Chapter 133: Pranked!

The atmosphere in the room was awkward. Even after the waitress apologized, Qiao Ranran remained cold and arrogant.

Jiang Lun had no choice but to step in. "I'm sorry, why don't you two head out first? We'll call you if we need anything."

"Yes, sir!"

The waitress nodded, her eyes rimmed with tears, and she left looking extremely aggrieved.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Qiao Ranran huffed, "It was clearly her mistake, yet she acted so innocent. People like that are just detestable!"

"Come on, Qiao! It’s not like she did it on purpose," Jiang Lun urged. "Besides, she apologized to you. You’re a public figure; there's no need to be like this."

"So what if I'm a public figure? Does being a public figure mean I can't lose my temper?" Qiao Ranran looked indignant. "Just because I work in the entertainment industry, does that mean I have to suffer in silence when something like this happens?"

"That's not what I meant!" Jiang Lun was torn between laughter and frustration. "But aren't you going a bit too far?"

"Enough, let's eat." Qiao Ranran sat up straight, but after picking up her chopsticks, she put them down again with a sigh. "Ugh, I've lost my appetite."

With her saying that, Jiang Lun felt awkward continuing to eat. He set his chopsticks down and looked at her, trying to find a topic to cheer her up. Qiao Ranran, sensing his intent, waved him off as she stood up. "I'm going to wash my hands. You go ahead and eat."

Watching her leave, Jiang Lun picked up his chopsticks again, but his own appetite had vanished. He said to Mai Le, "You go ahead."

"You got it!" Mai Le didn't care about the mood. He knew perfectly well that this was all an act, so he picked up his chopsticks and began to eat, completely disregarding his image.

As soon as Qiao Ranran stepped out, she couldn't help but cover her mouth to stifle her laughter. She walked a few paces and entered the next room. The production team was inside, and only then did she burst into loud laughter.

"Haha! Oh my god, that performance was so satisfying!" She laughed and patted the waitress on the shoulder. "Great acting! Goodness, the way those tears just appeared on cue!"

The two waitresses were in the room, having already swapped their uniforms for their own clothes. It turned out they were members of the production team, not waitresses at all.

"Sister Qiao, do you want to see the playback?" the show's director asked, walking over.

"Let me take a look. Let's see how I did—could I win an Oscar for this?" Qiao Ranran sat down next to the staff and began watching with great interest.

Next door.

During the time Qiao Ranran was gone, the remaining three dishes were served. Seeing Mai Le wolfing down the food, Jiang Lun couldn't resist and just picked up his chopsticks when Qiao Ranran returned. She had put on a completely different face—a sweet smile that was a total contrast to before. "I'm so sorry, I lost my composure just now!"

Jiang Lun set his chopsticks down. "It's fine, everyone has their moments. It's unavoidable."

"I'm glad you understand!"

As Qiao Ranran spoke, she glanced at the table. Mai Le had nearly finished the food, so she asked, "Are you full?"

"Yeah, I'm stuffed!" Mai Le blurted out.

Hearing that, Qiao Ranran said, "Well, if you're full, let's head back and get ready to record. The sooner we start, the sooner we finish."

Jiang Lun glanced at Mai Le, then withdrew his hand as he reached for the chopsticks once more.

...

An hour later.

The room was set up with cameras, lighting, and microphones. A laptop sat on the coffee table, connected to the living room television, which displayed the bold title: "Stars Are Here."

The recording officially began.

As the camera light turned on, Qiao Ranran looked at the lens with dignity, reverting to her usual style. "Since 'Stars Are Here' began airing so many years ago, we have invited many singers, especially newcomers. However, their fates have been quite different after appearing on our show. Some achieved great fame, like Lin Jianyu and Fang Tianlai, while others gradually faded into obscurity. It just goes to show how cruel the entertainment industry is."

"Today, we have invited another newcomer. He has only debuted for a few short months, yet he has already created many miracles. On our official social media and website forums, he is the most requested guest of the last few months. Many viewers have been dying to see him here."

Qiao Ranran gestured toward him. "Let's welcome, Jiang Lun!"

The music coordinator immediately played a clip of applause, and the camera panned to Jiang Lun.

