Chapter 298
The first dance ended, and the men and women at the ball began to move around freely, chatting and enjoying wine and food.
The one-on-one invitation and heart-to-heart segment also began.
“This is the heart-to-heart room prepared by the production team?”
In the center of the room stood a table, with a candlestick flickering on top. No lights were on, only the candlelight and the moonlight shining in from the floor-to-ceiling windows provided faint illumination.
Xu Shuangrong looked around curiously. “I thought it would just be a casual chat, but judging by this setup, it seems like they really mean a heart-to-heart.”
She joked with a smile, glancing at Yu Jinzhe beside her.
“Jinzhe, I really didn’t expect you to invite me. I’m quite surprised.”
Yu Jinzhe smiled obediently. “Because the production team said we should invite the female guest we currently like the most.”
Apparently not expecting such directness, Xu Shuangrong coughed lightly in embarrassment.
“You’re too straightforward.”
[What! Jinzhe’s favorite female guest right now is Xu Shuangrong?!]
[True, during the recordings lately, Jinzhe has indeed gotten closer to Xu Shuangrong, but I didn’t think his arrow would point at her.]
[Huh? No way, I’ve been watching every day. Did I miss something? When did they develop to this point?]
[Same here, I watch every day, even hang out in Jinzhe’s live room all the time, but I didn’t see it either.]
[Allow me to analyze: maybe because Jinzhe is young, not clear about his feelings yet. He liked Teacher Xie before perhaps because she was the first female guest he met, so he had a first-impression crush. This season, having more interaction with Xu Shuangrong, he started liking her instead.]
[But the gossip around Xu Shuangrong hasn’t been cleared yet. When she was paired up with Xiao Jingxi, did she know about him having a girlfriend or not? That’s still unclear. Both gave different stories—you can’t even tell who’s telling the truth.]
[Jinzhe, you’re confused!!]
Yu’s fans cried out in unison. They had enjoyed gossiping about Xu Shuangrong before, never expecting the gossip to end up at their own doorstep.
[System: Well, would you look at that. You actually got Yu Jinzhe hooked.]
[System: In the original plot, he was already quite interested in you at this point, but with the current changes, he had first taken interest in Xie Mi. Didn’t expect you could turn it around.]
[System: Impressive.]
Xu Shuangrong smiled and sat down facing Yu Jinzhe. A waiter came in to pour red wine for them, then left.
The room was left with just the two of them.
“So, does the heart-to-heart start now?”
Xu Shuangrong asked curiously, then noticed the card on the table. She paused. “What’s this?”
“Zzzzt… crackle—”
A current of static came from somewhere in the room.
Following the sound, they saw a walkie-talkie placed on the floor.
From it came Director Niu’s voice.
“On the card in front of you is a name.”
“That name is the person your opposite partner is currently most interested in.”
“This was detected at lunchtime by the experts analyzing the data from your heart-rate wristbands, with an accuracy rate of ninety percent.”
“You may choose to flip open your card at any time, or not look at it at all.”
“The choice is yours.”
“Now, your thirty-minute conversation starts.”
The director’s voice faded.
Xu Shuangrong looked at the card in front of her, then lifted her gaze—only to meet the eyes across the candlelight.
Yu Jinzhe asked obediently, “Teacher Xu, should we look?”
“I think we don’t have to.”
Xu Shuangrong smiled. “Sometimes the thin veil between people doesn’t need to be pierced. A conversation with a touch of mystery can be more interesting.”
“You’re right. Then let’s not look.”
Neither of them flipped their cards. They began chatting in the dimly lit silence.
There were no distractions, only the sound of the candle’s flame, making it easier to open up and share thoughts.
Their topics were simple: ideal partner types, whether they were used to the show’s setup, impressions of the other guests—typical variety-show questions.
As the mood grew lighter, Xu Shuangrong raised her glass with a smile and clinked with Yu Jinzhe.
“Didn’t expect us to get along so well. If only we’d chatted earlier… ah!”
Her elbow accidentally knocked the card off the table. She quickly set her glass down and bent to pick it up.
“Sorry, it’s too dark, I couldn’t see clearly.”
As she touched the card, her fingers casually flipped it, and she caught sight of the words written on it.
[Xie Mi.]
Xu Shuangrong’s brow twitched. She calmly straightened up and placed the card back face-down on the table.
“Teacher Xu, did you see it?”
The boy across from her still looked pure and obedient, his clean face harmless in the candlelight.
He blinked, as if it were just an ordinary question.
Xu Shuangrong chuckled softly.
“When the card fell, it landed face-down, so I didn’t see it.”
“That’s a pity.” Yu Jinzhe sipped his wine, his clear eyes carrying a meaningful smile.
“I was kind of looking forward to you seeing it.”
“Jinzhe, you’re joking again.”
Xu Shuangrong shook her head with a smile and also took a sip of wine. But as the rim of the glass lifted to shield her eyes, a shadow flickered through them.
In her mind, the system was already going berserk.
[System: Big Sock, was that card written in Chinese?]
[System: Because I swear those two characters looked like Xie Mi.]
[System: Did you change your name to Xie Mi?]
The corner of Xu Shuangrong’s lips twitched slightly. She blocked out the system’s idiotic voice and kept talking calmly with Yu Jinzhe.
[System: No, sis, wait.]
[System: Didn’t you already attract Yu Jinzhe’s attention? Then why would the card still say Xie Mi?]
[System: Doesn’t that mean Yu Jinzhe’s favorite person right now is still Xie Mi!]
[System: Then what’s with him getting so close to you lately?]
[System: Hold on!]
[System: Something’s wrong!!!]
Even the dumb system had realized something was off, so of course Xu Shuangrong sensed it too.
If Yu Jinzhe’s most interested person was still Xie Mi—
That meant, from beginning to end, Yu Jinzhe had been putting on an act with her.
And she had nearly been deceived.
If not for this unexpected twist today, she might have fallen right into Yu Jinzhe’s trap.
The scariest part was—She had no idea what Yu Jinzhe was really after.
