After the Scheming Girl Joined a Dating Show - Chapter 7

An Nuo’s culinary skills were excellent. The eggs were cooked perfectly—the whites soft and tender, surrounding a jammy, runny yolk that had a hint of sweetness. The plating was unique, with a row of broccoli standing atop the round soft-boiled eggs, making it look like a green meadow was growing out of their heads.

The four of them chatted idly as they ate—or rather, three of them did. Aside from her earlier answer about the “cockroach in the room,” Su Qin had not spoken again.

Watching Su Qin eat was a pleasure in itself. She chewed every bite thoroughly, moved unhurriedly, and maintained an air of extreme elegance.

Even as fellow female celebrities who were often in competition—An Nuo and Song Yanran were around her age and frequently clashed over resources—they found it impossible to be jealous of her. When a mountain is simply too high above you, the only thoughts left are to look up and admire.

Su Qin was that mountain.

“Sister Su Qin, can we add each other on WeChat?” Seeing Su Qin put down her utensils, Song Yanran plucked up her courage to ask.

“Sure.” Su Qin didn’t refuse.

Song Yanran breathed a sigh of relief. Before speaking, she had been quite nervous, mentally rehearsing how to smooth over the awkwardness if the “Celestial” refused or ignored her. While people rarely denied her request for a WeChat contact, there were certainly arrogant big-shots who wouldn’t refuse outright but acted with a high-and-mighty attitude that was incredibly grating.

Song Yanran picked up her phone. “Should I scan you, or you scan me?”

Su Qin efficiently pulled up her QR code business card.

An Nuo also picked up her phone. “Teacher Su, let’s add each other too.”

Su Qin: “Mm.”

While the others were adding each other, Xia Mozhu sat with her phone, motionless and silent.

After sending her friend request, Song Yanran looked at Xia Mozhu and teased with a smile, “Is Little Bamboo too shy to ask?”

Xia Mozhu shook her head, saying with an uncertain tone, “I think I already have… Teacher Su’s WeChat.” She had added her back when she was a contestant on a survival show, but from the moment they added each other until now, Su Qin had almost never posted on her Moments, and her profile picture and name had never changed. Xia Mozhu had never dared to send her a message, so she wasn’t sure if it was a “zombie” (inactive) account.

“Oh, you two knew each other before?” Song Yanran was a bit surprised. Honestly, she hadn’t been able to tell on the first day.

“We… don’t really ‘know’ each other.” Xia Mozhu scratched a stray tuft of hair on her head. Su Qin had simply been a guest judge for one episode during the competition and had helped steady her once in the practice room. She had joined in adding her when the other trainees had boldly asked.

“Yes, we don’t,” Su Qin said to Xia Mozhu. “I’ve never once received a message from you during the holidays.”

Xia Mozhu blinked her large, innocent eyes at Su Qin. “If I send you a message, will you reply?”

Su Qin didn’t speak. Her expression seemed to say: That is a question not worth answering.

Song Yanran burst out laughing. “Little Bamboo, so you like telling cold jokes too! I was worried this crew wouldn’t have any kindred spirits for dry humor and it would be too dull.”

An Nuo sneered, “You think everyone’s sense of humor is as weird as yours.”

Song Yanran: “I like it, what’s it to you!”

Seeing the two about to clash again, Xia Mozhu spoke in a sweet voice, “Sisters, has the crew said what the plan is for today?”

“Rest for a bit after breakfast, then we’ll probably go out with the guys. Otherwise, how would the editors find any romantic sparks to cut together?”

An Nuo seemed very relaxed. She hadn’t joined the show because she was desperate for romance; she primarily wanted to announce that she was currently single and in great shape, ready to start a new relationship at any time. This was to counter gossip blogs that claimed she had become gaunt and suicidal after her breakup, unable to move on from her ex. That ex was the one who later had rumors with Song Yanran—she couldn’t even be bothered to remember his name.

Song Yanran rolled her eyes and laughed. “Do you see any male guests here blind enough to be interested in you?”

An Nuo snorted. “I made the food. You go wash the dishes.”

Xia Mozhu raised her hand. “I’ll help.”

Su Qin watched Xia Mozhu follow Song Yanran like a puppy. Her brow gradually locked into a frown that didn’t flatten for a long time.

To increase footage of guest interactions, the production crew arranged for all the male and female guests to travel on one large bus.

Since Su Qin and Liang Shu had the highest status, the crew needed to ensure the cameras captured their full faces, so they were seated side-by-side in the last row.

The others chose seats based on their preferences. When talking, they inevitably had to turn around. Some preferred showing their left profile, others their right. After making their choices, Song Yanran and An Nuo both zeroed in on the same seat. Realizing the other was trying to “snatch” it, they both quickly pushed against each other’s arms and sat down together.