"Hello, host! And hello to all the viewers watching!" Jiang Lun stood up and waved at the camera.

Qiao Ranran said, "Are you aware that this is an interview program?"

Jiang Lun replied, "I am."

Qiao Ranran continued, "Do you know that many guests have been reduced to tears on our show?"

Jiang Lun laughed. "I know that, too!"

"And you still dared to come?" Qiao Ranran asked with a playful wit.

"I came prepared!"

"Oh," Qiao Ranran drawled, "that's good then!"

Jiang Lun knew this show was famous for its bizarre questions, some of which were so private or inappropriate they were practically unsuitable for children. There was a forum where fans had once voted on the questions that most made celebrities want to walk off the set, and the top ten were notoriously brutal. Jiang Lun had taken the time to review those ten questions, prepared with strategies to skillfully sidestep them should they arise.

The initial questions were not too harsh, and Jiang Lun didn't feel particularly cornered. Perhaps because Qiao Keke wasn't there, Qiao Ranran was unable to unleash her full arsenal while flying solo.

"I'm quite satisfied with your answers so far, Jiang Lun, but I don't know if our audience is!" Qiao Ranran turned to look at him. "We are now moving to a segment where we will have a video call with fans online. They may have some questions for you!"

"Oh? Really?" Jiang Lun looked at Qiao Ranran in disbelief; he hadn't expected this.

"Really!"

Qiao Ranran pointed to the television. The screen instantly changed to a video interface, appearing to be a chat channel for a voice messaging software. There were over three thousand people waiting in the channel, and the text chat area was scrolling rapidly.

"Is it really Jiang Lun?"
"Brother Lun, pick me! Pick me!"
"Haha, when will we get to see Brother Lun?"
"What is the production team doing? What time is it?"
"Good luck!"

Looking at these comments, Jiang Lun believed it was real. Qiao Ranran, while looking calm on the surface, was ecstatic inside. She continued, "We will use a lottery system. The control is in your hands; just press the spacebar on the computer randomly. The selected fan will be able to interact with you. We will be picking five friends today. Are you ready?"

"I'm ready!" Jiang Lun said.

"Then let's begin!" Qiao Ranran didn't forget to remind him, "Be careful when answering. You are facing netizens in a chat channel, which is essentially a live broadcast; there's no editing or re-recording!"

"Yes, I understand!"

"Then start!"

"Whew..." Jiang Lun took a deep breath. He watched a red light flashing in the center of the screen. When he pressed the spacebar, the light turned green and stopped blinking.

Immediately, images appeared in the two video display windows in the top right corner. The bottom window showed Jiang Lun and Qiao Ranran, while the top one was black, displaying the text "Connecting..."

"Our internet might be a bit slow, as there are many users in the channel now—it's already reached four thousand, and I expect more will join soon!" Qiao Ranran said to fill the time and prevent any awkward silence.

Jiang Lun nodded, maintaining a composed demeanor, though his palms were sweating with nerves.

The video screen on the TV enlarged, and suddenly, a stranger's face appeared. It was a girl—a pretty one. Judging by the background, she seemed to be at home.

"Oh, there we go!" Qiao Ranran pointed at the screen. "Hi there, beauty! Can you see us?"

The girl in the video looked stunned for a moment, her eyes widening. She looked behind her, then back at the computer, and suddenly beamed with surprise. "Ah!!! Is it me? Is it really me?"

"Yes, it's you! Hello!" Qiao Ranran said.

Jiang Lun also waved. "Hi! Hello!"

"Wow!" The girl covered half her face with both hands, leaving only her eyes visible. "Oh my god, I can't believe it. I was the first one! I'm so nervous!"

"It's okay, don't be nervous!" Qiao Ranran laughed. "Is there anything you want to say to Jiang Lun? Or any questions you'd like to ask? Feel free."

"Hi, Sister Qiao! Hello, Brother Lun!"

The girl steadied herself and gave a sweet greeting, though she couldn't hide her excitement. When Jiang Lun heard "Brother Lun," he felt a shiver run down his spine. *Good grief, that’s so cheesy!*

Still, he replied without changing his expression, "Hello! Hello!"

