Top-tier Auntie in the Entertainment Industry

Chapter 55

At the beginning of a summer night, there was a seductive smell in the air.

A gentle breeze blew by, rustling the chinaberry tree leaves on the side of the road.

Under the dim streetlights, Song Anan gazed absentmindedly as Pei Kuang walked towards her.

One step, two steps, three steps...His features became clearer and clearer.

Before coming on the show, Song Anan had thought about running into him, but didn't expect it to happen so abruptly.

They weren't that far apart to begin with, and Pei Kuang reached her before long.

Judging from his expression, he also seemed surprised to run into her here.

"It's so late, you..."

Pei Kuang stopped mid-sentence, his gaze falling upon the convenience store bag in Song Anan's hand, "Out buying something?"

Song Anan nodded demurely, "A little hungry."

Pei Kuang nodded lightly, "Didn't eat enough for dinner?"

Song Anan murmured in agreement, raising the rice balls in her hand, "Want one?"

Pei Kuang shook his head with a smile, "It's okay, you eat."

Song Anan responded with an "Oh."

After the brief opening, the two fell silent for a moment, at a loss for words.

Pei Kuang quietly sized up Song Anan.

To be exact, this was the first time they met face-to-face since she became an adult.

Although he had seen her on screen in the viewing room today, it was still different from meeting in person.

After not seeing each other for over two years, the girl had basically not changed.

Her eyes were as pure and clear as ever, her features still bright and beautiful, but her entire temperament seemed a bit different.

It was probably due to her internship experience at the hospital this past year.

How to describe it? She no longer gave off the impression of a young girl.

She was a young woman now.

Feeling a little uneasy under his gaze, Song Anan's eyes flickered away.

But then, as if thinking of something, she suddenly looked up at Pei Kuang, hesitating to say, "I was in the data room earlier with my phone on silent, so..."

Pei Kuang raised his brows quizzically, "Hmm?"

Song Anan pursed her lips, "So I didn't deliberately ignore your messages."

"Really?" Pei Kuang's eyes were unfathomable, his tone lazy.

Song Anan's gaze wavered briefly, "...Really."

At least this time it was true.

Pei Kuang's brow quirked up as he suddenly laughed, "Teasing you, I'm not misunderstanding anything."

"I guessed you were busy."

Song Anan quietly looked at Pei Kuang.

She always had a hard time discerning his emotions, and couldn't figure out if he really believed her excuse.

She knew Pei Kuang was someone with strong boundaries.

In interpersonal interactions, he was always tactful about maintaining proper distance. If someone took a step back, he would stand his ground and not encroach further, making others comfortable while keeping himself safe with a sense of distance.

Just like two years ago, as soon as she pulled back, their contact naturally lessened.

Song Anan lowered her eyes, asking, "What are you doing out so late?"

Pei Kuang replied, "My assistant is coming to drop some things off. I'm waiting for him."

Song Anan nodded lightly, "I see, no wonder you're out so late, to pick something up."

"You can head back first. I may have to wait a while longer." Pei Kuang said.

Song Anan hesitated, "It's fine, I'll keep you company."

Pei Kuang smiled, "Alright then, we haven't seen each other in so long, it's a good chance to catch up."

Song Anan didn't respond, tacitly agreeing.

The two stood side by side on the sidewalk. Hardly anyone passed by, just the occasional car driving past.

Seeing Song Anan dressed thinly, Pei Kuang took off his jacket and handed it to her, "It's still a little cool out at night, put this on so you don't catch cold."

Song Anan was startled, "No need, I..."

But Pei Kuang didn't give her a chance to refuse, directly draping the jacket over her shoulders.

Seeing this, Song Anan didn't reject it further.

Pei Kuang asked, "I was quite surprised you joined this show."

To be honest, he had never considered Song Anan would return to participate in this show again.

Her dislike of exposing herself to public attention was no secret.

Plus, Song Anan was currently interning at the university hospital, she didn't need to fight for an internship opportunity like other interns, that opportunity was already hers.

Song Anan tightened her grip on the jacket corner, murmuring, "The teacher asked me to. He said the show could provide funding for a medical project at our school, so..."

She didn't finish, but he understood.

"I see, no wonder," Pei Kuang seemed to ask casually, "When we chatted before, how come you didn't mention it to me?"

Song Anan's eyes flickered but she remained silent.

On her birthday, Pei Kuang had given her a gift and chocolates. She politely replied with a message of thanks.

They took the chance to chat for a bit, and Pei Kuang told her about filming at their hospital, even asking if she had time to meet up.

