The Female Lead Insists on Being My Wife [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Stealing the Wife in a Dating Show (11)

Chen Suihe squatted in the corner, her throat dry from explaining, but her aunt remained insistent: I don’t believe you, I’m not listening, and remember to come home the moment the show ends.

Unable to defend herself, Chen Suihe gave up resisting.

After Shen Chuli went downstairs, she turned into the backyard; she had spotted Chen Suihe from the balcony earlier. As she approached, Chen Suihe had just hung up and stood up, jumping like a startled cat. Once she saw it was her, she patted her chest and walked over.

“What’s wrong?” Chen Suihe asked, noticing her pale complexion.

Shen Chuli didn’t speak, only shaking her head. She didn’t want Suihe to know about those messy industry matters.

They had left one after the other, but they returned side by side. Jiang Wan bumped Wu Yang’s shoulder, and the two shared a mysterious smile. After a while, sleepiness caught up with Chen Suihe. She yawned and headed to her room first; the moment she left, Shen Chuli followed, and the crowd dispersed.

Early the next morning, while Chen Suihe was still lost in a dream, she was jolted awake by a series of loud clangs and bangs from downstairs. Jiang Wan and the others were also awake; they all headed downstairs yawning to find the source of the noise.

Ren Lu was wearing an apron, conducting some sort of “scientific research” in the kitchen. She turned around and was startled to see six people standing in the doorway.

“What are you doing?” Jiang Wan, who had played games until dawn, had dark circles under her eyes and a resentment so thick it was almost physical. “It’s only six o’clock.”

Ren Lu stood there holding a bowl of black, mushy substance that might have been intended as porridge. Half the kitchen was ruined, looking like it had been hit by a cannonball. Chen Suihe felt her vision go dark, nearly fainting at the sight. Ever since the show started, she had been the one cleaning the kitchen; with Ren Lu’s stunt, she was going to be stuck cleaning all day.

“I’ll help you,” Shen Chuli squeezed her palm.

The smile on Ren Lu’s face vanished the moment she saw their small interaction.

Whatever Ren Lu had done, the crusty stains on the stove had to be soaked in water and then scraped off with a small blade. Freshly awake, without washing up or eating, Chen Suihe rolled up her sleeves and got to work. Jiang Wan and the others hurried to wash and change before rushing back to join in. Even the culprit, Ren Lu, gave a delicate response and joined.

Ren Lu had expected Chen Suihe to be polite after all, Ren Lu was a popular star but Suihe wasn’t polite at all. She shoved a steel wool ball into Ren Lu’s hand.

“Scrub that side, please,” Chen Suihe commanded.

Everyone was assigned a task. Considering everyone had been woken up early and hadn’t eaten, Chen Suihe cleared the stove first to cook. Turning around, she saw Ren Lu stuck to Shen Chuli’s side, practically merging with her, while Shen Chuli was like a “poor little thing” being squeezed against the wall.

Chen Suihe tried to stay calm, but she couldn’t help it. She stepped forward and plucked the “little thing” from Ren Lu’s clutches. “Ren Lu, please scrub those pots.”

Ren Lu’s face fell.

“Thanks for the hard work,” Shen Chuli took the opportunity to push her toward the sink. Ren Lu was silenced again and again, completely forgetting her original plan. Or rather, Chen Suihe gave her no time to think; she treated her like a cleaning tool, keeping her too busy to scheme.

But Ren Lu didn’t give up. The “Mi Lu” CP (Deer) press releases were already out. If she didn’t strike while the iron was hot and bind herself deeply to Shen Chuli, who knew when the next opportunity would come? During a gap in the porridge-making, Ren Lu snuck back to Shen Chuli’s side, staring at her for a long time before leaving a second before Shen Chuli noticed.

After three hours of work, the seven of them finally managed to get the kitchen back to a visible state.

The livestream started on time. As soon as viewers entered, they saw Ren Lu wearing a hoodie from the same series as Shen Chuli’s. Not only were their earrings a matching set, but even the “accidental display” of her bracelet matched Shen Chuli’s. The “Deer” fans went wild.

