After the Scheming Girl Joined a Dating Show - Chapter 8

The sudden voice startled Xia Mozhu. Once she saw clearly who it was, she hurriedly greeted her: “Su…” But as soon as the syllable left her mouth, she realized she didn’t know what to call her. When speaking to others, calling her “Teacher Su” was an industry habit and a mark of respect, but facing Su Qin herself, she was afraid of being shut down like Qi Tian was yesterday.

She hadn’t forgotten what Su Qin said to him—“I haven’t taught you anything, no need to call me Teacher Su.”

While her mind was racing through these various thoughts, Su Qin had already grabbed her by the sleeve and led her to the helmet rack, helping her put one on.

By the time Xia Mozhu’s mind returned from its travels, she had been led by the sleeve into the driver’s seat of a kart, with Su Qin in the passenger seat.

Seeing Xia Mozhu sitting motionless and letting herself be maneuvered, Su Qin couldn’t help but frown. “Are you unwilling to be in the same car as me?”

Xia Mozhu shook her head like a rattle. “No, I’m not unwilling!”

The moment she finished, Su Qin replied without a second’s gap: “You don’t look willing, either.”

Xia Mozhu blinked and explained, “I was just too surprised. I’m stunned by the pleasant surprise.”

Su Qin: “Surprise?”

Xia Mozhu: “Yeah! You said you had no strength left and came to ask me to drive you. You must fully trust my skills. To get your recognition is like… like a kindergarten teacher giving out a little red flower sticker. It’s an honor.”

Her words were incredibly sincere, devoid of any trace of flattery or social climbing. Of course, that was because she was genuinely speaking her mind.

After hearing Xia Mozhu’s words, Su Qin reached up and snapped the helmet visor down. That click served as her response. Her expressionless face turned toward the front.

Immediately after, a staff member pulled the starter cord on the engine behind the seat. The roar of the motor filled the air, making further conversation impossible.

Xia Mozhu sat up straight and gripped the steering wheel firmly. She thought to herself: Su Qin has such a strong competitive streak. If I lose, she might get angry.

This race must be a victory!

Xia Mozhu flopped the pedal to the floor, her concentration absolute. She hadn’t been this nervous even during her college entrance interview.

Under the pressure of sharing a car with Su Qin, Xia Mozhu performed beyond her usual level. She used full power on the straights and passed through the sharp curves like a bolt of lightning. Her hands grew sore from fighting the wheel, and her foot even cramped slightly.

But it was all worth it. Ultimately, she crossed the finish line first, leaving the other double karts far behind.

The other guests: “…” Is this a dating show or an athletic competition? Is it really necessary to go that hard!

As she slowly steered the kart into the parking space, Xia Mozhu let out a long breath, a puff of white mist appearing on her visor. Then, caught up in the excitement, she grabbed Su Qin’s hand without thinking and raised it in the air, cheering: “Woohoo! We took first place!”

Su Qin turned to look at her but didn’t stop her. She simply let Xia Mozhu hold her hand and cheer in front of the cameras and the staff, letting her show off like a kindergartner who had indeed received a little red flower.

Only after her excitement peaked did Xia Mozhu realize she had lost herself. She quickly released Su Qin’s hand and said sheepishly, “Was I being too much? It was such a small race…” Her eyes were full of stars. “Mainly because you were the one sitting next to me, winning made me happy—really, really happy.”

The expression on Su Qin’s face stiffened for a moment. She unbuckled her seatbelt and turned her head in the opposite direction from Xia Mozhu. “Get out of the car.”

Xia Mozhu scratched her head, pouting in confusion. Did Su Qin think I was too noisy?

Leaving the go-kart track, the crew announced: “Based on today’s rankings, the guests eligible to initiate a one-on-one date are Su Qin, Xia Mozhu, Qi Tian, and Song Yanran. Once an invitation is issued, the invited party cannot refuse.”

Although Qi Tian had lost his race against Su Qin, his average speed was still the second fastest. Song Yanran, who rode in his car during the second round, essentially “carried” her way to a win.

Seeing this result, the production crew’s mood was complicated.

According to the original show design, they had hoped the “lovelorn fool” Lu Siyu (who had chased Su Qin for four years) or her former classmate Ji Ming would get the invitation rights. That way, they could get netizens to predict whether Lu Siyu would take the chance to pursue his “White Moonlight” again, or if the old classmate would make a move. After all, they had already captured excellent footage of the male guests staring blankly at Su Qin yesterday. With the right editing, it would have been a perfect “cremona” (battlefield).

