Hell for the Socially Anxious

[These game rules are really forcing the guests to talk.]

[I can already picture the awkward conversations coming up, hahahaha!]

[What if someone has social anxiety?]

[This is hell for the socially anxious-]

As an INFJ-T with a severe tendency to overthink himself into exhaustion, Jiang Yumiao absolutely hated socializing.

The two-kilometer route could take half an hour at a leisurely pace.

Making him spend half an hour having awkward conversations with strangers would practically kill him. This game was even worse than those physical-contact games where you had to bite sticky notes off someone else's body. At least he could grit his teeth and get those over with.

Still, he had prepared himself mentally. After all, this was the first game of the season on the dating show. In the original novel, this very game was what drew the guests' attention to Lin Xu, the universally adored protagonist bottom.

Lin Xu was the youngest, just twenty-one, and a senior at the Conservatory of Music. But he was already a moderately well-known online singer, with several hit songs circulating on short-video platforms.

He was like a gentle breeze brushing past every guest, stirring ripples in their hearts.

Jiang Yumiao rather admired him. Only someone like that could become the center of a Shura Field and survive it. Jiang Yumiao knew he could never manage that. He couldn't be good to everyone. His attention could only focus on one person, and he only wanted to give his tenderness to someone he liked.

"Ding-dong-Your third mission is now being issued. During the game's question-and-answer round, please get the second male lead to select you as the guest he knows best and answer questions about your personal information."

Wh... what?

Jiang Yumiao's eyes widened in shock. Getting the second male lead to choose him meant he had to make Ning Chunchi willing to learn about his interests, daily habits, and other personal details.

He had assumed that even if the system issued a mission at this stage, it would be to pester the second male lead for information about his interests and habits, then select him as the guest he knew best during the quiz and successfully answer the questions.

Who could have imagined it wanted the second male lead to choose him instead!!!

Jiang Yumiao sneaked a glance at Ning Chunchi beside him. His expression was as mild as ever, betraying neither pleasure nor displeasure.

One look was enough to tell he was an unfathomable big shot.

If he had to answer questions about the big shot, he could throw caution to the wind and cling to him until he learned his preferences. But making the big shot learn about him, then voluntarily choose him during the quiz? If this was hell for the socially anxious, it had to be the deepest level.

Director Yang smiled, his eyes narrowing. "Everyone understood that, right? Please set off now. Your thirty-minute countdown starts now!"

Qin Yuan was the first to move, taking the lead. He looked as though he couldn't be bothered with anyone and only cared about reaching their destination.

Mu Yunzhi followed. He swept his gaze over the other guests with a casual smile, then set off too.

Lin Xu and Leng Haiyue hesitated before following Qin Yuan and Mu Yunzhi. They seemed to want to talk to them but couldn't find an opening. In the end, the two walked side by side and chatted with each other.

Seeing how fast Qin Yuan and Mu Yunzhi were walking, Yu He gave up on those two targets for now and wavered between Ning Chunchi and An Zhiwan.

Jiang Yumiao walked at the back, still trying to work out how to strike up a conversation with the second male lead.

He finally gathered his courage and was about to force himself to approach when Yu He chose his target and walked straight up to Ning Chunchi.

Jiang Yumiao's resolve instantly deflated. For now, he could only hang back, keeping a moderate distance behind the second male lead and Yu He.

"President Ning, what hobbies do you have? What's your favorite food? Your favorite color? What type of person do you like?" Yu He had no conversational finesse and opened with a barrage of questions.

"I read when I have time. I'm not picky about food, and I like white." Ning Chunchi seemed good-tempered as he casually answered Yu He's questions, but when he turned his head, he glanced out of the corner of his eye at Jiang Yumiao walking alone behind them. "As for my type... I like someone reserved, who won't deliberately come up with all sorts of excuses to get close to me."

The omega trailed hesitantly behind them. He seemed to want to come over and chat, but something was holding him back, and he only dared to maintain a certain distance.

What a shame. Those annoying glasses made it impossible to see the look in the omega's eyes.

If I ignored him, would his eyes turn red? Would he cry?

