A man approached from the distance, walking against the sunlight. His well-tailored black suit accentuated his tall, strong, and upright presence.
His long, lean figure stood out in the crowd.
His features were difficult to make out, hidden behind a pair of black sunglasses. Only the half of his thin lips that remained visible hinted at a certain cold severity.
Anyone who saw him might have thought he was on his way to a business meeting rather than a date on a dating reality show.
Xu Jinsi removed his sunglasses.
His gaze settled calmly on the person in front of him.
“Hello. My name is Xu Jinsi.”
“Ji Liuyue.”
She was strikingly beautiful, with bold, well-defined features.
Even without makeup, she had the elegant beauty of a woman with an unmistakable presence. With a full face of makeup and bright red lipstick, she seemed even more radiant and dazzling.
“You’re really tall.” As soon as she finished speaking, she held out the flowers and said frankly, “These are for you.”
The corners of Xu Jinsi’s lips lifted slightly.
He accepted them and replied indifferently, “Thank you.” His gaze fell on the bouquet. “Red roses?”
“That’s right.”
Ji Liuyue nodded and replied with a smile, “Your card said that you hoped someone would occasionally make you lose control of your emotions a little, so I figured you probably hadn’t received flowers from a girl before.
“So? Are you surprised?”
Xu Jinsi was very good at putting on an act. On the surface, he remained completely unfazed. In an even tone, he said, “Not really.”
“Oh? ‘Not really.’ So I’m not the first girl to give you flowers.” Ji Liuyue’s voice carried a hint of teasing as she raised her brows, her expression lively.
After teasing him, she quickly softened the atmosphere and said brightly, “Come on. I heard the cherry blossoms at the botanical garden are in bloom. Shall we go take a look?”
Xu Jinsi nodded.
His first impression was that this girl knew exactly what she was doing.
She was a master at romance.
The two of them walked side by side, followed by the cameramen carrying their equipment.
When the people nearby saw them, they instinctively moved aside to clear a path.
“Do you usually like coming to places like this?” Ji Liuyue took the initiative to start a conversation.
“Not particularly.” Xu Jinsi’s expression remained cold.
Every signal he gave off seemed to say: I’m not interested in you.
“Mm-hmm.” Seeing that he had no intention of answering, Ji Liuyue continued on her own. “Looks like what you wrote on your card was true.”
Xu Jinsi asked, “What was?”
Ji Liuyue replied, “The part where you said, ‘I’m used to keeping everything within a range I can predict, including my emotions.’ You’re exactly the same in person.”
“Mm.”
Ji Liuyue complained, “Have your friends ever told you that being around you is boring?”
“I’ve always been like this.”
“You should be grateful to the people who are still willing to be your friends.”
Xu Jinsi frowned slightly, clearly displeased. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Ji Liuyue covered her lips, a hint of provocation showing in her smile.
But then she shifted her gaze and pointed toward the cherry blossom grove in the distance.
“This is one of the botanical garden’s most popular photo spots. How good are you at taking pictures?”
“Not bad.”
“Then I’ll have to trouble Photographer Xu to take a few pictures for me.”
Ji Liuyue placed the camera in his hands, then turned and ran toward the cherry trees. She looked back over her shoulder and flashed him a brilliant smile.
At the exact same moment, the camera held by Xu Jinsi and the camera filming them both captured the scene.
Under the cherry tree, the young woman’s smile was bold and radiant. Her high ponytail swayed with every leap.
Just looking at her was enough to lift anyone’s spirits.
“All right, your turn. I’ll take some pictures of you.” Ji Liuyue took the camera back and nodded in satisfaction. She was about to push Xu Jinsi into position when—
As if he had sensed it long ago, he coldly and distantly took half a step back.
He shook his head. “No need. I don’t like taking pictures.”
“The cherry blossoms are so beautiful today. Don’t let this lovely moment go to waste.”
In front of the camera, Xu Jinsi reluctantly stood in one spot, his body stiff. His black suit formed a stark contrast against the pink cherry blossoms.
