Xiang Lingyun now faced a dilemma.
Should he keep knocking?
Or should he turn around and leave?
Had Shen Fu actually seen clearly that it was him before shutting the door?
And if she had seen clearly that it was him… then what?
If he kept knocking, he would undoubtedly be met with another door slammed in his face.
Out of the corner of his eye, Xiang Lingyun glanced at the camera at the end of the hallway. In ten years of acting, he had never experienced anything this embarrassing.
In just one second, he came up with a response.
He stepped back two paces, raised his head, and carefully examined Shen Fu’s room number. Then he revealed a look of sudden realization. “Sorry, wrong door.”
Immediately afterward, he moved to the room on the right, knocked on Xu Tiaotiao’s door, and began discussing details of the photoshoot with her.
Xiang Lingyun’s fans had practically been ready to bury their heads and cry. Seeing this reversal, the hearts hanging in their throats finally settled back down.
[Thank goodness. He just knocked on the wrong door.]
They even became self-righteous again.
[Everyone who started mocking before figuring out what happened, come out and take your beating! Do the other fandoms really think that just because your idols are simps, our Ge has to be the same?]
Xu Tiaotiao’s fans, however, were somewhat unhappy.
[We’re almost halfway through the show already, and Xiang Lingyun still can’t tell which room each female guest is staying in? That’s way too careless.]
The fans argued endlessly.
After discussing the photoshoot segment separately with Xu Tiaotiao and Gu Qingshuang, Xiang Lingyun finally returned to his room.
The moment he entered, Chu Wei asked in the group chat: “Well? Well? Did Shen Fu agree?”
“You don’t know what happened?” Xiang Lingyun asked.
When he came back earlier, he had clearly seen that all three of the other men’s room doors had been quietly cracked open.
Chu Wei’s door had been open the widest. He had practically been sticking his head out to watch the drama.
“Of course I know,” Chu Wei replied. “I’m just asking again for fun.”
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.”
Xiang Lingyun: “…”
Xiang Lingyun: “Go die.”
Watching these two idiots bicker, Wen Zhenghan sneered inwardly.
Back in Cuirujia, when Shen Fu had shut the door in his face, he had been in a terrible mood for days. But now that he saw he wasn’t the only one who had suffered such treatment, he suddenly felt a little better.
This was probably what people meant by not fearing scarcity, but fearing inequality.
They were all exes, so why rank them by status?
Chu Wei said, “We’ve got to think of something, brothers. Even Ling Ge got hit with a closed door before he could say a single sentence. Our only advantage now might be that Shen Fu still doesn’t like that guy Jiang.”
“Don’t call me Ge.” Xiang Lingyun found Chu Wei’s boy-group style utterly nauseating.
Especially the cutesy doubled syllables.
It disgusted him.
Wen Zhenghan asked, “How do you know that’s an advantage?”
Chu Wei said, “This morning, when Jiang Shu handed her milk, she deliberately avoided him. And think about it. Ever since the show started, apart from situations where she was forced to make a choice, she actually hasn’t interacted with Jiang Shu that much. Compared to us, she even shows expressions of disgust toward Jiang Shu pretty often.”
“That analysis wasn’t bad at least.”
Xiang Lingyun said, “You’re right.”
Chu Wei continued, “But just because she doesn’t like him now doesn’t mean she won’t like him later. Our top priority isn’t charging in recklessly and getting the door slammed in our faces one after another. We need to completely eliminate any possibility of Shen Fu falling for Jiang Shu first.
“First, find Jiang Shu’s flaws and weaknesses and expose them in front of Shen Fu, turning her indifference toward him into outright disgust.”
“Second, figure out a way to sabotage their date.”
To be fair, Chu Wei’s mind was remarkably clear at times like this.
Perhaps because Wen Zhenghan came from a prestigious family and had always had everything handed to him on a silver platter, while Xiang Lingyun had hardly experienced any setbacks either, becoming explosively popular almost immediately after debuting. Only Chu Wei had climbed his way up from being a complete newcomer in the entertainment industry. As a result, the two of them actually had less experience than Chu Wei in this area.
