and Gu Qing, they both seem to have some CP (couple) chemistry."

Xiaoxue used to watch tacky idol dramas about two men fighting over one woman, but switching to this style was actually quite addictive.

This ambiguous atmosphere reached its peak during the "Flower Field Wife Hunt."

When she learned that the male and female participants had to eat a biscuit mouth-to-mouth, Xiaoxue was dying of anticipation.

But as Li Chen and Xie Yilin performed their "brutal" feat, her desire to see some sweetness was utterly crushed.

But immediately,

The director announced that the remaining teams would have a rematch, and Xiaoxue cheered.

"Oh my, don't be shy, just kiss! Kiss them!!"

Gu Qing's hesitation while holding the biscuit made Xiaoxue feel like she was facing a dull crush, making her so frustrated she wanted to force a kiss on him.

"Aaaaaah!!!"

A deafening scream seemed to pierce through the entire night.

Xiaoxue covered her mouth, her snowy white feet excitedly slapping against the bedsheets.

Baby completed almost every fantasy a girl has when facing her love interest before the camera.

Full of queen-like dominance, she held Gu Qing's cheek and took the initiative to lean in for a "side kiss."

But the damn production team pulled the camera away at that exact moment, applying a blur effect.

"Ding ding ding!!!"

Xiaokui sent a heated greeting: "Xiaoxue, guess if they kissed?!"

"They definitely kissed. If they didn't, why would the production team pull the camera away?"

Xiaoxue excitedly discussed the scene with her best friend via phone.

And this became the shared experience of countless *Keep Running* viewers.

Within less than five minutes of airing, the clip had already climbed into the top three of the Weibo hot search.

"What's so sweet? Variety shows are all acted. Baby has already announced her relationship with the Leader, why are people still shipping CPs?"

"I can't get into it at all!"

The implications of the announced relationship led to criticism from passersby.

"Who said we are shipping them as a couple? This is a sister-brother, sister-brother dynamic, okay!"

"Exactly, we are shipping pure sibling affection."

"You people who see this as shipping a CP are the ones with the real problem in your heads!"

Soon, established CP fans launched a counterattack.

Though it was blatant lying, they left no room for rebuttal.

A large group of obsessed CP fans, enjoying the thrill of the "forbidden," began brazenly establishing a Super Topic

*Purehearted Siblings!*

Just looking at the name gave off a strange, peculiar vibe.

But the strangeness was the point!

That was exactly the feeling they wanted.

By the time the second episode finished airing, the official viewership ratings were released.

'2.35!'

Compared to the first episode, it had more than doubled!

The terrifying rating took the lead, becoming the undisputed number one in its time slot.

The Moon TV officials immediately decided to give it full support.

The explosion of *Keep Running*

Showed them the potential to rival the two major powerhouse variety shows from the rival Huangguo Station.

Various resources were poured in, and *Keep Running* constantly trended on hot searches.

Even the highly discussed "Sibling CP,"

With the heavy involvement of Havoc behind the scenes, saw its popularity grow even further.

What remained unclear was,

How the "Yellow Leader" would feel if he saw netizens, using his own relationship announcement as an excuse, shipping his girlfriend with Gu Qing more and more enthusiastically.

……

Meanwhile,

Having finished filming two episodes, Gu Qing,

Had already flown back to the country. He was lying on his bed, watching the second episode of *Keep Running* on the hotel TV.

Suddenly, his phone received a message from an unexpected visitor.

"Nazha?"

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(End of Chapter)