One Pet Gets Married

Chapter 16

"Not excited, don't want to watch, get lost!"

"Actually, I still want to watch, to see what kind of mischief Tang You'an will stir up this time, haha!"

...

Tang You'an rubbed her temples as she read the comments. Comparing others' reputations to her own, she had to admit that her original self was truly unrestrained. To squander such widespread goodwill was probably unprecedented.

Meanwhile, after seeing off Xu Ying and Tang You'an, the show's producer and director chatted as they walked.

"Brother, I still feel uneasy. Isn't having Tang You'an on our show lowering our standards? We've always aimed for a high-end image." the producer frowned.

"What's the point of clinging to that now? As Zixi said, our show has been too stuffy and serious. The audience is bored, hence the gradual decline. Bringing in Tang You'an will attract a huge crowd. If she performs poorly, people will watch and criticize, unable to look away, eager to see her mess up. If she does well, everyone will be stunned and curious about what else she's capable of, right? Didn't we agree on this in our meeting?" The director lit a cigarette in the smoking area, exhaling smoke rings. "Let's give it a shot."

"I suppose..." the producer nodded.

Elsewhere, Song Xici had just finished filming a scene in her mermaid tail. Wrapped in a thick coat and supported by an assistant, she shivered back to her chair, teeth chattering. Another assistant handed her a cup of warm water, which she sipped, finally regaining some composure.

"Sister Xici, look!" Xiao He opened her phone and held it out to Song Xici.

Song Xici took it, stunned to see that Tang You'an would be participating in the Literati show.

How had that girl's luck suddenly improved so much? To even get on this show?

Due to the sudden nature of the opportunity, recording was imminent. Tang You'an had barely watched a few episodes and hadn't prepared much before it was her turn to record.

However, she had grasped the show's format. The host would pose questions, contestants would choose answers, and then judges and guests would analyze the stories behind certain questions and answers.

From the few episodes Tang You'an had seen, she felt she'd figured out the pattern.

Three days after signing the contract, Tang You'an went to record with the production team.

As the show opened, the stage dimmed except for a single spotlight in the center. Tang You'an, wearing a white modified hanfu, sat before a guzheng. She slowly raised her hand and touched the strings.

The moment the first note rang out, a male professor on the judging panel opened his mouth in surprise, then closed it and nodded seriously.

Song Xici, who had just arrived backstage, found herself drawn into a certain mood by the rhythm as she watched Tang You'an calmly playing the guzheng.

Minutes later, as the piece ended, the audience remained in a daze, still immersed in the lingering melody. Only after a moment did they break into applause.

"First, let's welcome our guest for this season, Little Bell Tang You'an. We hear this original composition is called 'A Gift for You.' Is there any special meaning behind it?" The host, Cao Xin, wearing high heels and a white fitted suit, approached and stood beside Tang You'an.

"No special meaning, it's just for Xici." Tang You'an replied.

Backstage, Song Xici smiled and muttered, "Silly."

"Oh my, look at this! Seems like we're in for some public displays of affection!" Cao Xin gestured to the audience.

"It's not about showing off. I just wanted her to know I'm good at playing the guzheng too." Tang You'an countered.

"And that's not showing off?" Cao Xin's eyes widened.

"They say flaunting your relationship leads to an early death. We both want to live long lives, so we don't want to die early." Tang You'an said earnestly.

Cao Xin paused for a few seconds, then laughed. "You're quite funny. If that's not showing off, why didn't you write a piece for me?"

Tang You'an stared at her, seemingly at a loss, as if struggling to respond.

Cao Xin was taken aback again. This person was completely unpredictable.

After a moment's thought, Tang You'an said, "I can teach your partner to compose and play the guzheng, so they can write one for you."

Feeling something was off, Tang You'an tilted her head, still holding the microphone. But the audience burst into laughter.

As for Song Xici, she was backstage laughing so hard her stomach hurt. This girl was really something...

"Alright, alright, it's a deal! By the way, many people online expressed confusion about your participation in the show. Do you have anything to say to them?" the host asked.

Tang You'an froze, staring blankly at a camera before turning to the host: "I'm not who I used to be. I want to speak well and ask them to be more tolerant and not criticize me. Will they stop criticizing?"

