In the lounge, a man sat slouched in a chair, with his long legs casually draped over the armrest, engrossed in his phone. As he heard the door open, he nonchalantly raised his head, revealing a flawless face.
With delicate features and sharp contours, his almond-shaped eyes exuded an indescribable charm and his deep black pupils were bottomless. "Pei Kuang?" Song Linchuan was surprised.
Pei Kuang lazily lifted his chin, "I'm here."
"Why are you here?" Song Linchuan asked, puzzled. "Aren't you in a rush to get to the set?"
"It's not that urgent," Pei Kuang replied, sitting up slightly. "Just had some time to kill."
Song Linchuan walked over and kicked Pei Kuang's legs, taking the seat next to him. "What's up?"
Pei Kuang retracted his long legs and said, "Nothing much, just...missed you a bit."
Song Linchuan's brow furrowed in disgust. "Pei Kuang, are you looking for a fight? Get lost!"
With no reason to be nauseated, Song Linchuan had a bad temper and kicked Pei Kuang without hesitation. However, Pei Kuang didn't take offense and instead laughed, patting the spot where he had been kicked.
"It's nothing, just had some time to spare and thought I'd come over," Pei Kuang explained. Then he turned to Jiang Han, who had just entered the room, and casually asked, "What's wrong with you, bro? You look down."
Jiang Han glanced at Song Linchuan. "It's all because of this guy."
Pei Kuang raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Did he get into a fight with the producer again?"
Jiang Han shook his head. "No, it's just that there's a good variety show, but he doesn't want to do it."
Song Linchuan had been with Jiang Han since his debut and he knew that Song Linchuan and Pei Kuang had a good relationship outside of work. So, he didn't try to hide anything and briefly explained the situation about the variety show, hoping that Pei Kuang could persuade him to accept the offer.
Pei Kuang smiled, not commenting on Song Linchuan's work. However, he did catch an important piece of information.
He turned to Song Linchuan and asked, "Your aunt is coming to stay with you?"
Song Linchuan nodded. "Yeah, my aunt has some time off next week and she's coming to stay with me for a few days."
Time off? Pei Kuang thought it was a bit strange, but he didn't pay too much attention to it and assumed that Song Linchuan misspoke and meant "vacation" instead of "time off."
He nodded thoughtfully. "Well, my shoot for this drama will be over next week, so I'll visit your aunt when she's here. She's my elder after all, and she's helped me out a lot in the past. If I hadn't missed my chance, I would have thanked her in person a long time ago."
Song Linchuan was taken aback, remembering something. "That was years ago. It's no big deal, and my aunt doesn't care about that stuff. You're a grown man, can you stop being so melodramatic?"
"Pei Kuang raised an eyebrow. 'Why are you hiding it? Afraid I'll steal your little aunt?'
Song Linchuan clicked his tongue. 'You? Steal my little aunt?'
He looked arrogant. 'Humph! You wish! She's my dear little aunt, and no one can take her away from me.'
Jiang Han couldn't help but cover his face. He couldn't bear to watch this anymore.
Every time Song Linchuan talked about his little aunt, he acted like she was the only person in the world who had one.
Pei Kuang smiled but didn't say anything.
Seeing his reaction, Song Linchuan waved his hand carelessly. 'If you want to come, then come. What can I do to stop you from entering?'
Pei Kuang smiled. 'Alright, it's settled then. I'll contact you later.'
The two chatted for a while longer, but Pei Kuang was in a rush and his agent came to urge him to leave.
Song Linchuan was also busy, as he had an interview scheduled for later. In the middle of it, a makeup artist came in to touch up his makeup.
Jiang Han was still not giving up, but then he remembered how Pei Kuang had convinced Song Linchuan earlier. An idea came to him.
After the makeup artist left, Jiang Han approached Song Linchuan.
He pretended to sigh heavily and spoke with great emphasis. 'Actually, before, I didn't insist that you participate in this reality show. But you know your temper, and you've offended quite a few people in the industry. This time, Fruit TV's top management personally offered you this olive branch, and I thought it would be a good idea to sell them some face.'
