Lin Xi climbed up off the ground, his eyes shining as he looked at Su Mian.
"Su Mian, this is already the second time you've saved me. I think we really could get to know each other better."
Su Mian stayed in character. "Huh? Did everything I said in the room earlier go to waste? We're not compatible. I find you utterly repulsive."
Beside them, Duan Xuanyu, who had been about to throw another knife, silently lowered it.
Lin Xi's Disgust Points also shot up to 30 because of that remark.
Damn it! She really was still that gold digger!
Although he was one hundred percent confident that he could make Su Mian fall for him just by revealing his identity now.
But he didn't want to do that!
He wanted Su Mian to see his appeal beyond his money!
Lin Xi said, "I'm six-foot-one with eight-pack abs. Those don't count as strengths? You'd have to get in line even if you wanted to pursue me now!"
Su Mian said, "The only time I get in line is for public toilets at tourist attractions."
Lin Xi's Disgust Points: 60.
He no longer wanted to interact with Su Mian or get to know her at all. "Don't regret this!"
Once his identity was revealed, he wouldn't look back even if Su Mian begged him in tears!
Hmph!
Lin Xi stormed off, so angry that he never even thought to investigate where that knife had come flying from.
Su Mian glanced at the Disgust Points panel and breathed a sigh of relief.
Good, good.
Although this man's Disgust Points kept resetting to zero at the drop of a hat, his emotions were hers to manipulate.
Her barrage of remarks that had stabbed him right in the lungs back in the room had pushed them up to 90 in one go.
If that fire hadn't suddenly broken out, she would definitely have maxed them out easily.
Tomorrow, she would find a chance to max them out in one go!
Right now, she had another matter to deal with.
She pulled the throwing knife out of the wall and walked over to Duan Xuanyu.
With the livestream interrupted, she hurried to explain things to him.
"You can't just kill people! Have you remembered anything I told you? You'll be executed by firing squad."
Duan Xuanyu asked blandly, "Not even assassination? When nobody's looking."
"No!"
"All right." Duan Xuanyu reluctantly agreed and held out his hand to her. "Give me a phone. I want to play on a phone."
Su Mian said, "I don't have one. Everyone handed their phones over to the director."
Duan Xuanyu said, "Why does that Lady Fang have a phone? I saw her using one."
"What? She has a phone?"
Duan Xuanyu nodded.
Su Mian clicked her tongue.
She really was the production team's darling, secretly keeping a phone so she could exchange information with the boss whenever she wanted.
Tomorrow, she had to find a chance to expose her!
Su Mian said, "She's breaking the rules. We're not following her example. Also, women have very high status in our era. Every woman can have her own name. You need to call women by their names too, not 'Lady So-and-so.'"
"Fine." Duan Xuanyu looked down at her and suddenly called out earnestly, "Su Mian."
Su Mian froze, then raised her head and met his burning gaze.
She hurriedly took two steps back.
When she had first met Duan Xuanyu, he had still been a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old hostage prince who always called her "Big Sister."
Later, after he returned to his country and ascended the throne, he had always addressed her as "Empress," even before the formal ceremony had been held.
This was the first time he had called her by name.
A saying she had heard as a child suddenly popped into her mind... A name is the shortest spell.
She had almost failed to withstand it.
Su Mian steadied herself and said blandly, "I'm going to bed. You should get some rest early too."
With that, she turned and fled.
Waaah... the little tyrant did have a very handsome face, and his abs felt great to touch...
But she was just an emotionless going-home machine.
She was just an ordinary Earthling who, in her original world, had a high-paying, nine-to-five job at a state-owned enterprise with weekends off.
She also had family and friends who, though they didn't keep in frequent contact, all cared deeply about one another.
In the home where she lived alone, she also kept a blue cat and a Shiba Inu.
With a life like that, she wouldn't trade it even for the position of empress.
The system had told her that when she completed her mission and went home, she would return to the day she had transmigrated.
She didn't have to worry about her cat daughter and dog son going hungry.
Otherwise, she would have broken down long ago.
