Shen Qiaoyi originally thought Siya’s feelings for the scumbag Alpha would come and go quickly, crying a bit and getting drunk once would be enough to get over it. She didn’t expect to hear her cursing for a full week.
“Chen Jina that dead bitch, scum among scum Alphas, beast among beasts, she even went after students. She deserves to eat prison food for years, wuwuwu… At least all the money was recovered…”
Zheng Siya took the tissue Shen Qiaoyi handed her, wiped away her tears and sniffled: “Yiyi, remember, good-looking Alphas are all unreliable. That ‘Zhiyuan’ of yours may be even better looking than celebrities, but don’t be fooled by her. If she asks to borrow money from you, don’t give it to her. If she suggests… wanting to live at your place, don’t agree either. Her ultimate goal is just to mark you.”
Shen Qiaoyi: ???
Was Siya sure she didn’t say that backwards?
Between her and Zhiyuan, it was always her actively flirting with Zhiyuan, and her actively spending money on Zhiyuan. Even ‘living together’ was proposed by her.
Zhiyuan had never asked her for this or that, and…
She would blush at the slightest flirtation, as pure as white paper.
Shen Qiaoyi’s throat tightened: “Alright, stop crying. This is the makeup room of Z City’s Channel 3, 24 Omega guests will be coming in soon. It wouldn’t look good if they saw you like this.”
Just as she finished speaking, the door to the makeup room was pushed open. A group of Omegas walked in chattering and laughing, with an Alpha with shoulder-length layered hair and bold lip color in the middle.
Shen Qiaoyi saw the Alpha and froze for a moment, then waved: “Sister Su…”
Su Jintao looked over at her, suddenly curving her eyelashes: “Yiyi.”
Zheng Siya quickly wiped away her tears and gently tugged at her clothes, lowering her voice: “Yiyi, how come all the Alphas you know are so good-looking? Introduce me.”
Shen Qiaoyi: ???
What did she say just a minute ago?
Good-looking Alphas are all liars.
Siya, oh Siya, is your face okay? Doesn’t it hurt?
But the fact that she could ask this question meant she had moved on from her previous relationship.
Shen Qiaoyi’s worries dissipated, and she squeezed her eyes in a smile: “Sure, just give me a thick red envelope as a matchmaker’s fee.”
Zheng Siya curved her lips: “Deal.”
Just as they exchanged a look, Su Jintao walked up to Shen Qiaoyi, her slender index finger brushing her bangs: “Yiyi, I heard you say before that you work at LZ Studio, so I called Lin Ying and wanted to ask you guys to come help at the TV station. At first I was worried she wouldn’t let you come, but I didn’t expect her to sign the contract after just one glance.”
Before Shen Qiaoyi could speak, Zheng Siya jumped in: “Of course! Our Sister Lin is famous for caring about money, not people.”
Su Jintao only then noticed there was someone next to Shen Qiaoyi, her gaze turning to Zheng Siya’s face: “And this is…?”
“Oh, she’s my colleague.” Shen Qiaoyi “deliberately” pushed Zheng Siya forward a bit: “Siya, this is Su Jintao, Zhiyuan’s friend.”
Su Jintao extended her right hand to Zheng Siya, smiling brightly: “Nice to meet you. We’ll be relying on you two for the 24 guests from now on. Looking forward to working together.”
Zheng Siya’s ears turned red, and she quickly reached out to shake hands: “Looking forward to working together.”
Shen Qiaoyi glanced at the wall clock and tugged at Zheng Siya’s skirt: “Siya, time is tight, let’s get to work.”
“OK!” Zheng Siya composed herself and efficiently arranged the work: “Box number one has clothes and accessories, makeup is in box number five. TV cameras have higher requirements than print, so apply heavier eye and lip makeup.”
“Got it.” Shen Qiaoyi went around to the storage rack, opened the suitcase, and selected accessories.
The two divided the work clearly and got busy in an orderly manner. Before long, they had finished the styling for the Omega guests. Shen Qiaoyi’s gaze swept around the makeup room, landing on Su Jintao’s face with some confusion: “Sister Su, weren’t there supposed to be 24 guests? Why are two missing?”
Su Jintao looked into the crowd, not yet clear on what was happening, when she saw the director run in panicked: “Director, Director…”
Su Jintao stepped forward: “What happened?”
“The Arts Department said… said two guests suddenly dropped out of the live broadcast.”
Su Jintao’s brows suddenly furrowed: “For what reason?”
“Seems they got in a car accident while traveling, and are still in the hospital now.” The director looked worried: “Director, what should we do? The live broadcast can’t be postponed, and it’s almost time…”
Su Jintao glanced at her wristwatch, her brows furrowing deeper: “Notify all staff, meeting!”
