TL: Hua
Although many things remained unresolved, Lin Yanran felt a significant sense of relief after speaking with his brother.
It was exactly as his brother had said. No matter the time or space, they were brothers who could trust one another implicitly.
After several days of spending every waking moment with her son, Xie Roufei finally felt a sense of peace, no longer plagued by the same insecurity and fear of loss as before.
However, she still seemed driven by a need to make up for the twenty-two years they had lost as quickly as possible, constantly finding excuses to give things to Lin Yanran.
Whether it was food, clothing, housing, or transportation, she had arranged everything in abundance.
Similarly, Lin Yanhui had originally planned to hold a formal banquet to introduce his younger son to the world. However, Lin Yunzhe had talked him out of it, arguing that many details still needed to be investigated and that they should keep a low profile for the time being.
Left with no other choice, Lin Yanhui spent seven figures to bid on a shimmering guzheng specifically for Lin Yanran to play with.
“Everyone, look over here! Isn’t Ranran handsome?”
Amidst a loud and synchronized chorus of “He’s handsome~,” the photographer captured the family portrait.
Just as the photo session ended, Lin Yanran’s phone rang.
He walked to a corner to answer; it was Hong Huixue.
She started by asking about his recent well-being before gradually moving to the main point.
“Are you interested in appearing on Unexpected Surprise?”
“Unexpected Surprise?”
Lin Yanran found the name familiar. He had heard people mention it as a blockbuster variety show, but since he hadn’t watched a single episode, he didn’t know much about it.
Sensing his hesitation, Hong Huixue explained, “Yes. This show actually had a first season that focused on parents and their adorable kids. It became an instant hit the moment the first episode aired, and every guest on it became a household name. It was last year’s ratings champion.”
After a brief overview, Hong Huixue explained the current situation. “Now they’re rebooting for a second season with the original core production team. The team is very reliable, and filming starts soon. You’re quite adept when it comes to variety shows, so you can try it out. Their style should suit you quite well.”
Hong Huixue made it sound effortless, but in reality, for a blockbuster show with such a brilliant track record, countless artists were desperate to get on.
Many second-tier stars were willing to waive their appearance fees just for the exposure, hoping the show would take their careers to the next level.
Even though Lin Yanran was popular lately, the competition was fierce, and he wasn’t exactly an A-lister yet. Securing this resource for him had been no easy feat for her.
She didn’t mention the difficulty, but Lin Yanran could guess it from her description. He immediately agreed. “Okay. Is there anything I need to prepare in advance?”
He didn’t doubt Hong Huixue’s judgment. If she said it suited him, he could certainly handle it.
“The contract hasn’t been signed yet, and they haven’t sent any further notices. However, they want you to invite a friend to join the show with you. It seems they want the theme to lean toward friendship this time.” Hong Huixue added a reminder: “Of course, it’s best if your friend’s status isn’t too low.”
Bring a friend?
Before hearing the second condition, the first name that popped into Lin Yanran’s mind was Gu Siye. But upon hearing that the friend should have a decent status, he silently deleted the name.
Undoubtedly, if it were Gu Siye, his status wouldn’t just meet the requirement—it would exceed it by a landslide.
But precisely because of this, considering that the other party, a top-tier superstar, had only appeared on one variety show, “Super Idol,” in all these years since his debut, he gave up the idea.
Lin Yanran thought for a moment. Feeling that the production team’s definition was too vague and not wanting to nominate someone blindly, he asked Hong Huixue, “Sister Hong, do you have any suitable recommendations? Or does the production team have their own arrangements?”
Logically, his partner should be arranged by the production team. He didn’t understand why they were asking him to bring a friend.
Hong Huixue thought about it and asked with a smile, “How about you and Gu Siye go on the show together?”
Lin Yanran was surprised. “Did Brother Gu take the job too?”
“No. The show has been trying to persuade him for a long time, but he never agreed. A few days ago he finally softened his stance, but then for some reason, there was no follow-up.”
Hong Huixue’s words suddenly reminded Lin Yanran of something.
He opened WeChat and scrolled up, finding a message the other man had indeed sent him.
gsy: Want to do a variety show together?
Lin Yanran glanced at the date.
At that time, he had just reunited with his family, so he hadn’t noticed or replied.
The variety show Gu Siye was asking about… was this one?
As Lin Yanran remained silent, Hong Huixue’s voice came through the receiver again. “If you’re going, I’ll ask him again. He might just say yes.”
“Whether as a friend or as your boss, he really should be the one taking you on the show.”
After hanging up with Hong Huixue, Lin Yanran didn’t wait for her to reach out. He immediately called Gu Siye.
