Against the Light - Chapter 12
Chapter 12: I Want to Hear It Too
【Why am I getting a little teary-eyed watching this?】
【With all due respect, Luo Bing and her group are useless. They were the first ones in the cave but didn't even help! In contrast, Gu Xinran was the last one in, and she was helping an injured staff member. The difference in their character is crystal clear. Bing fans, stop with the cringey praise. From now on, I'm a Ran fan!】
【Luo Luo has always been delicate; she's not suited for this kind of show. Besides, she has no experience with emergencies like this. Stop criticizing her, she's already having a hard time.】
【Can you guys stop fighting? Gu Xinran looked really off just now. Do you think she's hurt?】
【Are these two hosts dead? Say something! What the hell is going on? The camera work is a mess. What's happening? Is this show even watchable anymore?】
The host also noticed the situation in the bullet comments. After communicating with the director, he immediately turned on his microphone.
"Viewers, please be patient. The production team is currently trying to communicate with the guests. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, filming will continue. However, due to the rain, the signal will be weaker, which may cause the video to lag or freeze. We hope for your understanding."
Inside the cave, Fang Jinghai tried to communicate with the director, but the signal was terrible. The voice on the other end was intermittent, and she couldn't make out what was being said. The staff members spontaneously arranged the cameras around the guests. Signal or no signal, they were just supposed to keep filming.
"Stop filming for now. Put the cameras down and come warm yourselves by the fire. Fang Jinghai, stop pretending." Gu Xinran leaned against the stone wall, glancing at the staff members standing at the cave entrance in the cold wind.
"Sister, can you please stop calling me by my full name? Now the whole country knows I just carry a camera around and pretend to work. I'll definitely be unemployed after this show is over!!"
Everyone burst into laughter, and the atmosphere lightened considerably.
With Fang Jinghai leading the way, the others, persuaded by Huo Jie and Shen Can, also put down their cameras to take a temporary break.
Everyone took off their soaked outer clothes and sat down around the fire.
"Is everyone okay? Any injuries?" Huo Jie took out the first-aid kit and asked each person one by one.
Aside from the staff member Xiao Mu, who had sprained her ankle, a few cameramen had various scrapes. After helping everyone treat their wounds, Huo Jie moved over to Gu Xinran.
Gu Xinran was resting with her eyes closed when a shadow fell over her. "Sister Huo, what is it?"
"Let me see your hand." Huo Jie glanced at her arm. She had noticed earlier when Gu Xinran was trying to start the fire. There was no reason she shouldn't have been able to hold a light piece of wood. That, combined with how she looked when she was picking up the sticks, made it clear she must be injured.
Gu Xinran raised her hand, and Huo Jie quickly and carefully took it. It was ice-cold to the touch.
Huo Jie glanced at her, then pointed to her wrist. "This?" She cautiously pulled up the sleeve and immediately frowned. Her wrist was clearly swollen, the surrounding skin stretched taut. "Is it sprained? Why didn't you say anything?"
"Sister Ran? Was it when you were helping me?" Xiao Mu looked over nervously.
Gu Xinran shook her head, signaling for her not to worry.
"If it were just a simple scrape, I would have said something. But in this situation, there's no point. It would only cause more trouble," Gu Xinran said softly, pulling her hand back.
Huo Jie looked at her. "I really regret not getting to know you sooner."
"Now isn't a great time either," Gu Xinran said.
The two looked at each other and smiled, a feeling of having met too late passing between them.
"Get some rest. It's not even dawn yet."
"Mm."
The group wanted to get some proper rest, but their clothes were all soaked and clinging uncomfortably to their bodies. Cold wind gusted into the cave from time to time, making it impossible to rest well.
"It's too cold. Everyone, don't sleep. Let's get up and chat for a while, or we'll definitely get sick." Huo Jie got everyone up, gesturing for them to move around a bit.
"Have you been able to contact the production team?"
"Nope, the signal's too weak. In this situation, they probably can't broadcast anything. Ah, was this episode filmed for nothing? Don't tell me we have to do another one!?" Fang Jinghai patted her camera with a wry smile.
"What do you mean? We can't film?" Zhang Tingting nearly flew into a rage.
"I don't know either. We're completely cut off from the outside world right now. We have no idea what's happening in the live stream room. It's probably in chaos."
【??? What's going on? Do they not know they're still live?】
【Holy shit, now this is going to be interesting. Gu Xinran could still put on an act while the stream was on, but now her true colors will definitely show.】
【Sisters, the Gu Xinran meltdown you've all been waiting for is about to happen! Grab your stools, snacks, sunflower seeds, and water!】
【Some people are so annoying. Didn't you see Gu Xinran is hurt? Why are you always targeting her? She hasn't done anything! In fact, she's been helping everyone else! Please, open your eyes and see!】
【Sister, don't waste your breath. You can never wake up those who are truly blind. Bing fans just love to tear others down and praise their own idol cringily. I'm calling it now, your idol is doomed to fail!】
【If you look closely, Gu Xinran seems a bit listless. Could she be sick?】
【Holy shit, get away from my Luo Luo! Don't infect her!】
【I'd never seen a true idiot before, but after seeing Luo Bing's fans, I finally have.】
Meanwhile, back with the production crew, everyone wore the same expression as if they'd seen a ghost after seeing Gu Xinran was injured.
