Fake Cannon Fodder A Becomes a Sensation in Romance Variety Shows - Chapter 8
Wen Huiyun’s Love Phone had two private messages:
‘Take a set of photos for me.’
‘Thank you, Fairy.’
When Wen Huiyun saw the first message, she made the classic “old man on subway looking at phone” expression.
Upon reading the second message, she was first surprised, then broke into a smile, two little dimples appearing at the corners of her mouth.
The second message was definitely from Ye Zhuoyan.
She knew Ye Zhuoyan would eventually discover she was the “Old House Fairy”, after all, the production team had recorded everything, and people around the cramped apartment had seen her. This was part of Wen Huiyun’s plan, though she hadn’t expected Ye Zhuoyan to figure it out so quickly.
Though just a simple thank-you, this represented a major step forward in improving their relationship.
Wen Huiyun swiftly sent Jiang Yining a waving goodbye emoji, then happily replied to Ye Zhuoyan:
‘Reaching new heights, making further progress!’
The Love Phone chimed again, making Wen Huiyun panic was she about to collect affection points from all three omegas? What about Cheng Xiaoming and Liang Yuan? How heartbroken they would be!
However.
It was just a confused yellow bean emoji.
Wen Huiyun deflated like a punctured ball, collapsing onto her desk.
Ye Zhuoyan had sent her a Love Phone message, then followed up with an emoji!
Could you send both private messages and emojis to the same person? The production team hadn’t said you couldn’t.
Since Ye Zhuoyan could send it, the system must allow it.
Next door in the double room.
Cheng Xiaoming received two emojis every night like clockwork.
Either a bunny girl’s eye-roll or funny face, or a corgi’s apology or pleading look.
Now the daily private message session had become her least favorite time.
Liang Yuan’s health kettle boiled water for her calming tea.
Cheng Xiaoming remarked, “You’ve got quite the variety going, never repeating the same thing.”
“Today I’m making dodder seed tea good for kidneys. You should have some.”
“Thanks, but my kidneys are perfectly healthy.”
Liang Yuan’s Love Phone chimed. It rang exactly once every night.
Meaning she only received one private message daily, with no accompanying emoji.
Cheng Xiaoming asked, “Mi Tao again?”
Liang Yuan sipped from her thermos, blowing on the hot tea. “Production won’t let us say. Stop guessing.”
“Fine. We both know anyway.”
Liang Yuan redirected the conversation: “You’re the impressive one, getting three messages daily before. Probably the highest popularity among all of us.”
Whether messages or emojis, each received counted as +1 popularity. After all, any publicity is good publicity.
Clearly Cheng Xiaoming didn’t share this view. Her lips pressed into a tight line.
She asked Liang Yuan, “What do you think of Mi Tao?”
“She’s like a little sister.”
“Little sister? You don’t have feelings for her? Yet you’re always together.”
After consideration, Liang Yuan replied, “She’s been very kind to me. I can’t give her the cold shoulder.”
Cheng Xiaoming disagreed: “This is a dating show. Every response you give her is emotional information. If you’re not interested, you should make that clear.”
Liang Yuan looked uncomfortable, tapping her cup. “It’s not that serious. Yes it’s a dating show, but it’s different from real relationships, there’s a performance element. I don’t need to have clear feelings for anyone. We all have to maintain appearances.”
After listening carefully, Cheng Xiaoming said, “I can’t judge your perspective, but I don’t agree with it.”
She pressed further: “If you don’t like Mi Tao, what about the other two omega guests?”
Liang Yuan smiled faintly and shook her head slightly.
She set down the thermos, unwrapped the towel from her long hair, and sat by the bed to dry it.
The room was filled with the hum of the hairdryer.
Off-screen, bullet comments erupted in arguments:
[“Look, the moment Liang Yuan appeared in the first episode, I knew she was the classic femme fatale with those big waves.”]
[“I thought Liang Mi was the most stable one, never expected my fave would be the one to fall TAT”]
[“Liang Yuan did nothing wrong. It’s normal not to have a favorite guest. Taotao was so enthusiastic was Liang Yuan supposed to ignore her and let her lose face in front of the audience?”]
After the second episode, the production team recorded individual interviews with the guests.
Director: “The internet is currently discussing the issue of morality. Yining, what are your thoughts?”
Jiang Yining crossed her legs, peeling purple grapes one by one: “I’m watching it sitting down.”
The director wiped his sweat: “Which alpha guest do you feel the most affection for?”
“Wen Huiyun! I think she likes me.”
Scene change.
Director: “The audience knows you don’t particularly like Wen Huiyun. Why is that?”
Ye Zhuoyan lowered her gaze: “Director, do you know why my neighbor Granny Wang lived to ninety-nine?”
“……” The director sighed. “Tell us which alpha guest you feel the most affection for.”
“Cheng Xiaoming.”
[Didn’t Ye Zhuoyan know it was Wen Huiyun who helped clean up her old house? Why didn’t she pick Her Majesty?]
[Your Ye Goddess must’ve fought in WWII or something!]
Scene change.
Director: “Mi Tao, many viewers say you’re childish.”
Mi Tao: “Hahaha, I’m just full of youthful energy!”
The director smiled in relief finally, someone who answered questions positively. “Who do you feel the most affection for at the moment?”
“Of course, Sister Liang Yuan!”
[Tao Bao, listen to your sisters escape that misery sooner rather than later.]
[Give up on Liang Yuan, sweetie.]
