Chapter 22: Not the Fool She Imagined

The job Huo Yanzhi arranged for her was at a singing competition program hosted by a rival platform.

The Huo family had leveraged the influence of the Ke family from Hong Kong to establish a foothold in the capital. Out of respect for the Kes, people in the business world often granted the Huos favors. In recent years, the Huo family’s business in the capital had grown significantly, attracting numerous investments.

As far as Pei Baoyuan knew, the Huo family held a substantial stake in this platform.

Perhaps he wanted to keep her under his thumb, or perhaps he had other motives, but Pei Baoyuan was not afraid. Even if she refused, Huo Yanzhi would still resort to underhanded tactics to achieve his goals. It was better for her to walk willingly into the trap he had set; she wanted to see exactly what he was trying to achieve.

Pei Baoyuan accepted, and two days later, she arrived at the location Huo Yanzhi had chosen for her. She was met by the platform’s CEO, who personally escorted her to the recording studio. Rumors spread instantly. After all, the CEO was a high-level executive; anyone he personally escorted must have powerful backing.

Consequently, even though everyone whispered about her behind her back, they were incredibly respectful to her face—so respectful that it made Pei Baoyuan feel uncomfortable. She just wanted to do her job properly; she didn't want everyone bowing and scraping before her. If she wanted that kind of treatment, she might as well have become an empress.

Huo Yanzhi did not disappoint her expectations. On the day of the recording, he arrived with the platform’s CEO and a crowd of subordinates, marching into the studio with such fanfare that he might as well have had "Pei Baoyuan is my protégé" written on his forehead.

As Pei Baoyuan hosted on stage, Huo Yanzhi sat in the wings, watching and occasionally pointing things out.

"How long does one episode take to record?" he asked.

The director replied, "After editing, an episode runs about an hour and a half. With behind-the-scenes footage and other elements, the actual recording usually takes at least two and a half hours."

Huo Yanzhi frowned. "That long? Does the host have to stand on stage the whole time?"

The director answered, "The host only needs to be present for the opening, the closing, and the transitions between segments. She doesn't need to stand on stage while the guests are performing."

Huo Yanzhi looked at Pei Baoyuan, who was standing off-stage, and said nothing.

The director was sweating profusely. He was just a variety show director who wanted to make a good program; he didn't know anything about these high-level capitalists. However, seeing the station's CEO sitting by his side, fawning and smiling, he could guess the status of this young man. It was a status he could not afford to offend.

When the guest finished performing, Pei Baoyuan went on stage to deliver her lines.

The director, sensing that this was all for the sake of the new host, began to butter him up. "Ms. Pei's delivery is truly excellent. Even our platform's veterans don't have her clarity of speech, especially with her speed at memorizing scripts! In just an hour, she memorized such a thick script. Look, she doesn't even need the teleprompter!"

Huo Yanzhi knew Pei Baoyuan was talented; after all, she was a daughter carefully cultivated by the Pei family. He knew even better that her talents went far beyond hosting. But Pei Baoyuan could not be too outstanding.

Faced with the director's praise, Huo Yanzhi replied with a cold face, "If she has to stand for so long, why hasn't a chair been provided for the host off-stage?"

The director: "..."

The CEO coughed, signaling the director to go and prepare it immediately. And so, for no apparent reason, Pei Baoyuan was provided with a chair off-stage. She was completely bewildered.

The staff member who brought the chair looked miserable. "The recording takes several hours, Ms. Pei, please sit and rest."

Pei Baoyuan assumed everyone was just afraid of offending her because they thought she had powerful backing, little knowing that her "backing" was currently sitting in the wings.

There was a black curtain separating the backstage from the studio. While Pei Baoyuan was focused on her work, she didn't notice that the curtain didn't completely seal off the two spaces. Through the gap, Huo Yanzhi was watching her.

When the guest finished, Pei Baoyuan went back on stage. This time, Huo Yanzhi’s gaze fell on her feet.

He estimated that the heels she was wearing were fifteen centimeters high. He remarked, "The recording lasts so long. You put the host in such high heels—won't her feet be in terrible pain after standing for so long?"

"What if our Yuan is in so much pain she can't walk after the show?"

The director broke into a cold sweat. Since when was there so much fuss about recording a show? Wasn't it normal for a host to wear high heels? Besides, he wasn't even in charge of the wardrobe!

The director looked at the CEO, but the CEO acted as if he were blind, completely ignoring his desperate gaze. He had no choice but to bow and apologize like a servant. "I'll find the makeup artist and have Ms. Pei change her shoes right away!"

And so, when Pei Baoyuan returned off-stage after her segment, she was immediately given a pair of sensible, two-centimeter-tall heels.

Pei Baoyuan asked, "Are you sure you want me to wear these?"

She didn't know where these shoes had come from, but they were so ugly she couldn't even find the words to describe them.

The staff member smiled apologetically. "We considered that you have to stand for a long time and your feet would get tired, so we specifically found you some low heels."

"..." Pei Baoyuan smiled, speechless. "But these shoes were chosen to match my outfit today, and these..."

Who in their right mind would pair black, two-centimeter patent leather heels with a glittering evening gown?

The staff member knew it was unreasonable, but the director had given strict orders: Pei Baoyuan had to change into the low heels. He smiled bitterly. "Ms. Pei, please, just change into them."

If you don't change, I'll lose my job.

[Male lead, what are you doing?!]
[Male lead, these thoughtful, detailed things should be done for our heroine, not the supporting female character!]
[The male lead has never even cared if Little Song wore such high heels—what right does the supporting character have to this!]

Pei Baoyuan finally sensed something was wrong. Seeing the comments, she realized it was all because of Huo Yanzhi. The show wasn't being broadcast live; if he knew about her high heels, he had to be on-site.

She looked around and finally spotted Huo Yanzhi’s face through the gap between the curtain and the stage.

She saw him looking in her direction. His previously cold face suddenly broke into a smile as soon as their eyes met.

That smile made Pei Baoyuan realize that Huo Yanzhi might not be the fool she had taken him for. A fool couldn't change his expression so instantly.

What kind of mentality was he using to watch her all this time?

Pei Baoyuan said a few words to the staff member, whose face turned pale with fright. She reassured him, "Don't worry, go and pass on my message to him. Nothing will happen, and if it does, I’ll take the blame."

The staff member nodded, summoned all the courage he would ever have in his life, pushed aside the curtain, walked up to Huo Yanzhi, and said, "Mr. Huo, Ms. Pei asked me to convey a message to you..."

He mimicked Pei Baoyuan's tone: "Huo Yanzhi, do not interfere with my work."