Chapter 3
The guests gradually arrived at their assigned date locations.
The first round of pairings was finally revealed:
Garden Restaurant: Mr. Panda & Ms. Rabbit
Sky Restaurant: Mr. Fox & Ms. Peacock
Seaside Restaurant: Mr. Tiger & Ms. Salted Fish
The CP fans in the comments instantly went wild.
[Aaaaahhhh! Since Rabbit is confirmed to be Shuangrong, and Panda’s physique best matches Film Emperor Xiao, this means the XiaoRong CP is real!!]
[Their ideal types even matched each other! Too sweet, I’m gonna die!]
[Xiao Film Emperor looks even more ascetic with the mask, I’m licking my screen]
Ms. Rabbit shyly lowered her head with a smile. Even the voice changer couldn’t hide the softness in her tone.
“You seem like a gentle and cultured person. You completely fit my ideal type. The program team’s pairing is very accurate.”
The comments began to tease.
[Ohhhhohoho~]
[The lovebirds are about to get all lovey-dovey~~~]
“Not very accurate.”
Mr. Panda suddenly spoke. His voice, processed through the voice changer, carried a lazy, careless air.
“You don’t really fit.”
The smile beneath Rabbit’s mask—Xu Shuangrong’s smile—froze instantly.
The comments also went silent for a few seconds.
Something was wrong.
That was definitely not Film Emperor Xiao!!
Seaside Restaurant.
Xie Mi sat with her legs crossed, eyeing the Tiger mask opposite her. She couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.
Alright, alright, so this is how they wanted to play it? Fine, fine.
Not only did they fail to assign her to You Hongxuan, but they even matched her with this guy.
Qiu Chengye—rich second-generation heir, chauvinistic, disrespectful toward women, the epitome of a “basic guy.”
Before she transmigrated into the novel, she had cursed this character countless times.
“What are you laughing at?”
Mr. Tiger slapped the table, his tone displeased. “And what kind of sitting posture is that? Don’t you know etiquette? I’ve never seen a woman crossing her legs like that!”
“Sorry.” Xie Mi put her crossed leg down.
Mr. Tiger snorted coldly. “That’s better—”
Xie Mi crossed the other leg. “That leg was numb.”
Mr. Tiger exploded. “Cut it out already!”
Xie Mi flipped the table back at him. “What, you wanna fight?!”
Mr. Tiger: “…”
After a few seconds of silence, Mr. Tiger sat back down.
[That’s it??]
[Wait, I seriously thought they were about to throw hands]
[Turns out Qiu Chengye does have one redeeming quality. Being spoiled and praised all his life, he’s never been defied. But when faced with someone even fiercer, he instantly chickens out.]
[My god, I got scared twice in under a minute]
[At first I was worried about Ms. Salted Fish. Now I’m more worried about Mr. Tiger]
[Excuse me, did I walk into a love show or a gladiator arena?]
[Not a single CP is harmonious so far, I’m crying]
[Don’t say that—Fox and Peacock are pretty harmonious]
Sky Restaurant.
Mr. Fox and Ms. Peacock were having what was probably the most normal date of the episode.
After arriving, they politely greeted each other, asked about food preferences, ordered, and began chatting.
Fox was gentlemanly, Peacock was elegant—the two got along smoothly.
[Finally, this feels like an actual dating show]
[Wait, if Panda isn’t Film Emperor Xiao, then could Fox be him?]
[Yeah, excluding Panda, Fox’s physique fits best. So…]
[Nooo, I refuse! Film Emperor Xiao, you can’t CP with another woman!!]
[So who on earth is Mr. Panda?!]
Xu Shuangrong sat across from Mr. Panda, completely unsettled.
She had always been good at handling any situation with her high EQ.
But this time, she was truly at a loss.
Because this Mr. Panda… seemed a little deaf.
When she tried to lighten the mood—
“Mr. Panda, your outfit looks great. Do you usually study fashion?”
Mr. Panda: “Huh?”
When she tried to interact—
“Sorry, could you pass me the napkins over there?”
Mr. Panda: “Huh?”
When she pulled her classic “white lotus” move—
“Ah! That’s hot! Mr. Panda, be careful, don’t touch the candle holder.”
Mr. Panda: “Huh?”
Xu Shuangrong could no longer smile.
[A full-on communication barrier]
[I’m losing it, someone start a fundraiser to buy Panda a hearing aid]
[Wait, why do I suddenly ship this?? Panda can’t hear a word but still responds every time. Is he actually a tsundere? Pretending Rabbit isn’t his type, but secretly liking her??]
[Don’t tell me Shuangrong’s about to become the ultimate charmer of this show. Film Emperor Xiao’s gonna get jealous (hehe)]
Halfway through lunch, an unexpected incident occurred.
A staff member rushed over and whispered something to the director. His expression changed instantly.
After a quick discussion, the director came over, apologetic.
“Sorry, there’s been a technical issue. We need to pause filming for a while. The livestream will also temporarily close. Please wait a moment.”
Then the crew began putting away the cameras.
[?? What’s going on? The premiere crashes on day one??]
[Wait, but the livestream is still running?]
The broadcast was still running—only now the angles had changed, and the audio carried some static.
The comments quickly caught on.
[Hidden camera time! Director Niu’s at it again!]
Fans familiar with Director Niu knew—nicknamed “Niu Awesome,” he lived up to the name. He was a genius at stirring things up in reality shows.
Nothing was too outrageous for him.
Seaside Restaurant again.
A waiter walked briskly toward the table, holding red wine.
This was the hidden test.
If the waiter “accidentally” spilled wine on the female guest, how would the male guest react?
It was the ultimate test of emotional intelligence and gentlemanly conduct.
Sure enough, when the waiter spun dramatically near Xie Mi, wineglass in hand, he tipped toward her.
Sitting opposite, Mr. Tiger didn’t budge. He even covered his mouth with a grin, clearly waiting to enjoy her embarrassment.
But Xie Mi rose gracefully, spun a perfect 360 in place, one arm sliding around the waiter’s slim waist, the other hand catching the glass.
She smiled tenderly at the man now cradled in her arms.
“Careful, silly boy.”
The male waiter’s face flushed scarlet. He lowered his head shyly. “You’re awful…”
Mr. Tiger: “?”
[?]
[How does a 185 cm man falling into the arms of a 165 cm woman not look awkward at all??]
[“Silly boy”—LOOOL she actually called him that]
“Enough!”
Mr. Tiger finally snapped, standing and roaring at the busy crew nearby.
“What kind of partner did you give me?! Is she even a woman?! Her every move is manlier than a man’s!”
Qiu Chengye had only ever dealt with delicate, dependent women. Facing someone like Xie Mi completely overturned his worldview.
Xie Mi just sighed helplessly.
“That’s enough, kitty kitty.”
“You can’t out-man me. No need to feel inferior.”