Who could have guessed that Su Qin would not only take the dating fund but also the invitation rights? She left no room for the male guests to breathe. Perhaps the online prediction should now be changed to: Who will the Celestial actually choose as her date?

Whichever guest Su Qin actively chooses will probably be hunted down by every man on the internet!

The planners scratched their heads until they were nearly bald. They had chosen go-karting specifically because their research showed Lu Siyu and Ji Ming were experts at it. They never expected neither of them to make the cut! It seems for the next competition, they’ll have to investigate what Su Qin isn’t good at first.

Go-karting is an exercise that strains the arms. After the race, the guests were exhausted. The afternoon schedule was set for “free activity” at the villa—they could rest or do whatever they liked, offering high flexibility.

Since reality shows mostly rely on a guest’s personal brand and “shining moments” to attract viewers—and the growth arcs are adjusted based on audience feedback—the crew doesn’t arrange every single shot. Whichever guest knows how to “make content” gets more screen time.

Back at the residence, Xia Mozhu’s “after-effects” kicked in. Her arms hung limp at her sides as if she had no bones; her muscles were sore and weak.

“I feel like a useless person!” Xia Mozhu swung her arms, her gait stumbling like a little zombie.

“Little sister, you’re not fit enough!” Song Yanran teased. “That tiny bit of exercise and your hands are this sore?”

An Nuo rolled her eyes at her. “Don’t pollute the kid with your ‘dirty’ jokes.”

Song Yanran: “Only an old driver of thirty years would react that fast! When I said it, I didn’t mean anything complicated. I was just purely commenting on Little Bamboo’s lack of stamina. What’s filling up your head?”

An Nuo gave a fake smile. “Heaven and Earth know if you’re ‘pure’ or not. I certainly don’t.”

Song Yanran: “I see you’re looking for another fight between our fanbases.”

An Nuo: “I think you want a fight with me.”

Watching the two of them bicker endlessly, Xia Mozhu thought: The gossip media says they are rivals who ‘avoid being in the same room,’ that they don’t even greet each other backstage at award shows or look at each other when they pass by. Their relationship was supposedly below freezing. Yet here it was, only the second day, and their dialogue could already fill a “Bickering Collection” book.

Was the relationship really as bad as the media said?

She looked at Song Yanran, then at An Nuo, then at An Nuo again, and back to Song Yanran. She was full of investigative spirit, as if pondering a profound philosophical mystery.

“For you.” Su Qin’s voice suddenly rang in her ear.

She was holding a tube of ointment for muscle soreness.

Xia Mozhu almost jumped in shock. “It’s you.” After seeing the owner of the voice, she patted her heart.

Su Qin: “You’re easier to startle than my dog.”

Xia Mozhu: “…”

Su Qin kept comparing her to a dog. Was it Su Qin’s problem, or did she really look like a dog?

With that thought in her mind, Xia Mozhu’s body reflexively followed suit. She barked “Woof woof woof!” at Su Qin three times.

Su Qin’s expression didn’t change much, but her pupils visibly shook with surprise.

An Nuo and Song Yanran stopped their ceasefire and prepared to join the conversation.

Xia Mozhu was about to speak when she saw the two of them walk over to stand beside Su Qin. With three women suddenly appearing in front of her, the bad memories from her childhood surged back. She instantly felt like she couldn’t breathe; her heart began to race—thump-thump-thump-thump—her vision blurred, and waves of darkness swept over her.

In her dizziness, Xia Mozhu couldn’t think. Her consciousness began to drift away uncontrollably. A second before she felt she was going to collapse, she grabbed the person closest to her. She locked her arms tightly around the person’s waist, like a drowning victim grabbing a piece of driftwood in a whirlpool.

Su Qin felt Xia Mozhu’s body slowly sinking and immediately wrapped her arms around her waist to steady her.

“Little Bamboo, what’s wrong?” Song Yanran noticed something was off and asked with concern.

Su Qin answered for her: “She has low blood sugar.”

“Ah? Oh, I see.” Song Yanran was clearly a bit dazed by Su Qin answering for her. Are these two that close? How does Su Qin know everything? But during breakfast, they didn’t seem that familiar.

Xia Mozhu buried her face into the crook of Su Qin’s neck. Her lips had turned icy cold. In a voice only Su Qin could hear, she whispered, “I want to go upstairs.”