The three quickly reached an agreement.
The problem was: what exactly were Jiang Shu’s weaknesses?
His face, height, family background, every category put him above them.
“His physique?” Xiang Lingyun suggested.
Instantly, Chu Wei recalled the terror of being outclassed by Jiang Shu in every aspect at the gym that day. His expression looked as if he had swallowed a fly. “Pass. His body is excellent.”
“Could he be all looks and no substance? Strong limbs, simple mind?” Xiang Lingyun asked again.
Wen Zhenghan said coldly, “Pass on that one too. We probably can’t beat him there either.”
Ever since losing to Jiang Shu in that tree-moving competition, he had been psychologically scarred. His manager had even told him that whenever he appeared on screen now, the livestream comments would ask if his back was feeling okay.
“Are you two mentally ill?” Xiang Lingyun finally exploded. “Are we looking for his weaknesses or holding a competition to compliment our romantic rival?”
“So what weakness can we actually expose in front of Shen Fu?”
As soon as he asked that question, all three fell silent.
Incredibly…
They couldn’t find one.
And on top of that, he strictly adhered to proper male conduct, leaving Shen Fu no opportunity to misunderstand him as a playboy.
With great difficulty, Chu Wei said, “Then let’s skip the first method for now and go straight to the second. How can we make their date fail?”
After speaking, Chu Wei was the first to propose an idea. “They’ll definitely have to change clothes during the photoshoot. This morning I saw the production crew wheeling in freshly pressed outfits. The men’s outfits seem to be standardized, white shirts and black pants. How about we damage his clothes? Cut the thread holding his buttons so he embarrasses himself in front of Shen Fu?”
The guy really had no limits.
The other two men thought the exact same thing.
The entertainment industry was full of schemes and plots, but because Wen Zhenghan and Xiang Lingyun had enjoyed smooth sailing careers, many problems never even reached them before being suppressed by their companies or fans.
So hearing Chu Wei casually come up with something like this made both of them think: Could those anti-fans have been right when they said he stepped on his former teammates to climb higher?
This kid was clearly a wolf in sheep’s clothing, a black-hearted schemer disguised as an innocent little green tea.
All that shyness and innocence from before?
Pure f*cking persona.
“Who’s doing it?” Wen Zhenghan asked.
The fact that he asked at all meant he had silently agreed.
“I am,” Chu Wei said.
These two old-timers had never done anything like this before. If they went and accidentally exposed themselves, he’d end up getting dragged down and beaten to death by Jiang Shu too.
That was what he thought privately.
But what he sent in the group chat was: “Don’t worry, brothers. I’ll handle this one.”
An hour passed quickly.
Jiang Shu let out a sigh of relief.
After the guests finished resting, the production team called everyone out to begin drawing lots.
There were four shooting locations.
Xiang Lingyun and Xu Tiaotiao’s pair drew “Swimming Pool.”
[Holy sh*t, does that mean there’ll be wet-shirt scenes?]
Wen Zhenghan and Zuo Mei’s pair drew “Kitchen.”
Those two already had awkward chemistry, and now they had drawn the kitchen. Were they supposed to film a cooking scene together?
The Emperor-and-Empress CP fans immediately started cursing the production team again.
Xiang Lingyun and Gu Qingshuang’s pair drew “Gym.”
[Xiang Lingyun has to shoot two sets by himself. The man’s splitting himself in half.]
Shen Fu and Jiang Shu’s pair drew “Bed.”
[HOLY SH*T!]
Shen Fu was stunned as well.
Holding the slip of paper in her hand, she instinctively glanced at Jiang Shu.
Jiang Shu stood to the side wearing sunglasses. Their eyes met.
His face was expressionless, inscrutable and profound, impossible to read.
Did he want to shoot it or not?
Shen Fu couldn’t figure him out either.
She raised her hand, holding the slip toward the director.
But before she could say anything, Jiang Shu swiftly snatched the slip from her hand, crumpled it into a ball, stuffed it into his pocket, and declared with righteous seriousness: “Don’t create unnecessary work for the production team.”