The camera cut to the alpha group.
Director: “Which omega guest do you feel the most affection for?”
Wen Huiyun: “Ye Zhuoyan.”
Cheng Xiaoming: “Ye Zhuoyan.”
Liang Yuan: “Mi Tao.”
[My heart aches for our Yining.]
[Jiang Yining is too over-the-top, who’d like her anyway?]
The romantic dynamics of Love and Nest 4 had only just begun to unfold, yet they were already shrouded in mystery.
Wen Huiyun received messages from several secondhand shops she had commissioned, informing her that some items had been sold and the money had been transferred to her designated account.
She immediately checked her balance the funds had arrived.
A few million was nothing compared to the financial gap in the Ye family’s situation, but it represented Wen Huiyun’s attitude of apology and assistance. Once she earned more, it wouldn’t stop at this amount.
She would find the right opportunity to hand the card to Ye Zhuoyan later.
Resting her chin on her hand, Wen Huiyun’s cheeks flushed with happiness as she wondered: How will Zhuoyan react when she gets the card? Will she be happy? If Zhuoyan excitedly hugs her, should she hug back?
Soon, she dismissed her own fantasy.
Ye Zhuoyan would never hug her.
If Zhuoyan could just smile at her, Wen Huiyun would be content.
She tapped to exit the messaging interface, only to notice a small black notification dot in the upper right corner of the screen something she had missed earlier.
What was this?
She clicked in, and the system asked if she wanted to unblock the messages.
Confirming, she entered the spam inbox.
Aside from a few promotional texts like “Double 11 Mega Sale” and “Upgrade Now for Free Credit,” there were two unfamiliar messages from overseas numbers.
Is everything settled? I’ve already arrived in Florence, Italy. Remember to transfer the euros. Waiting for you.
Are you okay? Why aren’t you replying? Don’t scare me.
The most recent text was sent three days after Wen Huiyun transmigrated into the novel by then, the original host was already dead.
The first message’s timestamp matched the date the original host went missing, with a two-week gap between the two texts.
Wen Huiyun frowned as she read. Who was this? Could it be that villainous friend the original host had a crush on?
Whether it was or not, she wanted nothing to do with the owner of this number.
Without hesitation, Wen Huiyun blocked it.
She had no time to clean up the original host’s mess today, she had a big move planned.
By noon, the sun hung high over the old street, bright and warm.
Wen Huiyun set up a roll-up banner in front of the shop she was renovating and hung up a poster.
A sleek little food cart was laden with delicate pastries.
Yundou rolls, lotus flower cakes, Dingsheng cakes, glutinous rice lotus root, snow-skin mooncakes, ox-tongue pastries…
Each treat was packed in custom-made octagonal treasure boxes, with a pot of osmanthus and water chestnut soup simmering gently nearby.
Wearing a portable speaker, Wen Huiyun smiled and announced, “Hello everyone, I’m Wen Huiyun, currently participating in Orange Video’s variety show Love and Nest 4.”
“This is the love nest I’m renovating, a little corner shop. I’ve named it ‘Worry-Free Eatery.’”
“Please scan the QR code on the poster to follow me, support my love nest, and help me win the heart of my dream omega!”
She raised her voice for the finale: “Follow me and get a free pastry! Plenty of varieties, take your pick!”
The crowd grew lively.
A woman with a child stepped forward and asked, “Really free?”
“Absolutely! You and your child can each pick one, just scan the QR code and follow my Orange Video account. My account is called ‘Worry-Free Eatery.’ I’ll be posting all kinds of cooking and baking videos, and every dish I make will be sold here in the future!”
People rushed to scan and follow, praising the pastries as delicious.
The cart was emptied within minutes, with two kids even getting into a scuffle over the last pieces.
Wen Huiyun quickly separated them and handed each a bag of handmade nougat, smiling. “Make sure to tell your classmates and teachers about the amazing Worry-Free Eatery, okay?”
“Got it! Thanks, Sister Wen!”
The live chat exploded:
[Holy crap, Wen Huiyun, how dare you! Using the show to advertise, won’t the producers stop her?]
[Truly the Hand Empress, even kids aren’t spared lol]
[Quick, quick! Wen Huiyun’s Orange account is up foodie sisters, follow now!]
That night, Worry-Free Eatery gained over 10,000 followers.
One user, “Evan,” caught Wen Huiyun’s attention.
This fan was especially extravagant, buying her a five-year SVIP membership in one go and tipping her 6,666 yuan.
In her past life, Wen Huiyun’s food account had millions of followers, with livestreams showered in virtual gifts, SVIP and 6,666 were small change to her. But for a brand-new account like Worry-Free Eatery, it was a massive boost!
She immediately left a reply for Evan: “Thank you, big spender! Let me know what you’d like to eat, I’ll feature it in my next video!”
Wen Huiyun turned off her screen and yawned, exhausted.
Time to tidy up and head to the bathroom.
Cheng Xiaoming leaned against the bathroom doorway, staring motionlessly at her phone.
Wen Huiyun greeted her: “Ming-jie? You meditating or something?”
Cheng Xiaoming jolted back to reality, stuffed her phone into her pocket, and said, “It’s nothing. Get some rest early.”
Wen Huiyun acknowledged with a hum and entered the bathroom. As Cheng Xiaoming walked away, she pulled out her phone again, exiting the top-up rewards page of Orange Video.
The next morning, after breakfast, the AI broadcast blared:
“All guests, please assemble at the garden square immediately!”
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