After Entering a Romance Reality Show Disguised as a Man to Win Over All the Female Leads - Chapter 18

Rong Yu completely failed to understand how the plot had suddenly taken this turn. According to her previous setup, the second round of CP matching was supposed to redistribute everyone and only squeeze out Sheng Ming. Then, in each subsequent round, she would gradually eliminate the remaining two male guests.

Instead, before she had even done anything, all three had been driven away.

The original plot was like a runaway horse that would never return, yet the audience in the livestream chat was ecstatic:

【A battlefield of jealousy?? I can dig it. But can we skip to the final step? Let’s go straight to the spicy stuff!】

【The sister above—I have a friend who says she wants to see that before she dies.】

【To the person above, you’d better actually have such a friend →_→】

The heat of the livestream was still soaring, and the number of comments rose accordingly. The backend even popped up an automated system notification: “Congratulations, comment volume has exceeded ten million.” The heat value in the upper right corner had surpassed six million, finally stabilizing at a high of 6.5 million.

If Host Zhang Yongan weren’t facing the camera right now, he would have wanted to take off his glasses, wipe them, and put them back on. In all his time hosting Heartbeat Moment, he had never seen heat break a million, let alone skyrocket to nearly seven million in less than a day.

What kind of rocket speed was this?! Even a shooting star wasn’t this fast!

And they hadn’t bought any promotion. This meant that entirely through Rong Yu’s personal influence, they had swindled—no, attracted—this many passersby! It was simply unbelievable.

Zhang Yongan had never seen such a massive scene. Looking at the comment section where the text was scrolling at the speed of light, making it impossible to read, he momentarily forgot what to say.

The phone in his pocket suddenly began to vibrate frantically. He took it out and shielded the screen from the camera to read the message. It was from the General Director, Ruan Mingyu:

【Director Ruan: Read according to this.】

Following that was a series of new script settings, vastly different from the previous script.

Changing the script on the fly while the show was already filming was something most people wouldn’t dare to do. But Ruan Mingyu was the new, cutting-edge young director they had hired this season. At 23, she had used a small-budget horror film to spark a suspense-horror craze in a domestic market where horror was completely stagnant, winning the title of Best New Director in Asia. This time, she was also the one who pushed through opposition to select these specific guests, leading to the current popularity.

It was also her message earlier that told Zhang Yongan to strictly follow the pre-set rules, leading to the current explosion in popularity. Even if he didn’t understand Ruan Mingyu’s methods now, time would prove her right.

Without hesitation, Zhang Yongan began reading the script she sent to the camera.

“The ‘one day alone with each female guest’ mentioned earlier means that Mr. Rong is to spend time alone with each guest during the filming period from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM. However, outside of filming hours, the communication between guests is not restricted by the production team.”

Once Zhang Yongan emphasized this point, the direction of the chat shifted instantly:

【Sizzle, I can already smell the battlefield of jealousy in advance.】

【Sisters, allow me to translate. Old Man Zhang means: You can’t mess around during filming, but after the cameras are off, you can fight for the ‘wife’ however you want.】

【I feel we could add another sentence: whoever grabs her, keeps her (.)】

【Let me say it again for Brother Rongrong: Only four people!!! (chest out, very loud)】

Zhang Yongan continued: “Additionally, to ensure the guests can better promote emotional exchange and have a more interesting romantic experience, each female guest can choose their own script to use while spending time with the male guest of their choice.”

“Because the scripts involve advance arrangements by staff and interior design, once a script begins, it cannot be changed unless a health issue arises for any party,” Zhang Yongan said seriously. “Furthermore, as scripts vary in length, we will not move to the next female guest’s script until the current one is finished.”

“And once a script begins, as long as the plot continues, the female guests must not violate the script selector’s wishes by engaging in overly deep physical interaction with the male guest.”

Bullet Chat:

【Tsk, I have a bit of an expectation here.】

【Crap, who is the director of this season? I love this design!】

【Can you elaborate on what ‘overly deep physical interaction’ means?】

【Wait a minute, sisters!!! That means as long as the girl who chose the script agrees, the other girls can join in on the action with Rong Yu??】

【Watson, you’ve found the focal point (covering mouth)】

【Can’t wait for the first girl’s script!!! I hope it’s He Huaiting and Rongrong. No other reason, I just want to see the ascetic, high-cold cool sister looking restrained yet unable to hold back her emotions!】

The livestream chat was scrolling faster and faster. Zhang Yongan stopped looking at the comments and continued reading the script: “To ensure fairness, we have decided to determine the order of the female guests based on the alphabetical order of their surnames. If the first letters are the same, we will use the second character of their names.”

