Lu Nanxun wasn’t exactly a chauvinist.
But this was his first time shopping for groceries with a female guest—and he had been the one to suggest going to the supermarket in the first place. How could he possibly make the female guest split the bill with him?
So he flatly refused.
Ji Liuyue’s smile faded, and she said seriously, “Lu Nanxun, I respect you. If you respect me too, then we should split this shopping bill.”
Lu Nanxun hesitated. “I do respect you. It’s just that you’re a female guest…”
A mocking smile tugged at the corners of Ji Liuyue’s lips.
“What about being a female guest? Does that mean female guests are automatically entitled to have the male guests pay for everything?”
“I have a job and an income. And even if I were poor, I could still afford my share.”
“If you don’t want us to argue, then take out the bill right now and tell me how much it is. I’ll transfer you the money. It’s that simple!”
Her words sounded calm, but they carried an overwhelming force.
For a moment, Lu Nanxun didn’t know how to respond. Even the impeccably mannered Dr. Lu looked at her with added thoughtfulness and puzzlement.
Ji Liuyue was like a mystery.
So mysterious.
Every time you thought you had seen through her and understood her, the more you interacted with her, the more sides of her you discovered.
And every single one was unexpected.
In the end, Lu Nanxun gave in. “Fine. We’ll split it.”
The replay ended.
Liu Qingye’s fans fell silent, not daring to say another word.
The viewers who liked Ji Liuyue began cheering her on.
[Our Yueyue didn’t just split the cost of the strawberry milk. She also paid half of the grocery bill that day.]
[Who can’t afford strawberry milk?]
[Come on, Liu Qingye’s fans, come out and get slapped in the face! Yueyue bought it with her own money, so why can’t she drink it?]
[Ji Liuyue’s values are so upright. Even when she went out shopping with a male guest, she didn’t let Lu Nanxun pay the entire bill himself.]
Zhang Xiaotao also smiled knowingly when she saw this.
She knew her judgment wouldn’t be wrong!
Yueyue was exactly this straightforward, pure, and untainted. Not only was she beautiful, but her way of conducting herself was so upright it was almost outrageous.
Before long, the trending topic on Weibo had changed from #JiLiuyueStealingStrawberryMilk to #JiLiuyuePaidMyShare.
Even the phrase “I paid my share” became a popular meme.
Whenever people argued online and someone threw out a provocative remark, the other person would calmly respond with, “I paid my share.”
Never mind whether the reply made logical sense. In any case, the phrase had become an all-purpose response.
There was a calm yet domineering confidence to it, as if the speaker had everything under control.
Ji Liuyue’s popularity soared once again because of this incident. More casual viewers came across clips of the spectacular “strawberry milk incident” and clicked on the full episode of the dating show.
Many even subscribed to the video platform’s VIP service, all so they could watch the next episode as soon as possible.
As for the “Favorite Dating Show Guest” voting event, Ji Liuyue had surged far ahead of the pack, leading the runner-up, Liu Qingye, by tens of thousands of votes.
Of course, that was all what happened later.
After hearing the phrase “I paid my share,” Zhang Xiaotao felt so cathartic she could practically breathe again.
In one word:
Satisfying!
A dating show needed this kind of melodrama and soap-opera-level drama. Otherwise, how could it make viewers’ emotions rise and fall so wildly?
It had to be said: the production team’s editing was incredibly good at stirring up trouble.
The on-screen captions and background music had laid the groundwork so thoroughly in the earlier scenes that the reversal afterward felt all the more satisfying.
Some viewers in the comments noticed it too.
[Doesn’t anyone else feel like the editors seem especially fond of Ji Liuyue? Everyone else gets ordinary captions, but her scenes even have outlined text and zoom-in and zoom-out effects.]
Zhang Xiaotao posted a comment:
[Falling for Ji Liuyue is only natural.]
One after another, a whole line of comments followed:
[Falling for Ji Liuyue is only natural!]
Zhang Xiaotao continued watching the third episode with satisfaction.
On-screen, it was nighttime at the house.
At the entrance, Wang Aitian had brought cupcakes she had made herself, and she chatted with Ji Liuyue as they walked inside.
When the two of them reached the kitchen, Cen Yu suddenly looked up and asked, “I bought a lot of ingredients. Would you like to try my version of sweet-and-sour ribs today?”
The comments exploded again.
[Even though falling for Ji Liuyue is only natural, I ship the Sweet-Rain pairing! Cen Yu, what are you doing?]
[I’m not imagining things, right? The look in Cen Yu’s eyes just now seemed to be directed at Ji Liuyue.]
[We’re doomed! That stinking man isn’t going to ruin the friendship between our Yueyue and Tiantian, is he?]
[Oh my gosh, please don’t let this become some cheesy love-triangle plot. Otherwise, I won’t be able to keep watching.]
[Cen Yu must have feelings for Ji Liuyue now. Pay attention to what he said: “my version of sweet-and-sour ribs.” Yesterday, Dr. Lu made sweet-and-sour ribs specifically for Ji Liuyue.]
[This is getting so dramatic! Is Ji Liuyue playing the universally-adored heroine?]
[Please. If our Yueyue were universally adored, she wouldn’t have been so viciously attacked by all of you before.]
On screen, Wang Aitian didn’t seem to notice anything. She smiled and said, “Sure thing, Chef Cen. We’ll be looking forward to your sweet-and-sour ribs.”
Cen Yu smiled and left.
Ji Liuyue looked at her. “Tiantian, I…”
Wang Aitian quickly waved her off, smiling brightly. “It’s fine, Yueyue. I get it.”
“It’s not important. I think the relationships in the house are open and fluid. There’s nothing wrong with everyone getting to know and interact with one another.”
Ji Liuyue replied with equal ease, “Come on, let’s go to the kitchen and admire Chef Cen’s culinary skills.”
【Thank goodness—no drama, no catfights. This is exactly why I love watching this dating show.】
【Aww, the girls are so sweet to each other! Exactly. It’s only the third day of the dating show; there’s no need to argue over a guy and let it affect their friendship.】
【What a surprise! It really isn’t scripted. If it were scripted, this would practically have ended with the girls turning against each other!】
【Kudos to the production team. You’ve got a conscience after all. I’ve decided to keep watching.】
Zhang Xiaotao couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief as well.
After all, she was a veteran viewer of dating shows. She watched all kinds of them, regardless of the platform or format—except senior dating shows, of course. No offense intended.
She had seen plenty of shows where two female guests got along wonderfully at first, bringing each other tasty treats and little gifts.
But by the middle of the show, after falling for the same male guest, their relationship would become awkward. Some would even have a falling-out, going from being openly affectionate to not saying a single word to each other in public.
Fortunately, her Sweet-Moon pairing was rock-solid and completely reassuring!
Who says dating shows are only good for shipping romantic couples? Friendships are great to ship too!
