Fake Love with the Movie Queen - Chapter 3

The cardboard box was opaque, and all the number plates inside were of the same material and size. The guests could only rely on their luck when drawing.

Gu Nanxuan withdrew her hand, her fingertips holding the number plate she had drawn. It bore the number “6.”

Coincidentally, it was the last one.

The live-stream audience began to revel in schadenfreude:

First to draw and still gets number 6—unbelievable.

Hahaha, Gu Nanxuan’s luck is truly awful, but she deserves it.

Gu Nanxuan glanced at the number plate, her expression souring. She knew her luck was bad, but she hadn’t expected it to be this bad.

Seeing Gu Nanxuan draw number “6,” Sikong Yuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

This meant that as the second to draw, no matter what, she couldn’t do worse than Gu Nanxuan.

Sure enough, she drew “3.”

Ge Jiang, the third to draw, got “2.” Zhu Ningyue drew “5,” and Yu Qianxue got “4.”

There were only six number plates in total, and as the draws progressed, fewer remained in the box.

By the time it was Qiu Qing’an’s turn, only one plate was left. Without even drawing, she could guess what her number was.

“Seems like the last one has the best luck,” Qiu Qing’an said with a smile as she stepped forward and retrieved the final number plate from the box—marked with a “1.”

The live chat erupted in celebration:

The queen gets first place!

Good luck just can’t be stopped, unlike someone. Gu Nanxuan was subtly shaded once again.

Seeing Qiu Qing’an get “1,” Gu Nanxuan’s mood improved slightly.

The host announced, “Now, let’s invite the guest who drew number 1 to follow the staff into the room where the paintings are displayed.”

The live stream immediately cut to the room’s interior as Qiu Qing’an pushed the door open and entered.

Six paintings were neatly arranged on the table.

At a glance, Qiu Qing’an spotted the ugliest one among them—Gu Nanxuan’s work.

She couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

The live audience tensely observed her expression, both eager and apprehensive:

Does the queen already have a favorite painting? Which one is it?

I bet it’s our Yuanyuan’s! —A fan of Sikong Yuan.

I think it’s our Jiangjiang’s! —A fan of Ge Jiang.

Fans of various guests began to argue.

Facing the camera, Qiu Qing’an raised her hand and pointed at Gu Nanxuan’s painting. “I choose this one.”

The host, who had been monitoring the live chat, asked through the speaker, “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely,” Qiu Qing’an reaffirmed.

The host recorded her choice.

Those who had visited Gu Nanxuan’s live stream immediately wailed in despair:

Why her?! Why did it have to be her?! I hate this!

Most fans hadn’t seen Gu Nanxuan’s stream and asked curiously:

Whose painting is that?

Someone in the know replied:

Who else? Gu Nanxuan’s!

The chat instantly flooded with cries of despair:

!!!? I’m jumping off a building!

Ahhh, why?!

An observant viewer pointed out:

Did you notice? Gu Nanxuan and the queen painted the same fruit.

Eureka! You’ve found the key detail!

No wonder the queen chose her—they just happened to like the same fruit!

The host then called for Ge Jiang, who had drawn number “2,” to enter the room.

Ge Jiang joined this dating show for one simple reason—her agent had received word that Qiu Qing’an would be participating.

By leveraging the influence of the acclaimed actress, she could gain more screen time in front of the audience, increasing her chances of landing better roles.

Though Ge Jiang wasn’t the type to fight for opportunities, she wasn’t about to pass up such a golden one either.

As for who she’d end up paired with for publicity, she didn’t particularly care.

So after a casual glance at the six paintings before her, she pointed at one and said, “I’ll pick this one.”

The live audience erupted:

What’s with the “I’ll pick this one”? So random!

Who did Ge Jiang choose?

If I remember correctly, that’s Zhu Ningyue’s.

The host, as usual, double-checked her choice before recording it.

Following the order, Sikong Yuan entered the room after Ge Jiang and also picked Zhu Ningyue’s painting.

Oho, we’ve got a collision! Wonder who Zhu Ningyue will choose?

The audience buzzed with anticipation.

The fourth to enter was Yu Qianxue.

She wanted to pick Qiu Qing’an—after all, she was an award-winning actress. Being paired with her would undoubtedly boost Yu Qianxue’s career.

