Night of the Paperbush Tree 2

So he volunteered to be the first one out to tie a red string onto a Paperbush tree.

With the principle of getting off work early in mind, Shen Ranxin headed for the Paperbush grove without looking back.

Every Paperbush tree had a name tag bearing a guest's name to distinguish them.

Without hesitation, Shen Ranxin tied his red string to Cheng Cheng's Paperbush tree.

Looking at the red string on the tree, Shen Ranxin sighed softly.

Awesome. He had survived another day.

Although he had transmigrated into a novel and knew every plot point of the original story, the plot had now fallen apart so badly even its own mother would not recognize it.

By all rights, Lu Zhi and Cheng Cheng should have been inseparable by now.

Yet those two had just spent half an hour at the dinner table snidely mocking each other over "whose peeled shrimp for Shen Ranxin tasted better."

Why, exactly?

As a straight man who had been single since birth, Shen Ranxin simply could not figure it out.

Could it be that they wanted him, the tool character, to make both leads jealous over him and thereby advance their relationship?

Damn? After being sun-dried for one hundred and eighty days, the Zhenjiang black vinegar turned out to be me?

The barrage harshly condemned Shen Ranxin for tying his red string to Cheng Cheng's tree.

[God damn it, President Lu is going to shatter again!]

[Trigger the Shen Ranxin keyword and he automatically enters Like Cheng Cheng Mode, but I believe he definitely belongs to our Young Master Lu!]

[Shen Ranxin, may this faithful woman live in a mansion, drive luxury cars, and enjoy a balanced diet of meat and vegetables for life—just let Lu Zhi have you!]

[You really refuse to suffer even a little, huh.]

[Honestly, I really want to know what President Lu's expression will be when he sees Shen Ranxin's red string hanging on Cheng Cheng's tree.]

[You'd better not think about it. I feel like President Lu will go crazy! I think he dragged Shen Ranxin away at noon because he was jealous. The doctor said Shen Ranxin's gland had been bitten to pieces—everyone knows what kind of situation makes someone bite a gland! Honestly, President Lu really is like a big dog guarding his food...]

[What good does me understanding do?! Shen Ranxin, I hate that you're so dense!]

After Shen Ranxin finished hanging his string, Cheng Cheng was next.

He got his wish and saw Shen Ranxin's red string hanging from his tree. A smile curled across his puppy-dog eyes, and he practically jogged to Shen Ranxin's tree to hang up his own red string.

[What kind of Asura field is this? Family, who understands? The CP I ship became rivals in love.]

[The little couple is playing some kinky game, right?! They have to be!! They're both pretending to like Shen Ranxin, acting like Shen Ranxin has them wrapped around his finger, but really, they just like spinning in circles themselves!! They have their own rhythm! My Orange CP will never end!!!!]

[It's over, another Lu Zhi and Cheng Cheng shipper has gone insane. Drag them away and feed them three minutes of Shen Ranxin's gorgeous highlight clips.]

[Enemies to lovers is great, but who the hell told you to turn it around?!]

[This dating show is unreal. Watch it and you'll be left speechless every time. These two brothers are constantly competing for Shen Ranxin's attention. President Lu has practically turned himself into a flamboyant peacock.]

[Times have changed. Back in the day, where could I have watched a billionaire spread his peacock feathers for me every day?]

Gu Yifei was the third to come out.

To the audience's utter shock, Gu Yifei hesitated before hanging his own red string on Shen Ranxin's tree as well.

[May I ask what this show is called? Is it Instant Heartbeat?]

[No, sir, over here it's called Only Heartbeat for Shen Ranxin.]

[No, sir, over here it's called Shen Ranxin and His Harem.]

[...The world is one giant Love and Shen Ranxin.]

[Ahhhhh, baby! Baby, don't do it! Lu Zhi is a green tea bitch and Cheng Cheng is a white lotus. You can't beat them, ahhhhh!!!]

