The Trash A Really Doesn't Want to Go Viral [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 30

???

Ahhhh why! Why do I feel like Jiang Musheng and Yu Youqing have this weirdly compelling chemistry?!

Nooo! Musheng, don’t get so close to her!

No, let’s not throw around “CP chemistry” so casually, okay? Teacher Jiang is just being professional.

I get the reasoning, but who wouldn’t want to be Yu Youqing right now?!

Uh, just saying, Yu Youqing seems oddly nice to Teacher Jiang?

She’s just acting—isn’t that the bare minimum for a dating show participant?

Come on, I think the guests here are pretty genuine.

I also want to try Teacher Jiang’s hand-brewed coffee.

Yu Youqing thought her excuse was perfectly reasonable, but for some reason, the moment she said it, the atmosphere seemed to freeze for a second.

Then, Cheng Shunzhu’s face lit up with an “I knew it” expression. “Got it, got it. That makes sense.”

With that, he quickly dragged Ji Fuzao away, clearly not wanting to be a glaring third wheel. Before leaving, he even gave Yu Youqing a thumbs-up and a “You’ve got this” gesture.

Yu Youqing: “?”

What did that mean?

She didn’t get it.

Jiang Musheng handed her a tissue and asked, “How is it?”

“It’s good.” Yu Youqing snapped out of her thoughts and realized she had already drunk most of the coffee without noticing. On a cold winter day, a warm drink like this was pure bliss, so she closed her eyes contentedly. “Thank you.”

Jiang Musheng’s lips curved slightly as she moved back to Yu Youqing’s side.

She was mindful of their role as a couple, even though they had less than a minute left.

“Why thank me?” Jiang Musheng said. “You’ll get used to it.”

Yu Youqing felt the distance between them shrink again. Her instinct was to pull away, but a glance at the staff’s timer outside the frame told her they only had forty seconds left.

Could she be greedy for just this short while?

Jiang Musheng’s light, pleasant scent drifted closer, and Yu Youqing’s heartbeat, which had been racing wildly, gradually steadied. She pretended to sip her coffee, but her gaze flickered upward, landing on Jiang Musheng’s profile.

It really was a face that could make anyone fall for her instantly—Yu Youqing couldn’t deny that.

She knew Jiang Musheng had probably noticed her attempts to keep her distance, which was why she hadn’t chosen her earlier.

Whether the audience believed it or not, the show had no script.

Sometimes, coincidences just happened—like this first task pairing her with Jiang Musheng again.

Yu Youqing was aware that she lost her composure around Jiang Musheng when they were alone. The fans watching might not catch it right away, but Jiang Musheng, standing right in front of her, definitely would.

The more she realized Jiang Musheng could see through her, the more flustered she became.

And the bigger reason she wanted to avoid Jiang Musheng was precisely because she knew she had little resistance to her charm.

So keeping her distance was for the best.

Time passed little by little, and Yu Youqing naturally had no mind to see how the others were doing. Her attention was entirely on Jiang Musheng.

Jiang Musheng suddenly said, “If you like it, I can make it for you anytime in the future.”

“Mhm.” This time, Yu Youqing answered naturally, pretending she could still be Jiang Musheng’s girlfriend for thirty more seconds. She took another small sip and said, “Happy.”

“Do you usually drink it in the mornings?”

Yu Youqing nodded.

Jiang Musheng took the nearly empty cup from her hands and said, “Then I’ll prepare it for you every morning from now on.”

Yu Youqing agreed, “Sure, Jiang—”

Jiang Musheng glanced at her, a faint smirk playing on her lips. “Still not changing how you address me now that we’re together?”

“It’s a little hard to get used to.” Yu Youqing paused for a few seconds, following Jiang Musheng’s lead. The flush on her ears deepened, and for the first time, she boldly held Jiang Musheng’s gaze without looking away, her amber-brown eyes sparkling with life. “Jiang Musheng.”

Jiang Musheng raised her hand as if to touch Yu Youqing’s hair.

But just then, Yu Youqing noticed the timer ticking down to zero. She tilted her head slightly to avoid Jiang Musheng’s hand and quickly took half a step back. “I overstepped, I overstepped. Please don’t mind me, Teacher Jiang.”

She swiftly tidied everything on the table, while Jiang Musheng’s expression returned to its usual cool detachment. Her hand dropped, and she merely responded with a faint acknowledgment.

Soon after, the production team announced that the guests could take some time to settle in and rest in their rooms.

