Join a Dating Reality Show with the Aloof, Fishing-Style Richest Man - Chapter 42.1

Her hand was being guided; Lu Zhao was both shocked and frightened, her voice even becoming distorted.

“What are you doing!”

Lu Zhao felt she had received enough shocks for one night!

Ji Zhaoxi held Lu Zhao, saying in a slightly aggrieved tone, “I’m practicing my acting.”

Lu Zhao: “…”

I know you’re practicing, but can you please not practice right now?

Lu Zhao felt like she was about to cry.

“Go away! I have no obligation to serve as a practice tool for you!” Lu Zhao pushed Ji Zhaoxi away, her nose tingling sharply, feeling that Ji Zhaoxi was truly being excessive.

How could there be someone like her? Loving one person while flirting with someone else at the same time?

Practice? Practice my ass! If she needs to practice just to pursue someone, she deserves to fail!

Ji Zhaoxi was stunned by Lu Zhao’s agitated reaction. She stepped back following the push and watched her quietly after no longer touching her.

She hadn’t expected Lu Zhao to react this way. Had her previous actions frightened her?

Ji Zhaoxi pursed her lips in annoyance; she still wasn’t composed enough.

After Ji Zhaoxi stepped away, the feeling of being enveloped by her scent finally weakened a bit, allowing Lu Zhao’s emotions to stabilize. However, having just lost her temper, she couldn’t bring herself to apologize immediately.

She turned her back to Ji Zhaoxi and said gloomily, “You don’t have to do this. If you really like her, then go pursue her properly. Think about it yourself—if the person you like found out later that you used others for ‘practice,’ what would she think?”

Ji Zhaoxi didn’t speak.

How could she not want to pursue her properly? But had she ever been given the chance?

Ji Zhaoxi suddenly felt a chill in her heart. Lu Zhao’s heart was too hard; it had taken three years just to get her to accept her slightly. If things continued like this, would it really be of any use?

If three years couldn’t produce any feelings, would another three years yield a different result?

For the first time, Ji Zhaoxi began to reconsider the feasibility of her approach.

Lu Zhao didn’t hear her speak, but that was fine; she didn’t know what to say to her right now anyway.

After a long silence, Ji Zhaoxi suddenly got out of bed, opened the closet to grab something, and went into the bathroom.

Lu Zhao heard the movement, but her ears only twitched; she didn’t open her eyes to look.

Ji Zhaoxi came out quickly. Lu Zhao peeked through a slit and saw Ji Zhaoxi dressed neatly in those thin white pajamas, holding the sexy lingerie that had made her heart race earlier that night.

Then, Lu Zhao saw her casually toss the items into the trash can.

Lu Zhao’s heart felt as if it had been pricked by a needle—it hurt terribly.

Ji Zhaoxi quietly climbed back into bed and lay down. This time, she stayed strictly by the edge of the bed, leaving enough space in the middle for another person to sleep comfortably.

Lu Zhao didn’t know how to feel. It was strange, a suffocating discomfort that left her tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

Once it quieted down, the space became terrifyingly silent. She could faintly hear the other person’s breathing, but there wasn’t even the sound of someone turning over.

In this silence, Lu Zhao felt as if she were being fried in a pot of hot oil—anxious and restless, yet not knowing how to calm down.

Having not slept well all night, Lu Zhao woke up the next day with prominent dark circles. She, who had mostly been going barefaced these past two days, was forced to apply makeup to cover them up.

Given their current situation, if she went out with dark circles, people would surely indulge in all sorts of wild speculation.

Ji Zhaoxi also got up very efficiently this morning. She flipped out of bed and was the first to enter the bathroom to wash up. When she came out, she was dressed formally: her blue shirt was buttoned to the very top, tucked into black suit trousers that hugged her long, slender legs, making her look both dominant and cooly professional.

Her expression was cold, and her aura was powerful. Seeing Ji Zhaoxi like this, Lu Zhao for a moment felt as if they had returned to when they first met.