[When did Gu Yifei go blind?]

[I ship it!!!]

[Don't eat weird things, hey!]

[Is it really not good? Violent, aloof beauty top VS spoiled, tsundere little pop star...]

[This CP is more cursed than Gu Yifei's songs.]

Jiang Ye was the fourth to come out.

He held his red string and had originally planned to go to Fang Yu's Paperbush tree, but when he reached the grove and looked—

Good lord, every single ribbon was fluttering from Shen Ranxin's tree!

He stopped hesitantly.

Why had everyone hung their ribbons beneath Shen Ranxin's tree?

Could there be some hidden trick to it?

For example, if he hung a red ribbon on Shen Ranxin's tree, he could team up with Shen Ranxin tomorrow!

Thinking of Shen Ranxin's outrageous moves and the production team's endless tricks for screwing people over,

Jiang Ye steadied himself.

The production team had fooled him too many times already! Everyone said his brain could not make turns! Today, he absolutely had to win one back!

They're all hanging theirs on Shen Ranxin's tree, so I'll do the same!

There couldn't be anything wrong with following everyone else!

He turned on his heel, confidently hung his red string on Shen Ranxin's tree, then strutted away with his chest puffed out.

[...The kid doesn't think this is a game where you hang your ribbon on whoever has the most ribbons, does he?]

[Looking at the struggle on Captain Jiang's face, I swear he absolutely did not understand the rules!]

[Captain Jiang used all the cleverness of his entire life tonight. Too bad he used it wrong.]

[This isn't a dating show! Please note! This isn't a dating show! This is a massive harem drama, The Legend of Shen Ranxin!]

Fang Yu was fifth. Holding his red string, he stared wide-eyed at the scene before him.

Other than Cheng Cheng's tree, where a single red string swayed lonely in the wind, all the others had coincidentally been hung on Shen Ranxin's tree.

Fang Yu fell silent for a moment, his face toward the camera somewhat bewildered.

Even after years in the entertainment industry, he had never seen a scene like this. Though it was his first time on a dating show, he had not eaten pork, but surely he had seen pigs run before?

Other dating shows were not like this either!

Shouldn't everyone be polite on the first day and make sure every guest's tree had a string before anything else?

Fang Yu took two steps, decided to follow local custom, and hung his red string on Shen Ranxin's tree too.

The production team standing off to the side was worried sick.

Their original purpose in inviting Shen Ranxin was to create buzz for Lu Zhi and Cheng Cheng, making him an obstacle on their road to love. That was what would make the show interesting.

Now look at this. The obstacle was too tall and had tripped both Lu Zhi and Cheng Cheng. Not only had they failed to get back up, they were preparing to lie down and live their lives with the obstacle!

Lu Zhi had been arranged to go last. Director Chen did not even need to think about who would receive that final red string. Just as he was regretting that there would be nothing exciting tonight, Lu Zhi walked over.

He went to Cheng Cheng's tree!

The production team exchanged looks, seeing shock and wild delight in one another's eyes!

Could it be!!!

Finally!!!

President Lu's eyes had finally been cured?!! Was he about to discover his hidden feelings for Cheng Cheng?! Was their show finally getting back on track?!!

Director Chen wept tears of joy. "Quick, arrange more camera positions and film from every angle! Make sure every angle is crystal clear! Contact the editing department and get ready—we have to cut this footage to give it that sense of destiny!!!"

On the barrage, the CP fans of Lu Zhi and Cheng Cheng, long thought dead, emerged as well and set off fireworks in celebration.

The staff quickly sprang into action.

Lu Zhi walked beneath Cheng Cheng's tree and raised his hand...

Then yanked down the red ribbon belonging to Shen Ranxin that hung on Cheng Cheng's tree.

Director Chen: "..."

Staff: "..."

I had twelve camera positions ready for full, immersive coverage.

And this is what you let me watch????