Chapter 8
A bizarre video suddenly appeared on the trending searches.
It began with Xie Mi’s explosive “reveal,” then cut to two famous directors suddenly entering the frame and chasing her wildly around the set, followed by Qiu Chengye crawling at high speed like some kind of creature out of a horror movie—until finally it froze on him shouting one word: “Daddy!”
Netizens were completely dumbfounded.
[Has a mom and she’s alive]: Huh? Huh? Huh?
[Cockroach with a Perky Butt]: Perfect. The world has finally gone crazy.
[Runaway Mother Monkey from Huaguo Mountain]: Even someone as badass as Qiu Chengye got tamed by Xie Mi? I seriously don’t understand anymore.
[Old Pickled Mustard-Leaf Shancai]: To this day we still don’t know what Xie Mi’s unfinished sentence was.
[Word my duck]: Help, I swore I wouldn’t watch this show just to boycott Xie Mi, but now I want to watch it so badly because of her. Who understands my conflict?
[My Grandma Often Slaps Zhao Zilong]: Just watch it, sis—it’s a sweet, super shippable romance show. Watching it at noon warms the heart.
[Heaven’s Dumpling]: There really are still too many bad people in this world.
Xie Mi’s madness was so thorough that even the group who firmly believed she was just “building a persona” had started to waver.
They began to feel—she wasn’t faking it. She was genuinely crazy.
Meanwhile, the icebreaker game in the show was still going on. When it came to Xu Shuangrong’s turn, the vibe finally returned to something normal.
“I…” She seemed a little shy. Her gaze darted quickly somewhere and then back. “I have someone I like, and he’s here today.”
As expected of the novel’s female lead! With sheer willpower she pulled this chaotic show back onto the track of a proper romance variety.
Director Niu bowed with the entire crew to thank her.
“So fast?” Liu Woxing teased. “This is just the first recording. You’ve all just met today. It can’t be love at first sight, right?”
Xu Shuangrong shyly lowered her head, while Xiao Jingxi, sitting across from her, watched her with a gentle smile.
The whole screen filled with pink bubbles.
[Aaaah Sister Woxing I love you]
[Help, I’m shipping like crazy! Xiao-Rong CP is the ultimate blessing!]
[Quick, let me see that bitch Xie’s face! No way she can keep up the act now!]
The director knew how to stir the pot, so he cut to a close-up of Xie Mi.
Xie Mi was covering her mouth, trying not to laugh, her shoulders shaking violently.
Audience: ?
According to the original book’s plot, at this stage Xiao Jingxi and Xu Shuangrong hadn’t developed real feelings yet. The reason they joined the romance show as a pair was purely company PR.
So every flirtatious interaction between them on the show was all just acting.
Watching them perform live like that—it was impossible not to laugh.
And laugh Xie Mi did, which infuriated Xiao Jingxi the most. His expression went dark. “What are you laughing at?”
She wasn’t jealous?!
[Film Emperor Xiao protecting his wife with dominance!]
[Yes! Put her in her place! So satisfying!]
“Sorry,” Xie Mi bent one finger down, “my mouth has Parkinson’s.”
Xiao Jingxi’s eyes instantly turned sharp and cold.
She… folded?
She actually folded?!
[She held strong through all the harsh conditions before, and now she folds??]
[Quit pretending, she clearly likes Film Emperor Xiao]
“Teacher Xie, the rule for this round is: if the person you like is present, you don’t have to fold a finger,” Liu Woxing reminded her kindly.
Netizens once again praised her as their mouthpiece.
Xie Mi remained indifferent. “Right, and that’s why I folded. Problem?”
Liu Woxing choked, then pressed again, “So you mean, there’s no one here you like?”
“Who would I even like?” Xie Mi asked with a smile.
Liu Woxing froze, then quickly shook her head. “Never mind then.”
This round, everyone folded except Xiao Jingxi.
The comments split: some cursing Xie Mi, others shipping CPs.
Only Xiao Jingxi sat there, fists clenched so hard his knuckles went white.
Next was Xiao Jingxi’s turn.
He seemed to have already prepared his line. “I came on this show specifically for one person.”
As soon as he said that, Xu Shuangrong shyly lowered her head again.
[Aaaahhh you two are killing me with sweetness!]
[You turned a game into a PDA session—but I love it hehe]
[Show off! Keep showing off! Show it all to Xie Mi!]
But no one noticed that while Xiao Jingxi spoke, his gaze was locked firmly on Xie Mi.
This time, Liu Woxing and Qiu Chengye folded a finger.
Xu Shuangrong didn’t, as expected.
Shen Yanqing also didn’t, which surprised everyone—netizens started speculating who he came for.
Xie Mi didn’t fold.
Xiao Jingxi’s frown relaxed slightly, a confident smirk tugging at his lips.
So it really was for him.
That meant her earlier behavior made sense—it was just playing hard to get.
But then Xie Mi bent that one upright finger halfway down, hesitated, then straightened it again… then bent it again.
Xiao Jingxi: “?”
“I actually did come here for someone. But that person didn’t show up. Does that still count?” Xie Mi asked.
She had come for You Hongxuan—but he never showed up.
“This…” Director Niu thought a moment. “It counts. The rule is simply ‘I came here for someone.’ Doesn’t matter if that person came or not.”
“Great.” Xie Mi confidently straightened her finger.
Xiao Jingxi’s mouth twitched.
Too much playing hard-to-get… wasn’t fun anymore.
Next was Shen Yanqing’s turn.
He pretended to think, then smiled faintly. “I once faked an injury for compensation.”
One-hit kill.
“You motherf—!” Victim Xie Mi exploded with rage.
The rest silently folded their fingers.
[Hahahahaha this is god-tier]
[I adore Mr. Shen’s twisted vibe. No one else on this show matches his frequency]
[No… I think Xie Mi does]
[They’re both insane]
As of now: Qiu Chengye and Liu Woxing had 1 finger left, Xu Shuangrong and Xiao Jingxi had 2, Shen Yanqing and Xie Mi had 3.
Then came Xie Mi’s turn.
“Let me keep it short.” Somehow Xie Mi had wandered to the center of the living room, with a little portable mic-speaker clipped to her waist like a tour guide.
Director Niu instinctively patted his own waist. “?”
Where the hell was his mic?
“As everyone knows, not long ago I got stabbed on the street,” Xie Mi’s voice came out through the speaker with a faint electric buzz.
“I want to share what I went through at that time.”
Everyone immediately understood—ah, here it comes, the sob story.
The comments was already flooding with [sob story], [seeking pity], [refuse whitewashing].
“It was dangerous… The small street had just been rained on, empty all around. The thug came at me with a blade, and I had no strength to resist.”
Xie Mi covered her mouth and choked up.
[So this is why she suddenly joined a romance show, huh]
[Oh look, crying now. Poor thing, so tragic]
“In that desperate moment…”
Xie Mi wiped away bitter tears. “I could only stab the automatic umbrella I was holding into his—”
Director Niu: “?!!!”
He didn’t know what she was about to say, but he had a terrible premonition!
With the fastest reflexes of his life, he rushed forward and shut off the camera aimed at Xie Mi, congratulating himself for his quick wits.
But then Xie Mi turned pitifully toward another camera.
“…into his chrysanthemum. And opened the umbrella.”
