[I wanted to ask too. What happened with Chen Sinian just now? I saw him rush back to his room, and he wouldn't let anyone follow.]
[No idea. After seeing fans talk about all the ways An Ruzhi liked Chen Sinian, I was about to ship them. What are we supposed to do now?]
[Wait and see?]
[We still have our Ruyin and Liao Xuliang, don't we? Go, Ruzhi and Xuliang!]
An Ruzhi, whose feelings were common knowledge, hadn't gone to find Chen Sinian. Qiao Yufan, however, went to find Xu Yuntong and asked, "What would you like to eat? I'm a pretty decent cook."
The implication was probably that he could cook for her.
Their teams had already discussed it: they would stir up a little dating buzz when the time came. After all, they were here partly to make money and partly to gain exposure so they could make even more money. They couldn't just do nothing.
Chen Sinian and Xiao Ziyao were too big for Xu Yuntong to reach. As for An Ruzhi, Qiao Yufan had heard she was some wealthy family's heiress, so he figured she definitely wouldn't be interested in him. Besides, everyone in the industry knew An Ruzhi had only asked her manager to get her onto this Dating Reality Show after hearing Chen Sinian would be participating.
She was clearly here for Chen Sinian.
He had no desire to become Chen Sinian's rival.
As for Xue Ruyin, there were plenty of stories about her in the industry. Practically every actor she'd worked with had been marketed as part of a couple with her, and that label was hard to shake. Their shippers were downright possessed, too. Whenever the actor got a little too close to someone else, they would tear into him until he eventually had to issue a clarification.
Once he clarified things, the shippers took it even worse, attacking the man so viciously it bordered on cyberbullying. Qiao Yufan didn't think he could afford to provoke them, so he'd never considered approaching her.
And Su Tangtang was genuinely a nobody. She hadn't even made their list of candidates. So he'd followed his manager's arrangements and contacted Xu Yuntong.
He just couldn't figure out what Chen Sinian was thinking. If he was already together with his financial backer, why come on this Dating Reality Show?
An Ruzhi wanted to know too. Her curiosity was killing her!
God only knew what she'd been through today. She genuinely liked Chen Sinian, though even she hadn't figured out whether she liked him as an idol or as a man.
If it was romantic attraction, she hadn't even thought of him when her best friend talked her into hiring ten male models.
But if she only liked him as an idol, why had she felt a little sad when Su Tangtang first dropped that bombshell?
Still, now that she thought it over carefully, she inexplicably felt a little tempted to ship the two of them.
After all, from what she'd learned about Chen Sinian over all these years, he wasn't someone who easily bowed to money and power. He'd suffered terribly when he first entered the industry. If he hadn't been willing, that financial backer would never have become his backer in the first place.
She trusted his taste. His financial backer had to be gorgeous!
She couldn't help it. She had absolutely no resistance to good-looking people.
With that thought, she stole a glance at Su Tangtang.
Perhaps sensing her gaze, Su Tangtang suddenly looked up at her. Seeing An Ruzhi staring, she quickly flashed her a huge smile.
This girl was loaded. I had to get on her good side!
That smile practically dazzled An Ruzhi. She froze for a long moment before dazedly turning her face away, her cheeks as red as a big apple.
An Ruzhi on the outside: she calmly continued sorting the vegetables.
An Ruzhi on the inside: Oh my god, how was she so pretty? I wanted to buy her every handbag in the world!
Su Tangtang had no idea what she was thinking. Once An Ruzhi looked away, she went back to her work.
[Huh? Who was our Ruzhi sneaking a look at just now? She blushed!]
[No need to guess. It had to be Chen Sinian!]
[Go, my Zhi and Nian ship!]
[Wait, why did that angle look like she was looking at Su Tangtang?]
[The main livestream showed everyone. She really was looking at Su Tangtang, and Su Tangtang even smiled at her.]
[I saw it too, but don't be too surprised, everyone. Our Ruzhi is a sucker for pretty faces. /facepalm/]
[One thing we have to admit: there's absolutely nothing to criticize about Su Tangtang's face!]
[Agreed with the comment above. As long as she doesn't cause trouble, "as long as she has that face, her throne is secure" really fits her.]
A few minutes later, Liao Xuliang and Xue Ruyin came up from the basement.
Although the cameras hadn't captured it, everyone there saw the two of them come up the stairs.
Still, without needing to discuss it, they all kept quiet.
Xue Ruyin approached with a smile and said, "Everyone's back? What tasty things did you buy?"
Only then did the cameras turn toward the two of them.
[Aaaaaah, Ruyin! Are you finally done with everything? I missed you so much!]
[Baby, give me a kiss. Mwah!]
[She showed up with Liao Xuliang! What were you two busy doing?]
The others exchanged glances at her question. Xu Yuntong spoke first. "We just bought a few things. You can come in and take a look."
"Sure," Xue Ruyin replied, stepping inside.
She had always been clever and knew how to craft her public persona. In front of the cameras, she was invariably friendly and approachable, which was why so many people liked her.
Liao Xuliang, meanwhile, stopped a few meters away from them. He didn't seem to have any intention of coming in to help.
Su Tangtang noticed and glanced up at him. [What's he standing there for? Isn't he going to come in and help?]
[Did that wheelbarrow position wear him out just now? Seriously? Is his stamina that bad?]
[Xue Ruyin was moaning pretty loudly, though. Was she faking it to please him?]
[She really went all out. She'd even act through that for career opportunities.]
Xue Ruyin, who had just reached Xu Yuntong's side to see what vegetables they'd bought: "?!"
She hurriedly turned and shook her head at Liao Xuliang, the panic in her eyes unmistakable.
I wasn't faking it!
Wait, did they all know what she'd done with Liao Xuliang in the storage room downstairs?
No wonder she'd thought the looks they gave her earlier were so strange...
As for Liao Xuliang, his expression had turned ugly. Worried that everyone really would think he had no stamina, he walked into the kitchen despite not wanting to.
Su Tangtang: [So his stamina's fine?]
[Then what was he standing there for? He just didn't want to work?]
The moment that thought occurred to her, Su Tangtang thought, [Fuck!]
[I didn't want to work either, but I still did it! Why should he get a pass? Does he think having money makes him special? He's not sharing any of it with me, so why should I indulge him? Unless he wants to transfer me a million and see!]
Liao Xuliang: "..."
Everyone else: "..."
Perhaps those words had given Liao Xuliang an idea. He turned to size up Su Tangtang, his gaze growing increasingly sleazy.
If she was willing to spend the night with me, a million wasn't out of the question.
With that thought, he started walking toward Su Tangtang.
Before you continue