A deathly silence fell over the car.
Seemingly realizing that he had crossed a line, Xiao Jingxi offered a high-minded explanation. "We're all colleagues. It's only right to care about each other."
It convinced absolutely no one.
Xu Shuangrong smoothed things over again, smiling. "Jingxi, you're as kind as ever."
The shippers in the comments, however, were already furious.
[Caring? Is that any of your business? Can you keep your hands to yourself?]
[No, I don't get it. What the hell is this guy doing?]
[Can't you see Shuangshuang right beside you? And you're fussing over Xie Mi??]
[When Xie Mi starts clinging to you again, don't come crying!]
Amid the flood of angry comments, one pointed out something crucial.
[Has nobody noticed that Best Actor Xiao has barely interacted with Xu Shuangrong since yesterday's date ended?]
That comment made quite a few viewers realize it too.
That was right. They hadn't exchanged a single word after returning to the villa last night, and once the fan-community interactions were over, they had gone back to their respective rooms and never come out again.
This morning, they had eaten breakfast at different times before getting into the production team's car.
They hadn't even spoken in the car!
[Holy shit, you're right! What's going on?]
[Weren't they doing fine on their date yesterday? They held hands, and Best Actor Xiao even started calling her Shuangshuang. They were so sweet together.]
[Did they fight? That can't be right. It was livestreamed the whole time, and we never saw a fight.]
[I specifically went back to watch the recording. They were talking normally in the car on the way back, then suddenly stopped speaking once they got to the villa. What the hell?]
[Maybe after going on a date with Xu Shuangrong, Best Actor Xiao realized he didn't like her that much, so he started distancing himself?]
That comment undoubtedly hit a nerve with the shippers.
They descended on the commenter en masse.
[What makes you think there's anything wrong with Shuangshuang?]
[You can be held legally responsible for spreading rumors!]
[Best Actor Xiao and Shuangshuang both checked their phones along the way. They must have argued over text and just couldn't show it on camera. Isn't it perfectly normal for couples to fight and give each other the silent treatment?]
[Exactly. Best Actor Xiao suddenly fussed over Xie Mi today to make Shuangshuang jealous. Sure, that's not a great way to handle it, but men can be childish sometimes.]
[...]
Seeing how delusional the shippers had become, the casual viewer they had piled onto couldn't be bothered to argue and went back to watching the show.
Whatever the truth was, the show would reveal it eventually.
The production team's car stopped outside a book café.
Although the book café was in the city, it sat on a quiet, flower-lined street, peaceful and relaxing.
Xie Mi finally woke up. She stretched extravagantly without a care for appearances, then opened her eyes to find everyone staring at her.
The atmosphere was a little strange.
She had no idea what had happened, but something certainly seemed to have happened.
Still, Xie Mi had no intention of asking. She simply burst into song. "Every time, I try to act so stubborn~~ But when I face myself, I lay down my arms and surrender~~"
Everyone jolted and immediately looked away.
Xie Mi curled her lips in triumph.
When someone tried to make you feel awkward, you just had to make everyone else feel awkward first.
[Hahahahaha, I'm dying. Girl, what a beautiful state of mind.]
[Girl, what tune are you even singing?]
[Xie, don't sing! We're on your side!]
[Will you people give it a rest? Xie Mi's singing isn't awful. It just isn't good. If you sang it yourselves, you might not even sound as bad as her.]
[You didn't spare her either.]
"Everyone, you can get out now!" Director Niu called from outside.
They got out in seating order. When Xie Mi's turn came, a hand suddenly reached out in front of her.
It was Xiao Jingxi.
"?" Xie Mi wasn't about to indulge him. "Have you lost your mind?"
Xiao Jingxi paused, then explained, "You didn't sleep well last night. I was worried you might be unsteady on your feet."
"Well, that's just wonderful, but you should try a different approach. Like kneeling on the ground with both hands planted, then putting on a squeaky voice and shouting, 'Welcome back to the palace, Your Majesty!'"
With that, Xie Mi got out of the car, ignoring his hand hanging in midair.
Xiao Jingxi frowned, still not quite processing it.
Beside him, Shen Yeqing had already laughed aloud.
"She's calling you a eunuch."
Xiao Jingxi's face instantly turned green.
The whole episode had made him a laughingstock, but he wasn't the only one feeling awkward. Xu Shuangrong, standing nearby, was too.
When Xu Shuangrong had gotten out just now, Xiao Jingxi hadn't gentlemanly offered her a hand.
"Are you okay?" Liu Woxing asked softly.
Xu Shuangrong's face was a little pale, but she still shook her head with a smile. "I'm fine."
Her frail figure looked ready to topple in the wind.
Liu Woxing said nothing and simply tightened her grip on Xu Shuangrong's hand.
[Enough! My heart hurts for Shuangshuang!]
[Best Actor Xiao, can't you see Shuangshuang is about to cry? We know you're trying to make her jealous, but there's a time and place! Aren't you just humiliating her?]
[Ugh, I can't with these men. Can't they just swallow their pride first?]
[Ummm... am I the only one who thinks something has actually gone wrong between them? If Xiao Jingxi really wanted to make Xu Shuangrong jealous, wouldn't he at least check her reaction? But he hasn't even glanced at her.]
[Xie fan above? Stop making a nuisance of yourself here. Go back to your own livestream, okay? [Rose]]
[?????]
Led by the production team, they entered the book café.
The interior was spacious and quiet, spanning three full floors. The tables were set far apart, leaving plenty of privacy.
It was an ideal place for an afternoon of reading.
"This is the venue for today's 'blind dates.'"
Director Niu stopped and introduced the surroundings before continuing, "Today's mock blind dates are designed to test your understanding of marriage."
"Please take these dates seriously and speak to your partners with marriage genuinely in mind."
"Our psychology experts will assess your views on marriage based on how you behave during the dates."
It was an intriguing concept, and everyone showed keen interest as they headed to their assigned private rooms one after another.
But only after all the guests had gone upstairs did Director Niu turn to the viewers with a conspiratorial explanation.
"Actually, what I just told them was only a cover story."
"The real purpose of these mock blind dates is to test the guests' patience."
"To that end, we've specially invited six ordinary people to serve as their dates. They'll deliberately try to provoke the guests during these meetings."
"Knowing they're being filmed, will the guests lose their temper on the spot, or will they put up with it to maintain their image?"
Director Niu's smile was decidedly sly.
The comments immediately exploded.
[You sure know how to stir things up!]
[I knew it. With Director Niu's track record, there was no way he'd settle for a simple blind date. So this was what he had up his sleeve.]
[Hahahahaha, so we're seeing who can put up with the most?]
[I have a question. What if someone genuinely has a good temper and doesn't get angry?]
Director Niu had an answer for that too.
"Don't forget that everyone is wearing a heart-rate monitor on their wrist."
"When you're angry, your heart rate fluctuates too."
Before you continue