Huo Yan, sitting in the front seat, couldn’t help but slightly nod, trying hard to suppress the smile at the corners of his mouth.

Who could disagree?

At first, he thought Qin Yao had suddenly replaced Yu Bai because he had caught wind of some rumors.

But now it seemed that Qin Yao was just plain unlucky!

He avoided one pitfall but fell into another.

Huo Yan took out his phone, opened the family gossip group, and briefly recounted the gossip about Yu Bai that Ye Leyao had mentioned earlier.

Papa Huo, Mama Huo, and the others were in the staff car not far away. They could hear Ye Leyao’s thoughts from this distance, but since they hadn’t been present earlier, they really didn’t know what kind of gossip Yu Bai had.

After reading Huo Yan’s message, everyone was shocked.

Huo Jing frowned, “If this were one of our company’s artists, they would have been blacklisted by now.”

Huo Ze shook his head in amazement, “I’m just saying, isn’t President Qin’s luck a bit too…”

Unfortunate.

Papa Huo nodded, who could argue with that?

Every episode he invites one or two guests with some scandal or history. Who could beat Qin Yao’s luck?

However, on the other hand…

As an audience, as gossip lovers, they quite enjoyed it!

They especially loved watching these scandalous artists get exposed on the spot.

It was entertaining, they loved it!

But Mama Huo stared at the live broadcast interface for a while and, thinking about what Ye Leyao had just said, suddenly asked, “Hey, do you think there’s a possibility that this is all on purpose by Xiao Qin?”

The other three all turned their heads in unison.

On purpose?

Qin Yao deliberately invited the scandal-ridden Yu Bai, could it be that he—

On the bus.

Qin Yao’s lips slightly curved after hearing Ye Leyao’s words.

Ye Leyao wasn’t wrong, he did it on purpose.

During the first episode’s recording, Qin Yao still had some doubts.

But after the second episode’s recording ended, and the director sent Qin Yao a summary of the live broadcast data from both episodes, Qin Yao completely let it go.

The data!

It was better than all the variety shows they had painstakingly planned before!

Instead of nervously treading on thin ice every time they invited a guest, it was better to just give up.

As long as an artist met their program’s requirements, whether they had a scandal or not, if the artist dared to accept the invitation, they would be invited.

If the invited artist had no scandals, that would be great.

If they happened to have a scandal, they could just rename the show to “Let’s All Gossip Together.”

After all, the audience and netizens loved watching it, it could even help the entertainment industry carefully select quality artists. Plus, Qin Yao could enjoy the gossip firsthand.

And more importantly—

Weren’t the people backing Yu Bai coming to demand an explanation?

With everything coming together so perfectly, why wouldn’t Qin Yao do it?

After introducing himself, Yu Bai smiled faintly and greeted the regular guests present one by one.

After greeting them, his eyes swept across the bus before he walked towards Ye Leyao and sat down beside him.

Not only did Ye Leyao pause for a moment, but even Huo Yan in the front seat and Qin Yao in the first row turned their heads to look in this direction.

Sitting behind Ye Leyao, Song Zhehan also raised his eyebrows slightly.

Just now, when Yu Bai got on the bus, Ye Leyao’s shocked expression was hardly hidden. Song Zhehan didn’t think Yu Bai sat next to Ye Leyao to make friends with him.

Song Zhehan wasn’t the only one thinking this, as the gossiping netizens in the live broadcast chat were too:

—”Yu Bai actually went to sit with the Melon King?”

—”If I remember correctly, Ye Leyao seemed pretty shocked when Yu Bai got on the bus. Could they have known each other before?”

—”Know each other? I think Ye Leyao knows Yu Bai’s gossip!”

—”No way! That’s exactly what I think too! Ye Leyao’s expression just now wasn’t just shock! It had that familiar gossiping expression!”

As soon as this comment appeared, it received a ton of likes.

This made the other gossip-loving netizens even more excited:

So, what would Yu Bai do next?!

What surprises would Ye Leyao bring them?

At this moment, whether in front of the screen or on the bus, almost everyone’s attention was focused on Ye Leyao and Yu Bai.