The crew: “…” Why are these two rivals even fighting over a seat?

An Nuo frowned. “I’m a year older than you regardless. Don’t you know how to show respect to your seniors?”

Song Yanran: “I debuted first. Stop using age as an excuse.”

An Nuo: “The cameras are rolling. Don’t make this look so ugly.”

Song Yanran: “You know the cameras are rolling, so get up already.”

An Nuo: “Why should I be the one to get up?”

“Then we’ll just sit together. I’m thin anyway, I just didn’t know your butt was so big—” Song Yanran gasped. “You’re pinching me because you’re losing the argument!”

Seeing that neither would budge, Xia Mozhu raised her hand. “How about taking my seat? The camera gets my left profile here, too.”

“How could we take your seat?” An Nuo’s tone shifted instantly from fierce to sweet. “Little sister, you just stay seated. Don’t mind certain people.”

Song Yanran: “Who are you calling ‘certain people’! Aren’t you afraid the audience will see your petty face?”

An Nuo stood up abruptly. Song Yanran, who was in the middle of talking, lost her support and nearly fell off the chair.

“If you want to make a fool of yourself, do it alone. I’m not joining you.” An Nuo moved to a seat on the other side, next to actor Lu Siyu.

Song Yanran snorted coldly. “It’s just a seat. If you wanted to sit here, you could have asked nicely and I would have given it to you. But you had to fight me for it and play the ‘senior’ card.”

Across the aisle, An Nuo crossed her arms and pulled down the sunglasses perched on her head to block her view. “I can’t be bothered with you.”

Xia Mozhu watched them bicker with her hand still raised for a long time. Once the fire died down, she remembered to put it down. Even primary school students weren’t this well-behaved.

Just then, the last to board—male idol Qi Tian and actor Ji Ming—sat down next to Xia Mozhu and Song Yanran, respectively.

Su Qin glanced over at Xia Mozhu’s side, pulled out her own sunglasses, and put them on. They covered nearly half her face, leaving only her high-bridged nose and a smile-less mouth—a perfect personification of an isolated iceberg.

The guests finally settled down as the bus started moving. The celebrities knew they had to provide material actively; more talking meant more screen time. However, the “Great Buddha” Su Qin and “Film Emperor” Liang Shu in the back row remained silent as statues, making it difficult for the others to start a conversation.

Finally, Qi Tian, the “monkey” of the group, took the initiative. “Why did you seniors join this show? I’ll go first: I heard a rumor that Sister Qin was coming, so I came to take a gamble.” He honestly confessed his fanboy status.

But when he finished, no one replied.

Qi Tian scratched his head awkwardly. “Little Bamboo,” he said, using Xia Mozhu’s nickname. “What about you? You’re three years younger than me; are you in that much of a hurry to date?”

Suddenly put on the spot, Xia Mozhu didn’t have time to make up another reason. “I also came because of Qin… Teacher Su Qin.”

This reason was technically true; she was here because of Su Qin, though she had been tricked into it by her brother.

“Then we’re on the same path!” Qi Tian was excited. “You like Sister Qin too?”

In the back row, the “Great Buddha” behind the sunglasses shifted her shoulders, leaning her body slightly forward.

Xia Mozhu nodded. “Of course I like her!” She paused, then added, “Is there anyone who doesn’t like Teacher Su? Beautiful, great aura, one-of-a-kind in the industry—the title ‘Su the Celestial’ wasn’t given for nothing.”

This short speech was high praise, but no one present contradicted it. Indeed, Su Qin on camera was already ethereal, but seeing her in person made one truly understand what it meant to forget to breathe. However, Su Qin was famous in the industry for being antisocial and cold. She never pretended to like people she didn’t, so those who interacted with her rarely dared to even try and “pluck the flower.”

Lu Siyu, who had the most right to speak on the matter, joked at his own expense: “Yes, yes, who could possibly dislike Teacher Su? Look at me—I’ve been queuing up since university. It’s been how many years now, and I haven’t even received a ‘love ticket’ number yet.”

At that moment, Su Qin took off her sunglasses, revealing eyes that were cold, detached, and naturally imposing. Though she showed no overt displeasure, no one else in the bus dared to continue the topic.

Xia Mozhu locked eyes with Su Qin and shivered inexplicably. Does she dislike what I just said? What if I’ve made her unhappy? Thinking this, she sighed and lowered her head, looking like a dejected puppy.

Qi Tian nudged Xia Mozhu’s arm with his elbow and whispered secretly, “Do you really like Sister Su Qin? You weren’t just saying that for the show, right?”

Xia Mozhu whispered back, “Of course I do. I’ve been watching her dramas since elementary school. Why would I lie about that?”

