They are still close to me today despite their negative feelings

"Um, senior, was that male host who was transferred from our station before...?"

"Shh!"

The senior quickly made a shushing gesture, then looked helplessly at this arrogant junior. "Little Wang, you know there are some things you can say and some things you can't say, understand?"

Xiao Wang was so frightened that he quickly covered his mouth. The senior looked around and said something meaningful.

"If you hear any rumors about that person—I can only say that they are probably true."

This made Xiao Wang even paler.

The gossip she heard was that the male host initially mistook Qiu Luxi for a newly debuted, unknown idol, so he deliberately made risqué jokes on the show. Even after the show ended, he continued to pester her, inviting her to "relax with friends in the industry." Enraged by her expressionless indifference, he even boasted that he had connections to get back at her.

...Then he didn't come to work the next day. After three days of unexcused absence, he returned to the company with a bruised and swollen face, and was naturally transferred to another location. Some say it was to observe animals in Africa, others say it was to infiltrate drug traffickers in the Golden Triangle.

Anyway, no one at the station could contact him anymore, and his daily updates on WeChat Moments have stopped forever. It makes one wonder if he's even abandoned his account.

Are we involved in any of those projects?

"...You wouldn't want to know. Anyway, from then on, our station will try to arrange for female newcomers to host any interviews with Qiu Luxi." The senior looked at Xiao Wang with concern. "I'm not a newcomer, so I can only ask you for help. After all, it's better for everyone this way."

The senior's words sent another chill down Xiao Wang's spine.

"Don't scare me, senior, I'm even more nervous now..." Xiao Wang said with a mournful face. "Wait, if Qiu Luxi has such a powerful backer, then this whole online smear campaign is just...!"

"It is strange, but that's precisely why we need to conduct interviews with the consent of the parties involved. Although we are fringe media professionals, we must still uphold the original intention of doing media work." The senior colleague patted Xiao Wang on the shoulder with a smile.

"Senior, aren't you ashamed to say something like that? Isn't our group's motto a self-deprecating joke, 'Studying journalism, studying journalism'?"

"Just kidding, we always joke that we 'studied journalism in vain.' We wouldn't dare call ourselves journalism experts in front of mainstream media people."

The senior's words made Xiao Wang even more frustrated.

"But now it's time to prove yourself! Wang Jiao, this is such a coveted opportunity. Work hard, and you'll be trending on the front page tomorrow!"

"I just hope I won't be standing among the cement pillars at the abandoned construction site tomorrow." Xiao Wang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "I think I'll practice my lines a bit more. Although Qiu Luxi has definitely finished writing the script, I can't afford to have any problems..."

Then, after going on stage and having an opening and some small talk, Wang Jiao felt that her career, which had just begun, was about to suffer a devastating blow.

Qiu Luxi seemed to be reading the text aloud in a monotone manner, without even showing any change in expression.

……

"Let's take a short one-minute commercial break and then move on to the next topic."

With a smile on his face but a roaring in his heart, Xiao Wang visibly lowered his head after confirming that the camera was really off, patting his chest and trying to calm his heart, which was pounding like a disco ball.

"?"

Qiu Luxi looked a little confused and tilted her head.

Although she is really cute.

But I really want to keep my job.

Wang Jiao took a deep breath and struck up a conversation with Qiu Luxi during the break between the advertisement countdown.

"Miss Qiu, may I be so bold as to offer a suggestion?"

"Is it presumptuous? If it is, then forget it."

"?!"

Wang Jiao realized once again that the girl in front of her had a unique way of thinking, and finally understood why people in the industry said she was aloof. Qiu Luxi's words gave people a feeling that she was somewhat out of touch with the world, as if there was nothing or no one in reality that she cared about.

How should I put it? It feels like a haughty little cat that's independent and arrogant.

But thinking about her career, she still managed a forced smile. "It should be alright—I just wanted to ask you a favor: if you could add a little more emotion to your answers, the interview would probably go even better."

"More emotion?"

"Hmm. Although we provided questions and sample answers, it's still a bit... Ah, of course I'm not complaining. What I mean is, we finally got an interview, and we've received a lot of attention. Would you like to add some improvisation?"

Does that mean you shouldn't answer according to the text?

"After all, the answer template we provide is just the very simplest example, and it would feel too perfunctory to use it in a formal live broadcast."

