CP

“Zhu Zhu, Zhu Zhu, Zhu Zhu......”

Li Lan cut her off the moment she spoke. “What pig? What kind of kid calls people names like that?”

“Your kid,” Zhu Qing said without thinking. She leaned closer to the screen and waved at Xiao Bao. “Zhu Zhu’s here.”

The moment Xiao Bao got through, she had been looking for Zhu Qing. Apart from looking anxious, she didn’t seem to have any other problem, but the instant she saw her, that little face pinched up and looked ready to cry.

“Don’t cry,” Li Lan said coldly. “Didn’t Teacher Zhao teach you to say something auspicious?”

Zhu Qing felt Li Lan was being a little too hard on Xiao Bao, so she took the phone back, not entirely in agreement, and comforted her. “Ignore your mom. She’s in a bad mood right now and wants to scold everyone she sees.”

Xiao Bao asked softly, “How have you been these past few days, Zhu Zhu?”

Zhu Qing didn’t know whether Xiao Bao knew she’d been injured again, so she picked only the interesting parts to say. “I went up the mountain to pick mushrooms.”

That made Xiao Bao anxious at once. “I saw it! Zhu Zhu and Mom went up the mountain, and you even cooked together. Xiao Bao wants to go too!”

Zhu Qing smiled. “We’re here to work. Didn’t you see where we’re staying? There aren’t any of the Pop Mart toys or big TVs you like here; there are only mosquitoes as big as corn kernels.”

Xiao Bao pouted, but she still wanted to go with them.

“All right already. The signal in the mountains is bad, so stay home and listen to Teacher Zhao,” Li Lan said as she walked over, took the phone, and motioned for Zhu Qing to lie back down and rest. “We might be back a few days late.”

Xiao Bao let out an “oh.” “Teacher Zhao is going to get sick tomorrow, and Auntie Cancan will pick me up from home.”

Qian Cancan? Zhu Qing leaned in again. “Then, Xiao Bao, help me keep an eye on Auntie Cancan. She’s a little nuts these days. Don’t let her run around or eat random things.”

Xiao Bao accepted the mission very seriously.

Li Lan glanced at Zhu Qing, thought about it for a moment, then added, “Tomorrow Auntie Qian Chu will also go pick you up.”

A question mark seemed to appear over Xiao Bao’s head.

Auntie Qian Chu was busier than Mom. When would she even have time to pick her up after school?

Li Lan nodded. “Yes, that’s how it’ll be. You have to listen to Qian Chu.”

Zhu Qing objected, “Obviously Cancan came first, so you should listen to Auntie Cancan.”

Xiao Bao looked at Li Lan, then at Zhu Qing. The scales in her heart tilted toward Auntie Cancan, who often brought her tasty snacks. “Okay.”

After hanging up, the production team came to hurry them along as well.

The schedule in Africa had been set in advance and couldn’t be delayed. Yu Ling and the remaining two groups had finished filming the latest episode, and the few of them were about to get on a plane to Africa.

“Are you up for it?” Li Lan asked. “If not, we can go one day later.”

Zhu Qing jumped down from the bed and went through a few Baduanjin movements with full energy to show off. “Of course I am. Even the police said this only counts as a minor injury and we should settle it ourselves.”

“That was because your police uncle could tell you didn’t want to pursue it,” Li Lan said, still feeling regretful. “He should have given him an administrative penalty.”

“An artist with a record of being involved in a case; MeiYu Media would blow up, right?” Zhu Qing clicked her tongue. “MeiYu has so many artists, but the new crop hasn’t really come through. These past two years, only Qi Yao’s historical-costume supporting role broke out. He’s got the potential to move into the first tier, so all their resources have been thrown at him. If they can’t push him to top-tier and make the money back, they definitely won’t let go of that cash cow.”

Li Lan disagreed. “That’s a cash cow on loan. Whether it can grow up is still uncertain.”

Zhu Qing couldn’t help laughing and wrapped her arms around Li Lan’s waist, rubbing against her.

Li Lan sucked in a breath of cold air and pried Zhu Qing’s restless hand off herself.

“You’re already this concerned about me,” Zhu Qing said, her voice sticky and sweet, as if sugar had been stirred into it. “Even Teacher Hu said our little married couple doesn’t look like there’s been any amnesia at all. Why are you still pulling my hand away?”

Li Lan looked a little uneasy; her gaze fell on Zhu Qing’s upturned face, and her voice softened. “Give me a little more time, and... give yourself a little more time too.”

Zhu Qing didn’t understand. “I’ve had enough time already.”

“You used to hate the entertainment industry,” Li Lan said, reaching out to tap her eyelid. The touch was soft and warm; she could feel the faint twitch of muscle when Zhu Qing blinked. She liked every reaction Zhu Qing had. It was cute, and honest. “I don’t want us to have another argument because of work. This time, just stay quiet, look at everything properly, and then decide, okay?”

