Chapter 66
Yu Jinzhe’s gaze, hidden under the lenses, darkened.
In all the games before, he had always been the one pulling strings from behind the scenes, enjoying the thrill of chasing his prey.
But this time, he had become the mouse in a cat-and-mouse game, spun around endlessly by Shen Yanqing, that sly black-bellied cat.
Beside him, Xie Mi was watching with relish, cracking sunflower seeds while peeking at Yu Jinzhe’s expression.
“Bro, it’s been five minutes. You still haven’t finished your internal monologue? If you don’t rescue him soon, he’s going to twirl himself out of there with jazz-hands.”
Yu Jinzhe’s thoughts were broken, and he instinctively glanced into the pit.
Xiao Jingxi’s hands were moving so fast they’d begun to blur. At this rate, he really might spin himself straight out.
Yu Jinzhe: “…”
In less than a second, he donned a gentle, compliant mask. Reaching toward Xiao Jingxi with a face full of concern and anxiety, he said, “Movie Emperor Xiao, are you alright? Let me pull you up.”
Xiao Jingxi, whose arms were too sore to lift anymore: “…”
Last night, he got his mouth injured and fell down the stairs. Today, his room (his roommate’s bed, actually) was filled with cockroach corpses. Now, he’d been tricked into falling into a pit.
Did he violate some heavenly decree?
Xiao Jingxi’s face was gloomy, and he ignored Yu Jinzhe’s act.
In the livestream, Xiao Jingxi’s fans, who had long held grudges, instantly vented their anger on Yu Jinzhe.
[What’s wrong with this newbie? Doesn’t he know people often pass through this garden? Digging pits, what’s that about?]
[Why would they put someone like him in the same room as my brother Xiao? He probably reeks, that’s why cockroaches were attracted, and now my brother Xiao has to suffer. Sob sob.]
[First eating ants, now digging pits. This new guest must be here just to stir trouble. I suggest replacing him.]
[I hate “little puppies” the most. The aloof flower on the mountaintop will always be god.]
As the comments slammed into Yu Jinzhe, someone snuck off to the neighboring livestream room to tattle. A swarm of Yu Jinzhe fans immediately surged over.
Though Yu Jinzhe had only been on the show one day, with his boyish looks and pure-hearted college-boy image, he had already hit many people’s weak spots. His follower count was skyrocketing.
[You guys need to get real. Xiao Jingxi, an aloof flower? Sorry to say, but if Qiu Chengye weren’t in the show, he’d be the fakest one here. Be grateful to Qiu Chengye—his overacting shields your brother!]
[I’ve been annoyed with Xiao Jingxi for ages. Fans brag daily that he’s had zero scandals since debut. Isn’t that just because he’s set himself up as “hating women”? At events, whenever a female celeb approaches, he jumps ten meters back like he’s seen a ghost, and fans scream, “Brother Xiao hates women! Brother Xiao is saving himself for us!” I mean, come on. Who’s the one lately tailing Xie Mi like a puppy every day, huh?]
[Hahahaha, upstairs sister has a point!]
Very quickly, the two fandoms broke out into a full brawl. Both livestream rooms turned into battlefields.
Although Xiao Jingxi’s fans had the overwhelming numbers, Yu Jinzhe’s fans could spit fire in debate one after another, so the fight was pretty evenly matched.
At ground zero, Xie Mi hugged her phone, happily munching melon seeds as she spectated.
Tell me, who designed Shen Yanqing, anyway?
Not only had he easily handled the original villain, but now he’d even forced the villain and the male lead into a direct confrontation.
Thank goodness the original story never had a Shen Yanqing—otherwise he’d for sure have been the final BOSS behind it all.
“Hey, you there, grinning like an idiot with your big teeth.”
Hearing the voice, Xie Mi looked up.
There was Shen Yanqing, leaning casually against the railing, watching her.
“The Ultraman vs. Little Monsters show has a sequel. This time it’s about saving Xinghua Middle School. You coming?”
“I’m coming, boss!”
Xie Mi turned and went upstairs, leaving the battlefield to the male lead and the villain.
In the end, Yu Jinzhe dissolved the situation with just one line: “I’m your fan.”
Faced with that gentle, innocent expression, Xiao Jingxi really couldn’t bring himself to say much.
On screen, you couldn’t very well play the villain.
So, the two of them returned to being all polite, as if nothing had happened.
It had to be said—Yu Jinzhe, as a villain, was skilled at hiding his sharp edges in the early stages. He didn’t really go off the rails until later.
To comfort the guests who had been traumatized today (eating ants left some psychological shadows), the program team mercifully prepared dinner for them—a luxurious seafood takeout set.
As rare fine food in the villa, everyone ate with great satisfaction.
Everyone except Xiao Jingxi, who could only sip liquid food through a straw.
After dinner, Director Niu gathered everyone again in the living room.
“Since our new guest, Teacher Yu, is a little shy, in order to help him quickly integrate into the group, we’ve prepared the second round of icebreaker games—Story Relay.”
At the words icebreaker game, everyone’s faces turned awkward.
After all, the last icebreaker game had been explosively chaotic. They still remembered it vividly.
Especially Qiu Chengye—his face went the color of dung.
He hadn’t forgotten. That was the first time he had to call Xie Mi “daddy,” a legendary scene.
Sensing everyone’s nervousness, Director Niu confidently reassured them: “Don’t worry. That won’t happen again. Story Relay is a heartwarming game with strong teamwork and bonding elements. It’ll bring everyone closer together.”
After a day of reflection, he had finally realized the show’s core problem—
The cohesion among the guests wasn’t strong enough.
On other dating shows, by the second episode, the guests were already thick as thieves. But here, his guests were still like a scattered pile of sand.
So first, he needed to make them a big happy family!
“Here are the rules: the production team gives you an opening line. Then each person continues the story with one or two sentences, stringing it together into a complete tale.”
“But… what about Jingxi?”
Xu Shuangrong looked worriedly at the man beside her. “He can’t speak. He’ll just have to watch us play. Won’t that be lonely?”
After suffering all day, Xiao Jingxi was finally comforted. He smiled at Xu Shuangrong.
She smiled back at him.
This tender scene of genuine affection instantly made viewers in the livestream scream that the Xiao-Rong CP had resurrected.
But the magic was broken with one line.
Xie Mi: “Isn’t it possible… that he can just write?”
Xu Shuangrong & Xiao Jingxi: “…”
They had honestly forgotten.
In the end, the production team gave Xiao Jingxi a small whiteboard and a marker. The Story Relay game officially began.
Director Niu announced the opening line: “Me and them.”
Seeing this start, Xu Shuangrong blushed and shyly said: “Me and them have been dating for two years. Today, they invited me to their home for dinner.”
Next in order, Xiao Jingxi wrote on the board: I took this meeting very seriously and prepared thoroughly before going over.
Forever basic, forever moved-to-tears Qiu Chengye jumped in immediately: “Their parents really liked me and wanted us to get married right away.”
Disliking both Xu Shuangrong and Qiu Chengye, Lai Bingxuan was determined to ruin the story: “I flipped the table, slapped them across the face, and shouted, ‘As if! Dream on!’”