Even just discussing acting techniques would be worthwhile.

Yu Qianxue followed Qiu Qing’an on social media and had seen her daily posts. The fruit that appeared most frequently in her photos was peaches.

But now, there were two peach paintings. Which one should she choose?

Her finger hovered indecisively between the two before she steeled herself and picked the uglier one.

Why? She suspected Qiu Qing’an might have deliberately made one painting worse to avoid being chosen too often.

Little did she know, she had just missed the correct answer.

The live audience was baffled:

What’s the magic of Gu Nanxuan’s painting? Why are so many picking hers?

Yu Qianxue’s fans were even more distraught:

Qianxue, you fool!

Unaware of her mistake, Yu Qianxue returned to the lounge with her choice.

Zhu Ningyue was the fifth to enter.

As the heiress of the Zhu Group and its future successor, participating in this dating show held no tangible benefit for her.

She wasn’t an actress—accumulating fans meant little to her.

Zhu Ningyue had joined for one reason: to pursue someone—Ge Jiang.

Ge Jiang might not know her yet, but Zhu Ningyue had watched every drama, every movie, and every variety show Ge Jiang had ever appeared in.

She could even recite lines from the most iconic works by heart.

Under a pseudonym, she had even become Ge Jiang’s top fan, occasionally interacting with the actress herself.

Years of silent admiration had left her increasingly unsatisfied with merely watching Ge Jiang through a screen.

She wanted Ge Jiang to know her, to grow familiar with her, and to fall in love with her.

So joining a dating show was the perfect solution.

With her wealth, all it took was a little sponsorship to secure her spot effortlessly.

But now, the first challenge had her stumped.

Ge Jiang wasn’t very active online. Aside from a few studio-released photos, her personal posts were scarce.

From what Zhu Ningyue remembered, Ge Jiang had never revealed much about her daily life or preferences on any platform.

So what fruit would Ge Jiang like?

Her gaze swept over the paintings before settling on the ugliest one.

Ge Jiang was a low-key person and definitely wouldn’t stand out too much on the show.

So, this ugliest painting was likely Ge Jiang’s work.

Thinking this, her finger pointed at the painting: “I choose this one.”

Live stream comments:

【Deja vu?】

【I suspect Gu Nanxuan has cast a spell on them—one or two is understandable, but how is there a third person choosing her?!】

Unaware of the comments, Zhu Ningyue walked out of the room with full confidence.

Gu Nanxuan was the last to enter. She made her choice quickly, almost without hesitation, selecting Qiu Qing’an, who had painted the same as her.

【Oh no, does this mean Gu Nanxuan and Actress Qiu have chosen each other now?】

【What’s the next part of today’s task? Hurry up!】

The live stream audience was as anxious as ants on a hot griddle, urging the host to quickly reveal the next segment.

The host glanced away from the comments, stood up, and with a smile, addressed the guests: “Congratulations to our No. 1 and No. 6 for successfully pairing up. The four who didn’t pair successfully will need to re-enter the room and choose again.”

With Gu Nanxuan and Qiu Qing’an successfully paired, the six paintings in the room were reduced to four.

Si Kongyuan and Ge Jiang still stuck to their original choices.

Yu Qianxue and Zhu Ningyue, seeing that their previous choices were no longer there, reacted with disappointment and frustration, respectively.

After some deliberation, Yu Qianxue chose Si Kongyuan.

Zhu Ningyue was much more cautious this time. After careful observation, she selected Ge Jiang.

The host announced the final results: Si Kongyuan and Yu Qianxue, Ge Jiang and Zhu Ningyue—successfully paired.

The moment Zhu Ningyue heard the result, she instantly breathed a sigh of relief.

Curious, she asked Ge Jiang, “Which one did you choose the first time?”

Ge Jiang replied earnestly, “I chose the same one both times.”

Zhu Ningyue: “…” So she could have paired with Ge Jiang in the first round!

The host said, “Now that all guests have successfully paired up, I’ll proceed to announce the next segment—”

She deliberately paused, building anticipation among the guests and the live stream audience.

“The production team has only prepared three rooms in the villa, which means the three successfully paired groups will need to share one room each.”