Join a Dating Reality Show with the Aloof, Fishing-Style Richest Man - Chapter 38.1

Lu Zhao packed her things and headed downstairs with Ji Zhaoxi. As soon as they reached the bottom, they saw the director looking resentfully at Xu Miaomiao and Zhou Jiayan.

Seeing them come down, the director turned his grieving gaze toward them as well.

Question marks popped up in Lu Zhao’s mind. “Wh-what’s wrong?”

She looked at Xu Miaomiao, sending her a questioning glance. Xu Miaomiao simply shrugged indifferently.

“President Ji, Miss Lu, where are the confession letters we agreed on last night!” the director cried out, looking heartbroken. He had even reminded them after dinner!

Lu Zhao: “…”

She fell silent and turned to look at Ji Zhaoxi, only to find her perfectly calm, without a hint of embarrassment.

If the director hadn’t brought it up today, she wouldn’t have remembered the confession letters until the moment she woke up… After all, her soul was nearly snatched away last night; who had room to remember such trivial matters?

Ji Zhaoxi cleared her throat lightly. The director shut up immediately, though as a grown man, his eyes remained incredibly aggrieved.

—Hahaha, I’m dying! The most powerless director in history! —Does a confession letter even need to be written? Actually, it’s better they didn’t. With two obvious one-way crushes right now, if Lu Zhao and Xu Miaomiao wrote them but Ji Zhaoxi and Zhou Jiayan didn’t respond, it would be so heartbreaking! —Hahaha, are there only two honest souls in this whole house? —Dead. Six people, and only the two guys wrote letters.

As it turned out, only Qiao Yang and Lu Xunyou had taken the director’s words to heart. The two of them had stayed up for half the night in silent agreement to write long, rambling confession letters.

Qiao Yang’s letter was stuffed into the mailbox in front of Lu Zhao’s room, while Lu Xunyou’s was stuffed into Qiao Yang’s.

When Lu Zhao and the others came down, Qiao Yang saw Lu Zhao’s empty hands, and his gaze turned mournful. He had stayed up half the night writing, and she hadn’t even looked at it!

Out of six people, two of them looked like eggplants hit by frost—completely wilted.

After Ji Zhaoxi’s previous glance, the director had inexplicably chickened out and didn’t dare ask them to write make-up letters. In the end, the task ended without a result. The production crew kindly refrained from taking out Qiao Yang and Lu Xunyou’s letters to avoid putting them through another public rejection.

The emotional dynamics in this house were truly complicated to the extreme.

After breakfast, Lu Zhao was stopped by Qiao Yang as she was heading out. He said longingly, “Zhao Zhao, I wrote you a confession letter last night. Do you want to take a look? I wrote a lot!”

Lu Zhao fell silent. Seeing Qiao Yang’s puppy-dog expression, she sighed and said, “Qiao Yang, you should know my stance. You’ve seen me reject people before, so you know I don’t like giving people false hope.”

“Thank you for liking me, but that only warrants a ‘thank you.’ I won’t be reading the letter. I hope you save this sincerity for someone more deserving in the future.”

Lu Zhao gave him a rare, gentle smile before grabbing her sun protection gear and heading out.

Just as she stepped out, Ji Zhaoxi followed right behind her.

Hearing Lu Zhao’s words, Qiao Yang felt as if he’d been struck by lightning, standing frozen on the spot. This time, Lu Zhao’s words were even more despairing than her previous claim that she didn’t like men.

She truly hadn’t considered a single possibility between them.

Qiao Yang’s shoulders slumped; he looked like a pathetic, abandoned kitten.

—Sigh, I suddenly feel a bit bad for the Young Master. Of all people to like, he chose Lu Zhao. Knowing she has her eyes on Ji Zhaoxi proves her standards are incredibly high. —Well, that’s just how feelings go. It hurts for a while, then you start a new life. No one is truly irreplaceable. —I have to say, Lu Zhao is really decisive when it comes to rejecting people. She makes it clear there’s no chance. I actually quite like that.

Lu Xunyou walked over to Qiao Yang. Seeing how genuinely miserable he looked, he didn’t call him “hubby” or anything. Instead, he asked:

“Do you need me to go drinking with you?”

