After becoming the stand-in for the four big guys - Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Zhu Zihan turned her head proudly and went back upstairs. After Su Hua dried her hair, she wrapped herself in a towel and followed. By the time they finished washing up, it was already time for the nightly letter-writing.

“Yesterday I drew a 20 yuan milk voucher and got a whole box of yogurt for just 30 yuan, haha. Who do you guys think seems more promising today?”

“Hehe, if I told you all I won a phone yesterday, would you die of envy?”

“No way! That’s insanely lucky!”

“Well, it’s the first day. The prizes are more generous. I heard there will be 1,000 phones given out from day one to the last day. It’s all about luck.”

“I’m rooting for Bai Xueyi and Chu Zhi. They interacted a lot today!”

“Not necessarily. I think Bai Xueyi still has her eyes on Ji Yanshu.”

“I’m sticking with the couple from yesterday—more reliable.”

“Sigh, anyway, I doubt there’s anything between Su Hua and Zhu Zihan. Both of them are pitiful cases of unrequited love…”

“Who do you think Ji Yanshu will write to today? He doesn’t seem to like anyone.”

That night, Su Hua didn’t go to the mailbox with hopeful anticipation like she did on the first night. Zhu Zihan and Bai Xueyi didn’t move either, so Yu Jing went on behalf of the female guests to retrieve the day’s mailbox key.

On the male guests’ side, Chu Zhi was the first to volunteer for the letter collection—clearly with some hidden expectation in his heart.

But to Chu Zhi’s disappointment, again he only received a letter from Su Hua. And to his annoyance, the letter was completely blank apart from the greeting and closing.

“So she’s just collecting her paycheck with this? Don’t tell me she’s mad because I said she stinks?”

As for the others, the female guests kept their targets the same. However, contrary to online predictions, Yu Jing didn’t write to Chen Kai—she wrote to Mo Yawen.

“Ahhh I guessed right! I knew Chen Kai and Yu Jing didn’t have much CP chemistry. They just met—no way there’s love at first sight already!”

“I got it right too, hehe. Just won a 20 yuan fresh food voucher. Stocked up on eggs. Feeling smug.jpg.”

“It was that moment when Mo Yawen helped Yu Jing with her luggage. Ahhh, how did I miss it? No matter how cool she looks, she’s still a girl. Many girls really value those small details!”

“Didn’t expect Chen Kai to switch it up—he wrote to Zhu Zihan!”

“He happened to see Zhu Zihan giving Su Hua a towel. I noticed him smiling. Turns out even the proud heiress has a cute side.”

“Never thought Mo Yawen would write to Yu Jing. He wrote to Bai Xueyi yesterday, so I thought he liked the long-haired elegant type!”

“Who could’ve guessed? Just paired yesterday and already changing partners today. But he only said he had fun playing cards—I think they’re still observing each other.”

Su Hua was a little surprised when she received her letter.

After all, in the novel, the male supporting lead wrote to Yu Jing on the second day.

“Xiao Jiujiu, is this the butterfly effect? Will this mess up the plot?”

Even though the letter’s content was much like the day before—just thanking her for breakfast—Su Hua still asked the system.

“Dear Host, no need to worry. Your task is simply to play the role of the infatuated supporting character. As for changes in others, that’s the novel world repairing itself after the distorted fusion.”

“Just focus on your role and earn points, like a regular employee doing their job during a corporate merger. Do your part well.”

Hearing that, Su Hua felt it made sense, and her worries faded.

…

“I didn’t expect so many people to ship me and the senpai. I guess we really do look good together. But she hasn’t even written me a letter… has Ji Yanshu really caught her eye?”

“But I don’t think she dislikes me!”

“Damn, could it be that Su Hua has fallen for me already? Even after I warned her… Sigh, it’s this damned charm of mine. But why can’t senpai see it?”

“Maybe I need to act colder toward Su Hua. Should I tell her to stop writing to me?”

That night, after the production team shut down the monitoring equipment, Chen Kai and Mo Yawen went to bed on time to prepare for work the next day. Ji Yanshu was still working in the study…

Meanwhile, Chu Zhi snuck into the walk-in closet and secretly pulled out his phone to rewatch the livestream.

He didn’t plan to watch the whole thing—just the part after dinner where he and Bai Xueyi were alone. He wanted to relive their moment… and also wallow in his disappointment at her choice.

But when he saw Su Hua’s behavior after he left, Chu Zhi frowned deeply.

He hadn’t expected that quiet girl to act so wildly for someone she liked… how should he put it…

He’d had too many girls confess to him over the years—most were after his family background. Usually one harsh comment from him was enough to scare them off.

He thought he’d been very blunt with Su Hua. He couldn’t figure out what she saw in him.

But love is strange—it doesn’t always need a reason. It’s just a feeling. Like his feelings for Bai Xueyi.

Two years, and he still hadn’t forgotten.

They were both people who had failed at love… Seeing Su Hua silently cry with her back to the camera, Chu Zhi suddenly remembered that painful day when he rushed to the airport to confess, only to watch the plane take off.

He should’ve mocked Su Hua for overreaching. But the words wouldn’t come out.

He should’ve assumed she was just another gold digger. But when he looked into her clear eyes as she emerged from the water and listened to her soft whispers, he knew—it wasn’t about the money.

