Chapter 25
“So, be a bit nicer to her,” Shen Yibai added in a flat tone.
So that’s what he meant.
Fu Zhi’s heart finally settled back into his chest. He feigned annoyance: “It’s all because of that girl… Ning Xi is always picking fights with me. If she just spoke to me properly-I’m not even asking for the way she treats you, but if she just had the same attitude she has with Jiang Sheshe or Wei Xuan, I wouldn’t be getting angry at her all the time!”
Fu Zhi had only been pretending to be angry at first, but as he spoke, a genuine sense of resentment and grievance welled up in his chest.
Ning Xi was nice to everyone! Even Wei Xuan and Jiang Sheshe, whom she’d only known for two days! Her attitude toward them was better than it was toward him!
How could he possibly accept that?
“Oh,” Shen Yibai gave a cool, indifferent response.
Seeing Shen Yibai’s lukewarm reaction, Fu Zhi felt even more slighted. In the past, whenever he and Ning Xi bickered, Shen Yibai would always take her side. Now that the two of them were no longer together, Shen Yibai was still doing it!
“The three of us grew up together. Why does she only treat me like this…”
*Screech-*
The car came to an abrupt halt.
“Young Master Fu Zhi, we have arrived at the club,” the driver said as he opened the door for Fu Zhi.
After Fu Zhi stepped out and found his footing, he was about to turn back and say something more to Shen Yibai. Instead, he heard a heavy thud as the car door slammed shut.
Fu Zhi was stunned. *Seriously? That heartless?*
[Good lord, that’s the loudest I’ve ever heard a Rolls-Royce door slam. I wonder what our Princess said to make even Shen Yibai angry.]
[I’m dying of curiosity! Dammit, why wasn’t the livestream on just now?!]
The netizens lamented and cursed the Program Team. Soon, however, their attention was drawn to Fu Zhi’s profile appearing on the screen.
Fu Zhi: 21 years old, Cambridge Mathematics graduate, shareholder of an e-sports club.
[What? What did you say? Fu Zhi is from Cambridge Math???]
[As someone retaking six courses this semester, I’m literally on my knees. I apologize for flaming Fu Zhi’s bad temper earlier. The Princess is the GOAT.]
[Ahhh! I recognize him! Fu Zhi was a perfect-score IMO Gold Medalist in the XX year! When the news came out, my school even put his photo on the bulletin board. Because he was so handsome, someone ended up stealing the photo in the middle of the night, hahaha!]
[IMO Gold Medal? What’s that?]
[IMO: International Mathematical Olympiad. You compete against math geniuses from all over the world. Anyone who can get a perfect-score gold medal is a genius among geniuses.]
Fu Zhi’s reputation flipped instantly. His “low EQ” and “bad temper” were now viewed as “geniuses just have their own quirks.”
After all, the importance Chinese people place on education is carved into their very bones. It’s like how students under immense pressure might think about death, jumping off buildings, the school blowing up, or even the end of the world-but they never think about dropping out. Even in their pre-sleep fantasies about being reborn, they always imagine studying harder.
Consequently, when netizens later deduced from the livestream footage that the club Fu Zhi held shares in was KG, the top powerhouse club in the country, the impact wasn’t nearly as great as the shock they felt right now.
[Ugh, he’s rich, handsome, smart, and got into Cambridge Math. If I were Fu Zhi, my family tree would have to start with me.]
[The ceiling of sapiosexuality. This fan of the strong will protect Fu Zhi to the death!]
After Fu Zhi, the second person to reveal their age and occupation was Shen Yibai.
Shen Yibai: 23 years old, head of a capital company.
The work footage the Program Team captured for him was merely a shot of his back as he stepped out of a car and a clip of him chatting fluently in a foreign language with an assistant. Not a single detail of the company’s interior or exterior was leaked. This level of secrecy only served to make the netizens even more curious about Shen Yibai’s family background.
After all, the video platform hosting “You Are My Blessing” was notoriously wealthy and powerful; ordinary Guests didn’t have the leverage to bargain with them.
For the Program Team to be so stifled that they only filmed this tiny amount of footage, Shen Yibai must have something exceptional going for him.
“Other than the netizens, I have no kindred spirits. Next life, I’ll still be netizens with you guys.”
Qin Dao stared at the bullet comments, tears streaming down his face.
When Shen Yibai signed his contract, he’d brought an entire team of professional lawyers.
Not only did they dodge every contractual risk, they even turned around and put the Program Team on the back foot.
Those who got it all cried.
The last person to be revealed was Wei Xuan:
25 years old, founder of a streetwear brand, with annual sales exceeding 100 million.
[Whoa, Wei Xuan is actually a streetwear brand founder? No wonder his EQ is so high.]
[Other people have brands doing over 100 million a year at 25, and at 25 I’m still panicking over my thesis. I’m incredible.]
[These three non-celebrity male Guests… every single one is premium boyfriend material.]
#The Ceiling of Male Guests on Dating Shows#
#Shen Yibai Background#
#Fu Zhi Cambridge Math Department#
The trending list was practically taken over for a while.
The three male Guests even ended up like celebrities-fan clubs, personal Super Topics, their search popularity shooting through the roof.
*
At one in the afternoon, Ning Xi arrived at Sunshine Studio right on time.
After exchanging a few pleasantries with Xiaomi, she went straight into a room to audition.
“Teacher Ning, please read these lines and take a few steps in front of the camera.”
Ning Xi smiled and took the script. When she saw what was written on it, she let out a faint, long sigh.
“I thought I was red wine, waiting for someone who understood me to savor it. Turns out I’m Banlangen-everyone who comes looking for me has something wrong with them.”
Xiaomi didn’t hear her clearly. She lifted her head from the camera she’d just finished adjusting. “Is there a problem, Teacher Ning?”
Ning Xi waved it off with a sigh. “No. I’m ready. Let’s start.”
Xiaomi was stunned by how relaxed she was. That fast?
Ning Xi was already performing her lines.
Grief-and-indignation version: “How does it feel when you call me a murderer-over and over? You’ve hurled the ugliest words at me, made up the filthiest nicknames. Whether you laid hands on me or not, you’re all the same. You’re colder than stone!”
Furious-and-ruthless version: “Happy now, are you?! You cold, heartless woman! I will never forgive you! Never!”
Utter-despair version: “From wall-top to horse-back, we look at each other from afar-one glance and I know you, and my heart breaks.”
Mocking-and-disdainful version: “Love? Hahahahaha! Love is the cruelest thing in this world!”
Ning Xi got more and more into it.
Until she reached a set of lines labeled Male Lead and Female Lead.
After a brief moment’s thought, Ning Xi had an idea.
First, in a sweet, pouty girl’s voice: “Give me back my first kiss!”
Then she snapped her body to the side and answered in a strong, masculine voice: “Give me the ring!”
She whipped back to center, returning to the girl’s voice: “Not unless you give me back my first kiss!”
She turned again, male voice: “Fine. I’ll give it back!”
At this point, the script only had one stage direction left:
The male lead grabs the female lead. The two kiss passionately.
Ning Xi thought for another second, then planted two loud smooches onto her own palm.
Xiaomi, outside the monitor: “…”
This kiss… honestly, she could’ve skipped acting it out.
When Ning Xi finished, she felt downright exhilarated. Why had no one ever told her reciting lines could be this fun?
Then, from the room next door, a burst of bright, hearty laughter suddenly rang out.
Ning Xi: ?
There’s someone else here?