After Transmigrating, I Joined a Dating Show with the Fake Heiress Actress - Chapter 13

Bai Man spoke, “Give me my phone.”

Her voice snapped Su Qingwan back to reality. Thinking she had misheard, Su Qingwan asked, “What did you say?”

“You told me to reply to the message. My phone’s in my suitcase.”

The phone belonged to the original owner, and all the contacts were people familiar to her. Bai Man didn’t want the device constantly reminding her that she was just a substitute, so she had simply tossed it into her suitcase.

Su Qingwan nodded belatedly. Deleting the message now would not only be too late but would also make Bai Man suspicious. After a moment’s hesitation, she handed the phone to Bai Man.

Bai Man took the phone and immediately saw Xu Mengjie’s apology. Her brow furrowed slightly.

Xu Mengjie was trying to excuse her—no, the original owner.

So Xu Mengjie’s love wasn’t balanced either, leaning heavily toward the original owner. Otherwise, why would she make such indiscriminate remarks?

Ding…

Another message from Xu Mengjie arrived.

Wanwan, I didn’t mean anything by it. You and Manman are both my children. I… I owe her so much. She was indeed a bit excessive this time. When she gets back, I’ll have a proper talk with her.

Bai Man stared at the message for a long time, leaving Su Qingwan’s heart hanging in suspense.

Su Qingwan carefully shifted her body, craning her neck to catch a glimpse of the message. Just as she began to read, Bai Man’s fingers flew across the nine-grid keyboard, typing rapidly.

I’m fine. What happened before won’t happen again. Don’t worry. (Bai Man)

After sending the message, Bai Man handed the phone back to Su Qingwan. “None of you owe her anything. She’s the one who didn’t understand.”

Su Qingwan stared blankly. “What does that mean? I don’t understand.”

Was Bai Man apologizing?

Bai Man turned away, falling silent as she gazed out the window at the fleeting scenery. Before long, she drifted off to sleep, leaving Su Qingwan sitting there, lost in her own thoughts.

Xu Mengjie, hundreds of kilometers away at the Bai Family Villa in Suzhou, was also lost in thought. When she saw Bai Man’s message, she leaped up from the sofa in shock. She wanted to message Su Qingwan to ask what was happening, but she feared Bai Man might be the one with the phone.

Manman and Wanwan are like oil and water. Why would Manman be using Wanwan’s phone?

Clutching her phone, she went to find Father Bai—Bai Shanheng. After a long silence, he murmured, “Manman has finally grown up.”

The car finally stopped an hour and a half later.

Hearing the sound, Bai Man slowly stirred from her sleep and followed Su Qingwan out of the vehicle.

A gentle breeze brushed against their faces, dispelling some of their fatigue. Before they could even catch their breath, Director Xu’s voice rang out: “I’m afraid we’ll need everyone’s help to transfer to other vehicles.”

Liu Heng’s jaw dropped. “What did you say?”

Director Xu cleared his throat. “The place we’re going today isn’t accessible by this car. We’ll have to use local vehicles.”

At this, a sense of foreboding settled over the group.

Their unease was confirmed just two minutes later when four mud-splattered SUVs slowly approached and came to a stop before them.

“The vehicles are here,” Director Xu said without looking at the group. “They may look a bit dirty on the outside, but the interiors are perfectly fine.” He turned to the staff. “Don’t just stand there! Help the guests move their luggage to the SUVs.”

As the staff began moving, the guests couldn’t very well stand idle, especially with the cameras still rolling.

Viewers watching the live stream couldn’t help but speculate as they watched the guests start transferring their luggage.

I have a feeling the Director is taking them deep into the mountains.

Any place that requires SUVs to reach can’t be good.

My heart aches for Wanwan.

I thought the production team was being generous earlier, but I guess I jumped to conclusions too soon.

With limited vehicles and over a dozen photographers and assistants, even squeezing together wasn’t enough. The remaining crew members had to ride local two-wheeled vehicles up the mountain.

The initial stretch was a relatively smooth gravel road, but it soon transitioned into a bumpy mountain path, shaking them for over twenty minutes.

Just as Bai Man felt she couldn’t hold on any longer, the vehicles finally came to a stop.

She quickly opened the car door and gasped for air. After calming down, she twisted open her water bottle and took several long gulps, easing most of her discomfort. Only then did she begin to survey her surroundings.

They were deep in the mountains, standing on a patch of compacted earth. The area was surprisingly large, comparable to a parking lot in size, despite its slight slope.

Looking into the distance, jagged mountain peaks stretched endlessly, forming a majestic panorama. Lush forests blanketed the mountainsides, adding an air of mystery to the landscape.

A small cabin stood a few hundred meters to the left, its entrance covered with a rainproof tarp. Several small tables were arranged beneath the tarp, and two large pots stood at the edge of the area. To the left of the pots, a roughly two-meter-long iron grill for barbecuing was set up.

After surveying her surroundings, she turned to see the photographer’s assistant systematically unloading tents from the trunk.

Liu Heng, having finished vomiting, noticed this as well. He pointed incredulously at the tent in the assistant’s hand and turned to Director Xu. “Director, don’t tell me we’re camping here.”

Director Xu gave Liu Heng a thumbs-up. “Smart thinking! Apart from that cabin, there’s no one living within a three-mile radius. So we’ll have to rough it and camp on-site.”

“Director Xu, that’s not what you told me before we started filming,” Liu Heng retorted, ignoring Song Jie’s warning glances. He gestured toward the distant mountains. “Filming a dating show in the middle of nowhere? That’s unheard of!”

