Chapter 720: Something Happened to Gu Qingcheng in the Wee Hours of the Morning Yesterday…
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Lin Nuan was very focused. She was focused on steadying her heartbeat and controlling her embarra.s.sment, which was apparent.
Fang Yan saw that Lin Nuan was pretending and didn’t expose her. Instead, she reminded, “It’s okay if you run out of stamina during the program. Remember not to force yourself! I’ll just ask the production crew to cut out your parts when editing the footage! But you really have to work on your stamina! It’s important to be healthy too, but so long as you have stamina… when you meet with danger in the future, you can make a run for it, and you’d easily be able to run a few hundred kilometers. Who’d be able to catch up to you then?”
Fang Yan’s last sentence was a joke, but Lin Nuan took it to heart.
Lin Nuan was physically very weak right now. If she didn’t have You Nainai by her side to protect her, any man could just take her away!
Lin Nuan’s eyes landed on You Nainai. It wasn’t good for her to remain weak and continue depending on people to protect her. If she really met with danger, she could even end up being a burden to other people!
It was just as Fang Yan had said. As long as she had stamina, she could just make a run for it when she met with danger!
With her current poor stamina, running 200 meters already made her feel like her lungs were about to burst. If she really met with danger, she wouldn’t be able to defend herself.
“I know, Sister Yan!” Lin Nuan nodded and replied seriously.
…
Mu Taotao was already waiting for Lin Nuan in the makes.h.i.+ft dressing room. When Lin Nuan arrived at the filming site, Mu Taotao let her change into the standardized attire required for the day’s filming. It was a down jacket provided by the sponsors of the program.
While applying makeup for Lin Nuan, she said to her, “Sis Nuan, I’ve already asked around about what will happen today. There’s a punishment of being thrown into the swimming pool!”
Mu Taotao applied a warm eyeshadow on Lin Nuan’s eyes. It matched the down jacket provided by the production crew perfectly.
“The grip told me that at the beginning of the program, two teams will open bottles of liquor and drink directly from them. In the first round, the team that drinks more liquor wins, and the losing team will be thrown into the water together! Winning the first round doesn’t just help you in the final segment of the program, but it also helps you escape the punishment! I heard from the a.s.sistant director that this new director wants to pick out one drunk celebrity and take endless shots of them for views!”
Mu Taotao was an easygoing person. As soon as she arrived at the filming site, she began talking to the grip and the a.s.sistant director. Obtaining information was a piece of cake for her.
Fang Yan, who had been reading materials, raised her head and furrowed her brows. “Is this information reliable?”
Fang Yan could simply ask around for such information, but she had watched this program before. She thought it was filmed in a relatively positive way and hence didn’t ask too many questions.
Mu Taotao nodded. “It’s definitely reliable! This program just replaced its director—you should have heard about this, Sis Nuan. This time, the director and production crew… didn’t reveal the program schedule and content to any of the people on the show, including their hosts. They’re doing all this to get more views!”
Fang Yan frowned and closed the doc.u.ments as she tried to think of a way to deal with the situation.
It was evident from Mu Taotao’s tone that she wasn’t happy with the director, but when she turned to take out the eyeliner from her makeup case, she had an especially sly smile on her face. “But… thankfully, I asked around for this information beforehand! I’ve bought hangover pills for Nuan-jie! I’ve used these myself before, and they work really well! I’ll let you eat two of them in a while. Halfway through the program, I’ll crush and dissolve them in some water, then get someone to pa.s.s it to you. You’ll definitely be fine after drinking two sips of it!”
The information Mu Taotao obtained was very comprehensive since it was being used to protect Lin Nuan. She knew Lin Nuan didn’t have a high alcohol tolerance—the most she could handle was three pints of beer. Mu Taotao began making preparations once she obtained the information.
This caused Fang Yan to look at Mu Taotao in a new light!
After she finished the makeup, Mu Taotao pa.s.sed the hangover pills to Lin Nuan. Lin Nuan ate two of them.
Lin Nuan was then given her cue. Before she left the makes.h.i.+ft dressing room, she saw Mu Taotao wrap a few pills in toilet paper and crush them with a jar of loose setting powder before pouring the crushed pills into a bottle of mineral water.
Lin Nuan appeared on the program with the cast of “The Exorcist.” Director Chen wasn’t around this time. The people that appeared on the show were Su Manman, Song Cheng, Lin Nuan, a female supporting character, and a male supporting character. The five of them drew lots to decide on the teams.
Lin Nuan was still on the same team as Su Manman. She didn’t know if it was caused by Su Manman or if it was really fate that brought them together again.
Su Manman, Lin Nuan, and three of the hosts formed one team. Song Cheng, the supporting characters, and the other two hosts formed the other team.
At the start of the program, the staff members pa.s.sed an envelope to one of the hosts. As he tore open the envelope, the host said, “Just what are we going to play on the show today? Even us hosts don’t know anything… giving the mission in an envelope. To be honest, after hosting so many episodes of this show, I seriously suspect that whatever’s inside here is going to give us a hard time!”
