I coldly retorted as I looked at her.
Her expression froze instantly; she never expected I would refuse her request.
“Well then, Xingli, I didn’t expect you to act like this,” she said softly, before pitifully walking over to stand beside Jiang Wanwan.
Trying to guilt-trip me?
No way, I’m not falling for that.
The livestream chat exploded:
[What’s going on here?!]
[Why is Xingli talking to Goddess Su like that?!]
[Is Xingli actually done simping? Honestly, he looked kind of cool when he coldly rejected Su Yunyi.]
[Agreed.]
Watching the skyrocketing livestream views, the director thought to himself, "We really invited the right people."
**5**
“Alright! Now that everyone’s here, let me explain the rules of the show,” the director's voice pulled us back to the present. “We’ll be living together for a month in a villa on this island. To get there, we need to make our way through the forest ahead."
“Don’t worry, we’ve cleared the area of any dangerous animals. Your safety is assured.”
“We’ll explain the rest of the tasks once we’re at the villa.”
With our task now clear, we turned to prepare for the forest trek.
“Wait!” A panicked voice came from behind—Su Yunyi.
Everyone looked at her, eyes landing on her high heels and the trailing white gown.
I was speechless and immediately stepped into the forest, my camera operator following me.
Zhai Chen didn’t pay her much attention either and followed me in.
The other two, seeing us move ahead, quickly caught up, leaving Su Yunyi behind, stomping her feet in frustration.
The director, looking annoyed, said, “I told you beforehand to dress more casually. You’re dressed like you’re attending a gala. Figure it out yourself; I need to be fair to everyone.”
With that, the director rode off in his golf cart, lugging a pile of camera equipment.
[Isn’t that too harsh on Goddess Su?]
[Did Su Yunyi cast a spell on you? She made this mess herself, why blame others?]
[Why didn’t Xingli help her? I thought he was her simp.]
The chat was flooded with complaints from Su Yunyi’s die-hard fans, angrily blaming the director.
Left with no choice, Su Yunyi took off her shoes and, looking defeated, walked barefoot into the forest.
The four of us moved ahead, casually chatting as we helped each other over higher branches. Before we knew it, we’d grown more familiar with one another.
“I didn’t expect Xingli to be so different from the rumors,” Jiang Wanwan said with a smile.
“I’ve come to my senses now. I just want to focus on my career,” I replied confidently.
Focus on my career? No way. I just want to survive.
Zhai Chen gave me a deep look. Noticing him, I smiled back.
But my focus slipped, and I didn’t notice the uneven ground beneath my feet. I stumbled, bracing myself for a face-first fall, but instead landed in a strong embrace smelling faintly of cedar.
“You alright?” Zhai Chen’s voice came from above.
Looking up, I met his deep, captivating eyes, and instinctively swallowed.
Damn, the male lead really is handsome.
“Thanks!” I quickly stood up, trying to hide my slightly blushing face.
But as soon as I took a step, pain shot through my ankle, freezing me in place.
Zhai Chen noticed and crouched down, offering to carry me.
Frantically, I waved my hands in refusal. The villa was still a distance away, and if Zhai Chen carried me, his fangirls would tear me apart tomorrow.
Seeing my reddened ankle and embarrassed expression, Zhai Chen seemed to understand my concerns.
Without pushing further, he extended his hand instead. “I’ll help you walk.”
Looking at his handsome face, I didn’t refuse.
“Who knew the usually cold Zhai Chen was such a kind guy?” joked Zhang Xiao as he navigated over a branch.
Zhai Chen chuckled lightly, his usual aloofness softened by respect for Zhang Xiao.
“I guess people’s impressions of me are still pretty rigid,” he said.
The chat went wild:
[Ahhhh, Zhai Chen just smiled!]
[My life is complete! And he’s helping Xingli too! He’s so nice!]
[Are you all just gonna ignore Su Goddess struggling in the background?]
**6**
In the lively atmosphere, we finally reached the villa. Thanks to Zhai Chen's help, my ankle had almost recovered.
As for Su Yunyi, she arrived an hour later, dragging her now torn dress, looking utterly defeated.
She glared at me resentfully before casting a pitiful glance at Zhai Chen, but neither of us paid her any attention, so she sulkily stood next to Jiang Wanwan.
The director then brought out a lottery box. “Next, we’ll be assigning rooms. Inside this box are five balls. Those with matching numbers will share a room. The one with a solo number will stay alone and serve as the manager for this trip.”
In the story, I was paired with Zhang Xiao, while Zhai Chen, of course, shared a room with Su Yunyi, and Jiang Wanwan became the manager.
We each took turns drawing a ball. I didn’t even need to look—I knew I’d be with Zhang Xiao.
At the director’s signal, we revealed our numbers to the camera.
YOU ARE READING
A laid-back guy paired with a dominant partner who pampers him
Tiểu Thuyết Chung"Life has a script: some follow it blindly, while others break free. After realizing I was the 'backup male supporting character' in the book, I gave up. On a variety show, the female lead cried pitifully, 'If I'm not married to Zhai Chen by the tim...
