Chapter 49
“Please, the two successfully matched guests, hold hands and walk off the stage to begin your romantic aquarium date!”
The trainer perfectly played the role of host. After sending off Liu Woxing and Qiu Chengye, his gaze shifted back to the remaining three female guests.
“Next, Teacher Xie, please step up to the pool!”
Already knowing this segment was just for show, Xie Mi went forward with a “let’s get this over with” mindset.
Who would have thought, just as she passed by Xu Shuangrong and Lai Bingxuan, she was suddenly shoved.
Xie Mi: “???”
Wait a second—who the heck had that much brute strength?
She was sent flying right into the pool. The moment she hit the water, she heard Xu Shuangrong’s shocked exclamation, “Miss Lai, why did you push Teacher Xie?”
Ah, good, good, good. In the end she had become Xu Shuangrong’s tool for sowing discord.
Lai Bingxuan shouted angrily, “What do you mean I pushed her?! I didn’t push at all!!”
The scene instantly descended into chaos.
[It was Lai Bingxuan! I saw her hand move!]
[Huh? At this angle you really can’t see clearly, right?]
[Besides Lai Bingxuan, who else would be so malicious? Everything was fine before she came, and now there’s trouble—obviously she’s stirring things up.]
[It has to be Lai! It couldn’t possibly be Shuangshuang!]
Under Xu Shuangrong’s rhythm-pulling, everyone’s focus landed squarely on Lai Bingxuan.
Xie Mi: Excuse me?
Could someone care about the person who actually got shoved into the water?
But Lai Bingxuan was never good at keeping calm. The moment she was wronged, she flew into a rage, swearing and ready to attack Xu Shuangrong.
People rushed to pull them apart, while Xu Shuangrong pitifully hid behind the staff, embodying the perfect image of a victim.
And then—justice arrived, fashionably late, “Little White! Slap her!”
The beluga whale suddenly surfaced, whipping its tail like a dragon. A huge splash smacked into Xu Shuangrong, sending her flying.
“Ahhh!”
Holding a grudge from earlier, Xie Mi broke into a satisfied grin. “Nice job, Little White—oh?”
The beluga, enjoying itself, lifted Xie Mi up and began swimming happily around with her, treating her like its new little partner.
Xie Mi’s vision spun with dizziness.
Okay, okay, fine—she admitted she had secretly picked up a trick or two by copying the trainer’s gestures earlier, but did the beluga have to be this excited?!!
Now all eyes turned toward her and the whale.
“Look! The beluga is carrying a person!”
“Ahhh could this be the real hidden program—a human-and-beluga performance?!”
“This is way more exciting than the earlier act!!”
The audience erupted into cheers and excitement.
Meanwhile, Xu Shuangrong, who had been splashed aside, realized no one cared about her plight. Even the rhythm she had painstakingly set up was completely hijacked by Xie Mi. In desperation, she shouted, “Teacher Xie, you can’t do this! You can’t force animals to perform!”
Foaming at the mouth, Xie Mi retorted, “Why don’t you take another look—who’s the one being forced here?”
Uh…
[We oppose animal performances—but how do you stop it when the animal insists on performing?]
[I’m dying—why do the most ridiculous things always happen to Teacher Xie?]
[Hahahaha let me repeat, Old Xie is the chosen one of variety shows!]
[I give up, Dad’s the best.]
Of course, someone else also had it rough: Shen Yanqing, who had been the first to jump into the water to “rescue” someone, only to be smacked flying by the beluga.
“……”
He had had more than enough.
#BelugaPerformance
#XieMiTheChosenVarietyStar
The beluga scene, unsurprisingly, trended on social media. Meanwhile, Xu Shuangrong’s carefully staged sabotage act went unnoticed. She finally realized the problem—
Xie Mi was the biggest bug in the system.
So, after the aquarium trip when they returned to the hotel, Xu Shuangrong cornered Xie Mi outside a room with no cameras.
