Fake Cannon Fodder A Becomes a Sensation in Romance Variety Shows - Chapter 17

Wen Huiyun’s choice didn’t matter to Ye Zhuoyan, she was merely curious about how Wen would respond.

Perhaps Wen was putting on an act of obedience in front of her but would speak the truth to Jiang Yining?

Ye Zhuoyan rested a hand on the stair railing, holding her breath as she listened quietly.

In the kitchen, Wen Huiyun kept her head down, busy at work. The clinking of a spoon against a bowl mixed with the crisp crunch of Jiang Yining biting into a biscuit.

Strangely rhythmic.

“You tell me who you’re going to pick first, then I’ll answer you.”

Wen Huiyun finally spared Jiang Yining a moment of attention.

Jiang fluttered her glitter-dusted lashes, sinking into serious contemplation.

“Out of you three, one’s rich, one’s nurturing, and one’s a great cook. Ahhh! If only I could have money to spend, be pampered, and eat delicious food every day that’d be perfect!”

Wen could tell Jiang was just messing around and couldn’t be bothered to indulge her.

Jiang sidled up to Wen, bumping her lightly with a sway of her hip before tossing a flirtatious glance.

“My turn’s over. Now you answer me.”

Wen, holding a large bowl of chocolate, offered a superficial smile.

“I only like Ye Zhuoyan. In this lifetime, I’ll only spend money on her, only cook for her, only spoil her.”

Jiang swiped a piece of chocolate from the bowl, stuffing it into her mouth and puffing out one cheek, eyes crinkling. “Why?”

“No comment.”

Wen suddenly turned, her gaze zeroing in on the biscuit tin in Jiang’s arms.

Empty.

Sigh. Don’t get mad.

Someone’s greedy fingers were already reaching for a second piece of chocolate.

Wen immediately stopped her.

Jiang laughed like wind chimes. “Ehhh! Alpha and Omega shouldn’t be so intimate, you know~”

Then, from behind her back, she produced a bowl of biscuits, propping her cheek on her fingertips, her smudged lipstick staining the corner of her mouth.

“I didn’t finish them hid them here. You said to save them for tomorrow, so I remembered.”

Wen lowered her eyelids, staring at her for two seconds before snatching the biscuits away.

Never let your guard down around Jiang Yining.

An omega was an omega, but Jiang Yining was Jiang Yining.

Honestly, it was baffling. Jiang loved sweets so much, yet she still maintained a devilish figure despite eating so much at night.

Just how much exercise did she do to burn it all off?

Tch, why am I even thinking about this? It’s none of my business.

Think about Zhuoyan instead.

Zhuoyan liked milk better add a little extra to the chocolate.

Wen opened the fridge to grab the milk.

The staircase was unlit.

Ye Zhuoyan stood motionless in the shadows.

Wen Huiyun’s words still echoed in her ears.

Wen had said she would only ever like her, spend money on her, cook for her, and dote on her alone.

Ye Zhuoyan curved her lips slightly, her eyes dim.

If she hadn’t grown up with Wen Huiyun, watching her transform from a foolish girl into a troublemaker; if she hadn’t been secretly married to her for two years, enduring her humiliation and deceit, she might have been genuinely moved by those words.

But being moved was as far as it went.

Beautiful promises were something Ye Zhuoyan no longer took seriously.

Back then, when the Ye family’s debts had forced her into a marriage alliance with Wen Huiyun (the original host), the look in Wen’s eyes during their wedding had been full of disgust and resentment.

Ye Zhuoyan knew the original Wen had always believed she was the one who tore her apart from her white moonlight, her first love.

Yet even so, the original Wen had still been able to stand before a hall of guests and declare, “I’ll treat you well for the rest of your life,” with pretty lies.

Ye Zhuoyan exhaled soundlessly, turning to ascend the stairs slowly.

She would never fully depend on another person to live her life.

Ye Zhuoyan had long made up her mind no matter what the future held, she would never again be as naive as before, nor would she silently endure or settle for less.

The love she wanted was built on trust, respect, and equality.

An unfamiliar object appeared on the sofa in the lounge’s small sitting area.

A chibi-style pink clover plushie.

Three round leaves, beady eyes, long lashes, and a rosy little face.

Jiang Yining stepped out with a face mask on, chewing toffee. “Taotao, where’d you get that plushie? It’s adorably ugly.”

