Chapter 29
Shen Yibai lifted his eyelids and looked at Fu Zhi, who was speaking.
“Ning Xi hasn’t taken on any other work lately. Since she’s not at the villa, she must be out on a date with that new guest!” Fu Zhi said indignantly.
After returning to the villa today, he had searched every floor, but Ning Xi was nowhere to be found.
He had been wondering where she went, and now he finally knew the reason.
She was definitely out on a date with that damn new guest!
[Bro, I just started seeing you through a “genius student” filter, and then you go and act all pathetic like this…]
[Fu Zhi, acting like this, I’m really starting to suspect you’re jealous.]
[Hahaha, the Program Team is so wicked. During Switch Dating, they sent photos to friends, and now that Ning Xi is meeting the new guest early, they even gave Fu Zhi a heads-up.]
[Princess: I’m truly shattered into pieces.]
Everyone else remained quite calm upon hearing Fu Zhi’s speculation.
Ning Mingyue even managed a smile. “So is it Sheshe or Xiao Xi? I’m getting a bit curious myself.”
Fu Zhi didn’t respond.
His expression was rather unsightly.
“Based on what Fu Zhi said, it should be Ning Xi.”
Wei Xuan patted Fu Zhi’s shoulder to comfort him. “They’re just meeting early; it doesn’t mean anything will happen.”
Fu Zhi’s face remained cold. “How can you be so sure it’s Ning Xi? What if it’s Jiang Sheshe?”
Wei Xuan had tried to be kind, but after being met with Fu Zhi’s indiscriminate hostility, his smile cooled as well.
[Is this mutual destruction?]
[I’m dying, hahaha. This is the first time I’ve seen such a tense atmosphere between the male guests. Suddenly, this reality dating show feels like a real battlefield.]
[It’s okay, Fu Zhi. Let me tell you loud and clear: it’s not Jiang Sheshe, it’s definitely Ning Xi!]
The group dispersed on a sour note.
None of them were in the mood to decorate the villa anymore.
Ning Mingyue fell silent for a moment before forcing a smile. “Anyway, the new guest will show up sooner or later. There’s no need to rush.”
That being said, Ning Mingyue was still quite curious about the new guest. After all, she had been abroad at this time in her previous life and hadn’t paid any attention to domestic variety shows, so she naturally didn’t know who the new guest would be.
“Yibai, let’s go set up the balloons and banners,” Ning Mingyue said, looking at Shen Yibai with a beaming smile.
She remembered that in her previous life, Ning Xi loved doing these things.
Even with Shen Yibai’s cold personality, he had been willing to indulge Ning Xi’s whims.
She guessed that perhaps Shen Yibai liked girls with that kind of personality.
Sure enough, Shen Yibai’s lips moved, and he agreed with a smile, “Okay.”
Ning Mingyue’s smile grew even more radiant.
But she still didn’t understand Shen Yibai well enough.
The moment she turned around, a flicker of irritation crossed his eyes. Only when Ning Mingyue looked back at him did he force a very faint smile.
Fu Zhi watched Shen Yibai and Ning Mingyue prepare to welcome the new guest with cold eyes, feeling an inexplicable sense of frustration.
Welcome? Welcome what?
That new guest had the nerve to go on a date right off the bat. If they got any bolder, would they start stealing people’s friends next?
Fu Zhi huffed with a tense face.
Suddenly, someone sent a message in the “Youai” group.
Fu Zhi quickly opened his phone, and his face darkened even further once he saw who the sender was.
Jiang Sheshe: “It’s raining outside, and I didn’t bring an umbrella. I’m trapped in a cafe [Crying face].”
Since Jiang Sheshe was at a cafe, the one on a date with the new guest could only be…
Fu Zhi slammed his phone shut.
In the group:
Wei Xuan replied quickly: “I’ll come pick you up. Wait for me.”
Jiang Sheshe: “(Happy.jpg)”
Fu Zhi stared at Wei Xuan’s briskly departing back, looking deeply resentful.
After a pause, he picked up his phone again and sent a message to the group.
Where’s the Simp: “It’s raining.”
Where’s the Simp: “It’s pouring.”
Where’s the Simp: “Are you all coming back soon?”
