Chapter 6
The waiter tried to suppress a laugh and said, “Sorry, miss, we don’t have any cows about to give birth here. So…”
Ning Xi forced a smile. “I see. Then I’ll just have it well-done.”
Jiang Sheshe sneered, “Heh.”
Suddenly, there was a soft “thud”-the sound of a cup being set down on the table, not too hard, not too light.
“I’ll have mine well-done too, alright?” Fu Zhi asked Jiang Sheshe with a blank expression.
Jiang Sheshe was stunned.
Everyone else exchanged glances.
After all, although Fu Zhi was Ning Xi’s friend, the two were either bickering or on their way to bicker. Their relationship was extremely superficial, to the point where people even thought Fu Zhi disliked Ning Xi.
But now, was Fu Zhi standing up for Ning Xi?
Had the world gone mad?
Even Ning Xi looked at Fu Zhi in disbelief.
Fu Zhi glared back irritably. “What, only you can eat it? I like well-done too, is that a problem?”
Only then did Ning Xi breathe a sigh of relief.
She knew it-there was no way Fu Zhi would stop picking fights with her.
This idiot, actually going against the Female Lead’s best friend just to compete with her-no wonder he ended up with a lifelong bachelor sentence in the book.
Hahahahahaha.
Fu Zhi could tell from Ning Xi’s expression that she was up to no good, and cursed her over and over in his mind: “Damn brat.”
At that moment, the usually quiet and aloof Shen Yibai looked at the waiter. “From what I know, your restaurant does offer well-done, right?”
“Yes, we do. For guests with sensitive stomachs or pregnant women, we offer a well-done option, and we can ensure the best taste.”
Shen Yibai nodded and turned to Jiang Sheshe. “Dietary habits differ at home and abroad. Also, the well-done steak here isn’t the tough, burnt kind you imagine. Fu Zhi is from Xiangcheng and is quite particular about food. If he agreed to come to this restaurant and order this dish, the taste is definitely fine.”
His words were flawless-no matter whose perspective you took, no one would feel awkward.
Only Ning Xi kept complaining in her heart: Wow, the usually taciturn Shen Yibai is suddenly so talkative today?
Sure enough, he’s different in front of the Female Lead.
What she didn’t notice was that after Shen Yibai finished speaking, he exchanged a brief, seemingly casual glance with Fu Zhi, his eyes carrying a hint of scrutiny.
The two former brothers’ gazes met-like the surface of a winter lake, calm on top but hiding turbulent waves beneath the ice.
In the end, Fu Zhi was the first to look away, feeling guilty.
For the rest of the meal, Fu Zhi uncharacteristically refrained from bickering with Ning Xi as he usually did.
Meanwhile, the internet was already in an uproar.
[Shen Yibai knows Fu Zhi? Otherwise, how would he know Fu Zhi is picky about food?]
[I saw in the Program Team’s introduction that Ning Xi and Fu Zhi have known each other since childhood. So as Fu Zhi’s longtime friend, does that mean Ning Xi also knows Shen Yibai?]
[But it doesn’t really seem like it, because Shen Yibai and Ning Xi hardly talked from start to finish. Oh, I remember! When Ning Xi was clinging to Ning Mingyue before, Shen Yibai called Ning Xi by name. I thought their vibe was weird then!]
[Vocal! So these two groups of guests know each other! Feels like we’ve stumbled on some big gossip.]
[No wonder Ning Xi likes to stick with Ning Mingyue. Turns out they’ve known each other for a long time-just likes being close with her bestie!]
[Ah, is everyone shipping the sisters? Am I the only one shipping them as a couple? (touches fingers)]
[Me too! Our Xi-Moon is just divine!]
[…You guys are really hungry, you can ship anything.]
Soon, the food was served.
Everyone ate a little, then followed the Program Team’s schedule and began to chat.
Wei Xuan, at 25, was the oldest and seemed the most emotionally stable among all the guests, so he was usually in charge of cueing the process.
“What criteria did the three Female Guests use to select the male guests to join the variety show? After all, all our Female Guests are very attractive, so you must have a lot of male friends around, right?”
