More Gossip Already?

An Ruzhi shuddered at the thought of what Liao Xuliang and his ex-ex-ex-girlfriend had done in his father's room. Hearing her speak, she immediately asked Su Tangtang beside her, "Tangtang, are you going shopping?"

Rather than stay here watching their goosebump-inducing interactions, she might as well tag along with Su Tangtang for some gossip!

The others seemed to feel the same way. As soon as she spoke, they all turned toward Su Tangtang.

As for Su Tangtang herself: "?"

[Wait, why are you all looking at me?]

[Hey, those looks could really give people the wrong idea!]

[Anyone who didn't know better would think I was the biggest star here calling the shots, and you were the obedient nobodies!]

Everyone: "..."

None of them spoke. They just kept looking at her.

She replied with a cheerful smile, "Anything works for me. I'll go along with whatever you arrange."

In the end, Liao Xuliang and Xue Ruyin stayed at the villa, while the other six went shopping together.

[So my Ruzhi and Xuliang ship is real, right?]

[He said he had something to do, and she immediately stayed to keep him company. How is that not real?]

[Time to start shipping them, folks!]

[A warmhearted, wealthy founder's son × a gentle, beautiful star. I am so here for this couple!]

After saying goodbye to Liao Xuliang and Xue Ruyin, the others grabbed their things and headed out to the entrance, ready to leave.

According to the cue board held up by the production crew, they were supposed to travel in the cars provided by their generous sponsor.

At that point, someone asked, "One car for the guys and one for the girls? Or should we choose who we go with?"

The others opened their mouths to respond, only to suddenly hear an "Oh-ho!"

"?!!"

What?

More gossip already?!

Qiao Yufan raised a fist to his lips and gave a light cough. "Personally, I think choosing each other would be better. If anyone picks each other, they can pair up."

[Hahaha, that direct? I love it!]

[Me too! I love someone who cuts straight to the chase!]

[Let's go, my Zhi and Nian ship!]

[Personally, I think this is a great suggestion too. So far, aside from knowing that Liao Xuliang and Xue Ruyin are into each other, and that An Ruzhi likes Best Actor Chen, I can't tell what any of the others are thinking.]

[+1, but that's pretty normal, isn't it? Some of them have only just met for the first time, after all. Judging by looks alone seems too shallow to me.]

However, many people started regretting their approval soon after posting those comments.

Because Chen Sinian said, "Then I choose Su Tangtang."

He wanted to see what other explosive gossip she had!

An Ruzhi objected, her arm still linked through Su Tangtang's. "No, I want to go with Tangtang."

Choosing each other didn't mean she couldn't choose another girl, anyway.

At that moment, the advantage of being a girl became clear. Xu Yuntong quickly came over and linked her arm through Su Tangtang's other arm. "I want to choose Tangtang too!"

With both arms held by them like a criminal being escorted by the police, Su Tangtang went, "???"

[What? What?]

[What's going on?]

(՞•Ꙫ•՞)ﾉ???

The live comments filled with question marks too.

[It's staged. It's definitely staged!]

[Looks like Su Tangtang's sugar daddy is someone pretty powerful /popcorn/]

[Can someone spill the details? I want to take a look!]

[Where are all the paparazzi? Come out and expose her!]

"Then how about all six of us walk there together?" Qiao Yufan suddenly suggested after a moment's thought.

The others unanimously nodded in agreement.

What a great idea!

Su Tangtang: "??"

[Wait, are you sure?]

[It's the fucking height of summer, three or four in the afternoon, and thirty-seven or thirty-eight degrees out. You want to walk there together?!]

[Sure enough, these people are all fucking nuts!]

ヽ(艹皿艹)ノ

The five people who were nuts: "..."

They ignored her inner voice. An Ruzhi and Xu Yuntong kept hold of her arms and headed toward the residential complex's gate with her.

But even after everyone waited ages, they still didn't hear any follow-up to Su Tangtang's "Oh-ho!"

They all began shooting her resentful looks. Su Tangtang, can you deliver or not?

If not, start flipping through that book!

[Hahahaha, see? I told you they were all acting.]

[Does Su Tangtang really think creating this universally adored persona will whitewash everything she did before and win the audience over?]

[All I can say is that it'll only backfire!]

[Honestly, the more everyone plays along with this persona she's building, the more I dislike her!]

[Daily question: when is Su Tangtang getting out of showbiz?]

After they had walked quite a distance, Su Tangtang finally noticed something off about the way they were looking at her.

"???"

[Wait, wasn't this your fucking choice?]

[I'm so timid I don't even dare say a word. What right do you have to look at me like that?!]

[Fuck, am I being bullied at work?]

[I'm noting this down. Once we get back, I'm digging through every bit of gossip about them, right down to eighteen generations of their ancestors. Hmph! Let's see if they dare bully me again!]

(ノ=Д=)ノ┻━┻

Everyone: "..."

Had they just been threatened?

They exchanged looks, the message in their eyes unmistakable: No idea.

[Still, I don't think I finished reading that last piece of gossip.]

The five of them immediately glanced at her without thinking. Here it comes, here it comes. Finally.

Well, thank you so much for remembering after keeping us hanging for so long.

They all pricked up their ears, their gazes blazing and their eyes as resolute as if they were taking an oath to join the Party.

Su Tangtang: [Which piece of gossip was it again?]

She kept flipping and flipping. She had read so much gossip today that she had started forgetting it.

[I think it had something to do with Chen Sinian. Let me see.]

Chen Sinian: "..."

How about you don't?

If he had known before they set off that this gossip concerned him, he would never have agreed to walk with them, not even at gunpoint.

[Oh, oh, I remember! Bai Zhitao, who was just officially announced on Weibo as the female lead of his new drama, actually committed tax evasion!]

[This drama hasn't even started filming yet, but it won't be able to air in the future. Should I tell him? After all, it's the whole crew's hard work. They've only just begun preparations and haven't filmed anything yet, so there's still time to save it.]

The other four turned toward Chen Sinian when they heard that.

Chen Sinian's expression had abruptly darkened. His manager had just messaged him about this. The director of the new drama had decided at the last minute to officially announce the male and female leads, saying he wanted to capitalize on the buzz around this dating show.

He truly couldn't understand what there was to capitalize on. His own reputation spoke for itself, after all. He hadn't had a flop in years.

Besides, the drama was adapted from a novel aimed at male readers, with a male protagonist and a plot-driven story. It wasn't about shipping a couple. Announcing it at this particular moment wasn't necessarily a good thing.

Who knew whether some people might react negatively because of this dating show?