Lin Nuan and the other guests were so amused by the host that they couldn’t stop laughing…
The host opened the envelope and took out the mission card. He read aloud, “The Red Team and Blue Team will work together in their respective teams. The team that drinks more beer wins! The winning team gets thirty points, while the losing team will face punishment!”
As soon as he finished reading, the host quickly stepped forward and rolled up his sleeves, acting as if he was going to beat up the director. “I knew it—the director is always up to no good! Don’t stop me! I’m going to fight one-on-one with her! If I win, the director will drink!”
The director was a woman who looked to be in her early forties. She had neat short hair and wore a thick navy blue down jacket. She crossed her arms and sat cross-legged on the floor with the other staff members as she looked at the program schedule in her hand. She chuckled at the host’s actions and said, “Replace the Red Team’s beer with baijiu1!”
Lin Nuan looked at her own armband. She was on the Red Team…
Lin Nuan was rendered speechless.
The host who rolled up his sleeves and wanted to fight the director one-on-one was on the same team as Lin Nuan. He immediately kneeled down. “Director! I’m sorry…”
“Director, is the baijiu ready yet? Are we going to replace their beer?” Someone was enjoying the show and couldn’t wait for things to escalate.
The female director laughed. “Set it aside first. Relax.”
The moment the host heard this, he sheepishly got up and dusted off his knees. “Thank goodness for my wit! If not, we’d all have to drink baijiu!”
“You still have the cheek to say that!” Su Manman took the inflatable hammer from the table behind her, chased after the host, and hit him with it. The filming site had become a hilarious mess.
Just like everyone else, Lin Nuan wore a bright red down jacket and black pants. As she stood amongst the group, her skin seemed even more clear and fair, so fair that it reflected light. This was probably because she was born with fair skin… Within this group of people, Lin Nuan looked eye-catching.
Her smile as she watched Su Manman chase after the host on their team was breathtakingly beautiful.
The hosts standing beside the supporting characters whispered amongst themselves. They said they couldn’t handle their liquor and would probably drag the team down…
The female supporting cast member looked like she was about to cry. “What are we going to do? My alcohol tolerance is especially bad. I pa.s.s out after just one pint of beer! I’m scared I’ll drag the team down! What is the punishment? If we lose and I can take the punishment for the team, I’ll do it!”
The hosts immediately comforted her and joked, saying, “It’s okay, it’s okay! Just do your best! It’s the director who’s being too harsh. The strong is oppressing the weak, so we just have to deal with it!”
Everyone laughed again.
The staff carried out two tables laden with pints of beer. Lin Nuan pursed her lips as she looked at them.
Song Cheng sighed. “Su Manman is known for being able to drink. I say the director should just let our team admit defeat. What’s the punishment?”
Su Manman smiled after hearing what Song Cheng said and raised her hand to flip her waist-length chestnut brown hair. She looked like a true queen and was determined to win. “Drinking? Bring it on!”
“Yes, yes, yes! It’s different when you have someone who owns a vineyard!” Song Cheng laughed as he taunted Su Manman.
It was evident that Song Cheng and Su Manman were on extremely good terms with each other.
Su Manman raised an eyebrow and raised a pint of beer. “Come and challenge me if you refuse to admit defeat!”
Cheers could be heard everywhere. The young ladies who had crowded around already couldn’t help but scream that Manman was so cool!
Lin Nuan looked at the table full of beer in front of her. It was all in large pints. She felt slightly intimidated.
She remembered when Bai Xiaonian was betrayed by Lu Jinbei and Cai Jingyao. Bai Xiaonian had bought a lot of beer at the KTV and yelled about wanting to hold a ceremony for her love, which was now flushed down the drain. Lin Nuan knew her alcohol tolerance was worse than Bai Xiaonian’s, much less Song Yao’s, but Bai Xiaonian grabbed onto Lin Nuan and insisted that she had to drink!
Lin Nuan used going to the bathroom as an excuse to buy hangover pills from the pharmacy downstairs and took two of them, but she still pa.s.sed out after going back up and drinking five pints of beer!
Lin Nuan looked at the table of beer in front of her. It was those large individual pints of beer you could buy outside. She licked her lips and inevitably felt scared.
Her eyes subconsciously landed on Mu Taotao, who was standing amongst the crowd and filming on her phone. The young lady waved at Lin Nuan and b.u.mped her fist against her chest so that Lin Nuan would trust her.
Just when everyone was discussing whether or not to admit defeat, the director spoke. “The rule of the game is that both teams have to challenge each other one-on-one! For example, Su Manman from the Red Team and Song Cheng from the Blue Team will start drinking a pint of beer at the same time. The first person to finish their beer wins. If both of them don’t finish their beer, then the person who drinks more beer wins! The winner will earn one point for their team. The first team to get 30 points wins!”
“Director, you’re just stirring up trouble!”
“That adds up to a total of six pints of beer per person! Director, be honest, who do you want to get drunk and get off work early?”
The director chuckled upon hearing the complaints of the guests and the hosts. “Do you know why we brought out beer today?”
