Chapter 43: The Universal Crush Script

[Ren Xiaoqian really has the “universal crush” script!

I’ve often seen people joke before that all the guests have feelings for Ren Xiaoqian, and it’s actually true!]

[I’m not surprised by the others—they’ve shown affection for Ren Xiaoqian in previous episodes—but Zhong Yueyi caught me off guard.]

[It’s not too abrupt, is it?

They’re both from the same company, and last episode when Zhong Yueyi first arrived, wasn’t Ren Xiaoqian especially happy to see her?]

[Wait, wait, wait, not all the guests—there’s still President Lou!]

Lou Yanchen was now indeed the only guest not standing beside Sang Zhiyi.

He held his rose in his hand, watching the other four guests all paying court to Sang Zhiyi, and felt a numbness spreading through him.

Lou Yanchen: “…”

Taking a deep breath, Lou Yanchen stepped forward, walked over to Sang Zhiyi, and handed her the rose.

Even though in this situation, anything he did seemed somewhat like playing around, Lou Yanchen’s attitude was still serious.

A red rose given to a cinnabar mole was quite fitting.

All six guests were now neatly gathered together, surrounding Sang Zhiyi as if she were the moon surrounded by stars.

[!!!

Now this is a true world-famous painting!]

[Oh my god, hahaha, this scene will surely become a classic!]

[Qian Bao is so popular!]

[Wow wow wow, President Lou’s expression is so serious!

I’m increasingly suspicious that he really has something for the mermaid sister!]

[Wait a minute, aren’t they supposed to say a confession?

Don’t tell me those “For you”s already counted as confessions?!]

Among the guests, Yu Zilin was the first to remember this point.

“We need to say a confession, right?”

Yu Zilin looked into Sang Zhiyi’s eyes.

“Miss Ren, I truly appreciate you.”

Song Ying, who had already stood up, followed closely.

“Oh right, that just now wasn’t a confession.”

Song Ying’s smile suddenly lost all its playfulness.

“Xiaoqian, you are the only person I want to give this flower to.”

Jiang Yingru’s cool voice also sounded at that moment.

“I’m not very familiar with the other guests.

You’re the only one I wanted to give my flower to.”

Lou Yanchen, this time, was not last.

“You are very worthy of this red rose.”

Zhong Yueyi followed the trend.

“A beauty deserves a beautiful flower!”

[f*ck, this scene is somehow both funny and a little touching!]

[The mermaid sister truly charms both men and women—a true winner in life!]

[It’s a pity the little princess isn’t here.

If she were, she’d definitely give her flower to Qian Bao too!]

[I can already imagine what it would be like if the little princess were still on the show.

She’d want to be the closest to her Sister Xiaoqian, hahahaha.]

[It feels both unexpected and reasonable…

Ren Xiaoqian really seems to have gathered a whole harem, hahahaha.]

[So what about Ren Xiaoqian herself?

She still has her own rose to give.

Who will she give it to?!]

This question stirred up a wave of speculation and anticipation among the audience.

So far, apart from Zhong Yueyi, who had arrived later and had less interaction with Sang Zhiyi—meaning they had few CP fans—the other four guests all had considerable followings for their CPs with Ren Xiaoqian.

“Pine Nut,” “Mermaid,” and “Gingerbread Men” were duking it out in the barrage.

The CP of Lou Yanchen and Sang Zhiyi had fewer fans but still maintained a presence.

For a moment, the barrage was refreshing so quickly it was dizzying, incredibly lively.

Some viewers couldn’t help but remark.

[Ren Xiaoqian, this woman who has the entire guest harem in her hands, is truly terrifying! [doge][doge][doge]]

Under everyone’s gaze, Sang Zhiyi accepted the roses from the other guests one by one, thanking each of them.

Then, she placed these five roses together with the one she had originally been holding.

“I feel like it would be a bit unfair to everyone if I gave my rose to only one person,” Sang Zhiyi smiled somewhat shyly, lowering her head and raising the entire bouquet she had gathered.

“So let all these flowers stay together!”

[Wow, I have to say, Ren Xiaoqian’s move is brilliant!]

[I told you CP fans not to fight, see?

Now Ren Xiaoqian has given sugar to every CP.

No need to compete [doge].]

[I’m dying of laughter.

I remember someone said before that the mermaid sister is quite even-handed when it comes to her harem.

Looking at this, it’s really true, hahahaha.]

