After Transmigrating, I Joined a Dating Show with the Fake Heiress Actress - Chapter 14

If she could, Bai Man would have chopped off the hand restraining Su Qingwan’s wrist.

As Su Qingwan’s wrist grew increasingly red and her brow furrowed in pain, Bai Man suddenly remembered something. Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, she turned and walked away.

Continuing to clash with Yu Meng would only hurt Su Qingwan further. Besides, she believed this incident would reveal to Su Qingwan that Yu Meng’s affability and tolerance were merely a facade.

Watching Bai Man’s retreating figure, Yu Meng lifted her chin slightly, took Su Qingwan’s hand, and led her toward the deserted area ahead.

Little did she know that Su Qingwan had caught every trace of her smug satisfaction.

Just as Bai Man’s hand touched the tent pole, System 388’s childlike voice chimed in: Detected: Su Qingwan’s favorability toward Yu Meng has decreased by ten points. Remaining favorability: 35.

Having completed nearly a quarter of her mission, she should have been elated, yet her heart felt heavy.

Bai Man: As the female lead of the novel, Yu Meng should possess exceptional qualities in both her career and character. Why can’t I see them?

System 388: As the saying goes, “Rivals in love see red.” Isn’t it natural you can’t appreciate Yu Meng’s virtues? Besides, your presence, Host, has already caused the plot to deviate from the original storyline.

Bai Man: What do you mean?

System 388: Ugh, you’re so smart, how could you not understand what I meant?

The high-pitched, childish voice made Bai Man frown deeply.

Meanwhile, Su Qingwan, who had been forcefully dragged away by Yu Meng, had managed to free her wrist.

As she pulled her wrist away, Yu Meng noticed the conspicuous redness on it.

“Qingwan, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to,” Yu Meng said, taking a step forward. “I have ointment in my suitcase. I’ll go get it right away.”

Su Qingwan quickly interjected, “No need. Didn’t you have something to say? There’s no one around. Just say it!”

Yu Meng stopped and turned back. “Qingwan, don’t be fooled by Bai Man. You should know she hates you.”

Those final three words struck Su Qingwan’s heart like a hammer. Her thick, curled eyelashes trembled slightly, and her hand clenched involuntarily at her side.

Yu Meng stepped closer, her voice resolute. “Don’t worry too much. I have a way to get her kicked off the show. She won’t get a chance to hurt you.”

Su Qingwan lifted her head. “Kicked off?” She shook her head. “No, there’s no need for that.”

The words surprised even her. Logic told her Yu Meng was right—Bai Man hated her and would never coexist peacefully with her.

Yet a lingering sliver of hope urged her to try. After all, aside from initially embarrassing her, Bai Man had consistently helped her.

Yu Meng was furious with Su Qingwan’s response. She reached out to grab Su Qingwan’s hand, but Su Qingwan deftly evaded her grasp.

Yu Meng stiffly withdrew her empty hand. “Qingwan, snap out of it! You’ve worked so hard to get where you are. Do you really want to let Bai Man ruin everything you’ve built?”

Su Qingwan choked back a retort. When she first entered the entertainment industry, her sole intention was to earn money to support her family. But as she honed her acting skills, she gained a newfound appreciation for the craft. She loved acting, loved immersing herself in the lives of different characters, and found profound fulfillment in the process.

Before establishing her own studio, she hadn’t cared much about her star power, content as long as she had roles to play. But with the studio came greater responsibilities: securing resources and creating opportunities for her staff’s newcomers.

If negative publicity tainted her reputation, she’d be fortunate just to avoid being trampled in this cutthroat industry, let alone secure good projects.

She couldn’t afford to fade into obscurity.

Yu Meng interpreted Su Qingwan’s silence as agreement. She patted Su Qingwan’s shoulder lightly. “Leave this to me. To prevent her from resorting to desperate measures, avoid contact with her from now on. Just stick with me.”

