Top Dupe CH 063 Twin Stars Part 2

Gu Xiaowei reminded, "Don't forget to report to President Jiang. With such a coveted role, be careful not to get cut off."

Sister Cui immediately came to her senses and ran to a private place to call Jiang Yinchuan.

"Xiang Chao, it's Xiang Chao! I was once infatuated with his heroic figure too!"

Jiang Yinchuan, although calm, seemed to have choked a bit while drinking tea, "You guys are amazing. Just filming a variety show and being noticed by an outdoor sports brand, and now acting an Olympic champion? Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on it. Producer Liang is an old acquaintance of mine."

Hearing this, Sister Cui’s heart raced even more.

"For a drama, if there is Xiang Chao, there definitely can't be a lack of Cheng Peiyun. Who will play Cheng Peiyun?"

"Director Liu and Producer Liang favor Gu Xiaowei. And Xiang Chao’s role was also facilitated by Gu Xiaowei’s presence!"

"Oh—" Jiang Yinchuan’s tone was meaningful, "It seems he really wants to be a twin star with Luo Yu."

The show’s recording continued as He Mu’s team watched Director Liu and Producer Liang leave, as if they were invisible.

The little assistant had a bad premonition; He Mu’s next quarter’s publicity fee might not be very high.

Fortunately, He Mu didn’t notice that Director Liu had come and gone, or he would have been very upset.

He Mu finally reached the last black square, hoping it was neither a princess carry nor a one-handed handstand, just something that hadn’t appeared before.

No more time to waste, He Mu randomly picked a black square and opened it to reveal "2."

Deer smiled and said, "Thanks to He Mu for opening up a new map. This is a task that hasn’t been revealed before. Let’s see what it is—"

Everyone eagerly awaited.

"It turns out to be this, which is actually very simple—drink this bottle of black water within one minute! Fortunately, it’s not 2.5 liters or 1 liter, but 500 milliliters!"

At this moment, the staff pushed over a small cart.

On the cart was a glass bottle containing black liquid, which reflected a hint of purple under the sunlight, with some small particles inside.

"It’s all poison. What’s the essential difference between 500 milliliters and one liter?" Jiang Muxing looked at the color in fear.

"Of course, there is a difference. 500 milliliters might be enough for just one person to drink. One liter might mean the whole team has to drink." Luo Yu had already understood the production team’s habits.

"Then let it be 500 milliliters."

"Uh—" Li Shengyu took a step back, covering his mouth.

"Sheng Yu, are you okay?" Jiang Muxing hurried to help him.

This task was clearly designed for Li Shengyu, who had a clean freak persona. He couldn’t tolerate the black, bubbling liquid that looked like it might turn into marsh gas at any moment.

Mick glanced at Li Shengyu, maintaining his own persona, "This must've reminded him of the feeling of 'warrior, you have it.' Drinking this detoxifying holy water…"

"To cure the clean freak?" Liu Songtao chimed in.

"No, to cause diarrhea tonight." Mick’s face showed no sympathy.

Seeing their discussion, Luo Yu raised his hand and asked Deer, "Just to be safe, Brother Deer, could you reveal the ingredients? It would be bad if something goes wrong."

"Don’t worry, it’s just scorpions, centipedes, cockroaches, and a bit of mucus..."

“Ugh—” Li Shengyu ran towards the trash can, and Luo Yu quickly went to get bottled water and tissues, with Jiang Muxing jogging behind him.

Deer didn’t expect his random concoction to have such an effect. “It seems… Sheng Yu’s cleanliness obsession isn’t just for the show…”

“What’s inside?” Mick asked with emphasis.

“The color comes from mulberries, with a bit of soy sauce mixed in. The taste comes from… let me see, bitter melon, lemon, cilantro, and garlic blended together. Everything else is fine, but the garlic is a bit harsh; how many days will it take to brush that taste away?” Deer looked at He Mu. “So, what’s it going to be… drink it or admit defeat?”

He Mu thought, it’s just drinking a bottle of dark liquid, right?

If he doesn’t drink it, his persona would be ruined. The online trolls would definitely jump to conclusions.

He took a deep breath. “Start the timer!”

As he took the first sip, his taste buds nearly exploded. He had truly overestimated the production team’s sense of decency—what the hell is this!

