Did the Movie Emperor Blow His Cover Today? - Chapter 58

Chapter 58

The variety show Tao Hui and Han Buji were participating in lived up to its reputation as one of the top three programs, boasting an incredibly effective promotional strategy.

Initial promotional materials didn’t feature Tao Hui and Han Buji together, instead focusing on clips of Tao Hui with Sichuan-Chongqing tycoon Li Sijin.

Han Buji’s sole appearance showed the Best Actor riding a snowmobile, drifting dramatically across the snowy terrain, kicking up a flurry of powder. With a swift lift of his long leg, he dismounted with commanding presence.

Tao Hui’s Rabbit Fur fans buzzed with speculation: “Could our Rabbit be sparking a little romance with the tycoon?” Meanwhile, Han Meimei was beside themselves with excitement: “OMG, Gege looks so cool! I have to watch!”

Even before its premiere, the show had already generated massive buzz.

On the night of the broadcast, the live comments section transformed into “Groundhog Hill,” erupting with groundhog-like squeals. Energetic groundhogs shrieked “Aaaah!”, while older ones groaned “Aah—”. Toothless groundhogs whistled through the gaps: “Ah, ah, ah!” and so on…

In the video, Tao Hui and Han Buji emerged from backstage, both dressed in black. Though they didn’t stand together, their chemistry was palpable. Viewers noticed Tao Hui’s deliberate avoidance of Li Sijin, and the “mommy fans” grew increasingly displeased with the guest’s overt attempts to get close to her:

[ Rabbit, my precious daughter, run! This man is trouble! ]

Li Sijin, ever the oddball, not only ignored the comment but screenshotted it and posted it on Weibo, using the opportunity to promote his company:

[ Li Sijin V: Do I really seem… that hopeless? ]

The post was accompanied by an advertisement for his company’s kidney-tonifying and blood-nourishing pills.

The comments section flooded with tens of thousands of “hahahahahaha” replies.

Perhaps because Li Sijin projected a hot-tempered image while Tao Hui seemed so innocent, viewers couldn’t shake the feeling that Little Tao Hui might be taken advantage of. By the time the team assignments were announced, even the Han Meimeis were hoping Han Buji would step in to help Tao Hui and be paired with her.

After all, the guests were representing the Sheng Jue production crew. Han Buji and Tao Hui were bound to be more familiar with each other than with the others.

As for Xu Chang, the fans had no expectations. They believed this clumsy fool, who couldn’t even drink porridge without spilling it all over himself, was utterly unsuited for a hero-saves-damsel scenario.

In the variety show, Han Buji lived up to expectations. As he followed the male guests out, he deliberately lagged behind, whispering to Tao Hui, “Wait for me.”

The director amplified these two simple words in the editing, sending viewers into a frenzy.

The male guests were then taken to the challenge location, where they speculated about the difficulty of the task, creating palpable tension. Watching Han Buji’s nonchalant demeanor, which stood in stark contrast to the other three guests’ anxiety, viewers grew increasingly frantic. Weibo erupted with comments like:

[ ~My mom asked why I was slamming the table. It’s all because of Gege! If he keeps meditating, I’m going to chop the coffee table with my bare hands! ]

[ ~Holy crap, I never thought watching a comedy show would make me this nervous! I even swallowed my mouthwash! ]

[ ~Han Buji, go! Han Buji, go! Han Buji, go! ]

Compared to the other guests, Han Buji looked like he was on vacation. That is, until he raised his hand, downed the entire glass of chili water in one gulp, and then rode his snowmobile, covered in dust, to the female guests’ waiting room, striding in with purpose.

The audience’s “Ah—!”s seemed to be competing for lung capacity, each one longer and louder than the last.

Next, Tao Hui mistakenly held up Li Sijin’s nameplate. Han Buji gave her a half-amused, half-teasing look and asked, “Not switching?”

In the video, Tao Hui froze, glanced at the nameplate in her hand, and then, like a startled cat, her eyes widened as she frantically swapped it for Han Buji’s.

Viewers in front of their TVs, phones, tablets, and computers erupted in laughter.

Seeing his name, Han Buji finally smiled. He pointed at Tao Hui and declared, “I choose Tao Hui.”

The still-laughing audience seemed to receive some kind of transformation signal, turning into screaming groundhogs: “Ahhhh!!!”

“Ahhhh!!!”

A robust voice boomed from outside the window. Tao Hui’s hand trembled, dropping a blue birthday candle at her feet. Han Buji picked it up.

Just as she was about to speak, another eerie laugh echoed from outside the window, its emptiness amplified by the night, making it sound like a haunting.

