Chapter 2
Ning Xi apologized without hesitation, bursting into tears: “Please don’t say that, please don’t threaten me, I know I was wrong, I shouldn’t have said anything reckless. I’ll shut up right now-actually, I shouldn’t even have this mouth, since no one likes to hear the truth from me. I really deserve to die, please don’t scold me, I’m so insecure and fragile, if you scold me just once, I might just die. And don’t bully me, either, or I’ll show you just how easy I am to bully. Congratulations, you’ve managed to bully the most easily bullied person within a hundred miles. So? Punching cotton must feel warm, right? Wuwuwuwu…”
“Enough!” All of Fu Zhi’s anger was stuck in his throat. “Shut up!”
Tears welled up in Ning Xi’s eyes: “Wuwuwu, Zhizi, you really are such a good person!”
Fu Zhi: …
He looked at Ning Xi’s pathetic state, wanting to get angry but unable to.
A kind of indescribable helplessness.
[It’s like stepping in a pile of poop, so soft, but so disgusting]
[Ning Xi, she really is a little unhinged]
[What a truly cathartic display of cowardice]
Fu Zhi took a deep breath, unwilling to look at Ning Xi any longer.
But as he turned his head, he saw Lu Ming nearby, his expression ever-changing.
He frowned, only for Lu Ming to stare at him and suddenly blurt out, “Zhi Ge, I’m not!”
Fu Zhi: ?
Lu Ming stomped his right foot, a little embarrassed: “Anyway, I’m not that!”
Fu Zhi’s temple throbbed: “Get lost!”
Such a miserable start made him seriously doubt whether coming on this variety show was the right decision.
Ning Xi, on the other hand, cheerfully turned to the production staff: “The Heartbeat Acceleration Task is finished! Where’s our reward?”
The staff, looking speechless, handed Ning Xi and Fu Zhi each a card.
“This is the Special Benefit Card you receive for completing the task. It’s valid at any time during filming.”
Ning Xi opened her card. It read:
Designate one person to fulfill your little wish.
Tsk, not bad.
Fu Zhi, after seeing his card, gave Ning Xi a cold, nasty smile.
Ning Xi didn’t understand: “Are your teeth hot, so you’re baring them to cool off?”
Then she gave Fu Zhi a solid smack on the head: “Let’s go, you, acting like you’re sick!”
“Ning Xi!!”
Fu Zhi clutched his head, watching as Ning Xi ran off faster than anyone, utterly losing it.
The two of them squabbled all the way to the car the production staff had prepared.
While the two finally quieted down, a staff member nervously asked:
“People say there’s no pure friendship between men and women. What are your thoughts? And do you think your relationship is friendship, or something more than friendship but not quite love?”
Ning Xi replied seriously, “Well, I think it depends on looks-the uglier you are, the purer it is. For example…”
As she spoke, Ning Xi glanced at Fu Zhi beside her, sighed, and waved her hand. “Sigh.”
It looked like she hadn’t said anything, but she’d said it all.
The cameraman tried to hold back laughter as he looked at Fu Zhi.
But Fu Zhi closed his eyes, pretending to be half asleep.
Ning Xi let out two chuckles-it looked like Fu Zhi was at it again.
What do you do with a kid who doesn’t behave? Just give them a good smack.
On the other side-
Fu Zhi kept his eyes shut, grinding his back teeth, afraid he wouldn’t be able to keep from laughing.
By deliberately refusing to cooperate with the filming, he didn’t believe Ning Xi wouldn’t get mad!
But the next second, Fu Zhi heard someone by his ear, as if a devil was whispering:
“You~are~so~en~rap~tured~by~what~”
[laughs]
[I’m laughing so hard I’m losing it. Who else gets this weird sense of humor?]
Fu Zhi, furious, opened his eyes: “Ning Xi!”
Ning Xi propped her chin up with one hand, looking as if she was all ears.
To his surprise, Fu Zhi suddenly choked up, then turned away and muttered under his breath:
“Ugly Girl, who would like her?”
A brat who only ever follows Shen Yibai around like a puppy-only Shen Yibai and her group of half-blind fans would like her.
*
The car soon arrived at Youai Villa.
Ning Xi looked at the nearly a hundred steps and muttered, “Brothers are supposed to be heart to heart, and you’re over there playing mind games.”
Fu Zhi, sulking the whole way, finally found another chance to stir up trouble.
He frowned, looking a bit regretful: “My wrist was injured before, and the doctor says I can’t lift heavy things for a while.”
In other words: Ning Xi would have to carry her suitcase up all those steps by herself.
After saying this, he added with obvious malice, “Other Female Guests have Opposite-sex Friends to help them out, but you don’t. But I guess you’re fine with that, right?”
Ning Xi smiled, “Of course it’s fine. It’s already great that you can bravely admit your weakness!”
