The comments in Xie Mi's livestream were locked in a furious argument.
[I knew that trending hashtag didn't come out of nowhere. Xie Mi really does want to be the other woman.]
[Xie Mi accused Ruan Feng of sexual harassment, but isn't she doing the same thing? Using the three-legged race to grope Best Actor Xiao. Disgusting.]
[Aside from their tied ankles, there's half a meter between them. Where exactly is Xie Mi groping Xiao Jingxi?]
[Didn't you see her grab Best Actor Xiao just now?]
[All I saw was her punch Best Actor Xiao.]
[That's still physical contact! She's doing it on purpose. Who knows how much she'll cop a feel over these hundred meters? She must be loving it.]
[Exactly. The other two teams are almost halfway there, and they're still at the starting line. Obviously Xie Mi is dragging things out so she can touch Best Actor Xiao longer. We're all women here. Who does she think she's fooling?]
[Wasn't it Xiao Jingxi calling out the wrong foot that made Xie Mi nearly fall? Why are the comments so harsh on women?]
The haters bent on smearing Xie Mi couldn't care less about those details. They kept clamoring that Xie Mi was sexually harassing Xiao Jingxi, even flooding the chat with it.
But the scene on the livestream abruptly changed.
Xie Mi suddenly crouched, planted both hands on the ground, raised her hips, and assumed a starting position.
Xiao Jingxi frowned, but before he could say anything, Xie Mi shot forward like a wild horse let loose. His body lurched sideways, and he was yanked clean off his feet.
Even his eyes rolled back.
[Holy shit!!!]
[Xie Mi, you crazy woman, what are you doing?!]
Xie Mi tore along on all fours like a motor, kicking up dust everywhere she went. Xiao Jingxi became an accessory dangling from her leg, dragged along the entire way, his head thumping against the ground as his eyes rolled back.
Who was that waving to him?
Ah, his great-grandmother.
"Best-Actor-Xiao-!"
The crew screamed their lungs out.
"Why are you all just standing there? Get over there and save him!"
"I'm scared! Teacher Xie seems to be losing it again, boohoo."
"Best Actor Xiao is calling for help!"
"Best Actor Xiao is coughing up blood!!"
"Best Actor Xiao has passed out!!!"
Xie Mi cleared the finish line in a flying leap, claiming first place.
Sunlight spilled over her as she flashed a victorious smile.
"With no man in my heart, my sword strikes like a god!"
Behind her, the crew swarmed in, and Xiao Jingxi was carried away on a stretcher.
[...]
[Let's see anyone try saying Xie Mi is harassing Best Actor Xiao now.]
[After that, you think she likes Best Actor Xiao? If she likes him, I'll eat shit!]
[Just angling for a free meal, huh? [doge]]
[I'm seriously starting to think the gossip I read was fake. Pause the show. I need to investigate all over again.]
#With no man in my heart, my sword strikes like a god#
That trending hashtag successfully pushed down the original #Xie Mi Other Woman# tag.
Unconvinced, netizens went back to dig through the evidence. To their surprise, aside from the photo of Xie Mi and Xiao Jingxi on her phone that had first been leaked, there was nothing else linking the two.
All the rumors about Xie Mi fantasizing about him, fawning over him, and coming between the couple had been extrapolated by those shipping fans.
One person told ten, ten told a hundred, and after enough retelling, it became fact.
[Burning Chest Hair]: Looking at it this way, did I misunderstand Xie Mi again?
[Puppy Bento]: Suddenly I feel so bad for Xie Mi. People spread baseless rumors about her, and she even got stabbed. No wonder she lost it.
[No Sissy Boy]: My heart goes out to her.
[Sponge Baby]: So Xie Mi's name is cleared now? Then I'm going to start shipping. I've had my eye on her and Mr. Shen for ages, hehe.
[Want Some Radish]: Does nobody care about the injured Best Actor Xiao? Don't you think Xie Mi went a little too far?
