Switched Life:I Went Viral on a Family Variety Show-Chapter 123: You Really Have a Sharp Tongue

"Sis."

It had only been half a day, and Wang Yun had already changed how she addressed Sang Ning.

Her tone carried no sarcasm, only the kind of intimate admiration a fan would have for their idol.

Sang Ning herself was startled; Wang Yun’s shift to fan mode happened so quickly it felt like she had a split personality.

After silently griping in her heart, she heard Wang Yun continue, "On the show, don’t you often lead others in openly rebelling against Director Sun? Coupled with your fondness for fostering unity, that’s why we came up with ’Ning Juli’ as your fan club name."

Sang Ning: "..."

She couldn’t recall when she had been all about camaraderie and teamwork. Wasn’t it usually the others who sought her out for alliances?

And when had she ever openly rebelled against Director Sun? She was such a polite person, always discussing things with him first, wasn’t she?

After bidding farewell to the tourists, Director Sun instructed the guests to return to their lodgings to rest.

An hour and a half later, Qian Yang would come to the guests’ quarters to reveal today’s reception scores and present a mysterious prize.

While waiting for Qian Yang, Sang Ning didn’t relax her oversight of Sang Chuan and Song Shiye. The moment they were back at their lodgings, she ordered the two of them to immediately prepare their study materials and meet in her courtyard.

While Sang Chuan and Song Shiye were gathering their study materials, Sang Ning let photographer Xiao Zhao take a quick 10-minute break before officially resuming recording.

Once Xiao Zhao had left the courtyard, and with Li Sulan at a loss for conversation with Sang Ning, Li Sulan simply returned to her bedroom to rest.

Sang Ning sat at the stone table, preparing to close her eyes for a short rest. She had only just closed them when she heard someone sit across from her.

Thinking it was Sang Chuan and Song Shiye, Sang Ning opened her eyes casually. But then she reconsidered—those two were always so noisy, you’d hear them shouting from meters away if it were them.

Whoever had come in was so quiet, only a soft rustle had given them away. It definitely wasn’t those two.

Sang Ning opened her eyes slowly to find Shen Yi sitting directly across from her.

She was taken aback for a moment. "You here for tutoring too?"

Shen Yi’s eyes dipped slightly, veiling his emotions. He spoke slowly, "Before I came over, what did Zhu Qi say to you?"

Leaning back, Sang Ning crossed her arms and propped up one leg in an elegant pose. After a moment’s thought, she replied, "Oh, nothing. Just some trash talk."

Sang Ning had no desire to regurgitate Zhu Qi’s earlier tirade about Shen Yi. After all, his falling out with Qingyue was a sore topic for him.

If she brought it up and Shen Yi got emotional, she’d end up having to play the comforting big sister. And she didn’t have time for that; Sang Chuan and Song Shiye’s study session was about to start.

Shen Yi could sense Sang Ning’s indifference—she clearly wasn’t keen to dwell on this topic with him.

But some things gnawed at his heart uncomfortably. Even though he hadn’t been there to overhear Zhu Qi’s accusations, he could roughly guess what had been said.

He couldn’t help but worry: after hearing Zhu Qi’s words, would Sang Ning begin to look at him differently, through a judgmental lens?

Shen Yi sat silently for several seconds before summoning the courage to shift the conversation: "I want to know... what do you think of me?"

"How else would I think of you? With my eyes, of course," Sang Ning answered without missing a beat.

Shen Yi: "..."

Why did this feel like playing the lute to a cow?

Fixing his gaze on Sang Ning, Shen Yi asked, enunciating each word, "Do I seem like someone with bad character in your eyes?"

Sang Ning switched legs, shrugged nonchalantly, and said, "You can know a face but not a heart. If your character is bad, I couldn’t tell just by looking."

Shen Yi’s expression dimmed. A headache he hadn’t felt in a long time suddenly surged, his mind clouding with chaos.

It felt like a thousand little men were hammering away at his brain. He frowned, raising a hand to his head, clearly in pain.

Sang Ning’s heart skipped a beat. What was happening? Was Shen Yi having some episode?

That shouldn’t be... He seemed healthy enough. Sure, a bit aloof, but didn’t come off as someone with psychological issues.

"Of course, you can’t judge character just by appearances," Sang Ning continued from before, pivoting deftly.

"But by instinct, you can get a sense of things. You—well, you’re a bit aloof, not the easiest to get along with, and yeah, let’s face it, your mouth’s kind of sharp."

Shen Yi looked up, clutching his head, a mix of confusion and shock in his eyes. How was his mouth sharp?

It wasn’t sharp—he was just self-destructive.

He’d been deluding himself again. The entertainment industry isn’t a place for real friendships, let alone with someone he’d only been recording a show with for a few days.

While Sang Ning’s personality was different from most people in the industry, that didn’t mean he could instantly befriend her.

He considered her a friend, but who knew if she felt the same way?

Despair weighed heavy on Shen Yi’s heart. Feeling a bit humiliated, he stood up to leave, only for Sang Ning to call out behind him: "Though we haven’t spent much time together, I can temporarily slot you into the ’good guy’ category. Between you and Qingyue, if I had to pick one, I’d unconditionally trust you for now."

Shen Yi froze, his gaze fixed on Sang Ning, puzzled. "Why? We don’t seem that close."

"Oh?" Sang Ning lowered her crossed leg, sitting upright. "I just figured we could at least call ourselves surface-level friends. Until there’s concrete evidence otherwise, I’ll unconditionally trust the people around me."

Sang Ning’s words sparked a flicker of joy in Shen Yi’s heart, even easing his pounding headache.

Thinking back to his earlier, unintentionally disrespectful question, Shen Yi felt a rush of guilt and quickly apologized. "I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I’m actually really glad to have an upright, straightforward friend like you. I just wasn’t sure if I qualified as a friend in your eyes."

"As long as you’re not stabbing me in the back, of course I’ll be happy to call you a friend," Sang Ning replied earnestly, meeting his gaze.

She didn’t see anything in Shen Yi particularly off-putting, so she had no reason to reject him as a friend.

Shen Yi finally let out a relieved smile, his whole demeanor relaxing considerably, shedding the tenseness of earlier.

"Thank you for trusting me. Some things can’t be explained in just a few words, but since it’s in the past, let’s leave it there. There’s no need to bring it up again."

Sang Ning nodded, agreeing with Shen Yi’s sentiment.

Wasn’t the entertainment industry already full of enough frustrations? Being a celebrity required a strong mentality.

Dwelling on the past wouldn’t make anyone better.

Before ten minutes had passed in their conversation, Sang Chuan and Song Shiye entered the courtyard with their study materials in hand.

Seeing Shen Yi, Sang Chuan reacted as if he’d seen a ghost, blurting, "Yiyi, did my sister harass you? Why is your face so red?"