The Film Queen Is Cold and Ruthless, Only Sends Money - Chapter 22.2

But even though she was absent from the scene, the legends about her continued to spread. Every day, multiple hashtags about her trended at the top of the charts.

Whether it was #CoolLittleEBike or #ConfidenceOnStageStepUpIfYouDare, Su Yun had managed to capture the attention of countless passersby.

With the rapid updates in internet speeds, many haters initially talked tough but eventually succumbed to the allure, becoming avid followers of the variety show.

Now, seeing “Carrot Porridge’s” comment, the previous context was dug up, and netizens flooded the post with replies.

[Hahahahaha! But seriously, OP really keeps their promises!]

[I thought the same way as OP back then. When my friend recommended Dear Them, I said I didn’t like shows full of drama and arguments. But now well, here I am, totally hooked!]

[+1, where’s the fighting in this show? It’s all just pure fun! Perfect for people who love a good laugh!]

[But is OP really going to eat durian while doing a handstand? I’ve only ever seen people wash their hair upside down.]

At the time, Qiao Miao had made this bet with the other person purely for amusement. But now, she still asked: [QiaoQiaoQiaoQiao: Can you even do a handstand? If not, we can discuss something else?]

[Carrot Porridge: The handstand’s easy, it’s the durian I hate TT. Can’t stand the smell.]

[QiaoQiaoQiaoQiao: ??? I’m a die-hard durian lover! Trust me, durian is delicious!]

At this point, Qiao Miao wasn’t even concerned about the handstand anymore, and Su Yun’s matter was completely forgotten. Her only thought was to spread the gospel of their glorious Durian Cult!

Thanks to “Carrot Porridge’s” comment, a heated debate erupted over whether people loved or hated durian, significantly boosting the post’s popularity.

“Carrot Porridge” turned out to be quite athletic. After starting a livestream, she effortlessly pulled off a handstand but hesitated endlessly before the durian at her lips. A few minutes later, she steeled herself, closed her eyes, and took a bite, fulfilling her bet before ending the stream.

Finally, “Carrot Porridge” replied under Qiao Miao’s comment: [I think durian actually tastes pretty good? Smells awful, but it’s kinda fragrant when you eat it.]

[QiaoQiaoQiaoQiao: You’ve got taste!]

Qiao Miao successfully won the bet satisfaction level: 100%.

Successfully spreading her favorite food to others, satisfaction level: 10,000%!

–

Early the next morning.

The weather forecast was accurate. After days of clear skies, dark clouds gathered ominously, hanging low over the earth before heavy raindrops began pelting down, the sound of rain drowning out almost everything else.

[I’m here, I’m here! Not late today!]

[My digital comfort food, can’t go a day without it!]

Su Yun dragged herself out of bed at the last possible minute, rushed through her five-minute morning routine, and stepped outside with an umbrella, only to find the yard empty. No one was around, and the breakfast on the table was still steaming, untouched.

Su Yun: ???

Did they all go out to eat without her? No way.

Just yesterday, the director and Liu Yangran had poured their hearts out to her.

Puzzled, she turned to a nearby staff member, but before she could ask, they gestured toward the direction of Su Xue and Jing Chaochao’s room.

She walked over and found all seven of them crowded inside the small space. Sidling up to Jiang Zhi, she finally understood the reason for the unusual morning.

Turns out, after waking up, everyone had been groggy and ready to eat breakfast before tackling the day’s assigned tasks. But before they could mentally prepare themselves, they heard Su Xue crying, only to realize she and Jing Chaochao had gotten into a fight.

【Did Zhao Zhao and Xue Xue have a fight? Why would they fight? Their relationship has always been so good!】

【Even though their mission the other day had its ups and downs, compared to the previous seasons, the guests this time have practically no conflicts. Just yesterday, everything felt so warm, how did they end up fighting today…】

【Is this show really doomed to be filled with drama, arguments, and breakups?】

Su Xue’s eyes were still red, and she was standing a good eight hundred meters away from Jing Zhaozhao.

