Chapter 118: Chu Muyun, Public Enemy of All Pairings

Although Bai Chenxi is usually a bit unreliable, she proves dependable when it comes to acting. Because her leg had not yet fully healed, she could not exercise, leaving her to rely on dieting to lose weight. During this time, Mi Mu did not forget to offer hypocritical words of comfort, acting as if watching Bai Chenxi skip meals was more painful for her than for Bai Chenxi herself.

Thanks to a rare display of perseverance, Bai Chenxi’s weight loss began to show results. In the director's words: "She is barely ready to film again." Upon hearing this from Director Tian, Bai Chenxi was nearly moved to tears; heaven knows how much she had suffered through these past few days. This production crew was somewhat more harmonious; aside from her injury, there was finally no one sabotaging her, either overtly or covertly. After the experience with the *Beauty’s Calamity* crew, Bai Chenxi found this atmosphere quite satisfactory.

Except for Lan Tian—he followed her everywhere, watching her like a toddler who had just learned to walk, terrified she might fall or bump into something. Whenever a scene required Bai Chenxi to stand, Lan Tian would perform with extreme focus, his eyes darting toward her with concern from time to time. After the drama aired, Lan Tian gained popularity for his expressive eyes in the show. People often commented that the way he looked at the female lead was incredibly affectionate. Bai Chenxi silently retorted: "Doesn't it just look like a worried old mother?"

As soon as her leg improved slightly, Bai Chenxi began an endless cycle of traveling. Because her first project with Lan Tian, *Love Exercises*, had premiered, they had to hit the road non-stop to promote the show as the leads. Unlike the serious tone of *Beauty’s Calamity* or *Ode to Peony*, *Love Exercises* had a very clear positioning: it was a "sweet pet" romance. Everything from the title to the plot exuded sweetness, and with a clear target audience in mind, it was specifically slated for a summer release.

This kept Lan Tian and Bai Chenxi incredibly busy; *Ode to Peony* had not even finished filming when *Love Exercises* began airing. The two of them constantly shuttled between the set and promotional events. Lan Tian remained perpetually worried about Bai Chenxi's foot, taking care of her at every turn. Through the lens of a sweet romance drama, netizens found their dynamic incredibly endearing.

However, this lovely atmosphere was soon shattered by Chu Muyun. Initially, "shipping" fans operated on the principle of keeping to their own circles, each enjoying their preferred pairing for Bai Chenxi. Even when conflicts arose, it was never a major issue. But then, fans realized that whenever the name "Chu Muyun" appeared in any of Bai Chenxi’s pairings, the ship would be crushed beyond repair.

One day, while the two were giving an interview, a reporter asked Bai Chenxi to choose the most handsome male artist she had worked with. Although the question was clearly meant to stir the pot, they were promoting a new show, so naturally, she had to pick Lan Tian. Since they were all acquaintances, Bai Chenxi felt no pressure and chose Lan Tian, breezing through the question. Lan Tian kept saying, "This must be included in the final cut! This is my highlight moment. Next time she does press with someone else, I won't get this treatment."

With Lan Tian’s jokes, the interview went smoothly—until Chu Muyun appeared as an option. As for why he was included, the reporter offered a flimsy excuse: Chu Muyun had made a guest appearance in the show, so it counted as a collaboration. The drama had already begun airing, but Chu Muyun’s scenes had yet to appear. Many speculated about what his role might be. Curiosity intensified after viewers saw clips in the opening and closing credits showing Chu Muyun holding Bai Chenxi and confronting Lan Tian. People began to wonder if there was some complicated romantic entanglement between them. Coupled with the past rumors between Chu Muyun and Bai Chenxi—and the fact that Chu Muyun had never adamantly denied them and they continued to meet—various shows and interviewers made it a point to mention him, either directly or indirectly.

This time, when the reporter asked Bai Chenxi to choose between Chu Muyun and Lan Tian, she abandoned Lan Tian without hesitation: "I choose Chu Muyun." Lan Tian kept nodding along, saying, "Mm! Brother Chu is handsome, truly handsome," looking exactly like a little fanboy of Chu Muyun. The first time Bai Chenxi made this choice, it trended on social media. Eventually, it happened so often that it stopped trending. Netizens realized that whenever Chu Muyun was an option, Bai Chenxi always picked him. Slowly, in the eyes of the public, she became Chu Muyun’s number-one fan—a title neither Bai Chenxi nor Chu Muyun’s fans wanted to acknowledge.