A moment later.
Jiang Sheshe: “I’m about half an hour’s drive from the villa, so I’ll be back soon. Is everyone home? Is the new guest there yet? What do they look like? Any photos?”
Where’s the Simp: “No.”
The group chat went quiet in an instant.
Fu Zhi fixed his gaze on a profile picture labeled “Strong”-someone who hadn’t said a single word in the chat all day. He took a deep breath and forced himself to stay calm.
Endure.
He would endure.
In the end, he really couldn’t take it anymore. He grabbed the Little Pufferfish plush he’d bought yesterday from the shop next to the escape room and smacked it twice.
Even his words were vicious. “So you won’t talk, huh? So you won’t talk, huh?!”
[Bro, stop hitting it. I’m scared.]
[Fu Zhi suddenly feels like the kind of Imperial Concubine who’s been locked in the Cold Palace for so long she finally snapped.]
[No. He’s just an idiot.]
After a while, Fu Zhi finally managed to talk himself down.
Where’s the Simp: “Kind of craving strawberry mille-feuille. I ordered one. Anyone else want some?”
Tian Xiaocao replied in seconds: “Me.”
Where’s the Simp: “……”
Where’s the Simp: “Then when are you coming back?”
Where’s the Simp: “I’m not that curious or anything.”
Where’s the Simp: “I’m just worried if the mille-feuille sits too long, the texture won’t be as good.”
Where’s the Simp: “Hahahaha.”
Tian Xiaocao: “Soon.”
Where’s the Simp: “Oh.”
Fu Zhi’s replies sounded frosty, but viewers caught the way his previously tense mouth was already curving up-he could barely hold the smile back.
Where’s the Simp: “So how many minutes?”
Where’s the Simp: “The strawberry mille-feuille is about to be delivered. I need to decide whether I should start eating first.”
[Ning Xi lands one basic attack and Fu Zhi instantly breaks-straight into his ultimate.]
[Every single line is his self-respect~]
[Fu Zhi, you trying to patch things up everywhere is seriously hilarious.]
[I’m realizing there are so many men on this show who act all cool and aloof, lmao.]
Ning Xi casually replied to Fu Zhi with a single “Up to you,” then went back to staring out the window with a dead-inside expression.
She had never, ever wanted to get back to the villa this badly…
“You hate me?”
A cold, sharp voice suddenly sounded right by her ear.
Ning Xi turned to look at Xie Lanchen beside her, her heart giving a hard thump.
Up close, his face hit even harder.
“You hate me?”
Xie Lanchen asked again, his brow lifting slightly, a faint smile seeming to ripple in his eyes.
Ning Xi shook her head like a rattle. “How could I?”
How many lives did she have to dare hate a final boss like him?
“Then why won’t you look at me? Is it because I’m ugly?” Xie Lanchen chuckled, his gaze filled with a sincere sort of curiosity.
Ning Xi choked.
Was this guy seriously so handsome he didn’t even realize it?
If Xie Lanchen counted as ugly, then there probably weren’t any good-looking people left in the world.
“I’m just… kind of tired today, so I’m not really in the right headspace,” Ning Xi made up an excuse on the spot.
Xie Lanchen gave a light, indifferent “Mm,” not making it clear whether he believed her.
Ning Xi silently lit a candle for herself in her heart.
It wasn’t until Youai Villa came into view in the distance that Ning Xi finally let out a breath.
The feeling was like a corpse returning to its grave-warm, cozy, safe.
Inside the villa.
Fu Zhi stared at Ning Xi’s WeChat profile picture, his expression as dark as a storm.
Even the strawberry mille-feuille that had just been delivered looked inexplicably irritating.
“So annoying. I never want to eat strawberries again,” Fu Zhi complained, venting like a sulking kid.
“Then can I eat all of it?”
A voice packed with excitement, delight, and anticipation suddenly rang out.
Fu Zhi turned and saw Ning Xi. A flash of happiness crossed his eyes before he forced his face back into a scowl. “Where’d you go? You still remembered to come back, huh?”
“Mm-hmm.” Ning Xi nodded perfunctorily. “So you don’t want it anymore-can I eat all of it?”
“…”