After the Scheming Girl Joined a Dating Show - Chapter 4

Xia Mozhu followed Su Qin back to their room like an obedient puppy.

The moment they entered, Su Qin inspected every camera in the room. After confirming they were turned off, she went a step further and covered each lens with an opaque shower cap to prevent any accidental filming while they rested.

Feeling like she couldn’t offer much help, Xia Mozhu stood to the side like a primary school student being punished—dazed and stiff.

Watching Su Qin’s busy silhouette, she thought: As expected of someone who has been in the industry for over a decade. Her vigilance is top-tier. If I were living here alone, I’d probably just dive straight under the covers and go to sleep.

After Su Qin finished “taking care” of the cameras, she turned around and saw Xia Mozhu’s silly expression.

“There’s only one shower in the room,” Su Qin said.

Xia Mozhu thought the other was complaining about the room having a shower but no toilet, so she poured out the complaints she’d been holding back: “I know, right? If you want to use the bathroom, you have to go out into the hallway. The design is so unreasonable. Who designed this? Having to turn on the hallway lights just to go at night… it’s such a waste of electricity.”

Su Qin patiently listened to the long rant before saying, “Only one person can bathe at a time.”

Xia Mozhu: “…” So I misunderstood. Su Qin was concerned about the order of who would shower first.

“It’s fine, you go first,” Xia Mozhu said.

Su Qin: “No. Let’s be fair.”

Xia Mozhu: “Huh?”

Su Qin: “Rock-paper-scissors.”

Seeing the other person ready to play as she spoke, Xia Mozhu reflexively threw out a “Rock” in response to “Rock-paper-scissors.”

Su Qin threw “Paper.” Her five long fingers were well-defined, her skin so pale that every tiny blue vein was clearly visible.

Xia Mozhu looked at her fist, which resembled a beckoning cat’s paw. To avoid embarrassment, she raised it and waved at Su Qin: “Meow, meow, meow. You won. You go first.”

Su Qin stood still, expressionless. Xia Mozhu couldn’t tell what she was thinking. After about ten seconds, Su Qin pointed in a direction and said, “I left one camera on.”

That specific camera couldn’t see the beds or the bathroom door, but it could capture other common areas. The spot where they were currently standing happened to be right in its line of sight.

Unsurprisingly, Xia Mozhu had contributed more “footage.”

Xia Mozhu: “…” Did Su Qin stay silent so long because she was wondering if I truly hadn’t noticed the camera, or if I was being intentionally ‘cutesy’ for the lens? She probably concluded I’m just an idiot and finally decided to remind me!

As Su Qin walked past her with her things, even after the shower door closed, Xia Mozhu remained in a state of regret. How could she not have realized? This was a reality show, after all, and there was still time before bed. How could a veteran like Su Qin, who had filmed countless shows, turn off every single camera and leave zero footage!

Xia Mozhu ruffled her hair into a static mess, looking like a golden lion king as she collapsed onto the bed, dead to the world.

It hasn’t even been one night and Su Qin probably already thinks I’m a fool!

Just then, her phone started buzzing. It was her brother.

Xia Mozhu jumped off the bed, turned off the camera Su Qin had just pointed out, put on some music, and then finally answered.

—— “How was filming today? Did you have fun?”

Hearing her brother’s voice, Xia Mozhu let out a few disgruntled “owoo” sounds and said gloomily, “I’m not happy.”

Filming a reality show for the first time was bound to be uncomfortable, especially with so many big stars present. He felt for his sister.

—— “Mmh…” Xia Hefeng didn’t know how to comfort her, so he changed the subject. “What about Su Qin? I heard that Lu Siyu, the guy who chased her for four years, is there too?”

Stinky brother. So you only called to check on your White Moonlight.

Xia Mozhu huffed, “Su Qin is doing great!”

The corners of her mouth, which had been drooping a second ago, suddenly curled into a mischievous smirk. “Every male guest’s eyes popped out when they saw her. Maybe after this show is over, the ‘Nation’s White Moonlight’ will be carried off by someone else!” Let’s see you worry!

But just as she finished the sentence, she felt a slight breeze in the room, carrying a damp, sweet fragrance—like cherry blossom body wash.

Looking up, she saw Su Qin wrapped in a white bath towel, looking straight at her.

As the ancient proverb goes… never speak about someone behind their back, or you will definitely be caught red-handed.

Xia Mozhu’s mouth hung open, and the phone in her hand fell onto the bed with a thud.

—— “Hello?” a male voice came from the speaker.

With lightning-fast reflexes, Xia Mozhu stabbed the red button on the screen. After hanging up, she shoved the phone under her pillow to hide the evidence of her “crime.”

“That…” Xia Mozhu started to explain, “I wasn’t saying bad things about you. I was saying you’re so beautiful that not just the male guests, but even my eyes were popping out! Seriously!”

“If you don’t believe me, you can check the surveillance.”

“Ah, wait, I turned the last camera off.”

“I respect you very much. Please don’t misunderstand and think I don’t like you…”

Xia Mozhu realized she was digging her own grave, making herself sound even more like she lacked brain cells. Her voice grew smaller and smaller.

Su Qin: “If you don’t want the footage, then leave it off.”

She only said that one sentence before sitting at the vanity, turning on the hairdryer, and starting to dry her hair.

Xia Mozhu couldn’t help but take a few extra sniffs. She didn’t know which shampoo Su Qin used, but it smelled amazing.

Su Qin cleared her throat lightly. Only then did Xia Mozhu realize she was staring blankly at her, and the reflection in the mirror had caught it all.

Two spots of crimson instantly flushed Xia Mozhu’s cheeks. She grabbed her things and bolted into the shower.

…If my image has already hit rock bottom and is beyond saving, I might as well just give up.

By the time Xia Mozhu came out of the shower, Su Qin had already dried her hair. Her suitcase was open on the floor, the contents arranged with military precision.

As Xia Mozhu wiped the water from her hair, she marveled internally: Wow! The clothes in that suitcase are folded more neatly than my laundry during military training.

Su Qin looked up. Xia Mozhu reflexively gave her a smile and said, “You packed your suitcase so well.”

Su Qin: “Thank you.”

Those two words perfectly killed the conversation.

The atmosphere seemed to freeze again. Xia Mozhu quietly finished drying her hair and was about to sit down to blow-dry it, but she accidentally locked eyes with Su Qin again. She felt like she should say something.

Unexpectedly, Su Qin spoke first: “Help me with something.”

Xia Mozhu took quick, eager steps over: “What is it?”

Su Qin: “Move the bed.”

Xia Mozhu: “Move the bed? Which bed?”

Su Qin: “Move this bed.”

Xia Mozhu looked at the single bed she had already lied on, her blanket still messy. She was stunned. Why move the bed? Was she being kicked out of the room?

Perhaps seeing her hesitation, Su Qin spoke again: “The bedsheets I brought are very large. We can push the two beds together to sleep.”

???

Xia Mozhu poked her ear with her finger. I must have misheard.

Did Su Qin just say… sleep together?