Chapter 28: Even Dividing the Rooms Is So Difficult
The variety show's production team really knows how to pick their guests. Li Wanbai and Yu Baichuan were a couple who always sparked conversation, while Quan Hao and Yu Baichuan made an equally combustible pairing. Li Wanbai found the situation a bit odd.
Yu Baichuan seemed to pay little attention to Quan Hao. Yet Quan Hao acted as if the idea that he and Yu Baichuan were rivals was etched into his very core, constantly seeking ways to provoke Yu Baichuan. His words, too, were laced with malice. Yu Baichuan was in a bind—responding would seem callous, as if he cared nothing for his fans’ affections, while ignoring them would make him appear dishonest, inviting even more criticism. Either choice risked stirring up a storm of public opinion.
Li Wanbai hurriedly stepped in, smiling, and said, “A husband and wife are one—why should we shy away from each other? Mr. Quan, you don’t understand—when you truly like someone, you can’t help wanting to be close. When you find a girlfriend, you’ll understand us.”
Quan Hao shot her a glare. Li Wanbai paused, hesitating, then asked suspiciously, “Don’t tell me you actually like men, Mr. Quan…”
“Shut up! What nonsense are you talking about?” Quan Hao snapped, turning on his heel and walking away.
Li Wanbai quietly breathed a sigh of relief—her quick tongue had just diffused another PR crisis. She threw Yu Baichuan a triumphant smile, as if to say, See? I’ve got your back yet again.
There were things Yu Baichuan couldn’t answer himself—those were moments when Li Wanbai had to step in. She never minded shouldering the brunt of public scrutiny and criticism herself; she was already used to being at the center of controversy. But Yu Baichuan was different. He shone in his own peaceful corner—there was no need for him to be drawn into the storm.
As the saying goes, every family needs just one person to bear the pressure.
Yu Baichuan glanced at the smile on Li Wanbai’s face, his gaze drifting before he suddenly looked ahead and said, “There are three rooms on the first floor—there must be three on the second floor too.”
At his words, the group went to check upstairs, and it was indeed so.
Everyone on this show was a big name, with their own following and plenty of buzz. Most variety shows would deliberately assign unequal rooms to stir up drama and attract viewers, but this team hadn’t done that—the six rooms were all nearly identical.
They dared not do otherwise.
Li Wanbai could leave the entertainment industry if she wanted, but the others could not afford such risks.
If they actually assigned the rooms by status, there’d be an online uproar before the show even aired.
All six rooms were similar in size: a bed, a desk, and a private bathroom. The only difference was the color scheme—some were ocean blue, others pastoral yellow, or dreamy lavender…
The production team had clearly put thought into the decor. The first-floor rooms were blue, purple, and red; the second-floor rooms were pink, yellow, and black.
“Mr. Yu, you probably like blue, right?” Ye Xiruo smiled, trying to make conversation. “What a coincidence, I like purple.”
“What’s so coincidental about favorite colors? You really do have a strange way of thinking,” Quan Hao sneered.
Li Wanbai ignored the commotion, tugged Yu Baichuan’s sleeve, and grinned as she pointed to a room upstairs. “A real man should take that room, don’t you think, Mr. Yu?”
The room she indicated was decorated in a pink, princess-like style.
As soon as she spoke, a strange silence fell over the second floor.
Yu Baichuan glanced at her, helpless. “Do you really think I should take that room?”
“Of course,” Li Wanbai nodded enthusiastically.
Yu Baichuan gave a cryptic smile, then bent down and whispered in her ear, “Why should I listen to you? Back when you were my wife, I might have. But what are you to me now?”
His tone held a trace of bitterness, as if mocking both himself and Li Wanbai.
Li Wanbai took a step back, baffled. “What are you talking about? I’m just giving a friend some advice—is that not allowed? You’ve always had such an overactive imagination, making yourself melancholy for no reason. Didn’t you used to like pink?”
Yu Baichuan was caught off guard. “When did I ever say that?”
“Oh?” Li Wanbai’s eyes sparkled with a teasing grin. “Don’t make me bring up those little stories from high school.”
Without another word, Yu Baichuan turned to the others. “I’ll take the pink room upstairs.”
A wise man knows when to yield—protecting his embarrassing past was more important.
Li Wanbai gave a little snort. Back in high school, Yu Baichuan had gone through a phase of collecting pink stationery. Too embarrassed to use it himself, he’d piled it all on her desk. She hadn’t minded—after all, the stationery was beautiful. Now he wanted to pretend he’d never liked pink.
[What’s this about Yu Baichuan’s “little stories” from high school? Is there something I, a premium member, don’t know about?]
[Sis, you’re amazing! I swear I never said a bad word about you—could you please tell me in private what Baichuan was really like in high school?]
[Am I the only one who noticed they’ve known each other since way back?]
[Childhood sweethearts! I’m shipping this!]
[Childhood sweethearts! I’m shipping this!]
[Why call them childhood sweethearts? Just because you learned a phrase doesn’t mean you have to use it! At most, this proves they talked about high school—not that they knew each other then. And even if they did, childhood sweethearts means growing up together from childhood, doesn’t it? Li Wanbai hardly qualifies.]
[Li Wanbai hardly qualifies.]
[Li Wanbai hardly qualifies.]
[…]
“I’ll take the black room,” Quan Hao said offhandedly, his tone brooking no argument.
No one wanted to publicly oppose him over a room, so his choice was accepted without question.
“I’m getting on in years—going up and down stairs isn’t so easy, so I’ll stay on the first floor,” the elder surnamed Wang said with a kindly smile.
Ma Xu glanced unobtrusively at Ye Xiruo and said, “Then I’ll stay on the first floor with Mr. Wang.”
He’d figured it out—the bigger stars were all tough customers. The elder, at least, was gracious and unlikely to embarrass him on camera.
Sure enough, Mr. Wang looked touched and patted him on the shoulder. “Thank you! When I was on Wudang Mountain, an old Taoist told me I was surrounded by auspicious red light, and that I’d soon meet a cherished younger friend. Young man, you’ve finally arrived!”
Ma Xu cheerfully agreed.
“So that settles it, doesn’t it? Ye Xiruo takes the purple room on the first floor, and I’ll take the yellow room upstairs…” Li Wanbai began, but Ye Xiruo hurriedly cut her off. “Wait a minute!”