At the time, she had used the excuse of 'being too busy with her internship' to politely decline, without mentioning anything about receiving a show invite herself.

"I hadn't decided whether to come or not back then." She tried to explain.

Pei Kuang lazily murmured "I see," and continued, "But even after you decided, you didn't mention it either."

Song Anan had no rebuttal.

She couldn't defend herself on this - under normal circumstances, no matter what, you'd give someone a heads up if you knew you'd be on the same show.

"The netizens were right," Pei Kuang sighed, a teasing lilt in his voice, "Indeed biased."

Song Anan was startled, biased about what?

Pei Kuang raised a brow, "You came on the show and told Lin Chuan about it, right?"

Song Anan: "......"

Pei Kuang pretended to be hurt, "See, you really didn't care about me at all."

Song Anan quietly looked at him.

It wasn't that she didn't care, but that she cared too much.

But in all honesty, Pei Kuang had treated her very well. Over the past two years, she had inexplicably grown distant, yet he was the same as always with her.

The birthday gifts, holiday greetings never stopped, not to mention those local specialty snacks.

He hadn't done anything wrong, only didn't return her feelings.

Song Anan lowered her eyes, murmuring, "I'm sorry."

Seeing her suddenly become downcast, Pei Kuang was startled, thinking he had gone too far with his words and made her feel guilty.

The girl was kindhearted to begin with, and sensitive too. He did seem to have been a bit aggressive just now.

Pei Kuang felt at a loss and rubbed her head gently, murmuring, "Don't apologize, I was just joking with you, didn't mean anything by it."

Song Anan slowly lifted her head, her expression somewhat indescribable.

Pei Kuang looked at her steadily and said earnestly, "I know you're usually very busy with school and it's inevitable you can't keep up with everything. I understand, I really don't mean it politely."

"But today I realized, I didn't know you were so outstanding at school. I'm truly proud of you."

Hearing this, Song Anan inevitably felt somewhat conflicted. She knew very clearly her busyness was just an excuse for her guilty conscience.

As for what exactly she felt guilty about, only she herself knew.

Just as Song Anan was thinking of how to respond, a car suddenly stopped in front of them.

Right after, someone got out of the car - it was Pei Kuang's assistant.

"Pei bro, from afar I thought it was you," he turned to look at Song Anan, "This is...little sister-in-law!"

Song Anan nodded lightly at him with a smile, "Liu Hao, long time no see."

Liu Hao was thrilled that Song Anan still recognized him, "Yeah, it really has been a long time since we've seen each other, little sister-in-law. You must be super busy with school right? We haven't seen you meet up with Pei bro at all. But Pei bro really cares a lot about you, wherever he goes he..."

"Liu Hao," Pei Kuang suddenly interrupted him, "give me the stuff."

Only then did Liu Hao recall his purpose for coming. He hurriedly handed over the items in his hands, "Right, right, Pei bro, this is for you..."

"Got it." Pei Kuang cut him off again. "It's late, go back and rest early."

Liu Hao was startled, "Oh, okay. Then little sister-in-law, I'm heading off first."

Song Anan smiled and nodded, "Drive safely."

Liu Hao busily complied, "Then little sister-in-law, Pei bro, you guys rest early too."

After seeing Liu Hao's car leave, Song Anan turned to Pei Kuang, "Shall we head back?"

Pei Kuang nodded lightly, "Let's go."

The two swiped their access cards and entered the residential complex.

The dim yellow lamplight cast their shadows long, adding a hint of ambiguity to the tranquil night.

Song Anan stared blankly at the shadows on the ground, lost in thought.

They happened to pass by a step. Distracted, she misstepped, her foot landing on empty space. Her body tilted straight back.

Luckily Pei Kuang reacted quickly, reaching out to catch her by the waist, barely stopping her fall.

But due to inertia, Song Anan's body followed the force on her waist and collapsed right into Pei Kuang's embrace.

Their bodies were pressed tightly together, her hands reflexively encircling his waist.

His breath grazed the top of her head, a faint tobacco scent lingering around her nose.

Song Anan's heart thudded wildly.

Caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, Pei Kuang was also shaken. His hand on Song Anan's waist involuntarily paused, an inscrutable look flashing through his eyes.

Song Anan slowly lifted her head, their gazes meeting.

Time seemed to freeze in that moment.

They saw themselves reflected in each other's eyes.

A night breeze blew by. Pei Kuang was the first to regain his composure. "You okay?"

Song Anan nodded absently, hurriedly struggling out of his arms, "I'm fine, I'm fine."

The atmosphere inevitably turned awkward.

