My Virtual Girlfriend-Chapter 396

Netizens began to discuss "Big Star Detective" on various forums, Tieba, and websites.

Many commented that this was a variety of show never seen before in the country. It paved the way for investigation and script-killing variety shows.

Others said that this kind of variety show is naturally gripping. Once you start watching, you can’t stop.

There was even more discussion about the participating guests.

Among them, the two regular MCs and Lu Man were mentioned the most.

Many people said that after watching this show, they had completely changed their image of Lu Man.

Initially, they thought Lu Man was a cool and aloof celebrity. Especially after becoming the boss of a film and television company, she seemed even more unapproachable.

But once they saw her on the show, they realized that though she maintains a strong aura and looks stunningly beautiful, in private, she’s actually a comic.

In particular, in this episode, when Lu Man was serious and stern, confidently deduced the wrong murderer, and was completely sure she was correct, only to be publicly refuted by the production team, the audience found her even more adorable.

After the show, many viewers expressed their newfound fondness for Lu Man, becoming her fans.

In summary, this variety show and Lu Man’s image transformation were very successful.

Over the years, Lu Man’s persona of a cool goddess, combined with her naturally comical personality, unexpectedly charmed a great number of onlookers.

And the variety show goes without saying.

It’s just the first episode.

And on the second day, in the ratings chart, it soared to third place across all platforms at the same time!

It was only behind two ace programs of top satellite TV stations.

Bear in mind, this was a prime-time variety show on Friday! Earning such an achievement at this high-profile time slot almost guaranteed the show would rank within the top five variety shows of the year.

And this was only the first episode.

If word of mouth spread, the potential was unimaginable.

The first project of the Sunrise Plan had made a spectacular debut.

Which caught many people by surprise.

Additionally, backed by the success of "23 Days of Heartbreak" half a year ago, the film industry’s view of Chenlu Film Company and the Sunrise Plan was climbing.

With the successful debut of "Big Star Detective," the nine projects initially outlined by the Sunrise Plan had begun filming vigorously.

Among these projects, the fastest was the web film "Soul Suppressing: Netherworld." It could be produced in about two months and then released.

The slowest was "Wandering Planet," taking at least a year and a half.

Therefore, after seeing the explosive ratings of "Big Star Detective," the film industry began to focus on the next release, "Soul Suppressing."

With the success of "Big Star Detective," Chen Yan was very pleased; with a grand gesture, he gave all employees of the film company a bonus equivalent to three times their salary.

With Chenlu Film Company’s current scale, this generosity meant spending an extra 1.5 million.

Then... he casually earned a cashback of 3 million.

Absolutely delightful.

And that wasn’t all. After handing out bonuses, Chen Yan, under the guise of a celebration, took all Chenlu Film personnel to Twin Towers Hotel to spend lavishly.

Consequently, he made another tidy sum of several hundred thousand.

After enjoying a feast, Chen Yan walked home feeling sentimental:

My goodness. Such a way of making money is simply too...ugh, too boring.

No 996, no 007, no entrepreneurial anxiety, just spending money on my girlfriend.

Hmm... Too boring.

Returning home in a good mood, Chen Yan took a bath and lay in bed feeling content, just about to sleep.

That’s when, suddenly, his phone chimed.

Chen Yan picked up his phone to see.

There was a game notification.

He casually opened it, curious to see what new tricks the game was up to.

But upon reading, he sat up suddenly, staring at the phone screen in shock.

The screen displayed,

"Zhao Ying’s emotional status confirmed as: Love. The next stage of affection has begun. Hidden gesture unlocked. Please check."

Looking at the game prompt, Chen Yan was utterly bewildered.

What’s going on? Brother Ying?

Why didn’t you hold out?

I haven’t even decided whether to pursue you or not, and you’ve already surrendered?

Like this, I’m really uneasy!

...

At the same time, in Yu Qiao Qiao’s house, in Zhao Ying’s bedroom,

Zhao Ying was sitting on the bed, pencil in hand, drawing circles.

She was seriously drawing circles, all the while muttering, "Curse you, curse you. To think you’ve ignored me for so many days!"