"??? Is this still that pampered princess? Isn't she the one who'd run to the director for kisses and hugs and throw a tantrum in her arms over a mosquito bite on her finger? Meow? Am I hallucinating, or are my memories messed up?"
"Same question…"
"This isn't some kind of makeover show, is it??? It feels like she's a completely different person!?"
After whispering amongst themselves, they all turned in unison to look at Bai Yilan.
Although the director's face didn't betray much emotion, she was staring intently at the screen, and you could still sense her worry.
Ming Zhen was so angry she was pounding her chest and stamping her feet, nearly fainting.
Back in the cave, Zhang Tingting stretched and lay back, accidentally landing on a staff member's legs. She turned, saw his pants were covered in mud, and immediately exploded.
"Didn't you see me lying down? You put your legs there on purpose, didn't you? It's filthy!" She touched the mud in her hair, her face full of disgust.
The young cameraman had been resting with his eyes closed. Suddenly being yelled at, it took him a moment to realize he was the target. He felt incredibly wronged. He was new and didn't dare offend anyone, so he quietly apologized, pulled his legs back, and curled up in a corner.
"Move away."
The young man got up with his head down, bowed in apology to her, and was about to leave.
"Don't go too far." Gu Xinran opened her eyes and sat up straight, a trace of weariness in her gaze.
Zhang Tingting shot her a look. "Was I talking to you? Still keeping up the act, I see," she muttered under her breath.
Gu Xinran stared at her fixedly, a cold light glinting in her deep eyes. An unintentional, subtle yet intimidating aura emanated from her, and the atmosphere instantly grew tense.
"What nonsense are you spouting?" Luo Bing, who had been silent, finally spoke up. She shot Zhang Tingting a glare, then turned to Gu Xinran. "Xinran, don't mind her. She just has a straightforward personality. I'll apologize to you on her behalf."
Looking at Luo Bing's sincere expression, Gu Xinran sighed inwardly. One was deliberately picking a fight to provoke her, while the other played the good cop, using a retreat as an advance to force her hand. If it were the original host, seeing this false sincerity, she probably wouldn't have been able to stop herself from exploding again. If she were to get into a physical fight, Luo Bing would once again be the poor, innocent victim in everyone's eyes.
They'd really played their cards well!
Gu Xinran's expression was gentle as she gave a faint smile. "Not at all. If we're being technical, I should be the one apologizing to you."
As she said this, she paid close attention to Luo Bing's expression. Sure enough, upon hearing her words, Luo Bing's face clearly stiffened in surprise.
"Uh, cough, it's fine. It's all in the past. I didn't take it to heart."
"That's good."
"Hey, now that's more like it! We've all shared weal and woe together now, so what grudge can't be let go, right? Since we're so bored, why don't we find something fun to do?" Shen Can said with a laugh.
"What kind of fun?"
"Heh, don't we have a professional singer here? How about a cave concert?"
Luo Bing looked troubled.
"Or, when you have a real concert, I'll buy a ticket to make up for it!"
"That's a great idea!" The other guests joined in the teasing, consciously moving a little away from Luo Bing, instantly making her the center of attention.
The staff also applauded wildly. Luo Bing, unable to fend them off, stopped refusing. "Alright, I'll make a fool of myself then. I haven't warmed up my voice today, so don't blame me if it sounds bad. Hey, are those cameras off?"
"There's still no signal, so sing your heart out!"
"Okay, good." Luo Bing cleared her throat and sat up straight. "What do you want to hear?"
"Wow, we can even make requests! Awesome!"
"How about 【Miss You】!" Zhang Tingting said, her face a picture of a devoted fan.
The moment the song title was mentioned, Luo Bing's expression changed. She looked apologetically at Gu Xinran. "Not that one. Let's pick another."
Gu Xinran narrowed her eyes, instantly realizing that Luo Bing hadn't given up and was still trying to stir up trouble.
"Why not? It's such a beautiful song. It's the one that made you famous!"
"It's not really appropriate."
"How is it not appropriate? Everyone wants to hear it, right?" Zhang Tingting turned to look at the staff, some of whom, not knowing the context, nodded in agreement.
"Luo Luo has so many great songs, any one of them would be fine. Just sing what you want to sing," Huo Jie said, realizing the problem and trying to smooth things over.
【Is this Zhang Tingting sick in the head? Why does she keep pushing Luo Luo to sing this song? It's the confession song Luo Luo wrote for Teacher Bai. Making her sing it in front of Gu Xinran is just asking for a fight, isn't it?】
【Why do I suddenly feel like Luo Bing is so fake? She and Zhang Tingting are playing off each other. Confessing to someone's ex-wife right in front of them? No decent person would do something like that!】
【They're divorced anyway, so why can't she sing it? Are you saying Luo Luo needs to check Gu Xinran's mood before she can sing a song?】
【There's a limit to cruelty. Zhang Tingting is going way too far.】
【See? This is the idol you stan. Glamorous in front of the camera, but in private, she might not even be a decent human being [smile emoji].】
Back with the crew, the young woman who had just been doubting her own memories breathed a sigh of relief. "Just watch. I'll bet a bag of spicy strips that she's going to explode!"
"One bag is too little. I'll bet a month's salary that she'll definitely…"
Suddenly, Gu Xinran's voice came from the phone. She was resting her cheek on her left hand, looking at Luo Bing with eyes full of anticipation, and said one sentence, "I want to hear it too."
?????
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