DYUTVOBGA Chapter 160

After Qin Miao read out the name of the netizen who asked the question, the barrage immediately became lively.

[3A Attractions Keeper? 3A?? It can’t mean what I’m thinking of, right…]

[For the viewers who don’t know, let me explain. This is a famous creator of content for my favorite CP, the kind who specifically tags ‘NSFW’ to drive, you know =w=]

[I don’t really understand. Why does this comment have so many likes?]

[Maybe it’s because there’s a very famous fanfiction in the 3A discussion area about ‘CEO, fiancee, and white lotus’?]

[Is it that 3P fic with the exciting content and fragrant meat? I don’t even ship the CP, but I was tempted and read it several times [drool]]

[Emm… Isn’t this kind of like throwing it in their faces? Xiao Xue definitely doesn’t know about this fic.]

[It’s fine. He’ll find out when he goes online after the finals end [smile]]

After Xue Mingzhu heard his name, he picked up the microphone. However, the content of the question Qin Miao read out smoothly passed from his left ear to his right ear, his thoughts completely frozen.

What was going on? Was he falling behind the times? Did fans like to ask such confusing questions nowadays?

During the final rehearsal phase, the production team had informed all 20 trainees about the fan Q&A segment, so as to let them mentally prepare and maybe draft some answers.

Xue Mingzhu hadn’t taken it seriously at the time. He didn’t think there would be much difference between fan questions and the production team’s behind-the-scenes interviews. Maybe the fans will focus more on him personally?

For example, asking about his ideal type… He believed that after the show aired, his mom fans would definitely transform into girlfriend fans. He wasn’t the weak sprout he was three years ago; he was definitely more attractive to girls now!

But Xue Mingzhu never expected the first question directed at him to be so nonsensical.

He didn’t know if there were any traps hidden in this question. In a live broadcast situation, he couldn’t just say anything carelessly.

CEO, fiancee, white lotus… What were all these? What was a white lotus? Male or female? Why would the fiancee want to frame them? And why would the CEO want to save them?

Xue Mingzhu, completely ignorant of the world of online novels, panicked inside. His earnest thinking expression made the live audience unconsciously lower their volume, quietly waiting for his answer.

Qin Miao looked around: “Why has it suddenly gotten quiet? Looks like everyone is really anticipating Xiao Xue’s answer. Xiao Xue isn’t saying anything either, is he stumped?”

Xue Mingzhu looked left and right. The teammates on either side were either looking down in thought or also had a clear, clueless look. He could only honestly ask: “What is a white lotus? Is it a recent hot meme?”

The venue was silent for a few seconds, then burst into scattered snickers.

Qin Miao was also stunned, then couldn’t help but laugh: “Oh my, sorry, I didn’t consider that you might not know. Let me roughly explain. You can understand it as the image of a naive, kind, simple, sweet female protagonist?”

Xue Mingzhu was even more confused: “Female protagonist? Then the fiancee is?”

“Hmm… Xiao Xue, you’re relatively young, so you probably haven’t read classic CEO novels. How about asking the other friends in your lounge?”

Realizing that Xue Mingzhu didn’t even know what a white lotus was, Qin Miao guessed he probably didn’t understand the classic tropes of CEO novels either, so she tried to steer the topic towards the trainees sitting next to him: “Coincidentally, the netizen who asked the question also wants you to assign roles to your friends. You can take this opportunity to discuss it.”

Wen Xinyi was sitting on the sofa behind Xue Mingzhu. Hearing this, he picked up his microphone and tentatively joked: “Just a discussion verbally, please. We won’t actually have to perform it later, right?”

Qin Miao smiled and said: “It wouldn’t be a problem if you wanted to. After the competition, you’re welcome to record little videos for the audience to enjoy.”

The venue erupted in cheers, and Wen Xinyi smiled helplessly: “I think that’s unnecessary…”

Quentin, who was sitting nearby, noticed Xue Mingzhu’s pleading look, hesitated for a few seconds, then raised his microphone: “I probably know what this question means.”

Xue Mingzhu’s eyes immediately lit up: “What is it?”

