Fake Love with the Movie Queen - Chapter 29

As soon as the punishment ended, Zhu Ningyue immediately let go and climbed off Ge Jiang.

Nervously, she took the tissues handed by the host and wiped the sweat off Ge Jiang’s face. “Was I too heavy?”

Ge Jiang caught her breath and smiled. “You’re not heavy at all. I just need to work out more.”

Their weights were probably about the same, so carrying her shouldn’t have been an issue. But jumping over a dozen times in a row was admittedly exhausting.

“Jiangjiang and Ningyue, you can return to your seats now.”

Once they were seated again, the host had an assistant bring them water.

“Rest up for a bit. We still have a little game coming up later.”

She then carried over a cardboard box. “It’s been almost a week since our first team assignments. To help everyone get to know each other better, we’ll now proceed with our second round of grouping.”

“Just like last time, this box contains numbered tags. Please come up and draw one. The order will follow the profit rankings from your business operations.”

While drawing her number, Si Kongyuan asked, “If we’re regrouping, will the shops we’re running be reassigned too?”

“Not entirely,” the host explained carefully. “After everyone has drawn their numbers, I’ll go over the rules with you.”

Si Kongyuan nodded in understanding.

Following the order, Gu Nanxuan and Chou Qing’an were the second group to draw, while Zhu Ningyue and Ge Jiang went last.

Once all three groups had drawn their numbers, the host smiled at everyone. “Now that each guest has a numbered tag, please flip them over and reveal your numbers.”

The six of them cooperatively displayed the numbers they had drawn.

Gu Nanxuan had “1,” Chou Qing’an had “6”;
Zhu Ningyue had “5,” Ge Jiang had “2”;
Si Kongyuan had “4,” Jiang Mengxi had “3.”

After confirming everyone’s numbers, the host began explaining the new rules:

“As the shops level up, each will now have one manager and one staff member.”

“In each of our current groups, the person who drew the higher number will become the shop manager, while the one with the lower number will be the staff member.”

“The shop assigned to the manager is fixed—meaning no matter who the manager teams up with, the two will always operate the manager’s assigned shop.”

“On the other hand, staff members can be ‘hired’ and reassigned, which is where our regrouping comes in.”

“Of course, this ‘hiring’ isn’t the usual kind—it’s tied to our next little game.”

“Now, let’s have the staff bring out the game props.”

Before long, a triangular table was brought in.

Under the host’s direction, the six of them split into three groups and took their seats around the table.

On the table lay a game board, two dice, and six tokens representing each of the guests.

“Today’s little game is called ‘Love Adventure.’”

The host walked over to the guests and explained the rules.

“Each team starts with 1,000 yuan in ‘love funds’ and operates one shop. You’ll roll the dice to determine how many spaces you move. Depending on which space you land on, you’ll need to complete the corresponding challenge…”

In short, it was a game combining elements of truth or dare and Monopoly.

The guests need to accumulate as much “romance funds” as possible to manage their shared shop. If the shop’s “romance funds” fall below a certain threshold, it will face “bankruptcy.”

At this point, the player with the shop manager role can use their “romance funds” to hire staff from a shop that is about to go “bankrupt.”

The hired staff will then switch to the new group.

Of course, to maintain game balance, the manager who chooses to hire a staff member must also swap out one of their own.

The swapped-out staff member will take away half of the “romance funds.”

If the remaining funds do not exceed the bankruptcy threshold, the hiring attempt will fail.

Therefore, before making a hire, managers must consider whether the remaining funds will still ensure stable shop operations.

Each staff member has their own hiring value, which can increase as the game progresses.

If, by the end of the game, no shops have gone bankrupt, a manager can still forcibly hire a staff member by offering three times their value.

However, if another manager competes for the same staff member, the highest bidder wins.

The game tasks test the tacit understanding between the two players.

Unwillingness or failure to complete a task counts as a failure, resulting in no funds earned and even deductions.

Managers who wish to retain their current staff or hire new ones—

And staff members who want to stay in their current shop or move to a new one—

Must strive to complete the tasks.

The game begins.

Si Kongyuan is the first to roll the dice. The two dice land on the board, tumble a few times, and come to a stop.

She rolls a “6,” totaling 9 points, and moves forward 9 spaces.

The task is simple—only 50 yuan.

Si Kongyuan and Jiang Mengxi complete it smoothly and earn a 50-yuan reward.

Next is Jiang Mengxi’s turn. She rolls a total of 5 points.

After moving forward 5 spaces, the task appears:

A reward of 500 yuan, plus a 200-yuan increase in her hiring value.

The moment this task is revealed, the live-stream audience erupts:

Am I seeing this right? Isn’t this one of the most daring tasks on the board?

Starting off this strong? Jiang’s luck is insane.

Kiss her! Kiss her!

No matter how much the audience cheers, it still depends on whether the two parties are willing.

Jiang Mengxi covers her face, feigning shyness. “This is so embarrassing…”

The host reminds them, “If you’re unwilling, you can choose to forfeit the task. But forfeiting means deducting the corresponding funds.”