"You’re betraying and annihilating your ancestors! Do you know that?"

"Is it just because I didn’t agree to be your lover? Was it necessary to end the mentor-student relationship?!"

"How dare you coerce your own mentor. It’s outrageous!"

After furiously completing her circles, Zhao Ying couldn’t help but recall her emotional journey these past few days.

She was very conflicted.

She simply didn’t understand emotions, let alone love.

So, when Chen Yan "confessed" to her, of course, she was stunned!

Moreover, her instincts told her not to share this with anyone.

Therefore, she could only hide out in her world, venting on her own.

Who would know how many wooden boards she had broken, how many cups she had shattered, how many trees she had attacked these past few days?

If it wasn’t for her quick escape, the park managers who’d come running would have caught her.

Fortunately, she had the phone and SIM card Chen Yan bought her, as well as the internet plan, so she could look up answers online.

Her main points of struggle were twofold.

One was... what is love.

And second... can mentors and students be together?

The first question took her a very long time to research.

Slowly it went from a definition to a philosophical issue and then, incredibly, it turned into a matter of biological health.

If she hadn’t stopped herself in time, she wouldn’t have known how long she’d be stuck on this problem.

However, after researching across so many fields, she sort of got it.

Love is a thing influenced by hormonal secretions in the human body because of a fondness for a member of the opposite sex, with the ultimate goal of reproducing together...

She pondered on her own.

When facing Chen Yan... were there hormonal secretions?

She felt there were.

Every time she met Chen Yan during this period, she felt especially excited.

Next, she considered whether she had a favorable impression of Chen Yan.

She felt she did.

After all, Chen Yan was her closest friend. She loved being with Chen Yan!

The last point was...

Whether she wanted to reproduce with Chen Yan.

Hmm. This question indeed puzzled her for a long time.

Because she completely didn’t know how to reproduce.

Seems like holding hands is enough?

Then Chen Yan should have had lots of children with her by now!

Zhao Ying was a bit perplexed.

But... she had some basic mathematical literacy.

She knew the principle of winning two out of three games.

So, she figured she could probably have love with Chen Yan.

Then came the second problem. Can mentors and students be together?

At first, she was hesitant! Very conflicted!

Luckily... she didn’t have many hobbies, but she did like watching martial arts dramas.

Then, she saw "The Return of the Condor Heroes."

And she found it an ill omen.

Luckily, she watched "Heroic Legend of the Condor Heroes."

When she noticed the way Huang Rong and Guo Jing interacted as mentor and friend in the early stages, she was enlightened!

It seemed just like her and Chen Yan!

After all, Zhao Ying wasn’t really Chen Yan’s mentor, it was just a casual title.

And she didn’t really teach him much, just gave some guidance in martial arts.

But more often than not, she and Chen Yan were just friends.

This fit perfectly with the relationship between Huang Rong and Guo Jing.

Even more, she felt that she and Chen Yan fit the characters’ personas precisely.

Huang Rong was bright, talented, and gifted from a young age, trained by a well-known master, and skilled in martial arts.

Guo Jing, an outsider, but with astonishing talent, only waiting for a master to lead the way to become a renowned expert!

Wasn’t this just like her and Chen Yan?

Thinking this, Zhao Ying felt reassured.

So, after determining the answers to the two questions, her feelings solidified.

She thought... She could give Chen Yan a chance and try being with him.

But precisely because she resolved her feelings, Zhao Ying felt more annoyed!

This little disciple had seriously threatened her with breaking off the relationship; all these days, he just didn’t care about his mentor at all!

Zhao Ying felt that if Chen Yan was in front of her at that moment, she could definitely explode his head with one punch!

...

Meanwhile. Chen Yan, holding his phone, stared at the "Confirming Inner Feelings: Love+10" on Zhao Ying’s Emotion Deviation meter, speechless for a long time.

Brother Ying, you’re amazing...

Your self-strategy abilities are almost comparable to Boss Qiao Qiao!

While complaining, Chen Yan sighed and clicked on the "Gesture" option, wanting to see what hidden gestures Zhao Ying had unlocked.