Chapter 77

Before Ye Leyao could explain the situation in detail, they heard the new guest, using the same female voice, pitifully say, “It’s been so long since we’ve met, and I can’t believe that as soon as we see each other, Siyuan, you’re being mean to me! I’m so sad.”

For a moment, the gaze of all the guests in the car fell on him.

To be fair, the voice was actually kind of pleasant.

So, what exactly was going on?

Also, why did this new guest seem so familiar?

It felt like they had been seen somewhere before.

Qin Yao didn’t participate in the casting for this episode, but after the director and producer finalized the invitation list, they sent it to Qin Yao to review. So, Qin Yao had some understanding of the new guest.

After staring at the new guest for several seconds, Qin Yao recognized him, and for a moment, his expression was quite complicated.

Meanwhile, the audience in the livestream was still confused:

—”???”

—”This new guest doesn’t look like a female guest, right?”

—”Crossdressing big shot???”

The comment section instantly exploded.

—”I never thought I’d live to see a real-life crossdressing big shot on a variety show!”

—”So who exactly is he?! Also, Li Siyuan never swears when he scolds people, but today his words were so harsh. Could he have a grudge against this new guest?”

—”Look at Li Siyuan’s expression. If it’s not a grudge, then what else? Could it be love?”

—”So who exactly is this crossdressing big shot? I’m so curious!”

—”He looks kind of familiar.”

—”Yes, I feel like he looks familiar too, but I just can’t recall where I’ve seen him before.”

Until a sudden comment began screaming:

—”Ahhhhhh, isn’t this my husband, my wife, my big cousin, my master, Duan Tingyan?!”

Other netizens: ??? What are you talking about?

At the same time, Ye Leyao also quietly exclaimed in his heart:

[Found it! Duan Tingyan, a famous voice actor in China. Because of his distinctive voice, wide range of roles, and extreme dedication, he’s revered like a grandmaster in the industry. Additionally, due to some particularly famous roles he has voiced, fans have all sorts of bizarre nicknames for him.]

[There are plenty of people who call him ‘husband’ or ‘wife,’ and even more who call him ‘second uncle’ or ‘big cousin,’ and there are even those who straight-up call him ‘master’…]

[Hmm, this ‘master’ title also comes from a character in a xianxia (fantasy martial arts) drama.]

Ye Leyao had a sudden realization upon seeing this:

[Then it’s no wonder Li Siyuan would have an online relationship with Duan Tingyan. After all, in online relationships, you can only hear the voice but not see the person. With Duan Tingyan’s ever-changing voice talents, whatever you want, he’s got it—and all in the best form. Tsk tsk tsk!]

Upon hearing this, Huo Yan finally reacted and was somewhat surprised.

Due to work, he had met Duan Tingyan twice before, but he had never heard that Duan Tingyan was a crossdressing big shot!

Li Siyuan, however, could no longer hold it in. He was already furious the moment he recognized the man, and now he stood up, fuming: “Duan Tingyan, stop calling me with that disgusting voice, and by the way, we aren’t close!”

Hearing Duan Tingyan’s name, the other guests were quite shocked.

“You’re Duan Tingyan?” Zhou Zijian’s eyes widened.

He knew Duan Tingyan, but how had he not recognized him?

Wen Xiangyue stared at the man in drag for a few seconds, then a hint of astonishment flashed in her eyes: “It really is Xiao Duan, but why are you dressed like that?”

Song Zhehan’s gaze darted back and forth between Li Siyuan and Duan Tingyan. Suddenly, he got up and walked to the seat behind Ye Leyao, patted Ye Leyao on the shoulder, and whispered, “What’s his relationship with Li Siyuan?”

Ye Leyao slightly tilted his head, trying hard to suppress his rising smile, but he failed.

Glancing at Li Siyuan’s expression, Ye Leyao cleared his throat and quietly said, “Well… you should probably ask Li Siyuan himself.”

Song Zhehan laughed at that, his voice soft but just loud enough for everyone in the car to hear: “So Ye Leyao, you really do know, huh?”

As soon as he said this, Ye Leyao’s pupils shook violently.

[Teacher Gou Shi!!! Is this how you sabotage people?]

Li Siyuan’s angry gaze instantly shot toward Ye Leyao.

Ye Leyao’s neck shrank, and he angrily thought:

[Teacher Gou Shi has no sense of honor!]

[Is he holding a grudge from the last episode recording?]

Ye Leyao looked up at Song Zhehan again and saw that his eyes were now full of smug satisfaction.

Ye Leyao was certain.

[It’s exactly that!]

