Chapter 54

Today is the fourth update, this is the first one. I will update another chapter after I finish writing it. Please give me all kinds of support. Favorites, recommendations, and donations!!!!!

The following is the main text:

Li Chong spent this Spring Festival very quietly, except for the incident on the first day, nothing much happened. Li Chong's mother, Xu Meiyang, was unusually calm and didn't cause any trouble. Apart from stipulating that Li Chong must call every week to report on his matchmaking progress and return home every month to give a detailed account, she had no other demands. As long as Li Chong could meet these conditions, she would forgive him for not coming home for three years. However, if he failed to meet them or forgot, Li Chong would have to imagine the consequences himself.

What could Li Chong do? As long as his mother, Xu Meiyang, wasn't angry, he would agree to any conditions. He felt he had made a great deal. Of course, he didn't realize that these conditions could have many hidden implications.

On the 8th, Li Chong's parents naturally left him behind and went on vacation abroad.

Li Chong woke up on the morning of the 8th and saw a table full of breakfast, along with a note next to it that read, "We're in Taiwan." Li Chong smiled bitterly. This happened every year. Every Spring Festival, Li Changyu and Xu Meiyang would go abroad for about half a month. This had been the case since Li Chong started high school. According to Li Changyu, it was to compensate his mother, Xu Meiyang, for taking care of him all these years. However, each trip's expenses were charged to Li Chong... It seemed he already owed Li Changyu several million.

After finishing breakfast, Li Chong went to the same styling center. It was the same spot, the same androgynous stylist, and the same Kim Jisun. "Oh, you're early today. Hyori-ssi has already told me, we'll do the same style as last time." Li Chong sat obediently, waiting for Kim Jisun to style his hair.

Soon, Lee Hyori was surrounded by a group of people. "Oppa Li Chong, you're so early? How was it at home? Didn't you get tortured?" Lee Hyori's eyes curved into a smile when she saw Li Chong.

"Don't mention it. On the first day, my mom set up a family matchmaking session." Li Chong recounted the day's events to Lee Hyori. The result was that both Lee Hyori and Kim Jisun laughed uncontrollably.

"Your mom is really interesting. It would be great to meet her someday. I've never heard of you being so obedient before." Lee Hyori's smile never left her face since she saw Li Chong.

"Interesting? She almost killed me. You wouldn't feel the awkwardness of being questioned and scrutinized by the other party's parents. It was so depressing." Li Chong felt his soul was deeply wounded.

"Hehe, it's better today. Today's program is very interesting." After hearing Li Chong's description, Lee Hyori seemed to think of something amusing and suddenly burst out laughing.

"Hey, is it that funny? You're a national fairy, if others see you like this, you won't be able to survive in the idol world." Li Chong teased.

"Right, what program is it today? Do I need to perform anything?" Li Chong asked, wanting to prepare if it was a reality show.

"You? Forget it. You can't dance well, and your singing is unbearable. I don't know how you managed to become a music video director and even won two awards." Lee Hyori mercilessly criticized.

"Seems like my first MV was yours, so you led me down this path. I finally managed to get out, and you want to drag me back in. How can you do that..." Li Chong rolled his eyes at Lee Hyori.

"Tsk, let you gloat for now, we'll see when we start shooting..." Lee Hyori muttered under her breath.

At 2 PM, in MBC's Studio 3, preparations were in full swing. Li Chong and Lee Hyori walked through the MBC building. Li Chong felt a sense of nostalgia, thinking about his connection with MBC. The two MTV awards, the recruitment of the Gao brothers, and now shooting a program here—it was a strange bond...

"Li Chong, the official shooting starts at 3 PM. You have 40 minutes of free time. After that, you need to come back to prepare. Since you're familiar with MBC, I won't show you around. I need to go find Hui Cai-ssi to go over the script. This is the first shooting of the program, and MBC wants to see the ratings, so I can't be careless." Lee Hyori said outside the dressing room.

"Okay, I'll walk around and come back." Li Chong replied.

Walking through the MBC building, Li Chong wore a name tag, so no one paid much attention to him. He saw staff members either rushing around or leisurely drinking coffee with colleagues. Li Chong wondered if he had a stable job, would he be like this—bored to death when idle and overwhelmed when busy...

Just as he was thinking, Li Zhen's call came in, "Hey, where are you?"

"Li Zhen-ssi, why are you so angry on New Year's Day? Do you miss me? If you miss me, just say it. How would I know if you don't say it..." Li Chong teased, knowing he wouldn't see her anytime soon, so he decided to annoy her first.

"Check the time first..." Li Zhen said through gritted teeth.

"Huh, what time?" Li Chong hesitated, wondering why he needed to check the time. Suddenly, he remembered where he was and why he was there. It was already 2:50 PM. "Oh, I have to go, I'll talk to you later..." He hung up and ran back, fortunately, he wasn't far from Studio 3's dressing room.

As soon as he entered the dressing room, before he could apologize, his ear was grabbed. "Hey, how dare you hang up on me, how dare you be late..." Li Zhen's voice came from beside his ear.

Li Chong was startled when his ear was grabbed. He was about to react, but when he heard Li Zhen's voice, he immediately softened. "Li Zhen-ssi, why are you here? I was just thinking and lost track of time. Please be lenient and let me off." Li Chong quickly begged for mercy.

Li Zhen didn't intend to make things difficult for Li Chong. She pushed him into a chair, and a makeup artist immediately started retouching his makeup. The dressing room was left with only a few people. "The show is about to start, and you haven't arrived yet. You'll have to explain yourself. As long as it fits the script, here it is. After the makeup is done, someone will take you to your seat."

Li Zhen rushed out, and after Li Chong's makeup was retouched, he was led through a side door to Studio 3 and seated in the second-to-last row. The seats around him were mostly occupied by people in their 30s, except for a younger person in their 20s to his right. Li Chong counted and found there were exactly seven people, including himself.

Li Chong glanced at the script in his hand. The cover read "Introducing Celebrity Friends," with MCs Li Hui Cai and Lee Hyori. Just as he was about to flip through the script, the on-site PD's voice rang out, "OK, countdown: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0, start."

"This is MBC's specially planned special episode," said Li Hui Cai.

"The first celebrity matchmaking event in the country," said Lee Hyori.

"Introducing Celebrity Friends, now begins!" the two hosts said together.

After hearing the MCs' opening remarks, Li Chong's vision darkened... Lee Hyori, you're blackening me again...

[Page break for AD starts]

[Page break for AD ends]