Chapter 31 Stardust: Shout? Shout Again?

The director hadn’t expected them to get along so well. Indeed, no matter how awkward or unfamiliar the situation, having one extrovert was enough to break the ice.

He was adjusting the subwoofer’s mic, about to cue the next segment: “Up next…”

Suddenly, someone pressed down on his hand.

The director turned his head. “What are you doing, Gong?”

The assistant director’s lips twitched; his tone was cool and clipped. “Did you forget something?”

“Oh, right, right, there’s still someone in the cage.” The director slapped his forehead, almost forgetting about the overlooked Fang Siqian, and pressed the voice changer again. “Next, would our contestants please rescue your companion.”

“There’s someone left?” Sheng Que asked in confusion, counting heads. “Aren’t five people just right for a team?”

Fang Siqian, who had just been released by a staff member, said nothing.

His face was thunderous.

So, should he just leave?

Backstage, the director froze. “Who let him out?”

He hadn’t given the order.

“I—I did,” a female staff member admitted sheepishly, raising her hand. “It’s just that Mr. Fang called me ‘pretty lady’…”

The director bopped her lightly on the head with the voice changer.

“You just want to be flattered, don’t you?”

Then he realized he’d accidentally yanked off the mic cable for station 02.

But there’s no need to panic when problems arise; the assistant director handed him another voice changer, his demeanor cold yet subtly resigned. “Carry on.”

...

Fang Siqian’s expression shifted instantly.

In a heartbeat, he walked up to the group with an apologetic, gentle smile, his voice warm and helpless. “Sorry, I’m late.”

“He didn’t blame his little sister for not saving him. Love it!”

“Sunshine boy of the entertainment scene, what a gem!”

“…And he can say that with a straight face. Shameless.”

“???”

Cen Susu had always been straightforward and admired strength. She even looked at Fang Siqian with a hint of appreciation.

“See? He made it out, didn’t he?” She smiled, two shallow dimples appearing in her cheeks.

But her words made Fang Siqian a little awkward.

He knew, of course, that he couldn’t accept that statement—this was a live broadcast. If viewers switched screens and caught on, his carefully crafted persona would shatter.

He always cherished his public image most.

So, he could only push Cen Susu into the spotlight.

“Actually,” Fang Siqian adjusted his glasses, his tone apologetic, “I was freed by a staff member. The key was too far for me to reach, maybe they just couldn’t bear to watch any longer… It’s fine, let’s work together more smoothly next time.”

Cen Susu said nothing for a moment. She simply shrugged. “Alright.”

Then she went to stand beside Shen Jixing.

“What is her problem?”

“She’s the only one who ignored her teammate and acts like she doesn’t care. Only our boy is kind enough to tolerate her.”

“To be fair, Cen Susu was pretty out of line…”

“She’s just a simple girl. She cleared her own stage, probably didn’t understand the rules. Fang’s fans, be kind.”

“Why should we be kind about her mistakes?”

Fang Siqian seemed to anticipate the barrage of comments—the light behind his glasses flickered.

“How far was it?”

The sudden, cool voice startled him.

Fang Siqian met Shen Jixing’s dark eyes—clear and cold as a block of ice, seeing through all pretenses.

He smiled, feigning ignorance. “What?”

Hearing this, Zhou Yili glanced over. “Deaf? He asked where you found the key.”

…

The comments were equally puzzled.

Some curious viewers had already switched screens, pulling up the camera feed from Room Two. They saw a staff member retrieve the key from beneath the cage.

Cage, underneath?

“That’s pretty far.”

“The farthest distance isn’t sitting face to face with nothing to say, but you sitting on the key and not realizing it.”

“Yup, I’ve got nothing to say.”

“Maybe, from Susu’s angle, she could see the key and was sure Fang Siqian could get it himself, so she just left?”

“Elementary, my dear Watson, you’ve found the blind spot.”

“So she’s still in the wrong! How hard would it have been to hand my boy the key?”

“Stay out of pretty girls’ business.”

“The girl didn’t expose the distance, why are you all still going on? Enough already, okay?”

“…”

A fan’s comment seemed to wake everyone up.

The chat fell silent.

“Forgotten?” Zhou Yili, seeing Fang Siqian’s long pause, took a few strides forward. “It’s not far. Let’s go check.”

No need.

The truth was already known, live and on air.

Fang Siqian called after them, his tone tinged with self-mockery. “It was under the cage.”

The group fell silent.

Realizing something, Fang Siqian continued, forcing a helpless smile. “I honestly didn’t see it. I checked all the corners of the room but never guessed it was under the cage. Perhaps, for me, that really was the farthest distance. Haha.”

“…”

“I’ve got secondhand embarrassment.”

“I can’t bear to watch this part, it’s so cringey.”

“Hurry up, next round, please.”

The director took the hint.

“Congratulations to all contestants for passing the first stage. The second round is also in pairs—please choose your own partner.”

Everyone paused.

Not because of the content, but because of the voice.

Who was this sweet, girlish voice?

“Who are you, pretty lady?” Sheng Que’s eyes lit up, and he winked at the camera. “Want to grab dinner after recording? There’s a place with amazing king crab. I can shell it for you myself…”

Zhou Yili almost wanted to kick him.

Why did his uncle have to unleash this chaos?

But what he said out loud was, “Which place?”

He noticed Shen Jixing swallow.

Sheng Que: …

Is king crab part of your game too?

“Hey! How dare you challenge the system!” the girlish voice suddenly bellowed in a rough tone. “I’m the director! And I’m straight!”

Shen Jixing raised his eyes slowly. “?”

Director You is straight???

Star confused (°ο°)

“What?” Zhou Yili, always observant, asked lazily, “Are you straight, too?”

Shen Jixing met his languid gaze.

“No.”

He answered plainly, then looked away.

Zhou Yili stood frozen for several seconds before slowly turning to gaze into the distance, the corners of his lips curling up in an idle, contented arc.

Well, how interesting.

“Station 02 is recovering due to illness or injury. I’ll be taking over for now. You can call me: Zhen Ling’er.”

Got it—so that guy’s name is Jia 02.

Trust the director’s team to keep things lively.

Next came the team re-selection.

Given the unpleasantness of the first round, Fang Siqian decided to abandon Cen Susu and promptly walked up to Shen Jixing.

He put on a flawless, gentle smile, like a spring breeze.

“Emperor Shen, I’m a big fan of yours. May I team up with you?”

—

Just one quiet “not straight” from Star, and little Zhou is already hooked like a fish.