Her wandering gaze happened to land on the items scattered on the ground.

In catching her earlier, Pei Kuang had dropped what was in his hands.

Song Anan crouched down to pick up the small bottles. Seeing the labels, she subconsciously took a closer look.

It was...sleeping pills.

She abruptly looked up at Pei Kuang, surprise in her tone, "You have insomnia?"

Pei Kuang was stunned, then laughed lightly with a nonchalant expression, "Yeah, I've been having some trouble sleeping. It's probably jet lag from traveling abroad recently."

Song Anan put away the prescriptions and picked up the scattered plastic bags on the floor. She took out the milk she just bought from the convenience store and handed it to him, "It's better not to take sleeping pills too much. Drink this warm milk when you get home, it will help you sleep."

Pei Kuang was stunned for a moment, reached out to take the milk she handed over, and said, "...Okay."

After this awkward interlude, the two of them had nothing to say all the way.

Soon they arrived in front of the villa arranged by the program team. The two villas were adjacent, and Pei Kuang sent Song Anan to the front of the villa where the civilian guests lived.

"Go back and sleep early, don't stay up late, there's still work tomorrow." Pei Kuang said.

Song Anan nodded lightly, "Well, you rest early too."

Just as she was about to leave, Pei Kuang suddenly called to stop her, "Wait."

Song Anan turned around and looked at him.

Pei Kuang smiled gently, and said casually, "Now that I've come to your territory, don't you have anything to say?"

Song Anan was a little confused, what to say?

Pei Kuang raised his eyebrows, "For example, are there any good places to eat nearby? Treat me to a meal and be a good host."

Song Anan hesitated a little, "But I usually just eat in the school cafeteria."

She didn't know any good places to eat nearby.

Pei Kuang naturally continued, "That's fine too. I heard the hospital staff cafeteria is pretty good."

-

As the program team had envisioned, Song Anan's reappearance in the public eye after three years of absence caused quite a sensation.

If people's attention to her in the previous life reality show came solely from curiosity about Song Linchuan's mysterious little aunt, then this time, it was more about her as a person.

After all, her title of "national daughter" was not undeserved.

When people heard that Song Anan was actually participating in a reality show about internships, they couldn't help but feel that time flies - the little goose was about to enter society!

On the first day of the show, Song Anan was basically trending the whole time, unmatched in popularity.

Of course, this also drew some doubts.

The foremost was Han Ming's public questioning of Song Anan's qualifications to participate in the show on the program.

Even though the host explained the situation on the spot, some questioned whether the selection rules stated by the program team were tailored just for someone.

This also became an attack point for some antis.

But controversies generate buzz, and people's attention to the show also increased a lot because of it.

So the next day as soon as the show started, a wave of viewers instantly flooded into the livestream room.

Today, the interns were going to be divided into different departments. They would follow the attending doctors of each department for internships. With three departments, it also meant dividing into three groups.

At eight in the morning, the interns arrived in groups in the designated office area, waiting to be picked up by their attending doctors.

But before being taken away, they had to go through another hurdle first - the rankings of yesterday's written test and interview were about to be announced.

The teacher in charge of invigilating posted the score sheet on the blackboard on the wall.

Viewers in the livestream room: Ahhhh, the scores are out! I'm more nervous than them even though I'm just watching.

The guests in the observation group also stared at the small blackboard unblinkingly, waiting for the camera guy on the interns' side to zoom in...

The first place was Jiang Heng. With the first place in the written test and second place in the interview, he got the first place overall.

Compared to Jiang Heng’s first place, the second place was even more surprising to everyone.

Because it was Song Anan.

There were a total of eight interns this time, three PhD candidates, two master’s students, two graduates with a master’s degree, and Song Anan was the only one in her senior year of college.

In terms of medical study time and internship experience, she was at a disadvantage. But even so, she still got such an outstanding result, which really made people surprised.

[Wow! Song Anan is so amazing, I'm really shocked!]

[Wuwuwuwu, my little goose is awesome!]

[Speaking of which, for those who said our little auntie wasn't qualified yesterday, I ask you, does your face hurt?]

[As someone from B University, I can tell you very seriously, the place we run into Song Anan the most on campus is the library!]

[Yes, yes, you can go to our school forum to see, there's a special post that records chance encounters with Song Anan in the library!]

[I saw that post yesterday too. It's really inspiring - I sat straight up in bed to study after reading it!]

[Sometimes you really have to admit, hard work is incomparable to talent, let alone someone like Song Anan who is both hardworking and talented.]

Compared to netizens' feelings, the other interns had even more complex emotions.