Immediately followed by a series of “Ahhh!” Tao Hui’s face darkened with exasperation. She placed the birthday hat on Han Buji’s head and asked, puzzled, “…Have the neighborhood aunties taken up a new hobby lately? Why are they laughing and screaming so late at night?”

Han Buji straightened the birthday hat on his head and smiled. “Maybe.”

It was past 9 p.m., and the windows glowed with the lights of countless homes.

In Han Buji’s apartment, only the entryway light was on, casting the room in a dim, hazy glow. In the soft light, Han Buji wore a golden cardboard birthday hat and smiled gently.

Tao Hui hadn’t watched the variety show and had completely forgotten it was airing today. After all, she had more important things on her mind.

A small cake sat on the table. As Tao Hui inserted candles, she muttered, “You didn’t even tell me it was your birthday sooner. I didn’t get you a gift.”

“Your company is the best gift,” Han Buji said, leaning against the table with one hand propped on it. He reached out, swiped a fingertip of frosting, and tasted it. “Mmm, so sweet.”

Tao Hui finished inserting a candle and turned to see Han Buji squinting his eyes and saying, “So sweet,” with a sigh. “Best Actor Han, could you tone down the charm a bit? Snake Lu was practically twisting his waist into a pretzel today, completely smitten by you.”

“It really is sweet,” Han Buji repeated earnestly, holding up his finger.

What else could cream taste like if not sweet?

Spicy and sour beef? Pickled mustard greens? Chicken stew with mushrooms?

Tao Hui looked at Han Buji, puzzled. “Very sweet… and then?”

“And then…” Han Buji drawled with a smile, “would you like to try some?”

“Sure,” Tao Hui replied casually, arranging the candles into a heart shape.

She was so focused on making the candles look perfect on the cake that she didn’t notice Han Buji had stopped touching the cream. As he moved closer from behind, Tao Hui instinctively parted her lips, ready to taste the cream.

Earlier that day, on the way back from the Charming film set, Han Buji had suddenly announced it was his birthday. Caught off guard, Tao Hui knew she had to do something special for her boyfriend’s birthday. She volunteered to make a small cake at a DIY shop.

After diligently working for hours without even tasting a single bite of cream, Tao Hui was now so hungry she felt like she was about to collapse.

So she thought, sneaking a taste of the cream beforehand wouldn’t hurt.

But in the next moment, Han Buji hooked his finger under Tao Hui’s chin, tilting her head toward him. Instead of tasting the “sweet” cream, she felt a pair of warm, soft lips press against hers. Then, she tasted the cream-sweetened tip of his tongue.

The kiss caught her completely off guard. Tao Hui barely managed to push the cake away, scattering the candles across the floor. Han Buji’s loosely perched birthday hat also tumbled to the ground.

With her back pressed against Han Buji’s chest, Tao Hui found herself in an awkward, sideways kissing position—a first for her. The warmth of his chest against her back and the hand gently stroking her wrist made her legs feel weak.

She lost track of time. Just when Tao Hui thought she was about to melt into a puddle in Han Buji’s arms, he suddenly rasped, “I found it.”

“Hmm?” Tao Hui opened her eyes, her gaze hazy, and looked up at him.

Han Buji took her wrist, lifted it between them, and smiled. “I said, I found my gift.”

A red satin ribbon was tied around Tao Hui’s slender wrist, forming a lopsided bow like an unopened gift.

The ribbon had originally been used to tie a cake box and had been lying discarded on the table.

She tilted her head, staring at the bow on her wrist, and murmured, “Magic?”

Han Buji chuckled, tapping Tao Hui’s forehead. “Silly girl, I tied it on while we were kissing.”

“Then… unwrap your gift,” Tao Hui said, turning to lean against the table, facing Han Buji with a radiant smile. “Once opened, no returns or exchanges. This gift is yours for life. Dare you unwrap it?”

Tao Hui’s hair cascaded freely, its smooth strands shimmering under the dim light. Her Hepburn-inspired makeup from earlier still held, her eyes deep and clear, soft bangs framing her forehead. The pale, outstretched wrist made the red bow stand out even more vividly.

“My greatest desire,” Han Buji replied, lifting his hand to pinch one end of the bow between his fingertips, his eyebrows raised in amusement. “I was just worrying about how to tie my gift back if it ever tried to run away.”

With a gentle tug, the bow loosened, and the ribbon slid off. Han Buji kissed the tip of Tao Hui’s nose. “Hello, my little gift.”

As the two sweetly blew out the candles and ate cake, netizens were in a state of complex emotions, fervently discussing the pair online.

Even after the variety show aired and the production team had cut out all the ambiguous scenes and audio clips between Han Buji and Tao Hui, viewers still sensed a palpable chemistry between them.

