After Transmigrating, I Joined a Dating Show with the Fake Heiress Actress - Chapter 30

Su Qingwan’s mind went blank. Bai Man had asked her to get clothes.

 

She walked numbly to the wardrobe, her gaze skipping over the simple long dresses until it locked onto a pure white casual shirt. She had never seen Bai Man wear a white shirt before.

 

A vivid image flashed through her mind: Bai Man, with her doll-like face reminiscent of a Ragdoll cat, wearing a loose white shirt paired with tailored trousers. Combined with her undeniable aura, she could captivate crowds with just her presence.

 

I kind of want to see that, Su Qingwan thought.

 

She glanced back at the bathroom, confirming Bai Man was still inside. She quickly grabbed the white shirt, hurried to the bathroom door, and tapped lightly. “I’ll… I’ll hang the clothes on the door. You can get them yourself.”

 

Click. The bathroom door swung open.

 

Warm, misty air seeped through the crack, enveloping Su Qingwan’s face in its humid embrace.

 

But what truly stole her attention was the hand that emerged through the gap. Its fingers were slender and elegant, and as her gaze traced upward, she noticed a few glistening water droplets sliding down Bai Man’s fair, delicate skin, dripping onto the floor with soft plink sounds.

 

The sound seemed to land directly on Su Qingwan, sending ripples through her heart.

 

Bai Man glanced around for a moment, but couldn’t find her clothes or her own reflection. “Where are my clothes?” she asked.

 

Su Qingwan shook her head and carefully handed the shirt to Bai Man.

 

Bai Man was always quick. Within a minute or two, she opened the bathroom door and stepped out.

 

Hearing the door open, Su Qingwan immediately looked up. She saw Bai Man walking toward her, head tilted slightly as she towel-dried her damp, long hair.

 

The unbuttoned shirt revealed Bai Man’s slender neck, and Su Qingwan could even see the hollow of her shoulder. Lowering her gaze, she caught a glimpse of Bai Man’s jade-like, creamy br3asts. Instead of suit pants, Bai Man was wearing wide-legged black trousers.

 

A drop of water rolled down from Bai Man’s neglected wet hair, and Su Qingwan watched, mesmerized, as it slid down her skin, disappeared into the deep cleavage, and vanished without a trace.

 

Bai Man looked up and saw Su Qingwan standing frozen in place. Following her gaze, Bai Man glanced down at herself and immediately understood.

 

She straightened up and placed the towel from her hand into Su Qingwan’s. “Help me dry my hair.”

 

Realizing how foolish she had looked just moments ago, Su Qingwan’s face flushed crimson. She lowered her head in a panic, her heart pounding like thunder.

 

Bai Man smoothly pulled a chair over and sat beside Su Qingwan, gesturing for her to begin.

 

Su Qingwan slowly picked up the towel and began gently patting Bai Man’s silky hair, her eyes darting to Bai Man every few seconds.

 

Does Bai Man not notice?

 

The thought eased her nervousness slightly. As she worked her way from the back to the side, her peripheral vision caught sight of Bai Man’s mysterious and firm jade br3asts. Her gaze froze, unable to tear itself away.

 

Bai Man tilted her head. “Why did you stop? Hmm?”

 

Su Qingwan immediately understood: Bai Man had not only seen her staring but had also guessed her thoughts.

 

Overwhelmed by embarrassment, she turned to flee, but Bai Man grabbed her arm.

 

Bai Man stood up, lifted Su Qingwan’s chin, and turned her face directly toward her. Her round eyes narrowed slightly. “Interested in this body?”

 

Su Qingwan shook her head instinctively. “N-no.”

 

She was certain that before meeting Bai Man—no, before meeting the changed Bai Man—she had never been seduced by beauty.

 

Bai Man’s face was exquisitely cute, but in the entertainment industry, where beauty was as common as clouds, she didn’t stand out particularly. Even when Bai Man was still obscure, Su Qingwan had seen women far more stunning, yet she had never lost her composure like this.

 

“Then what are you interested in?” Bai Man pressed.

 

This wasn’t the first time Su Qingwan had spaced out in front of her. Previously, she hadn’t thought much of it, but now, knowing she was inhabiting someone else’s body, she couldn’t help but feel jealous.