He looked as if he had been sitting in a business meeting one moment and dragged here without warning the next.
Ji Liuyue instructed him, “Turn your body slightly to the side. Show your teeth when you smile. You can leave your sunglasses on your head.”
Xu Jinsi resisted intensely.
He disliked being controlled.
Yet from the very beginning of this date, the female guest named Ji Liuyue had been directing the entire situation.
She kept cueing every step of the process.
It made him uncomfortable.
He forced himself to cooperate for a few shots, but his expression only grew colder.
The next scene transitioned to lunch.
The production team had arranged for them to eat at a garden restaurant near the botanical garden. The two of them sat in an open-air courtyard.
Looking at the simple meal on the table—pasta, hamburgers, and fries—Ji Liuyue ate with great enthusiasm.
Across from her, the man was completely focused on his vegetable salad.
The atmosphere grew awkward.
The production team had already noticed that the two of them had no chemistry on their first date, but neither of them was saying anything. They were simply eating. What were the editors supposed to use later?
The PD hurriedly gestured at them: Say something. Anything.
Ji Liuyue set down the hamburger she had bitten halfway through and looked up at the man across from her.
Xu Jinsi had exceptionally handsome features: a straight nose, a sharply defined jawline, and even his deep, captivating eyes were hard to ignore.
Yet his overall aura was cold.
There was arrogance and distance about him, giving people the impression that he stood high above everyone else.
It was as if he were a king, while everyone around him existed only to be controlled by him.
A man like this would probably be attracted to a delicate woman who needed to rely on him.
That was why Liu Qingye had acted that way in the original storyline.
She had presented herself as fragile, pretending in front of Xu Jinsi that she was a helpless beauty who couldn’t handle anything on her own and needed his assistance.
But from the moment Ji Liuyue decided to pursue Xu Jinsi, she had never intended to follow Liu Qingye’s strategy.
He had seen plenty of delicate, dependent women.
But someone evenly matched with him—or even someone capable of taking control of him—was something Xu Jinsi had probably never encountered.
At first, he would certainly find it distasteful. But the more he disliked her, the more dramatic the reversal would be once he fell for her.
Whether it meant an emotional tug-of-war or a greater boost to her popularity after the show aired, wasn’t that a winning strategy?
So today, Ji Liuyue had never planned to please him.
This date was destined to fail.
Ji Liuyue smiled and asked, “Are you enjoying today’s date?”
Xu Jinsi seemed only mildly interested, but he politely nodded. “Mm.”
Ji Liuyue continued, “I chose your card because I was curious about what you wrote.
“Now that I’ve met you in person, you really are exactly as your card described—a man who keeps his emotions hidden. You’re quite mysterious.”
Xu Jinsi curled his lips slightly. “Am I?”
Who wouldn’t be happy to receive a compliment? His mood had just improved a little.
Then came her next question.
Ji Liuyue pressed on, “Which girl’s card did you choose? And will there be another date?”
Only when both guests chose each other would they have a date together.
If you chose someone who had selected someone else, then that person would need to go on a date with both you and the female guest they had chosen.
Of course, the same rule applied in reverse. A female guest could potentially end up with two dates.
Xu Jinsi felt that she was being far too aggressive.
His expression darkened with displeasure, and his face grew even colder.
“That’s difficult to say. The rules of the show don’t allow us to reveal that.”
“Oh.”
Ji Liuyue rested her chin in both hands and smiled brightly.
“Then I’m actually looking forward to having a second date. I chose your card, and I really want to know whether anyone else chose mine.”
The corner of Xu Jinsi’s mouth twitched.
Weren’t you afraid the audience would tear you apart when this aired?
Thinking back, he had chosen this card precisely because he wanted to see just how stupid this female guest could be.
And sure enough.
She was unbelievably stupid.
After this, he wanted absolutely nothing to do with her.
A beautiful but utterly hollow woman.
