Fake Cannon Fodder A Becomes a Sensation in Romance Variety Shows - Chapter 59.2

Cheng Xiaoming felt groggy, as if she had just woken from an unusually long dream exhausted, yet unable to recall a thing.

Her body ached all over.

The gentle rise and fall of water lapped at her ears, the faint glow of a warming tea brazier cast soft light, and the delicate fragrance of plums lingered in the air.

“Ming-jie, you’re awake?”

Ye Zhuoyan’s voice was soft and tender, like flowing water: “Did you sleep well? We’re almost at the dock.”

Cheng Xiaoming pushed herself up and took a sip of water to soothe her throat.

Her mind gradually cleared.

Right, she was on a dating show with Ye Zhuoyan, visiting a recreated water town in the suburbs. Ye Zhuoyan had invited her onto a traditional awning-covered boat.

Thud. The boat gently bumped against the shore.

Cheng Xiaoming stood and stepped out from the stern when Ye Zhuoyan called out to her.

“Ming-jie, about what I asked you on the boat?”

Cheng Xiaoming frowned.

That night, when she returned to the Lianlian Mansion and spent two minutes staring down at Wen Huiyun, she had already made up her mind to give up.

In Wen Huiyun’s eyes, she had seen fear, anger, hostility but not a trace of tenderness.

Ye Zhuoyan was right tenderness came in many forms. A person’s tenderness could be reserved for someone special, or it could vanish entirely.

Wen Huiyun’s tenderness belonged wholly to Ye Zhuoyan.

But what about the tenderness meant for Cheng Xiaoming?

Truthfully, Cheng Xiaoming knew she didn’t actually like Wen Huiyun. What she liked was the idea of someone waiting for her.

Lighting a lamp for her, warming a bowl of soup, watching an episode of TV with her, listening to a song together.

Just like how everyone cared about Christmas but not her birthday she wanted that person to remember only her birthday, to cast the whole world aside, to have eyes and heart filled with nothing but her.

Cheng Xiaoming didn’t know how to describe such a person, only that she believed, deep down, that someone like that existed. She didn’t know how to put it into words, either she could only say: I want a gentle, virtuous omega wife.

Ye Zhuoyan was still waiting for her answer.

Cheng Xiaoming said, “I’ve got it under control. Don’t worry.”

“Zhuoyan, what did you mean when you said, Look behind you?”

Back in the middle of the lake, when Cheng Xiaoming had turned around, all she saw was water and mist.

Ye Zhuoyan lowered her gaze, hesitating.

Cheng Xiaoming waited a few seconds, but when no answer came, she was about to let it go when Ye Zhuoyan suddenly spoke.

“Ming-jie, have you ever wondered what the production team did with the gift from your first failed date?”

–

Staying behind at the mansion was relaxing.

No need to wake up early to cook, no need to work on renovations.

“Hehe, red bean, red bean buns.”

Xiao La lay drooling on the pillow, still deep in a dream.

Ever since learning that Xiao Xi was with the host, Xiao La had stuck close to Wen Huiyun.

Wen Huiyun draped the fallen cotton cleansing cloth over Xiao La, it served as the little spirit’s blanket.

At ten in the morning, she made a simple meal of dumplings. Jiang Yining loved sleeping in and often didn’t wake until noon, so there was no need to worry about her.

But there was noise downstairs.

Wen Huiyun leaned over the second-floor railing and looked down two suitcases sat by the entrance.

A white box hung with a calico cat plushie, a gift from Wen Huiyun to Ye Zhuoyan.

Had Ye Zhuoyan and Cheng Xiaoming returned already?

But this date was supposed to last three days. They’d only been gone for one day, and now they were back by the second morning. Had something gone wrong?

Wen Huiyun hurried downstairs.

No one was on the first floor.

A few minutes later, voices drifted down from the third floor someone was talking to the director.

Wen Huiyun leaned over the railing and looked up. Cheng Xiaoming stood with one hand on her hip, speaking seriously to the director, while Ye Zhuoyan, as if sensing something, glanced down and smiled at Wen Huiyun.

They chatted for a few more minutes before the director finally nodded and said something. Then Cheng Xiaoming followed the director into the office and closed the door.

Ye Zhuoyan bounded down the stairs.

“I’m back,” she said, arms outstretched for a hug.

Wen Huiyun quickly moved to embrace her, but Ye Zhuoyan stopped just short, leaning in to study her face closely.

“Let me see if someone’s sulking.”

Wen Huiyun gave her a light hug, fingers threading through her soft hair, breathing in its sweet, delicate fragrance.

She lowered her head and gently pressed her lips to Ye Zhuoyan’s temple. “I’m not sulking. I was just unhappy that you left without telling me.”

Unhappy wasn’t the same as sulking, after all.

A little coaxing from her wife would fix it in no time!

Ye Zhuoyan said, “That’s why I came back early.”

She handed Wen Huiyun a long, cylindrical gift box, a little souvenir she’d brought back for her.

Wen Huiyun opened the tung oil umbrella. Its celadon hue resembled the sky after rain, with two kingfishers nestled close together.