Faced with this version of Ji Zhaoxi, Lu Zhao suddenly felt a sense of displacement and was unable to find words.

Ji Zhaoxi ignored her state. She first poured cat food and water for Tangyuan and took out the treats she had promised last night. Only after finishing these tasks did she look up at Lu Zhao.

“I won’t be going with you for your commercial shoot tomorrow. There are some issues at the overseas branch that I need to handle. I might be away for a while.”

Hearing this, Lu Zhao opened her mouth, but in the end, she couldn’t say a thing.

This person hadn’t looked at her phone since last night until waking up; how did she know the overseas branch needed her?

But she couldn’t ask that question. She only felt more anxious.

Ji Zhaoxi reached out to gently rub the head of Tangyuan, who was obediently eating. After a moment of thought, she said, “What you said last night was right. You have no obligation to accompany me for practice. My previous behaviors were wrong, and I apologize to you for that.”

“I’m sorry.”

Lu Zhao was suddenly speechless. She watched Ji Zhaoxi apologize with a serious expression. That cold, noble face showed no trace of last night’s seductiveness. It was as if she had switched between two different personalities for day and night, making it hard for Lu Zhao to cope.

Ji Zhaoxi didn’t wait for a response and continued, “I will speak to the production team. You don’t need to worry.”

Lu Zhao opened her mouth; she wanted to say she wasn’t worried about that, but looking at Ji Zhaoxi’s expression, she couldn’t say it.

Ji Zhaoxi finally gave her a faint smile. “Go wash up. I’m going downstairs to discuss the branch office matters with Jiayan.”

“Um…” Lu Zhao could only respond weakly.

Ji Zhaoxi went out and downstairs. Zhou Jiayan was already awake. After washing up, she sat in the main hall looking refreshed, her laptop on the dining table, her eyes fixed seriously on the screen.

Ji Zhaoxi tapped on the table, signaling for her to follow her out.

Zhou Jiayan looked up and froze for a moment. Since coming to this dating show, Ji Zhaoxi had never looked like this—she looked so unapproachable that people were afraid to get near her.

Following Ji Zhaoxi out, Ji Zhaoxi instructed the director to turn off all cameras and microphones in the courtyard. Only then did she turn to Zhou Jiayan and say, “Send me a full report of his current whereabouts, and what is the situation with Sun Ze?”

Zhou Jiayan looked at her in surprise. Was she going to be this hands-on now? Even asking about his whereabouts.

Though puzzled, she nodded and said, “The matter with Sun Ze is going smoothly. It won’t be long before his issues are exposed. He won’t be able to cover it up anymore.”

A cold light flashed in Ji Zhaoxi’s eyes. “Very well, then it’s time to close the net.”

“I’m flying abroad tonight. This place… I’ll have to trouble you to look after it.”

“You’re leaving?” Zhou Jiayan’s voice rose significantly, her eyes behind her glasses full of confusion. “Why so sudden?”

Ji Zhaoxi’s expression remained unchanged. “I don’t know if my previous method was right or wrong, but she showed great resistance. I need time to think about what’s right, and she also needs time to cool down.”

Zhou Jiayan suddenly didn’t know what to say. Looking at Ji Zhaoxi’s indifferent face, her brow twitched with a hint of worry.

“Are you okay?”

As the person who had been by Ji Zhaoxi’s side the longest—both as business partners and close friends—Zhou Jiayan knew better than anyone Ji Zhaoxi’s feelings for Lu Zhao.

To put it seriously, Lu Zhao could easily influence Ji Zhaoxi.

Ji Zhaoxi looked up to meet her gaze, a faint smile touching her lips. “Do I look like I’m not okay?”

Zhou Jiayan: “…”

If you looked okay, I wouldn’t have asked.

But in the end, she was only a friend and didn’t have much standing to interfere in her life.

She sighed inwardly, wondering how long these two would keep grinding each other down.

After finishing with Zhou Jiayan, Ji Zhaoxi turned to the director to say a few words.