Si Kongyuan is tempted by the reward—after all, it’s one of the highest-paying tasks on the board.

If they complete it, she’ll have enough funds later to hire the staff she wants.

Besides, it’s just a kiss on the cheek—she can handle that.

Jiang Mengxi knows the other two managers likely won’t try to hire her.

If she wants to switch shops, she’ll need to cooperate with Si Kongyuan to accumulate funds.

The two exchange a glance, seemingly understanding each other’s thoughts.

Jiang Mengxi quickly leans in and plants a brief kiss on Si Kongyuan’s cheek.

The live-stream audience barely has time to screenshot before they separate.

Since the task didn’t specify a time limit, it counts as completed.

The 500-yuan reward is secured. After just the first round, Si Kongyuan’s team rapidly accumulates 1,550 yuan in “romance funds.”

Jiang Mengxi’s hiring value also increases by 200 yuan.

The game continues.

Next up is Qiu Qing’an’s turn to roll.

She grabbed the two dice from the board and threw them down. The dice rolled swiftly before finally landing on the same number—”6.”

Twelve points, the highest possible.

The live chat erupted in amazement:

When drawing numbers earlier, the actress also got a 6, right? Her luck is just too good.

Let me soak up some of that luck.

Qiu Qing’an picked up her game piece and moved it forward twelve spaces, landing on a special square.

The display read: “No task required. Receive 300 yuan immediately, and increase personal value by 120 yuan.”

Since she wasn’t a shop assistant, the personal value increase was canceled, leaving her with just the 300 yuan.

But even that was enough to make everyone present envious.

This was literally money falling from the sky!

Gu Nanxuan was also stunned by Qiu Qing’an’s reward, and a competitive fire surged within her.

She cupped her hands together, shaking the two dice in her palms before letting them fall.

Clatter—the dice rolled several times before stopping.

One showed a “1,” the other a “2”—a total of three points.

Gu Nanxuan: “…”

She would’ve preferred rolling two “1”s—at least matching numbers would’ve been a sign of luck.

Grumbling internally, she moved her piece forward and landed on a square.

The task read: “Walk around the table once. Reward: 10 yuan.”

The lowest possible reward.

After quickly completing the lap, Gu Nanxuan sat back down, expressionless as she watched the next person roll.

Ge Jiang didn’t shake the dice for long before tossing them onto the table.

Luck was on her side—a total of eight points, moving eight spaces forward.

The task displayed: “Hug a teammate for 10 seconds.”

Reward: 300 yuan, plus a 120-yuan increase in personal value.

Seeing the requirement, Ge Jiang asked Zhu Ningyue, “Want to do it?”

Zhu Ningyue nodded, reaching out cautiously to embrace her.

She didn’t dare press too close, afraid her racing heartbeat would be noticed—though her face betrayed her, warming up uncontrollably.

Viewers in the livestream went wild:

Wow, Jiangjiang is so polite! These two look so cute together!

Is Zhu Ningyue blushing? Her face looks red to me.

Really?

More and more people zoomed in on their screens.

Unfortunately, the ten seconds passed too quickly, and the two separated before long.

Zhu Ningyue barely had time to savor the warmth before reality set back in.

Steadying her heartbeat, she picked up the dice and threw them onto the table.

Two “3”s—six points total, moving six spaces forward.

Her piece landed on a blank square—nothing there.

Zhu Ningyue froze, glancing at the host for clarification.

The host explained, “Blank means no task and no reward. You can proceed directly to the next round.”

Seeing Zhu Ningyue get nothing, Gu Nanxuan’s earlier frustration over rolling the lowest number instantly vanished, replaced by quiet satisfaction.

Zhu Ningyue wasn’t sure how to feel. Any task would’ve at least given her some reward.

Getting nothing at all—wasn’t that just dragging the team down?

Ge Jiang noticed her dejection and reassured her, “It’s fine. We’re only slightly behind—there’s still plenty of chances to catch up.”

Besides, this was a game of accumulating funds. As long as they didn’t go bankrupt, there was always room for a comeback.

Encouraged by her words, Zhu Ningyue silently cheered herself on.

The next round began.

Si Kongyuan received a 200-yuan reward.

Jiang Mengxi received a 100-yuan reward, increasing her net worth by 40 yuan.

Qiu Qing’an took the dice and rolled an 11—still a very high number.

Her game piece was far ahead of the others, having already covered nearly one-third of the distance.

Once a player completes a full lap, they immediately receive a 500-yuan reward, and their net worth increases by 200 yuan.

The more laps completed, the more funds they naturally accumulate.

Qiu Qing’an moved her piece to the square assigned to her.

The requirement displayed was: Suck a teammate’s earlobe and hold for 3 seconds.

Reward: 500 yuan, with a net worth increase of 200 yuan.

Compared to the first task Jiang Mengxi had drawn, this one seemed almost excessive.

Just as everyone—except for Gu Nanxuan, Zhu Ningyue, and Ge Jiang—assumed she would forfeit the challenge…

Qiu Qing’an suddenly made her move.