Ye Leyao glanced at Yu Bai next to him, his eyes full of confusion and puzzlement:

[Why did Yu Bai sit next to me?]

Just then, Yu Bai suddenly turned his head and happened to meet Ye Leyao’s gaze.

He smiled slightly and suddenly said in a very friendly tone, “Speaking of which, I’ve been wanting to meet you, Ye Leyao.”

Ye Leyao blinked, “Really.”

Yu Bai nodded, “Yes, after watching your previous two episodes, I found you quite interesting.”

“Thank you.” Ye Leyao responded politely.

Yu Bai smiled, his expression flawless, looking very easygoing.

But Ye Leyao became more cautious.

Others might not know, but Ye Leyao, who had read the original novel, knew all too well.

[Yu Bai is a classic smiling tiger! Don’t be fooled by his kind smile, he’s full of bad intentions. I have to be careful.]

Hearing this, Huo Yan in the front seat tilted his head slightly again.

Qin Yao, sitting in the very front, furrowed his brow, suddenly feeling a bit regretful.

He couldn’t be sure of Ye Leyao’s thoughts about him right now, and he shouldn’t have reacted so strongly.

Just now, when he got on the bus, Ye Leyao had even greeted him, so why didn’t he go over and sit with Ye Leyao?

If he had just sat with Ye Leyao earlier, this whole situation wouldn’t have happened.

Qin Yao was annoyed with himself, but it didn’t show on his face. However, he couldn’t resist glancing back at Ye Leyao again.

At that moment, Yu Bai turned his head with a smile and spoke to Ye Leyao, “By the way, when I got on the bus earlier, I noticed that you seemed very surprised. Do you know me?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Huo Yan in the front seat closed his eyes.

Seriously, Ye Leyao, if you’re going to gossip, at least practice some facial control! 

Even I know how to control my expression a bit. We’re right in front of the person involved, could you at least pay a little attention?

Huo Yan suddenly felt a headache coming on. He had a feeling that Yu Bai might use this to make things difficult for Ye Leyao.

Even Qin Yao, in the front row, couldn’t help but glance at Ye Leyao, worried.

Ye Leyao also realized that his expression might have given him away.

But outwardly, Ye Leyao remained calm and said, “No, this is the first time we’ve met.”

Yu Bai raised his eyebrows, feigning surprise: “Is that so? Then if this is our first meeting, why were you so surprised to see me? Could it be that you have some opinion about me? Do you not welcome me on this show?”

Yu Bai’s questions were very direct and sharp.

Ye Leyao’s eyes widened instantly.

[Did I offend Yu Bai in some way?]

The atmosphere in the bus grew tense for a moment.

The viewers in the live chat were even more surprised:

—”I’ve never heard of any conflict between Yu Bai and Ye Leyao before.”

—”Could it be that Yu Bai got angry just because of a look from Ye Leyao?”

—”To be fair, Ye Leyao’s expression just now was a bit odd. Given that this is their first meeting, it’s understandable that Yu Bai might misunderstand.”

Yu Bai’s fans quickly jumped in to explain on his behalf:

—“It’s just a misunderstanding; it’ll get resolved.”

—”Exactly, our Yu Bai may speak directly, but he’s really easygoing in person.”

The gossip-loving viewers couldn’t help but laugh at these comments:

—“You fans don’t need to rush to explain.”

—”Right, and I honestly don’t think our Melon King has anything against Yu Bai.”

—”+1, I feel like there’s a very high probability that Ye Leyao has just heard some juicy gossip about Yu Bai!”

—”??? Seriously? Has Ye Leyao been gossiping behind our backs again?”

As soon as the idea of gossip emerged, the direction of the comments instantly shifted.

The viewers and fans began to criticize, saying that if there was gossip, everyone should share it. What kind of friend was Ye Leyao to keep it all to himself?

Yu Bai’s fans were visibly unsettled by this.

—”What do you mean by gossip about Yu Bai? I’ve never heard of any scandals involving our guy.”

—”Stop spreading rumors!”

But the gossip-loving viewers didn’t care about the fans’ concerns. They had watched two episodes of the show already, and they knew Ye Leyao’s ways.

