Join a Dating Reality Show with the Aloof, Fishing-Style Richest Man - Chapter 5

In the vast office, which had grown quiet for a moment, Ji Zhaoxi withdrew her gaze with a calm expression and asked Zhou Jiayan.

“How do you plan to reply? Are you going to meet her?”

Zhou Jiayan put her phone away and remained silent for a while, ultimately choosing not to speak.

“You grew up together; do you really think you can hide from her for a lifetime?” Ji Zhaoxi casually flipped through a file and began reading.

“I’m not right for her, and we can’t be together,” Zhou Jiayan finally spoke.

Ji Zhaoxi lifted her eyes and stared fixedly at her for a long time before eventually looking away.

“You used to dote on her so much, unable to bear seeing her even slightly sad or hurt. Now, you’ve become heartless enough to hurt her personally.”

As she spoke, Ji Zhaoxi couldn’t help but curl her lips into a smirk. “I guess there’s a reason we’re friends.”

Ignoring her remark, Zhou Jiayan pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and said, “Let’s continue. What do you want to do next?”

A flicker of light crossed Ji Zhaoxi’s eyes.

Xu Miaomiao waited for quite a while without receiving a reply, so she immediately sent a frantic message to Lu Zhao.

Xu Miaomiao: She’s not replying to me!

Seeing this, Lu Zhao hissed through her teeth. This felt tricky; the person on the other side seemed completely unmoved!

Lu Zhao: Sister, you like her, but does she like you?

Lu Zhao realized this woman was much more aggressive than she was. At least she was only acting like a “simp” because Ji Zhaoxi was paying her, but Xu Miaomiao’s behavior was that of a genuine, bona fide simp!

Xu Miaomiao: Of course she likes me!

Xu Miaomiao: She’s been incredibly good to me since we were kids! She doted on me so much—she’s the type who would feel devastated if I even cried!

Now Lu Zhao was a bit confused. Based on what Xu Miaomiao said, the other person cared about her deeply, so why was her attitude so cold?

Lu Zhao: Since you say she likes you, why aren’t you together?

Xu Miaomiao: Because she’s a coward!

Lu Zhao: ???

In this era, same-sex marriage is legal and public acceptance is high. Logically, there shouldn’t be those kinds of concerns, right?

Lu Zhao asked sincerely: Why is she a coward?

Xu Miaomiao: She’s my adopted elder sister!

Lu Zhao: …

For a moment, Lu Zhao broke into a cold sweat. she desperately wanted to go back in time and beat up the version of herself that had taught Xu Miaomiao how to ask someone out. Thank goodness the other person hadn’t replied; otherwise, wouldn’t she have become an instigator of “incest”?

Lu Zhao: Sister, this won’t do. We are successors of socialism; we can’t do something so taboo! Even if you aren’t related by blood, you’re on the same household register!

Lu Zhao was practically begging her to reconsider. If the news broke that she liked her adopted sister, it was a question whether Xu Miaomiao could even stay in the industry.

Thinking of this, she quickly deleted their chat history and urged Xu Miaomiao to do the same. Even if she wouldn’t leak it, she was terrified that if a phone were lost one day, the records being exposed would be the end of everything.

Under Lu Zhao’s strict orders, Xu Miaomiao deleted the history as told and then replied.

Xu Miaomiao: She’s not on the same household register as me! We’ve never been on the same register. She was just raised in my house.

Seeing this, Lu Zhao breathed a sigh of relief, though it still felt a bit strange.

Lu Zhao: Even if you have no legal relation, if she’s not saying yes, she must have other concerns.

Lu Zhao: How about this—why don’t you stop looking at her? Look at the other flowers and grass out there; there’s a whole forest waiting for you!

Xu Miaomiao: No! I only want to look at her! She’s beautiful!

Xu Miaomiao: And you’re one to talk! Why don’t you give up on Ji Zhaoxi and look at the forest outside? I think you’re quite a looker yourself.

Lu Zhao: “…”

I really thank you for the compliment, but I can’t give up! After all, I don’t actually like Ji Zhaoxi.

Lu Zhao: Sister, if you want her to acknowledge you and be with you, you first have to understand what her concerns are. Once you resolve those concerns, she’ll naturally be yours for the taking, right?

Xu Miaomiao: [Rubbing chin emoji]

Xu Miaomiao: You have a point. I’m going to go get busy. Wait for my good news!

With that, she vanished.

Lu Zhao let out a soft sigh.

“Ignorant humans,” Lu Zhao lamented. Why were there always so many fools falling into the quagmire of love? Wouldn’t it be better to stay single and focus on one’s career?

Putting down her phone, she saw it was already 6:00 PM. She got up, made herself a simple bowl of noodles for dinner, and then picked up her script to start studying.

She had just realized that with a Best Actress like Xu Miaomiao around, she should have asked for some advice earlier. Perhaps the problem she had been struggling with would have been solved. Unfortunately, if she tried to find her now, Xu Miaomiao likely wouldn’t have time for her.

After practicing over and over, Lu Zhao spotted the issue. When she played the second female lead who was “crazy for the male lead,” she felt she was missing a certain spark—that specific drive of someone driven mad by love.