Li Siyuan was still glaring at Ye Leyao, and Ye Leyao only felt his scalp tingling. But as the saying goes, “an eye for an eye,” so Ye Leyao boldly opened his mic and, in a voice that the entire car could hear, asked, “Yes, I do know a little. Speaking of which, it’s been a week since we last met, and I almost forgot to ask—Teacher Gou Shi, how are things going with Zhang Qiran? Are you making good progress?”

After saying this, Ye Leyao didn’t forget to flash a bright smile at Song Zhehan, then quickly turned his head and clung to Qin Yao’s arm, whispering for help: “President Qin, President Qin!”

[Help me! Teacher Gou Shi is killing me with his eyes!]

Qin Yao couldn’t help but laugh.

Seeing that Ye Leyao seemed genuinely scared, he forgot his previous insistence on boundaries and gently put an arm around Ye Leyao’s shoulders.

“It’s alright, Teacher Gou Shi doesn’t eat people,” Qin Yao softly comforted, making a little joke at the same time.

Song Zhehan’s smile was a little forced, “Haha.”

The other guests nearly couldn’t hold back their laughter.

Ye Leyao really dared to go there!

And this was also the first time they’d seen Song Zhehan at a loss. Honestly, it was quite satisfying.

Even Li Siyuan, who had been tense and ready to fight with Duan Tingyan, almost couldn’t hold back a laugh at this moment.

Meanwhile, the livestream chat was buzzing with excitement.

The audience hadn’t even fully digested the first juicy piece of gossip before hearing Ye Leyao and Song Zhehan exchanging jabs and then seeing Qin Yao wrap his arm around Ye Leyao’s shoulders.

Netizens/fans’ reactions were as follows:

Learning there was something going on between Li Siyuan and Duan Tingyan—Excited: Yay, love a good gossip session!

Hearing Ye Leyao spill the beans about Li Siyuan—Angry: Ye Leyao, why do you always snack on gossip behind our backs? Why do you always keep the juiciest stuff from the fans? What gossip can we not share?

Ye Leyao firing back and sparring with Teacher Gou Shi—Thrilled: Yes, yes, yes, we love to see guests roast each other! Ye Leyao, you’re voicing exactly what we were wondering, and you’re hitting the nail on the head! So how will Teacher Gou Shi respond?

Seeing Ye Leyao admit defeat and get embraced by Qin Yao—Confused, amused, and shocked: Ye Leyao, did you give up that quickly? If you’re so scared, how did you dare provoke Teacher Gou Shi in the first place? And why did you so naturally grab Qin Yao’s arm? What’s the deal between you two?

It’s only the fourth episode recording, and Ye Leyao and Qin Yao are already hugging, arm in arm, and all buddy-buddy.

Don’t tell us this is just pure friendship!

In the first episode, Ye Leyao clearly admitted with his own mouth that Qin Yao is his ideal type!

And Huo Yan, Qin Yao is wrapping his arm around Ye Leyao’s shoulders right under your nose. Are you really blind, or are you just pretending not to see it?

Huo Yan, come on, do something about Ye Leyao. He’s only eighteen! We fans don’t even have partners, so why should he get one already?

If Huo Yan could see these comments, he would definitely reply earnestly: It’s okay, I don’t have a partner either.

As for the comments suggesting Huo Yan should “do something” about Ye Leyao, Huo Yan felt powerless.

It wasn’t that Huo Yan didn’t want to intervene. He genuinely believed Ye Leyao was still young and Qin Yao was too old.

But before this episode’s recording, Papa and Mama Huo had repeatedly warned him not to interfere unnecessarily. So Huo Yan wasn’t blind—he was deliberately pretending not to see.

Finally, the gossip-hungry audience turned their attention back to Li Siyuan and Duan Tingyan, where it all started.

—”Aaaaahh, I’m really curious! Can someone come and explain this to me?”

—”Didn’t Duan Tingyan say before that he would never participate in a variety show? So, could it be that this time he joined just for Li Siyuan?”

—”Huh? So Duan Tingyan is just like Zhang Qiran; both had some kind of relationship with the resident guests?”

—”Now that’s really exciting! Ahhh, bring on the gossip! Bring it on!”

The bullet screen was filled with speculations and deductions from the netizens for a long time, but in the end, they still didn’t get a clear answer.

The gossip crowd, like squirrels in a melon field, jumped around but still couldn’t figure out the situation.

So, everyone had to turn their attention back to the people involved.

At this point, Li Siyuan’s expression had improved a lot. He was now looking at Song Zhehan, who had a cold face, with a half-smile.

