Join a Dating Reality Show with the Aloof, Fishing-Style Richest Man - Chapter 2

Lu Zhao stared at her phone screen, her heart filled with desolation. She didn’t even need to think to know that the production team of this variety show definitely wanted the gimmick of Ji Zhaoxi’s appearance to promote the program.

After all, Ji Group’s subsidiary, Ji Entertainment, occupied half of the entertainment industry’s territory. Coincidentally, Ji Zhaoxi had recently taken full control of the Ji Group, placing her right at the center of public attention.

The fact that she was only 27 and already capable of managing such a massive enterprise—while even driving it toward further growth—made everyone remark on how formidable the younger generation had become.

However, for such a high-profile figure, how could it be easy for a production team to get her on a show? They surely couldn’t invite her themselves, so they had turned their attention to Lu Zhao.

They wanted her to invite Ji Zhaoxi to join a dating variety show together?

Recalling Ji Zhaoxi’s cold, indifferent, and aloof demeanor, Lu Zhao shuddered. Aside from playing her role as a pursuer, she wouldn’t dare approach her for anything else!

Yet, Sister Li refused to let her off the hook.

Sister Li: Do you know how much the production team is offering for this appearance? Don’t you love money? A full five million! This is way more than you made from all your acting roles last year combined!

Sister Li: Lu Zhao, listen to me. You know our company’s situation; the resources I can give you are very limited. Now that you’ve finally become this popular, your resources are much better than before. Are you really willing to just sit back and do nothing?

Sister Li: Only by staying famous can you get more and better resources. At that point, you’ll be the one picking scripts you like, rather than the scripts picking you.

Looking at these long paragraphs from Sister Li, Lu Zhao could imagine her on the other side of the phone, brows furrowed and face flushed with anxiety.

In truth, Sister Li had treated her very well over the years. She always prioritized Lu Zhao for any resources she had and worked tirelessly for her. Lu Zhao knew that without Sister Li, she would have been ruined four years ago; she wouldn’t even be here today.

Lu Zhao: I understand. I’ll do my best.

On the other end, Sister Li breathed a sigh of relief at this reply. At least Lu Zhao would try. Even if she couldn’t actually invite Ji Zhaoxi, it wouldn’t matter; at least looking back, there would be no regrets because she had made the effort.

Lu Zhao put down her phone and leaned back against the sofa. She looked up at the somewhat old, wall-mounted electric fan. The blades had some peeling paint and rust, looking like a forgotten relic.

Sister Li had helped her find this apartment. It wasn’t easy to find a place in the “inch of land, inch of gold” City A for such a low price. Back then, Sister Li had joked that Lu Zhao was like a “iron rooster”—working so hard to earn money all year round yet refusing to spend a single cent.

But Sister Li’s life wasn’t much better. Married in City A with a seven-year-old child just starting primary school, she faced mortgage payments, car loans, four elderly parents to support, and the costs of schooling. She lived on a very tight budget as well.

Taking a deep breath, Lu Zhao pulled herself together. She went out to buy groceries, planning to cook.

Having been employed as Ji Zhaoxi’s “pursuer” for three years, she understood the woman’s tastes quite well. She immediately prepared several dishes that suited Ji Zhaoxi’s palate, packed them into insulated containers, and headed straight for the Ji Group building.

When she arrived at the building, it was exactly noon. The employees were heading out for lunch, and many couldn’t help but steal glances at Lu Zhao as she appeared.

It couldn’t be helped; Lu Zhao’s name was currently trending, and high-quality photos of her were circulating all over the internet. In particular, those “simp” memes of her had significantly enriched everyone’s sticker collections.

They just hadn’t expected that even in this situation, Lu Zhao would dare come to see President Ji. Wasn’t she afraid of being caught by the paparazzi again?

“Ahem, Xiaomi, is President Ji in her office?” Lu Zhao stopped a short-haired woman in a professional suit and asked with a slight look of embarrassment.

