After the main feature went live, the number of livestream viewers dropped sharply, but the game was still ongoing.
After Jian You said she would be the one to answer the question-the time and place of her first kiss-a brief silence fell over the dinner table. It only lasted two seconds before Wen Xi went back to eating. “That must have been a long time ago, right?”
“Don’t you have acting classes at the film academy? You must have had kissing scenes, right?” Meng Zhaozhao said.
“What a juicy question!” Zhu Wan’er started to enjoy the gossip.
“Director Jian, you have to be a good sport. Look, the bullet comments are all waiting for the tea,” Pei Wan fanned the flames.
Yun Chu was also looking at Jian You.
The thin card twirled between Jian You’s fingers. She seemed to have forgotten the details herself, taking a long time to recall before she finally spoke slowly, “I think it was the year I graduated.”
Yun Chu’s eyes widened slightly.
“Mm… June 19th, after the graduation ceremony.”
“With who?” Wen Xi had a gossipy look on her face. “A classmate? Or a girlfriend? Are you still in touch? Who was it? Who!”
“The question didn’t ask that.” Jian You took a sip of her cola. “I refuse to answer.”
“…”
“Alright, alright, we’ve played the game, and the show has aired. Let’s hurry up and finish the hot pot. Don’t we have to make wishes in a bit?” Zhu Wan’er prompted, trying to move things along. “Yun Chu? Yun Chu?”
Yun Chu snapped back to reality. “…Huh?”
“What are you spacing out for?” Zhu Wan’er placed a piece of fatty beef in Yun Chu’s bowl. “Eat up.”
Yun Chu hastily lowered her head. “Okay.”
But inside, her heart was in turmoil.
Jian You remembered.
She remembered what happened that night. She remembered the time and place, remembered the kiss delivered by lips and tongue, and perhaps she even remembered the more audacious, heart-pounding, blush-inducing things.
Did she only forget who had gotten into her bed?
While Yun Chu wavered between revealing the truth and continuing to pretend, the netizens had long since moved past their initial shock. They decided to rewatch from the beginning to see exactly how the story developed from An 18th-Tier Actress Tries Everything to Climb into a Famous Director’s Bed to The Domineering Director Fell in Love with Me.
[Family, the livestream thread is up! Let’s rewatch from the beginning together!]
[Sidetracking for a sec, Qi Ke’s styling is great this episode. They even gave her non-prescription glasses with a chain. So intellectual, sob sob sob.]
[And she’s watching so intently, lmao. Everyone’s a shipper.]
[No one doesn’t love shipping CPs. Qi Ke, can you give us some Qi-Yu candy to ship?]
[??? Is something wrong with Qi Ke?]
[How could she think Meng Zhaozhao and Wen Xi are a couple? And her analysis was so convincing, saying their vibe was different when they were feeding the chickens and walking the dog, and the way they looked at each other was different. Uh, if I’m not mistaken, this is their first time meeting, right? Their gazes are already like pulling melted cheese on their first meeting?]
[Maybe it’s love rivals meeting, their eyes burning with jealousy?]
[LMAO, Qi Ke: Family, Meng Zhaozhao and Wen Xi are definitely a couple. Trust me on this one. Let’s go! Trust you, my ass! When you were dating your wife, you didn’t even believe she loved you!]
[Qi-Yu getting back together after a breakup, I’m dying from the sweetness.]
[Well, well, Xiao Chu! You actually arrived on the same day as Director Jian! You just wanted to get close to her, didn’t you? You wanted to charm Director Jian, didn’t you!]
[I’ve seen through this 18th-tier actress’s tricks, but it still hurts my heart that Jian You actually fell for it…]
[Beauty is a trap.]
[Jian You actually cooked for Yun Chu!!! Help! Although it doesn’t look that tasty… Who’s insanely jealous?]
[What do you mean, for Yun Chu? Can you stop with the shipper brain? Jian You has to eat too, okay? There should be some basic rules for spreading rumors. They just met and she’s already love-struck? How could Teacher Jian be that kind of person?]
[But right after they met, Jian You told Yun Chu, “I’d really like to have dinner with you.”]
