368 - I Don’t Want to Be Turned Into the Female Protagonist by the System

Chapter 368: An Innocent Casualty - Han Yixing Beijing time, 9:59 AM, just one minute left until the program begins. The sound of the stage lights flicking on could be heard—click, click, click. As the lights illuminated the stage, the audience below gradually fell silent, eyes naturally drawn to the sofa placed onstage. Soon, accompanied by the entrance music, host An Ya emerged from behind the curtain, her long, graceful legs carrying her into the venue, appearing on the large screen at the back of the hall. She was immediately greeted with a wave of enthusiastic applause from the audience. Hiding behind the curtain, Su Qi watched An Ya enter and couldn't help but feel the scene was reminiscent of Su University’s cultural festivals. This brought back memories of the awkward "Flying Princess Incident." Although Su Qi had since matured a great deal, the cringe-worthy memory still sent a shiver down her spine. However, glancing at her brother beside her, Su Qi felt much more at ease. Seeing his sister looking at him, Su Siyang smiled in return and said, "Don't worry, I've got your back." Just as he was about to ruffle his sister's hair reassuringly, Liu Qi swiftly swatted his hand away, admonishing, "Don't mess up Xiao Qi's hair. Get ready to go on stage." Poor Su Siyang, who rarely got a chance to 'pat her head,' felt his opportunity had slipped away. Yet, with the stage crew soon signaling him and Su Qi to go on, Su Siyang, being a celebrity, quickly composed himself, transforming back into the clean-cut and energetic handsome man he was known to be. Although, through the recent days of rehearsal, Su Siyang understood that his sister was no longer as stage-frightened as she used to be. But, as her brother, he still wanted to feel the protectiveness over her, so he led the way onto the stage first. Su Siyang had a considerable fanbase. Interestingly, in recent years, young women favored robust and sunlit boys over the delicate gentlemanly figures of the past. Su Siyang had, in this way, caught a wave of this trend. As soon as he appeared on stage, the audience erupted with cries of "husband," which momentarily stunned Su Qi, who was about to follow. Is this what having female fans as a celebrity is like? This enthusiasm, publicly calling someone 'husband'—seems quite bold. Su Siyang noticed his sister hadn’t come out and intentionally looked back, waiting where he was. Seeing her brother pause, Su Qi quickly caught on and stepped out in her small heels, positioning herself behind him. Her slender, pale hand instinctively grasped the corner of Su Siyang's blue suit. This gesture made Su Siyang smile indulgently, feeling rather satisfied with his sister’s reliance. To prevent his sister from tripping, Su Siyang made sure to walk slowly. These actions made Su Siyang's female fans envision discovering a new world, realizing how gentle and doting their idol could be. Since Su Siyang's real fans knew they were siblings, there was no jealousy involved. The audience invited to An Ya's talk show were randomly selected from their public account subscribers. Therefore, attendees weren't just fans of Su Siyang; many came specifically for the empress, Su Qi. After all, in the drama, Su Qi's empress looks and the edited clips of her performance as Daji were simply stunning. Many expected to see her dressed as an empress up close. They didn't expect Su Qi to appear in a uniform suit. Initially, there was a moment of disappointment from the audience. But when the director cut to Su Qi, that luscious, radiant face against her uniform revealed her perfect curves beneath, the audience unanimously felt the outfit was pretty commendable. Those present and watching the live broadcast had another startling realization. The audience hadn’t anticipated that beneath the elaborate and glamorous costumes lay such a strikingly provocative figure. And they also didn’t expect that the enchanting and captivating “Su Daji” they were used to, had such big, innocent eyes when dressed casually, coupled with her small gesture of tugging on her brother's coat hem, she just looked so adorably cute—irresistibly so. Before long, Su Siyang and Su Qi had reached center stage. At this moment, host An Ya stood up and greeted them, "Hello, both ‘big stars,’ I’m An Ya, welcome to An Ya’s Heart-to-Heart!" With An Ya's introduction, the program officially commenced. Although the trio had met briefly backstage to familiarize themselves, this was a television program, and to inform the audience who the guests were, An Ya, as the host, had the two offer brief introductions. Having watched many episodes of the show, Su Qi was well-prepared for this introduction segment. After her brother introduced himself, Su Qi stood up and announced, "I'm Su Qi, playing the role of Su Daji in the drama Chaotic Yin Shang. I hope everyone will support it when it premieres at the end of September." After the introduction, hearing the applause from the audience, Su Qi relaxed a little, relieved not to have embarrassed herself. An Ya watched Su Qi sit down and picked up the microphone, saying: "This is the first time on An Ya’s Heart-to-Heart that we've simultaneously invited two guests. Do you know why?" After a pause, the director gave An Ya a close-up shot, and she continued, "Because the two are real siblings, and they portray King Zhou and Daji in the drama, forming an extremely close bond. So, let me ask you, how do you usually get along as siblings?" Upon hearing this question, Su Siyang nodded emphatically. Many viewers were taken aback by this, seeing as Su Siyang often appeared in various variety shows as calm and composed, yet his response today was so animated. The previously slow pace and his caring gaze towards his sister quickly led to a flurry of "sister-complex" comments in the live chat. Unaware of the viewers’ comments, and even if he had been, Su Siyang would be unbothered. After all, with such an adorable sister, to not cherish her would indicate a serious lapse in judgment. Su Qi also nodded her little head at this question, because even though her fourth brother was somewhat biased, she truly liked him. Following this, An Ya posed a few simple life-related questions, which were relatively easy to answer. When Su Qi felt slightly more at ease, she heard An Ya’s familiar feminine voice ask her brother: “If I may ask, Su Da Star, what kind of girls do you like?” Upon hearing this, many female audience members instinctively let out an "awww." As an idol, Su Siyang quickly provided a satisfactory textbook response to this obligatory question. The audience, while not completely satisfied with his answer, accepted it nonetheless. After all, since his debut, Su Siyang had only ever been linked with one rumored affair, and that was with his sister sitting next to him. After Su Siyang's questioning concluded, An Ya slowly turned her gaze toward Su Qi, smiling as she asked: “Your brother isn’t in a relationship right now; what about you? Do you have a boy you like or a type you prefer?” Hearing An Ya’s question, Su Qi paused for a moment. There was indeed someone she liked, but a boy she fancied? Not really. An Ya and the audience, seeing Su Qi not answer immediately, had their interest piqued—it seemed there might be something more to this story. Unlike the crowd’s eagerness for gossip, Su Siyang, sitting next to Su Qi, grew inwardly agitated. Who was the 'pig trying to devour his little cabbage of a sister?’ Wait, didn’t she once mention a roommate named Han Yixing who was pretty handsome? Alright, young man, you just hold on! Meanwhile, far away in Suzhou, Han Yixing, busy checking accounts, sneezed and quietly turned up the air conditioner by two degrees.