They all pushed me!

"These are lessons from a long time ago... Although after getting married, Senior Liang never gave me acting lessons as systematically as before."

"Indeed, this should have happened seven or eight years ago. We were still little kids at that time."

"Kana, if I remember correctly, this course was originally a one-on-one class that Senior Liang gave to me, who had just joined the LALALAI Theater Company, but you just skipped two of the classes."

"That's true - but there's nothing I can do. If I want to prove that we've been good friends for a long, long time, I have to find a class like this that I took."

Perhaps the tit-for-tat video of the past reminded them of the past, and the tension between Arima Kana and Kurokawa Akane suddenly became stronger. Kitagawa Ryoya, who was sitting in the middle, had no choice but to gently push the hair in front of his eyes, reached forward and clicked the mouse to pause the video, and started to complain:

"To some extent, you two can be considered as fellow disciples, so don't—"

But before Kitagawa Ryo could finish his words, Arima Kana and Kurokawa Akane turned their heads eagerly, and their two pairs of sparkling eyes looked at him at the same time:

"I attended Senior Liang's lectures earlier, so I am the senior sister, right?"

"But I entered the industry much earlier than you, and I am obviously the senior sister."

“…I shouldn’t have mentioned this.”

Beichuan Liang shook his head unhappily and tapped the two juniors on the forehead:

"Please understand that I am a very busy president. There is still a lot of other work waiting for me to do."

After letting the two of them put away their playful thoughts, Beichuan Liang also cleared his throat again and explained to them:

"Anyway, as written in the document, our agency will use the official account to release a video introducing the two of you. In addition to these video materials, we will also need to spend some time on-site shooting for comparison. This is also to show that Kana and Akane have always had a close relationship since childhood, studying acting and practicing together, but they debuted at different times."

"Then from now on, Akane and Kana just sit down like you did when you were listening to the lecture here before."

As soon as Kitagawa Ryo finished speaking, Arima Kana and Kurokawa Akane immediately knelt down, with their hands resting quietly on their knees, and they all looked at her expectantly.

Especially in the past two years, Kurokawa Akane would come to this practice room whenever she had time, and stand for a long time to reminisce the days when she and Kitagawa Ryo were here. Although she knew that this was just a need for shooting a promotional video, she still immersed herself in it wholeheartedly. She sat there upright and meticulously, but she seemed to be able to hallucinate the tail swinging up and down, left and right, front and back behind her.

Seeing that Arimaka and Kurokawa Akane were ready, Kitagawa Ryo nodded slightly to the photographer who was specially called over, and then skillfully began to teach some small techniques and points worth noting in expressionist and experiential acting. During the period, he asked the two to practice interactively one by one, and included all the scenes in the camera.

In fact, when doing all this, even Kitagawa Ryo himself felt a little dazed, especially after watching the footage from seven or eight years ago, he suddenly realized that the two little kids who were angry with each other and arguing about who was better, the expressionist or the experientialist, had grown into young girls in their prime, and were moving step by step towards the direction he had asserted back then, "You will become the best actresses."

However, because it was only material for a few minutes, and Kitagawa Ryo was indeed busy with other things, the class did not last too long and soon ended with the somewhat disappointed gazes of Arima Kana and Kurokawa Akane.

"Maybe it's because Akane and Kana no longer need my hands-on teaching. You've both grown into excellent actors. The only thing left is to practice, experience, and learn on the set."

Seeing how reluctant they were to leave, Beichuan Liang smiled with relief and turned the document in his hand to the second page:

"Then, after our agency releases this promotional video, you two should immediately follow up with your interactions. For example, you can show more intimacy when answering reporters' questions, and then go on a live show together or something like that."

"Because Akane's fan base is currently at an absolute disadvantage, it would be best to show more of Akane's strengths in the live broadcast. So my idea is that you two can go to Ruby's "Kitagawa's Meal" as guests. It just so happens that Akane's cooking skills are great."

Kitagawa Ryo was arranging the subsequent plans in an orderly manner and did not notice the subtle changes in the expressions of the two people in front of him after hearing the name Ruby.

Just as the two of them knew each other's little thoughts, Arimakana and Kurokawa Akane were also very clear about another fact.

If they really want to realize that almost impossible wish.

We must first open the locked door where someone already lives in Beichuan Liangxin's house.

And the only person who has the chance to do it is actually Ruby.