“The first is He Huaiting, followed by He Jiao, then Lin Mengxing and Miss Mu Shuiqing.”

Bullet Chat:

【Holy crap, the first one really is Sister He!! Sister He is the GOAT!】

【He Huaiting is so cool, I wonder what kind of script she would use…】

Zhang Yongan smiled at the camera: “After the guests finish today’s filming and return to their hotel rooms, we will place all the scripts in their rooms. To leave time for subsequent scene arrangements, please make sure to finish your selection by midnight tonight.”

He then emphasized the final point loudly: “Finally, the scripts chosen by the female guests are exclusive works with copyrights purchased by the General Director from the jjwxc.com literature platform. If viewers have seen the content in advance, please contact us immediately for rights protection. Also, to ensure script secrecy, guests who choose a script must not privately allow anyone outside the production team to read it, nor inform other guests of the content, or it will be treated as infringement.”

Having finished the instructions from Director Ruan, Zhang Yongan finally completed his task and let out a long sigh of relief. He turned to Lin Mengxing and the others: “The female guests have the right to choose. If you don’t want to play this game, you can refuse.”

Lin Mengxing raised an eyebrow and nodded. Mu Shuiqing blinked without speaking. Beside her, He Jiao reflected with a furrowed brow, while He Huaiting remained expressionless but didn’t voice a refusal. All four silently agreed.

Zhang Yongan then turned to Rong Yu: “Does the male guest have anything to say?”

Rong Yu blinked blankly. She had many questions, but they all condensed into one sentence. She pointed at herself: “So, I’m essentially the only one kept in the dark, the person who doesn’t know the plot… right?” Everyone else had their own script and even knew the story, while she alone had to grope her way through the experience?

Zhang Yongan pretended to be deep in thought, then nodded solemnly: “As it stands, yes.”

Rong Yu: “…”

Zhang Yongan: “After all, you’re the one choosing a partner. Naturally, we have to give you a different experience.”

Rong Yu: “.” She was speechless. She could only think, Lian Langsheng, you’re something else. You really know how to play.

After her conversation with Dr. Lin last night, she had wanted to take the initiative, drive away the other male guests, and find a way to stimulate Lian Lang’s conscious entities. But from the start of the task until now, she had been led around by Lian Langsheng, who gave her no chance to act.

Perhaps because Rong Yu’s expression was too innocent and speechless, the chat was filled with “Hahaha”:

【Hahahahahaha Rongrong is a bit too cute】

【Rongrong: So only I am here to experience romance, and you’re all here to act out a script??? Dying of laughter.】

Zhang Yongan cleared his throat and changed the subject. “Next, supplementary notes for the viewers: Due to the special rules, from now on, the number of livestream rooms will be reduced to one main camera and one sub-camera. The sub-camera will be used for Rong Yu’s solo livestream. The main camera will show the full scenes of the male and female guests in the daily script. The female guests’ solo shots will not be broadcast as they involve script privacy.”

“Finally, fans of Rong Yu can now go to the ‘Linked Livestream’ on the left of the screen to follow her room in advance. Our first round of CP matching and the second round order selection is now complete. Thank you for your votes. Please don’t forget to follow and support with ‘Small Flowers’ or ‘Overlord Votes’. Every gift will count toward the #WhichCPDoYouSupport poll.”

Zhang Yongan finished the scripted lines quickly. “Since there are no more questions, please head back to prepare. Female guests, please do not meet with the male guest until midnight when all scripts are finalized.”

As he spoke, a piano-black sedan belonging to the crew pulled out from the woods and stopped in front of Rong Yu. A staff member opened the door and invited her in. It gave her no chance for private conversation with the others.

Rong Yu looked back at the four troublesome conscious entities. All four were watching her. Lin Mengxing gave her a wink. He Huaiting met her eyes expressionlessly. Mu Shuiqing stared straight at her, her crimson pupils more vivid than usual. Beside her, He Jiao met Rong Yu’s eyes then hurriedly looked away.