[Heatproof White Rabbit]: Shuangrong and Mr. Shen got hurt too!
Nobody had expected a simple three-legged race to leave a full three people injured.
There was no need to elaborate on Xiao Jingxi, who had suffered the worst.
Shen Yeqing and Xu Shuangrong had been rather unlucky. Out of sync with each other, they had suddenly fallen together halfway through the race and both sprained their ankles.
"Mr. Shen isn't too bad, but Ms. Xu's injury is worse. She's twitching from the pain."
Listening to the crew's conversation, Xie Mi fell into thought.
Although the pairings had changed, the falling scene hadn't. Only the people involved had become Xu Shuangrong and Shen Yeqing.
Unlike in the original novel, however, they hadn't accidentally kissed as they fell. They had both gotten injured instead.
Interesting.
Because some of the guests had been injured, the production team gave everyone half a day to rest.
Filming resumed at six that evening.
"Please put on these watches." As they began, the assistant director brought out six watches.
"These are heart rate monitors. They track your heart rate in real time and ring whenever it goes above 120."
"This is our show's biggest selling point," Director Niu said smugly. "With these heart rate monitors on, you can't hide your feelings. When someone makes your heart race past the limit, the ringing will reveal what's in your heart."
[That's an interesting setup!]
[Then there's no way to fake it. Whoever you like, you like. It'll be obvious.]
[Now I'm kind of curious whose watch will ring first.]
"Now, everyone, please check your heart rates!"
As soon as Director Niu finished speaking, Xie Mi tapped her watch.
An adult's normal heart rate was generally between sixty and a hundred beats per minute. Hers was currently around sixty-five, perfectly steady.
In the original novel, these heart rate monitors had created quite a few iconic scenes.
During the middle and later parts of the show, Xiao Jingxi's watch had rung for Xu Shuangrong countless times, while hers remained silent. It wasn't until the final episode that Xu Shuangrong's watch had finally rung for Xiao Jingxi.
The readers had been put through the wringer.
"Oh, Best Actor Xiao's heart rate is already over a hundred. Who's making your heart flutter?" Qiu Chengye asked.
Liu Woxing playfully nudged Xu Shuangrong's shoulder. "Who could it be?"
"Oh, stop teasing me." Xu Shuangrong was thoroughly embarrassed.
Xiao Jingxi discreetly withdrew his gaze from Xie Mi and smiled at Xu Shuangrong.
[Aaaaaaaaaah!]
[Best Actor Xiao can't hide his feelings at all.]
[My baby is blushing so hard.]
[Jealousy makes your heart rate spike too, right? I'm kind of curious what Xie Mi's is right now.]
"Sixty-five?"
Shen Yeqing spoke at just the right moment. His gaze rested on Xie Mi's heart rate watch, the corners of his lips lifting slightly. "You're very calm, Teacher Xie."
"So are you." Xie Mi glanced at his watch. Around eighty-five.
Eighty-six, eighty-eight, ninety-two...
Huh? Why was it going up?
Shen Yeqing casually turned off his watch screen. "You seem very interested in me, Teacher Xie."
"I think you're the one interested in me," Xie Mi shot back.
Why was he turning it around on her?
[Xie Mi's heart rate is sixty-five? Solid proof she isn't interested in Xiao Jingxi.]
[Then let me be the first to ship these two. Do they have a ship name?]
[All aboard the Use Shen and Xie, Then Cast Them Away ship! Gather here!!]
[You really dare to ship them? Don't you think Xie Mi is reaching way above her league? Do you have any idea who Mr. Shen is? Xie Mi could act her whole life and still not earn a fraction of his fortune.]
[Xie Mi said Mr. Shen is interested in her... doesn't she feel embarrassed?]
"Yes."
When it came to proving netizens wrong, Shen Yeqing never spared any effort.
He looked down at her, his eyes brimming with amusement.
"I'm very interested in you, Teacher Xie."
Before you continue