[My face has been slapped again.]
[Whose face is hurting? Oh, it’s my own.]
[Ahhh, Jian You, I won’t allow it! I forbid it! QAQ [Crying Cat Head emoji]]
[This night is finally over. Can the other guests hurry up and arrive? This isn’t a one-on-one dating show! I want to see a free-for-all! I want to see beautiful women fighting over our Director Jian!]
[#TurnsOutI’mAJianYouOnlyStanWhoShipsHerWithEveryone#]
[Yay, I got to beautifully admire my wife’s sleeping face!]
[Jian You really shouldn’t be a director. If she were an actress, she’d have a Best Actress award by now. And she’d definitely be the most beautiful Best Actress in history. Sob, sob, the entertainment industry has lost its most beautiful Best Actress.]
[……I’m telling you, the scripting in this show is way too obvious. Even for finding a treasure chest outside, they have to tie Jian You and Yun Chu together. Speechless!]
[It’s normal for Jian You to choose Yun Chu, right? They met first. Compared to the others, Jian You is just more familiar with Yun Chu.]
[It’s all scripted. I’m not watching anymore, it’s annoying.]
[Just bury this show.]
[Going to watch the livestream. Unedited is the best!]
[I’m fucking losing it. In the livestream, when they were making wishes, Jian You told Yun Chu, “No matter what you wish for, I can help you achieve it after the show ends.” And she said it before Yun Chu made her wish!]
[Might as well keep watching the main feature, I say.]
[You’re so foolish! Jian You, you’re so foolish! What if she wishes to be the lead actress in your movie!]
[She doesn’t need to wish for that. She already is.]
[Believe rumors, don’t spread rumors…]
[Yun Chu’s fans are ecstatic in their private fan circles every day, but then they go out and say “Don’t believe or spread rumors.” Can you be consistent? It’s really speechless. Jian You is already head over heels for Yun Chu. Is there any way the lead role could get away?]
Jian You-the one who was supposedly head over heels for Yun Chu-finished writing her own wish and put it in the safe before answering Yun Chu’s question. “I’m serious.”
“Why?” Wen Xi complained. “Teacher Jian, you’re being too biased.”
Jian You thought for a moment, then said, “Because Yun Chu is an obedient child.”
Wen Xi: “?”
Zhu Wan’er: “?”
Pei Wan: “?”
Yun Chu: “?”
Meng Zhaozhao was speechless for a moment before asking, “How can you tell?”
Jian You: “She spent Christmas Eve with me.”
Yun Chu: “…”
Great, so this is her version of a cat repaying a kindness.
She didn’t act coy, just gave Jian You a toothy grin. “Then thank you in advance, Teacher Jian!”
[Scheming! So scheming! Someone who grew up in a family like Director Jian’s is especially vulnerable, particularly during holidays. Yun Chu is so scheming!]
[It’s hard for Jian You not to be moved by a little sun like her, right?]
[She’s totally fallen for it. [Takes a drag of a virtual cigarette]]
[Give me one too.]
[I’m telling you guys, don’t take it too seriously. It’s just a script. If I remember correctly, they’re both outstanding graduates of the film academy, right? They can act out this kind of script without a trace.]
[Oh ho, so now you remember our Yun Chu is an outstanding graduate?]
[Gotta say, the part where Yun Chu ran off into the fields alone to find the treasure chest was filmed by Jian You, right? I could really see the love in the camerawork. I don’t know if you guys can get it.]
[I didn’t get it, but Qi Ke obviously did. Why does she ship everything!]
[Framing and composition are a director’s basic skills, okay… Even if Director Jian were filming a blade of grass, she’d do it with love. Don’t question the professional ability of a Best Director!]
[Jian You telling cheesy pickup lines is hilarious hahahahahahaha!]
[She looks so reluctant, but she has to keep reading for the reward. Yun Chu, if you want to laugh, just laugh hahahaha.]
[We’ve got material for fan edits now.]
[??? Yun Chu and Jian You are neighbors???]
[…Some people get the spoils of proximity.]