Rong Yu withdrew her gaze and sat in the black car. The cameraman followed, and the driver sped off to the hotel. She leaned against the window, her mind filled with Zhang Yongan’s words. She wondered what scripts they would choose. Her goal was to wake Lian Langsheng, and she didn’t want any mistakes. This “blind” plot made her nervous, yet she couldn’t suppress a hidden spark of anticipation.

The camera following Rong Yu perfectly captured her profile in thought. Her sapphire eyes were like a sleeping starry sky, a fine shimmer appearing over her moon-bright face.

Bullet Chat:

【Rongrong, don’t frown while you think. A top-tier Male Omega is someone who makes people want to bully you just to see you look more aggrieved, even when you’re nervous. (twisting handkerchief)】

【To the person above, don’t go too far, your ‘thirst’ is showing!!!】

When Rong Yu was dropped off at the hotel, the other male guests were already gone. As she swiped into her room, she saw the rooms previously occupied by Qin Wenhan and the others were wide open being cleaned. The cameraman stayed at the door.

Rong Yu looked at the camera on his shoulder, thought for a bit, and opened the livestream on her phone to wave to her viewers. She was still a bit shy talking to so many people. “Thank you so much for your support. If I don’t do something well tomorrow when the script starts, I hope you can be understanding…”

She instinctively leaned closer to the lens, her perfect face completely exposed. “Okay?”

The chat was collectively floored:

【Okay okay okay okay okay, anyone who says it’s not okay is my enemy!】

【Ahhh I’m fainting from the beauty, don’t seduce me so openly!】

【Yes yes yes, whatever you say www】

Rong Yu looked down at the comments and breathed a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to say goodbye, flowers filled the screen. A chubby golden cat with “King” written on its forehead and feathery wings jumped onto the screen. With a meow, gold light converged into a crown encrusted with red jewels over its head.

Then came a bold system notification:

【User ‘Moonlight Shines on the West Tower’ has sent a Highlighted Message (10 hours)】

An icon of a bright moon in a black sky appeared on the left. Rong Yu clicked it.

【User ‘Moonlight Shines on the West Tower’: Okay】

Okay? Just one word? For one word, they sent a message that would stay on screen for 10 hours. The longer the duration, the more expensive it was. A 10-hour message cost 52,000 RMB. Rong Yu was speechless.

Bullet Chat:

【Holy crap, a rich lady!】

【!!!??? First time seeing such a big gift on Heartbeat Moment】

【Spending that much just for one word… I don’t understand the world of the rich.】

Rong Yu stared at the message for a while. “Are you crazy?” she blurted out. 52,000 RMB for a one-word comment. “Wouldn’t that money be better spent on food or fun? Don’t send such expensive gifts anymore. You could see a real person at a concert for that much. But thank you, really, for supporting me.”

Bullet Chat:

【Rongrong is worried about her money www, he’s so sweet, I’m crying!】

Then, a purple highlighted comment appeared from the same user:

【Moonlight Shines on the West Tower: Okay.】

Rong Yu was silent. It seemed this was a woman of few words.

【Another user: Big boss, does your ‘Okay’ mean you won’t send gifts, or that you’re going to see the person for real?】

Rong Yu was about to answer for her when the purple comment appeared again.

【Moonlight Shines on the West Tower: See for real.】

Rong Yu froze, looking at the screen blankly.

【Chat: AHHH go for it! Are we witnessing a century-defining online romance?】

Just then, the cameraman’s phone vibrated. “Mr. Rong, the host wants you to move to a new room for tomorrow’s filming. Also, for secrecy, we’re pausing the camera.”

Rong Yu nodded, waved goodbye to her viewers, and left the hotel with the cameraman in the black car. They drove for about an hour and a half before stopping in a shabby old district at a hotel called “Love Hotel.” It was a nostalgic, 80s-style place with green paint.

An elderly woman at the front desk handed Rong Yu an antique bronze-colored key. Two lilies were carved into it, their vines winding up to the jagged teeth of the key.

“Third floor, far east end, Room 302,” the old woman smiled.

Rong Yu walked up the creaking stairs. Despite the age, the room was clean and tidy. It had the basics—a TV, water heater, and furniture smelling of disinfectant. It was better than she expected.

