After Transmigrating, I Joined a Dating Show with the Fake Heiress Actress - Chapter 31

Panic filled Liu Yue’s eyes. She had cleverly used Song Sizhe to block the camera’s view, staging an accidental fall. From her interactions with Song Sizhe over the past few days, she had noticed he was taciturn but observant. She had assumed he would turn a blind eye to her schemes, never expecting him to expose her in public.

 

What about her plan to curry favor with Yu Meng and Shangguan Yu…?

 

Forcing out two tears, she feigned hurt. “What do you mean by this? I—I really just slipped.”

 

Song Sizhe turned away. “When we were catching shrimp, you kept making excuses to wander off. When you saw I had caught more than you, you staged that fall.” He spun around angrily, glaring at Liu Yue. “You wanted to dump the shrimp you caught yourself? Fine. But what right did you have to dump my shrimp?”

 

Liu Yue froze for a moment, stunned by the raw resentment in Song Sizhe’s words. But she quickly regained her composure, pressing her lips together. “Okay, I admit I didn’t catch as many as you,” she said urgently. “But—but I really didn’t do it on purpose!”

 

Liu Heng took the fish. “Who knows if you’re doing this on purpose? Last time on the mountain, didn’t you claim you fell by accident?” He glanced at Liu Yue’s leg. “What’s this? Now that you can run and jump, you’ve forgotten the pain?”

 

Liu Yue’s eyes reddened, her face etched with disbelief. “I’ve never done anything to offend you! Why are you all making these accusations? Do you really think I wanted to fall?”

 

Liu Heng, unfamiliar with the concept of chivalry, dismissed her pitiful act. “That’s what I said. Why are you dragging them into this?” He turned to Director Xu. “Director, you decide how this should be handled.”

 

“How should it be handled? This is their own internal conflict. It has nothing to do with us,” Shangguan Yu said with a smirk, addressing Director Xu. “Director, you’ve always been fair. I’m sure you’ll handle this fairly and prevent their personal issues from affecting the group. Besides, they both claim to be impartial.”

 

Director Xu, understanding the implication, was about to intervene when Bai Man suddenly stood up, seizing the initiative. “The cameramen have been recording the entire time,” she said, glancing at Liu Yue. “Even if they didn’t capture the full scene, they must have recorded some clues.”

 

Liu Heng slapped his thigh. “Good point!” He turned to Director Xu. “Director, what are you waiting for? Play back the footage!”

 

Shangguan Yu chuckled softly, pointing at Song Sizhe. “Are you really going to waste everyone’s time because of him?”

 

Bai Man lowered her gaze to her wristwatch, speaking calmly. “It’s currently 1:00 PM. Considering Liu Yue’s walking speed…” She lowered her hand, her voice firm. “Rewind the timeline by thirty minutes.” She looked up at Shangguan Yu. “Accounting for travel time, the margin of error should be within five minutes.”

 

Su Qingwan stepped forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Bai Man. She gently asked the guests, “Are you willing to spare these few minutes?”

 

Liu Heng and Zhang Jiale answered in unison, “Yes.”

 

Song Jie and Wen Yi exchanged a glance, followed by a subtle nod.

 

Liu Heng spread his hands. “We all agree. Let’s begin.”

 

Director Xu found himself in a bind. The refusal that had been on the tip of his tongue died as he remembered the countless viewers watching. Rejecting now could easily provoke their anger, especially since Bai Man had already provided a precise timeline.

 

But offending Shangguan Yu was equally unthinkable.

 

His eyes darted around twice as he stroked his chin. “This matter concerns the reputations of our guests, so it’s only right to investigate. However, we can’t let this delay all the guests and the entire production team.” He turned to Bai Man. “You claim the margin of error is only five minutes. I’m willing to trust you, but if no evidence appears within that timeframe, you’ll have to apologize to everyone here—and the entire internet—for your misjudgment.”

 

Live Stream

 

What the heck? So Bai Man has to take responsibility for a potential misjudgment? That’s so unfair!

 

I’m certain that if Bai Man makes a wrong judgment, countless brainless fans will swarm to attack her. Who knows what accusations they’ll hurl at her then?

 

I can already imagine tomorrow’s trending topics: #BankruptHeiressSelfishlyWastesEveryone’sTime #BankruptHeiressTriesToGainCloutThroughControversy #BankruptHeiress’sHumiliatingMoment #

 

This director is such a jerk! Bai Man, maybe you should just withdraw this time? It’s not worth it anyway.