But regarding this result, although they were surprised, they also sincerely admired Song Anan and Jiang Heng.

Especially Song Anan. When they learned yesterday that she had been ranked first for four consecutive school years, they had already expected this outcome.

As medical students themselves, no one understood better just how hellish medical exams were. To remain at the top all the time demanded no small effort.

This was especially true at the medical school of B University, where so many top talents gathered.

After the interns saw the results, soon the attending doctors from each department came and the eight interns were divided into groups according to department, officially starting their internships.

The cardiovascular department had Song Anan and two other male students, Ji Cheng and Fang Chengchen, one a PhD candidate and the other doing his PhD.

After arriving at the department and the attending giving some introductory information, they immediately started the first topic of the day - rounds, with the interns following the attending doctor.

Just as everyone was about to leave, Song Anan suddenly stopped and turned back to take out a pair of black-framed glasses from her bag.

Ji Cheng and Fang Chengchen next to her were a little surprised, "Anan, are you near-sighted?"

Song Anan waved her hand, "I'm not near-sighted."

The two were puzzled: "Then what are the glasses for?"

Song Anan said mysteriously, "This is my secret weapon."

Everyone: "???"

Song Anan didn't bother with their looks either, and directly put on the glasses. Then, looked at them expectantly.

"Do I have any changes now?"

The two: "..."

What changes?

With the old-fashioned black frames on, she instantly looked several years older.

Ji Cheng tentatively said, "Mm...you look much more mature and steady."

[Hahaha, this is how straight male science students think! What mature and steady, how is that different from just saying she looks old?]

[Uh...there's still some difference, at least it's more tactful.]

[Let me teach straight guys a universal formula - no matter what clothes or accessories your female friend asks about, just reply with "looks good", never try to come up with what you think are unique descriptions, okay?]

[Hahahaha, yes, hug Song Anan. What girl wants to be told she looks mature and steady?]

To everyone's surprise, not only was Song Anan not upset by this comment, she was overjoyed after hearing it.

She looked at Ji Cheng approvingly and said, "You really have good taste."

Everyone: "..."

-

On the commentary side, everyone was just as confused as the netizens.

They couldn't follow Song Anan's train of thought at all.

The host turned to Pei Kuang and asked, "Professor Pei, do you know why the little auntie is doing this?"

Pei Kuang's mouth curved up involuntarily. Amidst everyone's puzzlement, he nodded lightly.

"If I'm not wrong, she wanted to appear more steady so patients would trust her."

Everyone was stunned at first, then slowly understood what he meant.

[I see! She didn't wear glasses before, it was only when she heard they were going to patient rooms that she put them on.]

[Come to think of it, I kind of understand Song Anan. It really would be harder for patients to trust someone who looks too young.]

[Right, when we see older doctors at the hospital, we do instinctively trust them a bit more.]

[Hahahaha, the little auntie is too cute, she's deliberately pretending to be old!]

[Let me just say, Pei Kuang really understands the little auntie so well! I'm melting from the ship!]

-

The show was recorded at an unhurried pace, but in the process, everyone did get to see how busy doctors were.

For Song Anan, this was a bit different from her previous internships, as those were with medical students of the same grade.

So in order to keep up, she really gave it her all.

In the blink of an eye, five days passed. The interns in each department were very nervous, as the time for the first elimination had arrived.

The one eliminated this time with the lowest combined score was a male student from the neurosurgery department.

Everyone was pretty depressed and restless. But Song Anan remained the same as always - her goal in this special competition was never to beat others, but to focus on improving herself.

Slowly, people began to realize this.

She would take note of the knowledge points the teacher mentioned the day before. After work, she would first go to the resource room or library to read up on information and past cases for learning and analysis.

She improved on the teacher's feedback in her subsequent work, never making the same mistake twice.

She was simple, hardworking, confronted difficulties head on, and only focused on the task at hand without being easily disturbed by external matters.

So although Song Anan was the youngest of the interns, she was the most emotionally stable and peaceful.

This was precisely an ability some doctors had to possess.

Moreover, Song Anan's tranquil mood affected those around her. Ji Cheng and Fang Chengchen in cardiology also benefitted greatly from it.

But this was still a variety show after all. With someone eliminated, naturally someone would come to fill the spot.

But as for who was filling in on the neurosurgery side, Song Anan was not too clear. After all, he was not from the same department, so she had not paid much attention and did not even know when the other party would come over.

That day, the cardiovascular department received a new patient, but the patient's condition was special and needed to consult with the neurosurgery department.

