Forced to Act out a Strange Script with a Rival - Chapter 95

Time slipped away quietly amidst the tension of competitions and the comfort of daily companionship, and soon, the Qixi Festival (Chinese Valentine’s Day) arrived.

By now, Si Xiaoxiao’s consciousness had matured to that of a seventeen-year-old, yet she still hadn’t recovered any of her memories, and the System remained missing.

Although Li Ting was anxious, she knew this wasn’t something that could be rushed. She could only wait patiently, hoping that a turning point would appear once Xiaoxiao reached her original age.

Back when she was still a four-year-old forced into “busking,” Li Ting had promised her a trip out to have fun on Sunday. Initially, Li Ting hadn’t noticed that the day happened to be Qixi. Once she realized it, she felt it would be wrong to break her promise, and besides, she harbored her own secret expectations.

She didn’t know if they would ever have the chance to spend another Qixi together in the future, so Li Ting wanted to cherish this moment.

Because she realized the day was special, Si Xiaoxiao was fully prepared. Usually one to sleep in, she actually got up early. By the time Li Ting woke up, Si Xiaoxiao was no longer by her side.

Walking out of the bedroom, Li Ting found a simple breakfast laid out on the table. The edges of the perfectly toasted bread glowed an inviting golden brown, a glass of warm milk was steaming, and a small plate of strawberries had been washed clean, still glistening with crystal water droplets.

The biggest surprise was a single red rosebud tucked into a vase in the center of the table.

Si Xiaoxiao was wearing an apron with a little bear print, carefully flipping a fried egg in a skillet. The morning light fell perfectly on her focused profile, her long lashes casting a small shadow beneath her eyes. Hearing footsteps, she turned around with a slightly shy smile and said, “Good morning, Sister! I tried making breakfast. You’ve worked so hard taking care of me all this time; please let me take care of you for once today!”

Li Ting sat down at the table, feeling a bit flustered. She noticed that Si Xiaoxiao had specially worn a red dress today, which made her skin look as white as snow. The hem of the skirt swayed gently with her movements, making her look like a rose about to bloom.

Soon, the final fried egg was served. Si Xiaoxiao licked her lips and asked softly, “How is it?”

She bluntly hoped for praise, yet she was conflicted for fear of receiving a negative evaluation, so she could only manage to ask this ambiguous question in a small voice.

“Very beautiful,” Li Ting said softly with her head down—it wasn’t clear if she was talking about the person or the breakfast on the table.

Now that Li Ting had offered a compliment, the person who asked the question became tongue-tied, too embarrassed to press for the meaning of “beautiful.”

After their simple meal, Li Ting changed into casual attire: a white shirt paired with light blue jeans, looking fresh and youthful. Since it was quite sunny outside, she also meticulously prepared masks, hats, and sunscreen for both of them, making full preparations for a complete disguise.

However, what she didn’t know was that Si Xiaoxiao’s previous interview had already leaked their itinerary for Qixi, including the specific amusement park they planned to visit.

Naturally, she also didn’t know that while she was driving to the park, that very interview was being broadcast…

Si Xiaoxiao’s bold statements, which sounded almost like a public “coming out,” formed a sharp contrast with Li Ting’s attempts to draw a clear line between them.

For example, when the host asked, “What do you usually do at home?”

Li Ting gave a formulaic smile and replied, “I usually read books to recharge.”

But Si Xiaoxiao’s answer was: “Sister loves to hug me; she says hugging me recharges her!”

As a result, fans screamed wildly: “I never expected you were this kind of ‘fake serious’ sister!!”

Later, when the host asked, “Do you have a roommate right now?”

Li Ting didn’t realize it was a trap and simply replied, “A roommate? No, I don’t.”

Si Xiaoxiao, meanwhile, showed an innocent smile, though paired with her stunning features, it lit up the entire screen: “Roommate? Sister isn’t a roommate. Sister is just Sister.”

Consequently, the fans twisted the facts: “Ahhh! She said they aren’t roommates, they’re girlfriends!!”

Since Si Xiaoxiao’s segment was filmed first, the production crew was able to target Li Ting with specific questions. Even a clever person like Li Ting didn’t notice and fell easily into the trap.

A carnival for “CP fans” (shippers) began.

Within just one hour of the program going online, it had already dominated the hot search rankings. Meanwhile, Li Ting and Si Xiaoxiao were stuck in traffic on an elevated highway.

By the time Li Ting parked the car at the amusement park, she had no idea what kind of passionate fans she was about to face.

The passion was bordering on the ridiculous.

Despite it being Valentine’s Day, there weren’t many people in the park. Just as Li Ting began to find it strange, a staff member stepped forward to stop their car and offered a plausible explanation: “Congratulations to you both for being the 999th guests to arrive! Please drive through this VIP lane.”

Li Ting checked the time. It was exactly 10:00 AM, which should have been peak hours. How could they only be the 999th guests?

Suspicious, she rolled down the window and voiced her question: “Why have there only been 999 guests?”

The staff member lied with a straight face: “Because the park recently underwent upgrades, we only invited some friends of the owner today for an internal trial. Of course, we welcome individual tourists too. Please rest assured, our equipment is the best in the country—no safety issues at all. Chinese people don’t lie to Chinese people.”

Si Xiaoxiao whispered in Li Ting’s ear, “But you look like you’re of mixed race.”

