What incredible mental fortitude!

"There will be three dates tonight, from seven to ten. You'll gather once every hour to draw lots again for new pairings."

"Since there's one extra female guest, one woman will sit out each round. Whoever sits out can watch the other three dates on the monitors in the lounge."

After explaining the dating rules, Director Niu suddenly added another condition.

"You also have a task."

"Find a way to make your date's heart flutter tonight, with a ringing bell as proof. Complete the task, and you'll get a voucher for tomorrow's hotel breakfast. Fail, and you won't get breakfast."

[You really know how to stir up drama.]

[Not just random dates, but multiple rounds of them, switching partners every hour. Even a player couldn't compete with you.]

[And they have to make their dates' hearts flutter! How could this not cause drama?]

[Brilliant! Give this man a reward!]

The livestream viewers were brimming with anticipation, but the guests on the bus each had their own concerns.

Director Niu had come up with a great gimmick. He just hadn't given much thought to whether they survived it.

"Let's start the first draw!"

Xie Mi immediately sat up straight, fixing her eyes on the drawing tube making its way toward her.

Noticing her unusual fighting spirit, Shen Yeqing raised an eyebrow.

"You seem very enthusiastic, Teacher Xie. Is there someone you're interested in?"

Xie Mi's eyes sparkled. "Breakfast!"

"...An utterly unsurprising answer."

[That's our girl.]

[Everyone else came on a dating show to find love. Sister Xie came to eat.]

[I'm dying, hahahahaha.]

The results of the first draw were out, and Director Niu loudly announced the pairings.

"Shen Yeqing and Liu Woxing! Qiu Chengye and Lai Bingxuan! Xiao Jingxi and Xu Shuangrong!"

Having failed to hear her own name, Xie Mi instantly wiped the grin off her face. Still refusing to give up, she asked, "What about me?"

"You're sitting out!"

Fine, fine, fine. Fine, fine, fine, fine, fine.

[What a thoroughly satisfying set of pairings.]

[Forget making everyone happy. They've managed to make everyone unhappy. I nearly blacked out watching this.]

[The dead Xiao Rong ship has risen again! Even heaven favors this couple. I ship them so hard!!]

[Maybe the new pairings will have new chemistry. Honestly, mixing everyone up is what makes dating shows fun. What's the point of locking in couples right away?]

[In a forgotten corner, our girl Sister Xie is brooding all alone.]

Once they arrived at the music festival, the three pairs headed out on their dates with their assigned producers.

Only Xie Mi sat all alone in the monitoring room, staring at three large screens. All this desolate scene needed was "Snowflakes Drifting" playing in the background.

Watching her, Director Niu smiled triumphantly.

Watching three couples get lovey-dovey all by herself-what a cruel punishment.

Perhaps the shock would finally awaken Teacher Xie's romantic instincts, and she would start taking the dating show seriously. Then his goal would be achieved!

But before Director Niu could enjoy his secret glee for long, Xie Mi slumped back in her chair, pulled out a handful of sunflower seeds, crossed her legs, and checked out.

Sitting out meant a paid break. Besides, she still had two more chances to earn breakfast.

Even in the worst-case scenario, if she sat out all three rounds, what was stopping her from stealing someone else's breakfast?

No mental anguish. If something comes up, just go feral.

Director Niu: "?"

She was actually unfazed. What incredible mental fortitude!

To fight back against Xie Mi, he turned the sound on all three screens up to maximum, attempting a 360-degree surround-sound assault of romantic sweetness.

On-screen, Xiao Jingxi and Xu Shuangrong walked side by side through the noisy crowd. Neither spoke, and the atmosphere was a little awkward.

Xiao Jingxi broke the silence first. "About the drama promotions earlier..."

"That's all in the past."

Xu Shuangrong interrupted softly, smiling. "All our interactions during the promotions were part of normal publicity work. I was the one who failed to sort out my feelings and overstepped some boundaries. It won't happen again."

Xiao Jingxi frowned.

Xu Shuangrong's attempt to draw a clear line between them left an unpleasant feeling in his chest.

Especially after he had watched the show and learned that Xu Shuangrong might like him.

Although the person he liked was Xie Mi, he wasn't averse to a kind, resilient girl like Xu Shuangrong.

"What I meant was that even though the promotions are over, we can still be friends. I don't want this to make things awkward between us."

"Of course we're friends."

Xu Shuangrong smiled brightly. "As your friend, I'll help get you and Teacher Xie together. And in return, when I get to know the other male guests later, you have to help me too."

She held out her slender pinkie, her laughter clear as a silver bell.

"It's a promise. Pinkie swear~"

Xiao Jingxi was momentarily dazed, and the heart rate displayed on his wrist silently began to climb.

[Waaah, has the Xiao Rong CP officially gotten a bad ending?]

[Sigh. At least it ended gracefully. Better than that online fight a while back.]

[Why do I feel like this is another beginning instead? Somehow, the atmosphere between them feels even more romantic than before.]

[I get it now! Xiao Rong has the angsty romance script! There's definitely more to look forward to later!!]

[Exactly, Best Actor Xiao. Stop staring at Old Xie and look at someone else. You deserve someone better, not the very best, like Xie Mi.]

In the monitoring room, Xie Mi munched on sunflower seeds and watched with relish.

Xu Shuangrong had played that hard-to-get move well. She had Xiao Jingxi wrapped around her finger in no time.

Xiao Jingxi's wavering was expected, too.

She still remembered how the original novel described him:

{Although Xiao Jingxi had dated Xie Mi for two years, he had always found her personality rather dull. So the moment he met Xu Shuangrong, he developed an intense interest in her.

Xu Shuangrong was like a tenacious blade of grass. Despite being in the entertainment industry, where all sorts mingled, she had never yielded to its darkness.

For some inexplicable reason, he wanted to give her a helping hand, so he asked his company to promote them as a couple.}

Simply put, Xiao Jingxi had already been emotionally cheating.

Yet whenever the original Xie Mi confronted him, all he would say was, "The company arranged it," or, "We're only promoting a ship." Then he would blame everything on her jealousy, absolving himself completely.

That was why Xie Mi had posted hundreds of furious comments railing against him back when she was a reader.

Xiao Jingxi had only redirected his romantic interest toward her now because he was angry that someone had taken what he considered his property.

Meanwhile, there was Shen Yeqing and Liu Woxing's date.

They were watching an indoor live performance. The guy onstage whipped his long hair around as he sang heavy metal, while the fans below screamed at the top of their lungs.

Only those two remained quiet, smiling as though the world's clamor had nothing to do with them.

After listening for a while, they took out their phones in unspoken agreement and began tapping away.

The eagle-eyed viewers in the chat made an appearance.

[It's too loud there, so they must be typing to talk!]

[Does that mean they've already added each other on WeChat? These two have potential!]

[Sometimes the most unexpected ships are the ones that actually happen. I'm investing in this underdog first!]

[I demand that the cameraman show us their phone screens. What are they talking about? Aaaah, I need to know!]

As everyone wondered, Xie Mi's phone in the monitoring room suddenly sounded twice.

"Quack, quack-"