After becoming the stand-in for the four big guys - Chapter 8

Chapter 8

“Su Hua, your card skills are way too strong! Even good luck doesn’t explain this!”

“Exactly, it’s like you’re possessed by the God of Gambling. I’m done, I’m done. Even if we play until midnight, I still wouldn’t win a single round…”

“I just brought up a whole box of fresh laundry today and haven’t even sorted it yet. Since we’re done here, I’ll head upstairs first, okay?”

After playing cards for over half an hour, Chen Kai, Mo Yawen, and Yu Jing all gave up without Su Hua needing any excuse. They had been completely crushed and didn’t even have the strength to fight back.

“I really was just lucky. I’m not usually like this!”

Su Hua wondered if she’d gotten rusty from not playing for so long. In the past, she’d always intentionally go easy on others so they wouldn’t be discouraged and refuse to play with her again.

Upon hearing her words, Chen Kai thought to himself: *Could it be that Su Hua’s unlucky in love, but lucky at cards?*

For a moment, the frustration in her heart didn’t feel as heavy.

Yu Jing also glanced at Su Hua. She had noticed that even though Su Hua had been distracted while playing cards—constantly glancing outside—she still somehow kept winning. With a quiet sigh, she thought to herself:

This child won’t give up until she hits a wall. There’s no point trying to talk her out of it. Let her be. After all, isn’t that how everyone grows up on the road of life?

Seeing that everyone had left, and judging by the time, Su Hua quickly went upstairs to change into the outfit assigned to the supporting female character.

The swimsuit was rather old. It had been bought two years ago when the original host worked a summer job teaching kids how to swim. It was a very conservative one-piece with short sleeves and shorts—covering everything that needed covering.

Its colors were plain: just black and white.

The system had reminded her to bring this swimsuit along, specifically for this scene to “shine.”

While Su Hua was changing, Yu Jing was organizing her wardrobe. Zhu Zihan hadn’t returned yet, so Su Hua quietly slipped out to the back corner of the villa.

At that moment, the male and female leads had just finished a bit of wine and conversation and were swimming in the pool. At first, they swam separately—after all, the female lead still had feelings for the second male lead.

Her reason for swimming was to provoke the second male lead’s attention and jealousy—blatantly telling him: Look at me. I’ve got the looks, and excellent men are chasing after me. If you don’t act now, you’ll regret it.

But halfway through, the female lead suddenly got a leg cramp.

Her sudden “Ah!” cry—tinged with the unique charm of her voice and slightly painful—sounded especially seductive in the ambiguous night atmosphere.

Even Su Hua, just watching, got goosebumps from her voice. Let alone the male lead, who had been secretly into her—his heart must have melted.

Of course, in the moment, the male lead was more concerned about her condition than anything else. He put his hands together and plunged through the water toward her. By the time he resurfaced, he was already carrying her in a bridal carry.

“Don’t move. I’ll carry you up.”

His deep, slightly rough voice filled with masculine strength rang by the female lead’s ear. Under the soft moonlight, he carried her through the 1.4-meter pool toward the edge.

Droplets of water slid down his black hair and along the muscular lines of his back, glowing faintly under the moonlight with a teasing allure.

“No wonder he’s the male lead. That body’s amazing.”

As Su Hua commented to herself, Chu Zhi had already laid Bai Xueyi down at the poolside, kneeling on one knee to massage her calf and stretch her leg to relieve the cramp.

With the help of the courtyard light nearby, Su Hua could clearly see Bai Xueyi—who had been indifferent to Chu Zhi before—blushing now. Even her slight breaths as Chu Zhi held her foot were tinged with sultriness under the night.

“I should go back now!”

But just then, the lights from the third floor became a bit glaring. As the female lead was about to fall for Chu Zhi’s domineering tenderness, she suddenly remembered something. The blush faded from her face, and she tried to stand up and return upstairs.

Chu Zhi, of course, didn’t let her. Seeing her stagger slightly, he rushed over and once again scooped her into his arms:

“Don’t force yourself. I’ll carry you upstairs.”

And without caring about her mild resistance, he carried her away decisively.

Keep in mind, Bai Xueyi was only wearing a bikini, and Chu Zhi only had on swimming trunks. The friction of their bare skin against each other—it was practically a spark to dry tinder… Though the female lead was still resisting, Su Hua, who knew the plot, could tell her heart was already racing.

After all, she had been impressed by Chu Zhi’s suited-up look that morning. His commanding presence in the evening meeting video only added to that attraction.

Now, with such intense physical contact, it was impossible not to feel something.

“Ahhh, Bai Xueyi

As Su Hua stepped out from the shadows, netizens who were excitedly “shipping” the CP (couple pairing) suddenly caught sight of her lovestruck gaze at Chu Zhi, and instinctively began to mock her collectively.

But a good actor’s performance has emotional impact.

