A Star Who Can Do Everything Except Filming (10): 

Si Qi was startled by Chu Feng’s straightforward words, staring at him dumbfounded as his face instantly turned red.

Wh-what, even if he and Chu Feng were already like an old married couple, suddenly seeing his lover take the initiative would still make him feel shy, okay!

One of them blushed as red as a monkey’s backside, the other’s ears turned so crimson they looked like they could drip blood. The unique pink atmosphere that belonged only to couples lingered over the livestream, shoving mouthful after mouthful of sweet dog food into everyone’s mouths, making them so excited they could only let out shrieks and howls.

The director saw the number of comments instantly jump to three or four times the previous amount. Even though he didn’t manage to stir up a dramatic reveal, he still felt very satisfied. He let go of that trap for now and asked the next carefully designed question: “You are both public figures, and your suddenly revealed romance has attracted great attention from countless netizens. But until recently, you two had never interacted publicly before, completely like parallel lines. It seems as if the moment you met, you fell into deep love and have been very close ever since. What’s the reason for this?”

At this question, the fans who had just been thrilled suddenly fell into silence. The director’s insinuation was too obvious, and many bystanders blurted out without thinking: “Is the director suggesting it’s strange for them to have just met not long ago but already be this close?”

“Come to think of it, the timing of when they first crossed paths wasn’t that long ago, at most a week to half a month, right? Before that, I’d never heard they even knew each other…”

“Yikes, the more you think about it, the scarier it gets.”

“No way, right? I was just thinking how sweet they were—could it be they’re just a business CP again? Nooo…”

The fans trembled, too afraid to speak, lacking the boldness of outsiders who could freely comment, terrified that the two people they adored might actually be a fake couple.

At the beginning, their attitude of wailing and refusing to let their idols date had completely vanished. Now they wished they could pull out a lock, tie the two together, grind the key into dust and scatter it into the sea, so they would never be separated.

What reassured them was that when the director asked such blunt questions, neither Si Qi nor Chu Feng showed the slightest discomfort. They calmly wrote down their answers and flipped their whiteboards when the time limit was up.

On both boards was written the same thing: “Because of my work.” x2

Chu Feng explained: “I’m usually stationed with the corps, always on standby to carry out missions, so I rarely return to the capital and don’t have the chance to meet him…”

Si Qi said nonchalantly, “Anyway, I’m so busy with work, even if he came back, I wouldn’t have time to see him. Whether he’s back or not, I don’t care at all, hmph!”

Well, despite his words, that last sound still revealed a hint of emotion.

The fans’ pounding hearts were instantly soothed. General-fans howled, “General’s wife, don’t be mad, it’s all our general’s fault, please don’t abandon him over this!!” 77-fans generously consoled, “General Chu, don’t feel guilty, you’re protecting everyone’s safety, we understand. If 77 feels lonely, we’ll keep him company, don’t worry.”

The two groups who had been fighting tooth and nail before the show aired were now speaking up for each other’s idols. Onlookers clicked their tongues in amazement, thinking these fans had fully accepted their idol’s partner and were now united.

Meanwhile, Fang Huai and Zheng Shi, standing to the side, were grinding their teeth in rage, wishing they could rush to the camera and shout, “It’s all lies!”

Si Qi and Chu Feng had clearly only known each other for less than ten days. All of their displays of affection and all of their feelings were fake! They were lying!!

But just as Fang Huai and Zheng Shi dared not speak out—since the matter involved national security and would get them into serious trouble with higher-ups—Si Qi and Chu Feng also couldn’t possibly say on a variety show that “the general safeguarding the empire suffered a mental power riot and is at death’s door.” That would cause nationwide unrest! Neighboring countries might even seize the opportunity to stir trouble or send assassins after Chu Feng.

From the very first time they met, the two had agreed never to reveal this. So when the director asked just now, they gave consistent and reasonable answers that perfectly matched reality, leaving no flaws to pick at.

The director clicked his tongue in frustration, watching their expressions for any cracks but finding none, and had no choice but to drop it.