Qiao Yang glanced up at him. Seeing Lu Xunyou was like seeing himself—they were just two souls in the same boat!

“Who drinks first thing in the morning!” Qiao Yang sighed, turning around to mope on the sofa.

Lu Xunyou leaned in again. “Then should I take you out for some fresh air? Or we can head into the city for a drink! By the time we get there, it won’t be early morning anymore.”

Qiao Yang: “!!!”

He looked up and met his gaze. Making a quick decision, he grabbed Lu Xunyou’s shoulder and dragged him toward the door.

“If we’re going, let’s go now.”

Their cameraman quickly followed. Suddenly, the house was half-empty.

Xu Miaomiao turned to Zhou Jiayan and asked, “Sister, is there anything you want to do?”

Zhou Jiayan glanced down at Xu Miaomiao’s injured leg and pushed up her glasses. “Forget it. I have some work to handle anyway, so I’ll stay here.”

Hearing this, Xu Miaomiao gritted her teeth. “How come that cold-hearted woman [Ji Zhaoxi] doesn’t have to work? She’s out wandering!”

Poor sister had to work while she was on vacation!

Zhou Jiayan chuckled and rubbed her head, her voice soft. “Because she’s the boss.”

Xu Miaomiao pouted but felt a thrill at Zhou Jiayan’s rare display of affection. She stole a glance at Zhou Jiayan, thought for a moment, and playfully scratched Zhou Jiayan’s arm with her index finger.

“If you’re working, will I bother you if I talk nearby?”

Zhou Jiayan opened her laptop, her expression calm. “No, I’m used to it.”

After all these years, if she were affected by Xu Miaomiao’s chatter, she probably wouldn’t have even made it through high school. Back then, the girl’s mouth was even more unstoppable.

Xu Miaomiao beamed. She turned to her cameraman and said, “Keep the lens on me! I’m going to start some ‘content’ for the viewers! I’ll tell stories or just chat with the audience.”

Since Zhou Jiayan was busy with work, she had to find her own way to pass the time.

—Hahaha ‘I’m used to it.’ Dead. Just how loud is she normally for someone to get ‘used to it’? —But when Sister Zhou said she was used to it, it felt strangely doting! —These two clearly have feelings! Why are they so twisted about not being together!

For the next while, Xu Miaomiao’s side was hilarious. A dating reality show live stream was forced into a solo variety broadcast. The room’s popularity soared, and because she was so interactive, the comments section was flying.

On the other side, Lu Zhao found it strange that Ji Zhaoxi was following her.

“Why are you coming? I’m not going out to play.”

Ji Zhaoxi looked cold. “I know. You’re going to harvest rice. I’ve never done it before, so I’m going to experience it.”

Lu Zhao: “…”

Lu Zhao stared at her. “Didn’t you see how I looked last night?”

She wasn’t like Lu Zhao, who had to act; why seek out such suffering?

“I saw.” Ji Zhaoxi didn’t say more and walked ahead of Lu Zhao.

Lu Zhao: “…Wait.”

Ji Zhaoxi picked up her pace.

“Wait! You’re going the wrong way!” Lu Zhao shouted.

Ji Zhaoxi stopped instantly and turned back. Her face was stiff.

—Hahaha oh my god, how is this so awkward! —I’m dying, President Ji, do you even know the way? Why are you running so fast? —Hahaha if she didn’t run, Lu Zhao might not have let her follow. —Hmm… I strangely find this side of President Ji quite cute.

Lu Zhao couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. She stepped forward to lead her onto the right path, thoughtfully refraining from mentioning the wrong turn.

“Did you put on sunscreen?” Lu Zhao looked at Ji Zhaoxi’s fair, clean skin. Skincare was essential; if this skin got sunburned, it would be a tragedy.

Ji Zhaoxi nodded. “A little.”

Since she had planned to follow Lu Zhao from the start, she had prepared her sunscreen. She felt quite proud of her foresight.

Lu Zhao still wasn’t reassured. She stopped Ji Zhaoxi by the road, pulled a tube of sunscreen from her bag, and said, “Better put on more to be safe.”

She opened the cap, squeezed some onto her fingertips, and began applying it to Ji Zhaoxi’s face and neck.