It was the first time Zhu Qing had heard Li Lan lay things out so clearly. She didn’t remember any of it, but she could more or less understand why she hated it.

She had grown up without anyone taking care of her, so she saw through cold, selfish, self-serving people all too well. It could be said that entering the entertainment industry should have been like a fish entering water; she wouldn’t have been surprised at all, and she would have adapted quickly.

But it was precisely that familiarity that made her hate and reject it from the bones out.

If Zhu Qing disliked an environment, then she would dislike the people in it too.

“I don’t care. Anyway, I want to face things with you. And after the variety show is over, you’re not allowed to refuse me anymore.” Zhu Qing took advantage of Li Lan’s distraction and put her hand on her again.

Li Lan moved slightly, but didn’t pull away again.

—

They were going to Africa mainly to watch the great animal migration, and there were also routes arranged for viewing carnivores. They sat inside cages while the animals looked at them.

Zhu Qing was looking forward to the wildebeest crossing the river. She was fluent in English, but she was a born-and-raised inland Chinese girl who had never been abroad before, so she was excited all the way there. Li Lan pressed an eye mask over her and made her drink a cup of hot milk before she finally fell asleep.

After they got off the plane, Zhu Qing sent Xiao Bao a flood of photos.

At most, the two of them were only away from home for a week. Before Xiao Bao called, Zhu Qing had thought it wasn’t much, but then she remembered that a child wasn’t someone who only needed to be found after a day apart, and from then on she sent Xiao Bao photos every day.

“We should bring Xiao Bao here once. Let her see the animals and broaden her horizons,” Zhu Qing said. “I remember Xiao Bao has a zebra plush. Does she also like guinea fowl?”

“When she was little, she came before,” Li Lan said. “The moment we got off the plane, she started vomiting and having diarrhea. It scared the life out of everyone.”

Zhu Qing let out an “ah” and hurriedly said, “Then forget it.”

The group went to the hotel first to settle in, and then the production team arranged a sunset dinner.

The hotel had a strong local flavor; it was a tent hotel with glass curtain walls. Inside were large stretches of linen and solid-wood furniture, and the table was even set with a welcome card beaded by the Maasai by hand.

The hotel was next to the Mara River, facing the grassland directly, so during the day you could watch animals come to drink.

The locals made money from tourism, and they were very warm toward the arriving visitors.

Yu Ling came over with a glass of fruit wine and asked after Zhu Qing’s condition.

“Is Teacher Zhu feeling better?”

Zhu Qing had just changed into a lightweight long-sleeved top and long pants. Li Lan had given her a shawl to carry, saying the temperature at night might not be warm.

Hearing Yu Ling’s voice, Zhu Qing turned around and smiled. “I’m fine. I’m doing great.”

Yu Ling looked her over from head to toe, then smiled at Li Lan. “I’m really sorry. Qi Yao’s personality isn’t very stable, and he caused trouble for you all. Now that I see Teacher Zhu is fine, I can relax.”

“Call her Zhu Qing,” Li Lan said. “She’s not in the circle. If she doesn’t have another title, just use her name.”

Yu Ling froze for a moment, then nodded. “All right, Teacher Li.”

Zhu Qing walked over, and the three of them headed outside side by side. She asked, “Qi Yao is on your team. Are you okay?”

Yu Ling kept her eyes lowered, her tone flat. “That’s just how he is. You all watched the latest episode of the variety show yesterday too. The audience still... doesn’t like him.”

The latest episode had been filmed on the last day at the log cabin. The production team had originally arranged for everyone to go into the mountains together to search for treasure; according to the clues they gave out, whoever found enough treasure chests first would win.

Li Lan and Zhu Qing were both absent, and Qi Yao only joined in during the second half. But without Qi Yao there, Yu Ling had already used sharp observation and clever tactics to get four or five treasure chests and firmly hold first place.

The moment Qi Yao arrived, he started issuing random orders. The two of them later didn’t manage to open a single chest. Worse still, the most valuable chest had almost been found by Yu Ling, but Qi Yao insisted on going in another direction. Yu Ling could only walk away, missing the chest in spectacular fashion and dropping from the most likely winning team to the last.

The audience had god’s-eye vision; of course someone as stupid, arrogant, and dragging everyone down as Qi Yao was going to get cursed right back onto the hot search.

Zhu Qing asked curiously, “How did you find those treasure chests? The ones where you had to solve a problem first were fine; you’re smart and could solve the questions. But there were several that depended on luck, and your luck was really good. You actually picked the right path every time.”

Yu Ling turned her head to look at her. Zhu Qing’s tone and expression were both very serious, with no other meaning in them.