By the time they arrived, it was almost noon. After all the commotion, it was just about time for everyone’s midday nap, so they each retreated to their rooms.

Back in the room, Yu Youqing ran into Wei Xi, who asked, “Was the coffee good?”

“…” Yu Youqing immediately recalled the scene of grinding coffee beans with Jiang Musheng. She pressed a hand to her cheek to check—not too warm—before answering with relief, “What do you think? Teacher Jiang’s skills are top-notch. I’m really lucky.”

“Xiao Yu, actually, we all felt…” Wei Xi hesitated, her eyes carrying a strange glow, as if she had a lot to say but held back because of the cameras. “The way you and Teacher Jiang were grinding coffee beans looked just like a real couple. You two suit each other well.”

Yu Youqing laughed. “Teacher Jiang is a powerhouse when it comes to acting. She just carried me along.”

No, it wasn’t the feeling of acting.

But Wei Xi didn’t voice that thought.

Why did people online say these two didn’t get along? From what she’d just seen during the task, there was no sign of that at all.

Though it was time for a nap, perhaps because of the coffee earlier, Yu Youqing wasn’t sleepy at all.

She tossed and turned in bed for a while, but every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was that moment with Jiang Musheng in the kitchen. She wondered if she was getting a little obsessed.

When she sat up, Wei Xi peeked out from under the covers. “Xiao Yu, can’t sleep?”

“Nope. Probably because of the coffee. I think I’ll go out for a walk.” Yu Youqing decided to give up on sleeping altogether.

Wei Xi said, “I can’t sleep either. I’ll come with you.”

The two of them stepped outside the villa.

The winter afternoon sun felt pleasantly warm on their skin. Yu Youqing was strolling aimlessly without any particular destination in mind. However, Wei Xi noticed that Yu Youqing seemed quite familiar with the area, even leading her to another entrance of the villa district that was close to the nearby forest park’s main gate.

The gate looked brand new, as if it had been recently built.

Wei Xi asked, “Xiao Yu, since you’re from Songcheng, did you used to live here? You seem to know this place really well.”

“I’ve been here before,” Yu Youqing murmured, her gaze fixed on the forest park now right before them, her thoughts drifting far away. “This wasn’t a forest park back then.”

That was from when she was very young, but the memory was so vivid that she could never forget it even after growing up.

Unfortunately, the situation that day had been too chaotic, so much so that she hadn’t even had the chance to exchange contact information with that person, nor had they properly met face-to-face.

Wei Xi said, “What a coincidence, isn’t Teacher Jiang also from Songcheng? Do you think you might have heard of each other before?”

Throughout Jiang Musheng’s long career, her family background had never been exposed. But whether it was her demeanor or overall presence, Jiang Musheng clearly carried an air of someone raised in privilege.

Most children from upper-class families were well-known within their circles, and people in the same social sphere would generally be aware of each other.

As Wei Xi finished speaking, the cameraman curiously focused the lens on Yu Youqing, probably hoping to capture any mention of Jiang Musheng.

Yu Youqing nodded and said, “The only coincidence between Teacher Jiang and me is that we’re both from Songcheng. Naturally, we’ve never met before.”

It was almost 3 PM by then. Remembering that no one had eaten lunch since their arrival, Yu Youqing suggested to Wei Xi that they buy some food to bring back for everyone.

Earlier at noon, everyone had just gotten acquainted, so no one had cooked. But according to the production team’s instructions, dinner would have to be prepared by them, with ingredients already placed in the refrigerator.

Wei Xi’s favorable impression of Yu Youqing was rapidly increasing. She even began to think that Yu Youqing’s claim of not being able to sleep might just have been an excuse to go out and buy food for everyone—how thoughtful!

There was a supermarket within the villa district with few customers. They bought some ready-to-eat marinated dishes from the deli section, some vegetable salads, and then went to a bakery to get assorted sandwiches to accommodate everyone’s tastes.

Wei Xi had essentially become Yu Youqing’s little follower, trailing behind her eagerly.

Although she hadn’t known Yu Youqing for long, she trusted her first impression—Yu Youqing didn’t seem at all like the difficult person the rumors made her out to be.

As soon as Yu Youqing and Wei Xi stepped through the door, they heard Cheng Shunzhu exclaim, “I’m so hungry… Huh? When did you guys go out? Wow! You bought so much food?”

Everyone else was in the living room, apparently having just woken up from their naps. Cheng Shunzhu’s exclamation successfully drew everyone’s attention to the bags in Yu Youqing and Wei Xi’s hands.