Cao Xin hesitated: "That might be a stretch."

Tang You'an let out an "Oh" and turned back: "I'm very fierce, and my sword skills are formidable. Don't bully me, or I'll make you cry."

Cao Xin didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "So when speaking nicely doesn't work, you resort to verbal threats?"

"Might it succeed?" Tang You'an asked.

"I don't know, you're really too funny!" Cao Xin shook her head, laughing. "Alright, please take your seat over there."

As Tang You'an sat down next to the row of professors, they all turned to smile at her, seemingly having a good impression.

After Cao Xin's lengthy introduction, she welcomed today's contestants.

Then, Cao Xin stood to the side and addressed the contestants: "First question: Which of the following poetry lines refers to friendship? A) 'Here we part hands, looking at each other in silent pity.' B) 'Left home young, returned old; accent unchanged, but hair grayed.' C) 'Thinking of you daily but not seeing you, drinking from the same Yangtze River.' D) 'On the ancient path with no travelers, only you are seen on the cold mountain.'"

After a while, the contestants pressed their selection buttons.

Three groups answered correctly, while two mistakenly chose A.

Professor He Chengxue then stepped forward to discuss the backstory of option D's author, Liu Changqing.

After listening to He Chengxue, Tang You'an nodded: "Indeed. And regarding option A, it was written by poet Lu Zhaolin when his brother departed from the prosperous Chang'an to embark on the treacherous Shu Road."

At this point, host Cao Xin was stunned again. The production team had told her to treat Tang You'an as eye candy, assuming she lacked knowledge. But she didn't seem ignorant at all.

The episode took ten full hours to record, from early morning to late night.

Tang You'an performed exceptionally well throughout, leaving everyone amazed, as if they'd encountered a different Tang You'an.

After recording finished, Tang You'an returned backstage and began searching for Song Xici.

After looking around, she spotted Song Xici sitting in a corner with a makeup artist. Song Xici fed the makeup artist something, and they chatted happily about something unknown. Finally, the makeup artist put a hand on Song Xici's shoulder and whispered something in her ear, causing both to burst into laughter.

"Ah, ah, ah, Miss Song, you're so beautiful in person! Can I, can I take a photo with you?!" Just then, a young woman backstage squealed, jumping in front of Song Xici with a flushed face.

"Sure." Song Xici glanced at her work badge and read her name. "Li Xiaochen, right? Come, stand next to me!"

"Yes, yes!" The young woman nodded frantically and stood beside Song Xici, unlocking her phone and opening the beauty camera app. She held it high, "One, two, three!"

Since the young woman was quite short, probably around 150cm, Song Xici crouched down to accommodate her.

With a click, the photo was taken. But the young woman wasn't satisfied and pouted, her eyes sparkling: "Miss Song, can I have a hug?"

Tang You'an glanced at them but said nothing, only removing her headband and tossing it onto the makeup table.

"Of course!" Song Xici smiled warmly and opened her arms.

The young woman immediately threw herself into Song Xici's embrace, hugging her tightly.

After the hug, another staff member approached Song Xici with a bowl of oden, her face flushed. "Miss Song, could I get your autograph?"

"Certainly." Song Xici continued smiling and nodding.

"Thank you! Could you sign on my back and draw a big heart? Is that okay?!" The staff member's eyes lit up.

"Sure thing!" Song Xici uncapped a marker and signed.

Tang You'an felt that Song Xici seemed more relaxed and happy with anyone else than when they were together.

Finally, after all the fuss, Song Xici noticed Tang You'an standing to the side.

"Oh, you're done? Quick, go change your clothes, then we'll head home!" Song Xici ran up to her.

Tang You'an nodded, turning slightly, but then turned back and held out both hands.

Song Xici paused, then gave her an enthusiastic high five. "Alright, go on now."

Tang You'an said nothing, just nodded and went to change.

Leaving the studio, Tang You'an and Song Xici sat in the car one behind the other, both seeming rather gloomy.

"Hey, Miss Tang, what's wrong with you? You look terrible." Song Xici turned and poked her after they got home and turned on the lights.

Tang You'an shook her head, then after a moment turned to look at her. "I just wanted to ask, in Xici's eyes, what exactly am I? Does Xici not like me?"