In a Survival Variety Show, My Lookalike Rival and I Got a Happy Ending - Chapter 26

Chapter 26

The livestream began with the PD standing before the camera with a look of utmost sincerity.

“Hello, viewers. First, I’d like to clarify that the livestream actually received many votes for survival challenge wishes, such as desert island off-roading and similar challenges.”

She glanced at Qin Sijing, who was leaning on her crutch.

“However, considering Teacher Qin’s current physical condition, these high-difficulty survival challenges cannot be completed for the time being. We hope the viewers can understand!”

Qin Sijing immediately sat up straight and looked at the camera. “I will get better as soon as possible. I’ve delayed everyone.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Xunruo’s gentle voice rang out.

“I hope everyone can understand and empathize with Teacher Qin. The core of a survival variety show is survival and teamwork. I believe the audience would rather see us supporting one another, right?”

Ximen Ling followed suit instantly. “Right, right, right!”

Song Yitong stared at Qin Sijing for a moment, looking somewhat guilty. “Teacher Qin’s recovery is the most important thing.”

Even Bai Qi, who had been silent on the side, spoke up. “Mm. Safety first.”

[Suddenly so touching.]

[Waaaah, Sister Qin isn’t a delay! The ‘moms’ are heartbroken watching this.]

[The relationship between the five isn’t that bad after all.]

[Even Bai Qi? Is the sun rising from the west?]

[Sister Bai: I just don’t want to be kicked out of the team.]

As the PD watched the atmosphere turn warm, she revealed her usual wicked smile.

“Therefore, the production crew has fully adopted everyone’s suggestions today. We have arranged some relaxed and healing little games for the five teachers. I hope you don’t mind!”

The bullet comments were filled with relief.

[PD, you’ve finally matured and become sensible.]

[Production crew, you’ve finally let my sister off the hook for once.]

[Support! I just love watching the sisters’ warm and relaxed daily lives!]

Then, the PD read out the voting results of today’s Fan Wish Challenge in her most cheerful tone.

“Today’s Fan Wish Top 1: The Qin-Jiang team swaps clothes and completes a ‘Chemistry Triple-Photo’!”

“Fan Wish Top 2: Any one group completes an a cappella singing of a musical theater excerpt!”

“Fan Wish Top 3: The five people guess each other’s childhood items!”

[????????]

[I can understand the last one, but the first and second ones??? This is more stimulating than desert island off-roading, okay!]

[The second one, a musical excerpt? This is clearly targeting Bai-Song, ahhhh!]

[Production crew: As long as it doesn’t kill them, grind them to death.]

[I feel like Ruoruo will look great in Sister Qin’s red windbreaker!]

[Reject! Sister Qin, don’t wear your rival’s clothes; heaven knows how dirty they are!]

[? Why are Qin fans overreacting again? Your sister’s clothes aren’t even worthy of Ruoruo’s temperament!]

[What a wicked production crew, hahahahaha.]

The PD looked at the petrified Qin Sijing and Jiang Xunruo, smiling so wide she showed a row of white teeth.

“That’s right. Now, would the two teachers please exchange clothes.”

The camera cut to the island. Jiang Xunruo was the first to take off her windbreaker jacket and hand it to Qin Sijing. “Teacher Qin, do you mind?”

“I don’t.”

Qin Sijing also took off her red windbreaker and handed it to Jiang Xunruo. The two quickly finished the outfit swap.

Pulling up the zipper, the clean scent of coconut instantly enveloped her.

The PD cut back to the camera and was the first to heckle. “Wow! Teacher Qin looks so good in white!”

The screen shifted to Jiang Xunruo, and the PD stared straight. “Teacher Jiang looks so good in red too!”

Qin Sijing looked over.

Jiang Xunruo usually liked wearing light-colored clothes, making her look as gentle as her personality.

But when she wore red, she actually possessed a scorching brightness.

Seeing Qin Sijing looking at her, Jiang Xunruo looked down at the red windbreaker she was wearing. “What’s wrong? Is it strange?”

Qin Sijing looked away. “…No, it looks quite good.”

[It’s just a high EQ; Sister Qin just doesn’t want anyone to feel awkward!]

[Exactly. No matter who it was, Sister Qin would praise them like that. It’s just for the show’s effect.]

[The solo fans are better at shipping than the CP fans. Sister Qin praised Jiangjiang for being good-looking! She doesn’t want her to be awkward! So ship-able!]

[Just for show effect, don’t cue our Sister Qin.]

[Taking Ruoruo away to be beautiful alone, thanks.]

PD: “Alright, now let’s begin the Chemistry Triple-Photo task! The first photo: eye contact for ten seconds.”

The two stood face-to-face.

Qin Sijing stared at Jiang Xunruo’s eyelashes, watching them flutter gently over and over.

For some reason, the two of them lowered their heads and laughed at the same time.

[These two are so ambiguous, ahhhhh!]