As a professional pursuer, she had visited Ji Zhaoxi’s company many times. She had interacted with the secretaries and assistants, successfully infiltrating the inner circle to get first-hand updates.

Xiaomi looked at Lu Zhao and lowered her voice. “President Ji is still in a meeting. Because of the trending topic, the other board members are worried about the company’s image.”

Hearing this, Lu Zhao felt a jolt. If a single trending topic caused such a stir, what would happen if she went on a dating show?

“Oh, okay. Thank you. Can I go wait in her office then?”

“Sure. Assistant Zhou is still there. If you need anything, you can find her. I’m heading to lunch now.”

“Alright, sorry to bother you.”

Lu Zhao had been to the building so many times she didn’t need a guide. She took the elevator to the 25th floor. Since it was lunch break, the vast office floor felt somewhat empty, making her footsteps echo clearly.

“Miss Lu?”

Lu Zhao looked up and saw the Chief Assistant, Zhou Jiayan—Ji Zhaoxi’s right-hand woman. They had crossed paths many times before.

“Assistant Zhou, I’m here to see President Ji.” Lu Zhao flashed a smile.

Zhou Jiayan glanced at the bag in her hand and went silent for a second. “Go wait in President Ji’s office. She’ll be back as soon as the meeting ends.”

“Okay.” Lu Zhao gave an “OK” gesture and tactfully stopped bothering her, seeing that she was still holding a stack of files and clearly busy.

Inside Ji Zhaoxi’s office, the decor was minimalist yet stylish, revealing meticulous detail everywhere. Lu Zhao didn’t dare look around too much. She placed the bag on the coffee table and sat obediently on the sofa to wait.

However, she was deeply worried. As Xiaomi had said, since Ji Zhaoxi had officially taken over the group, her personal image represented the image of the Ji Group. If there were any issues with her, the company would suffer as well.

Under these circumstances, was it even possible for her to go on a variety show? And if Ji Zhaoxi didn’t go, would the production team even bother inviting her?

Click—

Lu Zhao snapped out of her thoughts and looked up. Even after seeing her so many times, Lu Zhao still found herself dazed by Ji Zhaoxi.

Tall and slender, her features were cold, refined, and perfect. Her slightly wavy black hair was tied back in a casual ponytail. A pair of silver-rimmed glasses rested on the bridge of her nose, and when her indifferent gaze swept over, she appeared even more aloof and “abstinent.” Her skin was so pale it seemed to glow, and her aura was so powerful that most people wouldn’t dare look her in the eye twice.

The only reason Lu Zhao dared to stare like this was because she had spent the last few years training herself as a dedicated pursuer.

“Why are you here?” Ji Zhaoxi’s voice was unique—clear and crisp without being biting cold, carrying a hint of casual laziness.

To Lu Zhao, every time she heard Ji Zhaoxi’s voice, it was a treat—the ultimate auditory feast for a voice-lover.

“Ahem, I… I brought you lunch. I made it myself.” Lu Zhao regained her composure and stopped staring so intensely. She quickly stood up and took the insulated containers out of the bag.

Ji Zhaoxi glanced at them and headed toward the restroom. By the time she finished washing her hands and came out, Lu Zhao had already laid out the food.

Ji Zhaoxi sat down across from Lu Zhao, her eyes falling on the meal: sautéed broccoli, steamed sea bass, celery with pork, and a bitter melon and pork rib soup. Most of it was exactly to her taste, except for that bitter melon…

Seeing Ji Zhaoxi’s gaze lingering on the soup, Lu Zhao quickly served her a bowl. “The weather has been quite dry and hot lately; it’s easy to get ‘internal heat.’ Drink some of this soup to cool down.”

September is when the sun is at its fiercest. The relentless heat often drains people of their appetites, making a bit of bitter melon soup the perfect remedy to clear “internal heat” and stimulate the palate.

Ji Zhaoxi had a keen sense of smell and had already detected the bitterness of the soup. However, seeing Lu Zhao holding it out to her, she accepted it anyway and began to sip it slowly.