Just then, An Zhiwan suddenly doubled back and came up beside Jiang Yumiao, striking up a conversation. "Hi, Mr. Jiang."

"Huh?" Jiang Yumiao froze for a moment. He hadn't expected anyone to approach him, and hurriedly answered, "Hi!"

He hesitated again before saying, "There's no need to be so formal. Just call me by my name! I'm Jiang Yumiao. The Miao written with three water characters."

"I know your name. I memorized all the guests' names beforehand." An Zhiwan's smile was especially bright. "There isn't much information about you. You're pretty mysterious, so this is a perfect chance to get to know you."

No wonder this sweet puppy type had so many mom fans! Despite being an alpha, he lacked their usual aggressiveness. Even his wording was considerate, sparing others any embarrassment.

Jiang Yumiao knew his own résumé all too well. Calling him "mysterious" was already doing him a favor. Was there so little information because he was mysterious? No, it was because there was nothing worth writing about!

The body's original owner was currently twenty-three and had written three novels. His best-performing work had over a thousand bookmarks and a hundred comments, earning him a whopping ten yuan in royalties a day. He couldn't begin to compare with these exceptional talents.

Whatever An Zhiwan asked, Jiang Yumiao answered. Their back-and-forth turned out to be quite enjoyable.

An Zhiwan had just made Jiang Yumiao laugh when he suddenly felt a shiver all over, as though a dangerous large beast had its eyes on him.

He raised his head warily and looked ahead, but saw nothing beyond the backs of the second male lead and Yu He.

Perhaps he was being oversensitive. Jiang Yumiao scratched his head and brushed the feeling aside.

He hadn't forgotten that he still had a mission to complete. Although he felt bad toward An Zhiwan, who had taken the initiative to chat with him, he had actually been waiting for the spot beside the second male lead to open up so he could go over.

Yu He seemed satisfied with his questioning and headed happily toward Mu Yunzhi, ready to tackle his next target.

Jiang Yumiao truly envied Yu He. He wished he could be that socially fearless.

At some point, Lin Xu had moved to the front and was walking beside Qin Yuan. One was tall and solidly built, the other tall and slender. From behind, they looked like a good match.

With Yu He gone, Jiang Yumiao stared at the second male lead's back, wondering how to end his conversation with An Zhiwan.

An Zhiwan had an exceptionally high EQ. He immediately sensed Jiang Yumiao's distraction, took the initiative to end their conversation, and went ahead to find Leng Haiyue.

Jiang Yumiao was deeply touched. From now on, I'm a fan of this sweet puppy-no wonder you have so many mom fans!! What a considerate sweetheart.

Ten minutes had already passed. All the guests had long legs and weren't walking slowly, so they would probably arrive in another ten or fifteen minutes.

Jiang Yumiao steeled himself and jogged a couple of steps to the second male lead's side.

Ning Chunchi slowly looked over. His lips curved slightly as he gave him a nod and a polite, distant smile.

That gesture gave Jiang Yumiao a little courage. He closed his eyes briefly and went straight to the point. "President Ning, would you be willing to... get to know me?"

[...What is the guy with glasses saying?]

[Did I hear that right? He's asking President Ning to get to know him? Not offering to get to know President Ning?]

[You heard right, girl. I thought I was hearing things too!]

[He's got some nerve, expecting President Ning to take the initiative to get to know him. He just wants to use this opportunity to sell himself.]

[You go on a dating show to find a partner. If he doesn't sell himself, is he supposed to sit around waiting for someone to come to him?]

[I think he's pretty brave. He's really taking the initiative. If I had that much courage, maybe I could've landed my dream guy.]

Ning Chunchi was a little surprised too. He had thought the omega wanted to use this opportunity to ask him a pile of questions, just as Yu He had.

Instead, the omega wanted him to do the asking.

There had always been far too many people trying to win his attention, and he couldn't be bothered to indulge them.

Yet the person before him seemed to have a strange approach unlike anyone else's, every single time.

Clumsy, shy, eager.

Even more unexpected was...

Ning Chunchi raised an eyebrow as he glanced at the unruly little tuft of hair sticking up on Jiang Yumiao's head, a result of rushing over right after waking up.

He didn't find it all that unappealing.