Ji Liuyue slowly folded one finger down.
She had no intention of explaining anything. She had come here in the first place to win over Lu Nanxun, so how could she…
She immediately urged the next person, saying, “Lu Nanxun, it’s your turn.”
The honest Dr. Lu glanced at her hand, his smile becoming even gentler and more guileless.
Then he went straight for the kill.
“The person I like is sitting right beside me.”
As soon as he said this, everyone’s expressions changed.
It was practically a public confession.
Xu Jinsi and Ji Xizhou looked displeased.
Wang Aitian grabbed Zhang Weiyi and wore an expression that clearly said she was here for the gossip. Liu Qingye looked even more delighted to watch the drama unfold. Once Ji Liuyue and Lu Nanxun were officially paired up, all the other male guests would leave.
Heh. Ji Xizhou was still a fish in her pond!
Ji Mingtian was seated beside Wang Aitian. After glancing into the distance at Liu Qingye, he folded one finger down.
Most of the others folded a finger as well.
Only Ji Liuyue and Xu Jinsi did not.
The atmosphere on the field became subtly awkward. Xu Jinsi had originally wanted to keep the other side guessing, deliberately folding a finger to see how Liuyue would react.
Who would have thought she wouldn’t fold one?
What did that mean?
Lu Nanxun was sitting to her left, and Xu Jinsi to her right.
So which one did she like?!
Before everyone’s doubts had time to linger for long, Ji Liuyue had already taken over and begun the next round of “Never Have I Ever.”
“I grew up with my mother.”
She didn’t specify whether her parents had divorced or what circumstances had caused her father to leave.
A flicker of sympathy crossed Lu Nanxun and Xu Jinsi’s eyes.
Even the smile at the corners of Ji Xizhou’s lips disappeared. He could hardly believe that a girl as cheerful as her had grown up in a single-parent family.
Most of the people folded a finger down.
Only Wang Aitian and Liu Qingye still had all their fingers raised.
Wang Aitian said bluntly, “It’s no big deal. My dad was just a bastard, so I was actually pretty happy living with my mom.”
Liu Qingye, however, looked somewhat complicated. Her original name had been Liu Cuicui. It was obvious that if her parents had truly valued her, they wouldn’t have given her such a careless name.
She hesitated for a long while, then glanced at Ji Liuyue before saying, “I was the one who persuaded my parents to get divorced. I stayed with my mother.”
Of course, she left out the fact that her father had been an alcoholic who got drunk every day and refused to work, while her mother meekly endured his beatings in silence.
Liu Qingye had been clever and calm. She had noticed that her mother’s supervisor at work was interested in her, so she had deliberately made sure he learned about her father’s disgraceful behavior.
Later, that supervisor used some tricks to have the man locked up, and her mother took the opportunity to divorce her biological father.
Liu Qingye gained a stepfather with a certain amount of power and status. No one knew that even this stepfather had been “chosen” by her for her mother.
No one understood better than she did how to win over men.
From childhood onward, she had used men to obtain benefits and advantages, and the tactic had never failed her. Even after she became an actress, she had found a wealthy backer who was completely devoted to making her famous.
But there was one thing Liu Qingye couldn’t understand. Why did all the men on this dating show lose their minds the moment they encountered Ji Liuyue, as if they couldn’t see her at all?
Lu Nanxun was like this. Xu Jinsi was like this. Even Ji Xizhou, who had only just appeared, was like this.
Was Ji Liuyue really that wonderful?
She was certainly beautiful, but Liu Qingye would never admit that she was prettier than her. They simply had different types of beauty, like a red peony and a white peony, each with its own fragrance.
It was Xu Jinsi’s turn.
He had originally wanted to say something spiteful, but after hearing what Liuyue had just said, the sympathy in his eyes had not yet faded.
So he simply said, “I’m sure the process of falling for someone would be long and full of hesitation for me. But once I decided that person was the one, I wouldn’t change my mind.”
That sounded like a confession too.
Everyone silently agreed with what he had said. No one folded a finger.
Except Ji Xizhou.
“I believe more in love at first sight. If I like someone, then I like them. I won’t hesitate or retreat.” After saying that, he couldn’t help adding sarcastically, “If you still hesitate when facing the person you like, then your feelings aren’t passionate or sincere enough!”
Afterward, he looked at Ji Liuyue expectantly, practically wagging his tail like a proud puppy.
Xu Jinsi couldn’t be bothered to respond.
Unexpectedly, Dr. Lu spoke up for him. “It’s precisely because liking someone can be impulsive that love must be treated with caution. I think that after careful consideration, if you’re still willing to abandon all the conditions and expectations you had originally set for your future partner and move toward her regardless of the consequences, then that is what true love is.”
Ji Xizhou clearly didn’t agree.
So, in the next round, his statement left everyone stunned.
“If I like someone, I won’t care whether she already has a partner. In the end, I’ll be the only one she stays with.”
Tsk, tsk, tsk!
The staff and several cameramen nearly dropped their cameras.
What kind of homewrecker statement was that?
Even Xu Jinsi looked at Ji Xizhou as though he were insane.
Only Lu Nanxun’s eyes darkened as he gazed at Ji Xizhou, his expression unreadable.
So they were the same kind of person.
Interesting.
Almost all the guests folded a finger down in unison.
No one noticed that Lu Nanxun’s fingers were still raised. He hadn’t lost one.
Ji Mingtian, never one to let a chance for drama pass, asked, “So, Xizhou, are you saying that because you’ve actually done it before?”
He was tactfully asking whether Ji Xizhou had ever stolen a girlfriend away from another man.
Ji Xizhou smiled arrogantly and stared straight at Ji Liuyue.
“Not yet! But I wouldn’t mind giving it a try.”
It was Cen Yu’s turn.
By this point, everyone had more or less folded four or five fingers.
Cen Yu smiled warmly and said, “I’m a chef by profession.”
That…
All right, apparently none of them had ever encountered someone in that profession.
They all folded another finger down in unison.
After two more rounds, the people with the most fingers still raised were Xu Jinsi and Ji Xizhou.
Both of them had two fingers left.
What were they going to do now? There could only be one winner.
Ji Mingtian suggested, “How about a tiebreaker? Let Old Xu and Xizhou go head-to-head.”
Wang Aitian loved watching a good spectacle too. She hadn’t expected these two to end up facing each other.
“Sure, sure! In the final two rounds, whoever folds all their fingers down first loses.”
The production team quickly arranged the tiebreaker.
Everyone watched the two men with curiosity.
“Who goes first?” Ji Xizhou asked.
Xu Jinsi lazily swept his eyes over him. “You’re the newcomer. I’ll let you have the advantage. You go first.”
Ji Xizhou didn’t get angry. He simply smiled and said, “Fine. I’ll go first.”
“I have a girl I’ve had a crush on for more than ten years.” He paused, then looked at Ji Liuyue. “And she’s here right now.”
