Chapter 159: I Pamper My Fans

Lu Yiting raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Really?"

Bai Lu replied, "Really. I'm so shocked my spirit is almost fainting."

Lu Yiting nodded with satisfaction. "If we weren't taking the same flight, I would have preferred to give you a real scare right here on the variety show."

Her dad was truly, undeniably, impossibly childish!

Bai Lu sighed inwardly. Her heart was exhausted.

She simply didn't dare to imagine what kind of terrified expressions netizens would wear tomorrow when they saw her dad on the show.

She should probably drop by the village clinic later and buy a bottle of fast-acting heart-relief pills for En-ge and the others to keep on hand.

...

The next day, Bangkok Airport.

Looking at the gentle, smiling Film Emperor Lu, everyone was frozen in utter disbelief: ?????

Bai Lu walked over with a bottle of heart-relief pills, distributing them one by one. "Don't be polite, take two extra. They work even better if you keep them under your tongue."

Even the production crew, who had received a heads-up in advance, were thoroughly stunned by the living, breathing Film Emperor Lu standing right before them.

Holy crap!

What kind of ungodly luck had this show stumbled into?!

They actually managed to secure Film Emperor Lu's debut appearance on a reality variety show!

And to top it all off, it was Film Emperor Lu's studio that had proactively reached out to request joining their show!!

Proudly smug expression dot jpg.

The viewers in the live stream fell dead silent for a full five minutes, repeatedly confirming that their eyes weren't playing tricks on them and that they weren't hallucinating—it really was Film Emperor Lu—before complete and utter madness erupted.

[Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, holy shit!!!!!]

[A once-in-a-lifetime miracle series!!!]

[It's the Boss, it's the Boss, it's the Boss!!!]

[So Film Emperor Lu gave his very first time to Bai Lu, right?!]

[?????????]

A true nationwide earthquake of shock.

Lin Ye’s jaw hung wide open. As soon as he slightly regained his senses, he instinctively reached for the prop in his hand, preparing to reason (argue) with the production crew.

Lin Ye’s mutual love-hate relationship with the production crew had actually become a staple segment of the show.

From the side, Bai Lu chimed in with an eerie, lingering tone, "Teacher Lu is watching, you know?"

The hand Lin Ye had already raised could no longer be retracted, so he smoothly transitioned it into a bow accompanied by a traditional cupped-fist salute: "Thank you to the production crew for fulfilling my ultimate fan-boy dream!"

Lu Yiting smiled with cultured elegance, looking every bit like a venerable artist of high moral standing and artistic excellence. Yet, deep down in his bones, he remained that same childish, mischievously wicked scoundrel.

Watching the smile on her dad’s face, alarm bells began to ring wildly in Bai Lu’s heart.

Lu Yiting said, "Since this is my first time participating in a variety show, and I am the junior among you all, I must ask for everyone's guidance and help."

The scattered souls and flying wits of everyone present finally snapped back into place.

Li Huan stammered, "Teacher Lu, please don't say that! We can't possibly bear such high praise!!!"

Lin Ye blurted out, "It's us who are unworthy of filming a variety show with you, Teacher Lu!!"

Zu Sinen echoed, "Teacher Lu is far too modest!!!"

Di Jiar'er exclaimed, "It is the supreme honor of our three lifetimes to participate in a show with you!!"

Shen Xinlu added, "Teacher Lu, we are all your devoted film fans!!"

Liu Jiajia, a complete newcomer whose previous brush with the biggest celebrity she had ever met was her own older sister Liu Nana, was practically on the verge of fainting at the abrupt sight of Lu Yiting. It was only thanks to Shen Xinlu and Bai Lu supporting her on either side that she managed to keep from collapsing as her legs turned to jelly.

Such was the exaggerated weight of Lu Yiting's status; merely greeting him and paying respects took up a full two hours.

More than two hours after filming officially began, the group finally managed to leave the airport and set off for the hotel.

The hotel had been earned by the guests from the production crew during the previous episode in Seoul by successfully completing hidden tasks.

Initially, the production crew had booked an economy hotel, but at the last minute, they upgraded it to a five-star internet-famous luxury hotel.

Why were the usually stingy producers suddenly being so extravagant? The answer was self-evident.

Sitting inside the hotel's business sedan, everyone trembled with fear. Not a soul dared to breathe too loudly, let alone speak.