“Then I guess it was good luck,” Yu Ling said, turning back around and smiling toward Li Lan. “If Teacher Li had joined this recording too, she might have gotten even more treasure chests than I did.”

Li Lan said, “Not necessarily. Xiao Qing likes wandering around; she might be a deadweight teammate too.”

Zhu Qing bristled. “Teacher Xu also just wandered around, and he still ran into a few treasure chests. The production team isn’t really asking people to go treasure hunting; how could anyone walk around for ages without hitting a single one? Qi Yao is kind of amazing that way..."

As soon as she said that, Zhu Qing paused. Right—this back mountain was only so big. Even if Qi Yao had missed everything at first, after wandering around long enough, he should at least have stumbled onto one, right?

How could he be so unlucky that every place he went was the wrong one?

And Yu Ling was even stranger than Qi Yao; no matter where she went, she could run into a treasure chest.

Li Lan changed the subject and said to Yu Ling, “You go ahead first. Zhu Qing and I are going to take a look by the river.”

Yu Ling was silent for two seconds, then said, “Okay. Dinner’s about to start, Teacher Li; don’t stay too long.”

After she left, Zhu Qing asked in a low voice, “Did I say something wrong?”

Why did she feel like Yu Ling’s expression had been very strange when she mentioned the treasure chests?

Li Lan looked at Yu Ling’s back, frowned slightly, and said, “Whether you said the wrong thing is secondary. It’s just that she...”

Zhu Qing pressed, “She what?”

Li Lan suddenly asked, “How do you feel about this: among female celebrities, Yu Ling; among male celebrities, Qi Yao; purely based on looks alone, who comes out ahead?”

Zhu Qing tugged at her sleeve. She felt like the mosquitoes were kissing her all over again.

“This...” Zhu Qing hesitated a little. “I can’t tell.”

“If you can’t tell, then they’re evenly matched,” Li Lan said in a low voice. “Qi Yao is stupid, but he’s very good-looking. The historical-drama male market is short on fresh faces lately, and if you only look at his face, he can absolutely match Yu Ling.”

And Qi Yao’s fans were very good at boosting data. A lot of producers liked artists like that when choosing casts; they came with built-in traffic. In a certain sense, no matter how you looked at him, Qi Yao didn’t seem like someone getting crushed on the trending list.

With MeiYu Media behind him, and his own fans too, they wouldn’t just sit there and do nothing.

Zhu Qing was confused. “So?”

“So they are,” Li Lan said, turning her head and lowering her voice, “competitors.”

Zhu Qing was even less able to understand it. Competitors? How could a man and a woman compete?

Li Lan explained the many forms of debuting newcomers to her. CP fans were the easiest to attract; for two people to work together and gain fans was mutually beneficial. But if one side ran into trouble, the other could refine the CP fans down to pure solo fandom. From that perspective, the two of them had become competitors.

“From now on, stay far away from anything between those two. Don’t get involved, don’t echo it, and don’t comment on it.”

Zhu Qing said okay. Anyway, there was only one more week of filming left. Once the variety show was over, they would go their separate ways, and there’d basically be no chance of meeting again. No matter what happened, it wouldn’t get in her way.

—

Smoked ostrich meat with passion fruit sauce, charcoal-grilled Nile tilapia, and all kinds of coffees with strange flavors; dinner was very lavish. Zhu Qing swept a glance over it, held back her saliva, and looked toward the production team.

From what she’d observed, the production team wouldn’t be so kind as to let people eat right away.

Sure enough, before dinner they still had to play a game and guess some animal trivia.

For example: how long a giraffe’s tongue was; what determined the sex of a crocodile hatchling; where penguins spent most of their time sleeping; how long it took a wildebeest calf to learn how to run; why crocodiles cried tears; and so on.

Zhu Qing suspected everyone except their group had cheated, because they hadn’t gotten a single question right.

Yu Ling handed her the food she’d won. “Eat ours. We won quite a bit.”

Zhu Qing looked at Qi Yao. His expression hadn’t changed as he ate the food in front of him. He’d probably been lectured. He kept his expression under control, didn’t lose it again, and didn’t argue with anyone else; quiet, silent, and curt.

Zhu Qing looked at Li Lan again. Seeing her nod too, she took the dish over. “Thanks.”

Zhu Qing whispered, “She’s actually pretty nice.”

Li Lan said, “Where’s your jealousy?”

Zhu Qing said, “I stopped being jealous ages ago. I don’t even think she necessarily likes you.”

Li Lan looked at the dish. There were a few fruits on it that Zhu Qing had just tasted and said were delicious; Yu Ling had proactively picked them out for her.

Li Lan frowned. “I want to eat those little fruits.”

Zhu Qing handed her the plate directly.