If the room hadn’t been so small, she might have retreated even further. But the occasional sniffles made it clear just how upset she was.

Jing Zhaozhao, on the other hand, kept her lips sealed, refusing to explain anything as she stared at the floor.

Lin Yan glanced between them, baffled by how the sweet couple from just a few days ago could now be acting like sworn enemies. “Xue’er, can you at least tell us why you two fought?”

Xu Zhi handed over a wet wipe and chimed in, “Yeah, we can’t help if we don’t know the reason. Tell us, and we’ll figure something out together.”

Su Xue’s voice was hoarse from crying. “Last night, I told Jing Zhao to go to bed early. She agreed, but when I woke up this morning, she was still sitting at the desk, she hadn’t slept at all.”

The moment Su Xue saw the dark circles under Jing Zhaozhao’s eyes, she had already started getting angry. She wanted Jing Zhaozhao to rest first and even suggested taking a break from filming if she couldn’t handle it.

But Jing Zhaozhao insisted she didn’t need to, saying she was used to staying up late and it was fine.

“When she was away before, she’d message me every night saying she wouldn’t stay up late and would sleep on time.” Su Xue’s voice trembled, tears threatening to fall again. “Turns out she was lying to me all along.”

With that realization, Su Xue’s words came out sharp and accusatory, and within minutes, the two were arguing.

It only stopped when Su Xue burst into tears.

Of course, that just led to another extreme now, they weren’t speaking to each other at all. Since the others had entered the room, neither had said a word to the other.

Su Yin noticed the subtle details and whispered to Jiang Zhi, “Xue’er must be really upset she even called her ‘Jing Zhao’ instead of ‘Zhaozhao.’”

Liu Yangran noticed Jing Zhaozhao seemed to have something to say but ultimately stayed silent. “Maybe there’s more to it? Zhaozhao, don’t you want to explain?”

At the question, Su Xue’s gaze flickered toward Jing Zhaozhao, as if waiting for an explanation.

Everyone in the room turned to Jing Zhaozhao, but after a long silence, she only muttered, “No.”

【Since when did Zhaozhao become so tight-lipped?! Just explain already!!!】

【Xue Xue was just worried about her, how did this even turn into a fight?!】

【Can my CP just stay sweet?! I order you two to make up right now, ughhh】

【I feel like Zhaozhao has something she wants to say. There must be more to this, right?】

Hearing Jing Zhaozhao’s curt response, Su Xue’s heart sank. She wiped her tears and said, “Let’s just start the mission.”

She didn’t want to hold up the show because of her own issues.

Lin Yan sighed and said, “The next task also requires couples to work together. Do you think the two of you, in your current state, can manage it?”

The other guests present could see the issue as well. Even if they tried to mediate and patch things up between them, conflicts might flare up again someday. It was clear they needed to resolve this matter properly before continuing with the tasks.

The director, being particularly good at reading the room, said, “Our task today is relatively light, so there’s no need to rush.”

With her words, Su Xue stopped speaking and simply stared silently at the opposite side.

Down below, Wang Yue from the production team frantically flipped through her “New Employee Orientation Handbook” from when she first joined, ready to step in at any moment.

If the guests couldn’t resolve the issue, the staff would intervene.

Su Yun, however, didn’t think it was a big deal. She suggested, “How about we hold a mock court? The two of you can each state your reasons?”

“A mock court?” Liu Yangran thought it was a good idea. Since there were underlying issues, airing them out would surely resolve the conflict. But she glanced around and said, “There doesn’t seem to be a suitable spot for a court here.”

“Maybe we could dismantle the door from your room and use it as the court table?” Lin Yan offered an impractical suggestion.

Liu Yangran and Xu Zhi: “…”

Although their door was easy to remove and the right size, wasn’t that going a bit too far?

The already shaky door narrowly escaped disaster. Plaintiff Su Xue and defendant Jing Chaochao sat on opposite sides, while the others gathered around. Su Yun was elected as the judge.

