After becoming the stand-in for the four big guys - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

“Can’t help but look forward to it…”

Su Hua returned to the ten-square-meter rental room that belonged to the supporting character. After searching around, she found neither rice nor flour nor anything to cook with. In the end, she managed to pull out two packs of instant noodles and a bag of soda crackers.

With no money, she would have to survive the next day on just these.

While on the bus, Su Hua had already received the original supporting character’s memories from the system.

She had grown up with her grandmother. After graduating from junior high school, she became an orphan. She never attended high school and began working early to support herself. Because she was underage, few employers dared to hire her. Only a kind noodle shop owner secretly gave her a dishwashing job.

After reaching adulthood, she switched jobs several times and experienced many hardships. One day, she followed a fellow villager to work as a film extra. Because of her decent looks, she managed to land a few small roles as a maid.

Unfortunately, her luck turned. She offended someone. The company that was about to sign her suddenly stopped contacting her. A fourth female lead role she had just secured was also lost. Extras had unstable work, and during a part-time job, she accidentally stained an important guest’s clothes.

The restaurant manager, for the sake of maintaining the guest’s impression of the restaurant, waived the expensive meal bill. But the money was deducted from her salary.

And the suit worth 100,000 yuan still had to be compensated separately.

Disaster strikes the weak. Misfortune finds those already struggling.

On the clean and sanitary restaurant floor, there just happened to be a pool of spilled liquor hidden in the shadows. That fall not only dirtied the male lead’s clothes but also ruined the supporting character’s entire life.

The novel didn’t state clearly how tragic her ending was, but it mentioned she refused money, was hated across the internet, and was even despised by the one she loved. She walked into a dark rainy night and never appeared in public again. Most likely, she died.

Su Hua knew it was only a novel.

But as an actor, her empathy was strong.

Now that she had become the supporting character, she stared at the script through the steam of her instant noodles, and her eyes turned red.

“Being love-obsessed brings ruin.”

After finishing the last bite of noodles, Su Hua drank the remaining broth. While washing her hands, she splashed cold water on her face to stay alert.

She spent the day familiarizing herself with the differences of this world and packing her things.
…..

Early the next morning, Su Hua took a taxi to the address provided by the variety show team.

“Thank you, I appreciate it.”

After paying with her barely-revived credit balance, Su Hua pulled her suitcase and looked up at the garden villa in front of her.

This was the filming location rented by the production team. For the next month, she and several other male and female guests would live here together in this clean and upscale villa.

Though there were no cameras in sight, with Su Hua’s sharp eyes, she spotted at least three hidden surveillance points the moment she pushed open the half-closed iron gate.

According to the system, before she transmigrated, the original Su Hua had already signed a contract for a variety show called Sweet Trial Love, which stated that the guests’ daily life here would be broadcast on a partnered video platform.

The reason they didn’t use live camera crews was because most of the guests were regular people, and it was feared that constant camera presence would make them uncomfortable.

“Hello? Is anyone here?”

Su Hua, acting as if she hadn’t noticed the cameras, pulled her suitcase along a quiet path toward the main door. She pushed it open and found the interior empty. Her heart lifted slightly.

As the first guest to arrive, the camera would focus solely on her.

Even if the show wasn’t extremely popular, it was still a chance to gain exposure. She might be a nobody now, but that wouldn’t always be the case.

She had to perform well.

Of course, she knew not to overdo it. That would make her seem fake.

With a naturally curious expression, she glanced around the spacious open-plan living room. Seeing that there were no bedrooms downstairs, she carried her suitcase upstairs and stopped in front of a sign that read “Girls’ Dorm” lit by a small light.

She didn’t force her expression. It wasn’t deliberate.

When she saw the finely decorated pink princess-style dorm with various cute plush toys, her brows and eyes naturally curved in a smile.

The living conditions provided by the show were much better than her ten-square-meter rental room.

Two rooms had been combined into one large room, with two bathrooms. The ceiling didn’t have peeling paint, and the floor didn’t have stains that wouldn’t go away no matter how much you scrubbed.

To protect guest privacy, each bed had pink-and-white sliding curtains to block visibility while sleeping.

Su Hua placed her suitcase next to one of the princess beds but didn’t immediately unpack. Instead, she walked out of the room.

Exploring alone seemed too forward.

She walked slowly down the stairs and went to the open kitchen, boiled some water, and waited for it to cool. Her gaze fell on a row of neatly arranged yogurt drinks with small labels.

She reached out, picked one, opened it, and took a sip.

The rich dairy flavor filled her mouth, and small bits of fruit followed.

Su Hua chewed and swallowed, her expression relaxing.

“Dear host, how strategic. Not only did you arrive first to grab attention, but you even drank the sponsor’s yogurt for a product placement close-up. As expected of my chosen host.”

“I was just hungry and hadn’t eaten breakfast.”

While Su Hua communicated silently with the system, the app livestream for the show—already live for promotional purposes—had attracted a significant number of viewers.

“Wow, the guests selected by the production team are really good-looking!”

“This young lady has a clean, elegant vibe—totally my type.”

“She carried that huge suitcase effortlessly, didn’t even look winded! Such a delicate face, but so strong!”

“Where are the other guests? I wonder if they’re all that good-looking too.”

“I heard most of them are regular folks. Of course, they can’t compare to real celebrities, but surely they won’t be ugly. Otherwise, how would they have the nerve to come on camera?”

“Living together and trying out romance with complete strangers? I bet the first day is gonna be super awkward.”

Just as Su Hua mentally responded to Xiao Jiujiu, she caught a glimpse—through the floor-to-ceiling living room window—of a tall, upright figure entering the garden villa.

