Chapter 27
[Ahhh, he’s so handsome, so handsome, so handsome!]
[My standards are low; I’m already pregnant.]
[He looks like he’d be very… capable in certain areas. (drool)]
[I can’t imagine how comfortable it would be to sit in his lap.]
Ning Xi unexpectedly met the new guest’s gaze, and her heart skipped a beat.
His visuals were truly top-tier.
If he were in the entertainment industry, his face alone would probably make him a top star who could stir up a storm.
While Ning Xi was admiring the new guest’s looks, he had already stepped out of the car and walked up to her.
He was tall and upright, with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs.
The bullet comments were all swooning.
Ning Xi was also a bit surprised.
At 172 cm, she was already considered tall for a girl, but in front of the new guest, she was actually a full head shorter.
“Hello, I’m Xie Lanchen.”
The man gave a faint curl of his lips, lowering his raven-feather-like black lashes as he looked at Ning Xi.
He looked somewhat harmless and gentle.
Ning Xi had always liked people with good tempers, and since she was in a good mood after her successful audition, she took the initiative to speak.
“It’s so hot today. Are you thirsty? My treat?”
Xie Lanchen paused for a moment, then his lips curved upward. “Sure.”
[Ning Xi, you’ve certainly become generous.]
[Fu Zhi: You make me feel like a stranger.]
[Princess Fu: You’ve never, never sung such a lullaby to me.]
When they reached the drink shop, Ning Xi pointed at the advertisement board by the door and said to the staff, “I’ll take the buy-one-get-one-free special you’re running today.”
She had noticed this shop when she arrived earlier.
She had originally planned to drink both cups herself, but since Xie Lanchen was here, she might as well give him the free one.
[Good, good, good.]
[New Guest: So I’m only worth a ‘buy one get one free,’ is that it?]
While waiting for the drinks, Ning Xi casually asked Xie Lanchen, “Which ‘Lan’ is in your name? And which ‘Chen’?”
She had felt the name sounded strangely familiar when she heard it earlier.
Xie Lanchen looked down at Ning Xi, his gaze very gentle. “The ‘Lan’ from ‘billowing waves,’ and the ‘Chen’ from ‘passionate sincerity’-”
Just then, the drinks Ning Xi ordered were ready.
Ning Xi looked at the Cheese Grape and the lemonade the clerk handed over, incredulous. “Is the lemonade just… ‘food’ for the deal?”
(She had used the Chinese word for ‘attached,’ but it sounded exactly like the English word ‘food’ to the clerk.)
The clerk blinked and replied with total sincerity, “Ma’am, a drink is a ‘drink.'”
Ning Xi: …
Xie Lanchen seemed to smile, his lips curving as he said, “What a coincidence. I happen to like lemonade.”
His voice trailed off with an indescribable laziness, carrying a hint of flirtatiousness.
It was then that Ning Xi finally saw the tiny print under the large “Buy One Get One Free” sign on the advertisement board:
*The free drink is not a second Cheese Grape; it is a lemonade.*
Ning Xi paused for a second, then feigned a look of pleasant surprise. “Well, isn’t that a coincidence? You like lemonade, and the free drink just happens to be lemonade!”
[That acting… is a bit… fake.]
After seeing Xie Lanchen take the lemonade, Ning Xi returned to her previous question, trying to make him forget the awkwardness of the moment.
“Which ‘Chen’ was it again? I didn’t catch it clearly.”
“The ‘Chen’ from ‘passionate sincerity.'”
Xie Lanchen repeated it good-naturedly.
When he spoke, he looked Ning Xi in the eye. His gaze was gentle and focused, yet it didn’t feel invasive.
It was very comfortable.
Ning Xi gave an “oh,” but in the next second, something flashed through her mind like a bolt of lightning.
She finally remembered why Xie Lanchen’s name sounded so familiar!
In the original plot, after her character went offline, there was a big boss crazy villain who inexplicably started targeting the female lead, Ning Mingyue…
His name was Xie Lanchen! Ahhhhhhhhhhh!
In the original plot, no one knew why Xie Lanchen loathed Ning Mingyue so much.
All records indicated that Xie Lanchen had no connection to Ning Mingyue, and there were no grievances between the Ning Family and the Xie Family.
Yet, this was the man who set fire to the entire venue during Shen Yibai and Ning Mingyue’s engagement party.
Then, he walked alone into the vast inferno, trapping Ning Mingyue and Shen Yibai just as they were about to be rescued…
OMG!
Why would a world-destroying, crazy villain like this appear on this variety show?
“You look a bit pale. Are you too tired?” Xie Lanchen’s tone was full of concern.
If she didn’t know Xie Lanchen’s true colors, Ning Xi would have thought the new guest was incredibly considerate.
But knowing the man was a lunatic who would commit arson and murder for no apparent reason, Ning Xi felt that Xie Lanchen’s smile carried a chilling undertone.
Ning Xi struggled to maintain her composure. “Yeah, let’s hurry back to the villa.”
She would take it one step at a time; if all else failed, she’d just drop dead halfway.
Ning Xi decided to play it safe for now.
After all, if the sky fell, Shen Yibai and Ning Mingyue would be the ones at the front to hold it up.
However-
As they passed a certain bus stop, Ning Xi couldn’t help but look at it with longing and desire.
How wonderful would it be if she could just take the bus home by herself!
*Waaaah, I don’t want to be in the big villain’s car!*
“It’s not like you don’t have a boyfriend. If you’re so curious, go kiss your own!”
A young couple huddled together at the bus stop, locked in a sticky-sweet kiss, couldn’t stand Ning Xi’s gaze any longer and grumbled under their breath.
Ning Xi didn’t realize the couple was talking about her at all.
Because in her eyes, there was only the bus stop sign.
It wasn’t until the couple couldn’t take Ning Xi’s “burning” gaze anymore that they shuffled behind the sign to continue their make-out session.
[Hahahahahahaha! Why does something so ridiculous and absurd seem so perfectly normal when it happens to Puppy Ning???]
[Ning Xi, the ultimate third wheel, confirmed.]
[Xiangcheng is small, but it creates legends. Give Ning Xi a chance to be a third wheel, and she can leave every couple speechless. Five-star critic MacArthur once said: If you gave Ning Xi an entire night to learn how to read the room, she wouldn’t learn-the sun would just come up.]
[You guys are ruthless with these roasts.]
Xie Lanchen’s expression had turned cold the moment that couple glared at Ning Xi. However, after hearing what they said, his mood became carefree and pleasant again.
That is, until he noticed that Ning Xi seemed to be intentionally or unintentionally avoiding his gaze, and her tone when speaking to him was extremely cold.
Xie Lanchen’s expression remained unchanged, but a flicker of darkness flashed deep within his eyes.
On the other side.
Having learned that the new guest was about to arrive, the other Guests were trickling back to the villa.
Ning Mingyue and Wei Xuan were the first to return.
“I remember there are balloons in the storage room on the third floor. Maybe we can use them for decorations,” Ning Mingyue suddenly recalled.
However, as she was rummaging through the storage room, she suddenly heard the “click” of the door locking behind her.
Ning Mingyue turned around to see Wei Xuan, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.
But mindful of the live broadcast, she forced a faint smile onto her face. “I can handle this myself…”
“Stop acting. There are no cameras here.”
Wei Xuan gave a half-smile.
Ning Mingyue’s smile vanished instantly. The look she gave Wei Xuan was filled with undisguised loathing.
“I remember telling you very clearly that we’ve broken up.”