Director Xu’s expression stiffened momentarily before returning to its usual composure. He chuckled awkwardly. “Our show prides itself on being different. How else would we stand out from the crowd of dating shows?” He raised a hand in a calming gesture. “I’m sure everyone’s tired of the city’s hustle and bustle. Think of this as a vacation. The scenery here is just as stunning as any 5A scenic area.”

He had asked about it on the way here. The higher-ups wanted to use this variety show to promote the area, attract tourists, and boost the local economy.

He couldn’t reveal this to the guests, so he had to play dumb.

Most of the guests were dissatisfied with Director Xu’s explanation. First, they complained about the remote location, far from any towns or proper rest areas. Second, they worried about safety risks.

Realizing this, Bai Man spoke up, “What about security here?”

Director Xu immediately replied, “Don’t worry about safety. There are three forest rangers living in that cabin over there. I’ve already coordinated with them, and they’ll ensure everyone’s safety at night.”

As soon as he said this, the guests, who had previously looked displeased, visibly relaxed.

“It’s getting late. I’ll need everyone’s help to set up the tents with the assistants,” Director Xu said, demonstrating by starting to pitch a tent himself.

Bai Man glanced around and stepped forward to help.

Su Qingwan followed closely behind. “I’ll help you.”

Bai Man stopped to wait for her.

Before Su Qingwan could take more than two steps, Yu Meng grabbed her wrist. “Qingwan, I want to talk to you.”

Su Qingwan hesitated. “Can we talk later?”

“What good would you be there anyway?” Yu Meng said, trying to pull her away.

Bai Man’s gaze fell on Su Qingwan’s wrist, finding Yu Meng’s hand on it irritating. She stepped forward and said, “Are you blind? Can’t you see she doesn’t want to go?”

“Bai Man, drop that condescending tone. It’s disgusting,” Yu Meng snapped coldly.

She had never told Su Qingwan that she had actually seen her on set long before they started filming together.

At that time, Yu Meng was just beginning to gain recognition. As she was leaving after a shoot, she spotted Su Qingwan sitting on the grass, engrossed in a book. Who reads books on a film set? Everyone usually just studies their scripts. So, at their first meeting, Yu Meng had dismissed Su Qingwan as pretentious.

The next day, she saw Su Qingwan in the same spot, still reading. The color of the book’s cover suggested it was a different one. Her focused expression didn’t seem like an act.

When the drama wrapped up filming, she saw Su Qingwan again. Upon asking, she learned that Su Qingwan was still a university student, and not just any university—she was attending a prestigious institution and ranked at the top of her class.

The entertainment industry was full of pretty faces with no substance, but genuine talent was rare. From that moment on, Su Qingwan left a lasting impression on her. This was why, when they later worked together on another drama, she extended a helping hand to Su Qingwan.

It had to be said, sometimes hard work truly does pay off. After filming that drama, Su Qingwan caught the director’s eye, and her career began to progress smoothly.

Having witnessed Su Qingwan’s initial clumsy acting, she could truly appreciate how far Su Qingwan had come. After all the effort Su Qingwan had put in to reach this point, it would be a tragedy if she were ruined by a fool like Bai Man.

Before the recording of the variety show Love Knock Knock Knock, her agent had provided her with background information on all the participating guests. From the data, it was easy to discern the conflict between Su Qingwan and Bai Man.

Bai Man, who had grown up in an ordinary family, was suddenly brought home by the Bai Family at the age of eighteen, after they had already entered high society. Meanwhile, Su Qingwan, who had always lived with the Bai Family, left their mansion and returned to the family that had raised Bai Man. The reason for this arrangement was obvious with a moment’s thought.

Bai Man narrowed her eyes, a cold glint flashing in her round pupils. “Did I ask you to look?”

Caught between the two women, Su Qingwan felt utterly helpless. She glanced back and forth between Bai Man and Yu Meng, opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.

The tense atmosphere between the two women drew the attention of the other guests and the cameramen.

The cameraman zoomed in specifically, stretching the three women across the live stream’s screen.

Even through the screen, I can smell the gunpowder. I’m so afraid Bai Man and Yu Meng are going to start fighting.

Didn’t they say Bai Man and Su Qingwan had some kind of unresolved conflict? But I get the feeling Bai Man actually has feelings for Su Qingwan. Why else would she keep stopping Su Qingwan from getting close to Yu Meng?

What you said makes sense, but Bai Man’s hostility toward Su Qingwan was clear from the very beginning of the show. So it’s really hard to say what’s going on.

Wow, two women fighting over one woman? And we get to watch this for free?

If this isn’t scripted, it’s going to be epic.

Bai Man remained unaware of the netizens’ amusement. Her gaze locked fiercely on Yu Meng. “I’ll say it again: take your hand off her.”

The unconscious aura of coldness and authority radiating from Bai Man pressed heavily on Su Qingwan.

For a fleeting moment, Yu Meng was taken aback, even flustered. But regaining her composure, she met Bai Man’s gaze steadily. “Qingwan, tell her your choice.”

When Su Qingwan didn’t respond immediately, Yu Meng instinctively tightened her grip.

The sharp pain in her wrist made Su Qingwan wince. Along with the pain came a pang of disappointment. In her memory, Yu Meng had always been approachable and kind, treating everyone equally regardless of status or fame.

But Yu Meng’s words to Bai Man made her uneasy.

“Qingwan,” Yu Meng hissed, her voice strained. Having already lost ground in the car, she couldn’t afford to lose face in front of Bai Man again.

Seeing the redness on Su Qingwan’s wrist, Bai Man’s anger surged to its peak.