Lu Zhao: “…”

Sorry, but I’ve never acted in a proper romance before. After all, a “mistress” character doesn’t need such intense love and hate…

And directors don’t usually focus heavily on a mistress’s emotional depth…

Lu Zhao began to worry. She had never had a partner and had never experienced that kind of obsessive emotional entanglement. How was she supposed to act this out?

She felt a bit bitter. She had finally caught a break and become popular; was she really going to be held back by her acting skills?

She wasn’t willing to accept that!

Over the years, she had put so much effort into every character. She had always considered her acting to be quite good, and many directors she’d worked with praised her for being full of “spirit.” How could she be defeated by a simple romance scene?

It didn’t make sense; it shouldn’t be happening!

She pulled out movies featuring veteran actors, intending to observe and learn carefully.

She didn’t believe it—she, Lu Zhao, couldn’t possibly be defeated by a tiny little romance plot!

After watching two movies, she was lost in thought. She seemed to have gained some insight, but it wasn’t quite clear, leaving her feeling uncomfortably suspended.

Ding-dong—

Lu Zhao’s phone rang.

She picked it up and saw a message from Ji Zhaoxi.

Ji Zhaoxi: Shangyuan Hotel, Room 401.

Lu Zhao’s eyes instantly lit up.

A big job had arrived!

You had to understand, this kind of nighttime “caretaking” work paid quite a lot!

Without any nonsense, Lu Zhao replied with an “OK” emoji, quickly tidied herself up, and headed downstairs to catch a taxi to the address Ji Zhaoxi had provided.

The Shangyuan Hotel mentioned by Ji Zhaoxi wasn’t far away; a taxi ride took only about half an hour. By the time Lu Zhao arrived, Ji Zhaoxi’s dinner party had already broken up. All that remained was a table of leftovers and a heavy, lingering scent of alcohol from everyone in the private room.

“Miss Lu, I’ll leave President Ji in your hands. We have some matters that need to be handled back at the office,” Zhou Jiayan said calmly, pushing up her glasses.

Lu Zhao didn’t even look at her. At that moment, her gaze was entirely fixed on Ji Zhaoxi, and she answered Zhou Jiayan almost unconsciously.

Perhaps because she had drunk too much, Ji Zhaoxi was sitting quietly in her seat. The overhead lights shone down on her, making her skin appear so pale it seemed to reflect the light.

She was silent and composed. If Lu Zhao hadn’t witnessed her drunk behavior over the years, an outsider looking at her now would never suspect she was intoxicated.

That was simply how Ji Zhaoxi was—even when drunk, she knew how to keep up appearances.

Zhou Jiayan gave the others a look, and they followed her out of the room understandingly, leaving only Lu Zhao and Ji Zhaoxi behind.

As Lu Zhao approached, she could clearly see the faint shadows cast by Ji Zhaoxi’s long eyelashes. The woman had her eyes closed to rest, appearing as if she were oblivious to everything.

Lu Zhao suddenly felt a wave of nervousness. She leaned over beside Ji Zhaoxi, her voice instinctively softening.

“President Ji? Are you still conscious? If you are, let’s get you home, okay?”

However, after she spoke, Ji Zhaoxi didn’t even twitch an eyelid.

Lu Zhao: “…” It seems she really had quite a lot to drink.

“President Ji, should I pour you a glass of water?”

There was no response. Lu Zhao glanced at the table, eventually went out to ask the waiter for a clean glass, and returned with a cup of warm water to hold in front of Ji Zhaoxi.

Seeing no reaction, Lu Zhao had no choice but to feed it to her manually.

As she pressed the glass against Ji Zhaoxi’s lips, Lu Zhao realized this was the first time she had looked at them so closely. They were thin and naturally rosy; even without lipstick, they were vivid. Now, moistened by the water, they appeared particularly lush and hydrated.

These lips are truly beautiful!

Lu Zhao couldn’t help but marvel inwardly. She had known Ji Zhaoxi for three years, and aside from finding her personality a bit cold, she hadn’t found a single flaw in her. Even her looks were so exceptional that Lu Zhao felt she could easily make it in the entertainment industry.

Though Ji Zhaoxi didn’t move or speak, she obediently drank the water offered to her. Once finished, she remained motionless again.

Lu Zhao: “…” Exactly how much did she drink today?!

“President Ji? Are you feeling any clearer? If you are, let’s head home,” Lu Zhao said cautiously.

“President Ji? President Ji?” she called out repeatedly.

Finally, Ji Zhaoxi reacted. Her face scrunched up slightly as she slowly opened her eyes.

Seeing this, Lu Zhao broke into a relieved smile. Since she was responding, getting her home should be a smooth process.

However, the smile quickly froze on Lu Zhao’s face as she heard Ji Zhaoxi speak:

“Can you recite the Three Hundred Tang Poems?”

Lu Zhao: “…?”

Nani? The Three Hundred Tang Poems?

Looking at the dead-serious expression on Ji Zhaoxi’s face, Lu Zhao remained silent for two seconds before answering honestly, “I can’t. My brain peaked when I graduated high school; my current brain isn’t up to the task.”

A look of visible disdain appeared on Ji Zhaoxi’s face.

“If you can’t even recite the Three Hundred Tang Poems, why should I go with you?”

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