After everyone questioned her, the director continued, “It’s because we have a new sponsor today—Guangyuan Beer’s Pure Beer!”
“Director, your advertis.e.m.e.nt is way too explicit!”
The director continued to chuckle. “Drink up! You should all be thankful that our sponsor is a beer company. If it were a baijiu company… all of you would be getting off work early today!”
The leaders of both teams began discussing with one another. Su Manman was still up against Song Cheng. Lin Nuan’s opponent was the member of the Blue Team who was perceived to be the weakest—the female supporting character of “The Exorcist.”
Su Manman patted Lin Nuan. “It’s okay, just take a sip for the sake of it. Don’t be scared if you lose! I’ll definitely take down that d.a.m.ned Song Cheng!”
“G.o.ddess Su, please maintain your image!” Song Cheng said after hearing that.
They all thought Lin Nuan’s opponent was weak. In the cold wind, the moment the whistle was blown, Lin Nuan lifted the first pint and began to drink. Her brows were tightly furrowed as she swallowed with much difficulty. It was excruciating.
Lin Nuan didn’t know how people who liked beer managed to stomach it. She always felt it had the bitter taste of plastic. Every mouthful of beer was difficult for her to stomach, especially in this cold and harsh winter. The sensation of the beer entering her mouth was so irritating that it made her want to throw up.
The sounds of everyone cheering them on could be heard from the sides. Lin Nuan closed her eyes tightly and tried to chug the beer. She prayed that she wouldn’t throw up later, as that would look way too ugly.
The whistle was blown again. Lin Nuan had only finished half of the pint of beer. She turned to look at the table beside her. The female supporting character, who everyone thought was weak, had already placed down her empty gla.s.s. Her hands were placed over her mouth full of beer as she shook her head forcefully. She looked pained and patted her chest to swallow the beer. After a few moments, she cheerfully said, “I’m finished! That was awful!”
Someone handed an opened bottle of water to the female supporting character. The sweet-looking young lady thanked the person and gulped a few mouthfuls of water.
Lin Nuan also put down her gla.s.s. A nauseous feeling rose in her chest, and she retched. Someone pa.s.sed her water, and she shook her head. She had just chugged half of such a large pint of cold beer at one go. How could she stomach anything else?
Su Manman went up against Song Cheng with everything she had, and Song Cheng willingly accepted his defeat. Both of them had finished their beers, but Su Manman was significantly faster than Song Cheng.
In the second round, when Lin Nuan had drunk more than half her pint of beer, the female supporting character of “The Exorcist” was already finished. She received countless praises and words of admiration.
Lin Nuan took the water that was handed to her and rinsed her mouth with it before spitting it out. Her numb tongue could sense that the water tasted odd. She looked in Mu Taotao’s direction and saw her nod her head. Lin Nuan took a small sip of the water. She couldn’t stomach the water at all… her stomach was too bloated!
Although Lin Nuan sucked at battles, Su Manman was extremely ferocious. In the third round, Su Manman had finished two large pints of beer before Song Cheng was even done with his. She asked the director how the points would be allocated, and the director only responded that she had won two points for her team.
In the end, Su Manman and Lin Nuan’s team won by a small margin and narrowly escaped the punishment of being thrown into the water.
Lin Nuan pa.s.sed her bottle of water to Su Manman. “Take a sip!”
Su Manman smiled as she reached out and took the bottle. “If my brother learns that I drank from your bottle of water, will he think that we indirectly kissed and come after me for it?”
Lin Nuan was rendered speechless.
Would it hurt for her to be a little more decent?
The moment Su Manman took a sip of the water, she immediately sensed that something was wrong with it. She narrowed her eyes as she looked at Lin Nuan, raising an eyebrow at her while the water was still in her mouth.
Lin Nuan smiled at Su Manman.
Su Manman already knew what was going on. After drinking so much beer, she felt a little giddy as well—she wasn’t invincible after all. Without another word, she continued to drink the water.
In an outdoor program, one had to run about during the game segments. The side effect of winning a drinking game was looking everywhere for a restroom…
Lin Nuan and Su Manman hadn’t walked very far. They wanted to use the restroom in a convenience store, restaurant, or shopping mall.
Lin Nuan stood at the sink in the restroom while Su Manman was using the toilet. She closely a.n.a.lyzed the clues provided by the production crew for their next location and tried to guess where it was.
You Nainai stood beside Lin Nuan and frowned at the screen of Lin Nuan’s phone as she tried to guess the location as well.
“I heard something happened to Gu Qingcheng in the wee hours of the morning yesterday…”
Lin Nuan raised her head. In the reflection of the mirror, she saw Li Muyang standing behind her while holding on to his cane, and all of her hair stood on end. She immediately turned around and looked at him warily.
You Nainai instinctively reached out her arm to block Lin Nuan and looked at Li Muyang with a piercingly cold gaze.
“This is the ladies’ restroom. Even if Mr. Li can’t read Chinese characters, he should be able to read signs, right?” Lin Nuan’s tone was hostile.