When Song Zhehan stood up from his seat behind Ye Leyao and passed by him, Li Siyuan was just about to make a teasing remark when suddenly Duan Tingyan switched to a different voice and returned to his natural tone: “Siyuan, but I remember you used to love it when I talked to you in that voice. Why don’t you like it now?”

A vein on Li Siyuan’s forehead throbbed.

The coldness on Song Zhehan’s face melted away instantly like snow in the sun as he raised an eyebrow and looked at Li Siyuan: “Looks like you’re still not nervous enough, if you’ve got time to watch me.”

Li Siyuan was once again infuriated by Duan Tingyan’s words, so much so that he didn’t even bother responding to Song Zhehan anymore. He turned around and coldly said to Duan Tingyan, “Duan Tingyan, you know that when I say something, I mean it. If you say another word, I really will hit you!”

Duan Tingyan immediately put on an extremely heartbroken expression: “It really has been too long; you don’t love me anymore…”

“Duan Tingyan!” Li Siyuan sternly interrupted him.

But the sharp-eared guests and viewers all widened their eyes.

What did Duan Tingyan just say?

Love?

Did they hear that right?

So there really was something between Li Siyuan and Duan Tingyan?

Oh my gosh.

And Duan Tingyan used a female voice to coax Li Siyuan?

They were really playing… hmm, interesting.

Ye Leyao was so excited that he immediately let go of Qin Yao’s arm, eagerly sticking his head out again, first looking at Li Siyuan’s expression, then turning to look at Duan Tingyan.

[As the saying goes, the deeper the love, the harsher the rebuke. Looks like Li Siyuan really did love his online romance partner deeply!]

[Ahhh, I really want to know the details of their relationship!]

Ye Leyao really wanted to take out his phone and check his notes, but right now he was sitting too close to Qin Yao.

At this angle, if he opened his phone, Qin Yao would be able to see all the content of his notes just by lowering his head.

Although Ye Leyao could move a bit farther from Qin Yao, for some reason, he just didn’t want to do that.

So, to be on the safe side, Ye Leyao decided to suppress his curiosity for now.

[It’s okay, I can check later!]

Huo Yan heard this and couldn’t help but roll his eyes again.

He realized that Ye Leyao was also a romance-obsessed fool!

For the sake of romance, he didn’t even bother with the gossip.

Seeing Li Siyuan’s big reaction, Duan Tingyan’s eyes became even more sorrowful: “So sad, but since you don’t want to catch up, I’ll stop talking.”

Saying this, Duan Tingyan even sighed regretfully.

At this point, the other guests and netizens became uncertain again.

Duan Tingyan’s makeup was flamboyant and exaggerated, and his expression seemed natural enough, but they still felt that some of his expressions were a bit too forced.

Was he faking it?

Aside from Ye Leyao and those who could hear his inner voice like Qin Yao and Huo Yan, no one else knew what Duan Tingyan was up to, including Li Siyuan.

Since Duan Tingyan appeared, Li Siyuan had been in a state of agitation.

He even wanted to grab Duan Tingyan by the collar and throw him off the bus, but if he actually did that, today’s recording would be over.

Although Li Siyuan didn’t care, he was afraid that netizens would dig too deep!

What celebrity doesn’t have a past?

And these days, netizens are particularly fond of digging into the past.

Oh, and there’s always Ye Leyao, who is forever at the forefront of gossip.

Li Siyuan clenched his teeth.

Stay calm.

If he handled the situation calmly, he might be able to cover it up. If he lost his cool, he would be trending on the hot search list by the end of this episode.

The only thing that comforted Li Siyuan was that this crazy man, Duan Tingyan, still had some conscience. Seeing that he was angry, Duan didn’t spill everything.

After giving Duan Tingyan a vicious glare, Li Siyuan sat back down.

Seeing this, Duan Tingyan raised an eyebrow, knowing that he had passed this hurdle. Only then did he smile and go around greeting the other guests.

When Ye Leyao hesitated about whether to shake his hand, Duan Tingyan suddenly withdrew his hand and smiled, asking, “You probably don’t want to shake hands with me, do you?”

Ye Leyao froze.

Qin Yao and Huo Yan both furrowed their brows.

Duan Tingyan glanced at Qin Yao and then smiled: “Don’t worry, I don’t mean anything by it. I just watched the previous episodes and noticed that Ye Leyao doesn’t seem to like physical contact with others. If you don’t want to shake hands with me, we can skip this part.”

Hearing his explanation, Qin Yao and Huo Yan’s tightly furrowed brows slightly relaxed.

Huo Yan was a bit puzzled.

Ye Leyao didn’t show it obviously, but Duan Tingyan observed so closely that he figured it out?