 

The director’s deliberately stalling for time. Every second he delays, Bai Man’s chances of winning decrease.

 

Is Liu Yue really this vile? First, she tried to curry favor with Yu Meng by deliberately ruining the mushrooms Bai Man’s team had gathered. Now, to prevent Yu Meng’s team from finishing last, she’s resorting to the same trick, dumping the lobsters her partner worked so hard to catch.

 

Breaking news: The brand that originally planned to make Liu Yue their spokesperson has suddenly reversed course and chosen a rising Xiaohua instead. This confirms it: Liu Yue’s actions are all about pleasing Yu Meng and hoping she’ll go easy on her.

 

Oh my god! A scumbag girl and a love-struck fool really are two sides of the same coin. Their tactics are identical.

 

Su Qingwan hadn’t anticipated the director’s response. Isn’t this exactly what I feared?

 

If Bai Man’s judgment proved wrong, Su Qingwan was certain Yu Meng would seize the opportunity to mock her, even adding her own scathing remarks and inciting further ridicule. Bai Man…

 

She turned to look at Bai Man, who remained calm and composed. I… I have to trust her.

 

After five minutes, Bai Man said, “Alright.” She sat back down, showing no signs of nervousness or anxiety.

 

Yu Meng and Shangguan Yu assumed she was merely feigning composure, already preparing their taunts for when Bai Man’s prediction failed.

 

Having received confirmation, Director Xu nodded slowly to the assistant.

 

Eager to see the results, Liu Heng and Zhang Jiale crowded behind the assistant, their eyes glued to the computer screen.

 

They rewound the footage thirty minutes. Just over thirty seconds later, Liu Yue’s face appeared. Another thirty seconds passed, and Liu Yue’s startled cry rang out, followed by the sight of some lobsters spilling from the bucket.

 

“That’s it! Zoom in and replay that section!” Zhang Jiale exclaimed excitedly, his eyes filled with admiration for Bai Man.

 

This revelation stunned Song Jie. He hadn’t realized Bai Man’s computational abilities were so formidable, allowing her to pinpoint the exact timeframe in such a short time.

 

Yu Meng’s prepared taunts were abruptly silenced. When she turned to see Liu Yue’s panicked expression, her heart tightened with unease.

 

She hadn’t forgotten the last time Liu Yue’s foolish actions had dragged her into a storm of online criticism.

 

Shangguan Yu, however, remained unfazed. They had only found a fragment of footage; the crucial evidence was still missing.

 

Even if they did find the evidence, what difference would it make? She hadn’t instructed Liu Yue to act that way, so she couldn’t be implicated.

 

As for the penalty for finishing last, unless they could retrieve the lobster that had been thrown overboard, Liu Yue’s team would still have the lightest weight.

 

The happiest person was Su Qingwan. Now that they had found the fragment, she could scrutinize it for clues. With this thought, she strode towards the Assistant.

 

Seeing her approach, Bai Man rose to follow Su Qingwan.

 

As they arrived, Liu Heng shifted aside, while Zhang Jiale shouted, “Stop there! Zoom in!”

 

The Assistant obeyed, enlarging the image. Thanks to the Production Team’s state-of-the-art cameras, the clarity remained exceptional. The zoomed-in frame revealed another pair of feet positioned in front of Song Sizhe’s. These feet had hooked their left foot behind their right. Immediately after this action, Liu Yue stumbled and fell. This single detail alone made Liu Yue’s actions highly suspicious.

 

Zhang Jiale opened his mouth to speak, but Bai Man shot him a look, signaling him to remain silent for now.

 

“Keep playing,” she instructed.

 

The assistant nodded. When the video reached the part where Liu Yue scrambled to her feet and picked up the overturned bucket, Bai Man called out, “Slow it down.”

 

Whether it was due to the cameraman zooming in or not, Liu Yue’s expression was now crystal clear. It was obvious that she froze for a moment upon seeing the bucket still contained most of the lobsters. Then came the slip, sending the bucket flying again. Song Sizhe managed to retrieve some of the lobsters by hand, but the majority tumbled back into the field.

 

“Cut this segment,” Bai Man ordered. After giving Su Qingwan a meaningful glance, the two women returned to their original positions.

