The girl group's top judge, who was guest hosting the show, smiled and said, "Yu Shuman, why don't you try mimicking the pose you guessed?"
Yu Shuman, realizing she had guessed incorrectly based on everyone's reactions, looked at her teammates with a bit of confusion. Under the first contestant's exasperated expression, Yu Shuman crossed her hands in front of her and made a motion as if holding down her skirt, then slightly bent her body forward, striking the classic Marilyn Monroe pose.
"It's this, right…"
The first teammate, exasperated, said, "No, how could it be that?"
She crossed her hands in front of her waist and then sank her hips, mimicking a sitting pose. Seeing this, Yu Shuman finally realized, "It's the Mona Lisa!"
The second teammate also chimed in, "You should have shown the number first! Show the number four first!" She held up four fingers, and the other teammates, laughing, teased, "Look who's talking! It started with you! The first person was clearly squatting, but you just had to exaggerate it!"
The second teammate sheepishly replied, "But squatting down didn't look good. I really thought it was Marilyn Monroe, just not done right."
Everyone playfully pushed each other, passing the blame around, eventually pinpointing the real culprit, which made all the contestants burst into laughter. Unsurprisingly, their team didn't win against the other group, but in terms of entertainment and camera appeal, they were the clear winners. The Mona Lisa's pose was graceful, while Marilyn Monroe's pose was more seductive. The show's producers originally wanted a more refined depiction, but the first contestant turned it into a comedic, bold stance.
In the end, all the contestants ended up imitating Marilyn Monroe's signature pose, and with their long legs and tall figures, they looked stunning.
But the production staff knew that while the first contestant might have been a bit clueless, the second one was definitely intentional. She was aiming for good footage; if they had followed the first person's pose, it would have been quite an eyesore, so she quickly improvised with a better pose.
It turned out to be a blessing for Qin Ran, as Yu Shuman looked stunning in that pose. Qin Ran couldn't help but want to give a thumbs up.
After the game round ended, the teams rotated, and Yu Shuman's group went to rest. Qin Ran seized the opportunity to bring them water. She had snatched this task from someone else, using a very reasonable excuse: she hadn't done much work yet and wanted to earn her pay. The person who lost the job wasn't upset, as he was a regular staff member and wouldn't lose his job over such a small task, so he was happy to take it easy.
Qin Ran brought five bottles of water to the resting group and handed them out one by one. Yu Shuman, seeing her, felt a pang of concern and pulled her close. "Why do you come here every day and work so hard? You should take some time to rest. Don't overwork yourself." Yu Shuman's voice was soft, so the other four members only saw her talking to a staff member.
They didn't care what Yu Shuman was saying to Qin Ran since she was just a low-level worker. If Yu Shuman had been talking to the foreman, they might have perked up their ears to eavesdrop on the conversation.
Qin Ran pursed her lips. "I don't have much to do—just delivering some water and lunch to you all."
Just five bottles of water... Hardly enough to tire her out.
Qin Ran enjoyed Yu Shuman's concern, knowing that she cared about her. But at the same time, she was acutely aware that she was positioning herself as weak and in need of protection. In Yu Shuman's mind, she was still the junior who needed looking after. Although their relationship had always been like this, at that moment, Qin Ran wanted to tell Yu Shuman that she was strong—strong enough to protect her.
Her mouth opened, but the words didn't come out, fully displaying Qin Ran's conflicted nature.
Yu Shuman knew that Qin Ran wouldn't listen to her advice, so she sighed and handed the water bottle back to her. "Drink some yourself. Don't exhaust yourself." Qin Ran hesitated for a moment, then took the bottle, opened it, and took a few gulps, hoping that this action would ease Yu Shuman's concerns.
But the next moment, Qin Ran was stunned. After she finished drinking, Yu Shuman grabbed the bottle, tilted her head back, and took several large gulps. Not only was Qin Ran shocked, but so were the other four teammates. Although this staff member was a woman, she was still a stranger to Yu Shuman. How could she be so unconcerned about drinking from the same bottle?
After drinking, Yu Shuman seemed to remember something and quickly added, "She's a junior from my school and we're close." She explained briefly, noticing that the other contestants showed understanding expressions before turning her attention back to Qin Ran. Qin Ran was still dazed, unable to react, so Yu Shuman nudged her.
"What, do you find your senior disgusting?"
Qin Ran's face turned bright red. She quickly looked down and shook her head. "No, it's just... sudden. If you're thirsty, I can get you another bottle."
