Top Chinese celebrity: Debuted from Running Man

Chapter 337: Program Premiere (5k)
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"Little Linzi, it's you!" Ma Sichun waved with a smile, his tone familiar.

Guan Xiaotong has always been a sucker for good looks and had no interest in the chubby little boy. He only nodded indifferently because of the boy's father's status in the industry, which was considered a greeting.

"Sister Sichun, I'm so sorry, the traffic was so bad, I really couldn't help it."

Da Linzi was already used to being treated coldly in various situations, and his enthusiastic smile remained unchanged. "I'll punish myself with three drinks later, I must punish myself with three drinks!"

"He needs to be severely punished."

Zhang Ruoyun pulled him over, smiling as she chimed in, "Dalin, you've kept us waiting! Come on, aren't you a big fan of Gu Qing? I've brought him here for you today, isn't that generous enough?"

He patted Da Linzi on the back and led him to Gu Qing, saying, "Call him Brother Gu."

"Brother Gu..." Upon seeing Gu Qing so close by, Xiao Guo's eyes lit up instantly, his voice filled with genuine excitement.

"No, no, no,"

Gu Qing quickly raised his hand to interrupt, correcting him with a smile, "Brother Gu, that's too awful. We're about the same age, just call me by my name."

He paused, a hint of confusion on his face. "Also, what's this 'worship' you're talking about? I remember... I think I had a little grudge against Teacher Guo, didn't I?"

"Qing-ge'er! What a wonderful holiday! I can't wait for you to slap him in the face a few more times!"

Da Linzi immediately launched into a classic "filial piety" scene, startling Gu Qing, Ma Sichun, and Guan Xiaotong.
Only Zhang Ruoyun gave a wry smile, clearly understanding the situation.

Xiao Guo's admiration for Gu Qing stemmed from the fact that Gu Qing was able to not only gain an advantage but also maintain a firm upper hand in the face of his sharp-tongued and never-losing father!

This is exactly what he has always dreamed of becoming!
"Qing-ge, ever since that day, you've been my idol!"

Da Linzi grasped Gu Qing's hand with genuine affection and shook it vigorously, as if he had found a kindred spirit.

He harbored too many unspeakable and complex emotions towards that suffocating family.

"Big...can I call you Da Lin?"

"Qing-ge'er, of course! Don't call me Da Lin, you can call me Xiao Lin or Xiao Gou'er, it's all fine!"

"Uh... Dalin, Dalin is fine."

Gu Qing quickly calmed down the overly excited Xiao Guo and made him sit down on the chair next to her. "Let's sit down first, eat and chat, don't get so excited."

He had only gleaned glimpses of the tense "parent-child relationship" between Guo Degang and Guo Xiaoguo from online gossip before.
But the actual situation turned out to be so tense.

Gu Qing was unaware that in the original timeline, several years later, Da Linzi would even personally kiss his father on the cheek and say the words "fulfilling filial piety in front of the family."
The subtext is crystal clear: After you pass away, I will only need to wail twice in front of your funeral hall to fulfill my filial duty.

"Qing-ge'er, I'm not excited, I'm just too happy!"

As soon as Da Linzi sat down, he picked up the wine bottle on the table and poured it into his glass. "Putting everything else aside, being late means you have to accept the punishment. I'll punish myself with three drinks first!"

"Don't," Gu Qing reached out and pressed his wrist, her tone concerned, "Drinking on an empty stomach is the worst thing for your health. Eat something first."

As she spoke, she casually picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks and put it in his bowl.

"Dalin, listen to your brother Qing. He doesn't really care about drinking culture. Let's just relax and enjoy the food and drinks."

Zhang Ruoyun quickly stepped in to smooth things over and lighten the mood.

"Qing-ge'er, you really don't drink at all?"

Guo, who has been learning from Yu Qian since childhood, naturally has the knack for being a straight man. He said, "I thought that was just a persona you created to fool the media. Who knows, you probably smoke and drink in private."

"I can't do cigarettes and alcohol; those are Uncle Qian's specialties."

Gu Qing laughed and picked up on the joke quickly, "At most... I'll just learn how to perm hair?"

These words made Da Linzi burst into laughter, and the atmosphere at the dinner table instantly became relaxed and harmonious.

"If Xu Yi won't drink, we will!"

Ma Sichun boldly pushed her wine glass forward, "Dalinzi, fill my glass!"

"Alright! Sichun has a huge capacity!"

