Chapter 4: Framed and Late
The hotel’s back entrance opened into a small garden, where brilliant jasmine and lilies were in full bloom. Summer was the peak season for these two flowers, and they bloomed in dense clusters, dotting the entire garden in shades of pale pink and snow-white.
The guests and crew of the reality show A Beautiful Life were all gathered and in position at the back entrance.
As livestreaming was all the rage, the production team was following the trend, releasing the show in two versions: a live broadcast and a final edited cut. To boost viewership for the edited version, they planned to insert short, exclusive behind-the-scenes clips that weren’t in the livestream, hoping to retain their audience.
Today was the first day of the broadcast. The crew, cameras on their shoulders, had started the livestream early in the morning. The official website had announced it in advance, and with popular celebrities joining the cast, a flood of fans poured into the stream as soon as it went live.
The largest fan groups belonged to Qiao Ning and Su Chimian.
[Here for Mianmian! Where is he?]
[Ahhh, Qiao Ning is so handsome today!]
[Hehe, is that little Mian walking over there?!]
As the team leader, Qiao Ning had been waiting at the meeting point since just after seven, enthusiastically interacting with the viewers. His fans were just as energetic, filling the comment section with a constant stream of messages. When the second guest, Su Chimian, appeared, the cheers in the livestream grew even more fervent.
“Little Mian, you’re here so early,” Qiao Ning said with a wide, toothy grin.
Su Chimian, dressed in a light-blue short-sleeved shirt and matching pants, widened his cute almond-shaped eyes and bit his lip shyly. “Is it early? I thought it was okay. I just didn’t want to make everyone wait.”
[Wow, Mianmian is so polite and considerate! He’s literally an angel!]
Qiao Ning was tall and handsome, with the classic face of a male lead from a high school drama. He raised an eyebrow and praised Su Chimian. Su Chimian acted appropriately shy in response. The interaction between the two, set against the backdrop of falling flower petals, looked as perfect as a scene from an idol drama.
[Oh my god, I’m suddenly shipping this! Why do they look so good together?!]
The production team had indeed instructed the two to interact more. In an era where online engagement is king, it was crucial to cater to the audience’s preferences. Both Su Chimian and Qiao Ning had agreed. Who would say no to more screen time and popularity? Besides, this kind of atmosphere was, to put it bluntly, just for show. The moment the program ended, they would likely go their separate ways.
As expected, their interaction immediately drew in more viewers. Su Chimian managed the dynamic perfectly, and just as another female guest arrived, he gracefully ended his conversation with Qiao Ning. Qiao Ning, however, was still blushing slightly, occasionally glancing over at Su Chimian.
The show had five guests in total: three men and two women. The two female guests arrived almost exactly on time, as it took them longer to do their makeup in the morning. Everyone else was understanding, and Qiao Ning even joked with a smile, “Girls should take their time to look their best. It doesn’t matter if we guys are a bit rough around the edges. Arriving early just gives us a chance to check out the livestream for our two beauties.”
A girl with long, straight black hair covered her face and giggled before looking around. “Hey, aren’t we missing one person?”
Hearing her mention Chi Xiasheng, Qiao Ning’s tone remained unchanged. “I guess Xiaosheng is probably putting on makeup too. Some guys are really into their looks!”
The insinuation was heavy, and some viewers immediately sensed that something was off.
“But he can’t be too late. We have to travel to the village, and it’s not a short trip,” the girl said, frowning slightly. “Qiao Ning, did you tell him the time yesterday?”
Qiao Ning quickly replied, “Of course I did. I called and confirmed with everyone.”
“Don’t tell me Chi Xiasheng overslept?” the girl with the black hair said, her tone turning sour.
Qiao Ning offered a few placating words before saying helplessly, “Well, I’ll give him a call to hurry him along.”
As he expected, the call didn’t go through.
“My brother arrived the latest yesterday, so he was probably too tired to get up. I’m so sorry,” Su Chimian, as the “biological brother,” quickly stepped in to smooth things over, apologizing to the other guests with a look of deep regret.
But his words only made the two female guests look more annoyed. They were standing under the hot sun in high heels. Weren’t they tired too? Why should they have to make allowances for him?
The livestream audience’s impression of Chi Xiasheng instantly hit rock bottom.
[What’s wrong with Chi Xiasheng?! Does he have no sense of time at all?!]
[Little Mian, don’t apologize for him! Chi Xiasheng should take responsibility for his own mistakes! Why should you have to apologize for him!]