“This… will this work?” The director said hesitantly. If it were changed according to Ji Zhaoxi’s plan, a perfectly good dating show would turn into a documentary!

“And those people might not necessarily allow us to film!” The director smiled bitterly.

Ji Zhaoxi’s voice was cold but certain. “Don’t worry about those things. No one will block you when the time comes.”

“Furthermore, in this show, only Lu Zhao and Xu Miaomiao are from the entertainment industry. In reality, they are the ones who need the exposure. As long as their popularity is maintained, it doesn’t matter what form the show takes.”

Hearing Ji Zhaoxi’s words, the director’s face soured slightly. “The logic is sound, but changing the nature of the show halfway through… the audience might not accept it!”

They might get cursed out by the fans.

Ji Zhaoxi suddenly smiled faintly. “That’s why someone needs to take the fall. You can say the show’s format had to change because of me. As for the backlash your team receives, 20% of the show’s profits will be distributed to your entire team. Can you bear the criticism for that?”

Upon hearing this, the director’s eyes instantly lit up. With the show’s high popularity, 20% of the subsequent profits would be a significant sum!

The director shook his head and clicked his tongue. In all his years in the industry, he had never seen such a maneuver.

“As for me, to express my apologies, I will give away one million yuan in a lucky draw during every daily live stream. Do you think that will appropriately calm their dissatisfaction?” Ji Zhaoxi said calmly.

Director: “…”

You can even do that?!

“…I think… it will.”

The director was shocked. Is this the joy of the rich? Giving away a million just like that? And a million every day? The original filming cycle was a month, and it had only been a few days. For the remaining days, giving away a million a day meant nearly thirty million by the end!

Spending that much in a month—could they even earn it back?

Looking at Ji Zhaoxi’s calm face, the director knew she was doing this primarily to appease the audience’s anger so it wouldn’t affect Lu Zhao.

And this action wasn’t without benefit. With a daily draw like that, people would naturally start promoting the show for a chance to win. The higher the show’s popularity, the better for Lu Zhao.

The director was dying of envy. How could Lu Zhao be so lucky? To meet someone willing to promote her at any cost?

Once the matters were settled, Ji Zhaoxi returned to the hall. Seeing Lu Zhao already sitting there, her eyes instinctively softened, but remembering something, her expression quickly turned cool again.

Lu Zhao still felt awkward seeing Ji Zhaoxi, but she couldn’t show it in front of the cameras. She could only greet her normally to come have breakfast.

Ji Zhaoxi sat down next to Lu Zhao and said, “While I’m away, I’ll have to trouble you to take care of Tangyuan.”

Lu Zhao’s heart tightened for a moment, but she nodded and said she understood.

Ji Zhaoxi then began eating breakfast in silence. After eating, she started handling business affairs, while a heated discussion had already broken out online.

While they were still eating breakfast, the production team moved quickly, posting an announcement online. The general content was that because Ji Zhaoxi had to go abroad for work, she could no longer participate in centralized filming. Considering the nature of the guests’ relationships, it was decided that from the next day, all guests would be filmed separately. Each guest would have their own dedicated live stream room, and viewers could choose their favorites to watch.

To express her apology, President Ji promised to provide one million yuan daily for the production team to conduct lucky draws until the end of the show.

This Weibo post immediately caused a massive stir, as no one had expected such a move.

However…

While they really wanted to see their favorite CPs (couples) together, people are realistic—they love money more. With a million-yuan draw every day, what if they got lucky? Even if they didn’t win a hundred thousand, winning a thousand or so would still be very happy!

So, instead of the expected wave of criticism, everyone became excited for the next day’s broadcast, wanting to see if Ji Zhaoxi would really give away a million a day.

Of course, there were still some people complaining, but in the massive wave of casual viewers, these complaints were quickly buried without causing much of a ripple.

In the live stream room for the final day of collective filming, a large number of curious onlookers flooded in, and the bullet comments were scrolling so fast they were unreadable.

Xu Miaomiao was a bit frustrated by the change in the show. She had finally gotten a chance to spend time with Zhou Jiayan, and now they were telling her they would be filmed separately?!