The attending doctor said this case was very typical and told all the interns to sit in and observe. Song Anan happened to see the new intern who had just joined the show during the consultation.

It turned out to be Jing Fan.

Jing Fan was three grades higher than Song Anan. He was also a clinical medicine student of B University, but when he was in his seventh year, he went to an overseas lab for an exchange.

Song Anan had not heard that he was coming back, let alone that he would participate in this show too.

After the consultation ended, Song Anan bumped into Jing Fan, who was waiting outside the door of the conference room.

"Senior Brother Jing Fan, when did you return to China?" Song Anan was a little surprised.

Jing Fan smiled and replied, "I just got back a couple days ago."

Song Anan let out an "oh" and glanced at the camera crew not far away, "Then what are you doing here?"

Although this intern variety show was filmed at the affiliated hospital of B University, after all, it was a show, so as not to affect the normal operations of the hospital, they were actually separated from the regular outpatient area and given a dedicated area.

In this regard, the hospital had always been experienced. Many medical TV shows and movies had filmed on location at their hospital before.

After all, the hospital had many projects and funds that needed investment and sponsorship, so this was one way.

Jing Fan smiled and replied, "The same as you, I'm here as an intern."

Song Anan was a little puzzled. With Jing Fan's background, he had gotten his PhD this year, so he could have gone straight to working at a hospital. There was no need to come on this show.

Jing Fan shrugged with a somewhat helpless look and said, "My uncle registered me. He said it was to let me learn."

The uncle Jing Fan was referring to was Song Anan's teacher, the dean Jing Wenjin.

Song Anan nodded, roughly understanding her teacher's intentions.

The patients they were filming with for this show were specially selected cases by the production team and the hospital. Each one was very typical, and some were very rare cases.

For them interns, they really were once-in-a-lifetime opportunities.

Of course, this was also done with the patients' consent. In fact, many were patients found by the production team from all over.

"How's the internship going?" Jing Fan asked.

Song Anan knew he was asking not about this show but about her fifth year internship this past year.

Song Anan: "Pretty good. How about yours, Senior Brother Jing?"

"Not bad," Jing Fan replied with a smile. "Let's walk and talk."

Song Anan nodded.

The consultation was over, so now they had to follow the attending doctor to the ward to see the patient together.

This case was a joint one between neurosurgery and cardiovascular, so the two groups of interns would be learning together.

The two chatted as they walked.

They already had a good relationship to begin with, and had both been on the student union and studying medicine, so naturally there was a lot to talk about.

Especially the overseas lab Jing Fan had been at for the past two years. Song Anan was actually quite interested in it.

The two interacted very naturally. From a distance, they really did look a little like a talent scholar and a beauty.

[Aw aw aw, with my many years of experience shipping couples, the way Jing Fan looks at our young auntie is anything but innocent!]

[Oh please, in you couple-shipping fans' eyes, who looks innocent?]

[Friendly reminder, don't randomly ship our young auntie, or else beware of Lin Chuan's 800-meter long sword!]

[Haha, do we even need Lin Chuan? Look at Pei Kuang's expression right now!]

[Pei Kuang: You guys think I'm dead?!]

The discussion in the livestream room was in full swing.

But over in the observation crew, everyone was busy too.

From the moment Jing Fan appeared, Pei Kuang recognized him as the young man he had bumped into at the club.

He stared at the two people on the screen, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

"The new intern is called Jing Fan. His name sounds quite artistic, and he looks quite handsome."

"Song Anan called him senior brother. Looks like the two are pretty familiar."

"I just read his intro material. He's also an 8-year clinical medicine student from B University, but several grades above Little Auntie. He just got his PhD this year."

"Aside from everything else, just looking at how the two of them look standing together, they really do seem like a match. The two of them in their white coats somehow look like a couple's outfit."

"Ah, I was just about to say the same thing! I've even thought of a ship name for their CP, let's call it..."

But it wasn't just the livestream room shipping them, the guest commentators were equally unrestrained, and the atmosphere on set was a cheerful one.

The unanimous consensus was that Song Anan and Jing Fan really had great CP chemistry.

The host turned to look at Pei Kuang and asked with a smile, "Professor Pei, what do you think?"

Everyone looked over expectantly, seeming eager for some drama.

Pei Kuang drew his gaze back from the big screen, the corners of his lips curving up slightly. "I think..."

"Not much."

Everyone: "???"

[Hahaha, Pei Kuang's evil mother-in-law expression is just perfect]

[Pei Kuang: Don't ask, the answer is I disagree!]

[I'm laughing to death, someone's jealous, but I won't say who]

[...]!

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