The two paper stand-ins suddenly froze. The paper Ye Lin abruptly wrapped her arms around the paper Gu Li and planted a loud, sloppy kiss directly on her lips.
Luo Quan: !!!
Chen Qingyang: Ah! (covers eyes.jpg)
The Cameraman: Holy crap!
The Live Stream Chat Room: EXPLODED!
【Someone pass me a fast-acting heart pill, I can still keep shipping them.】
【AAAAAH! Our Little Koi Fish has been tainted! Ye Lin, you’ve gone too far~~~ That was our Little Koi’s on-screen first kiss!】
【Take it back, no thanks needed! It’s still impossible for them, but that was also our Sister Ye’s on-screen first kiss~~~ Good looks are justice!】
【Do they have a secret affair going on in private? Why did they kiss with such righteous determination?】
【Kissing just like that? As expected of a dating show, I’m topping up my VIP membership right now!】
【Holy crap~~~ They kissed? They kissed! They kissed! Is this for real?】
【Well, that was certainly out of nowhere.】
Behind the camera, the director was just about to swallow a mouthful of coffee when he spewed it all out, splattering the entire lens. He scratched at his bedhead-like hair. No wonder Film Empress Gu had insisted on inviting Ye Lin in the first place—so this was what she had been waiting for! She was trying to build up hype! That was sneaky—why didn’t she tell him earlier? Was it too late to build hype now?
On the other side of the live stream, Gu Li’s manager immediately dialed her phone. Unfortunately, Gu Li’s phone was with her assistant. The assistant was equally bewildered, stating that Gu Li and Ye Lin hadn’t had any inappropriate physical contact over the past two days, and she had no idea how things had suddenly turned out like this.
Gu Li possessed immense fame and a gentle temperament; she had never given her manager anything to worry about. Most importantly, she had enjoyed a completely scandal-free record since her debut. To make such a huge move all of a sudden was really shocking. The manager felt she couldn’t handle it and desperately needed a couple of blood pressure pills.
“Then I’ll call Ye Lin’s manager first to draft a press release. Have Gu Li call me back immediately as soon as she returns—I need to verify this with her.” With that, the manager hung up.
Things weren’t any better on Jiang Yue’s side. Ever since Ye Lin joined this variety show, Jiang Yue had been living in constant anxiety, terrified that she would stir up trouble on set. After all, both Luo Quan and Chen Qingyang had been harassed by Ye Lin in the past—Chen Qingyang had even been cornered in the dressing room once, resulting in Ye Lin almost getting her legs broken.
Looking back at the past two days, Ye Lin’s behavior had been completely normal, even polite and refined. She maintained a respectful distance from the opposite sex and behaved very well during CP interaction segments. It was, it was almost as if she had become a completely different person.
Especially after Ye Lin avoided the banquet fire due to a time delay, Jiang Yue began watching her even more closely. She felt the girl had truly changed a lot. She could actually cook? That fool who used to spill rice grains every time she ate could actually cook? Jiang Yue was utterly shocked, but also deeply relieved. Through this variety show’s live stream, Ye Lin had attracted quite a few casual viewers and visual fans; she even had “girlfriend fans” now. It seemed everything was heading in a good direction.
However, her happiness lasted less than three seconds before the slice of watermelon in Jiang Yue’s hand dropped onto her foot. She gaped in absolute shock as she watched the TV screen, where Ye Lin was holding Gu Li and kissing her on the mouth! Just, was this something an unmarried Alpha was supposed to do? She was trying to turn the world upside down!
“Ye Lin!” Jiang Yue’s roar could practically be heard from outer space just as Gu Li’s manager’s call came through. Both managers were driven nearly insane.
One was the national goddess, while the other was the national scum! To simultaneously give away their on-screen first kisses on a dating show—how were they supposed to draft the press release? How were they supposed to suppress public opinion?
Before long, netizens compiled Ye Lin’s past track record of scum behavior and various negative news, posting them online. Others dug up Gu Li’s wealthy family background and compared the two: one was a genuine heiress to a prominent family, while the other was a fake heiress. This CP instantly monopolized a massive amount of public attention.
