Chapter 44 Part 2: Zhong Yueyi Makes Her Move

Next came the moment many viewers had been eagerly awaiting: the unveiling of the mysterious second floor of the villa.

It wasn’t much of a surprise.

The second floor was just an ordinary resting area for the guests.

However, because there were not enough rooms for each guest to have their own, only four rooms were available.

Divided by gender, each side got two rooms.

The beds in the rooms were also limited.

The production team of Love of a Limited Season had prepared for this, so now, on each side, one room would house two people and the other would house one person.

As for how they would be assigned, the production team staff brought out bamboo tubes and sticks, which were not unfamiliar to the audience.

[Wow, long time no see.

I actually felt a bit unaccustomed without the lottery segment last episode!]

[I wail.

Why can’t male and female guests mix and stay in double rooms?

This is a dating show!

We’re live anyway; it’s not like anything would really happen!]

[…Buddy or sister up there, did you not watch the second episode?

Some idiot really did something… ah, I don’t mean to say that any of the current guests would do such a thing!]

Zhong Yueyi looked at the familiar staff member, smiling as she drew one of the bamboo sticks from his hand.

Without even looking, Zhong Yueyi knew that she would draw a double room together with Jiang Yingru.

Because she had arranged it all herself.

Among the production team staff she had bribed was the one in front of her.

Zhong Yueyi certainly didn’t have the power to make the entire Love of a Limited Season production team obey her, especially since Lou Yanchen was an investor.

If she were discovered, it would be completely counterproductive.

But by using the bribed staff to suggest ideas to the production team, Zhong Yueyi was fully capable.

After all, the audience had long been very curious about the second floor and had also complained about the short live stream duration.

She was just going with the flow.

Opening the bamboo stick in her hand, Zhong Yueyi showed a slight surprise that betrayed no ulterior motive.

“Oh, I drew a double room?”

She looked at Sang Zhiyi and Jiang Yingru, smiling very cheerfully.

“Who will be my roommate?”

Good.

So far, everything was proceeding according to her ideal plan.

***

When Sang Zhiyi opened her bamboo stick, she was also smiling.

She had drawn the single room among the female guests.

Sang Zhiyi’s gaze casually swept over her skirt.

Autumn had arrived, and today Sang Zhiyi was wearing a long dress and a knitted cardigan.

The dress had two small pockets, more decorative than functional, not capable of holding much.

But they could certainly hold a few small pills.

Earlier in the kitchen, Zhong Yueyi had frequently called Sang Zhiyi over to help, finding an opportunity to secretly slip Jiang Yingru’s emergency medication onto Sang Zhiyi’s person.

Sang Zhiyi remembered noticing it and inwardly praised Zhong Yueyi’s skillful technique, as if she had experience with quietly hiding things.

Sang Zhiyi didn’t bother with the pills.

She was actually a bit curious: if the clothes she was wearing today didn’t have pockets, how would Zhong Yueyi plant the items on her?

Plant, yes.

Sang Zhiyi knew exactly what Zhong Yueyi was doing.

“So I’m the one who got the single room,” Sang Zhiyi sighed softly, looking at Zhong Yueyi with a hint of genuine regret in her voice.

“It seems I won’t get to be roommates with Sister Yueyi.”

When it came to acting, she had never lost to Zhong Yueyi.

***

During the guests’ rest period, cameras were of course also placed in the rooms.

However, the production team’s intention was not to violate the guests’ privacy.

The double rooms had their own bathrooms, which were certainly not exposed.

Zhong Yueyi didn’t act immediately.

Instead, she first casually chatted with Jiang Yingru.

Given a willing partner, Zhong Yueyi could be quite talkative.

Jiang Yingru wasn’t like Song Ying, who would be hostile toward Zhong Yueyi for no reason.

Although Jiang Yingru didn’t say much, she would give polite responses.

For a while, the atmosphere between them was harmonious.

“Look at me, I’m so excited about being roommates with you that I’ve been going on and on,” Zhong Yueyi gently patted her own thigh, looking somewhat embarrassed.

“Sister Yingru, do you want to take a nap?

I won’t make a sound.”

Jiang Yingru shook her head.

“No need.”

After confirming that neither of them planned to nap, Zhong Yueyi went to the bathroom to wash her hands, then spoke with some hesitation.

“Sister Yingru?

Could you come help me with something?”