However, aside from the shippers, no one cared for her deliberate, clumsy performance. Shen Chuli, visibly annoyed by her proximity, warned her once more in front of the live camera.

“I have someone I like, and I don’t want her to misunderstand. Please stay away from me,” Shen Chuli said, her eyes full of disgust. “And please, go take some acting classes.”

Having said her piece, she took her bowl and sat next to Chen Suihe.

Ren Lu never expected Shen Chuli to show her zero face. It was one thing to say it privately like last night, but Shen Chuli had treated her like a plague in front of a live audience and issued an open warning. Ren Lu had calculated the benefits of clinging to a Best Actress but hadn’t considered if she could survive the backlash of failure.

Where there are fans, there is drama. Unlike the “Chu Sui” shippers (Shen Chuli x Chen Suihe), who had an “old-age retirement” Zen mindset because one of the subjects had already “validated” them, the “Deer” fans were like locusts. In just a few days, they attacked the “Chu Sui” fan hubs, breaking even the most Zen fans’ patience.

The public mockery grew louder, threatening to overwhelm Ren Lu’s damage control. Her manager anxiously communicated with her, but Ren Lu’s face darkened as she scrolled through the trending topics.

“Stop fighting them,” the manager pleaded. “Forget that we can’t afford to offend Best Actress Shen; even with Chen Suihe, we’re the ones in the wrong.”

Looking at the posts mocking her, Ren Lu’s expression turned black. “Release everything. All of it.” She was used to being pampered; this was the first time she had faced such ridicule since her debut. She was losing her head. “I mean everything!”

In just a few days, black material about Chen Suihe sprouted like mushrooms after rain. There were claims of her playing the “big shot” and bullying staff, of her skipping classes and defying teachers during school… The rumors were a mix of truth and lies, and the old “role-stealing” accusations were dug up again. Because she wasn’t signed to a company, the public sentiment took a hit as the rumors spiraled.

Chen Suihe knew nothing of this. She was busy doing minor roles in various film sets with Shen Chuli. Chen Suihe wasn’t professionally trained; unlike Shen Chuli, who was naturally gifted, she was an “experiential” actress who needed to feel the role from real life. Shen Chuli found her roles close to daily life to ease her in.

By the time Chen Suihe found out, she had already been turned into a target by Ren Lu’s fans. Seeing her silence, they used it to “whitewash” Ren Lu, turning black into white. They even twisted Shen Chuli’s coldness into a melodramatic love triangle where Shen Chuli and Ren Lu were “mutually in love” until Chen Suihe “intervened” and seduced the Best Actress away.

Chen Suihe was suddenly labeled a “third party” (mistress). The situation grew out of control as “friends of Chen Suihe” popped up daily with new lies. Her photos were spread across the internet, and eventually, someone noticed a crucial detail.

Wait, does nobody think Chen Suihe looks exactly like that underage C-position leader who debuted in the first domestic idol survival show?

To prove it, netizens posted comparison photos. A group of “Sherlocks” investigated and concluded: Chen Suihe was indeed that limited-group leader who had retired early a “nugget” idol almost erased from history!

This discovery brought Ren Lu’s fans over to mock her: LOL, a retired failed idol trying to get back in by stealing jobs and clinging to a Best Actress. With that trash skill level, she doesn’t think about training, only about shortcuts. Gross.

However, the “Chu Sui” shippers were ecstatic: OMG! What a novel plot! My favorite idol retired and then came back to join a dating show with me, but only I realized it was her! Truly top-tier content!

While the internet was a mess of shipping and bashing, someone even managed to leak Chen Suihe’s private phone number. Having planned to let things cool down, Chen Suihe now had to face the baseless accusations directly.

Just as she was worrying, Shen Chuli walked in carrying a stack of thick folders. Placing the heavy files on the table, she walked to Chen Suihe’s side.

“These are all the Weibo accounts with more than 500 reposts/likes. Their statements, posts, and homepages have all been collected and notarized.” Shen Chuli led her to the mountain of folders. “How to use them is up to you.”

Chen Suihe was stunned. She had no idea when Shen Chuli had done this.

“How do you want to use them?” Shen Chuli asked.

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