“Yanran~”
Gu Siye’s voice carried a hint of nasal heaviness, the end of the tone curling upward slightly. To the ears, it sounded lazy and a bit sexy.
Lin Yanran felt as though the other man had just woken up, so he lowered his voice.
“Did I disturb your afternoon nap?”
“No, I just fell asleep while reading.” Gu Siye adjusted his posture as he spoke. “Are things handled? Are you feeling any better?”
Those two questions made Lin Yanran’s heart skip a beat; he felt a surge of warmth.
He hadn’t explicitly mentioned his recent troubles to Gu Siye, yet the man had sensed it through the fragments of their chats.
“I’m better now.” Lin Yanran glossed over the topic before asking, “Was the variety show you mentioned the other day Unexpected Surprise?”
The man gave a soft “Mm,” but didn’t say more.
Having confirmed his suspicion, Lin Yanran immediately apologized. “I’m sorry, I didn’t notice the message before. I only saw it today.”
The moment Lin Yanran finished, Gu Siye’s low chuckle came through the phone. “It’s alright. No need to apologize.”
“Did they come looking for you?”
“Yes, Sister Hong just called me. She also asked me to bring a friend.”
“Is that so?” This time, the smile in Gu Siye’s tone was even more apparent.
Lin Yanran didn’t follow up. There was a brief second of silence on the line.
Then, the man’s voice sounded again. “So… Teacher Yanran, are you going to take me along?”
The man’s voice was lower than usual, drifting through the phone as if he were whispering right against his ear.
Lin Yanran felt a bit thirsty. He looked down and lightly licked his lips before speaking softly.
“I’ll take you.”
—
At the Unexpected Surprise production office.
After the producer and core staff received the call from Zhong Xiao, they were nearly driven mad with joy.
The director, returning from the restroom, saw everyone grinning secretly and was completely bewildered.
“What happened? Did we win the lottery?”
“No, Gu Siye is joining our show.”
The director nodded. “Oh, Gu Siye is joining our… WHAT?”
He looked at the arts director and then realized, “Didn’t he refuse? Why did he agree all of a sudden?”
Producer: “Yanran contacted him. I told you inviting Yanran was the right move!”
Director: “…”
If they had known getting Gu Siye on the show was that simple, why hadn’t they contacted Yanran sooner?
Even though their first season was a blockbuster, the general law of variety shows was that it’s hard to surpass your peak.
They were under immense pressure for the second season. Furthermore, due to some uncontrollable factors, the theme for this season had changed completely, so they desperately needed an A-lister like Gu Siye to participate.
Knowing Gu Siye was coming, the director couldn’t help but join in the secret celebration.
However, before he could celebrate for long, he remembered that the contract they had discussed with Yanran was for a “guest” appearance, not a “permanent MC” role.
At the thought of this, he was filled with immediate regret.
Unexpected Surprise had been in preparation for a long time, and everything was ready long ago.
As the broadcast date drew closer and the guests were finalized, they began to build hype online.
The first wave of marketing by the production team was the “theme.”
Long-time fans of the show knew that the theme was changing this season, and the speculation began immediately.
[The previous parenting theme was quite similar to a kinship theme. This season probably won’t change too drastically, right? It’s probably centered on family?]
[Family-focused? Inviting celebrities and their parents or relatives?]
[There are already so many family-themed shows. Let’s do romance!]
[Romance +1! I wouldn’t mind a dating theme either. If you invite a bunch of couples or real-life spouses, the screen would be so spicy!]
Once the hype had built up, the production team immediately announced the first pair of guests and gave everyone two keywords: Friendship.
The production team was quite playful; after announcing only one pair, they stopped and turned the question back to the audience.
Which pair of best friends are you most looking forward to seeing on the show?
The audience nominated everyone under the sun, but the loudest outcry was for “Siran.”
[Hurry up and invite Siran!]
[If you can get them, you’ll be the most awesome variety show of the year!]
[If you can get them, we can witness the most “sincere” friendship!]
[Siran is real! Oops, my bad. Siran is the best!]
Passersby couldn’t help but join in the joking: [LOL, “friendship”? Aren’t they “romance”?]
Seeing this, Siran fans immediately rushed to clarify.
[No, no, no! Siran is definitely an upright, ironclad friendship!!!]
[The 24k pure gold kind!]
The production team could see that everyone was anticipating Siran, but for the sake of future hype and surprises, they mischievously kept them under wraps.
Even after all the other guests for the first episode were announced, this particular pair remained a secret.
Finally, after a period of marketing and warm-ups, the first episode of Unexpected Surprise officially began filming.
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152