Quentin had previously brushed up on some basic novel tropes, but he was mostly focused on the entertainment industry genre. He had come across the CEO-type stories only occasionally.

So his tone was somewhat hesitant: “If the female protagonist is the white lotus, then the fiancee is the vicious second female lead. The female protagonist usually comes from an ordinary background. The second female lead should be an heiress from a family in an arranged marriage with the CEO. Maybe the theme of the story is about rebelling against the feudal idea of arranged marriage and pursuing true love?”

After thinking for a moment, he added: “It could also be anti-trope. For example, if the female protagonist is the fiancee, then the story development might be about the second female lead reincarnating and awakening self-awareness, choosing the devoted second male lead who secretly loves her.”

[It’s quite insightful. So Quentin reads novels too [shocked]]

[Your QT’s hobbies are a mystery… But how can he have so much energy? He studies music, finishes schoolwork, and still finds time to read novels…]

[I’m also shocked. How am I, the one who sleeps in class, supposed to feel about this [tears]]

[No, no, no, our QT also loves to sleep. He just works hard but effectively. He perfectly plans his time to work hard when he has plenty of energy. If he doesn’t become famous, who will!]

[Inspirational, so inspirational!]

[And he reads CEO novels!! Is this contrast necessary? My bias actually likes reading CEO stories. Is he really this girlish inside???]

Xue Mingzhu grasped the key points: “CEO means a domineering and rich president. White lotus is a naive, kind, simple, sweet person. The fiancee is a vicious, love-brained heiress!”

“Then I get it. You want me to assign roles and arrange the plot, right? Let me see…”

He turned his head, his gaze sweeping across the other trainees.

Following his movements, the trainees either pretended to bend over to pick something up, or raised their hands to fan themselves to cover their faces, using various ways to avoid the situation – who knows what the production team is thinking? What if they actually made them perform it live!

It was a live broadcast. One slip-up and they would embarrass themselves for the entire internet to remember forever. They didn’t want to become permanent guests on roast videos.

Xue Mingzhu didn’t care about their evasiveness, and saved confidently: “Dear viewers in the live stream room, let me state beforehand: I’m not assigning roles based on who is suitable or not. It’s mainly based on my own will.”

He grinned at the camera, his canine tip pressing against his lower lip, looking mischievous: “I’ll assign whoever I want to see perform. Let me add a disclaimer, it has nothing to do with my intelligence or aesthetics. It’s purely my little quirky sense of humor.”

[Ooooh….yes, this is what we want. Xiao Xue, choose boldly!]

[That smile…it feels like he’s up to no good]

[Wait, why are you looking at Quentin!! Don’t bite the hand that feeds you, hey! Quentin is going to glare at you!]

Quentin didn’t hide from Xue Mingzhu’s gaze. He looked back calmly, as if seeing through the latter’s inner thoughts in an instant, and directly asked: “What do you want me to play?”

His straightforwardness made Xue Mingzhu feel embarrassed instead.

The young man gave a low cough, and cleared his throat: “Just… that heiress, the vicious, love-brained one?”

Quentin stared at him: “Me?”

Xue Mingzhu blinked rapidly and nodded firmly: “Yeah!”

[xswl Xue Mingzhu, tell the truth. Do you want to see Quentin play an heiress or a vicious love-brained person? You little rascal, are you secretly feminizing Quentin?]

[If it’s Quentin’s face playing that… wouldn’t it be like that plot of the villainess heiress wanting my confession?! OMG I’m in!!!]

[To be honest, it’s kind of exciting. Xue Mingzhu, you have good taste [thumbs up]]

The trainees on the back sofas had faces full of “wow, exciting!”, leaning forward to observe in Quentin’s direction, very curious about Quentin’s expression.

Unfortunately, Quentin still had that calm look like nothing would happen even if Mount Tai collapsed before him, which disappointed the viewers who wanted to see him shocked or resistant.

Black fans in the barrage started stirring up trouble.

[Don’t you think it’s pretentious for someone to always have a cold face?]