[Just colleagues, how do you see ambiguity?]

[What are you two laughing at! What’s so funny? Quickly say it so we can laugh together!]

[Sister Qin, what are you laughing at! Don’t smile so sweetly!]

[Bai, Song, Ximen: Don’t cue us, we are just the background!]

PD: “Come, second photo: making a heart in the same frame!”

Qin Sijing moved closer to Jiang Xunruo. Their fingertips touched, forming a heart.

[What does this mean? Making Bai, Song, and Ximen eat dog food directly?]

[Ruoruo’s smile is so doting, ahhhhh!]

[Script! It’s all a script!]

[Sister Qin is sacrificing too much for the show’s effect, woo woo woo. You must wash your hands when you get back; promise the ‘moms’ you’ll wash your hands!]

The PD coughed before daring to read out the content of the third photo. “Ahem, well, third photo: foreheads pressed together for ten seconds!”

The five: “???”

[PD, isn’t this a bit too much!]

[So stimulating, ahhhh! Production crew, you are too bold.]

[So wicked, who on earth came up with this fan wish?]

Fine, for the sake of the show.

Qin Sijing and Jiang Xunruo faced each other, then pressed their foreheads together.

This distance was very, very close.

Close enough that Qin Sijing could see her own reflection in Jiang Xunruo’s pupils. Close enough to feel her breath.

Even if she tilted her head down just a little more, she could kiss Jiang Xunruo.

The sweet coconut fragrance mixed with the cold fragrance on the red windbreaker, intertwining into an ambiguous atmosphere in her nasal cavity.

Jiang Xunruo suddenly took a soft breath.

It was very light, but Qin Sijing felt it.

…Was she smelling the scent on her?

This realization made Qin Sijing’s whole body feel as if it were being struck by an electric current; she felt numb all over.

[This distance, ahhhhh!]

[Gosh, any closer and they could kiss…]

[Do you think they don’t want to?]

[Our Sister Qin only wants to complete the task well! She isn’t the ‘love-brain’ you’re talking about!]

[Ruoruo is still too dignified; touching foreheads with a rival for so long without vomiting.]

[Are ten seconds that long? Did the PD secretly change it to one minute for me?]

“Three… two… one! Time’s up!” The PD finally announced the end.

“Let’s look at the second task. The poll shows that the audience most wants to see Teacher Bai and Teacher Song sing an excerpt from Starlight!”

Bai Qi’s face instantly turned cold.

Song Yitong also hung her head, not looking at the livestream camera.

[PD, you are way too wicked, ahhhh!]

[Isn’t this Bai-Song’s ‘love-defining’ song?]

[Targeting our Bai-Song again!]

[Making exes sing their old love song? Heart-piercing!]

The PD looked at the group list. “Oh dear, Teacher Bai and Teacher Song aren’t teammates. It has to be completed by teammates!”

Bai Qi: “…”

Song Yitong: “…”

She looked at Ximen Ling. “How about this: Teacher Ximen, you and Teacher Song sing together!”

Ximen Ling: “Ah?”

Song Yitong was also stunned.

Bai Qi finally raised her eyes, her gaze falling on Song Yitong and Ximen Ling. Her face remained expressionless.

[Bai Qi: Can I just quit the show on the spot?]

[This is more painful than killing us Bai-Song CP fans.]

[Ximen has entered the exes’ battlefield again.]

[Sister Bai looked at Sister Tong, ahhhh! Is she jealous?]

Ximen Ling scratched her head. “Then, Teacher Song, shall we sing?”

Song Yitong nodded. “Mm.”

As the familiar music played, Song Yitong and Bai Qi looked at each other almost simultaneously.

That was their famous song from their collaboration during their musical theater period, and it was the beginning of fans calling them “Bai-Song.”

Song Yitong and Ximen Ling actually sang quite well. In the end, everyone off-camera applauded for them, except for Bai Qi.

[Bai Qi didn’t applaud?]

[Sister Bai is truly pure hate.]

[Qin-Jiang watched from the side with complex expressions, hahahaha.]

[The PD too, not daring to breathe loudly, hahahaha.]

PD: “Perfect! Thanks to Teacher Song and Teacher Ximen! Next is the childhood item recognition segment!”

The staff pushed up a small cart with five cloth-covered trays on it.

“Each teacher has provided an item representing their childhood. After the order is shuffled, the other teachers need to guess the owner of the item. You can only get survival points if you guess correctly in this round!”

[This is good! I want to know what Ruoruo’s childhood was like!]

[Will Bai-Song pretend not to recognize each other?]

[I’m a bit curious about everyone’s childhood.]

The PD uncovered the five trays. Inside were, in order: a small toy sword, a Taekwondo black belt, a hand-sewn bunny plushie, an ordinary stone, and an old piano key.

[Is the piano key Sister Qin’s?]

[I can only guess the Taekwondo black belt is Ximen’s. I can’t guess the others.]