This was indeed Jiang Han's consideration. Song Linchuan was currently a hot commodity, but there were also many haters and rivals in the industry.
If he could have the support of a powerful TV station, it would be beneficial for his future development.
Song Linchuan was not an ungrateful person. He naturally understood Jiang Han's words, but...
'I can't do this.'
He explained patiently, 'It's not that I don't want to, but my little aunt is different from me. She likes to keep a low profile and won't agree to participate in a show.'
In Song Linchuan's mind, Song Anan had been a bookworm since she was young. She certainly wouldn't enjoy being on TV and in the limelight.
'You haven't even asked her. How do you know she wouldn't agree?' Jiang Han insisted, pointing to his phone. 'Why don't you message her now and ask?'
Song Linchuan glared at Jiang Han, but he didn't back down.
After a while, Song Linchuan gave in.
Jiang Han really did stand by him and watched him send the message.
Song Linchuan gritted his teeth and wrote a brief message about the reality show.
Then he hit send.
He tossed his phone onto the table and grumbled, 'Satisfied now?'
Jiang Han nodded repeatedly, grinning from ear to ear. 'Very satisfied...'
*
On the way to the airport, Pei Kuang sat in the back seat with his arms crossed, meditating with his eyes closed. His agent, Li Dong, had been busy on his phone since getting into the car, but suddenly remembered something.
"Pei Kuang, have you met Song Linchuan's little aunt?" Li Dong asked.
Pei Kuang opened his eyes and looked at Li Dong before saying, "No, I haven't."
He paused for a moment and asked, "Why do you ask?"
"It's nothing, I just heard you guys talking about visiting Song Linchuan's little aunt on this trip, so I asked." Li Dong replied with a smile.
Song Linchuan's little aunt was a unique figure in the entertainment industry, with a top-tier big nephew known as the "Nephew Treasure". Moreover, she was very mysterious, and no information had been leaked in all these years. Not only were fans and netizens curious, but even those in the industry were itching to know.
Pei Kuang just made a sound and didn't say anything else about it.
However, Li Dong was surprised that Pei Kuang had not met Song Linchuan's little aunt before. The two of them were once a duo, and even though the duo had disbanded, they both had been successful in the entertainment industry in recent years. Their relationship had always been good.
Although there were many marketing accounts and gossip media speculating that there were no real friends in the entertainment industry, and that everyone was just promoting themselves, Li Dong was very clear that Pei Kuang and Song Linchuan had a genuine bond.
"By the way, from what I heard earlier, Song Linchuan's little aunt helped you before?" Li Dong had never heard of this before and was somewhat surprised.
Pei Kuang hesitated for a moment before saying with his eyes closed, "Yeah, it was a few years ago."
Li Dong subconsciously wanted to ask more, but glanced at Pei Kuang and saw that he seemed unwilling to talk about it, so he didn't say anything else.
Pei Kuang had terminated his contract with his previous company and signed with the current one, and Li Dong had been his agent for many years. However, he still couldn't fully understand Pei Kuang.
In and out of the industry, Pei Kuang was known for his good temper. Even when faced with journalists' intentionally difficult questions, he could always maintain a smile and a gentle demeanor.
But if you thought that he was someone without ambition or competitiveness, then you would be completely wrong.
In Li Dong's opinion, Pei Kuang was someone who was born to thrive in the entertainment industry. This was not only because of his naturally attractive appearance, but also because he had ambition, cunning, and a firm determination, and most importantly... he was ruthless.
And this ruthlessness was not only towards others, but towards himself as well!
Pei Kuang suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Li Dong. "I remember you also have an aunt, right?"
Li Dong was taken aback for a moment, but didn't think much of it and replied, "Yeah, my aunt is only a few years older than me. When I was young, she took me everywhere with her, and we grew up together. We have a good relationship."
Pei Kuang thought for a moment and asked, "What does your aunt like?"
Since they were visiting their elders, they had to prepare some gifts. It wouldn't be appropriate to go empty-handed.