Fortunately, he still had more questions to use, so he decided to test whether their answers were genuine or not.

“Since you two claim to have been together for a long time, you must know your partner very well.”

“We’ve collected a lot of information about your work and daily lives and made it into test questions. Please answer them. If your accuracy exceeds eighty percent, you pass.”

“Don’t worry, they’re all basic common-sense questions. Even your fans would be able to get over eighty percent.”

Most fans were eager to try, wanting to see the questions and test themselves.

A smaller group of sharper fans noticed something off. After skimming through, they couldn’t help but complain: “Come on, half of these are things only hardcore fans would know. Even if two people are dating, they wouldn’t know every detail, like which song he sang the most at concerts or the exact location of such-and-such battle… This is dating, not being a fan.”

“This is nonsense, General Chu is so busy, how could he have time to watch romance dramas, watching his lover act out love with someone else?”

“Exactly!”

A minority of fans defended their idols, saying the test was unfair. But most fans didn’t notice these details and instead fretted over other things: “Ugh, I know everything about 77, but when it comes to General Chu, all I know is what’s in the news.”

“Whoa, so that battle years ago was actually won under General Chu’s command? I only learned that today!”

“Huh? Si Qi was on the cover of an international magazine? An ambassador for xxx luxury brand? That impressive?”

“And he even ranked top ten in the ‘World’s Most Popular People’ poll… That’s a global poll. Si Qi really makes us proud.”

“The more you say, the more shocking it gets. I just realized how amazing these two really are…”

And just like that, the five-minute Q&A ended. After Si Qi and Chu Feng submitted their answers on the tablets, the backstage system quickly gave their scores.

At the same time, the fans’ answers from the livestream mini-app were also scored. Out of 100 points, the highest score was 67, followed by 66, 65, and 58.

Seeing the ranking list, netizens went crazy complaining: “What happened to eighty percent?!”

“You’d have to be a fan of both of them to get a score like that!”

“Director, get out here!!”

Sweating under the siege of fans, the director quickly ordered the staff to send small gifts (joint Si Qi–Chu Feng merchandise) to the top ten ranked netizens to divert attention. Then he glanced at the backstage display of Chu and Si’s scores and burst out laughing: “Only sixty-something points!”

“No way to keep pretending now!!”

He put their scores on the screen. Many netizens, who just a moment ago were envying the high scorers who got limited-edition gifts, were now shocked that the couple’s scores were only on par with the top ten. “How could this be?”

Some haters hidden among the crowd finally jumped out to jeer: “See! This is ironclad proof!”

“They really are a plastic couple—it’s all just an act for you idiots to watch!”

But the next second, fans staring at the couple’s test sheets suddenly burst out laughing. 77-fans said: “Our 77 is just too cute!!”

“He got almost every question about himself wrong, but answered everything about General Chu correctly!”

“Hahahahahaha!!”

“Did you all notice!! General Chu got every single question about Si Qi right!! Ahhhh what kind of earth-shattering love is this!! I’m literally bawling in a storm of tears on the spot!!!”

General-fans raised a different point: “General Chu is always so meticulous, there’s no way he would get questions about himself wrong. His answers must be the real ones. The production team was too sloppy.”

The director, gloating at what he thought was a shocking revelation, didn’t get to enjoy it long before a staff member, wiping sweat, came up to him: “The audience is saying the questions we found about General Chu were all online gossip, not actual verified information…”

“And… Si Qi probably spends all his time online looking up gossip about General Chu instead of asking him about his work, so he actually aced those questions…”

“The reason Si Qi only got sixty-something points is because on questions about himself, nine out of ten were wrong… the only ones right were the ones fans would know, or work-related stuff…”

The director’s expression froze: “…………”

“In short, the audience is really unhappy with us now. They think we were too careless with General Chu’s questions, not taking the achievements of a national hero seriously…”

At that, the director jolted, hurriedly stepping out to salvage the situation: “Ahem, our questions were chosen from the perspective of fans and Teacher Si, so they might have been a little biased from reality…”

“Yeah right!”