If she ever failed to pick Chu Muyun, that would probably be the real news. Netizens were used to it, but fans who shipped Bai Chenxi with others were left completely heartbroken. With Lan Tian, it didn't matter, as he was a fan of Chu Muyun himself. With Xia Yan, at least there were two old "hero saves the beauty" moments to cling to, not to mention that Xia Yan himself would occasionally tease the fans. Although he had calmed down lately, there was still a foundation of history there. The most miserable were the fans of Bai Chenxi and Jiang Jize; it was such a great setup, but there was no "sugar" to be found. One party claimed the other was like an elder, and the other abandoned him without hesitation to choose Chu Muyun. For a time, Chu Muyun became the common enemy of all shipping factions.

As for the "Slap-in-the-Face" pairing of Chu Muyun and Bai Chenxi, after a period of glory, it quickly declined. Coupled with the "diva behavior" incident from a while back, the two fanbases couldn't stand each other, let alone support a pairing. If you even mentioned it, both sides would immediately swarm you to "kindly" advise you to get a grip. Only a small group of people remained, pitifully and quietly consuming crumbs of that pairing, too excited but too afraid to speak up.

Bai Chenxi was not stupid; she knew choosing Lan Tian was the best move. As for why she chose Chu Muyun without hesitation, it went back to an interview a few days prior. Reporters had come to the set, and with *Love Exercises* about to air, the two were inevitably doing promotional work. Then, the reporter decided to stir the pot.

"I heard Chu Muyun made a guest appearance in the show. Can you reveal what his role is?"

As soon as the question was asked, Lan Tian took over, pretending to be disappointed: "With a handsome guy like me here, you’re asking about someone else? Am I not standing tall enough?"

The topic was steered back to Lan Tian. After chatting for a while, the persistent reporter asked again: "Then Chenxi, among the male artists you've worked with—like Lin Yue, Lan Tian, Xia Yan, and Chu Muyun—who is closest to your ideal type?"

The reporter deliberately mentioned several men with whom Bai Chenxi had been linked. Internally, Bai Chenxi didn't want to pick any of them, so she smiled and said, "None of them; in my heart, they are all my idols."

That night, after the interview aired, Bai Chenxi received a call from Chu Muyun. As soon as she picked up, he asked, "What is your ideal type like?"

Bai Chenxi, groggy with sleep, muttered, "Handsome, nice voice, good-looking hands, and a great physique."

Listening to her, Chu Muyun felt she must be drooling. He lowered his voice and asked, "Anything else?"

"Needs to be caring, gentle, and considerate." As Bai Chenxi spoke, she became self-absorbed, feeling as if she were dreaming of the scene. In her dream, the gentle, considerate, and handsome man turned around, and it was Chu Muyun. It startled her awake, and she shouted, "Chu Muyun!"

"What's wrong?" Chu Muyun’s voice came through the phone. Bai Chenxi fully woke up and said, "Nothing." She attributed the dream to the fact that she was currently talking to him. "Brother Chu, why are you asking me this in the middle of the night?"

"I watched your interview. I’m curious—which part of me doesn't fit your ideal type?"

Bai Chenxi replied in an odd tone, "Brother Chu, I didn't realize you had such high standards for yourself!"

He was so narcissistic that he had to know exactly how he fell short of someone's ideal. Chu Muyun felt his looks and physique were decent, and as a singer, he was quite confident in his voice. As for being gentle and considerate, he admitted he hadn't done a great job when they first met, but by now, he figured he was at least passing!

Chu Muyun asked confidently, "Anything else?"

Bai Chenxi thought of a few more things, and Chu Muyun took them all seriously. Eventually, Bai Chenxi was so tired that she said, "He has to be a good cook!"

Silence fell on the other end, and shortly after, he hung up the phone to go work on his culinary skills. After a night of torment, Bai Chenxi learned another "Rule of Survival with Chu Muyun": praise him, praise him, and praise him to death. After all, you never know when he might watch your interview and hold you to it.