Especially when asked for her thoughts, seeing Qiu Luxi say "thank you to the country, thank you to the fans, thank you to everything" with a blank expression, Wang Jiao felt as if she could already see her own fate of carrying cardboard boxes to Antarctica to shovel snow.

With little time left for the commercial break, Wang Jiao slightly sped up her speech.

"If you could answer with a little bit of your own thoughts, Ms. Qiu, I would be very grateful. After all, even though it was written as top secret and exclusive in the text, if you tell the audience in the end that you are actually confirming your appearance on our station's new variety show, I feel like many people will feel cheated, haha."

What could Wang Jiao do? She was desperate. She could only console herself that this was how journalism was all.

"I understand, I'll give it a try."

"Yes, thank you for your cooperation, Miss Qiu!"

Wang Jiao said this, and then she saw that the commercial break had completely ended.

"Okay, welcome back! The commotion caused by this misunderstanding has come to an end. During this time, who are the people Lu Xi needs to thank, and what would you like to say to them?"

Wang Jiao asked with a smile. Following the standard answer, it would likely be some platitudes about thanking fans for their unwavering support; there wasn't much to elaborate on here…

"Thank you to my friends at school."

At that moment, a young man surnamed Ning, who was thousands of miles away, heard the commotion and cheers outside.

Ah.

The director, who had been almost asleep, woke up a little and gave Wang Jiao an OK sign, indicating that they could continue.

After all, the station had allocated a considerable amount of time for this interview.

"Friends from school? Speaking of which, quite a few upperclassmen have been supporting Lu Xi during this incident. It seems you're having a great time at school. Could you tell me more about it?"

Wang Jiao finally found a bit of a feel for hosting. Before, she felt more like a clumsy stage actress.

"Yes. The seniors from other clubs took good care of me. Although the videos they filmed at the beginning were spliced ​​together, I'm really grateful to have received such care."

"Yes, although taking photos without permission is wrong, Lu Xi seems to have forgiven them and thanked them."

"Well, I feel more grateful than forgiving that they were willing to expose these videos to support me at that time. Besides, I don't think it was really surreptitious filming; it was more like candid shots I encountered in daily life, so it didn't have a big impact on my life."

"It seems like Lu Xi is a cared-for little sister at school, completely different from the domineering queen that was rumored online. In the club's official promotional video, it seems like Lu Xi gets along very well with the club she's in—could you tell us what kind of club it is, and what interesting things happened in it and what your thoughts are?"

Wang Jiao felt she had found her rhythm. In that instant, she had completely recalled her senior's stage presence and charisma, and was able to firmly grasp the direction of the conversation and control the atmosphere of the scene.

Next, we just need to talk about campus life a bit, then steer the conversation back to future plans, and we can also subtly insert the promotion of Qiu Luxi's participation in this station's variety show...

There is nothing to be afraid of anymore.

"It's already been released in a promotional video, so it's okay to say it now; it's a literary society. Any interesting stories or thoughts?"

"Oh, to protect the privacy of the parties involved, please use letters to refer to them, okay?"

"I understand. The president is a very admirable senior, and I have always been learning from her; Senior A is very cute and often shares snacks with me. Although she always says I am cute, I feel that the way she eats is cuter."

"Haha, she's clearly a senior, but she's being called cute. I feel like that Senior A must have mixed feelings—did Lu Xi and Senior A know each other before? They seem very familiar."

“No, we didn’t know each other before, but now…” Qiu Luxi thought for a moment and came to the answer, “we are rivals.”

"Opponents?" Wang Jiao was speechless for a moment, but quickly understood. "Ah, after all, it's a literary society, so there must be activities and competitions, right? It's the kind of competitive relationship where we improve and grow together, isn't it?"

“Yes, competition.” Qiu Luxi nodded. “And then there’s Senior C, who is an outstanding student in every way. I’ve received a lot of help from him before.”

"I see."

"Senior X, um, I don't know her very well."

Wang Jiao was slightly taken aback. Ah, this is too simple!

"The rest, well, I don't want to tell you." Qiu Luxi slightly shifted her gaze.

There was a long silence at the scene.

"Haha, after all, Lu Xi has only been enrolled for less than three months. She may not know all the senior students in the club yet."

Trying to smoothly steer the conversation away from the topic, Wang Jiao began to regret letting Qiu Luxi do as she pleased.

