After I died, they cried in the live studio

Chapter 45 Split and Hold

Seeing this, Sang Shuwan grabbed Jiang Cimu's arm without saying anything, and walked quickly through the crowd, away from Chu Ling. When the noise around her faded away, she stopped and looked up at Jiang Cimu with a firm gaze: "Cimu, don't be angry. Alice and I have discussed it. If there are any more troubles in the show, or Chu Ling wants to do something bad, I will definitely withdraw from the recording. He wants to use the variety show to disrupt the situation and plot against us, and I will never let him succeed."

Jiang Cimu lowered his eyes and met her clear eyes. His anger slowly turned into heartache. He raised his hand and gently stroked Sang Shuwan's cheek, rubbing his fingertips on her delicate skin. He said in a low voice, "It's all my fault. I failed to protect you and let you fall into this mess for nothing." The regret and self-blame in his eyes seemed to be real, entwined in them.

Sang Shuwan gently held his hand and shook her head: "This is not your fault. Chu Ling has always acted in a secretive way. I still don't understand why he is targeting us like this." As she said this, she frowned slightly, her face full of confusion and helplessness.

Jiang Cimu pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on the top of her head, and sighed, "No matter what his purpose is, I will never give him the chance to get close to me again. If you don't like the show, we won't record it. I have plenty of ways to support you, so it doesn't matter if you don't have this variety show."

Sang Shuwan nestled in his arms, listening to his strong heartbeat, her heart warmed: "I know you feel sorry for me, but this variety show is quite popular and the opportunity is rare, so I'll wait and see for now. If it really comes to the last resort, I will definitely withdraw, don't worry."

Jiang Cimu let go of her, put his hands on her shoulders, and said with a stern look: "Okay, I'll listen to you. But you have to promise me that if you encounter any difficulties or are wronged, tell me the first time, don't carry it alone."

Sang Shuwan nodded heavily, a faint smile on his face: "I promise." The two smiled at each other, and the coldness around them seemed to be dispelled. The warmth of hugging each other at this moment was enough to resist all the haze and calculations brought by Chu Ling.

It was late at night and the moonlight outside the window was like water, sprinkling on the floor inside the house, emitting a cool light. Sang Shuwan and Jiang Cimu were curled up on the sofa, chatting casually, trying to put the bad things brought by Chu Ling behind their minds. At this time, the sudden ringing of the mobile phone broke the silence. Sang Shuwan glanced at the caller ID and saw that it was Alice, so he quickly pressed the answer button.

"Shu Wan, I have good news for you. Everything is settled!" Alice's voice was filled with excitement and came out clearly through the receiver.

Sang Shuwan sat up straight, unconsciously clenched his phone, and asked, "Really? Tell me what's going on." Jiang Cimu, who was standing next to him, also pricked up his ears, his eyes fixed on the phone.

Alice cleared her throat and spoke quickly, "I begged the production team and used the contract terms and public opinion to pressure them, and finally managed to get your original male partner off the show. We told the public that he had a sudden serious illness and couldn't continue the show. It was reasonable and logical, and neither the production team nor the audience could find fault with it."

"That's great!" Sang Shuwan let out a long sigh, his eyes full of relief. He turned to look at Jiang Cimu, a smile flashing in his eyes.

Alice seemed to have guessed what she was thinking, and continued, "Also, the timing is right now, so I pushed Jiang Cimu up, and the program team approved it. Although the process was a bit rushed, with Mr. Jiang's popularity and strength as a foundation, they are very happy. Now, the two of you can appear in the same frame on the show openly."

"Alice, thank you for your hard work!" Jiang Cimu leaned over and spoke into the phone, his voice full of gratitude.

"It's not hard, it's all part of my job." Alice said with a smile, "However, Ci Mu, although joining the crew is a foregone conclusion, recording the show is not easy. There are a lot of changes this time, and the outside world may have a lot of discussions. You have to be fully alert and make the show a good effect. Don't let me down."

"Don't worry, Alice, we know what's going on." Sang Shuwan quickly agreed, "Thanks to you for manipulating us behind the scenes, otherwise, we don't know how long it will take to clean up this mess."

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Cimu embraced Sang Shuwan, rested his chin on her forehead, and said lovingly, "That's good. From now on, I can stay by your side in the show. No one can take advantage of you anymore."

Sang Shuwan nestled in his arms, nodded heavily, and the corners of her lips unconsciously rose: "Well, we have to perform well and strive to push the popularity of the show up again." The moonlight outside the window seemed to become gentle, foreshadowing that the sweetness and tacit understanding in the future variety show recordings were about to begin.

Sang Shuwan was originally immersed in the joy of this unexpected turn of events. Before the smile on her face could fully bloom, she saw Jiang Cimu with a frown on his face, looking unhappy and not looking happy at all.

"What's wrong? The problem has finally been resolved, why are you still not happy?" Sang Shuwan looked at Jiang Cimu puzzledly and reached out to pull his sleeve.

Jiang Cimu snorted coldly and said with a worried look on his face: "Don't forget, this variety show is invested by Chu Ling. He has sinister intentions! Even if I can join the group and be on the same team with you now, he will definitely make trouble during the recording process. For example, when the team plays games, the rules are set by the program group. They may split us up. Then you will have to be on the same team with others. Who knows what crooked tricks that guy will come up with."