The other guests were equally surprised.

Zhou Zijian asked Ye Leyao: “Is that true? How come I didn’t notice before?”

Duan Tingyan, who was quite familiar with Zhou Zijian, teased with a laugh: “A big, burly guy like you, what could you possibly notice?”

Everyone couldn’t help but laugh.

Ye Leyao also came back to his senses.

[I didn’t expect that besides President Qin, someone else could also notice that I don’t like physical contact!]

[Teacher Duan, you’re my kindred spirit!]

So Ye Leyao decisively reached out his hand to Duan Tingyan, smiling as he explained, “Teacher Duan observes very closely. I indeed don’t really like physical contact with others, but I’m working on changing that now! And I think I’ve done a great job, right?”

The last sentence was directed at Qin Yao.

Qin Yao smiled and nodded.

The smile in Duan Tingyan’s eyes deepened, and he extended his hand to shake with Ye Leyao’s briefly before letting go, saying, “That’s good. I quite like Teacher Ye Leyao, so please take care of me in this episode.”

Ye Leyao, feeling flattered, said, “Teacher Duan, you can just call me Leyao.”

Duan Tingyan smiled and agreed, then moved on to greet the other guests.

Duan Tingyan was very sociable. Due to work, he had collaborated with many artists in the industry, even with Liu Yan, who was an idol.

Now, Duan Tingyan was sitting in the row in front of Zhou Zijian and Wen Xiangyue, next to Liu Yan, and the four of them were chatting happily.@@novelbin@@

Zhou Zijian held back for a long time but couldn’t resist asking, “So, why exactly are you wearing women’s clothing today?”

When Ye Leyao heard this question, he immediately turned his head, the corners of his mouth lifting with amusement.

[Isn’t the answer to that obvious? Do you even need to ask?]

Huo Yan was puzzled.

Obvious?

No need to ask?

But why couldn’t he figure out the reason?

Qin Yao frowned slightly, and the next moment, he also realized it.

So that’s the reason! The answer really was obvious.

Huo Yan couldn’t figure it out, so he glanced at Ye Leyao. Unexpectedly, he saw the look of realization on Qin Yao’s face at the same time.

A sense of confusion suddenly arose in Huo Yan’s heart. How did Qin Yao…

But before Huo Yan could think further, Song Zhehan spoke with a smile, “Brother Zhou, you really don’t know why?”

Zhou Zijian was baffled.

How would he know why Duan Tingyan was dressed as a woman today?

Seeing that Ye Leyao, Qin Yao, and Huo Yan were all looking at him, Zhou Zijian couldn’t help but think for a moment, then his eyes lit up as he looked at Duan Tingyan, “Could it be because it’s one of your niche fetishes?”

Ye Leyao couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing.

The other guests couldn’t hold it in either, and the carriage was filled with laughter.

Only Li Siyuan didn’t laugh. Not only did he not laugh, but his face was also full of indifference: “Brother Zhou didn’t get it wrong. This is indeed one of his many perverse hobbies.”

As soon as he said that, Duan Tingyan furrowed his brows and looked at Li Siyuan with a somewhat aggrieved expression: “Siyuan~~~~”

The voice was cute, and carried a bit of a coquettish tone.

It sent chills down everyone’s spines.

Li Siyuan’s reaction was even more intense. He suddenly stood up and shouted angrily, “Duan Tingyan! You don’t seriously think I wouldn’t hit a man in women’s clothing, do you?!”

The atmosphere froze instantly.

Ye Leyao timely whispered, “Brother Zhou, do you get it now?”

[Of course, it’s because Li Siyuan has principles!]

[Even though he’s irritable, Li Siyuan never hits women!]

[And a man in women’s clothing, well, can count as half a woman!]

Huo Yan suddenly realized.

Oh, I see!

Zhou Zijian also suddenly understood.

So that was the reason!

The bullet comments also caught on:

—”I never expected it to be for that reason.”

—”So… Duan Tingyan wore women’s clothes because he has a little fetish for it, and knowing he might get beaten up by Li Siyuan, he dressed up?”

—”Looks like it!”

The gossip lovers: !!!

Now this gossip just keeps getting more interesting!

A voice actor with a cross-dressing fetish and an irritable rap singer—and there’s a good chance they had a history!

Damn, could this be some old news resurfacing?

But even if it’s old gossip, who cares? They just want the drama.

The online crowd was ecstatic, and the guests also turned their attention to Duan Tingyan.

Many eyes were filled with curiosity.

It was as if they were all chasing Duan Tingyan for answers, asking, is it true?

Is that really the reason?

Tell us, quickly!