“Because only Brother Xuan has returned to the country, so he’s the only one who can do variety shows with me,” Jiang Sheshe tilted her head and joked.
Only in front of Wei Xuan did she seem to shed some of her pride and overbearing aura, showing a girlish charm and cuteness.
Wei Xuan smiled lightly, then looked across at Ning Mingyue. “What about you, Miss Mingyue?”
Jiang Sheshe looked momentarily downcast, but quickly perked up and turned to Ning Mingyue.
Ning Mingyue pondered for a few seconds, and then a smile suddenly blossomed at the corner of her lips:
“Because the purpose of this variety show is to see whether pure friendship can exist between men and women, right? I want to know the answer too.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the atmosphere grew livelier.
“Wow, so you want to see if your friendship with Shen Yibai can turn into romance?” Jiang Sheshe said excitedly.
Ning Mingyue only smiled in response.
[“Ning Mingyue is so bold!”]
[“Haha, from the moment Ning Mingyue and Shen Yibai appeared together, I knew they weren’t just friends-the vibe is totally that of a couple on the edge of ambiguity!”]
[“I’m totally shipping them!”]
Wei Xuan’s smile didn’t change as he asked Shen Yibai, “Then why did you decide to join the show, Yibai?”
Shen Yibai paused for a moment. “She invited me, so I came.”
“So would you agree to do anything she asks?”
As soon as the question was asked, everyone held their breath.
“I feel like Yibai’s answer is going to break the tension. After all, being willing to do anything for someone isn’t something ordinary friends would do,” Jiang Sheshe teased.
Ning Mingyue glanced shyly at Jiang Sheshe, then nervously waited for Shen Yibai’s answer.
But Shen Yibai only replied calmly, “As long as it’s not illegal and within my ability, I’ll try my best to help her.”
Everyone: …How does Shen Yibai manage to say something like ‘not illegal’ with that cold CEO face?!
There was a strange sense of deadpan humor.
Ning Mingyue was a little disappointed inside, but outwardly she smiled. “Don’t make things difficult for him. With Yibai’s personality, just agreeing to be on the show is already a big surprise for me.”
Jiang Sheshe continued to joke about the two of them, and Ning Mingyue, intentionally fueling the fans, shared many little details about their interactions.
For a while, the live comments were full of Ning Mingyue and Shen Yibai’s CP (couple) fans.
Ning Xi sat between the two of them, eating melon seeds and gossiping along with everyone else.
She completely forgot that, at least officially, she was still Shen Yibai’s fiancée-they hadn’t broken off the engagement yet.
Just then, her phone beeped.
Shen Yibai, who had been quietly listening to Ning Mingyue speak, fluttered his eyelashes ever so slightly.
But no one noticed.
Ning Xi lowered her head to check her phone, and noticed that the sender was none other than Fu Zhi, who was only two seats away. She couldn’t help but be utterly baffled.
Was there really something that couldn’t be said face to face?
“Seeing Ning Mingyue and Shen Yibai being so sweet, may I ask what the fiancée is thinking?”
Well, that really wasn’t something you could say in front of everyone.
After all, according to the book, later in the show when her engagement with Shen Yibai was revealed, all those crazy CP fans would start cursing her for being tactless, saying things like ‘the unloved one is the third wheel’, and ‘there’s no law saying fiancés have to be together for life’, etc.
Thinking about the logic of those CP fans, Ning Xi couldn’t help but shiver~
In short, all those harsh voices in the world only exist if she listens to them-if she doesn’t, then they don’t exist.
Ning Xi silently gave herself a thumbs-up in her heart, and replied to Fu Zhi, who was obviously trying to stir up trouble.
“I was just thinking, I’m still a bit hungry-can we order a few more dishes?”
“It’s best if you pretend you’re the one who’s hungry, don’t say it’s for me-I have to save face.”
Fu Zhi looked up and saw Ning Xi rubbing her hands expectantly: …
Why couldn’t this crazy girl ever react normally?