It had to be said that Jiang Yue was remarkably capable. She immediately contacted the legal department to issue lawyer’s letters to the bloggers who leaked the information, considering that some allegations were merely baseless rumors. Then, she reached out to the variety show team to issue a joint statement, asking the public to redirect attention to people and matters in greater need. This managed to score a wave of goodwill before they handled the rest of the situation.
In front of her TV, Ye Man nearly crushed the remote control in her hand. Fine then! No wonder you abandoned your fiancée and ran away from home—turns out you clung to a rich sugar mommy! Unfortunately, you don’t have enough brains; you’ll probably get dumped in a few days.
In a luxurious mansion somewhere in Yecheng, a woman leaned over in front of her TV, watching the two people kissing on screen, and dialed a number. “Help me look into this person named Ye Lin. I want all of her information.” Interesting, how very interesting!
At the scene of the event, Luo Quan felt a deep disgust for the two women standing before him. Ye Lin, just because you couldn’t have me, you went to hook up with Gu Li instead? Do you really think you can climb the ladder relying solely on your face? Someone of Gu Li’s caliber is just playing around for novelty—do you actually think you’re someone important? Sooner or later, I’ll bring you down.
Chen Qingyang, on the other hand, was in high spirits. He had a secret crush on Luo Quan, while Luo Quan fancied Gu Li. With Ye Lin and Gu Li suddenly kissing on screen to assert their domain, Luo Quan would definitely pay no further attention to Gu Li, which meant Chen Qingyang finally had a chance.
“Brother Quan, look over there—there’s a food pack! Should we go snatch it?” Chen Qingyang pointed at the bushes ahead and suggested.
“Alright!” Snatch it all, and make the two of you kneel and beg for my charity. Luo Quan curled his lips into a smile at Chen Qingyang. The younger man’s face flushed red as he lowered his head bashfully.
Meanwhile, back on the rear mountain, Gu Li suddenly remembered they were still recording a show. She paused her steps and asked, “By the way, where are those two ‘people’? Shouldn’t we be heading back?”
“Oh, hold on a second.” We’re heading back already? Ye Lin hadn’t had her fill of spending time together yet, so she snapped her fingers.
The two paper stand-ins instantly received the signal and quickly separated. Before Chen Qingyang could reach out, the paper Ye Lin scooped up the food pack and bolted, with the paper Gu Li following right behind.
The two of them moved as if they had fire-wheels attached to their feet, disappearing in a puff of smoke. The cameraman stood frozen on the spot—had he just filmed a whole lot of nothing?
【Hahaha, did you see how sour Luo Quan’s face looked? They failed to snatch the food pack.】
【To think they actually tried to steal someone else’s stuff, how shameless.】
【It’s no big deal, this season’s dating show is practically half a wilderness survival show! If you don’t steal, you won’t get enough to eat.】
【Did the two of them rehearse this beforehand? They didn’t show a single trace of shyness after kissing, it felt way too natural! I’ll bet fifty cents that this definitely isn’t their first time doing this~】
【Cameraman, hurry up and follow them! What if they secretly kiss somewhere else? We need to catch them red-handed~~~ Hahaha】
The netizens went wild once again.
This turn of events thoroughly shocked everyone both on and off set. Even Jiang Yue couldn’t quite wrap her head around the situation—when had Ye Lin gotten so physically fit? Was that backpack empty? She grabbed it and ran so fast!
Completely unaware of all this, the two real people were still standing where they were, waiting. Gu Li glanced sideways at Ye Lin. The other girl kept peeking at their joined hands, then turning away bashfully to giggle. Her IQ is really something else. Still, that shy, timid little expression was genuinely endearing, and Gu Li couldn’t help but curl her lips into a smile.
She’s actually pretty cute, completely different from the rumors, and she’s even a metaphysical master. In just two short days, she felt as if she had known the girl for a long time.
Gu Li had never particularly liked Alphas growing up. They tended to have an overbearing Alpha mentality, bullied the weak using their physical advantages, and emitted an overwhelming pheromone scent. Even with legal regulations in place, they would still release their pheromones regardless of the occasion, solely to make Omegas submit—an act she considered childish and disgusting. As a result, her work team consisted of only two genders: Betas and Omegas.
