Chapter 131: An Ordinary Person!

Walking into the bathroom, Jiang Lun splashed cold water on his face, feeling mostly sobered up.

He looked up at the mirror, examining his reflection carefully; the lingering effects of the alcohol had largely dissipated. Confident that nothing appeared amiss, he began to wash up in earnest. He had no idea, however, that his every move was being captured by a camera hidden in the corner.

...

"Haha, this is too funny!"

Outside on the sofa, Qiao Ranran held a tablet, covering her mouth to stifle her giggles. The screen displayed the live feed from the bathroom camera, with the control room located in the adjacent suite. Early that morning, the production team for "Stars Are Coming," hosted by Qiao Ranran, had checked into the hotel, setting up wires and cameras in the neighboring room for this special feature.

Mai Le leaned in beside Qiao Ranran. Watching Jiang Lun’s antics on the screen, he was caught between laughter and anxiety, terrified of what might happen if Jiang Lun ever discovered the truth.

"With that amount of hair, isn't it a bit wasteful to use so much shampoo? Look at all that lather—can he even rinse it all out?" Qiao Ranran commented as she watched. Every word was being recorded for future use in the final cut. Mai Le chimed in as well, "exposing" amusing tidbits about Jiang Lun’s daily life.

"Jiang Lun uses an incredible amount of shampoo. He goes through two bottles a month on average. For a guy, especially one with short-to-medium hair, that’s unusually excessive!"

"Wait, is he just using the showerhead on his hair?" Qiao Ranran suddenly grew concerned. On screen, Jiang Lun had groped for the showerhead with one eye half-open, turned it on, and began rinsing his hair directly. The hidden camera was located near the shower controls; would he spot it?

"That’s just his personal habit!" Mai Le’s heart pounded. He rubbed his hands together nervously; they could be exposed at any moment.

The two held their breath as they watched Jiang Lun finish rinsing, then apply a full suite of hair care products. Only after treating his hair with multiple layers did he finally rinse it clean again.

"Phew! That was nerve-wracking!" Qiao Ranran patted her chest. On screen, Jiang Lun had finished and returned the showerhead to its mount, putting her at ease. But the next second, she grew tense again, pointing at the screen in shock. "He... what is he doing? Why is he taking his clothes off?"

"Uh..." Mai Le was equally baffled. "Maybe he’s going to take a shower?"

"What? A shower? How are we supposed to film this? This can't be aired!" Qiao Ranran blushed and shoved the tablet toward Mai Le. "You watch him, and give it back to me when he’s finished!"

"But..." Mai Le started.

"But what? You’re a guy, it doesn't matter if you see anything!" Qiao Ranran turned her head away, unable to look directly at Mai Le, though her curiosity made it hard to resist sneaking a glance.

After a long pause, Mai Le couldn't help but say, "But the way you mounted this camera, it doesn't seem to show anything below the waist!"

"Oh? Really?" Qiao Ranran turned back and snatched the tablet to check. It was true, just as Mai Le said. The production team had anticipated that the celebrity might use the restroom, so they had carefully adjusted the angle and placement.

"You scared me to death..." Qiao Ranran let out a long sigh, though her face continued to flush as she stared at the screen.

The angle didn't capture his lower body, but it provided a perfectly clear view of his torso, from the navel upwards.

"This guy. He’s actually in pretty good shape. Not bad at all!" Qiao Ranran said shyly.

Mai Le nodded. "He does have a habit of working out daily, though his schedule is irregular, so he just squeezes it in whenever he can."

"That’s the life of a celebrity for you!" Qiao Ranran agreed. "I exercise less now, but I still make sure to attend a yoga class every week unless I really can't find the time. Even then, I’ll find somewhere to practice on my own."

On the screen, Jiang Lun had disappeared; the camera’s field of vision was limited, and once he moved past the bathtub, he was out of view. About twenty minutes later, Jiang Lun emerged.

Watching him get dressed, Qiao Ranran asked, puzzled, "This guy is such a weirdo. If he was going to take a shower, why wash his hair outside of it first?"

"I don't know!" Mai Le laughed. "Maybe it’s just a personal quirk."

"Oh, he’s dressed. He should be coming out soon, right?"

"Not yet!" Mai Le, who knew Jiang Lun’s habits well, chuckled. "There’s one final step."

"What step?"

"Just watch!" Mai Le gestured toward the screen. Sure enough, Jiang Lun had one more routine: washing his face. He applied the cleanser, scrubbed his face hastily, and rinsed it off in a flash.

"That’s way too sloppy, isn't it? That’s his own face!" Qiao Ranran shook her head.

"He doesn't like to make a fuss about his face," Mai Le explained. "Even for events where he has to wear makeup, he always requests a light touch—or prefers none at all if he can get away with it."