“True, it would be weirder not to like her.” Qi Tian sighed deeply. “Luckily you aren’t a guy, otherwise you’d be like me, feeling the sound of a young man’s heart shattering into a million pieces—crack, crunch, snap.”

Xia Mozhu didn’t know how to comfort him, so she patted his shoulder. “My condolences.”

They were speaking very softly; from the back row, it just looked like they were whispering intimately, appearing very close. Su Qin put her sunglasses back on and turned her face toward the window, seemingly not caring at all about whether the camera caught her front profile.

When the bus reached the destination, several guests were stunned.

“What? Is the production crew this stingy?” Song Yanran looked on in disbelief. “The first group outing is to a park in Gaobeidian?”

A suburban park outside the Fourth Ring Road—even primary school students wouldn’t choose such a small place for an outing.

Qi Tian agreed. “Yeah! I lived near here when I first debuted and didn’t have much money. I ran here every day until I was sick of it! You can’t even see a car on the road at night. It’s the middle of nowhere. Who would pick this for a date?”

The crew staff explained, “Teachers, please be patient. We are here with a mission. The upcoming go-kart race will determine if you are eligible to initiate a one-on-one date. This involves the initiative to have a private date with the person you’re interested in~”

“Fine,” Qi Tian said. “I actually come here to go-kart quite often. My skills are top-tier!”

Then, Su Qin, who had been silent the whole way, spoke up: “Let’s race.”

“What?” Qi Tian was overwhelmed by the unexpected attention.

Su Qin didn’t say anything else and led the way inside.

“Race, race, race!” Qi Tian chased after her excitedly. “Sister Qin, wait for me!”

An Nuo rubbed her chin, sensing this scene was getting interesting.

Xia Mozhu marveled internally: I didn’t expect Su Qin to have such a competitive streak. She was already murderous during the balloon-popping game. If she takes first place this time, I wonder who she’ll choose for a date.

Before the race even started, she already assumed Su Qin would win.

The karts were divided into single 20cc sport karts, 27cc racing karts, and double-seater leisure karts. For safety reasons, first-timers couldn’t choose the racing karts; only those with a certain average lap time could qualify. On the electronic screen in the hall, the player rankings were scrolling. The regular sport kart speed was mid-range with a record of 41’9s. The double-seater was the slowest; people rarely used them for racing.

The production crew wasn’t there to host a professional athletic competition, so they naturally prioritized entertainment and safety. Go-karting is a test of stamina and arm strength. Originally, the groups were split by gender, but because Su Qin asked to race Qi Tian, they added a points-based system.

Song Yanran said, “I’ll wait for the next group. I want to watch Teacher Su’s race first.” The painful lesson of losing to Su Qin after talking big yesterday was still fresh in her mind; she wanted to see if Qi Tian would be as unlucky as she was.

Xia Mozhu thought for a moment. “Then I’ll stay in the second group too.” She felt for her phone in her pocket, waiting to film Su Qin. She wanted to make her brother jealous.

The other male guests didn’t dare underestimate the seemingly slender Su Qin. Afraid of losing face, they all found excuses to watch from the sidelines. In the end, only Su Qin and that “thick-skinned fool” Qi Tian were in the first race.

Qi Tian got into the kart and thought: I can’t let the Goddess lose too much face. I’ll hold back a bit and just be slightly faster than her.

However, as soon as the engines roared, Su Qin’s kart zoomed out at full throttle. She didn’t slow down at all during the wide turns and cleared every sharp corner at maximum speed, occasionally drifting. Qi Tian was very familiar with this track, but even while putting in every ounce of effort, he was left far behind.

Qi Tian: “!!!” What kind of demon is Sister Qin?!

Now, forget about “letting her win”—he was just grateful he didn’t get lapped.

When the race ended, Qi Tian climbed out of the kart like a salted fish that had lost its dreams. Waaah… waaaaah!

Seeing Su Qin break the annual record with a time of 40s flat, the other male guests secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness they hadn’t raced her. It was just a show; no need to gamble away one’s dignity.

Because not everyone had driven a kart before, after some discussion, the crew adjusted the rules. They switched to double-seater karts for the remaining races. After all, it was for entertainment—friendship first, competition second.

Xia Mozhu saw Qi Tian crouching silently in the corner looking utterly miserable. She went over to comfort him. “You were great.” This kid talks a lot; maybe I can pull him in as an ally to stir up trouble on Su Qin’s path to romance.

Qi Tian drew circles on the ground. “Losing to my Goddess doesn’t make me sad at all. Not sad at all. I just have no strength left. I’m forfeiting.”

Xia Mozhu joked, “How about I drive and take you for a spin in the next round?”

Just as she finished speaking, she felt someone standing behind her. Warm breath hit her neck—damp and hot—and the surrounding air turned fragrant.

She turned around to see Su Qin.

“I have no strength left, either,” Su Qin said.