Shen Qiaoyi finished her work and quietly turned back to the makeup table, putting the extra palettes and accessories back in the box.
Zheng Siya quietly moved to her side, her eyes fixed on Su Jintao’s back, full of twinkling stars: “Wow, so young and already the director of a TV station. Miss Su is so capable.”
Shen Qiaoyi lightly tapped her head with a paperweight: “Stop looking, she’s gone far away. Hurry and help me clean up, we need to go to the live studio with the guests soon.”
Zheng Siya said “Oh” and obediently lowered her head to put the last few things in the box. When she looked up, she saw Su Jintao walking towards her.
She quickly smoothed her hair: “Miss Su, why did you come back?”
Su Jintao lowered her eyes to meet hers, her full red lips curving up, showing a faint dimple on her cheek: “Miss Zheng, I’d like to ask you and Yiyi for a favor.”
Zheng Siya stammered: “Sure, tell me. I’ll help if I can.”
Su Jintao smiled radiantly: “I’d like to ask you and Yiyi to be guests on my show.”
Zheng Siya was mesmerized by Su Jintao’s smile and didn’t react for a moment. It was Shen Qiaoyi beside her who instinctively refused: “This, how can we? Siya and I have never recorded a show before.”
“You don’t need experience, you just need to stand there like the other guests.” Su Jintao pointed at the row of Omegas: “It’s also their first time participating, they don’t have much experience either.”
Shen Qiaoyi still shook her head: “But… but I don’t know what to say?”
Su Jintao patiently explained: “That’s even simpler. Actually, among these 22 guests, some are hired actors. They all have scripts in hand, you just need to act according to it.”
Shen Qiaoyi: ???
Zheng Siya: ???
So the guests on TV dating shows aren’t all real, there are even plants?
Zheng Siya was clearly more shocked than Qiaoyi: “Then… what about the Alpha guests, they’re not hired actors too, are they?”
Su Jintao’s eyes curved: “Of course not.”
“Then, then what if…” Zheng Siya’s cheeks turned red, her smile silly: “What if an Alpha guest takes a liking to me, but I don’t want to go with them, what should I do?”
Su Jintao lowered her head to gaze at her: “Just say ‘Thank you, sorry’, and they’ll understand what you mean. Don’t worry, you two are just filling in to save the situation. I’ll tell the cameramen to give you as little screen time as possible.”
Zheng Siya was dazed by her intense gaze and agreed on the spot, even helping to “persuade” Shen Qiaoyi: “Yiyi, why don’t we help Miss Su? We’re just being extras anyway, it doesn’t require any skill.”
Seeing her still hesitating, she played the emotional card: “Miss Su rescued you from Song Yin’s hands. You should have a conscience, you know.”
Shen Qiaoyi: “???”
This, how did she end up with a big “no conscience” hat on her head?
Getting no response, Su Jintao decided to change tactics: “Yiyi, being a guest comes with a service fee.”
Service fee?
Shen Qiaoyi finally looked up, her expression showing some wavering: “How much can you get for recording one episode?”
Su Jintao lowered her eyes to think.
How much salary did Lu Yuanbao give Shen Qiaoyi again?
Oh right!
Paid per job, 200,000 per time.
So, she held up two fingers in front of Shen Qiaoyi.
Shen Qiaoyi: “Twenty thousand?”
Su Jintao emphasized: “Two hundred thousand!”
Shen Qiaoyi was shocked to stuttering: “T-two… hundred… thousand?”
She only earned a little money from her usual private jobs, and just standing on stage would get her 200,000?
Shen Qiaoyi silently calculated, if she recorded five or six episodes, plus her own savings, it would be enough to buy Zhiyuan a wristwatch.
Shen Qiaoyi slowly curved her red lips: “Alright, I agree.”
Su Jintao looked relieved and happily punched her palm, signaling the director to stand by with her eyes, then raised her hand to beckon the rest of the Omega guests: “Come on everyone, follow me into the studio, we’re about to start recording.”
The studio was brightly lit, with 24 Omegas standing neatly in a semi-arc behind numbered light stands.
Shen Qiaoyi wore a crop top and short skirt provided by the show, her hand secretly reaching behind to pull the skirt down a bit, starting to regret agreeing to be a guest.
It was her first time on TV, and although she knew she was a plant, it was still a dating show after all, so she felt somewhat uncomfortable.
Fortunately, Zheng Siya was beside her constantly reassuring her: “Yiyi, don’t be nervous.”
Shen Qiaoyi turned her head, her wavy brows furrowed with worry: “Siya, do you think… Zhiyuan will watch this show?”