Chapter 63: Night Recording

Chapter 63: Night Recording

At first, Song Jia thought An Wen was being unrealistic and talking nonsense, but upon further reflection, she realized it might actually be possible. An Wen had a flawless appearance, and at just 15 years old, her acting skills were already exceptional. Perhaps she really could achieve both.

"The production team called to say you don’t need to go back tomorrow. They want you to continue recording," Song Jia said.

An Wen asked, "Why the sudden change?"

"Probably because of your performance today. Hurry up and change—we need to get to the guesthouse prepared by the director’s team," Song Jia replied.

An Wen had already sensed something when she received that small name tag earlier. Why would they give her such a foreshadowing prop if she was only supposed to record one episode?

When An Wen and the others arrived at the guesthouse, everyone was already settled in. Seeing An Wen, Xia Jin walked over and said, "Little An, why are you so late?"

"I’m just a bit slow," An Wen replied.

The others also came forward to help carry her things and showed her to her room, which was across from Zhao Ning’s.

"Thank you, everyone. I can handle the rest myself," An Wen said.

"Why so polite with your big brother?" Xia Jin patted her shoulder and waist as he spoke.

The other guests were surprised by Xia Jin’s sudden change in demeanor. Before An Wen arrived, he had been expressionless and barely spoke, but the moment she appeared, it was like he became a completely different person.

"Big Brother, are you going to help me pack my clothes?" An Wen asked.

"That’s something you should do yourself," Xia Jin said before leaving her room with the others.

At 7 p.m., An Wen was in her pajamas scrolling through Weibo when someone knocked on her door. She got up to answer and saw Zhao Ning standing there, her slightly wavy hair loose and wearing pajamas.

"Sister Zhao Ning, what’s up?" An Wen asked.

"We need to go downstairs for recording. Are you bare-faced right now?" Zhao Ning asked in surprise.

"Yes," An Wen replied.

"Your bare-faced look is stunning! How is your skin so perfect?" Zhao Ning couldn’t believe it and reached out to touch An Wen’s face. It really was bare-faced. She then asked, "What skincare products do you usually use?"

An Wen let Zhao Ning into her room and showed her the skincare products she had brought.

Zhao Ning, who had a pleasant personality, took photos with her phone and said, "I watched your episode of Heartbeat Prince, but at the time, I didn’t believe you were truly bare-faced in the video. I thought you must have worn light makeup and that the show added filters in post-production. I never expected your bare-faced look to be this beautiful—even prettier than with makeup!"

"Sister Zhao Ning, stop praising me," An Wen said with a laugh. "I feel like I’m about to float away."

Zhao Ning found An Wen’s way of speaking amusing and remarked, "No wonder Xia Jin likes talking to you so much."

The mention of Xia Jin made An Wen think about his public image. This time, his true personality had been exposed during the recording—she wondered how audiences would react when it aired.

It would definitely shock everyone!

"Let’s go downstairs!" Zhao Ning said.

"Shouldn’t we change out of our pajamas?" An Wen asked, looking at their sleepwear.

"The production team specifically asked us to wear pajamas. But you might want to change out of that nightgown—knowing them, they’ll probably pull some stunt later, and that dress might be inconvenient," Zhao Ning advised.

An Wen changed into a different set of pajamas, and the two of them headed downstairs together.

The recording was already underway downstairs, with the resident guests skillfully livening up the atmosphere, bantering and laughing heartily. Zhao Ning and An Wen descended the stairs, and the cameras turned toward them as He Jie led everyone in applause.

"Two beauties, what a pair of beauties..." He Jie remarked.

Zhao Ning, with her long curly hair, exuded elegance and grace in her light pink pajamas, radiating sophistication. An Wen, on the other hand, had long straight hair and a fresh, lovely appearance, her blue lacy pajamas making her look utterly adorable. But when it came to sheer beauty, An Wen’s bare-faced radiance was simply dazzling.

The others now understood why An Wen’s popularity soared even without many works to her name.

Arriving late, Zhao Ning and An Wen took their seats on the sofa at the far end.

Once everyone had gathered, the director spoke up, saying, "The reason we called everyone here tonight is mainly to treat you to a late-night snack."

"Really? Since when did the production team become so considerate?" He Jie asked skeptically.

Chen Yuwen also expressed disbelief, teasing, "We’re not hungry, we won’t eat!"

Li Jiaming and the other guests joined in the playful protest, but the dishes were still brought out—shrimp, crab, chicken, duck, and greens, all aromatic and visually appealing, making mouths water just from the smell.

Just as everyone picked up their chopsticks to dig in, the director spoke again, "From now on, form teams freely—three people per group."

"Told you there was a catch! Even eating requires teaming up!" Li Jiaming grumbled indignantly.

He Jie, as the team leader, helped assign the groups. Originally, it was supposed to be two resident guests paired with one newcomer, but Xia Jin suddenly declared, "Let’s stick together as three siblings—unshaken by wind, unbroken by water."

An Wen glanced toward the staff area, where Xia Jin’s manager was covering his face, seemingly doing something—An Wen was absolutely certain he was crying.

Tang Ting: "..."

He Jie asked Tang Ting, "Xiao Tang, you look pretty upset."

"I was hurt by them today, and the wounds in my heart haven’t healed yet," Tang Ting replied, recalling the day’s events.

As a member of the Xuanyuan Clan, he had spent the entire day following two members of the Black Cloud Clan, even being tricked into betraying his own kin.

How could he possibly team up with them as siblings after being played like that? He had always thought they matched their outward personas—one cool and honest, the other pure as a little white rabbit! Turns out, they were both big bad wolves.

He couldn’t handle the shock—whimper, whimper...

"Second Brother, that’s where you’re wrong! In Big Brother’s heart, you’re just as important. It’s just that we’re not from the same clan, but did I personally tear your name tag? When Yuwen-ge tried to target you, didn’t I fight to protect you?" Xia Jin slung an arm over Tang Ting’s shoulder and continued his smooth talk. "During the day, we weren’t on the same side, but thankfully, the production team gave us a chance tonight to become brothers bound by life and death! Isn’t that great?"

An Wen: "..." She stared at Xia Jin with an expression of utter exasperation, as if she had long seen through him.

The director immediately signaled the cameras to focus on An Wen’s face.

Strangely enough, Tang Ting found Xia Jin’s words quite convincing and eventually agreed, "Fine! Big Brother, the three of us will be a team."

An Wen: I really want to refuse...

The other guests: Xia Jin should go into pyramid schemes—he’s so persuasive, even we’re moved!

Once the teams were finalized, members of the same group sat together.

The director announced, "Alright, the teams are set. Now, everyone can start eating!"

The resident guests knew the drill—some began recalling the sequence of dishes served earlier, while others noted their arrangement. Zhao Ning simply picked up her phone to take photos.

Wang Feng, a food lover, struggled to resist and soon declared, "I can't take it anymore—I'm starting to eat!"

Once he dug in, the others followed suit. Each dish was generously portioned, enough for all nine participants. After they had eaten their fill, the director announced, "Please proceed to the swimming pool."

As they walked over, they spotted spring-loaded chairs installed by the poolside.

The group collectively groaned in dismay.

"Come on, not my brand-new pajamas!" He Jie complained.