[Mianmian is just too nice. Having a diva brother who oversleeps is the worst!]
Chi Xiasheng already had a bad reputation. When contrasted with his punctual and well-behaved “brother,” the public’s anger was easily stirred, and they flooded the comments with criticism.
Qiao Ning called Chi Xiasheng again. This time, it connected almost immediately. “Hello?”
Hearing the other man’s cool, clear voice, Qiao Ning paused for a second before saying angrily, “Chi Xiasheng, where are you? We’re all here, why haven’t you shown up yet?! We’ve been waiting for a long time!”
Chi Xiasheng, who had been drying his hair, paused. He hung up the towel before replying, “I’ll be right down.”
Hearing his response, the girl next to Qiao Ning couldn’t help but scoff. “What a diva. Now I’ve seen it all!” She had heard rumors before about Chi Xiasheng using his family’s influence to act like a big shot, and now she felt she was experiencing it firsthand.
Su Chimian stood to the side, trying to speak up for Chi Xiasheng, but the more he spoke, the angrier everyone became. By the time Chi Xiasheng arrived, the girl who had been waiting for half an hour said furiously, “Chi Xiasheng, all of us have been down here waiting for you. Don’t you have anything to say?”
Chi Xiasheng glanced at Qiao Ning, who was standing nearby. He reached up and pushed a lock of still-damp hair away from his face, revealing his light-colored eyes.
“Brother Qiao Ning told me to meet at 8:30 in the morning.”
His voice was like the clear ring of jade striking an iceberg—cool, crisp, and carrying his unique sense of distance. On a scorching summer day, it was like a splash of a cold drink, instantly washing away the heat and irritation.
In the livestream, some viewers who were suckers for a good voice felt that while Chi Xiasheng’s character was questionable, his voice was truly captivating.
[Sluuurp, I’m basic, I don’t care, this is my type! His voice slays me!]
Hearing Chi Xiasheng’s claim, Qiao Ning immediately shook his head and denied it. “I notified everyone of the time one by one yesterday. It’s impossible that I made a mistake.”
The girl with the straight black hair had been waiting for twenty minutes in high heels, and her feet were starting to hurt. Her temper was short. “Chi Xiasheng, if you overslept, don’t try to blame it on someone else. You were late. Is it that hard to just apologize?”
Seeing someone stand up for him, Qiao Ning shot a pitiful glance at Chi Xiasheng. “Maybe Xiaosheng isn’t used to sleeping away from home. He probably didn’t expect the show would start so early.”
Qiao Ning’s aggrieved expression made it seem like he was holding back, as if he didn’t dare to offend Chi Xiasheng and just wanted to keep the peace.
Audiences tend to sympathize with the underdog. Combined with Chi Xiasheng’s already terrible reputation and a little fanning of the flames by Qiao Ning’s fans, the tide of public opinion instantly turned against him.
[Oh, what a precious little young master. If you can’t handle waking up early, why did you even come on the show?]
[The face is nice, but his character is trash. Can’t even bend over to apologize!]
[Don’t be scared, Qiao Ning baby, we won’t play with bad people like him!]
The scene fell silent.
Just as Su Chimian was about to step in and play the peacemaker to gloss over the incident, Chi Xiasheng spoke again.
“Qiao Ning, are you sure you told me 7:30?”
Chi Xiasheng’s voice was always distant, but now, by dropping the polite “Brother Qiao Ning” and using his full name, he made Qiao Ning flinch.
“Yes, I am! I called Rongrong and Sister Qiu Li right before you. Are you suggesting I deliberately told you the wrong time?” Qiao Ning seized the offensive, his brow furrowed. He clenched his fists and trembled slightly, as if he was hurt beyond words.
Su Chimian stepped forward and grabbed Chi Xiasheng’s arm. “Brother, I know you didn’t do it on purpose. How about I apologize for you? We all have to film together from now on, let’s not make things so tense.”
Chi Xiasheng had taken a couple of days to recover after leaving the Su family, but seeing Su Chimian’s deliberately intimate gesture still made him feel sick to his stomach. He hadn’t known Su Chimian would be on this show; the production team had never mentioned it. But it wasn’t hard to guess they wanted to use him as a foil for Su Chimian, tearing him down to build the other up.
Pulling his arm from Su Chimian’s grasp, Chi Xiasheng patted the spot where they had almost touched, as if brushing off dust or trash.
As a stiff smile froze on Su Chimian’s face, Chi Xiasheng said, “It wasn’t my fault. Why should I apologize?”
