Chapter 8 The Beginning of the Scandal: 08

Words : 1637 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

Chapter 8: Chapter 8 The Beginning of the Scandal: 08 Chen Quanying was already in her forties, having been famous for over a decade, and had appeared on the Spring Festival Gala several times, enjoying a high degree of national popularity. She came to participate in this show partly because it was very popular and partly because she hadn't been active for a long time, and anyhow, she hadn't retired from the circle, so she couldn't keep herself hidden indefinitely. Therefore, she accepted the director's invitation to join the show. Zhou Yun was very respectful towards Chen Quanying, always calling her Sister Ying. Chen Quanying adhered to the old-school style, no matter what she thought inside, she would never outright conflict with a young person. It seemed that the two of them enjoyed each other's company, laughing and having a good time together. Zhou Lan was standing next to the director's team. After a while, Lew Qingqing and Su Yan appeared. The two of them walked over hand in hand, chatting and smiling radiantly. Zhou Yun saw them from a distance, got distracted, and almost thought he was seeing things. Upon closer inspection, he saw a cameraman filming them, and then Zhou Yun realized what was going on. Not getting along was one thing, and rumors spreading was inconsequential, but in front of the camera, they had to at least appear harmonious. After all, as constant MCs of the show, how else could the show go on? Some things could be done, but not to the point where they give others something to talk about. All the guests had already changed into their clothes and were ready. The director raised a megaphone and announced, "Our first game will be the Mud Pit Battle." The rules of the Mud Pit Battle were for everyone to be split into two teams, competing for three balls in the mud pit, which had to be thrown into corresponding baskets. Whichever team threw more balls into the baskets would win. This was a classic game on "What a Nice Weather." The teams were already pre-arranged, but for the actual filming, they still needed to shoot a round of drawing lots to divide the teams. Variety shows do have scripts, the difference lies in that some scripts are just outlines, a direction, while others detail certain segments and effects. "What a Nice Weather" was alright, having a script in general, like the three balls across three rounds, with the first two rounds scripted for each team to win once, but the last round was left without a script, relying entirely on the teams' real strength. This arrangement was meant to add some suspense to the competition, avoiding the effect of one-sidedness if one team was too strong. Zhou Yun and Lew Qingqing ended up on the same team. Su Yan and Chen Quanying were on another team. This also served to balance the strength of the teams. Physically, females were generally not as strong as males, so it was better to have two females on each side. On camera, Lew Qingqing naturally stood together with Zhou Yun. "We'll just rest on the side later, you have to be very careful not to get caught in the middle, these men are really rough when they fight for the ball," she whispered to Zhou Yun, a well-intentioned warning. Of course, the trailing camera had recorded this scene. Zhou Yun smiled and said, "This is all new to me, I'm a little nervous. Sister Qingqing, I'll follow your lead later." Lew Qingqing laughed heartily, "Don't worry, I've got your back." A whistle blew, and the first round began. The men charged towards the ball on the opposite side of the mud pit. Zhou Yun followed Lew Qingqing's steps, trying hard to move forward a few paces. Walking in the mud pit was especially tough due to the resistance. For these women, with their already weaker physical strength, it was even harder. Zhou Yun never intended to dash into the midst of the men to fight for the ball. This was a comedy variety show; what mattered was capturing the camera's attention and showing an appealing side to the audience. Like Lew Qingqing, who didn't charge forward but swung both hands energetically, giving her full support and cheering on her team. Right then, Zhou Yun noticed Su Yan and Chen Quanying sneakily making their way to the edge of the mud pit. "Catch!" Ahead, Zhang Haichen from the other team yelled, and with a toss, a mud-covered ball flew out, landing right by Su Yan and Chen Quanying. "Ahh—" Lew Qingqing screamed, "Zhou Yun, stop them!" Zhou Yun immediately rushed over