For a live-streamed variety show, complete silence among the guests should have constituted a broadcasting disaster, but the netizens unanimously expressed complete understanding.

After all, that was the already-deified Film Emperor Lu right there! To be sitting in the same vehicle with him without passing out meant the group of seven was already extraordinarily brave!!!

Talk? Talk about what?! Merely maintaining the act of breathing was already consuming every ounce of their remaining strength!!!

A fan of the Snow Pavilion fandom posted: No need for rescue, I'm already dead.

In the end, it was Bai Lu who shattered this deathly silence by shaking the bottle of heart-relief pills in her hand. "Does anyone else need one?"

Everyone chorused, "Yes!!"

Bai Lu distributed them one by one.

The accompanying videographer tremblingly extended a hand. "I need one too..."

Bai Lu: "............"

[Little Deer is lacking in loyalty! She knew to prepare heart-relief pills for the older brothers and sisters, so why didn't she think to warn the audience?!]

[I am frantically searching my entire office for heart-relief pills right now!!]

[Errand runner successfully placed an order: ten bottles of heart-relief pills.]

[I'm seriously not trying to be a hater, but can the Deer fans and Snow Pavilion fans please show some mercy? I'm genuinely curious: you star in my movie, and I join your variety show... What on earth is this maneuver supposed to be? Are you trying to clear up the dating rumors, or cement the romance once and for all?]

[...It's too murky and obscure; I really can't figure this out anymore.]

[No way, it couldn't be, right? The Boss isn't actually dating the Nation's Daughter, is he...]

[You have to trust the Boss!]

[If Little Deer says it's fake, then it must definitely be fake!]

[I have a wild guess... Could it be that Little Deer is simply fangirling, while Film Emperor Lu is actually chasing love?]

[I am begging you to shut the fuck up right now. If you don't speak, nobody is going to mistake you for a mute!!!!]

Sitting right beside Bai Lu, Lin Ye tugged on her sleeve with a pitiful expression. "Sister Little Deer, since you knew about this long ago, why didn't you give everyone a heads-up..."

Bai Lu asked flatly, "...If I had notified you in advance, would you guys not have needed to take the heart-relief pills?"

The moment they found out her dad was joining the show, they probably would have had to keep a heart-relief pill lodged permanently under their tongues.

Lu Yiting sat in the single seat by the door, an apologetic expression on his face. "I had no idea my arrival would scare everyone to this extent. Perhaps I shouldn't have—"

Lin Ye immediately protested, "Not at all!!"

Li Huan chimed in, "Film Emperor Lu, please don't say that!!"

Zu Sinen added, "We are thrilled out of our minds that you came!!"

Di Jiar'er insisted, "We welcome you with open arms!!"

Shen Xinlu concurred, "We were just a bit too incredulous!"

Liu Jiajia: ............

That poor girl was still lingering in a semi-conscious state of faint.

The viewers in the live stream were already considering crowdfunding a soul-summoning ritual for Liu Jiajia.

"Thank you all for your affection. I am truly honored," Lu Yiting said with a gentle smile and a nod, before turning his gaze toward his precious daughter. Targeted by her scumbag dad, Bai Lu felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up in alert suspicion.

What kind of demonic scheme was this scumbag old man cooking up now?!

With an expression of pure paternal concern, Lu Yiting asked, "Why is Little Deer so quiet?"

With a deadpan expression, Bai Lu dumped the rest of the heart-relief pills straight into her mouth. "Still recovering from the shock."

Resting his chin on one hand, looking terrified of failing to entrance every single fan both inside and outside the screen, Lu Yiting flashed a devastatingly alluring smile. "Didn't you already know about this during dinner yesterday? You still haven't recovered your stamina after all this time?"

Bai Lu: "............"

Dear Heavens, I am begging you to please make my dad act like a normal human being!

Di Jiar'er, who happened to be the head of the Huo-Lu shipping fan club, finally snapped out of the shock of the Film Emperor's sudden parachute drop, only to realize that something was deeply amiss here. Film Emperor Lu's behavior was far too bizarre.

Di Jiar'er asked, "Teacher Lu, on behalf of the audience, I have to ask: why on earth did you agree to join our variety show?"

Lu Yiting answered, "I volunteered to come."

?????

Even the ultra-composed Zu Sinen completely lost his cool at that. "W-Why?"

Gazing directly at his own biological daughter, Lu Yiting offered another soul-stealing, captivating smile. "Because I spoil my fans."