Make Her Heart Flutter - Chapter 4

The production team had separated everyone into different rooms, likely for some kind of task, Jiang Qi thought.

Sure enough, before long, a speaker hidden in the dimly lit room crackled to life, and the director’s voice came through: [Welcome, everyone, to our show “Survival Rules”! We hope you all have a great time here.]

After a brief pause, the voice continued: [So, are you all ready to take on your first task?]

Jiang Qi raised an eyebrow but said nothing, though she couldn’t help grumbling inwardly: As if it matters whether we’re ready or not, you’re going to assign the task anyway.

The broadcast continued: [Right now, the room you’re in has gold coins hidden in every corner. You have five minutes to find as many as possible. A little heads-up: this will affect your quality of life here~]

…

Soon, the five minutes were up. The director’s voice sounded again: [Time’s up! Everyone, please make your way to the courtyard outside. We know you’ve had a long journey, so the production team has prepared a lavish lunch for you all.]

At the mention of “lunch,” Jiang Qi’s eyes finally lit up with interest. As if on cue, the room door swung open, and a beam of light streamed in from outside.

Suddenly, a certain BGM started playing in her mind.

Her room was the farthest from the courtyard, so she was the last to arrive.

The other five participants were already seated in the yard. Chi Shuang sat on the side, the farthest from where Jiang Qi stood. A gentle breeze swept by, and she tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, revealing a small, delicate earlobe.

Meanwhile, the rich aroma of the sumptuous lunch wafted enticingly from the table.

Jiang Qi took a careful look at the group gathered in the courtyard and noticed only one male Omega she recognized – Shang Chumu, a popular young idol lately. However, she hadn’t become familiar with him through his work; rather, he had recently endorsed a product from her corporation.

Someone with sharp eyes spotted her arrival and let out a soft “Wow.”

“Sister Jiang, you can sit next to me,” Shang Chumu, the only one she knew, brightened upon seeing her and patted the stool beside him.

Shang Chumu was seated to Chi Shuang’s left. If Jiang Qi sat next to him, there would be one person between them, minimizing any direct interaction. That seemed like a good option.

Having made up her mind, Jiang Qi took the seat beside Shang Chumu and greeted him casually, “Long time no see.”

Shang Chumu grinned, showing a cute smile. “Long time no see~”

Aside from Jiang Qi, all six guests on this variety show were from the entertainment industry. Even if they weren’t acquainted, they had at least heard of each other. Only Jiang Qi was completely in the dark.

“How about we introduce ourselves? We’ll be living together from now on,” suggested the tallest, most gentlemanly man in the group.

Everyone nodded in agreement. The girl sitting across from Jiang Qi, with light brown twin tails and a sweet appearance, raised her hand. “Let me start, then we can go in order. I’m Jiang Ran, an Alpha, a member of a girl group. I usually enjoy reading novels and comics. Pretty much a homebody.”

The others widened their eyes in surprise. “Huh?”

Jiang Ran instantly understood what they were thinking and sighed helplessly. “A kawaii Alpha is still an Alpha, alright? Next!”

The gentle man who spoke first nodded. “Hello, I’m Tang Qiluo, a Beta. I’m currently working as an actor, and in my free time, I enjoy studying scripts.”

The man beside Tang Qiluo spoke up. “I’m Yan Xu, a Beta, currently working as a singer.”

“Currently?” Shang Chumu quickly caught the key point in Yan Xu’s words. “What did Xiao Yan do before?”

“I used to be a painter,” Yan Xu replied shyly.

“So talented!” everyone exclaimed in admiration.

When it was Chi Shuang’s turn, Jiang Qi unconsciously straightened her posture slightly. Her eyes were lowered as if she didn’t care, but her ears perked up attentively.

“My name is Chi Shuang, an Omega. I’m currently working as an actor. As for hobbies…” Chi Shuang thought for a moment and smiled apologetically. “It seems I don’t really have any.”

As soon as Chi Shuang finished speaking, Jiang Ran’s eyes sparkled like stars, and she clasped her hands in front of her chest. “Wow! Goddess! Idol!”

Chi Shuang’s eyes curved into beautiful crescents. “Just call me Xiao Shuang.”

Next was Shang Chumu, who had a lively and energetic personality. He spoke boldly, “I’m Shang Chumu, also an Omega. I’m still a student, and my side job is modeling.”

The last one was Jiang Qi. Everyone else was in the entertainment industry, which seemed to create a natural barrier between them and her. At this moment, all eyes were on her, making her a bit nervous.

Even Chi Shuang turned to look at her, and the tension made Jiang Qi instinctively furrow her brows slightly. The people around her felt as if the air had frozen. Shang Chumu, sitting next to Jiang Qi, almost broke out in goosebumps.

“My name is Jiang Qi, an Alpha.”

The nervous Jiang Qi heard her own voice, cold and detached, as she introduced herself. Beside her, Shang Chumu gave a thumbs-up. “My sister Jiang is just so cool and awesome!”

Hearing these adjectives, Jiang Qi’s lips twitched. That was entirely unnecessary.

Chi Shuang spoke up at this moment, her voice as pleasant and gentle as it had been a few days prior. “What does Jiang Qi do?”

Lured by the gentle tone, Jiang Qi instinctively continued, forgetting her nervousness. “I manage a company, you could say.”

Jiang Ran let out an admiring “Wow” and said, “That’s amazing.”

Jiang Qi humbly replied, “Not at all, it’s just the family business.”

Chi Shuang’s smile remained unchanged, but a doubt arose in her mind. In her impression, Jiang Qi was an arrogant and stubborn person. Such a humble tone didn’t seem like her at all.

Most celebrities avoid eating before filming to look good on camera. None of them had eaten breakfast, and now the aroma of the food on the table wafted into their noses. Who could resist that?

Since they were all around the same age, even though Jiang Qi was a bit aloof, Jiang Ran’s outgoing nature and Shang Chumu, whom she already knew, helped her quickly blend in with the group over the meal.

Seeing everyone getting along well, the director smiled and picked up the microphone. “Since everyone is acquainted and has finished eating, let’s talk about the use of the gold coins.”

Everyone nodded and listened attentively as the director continued.

The director deliberately built suspense. [How about we start by counting everyone’s gold coins first?]

Jiang Ran pouted, “Director, you’re so mean.” Even as she complained, she reluctantly pulled out her gold coins.

There were quite a few, she counted fifteen of them.

Yan Xu showed off his own gold coins and gave a faint, subtle smile. “Only seven. You all are too good at hiding them.”

“Wait, wait, wait!” Shang Chumu questioned, “The number of gold coins isn’t different for each room, is it?”

[Don’t worry, the numbers are absolutely correct and the same for everyone,] the director explained.

Shang Chumu covered his face with his hands, then held them out to show the gold coins in his palm. “Only three.”