with Lew Qingqing. The two of them confronted Chen Quanying and Su Yan. The ball was in Su Yan's hands. Seeing this, Zhou Yun went straight forward to snatch the ball. Su Yan immediately hugged the ball and shouted, "Sister Ying, save me—" Zhou Yun kept laughing while trying to wrestle the ball from Su Yan's hands, "Give me the ball!" Su Yan screamed, "Zhou Yun, why are you so strong?" Zhou Yun struggled to pull the ball backward, but suddenly, when Su Yan let go, Zhou Yun, with the ball in arms, fell into the mud pit due to inertia. Her whole face was covered in mud. Zhou Yun tried desperately to get up, but it was not easy in the mud pit. They all rushed over, Lew Qingqing helped hold down Su Yan, while Chen Quanying tried to steal the ball from Zhou Yun's grip. Four women were embroiled in a chaotic fight. The men didn't dare to step forward. Instead, they kept themselves busy, one by one taking on the role of commentators. "Wow, these women are really terrifying!" "Aren't they usually delicate fairies?" "Su Yan got the ball!" Zhou Yun only felt her body being pressed down by several people, the ball in her hand was pried away, and when she looked up, it was Su Yan. "Sister Ying, I got the ball!" Su Yan shouted joyfully. Chen Quanying took the ball from Su Yan's hands and sprinted towards the basket ahead. According to the script arranged in advance, it was Su Yan's team that was supposed to win this round. Lew Qingqing in her western dress caught up. Zhou Yun was about to climb out of the mud pit when suddenly a foot kicked over, hitting her straight in the head and knocking her back into the mud. A mouthful of mud swallowed. "Cough—" With a whistle blowing, Chen Quanying scored. She let out a cheer. "Alas." Lew Qingqing sighed, turned around, helped Zhou Yun up with a concerned look, and asked, "Are you okay?" Zhou Yun shook her head, spit out the mud in her mouth; she was actually a bit disheveled, but her mud-covered face still managed a smile both brilliant and innocent, even eliciting a sense of pity because of her pitiful appearance. "They're too strong." Lew Qingqing supported Zhou Yun by the hand and walked together toward the edge of the mud pit. "It's okay, we'll win the next one!" Lew Qingqing was high-spirited. Reaching the shore, Su Yan passed over two towels. "My God, it's Zhou Yun's first time on our show, and she already got a mud mask," Zhang Haichen said with exaggerated laughter. Zhou Yun took the towel and wiped the mud off her face, her fair and tender smiling face still radiant; she feigned helplessness, "I knew this show was brutal, but I didn't expect it to be this brutal." Lew Qingqing was also wiping her face. "But Zhou Yun is really amazing, going so fiercely on her first time, so strong," Lew Qingqing said, "I can never manage to snatch the ball from Su Yan." Chen Quanying laughed loudly, "That's true, Zhou Yun looks so petite, but who knew she was actually so strong." The group chatted casually, with no one bringing up the kick that Zhou Yun had received earlier. It's unclear whether they did not see it or they tacitly decided not to mention it. Zhou Yun herself didn't bring it up, pretending it never happened. As for who delivered that kick... Zhou Yun had an idea in her mind. Zhou Yun was not someone to be bullied by others, but if she can endure, she typically would, not wanting to cause further trouble. Moreover, it was all part of the game, and an accidental kick can be excused. Even if she wanted to pursue the matter, there was no evidence. This was their home turf, and it would not do her any good to raise a fuss. But Zhou Yun made a mental note of it, she remembered. After an afternoon of exhausting games. In the evening, Zhou Yun and the others went to wash up in the bathrooms prepared by the program crew, before changing clothes to head to the next location. Dinner was part of the filming. A group rode a big bus. This was the unspoken session for casual conversation. "Xiao Yun, it's your first time on our show today, how do you feel?" Lew Qing asked proactively. Zhou Yun's eyes sparkled, she clenched her fists, and said, "So much fun!" In line with the plan initially discussed with Zhou Lan, being new to the show, one shouldn't overshadow the hosts or appear too weak. One should be a bit naïve, hardworking, and at the same time, keep a positive attitude. This was the path plotted by her company, to be a female artist with a sweet smile and a positive image.

Chapter 8 The Beginning of the Scandal: 08

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