It was clear they were all hungry.

Wei Xi smiled as she placed the food on the dining table. “Come and eat! Xiao Yu was so considerate—she knew we hadn’t had lunch and took me out to buy all this.”

Yu Youqing had been very thorough in her considerations, knowing that artists and models might need to watch their figures, so she’d bought vegetable salads and sandwiches among other things.

She quickly glanced at Jiang Musheng who was also approaching, then arranged the items with Wei Xi. “Come sit, everyone. Since we’ll be cooking dinner later and might eat late, I bought these snacks for you to tide you over. Is that okay?”

The others gathered around the dining table. Having just woken up, they were even hungrier now, and the aroma had them eager to dig in.

“Yu Yu is so thoughtful,” Ji Fuzao said, already holding a bowl of vegetable salad and having changed her way of addressing Yu Youqing.

Xu Liyu remarked, “Xiao Yu, didn’t you nap at noon? You went out to buy food for us. You’re making the rest of us look lazy.”

“No, I just couldn’t sleep. Besides, Wei Xi helped me carry everything when I got back.”

At that moment, Jiang Musheng took a seat on the dining chair next to Yu Youqing.

Cheng Shunzhu, who was nearby, casually handed a sandwich to Jiang Musheng. “Here you go, Teacher Jiang.”

Yu Youqing had been keeping an eye on the situation and immediately noticed the label on the sandwich Cheng Shunzhu handed over—it read “peanut butter.” Without hesitation, she snatched it away. “Wait a second!”

Jiang Musheng’s hand was already outstretched to receive it.

Yu Youqing handed her the sandwich with avocado spread instead. “Teacher Jiang, have this one.”

Thanks to her previous attention to Jiang Musheng and spotting anti-allergy medication in Jiang Musheng’s first-aid kit, Yu Youqing knew Jiang Musheng was allergic to peanuts.

This fact was known to very few people, mentioned only in an old interview from Jiang Musheng’s debut days, and now only some long-time fans were aware of it.

Jiang Musheng hadn’t seen what was written on the label. Realizing they were filming, Yu Youqing didn’t want others to notice how well she knew Jiang Musheng, so she added, “This one tastes better. I had one on the way back.”

Afraid Jiang Musheng might find it unappealing, she quickly clarified, “I only opened it—I didn’t touch it.”

Jiang Musheng accepted it with a nod. “Thank you.”

Yu Youqing felt a surge of happiness, secretly thrilled to have taken care of her idol.

Cheng Shunzhu whined, “You’re playing favorites! Why did you only unwrap Teacher Jiang’s sandwich and not mine? I want one unwrapped by you too!”

Ji Fuzao immediately tossed a sandwich at him. “Don’t you have hands? Why should your sister take care of you? Just eat.”

Though the director’s initial pairing game for the simulated dating scenario had been awkward, it had indeed helped the guests get to know each other better. Ji Fuzao, a female alpha, often bickered with Cheng Shunzhu after being paired with him.

The group chattered noisily, creating a lively atmosphere, while Jiang Musheng quietly ate her sandwich, sitting upright and exemplifying impeccable table manners.

Xu Liyu, gnawing on a braised collarbone, sat down across from Jiang Musheng. Noticing the half-eaten sandwich in Jiang Musheng’s hand, she asked, “Avocado? I thought you didn’t like it.”

Huh?

Jiang Musheng didn’t like avocado?

Yu Youqing’s ears perked up.

She knew Jiang Musheng couldn’t eat peanuts, but she had no idea Jiang Musheng disliked avocado. Had she just stepped on another landmine?

Jiang Musheng replied calmly, “Once in a while is fine. It tastes good this time.”

!

Yu Youqing: Teacher Jiang, I feel acknowledged by you.

Touched.jpg

“Here, here, got some for everyone.” Yu Youqing took a moment to admire Jiang Musheng’s elegant dining manners, her happiness peaking at this sight. She tore open several more packages and handed them out to the others. “Dig in!”

Though she hadn’t made these herself, seeing everyone enjoy the food she’d brought back filled her with joy.

Meanwhile, Xu Liyu passed another sandwich over: “Then have some more, this one’s avocado too.”

Jiang Musheng watched Yu Youqing bustling about.

She was still diligently unwrapping sandwiches for everyone, cheerfully passing them around with a bright smile—leaving nothing for herself but…

Well, the back of her head.

With an impassive expression, Jiang Musheng pushed away the sandwich in Xu Liyu’s hand. “I’m full.”

Xu Liyu: “?”