 

You.

 

The word almost slipped out, but reason held her back. It was too soon.

 

She still hadn’t confirmed the truth behind Bai Man’s transformation.

 

Pressing her lips together, Su Qingwan hesitated, her voice trembling, “Are you… are you Bai Man?”

 

“The answer in your heart is correct.” With that, Bai Man turned and walked to the window, her back to Su Qingwan.

 

She wondered what Su Qingwan would ask next. Would she leave?

 

Bai Man hesitated.

 

Her hard work and dedication were invested in that place. She didn’t want it all to fall into the hands of those few people.

 

The original host had been too weak. Even with the System’s constant prodding, if she hadn’t worked hard to improve her strength, those people would have ultimately succeeded.

 

Behind her, Su Qingwan silently watched her retreating figure.

 

Perhaps because she had already suspected the answer, Su Qingwan wasn’t surprised at all. Instead, she felt a sense of relief. But this was quickly followed by even more pressing questions: How had Bai Man gotten here? Would she leave? Did she want to go back?

 

The moment Su Qingwan opened her mouth to speak, she knew Bai Man didn’t want her to continue asking.

 

Disappointed, Su Qingwan lowered her gaze and set down the towel in her hand. “I just remembered Qingyue asked me to call her back. I’ll go do that now.” She looked up at Bai Man’s back. “Remember to dry your hair. It’s not very warm here, and you’ll catch a cold easily.”

 

Without waiting for a response, Su Qingwan turned and walked away.

 

Just as the door closed, Bai Man turned around, staring blankly in the direction Su Qingwan had left.

 

I shouldn’t have pressed her like that.

 

You’re wavering, aren’t you!

 

Bai Man: “……”

 

Come on, Su Qingwan has feelings for you. Host, you’re so smart—you can’t give her a response. Host, will you still choose to return decisively, like you did at the beginning?

 

Host, you don’t need to answer. I already know. You’ll stay for love. I can tell you have feelings for Su Qingwan too. Isn’t this wonderful? Two lovers finally united—that’s everyone’s ultimate dream. Wouldn’t it be better to have someone who loves you by your side, rather than being alone and miserable?

 

Hearing the last sentence, Bai Man’s heart stirred again.

 

Let go of her hatred for those people and start a new life?

 

No, she couldn’t do it. Not unless those people were forever prevented from obtaining the company they coveted.

 

She would rather see everything she had built destroyed by her original self than let them succeed.

 

The bright daylight outside the window gradually faded into darkness. Yu Meng and Shangguan Yu returned just as Director Xu was peering out the courtyard gate for the fifth time.

 

Seeing the assistant following behind them, carrying an empty basket, everyone knew they had sold all the fruit.

 

Yu Meng walked straight up to Bai Man and handed her the money. “We completed the mission.”

 

Bai Man lazily tilted her head. “Should I congratulate you, then?”

 

Liu Heng stared at the baskets the assistant had placed on the ground, stroking his chin as he nodded. “Selling all the wilted fruit is quite impressive.” He took two steps forward. “You must have sold them at a bargain, right?”

 

Shangguan Yu’s brow furrowed slightly. “What does it matter how we sold them? We completed the task, that’s all that matters.” She glanced at Bai Man, deliberately raising her voice. “It’s a good thing the cameraman and assistant were with us the whole time. Otherwise, some people would have tried to smear us again.”

 

Liu Heng feigned shock, leaning back dramatically. “Such hostility!”

 

His words hung in the air, freezing the smiles on everyone’s faces. Zhang Shufen’s earlier outburst had already put their group at a disadvantage, and Shangguan Yu’s remark now made them look like the villains.

 

Zhang Jiale shot to his feet. “What’s wrong with asking a question? You paid someone to cause trouble at our stall, and we didn’t say a word! Besides, the Director clearly stated at the start of the task that we couldn’t disrupt market prices.” He gestured wildly at the baskets. “Two huge baskets, completely sold out? That’s suspicious, isn’t it?”

 

The live stream chat erupted in a frenzy.

 

I find it strange too. With good luck, you might stumble upon a few suckers, but not every customer can be a sucker, right?