“Teacher Xie, can we talk?”
“Emmmm… you sure you want to talk now?”
“……”
Two drowned rats stared at each other.
This was supposed to be the time reserved for the guests to change clothes, but Xu Shuangrong just wouldn’t let it go.
“I just want to apologize. I had some past issues with Miss Lai, and now because of me she’s targeting you. I feel really guilty.”
Xie Mi laughed out of sheer anger.
Xu Shuangrong really thought she was a fool, huh?
“You’re saying Miss Lai is targeting me?”
“Yes, just now in the aquarium, she pushed you—”
“Stop right there.”
Xie Mi’s smile was faint but sharp. “It’s one thing to fool others, but don’t fool yourself. Who pushed me just now—don’t you know in your heart?”
Xu Shuangrong pursed her lips, saying nothing, as if determined to play dumb to the end.
Xie Mi casually brushed her wet hair back behind her ear. “Go ahead and drag me out as your shield again, just try it.”
Her lips curved playfully as she locked eyes with Xu Shuangrong.
“Careful—I might really pick a side.”
“You know I’m a little crazy~”
Bang.
After the door shut, Xu Shuangrong stood outside, belatedly frowning. For some reason, she felt that Xie Mi was a little… uncontrollable.
She had an aura—like everything was in her grasp, yet she wouldn’t easily meddle. But if provoked, she’d snap and go off the rails.
Completely different from what Xu Shuangrong had expected.
After dinner at the hotel, they all boarded a bus heading to the Summer Music Festival.
Clearly shocked by Xie Mi’s “look” from that morning, the production team had splurged on a professional styling crew to give each guest a makeover.
Xie Mi’s was a full-on Y2K hottie look.
The moment she appeared, the livestream chat exploded.
[Excuse me, but isn’t this beauty the same rustic girl from this morning?]
[Sister Xie?? Sister Xie!!!!]
[No way, Old Xie was this good-looking all along?! You’ve been hiding it from your bros, huh?!]
[Visuals crit hit!! I’m instantly a Xie Mi stan!!]
[Sister Xie, pretty girls like you easily attract creeps. Self-defense is a must. Sure, always being on guard is exhausting—but don’t worry, from now on you don’t need to guard anymore, because your man has arrived ❤]
The No.1 fanboy—aka the assistant director—had already been sneaking photos and posting them on his alt Weibo, raving: I swear she’s stunning.
That was until Xie Mi confidently pulled out a pair of poop-green sunglasses and put them on.
The assistant director’s hand shook, and his phone shattered.
“Where do you even find so many ugly things?” Shen Yanqing, sitting beside her, bluntly asked.
Rolling her eyes, Xie Mi replied, “Bought them at the local second-hand market. They’re the hottest fashion items right now, stop being bitter.”
Shen Yanqing chuckled softly, his lazy laugh carrying a subtle, lingering warmth.
That laugh made Xie Mi suddenly recall the ‘Liuliu’ she had heard in her dream the night before, and she sneaked another look at him.
She needed to find a chance to test him.
Once the bus hit the highway, Director Niu began cueing the process.
“We are heading to Nanhai City’s annual Summer Music Festival! There, we will begin our random group dating!”
“Random group dating?”
The phrase was too vague, prompting Lai Bingxuan to ask, “How random?”
“By drawing lots.”
Director Niu grinned mischievously. “It’s now 7 p.m. You’ll draw lots to decide your groupings for 7 to 8 p.m. dates.”
[Seven to eight? Meaning there’ll be more after that?]
[If this is the first, then of course there’ll be a second. So there’ll be multiple dates tonight!]
[Since it’s by drawing lots, it’s totally random. All the previous CPs will be scrambled, and not just once—definitely stirring things up.]
[Wait, the male-to-female ratio is 3:4 right now. That means someone will end up alone?!]
[Oh damn! Exciting!!]