“I’ll take her upstairs to rest first,” Su Qin said to the other two.

An Nuo said, “Okay. Call us if you need any help.”

Su Qin nodded and helped a half-conscious Xia Mozhu back to the room.

Xia Mozhu’s symptoms were mostly psychological; once she left that environment, she felt much better. By the time they entered the room, her head had cleared significantly. She realized she was clinging to Su Qin like a koala and felt extremely embarrassed.

“I’m not too heavy, am I? Did I crush you?” Xia Mozhu retracted her “thieving” hands, her eyes darting around in bashfulness.

Su Qin: “I have more strength than you.”

Without thinking, Xia Mozhu blurted out: “You said you had no strength left when we were driving this morning.” Her voice was still weak, making the words come out soft and “waxy,” sounding almost like she was acting spoiled.

More accurately, it sounded like someone saying to their partner: “Didn’t you say you were exhausted, you devil~?”

Of course, only the cameras in the room knew that; she didn’t realize it herself.

Su Qin took Xia Mozhu by the arm and placed her on the bed. In a tone that brooked no refusal, she said, “Lie down.”

“But I think I’m okay now.” Xia Mozhu opened her big eyes and looked up at Su Qin. “I just got dizzy for a second. I can run and jump now.”

Su Qin didn’t force her, but simply said, “Extend your arm.”

“Huh?” Xia Mozhu was confused.

Su Qin tossed the ointment into Xia Mozhu’s lap. “This can relieve muscle soreness.”

“Oh…” Xia Mozhu’s reaction time lagged for a second before she said: “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” After saying those three words, Su Qin walked to the side, picked up a book, and began to read. It was as if an “ascetic barrier” had risen around her, and she no longer paid any attention to Xia Mozhu.

As she applied the ointment, Xia Mozhu said to Su Qin, “You’re really great!”

The person inside the barrier focused on the book naturally gave no response. However, that page didn’t seem to turn for a very long time.

Although Xia Mozhu was physically fine, she felt too embarrassed to go downstairs alone while Su Qin was there reading. After all, Su Qin had accompanied her back.

She took out her phone to see the trending topics. Upon opening it, she saw a hashtag at the top—

#BaiFengDrinkingWaterAdam’sApple#

“Bai Feng” was the stage name Xia Hefeng’s agency had given him. It had been calculated by a very famous master in the industry, and perhaps there really was some metaphysical blessing involved, because with that name, he truly became a top-tier star from the moment he debuted. Trending was a daily occurrence for him.

Xia Mozhu curled her lip in disdain. “Have the media run out of things to report?” Her brother drinking water could even trend.

She clicked in and saw many marketing accounts hitching a ride on the trend, posting GIFs of Bai Feng drinking water after finishing a dance. Below, fans were going crazy.

—— “Is that an Adam’s apple a human is allowed to have?”

—— “So much sex appeal!”

—— “Oppa, take me!”

—— “Oppa belongs to me alone, don’t look at my Oppa!”

—— “He’s your Oppa, but my husband.”

Xia Mozhu: “…” He’s my brother alone, and I don’t want this many sisters-in-law.

At that moment, Su Qin happened to look up from her book, and their eyes met.

For a long while, they looked at each other in silence. The air was thick with the scent of awkwardness—at least, that’s what Xia Mozhu thought. In reality, the camera only captured two beauties gazing at each other in silence across a bed. That frame alone could trigger infinite imaginings.

Xia Mozhu held up her phone and, for some reason, blurted out: “Want to look at a handsome guy?”

Su Qin paused for two seconds and countered: “You like him very much?”

Xia Mozhu hurriedly shook her head. “No, I just saw it on the trending list and went in for a look.”

Su Qin said nothing.

Xia Mozhu had a flash of inspiration. She jumped off the bed, showed her phone to Su Qin, and asked, “What do you think?”

Su Qin: “What about what?”

Xia Mozhu pointed her finger at the screen. “This trending topic. The GIF of Bai Feng drinking water.”

Su Qin said in her usual cool voice: “Has the media run out of news?” Her reaction was identical to Xia Mozhu’s first reaction.

Xia Mozhu tentatively asked: “Don’t you think it’s very seductive?”

Su Qin stared at Xia Mozhu with a strange look for a while, then asked back: “Is there no more ‘seduction’ left in the world?”

Xia Mozhu blurted out: “Of course there is. Aren’t you the greatest seduction of all?”