It was bitter, sour, astringent, and had a weird taste. As he swallowed it, he wasn’t sure if he would pass out.

But at this point, he had to finish this hellish drink!

After the recording ended, he was determined to make Dijun Media give the director a piece of their mind!

He kept pouring it down, forcing himself to ignore the taste, but the more he drank, the more nauseous he felt.

Deer clapped while watching the timer being handed to him by the staff. “He Mu, Mick, and Liu Songtao’s team took a total of eighteen minutes to complete the task! It’s a tie! The outcome will depend on the next round!”

As soon as Deer announced it, He Mu dashed towards the trash can, vomiting uncontrollably.

After hearing the results, Li Shengyu called Deer over to a corner and asked, “Why do I feel like our team was a bit faster? Just Luo Yu’s ten princess carries saved almost forty seconds, and Jiang Muxing rolled higher numbers on the dice.”

Deer patted Li Shengyu’s shoulder. “You’ve made quite a splash. I can imagine that when the show airs, your team will be even more popular. But there’s a reason for the director’s arrangement. If your team won this round and the last one, tomorrow’s shoot would be unnecessary. The show wouldn’t even be long enough.”

Li Shengyu sighed and glanced at Jiang Muxing, who was chatting with Luo Yu in the distance. “I’m afraid Jiang Muxing might be upset because he performed so well today.”

“He understands. That kid has always been considerate and hasn’t caused any trouble for the production team. With this highlight, the director will definitely keep him in mind.”

Li Shengyu nodded and returned to his teammates.

At this moment, Luo Yu didn’t see Sister Cui’s excited expression and was unaware that he might be cast as an Olympic champion. He was chatting with his teammates as usual. “Jiang Muxing, are you better at rolling the dice or other things? Like playing cards, poker, or mahjong?”

Jiang Muxing, with his hands in his pockets and his dimples becoming more pronounced as he smiled, said, “I’m not great at playing cards. My luck is just really good; I often end up with the best hands.”

Seeing that Jiang Muxing was unaffected, Li Shengyu exchanged a reassuring glance with Luo Yu.

The director then had the teams reshoot some scenes, especially the one where Luo Yu supported Dingdang up the stage, meaning they had to film it from all angles.

Luo Yu didn’t think much of it, but Dingdang was embarrassed. “If I had known, I wouldn’t have drunk water earlier.”

“Two sips of water aren’t that heavy. Come on.”

Luo Yu stood on the board and extended his hand towards Dingdang, then effortlessly lifted her up. It was smooth and dreamlike.

The director watched the scene on the screen, smiling with a maternal expression. “The male lead of a drama should be held to this standard; otherwise, there’s no desire for romance.”

The other staff members laughed.

Meanwhile, He Mu sat on a chair, looking green. His assistant kept bringing him hot water and milk tea.

But besides them, only Mick and Liu Songtao came over to ask.

If it had been when he first started on the show, the director and other staff would have already gathered around to show concern.

He Mu couldn’t figure out how to describe his feelings.

“Just now… while you were recording, Director Liu and Producer Liang from the station came by.”

He Mu immediately sat up. “How long were they here? Did they see me drink that ghastly thing? Did they say anything?”

For example, did they praise his dedication?

The assistant shook his head. “They didn’t say anything, just left…”

He Mu, feeling dejected, muttered, “I was hoping they’d see how hard I worked for this show and not cut the budget for next season’s fees…”

The assistant looked down, opened his mouth to say something about seeing Producer Liang add Luo Yu’s agent on WeChat, but fearing He Mu’s reaction, quickly shut up.

At that moment, Gu Xiaowei and Sister Cui came over with paper bags.

“Come, everyone, you’ve worked hard. Have some snacks and drinks to fill your stomachs. There’s sweet and unsweetened milk tea.”

Li Shengyu, having just vomited, felt much better with some food. 

“Thanks. I’ll have the sweet milk tea,” Li Shengyu said, taking it.

Unexpectedly, Gu Xiaowei asked, “Have some snacks too, matcha and molten salted egg yolk.”

Li Shengyu paused. Gu Xiaowei’s voice was deep and pleasant, and very gentle, not at all like the “keep people at a distance” image portrayed by the media.

“I’ll have the matcha one.”

“Alright.” Gu Xiaowei found the matcha snack and gave it to him.