"I have a aunt," Li Dong thought for a moment before replying, "and she seems to have developed a liking for mink fur coats in the past two years."
Pei Kuang frowned.
Song Linchuan's aunt, fond of mink fur coats?
Li Dong hesitated, realizing Pei Kuang's intentions.
"My aunt's preference for mink fur coats is due to regional factors. I remember Song Linchuan's hometown is in S city, the fashion capital. So, my aunt's preference may not be a good reference point," Li Dong explained.
He then asked, "When giving gifts, it's important to consider the person. How much do you know about Song Linchuan's aunt? Do you know her age or her preferences?"
Pei Kuang shook his head, admitting, "I have no idea."
Li Dong paused, realizing that Pei Kuang truly didn't know.
After a moment of thought, Li Dong analyzed, "Based on Song Linchuan's behavior, his aunt should be only a few years older than him, similar to my aunt and me. Why don't you give her perfume?"
Pei Kuang was confused, "Perfume?"
"Yes," Li Dong suggested, "the luxury brand that you endorse has just released a limited edition perfume kit for women over thirty. It's hard to buy, and it might be a good gift."
Pei Kuang hesitated for a moment before nodding slightly.
A limited edition perfume.
It sounded like a good idea.
*
Back in her dorm room, Song Anan couldn't shake off her worries. Her roommate invited her to eat at the cafeteria, but she didn't have much of an appetite. She felt like she had a huge weight pressing on her chest.
According to the plot of the novel, Song Linchuan also participated in the extreme reality show that the female protagonist was recording and died unexpectedly towards the end of the program.
She searched online and found out that the reality show was scheduled to start recording next month!
Song Anan's head was filled with thoughts of how she had to stop Song Linchuan from going to that deadly show.
But how could she stop him? They had always kept their work and studies separate, even though they were close.
If she spoke up suddenly, it could raise suspicions. It might not work.
Song Anan thought for a moment and decided to message Song Linchuan, asking him about his recent activities, to get an idea of what he was up to.
However, before she could type the message, she received a WeChat message from Song Linchuan.
"I'm participating in a show?" Song Anan muttered as she read the message.
After a moment's thought, she quickly replied, "What show?"
Song Linchuan's response came quickly, "A reality show called 'Our Dearest Us.'"
Our Dearest Us?
Song Anan was not familiar with the entertainment industry's shows, so she searched online. When she saw that the show was a lifestyle reality show, she breathed a sigh of relief.
It wasn't an extreme reality show.
At that moment, Song Linchuan called her.
Her roommates had gone to the cafeteria, so she answered the call, "Hey, Linchuan."
"Auntie," Song Linchuan's voice came through the speaker, "have you had lunch yet?"
Song Anan blinked, feeling a little guilty, "…Yes, have you?"
"I have," Song Linchuan replied, "the event organizers provided boxed lunches."
The two of them chatted for a while about their daily lives before Song Linchuan finally broached the subject at hand.
"That variety show I mentioned earlier was just a casual inquiry. It's not a big deal at all, so don't worry about it, little auntie," Song Linchuan said hastily.
He had agreed to pass on the message from Jiang Han mainly because he knew Song Anan well and was certain she would reject the offer outright.
However, he never expected her to ask about the show.
Based on his understanding of Song Anan, her unusual behavior could only be explained by one thing: she was worried that rejecting the offer would cost him his job!
To dispel her concerns, Song Linchuan thought for a moment and added, "Actually, I have another variety show offer in hand. The schedules happen to overlap. It's called 'Challenge Yourself,' and it's also quite popular. You can look it up online..."
Challenge Yourself?!
Song Anan's eyes widened as she remembered the extreme variety show that would supposedly cause him to die in the novel!
"No way!" Song Anan's voice suddenly rose as she urgently exclaimed, "You can't participate in that extreme variety show!"
Song Linchuan was clearly taken aback and a little confused. "Why not?" he asked.
Song Anan was never good at lying and began to panic. "Because... I want to participate in the lifestyle variety show you mentioned!"