“The production team is just shirking responsibility!!”

Awkwardly, the director said: “Of course, this is also an opportunity for General Chu to personally correct our misconceptions, and tell us which of the things online are false, and what the real truth is…”

The director racked his brain: “I think Teacher Si must be the most eager to know. From his perfect answers about General Chu, we can see how much attention he pays to the general in daily life…”

Those carefully leading words indeed distracted many netizens.

Some people now really wanted to know the truth behind the widely circulated rumors that everyone believed, pricking up their ears to listen.

Others doubled over laughing at how Si Qi accidentally revealed that he spent all day online as a fan—actually an even more hardcore fan than the general’s own fandom.

General-fans banged drums and welcomed the new member: “So 77 is one of us General-fans too!”

“Tell us your fandom name, let’s see if we already know you as a big shot!”

“Hahahaha, Si Qi pretends not to care and never asks General about himself, but behind the scenes he secretly researches everything, memorizing it all better than anyone!!”

“Our general’s spouse is too adorable, ahhhh I love him so much!!”

Seeing the online feedback, the director grinned and smoothly shifted the topic: “Many General-fans are welcoming Teacher Si as a new fan, saying they never expected such a big star to also chase idols in private.”

Si Qi flushed and snapped: “Who’s chasing idols! I’m paying attention to national affairs!! Why don’t you talk about Chu Feng? The great general is the real gossipy one, always following the entertainment industry. He’s the one chasing idols!”

Netizens were cracking up: “Yes yes, you’re paying attention to national affairs, it just happens all your affairs are about General Chu! Precision targeting, that’s what it is!”

“Right right, General Chu chases idols—he’s chasing you, the big star, and he actually caught you!”

“77, stop publicly showing off your love, I’m running out of insulin here!”

True to his straightforward military nature, Chu Feng said honestly: “I’m not chasing idols. I just want to know more about you.”

Si Qi’s already flushed face turned scarlet, so red he couldn’t show himself, sputtering furiously: “You! I! You, you, you!”

The other guests laughed so hard they couldn’t stop. The scene was filled with joy—Si Qi was just too cute. So this was how charming a tsundere could be? Dating him must be so much fun!

“This is called a natural tsundere tamer. Si Qi, just give up resisting,” the female doctor teased with a smile.

“Exactly, in front of General Chu you’re doomed to be thoroughly devoured,” the male warrior roared with laughter.

Chu Feng looked innocently at the two, completely clueless about what they meant. Si Qi was fuming, snapping at him: “It’s all your fault!”

Chu Feng nodded obediently: “Sorry.”

Si Qi: “…………”

So when the others saw him too angry to even know how to vent, they laughed even louder.

The director breathed a sigh of relief, heart still pounding, seeing that everyone’s attention had been diverted.

After all, unlike Chu Feng and Si Qi, who were constantly in the public eye, Chu Feng never deliberately revealed information about himself. Everything about him had been pieced together by fans.

And since fans weren’t his close associates, it was normal that their collected info had discrepancies. For example, everyone said General Chu had a father and a younger brother, but Chu Feng had answered that he only had a partner—so what was going on…

Wait? Si Qi answered in line with the internet rumors, which means he got that question wrong?!

Other wrong answers didn’t matter much, but how could he get this kind wrong?!

Aren’t they supposed to be living together? Didn’t Chu Feng ever tell Si Qi who his family members were?? Or… is Si Qi actually not living in the Chu family estate??

Some netizens finally noticed this detail and raised it in the comment stream. The director, puzzled, asked Si Qi: “General Chu said his only family member is you, but you said he also has a father and younger brother, so this…”

Without thinking, Si Qi replied: “By bloodline, yes, but personally, I feel it’s as good as having none!”

Fang Huai, who had been watching their interaction with a dark face, turned ghastly upon hearing this. His expression twisted so hideously he looked like a ghost.