Shen Fu: “…”
The livestream comments exploded: [LMAO! Stop pretending, Crown Prince! Your ears are practically dripping blood from embarrassment!]
Since viewers were getting tired of seeing the villa setting, the production team rented a mountain resort specifically for the scenic photoshoot segment.
After lunch, the crew led the way while the male guests drove the female guests to the resort in the suburbs.
Because no female guest had chosen him for this segment, Chu Wei remained alone at the villa.
Xiang Lingyun, meanwhile, had to transport two female guests by himself.
Chu Wei’s fans immediately started complaining in the livestream comments again and exchanged insults with Xiang Lingyun’s fans.
At the beginning of the show, aside from Jiang Shu, the outsider to the entertainment circle, the fandoms of the other three male guests had all acted friendly toward one another.
But as time passed, nobody could be bothered pretending anymore.
Everyone had fully embraced the philosophy of: the nastier the trash talk, the greater the satisfaction.
Since the photoshoot would continue until evening, the production team had reserved rooms for all seven guests in advance.
After changing into the outfits prepared by the crew, Jiang Shu and Shen Fu were escorted into a natural wood-themed room containing a large bed.
A woven tapestry hung on the wall.
Japanese-style tatami mats covered parts of the floor.
The bed frame was a combination of clean white sheets and natural wood.
Because the theme of the shoot was “the daily life of newlyweds,” the room’s décor was designed around a simple, cozy, lived-in domestic atmosphere.
“Why am I wearing a bathrobe while he’s wearing a white shirt and black pants?” After changing clothes, Shen Fu fell silent for a moment.
She almost didn’t dare go outside.
Wasn’t this bathrobe way too short? It barely reached the tops of her thighs.
Her long, pale legs were completely exposed and dazzlingly conspicuous.
And the production team had specifically asked her to wet her hair and let it hang over her shoulders, creating the image of a husband just getting home from work while his wife had just finished taking a shower. For the shoot, they would sit on the bed while Jiang Shu dried her hair. Afterward, the two would snuggle together and look through home renovation magazines.
Having worked in the entertainment industry, Shen Fu normally didn’t care much about these things. She had worn more revealing outfits before and acted alongside others without batting an eye.
But going out in something this short and lying on a bed with Jiang Shu, skin touching skin, close enough to hear each other’s breathing, just imagining it made her feel uncomfortable all over.
“What is it?” Jiang Shu asked from outside.
“It’s too short,” Shen Fu said quietly, tugging the bathrobe lower.
The costume assistant who had prepared her outfit was about to say something, but Jiang Shu overheard from outside and suddenly turned bright red. “What are you standing around for? Get another one.”
The director, standing in the hallway, immediately turned to the staff beside him. “Quick, quick, quick! Go find a longer bathrobe!”
The photographer hired for this shoot was a master with world-class aesthetics. He had even shot artistic portraits for several major Hollywood stars.
He had just finished photographing Wen Zhenghan and Zuo Mei’s pair and was carrying his camera equipment down the hallway.
Even before arriving, he hadn’t had a very favorable impression of Shen Fu.
In such a short time, she had caused discord between Wen Zhenghan and Zuo Mei and even made a figure of Wen Zhenghan’s caliber become obsessed with her.
What kind of little temptress was this woman?
He had also heard that she was stunningly beautiful.
How beautiful could she really be?
Weren’t people in this industry three parts cosmetic surgery and seven parts photoshop?
Then, standing outside the room, he overheard Shen Fu asking to change bathrobes.
His disdain deepened.
She wasn’t even famous yet, and she was already acting like a diva?
The staff quickly brought over a longer bathrobe.
Jiang Shu stood stiffly outside the bathroom door with his back turned and passed it inside without looking.
A short while later, Shen Fu finished changing and came out.
“Ready?”
The photographer entered carrying his camera, still slightly impatient.
The moment Shen Fu stepped out of the bathroom, she crashed into his field of vision.
Her long hair was damp and surrounded by a faint mist of steam.
Even without taking a picture, she already looked like a magazine spread.