Hearing the voice, Jiang Yingru stood up and walked toward the bathroom.

“What’s wrong?”

At this point, both of them had moved out of the camera’s view.

Seeing Jiang Yingru, Zhong Yueyi still wore a troubled expression, lowering her voice.

“Sister Yingru, actually… there’s something I want to tell you.”

Zhong Yueyi hesitated.

“I know that something like this shouldn’t be said by an outsider like me, but I’ve thought it over, and I still feel you have a right to know.”

Her words were tantalizing.

Sure enough, Jiang Yingru frowned upon hearing this.

“What is it?”

Jiang Yingru always spoke softly, not much louder than Zhong Yueyi’s deliberately hushed tone.

Given the distance from the camera and audio equipment in the room, the live stream audience couldn’t possibly hear.

Zhong Yueyi unlocked her phone.

“I only recently found out that Xiaoqian has been suffering from long-term bullying at Starlight.”

Jiang Yingru: “…?!”

At the mention of Sang Zhiyi, Jiang Yingru’s attitude visibly changed.

Zhong Yueyi handed the phone directly to Jiang Yingru.

“Recently, some people have been spreading rumors that I bullied other artists at the company.

I was so angry that I really dug into what was going on, and I never expected to find out that quite a few artists had been bullying Xiaoqian!”

Displayed on the phone screen were several photos, chat records, and even short audio and video clips as evidence.

Over the previous two years, Zhong Yueyi had often incited and hinted at artists at Starlight to target Ren Xiaoqian.

Their methods were not sophisticated, so obtaining such evidence was not difficult for Zhong Yueyi.

Jiang Yingru’s complexion changed dramatically.

“I never imagined that something like this could happen at Starlight!”

Zhong Yueyi’s tone was full of righteous indignation.

Her haggard appearance and furrowed brows made her words particularly convincing.

As if her poor mental state during this time was due to this matter.

“What’s even more absurd is that I also found out why Xiaoqian was being bullied!”

Zhong Yueyi closely watched Jiang Yingru’s reaction.

“It turns out that President Lou has had a crush on you, so he found Xiaoqian, who resembles you in appearance, as a substitute, which made those female artists incredibly jealous!”

“…What?!”

Jiang Yingru’s pupils contracted sharply.

“It’s true,” Zhong Yueyi said with a sorrowful expression.

“Xiaoqian has been living in your shadow for the past two years…”

The matter of Lou Yanchen finding a substitute for Jiang Yingru had always been well hidden.

Even Zhong Yueyi, who had paid special attention to him, hadn’t known about it before.

She had simply thought Lou Yanchen liked Ren Xiaoqian.

For a long time, she had been puzzled: what exactly had Lou Yanchen seen in such a talentless, dull, and boring bumpkin like Ren Xiaoqian?

Later, when Ren Xiaoqian was discarded by Lou Yanchen, Zhong Yueyi had finally breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that at least Lou Yanchen’s taste wasn’t unique enough to like such a woman.

That Lou Yanchen’s unattainable white moonlight was Jiang Yingru was something Zhong Yueyi had learned from Lu Yaqi.

After being terminated by Starlight, Lu Yaqi and the others had all gone crazy, making unrestrained trouble.

Unable to find Zhong Yueyi at the Starlight building, they went to block the entrance of her residence.

Fortunately, the security measures at Zhong Yueyi’s residential complex were very good, and they were driven away without harming her.

Many of them had Zhong Yueyi’s contact information and harassed her virtually non-stop with calls and messages.

Lu Yaqi also declared loudly that Sang Zhiyi was a substitute Lou Yanchen had found for his white moonlight, and that since Zhong Yueyi had offended Sang Zhiyi so badly, she would eventually be kicked out by Lou Yanchen just like them.

The news came suddenly.

Zhong Yueyi certainly didn’t believe it immediately, but after piecing together two years’ worth of various pieces of information, she discovered from small clues that Lou Yanchen’s feelings toward Jiang Yingru were not ordinary.

The fact that Ren Xiaoqian and Jiang Yingru closely resembled each other was also readily verifiable.

Combined with clues such as Lou Yanchen’s uncharacteristic investment in and participation in Love of a Limited Season, Zhong Yueyi ultimately confirmed the truth.

Through the harassment of the past few days, Zhong Yueyi knew very well that Lu Yaqi and her crazy group would say anything.