Xiao Guo immediately got up and poured her a drink.

"Haha, so Xu Yi is the 'small amount,' right?"

Ma Sichun winked mischievously at Gu Qing, deliberately trying to cause trouble.

"Hey! That's not the same at all!"

Da Linzi, never one to mince words, immediately chimed in, "Besides acting, my Qing-ge also relies on his voice for a living! He needs to take good care of it!"

Unlike you, Sister Sichun, with your... uh... rather distinctive voice, it's so resilient!

"Da Lin!"

Ma Sichun's laughter froze, and her eyes widened instantly. "Who are you calling has an unpleasant voice?!"

"My voice is awful! My voice is awful! I'll punish myself with a drink!"

Da Linzi reacted very quickly, immediately jokingly punishing himself with a drink, showing an extremely good attitude of admitting defeat.

Zhang Ruoyun watched from the side, unable to contain her amusement, and let out a series of "goose goose goose" laughs.

"If you make fun of me again, I'll beat you up!"

Ma Sichun snorted, letting him off the hook, and then pointed to Guan Xiaotong's cup.
"Pour one for Xiaotong too."

"What do you mean, 'pour it'?" Guan Xiaotong hurriedly snatched her glass back, scolding, "Sister Sichun, I don't drink alcohol."

"Huh? You don't drink?!"

Ma Sichun let out an exaggerated sigh and began to reveal her secrets, "You little brat, who's the one who asks me out for a drink every other day?"

"That...that's a beverage!"

"A 58-degree beverage?"

"..."

Guan Xiaotong was speechless for a moment.

Gu Qing kept her eyes down, pretending not to hear anything as she silently ate her food.

Xiao Guo witnessed this little "jealousy" and her admiration for Gu Qing grew even stronger—what kind of charm must she have?

He, who was good at livening up the atmosphere, immediately found a new topic: "Qing-ge, do you know, after the last Bazaar dinner, my old man at home was really worried."

"Dalin, you're not trying to say your family is broke, are you?"

Gu Qing chewed slowly and deliberately, making jokes with a smile.

"Hey! At most, I'm the one who's short of money. Of course, my family isn't short of money."

Da Linzi suppressed his fleeting gloom and explained with a smile, "It's not about the money, it's about Deyun Society."

What happened to Deyunse?

Gu Qing asked curiously.

"I got really yelled at!"

Da Linzi spoke with great enthusiasm, even a hint of schadenfreude, "Qing-ge, you have no idea how fierce your fans are!"

Ever since then, people have been trying to snatch tickets to Deyunse's performances every day, but as soon as the actors come on stage, they all shout "refund!" and don't respond. This has really worried the old man!
I'm so regretful, I shouldn't have messed with you.

As for the ongoing online flame wars, Da Linzi simply ignored them.

"There's nothing we can do about that,"

Gu Qing shrugged, her tone relaxed, "It's because Teacher Guo approached me first."

Da Linzi gave a thumbs up: "Well done! By the way, Qing-ge, are you busy with work this time in Beijing? How many days are you staying?"

"If you could stay a few more days, I'd take you sightseeing around the area. I guarantee it'll be even better than what Brother Ruoyun arranged!"

"Come record a show, for one channel."

Gu Qing glanced at Ma Sichun, who was drinking heavily beside him, and paused naturally, "After dinner... I guess I'll have to leave. I have work tomorrow."

Next time, definitely next time.

"Huh? You're leaving right after dinner?"

Ma Sichun paused while pouring the wine, and the disappointment on her face was clearly visible.

Wasn't all that courage-boosting wine she drank for nothing?

"Brother Gu Qing, what program are you recording?"

Guan Xiaotong interjected at the opportune moment, asking curiously.

"The Chinese Poetry Competition will air next Sunday at 8 PM."

Gu Qing smiled and replied, "If you're interested, Xiao Tong, you can take a look."

"Yes, yes! Brother Gu Qing, I will definitely watch it on time!" Guan Xiaotong nodded vigorously and promised.

"Qing-ge'er, do you like poetry?"

Da Linzi's eyes lit up, as if he had found a kindred spirit. "What a coincidence! I've also read a few of those books. Which poet do you prefer? Which poem?" Teacher Guo himself was well-versed in various schools of thought and could talk about all kinds of ancient classics.

As his son, it's easy to imagine the immense pressure Xiao Guo endured during his childhood.

He was forced to learn and memorize all kinds of ancient books and poems, and if he made even the slightest mistake, he would be met with severe reprimands or even beatings.