"Brother Lun, I like you so much!" The girl covered her face, acting like a lovesick fan. "All the music on my phone is your songs. I heard you're going to film a TV series. I'm really looking forward to it! Are you going to play the lead?"

"No," Jiang Lun said. "I'm investing in 'My Own Swordsman,' but I'm leaving the creative work to the main production staff. I might make a cameo appearance, though!"

"Oh?" The girl immediately looked disappointed. "Then I won't watch it. I'll wait until your cameo appears to watch it!"

"Uh..." Jiang Lun felt extremely awkward. He glanced at Qiao Ranran for help, but she acted as if she hadn't noticed, busy playing with her phone.

"Huh? Brother Lun, are you angry?" the girl in the video asked. "Oh no, don't be angry, Brother Lun! I'll just watch it when it comes out!"

"..."

Jiang Lun felt another shiver. *Seriously, does she have to be so nauseatingly sweet? Can't she just talk normally?*

However, he managed a smile. "Thank you. Even if you say that, I still hope you'll support it, because I wrote the script!"

"Oh? You wrote the script?" The girl feigned surprise. "Then I definitely have to support it!"

"Thank you, thank you!" Jiang Lun clasped his hands together and nodded in gratitude.

The girl then asked, "Brother Lun, may I ask you a favor?"

"Sure! But can you please not be so cheesy?" Jiang Lun decided to let it out; he couldn't take much more of this, or he'd have a stroke.

"Ah? You don't like the way I talk?" The girl looked tragic and innocent. "But you're my idol!"

"Uh... whatever. As long as you're happy," Jiang Lun said, speechless. He stopped trying to fight it. "What is it? Go ahead and ask."

"Well," the girl said with a hint of hesitation, "I joined your fan club and check the 'Star Tribe' page every day. I know your next stop is Guangzhou for a fan meet. I happen to be in Guangzhou, so I’ll definitely go to see you. But I have a request—I hope you can call out my name on stage. Is that okay?"

"Sure!" Jiang Lun didn't think much of it. It wasn't a difficult task; it would only take a second.

"Great! My name is Xiang Jiewen. Can you remember it?"

*Wait. Xiang Jiewen?* (A pun on "want to kiss" in Chinese). *Talk about a bold name.* Regardless, Jiang Lun agreed. "Okay! I've got it!"

"Yay! I'll be waiting for you to call my name!" the girl said excitedly.

At that moment, Qiao Ranran interjected, "Thank you, beauty! See you in Guangzhou then. Bye-bye!"

"Bye-bye!" The girl waved and even blew a kiss.

The video cut off.

Next door.

"Whew! That was so nerve-wracking!" The girl from the video let out a long sigh of relief the moment it ended.

"Great performance!" the production team praised.

"Ugh, talking like that felt so awkward!" The girl rubbed her face.

With the bedroom segment over, the next began in the study.

This time, the person sitting at the computer was a blonde, blue-eyed foreign girl—an international student the production team had recruited from Changzhou University. Her Chinese was excellent, but they wanted her to prank Jiang Lun in English.

On the other end.

"Next!" Qiao Ranran said. "Let's see if this one is a boy or a girl!"

Jiang Lun nodded and pressed the spacebar.

A second later, a blonde, blue-eyed foreign girl appeared on the TV screen.

"Hi!" Qiao Ranran said first.

The girl on the screen, like the previous one, acted surprised and blurted out in English, "Is it me? Am I the lucky one to be chosen?"

"Of course!"

Jiang Lun nodded and replied in English, "It's you. Are you ready?"

"Oh, yes! I'm ready!"

The girl’s expressions were exaggerated, but she spoke coherently. Jiang Lun’s responses were fluid and natural, which shocked the production team. *He didn't make a fool of himself?*

*No, it's time to bring out the big guns.*

When the second fan session ended, the third one appeared.

This time, it was a black man.

Seeing his face, Jiang Lun was taken aback. "Hi! Hello there!"

"Is that you, Jiang Lun? My name is Jimmy! I'm from Rwanda, studying in China, and I really like your work!"

The brother began to freestyle a rap on his own—a natural talent indeed. He did it in Chinese, rattling off a string of lyrics for nearly a minute without stopping for a breath. (To be continued.)