Su Hua didn’t say a word. After silently watching the male and female leads leave, her frail and sorrowful figure under the streetlight made some viewers begin to feel sympathy.

Especially when her face couldn’t be clearly seen, but her obvious sobbing was paired with no sound, and finally she dove into the pool — some netizens started to worry:

“Don’t tell me she’s doing something extreme?”

“It’s not the end of the world! You’re not even ugly. Don’t hang yourself on one tree. Honestly, Su Hua’s kind of pretty.”

“Sigh, reminds me of when I worked up the courage to confess in high school and saw my crush kissing another girl… it was so painful and embarrassing.”

“She’s still underwater… where’s the crew? Should someone check on her? This could be serious!”

Even the director in the monitoring room got nervous. Watching Su Hua still underwater after two minutes, he reached out to tap the technician, ready to send someone to check on her.

Just then, before Director Zhang could speak, Su Hua’s head broke the surface.

“Dingdong! Dear Host, you’ve gained 20 new points. You’ve been awarded the first of your top-tier beauty enhancements: ‘Silky Smooth Skin’—please check and enjoy!”

“Next reward: the essential ‘Rosy Lips and White Teeth’! ‘With crimson lips and gleaming teeth, beauty shines like jade.’ Once your lips and teeth become prettier, your entire appearance will level up! You’ll need another 20 points to unlock it. Let’s go, Host!”

After diving in, Su Hua mimicked the original character’s way of sinking to vent her sorrow. The original could only hold her breath for 30 seconds before surfacing, but Su Hua was a strong swimmer.

Driven by professional dedication, Su Hua followed the plot: only when she felt breathless and the onset of suffocation, did the “supporting female lead” suddenly burst with a will to survive.

As she surfaced, her gaze turned resolute.

> “They’re not even officially together yet. I can’t give up so easily. What if there’s still a chance…”

In the novel, the supporting female said this internally, but Su Hua thought it made sense to adapt it. After all, she was aiming for a career in entertainment. If she had to take on a controversial persona, it had to be one that could still be redeemed.

There’s a subtle difference between a clingy fool in love and a brave girl chasing love.

Of course, Su Hua was also testing things. If the system had penalized her, her life would always matter more than any reputation. She knew her priorities.

Fortunately, everything went well. Not only was there no deduction or warning, but she even received a reward.

Though some of the points might’ve come from earlier actions or viewer/roommate feedback, she was certain this scene contributed.

“Scared me! Didn’t expect her to just be good at swimming!”

“She can really hold her breath. I thought something happened!”

“Sigh, she must’ve been upset and wanted to be alone. I also like to hide away and cry under a blanket when I feel down…”

“She hasn’t given up yet!”

“But she’s right, though. They’re not even a couple yet—why can’t she pursue her own happiness? I’d fall for a handsome rich guy too. Sometimes life needs a little boldness!”

“Is it just me or do her eyes look especially watery and sad yet stubborn… It’s a strangely beautiful contrast. I can’t bring myself to hate her…”

“Am I the only one noticing her skin? The water slid right off her hair like it was nothing!”

“Wow, her skin is that smooth? With that fair, delicate complexion, and she hides it under those conservative clothes all the time? She doesn’t even show off her best features! Just look at Bai Xueyi—oh, never mind… Bai Xueyi’s looks are ethereal, but her actions are pretty down-to-earth.”

Su Hua’s prediction was right—although many still mocked her, some viewers began to change their views. They felt that a girl who dares to love deserves admiration, regardless of outcome.

Of course, to protect the cast’s mental health, the show’s contract clearly stated that cast members could not download or watch the show’s streaming app during filming. Violation meant a huge breach-of-contract fee.

So Su Hua wasn’t aware of what was going on.

“You scared me! Su Hua, why are you swimming in the middle of the night? Don’t you know that scaring someone like that can literally kill them?!”

Zhu Zihan, carrying a few shopping bags, was walking toward the villa when she suddenly sensed something behind her. The faint sound of water dripping made her feel an eerie, damp presence.

She froze. A chill ran down her spine. Just as she was about to panic—

“Sorry, I forgot my towel…”

Realizing it was Su Hua, Zhu Zihan couldn’t help grumbling. She was irritated and ready to scold her again, but then she met Su Hua’s helpless, misty eyes—like a wet, injured kitten—and somehow… her heart softened.

Before she realized it, she’d already gone upstairs and fetched a towel for her.

*Zhu Zihan: What am I doing?! I’m the Zhu family’s heiress! Why am I running errands for Su Hua?!*

“Zihan… is it okay if I call you that? I’ve never met someone as beautiful and kind-hearted as you. Thank you…”

“…You’re welcome.”

Zhu Zihan wanted to glare at her and tell her to know her place, but Su Hua’s gratitude was so sincere and pure… As a “beautiful and kind-hearted heiress”… sigh, forget it.