The director realized Si Qi’s words were extremely sensitive, and guessed that Chu Feng’s test answer implied deeper inside stories. Mishandling it could cause people to question the general’s private character. Nervous, he quickly said: “Then… why do you say that…”

He was giving Si Qi an out, hoping he would explain and smooth things over for Chu Feng.

As expected, Si Qi didn’t let the chance slip, and in his sharp-tongued style, he coldly snorted and said angrily without holding back: “His father has an illegitimate child outside! And he even wants to bring that child into the Chu family to fight for power! Shameless!!”

At that, everyone present was shocked, but before they could react, Si Qi went on furiously: “What does that illegitimate child have to do with the Chu family? He was born disgracefully, yet has the gall to try to snatch what belongs to Chu Feng! What the hell is he!!”

The director quickly caught a detail and asked for clarification so Si Qi could explain: “But doesn’t that illegitimate brother still carry Chu family blood?”

“Nonsense! Chu Feng’s mother’s surname is Chu, his father’s surname is Fang. His father married into the Chu family. So the child born outside has nothing to do with the Chu family! And yet Chu Feng’s father not only used Chu family money to raise that illegitimate son, but even wanted to bring him into the Chu family to fight over what rightfully belongs to Chu Feng! There’s no such reason in this world!!”

Si Qi’s words carried an overwhelming amount of information, the content was practically like an eight o’clock soap opera, full of twists, turns, and melodrama.

The netizens were completely stunned. One after another, they expressed sympathy for Chu Feng and angrily cursed that scumbag of a father.

“What the hell is this!”

“Because he’s a live-in son-in-law, he probably wanted even more to have a child with his own surname to inherit the family business. I bet that scumbag father never considered General Chu as his real son at all. Otherwise, how could he secretly have another child outside, then deliberately bring that illegitimate child back to the Chu family to fight for power with the general? He must think that if the Chu family is in General Chu’s hands, it doesn’t belong to him. But if it’s in his illegitimate son’s hands, then it does.”

“I’m about to die of anger!! Ahhhhh why is my general so miserable!!! Tell me who his father is, I’m going to curse that bastard out!!”

“To the one in front, I know who General Chu’s father is. That old man always struts around under General Chu’s name, flaunting himself in public. He’s especially high-profile. Online link: [Encyclopedia entry – Fang Bozhong]”

“Damn, that scumbag father’s surname is Fang? I actually never knew this before!! The Chu family had even tried to preserve his dignity by not directly declaring him a son-in-law, and yet he turned around and exploited the Chu family’s kindness to do such shameless things?!”

“General’s fans, don’t panic! We 7-fans are the best at digging up information. We’ll soon drag out who that illegitimate child is! Let’s see if he really has what it takes to steal the general’s place!!”

“Hey, hey, but isn’t the child innocent…”

“Innocent my ass! Just his mere existence is enough to disgust the general, not to mention his father using him to grab the Chu family’s assets. If he hadn’t agreed to cooperate, his father couldn’t have even made the move! As an illegitimate child with no status, facing such huge benefits, you think he wouldn’t be tempted? Are you saying he grew up never getting even a single advantage from the Chu family? He spends the Chu family’s money, covets the Chu family’s things, and still dares to claim innocence? There’s no such thing as a free pass in this world!!”

The fans were exploding with anger, their thunderous fury silencing countless bystanders, who didn’t dare say a word for fear of being accused of “thinking the illegitimate child’s existence is normal.”

The director, seeing that public opinion was moving in a favorable direction, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Some things (like salacious scandals) could be used to stir trouble as a sensational highlight, but some things could never be made into a joke. If rumors spread that General Chu rejected his blood relatives, was cold and heartless, morally corrupt, and the source of that rumor was this very program, the consequences would be disastrous.

Now, nobody online thought Chu Feng was wrong to have answered “only Si Qi is my family” on the questionnaire. Nor did anyone feel that such a scumbag father and illegitimate half-brother were worthy of being called Chu Feng’s family. Something that was originally awkward to bring up had, thanks to Si Qi’s blunt words of scorn, passed without disaster. Even if someone later exposed that Chu Feng didn’t acknowledge his biological father or half-brother, nobody would use morality to attack Chu Feng’s character.