Guo adheres to an extremely strict "suppressive education" approach, firmly believing that "only by enduring hardship can one rise above others."

Therefore, Guo Jingming experienced a lot of discipline that is hard for ordinary people to imagine from a young age, including being forced to eat leftovers and having to wait until all his apprentices had finished eating before he could sit at the table. Guo Jingming called it "only by destroying all self-esteem can one become a talent".

The oppressive atmosphere in their home was even worse than the "Arthur, please sit down" situation.

As Gu Qing chatted with Xiao Guo, she couldn't help but admire the latter's precocious maturity and tact; he could engage in any conversation, no matter how small.
And he always manages to find new excuses to keep the conversation flowing. His thoughtfulness and maturity in dealing with people are completely unlike what one would expect at his age.

"Da Lin..."

"Hey! Qing-ge'er, please speak, I'm listening."

Dalinzi immediately responded with a smile, adopting a posture of attentive listening.

"Don't just talk to me, eat something too." Gu Qing said, picking up another piece of food for him and gently patting his shoulder.

Da Linzi was taken aback by what he heard. He looked down at the mountain of food piled up in his bowl, mostly from the food Gu Qing had put on his plate. He pursed his lips slightly before raising his head and forcing a smile: "I'm eating, I'm eating, Qing-ge'er. Do you think I'd let myself go hungry?"

He tried to mask the momentary emotion with a light tone.

"Stop talking about me,"

Gu Qing smiled and naturally changed the subject, "Tell me how you and Ruoyun met? I'm so curious."

He ate until he was about six or seven tenths full, then smiled and put down his chopsticks. To maintain his condition for tomorrow's filming, he dared not eat any more.

"Hey, we're all in the same circle, so it's natural that we know each other."

Zhang Ruoyun, who had been focused on showing off her food, looked up and smiled sheepishly when she heard this. "It's mainly because Dalin and I had similar childhood experiences, so we could talk to each other a lot and naturally became friends."

His father was also an unconventional figure in the industry, and the hardships he endured were beyond what outsiders could understand.

"It's good to have a circle of friends." Seeing that he seemed unwilling to talk about family matters, Gu Qing smiled and gently changed the subject.

"Brother, don't be so modest," Zhang Ruoyun said with a hint of genuine envy. "With your current fame and status, you can enter any circle you want and roam around as you please. Besides, I remember you and Brother Chen Long have a pretty good relationship, right?"
In our circle, he's a true 'big brother' figure.

The circle is also strictly hierarchical, and these juniors are naturally at the bottom.

Chris Wu, who filmed "Mr. Six," was able to barely reach the next level.

As for Gu Qing? With his soaring fame and seemingly close relationship with Brother Chen Long, once he's willing to enter a certain circle, his status will be absolutely unattainable for them.

"My relationship with Uncle Long... isn't as mysterious as the rumors online." Gu Qing shook her head in denial, her tone sincere. "Uncle Long has been my idol since I was a child. Maybe he knows I'm his little fan, so he takes better care of me."

Zhang Ruoyun and the others did not believe a word of this claim.

Chen Long's fans? How many are there worldwide?

If he takes care of every single fan like this, can he possibly manage it all?

Moreover, those natural and affectionate calls of "Uncle Long"—who would believe they weren't close?

In addition, since the two are practically from the same hometown, they have often speculated in private that Gu Qing and Chen Long probably have some unknown kinship.

The meal finally came to a close in a fairly pleasant atmosphere.

"It's getting late, I should head back now."

Gu Qing stood up to say goodbye, "When you have the chance to come to Shanghai, be sure to call me. I'll treat you all to a meal next time."

Let's take a group photo to commemorate this!

"Yes, yes, Brother Xu Yi (Gu Qing)!" Zhang Ruoyun, Ma Sichun, and Guan Xiaotong all took out their phones.

Xiao Guo gripped his phone tightly, looking somewhat nervous.

"A group photo? Sure... uh, wait a minute."

Gu Qing seemed to suddenly remember something, her expression changed slightly, and she quickly added, "By the way, after you take the group photo, please don't post it on Weibo or WeChat Moments today. Wait at least a few days before posting it."

"Why? Does the program you recorded need to be kept secret?" Zhang Ruoyun asked, puzzled.

"It's not about the show, it's..." Gu Qing smiled wryly and briefly explained how she had been enthusiastically invited by several "young masters and ladies" from Beijing and had almost been unable to get away.