The photographer, who had been full of disdain just moments ago, suddenly froze.
Jiang Shu shifted his gaze away from Shen Fu and glanced at him.
His face immediately darkened. “Did you come here to take pictures or to stand there daydreaming?”
The photographer was caught off guard.
Jiang Shu walked over. “Stop staring all over the place. I’m talking to you.”
Before arriving, someone had already informed the photographer exactly whom he could and couldn’t offend. He quickly backed up two steps.
“We’ll begin right away. Please sit on the bed.”
…This pair was genuinely ridiculously attractive.
He could finally understand why the Film Emperor had fallen for her.
Their looks really were extraordinary.
Unfortunately, the photoshoot itself went terribly.
Extremely terribly.
“Can the gentleman put his arm around the lady?”
The photographer pointed at Jiang Shu. “Why is your hand hovering above her waist? Is her waist poisonous?”
Once he entered professional mode, the photographer wasn’t even afraid of criticizing Jiang Shu. “Can you move a little closer to her? The Qing Dynasty has already fallen!”
“And another thing, you are handsome, but do you have absolutely no experience whatsoever? Can you stop blushing? Oh my God, now your ears are red too. We’ll have to edit them lighter in post-production.”
“…”
Jiang Shu wanted nothing more than to glare this photographer to death.
Why was this guy talking so much nonsense?
He tried his best to calm himself down, but the redness creeping up his ears was a completely uncontrollable physiological response.
Shen Fu had been somewhat nervous too.
But she never expected the person beside her to be even more stiff than she was.
Leaning against him, she felt as though she were resting against a wooden post.
He stared fixedly at the opposite wall, not daring to move an inch.
Left with no choice, she grabbed Jiang Shu’s warm hand and placed it on her waist herself.
Jiang Shu: “…”
Shen Fu bumped the top of her head against his chin.
“Breathe. If you don’t exhale soon, you’re going to suffocate.”
Jiang Shu: “…”
Jiang Shu slowly took a breath.
But as her damp hair brushed against his chin, his handsome face immediately flushed crimson again.
Out of nowhere, Shen Fu asked, “You really haven’t dated anyone at all these past few years?”
Jiang Shu had still been nervous moments ago, but her question suddenly irritated him.
He let out a cold laugh above her head. “Like you’re so experienced?”
Shen Fu said, “Don’t tell me you’ve grown up this much and only been kissed once?”
Jiang Shu exploded from embarrassment and anger. “Shen Fu!”
“That’s enough.” The photographer turned around and said to the director in despair, “Forget newlyweds. Why don’t we just photograph these two arguing? Newly married couples argue too, after all.”
Director: “…”
The magazine shoot finally staggered to a messy conclusion.
Shen Fu went into the bathroom first to change back into her clothes.
Jiang Shu waited outside for her.
Because his expression looked far too unnatural, he put his sunglasses back on.
The director stood at the doorway, secretly observing Jiang Shu while silently crying tears of regret inside.
Previously, the investors had instructed him to help bring Jiang Shu and Shen Fu together. At the time, he had thought the investors were idiots. Between the investors and the Jiang family, surely pleasing the Jiang family was more important.
Did the investors seriously think they could manipulate Jiang Shu like a puppet?
So, acting on his own assumptions, the director had repeatedly helped separate Jiang Shu and Shen Fu.
… But afterward, he gradually began feeling that something wasn’t quite right.
It wasn’t until the previous night, when an investor called him in the middle of the night demanding that a video be deleted, that he finally learned the truth.
The major investor behind the investors…
Was the Jiang family itself.
Everything he had done before had been equivalent to sprinting fifty thousand miles in the exact opposite direction from his destination.
The cold tone in Wang Xuanheng’s voice over the phone last night still echoed in his ears: “Dawn is breaking. Time for the production team to go bankrupt.”
The director had been so frightened that he hadn’t slept all night.
Now what was he supposed to do?
While they were still filming the show, Jiang Shu might not bother dealing with him.
But once the show ended, Jiang Shu would definitely ruin him, wouldn’t he?