“Alright, tell me—what is it you really came here for?” Ji Zhaoxi’s voice was somewhat indifferent. Since both of them were currently trending on the hot search list, she knew Lu Zhao wouldn’t have come to find her at a time like this unless there was a genuine reason.

Lu Zhao’s expression turned awkward. She straightened her posture, cleared her throat, and said with a look of extreme righteousness, “I ended up dragging you onto the hot searches, so I came to offer a little… tender loving care!”

Ji Zhaoxi lifted her eyes to cast a faint glance at her. After taking another sip of soup, she let out a soft sigh. “Lu Zhao, do you know that you have a specific tell when you lie?”

Lu Zhao: “???”

“W-what?”

Lu Zhao’s face stiffened. I have a specific tell when I lie? How did I not know that?

Ji Zhaoxi glanced at Lu Zhao’s shoulders. “Relax. Haven’t you noticed that whenever you lie, your back and shoulders become incredibly stiff and straight?”

Lu Zhao: “…”

If I had noticed, I wouldn’t be doing it right now.

“So, out with it. Your real purpose for coming here.” Ji Zhaoxi picked up a piece of broccoli and put it in her mouth, her gaze fixed on Lu Zhao.

“Ahem, President Ji, it gives me a lot of pressure when you look at me like that.” Lu Zhao’s face was flushed with embarrassment. Every time she had to play the “pursuer” role for Ji Zhaoxi, she had to do quite a bit of mental preparation.

“Oh.” Ji Zhaoxi withdrew her gaze.

Without that faint but oppressive stare, Lu Zhao finally breathed a sigh of relief. She took a roundabout approach: “I heard from Xiaomi that you were just in a meeting with the board of directors. What do they think about you being on the hot search?”

Ji Zhaoxi took another sip of soup, narrowing her eyes slightly in a way that made her look somewhat languid. “They are elders, after all. There are some things they don’t accept very quickly.”

Understood. She got scolded.

Lu Zhao looked apologetic. “I’m sorry. I have no idea how we ended up trending.”

Logically speaking, for an “invisible” nobody in the entertainment industry like herself, why would any paparazzi bother staking her out?

“It’s not your fault. You were actually the one dragged into it by me,” Ji Zhaoxi said as she took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes, her voice trailing off. “The paparazzi were likely trying to snap photos of me, and you just happened to be in the frame.”

Hearing this, Lu Zhao understood. Since Ji Zhaoxi had just taken over the Ji Group, she was at the center of a storm; naturally, many eyes were on her.

“Ahem… if someone were to invite you to a dating variety show, would the company agree to it?” Lu Zhao blinked. When she did this with her naturally expressive, flirtatious eyes, it didn’t look innocent; it looked like she was throwing sparks.

Ji Zhaoxi: “…A dating show?”

“With whom?”

“Me.” Lu Zhao blew her a kiss.

“Oh.”

Ji Zhaoxi’s expression softened considerably. She said in a measured tone, “In principle, they would not agree.”

Lu Zhao blinked again. In principle they wouldn’t agree—but does that mean there can be an exception? And looking at Ji Zhaoxi, she didn’t seem to care about that “principle” at all.

Thinking this, Lu Zhao felt a surge of energy. She stood up and walked over to Ji Zhaoxi’s side, using the serving chopsticks to place a piece of fish belly into her bowl. With a beaming smile, she asked, “Then what would it take for you to agree to do a variety show with me?”

Ji Zhaoxi looked at the fish in her bowl, then glanced at Lu Zhao’s eager, fawning expression. After a moment of silence, she said, “To participate in this show, I’d need to see some kind of value in it, wouldn’t I?”

“If it can’t bring profit to the group, then at the very least, it should bring some emotional value to me as the participant.”

“But so far, I haven’t discovered any emotional value.”

As soon as Lu Zhao heard this, she knew exactly what it meant. She wants “emotional value.” Isn’t that the same as when she hired her to be her pursuer!

Isn’t she just asking me to beg her? I’m an expert at this!

As Sister Li said, a little more “simping” and everything will be fine!

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