Chapter 14
The comments in Xie Mi’s livestream chat was in total chaos.
[I knew the trending search term wouldn’t come from nowhere. Xie Mi really does want to be a mistress.]
[Xie Mi says Ruan Feng sexually harassed her, but isn’t she the same? Using the three-legged race to grope Movie Emperor Xiao, disgusting.]
[Other than having their legs tied together, there’s half a meter of space between them. How come I didn’t see Xie Mi touching Xiao Jingxi?]
[Didn’t you see her just now supporting the Movie Emperor?]
[I only saw her punch him.]
[That’s still physical contact! She did it on purpose. Who knows how much she took advantage of him over the hundred meters. Must’ve felt great for her.]
[Exactly. The other two teams had already run halfway while they were still stuck at the start. Obviously Xie Mi was deliberately stalling to get more time close to Movie Emperor Xiao. All women know that kind of trick.]
[But wasn’t it Xiao Jingxi who said the wrong foot to step with, which nearly made Xie Mi fall? Why are the comments being so harsh on the girl?]
The haters intent on smearing Xie Mi didn’t care about details. They just kept yelling that Xie Mi sexually harassed Xiao Jingxi, spamming the chat nonstop.
But suddenly, the whole livestream atmosphere shifted.
Xie Mi crouched down, both hands on the ground, hips raised, striking a starting pose.
Xiao Jingxi frowned, but before he could speak, Xie Mi shot off like a runaway horse. Xiao Jingxi, unprepared, was yanked off balance and dragged along.
His eyes rolled back.
[Holy shit!!!]
[Xie Mi, you crazy woman, what the hell are you doing!!]
Xie Mi’s limbs churned like an engine, kicking up clouds of dust. Xiao Jingxi was reduced to a leg-hanging accessory, dragged across the ground, his head banging—thud, thud—and his eyes rolling white.
Who was that waving to him from the other side? Ah, it was his Great-Grandma!
“Xiao—Movie—Em—peror—!”
The staff screamed, heartbroken.
“What are you all standing around for? Hurry up and save him!”
“I—I don’t dare. Teacher Xie looks like she’s gone crazy again, wuwuwu.”
“Movie Emperor Xiao’s calling for help!”
“He’s spitting blood!!”
“He’s passed out!!!”
Xie Mi leapt across the finish line in one bound, taking first place.
The sun shone down on her as she flashed a victorious smile.
“With no man in my heart, my sword naturally strikes true!”
Behind her, the staff swarmed the unconscious Xiao Jingxi, lifting him onto a stretcher.
[…]
[Anyone still dare say Xie Mi harassed the Movie Emperor?]
[With this kind of performance? She likes him? If she does, I’ll eat shit!]
[Scamming food and drink, huh? (dog head emoji)]
[Now I seriously suspect I ate fake gossip earlier. Pause the show, I need to re-evaluate.]
#Withnomaninmyheart,myswordstrikestrue#
This trending tag successfully pushed down the previous #XieMiMistress# tag.
Netizens dug deeper, unwilling to give up, and discovered that aside from the initial photo of Xie Mi’s phone containing a picture of her and Xiao Jingxi, there was nothing else between them.
All the rumors of “Xie Mi dream girl,” “Xie Mi simp,” “Xie Mi homewrecker” had been forcefully fabricated by CP fans.
One person told ten, ten told a hundred, and eventually gossip became “fact.”
[BurningChestHair]: Looking at it now, did I misunderstand Xie Mi?
[LittleDogBento]: Suddenly I feel sorry for her. Randomly slandered, stabbed once, no wonder she went insane.
[NotGirlyYouth]: I’m feeling protective now.
[SpongeCub]: So Xie Mi’s reputation is cleared? Then I can start shipping! I’ve had my eye on her and Mr. Shen for a while, hehe.
[YouEatRadish]: Is no one worried about the injured Movie Emperor? Don’t you think Xie Mi went too far?
[BigWhiteRabbit]: Shuangshuang and Mr. Shen are injured too!
No one expected that a simple three-legged race would leave three people injured.
The most miserable, of course, was Xiao Jingxi.
Shen Yanqing and Xu Shuangrong were also unlucky. Because of poor coordination, they suddenly fell midway, both twisting their ankles.
“Mr. Shen’s okay, but Teacher Xu’s is more serious. She’s in so much pain she’s twitching.”
Hearing the staff chatter, Xie Mi mused to herself.
Although the pairings had changed, the “falling scene” plot still happened. The only difference was that instead of Xu Shuangrong and Xiao Jingxi, it was Xu Shuangrong and Shen Yanqing who fell.
But unlike in the original book, they didn’t kiss when they fell. They just both got hurt.
Interesting.
Since guests were injured, the production team gave them half a day’s rest.
Filming resumed at six in the evening.
“Teachers, please each put on this watch.” At the start, the assistant director brought out six watches.
“These are heart-rate monitors. They’ll track your heart rate in real time. When it goes above 120, a bell will ring.”
“This is the show’s biggest highlight,” Director Niu said proudly. “Wearing a heart-rate monitor means your feelings can’t be hidden. When someone makes your heart race, the bell will expose it.”
[This setup is fun!]
[So you can’t even act. If you like someone, it’s obvious.]
[Now I’m curious—who’ll trigger the bell first?]
“Next, please check your current heart rate.”
When Director Niu finished, Xie Mi tapped her watch.
For adults, a normal heart rate is 60–100 bpm. Hers was around 65—very stable.
In the original novel, these heart-rate watches produced many iconic moments.
Later in the show, Xiao Jingxi’s bell repeatedly rang for Xu Shuangrong, while Xu Shuangrong never responded until the very last episode, when finally her bell rang for him. It drove the readers crazy.
“Oh, Movie Emperor Xiao’s heart rate is already over 100 at the start. Who’s got him excited?” Qiu Chengye teased.
Liu Woxing playfully nudged Xu Shuangrong’s shoulder. “Who do you think it is?”
“Ah, don’t tease me,” Xu Shuangrong said, embarrassed.
Xiao Jingxi calmly withdrew the gaze he had been directing at Xie Mi, turning to smile at Xu Shuangrong.
[Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!]
[Movie Emperor Xiao can’t hide his feelings at all!]
[My baby’s face is red all over.]
[But jealousy would also raise your heart rate, right? Now I’m curious about Xie Mi’s number.]
“65?”
Shen Yanqing’s voice rang out just then. His eyes rested on Xie Mi’s watch, the corners of his lips curving slightly. “Teacher Xie is so calm.”
“You too,” Xie Mi glanced at his watch. About 85.
86, 88, 92…
Hm? Why was it climbing?
Shen Yanqing casually turned off his watch screen. “Seems Teacher Xie is very interested in me.”
“I’d say it’s you who’s interested in me,” Xie Mi shot back.
What kind of reverse-accusation was that?
[Xie Mi’s heart rate is 65? Solid proof she’s not into Xiao Jingxi.]
[Then I’ll start shipping this pair. Do they have a CP name yet?]
[Xie–Yan–Kill–the–Donkey CP fans gather here!!]
[Are you serious? Don’t you think Xie Mi is reaching too high? Mr. Shen’s status is way above hers. Even if she acted all her life, she couldn’t earn a fraction of his wealth.]
[Xie Mi saying Mr. Shen is interested in her… isn’t she embarrassed?]
“Yes.”
When it came to slapping netizens in the face, Shen Yanqing never held back.
He lowered his gaze at her, smile spreading.
“I’m very interested in Teacher Xie.”