If there was even a shred of unfounded rumor, they would exaggerate it several times over as ammunition against her.

Thus, a plan formed in Zhong Yueyi’s mind.

Wasn’t Jiang Yingru close with Sang Zhiyi?

Hadn’t she fainted as soon as she heard Sang Zhiyi was injured in the second episode?

Then Zhong Yueyi would use this matter, along with the evidence of Sang Zhiyi being targeted by Lu Yaqi and the others, to present it to Jiang Yingru and again trigger her into having an attack.

Then, she would “discover” that Sang Zhiyi had “secretly” hidden Jiang Yingru’s emergency medication and frame Sang Zhiyi.

To be safe, Zhong Yueyi had also made additional preparations.

In the light dishes she had specifically cooked for Jiang Yingru, Zhong Yueyi had secretly added powdered aminophylline tablets.

Aminophylline can cause cardiac arrhythmias, so it would certainly trigger an attack in a patient with severe heart disease like Jiang Yingru.

Even if it were discovered afterward, so what?

Aminophylline is a medication for asthma.

Zhong Yueyi could simply say she had asthma and carried it with her, and that the powder in the dish was just an accidental contamination.

Her logic was very self-consistent.

Moreover, the reason Zhong Yueyi had called Jiang Yingru to the bathroom for help was also on the pretext of having an asthma attack.

Originally, Zhong Yueyi hadn’t planned to act so quickly.

She had learned from the bribed staff that today’s live stream would continue until evening, and her original plan was to wait until the show was almost over.

That way, she would have half a day more to perform in front of the camera, to attract fans and traffic.

But her mother’s relentless, life-threatening phone call made Zhong Yueyi not want to wait any longer.

She needed to eliminate these two highly threatening enemies as soon as possible!

Before her eyes, stimulated by the medication and the series of revelations, Jiang Yingru’s face turned deathly pale, her whole body staggering.

With a “thud,” Jiang Yingru collapsed to the floor, just as she had during the second episode.

Zhong Yueyi deliberately waited in the bathroom for a while, letting Jiang Yingru’s heart condition worsen.

The emergency medication was on Sang Zhiyi, and there would be some time before she “exposed” Sang Zhiyi.

It should be enough for Jiang Yingru’s condition to reach an irreversible point.

Even if she didn’t die, Zhong Yueyi would make sure this number one enemy lost half her life.

Only then did Zhong Yueyi put on a terrified expression and stumble out of the bathroom.

“Sister Yingru has fainted!”

Zhong Yueyi’s tears welled up as she called out to the other guests on the second floor.

“Help!”

She looked completely panicked, as if it hadn’t occurred to her to go downstairs to find Jiang Yingru’s assistant or ask the production team staff for help.

Everyone knew about Jiang Yingru’s condition.

As soon as Zhong Yueyi shouted, the other four guests were all alarmed, and the staff on site couldn’t sit still either.

Jiang Yingru’s assistant, Xiao Sun, rushed over immediately.

As before, Xiao Sun remained very calm, which reassured those around her.

However, when she opened the bag and found that the emergency medication was nowhere to be seen, Xiao Sun’s expression changed too.

Where was the medicine?!

At first, Xiao Sun thought she might have put it somewhere else.

But after frantically searching through all her luggage, she still couldn’t find the emergency medication.

The production team staff had already called 120, but the villa was quite a distance from the nearest hospital, so they couldn’t arrive quickly.

Seeing Jiang Yingru lying on the bathroom floor, her expression growing more pained and struggling, everyone on site was extremely panicked.

Just then, Zhong Yueyi “accidentally” brushed against the hem of Sang Zhiyi’s skirt.

“Oh?

Xiaoqian, what’s that in your pocket?!”

The few pills in Sang Zhiyi’s pocket were now revealed to everyone.

To help everyone search, Xiao Sun had already described in detail what the emergency medication looked like and showed everyone a picture.

Thus, it was quickly recognized.

“Isn’t that Sister Yingru’s medicine?!”

Zhong Yueyi called out directly.

“Why do you have it?!”

As if unable to believe it, Zhong Yueyi widened her eyes at Sang Zhiyi.

“We’ve all been searching for so long, and you didn’t say anything…

Xiaoqian, did you do this on purpose?!”

In an instant, everyone’s gaze focused on Sang Zhiyi.

Shocked, suspicious, frightened, disbelieving.