Are You Naturally This Quiet?

Facing Lu Xingchuan's furious face.

Shen Yan smiled with perfect poise. "Society's leftover scraps are a lover's little pride!"

"You!" Lu Xingchuan's rage erupted.

"Allow me to explain?"

The man standing beside Shen Yan suddenly spoke.

He raised the card in his hand and gave it a shake.

"This card was given to us by the driver when we got in the car. He said it was a production team task and told us to play Truth or Dare in the car to break the ice. As it happened, this was the card Shen Yan drew before getting out."

The man showed everyone the card Shen Yan had drawn.

Shen Yan grinned at Lu Xingchuan. "I couldn't exactly hit a girl, much less hit Xie Li. To complete the task, I could only hit you. If Teacher Lu isn't happy about it, how about you just hold it in?"

Lu Xingchuan nearly died of anger.

But when he saw the cameraman getting out of the car, he guessed they really had been playing Truth or Dare.

After all, there had been a cameraman in their car as well, filming them the entire way.

Xie Li had not expected Shen Yan to make such a huge splash the moment he arrived.

And it would not hurt Shen Yan's reputation in the slightest. Instead, it only made Xie Li's earlier behavior look rather foolish.

Xie Li lightly pressed his lips together before saying to Shen Yan, "Sorry, I misunderstood you just now. I was wrong."

Watching Xie Li lower himself to apologize to Shen Yan, Lu Xingchuan felt the fire in his chest about to burn him alive. "What are you apologizing for? If he wants to hit someone, he'll find any excuse to do it. This isn't your fault."

He shot Shen Yan a cold glare. "He's just using this as an excuse."

Xie Li looked somewhat pitiful. "It was my fault. Seeing Shen Yan arrive late, I was afraid he was taking his anger out on the production team because of me... Anyway, I misunderstood."

Xie Li once again steered the topic back to Shen Yan being late.

After saying that, he looked at Shen Yan with pleading eyes. "Will you forgive me?"

[Ahhh, don't bully my baby!]

[Why is Shen Yan so awful? He can't have Lu Xingchuan, so he's taking it out on Xie Li? That's fucking disgusting!]

Xie Li looked at Shen Yan, waiting for him to speak.

Whether Shen Yan said he forgave him or not, it was a trap.

Either way, Xie Li would be able to recover the image he had just lost.

Shen Yan met Xie Li's gaze for a moment, then turned and jabbed his elbow at the man who had gotten out of the car with him. "Xie Li said you were late. Hurry up and apologize, or you'll have let the viewers down. You'll be trash with no manners."

[I'm so fucking mad I'm laughing! Why are you telling someone else to apologize? Why don't you apologize yourself!]

The man frowned slightly, lifted his wrist to check his watch, then turned to ask the director, "The required arrival time was nine thirty. After all this pointless babbling, it's now nine twenty, and I'm somehow late? Does your production team run on double standards? How shameless can you be?"

Xie Li's face stiffened at once.

Beside him, Shen Yan burst out laughing. "Hahahaha, so it was shamelessness after all!"

Xie Li truly looked as though he was about to cry.

[Fuck! Who is this guy? He's so annoying!]

[What's wrong with the production team? Even if they want ratings, they didn't need to invite such a disgusting guest, did they?]

[Did he say anything wrong? Xie Li insisted they were late. They weren't late, so they can't even argue back?]

[Xie Li was only being kind. What did he do wrong!]

The comments began fighting again.

At the filming location.

Xie Li looked pitifully at the man beside Shen Yan. "Did Shen Yan say something that made you misunderstand? Why do I feel like you dislike me a little?"

The man smiled at Xie Li. "No. We started playing the game arranged by the production team as soon as we got in the car, so we had no time to talk about irrelevant people. But your feeling isn't wrong either. I really do dislike you a little."

All the color drained from Xie Li's face.

His voice trembled. "Did I offend you?"

Lu Xingchuan's expression immediately changed. Filled with anger, he addressed the man before him in an unfriendly tone. "You can choose not to film. Why target a guest on the show and humiliate someone?"

The man looked at Lu Xingchuan. "He accused Shen Yan of abusing personal power without bothering to find out what happened, then kept insisting that we were late. He didn't exactly make us look good either. He wronged me, and I'm supposed to like him for it? I'm not that pathetic!"

[What a turnoff!]

[Such a petty, pathetic man. His life must be pretty miserable.]

[Is a man like this even worthy of saying he likes Xie Li?]

After speaking to Lu Xingchuan, the man nodded and smiled at Bai Jing and Song Qianshan beside him. "Hello, beautiful ladies. I'm Pei Heng, thirty years old. My life is rather unsatisfying—I'm merely the chairman of Huancheng Group, Licheng's richest company."

[...]

[...]

[Even if he's rich, he can't just bully people! So what if he's rich? Pah!]

Shen Yan looked at Lu Xingchuan and Xie Li, smiling with complete innocence. "Why did you suddenly stop talking? Are you naturally this quiet?"

Lu Xingchuan: ...

Xie Li had never imagined that on the very first day, he would offend Pei Heng in such a way.

This time, he truly could not hold it in any longer.

Tears immediately spilled from his eyes. His eyes were red, his face pale, and anyone who saw him would find him heartbreakingly fragile.

He took a step forward, choking out through trembling sobs, "President Pei, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I was just too afraid Shen Yan would misunderstand me..."

Pei Heng did not even make a sound. He merely looked toward the director.

Director: ...

My god!

He had to be cursed for eight lifetimes!

He had clearly invited Pei Heng's younger brother, Pei Ning.

Rumor had it that Pei Ning also liked Xie Li. With Lu Xingchuan, Shen Yan, and Pei Ning all together, he did not dare imagine how incredible the show's effects would be.

As the director, he could hardly imagine how lively he would get!

But then!

This morning, just as they were setting out, there had been a last-minute change: Pei Ning had been so excited that he developed an irregular heartbeat and was hospitalized.

For the sake of honoring the contract.

Pei Heng, the mighty head of Huancheng Group, had personally come to take his brother's place!

You really didn't need to take the contract this seriously!

Taking a deep breath, the director raised a hand and waved it.

A true warrior dared to face a blood-soaked reality!

With a smile on his face and even a faint broadcaster's cadence in his voice, the director held his head high and chest out. "All right, welcome to This Is a Dating Show. Since everyone is having so much fun, let's begin today's first little game!"

[...]

[Since everyone is having so much fun]

"To help everyone get to know one another better, our first little game is—"

"Ta-da-da-da!"

As the director's impassioned words fell.

The staff wheeled over a small cart.

A sign stood on the cart.

The sign displayed glittering words: Truth or Dare.

[Fuck!]

[Hahahahahahahaha, fucking Truth or Dare!]

[Why aren't Xie Li and Lu Xingchuan's fans talking? Are they naturally this quiet?]