How was he supposed to make up for this?
If he started helping Young Master Jiang get together with Shen Fu now, was it still not too late?
After the staff finished packing up and gradually left the room, the director glanced toward the bathroom where Shen Fu was still changing clothes, then quietly slipped out as well.
….
Because she had removed her earrings and accessories in order to wear the bathrobe during the shoot, it took Shen Fu quite a while to change back.
After she finished and came out, intending to urge Jiang Shu to go change, she discovered him standing by the door, trying to turn the doorknob.
“What happened?” Shen Fu’s heart skipped a beat.
Jiang Shu replied unhurriedly, “Some staff member must have casually shut the door from the outside. Now it won’t open.”
There was still one camera left in the room near the window.
The audience, who had been thoroughly enjoying watching the photoshoot, froze when they heard this.
[Holy sh*t, what’s going on?]
[This is such a drama-like situation. Exciting.]
[What about their phones? Hurry and call the production team. Otherwise if they spend the night in the same room, it’ll be headlines again tomorrow.]
Shen Fu immediately started looking around for a phone as well.
But because they had changed clothes for the photoshoot, both she and Jiang Shu had already handed over the phones provided by the production team for centralized management.
[Is there a landline in the room? Call the resort front desk?]
Jiang Shu had naturally already thought of everything the viewers were suggesting.
He said to Shen Fu, “Can’t get through. I also knocked earlier. There doesn’t seem to be anyone in the hallway outside.”
Shen Fu asked, “Is there really no other way to open the door?”
Jiang Shu sat down on the bed and sighed regretfully.
“Doesn’t seem like it.”
Shen Fu: “…”
She distinctly remembered that when Grandpa had locked him in his room before, he had picked the lock and escaped.
The viewers noticed the same issue.
[LOL. Why doesn’t the Crown Prince seem worried at all? He looks completely relaxed.]
[We literally saw the screws wobble just now. He’s pretending he can’t open it.]
[D: If you can spend time alone with your wife without interruptions, what’s there to be anxious about?]
Seeing how unconcerned Jiang Shu was, Shen Fu couldn’t help pulling him up. “Why are you sitting down? Hurry up and think of a way to open the door!”
“I told you it won’t open.”
Jiang Shu walked over with a frown, grabbed the edge of the door panel, and shook it.
Then he turned around and complained: “See? The door’s really sturdy. It just won’t open.”
Ever since the Kuang Yueyi incident, more and more viewers had started shipping Shen Fu and Jiang Shu.
Zuo Mei’s fans and Shen Fu’s antis were becoming increasingly annoyed.
[CP fans are seriously out of control. They’re even making up stories about the young master jumping off a building for love in the middle of the night. Do they have no shame? They’re all delusional daydreamers. Would someone like Crown Prince Jiang really throw away his cold-and-distant persona just to chase Shen Fu?]
[If he could open it, why would he deliberately leave it closed just to stay alone in a room with your precious Shen Fu, ]
Before they could finish typing…
The next second.
Jiang Shu accidentally used a little too much force.
And ripped the entire door panel off.
The antis: […]
Shen Fu: […]
Jiang Shu: […]
Wasn’t that ridiculously easy?!
Shen Fu stared at him. “You call that completely impossible to open?”
Jiang Shu: “…”
The atmosphere in the room froze briefly.
Pretending nothing had happened, Jiang Shu casually leaned the door panel against the side of the doorway. “What kind of lousy place is this? Why is the door so flimsy?!”
His movement was a little too vigorous.
Sharp-eyed viewers suddenly noticed the first button of his shirt pop open.
Then the second button.
[HOLY SH*T! THE CROWN PRINCE’S BEAUTY, ]
Jiang Shu hadn’t even realized what was happening yet.
Instinctively, he looked down at his suddenly malfunctioning shirt.
But Shen Fu had already rushed forward in a few quick steps.
She took off her jacket, threw it over his head, and immediately removed the camera.
The viewers, who saw absolutely nothing: [AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!]
Author’s Note:
Jiang Shu: The cold-and-distant persona never existed in the first place.