Thanks to the production team’s previous experience, Liu Heng and the others quickly set up the seven tents with the help of several assistants. Though the number of tents seemed small, each one had two rooms, and two of them even had four rooms, providing just enough space for everyone to rest.

For safety reasons, the tents were arranged in a rectangular formation, leaving a central open area of over thirty square meters where everyone could gather and relax.

The mountain air was noticeably colder than outside. The guests who felt the chill had already taken out their thick coats from their luggage and put them on. To ensure a comfortable night, Director Xu contacted someone to have extra blankets delivered.

Director Xu’s room assignments were as follows: two guests would share each two-room tent, while the assistants and cameramen would squeeze into the two four-room tents.

Bai Man chose a tent in the middle and laid out the inflatable mattress that had been delivered with the blankets.

System 388: Host, it’s been so long, and Su Qingwan still hasn’t returned. Aren’t you worried?

Bai Man paused mid-motion as she was putting on her coat. What’s there to worry about? Yu Meng wouldn’t dare do anything to her.

System 388: There’s a saying: “Time breeds affection.” They—

Su Qingwan wasn’t that naive.

Despite this, Bai Man’s unconsciously quickened steps betrayed her.

As soon as she stepped out of the tent, she saw Su Qingwan and Yu Meng returning. Before she could speak, Yin Xiao rushed to Su Qingwan’s side. “Sister Qingwan, why are you just getting back? Everyone’s already chosen their tents. But it’s okay! Director Xu is assigning rooms based on the number of tents. So far, I, Sister Man, and Liu Yue have picked our tents. You and Sister Yu can choose from these three.”

After a moment’s hesitation, she added, “Since there are limited rooms, a male guest will need to share a tent with a female guest. The director said the male guest sharing a tent with a female guest will sleep in the tent’s living area.”

Yu Meng pressed her lips together, saying nothing, but her eyes signaled Yin Xiao to offer her tent.

It took Yin Xiao a while to understand. Before she could speak, Bai Man turned to Su Qingwan. “I’ve already moved your luggage to my tent.” With that, she turned and entered the tent.

Is she angry?

Su Qingwan instinctively followed, but Yu Meng grabbed her arm.

Liu Yue emerged from her tent and saw the scene unfolding. Smiling, she approached and said, “Ms. Yu, you’re back! I’ve already made your bed. You can go in and rest right away.”

“How about we just do this? Let’s not waste her kindness,” Su Qingwan suggested tentatively.

“You…” Yu Meng’s voice carried a hint of anger. They had just agreed moments ago, and now Su Qingwan was changing her mind.

“Everyone’s here!” Zhang Jiale walked over. “Who’s been left out? They’re being so unfair, trying to snatch partners first.”

He stopped beside Yin Xiao and cleared his throat. “I’m a bit more familiar with you here. How about we team up?”

Yin Xiao’s cheeks flushed slightly.

Zhang Jiale had always been paired with Su Qingwan. Based on his behavior, Su Qingwan believed Zhang Jiale was a decent person. Plus, Yin Xiao knew taekwondo, so Su Qingwan wouldn’t have to worry too much about her being bullied if they shared a tent.

With these thoughts in mind, she looked up at Yu Meng, her meaning clear.

“Do as you please,” Yu Meng said curtly, turning and leaving before Su Qingwan could respond.

She had said all she needed to say. If Su Qingwan’s stubbornness allowed Bai Man to succeed, then Su Qingwan deserved whatever consequences followed.

“You two chat first. I’ll go see if there’s anything else I can help with,” Liu Yue said, following Yu Meng into the tent.

Sharing a tent with Yu Meng, she would have plenty of opportunities to win her forgiveness.

As soon as they left, Su Qingwan didn’t linger. She entered Bai Man’s tent, her heart pounding with each step deeper inside.

Bai Man, who had been watching the entrance, spoke awkwardly, “The air mattress is inflated. You can take care of the rest.”