"Although I'd love to gossip for the viewers and see if there's anyone Lu Xi cares about in this story, well! Our Qiu Lu Xi said in an interview a few months ago that she has no interest in that kind of thing, so unfortunately we can only skip over that question..."

"It's not that I'm completely uninterested. I have a type I like now."

Sister, please spare me.

Isn't she supposed to be a cool and aloof kitten? This is just a pre-set template issue. Why are you so enthusiastic and impatient when you hear this? It doesn't fit your image at all!

Wang Jiao looked at the director, who looked away but still gestured for her to continue.

She could already imagine how chaotic the trending topics and headlines must be outside this studio right now.

And how tragically one's name and image will be portrayed.

"Then, then could it be... hahaha, then, Lu Xi, is there anything you want to say to your club friends? No, that's not quite right. As for your type, Lu Xi, well, ahahaha..."

Wang Jiao's system crashed.

Having worked there for two and a half years, this was the first time she had considered quitting.

"What do you want to say?"

Qiu Luxi glanced at the camera and the cameraman behind it who was wiping away cold sweat.

"I told you beforehand, so are you watching now?"

The girl's smile blossomed, and along with the flowing internet and data, this special greeting was conveyed to all parts of the world.

"If you don't even look at this, I'm going to make a scene when I get back."

She spoke softly, then looked away.

On the other side was Wang Jiao, who no longer wanted to be interviewed and had started to give up.

This isn't some aloof cat; it's clearly a cuddle-loving, lonely house cat. Does it really have to be so pink-hued? Is it openly showing off its affection through a live stream?

The young host seemed to see the North and South Poles beckoning to him. There were also adorable penguins being devoured alive by seals, and polar bears dancing on ice.

"My ideal type... I can't really describe it, but that's the kind of person I feel like."

"We'll watch fireworks together and ask each other if the fireworks are round or flat from the side; when I'm sad, I'll stay by your side and help you when you don't know what to do; when I can't get out of the darkness, I'll take your hand."

"I feel so happy to be with a guy who's like a firework."

On that day, the declaration made by idol Qiu Luxi once again ignited the internet.

—The breadth and depth of the discussion far surpassed the various carefully arranged and planned trending topics from the Qiu family, the opposing family, and Ning Ruoyu.

Perhaps, to some extent, sincerity really is a killer move...

Oh, and by the way, Wang Jiao didn't get the job in the Arctic Circle in the end either. Her distraught expression and nonchalant attitude in the latter half of the interview resonated with many netizens, earning her the title of "most miserable working person," and generating numerous related memes. Ironically, she quickly became a minor internet celebrity host on the station.

—However, she was forced to host live broadcasts afterward, leading a life of hard work that was both painful and joyful.

[Next chapter preview: It doesn't really matter to me. It's just to appease those impulsive school regulations anyway.]

[By the way, why haven't you arrived yet?]

Mom and Dad, in this situation, you really do need to pay overtime.

"The brother and sister still have such a good relationship. How wonderful."

"Third time's the charm? You're going too far!"

Chapter 91: Schemed Against Again

Did you watch Qiu Luxi's interview yesterday?

"I've watched that scene at least ten times!! She's clearly a girl in the throes of first love!!!"

"At that moment, even the dessert in my hand didn't taste sweet anymore... The trending topics 'Fireworks-like Boy' and 'Are you watching?' were really deadly. The platform even crashed for half an hour, right?"

"Do you think Qiu Luxi is just using this to describe her ideal type for publicity, or does she actually like a guy like that? It seems unlikely, right? The criteria are too demanding, it's like a love story."

"I personally feel it's unlikely to actually have a specific object of description. Look online, 'fireworks boy' has become a term to describe the ideal man or the boy in one's imagination, like something like Prince Charming or Destiny's Child."

"The article was written by the team, and it feels like it's just to generate buzz."

"I was busy finishing my English newspaper yesterday and missed the live broadcast, sob sob sob, I'm so sad."

The middle school boys and girls next to me were enthusiastically discussing yesterday's topics, while I sat by the flower bed yawning.

Thanks to Qiu Luxi's explosive remarks yesterday, even though I dressed up properly this time, I didn't attract much attention. Everyone was still discussing what Qiu Luxi said during her live stream yesterday, and the topic even remained on the trending searches overnight.

Brother, if you get there, my classroom is in...