The first male guest had arrived.

Su Hua didn’t act overly eager. She calmly finished her last sip of yogurt before walking toward the door.

Under the warm lighting of the entrance hall, a man in a perfectly tailored black suit stood with his suitcase, reading a few program tips. His side profile was cold yet elegant, brows noble and eyes distant.

Perhaps sensing someone approaching, he instinctively turned his head.

Su Hua saw a pale, refined face, nodding at her politely, though with a distant air—like two colleagues meeting at the office, completely unaware they were on a dating show.

How was this a regular guest? He looked even better than a celebrity.

Could he be an undiscovered trainee?

But with a face that refined and recognizable, shouldn’t he be participating in some high-profile talent competition instead?

“Hello, I’m Su Hua, one of the female guests.”

Thinking he might be a future colleague in the industry, Su Hua offered a polite smile and a gesture of goodwill:

“The male guests’ rooms are on the second floor, to the right.”

“Ji Yanshu. Thank you.”

Guest No.1 Ji Yanshu thanked her with the same polite distance. Then his well-defined fingers reached out to take a gift box from the nearby shelf—likely the show’s welcome kit, containing a journal and pen.

Su Hua had seen the program tips earlier while carrying her luggage.

The box included important show notes.

First rule: Guests must return to the villa each night.
Second rule:On the first day, they cannot reveal their age or profession.
Third rule: Every night, each guest must write a letter to the person they feel most drawn to.
Contact info exchange was forbidden, and weekends were reserved for dates arranged by the production team.

After four rounds of dates, there would be a confession night.

Su Hua hadn’t picked up her kit earlier since her hands were full. Seeing Ji Yanshu already had one, she smoothly took her own.

By the time she turned back, Ji Yanshu was already heading upstairs with his suitcase. Su Hua returned to the living room and sank into the cozy sofa, opening her box to take a look.

The journal was beautifully made, with romantic yet tasteful illustrated pages. A pressable clasp allowed for single-page removal, perfect for daily love letters.

Below it was a stack of macaron-colored envelopes, and next to that, a water-based pen with a fluffy blue pompom.

“Wow wow wow! That male guest was a total ten! That face! Those legs! Where on earth did the production team find someone like that?!”

“With looks like his, why isn’t he debuting as an idol?!”

“Right?! Even if he can’t sing, dance, or act, I’d still watch him as a pure visual!”

“Screenshotting now! OMG he’s *so* hot!!”

“Anyone know how to apply for this show? I can’t believe I didn’t try. I wanna date a guy like that too, waaa!”

Thanks to Ji Yanshu’s appearance, the number of viewers in the livestream soared.

Even after he went upstairs to unpack, viewers didn’t leave—in fact, more were tagging their friends to join the stream.

“Miss Su.”

Just as Su Hua was studying the fluffy pen and debating whether pink would have suited her better, a voice called out from the second-floor railing.

The voice was clear and pleasant, like pearls falling on jade.

“Hm?”

Su Hua looked up and saw Ji Yanshu, his cool face calm as ever. He pursed his lips slightly, then asked politely:

“Would you be willing to trade pens with me?”

She immediately spotted the pink fluffy pen in his hand, which he had just taken from his kit. The contrast between his dark, crisp suit and the cotton-candy accessory… let’s just say his usual “don’t mess with me” aura had taken a big hit.

“Of course.”

Su Hua didn’t mind the blue one, but clearly Ji Yanshu couldn’t stand the pink. Since they’d be living under the same roof for a month, it was a small matter—she didn’t mind accommodating him.

After trading pens with a natural attitude, she even offered a friendly smile:

“You can just call me Su Hua.”

……

“Ah, someone’s already here! I thought I was the first!”

Just as Su Hua spoke, a cheerful male voice rang out from the entrance. She turned and saw a young man with a buzz cut, dressed in a hoodie and jeans, pulling his suitcase and beaming as he greeted them:

“Hi, I’m Chen Kai. I’ll be one of your housemates for the next month. Nice to meet you both!”

He stepped forward enthusiastically, extending his hand in greeting.

Su Hua reached out and shook hands.

“You’re Su Hua, right? I heard it at the door. Nice to meet you.”

Chen Kai released her hand quickly and respectfully. After greeting her, he reached out to Ji Yanshu and casually added:

“Is there any water? It’s hot today, and I didn’t see any convenience stores on the way here.”

Su Hua looked toward the open kitchen:

“The water should be cool by now. I can pour you a glass?”

But Chen Kai quickly waved her off, laughing:

“No, no, no, I can get it myself. How could I trouble a beautiful lady to serve me?”

He put down his suitcase, went to the kitchen, poured himself a large glass of water, and drank it all in one go.

After finishing, he let out a satisfied sigh.

“Hello.”

About ten seconds later, the third male guest also arrived at the villa. He had shoulder-length hair with an artistic flair, and even his casual outfit carried a literary vibe.

Su Hua didn’t need to introduce herself this time—Chen Kai, smiling, took care of all the introductions for the three of them, even naturally putting his arm around the third guest’s shoulder and inviting him upstairs to put down his luggage like they were old friends.

Someone who didn’t know better might think they had known each other for years, not just met for the first time.

Thud.

Just as guests two and three came downstairs after placing their luggage, Su Hua’s sponsor—the “Party A” of her contract—walked through the door, pulling a silver suitcase and sporting a head of unruly silver hair.

Author’s Note:

System: Dear host, do you know how to play the infatuated supporting character?

Su Hua: Understood. No matter how many times Party A torments me, I will treat Party A like my first love!