Chapter 4: Let Him Make Mistakes (5k)

The kitchen layout of Kitagawa Rumi's new home is almost exactly the same as the previous one. The positions of various tableware and kitchen utensils are basically fully replicated. On the one hand, it is because Rumi herself, who has lived there for several years, has become accustomed to the original set of furnishings in her home and is more adept at using it. On the other hand, it is convenient for the preparation and shooting of the live broadcast program "Kitagawa's Meal".

Although it was simply caused by Ryo Kitagawa's accidental appearance in the video during a live broadcast, it was somewhat beyond Kitagawa Rumi's expectation that a considerable number of viewers actually liked the scene of the two cooking together. After the related video clips were uploaded to the Internet, the number of views continued to rise, and it became a hot topic at the time. This gave her the idea of ​​making it a regular program column in her live broadcast.

Of course, these were just reasons to convince her agent, Ms. Saito Kyoko. For Kitagawa Rumi, her true thoughts had long been clear.

However, the only thing that made her feel a little regretful was that, due to the intervention of love, the show finally became a format in which she and her brother took turns to be regular guests, and Samejima Abiko and MEM-chu would also drop in from time to time.

Kitagawa Rumi, who had just gotten up and was preparing to make breakfast, blinked in front of the mirror, reached out to tie her soft, golden long hair into a simple ponytail behind her head, and then skillfully took the apron hanging on the side. Compared with the plain white apron without decorations that she would wear during live broadcasts, this one for daily household use is obviously much more exquisite, with a light lace pattern printed on the hem, and the overall orange-yellow color scheme also gives people a bright and warm visual experience.

With her chest slightly raised and her stomach in, Kitagawa Rumi put her hands behind her back and lightly tied the apron around her waist. She tied a beautiful bow and then tightened it slightly. The apron, which was the perfect size, fit the girl's body and highlighted her exquisite curves.

After tidying up the wrinkles on her clothes and her hair in front of the mirror, Kitagawa Rumi walked to the kitchen contentedly, ready to start practicing for the next live broadcast.

Although the show "Kitagawa's Meals" seems to be a live broadcast of drawing the name of today's dish from an opaque box every time, in fact, a few days before the live broadcast, Kitagawa Rumi will discuss with others in advance what dishes they want to learn to cook. After all, even if she wants to deliberately create some program effects, it must be within a controllable range. Besides, Kitagawa Rumi herself has no intention of portraying herself as a cooking wimp and kitchen assassin.

As one of the hottest idols nowadays, Kitagawa Rumi still hopes to show the audience how a kitchen newcomer continuously improves through his own efforts and eventually becomes the god of cooking. In a sense, this can also be regarded as another form of training.

Just as Kitagawa Rumi was opening the refrigerator to take out the ingredients and prepare to start cooking, the cell phone on the table in the living room suddenly vibrated. It was a call from Kitagawa Ryo.

"Hello, I'm Ruby, what's up brother?"

"Well, I want Ruby to help me. The situation is like this..."

After about three minutes of talking, Kitagawa Rumi understood the specific situation and nodded in agreement:

"I see. Just a few days ago, I was worried whether Xiao Qian's current public opinion was a little bit wrong. I didn't expect that my brother had already thought of a solution."

"Plan ahead for a rainy day. Ruby, have you had lunch? I see your schedule is quite tight lately. Can you take care of yourself? You can't just be perfunctory about three meals a day at a time like this. It's best to eat on time and in the right amount."

"Yeah, brother, just rest assured. If you are really worried, you can come and see it in person. Don't you have a spare key to my house?"

"I don't know how many times I've gone in to check during the day when Ruby was not around. The room is well tidy and the hygiene conditions are acceptable in my opinion. It's just that sometimes people forget to throw away the garbage, so I have to take it down for you."

"So it's my brother?"

"…Why do you sound so surprised? What else?"

"I thought maybe the stuffed bear in my room turned into a human to help me clean when I was away, just like Mrs. Clam in the fairy tale. Hmm - how about you cook a meal for me next time you come?"

"I don't want to dunk myself in the pot."

When Beichuan Liang said this, he rolled his eyes and complained.

Lady Clam is a folk story in Japan. It is similar to the Snail Girl in China, except that the snail turned into a clam. The fisherman who released the clam was rewarded by the monster who transformed into a human. The monster married him and cooked for him. The miso soup she made was very delicious, but she never let the fisherman see the cooking process. The fisherman couldn't resist his curiosity and deliberately returned home early, only to find that his wife had turned into a big clam and was stewing herself in an iron pot.