Mi Tao squeezed the plushie, her round eyes sparkling. “The production team left it here. I think it’s adorably ugly too, haha!”

Grinning, she tossed the plushie at Jiang Yining.

“Yining-jie, catch!”

Jiang Yining lazily raised her arm and caught it effortlessly.

Mi Tao clapped. “Amazing! Yining-jie, do you play baseball? Are you a catcher?”

“Never played. Is it fun? Let’s try it together next time.”

“Yay! You’d definitely be a great catcher.”

Noticing something black wrapped around Jiang Yining’s ankle, Mi Tao asked, “Yining-jie, what’s that on your leg? Sports gear?”

Jiang Yining coquettishly lifted her calf. “Iron sand weights. Wanna try? Wear them while running every day, and once you get used to them and take them off, you’ll be faster than a rabbit~”

Mi Tao’s eyes lit up like she’d discovered a new world. “Yay!”

Ye Zhuoyan walked out of her room holding her phone. “Did you guys get the production team’s text?”

Mi Tao said she had, while Jiang Yining belatedly checked her phone and found the message too.

The text read:

-Meet at CLOVER Milk Tea in Lulin Town at 9 AM!

“Good morning, ladies! What would you like to drink?”

“Hot milk.”

“Sunshine orange, full cup.”

“Taro boba.”

The director greeted them warmly. “Please have a seat. Notice anything different here?”

Ye Zhuoyan had already spotted the three gift boxes on the table.

Each box had a card attached with a single word written on it.

Jiang Yining poked the decorative ribbon on one of the boxes.

Mi Tao read each word aloud in turn.

“Vast.”

A Tiffany-blue box tied with smooth white satin ribbon.

“Serene.”

Antique-style pressed-flower packaging adorned with lavender.

“Hmm.” Mi Tao wrinkled her petite nose not in disdain.

“Cute.”

A high-end, exquisitely crafted gift box.

Luxurious black marble patterns topped with a curly red ribbon.

“These are three gifts personally prepared by our alpha guests.”

“Each blind box contains clues for your first date.”

“Please choose the one that appeals to you.”

Before the director could finish, the guests had already started picking.

Without hesitation, Mi Tao grabbed the pressed-flower box in the middle.

Ye Zhuoyan and Jiang Yining each seized one end of the Tiffany-blue box’s ribbon.

The director asked weakly, “Um, does no one want to choose ‘Cute’?”

“Look how? uh…”

Staring at the opulent gift box, its bold clash of black and red, as gaudy as a 39.9-yuan eyeshadow palette from Pinduoduo, the director couldn’t bring herself to finish with “how cute it is.”

Neither Ye Zhuoyan nor Jiang Yining showed any sign of backing down.

The director had no choice but to announce the rules: “When two omega guests select the same blind box, the alpha guest will make the final choice. The unchosen guest must remain at the Love Nest during the date.”

Ye Zhuoyan and Jiang Yining responded in unison: “Understood!”

Their interviews about why they competed for the same blind box went as follows.

Ye Zhuoyan: “No particular reason. I just like Tiffany blue.”

Regarding the aesthetic of that “cutesy” gift box, apart from Wen Huiyun (the original owner), Ye Zhuoyan didn’t believe the other two alpha guests possessed such exceptional taste.

Jiang Yining: “Something was challenging my aesthetic limits to the extreme – it nearly blinded me.”

As she spoke, Jiang Yining weakly pressed her fingers to her temple like Lin Daiyu, closing her beautiful eyes as if unwilling to face reality.

Viewers’ bullet comments flooded in:

[“Place your bets! Which alpha created ‘Grace’, ‘Mystery’ and ‘Cutesy’ respectively? Minimum bet: 10 packs of Spicy Prince!”]

[“But that ‘Cutesy’ box, it’s so extravagant.”][“Shouldn’t it be called ‘Luxury’ then?”]

[“Though I don’t like Jiang Yining, I sympathize with her today. As an art student, I understand. [stabs own eyes out]”]

After the bullet comments, the preview for Episode 4 of “Love and Nest 4” played.

The camera turned to show Ye Zhuoyan getting off a vehicle in the suburbs.

Among rows of modest houses stood a repurposed factory warehouse.

A City Stray Animal Rescue Center.

Ye Zhuoyan waited at the bus stop, spotting a white figure approaching in the distance.

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