Once the cameraman left, Rong Yu ordered takeout and scrolled through social media. Heartbeat Moment was truly viral now. People were making CP edits of her and the girls. Seeing herself with her crush’s conscious entities was a strange, sweet experience.

Not long after, the takeout arrived. After eating, she fell into a deep sleep. When she opened her eyes again, she was in a standard high school girl’s dormitory. Two bunk beds, wooden desks, a balcony, and a washroom.

Rong Yu sat up blankly and saw two khaki sweaters hanging on the balcony—the British-style school uniforms popular years ago. She blinked. She recognized this place immediately.

This was the two-person dorm she and Lian Langsheng had shared for three years in high school. Because her mother had adopted Lian Langsheng, they had always been in the same school. Every detail of this room was etched into her memory.

“Awake?” A cold, sharp female voice sounded from behind.

Rong Yu turned and met a pair of golden eyes. He Huaiting was standing by the wardrobe. She was wearing the same uniform—khaki sweater with the tiger school badge, a white shirt, dark brown pleated skirt-pants, and black leather shoes with white socks.

Rong Yu was silent, observing her. Suddenly, blood-red text projected onto the wall:

【Instance Number: S404-302】

【Player: Rong Yu】

【Gender: Female】

【Current Role: You are a freshman at Liuzhou No. 2 High School. Strange, unexplainable phenomena are occurring. You don’t know yet, but you will in half an hour.】

【Task: Successfully find the key to survival and survive the night.】

【Note: Unlimited attempts. Dig for information and survive.】

Rong Yu looked up at He Huaiting. Above her head were holographic red letters:

【Type: NPC】

【Name: He Huaiting】

【Identity: Your desk-mate, roommate, closest partner】

【Title: Academic God】

【Persona: Your cold but approachable roommate and partner. You share everything. If you keep secrets from her, she will be sad.】

Rong Yu realized she was now in the first script—He Huaiting’s Infinite Flow survival script.

Bullet Chat:

【Crap! Rongrong is so brave, she’s not even scared.】

【The crew is amazing. They moved her to this dorm while she was asleep!】

“If you’re awake, get up and come to the classroom with me,” He Huaiting said. She glanced at Rong Yu, then looked away. “Remember to wear your uniform.”

Rong Yu looked at her clothes. Luckily, she always slept in loose t-shirts and shorts to hide her identity. But the uniform on her bed was a girl’s uniform. And there was a wig beside it that matched her original hair.

Rong Yu went to the bathroom to change. Five minutes later, she stepped out. She had long, curly brown hair falling to her waist, covering her flat chest. Her blue eyes were strikingly clear.

Having played a man for three days, suddenly wearing a dress (or skirt-pants) made her blush. He Huaiting looked her up and down, her gaze lingering on Rong Yu’s waist and legs before she looked away, her ears reddening.

Bullet Chat:

【IT’S A GIRL’S UNIFORM!!! AHHH I love the production team!】

【I’m fainting, she’s so pretty!】

Rong Yu washed up at the sink, feeling the breeze between her legs. When she finished, He Huaiting opened the door. “Let’s go buy breakfast.”

They went to the dining hall, which was an exact replica of their real high school hall. After buying steamed buns and soy milk, they headed to the teaching building.

A girl ran down and called out: “He Huaiting, Teacher Wang wants to see you.”

He Huaiting looked at Rong Yu. “You go ahead,” Rong Yu said. “I’ll go to the class—Class 3, Grade 10, right?” He Huaiting nodded.

“I’ll take your breakfast for you…” Rong Yu reached out. Their fingers brushed. It felt like a cat’s scratch, making Rong Yu’s palm go numb. He Huaiting gave her a final look and went upstairs with the other student.

Rong Yu walked toward the stairs on the other side. The warm summer sun was out, making her feel nostalgic.

Suddenly, a piercing pain exploded from her chest, spreading through her limbs. Her breath stopped. Black blood mixed with bits of flesh poured from her chest.

It was the sign of a ruptured internal organ.

Rong Yu looked down and saw a withered, yellow hand protruding from her chest. Hot blood sprayed onto the white walls. She realized that even after the heart is crushed, the brain can still function briefly. She looked back and met a hideous face covered in black veins.

In the second before she collapsed, only one thought remained: How did they make this script feel so real and painful???