 

The commenter above clearly hasn’t been to Yu Meng’s live stream. I saw it myself—they were selling cantaloupe for five yuan each and dragon fruit for ten yuan for four.

 

So, if that’s the case, those two huge baskets of fruit could only have fetched around a hundred yuan?

 

I watched the whole thing. Shangguan Yu left once for about ten minutes and then came back.

 

Since they didn’t confiscate phones today, she probably went to exchange the fruit for cash.

 

Shangguan Yu is definitely throwing shade at Bai Man. Bai Man didn’t even say anything, and she just kept rambling on and on. To me, that screams guilt.

 

If this turns out to be fake, I’m officially unfollowing. I can accept Yu Meng hiding her true personality and even grudgingly accept her concealing her engagement, but I absolutely cannot tolerate her being a sore loser.

 

 

Shangguan Yu chuckled softly. “If you couldn’t sell them, that’s your incompetence. Mengmeng and I got the job done,” she said, linking arms with Yu Meng. “Mengmeng, I’m so tired. Let’s go rest.”

 

Yu Meng hummed in agreement, and the two turned to leave.

 

Liu Heng, stung by the unwarranted insult, wrenched his hand free from Song Jie’s grasp and pointed at their retreating figures. “Who are you calling incompetent? If anyone’s incompetent, it’s you two! You finished the task after us—what’s there to brag about?” He scoffed. “Who knows if you just bought the rest yourselves to pad the numbers?”

 

Shangguan Yu stopped abruptly, whirling around to glare at Liu Heng. “If you can’t prove that, it’s slander.”

 

“Ha! You even know what slander is now? You want proof?” Liu Heng twisted his head to look at Song Jie, his eyes pleading for a way to find evidence.

 

Song Jie, unwilling to get involved, looked away.

 

Seeing Liu Heng about to lose face, Bai Man rose from her chair. “We could ask the nearby vendors,” she suggested. “Many have permanent stalls.”

 

Liu Heng slapped his thigh. “Right! We’ll ask the vendors! If you faked it, your punishment should be doubled, right?”

 

A flicker of panic crossed Shangguan Yu’s eyes, but it vanished in an instant, replaced by her usual composure. “Go ahead and search. If you can’t find your so-called evidence, then this false accusation—”

 

Seeing the tension escalate, Director Xu swiftly interrupted Shangguan Yu. “Since everyone has completed their tasks, I hereby declare the ‘Sell, Sell, Sell’ challenge a resounding success!” He clapped enthusiastically, but when the guests remained uncooperative, he quickly signaled his assistant.

 

The assistant understood immediately, clapping and congratulating the group.

 

“I’ve been observing everyone’s performance these past few days,” Director Xu continued, clenching his fist. “I know you’re all tired, and normally I’d give you some rest time. But unfortunately, our filming schedule is tight, so we’ll need everyone to gather as usual tomorrow.”

 

He paused briefly before adding, “Since we’re all here, I’ll explain tomorrow’s challenge now. Tomorrow’s task is crawfish fishing—a crawfish fishing competition. The team that catches the most crawfish gets to decide how they’ll be cooked, while the team that catches the fewest will face the usual penalty.” He raised his hand. “This time, the penalty will be simple: mud pit fishing.”

 

Liu Yue, who had been silent until now, asked curiously, “Is it a real mud pit?” As she spoke, she glanced at Yu Meng, hoping Yu Meng would remember her goodwill and not pursue their earlier conflict.

 

Ever since her injury last week, Liu Yue’s heart had been hanging by a thread. When she received news an hour ago that her scheduled appearance had been canceled, she knew Yu Meng was likely behind it.

 

Her manager had warned her that she absolutely had to obtain Yu Meng’s forgiveness, no matter what it took, or her career in the entertainment industry would come to an abrupt end.

 

Director Xu nodded. “Of course! You’ve all gotten familiar with the orchard owner these past few days. He happened to be cleaning out his fish pond today. By the way, the fish you ate today was a gift from the orchard owner. Did you enjoy it?”

 

The silent guests nodded in agreement, mindful of the saying, “He who eats another’s food is beholden to him.”