[Already having idol baggage before even debuting…]

[Don’t say that. Maybe they’re just slow to react]

But such scattered comments were quickly washed away under the fighting force of the fans. Most fans had a mature set of counter-argument tactics when facing attacks from black fans. After all, the long distance battle between black fans and fans was an indispensable part of the journey of being a fan.

After several viral moments, Quentin had often been attacked by black fans popping up out of nowhere. Fortunately, his fan base was growing larger and larger. The attacks of the black fans, under the opposition of the fans, were like small potatoes overturned by waves. Apart from being as tenacious as cockroaches, they had no ability to fight back.

This was mainly because, unlike other trainees in the show who debuted early with traceable past experiences, Quentin’s past couldn’t be dug up by even the best paparazzi, let alone substantiated black material.

To be honest, even if paparazzi asked the current Quentin face to face, they wouldn’t get an answer…

Unbeknownst to Quentin, his meteoric rise to fame on the show had already caught the attention of many companies. Given the undeniable fact that he was destined to sign with Galaxy Entertainment to debut, the views of these companies paying attention to him basically wavered between wariness and hostility.

Wariness was due to the potential threat his existence posed to some artists’ resources. Hostility arises from the fierce competition that had already begun, specifically from BKL’s boy group Inferno, or even those boy groups that debuted earlier or were still incubating.

However, “cold face”, “expressionless”, “indifferent” were already the biggest thorns these companies could throw at Quentin.

In the early days of the show’s broadcast, some people accused Quentin of being too domineering as a team leader. But as his strength was proven, now no one dared to say that anymore.

But “cold face” was different.

As everyone knew, an idol was a high-energy profession that required pleasing fans and presenting a positive attitude towards the public.

An idol who loved to smile, doted on fans, and was approachable gained favor from casual viewers more easily. An idol who habitually had a cold face or a sour face, with one wrong move, could be labeled as arrogant, diva-like, or temperamental.

Fortunately, Quentin’s “cold face” wasn’t an expression that made people feel cold or arrogant. It was a slightly expressionless face, kind of like a low energy handsome guy from anime.

Added to his steady, reliable personality and ability, young fans never felt discouraged by his so-called cold face. Instead, they felt it was a sign of emotional stability and a trustworthy sense of maturity.

Besides, Quentin was mostly just slightly indifferent usually. Wasn’t he the opposite on stage! If anyone dared to use this reasoning to attack Quentin’s stage performance, the fans’ offensive power would help the blind see why the sun was so red.

The black fans who repeatedly failed were paying even more attention to this final live stream than some fans. Seeing Xue Mingzhu steering the topic towards Quentin, the black fans immediately went wild.

What a joke. Could this Quentin, a cold and pretentious young master, be able to put aside his pride and play some vicious, love-brained heiress?

But before the barrage could start fighting, Quentin immediately agreed: “Okay. Tell me, what’s the scenario, how do you portray a love-brain? Do you want me to chase after you and confess?”

Xue Mingzhu blurted out: “So cooperative?”

Quentin looked down at him for a second: “Otherwise? It’s not a big deal. Unless you’re thinking of coming up with something to make things difficult for people.”

Perhaps seeing the eager, excited look in Xue Mingzhu’s eyes, he calmly added: “Are you targeting me?”

“I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare.” Xue Mingzhu quickly shook his head, then held his chin: “Let me think carefully. I’ll definitely play the CEO, it’s so cool. Who will play the white lotus? Is anyone volunteering?”

As soon as he turned his head, he met Yan Qiao’s eyes. Before the other party could speak, he waved his hand without hesitation: “Not you. Go away. What part of you is even remotely like a white lotus?”

Yan Qiao was speechless: “And Quentin is like a love-brain?”

Xue Mingzhu pretended not to hear, waving to Cui Yan on the other side: “Yo, Brother Cui, you do it. You play a big black flower.”

Cui Yan: “…Fine.”

[Xiao Xue, you’re so asking for a beating. Mom can’t save you]

[Letting Quentin chase after you and confess? You’re dreaming. I’ve never even had that dream!]

