Chapter 26
The car fell into a deathly silence.
Perhaps realizing how out of line his actions had been, Xiao Jingxi offered a dignified-sounding excuse, “We’re all colleagues—it’s only right to care for each other.”
A completely unconvincing explanation.
Xu Shuangrong smoothed things over again with a smile, “Jingxi, you’re still so kind.”
But the CP fans in the livestream chat were already fuming.
[Care? Is this something you should be caring about? Can you keep your hands to yourself?]
[No, seriously, what the hell is this guy doing?]
[Did you not see Shuangshuang sitting right next to you? And you go fussing over Xie Mi??]
[Just wait—when Xie Mi latches onto you again, you’ll be crying!]
Amidst the scolding, one bullet comment hit the nail on the head:
[Haven’t you guys noticed—since the end of yesterday’s date, Movie King Xiao hasn’t interacted much with Xu Shuangrong?]
The moment that was said, many viewers snapped to attention.
That’s right. Last night after returning to the villa, the two hadn’t spoken a word. After the hashtag interaction segment ended, they went straight back to their rooms and didn’t come out again.
This morning, they had even eaten breakfast at different times, then got on the production team’s van.
Even now on the ride, they hadn’t exchanged a single word!
[Holy crap, that’s true! What’s going on?]
[Weren’t they getting along fine during the date? They even held hands, and Movie King Xiao called her “Shuangshuang.” It was sweet as heck.]
[Did they fight? But that shouldn’t be—this was all live, and we didn’t see them fight.]
[I even checked the replay. On the ride back, they were still talking normally, but once they returned to the villa they suddenly stopped. What the hell.]
[Could it be Movie King Xiao realized after the date that he doesn’t actually like Xu Shuangrong that much, so he’s distancing himself?]
This statement undoubtedly touched a nerve for CP fans.
They swarmed to attack.
[Which eye of yours saw that Shuangshuang isn’t good enough?]
[Spreading rumors comes with legal responsibility!]
[Both Movie King Xiao and Shuangshuang checked their phones midway. They must’ve argued over text, but didn’t want to show it on camera. Cold wars are totally normal for couples!]
[Yeah, and Xiao suddenly fussing over Xie Mi today is clearly to make Shuangshuang jealous. Sure, it’s a crappy move, but men can be childish sometimes.]
[…………]
Seeing how delusional these CP fans were, the passerby being attacked didn’t bother arguing and just kept watching.
Whatever the truth, the show would eventually reveal it.
The production team’s van stopped outside a café-bookstore.
Though in the city, it was tucked away on a quiet street blooming with flowers—peaceful and cozy.
Xie Mi finally woke up. After stretching lazily without any concern for her image, she opened her eyes and found everyone staring at her.
The atmosphere felt a bit strange.
She didn’t know what had happened—but clearly, something had.
Not that she planned to ask. She opened her mouth and belted out, “Every time I try to act tough~~ but in front of myself, I surrender~~”
Everyone visibly jolted and immediately looked away.
Xie Mi smirked in triumph.
When others try to make you feel awkward, the best move is to make everyone feel awkward first.
[Wtf, so random]
[Hahahahaha omg I’m dying—Sister Xie’s mental state is gorgeous]
[Sis, why are you singing in that key??]
[Old Xie, please stop singing, we’re family!]
[Stop with the bullet spam—she doesn’t even sound bad, just… not good. Honestly, if you sang, you might not even be as “not good” as her.]
[Bruh, you’re roasting her too]
“Teachers, you can get off now!” Director Niu called from outside.
They got off one by one in seating order. When it was Xie Mi’s turn, a hand suddenly reached out in front of her.
It was Xiao Jingxi.
“?” Xie Mi wasn’t having it.
“You lost your damn mind?”
Xiao Jingxi froze for a moment, then explained, “You didn’t rest well last night—I was worried you’d stumble.”
“How very kind of you. But maybe next time, change the method—like kneel on the ground, put both hands on the floor, and cry out ‘Welcome back to the palace, Your Majesty!’”
After saying that, Xie Mi hopped off the van without sparing him a glance, leaving his hand hanging midair.
Xiao Jingxi frowned, still processing.
Off to the side, Shen Yiqing was already laughing, “She just called you a eunuch.”
Xiao Jingxi’s face turned an ugly shade of green.
It was quite a scene. But the awkwardness wasn’t his alone—it also fell on Xu Shuangrong.
After all, when Xu Shuangrong had gotten off the van earlier, Xiao Jingxi hadn’t shown her this kind of gentlemanly gesture.
“Are you okay?” Liu Woxing asked softly.
Xu Shuangrong’s face had gone pale, but she still forced a smile and shook her head, “I’m fine.”
Her frail figure looked as if it might topple over in the breeze.
Liu Woxing said nothing more, simply tightened her grip on Xu Shuangrong’s hand.
[Enough! My heart aches for Shuangshuang!]
[Movie King Xiao, didn’t you see she was about to cry? Fine if you want her jealous, but pick your time and place—now you’ve just embarrassed her.]
[Ugh, men. Why can’t they just swallow their pride first?]
[Hmm… am I the only one who thinks there’s actually a real problem between those two? If Xiao were just trying to make Xu jealous, he’d at least glance at her reaction, right? But he didn’t look at her even once.]
[Are you a Xie fan? Don’t jump around here. Go back to your own livestream room [rose]]
[?????]
Under the production team’s lead, they entered the café-bookstore.
Inside was spacious and quiet, three stories tall, with tables set far apart to ensure privacy.
A perfect place for afternoon reading.
“This is today’s blind date venue.”
Director Niu stopped, gave them a quick intro, then continued, “Today’s simulated blind date is meant to test your understanding of marriage.”
“Please take this seriously—speak to your blind date as if the purpose is truly marriage.”
“Our psychology expert will evaluate your performance and determine your views on marriage.”
It was an interesting premise, and everyone seemed intrigued as they headed to their assigned private rooms.
Only after the guests had gone upstairs did Director Niu secretly explain to the audience:
“What I just told them was just a cover.”
“The real purpose of this blind date is to test their patience.”
“For this, we’ve specially invited six ordinary people to act as the blind dates. Their job is to deliberately provoke the guests.”
“With cameras filming, will the guests lose their temper on the spot—or hold it in for the sake of their image?”
Director Niu smiled slyly.
The bullet chat instantly exploded.
[You really know how to stir things up!]
[I knew it—no way Director Niu would make this just a simple blind date. Of course there’s a twist.]
[Hahahahaha so basically, it’s a test of who can hold it in the longest!]
[Wait—what if someone really just has a good temper and doesn’t get angry at all?]
Director Niu had an answer for that too.
“Don’t forget, everyone’s wearing a heart-rate bracelet.”
“When you’re angry, your heart rate spikes too.”