Because of this bombshell, the director even benefited from misfortune: attention on the show skyrocketed again, and more and more viewers poured into the livestream. The real-time viewership numbers climbed to a level that would make any other director green with envy.

Both shocked and delighted, the director’s impression of Si Qi and Chu Feng as a duo grew better and better. In the following Q&A, he started asking questions more favorable to them, giving them plenty of hidden advantages.

One spoke bluntly, refusing to lie; the other acted upright and decisive. Though their reasons differed, together they made everyone instinctively believe every word they said.

For example, when the production team asked: if your partner and a stranger fell into the water at the same time, who would you save first?

It was originally designed to be a particularly dramatic question, but the two of them both wrote down “save the stranger first.”

Seeing how decisively they answered, the director teased with a smile, “Aren’t you two afraid you’ll have to kneel on the washboard when you get home?” Chu Feng replied, “Si Qi isn’t that kind of person.”

Si Qi arrogantly turned his head away without responding, but his reaction already showed that he truly wouldn’t care about something like this. The director then laughed and asked, “What if Si Qi couldn’t swim, but the stranger could?”

Chu Feng shook his head: “That’s impossible. He’s the most important person to me. I’ll do everything I can to improve his survival skills, teach him everything I know, and never let him face a helpless situation. If such a thing really happened, I’d definitely go save him.”

Si Qi snorted on the side, muttering, “I don’t need you worrying about me. Something this small, I can handle myself…”

The director laughed again, saying, “So that’s why. It’s not that you wouldn’t save Mr. Si, but that you believe in his ability to protect himself.”

The 7-fans grinned and said: “Of course, we knew the general wouldn’t be that cruel to our 77.”

“It’s not that he wouldn’t save 77, it’s that he’s already taught 77 everything important in advance!”

“Our 77 is amazing too, he wouldn’t drag the general down in a moment like that. General’s fans don’t need to rush to apologize to us, we totally understand!”

Then the director turned the question toward Si Qi: “Mr. Si, you wrote save the other person first because—” Si Qi cut him off: “If he can’t handle something like that, I wouldn’t have chosen him in the first place! The person I like has to be the strongest one in the whole world!”

The director laughed: “I knew you’d answer like that.”

Passersby were deeply moved: “Wow, this kind of mutual trust is so beautiful. They make people feel so reassured.”

“Yeah, and even though they’re each other’s most important person, when danger comes, they’d still unhesitatingly save someone else. That kind of quality is truly touching.”

“If I were the stranger in that question, I’d be grateful that the other two people were them.”

“What was supposed to be a dilemma is no problem at all for these two.”

“I really like Si Qi so much. Thankfully our general chose him. The general’s judgment is indeed excellent. Whether it’s inside or out, Si Qi is flawless. Of course, what matters most is that our general especially loves Si Qi—that’s the most important thing.”

“Hehe, actually it’s not just that. I heard from my mom that Si Qi recently accompanied the general to a social banquet, helped him build a lot of connections, solved many problems for him, and that in reality Si Qi is nothing like the rumors online—he’s actually an excellent ‘good wife and mother,’ skilled in social interactions, and very sophisticated.”

“Wow… is that accurate? I used to worry that Si Qi’s straightforward speech wouldn’t fit into high society. But so it’s actually like this?”

“Of course it’s accurate. In fact, hasn’t Si Qi, even in this show, already done a lot for the general, helping him gain plenty of fans? Lots of people now feel the general is more approachable.”

“Exactly, exactly. I used to think General Chu’s expressionless face made him seem cold and scary. If someone had said something bad about him, maybe I would’ve joined in, saying all powerful people are no good. But now I don’t think that way at all.”

“Someone who grew up an orphan, learned to fight his way through society, entered the entertainment industry alone, and within a few years rose to the very top—of course he has ability. As a general’s fan, I feel totally reassured.”

“Hahaha our 77 really is the best!!”