As for why they weren’t asking Li Siyuan directly?

Obviously, they didn’t dare to!

Duan Tingyan sighed helplessly, casting a reproachful look at Ye Leyao: “Leyao, just because I admire you doesn’t mean you can expose my secrets without restraint, okay?”

This time he spoke again in a female voice, but with a more mature tone.

Ye Leyao blinked: “It was Brother Zhou who brought it up first, it has nothing to do with me. Also, Teacher Duan, your voice sounds amazing.”

Duan Tingyan loved being complimented. Upon hearing this, he lifted his chin, flashing a bright and proud smile: “Right, right? I also think this voice is the best! Back when Siyu— cough, cough.”

Duan Tingyan stopped himself in time.

Ye Leyao suddenly realized.

[Oh, so this is Li Siyuan’s favorite voice.]

[I must admit, from this angle, Duan Tingyan does look quite good, and his voice is lovely.]

[Hmm, Li Siyuan must have fallen for him back then in the same way.]

Thinking of this, Ye Leyao’s smile became even brighter.

[It looks like this episode’s recording is going to be really interesting!]

[Our President Qin is getting better and better at picking guests.]

Hearing this, Qin Yao’s expression showed a bit of helplessness.

At the very least, one shouldn’t always fall into a pit, right?

He had been unlucky for quite a while; it was time for his fortune to turn around.

The group didn’t chat for much longer before the director announced that the next guest was about to make an appearance.

“By the way,” Zhou Zijian couldn’t help but speak to Duan Tingyan again, “Do you know which guests the program team invited this time? Have you met them?”

Duan Tingyan had already turned around, but upon hearing Zhou Zijian’s question, he suddenly turned his head back with an exaggerated movement.

Zhou Zijian was slightly stunned: “Hmm? Why are you…”

Duan Tingyan’s mouth curled up wildly, and his eyes, adorned with false eyelashes, blinked continuously.

Ye Leyao, being the most observant, immediately sensed something was off.

[Hmm? This smile from Duan Tingyan…]

[Why does it have that mysterious smile vibe?]

The other guests also turned their attention to Duan Tingyan.

Liu Yan was the first to ask, “So, Teacher Duan, do you know who the guests are for this episode?”

Duan Tingyan smiled brightly at the message, nodding, “Yes, I’ve met all of them and even had a brief chat with them.”

Seeing the smile on Duan Tingyan’s face, Liu Yan suddenly felt something was wrong.

How come this smile looked exactly like the mysterious smile Ye Leyao had when he heard some juicy gossip?

Not only did Liu Yan think so, but Zhou Zijian and Wen Xiangyue in the back seats had the same thought.

It wasn’t just exactly alike; it was as if it had been carved from the same mold!

Zhou Zijian even began to suspect that Duan Tingyan had secretly learned the art of this smile from Ye Leyao.

Ye Leyao didn’t know what Zhou Zijian and Liu Yan were thinking, because at that moment, he had already stood up, unable to resist his curiosity, and glanced out the window.

With just one look, Ye Leyao could no longer contain himself. He turned around, rested his head on Qin Yao’s shoulder, tilted his head back, and burst out laughing: “Hahahahahahaha—”

His laughter drew everyone’s attention.

“What are you laughing at?” Huo Yan asked.

Song Zhehan noticed that Ye Leyao had just looked out the window, so he turned to look as well. One glance and he couldn’t hold it in either.

The bus was divided into two sides, with Ye Leyao, Qin Yao, Song Zhehan, and Li Siyuan sitting on the side by the door, where the guest appearances were also taking place.

Seeing both Ye Leyao and Song Zhehan laughing, Li Siyuan quickly lifted the curtain on his side.

Since he was sitting further back, when he opened the curtain, Zhou Zijian, Wen Xiangyue, and Liu Yan could also see everything clearly.

The next second, they heard Li Siyuan burst out laughing: “Holy crap!”

However, Zhou Zijian and Wen Xiangyue’s expressions stiffened at the same time.

Only Liu Yan looked confused, asking, “What? What’s so funny? Who is he—”

At this point, Duan Tingyan was laughing even more freely, his voice returning to the high-pitched tone he started with, incredibly soft and gentle: “Liu Yan, don’t you recognize Wen Huai?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Yan gasped, covering her mouth in surprise.

Wen Huai?!

The bullet screen was going crazy, messages flooding in:

—”???”

—”!!!”

—”Huh? Hahahahahahahahahahaha—”

By this time, Ye Leyao had finally finished laughing, and he turned his head with a mischievous smile, saying, “Brother Zhou, your son is here. Aren’t you going to go down and greet him?”