"Brother..." Upon hearing this, Zhang Ruoyun subconsciously glanced down and patted Gu Qing's shoulder sympathetically, "Take care of yourself."

I don't want your... orientation to have undergone some strange change by the time we meet next time.

"Go! Go! Go!"

Gu Qing waved his hand with a look of disgust, "The day you can stop being a 'blank' (losing everything) and start catching fish, my orientation will never change!"

"Hey! It's just that one time you didn't catch any fish, why are you holding onto it for so long and bringing it up every day?"

Zhang Ruoyun immediately became anxious, "I let you win last time, did you really think I couldn't outmaneuver you?"
"If you've got the guts, go and have a go right now! Do you dare?"

"Don't dare."

Gu Qing answered decisively. After taking a group photo with the others, she came to Xiao Guo, who was too shy to speak, and said, "Come on, Da Lin, let's take one too."

"Uh-huh."

Xiao Guo nodded nervously, but after the group photo was taken, he seemed hesitant to speak.

"Let's add each other as friends. Remember to look me up next time you come to Shanghai."

Gu Qing saw through his thoughts and smiled as she took out her phone.

"Qing-ge'er, I'll add you, I'll add you."

Xiao Guo was overjoyed.

"OK Bye Bye."

After adding him as a friend, Gu Qing grabbed her coat and made her escape. "Dalin, Xiaotong, Sichun, see you next time!"

"Bye~"

Everyone laughed and waved goodbye, leaving only Zhang Ruoyun standing there in "impotent rage," yelling "Gu Qing, you wait!"

……

Time flies, and a week has passed in the blink of an eye.

It's Sunday evening again.

Just two days ago, the online criticism of "The Imperial Doctress" intensified, reaching its peak.

Numerous rival companies have continued to exert their influence, resulting in a flood of negative comments under related topics.

In addition, the episodes aired during this period did not feature Gu Qing's important scenes, and all the criticism was focused on the characters of Liu Shishi and Huo Jianhua, as well as the "drastic changes" to the plot.

Opening the trending topics, almost all of them are criticisms of "The Imperial Doctress".

Many celebrities and their teams in the entertainment industry also tacitly remained silent, not buying any trending searches during this period, and almost all of them watched from the sidelines, waiting to see Tangren Media and its leading actors make fools of themselves.

In the past, Mr. Cai would probably have already mentally collapsed and surrendered.

However, she remains unperturbed. This is because, at the height of the public outcry, the official account of the eldest princess personally released a preview, announcing that Gu Qing would participate as a guest in the latest episode of "Chinese Poetry Competition."
This was like a depth charge, instantly attracting countless eyes and temporarily diverting some of the firepower.

"Huh? Gu Qing is on the 'Chinese Poetry Competition'? Am I seeing things?!"

"Hahaha, this is hilarious! Isn't this just asking for humiliation?"

"Idol stars going on cultural variety shows, is it because they think they haven't embarrassed themselves enough lately?"

"I remember there was a rumor online that Gu Qing dropped out of junior high school and went to South Korea to become a trainee. Is he really educated? Can he even read all the characters?"

The fans and gossips of these rivals were overjoyed, eagerly anticipating a good show.

Of course, there were also rebuttals from Gu Qing's fans: "Could someone without culture write songs like 'Spring Snow in the Courtyard' and 'Memories of Farewell to the Nine Gates'?"

"I can tell you guys have higher educational backgrounds than your brother, but you still can't write lyrics with this kind of classical feel!"

"Where is the ancient charm? I'm just asking you, isn't it just a few lines copied from the Book of Songs?"

"Hilarious! With Gu Qing's educational background, how could he write a song like this? He probably just bought the song and put his name on it, right?"

"Add one, didn't the internet already expose him as a 'fake genius'? It's definitely a persona created by his team's marketing!"

The fans' counterattacks seemed weak and powerless amidst the overwhelming jeers.

Most people were mocking and smirking, eagerly awaiting Sunday night to enjoy Gu Qing's "embarrassment" on the "Chinese Poetry Competition".

then,

This cultural variety show, which originally had a relatively fixed audience, has received unprecedented attention and generated a lot of buzz since its premiere.

Countless people, including those seeking entertainment, haters, rival fans, and even simply curious bystanders, gathered in front of the screen.
They are waiting for the premiere of "Chinese Poetry Competition" in an attempt to "appreciate" Gu Qing's "good show" together.

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(End of this chapter)