 

As soon as they left, Liu Heng stepped back up to the screen. After the assistant finished editing, he angrily turned the laptop toward Liu Yue. “What else do you have to say? You did this on purpose!”

 

Liu Yue’s face turned deathly pale. She opened her mouth to protest, but no sound came out.

 

She turned to Yu Meng for help, but Yu Meng coldly averted her gaze, her profile turned toward Liu Yue, her attitude unmistakable.

 

The tense atmosphere was shattered by Shangguan Yu’s bell-like laughter. “Was it really worth all this trouble to dig up your so-called ‘evidence’? Or did you think this clip would magically summon back the escaped lobsters?”

 

She waved her hand dismissively. “Director, stop indulging their drama. Let’s eat already—we’re all starving.”

 

Zhang Jiale scoffed coldly, striding toward Shangguan Yu and pointing his finger. “Now I understand. You rich people never have to take responsibility for your words. You accused Song Sizhe of lying, claiming you were his source. Now that we’ve found proof, you mock us, saying we can’t bring back the lobsters.”

 

He turned to Liu Yue. “Thank you for showing me what it means to be a lapdog who’ll lick up every last drop of humiliation.”

 

Before Shangguan Yu could retort, Bai Man spoke up. “You’re right, the lost lobsters are gone for good. I’m willing to give Song Sizhe seven pounds of my lobsters.”

 

Knowing the Director’s likely response, she added, “I remember when you announced the mission rules, you never said the contestants couldn’t help or give gifts to each other.”

 

Currently, Song Sizhe’s team had nine pounds of lobsters. With Bai Man’s seven-pound donation, they would have a total of sixteen pounds—just one pound more than the fifteen pounds held by Shangguan Yu’s team.

 

This meant their group had fewer lobsters and would face punishment.

 

I’m not going to catch fish in that muddy swamp. It’s filthy!

 

With this thought, Shangguan Yu couldn’t afford to relax. Her eyes flashed with anger as she snapped, “You’re just twisting words!” She turned to the director. “Director Xu, she’s being completely unreasonable!”

 

Su Qingwan took the baton and retorted, “Aren’t you the one being unreasonable all along?”

 

Zhang Jiale and Liu Heng nodded in unison. “Exactly!”

 

“Their total weight is now higher than yours,” Bai Man reminded them.

 

Yu Meng stepped forward, her gaze locking onto Bai Man’s. “You’re deliberately targeting us!” she declared.

 

Bai Man folded her hands in her lap and replied earnestly, “This is just returning the favor.”

 

Live Stream Comments:

 

Holy crap, Bai Man’s a genius! Her calculation skills are insane—she figured it out instantly!

 

Hahaha, I love the term “returning the favor”! Isn’t that exactly what it is?

 

Another day, another way Bai Man’s courting disaster.

 

Why do I get the feeling Bai Man’s deliberately provoking Yu Meng and Shangguan Yu? With her intelligence, she must know the consequences of angering Shangguan Yu, yet she’s still doing it. That’s so strange.

 

Ah… Is Wanwan just blindly following Qingwan?

 

Liu Yue is so annoying! She’s been playing people like monkeys, and when she gets exposed, she starts whining. How is she still on the show?

 

I saw the video of Shangguan Yu faking her performance on Weibo. It’s trending like crazy! Go check it out now! Here’s the link.

 

Really? I’m going to watch it right away!

 

 

Director Xu never imagined yesterday’s scenario would repeat itself. He was filled with regret—why had he ever added that punishment rule in the first place?

 

This was a classic case of shooting himself in the foot.

 

He couldn’t possibly make the Best Actress and the Little Princess of the financial conglomerate wade through the mud to catch fish, could he? He opened his mouth to smooth things over, “This—”

 

But before he could speak, his assistant rushed over, whispering urgently in a voice only they could hear, “Shangguan Yu’s cheating has been exposed! The internet is tearing into her, Yu Meng, and… you too.”

 

Director Xu clamped his mouth shut, struggling internally for a moment before gritting his teeth and saying, “I never explicitly forbade guests from gifting each other.” He turned away, unable to meet Shangguan Yu’s gaze. “For this round, Ms. Yu and Shangguan—”

 

Shangguan Yu cut him off smoothly, “Since gifting is allowed, we can also ask other teams to gift us.”

 

With that, she crossed her arms, waiting for the other guests to offer their fish.