[I feel like the piano key should be Ruoruo’s…]

PD: “Now, teachers, please take turns guessing. Let me explain the rules. You get 2 survival points for a correct guess and 0 for a wrong one. Guess starting from the first item; if you guess wrong, the game ends immediately, and you cannot continue guessing.”

“Come, Teacher Ximen, you guess first.”

Ximen Ling: “PD, this is harder than a fire-starting challenge!”

Sure enough, she guessed wrong on the very first item.

The PD shook her head regretfully. “How unfortunate. Teacher Ximen gets 0 points, game over.”

Ximen Ling: “…”

Next was Jiang Xunruo’s turn to guess.

Jiang Xunruo pointed to the first toy sword. “Teacher Qin’s.”

Qin Sijing: “???”

PD: “???”

Jiang Xunruo smiled. “Coincidentally, I’ve seen an interview from when you were little.”

[??? This isn’t just a coincidence, is it?]

[I remember now. When Sister Qin was eight, she said she wanted to play an assassin…]

[Sister Jiang even dug out such an ancient interview to watch?]

[I seriously suspect Jiangjiang is a fan of Sister Qin. Does she pay that much attention?]

She then looked at the second item. “I guess it should be Teacher Bai Qi.”

“Wrong!” The PD shook her head. “Teacher Jiang only guessed one correctly, 2 points!”

Next was Qin Sijing’s turn to guess.

Excluding her own item, she guessed that the second one, the Taekwondo black belt, was Ximen Ling’s.

The bunny plushie? It seemed a bit like Jiang Xunruo’s style.

She stared for a moment, then looked at the last item, the old piano key.

Could this unexpected item be the one belonging to Jiang Xunruo?

“Teacher Qin, time’s up! No more thinking!” The PD reminded me. “That counts as 2 survival points for you!”

Finally, it was Bai Qi and Song Yitong’s turn to guess. Looking at the items on the first tray, they both preferred to guess wrong rather than say the other person’s name.

“I don’t know.”

“Teacher Jiang’s?”

PD: “…Both teachers get 0 points!”

[On purpose. These two, woo woo woo, clearly know!]

[They’d rather guess wrong than admit they know everything about each other.]

[So tragic, ahhhh! Sister Bai clearly knew that bunny plushie was Sister Song’s!]

Finally, the PD began to announce the correct answers.

“Ahem. The first toy sword is Teacher Qin’s. The second Taekwondo black belt is Teacher Ximen’s.”

She then pointed to the bunny plushie and the stone. “The bunny plushie is Teacher Song’s. The stone is Bai Qi’s. Why did no one guess correctly? Was it that hard to guess?”

[PD, I assume it wasn’t because it was hard to guess…]

[Bai-Song clearly knew those were each other’s childhood items, woo woo.]

[Bai-Song is just like that. They’d rather lose the game than admit they actually know each other very well.]

[No obligation to guess correctly!]

The last item, the old piano key, lay lonely on the tray. It didn’t belong to any complete piano; it was just a single key.

It looked a bit lonely.

The PD pointed to that old piano key. “The last one is Teacher Jiang’s. For this task, Teacher Qin and Teacher Jiang each guessed once correctly and obtained 2 survival points. Teacher Bai, Teacher Song, and Teacher Ximen get 0 points! The punishment is to stand guard at the camp tonight!”

Ximen Ling: “Yes! The mission will be completed!”

Bai-Song: “…”

The livestream ended. Qin Sijing and Jiang Xunruo returned to camp, while Bai Qi and the others had to follow the PD to receive their punishment mission slips.

Inside the tent, Qin Sijing and Jiang Xunruo exchanged their own clothes back.

As Qin Sijing changed, she couldn’t help but ask: “Why is it an old piano key?”

She had almost… thought that bunny plushie was her item.

Jiang Xunruo changed back into her jacket. “When I was little, my family had an old upright piano. Later when we moved, my mom didn’t take the piano with her, so I secretly kept one key for myself.”

Qin Sijing looked at her. “But a single key can’t make a sound.”

Jiang Xunruo looked up and paused for a moment. “Because it reminds me that even if it’s only a part, it can still make a sound.”

After answering, seeing Qin Sijing’s thoughtful expression, Jiang Xunruo smiled.

So, by asking these things today, she also had thoughts of wanting to understand her past, right?

“Teacher Qin.”

Qin Sijing looked up.

“Last time you said you knew nothing about me,” Jiang Xunruo’s voice was very soft. “Is it because you want to understand me, right?”

Qin Sijing’s breath hitched for a beat.

Jiang Xunruo looked at her. Those eyes that were always filled with gentle smiles were now brimming with a sincerity and expectation Qin Sijing had never seen before.

She was waiting.

“Then starting from today, use your eyes, your heart, to understand me.”

She looked at Qin Sijing and softly asked the final sentence.

“Are you… willing?”