[You have to admit, even when Ren Xiaoqian makes this kind of proclamation fit for a playboy, she seems so sincere, as if she genuinely wants to live up to everyone’s feelings, hahahaha.]

After this explosive first segment, the pace of this episode of Love of a Limited Season became much more relaxed.

There were no specific game rules—just filming the guests’ natural interactions.

As in previous episodes, Love of a Limited Season began filming in the morning.

It wasn’t until lunchtime that the guests were asked to buy their own ingredients and cook.

Lou Yanchen, who had only just revealed his level of culinary disaster in the last episode, thought: “…”

What was wrong with this production team?

They knew he wasn’t good at cooking, yet they still arranged this kind of segment?

Zhong Yueyi’s eyes flickered.

This was it.

Zhong Yueyi checked her phone and casually said, “Buying ingredients, the nearest supermarket is quite far.

With six of us, we’ll probably need a lot of food.”

She looked up at Jiang Yingru, a look of kind concern on her face.

“Sister Yingru, why don’t you rest here?”

Then, Zhong Yueyi looked at the male guests and smiled.

“Would any of you gentlemen like to come with me?

I’m afraid I’ll have some trouble carrying everything by myself.”

In her words, Zhong Yueyi not only considered the appetites of all the guests but also suggested that Jiang Yingru, who was in poor health, shouldn’t do such physically demanding work.

Finally, she took the initiative to take on the task herself before seeking a companion as backup.

It was virtually impossible to find fault with her, and one could only praise her thoughtfulness and sense of responsibility.

Many in the live stream audience felt this way, especially Zhong Yueyi’s fans.

[Having Sister Yueyi around really gives a sense of reassurance!

It didn’t show in the earlier segments, but these small details in ordinary moments are particularly touching!]

[In my memory, Zhong Yueyi is a top-tier actress with impeccable character.

I don’t know why she’s been getting so much hate recently…]

[After what you said, I searched.

It seems some female artists at Starlight said Zhong Yueyi bullied them?

But there doesn’t seem to be much solid evidence?]

Having been in the entertainment industry for so many years, Zhong Yueyi naturally understood the power of public opinion.

The bots she had arranged took the opportunity to amplify the positive qualities Zhong Yueyi had shown, leading people to question the truth of her previous scandals.

Zhong Yueyi’s earlier negative news hadn’t spread very widely anyway, and many viewers of Love of a Limited Season were not familiar with minor celebrity gossip.

The live stream audience, having their attention directed, nodded in agreement.

On set, Song Ying lazily glanced at Zhong Yueyi and then spoke.

“I’ll go.”

With him watching, it would also prevent this woman from causing any trouble.

Song Ying didn’t know exactly what grievances existed between Sang Zhiyi and Zhong Yueyi.

But he understood Sang Zhiyi’s character.

He had a pretty good grasp of what information lay behind Sang Zhiyi’s “thank you” to Zhong Yueyi in the previous episode.

Having grown up living at the mercy of his stepmother, Song Ying was quite skilled at reading people’s faces, and the many faces he had seen over the years as a director in the entertainment industry only added to his experience.

The jealousy and desire hidden in Zhong Yueyi’s eyes were no secret to Song Ying.

That was why he had given her various cold shoulders at the zoo.

Unlike what Zhong Yueyi thought—that Sang Zhiyi had complained about her—Song Ying had done this of his own accord.

He wouldn’t give anyone who harbored ill will toward Sang Zhiyi a pleasant time.

After Song Ying spoke up, Yu Zilin also moved.

“I’ll go too.”

With two of the three male guests taking on this physical task, Lou Yanchen thought about it and decided to join them.

With Sang Zhiyi and Jiang Yingru here, Lou Yanchen didn’t want to be outdone by the other men, no matter how he looked at it.

No matter how heavy the ingredients, it didn’t require all four guests to go.

In the end, Zhong Yueyi stayed behind, letting the three male guests go shopping.

Song Ying glanced at Zhong Yueyi with a smile that wasn’t quite a smile.

Fine.

As long as Zhong Yueyi wasn’t left alone to act, she wouldn’t be able to cause any trouble.

Zhong Yueyi seemed completely oblivious to Song Ying’s look.

She thanked the three male guests and smiled with exceptional sincerity.

This situation was even better than she had envisioned.

Zhong Yueyi’s good mood lasted until she suddenly saw an incoming call on her phone.

Whether intentional or not, in the recent episodes of Love of a Limited Season, the guests had been holding onto their own phones.

The screen displayed a phone number with no note, from out of town, looking very much like an unfamiliar scam call.