Just one look from Ye Leyao, and they were sure that this matter was anything but simple.

Now, they just wanted to know what gossip Ye Leyao had been keeping from them. Some even got impatient, demanding that Ye Leyao spill all the tea he knew.

Yu Bai’s fans were completely ignored.

Back on the bus.

Huo Yan was equally puzzled.

Ye Leyao was just a newcomer to the industry, how could he have any enmity with Yu Bai?

Or was Yu Bai really such a petty person that he would make things difficult for Ye Leyao just because of a single glance?

But no matter what, Huo Yan wasn’t about to let anyone bully Ye Leyao, so he stood up, ready to speak, when he heard Ye Leyao’s inner voice—

[Yu Bai did get one thing right: I really don’t welcome him on our show.]

Ye Leyao looked at Yu Bai and calmly said, “This really is the first time we’ve met.”

There was no way Yu Bai would believe that.

If it really were the first time they met, then how could anyone explain why, after just one meeting between Ye Leyao and Qin Yao, his role was suddenly gone?

Thinking of this made Yu Bai furious.

They thought they had hidden it well, but on the day of the opening ceremony, someone had seen it with their own eyes: Qin Yao and Ye Leyao had a chat at the entrance of the set, and afterward, Qin Yao’s face looked particularly displeased.

In just a few days, Yu Bai’s role was gone.

It would be a stretch to say that Ye Leyao was behind it; there was no evidence.

But after that, with Ye Leyao’s investment in the production and his meeting with Yang Yuan, how could that not be evidence?

If it weren’t for Ye Leyao, would his role have just disappeared like that?

Yu Bai was seething inside, but he only spoke in a slightly colder tone, “Is it really appropriate to stare at me so boldly on our first meeting? Or is there some reason you can’t say—”

Ye Leyao looked at Yu Bai with a seemingly helpless expression and asked, “Do you really want to know the reason?”

Yu Bai’s expression changed slightly, and he stared directly at Ye Leyao, “I want to know.”

He wanted to see what tricks Ye Leyao could possibly pull!

Then everyone heard Ye Leyao sigh helplessly, his tone full of resignation: “Alright, since you insist, I’ll admit it. I really did see you on the trending searches. Does that satisfy you?”

Yu Bai was stunned.

What?

Ye Leyao continued, “Don’t you remember? It was that trending topic when you were removed from the role in Sick Beauty. I recall that it was even the number one trending search at the time.”

As soon as Ye Leyao finished speaking, the entire bus fell silent.

After a couple of seconds, Song Zhehan couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter.

When he started laughing, Li Siyuan in the backseat joined in, and even added mischievously, “To be honest, I think the first time I saw Yu Bai was because of that trending topic too.”

Song Zhehan laughed even louder, “After all, Yu Bai isn’t that famous. Before this, apart from buying trending spots, he probably hadn’t appeared on many natural trending searches, right?”

At this point, Ye Leyao couldn’t hold back either and quickly covered his mouth to suppress his smile.

[Teacher Gou Shi!!! Li Siyuan!!! You two are just too ruthless!]

Huo Yan couldn’t contain himself any longer. He turned around, sat down, and started laughing uncontrollably.

If we’re talking about ruthlessness, Ye Leyao was certainly no slouch either!

As he laughed, Ye Leyao couldn’t help but glance at Yu Bai beside him.

Being so close, he didn’t miss any of the expressions on Yu Bai’s face.

He clearly saw Yu Bai’s face go from pale to red, then from red to white, and finally turn ashen.

Ye Leyao couldn’t hold it in any longer and quickly turned to look out the window.

[Hahaha—this really isn’t my fault!]

[You’re the one who insisted on asking, Yu Bai. Now look what’s happened—you’ve dug your own grave!]

Qin Yao also turned around, but this time, he couldn’t suppress the smile on his face.

The atmosphere on the bus became relaxed and cheerful, except for Yu Bai, whose face was still ashen.

Meanwhile, the viewers in the live chat were laughing even harder:

—”So it was that incident! Now I remember, hahahahaha—”

—”So Yu Bai brought this upon himself.”

