Fake Cannon Fodder A Becomes a Sensation in Romance Variety Shows - Chapter 30

The person stepped out of the car wearing a woolen jacket and a cotton skirt. Spotting Wen Huiyun from afar, she flashed a sweet smile revealing adorable little canine teeth and waved enthusiastically.

“Yunyun-jie!”

Wen Huiyun froze in surprise. Last night when choosing lipsticks, she was certain she’d picked Ye Zhuoyan’s. How could this not be her?

Mi Tao bounded over cheerfully, “Wow, Yunyun-jie, you’re so thoughtful! You even bought me hot milk!” She snatched the milk tea cup from Wen Huiyun’s hand, took a loud sip through the straw, and beamed with satisfaction. “So good~”

“Mhm.” Wen Huiyun held open the heavy glass door for her as Mi Tao skipped inside. “Thanks, Yunyun-jie!”

A wave of warm air from the mall hit them, the sudden temperature change making Wen Huiyun’s nose itch. She removed her gloves and rubbed the tip.

Glancing at the hot milk Ye Zhuoyan liked, she took a small sip.

“Yun-jie, the first floor is electronics. Let’s go upstairs.”

“Alright.”

Resting her hand on the escalator rail, Wen Huiyun asked, “Did the production team bring you here?”

Though she knew the crew wouldn’t make mistakes, she couldn’t understand weren’t they supposed to be paired based on lipstick choices?

Nodding while sipping her milk, Mi Tao said, “Yeah! I never expected to be grouped with you.”

Wen Huiyun’s eyes curved gently. “Me neither.”

As the escalator slowly ascended, small Christmas banners decorated the second-floor entrance. A standing poster advertised an appliance sale event and a collaboration with Gu Lin Jewelry, featuring the brand ambassador’s signature Gu Lin, a strikingly beautiful woman with sharp, glamorous features.

Stepping off the escalator, Mi Tao tilted her head. “Speaking of which, Yun-jie, do you know how the pairing works? Last night the producers collected all our lipsticks was that related?”

“Ah, that. The producers had a box of lipsticks and asked alpha guests to match them with omega guests.”

Wen Huiyun studied her. “Taotao, how many lipsticks did you give them? What shades?”

“Three tubes, two orange-toned ones and a muted pink that Yuanyuan-jie made for me herself.”

Orange tones… That should’ve been correct. Then how…

“Was the peach grapefruit shade with the Pompompurin design yours?”

Mi Tao nodded. “Yep!”

Realization dawned on Wen Huiyun. Right, she’d matched Zhuoyan’s correctly, and Taotao’s too. If both were right, then being paired with Ye Zhuoyan wasn’t guaranteed.

“Yun-jie, what should we look at first?”

Snapping out of her thoughts, Wen Huiyun scanned the floor map. “Appliances first, AC units, washing machines, refrigerators.”

“Welcome to Gree Air Conditioning. What kind of product are you looking for?”

Overwhelmed by choices, Mi Tao exclaimed, “Wow, so many! I can’t tell the difference between models.”

With limited sponsorship funds and personal budgets at stake, Wen Huiyun stepped in as Mi Tao got tangled in the salesperson’s pitch.

“Taotao, is your love nest spacious?”

“Tiny, tiny.”

Pointing to a compact wall unit, Wen Huiyun said, “A 1HP model is enough. Smaller units save space.”

Mi Tao gazed at her admiringly. “Yun-jie, how do you know everything?”

It was just basic knowledge, really Mi Tao simply hadn’t encountered it yet as a student.

Wen Huiyun continued advising her on appliances and soft furnishings.

While selecting curtains, Mi Tao suddenly stopped. She lowered her head, her face flushing crimson.

“How?” Wen Huiyun’s sharp eyes happened to catch a faint red stain beneath Mi Tao’s short skirt.

Was it her period?

Wen Huiyun quickly took off her jacket and wrapped it around Mi Tao’s waist, tying the sleeves into a knot.

She leaned in and whispered, “Can you come with me to the restroom?”

“Mmm…” Mi Tao’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears, the corners tinged with a faint pink flush. “Sister Yun…”

Wen Huiyun shielded Mi Tao from behind as they entered the restroom together.

Mi Tao hesitated in front of the stall, and Wen Huiyun softly called her name before slipping something into the pocket of her coat.

Since sharing living quarters with several female guests in an unfamiliar environment could disrupt her cycle, Wen Huiyun always carried supplies with her.