But Ye Lin was different; she was an exception. Over the past two days they spent together, Gu Li felt remarkably comfortable. Ye Lin brought her so much joy and surprise. She hadn’t even smelled a trace of Ye Lin’s pheromones—if it were any other Omega, they would think Ye Lin was abnormal, or even suspect she had a disability.
But she was Gu Li. Back when she was a young girl, she used to think that if she ever married, she would rather choose a pheromones-free Beta than an Alpha with heavy pheromones; even a 100% compatibility rate wouldn’t change her mind. But if the other person was Ye Lin, it seemed almost acceptable.
Wait? Gu Li was startled by her own thought. Marriage? She and Ye Lin had only known each other for two days, what on earth was she thinking? She shook her head, and her hand abruptly let go. Continuing like this is dangerous.
Suddenly having her hand released, Ye Lin was utterly bewildered. She blinked, looking down at her lonely right hand, feeling a sudden surge of disappointment. Ah! Why? She felt so wronged and annoyed that she simply turned her face away, stared at a tree trunk in front of her, and began picking at the bark. Of course, she wasn’t actually picking at it; she was just having a little temper tantrum.
All of this was caught by Gu Li. She pressed a hand to her forehead. Younger people really don’t know how to hide their feelings. How can an Alpha be so delicate? Does she actually expect me to coax her? Hmph. She crossed her arms and stood to the side, far too lazy to coax her.
While the atmosphere on their end was awkward, the paper stand-ins over on the other side made a swift return. Placing a large backpack right in front of their real counterparts, the two puppets went poof! poof! and instantly reverted back to two plump, round soybeans, which Ye Lin promptly gathered up.
Can’t waste food; I can use them to make soup tonight.
Ye Lin wasn’t in high spirits. She slung the backpack onto her shoulders and sullenly trailed behind Gu Li at a sluggish pace, perfectly mirroring her heavy heart. Sigh, isn’t this what you wanted? Now that she’s ignoring you, you’re unhappy again—you’re so conflicted. But, I’m really unhappy. Sigh.
Hearing the person behind her sighing repeatedly, Gu Li rubbed her temples in irritation. She abruptly halted her steps, turned around, and stared straight at Ye Lin.
The movement was so sudden that Ye Lin nearly walked right into her arms. Fortunately, she reacted quickly enough to grab onto a nearby tree trunk. She blinked, and seeing the displeasure on Gu Li’s face, she offered a flattering, subservient smile.
Ugh. She has such a handsome face, yet her smile looks so shameless. Those long, dense eyelashes fluttered up and down like little brushes, making Gu Li feel even more flustered and annoyed. Taking a step forward, she pressed one hand against the tree trunk, trapping Ye Lin directly in a tree-slam (kabedon).
Ye Lin instinctively tried to lean back, but she used too much force and her head slammed against the tree trunk with a loud thud.
Tsk! You’re an Alpha, yet this is all the backbone you have? Gu Li rolled her eyes internally.
“Starting now, I will ask you questions, and you must answer truthfully,” Gu Li said, her eyes narrowing with a dangerous glint. “Otherwise, I will kiss you.” She wanted to threaten her with something harsh, but Ye Lin was a Taoist master—what punishment could possibly scare her? Thinking carefully, every time she got close, Ye Lin’s face would flush so red it looked ready to explode. If she were to kiss her, how would she react?
It really is something to look forward to.
Sure enough, upon hearing that last sentence, Ye Lin clamped her hands over her mouth in a flash, her face flushing with panic and embarrassment while her chubby little earlobes turned bright red.
In reality, her inner thoughts were actually like this: Will she really kiss me? Awoooo. Is she actually going to kiss me? Then should I tell the truth or lie? I’m a practitioner of the Dao, I can’t tell lies.
If Gu Li knew what Ye Lin was actually thinking, she would probably bite her own tongue off. But there was no way for her to know. Ye Lin’s shy and adorable reaction hit Gu Li’s soft spot perfectly. I knew you were an inexperienced rookie—you think you can play games with me?
And so, Film Empress Gu officially commenced her interrogation session.