After they finished taking the group photo, Ji Liuyue received a cue from off-camera: her date with Xu Jinsi was over.
It was time for her to leave the set and give Liu Qingye and Xu Jinsi some time to go on a date alone.
Where the cameras couldn’t see, she gave Chengcheng an “OK” sign.
Then she picked up her bag and said to them, “It’s about time, so I’ll head out first. Have a nice date. See you at the house tonight.”
With that, she waved goodbye, her mood positively buoyant.
Xu Jinsi felt a little displeased. Was she really that eager to leave?
But not a hint of it showed on his face.
“Mm. See you.”
Liu Qingye, meanwhile, let out a long sigh of relief. That annoying Ji Liuyue was finally gone. She smiled brightly and said in her sweet, gentle voice, “Bye-bye, Liuyue. See you tonight.”
After leaving the restaurant, Ji Liuyue climbed into the van.
The moment she sat down, she looked excitedly at Chengcheng beside her.
“So? My performance today wasn’t bad, was it? I managed to get plenty of screen time, right?”
Seeing the gorgeous woman’s radiant face take on an adorably childish, silly expression, Chengcheng couldn’t help feeling a little sorry for her.
She said softly, “Actually, you don’t have to fight so hard for the camera. You could be a little more subtle.”
“You do know that this show is going to be hugely popular once it airs, right?”
Ji Liuyue nodded, looking proud. “Of course I know the show’s going to be popular. I came on it to become famous.”
Chengcheng was so startled that she quickly covered Ji Liuyue’s mouth.
Oh, my goodness.
Fortunately, there hadn’t been any photographers filming them on the way back. If those words had gotten out, Ji Liuyue probably would have been torn to shreds online.
Even with her mouth covered, Ji Liuyue was still grinning foolishly.
“Chengcheng, your hand smells so nice. What kind of hand cream are you using? It smells wonderful.” As she spoke, she leaned in and gave it a light sniff.
Her beautiful, starry eyes sparkled as she stared straight at Chengcheng.
Chengcheng’s face reddened uncontrollably again. She rummaged through her bag, pulled out a brand-new tube of hand cream, and held it out.
“Here. You can have it.”
“Wow, that’s great! Chengcheng, I love you so much.”
Straight girls really did say things without thinking. Ji Liuyue took the hand cream and immediately opened it, rubbing it onto the back of her hand.
She accidentally squeezed out too much, then turned her head and asked, “Want some?”
Before Chengcheng could react, Ji Liuyue pressed the back of her hand against Chengcheng’s and transferred some of the cream onto it.
She beamed. “Now we both smell nice!”
Chengcheng’s face grew even redder.
But at the same time, guilt and unease began to well up inside her. After hesitating for a moment, she reminded Ji Liuyue in a small voice, “When we get to the house later, you might want to pay attention to one of the male guests. His name is Lu Nanxun.”
Ji Liuyue leaned closer, narrowing her eyes like a curious little cat. “Do you need me to spend more time with him and develop a couple storyline?”
Chengcheng shook her head and explained, “There is some scripting involved in our show, but for the most part, the male and female guests are allowed to develop relationships freely.”
“You met Liu Qingye today too. She’s the female guest the show is focusing on this season. They’ve arranged a love triangle between her, Lu Nanxun, and Xu Jinsi, so… you’d better be careful.”
What she actually wanted to say was: You’d better not get involved.
It would save her from being attacked by the viewers.
After all, Ji Liuyue had only been asked to stir things up and grab screen time. She could always cause trouble around one of the other couples who were either unattached or less popular.
Anyone with common sense would know that, after hearing all this, it would be best not to interact with Lu Nanxun once they returned to the house.
But Ji Liuyue’s eyes lit up.
“Chengcheng, you’re the best! Thanks for telling me all this. Now that you’ve mentioned it, I’m even more interested.”
“If I can get involved, I’ll be guaranteed to go viral.”
Chengcheng tactfully warned her, “But if you become famous for all the wrong reasons, you’ll attract a lot of haters…”
“That’s fine, that’s fine. You don’t know how hard it’s been to find work lately. I haven’t landed a commercial deal in ages. Haters are still active fans—that’s a good thing.” Ji Liuyue was remarkably unfazed as she patted her chest.
Chengcheng was about to offer another reminder.
The Heartthrob Lovers house had arrived.
Before getting out of the car, Ji Liuyue hugged Chengcheng affectionately once more and said brightly, “Don’t worry. With you around, Chengcheng, you’re my rock. I’ll make sure to do my best.”
Watching her stride away with her suitcase, Chengcheng could only rub her forehead helplessly.
Forget it. Maybe later, she could cash in a favor and ask the editing team to salvage Ji Liuyue’s image a little.
It wasn’t that she was softhearted.
She just couldn’t stand seeing a beautiful idiot get bullied.
…
The Heartthrob Lovers house was located in the suburbs of Hai City.
It consisted of two exquisite three-story villas, divided into a living area and a residential area.
Ji Liuyue dragged a large black suitcase to the entrance of the house and was just about to push the door open with all her strength.
But the door was already open.
“Hello.”
The man standing inside had a gentle face, with smooth brows and a straight nose.
He wasn’t the kind of handsome man who made an immediate impression, but he was easy on the eyes and grew more appealing the longer one looked at him.
He wore a blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the middle of his forearms, revealing clean, defined lines.
Ji Liuyue took the initiative to speak. “Hello. Are you the first male guest to arrive?”
“Yes. My name is Cen Yu. Is this your suitcase? I can carry it for you.”
Cen Yu looked exactly like the kind, harmless sort of person who treated everyone with warmth and courtesy.
After putting away her suitcase, the two of them returned to the sofa and sat down.
Ji Liuyue took the initiative again. “My name is Ji Liuyue. Thank you for carrying my suitcase.”
Cen Yu replied, “It was nothing.”
He was just about to say something when the front door of the house was pushed open again.
A girl rolled in a pink suitcase. The moment she raised her head and saw him, she smiled.
“We meet again.”
Cen Yu nodded with a smile. “Yes, we do.”
He helped carry her pink suitcase inside.
Ji Liuyue could tell almost at a glance. “Did you two just go on a date?”
The girl shook her head with a beaming smile.
“I don’t think we’re allowed to say. It’s a secret. Oh, right, let me introduce myself. My name is Wang Aitian. You can call me Xiao Ai or Tiantian.”
“Hi, Tiantian. I’m Ji Liuyue.”
Wang Aitian was extremely lively. “Can I call you Yueyue?”
“Of course.”
The two girls struck up an animated conversation, leaving Cen Yu looking somewhat constrained on the sidelines.
Still, he sat politely on the sofa opposite them, keeping his eyes fixed on the entrance. It was as if he wanted to be ready to help carry the luggage the moment another guest arrived.
Wang Aitian asked, “Who do you think will arrive next—a guy or a girl?”
“A guy,” Ji Liuyue replied.
Wang Aitian immediately put on a gleeful gossiping expression. “The one who just went on a date with you?”
Ji Liuyue laughed in response. “No, he’s busy right now.”
“Ohhh, he’s busy.” Wang Aitian immediately caught on. “Looks like he has two dates today.”
Just as they were talking, footsteps sounded from the entrance.
Cen Yu was about to go open the door when the person outside pulled it open first.
Carrying a gray suitcase, the newcomer lowered his head and changed into slippers.
Three seconds later, he turned toward the living room and lifted his head, revealing a refined, handsome face with sharply defined features and an elegant, gentle air.
“Hello, everyone. I’m Lu Nanxun.”