If Su Qingwan had looked closely, she would have noticed the subtle complexity of Bai Man’s expression.

System 388: You can’t even do it yourself, yet you act so high and mighty. The book was right—women are just so dramatic.

Bai Man: You’re a machine. Stop trying to psychoanalyze people.

System 388: You—you’re going to make this System explode with anger!

As dusk fell, the group eagerly hurried to the cabin for dinner. The savory aroma of the dishes had been teasing their appetites since they were in their tents.

They settled into their seats, their mouths watering at the sight of the lavish, colorful, and fragrant feast laid out before them.

The dishes on the table were heavily spiced with chili peppers. Yin Xiao, sitting across from Bai Man and not accustomed to spicy food, had her mouth burning red, yet she continued eating with gusto, exclaiming, “This is so satisfying!”

Bai Man, unwilling to torment her stomach, wisely refrained from challenging her limits with the fiery fare. She sipped a little mushroom soup and excused herself from the table.

Back in her tent, mindful that she needed to remain in this world until her mission was complete, she retrieved the tablet her original body had brought. Connecting to the internet, she began researching this world.

She had only scrolled halfway through when Su Qingwan’s gentle voice called out, “Bai Man, may I come in?”

Bai Man glanced instinctively at the crumpled bedsheets she had carelessly rumpled. “What is it?” she asked.

“I noticed you didn’t eat much tonight. I have some jerky here,” Su Qingwan said, slipping a small bag of meat through the tent flap. “It’s not spicy.”

Bai Man waited a moment to ensure Su Qingwan had left before stepping off the air mattress and picking up the jerky.

She tore open the bag and took a bite. The flavor was decent, and before she knew it, she had finished the entire small bag.

The night faded, and dawn arrived.

At seven o’clock sharp, Bai Man woke up from her sleep. After hastily straightening her rumpled blanket, she grabbed her cup and a disposable washcloth and headed to the small cabin to wash up.

By the time she returned, everyone had already emerged from their tents.

After breakfast, Director Xu clapped his hands together and announced, “Now we’re going to begin our self-sufficient life in the mountains. The production team will only provide rice; everything else is up to us.” He cleared his throat. “Don’t worry, though. While we won’t provide it, they will.” He glanced at the three sturdy men standing nearby, dressed in traditional Tibetan attire. They remained silent, offering only a symbolic nod to the group.

“Don’t get too excited yet,” Director Xu continued. “They’ve agreed to provide vegetables, but we’ll have to trade for them with mushrooms. The more edible mushrooms we gather, the better the vegetables we can get. To avoid wasting our efforts, they’ll now give us a quick lesson on the common mushroom species found in these mountains. Listen carefully—your stomachs depend on it!”

The tallest of the three men, Axida, began explaining the different types of mushrooms.

Axida’s Mandarin wasn’t perfect, but with careful listening, it was just about understandable.

After Axida finished, everyone started choosing their gathering tools.

All the baskets were quickly taken, leaving only an unattractive backpack under the eaves. Bai Man had no choice but to pick it up, sling it over her shoulder, and turn to Su Qingwan, who was still standing there. “Let’s go!”

Su Qingwan nodded and followed.

Yu Meng watched their retreating figures, her lips pressed into a thin line. She turned to Liu Yue, who had come to stand beside her. “You don’t need to ask for my forgiveness. Just help me get rid of Bai Man, and I’ll let bygones be bygones.”

Liu Yue didn’t hesitate. “What do you want me to do?”

Bai Man was an outsider; offending her was inconsequential. Yu Meng, on the other hand, was a different story. Beyond her own star power, Yu Meng had a gold-medal agent for a mother. If Yu Meng held a grudge, Liu Yue’s career prospects…

When her agent learned she had offended Yu Meng, she not only gave Liu Yue a severe dressing-down but also ordered her to secure Yu Meng’s forgiveness at all costs.