Chapter 6: From Substitute to Siren

Audiences watch dating shows to see people fall in love.

With no romantic plotlines in sight, and the only remaining pair, Sang Zhiyi and Jiang Yingru, moving at too leisurely a pace—even with interspersed reaction shots of the other guests—it ultimately felt dull.

Once the novelty of the first pairing in a dating show being two female guests wore off, many people chose not to continue watching.

The show’s producer finally decided to cut down the original schedule, letting Sang Zhiyi and Jiang Yingru casually tour the aquarium just to see things through.

Finally, they would arrange a gift-exchange segment between the two as a token struggle to prove that their show was indeed a dating show.

And so, the live stream watched nearly an hour of the two female guests touring the aquarium.

Sang Zhiyi and Jiang Yingru walked slowly through the empty aquarium, chatting while looking at the marine life in the tanks.

At Sang Zhiyi’s initiative, they also stopped from time to time to take photos of the scenery, photos of each other, and selfies together.

It was exactly like two girlfriends hanging out.

[Ah, this makes me want to go to an aquarium so badly.]

[I looked up the address of this aquarium.

I’ll go check it out someday!]

[Has no one noticed how strong Ren Xiaoqian’s knowledge base is?

From the moment they entered the aquarium, there hasn’t been a single thing she didn’t recognize!]

[Ren has been talking for Jiang nonstop.

She loves her so much…]

[Ren Xiaoqian is really impressive.

I’m a marine biology major, and I feel inferior.

Who was it that said she has no acting skills and no culture?!]

Just as the show’s producer had feared, by the time Sang Zhiyi and Jiang Yingru finished their aquarium tour, a large number of viewers had already left the live stream.

Those still watching were either fans of Jiang Yingru, CP fans shipping Sang Zhiyi and Jiang Yingru, or a small number who had become fans of Sang Zhiyi.

The remaining viewers were few and far between.

The producer wiped the sweat from his forehead and thought, finally, it’s over.

The live stream duration had certainly fallen far short of expectations, but the edited version would definitely have enough footage.

In less than two hours of filming today, the producer had lost count of how many times his heart had beaten irregularly.

At any rate, it would be good to finally have some peace and rest!

As for what to do in the next episode, he would figure it out then!

Right now, the producer just wanted to lie flat.

During the final gift-exchange segment, after careful thought, Jiang Yingru sent her assistant to her home to fetch the diary she had kept while filming Jade Ruyi.

“This contains my understanding and analysis of the character Meng Yao at the time,” Jiang Yingru said, cherishing the diary as she gave it to Sang Zhiyi.

“I thought you might be interested in it.”

“Rather than letting it collect dust on my bookshelf, it’s better to give it to someone who understands Meng Yao as well as you do.”

“There are also some things that happened during filming—pretty interesting.

You can read those too.”

Sang Zhiyi received this somewhat aged diary with flattered surprise.

Then, Sang Zhiyi smiled a little mysteriously.

“Sister Jiang, please wait a moment.

The gift I want to give you is a bit special!”

After saying this, Sang Zhiyi hurried away.

Leaving Jiang Yingru and the live stream audience completely bewildered.

[Where is Ren Xiaoqian going?

Can’t her assistant just bring the gift?

Or is she going herself to show sincerity?]

[You have to admit, Xiao Ren seems to really love Jiang Yingru.

She would totally do something like this, hahaha.]

[The production team knows it’s boring for us to just wait, so they’ve cut the camera back to the villa.

But the villa seems even more boring…]

It wasn’t just the audience affected by Sang Zhiyi and Jiang Yingru’s slow pace—the guests were too.

Song Ying, who had been the most interested earlier, had already narrowed his eyes and was nearly falling asleep.

Lou Yanchen and Zhongli Miaomiao were both the type where their presence or absence made no difference.

Only one guest, Liu Bolin, acted especially engaged, complimenting Ren Xiaoqian from time to time.

Liu Bolin couldn’t wait for the show to end so he could find out exactly who Sang Zhiyi was.