Yu Ling heard Li Lan’s words and immediately turned around with enthusiasm. “Teacher Li, I still have a plate of little fruits here. Do you want them? I’ll give them all to you.”

Her attitude was very warm. You don’t hit a smiling face. Li Lan answered politely, “No need. One or two are enough for me.”

“Tomorrow the production team is splitting us into groups to check for animal tracks,” Yu Ling said. “I hope I get drawn into the same group as Teacher Li.”

The production team usually announced tomorrow’s schedule only after that day’s segment ended. The scenery on the grasslands was beautiful, and everyone was pretty immersed in it. Li Lan wasn’t as stiff as before either; she nodded at Yu Ling.

Yu Ling instantly broke into a joyful smile. On camera, she had always seemed to really like Li Lan, and gradually she’d gained fans of her own. When people dug through her Weibo, they could see her repeatedly liking Li Lan’s posts, so her fans all knew who she meant when she said, “It makes me really happy to be on a variety show with the idol I like.”

After that, the production team played a few more mini-games, and Yu Ling kept giving hints to Li Lan and Zhu Qing. The atmosphere between the few of them became much more harmonious than before.

This episode was the seventh; it was the first day after moving to Africa. Everyone was tired. The content wasn’t much, but it was full: everyone’s farewell to the log cabin, the messages they wrote, the playful games on the plane, and the warm scenes after landing of checking into the hotel and having dinner together.

The production team intentionally steered the scolding and bickering back on track. The cut of this episode was full of the warmth and sweetness of a slow-burn variety show and a couple, and with the magnificent natural scenery layered in, online discussion was much calmer than before.

Only one thing left Zhu Qing dissatisfied.

You could even say very dissatisfied.

[Quietly saying this, does no one think Li Lan and Yu Ling are really compatible? (I know they both have CPs, but I’m talking about screen chemistry. Zhu Qing is a civilian, and let’s not even mention Qi Yao. I’m looking forward to Li Lan and Yu Ling’s future collaboration.)]

[The two of them really do look compatible; Li Lan has that high-end, cool vibe, while Yu Ling adds a little sweetness to the coldness. Their side profiles are really similar too.]

[Have you all lost your minds? Please leave our married Teacher Li alone.]

Li Lan held down the last floating comment and gave it a like.

“I think so too. It has nothing to do with me, so please let me go already, really.” Li Lan said it very seriously.

Zhu Qing frantically clicked report. “Isn’t breaking CPs the basic rule? How do you two even have a fan forum already!”

Li Lan didn’t dare make a sound and said in a small voice, “A fan forum like that is easy to set up..."

“Then what about the follower count? It already has a hundred thousand people!”

Li Lan said softly, “The audience only looks at faces..."

“So you’re saying I’m not good-looking?” Zhu Qing temporarily lost the ability to communicate normally.

Li Lan chose to stay quiet and kept watching.

The screen shifted. Yu Ling came to find Zhu Qing with a strangely shaped bottle of liquid.

“I used to teach in Africa for two months. This is a medicinal herbal water locals often use; it can repel insects and disinfect,” Yu Ling said like a little sun, enthusiastically sharing her good stuff. “I went and asked the locals for some. It works really well.”

Zhu Qing said thank you, and Yu Ling immediately added, “No need. Back in the log cabin, the insect repellent you gave me helped a lot. But the mosquitoes and bugs here on Africa’s equator are different from the ones in our country, so the local stuff is still more effective.”

Zhu Qing took the bottle and smiled at Yu Ling. “Mm, thanks for the trouble.”

The screen changed again, cutting in a few more interactions between Yu Ling and Zhu Qing while they were clearing the dishes. Zhu Qing was fairly conscientious and casually carried away the trash; Yu Ling saw it and immediately came over to help.

When Zhu Qing saw someone helping, her smile bloomed at once.

She already liked smiling at people, and she smiled beautifully no matter what. Smiling at Yu Ling like that was naturally radiant.

They were both young; one was delicate, the other refined, and they looked very pleasing to the eye.

[This is the youth group, right? I support Yu Ling changing CP.]

[I support Yao Yao changing too. Zhu Qing is much more capable than Yu Ling, and our Yao Yao wants to change too.]

[...What do you take Zhu Qing for? She obviously only eats up Li Lan.]

[Li Lan is eight years older than her, right? A thirty-year-old woman. Support Zhu Qing joining the youth group.]

Li Lan’s gaze deepened, shifting from the screen to Zhu Qing’s face.

Zhu Qing hit pause, was silent for two seconds, then shut off the video and got to her feet to walk outside.

“Ugh, what a mess of a variety show. Not good, not good at all... ah!”

————————

Li Lan: [eye-roll]

Zhu Qing: [starry eyes][starry eyes][kiss][kiss][hug][hug][heart][heart]