Judging by Mi Tao’s hesitation, she probably hadn’t brought any and was too embarrassed to ask. Wen Huiyun swiftly handed her one.

After browsing appliances and soft furnishings, they headed to the top-floor food court.

Wen Huiyun bought Mi Tao a warm milk bun.

They sat by the floor-to-ceiling windows, the clouds seemingly within reach as they overlooked the bustling streets below.

Mi Tao cupped her cheeks, beaming. “This is so nice, it feels like a date.”

Wen Huiyun smiled and placed a tissue in front of her.

“I used to think Sister Yuanyuan was really caring, but you’re just as thoughtful.”

“Thank you.”

Wen Huiyun glanced at the camera behind them and flashed a gentle smile.

Viewers’ comments scrolled past:

[Is Mi Tao going to backstab Liang Yuan?]

[Who knows about Mi Tao, but Wen Huiyun would never betray Ye Zhuoyan. Handmaiden Wen has been loyal from the start, I’ve already won fifty packs of Spicy Prince betting on them (smug).]

[Big misunderstanding, those two cups of hot milk were for Ye Zhuoyan.]

[When will the show reveal the pairing rules? This time, it’s based on wrong choices matching by the number of mispicked lipsticks.]

[LOL, Cheng Xiaoming, who got everything wrong, is the biggest winner.]

Then the topic abruptly shifted:

[So who actually owns that deathly Barbie pink?]

[Didn’t Jiang Yining say an ex who got blocked sent it to her?]

[But since he’s blocked, she obviously never accepted it. Ye Zhuoyan never answered, bet it’s hers.]

[No one thinks Mi Tao deliberately stirred this up? It’s obviously her.]

[Uh… did you guys not watch the behind-the-scenes? The Barbie pink was added by the sponsor to test the alpha guests’ makeup judgment and spice up the show.]

“Welcome to Starcrest Home Furnishings!”

As the revolving door turned, Ye Zhuoyan stepped into the grand building in her soft-soled leather shoes.

“Good afternoon, ma’am. These flowers are from your alpha partner. Please take your seat in the VIP lounge.”

Ye Zhuoyan stared at the large bouquet of blue roses in her hands. “?”

This… Wen Huiyun sent them? Had her taste regressed?

She glanced around but didn’t spot Wen Huiyun. Suddenly, two sales assistants appeared from the mezzanine, unfurling two red banners on either side.

“Pick anything.”

“She’s paying.”

“……”

Ye Zhuoyan exhaled softly, her hands clutching the bouquet awkwardly.

Even the mall’s ads had been temporarily replaced, covering Guilin Jewelry’s stunning model with posters from Changxin Entertainment.

Cheng Xiaoming, slightly stunned, descended slowly in the glass elevator, arms crossed.

“Zhuoyan?”

Ye Zhuoyan lifted her chin slightly, her slender swan-like neck curving into an elegant arc. Her waterfall-like hair cascaded down as she wore a simple yet graceful long dress that flowed with her movements.

It wasn’t Wen Huiyun.

Seeing Cheng Xiaoming emerge from the elevator, the confusion in her heart dissipated, replaced by a tinge of disappointment.

Ye Zhuoyan offered a polite smile. “What a coincidence, Sister Ming.”

Cheng Xiaoming nodded with a curved smile, asking sincerely, “Did you like the flowers? I bought the flower shop upstairs, feel free to change them if you don’t.”

“They’re lovely.”

“Good.” Cheng Xiaoming gave a gentlemanly bow, gesturing for Ye Zhuoyan to walk ahead.

“Would you like to shop first or grab a bite? No rush, I had the mall’s deputy manager prepare a full product catalog. We can review it later in the screening room.”

Ye Zhuoyan paused, finding this odd.

“I have a limited budget, so I’ll just browse for cost-effective options.”

“No worries! Pick whatever catches your eye. If it’s over budget, I’ll cover it see, it says I’m paying right there.”

“Thank you, but I’d prefer to follow the show’s rules.”

“Alright, let’s take it floor by floor then.”

Cheng Xiaoming snapped her fingers briskly, and staff on the mezzanine quickly rolled up the red banners.

As they strolled through the mall, attendants followed behind with trays of snacks and drinks ranging from Chinese pastries to Western desserts, milk tea to red wine.

Live saxophone players performed on every floor.

Ye Zhuoyan silently browsed appliances, too afraid to glance back lest the enthusiastic staff ask, “How may we serve you, honored madam?”