After hearing this, Sang Shuwan's smile instantly disappeared and his brows furrowed, realizing that Jiang Cimu was right. Since Chu Ling had deliberately set up the trap before, he would not give up easily. Even if the situation seemed to be improving now, as long as he was still in control of the investment, the subsequent recording would definitely be full of dangers.

"Then...what should we do?" Sang Shuwan was a little flustered, biting her lower lip unconsciously, "We can't really not record it just because we are afraid of him making trouble, after all, we have come this far." Jiang Cimu gently held her hand, as if to give her strength, his eyes deep and firm: "We must record it, we can't give up this opportunity that we have finally got. But we have to be more careful, communicate with the production team in advance, and try our best to get favorable rules. And no matter what happens, I will be by your side to protect you and will never let Chu Ling succeed."

Sang Shuwan nodded slightly, and the panic in her heart subsided a little. She held Jiang Cimu's hand back, and said with a bit of determination: "Well, I feel more at ease with your words. No matter what tricks Chu Ling plays, we will deal with it together."

The atmosphere in the house was a little solemn for a moment, and the night outside the window seemed to become darker. They both knew that the next journey of recording the variety show would be a difficult one in a battle of wits and courage with Chu Ling.

The next day, the sun was shining brightly, and it felt warm on their bodies. Sang Shuwan and Jiang Cimu came to the recording site of the variety show together. Everyone had been waiting there for a long time, and they looked over with curious eyes.

Sang Shuwan took Jiang Ci Mu's hand gracefully, with a confident smile on her face, walked in front of the crowd, and introduced crisply: "Everyone, let me introduce to you, this is Jiang Ci Mu who will be my partner in the recording. I believe you are all familiar with him. Please take care of him in the future." Jiang Ci Mu also nodded politely to everyone. His gentle temperament and outstanding appearance instantly attracted a lot of attention.

As expected, as soon as the show started, the pictures of the two of them together and the small details of their interactions were like a stone thrown into a lake, instantly stirring up a thousand waves. The popularity on social media quickly climbed, and related topics were on the hot search list. Netizens seemed to have discovered a treasure and kept discussing it.

"Wow, Sang Shuwan and Jiang Cimu are such a pleasing combination. They look like a perfect couple just standing together!"

"I've long thought they were a good match, but I didn't expect to see them partner up in a variety show. Now I'm going to have something to cheer about. I look forward to their subsequent interactions."

"This couple is so comfortable to watch. I feel the show will become more and more interesting. I must follow it."

Industry insiders and various media have also paid attention to this pair of partners, and voices of optimism have been heard one after another. The program team is even more delighted to see the soaring popularity, as if they have foreseen the prospect of the program becoming a big hit.

Sang Shuwan and Jiang Cimu looked at the praises online, smiled at each other, and were filled with joy. However, they did not forget the potential threat of Chu Ling. While enjoying the positive comments from everyone, they were also secretly alert and prepared to deal with any possible situation at any time.

Sang Shuwan and Jiang Cimu were getting dressed in the dressing room, preparing for the next recording session. At this time, the director walked in with a smile on his face. His expression seemed kind, but the words he said made the two of them instantly alert.

"Shu Wan, Ci Mu, the interaction between you two is so sweet, the audience's attention is almost completely attracted by you." The director rubbed his hands and said helplessly, "This can't go on. The presence of the other pairs of guests is almost overshadowed by you. After all, this is a group program. So I was thinking, why don't you exchange places with the other guests and play a few rounds of games separately, so that the audience can pay more attention to other guests and balance it out. What do you think?"

Sang Shuwan and Jiang Cimu looked at each other, knowing that Chu Ling was behind this, using the director's words to trip them up. But they couldn't refuse directly, after all, the director's words were high-sounding, under the banner of considering the overall effect of the program.

Sang Shuwan spoke first, still with a polite smile on her face, but with a little more insistence in her tone: "Director, we understand your idea, but the audience loves to watch us interact, which also shows that the show is popular and worth watching. Besides, the two of us work well together. If we suddenly separate, I'm afraid the effect of the game will be affected."

Jiang Cimu also immediately echoed, "Yes, Director, aren't we making programs to present the best results to the audience? Now that the audience response is so good, it would be bad if we make sudden changes and it backfires."

The director listened to their words, and showed a somewhat embarrassed look on his face. He scratched his head and said, "You have a point, but the higher-ups take this very seriously. The sponsors also have opinions. They think that we should treat everyone equally and give every pair of guests a chance to show off. It's just a few rounds of games, and you can still play together afterwards. Just cooperate."

Sang Shuwan and Jiang Cimu knew that it would be difficult for the director to be caught in the middle, and Chu Ling must have put a lot of pressure on him. After a moment of silence, Jiang Cimu frowned slightly, looked at the director, and said in a deep voice: "Okay, Director, we will cooperate with you this time, but I hope that the subsequent recordings will go smoothly and don't let this happen again."

When the director heard this, he immediately smiled and nodded repeatedly: "Of course, of course. Thank you for your hard work. I am doing this for the good of the show. Please bear with me." After that, he left the dressing room contentedly.

After the director left, Sang Shuwan snorted lightly, his face full of displeasure: "It must be Chu Ling's doing. He is afraid that we will not be able to do it smoothly. Humph, we must be careful and don't fall into his trap."

Jiang Ci Mu put his arm around her shoulders and soothed her, "Don't be afraid, it's just a few rounds of games. We'll deal with each other's moves and he won't be able to succeed easily." After that, the two looked at each other with determination in their eyes, ready to face this sudden "variable".

(End of this chapter)