The two stood close, the action intimate. Through the camera lens, their lingering gazes made them look exactly like a pink-bubble-filled couple!

Ji Zhaoxi looked down at Lu Zhao’s face. Her skin was fair and translucent with a healthy glow, and her naturally red lips were slightly pursed in concentration.

“Done. Spread it around yourself,” Lu Zhao said.

Ji Zhaoxi snapped out of it. Seeing Lu Zhao’s pursed red lips just now, she had felt a sudden, reckless urge to lean in and kiss her…

Her throat bobbed. She raised her hand and rubbed her face haphazardly, her cheeks turning red from the friction, her brow furrowed as if venting some frustration.

“Wait, wait!”

Lu Zhao stopped her immediately, looking at that reddened face with heartache. How could this woman be so rough with such a beautiful face?

“Is this how you usually wash your face!” Lu Zhao took over herself. Who wouldn’t want to cherish such a beautiful face?

Lu Zhao’s fingertips moved rhythmically and gently over her skin. Ji Zhaoxi closed her eyes and let her do as she pleased. “There’s no mirror here; I can’t see,” she murmured.

Lu Zhao: “…”

Lu Zhao was defeated. She gently rubbed the sunscreen into her face, then moved to the neck.

The skin on the neck was even more sensitive than the face. The moment Lu Zhao’s hand touched it, Ji Zhaoxi’s cheeks flushed involuntarily, as if an electric current had surged through her, leaving her skin tingling.

Unaware, Lu Zhao continued meticulously, moving from the neck to the arms. Every exposed area of skin was covered in a thick layer of protection.

—Ugh, I believe that even if Lu Zhao is a ‘simp,’ she really loves President Ji. If it weren’t true love, who would go to these lengths? —The vibe when they are together is so good. Every time they get this close, I want to shove their heads together! —Sigh, when will they be together? President Ji, just say yes! —Ugh, I wish someone loved me like Lu Zhao does, but I’ve never met anyone like that.

Ji Zhaoxi didn’t know how many people online envied her at that moment. She watched Lu Zhao’s focused expression as she applied the sunscreen, and her gaze softened.

No matter how many years passed, she was still the same person.

“Alright. You can just try it for a bit. You’re someone who makes big money; if you ruin your back, you won’t even be able to sit at your computer.” Lu Zhao gave a final pat to the sunscreen and led her toward the field from yesterday, still nagging with concern.

Ji Zhaoxi frowned, wanting to retort. Before she could, Lu Zhao leaned into her ear and whispered:

“If your waist is ruined, how are you going to seduce people?”

Ji Zhaoxi: “…”

A very practical problem, indeed.

She followed Lu Zhao with a stiff face and watched her wave to a lean, tanned middle-aged woman with a bright smile.

“Jinhua is here!” the auntie said happily. When she saw Ji Zhaoxi, her smile faltered slightly, perhaps intimidated by her aura.

“Jinhua brought another Jinhua.”

“Mm-hmm. Auntie, this is my friend Ji Zhaoxi. She wants to experience harvesting rice with me today.” Lu Zhao quickly introduced her.

In this region, young girls were often called “Jinhua” (Golden Flower). Hearing Ji Zhaoxi being called that made Lu Zhao want to laugh. It felt a bit out of place.

Ji Zhaoxi relaxed her expression and greeted the auntie. While not overly warm, she was polite and humble, making a good first impression.

“Good, good. You city folk haven’t done this before; it’s good to experience it.” The auntie chuckled, thinking to herself that these two were indeed stars—they stood out even in a crowd.

Faced with the enthusiastic auntie, Ji Zhaoxi was uncharacteristically shy, staying close to Lu Zhao like a silent shadow.

Lu Zhao found this version of Ji Zhaoxi hilarious. She handed her a straw hat and gloves and began teaching her how to harvest.

The auntie watched them, touched by their close bond. Seeing Ji Zhaoxi’s clumsy attempts, she walked over to give some tips. “Be careful, don’t rush, or you’ll cut yourself.”

“Mhm,” Ji Zhaoxi hummed vaguely, her expression tense. She didn’t believe she couldn’t learn this; if Lu Zhao could do it, so could she.

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