 

Director Xu glanced at Liu Heng, confirming he wouldn’t bring up the topic of fabricated footage again, and quickly said, “It’s getting late. Everyone should get some rest.” With that, he gestured to an assistant nearby to deliver the reserved meals to Yu Meng and her group.

 

The powerful conglomerate backing Shangguan Yu could very well become his future “sugar daddy.”

 

As for Bai Man, she was simply a joke.

 

The morning sun streamed through the courtyard, its rays glinting off the dewy vegetable leaves.

 

After finishing breakfast, everyone checked their sun protection measures to ensure nothing had been missed before confidently joining the group to move forward.

 

Director Xu had secured a private crayfish farming base. Though not vast, it was still substantial, with nearly a hundred acres of paddy fields enclosed by netting.

 

The shallow, greenish water revealed lush aquatic plants along the edges, where red-clawed crayfish darted in and out of the vegetation. Hearing footsteps, they immediately retreated to murkier waters, concealing themselves.

 

For everyone, this was their first time, and they were eager to try everything new.

 

Bai Man accepted the bucket, net, stool, crooked bamboo pole, and cotton thread from her assistant, then began searching for a spot with Su Qingwan.

 

Having no experience with crayfish fishing, Bai Man casually chose a sunny spot, sat down, and tied the cotton thread to the bamboo pole.

 

Su Qingwan took the pole with the baited pork liver and carefully cast it into the water.

 

Within seconds, the float twitched. Excitedly, she jerked the pole upward, only to find two crayfish clinging to it. “Crayfish!” she exclaimed in delight.

 

Bai Man dropped the pig liver, which made her uncomfortable, and scooped it up along with the shrimp using a landing net.

 

She tugged the fishing line a few times, but the shrimp clinging to the bamboo pole refused to release its pincers.

 

Su Qingwan cautiously reached out, grabbed the shrimp’s whiskers, and pulled downward with force, finally forcing it to release its grip and fall into the bucket.

 

Relieved to see Su Qingwan unharmed, Bai Man let out a sigh of relief and warned, “Don’t use your hands. They can pinch you.”

 

Judging by the two chunks missing from the pig liver, the shrimp’s grip was quite powerful.

 

Su Qingwan nodded. “Okay.”

 

Bai Man picked up the discarded bamboo pole, reattached the float, and glanced at the bucket containing the pig liver and duck intestines. After a moment’s hesitation, she steeled herself against the revulsion and reached for the duck intestines.

 

The reason was simple: duck intestines were less fragile than pig liver and wouldn’t break apart when pinched.

 

Director Xu had emphasized that each group’s bait was evenly distributed and limited, so they needed to conserve it.

 

Su Qingwan turned to see Bai Man frowning, clearly disgusted by the duck intestines. “W-why don’t I do it?”

 

Bai Man dodged her hand. “No need.”

 

She quickened her pace, threading the duck intestines onto the line. She then turned to wash her hands as quickly as possible, but feeling they weren’t clean enough, she scooped up some mud and scrubbed them again until the fishy smell finally faded.

 

Returning to her stool, she tossed the duck intestines into the water. After a moment, her float and Su Qingwan’s bobbed simultaneously.

 

She slid the bucket forward, pulling the crayfish directly into it.

 

Su Qingwan followed suit, pulling her crayfish straight into her bucket. Perhaps a bit forcefully, the crayfish obediently released their grip on the pig liver without even needing a shake of the line.

 

About ten meters away, Shangguan Yu let out a triumphant cry. Looking over, they saw a pitch-black mass dangling from Yu Meng’s bamboo pole, roughly estimated to weigh eight or nine kilograms.

 

Sensing their gaze, Shangguan Yu tilted her chin upward, clearly showing off.

 

Her smugness lasted only three seconds. Moving too slowly, she failed to scoop up the crayfish with the net before several fell off. In the end, only a solitary crayfish landed in her bucket.

 

Liu Heng, standing on the opposite field ridge, watched the scene unfold and threw his head back in laughter. “What’s that saying? Don’t count your crayfish before they’re in the bucket!”

 

Shangguan Yu retorted, “You haven’t caught a single one! What right do you have to laugh at us?”

 

“You don’t understand,” Liu Heng said, his voice dripping with smugness. “We’re just building up momentum.”