[I didn’t expect your way of resolving a fight to be so refreshingly unconventional, haha!]

[Am I the only one who noticed Su Xue and Jing Chaochao exchanging a glance just now?]

[Let me guess what they were saying to each other: “Are you embarrassed?” “Yeah, a little. Should we just stop fighting?”]

However, Su Yun gave them no chance to back out. Sitting on the table, she prepared to bang the gavel, only to realize she was holding a cucumber instead???

Lin Yan: “It’ll have to do. I grabbed it from breakfast.”

Su Yun: Fine.

She tapped the cucumber, but lacking the weighty and authoritative sound of a proper gavel, she simply took a bite crisp, refreshing, and loud. “Based on Xue’er’s earlier statement, I’ll ask Chaochao a few questions first.”

Jing Chaochao: “Go ahead.”

“First question: Did you stay up late last night writing sheet music?

Second question: When you were away before, did you stay up late but tell Xue’er you were sleeping?

Third question: Was the main reason for your argument this morning related to the first two questions?”

The three questions landed with such force that even Liu Yangran felt a bit of pressure. She turned to the others and asked, “Did Su Yun have a side gig before? She seems so professional.”

Jing Chaochao lowered her gaze and answered, “The first two are true. The third question, I’m not sure.”

[From the looks of it, Chaochao is more at fault here.]

[But how could someone not even confirm the reason for the argument? So silly!]

[Did they talk about something else too? Judge Su Yun, go for it! I want to see the truth come out!]

Hearing this, Su Yun didn’t press further. Instead, she turned back to Su Xue. “Did you say anything you shouldn’t have during the argument?”

“I did,” Su Xue replied softly. “I said I shouldn’t bother caring about her anymore, and that if we broke up someday, I wouldn’t have to care at all.”

Facing Su Yun, Su Xue didn’t lie and chose to confess everything. But now, in a calmer state, she realized how hurtful her words had been.

[No wonder they ended up fighting after hearing that.]

[Those two sentences are really harsh! Especially for a couple, you can’t just casually bring up breaking up!]

【My heart ached just hearing this, let alone poor Zhaozhao who was actually involved wuwuwu】

【Zhaozhao rejecting Xuexue’s concern: bad; Xuexue casually mentioning breakup: bad; you’re both bad, only us shippers getting hurt are the real good ones!】

“Alright, does Zhaozhao have anything to add here?” Su Yun took another bite of cucumber.

“It’s not just me staying up late,” Jing Zhaozhao curled her fingers slightly, “She also stays up late when working on her illustrations.”

Lin Yan beside them was stunned, “There was actually this too?!”

She had thought Xuexue would only lecture the other party if she herself maintained good habits. Who would’ve guessed!

This time, without Su Yun asking, Su Xue also admitted voluntarily, “That’s true.”

This wasn’t the first time they’d argued over this issue. There were signs during the prelude filming, but both had suppressed it for the sake of the show.

Today their emotions erupted again, and unexpectedly, it became a public trial.

Su Yun: “Alright, the situation is basically clear now. First, regardless of anything, Xue’er was concerned about Zhaozhao’s health her intentions were good. In this regard, Zhaozhao should apologize.

Second, Xue’er didn’t lead by example and even said hurtful words to Zhaozhao, so Xue’er should also apologize.

Finally, everyone had to sit here listening to your argument early in the morning before fully waking up, without even having breakfast. Both of you should apologize to everyone.

Now that the verdict is announced, do either of you have objections? If so, you may raise them again. If not, the above judgment will be executed immediately.”

【Damn, Judge Su wraps this up in five minutes flat!】

【Random speculation: even if Zhaozhao and Xuexue objected, Su Yun would overrule them!】

【The comment above must be really hungry, I’ll take Judge Su braised in soy sauce then!】

【Can’t forget to make Xuexue and Zhaozhao apologize to everyone even now hahaha!】

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