"Then brother, you can tell me in advance when you conduct a surprise inspection next time. I will leave some of my cooking in the refrigerator in advance. I feel like I'm getting more and more adept at cooking recently."

"If I had told Ruby in advance, it wouldn't have been a surprise inspection. Besides, if I wanted to try your cooking, don't you have programs every weekend? But Ruby has made progress recently, in all aspects."

Beichuan Liang praised her sincerely. At first, he was really worried that his sister would make a mess of her life if she moved out. He was even ready to clean up the mess and negotiate with Ai to let her move back. But he didn't expect that she did everything well and her work and life rhythm was not disrupted, which made him slowly feel at ease.

"I have other work to deal with here, so I'll hang up now. Akane and Kana should be there this afternoon. Ruby can help them get familiar with the process and the kitchen first. Remember to cultivate the tacit understanding between the two of them."

"I know - but my brother knows my schedule too well. He even knows that I'm free this afternoon. Hmm, did he secretly install real-time location software on my phone like in the comics?"

"What on earth has Ruby been watching recently... You're an artist in my agency, so I can just ask Ms. Kyoko about all her schedules. Besides, I'm the one who selected and arranged most of Ruby's work, so I'll naturally know more about it."

"But Ruby's words reminded me. I remember seeing a software that includes emergency alarm and real-time positioning. Do you want to try it out?"

"Okay, but it's not fair for me to be the only one to install this kind of software. Brother, install one on your phone too. We can bind each other and start a full-day location sharing--"

Faced with his sister's request, Beichuan Liang did not hesitate much. Anyway, he basically ran between home and the company, and occasionally attended some promotional activities related to the new drama.

"Yeah, that's fine. That's it. I'll hang up first."

Only after hearing the busy tone from the other end of the phone did Kitagawa Rumi put the phone back on the table in the living room, but just a moment later, she received another private message from Kurokawa Akane.

"Ryo-senpai should have told Ruby, so I'll have to bother Ruby this afternoon. Kana and I should be here around two o'clock."

"Well, I'll wait for you at home."

After responding to Kurokawa Akane's message, Kitagawa Rumie seemed to suddenly remember something. She tapped her lips with her fingers and walked into her bedroom with some hesitation.

If Kitagawa Ai were here now, she would be surprised to find that the layout and decoration inside are almost completely different from what she saw at first. After Kitagawa Rumi officially moved in, she changed the appearance of this bedroom bit by bit.

The bed was still the same large bed that was moved from the previous room and was in the bedroom on the third floor, but the mosquito net that was carefully arranged by love when the decoration was first done was gone. The hazy and vague, almost transparent white gauze surrounded the entire bed, and the rose ball decorations on the gauze were dotted there. The styles of the sheets, quilts and even pillows were all changed from the original sky blue to plain white.

Kitagawa Rumi lowered her eyes slightly and looked at her bed calmly. The quilt, still warm from the warmth, gave off a dull cotton warmth, like a still warm nest.

In the nest here lies a stuffed bear in the same color as her apron, and -

Two pillows.

She was not worried that her brother would find out about this, and she even felt that worrying about this matter itself was meaningless because it would never happen.

Unless she kept her bedroom door wide open all day long, even if it was just half-closed, Kitagawa Rumi believed that her brother, who would occasionally come to check here during the day, would never take a step towards this side and take a look inside.

But this is indeed correct, because even couples living together often have absolute privacy that they do not want the other to touch or know. Everyone needs an absolutely private personal space, just like the ending of the clam lady. The fisherman who saw his wife's true identity and all the truth eventually abandoned his wife in fear and anxiety. She turned into a clam again and sank into the sea again. It is a tragic story.

Kitagawa Rumi took a step forward and walked to the bedroom closet, opening it slightly.

Ever since she met Liang, he seemed to have always been on the right path.

Like a programmed machine, he gradually became a near-perfect idol, actor, senior, brother and husband, playing different roles in front of different people impartially.

However, this machine did have some operational errors. Kitagawa Rumi still remembers that it was like a system crash, and it looked confused and at a loss as to what to do.

She gently stroked her lips, her fingers curling the corners of her mouth into an upward arc.