 

No sooner had his words left his lips than Song Jie lifted his bamboo pole, revealing a string of crayfish dangling before everyone’s eyes.

 

Having learned from Shangguan Yu and Yu Meng’s earlier failures, Song Jie swiftly transferred the crayfish into the bucket. However, his overzealousness caused two or three to fall off.

 

Turning away, Su Qingwan leaned closer to Bai Man and whispered, “Why can they catch so many at once? We can barely get two or three?”

 

Bai Man, equally puzzled, reassured her, “Let’s wait and see what happens next.”

 

Within moments, Bai Man’s float twitched. She lifted her pole to reveal a dense cluster of crayfish. Su Qingwan’s jaw dropped, and she rose to help, but before she could move, Bai Man had already transferred all the crayfish into the bucket.

 

Liu Heng raised his thumb in admiration. “Impressive, Ms. Bai!”

 

Though the compliment wasn’t directed at her, Su Qingwan felt a surge of warmth in her heart.

 

As Bai Man glanced up, she noticed Su Qingwan’s lips curving into a smile. The soft sunlight bathed Su Qingwan’s fair skin, making her glow with a radiant, striking beauty.

 

Feeling Bai Man’s gaze, Su Qingwan’s ear tips gradually flushed crimson. She tilted her head slightly. “Are you… watching me?”

 

Bai Man: “……” Still not allowed to look?

 

She withdrew her gaze and noticed the float on Su Qingwan’s fishing rod bobbing. “It’s moving!” she immediately alerted her.

 

Su Qingwan quickly stood up. When she saw seven or eight crayfish dangling from her line, she couldn’t suppress the smile that spread across her face, curving her eyebrows and eyes.

 

Bai Man thought this smile was the most captivating and sweetest she had ever seen. It melted straight into her heart.

 

Livestream Chat:

 

Oh my god, Bai Man’s gaze toward Wanwan is so affectionate!

 

Ah… why aren’t they together yet? Just get together already!

 

Watching Bai Man and Su Qingwan interact, I finally understand what “peaceful days” means. It’s just you teasing and me laughing, you laughing and me laughing along, right?

 

Judging by the current progress of the five teams, I have a feeling Yu Meng’s team is going to lose again.

 

They could fake selling fruit, but how are they going to fake catching crayfish?

 

Has anyone else noticed how plump these crayfish are? The dishes made with them will be incredibly fresh and delicious.

 

 

In just half an hour, Su Qingwan and Bai Man had already filled most of their bucket with crayfish. Noticing their success, Liu Heng and Zhang Jiale’s groups, whose own catches were meager, quickly moved over to join them.

 

As crayfish after crayfish kept biting, Zhang Jiale’s grin never faltered. “I told you the crayfish were abundant here, Ms. Bai! You really know how to pick a spot.”

 

Su Qingwan tilted her head toward Bai Man. “Have you ever fished for crayfish before?”

 

“No,” Bai Man replied. As a child, she had been frequently ill, and her parents rarely allowed her to go outside. Her favorite pastime was reading alone. When her health improved, her younger brother was born. To earn her parents’ attention, she began studying diligently. By the time she entered seventh grade, she had already completed the entire junior high school curriculum.

 

In high school, her teachers recommended her for early admission to university. By then, she had given up on seeking her parents’ attention, and her feelings had even turned to resentment. She had only one thought: she would become strong, forcing them to look up to her.

 

To become strong, she needed to work harder than anyone else. She devoted all her time to studying and self-improvement, leaving no room for anything else. Nor did she have any interest in anything else.

 

Su Qingwan tightened her grip on the blanket beside her. “Could you tell me about… about your world?”

 

She wanted to understand Bai Man better, to know her more deeply.

 

Bai Man gazed into the water, watching the sunlight shimmer on the surface. “It’s not much different from here.”

 

“Were you… were you very powerful there?” Su Qingwan asked softly, mindful of the photographer nearby.

 

“I wasn’t such a coward.”

 

Su Qingwan began to suspect that Bai Man had a misunderstanding of the word “coward.” If Bai Man was considered a coward now, then everyone else in this world must be utterly useless.

 

Facing the young heiress of a powerful conglomerate with such composure, Bai Man even seemed confident of victory.