—”If you’d said it was about that earlier, I wouldn’t have blamed Ye Leyao. I’ve already heard that gossip!”

—”Waaaaah, Teacher Gou Shi is still so sharp! Amazing!”

—”Li Siyuan is so savage!”

—”Everyone’s on point!”

—”Please, lend me your wit too! I want to learn from you guys!”

Unlike the guests on the bus, the viewers in the live chat could laugh as much as they wanted.

For a long time, the chat was filled with “hahahaha,” and you couldn’t find a single comment defending Yu Bai.

Well, after all, Yu Bai, you brought this upon yourself.

Ye Leyao was just being honest!

But the laughter didn’t last long, as the next guest soon appeared.

Hearing the director’s reminder, Ye Leyao suddenly asked, “Teacher Gou Shi, who did you invite?”

Song Zhehan grinned widely, his eyes narrowing with amusement, “Why don’t you take a guess?”

Huo Yan turned his head, “Wen Huai?”

Zhou Zijian’s face immediately fell, and he froze on the spot, “No way?”

Was Song Zhehan serious?

Wen Xiangyue was also surprised, “No way?”

Ye Leyao looked at Song Zhehan’s meaningful expression for a moment.

[Judging by Song Zhehan’s expression, it probably isn’t Wen Huai, but this person might be just as interesting.]

Song Zhehan was about to keep them in suspense, and the atmosphere on the bus grew tense again.

But this time, the only ones feeling nervous were Zhou Zijian and Wen Xiangyue.

Ye Leyao turned his head, and Yu Bai was still sitting next to him.

[Yu Bai really has a lot of patience, huh? He’s still sitting next to me even after getting so angry, tsk tsk tsk.]

Ye Leyao glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and saw that Yu Bai was still sulking. He couldn’t help but laugh again:

[Still angry, huh? Hahahahahahaha—]

[Now you know how powerful our show’s guests can be!]

The new guest was already making their way onto the bus. Ye Leyao took a deep breath, forced his smile down, and then looked up.

The moment he saw the new guest’s face, Ye Leyao was shocked again.

The guest introduced himself, “Hello, everyone, I’m Zhang Qiran.”

[Isn’t this Song Zhehan’s rival!]

Upon hearing this, Huo Yan and the Huo family members were all taken aback.

Song Zhehan invited his rival to join the show?

Would Song Zhehan really be so kind?

It wasn’t that Huo Yan and the Huo family were suspicious, but they truly knew Song Zhehan well.

Song Zhehan had a sharp tongue and held grudges, and Let’s Go Traveling Together was a hugely popular variety show recently. How could he possibly give such a great opportunity to his rival?

Unless—

Song Zhehan was secretly planning something bad!

Ye Leyao’s thoughts were in complete agreement with the family’s, and he knew even more details.

[Zhang Qiran and Song Zhehan debuted around the same time, and because their appearances and public personas were quite similar, marketing accounts had been constantly comparing the two since their debut.]

[Not only the marketing accounts, but their respective teams often released press releases to undermine each other. Zhang Qiran even snatched two roles from Song Zhehan. How could Song Zhehan be so kind as to give Zhang Qiran this opportunity?]

[And—if I remember correctly, Zhang Qiran eventually had a downfall too…]

Ye Leyao couldn’t help but glance at Yu Bai again.

If Yu Bai wasn’t still sitting next to him, he really wouldn’t be able to resist checking his notes!

The whole family and Huo Yan became a bit anxious after hearing this.

So why was Yu Bai so clueless as to stay seated here?

You were just mocked, and you’re not even going to switch seats?!

Yu Bai clearly had no intention of leaving; not only did he stay, but he even shifted to a more comfortable position to continue sulking.

The few regular guests had already filmed two episodes together, so they knew each other well.

That’s why when Li Siyuan and Liu Yan heard Zhang Qiran’s name, they were both a bit surprised.

Zhou Zijian and Wen Xiangyue, on the other hand, both let out a sigh of relief.

Zhou Zijian couldn’t help but say, “Xiao Song, thank you!”