Jiang Muxing’s eyes lit up. “I want the sweet milk tea! And the molten salted egg yolk snack!”

Sister Cui, who liked Jiang Muxing’s straightforwardness, handed him a sweet milk tea with bubbles. “Here you go—sweet, with tapioca balls.”

“Thank you, Sister Cui.”

An attractive manicured hand reached out with a paper bag containing snacks, accompanied by a smiling voice, “Here, the molten salted egg yolk ones.”

Jiang Muxing looked up to meet Gu Xiaowei’s gentle gaze and said earnestly, “Thank you, Brother Gu.”

“En.”

After Gu Xiaowei walked away, Jiang Muxing tugged on Li Shengyu and said, “Brother Gu smiled at me just now. So that’s what his smile looks like!”

Li Shengyu was jolted by Jiang Muxing and choked on the matcha powder, sneezing continuously.

Sister Cui also distributed food to the director and other staff, including Liu Songtao and Mick.

At this time, He Mu’s takeout arrived. He looked at it and found only a few types of his usual drinks and some snacks.

“Why didn’t you order more? It’s a waste of goodwill.”

The assistant kept his head down, thinking, but according to your requirements we should be prioritizing your needs first.

When He Mu first joined the show, he had also bought food and ordered takeout for the staff like Sister Cui. Later, due to dissatisfaction with the crew’s meals and no improvement despite several communications, He Mu stopped doing such favors.

Unexpectedly, this let Luo Yu pick up the advantage.

He Mu immediately lost his appetite. He instructed his assistant to distribute the milk tea and snacks to those who hadn’t received any.

He maintained a good attitude, making sure to have other assistants take photos while distributing the food, to avoid Luo Yu claiming he was considerate of the staff online while his side lacked promotional materials.

By the time all the supplementary shots were finished, the sun was almost setting.

“Today’s shoot went smoothly. I’ve booked a farmhouse restaurant. Let’s all go eat some local dishes! Anyone interested, follow along!” The director waved his arm, and everyone responded happily.

Luo Yu turned to Gu Xiaowei. “Shall we go together?”

Li Shengyu and Jiang Muxing gathered around. “Of course, we should!”

“I haven’t had a meal with Brother Gu yet!”

Gu Xiaowei nodded.

He Mu had no interest in the farmhouse restaurant and, having drank such a large cup of dark liquid, was feeling uncomfortable. He decided not to go.

The assistant returned and told him, “The director agreed and told you to rest well.”

“That’s it? Nothing else?” He Mu asked.

“No… The director said he was worried that returning too late might affect tomorrow’s shoot, so he asked those who wanted to join the dinner to head out quickly.”

He Mu got up from his half-reclining position and sat up. “Let’s go back to the hotel.”

Back at the hotel, he planned to call Mr. Gao; today’s shoot had been quite frustrating.

On the other side, the group heading to the farmhouse restaurant set off in high spirits.

On the way to the farmhouse, Sister Cui excitedly informed Luo Yu about the possibility of playing the Olympic champion Xiang Chao.

Luo Yu looked at Gu Xiaowei beside him, feeling this sounded like an unrealistic dream. “Really… is it true?”

“There’s a high possibility. If I were Cheng Peiyun, who else could be more suitable to play Xiang Chao than you?” Gu Xiaowei said.

"That’s the fencing arena’s twin stars!"

"So are we," Gu Xiaowei replied.

For some reason, things that once seemed distant and out of reach to Luo Yu suddenly felt like they could be their future, just because Gu Xiaowei affirmed them.

Although it's called a farmhouse, it's not in the outskirts but rather at the foot of a nearby mountain.

Everyone spontaneously arranged their chairs and sanitized the bowls and chopsticks.

Xu Mu also had two bottles of good wine set out, saying that those who wanted to could have a few sips, while those who didn’t had the options of soda and fruit juice.

As a guest for this episode, Luo Yu naturally had to sit at the same table as Li Shengyu and the director.

Meanwhile, as a visitor, Gu Xiaowei sat with Sister Cui and the staff.

As soon as he sat down, Xu Mu personally came over to invite him to join the others.

"Teacher Gu is Luo Yu’s friend, so of course, he should sit with Luo Yu. Our production team also has to thank you for recording the VCR!"

"Director Xu, you’re too kind. I should be the one thanking you for not minding that an outsider like me is watching your shoot."