The smile on the staff member’s face stiffened for a split second before switching back to a professional expression: “Ah, what are you guests talking about? Please follow me to the VIP lane.”

Seeing the staff member suddenly switch to “NPC mode,” Si Xiaoxiao whispered to Li Ting, “This feels fishy. Maybe we should go somewhere else.”

“No, please reconsider! Not only is everything free for you two, but you can also win prizes by participating in the activities!” Seeing that they were thinking of leaving, the staff member hurriedly added, “Are you sure you don’t want to try? Once you miss this chance, you won’t find it anywhere else!!”

Internally, she was thinking: Even if you leave this village, we’re still the ones running the shop!

Because they had been “crushed” by the idols years ago for being too intrusive, now that the “CP” was finally in the same frame after many years, the fans didn’t dare to act too crazy for fear of annoying them again.

“What are the prizes?” Hearing the word “free,” the instincts of the perpetually budget-conscious Si Xiaoxiao began to wake up, and she asked cautiously.

The staff member knew Si Xiaoxiao’s tastes well and dangled the bait: “Our top grand prize is a complete set of the latest bags from Brand A! It’s a global limited edition—it’s already a discontinued collector’s item!”

Upon hearing this, Si Xiaoxiao was incredibly tempted. She excitedly grabbed Li Ting’s arm, her joy plain to see: “Sister! It’s a bag from Brand A!”

Li Ting, however, was more cautious. She felt there was no such thing as a free lunch; someone stopping them and talking this much had to have some marketing motive. She asked, “Do we need to do anything to enjoy these benefits?”

At this moment, Li Ting was completely oblivious to the storm raging online. She had no idea that a “traitor” by her side had exposed their entire itinerary in advance, and she remained confident in their disguises, thinking they weren’t famous enough to be recognized anyway.

The staff member had a sudden stroke of inspiration, suppressing the excitement in her voice: “May I ask, are you two a couple? Since you’re out visiting an amusement park together on Qixi, you must be a couple, right? Right?!!”

Li Ting thought to herself that it was just as she expected—likely a special Valentine’s Day promotion. Why else would someone assume two girls were a couple right away? Shouldn’t they suspect they were best friends first? She figured they just hadn’t met their quota of couples and were trying to recruit anyone they could.

She exchanged a look with Si Xiaoxiao but didn’t answer impulsively, instead replying with a question: “Is this event only for couples?”

The staff member hadn’t expected Li Ting to be such a high-level player. Her smile stiffened for a moment before she chose to answer cautiously: “If you are a couple, you might have certain advantages.”

She didn’t make it a hard requirement, not wanting to drive them away, but she still harbored the desire to force her “CP” to give the fans some “sugar” (on-screen affection).

Li Ting pondered, glancing at Si Xiaoxiao while trying to figure out the best response. Unexpectedly, Si Xiaoxiao beat her to the punch, clinging tightly to her arm and replying sweetly, “Yes! We are a couple! You have a great eye!”

After speaking, the girl gave her a playful wink and silently mouthed the words: Free bags!

The staff member fought back her internal euphoria, struggling to maintain a professional image: “That’s wonderful! Please kiss each other once to prove it!”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Si Xiaoxiao agreed naturally and earnestly: “Okay!”

But Li Ting instinctively showed resistance: “No!”

Si Xiaoxiao looked at Li Ting in shock, her eyes filled with hurt. Those expressive eyes seemed to be saying: You’re repulsed by me? How could you not like me?

Li Ting could only avert her gaze, avoiding the look out of guilt.

She obviously couldn’t accept something like this… because right now, Si Xiaoxiao not only had no memory, but she was also technically a minor in her current state of mind. How could Li Ting… take advantage of her like that?

The staff member quickly tried to salvage the situation: “Haha, actually, a kiss isn’t strictly necessary. Showing a marriage certificate or something, or even a close photo together, would also work.”

Si Xiaoxiao and Li Ting both looked at the staff member simultaneously, likely surprised that the “lowered requirement” was even more extreme.

From the expressions on their faces, the staff member read the answer: they didn’t have those things. She actually began to waver internally—could it be that her “CP” really wasn’t married?

Regretfully, she continued to put out the fire: “It doesn’t have to be proven! As long as both of you come and participate, that’s enough! Hahaha… please, just help me finish a task! We have a recruitment quota to meet!”

Hearing the words “recruitment quota,” Li Ting and Si Xiaoxiao finally felt they understood the staff member’s enthusiasm, and their guard lowered slightly.

They couldn’t have guessed that the entire amusement park was owned by a wealthy relative of a fan, nor did they know that this staff member was wearing a pinhole camera. Tens of thousands of people were currently watching them via a live stream.

“Of course, because we want to promote our park to the outside world, there will be quite a bit of camera equipment today and occasional live streaming. If you mind, you can keep your masks on. The stream is only being shared in a small group anyway,” the staff member added, “stacking armor” for herself to avoid getting a legal warning letter later.

Li Ting thought to herself: How much influence could a ‘small group’ possibly have? Besides, there were very few people in the park, which made it a perfect place for her and Si Xiaoxiao to play.

What she didn’t know was that this so-called “small group” was the dedicated fan group for their pairing, and the speed at which that live link was spreading was terrifying…

And so, following the staff member’s guidance, the two of them entered the amusement park.

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