Song Zhehan burst into laughter, “There’s no need to really thank me, because before inviting Zhang Qiran, I also invited Wen Huai, but he turned me down.”

Zhou Zijian: “…”

Wen Xiangyue: “…”

Ye Leyao laughed, “Hahaha—”

[I can’t take it anymore. I’ve realized that ever since Teacher Gou Shi started being himself, he cares less and less about others’ feelings.]

The viewers in the live chat were also thoroughly entertained:

—“Hahaha, he really did invite Wen Huai!”

—“I knew it, there’s no way Teacher Gou Shi would pass up such a great opportunity.”

—“But Wen Huai, what’s wrong with you? You’ve been invited twice, and you still won’t come!”

—“But this guest is very interesting too, hehe.”

—“Who could disagree? One guest came and immediately got into a spat with the Melon King and got owned, and another one is our Teacher Gou Shi’s arch-enemy!”

—“Hiss—don’t say that. Every time a guest appears, it really becomes a signature moment of our show!”

—“I’m starting to look forward to this!”

At this moment, Li Siyuan finally withdrew his gaze from Zhang Qiran and looked curiously and nosily at Song Zhehan, “So, why did you invite Zhang Qiran? If I remember correctly, he’s your rival, right?”

Ye Leyao turned his head in shock to look at Li Siyuan:

[Well, well, well, you’re getting more and more straightforward now!]

[You’re just asking questions directly in front of the person concerned, not caring at all if they feel awkward, huh?]

[Zhang Qiran, Teacher Gou Shi definitely won’t feel awkward, so are you feeling awkward?]

At this moment, all eyes were indeed on Zhang Qiran.

Zhang Qiran, standing there at that moment, truly felt awkward!

Normally, after introducing himself, wasn’t everyone supposed to applaud and welcome him?

Why did Li Siyuan suddenly start asking if he and Song Zhehan were rivals?

Is this really the kind of question you should ask in such a situation?

The warm smile on Zhang Qiran’s face almost faltered. He suddenly felt a pang of regret.

Why did he have to accept Song Zhehan’s invitation when he knew Song Zhehan had ulterior motives…

Zhang Qiran used all his strength to suppress his inner emotions and, before Song Zhehan could speak, forced a smile and said, “Where did you hear such rumors? Between Zhehan and me…”

“Hold it,” Song Zhehan interrupted Zhang Qiran unceremoniously, with a look of disbelief, “I wasn’t even planning to deny it, and now you’re trying to?”

Song Zhehan’s tone was laced with amusement, his fox-like eyes slightly narrowed, “Do you dare to swear on your future career that your team never released a single negative press release about me? Or that you never snatched one of my endorsements? Never hijacked one of my roles?”

As these three questions were thrown out, the bus quickly fell into silence again.

Ye Leyao saw it clearly—Zhang Qiran’s forehead was immediately covered in a fine layer of sweat, and he couldn’t help but burst out laughing:

[Hahaha, it’s obvious—Zhang Qiran is really sweating buckets right now!]

[Teacher Gou Shi’s three consecutive questions—truly thought-provoking!]

Ye Leyao laughed happily, but the viewers in the live chat were even more delighted:

—“Hahaha, I can’t take it anymore, I’m dying of laughter…”

—“Ahhhhh, help—”

—“Teacher Gou Shi! It’s one thing to ask such a direct question, but to ask three in a row? Are you not afraid of the consequences?”

—“I swear, help… I need to temporarily unfollow Song Zhehan for a second and become a solo fan of Teacher Gou Shi! Gou Shi, go wild—if anything happens, you can deal with it yourself!”

—“Alright, alright, you fans who run away at the first sign of trouble, aren’t you afraid Teacher Gou Shi will scold you too afterward?”

In response, Song Zhehan’s fans replied:

“Huh? What are you talking about? I’m already a fan of Teacher Gou Shi, do you think I’m scared of being scolded?”

Soon, another netizen replied:

—“Exactly, once you’re a fan of Teacher Gou Shi, you’re probably just hoping he scolds you thoroughly.”

The mischievous netizens immediately laughed even harder, not caring at all about Zhang Qiran’s fans or Zhang Qiran’s predicament. They flooded the chat, demanding that Zhang Qiran answer the questions directly—no avoiding, no silence!