This mortifying embarrassment was unbearable.

Cheng Xiaoming barely focused on shopping, finalizing a package deal in minutes.

But, her questions were relentless.

“Zhuoyan, you’re close with Huiyunn has she seemed unwell lately?”

Ye Zhuoyan: “?”

Don’t you alphas live together?

“Huiyun never mentions her preferences. You visited the stray animal center together, does she like animals?”

Ye Zhuoyan: “Because I like animals.”

Why ask me? Shouldn’t alpha guests focus on omegas?

“Forgive my bluntness, Zhuoyan, do you favor Huiyun more?”

“……”

Ye Zhuoyan set down the product catalog and turned to Cheng Xiaoming with an amused glint in her eyes.

“I’m fond of you too, Sister Ming. You don’t need to ask about Wen Huiyun to learn about me, you can just ask me directly.”

Cheng Xiaoming chuckled in realization. “Understood. My apologies, Zhuoyan. I’ll adjust going forward.”

Ye Zhuoyan gave a slight nod and resumed browsing, examining items with the salesperson.

Out of the corner of her eye, she studied Cheng Xiaoming. An omega’s intuition stirred.

Cheng Xiaoming’s interest… wasn’t in the omega at all.

[Help, Sister Ming’s cringe is so earnest (I’m wheezing)]

[Sis, I’ll tolerate your cringe, just pay for my cart (shopping link)]

[Oh no, is this the tragic BE of an AA love story? So sad, yet so funny!]

At EKKE Home’s first-floor checkout, Jiang Yining waved excitedly. “Yuanyuan, hurry! Last two spots for free ice cream with surveys!”

Liang Yuan pushed the cart over. “You got it? Impressive!”

“Ha! The Moonlight Goddess never admits defeat!”

Jiang Yining handed Liang Yuan a double-flavored ice cream cone. Seeing her hands were full, she fed it directly to her lips.

Liang Yuan took a bite. “So cold!”

Jiang Yining laughed and pressed a warm coffee cup against her cheek.

Liang Yuan nuzzled her face against the cozy paper cup, surrounded by the bustling crowd. Though December hadn’t arrived yet, the mall was already decked out in Christmas decorations.

She watched as Jiang Yining stared intently at a snow globe, her smile pure and innocent, a tiny speck of ice cream still clinging to the corner of her lips.

“Yining, we’ve been on this show for almost a month now. I feel like I understand everyone else, but you, you’re the only one I can’t figure out. Can you tell me… who do you actually like?”

Jiang Yining picked up the snow globe, shaking it gently as snowflakes swirled inside the glass.

It reminded her of that snowy day fifteen years ago.

A world blanketed in white, the fireplace flames blazing brilliantly, and in the darkness, an embrace so tender it melted her frozen tears into scalding warmth.

“I like you.”

Jiang Yining’s eyelashes shimmered with glitter, her eyes like a snowfall, her cherry lips curling slightly.

“I also like Yunyun. Honestly, I like everyone except Cheng Xiaoming.”

Liang Yuan smiled.

For now, she’d take her word for it.

The guests returned to the Love Villa.

Mi Tao rushed inside, shivering. “It’s freezing! Quick, turn on the heater! Get me the electric warmer! And a hot water bottle! And some heat patches!”

Ye Zhuoyan hurriedly switched on the electric heater, aimed it at Mi Tao, plugged in the hot water bottle, and helped her stick on the heat patches.

“Thanks, Sister Zhuoyan!”

Clutching her aching stomach, Mi Tao curled up under a blanket on the sofa, slowly recovering.

The tantalizing aroma of roasted chicken wafted from the kitchen. Mi Tao’s eyes lit up, then she glanced at Ye Zhuoyan and beckoned her over with a sly grin. “Sister Zhuoyan.”

Ye Zhuoyan leaned in. “What’s up?”

Mi Tao whispered, “I hung out with Sister Yunyun today, and she’s seriously the sweetest. She waited for me at the mall entrance with hot milk, helped me pick out appliances, she knows everything! And when I had a stomachache but still craved ice cream, she went all the way across the street to get me a warm milk pudding! And also—”

“……”

Mi Tao beamed, excitedly looping her arm around Ye Zhuoyan’s.

“Sister Zhuoyan, I want to ask Sister Yunyun to be my honorary big sister! You’ve spent more time with her help me think of a good gift to give her, okay?”

Ye Zhuoyan’s expression darkened.

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