"Oh..." Qiao Ranran nodded. "Actually, that’s good. All those cosmetics are really damaging to the skin."

"That’s not why he does it!" Mai Le laughed. "He just thinks removing makeup is a hassle. When he first debuted, his makeup was just like any other celebrity’s—layers of powder and foundation. He used to complain every single time he had to take it off!"

"So now that he has some clout, he can call the shots and demand what he wants, right?" Qiao Ranran’s eyes sparkled as she laid a trap.

Mai Le fell right into it. "Exactly, that’s it!"

"So, does that make him a diva?"

"Huh?" Mai Le was stunned. He stammered for a moment, "No, no, no! That’s not what I meant!"

"Haha, relax, I’m just teasing you!" Qiao Ranran couldn't stop laughing.

Finally, Jiang Lun walked out. Seeing the joy on Qiao Ranran’s face, he couldn't help but ask, "Sister Qiao, what are you so happy about?"

"Oh?" Qiao Ranran paused, realizing she’d been caught. She quickly hid the tablet and said, pretending to be nonchalant, "Nothing, just saw a funny post on Weibo!"

"Oh!" Jiang Lun took her at her word. He nodded and asked, "When do we start recording?"

"This afternoon!" Qiao Ranran replied. "Let’s go over the flow and prepare a draft first. We’ll have lunch together, then start recording promptly at two."

"Where are we recording? Right here?" Jiang Lun asked.

"This will work. We originally wanted to rent a café, but the deal didn't go through," Qiao Ranran said. "You’ve seen our show, right?"

"I have! 'Stars Are Coming,' the premier talk show in the country!" Jiang Lun complimented. "Sister Qiao, you’re quite different from how you are on the show!"

"Hehe, that’s all because of you!" Qiao Ranran said. As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized she’d said too much and instinctively covered her mouth.

The production team had indeed asked her to change her style for this episode. Because this wasn't a standard studio interview, and "Stars Are Coming" had been running for so long that it was showing signs of fatigue—with ratings remaining flat and slowly declining—the team wanted to try a new approach by showing a more private side of Qiao Ranran to create a fresh angle.

The "hidden camera" format wasn't new for the show; they had used it before, usually involving her sister, Qiao Keke, or the two of them together. This was the first time Qiao Ranran was taking it on solo, which was a highlight in itself. If it had been Qiao Keke, she wouldn't have been shy about the half-naked shots of Jiang Lun; she would have stared at the screen, critiquing him and perhaps even "licking the screen" for the sake of the show.

Although this format was considered cliché and viewers often accused the show of being scripted, the production team was determined to go for it. Whether it succeeded or failed, they wouldn't know until it aired and they saw the audience’s reaction.

Jiang Lun didn't notice the slip-up in Qiao Ranran’s words, nor did he dwell on it. He asked, "Sister Qiao, are you the only one interviewing me today? Where’s Sister Keke?"

"Since this episode was put together last minute and she had some family business to attend to, I have to carry the load alone. You’ll have to help me out during the recording this afternoon!" Qiao Ranran said with a smile.

"No problem!" Jiang Lun patted his chest. "I promise to cooperate!"

"That’s all I needed to hear!" Qiao Ranran smiled inwardly, though she kept a straight face.

Once Jiang Lun was settled, she pulled out her phone and opened her notes. "Let me go over the main points I want to ask you about."

"Sure!" Jiang Lun nodded.

"Can we talk about your story before you debuted?"

"Sure," Jiang Lun said. "But there isn't much to tell. I’m just a kid from the countryside, same as most people in this society—I was just a bit luckier, that’s all!"

"That’s a good answer!" Qiao Ranran nodded theatrically. "Actually, our show has wanted to interview you for a long time, but we never got the chance. Back when you combined pop music with rap to create that new 'pop-rap' style, I wanted to meet you in person to see what you were made of!"

"Haha, well, now that you’ve seen me, what do you think I’m made of?" Jiang Lun, thinking this was just casual conversation, replied easily, "I’m just an ordinary person, just like everyone else!"

"You're not!" Qiao Ranran shook her head. "If that’s true, why can’t anyone else create that style?"

"Hmm..." Jiang Lun pondered. "I don't know. Actually, as long as you have the courage to think outside the box and experiment, you’ll find that many things can be combined."

"I don't believe that!" Qiao Ranran shook her head. "Even though I don't know much about music, I have sung before. If it were that simple, wouldn't we see new innovations popping up every day? For example, can you combine your pop-rap with Peking Opera-style rock? No, you can't!"

"Why not?" Jiang Lun countered. "I’ll compose one for you in a bit!"