Be a man and face the questions head-on!

At that moment, Zhang Qiran wasn’t just sweating profusely—he was drenched! He wished he could just turn around and leave right then.

So, why did he insist on coming on this show out of sheer pride?

Zhang Qiran was breathing heavily, and his smile was fading fast.

And yet, Song Zhehan wasn’t about to let him off the hook.

Song Zhehan slowly stood up and began to walk toward Zhang Qiran at a leisurely pace.

Startled by the sudden movement, Zhang Qiran instinctively took a step back: “W-what do you want…”

Song Zhehan chuckled, smiling at him: “Don’t be nervous, I just want to invite you to sit down. Our show treats its guests well.”

Zhang Qiran: “…”

He couldn’t even muster a smile.

Ye Leyao laughed so hard his shoulders were shaking: “Stop scaring him!”

Song Zhehan tilted his head to look at Qin Yao in the front row: “Am I scary?”

Qin Yao covered his mouth slightly: “Not at all.”

Song Zhehan then asked Zhang Qiran, “Are you afraid of me?”

Zhang Qiran gritted his teeth and forced out a smile: “Of course not… We even filmed a show together when we first debuted.”

Ye Leyao truly couldn’t hold back his laughter.

[Hahaha, Zhang Qiran, you really know how to bring up the wrong thing at the wrong time!]

Huo Yan was puzzled.

Why?

The next moment, Song Zhehan clarified: “Oh, you mean the show where you intentionally poured ice water all over me?”

Ye Leyao cackled.

[Teacher Gou Shi’s number one virtue: holding grudges!]

Zhang Qiran’s forehead instantly beaded with even more sweat. He instinctively tried to explain: “That time it was the production team…”

“Ah, forget it,” Song Zhehan interrupted with a smile, “It’s been so long, you don’t really think I’m still holding a grudge, do you?”

[You are holding a grudge! If you really weren’t, how could you remember it so clearly?]

Ye Leyao didn’t dare say this out loud to Song Zhehan, so he could only grumble silently in his heart.

Zhang Qiran’s bangs were soaked with sweat from his nervousness, and he forced another awkward smile: “Of course not, I know you’re not like that…”

Song Zhehan immediately grinned: “But I am exactly like that. However, that’s not what we’re talking about now. Just now, Li Siyuan asked me why I invited my rival, Zhang Qiran, to participate in our show.”

It was at this moment that Ye Leyao suddenly realized:

[I get it now!]

[So that’s it—hahahaha—]

[I knew it! Teacher Gou Shi, you were planning something big all along!]

For some reason, Zhang Qiran suddenly felt uneasy.

Before, Song Zhehan was indeed difficult to deal with, but at least he remembered his public persona. Even if he hated Zhang Qiran, he wouldn’t show it openly.

But ever since the last episode, when Song Zhehan’s private account was exposed, he seemed to have completely let loose.

When Zhang Qiran received the invitation from the production team, he initially didn’t plan to participate. But then he thought, since Song Zhehan had just made a public blunder, why not take this opportunity to go on the show and mock him?

Before Zhang Qiran even had a chance to make his move, Song Zhehan had already started picking on him, one jab after another!

And Zhang Qiran couldn’t do anything about it because, unlike Song Zhehan, he still had to maintain his carefully crafted persona…

As this thought crossed his mind, Zhang Qiran’s pupils suddenly contracted.

At that moment, Song Zhehan spoke up with a smile, “The reason I invited my rival, Zhang Qiran, to join our show is really simple.”

“Don’t—” Zhang Qiran tried to stop him.

But Song Zhehan’s voice echoed through the bus, lingering like a devil’s whisper, “Everyone knows my persona is fake, so I’m just really curious, Zhang Qiran—are you faking it too?”

Ye Leyao couldn’t hold back any longer and burst out laughing: “Hahahahahahaha—”

[Song Zhehan, you’re so wicked!]
 

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TL NOTE: Please don't skimp on the stars for the translation - it inspires me and gives me the strength to write more. Thank you~!

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