But Ji Zhaoxi still had a bit of a conscience; she hadn’t made the separate filming absolute. If Xu Miaomiao wanted to find Zhou Jiayan, she still could.

As long as she did, the two of them being together would still have the effect of a dating show.

As for Qiao Yang and the other guest, they had come for specific people anyway. Now that it wasn’t being filmed as a dating show, there was no reason for them to stay. They quickly announced their withdrawal from the program. On his last day, Qiao Yang watched Lu Zhao’s figure with a secret sorrow.

Without this opportunity, it wouldn’t be easy to see her again.

However, Lu Zhao didn’t care at all about his sorrow. She was currently filled with an anxiety she couldn’t vent. Watching Ji Zhaoxi calmly working, she wanted to speak to her but was afraid of disturbing her.

She hesitated and hesitated until the afternoon when Ji Zhaoxi got up to go back to her room and pack her things. Someone quickly came to help her take the luggage out, and a car was already waiting at the village entrance to take her to the airport.

Seeing this, Lu Zhao was even more unable to speak.

Before leaving, Ji Zhaoxi paused and turned her head slightly. “Please help me take good care of Tangyuan.”

“Yes! I will!” Lu Zhao replied hurriedly.

Ji Zhaoxi wanted to say something more, but remembering the events of last night, she ultimately didn’t say it. Perhaps her concern for her was also a burden?

Watching Ji Zhaoxi’s retreating back, Lu Zhao was somewhat dazed.

Xu Miaomiao walked over at the right time, saw Lu Zhao like this, lightly touched her shoulder, and asked in a low voice, “What’s wrong? Did you guys have a fight?”

Lu Zhao lowered her eyes.

A fight?

Suppose so.

The next day, Lu Zhao went to Haicheng with her assistant, Xiao Xia. The shampoo brand this time was a well-known public brand. What Lu Zhao was to endorse was their latest Jasmine Scented Shampoo. Lu Zhao had great hair and could film directly without needing a hair double.

This commercial shoot was very simple. After applying makeup, it was finished in just one day. After finishing work in the evening, she had dinner with the brand representatives. When she returned to the hotel and saw Tangyuan (the cat) waiting obediently for her, Lu Zhao suddenly became lost in thought.

Ji Zhaoxi hadn’t contacted her once since leaving. She didn’t even ask to see how Tangyuan was doing; was she really that relieved to let her run around everywhere with the cat?

However, it wasn’t long before there was a knock on Lu Zhao’s door. She looked through the peephole first, and upon recognizing who it was, she immediately opened the door.

“Secretary Xu,” Lu Zhao said with a light smile to the person outside. “What brings you here?”

Secretary Xu’s gaze fell behind Lu Zhao and said, “President Ji considered that Miss Lu is very busy with work now and needs to travel everywhere. She was afraid you wouldn’t be able to focus on taking care of Tangyuan, so she asked me to come and take Tangyuan back.”

Lu Zhao’s expression changed upon hearing this. She looked back at Tangyuan, sitting obediently on the bed watching her, and suddenly felt a surge of bitterness in her heart.

She desperately wanted Tangyuan to stay, but at the same time, she knew very well that it wasn’t convenient for Tangyuan to follow her everywhere. If the cat had to endure the intensity of flying between various cities, Tangyuan would definitely not be able to handle it.

So, even Tangyuan couldn’t stay by her side?

“Okay,” Lu Zhao replied, her voice a bit dry.

With her back to Secretary Xu, she helped pack Tangyuan’s things. When she placed Tangyuan into the carrier, she kissed its forehead and whispered some instructions. Tangyuan seemed to know they were about to be separated and appeared quite listless.

Secretary Xu took Tangyuan away. Lu Zhao looked at the empty room and suddenly felt nostalgic for the time before—when both Ji Zhaoxi and Tangyuan were there, the room always felt full of life.

Lu Zhao suddenly felt annoyed with herself for not asking Secretary Xu when Ji Zhaoxi would be back.

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