“You bought me a gift while on a date with Mingjie?”

Though Wen Huiyun didn’t like the idea of Ye Zhuoyan going on dates with others, this “body in one camp, heart in another” approach was a bit too obvious.

Ye Zhuoyan was unapologetic. “I bought it right in front of her. I got her one too.”

Oh. Well, then. Wen Huiyun promptly retracted all the sympathy she’d just felt for Mingjie.

Ye Zhuoyan helped Wen Huiyun cook dumplings.

“Coming back so early doesn’t that break the show’s rules?”

“That’s what the director just talked to us about.”

Wen Huiyun frowned. “Did he give you a hard time?”

Ye Zhuoyan poked a dumpling with her chopsticks, piercing the wrapper until it burst.

“Of course he did. Tried to kick us out. I told him there was nothing fun outside, what’s the difference between dating out there and dating here in the mansion? He said I was making excuses.”

Wen Huiyun watched the dumpling filling spill out and imagined it was the director getting flattened. Yep, she could definitely sense Ye Zhuoyan’s irritation.

A melodious piano tune rang out Ye Zhuoyan’s phone.

She glanced at the screen. An unknown number. Hesitating for a moment, she put it on speaker:

Hello, this is XX Plaza. We currently have shop spaces available at a discount. Are you considering starting a business soon?

“…”

Ye Zhuoyan hung up. She’d worried it might be a friend or relative borrowing someone else’s phone in an emergency, but no, just another sales call reaching her private number.

Wen Huiyun held out her hand. “Let me set up spam blocking for you.”

Ye Zhuoyan handed her the phone. “I already did.”

Opening the spam filter settings, Wen Huiyun saw that Ye Zhuoyan had indeed set it up.

“Nowadays, advertisers know mass texts get blocked easily, so they have employees take turns calling from personal numbers. It’s impossible to stop them all.”

Ye Zhuoyan’s number was supposed to be protected by the telecom company’s privacy measures, but even then, she’d get one or two spam calls slipping through each year.

Maybe with the New Year approaching, everyone was desperate to make money even the heavens couldn’t stop six thousand sales calls from flooding in.

Just a spam call. They set the phone aside and forgot about it.

Wen Huiyun ate her dumplings with vinegar. Ye Zhuoyan sipped lemon water.

“Yeah, Ming-jie told the director that if they didn’t agree to let us return to the mansion, she’d quit the show. She didn’t even use her mental powers just had this intimidating aura that scared the director into submission.”

“Then the director started complaining, saying our actions would hurt the show’s ratings. They agreed to let us come back, but only if we could create a ‘dating atmosphere.’”

Ye Zhuoyan shrugged. “So, what exactly counts as a dating atmosphere?”

She blurted out a flurry of words, her fair cheeks flushing a delicate pink from the rush of breath.

Like a porcelain doll.

Wen Huiyun was mesmerized.

“Your dumplings are getting cold,” Ye Zhuoyan nudged Wen Huiyun’s bowl.

“Oh, right. Keep going,” Wen Huiyun hastily stuffed a dumpling into her mouth.

“I don’t know how to create a dating atmosphere in the mansion that’s why I’m asking you.”

“I had a date planned, but not inside the mansion. Maybe we should ask Yi Ning when she wakes up. She’s the best at coming up with ideas.”

“Yi Ning’s here too?” A flicker of hope lit up Ye Zhuoyan’s eyes.

After the dates, none of the guests were allowed to disclose details. Ye Zhuoyan had only confided in Wen Huiyun privately, and Wen Huiyun hadn’t mentioned anyone else being at the mansion before.

“Yeah, last night I accidentally blew up the pot. Yi Ning rushed downstairs with a fire extinguisher, and the director nearly tore us apart.” No choice, Wen Huiyun had to take the blame for Xiao La’s mishap.

“That’s dangerous!”

Wen Huiyun leaned into Ye Zhuoyan’s arms. “I was so scared at the time. I really missed you.”

Ye Zhuoyan frowned slightly someone was clearly playing the pity card, but she wouldn’t say who. She patted Wen Huiyun’s head.

A door creaked open on the second floor.

“Yaaawn!” A stretch, and a glamorous woman emerged.

Jiang Yining had thrown on some clothes haphazardly, her shoulders and legs bare as she stepped out.

Washing her face, applying a face mask. Wen Huiyun must’ve already made lunch wake up, eat, play, sleep. Perfect.

Around the corner.

A pair of boots descended from the third-floor staircase.

Jiang Yining looked up.

Cheng Xiaoming looked down.

On the white wall beside the stairs, two shadows brushed past each other.

Only footsteps broke the silence.

Jiang Yining moved right.

Cheng Xiaoming moved left.

Ye Zhuoyan averted her gaze, her eyes dimming and flickering with unreadable emotion.

“Yanyan-jie.”

Something tickled her chin. Ye Zhuoyan looked down to find Wen Huiyun nestled in her arms, gazing up at her with a teasing glint as she twirled a strand of Ye Zhuoyan’s hair around her finger.

“You still haven’t explained why you rejected me.”

Hurry up and make it up to me.

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