 

Shaking her head, Su Qingwan stood up slightly, picked up her small stool, and moved it a little further away, creating some distance between them.

 

She needed to calm down.

 

Noticing her movement, Bai Man immediately turned around. “Come back.”

 

Su Qingwan desperately wanted to refuse, but Bai Man’s piercing gaze made her afraid. She could only pick up her stool and move it back.

 

Only when Bai Man finally shifted her gaze away did Su Qingwan breathe a small sigh of relief.

 

Whether it was her imagination or not, Su Qingwan felt that the captivating Bai Man she had just witnessed was the most authentic version of her. With just a glance, she could make one’s scalp tingle and dare not disobey.

 

Bai Man, oblivious to Su Qingwan’s thoughts, mechanically continued filling the buckets with crayfish. Seeing both buckets full and the sun high in the sky, she decisively stood up. “Let’s go.”

 

“Okay!” Su Qingwan rose, picked up her small stool, and followed Bai Man toward the courtyard paved with stone slabs.

 

Liu Heng watched their retreating figures. “High-end, this is high-end.” Thinking of something, he craned his neck. “Ms. Bai, could we order some garlic crayfish later?”

 

Zhang Jiale quickly interjected, “Don’t listen to him! Crayfish taste best when they’re spicy and numbing.”

 

Shangguan Yu, who had always been the center of attention wherever she went, felt a surge of resentment as she watched everyone flock around Bai Man again and again. She muttered under her breath, “So smug now, but you’ll be crying in a few days.”

 

The cameraman was too far away to pick up her words clearly, but Yu Meng, who was standing nearby, heard every syllable.

 

She had long known Shangguan Yu wouldn’t let Bai Man off the hook, but she didn’t know the specifics of Shangguan Yu’s plan. “What are you going to do?” she asked.

 

Shangguan Yu wrapped her arm around Yu Meng and nuzzled her head. “I had my brother call the bank president. In less than two days, the Bai Family will receive a notice to sell off their assets at rock-bottom prices. Their place isn’t bad—want me to buy it and let you stay there for a couple of days?”

 

Before Yu Meng could reply, she immediately rejected the idea. “No way! I can’t let Mengmeng stay in a house Bai Man lived in,” she said, then paused to think. “Fine, we’ll buy it and leave it empty. I want to make Bai Man sick with envy.”

 

Yu Meng found the plan perfect. The thought of Bai Man soon being homeless filled her with an indescribable excitement.

 

At the same time, she wondered how Su Qingwan would react. Would she regret her actions?

 

As noon approached, the guests gradually reeled in their bamboo poles and carried their catches back to Ms. Bai’s house. As they drew closer, Liu Heng noticed Su Qingwan and Bai Man sitting under a large tree, eating watermelon.

 

“It’s true what they say—comparing yourself to others will drive you mad,” he muttered.

 

With everyone back, Liu Heng looked around. “Director, should we weigh the catches now?”

 

Director Xu rushed out of the house, shouting, “Yes, yes, yes!”

 

To ensure fairness, the groups that caught fewer lobsters decided to pool their catches into a single bucket. Yu Meng and Shangguan Yu managed to catch 10 pounds, a far cry from Bai Man and Su Qingwan’s impressive 25 pounds.

 

With four groups already weighed, only Liu Yue and Zhang Sizhe’s group remained.

 

When Liu Heng noticed that Song Sizhe’s bucket was only half-full of lobsters, he couldn’t help but ask, “Where’s the other bucket? I remember it being full.”

 

Liu Yue lowered her head. “It’s my fault. I tripped on the way back, and all the lobsters spilled out.”

 

Bai Man glanced at Liu Yue and Song Sizhe. Judging by Song Sizhe’s expression, there seemed to be more to the story.

 

She wasn’t the only one who sensed something was amiss. Several others in the group noticed the discrepancy as well.

 

Shangguan Yu walked over and peered into the bucket. “No need to weigh them. They caught the least.” She turned to Director Xu. “Director, announce the results!”

 

Director Xu cleared his throat. “Then, for this competition—”

 

Song Sizhe clenched his fists, interrupting Director Xu. “She did it on purpose! She deliberately threw the match!”