And Duan Xuanyu certainly wouldn't abandon his realm either. Sooner or later, he would return to Northern Liang.
Since the two of them were bound to part in the future, she had to hold herself in check now!
She absolutely couldn't let things develop beyond her control!
Inside a small single room.
Fang Nuonuo lay on the bed, scrolling through her phone.
The production team had just interrupted the livestream, announcing, "An accident has occurred during the livestream. Fang Nuonuo was injured while rescuing someone and is currently receiving emergency treatment. The livestream will resume at eight tomorrow morning."
But the comments below were completely beyond her expectations!
[Hurry up with the emergency treatment! A second slower and it'll have healed!]
[A micro-injury. 0.04% damage.]
[Is the production team sick in the head? Fang Nuonuo ran to the door and came right back. Where did she get hurt? Su Mian was the one who went inside to save him! Could you make your favoritism any more obvious?]
["Ode to Nuo": Nuo, Nuo, Nuo, putting on quite the show. Rushing to put out the fire? Just a feint, you know.]
She had actually started losing followers too!
She had dropped from fourteen million followers to twelve million!
Meanwhile, Su Mian had risen from her initial four thousand followers to two hundred thousand!
Fang Nuonuo was about to explode with anger!
Just then, Lu Zhou called again.
He unleashed a torrent of scolding right off the bat. "I already told you there was nothing to worry about with putting out that fire, but you wouldn't go. Now you've handed Su Mian her success. Happy?"
Fang Nuonuo hurriedly said, her voice thick with tears, "I'm sorry. I let you down after all your arrangements, Mr. Lu."
Lu Zhou said, "Forget it! Hurry up and pick a guest to pair up with as a CP. I'll arrange for some super-sweet clips to be edited for you. Who do you want in them?"
Fang Nuonuo said, "In terms of family background, of course I like Duan Xuanyu best, but Duan Xuanyu isn't interested in me. Instead, he's very suggestive toward Su Mian."
"..." An inexplicable unpleasant feeling stirred in Lu Zhou's heart. "Su Mian's looks are certainly attractive, but she's just a shallow gold digger. Duan Xuanyu is young. He's only temporarily attracted to her."
Fang Nuonuo recalled the sight of Duan Xuanyu flashing over to save someone today.
That speed had been so fast it practically surpassed human comprehension.
She suddenly asked, "Mr. Lu, do you think it's possible that Duan Xuanyu really transmigrated here from ancient times?"
Lu Zhou was just about to say that was impossible.
But on closer thought, something really did seem off.
He had never met Young Master Duan.
But when they communicated over the phone, Young Master Duan hadn't been this abnormal.
He really needed to investigate at the Duan Family.
If Duan Xuanyu really was a transmigrator from ancient times, he would immediately tie him up and hand him over to scientists for dissection and research!
Even if he wasn't a transmigrator, he might well be mentally ill!
He would get the Duan Family to lock him up in a psychiatric hospital at once!
Lu Zhou snorted coldly.
Su Mian, even if I don't want you, you can't belong to anyone else!
Early the next morning.
The show resumed.
The host, Yin Xiaohong, faced the camera with a smile. "Our show is all about helping our guests get married, so every segment will feature the things everyone cares about most when it comes to marriage."
"What do you all think is the most important thing in marriage?"
Without even thinking, Su Mian said, "A financial foundation!"
Yin Xiaohong said, "...Miss Su is right. A financial foundation is quite important, but the family atmosphere is also very important!"
"So today's activity is: simulated families!"
"There will inevitably be plenty of friction within a family. Those who can accommodate the other person at home, stay calm no matter what friction arises, and keep their heart rate from ever exceeding 120 will earn living funds!"
"Next, everyone will draw lots to decide who you'll form a family with today!"
Once again, thanks to the boss's behind-the-scenes arrangements, Su Mian didn't draw Duan Xuanyu. She drew Gu Yichen.
Duan Xuanyu was paired with Cheng Qin, while Lin Xi was paired with Fang Nuonuo.
Su Mian stared at Gu Yichen and rubbed her hands together.
That works too. I'll toy with you first today, then~
Gu Yichen shuddered.