 

Liu Heng and Zhang Jiale immediately shielded their buckets of lobsters, their actions making it clear: No way.

 

Song Jie kept shooting Liu Heng warning glances, urging him to stay calm and not act rashly.

 

Bai Man’s team, having caught a substantial amount of white carp, relinquished seven pounds to Song Sizhe, leaving them with twenty-two pounds and securing first place. By giving up two more pounds, they would still retain twenty pounds, avoiding last place and rescuing Shangguan Yu’s team from their dire situation. Even if Shangguan Yu failed to acknowledge this favor, Yu Meng would remember it.

 

Yu Meng’s mother possessed vast resources; even a small leak of those resources could significantly smooth their future path.

 

Wen Yi had considered the same strategy but remained hesitant, still weighing the pros and cons.

 

Liu Heng desperately wanted to ignore Song Jie’s pleading gaze, yet he couldn’t disregard Shangguan Yu and Yu Meng’s connections. After a moment’s hesitation, he reluctantly released his grip.

 

Seizing the opportunity, Song Jie declared, “I’m willing to give two pounds to Ms. Yu.”

 

His move surprised neither Bai Man nor Su Qingwan. Everyone had to consider their own future prospects, especially in the cutthroat world of entertainment, where personal gain reigned supreme.

 

Su Qingwan turned to Bai Man, curious about her response.

 

Bai Man gave her a reassuring glance, but before she could speak, Song Sizhe’s voice cut through the air: “I concede.”

 

“Your team was already losing,” Shangguan Yu retorted, lifting her chin slightly, her eyes gleaming with triumph as she looked at Bai Man. “You just wasted my time.”

 

“Really?” Bai Man asked, a smile playing on her lips as she glanced at the Director. Before she could finish her sentence, Director Xu interrupted.

 

“The Assistant just told me the orchard owner called. The fish ponds are full of water now, but the Production Team’s rules can’t be abandoned,” Director Xu said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. “Here’s what we’ll do: we’ll eat mushrooms. The losing team tonight will have to eat a whole pot of mushrooms.”

 

Shangguan Yu was naturally displeased. In her eyes, making Song Sizhe take the punishment was a slap in Bai Man’s face.

 

Yu Meng quickly reached out and grabbed her arm. “Forget it,” she said.

 

Shangguan Yu opened her mouth to protest, but Yu Meng’s voice cut through again: “Listen to me.”

 

Having worked with Director Xu several times, Yu Meng had a clearer understanding of his character. Logically, he should have rejected Bai Man’s loophole from the start, but he hadn’t. This suggested something unexpected had occurred.

 

Her intuition told her this might be connected to her.

 

Combined with Bai Man’s earlier behavior, Yu Meng was now certain that if there were any negative rumors about her online, Bai Man was the one who started them.

 

She was curious to see what kind of trouble a fallen heiress from a bankrupt family could stir up.

 

Seeing Shangguan Yu calm down, Yu Meng breathed a sigh of relief.

 

After that incident, no one could muster any appetite for the bright red crawfish.

 

Knowing Bai Man couldn’t handle spicy food, Su Qingwan secretly slipped her a piece of candy after she set down her chopsticks, whispering, “I’ll make you noodles when we get back.”

 

Bai Man took the candy, tore open the wrapper, and calmly popped it into her mouth in front of everyone.

 

The sweetness instantly spread through her mouth, reaching all the way to her heart.

 

After bidding farewell to the crawfish farm owner, the group returned to the Courtyard house, where everyone retrieved their phones.

 

Yu Meng, desperate for answers, quickly opened Weibo. When she saw the red “Hot” tag before the trending topics, her hands began to tremble uncontrollably.

 

#YuMengWifeCantHandleLoss #YuMengsHouseCollapsed #YuMengForcingResourcesThroughHerManagerMom #YuMengMotherDaughterBullyingNewcomersInEntertainment #

 

#LittlePrincessAbusesPower #LittlePrincessRulesWithMoney #LittlePrincessPetty,SecretlyTargetingBaiMansClothingFactory #CorporateGiantUsesMoneyToControlNarrative #

 

Suppressing her inner rage, Yu Meng excused herself from the group and dialed the company’s PR department.

 

When she learned that no matter how hard they tried, the trending topics couldn’t be suppressed, she completely lost it. Storming over to Bai Man, who was calmly eating noodles, she slapped the bowl right out of her hands.