Only those who’ve experienced one-sided love can understand the sorrow it brings.

Chu Zhi, now understanding Su Hua’s persistence, stayed silent before the lens for a long time.

In the end, he decided he needed to be even colder toward her tomorrow—let her give up early.

He already had someone he liked, and he couldn’t give Su Hua the ending she wanted.

He wasn’t the kind of scumbag who liked stringing people along.

“But… not getting a letter at all feels pretty embarrassing…”

Back in bed, Chu Zhi tossed and turned for a long time before finally hardening his heart and sending Su Hua a message—telling her she could write to whoever she wanted, that she didn’t need to keep sending letters to him just because the contract said so.

This was also a subtle hint: he didn’t like her and hoped she would calm down.

Chu Zhi felt he was being really gentle tonight. He’d even learned to be tactful.

“Sigh, it must be because senior didn’t write me a letter. I feel kind of heartbroken.”

…

The next morning, Su Hua was shocked.

When she had signed the contract originally, one of the clauses clearly stated that the female party couldn’t take the initiative to contact the male party. So even though she had a phone number saved, it was only the number of Chu Zhi’s company assistant—she had no permission to use it.

Starting from the second day of the program, guests were allowed to ask for other participants’ phone numbers. But in the original novel, the supporting female lead never got Chu Zhi’s number before the show ended. So she never even got a chance to text him—only able to beg him in person, and get coldly rejected.

“Is this also part of the butterfly effect?”

Su Hua was only surprised for a moment before regaining her composure.

After all, the system had said not to worry about other people’s changes. She just had to focus on acting the supporting role well. If she needed to write a letter, she’d write it. Her hands were hers to use…

Su Hua had a very regular routine. Just like the day before, she went for a couple of laps around the yard, then headed to the kitchen to prepare her “heartfelt breakfast.”

As before, Chu Zhi didn’t come.

In fact, when he passed by, he even frowned and messaged Su Hua saying he wouldn’t be having breakfast at the villa at all this month.

“Strictly speaking, this male lead is a great ‘Party A’—he’s letting me do nothing and still get paid.”

Su Hua couldn’t help muttering to Xiao Jiujiu in her head after seeing the message.

“Exactly! But dear host, you still need to complete the tasks. This message is just for you to see. Keep going! The next reward, ‘rosy lips and pearly teeth,’ will make you even more beautiful. Reaching for the stars will be a lot easier with that glow!”

“Xiao Jiujiu knows our dear host is a dream-chasing star. Keep fighting, ducky!”

After receiving the first reward, Su Hua felt noticeably more radiant. Her facial expressions in front of the mirror were more vivid and expressive than ever.

After getting the “smooth skin” reward yesterday, she’d felt the difference while showering—her skin was seriously soft and slippery.

It felt like a boiled egg. At first, she thought she hadn’t rinsed off properly and scrubbed again. Only when red marks appeared did she realize—no, her skin was really just that smooth!

System quality… absolutely amazing.

Just thinking about the rewards gave her energy. Su Hua almost couldn’t maintain her “disappointed” expression. Luckily, her acting was professional. She only looked dejected after Chu Zhi walked away and then went back to quietly eating her breakfast.

Today’s tomato-egg knife-cut noodles with pan-fried dumplings—every bite was delicious.

Only after breakfast did she have the strength to work…

But Yu Jing had gone out early, Zhu Zihan looked like she was going to sleep in for beauty rest, and Bai Xueyi had breakfast plans with Chu Zhi. Would Su Hua be too full eating this second portion alone?

Maybe she could invite one of the male guests if someone came down soon.

Waste was shameful.

Just as Su Hua made her decision, a familiar tall figure walked into view across the room. His eyes glanced at the breakfast, then looked toward the kitchen.

“Ah, I just happened to make an extra portion. If you don’t mind, want to join me?”

“Thank you.”

…

And just like that, three more days passed. Chu Zhi continued to coldly ignore Su Hua. Su Hua continued her silent infatuation with him. And the extra breakfast? It always “coincidentally” got picked up by Ji Yanshu.

To the point where Su Hua now received Ji Yanshu’s thank-you letters every day.

“Please select one gift each, ladies. This Saturday, you will go on a romantic first date with the male guest who sent the gift.”

Friday night, after the female guests went upstairs, they each found a gift placed in their room earlier by the production staff.

In front of the four beautifully packaged gifts in transparent boxes was the new show task.

“Let’s do black-and-white drawing to decide the picking order? It’d be awkward if we go for the same person.”

Su Hua clearly noticed that after Yu Jing said this, Bai Xueyi seemed a little unhappy, and Zhu Zihan looked torn as she stared at the gifts. But in the end, everyone agreed.

After all, Bai Xueyi knew Zhu Zihan’s target was also Ji Yanshu. And Miss Zhu wasn’t the type to let others go first for no reason.

Of course, Su Hua knew that as the female lead, Bai Xueyi had the insane luck to be the first to choose.

“Xiao Jiujiu, do you think the dating task will also trigger a butterfly effect?”

“Dear host, Xiao Jiujiu doesn’t know either~ Just keep acting like you’re dy

ing to get chosen by Chu Zhi. Heehee~”

Su Hua bit her lip “nervously” as she drew the third pick. Her eyes wandered over the four gifts, filled with anxious hope and nervous anticipation.