[I advise the other guests to give up on Yun Chu and Jian You. The script has locked these two together so tightly. It’s boring. Why is it so hard to watch people fall in love for real?]
[Jian You has never been in a relationship!!!]
[But her first kiss is gone.]
[Who did it? I’m asking, who did it?]
[I don’t care who it was, as long as it wasn’t Yun Chu. Hehehe, thinking that makes me happy.]
[I watched to the end again, and my heart hurts. Yun Chu didn’t send her text to Jian You. I don’t get it. Do you get it? Who gets it? Why? Jian You, why don’t you go feed the chickens next episode? Your chicken-feeding posture will definitely be better than Meng Zhaozhao’s!]
[What is this weirdly specific competitive desire?]
[Even though the second episode comes out tomorrow, the first one was way too short. Speechless!]
[Place your bets, which couple will make it?]
[I’ll just invest in a random ship. To give Qi Ke some face, Meng Zhaozhao and Wen Xi are love rivals, right? Give me a hate-to-love story, stat! For Pei Wan and Yun Chu, let’s do a domineering CEO and a young actress. The way President Pei lowered her head to listen to Yun Chu speak is killing me. And Zhu Wan’er, who’s good at cooking, can be with Jian You, who can’t cook, since they’re going on a date tomorrow anyway.]
[I’m hardcore stanning Jian You and Yun Chu! So what if it’s scripted? Give me fanservice! Give me romance! It’s finally my turn to ship the royally-endorsed CP!]
[This time I’m definitely eating the official rations, hehe.]
After the first episode of Little Tricks for Love went live, the production team went all out with marketing and promotion. With a top-tier celebrity like Qi Ke-who boasted popularity, talent, and national recognition-among the observation guests, and a major director like Jian You among the main cast, there was no shortage of topics and discussion. In just twelve hours, the view count surpassed one hundred million.
The cast members’ follower counts were also shooting up.
Yun Chu’s follower count grew the fastest. She had posted a lot on Weibo in the past, which made it easy for fans to do some “archaeological digging.” They all squealed over how cute she was. Her fans took the opportunity to recommend The You I First Met, and the newcomers rushed to watch the drama.
By the time Yun Chu woke up from a nap, her Weibo follower count had surpassed five hundred thousand. Due to the high volume of reposts, interactions, and private messages, her account was directly upgraded to a Gold V.
Chen Jing sent an excited message: “Yun Chu! You’re famous!”
A message also came from Jiang Yu: “When are you free to come to the company? The company is taking your career planning very seriously now and wants to hold a meeting to discuss it.”
Yun Chu replied to Chen Jing: “Be modest! A little famous! A little famous!”
She replied to Jiang Yu: “After I’m done with this round of romance, ha.”
Chen Jing: “…This isn’t your style.”
Jiang Yu: “Fine.”
Yun Chu didn’t rush to get out of bed. She opened her chat with Jian You, scrolled through their previous conversation, thought for a moment, and typed: Teacher Jian, have you already gone on your date?
I’m telling you, I think Wan’er quite likes President Pei, so don’t get too invested.
Just go on a casual date.
Also, since I rolled the same number as Wen Xi, I have to go on a date with her today. We’re planning to go to an escape room! The address is the 6th floor of XX Building.
I also want to ask you a question.
Yun Chu leaned against her bed, watching the gentle winter sunlight seep through the curtains. Someone knocked on her door, and a moment later, Meng Zhaozhao poked her head in. “Still not up?”
“In a minute,” Yun Chu said.
“Time for breakfast. And to confirm today’s date partners.”
“Got it.”
The moment Meng Zhaozhao closed the door, the phone clutched in Yun Chu’s palm vibrated.
Jian You: Ask.
Yun Chu took a deep breath and typed: “The first kiss you mentioned yesterday, do you remember who it was with?”
She regretted it as soon as she sent it and quickly hit unsend, praying that Jian You hadn’t seen it. But Jian You’s reply shattered her hope. Jian You said: “I saw it.”
Yun Chu: “…”
Jian You: “Is who it was important?”
Yun Chu gritted her teeth and replied: “Very important.”
Jian You: “Then come out.”
Get instant access to all the chapters now.