Her voice was so quiet that Yu Shuman had to focus to hear her. But she didn't mind. "It's fine, I don't mind that you drank from it." With that, Qin Ran made an excuse about having work to do with the foreman and hurriedly fled. Once she reached a secluded spot, she couldn't help but cover her flushed face, muttering under her breath about how careless Yu Shuman was.
Qin Ran had fled in a panic, her mind filled with improper thoughts about how they had indirectly kissed. Qin Ran knew that sharing a drink wasn't unusual among girls, especially between close friends. Her relationship with Yu Shuman probably qualified as a close friendship, so there was nothing particularly shocking about it.
But Qin Ran couldn't remain calm. Her mind had practically shut down when Yu Shuman took the bottle from her and drank from it. She had watched Yu Shuman drink from the same bottle she had just used, and although Yu Shuman's movements were quick, they seemed to play out in slow motion in Qin Ran's eyes.
She watched as Yu Shuman's lips, delicate and slightly parted, met the bottle's rim, before she tilted her head back and gulped down the water from the bottle Qin Ran had just used. Although Qin Ran knew this wasn't some special action, she couldn't help but equate it to an indirect kiss.
Leaning against a wall, Qin Ran slowly squatted down, her face flushed with embarrassment. Her cheeks were burning so hot she thought she could boil water on them. But after the embarrassment, a wave of sadness washed over her.
She truly was a pitiful and despicable person, getting flustered over a thoughtless action from Yu Shuman, her heart racing and her mind filled with inappropriate thoughts. It felt like a betrayal of Yu Shuman's trust, as though she was thinking of taking advantage of her friend's kindness.
This was the first time Qin Ran had experienced such feelings—perhaps this was the pain of a secret crush.
She sighed deeply, then stood up and returned to the filming area. Sister Li spotted her return and seemed to want to say something, but Qin Ran pretended not to notice and focused on her work like any other part-time worker. Despite taking the job to be closer to Yu Shuman, she was diligent and professional during work hours. Her dedication was likely why the foreman allowed her to stay; if she had been slacking off, he would have relegated her to the sidelines.
When Qin Ran returned to the set, Ling Miaohan's group was in the middle of their game. Compared to the previous groups, their game was much more refined. The production team couldn't have every group play "Pictionary"; they switched games every ten contestants. Ling Miaohan's group was playing "Pitch-pot" while dressed in traditional Hanfu.
It was beautiful, but the favoritism was obvious.
Ling Miaohan and the TV director's granddaughter were having a great time. Ling Miaohan had always loved Hanfu and had played pitch-pot before, so now, teaming up with the director's granddaughter, they were unstoppable.
Qin Ran barely batted an eye at this. When the break came, she delivered lunch to all the contestants, politely declining Yu Shuman's invitation to eat together. After all, it was better for Yu Shuman to eat with her teammates during such times, especially with the cameras rolling. Instead, she sought out Sister Li, suspecting she had something important to discuss.
They met in Yu Shuman's dressing room, which was empty, providing a quiet space for conversation.
Sister Li pressed her lips together and, without speaking, handed her phone to Qin Ran. On it, Qin Ran saw the trending topics. The events of the previous night had further escalated, with many netizens curious about which companies had bought bots for Ling Miaohan. Particularly, Ling Miaohan's fans from the ancient music circle were bombarding the whistleblower blogger, demanding an explanation.
So far, the blogger had remained silent, but the comment section was buzzing with speculation. Almost all the companies behind the remaining contestants were being accused, especially a few well-known ones. Although 99 Entertainment was relatively new and not yet considered a major player, its name had still surfaced in the comments.
From there, the situation spiraled out of control. Many contestants' comment sections were flooded with accusations from fans of the ancient music circle, claiming that their idol was being bullied because the ancient music circle was considered easy prey. Yu Shuman's comment section was no exception.
Qin Ran, her gaze downcast, scanned Yu Shuman's comment section, her expression calm and unreadable.
Such minor commotions wouldn't normally concern Sister Li, but since they involved Yu Shuman, she had shown them to Qin Ran. She knew Yu Shuman held a special place in Qin Ran's heart, but Qin Ran's reaction was hard to gauge. Hesitantly, Sister Li asked, "Boss, what should we do now?"
"What should we do?" Qin Ran echoed the last three words, lifting her head. Her face was as calm as still water, showing no emotion, but for some reason, Sister Li felt a chill run down her spine. Qin Ran's voice was too steady when she replied, "As I said before, send them a lawyer's letter."
Qin Ran: I had an indirect kiss with my senior!