As long as her background was ordinary enough, he would be happy to make this beautiful woman his next target.

[Boo hoo, Lin Bao is such an angel.

He knows the production team is struggling, so he specially came to save the show.

So warm!]

[Hmm… Why do I feel like the way Liu looks at Ren is… never mind, I dare not say.

Liu’s fans will probably kill me.]

[???

If you have something to say, say it.

Stop being so passive-aggressive!

We don’t owe you anything!]

[You’re afraid to say it?

I’ll say it.

The way Liu Bolin looks at Ren Xiaoqian is lecherous and very uncomfortable!]

[????

You @@￥FCVHJK》￥#@) shut up B)#@￥%%##CC]

The drowsy live stream moderator suddenly had to start working overtime.

Hearing Sang Zhiyi say she was going to prepare a “special gift” for Jiang Yingru, Lou Yanchen couldn’t help but scoff.

What good thing could Ren Xiaoqian possibly have?

A clinging vine living off others’ charity—everything she had was given to her by him!

Jiang Yingru was not some bumpkin like Ren Xiaoqian.

His first love had seen much of the world.

How could she possibly be impressed by the mundane trinkets Ren Xiaoqian could bring?

Jiang Yingru did not become impatient from the waiting.

She stood quietly in place.

Although she said nothing, anyone could see that she was looking forward to the upcoming gift.

When Jiang Yingru finally noticed something different, it was because of a sudden shadow above her head.

Jiang Yingru looked up instinctively and saw, swimming inside the aquarium tank above her… a mermaid?!

The mermaid’s jet-black hair floated softly in the water, pearl tassels appearing and disappearing among the strands, shimmering along with her fair skin.

Below the delicate bustier was a slender waist and a fishtail of the same color.

The fishtail swayed with flexibility, its movements as graceful as a dance.

Water light and lamplight intertwined, casting a shimmering glow over the scales on the tail.

Then, the mermaid approached the bottom of the tank and, through the glass, waved at Jiang Yingru.

That smiling face was unmistakably Sang Zhiyi’s.

The entire live stream erupted.

[!!!!

What the hell?!

This is too beautiful, right?!]

[I must have woken up too hard.

I’m seeing a real mermaid!]

[!!

I’ve lived this long, and this is the first time I know that “breathtakingly beautiful” isn’t an exaggeration but a realistic description…!]

[I know this one!

There’s a certification called a mermaid diving license, specifically for people to swim and dive wearing mermaid equipment!

But this is the first time I’ve seen a mermaid as flexible and graceful as Ren Xiaoqian!

And she’s really, really pretty aaaaaaa!]

[So what can drastically change a person, besides their aura, is their attire… People used to troll Ren Xiaoqian’s frumpy outfits.

I didn’t feel it much watching this show, but now I realize that Ren Xiaoqian’s aura has improved so much it made people overlook her clothes.

After changing into this mermaid outfit, she looks like a celestial descending to earth!]

[Miss Mermaid, I am your dog——!]

[This face, this body, these movements and posture… If mermaids really existed, even they wouldn’t be more beautiful than her, right?!]

[I finally understand why this is a dating show!

Because I’ve fallen in love with Ren Xiaoqian aaaaaa]

Inside the aquarium, the surprise on Jiang Yingru’s face gradually transformed into immense awe.

Her eyes widened, and she covered her lips with both hands.

The filming crew around her were also so stunned that they forgot to move their cameras.

After greeting Jiang Yingru, Sang Zhiyi floated upward, executed a very showy spin, and suddenly disappeared into the depths of the seawater.

Gorgeous and brief, beautiful like a dream.

Looking at the remaining bubbles inside the aquarium tank, Jiang Yingru suddenly understood the meaning behind the gift Sang Zhiyi had given her.

Earlier in the car, Sang Zhiyi had told her that meeting her and becoming her partner was “a dream come true.”

So now, Sang Zhiyi was giving her a dreamy, gorgeous performance in return.

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