-------------------------------------

At two o'clock in the afternoon, Kurokawa Akane and Arima Kana arrived at the door of Kitagawa Rumie's house on time. They had come here for dinner when Rumie had just moved in, so they were familiar with the place. After a while, they found it and rang the doorbell.

Kitagawa Rumi, who had been waiting at the entrance, opened the door and saw two people wearing autumn clothes walking together in the gradually colder wind.

"Ruby~ excuse me."

"Good afternoon, Ruby."

"Well, good afternoon, Akane and Kana."

Kurokawa Akane and Arima Kana greeted Kitagawa Rumi warmly, then changed their shoes lightly while leaning against the wall, and followed her in.

"Brother has already told me. Oh, yes, I am watching Tomorrow myself. Akane and Kana both act very, very well."

Kitagawa Rumi led the two into the living room with a sweet smile:

"This drama is one of the most discussed dramas recently. To be honest, the fact that Xiao Qian and Kana came to my show this time should be regarded as me riding on your popularity."

"No way, isn't the single released by ACE last month still number one on the Oricon charts? I've watched the MV where Ruby starred this time many times."

Akane Kurokawa, who has a good relationship with Kitagawa Rumi, joked with her naturally:

"Rather, it's just that I worked so hard for so long to be qualified to appear on the show hosted by Ruby, a super popular active beautiful girl idol."

Feeling that it was not good to chat with Kurokawa Akane alone right after entering the room, Kitagawa Rumi quickly turned her head away, smiled and took the initiative to talk to Arima Kana on the side:

"I heard from my brother that Kana doesn't cook much when she lives alone at home, but if you live alone, cooking some simple and delicious home-cooked dishes can greatly improve your quality of life, and it's also much healthier than ordering takeout from Uber. Kana happened to be here this time, and although my cooking skills are definitely worse than my brother's, I will still teach her what I can, and don't we have Xiao Qian?"

At this point, Kitagawa Rumi also playfully stuck out her tongue, and with a smile, she pulled Kurokawa Akane over, shaking her shoulders in an exaggerated manner and complained:

"I don't even want Xiao Qian to be on the show anymore. She's younger than me, prettier, and a better cook. What if she swindles all my fans away—"

"Kana too. I'm not lying. Based on my many years of experience as an idol, girls like Kana are very popular among idol fans. Well, they are so cute."

Kitagawa Rumi praised everyone left and right, and soon the atmosphere between the three people became relaxed. Even Arima Kana, who was always a little cold in front of outsiders except Kitagawa Ryo, couldn't help laughing. While chatting and laughing, they each put on the small aprons they brought with them and walked into the kitchen together.

"Well, the regular guest for this episode was originally my brother. He was supposed to be a cooking assistant, but now it's been replaced by Akane and Kana, so he should be a food taster then."

As soon as she entered the kitchen, Kitagawa Rumi, who had also changed into an apron, clapped her hands and pointed to a piece of paper with words on it stuck on the kitchen wall and said:

"So - although it's a bit embarrassing, I hope that Xiaoqian and Kana can choose the dishes they cook this time from the list I made. The white ones are what I am good at, and the gray ones are what I can't cook for the time being. Um, these are all my brother's favorites. Some of the ingredients he avoids are marked in red below."

After saying that, Kitagawa Rumi was a little embarrassed and tried to test:

“Um, is that okay?”

After all, the protagonists of this episode should be the two people in front of her, and her brother called her to ask her to temporarily change the guests in order to show the audience their close interaction, so no matter what, she should let the other party choose a recipe that she is more familiar with.

Just when Kitagawa Rumi herself felt that this request was a bit excessive, Arima Kana, with a playful smile, quickly agreed:

"no problem."

"Me, me too, no problem."

Kurokawa Akane followed suit and nodded in affirmation. As for why she was a step slower, it was because she was staring intently at the list on the wall, imprinting all of them word by word in her mind.

So Senior Liang doesn’t like chopped coriander?

I like the texture of ramen to be harder, but the soup to be lighter.

Great – she can cook all these grey-named dishes too!

"That's good."

Upon hearing this, Kitagawa Rumi breathed a sigh of relief and turned around to get some food from the refrigerator.

Behind her, Arima Kana winked meaningfully.

She didn't think of this as an interaction between close siblings.

After all, I had seen such a scene four years ago.

However, it still needs to be confirmed.

Check to see if the other person's feelings have reached that level.

To the extent that he can make mistakes.