But Zhong Yueyi was all too familiar with that string of digits.

Controlling her expression so it didn’t change too noticeably, she picked up her phone and hurried out into the garden outside the villa, finding a quiet corner before daring to press the answer button.

The production team would still leave the guests that much privacy.

The moment the call connected, Zhong Yueyi lowered her voice as much as possible and demanded, “Who gave you this phone number?!”

On the other end of the line came a middle-aged woman’s voice.

“Oh, is that how you talk to me?

Me calling my own biological daughter is perfectly natural!

No matter how many numbers you change, I know every single one of them!”

Completely unconcerned with Zhong Yueyi’s question, Zhong’s mother immediately urged her.

“Yueyi, I’ve been having some bad luck lately and lost a bit of money.

Hurry up and transfer some to your mother!

Not a lot, just two million will do!

You’re a big star, counting money until your hands cramp every day.

This little bit is a piece of cake for you!”

“Don’t worry, as soon as I win it back, I’ll pay you right back!”

Zhong Yueyi’s hand holding the phone was trembling.

Again… this again!

She had lost count of how many times she had heard such “promises” from her mother since childhood!

From as early as she could remember, her mother had been glued to the gambling table, treating her daughter as if she didn’t exist.

Once she was old enough to understand, Zhong Yueyi had not only to take care of all the household chores but also to work odd jobs to earn money, otherwise she wouldn’t even have had the means to go to school.

Zhong Yueyi’s excellent cooking skills were honed under these circumstances.

She also couldn’t count how many times she had secretly hidden the money she earned, only to have her mother find it and, without a word to her, take it to continue gambling.

Her mother would righteously say, “I’m your real mother.

Isn’t it only right that you take care of me?”

After Zhong Yueyi signed with Starlight and became a star, her mother became even more brazen, demanding money as soon as she ran out, like a debt collector hounding her.

Zhong Yueyi had changed her phone number many times, but she could never escape her mother’s harassment.

On the other end of the line, Zhong’s mother’s tone grew heavier.

“Zhong Yueyi, let me tell you!

If you don’t give me the money, I’ll go to the media and say that you, a big star, don’t acknowledge your own mother once you’ve made it, that your mother is so poor she can’t even afford to eat, and that you’re selfishly enjoying your wealth while neglecting your own mother!”

Zhong’s mother even knew Zhong Yueyi’s whereabouts.

“You’re on a live stream right now, aren’t you?

Do you believe I’ll expose you in front of all those people?!”

Zhong Yueyi closed her eyes tightly.

It was always like this.

Every time it came down to the end, her mother would pull this move.

She knew exactly where her daughter’s weak spot was.

Reputation, face—these were of utmost importance to Zhong Yueyi.

She had put in so much effort, endured so much hardship, and worked step by step to build her current status and position.

How could she let it all be destroyed?!

What else did she have left, as an artist who had come from an ordinary family to make it on her own?

They say there are no parents who are wrong, and Zhong’s mother was naturally the one in the right, let alone her mother’s skills at stirring up trouble and lying.

Zhong Yueyi knew all too well how skilled she was.

No matter how she tried to defend herself or provide evidence, countless people who didn’t know the truth would blame her.

Because Zhong’s mother was her biological mother.

If she had ignored the call just now, her mother would have kept calling persistently, and would have started finding ways to speak out on various social media platforms as her mother, accusing her of being unfilial.

Zhong Yueyi knew this process all too well.

It was better to answer as soon as possible.

Opening her eyes, Zhong Yueyi first calmed her mother down. “You know I’m on a show.

I’ll transfer it to you after it’s over.”

After hanging up, Zhong Yueyi could barely stand steady.

The relentless difficulties she had faced recently had already exhausted her mentally and physically, and her mother’s phone call only added insult to injury.

Zhong Yueyi knew she had to act fast.

***

When Zhong Yueyi returned from outside, Sang Zhiyi glanced at her indifferently.

Around this time, Zhong Yueyi should have received news from her mother, right?

Zhong Yueyi, this vicious supporting character who had nearly caused the female lead’s death, had a considerable amount of screentime in the original plot, and her background and experiences were described in detail.

So, while inciting Lu Yaqi and the others, Sang Zhiyi had also not forgotten to get in touch with this parasitic leech of a mother.

Zhong Yueyi’s new phone number had been revealed to Zhong’s mother by Sang Zhiyi.

Sang Zhiyi smiled lightly.

It always takes the last straw to break the camel’s back.

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