It wasn’t just the “No Way CP” fans celebrating the New Year with glee; even many Han Meimeis were bewildered. Staring at screenshots of the video that looked as harmonious as wedding photos, they found themselves questioning their own desires: Do I really want my Gege to be with Tao Hui?

Could this be the legendary “couple aura,” blessed by the Old Man Under the Moon himself? (t/n: a Taoist god of marriage and love, a divine matchmaker who is believed to tie an invisible red thread of fate)

Tao Hui’s Rabbit Fur fans weren’t thrilled. After all, Rabbit was their “precious daughter,” and while Best Actor Han was handsome and talented, they prioritized their daughter’s happiness above all else.

Serving a king is like serving a tiger! they fretted. If they really get together, the Han Meimeis will tear our Rabbit apart the moment she has a fight with the Best Actor!

No way! We, her family, won’t stand by and watch her suffer!

The Rabbit Fur fans swiftly unearthed the old video where Tao Hui had declared, “Actually, I’m not very close to Best Actor Han.” They pointed out emphatically, “See! Our Rabbit doesn’t even have Han Buji’s phone number! They’re not close at all!”

This revelation only fueled the Han Meimeis’ curiosity further. In the entire entertainment industry, a female celebrity like Tao Hui—beautiful, kind-hearted, and actively avoiding riding on the Best Actor’s coattails—was practically unheard of!

One of the Han Meimeis, a longtime fan of the Best Actor, tentatively posted on Weibo:

[ Just saying… I think Tao Hui and Gege would make a really good couple. ]

The comments were divided, with a few supporting the idea but most disagreeing. Some extreme fans even insisted the Best Actor should remain single forever. Others, eager for drama, accused the poster of being paid by Tao Hui’s company to spread such rumors.

As the heated debate raged, the heiress of Xiangcheng Entertainment posted a Weibo update. Without a word, she tagged Tao Hui and Han Buji, attached a short video clip, and subtly promoted her family’s entertainment company, riding the wave of attention.

The video showed the Xiangcheng heiress, posing as a reporter at Weibo Night, interviewing Tao Hui:

“Many fans are curious about your relationship with Han Buji. What’s it like in private?”

Tao Hui, radiant in a black dress, smiled charmingly at the camera. “Han Buji? We’re not close.”

The moment the video went viral, the warring Han Meimeis fell silent, a sense of loss settling over them. It felt as if their beloved Gege had been rejected.

As the Han Meimeis were still feeling down, Han Buji’s Weibo account, which hadn’t been updated in ages, suddenly posted a new update. It was just a single photo with the caption: “28 years old.”

In the photo, the Best Actor still looked as handsome as ever, holding a small cake. The candlelight from the candles cast a particularly gentle glow on his downward-sloping phoenix eyes, and a faint smile graced his thin, sensual lips.

Perhaps it was the lighting, but his usual deep intensity and rebellious spirit seemed absent, replaced by a sense of weathered maturity.

The Han Meimeis gasped, feeling a pang of loneliness emanating from their beloved Gege.

Look at those heart-shaped candles on the cake! Isn’t Gege subtly expressing his longing for love?

See that small scoop of frosting missing? Isn’t that proof of how bored Gege was while sticking the candles in all by himself?

And that dim lighting… isn’t that the helpless sigh of our Gege, alone on his birthday night?

Moreover, Gege was already 28! He had dedicated his entire youth to film and his fans, without even a single romantic relationship!

Other men his age were already holding their babies…

Our Gege is so pitiful!

The Han Meimeis even imagined the scene of Han Buji taking the photo: Gege, alone at home, buying a palm-sized cake, forlornly sticking in each candle, his back view radiating loneliness. To avoid worrying his fans, he forced a smile while holding the cake, stubbornly snapping a selfie.

Even in such sorrow, he still posted on Weibo for his fans.

Is a birthday truly a birthday when celebrated alone? No! It’s just loneliness!

Sobbing My poor Gege! He’s so pitiful without a girlfriend!

The Han Meimeis couldn’t help but recall how their Gege had interacted with Tao Hui on variety shows—laughing so freely, so joyfully, so carefree!

Sobbing If only Tao Hui liked him back…

Three minutes later, “Poor Gege” became the top trending topic on Weibo.

Little did they know, the “poor Gege” they pitied was currently holding his girlfriend in his arms, his chin resting on her soft, fragrant head, as he listened to her puzzled questions.

Tao Hui held up the photo Han Buji had just posted, asking, “With so many beautiful filters available, why did you choose ‘Lonely Twilight’? It looks so depressing and ominous.”