Fu Zhi sensed something was off, but still played along and comforted, “As long as you understand.”
Ning Xi gave Fu Zhi an encouraging look. “Mhm mhm, even if it’s small, it’s still super cute!”
Fu Zhi: “What nonsense are you spouting?”
Ning Xi quickly covered her mouth, looking like she’d slipped up. “Let me defend myself-no, let me explain! I didn’t mean what you think, ah, why did I say that out loud! Don’t overthink it!”
Fu Zhi’s face turned completely black, like the bottom of a pot.
After saying that, Ning Xi seemed too embarrassed to face Fu Zhi any longer. She grabbed her suitcase and dashed up the stairs like a madwoman.
Only Fu Zhi was left standing there, dumbfounded.
[So fierce, Ning Xi can actually lug her suitcase up more than a hundred steps in one go???]
[I’m dying, Fu Zhi’s face is like: Sis, what are you doing, making me look like a total loser]
[All I want to say is: Ning Xi, you really are a woman as wild as an eagle]
And this eagle-like woman, Ning Xi, after climbing more than ten flights, finally seemed to realize she had left her friend Fu Zhi behind.
She turned back and gave Fu Zhi a knowing smile.
Fu Zhi’s eyelids twitched wildly, a bad feeling rising in his chest.
Ning Xi grinned, “Naughty, do you really need me to say that before you’ll move? Fine, I’ll satisfy your little secret quirk. Here it is: Princess, please take the stairs-”
[Aaaaa who gets how much it means for Ning Xi to call Fu Zhi ‘princess’! So doting!!!]
And when Fu Zhi heard those words, his last bit of hope died.
When Ning Xi had previously spread rumors about him being “unable to get hard” or “small,” he barely endured it, because he knew it wasn’t true.
But if called “princess”, he couldn’t deny it.
Because when he was a kid, Mother Fu really had dressed him up in a princess dress and made him look like a girl!
Only Shen Yibai knew about this.
It must have been Shen Yibai, back when he was head-over-heels in love, who told Ning Xi to please her!
And Fu Zhi guessed right.
This was indeed something Shen Yibai had told Ning Xi as a trump card to use against Fu Zhi after they had a falling out.
At that time, Shen Yibai was Ning Xi’s official fiancé, her most trusted friend, and the ambiguous object of her affections-though neither had confessed yet.
But everything changed when Shen Yibai suddenly got close to Ning Mingyue after returning to the country, and, without breaking off the engagement, joined this friendship dating show as Ning Mingyue’s friend…
It all became part of Ning Xi’s black history of misjudging people!
“Ning Xi!”
Fu Zhi charged up, furious.
Damn brat, always so full of energy-he chased her all the way, but by the time they reached the villa entrance, he still hadn’t caught up.
Thinking of this, he ignored Ning Xi’s glance, snorted coldly, and headed straight for the living room.
If Fu Zhi had a tail, it would definitely be sticking up to the sky right now.
Ning Xi clicked her tongue. “Such a princessy temper.”
She shrugged and followed him into the living room.
At this moment, one group of guests had already arrived.
Ning Xi immediately recognized the female guest.
Jiang Sheshe, 22 years old, a wealthy heiress who grew up abroad. She became an overnight sensation on foreign social media with her bittersweet song about a girl’s secret crush, “one day.” After returning to China, she took on her first variety show, “You Are My Blessing.”
In the novel, her first meeting with Jiang Sheshe ended unpleasantly.
In the original plot, she thought they just didn’t get along, but the current Ning Xi knew:
Jiang Sheshe was actually Ning Mingyue’s close friend!
She joined this show partly to boost her popularity, and partly to help her bestie Ning Mingyue slap down Ning Xi, the adopted daughter who had taken her place!
“Hi, I’m Jiang Sheshe. You can call me Sheshe or Shirley,” Jiang Sheshe took the initiative to greet Fu Zhi.
Fu Zhi nodded indifferently. “Fu Zhi.”
Jiang Sheshe then introduced her opposite-sex friend, “This is Wei Xuan…”
She completely treated Ning Xi as air.
[Why did Jiang Sheshe ignore Ning Xi? OMG, could it be love at first sight with Fu Zhi? I smell the silent gunpowder of a dating show-exciting!]
[Maybe Jiang Sheshe just dislikes Ning Xi. After all, Ning Xi’s reputation has been in shambles lately [smart]]
[Ning Xi’s persona as someone disliked by all is still going strong, hehe. If I were her, I’d have found a block of tofu to end it all by now]
Ning Xi enjoyed the peace, glanced at the empty spot on the sofa, and sat down casually.
However, as Jiang Sheshe was chatting with Fu Zhi, she finally seemed to notice Ning Xi.
She turned her head, chin slightly raised, her tone full of displeasure:
“You can’t sit next to me!”
Ning Xi was briefly confused, then suddenly understood:
“What, do you have body odor?”