[So you mean Quentin needs to be love-brained and relentlessly chase after Xue Mingzhu, while Xue Mingzhu needs to say to Cui Yan: ‘Man, you’ve caught my attention’?]

[Speaking of which, with Xiao Xue’s height, can he even manage to wall kabedon Cui Yan? What kind of CEO is shorter than the white lotus?]

[I can’t anymore. Does anyone remember this is the finals live stream? People who didn’t know would think we’ve already started watching their group variety show [facepalm]]

Qin Miao, who had actively coaxed other trainees to participate, also hadn’t expected these people to get so carried away chatting. The director was already reminding her to watch the time through her earpiece, so she could only interrupt with a helpless smile.

“Xiao Xue, let’s think about the performance later. How about answering the fan’s question first?”

Xue Mingzhu ended his discussion with the others, pressed his palms together towards the camera and said: “Sorry to keep you waiting, sorry to keep you waiting. I’m the newly appointed domineering CEO. Let me introduce everyone: this is my fiancee, and this is my mutated little white lotus.”

He put on a stern face, assumed a boss-like sitting posture, and looked very authoritative: “Although my wife has a difficult personality and always deliberately falls in front of the white lotus, claiming the white lotus pushed her, I’m smart enough to see through the truth at once. The white lotus doesn’t get angry either. Why doesn’t he get angry? Brother Cui, you tell them.”

Cui Yan raised the microphone, and said with a serious expression: “There’s a saying: although your personality is quite despicable, fortunately your face is just too good-looking. Therefore, your manner of being vicious has a unique charm of its own.”

“That’s it. This is just part of the play between me, my boss, and my boss’s fiancee. Please don’t worry, everyone. I won’t bully my boss’s fiancee.”

Hearing this, Xue Mingzhu gave him a wary look: “Man, watch your status. This isn’t something you should be thinking about.”

[What nonsense are you two going on about…]

[It feels like these two are getting addicted to acting, help]

[Did these people forget they’re live? I feel like a complete clown for worrying earlier that they’d get nervous about being live.]

[Quentin is speechless. It seems like he’s already given up understanding what’s wrong with these two.]

[Is he speechless? I think he’s quite enjoying the show. He doesn’t seem to realize at all that he’s actually the CEO’s fiancee…]

The barrage was already fluctuating wildly because of the outrageous remarks from a certain Xue and Cui. Unexpectedly, the next second, Quentin’s action left people even more bewildered.

The blonde young man on the screen suddenly stood up from the sofa, walked over to Cui Yan, grabbed the other’s wrist, pulled his hand towards his own shoulder, and made a fake pushing gesture.

Then he stumbled a step, his body leaning and falling onto the arm of Xue Mingzhu’s sofa.

“Ah.”

Quentin uttered this word expressionlessly, then lowered his gaze, his eyes looking at Xue Mingzhu as he pointed his finger at Cui Yan: “He pushed me again.”

[…]

[It’s obvious at a glance who requested this segment…]

[QT, if you’re being held hostage, blink!!]

[My wife is foolish but undeniably beautiful. Dear viewers, please watch and cherish]

[How can this be both strange and compelling… A handsome guy acting out this stuff somehow doesn’t feel out of place!]

[Spare the other trainees. Their jaws are about to drop]

[Don’t spare Xue Mingzhu! It feels like he’s enjoying this a lot!!]

[If a boy group doesn’t fish in the fish pond, they go home and farm potatoes. We want more of this, please. I don’t mind being part of your three-way play. Please, let me watch from the side]

**To fish in the fish pond meant to engage in BL.

[The fan who asked the question must be going crazy. 3A was dismantled by the members themselves. Yan Qiao was so close to acting with them qwq]

Xue Mingzhu barely held back his laugh. He raised his hand to circle around Quentin’s abdomen, his face also leaning on his back, as if with a little more force, Quentin would end up sitting directly in his arms.

He held back his laughter and said: “Sister Miao, I’ve finished answering.”

Qin Miao used all her experience as a host to steady her expression, hurriedly acknowledged and then turned to Yang Xu: “Teacher Yang, please draw the next question. Give us some luck and draw an easy one.”