Heartbeat - Chapter 11

Before long, the production crew arrived at the airport. The live stream would be interrupted once they boarded the plane. The ten guests needed to gather in Beijing, where the production team had prepared a villa specifically for their accommodation.

When Su Jianyue arrived at the courtyard, three other guests had already arrived.

The man at the head stood up to greet her. “Hello, I’m Zhao Qifei, a teacher from Beijing.”

“Hello, I’m Su Jianyue, a first-year university student,” Su Jianyue replied.

“I’m Liang Wenjing, a doctor,” said the female omega sitting nearby, also approaching to greet Su Jianyue.

“Oh, hello!” Su Jianyue smiled sweetly at Liang Wenjing.

“Hi, I’m Ren Peng, a game streamer,” said the male omega.

Zhao Qifei gestured for her to sit. “Let’s wait until everyone arrives before choosing rooms.”

“Okay,” Su Jianyue agreed without hesitation. She set her luggage aside and found a seat.

“Speaking of which, you’re probably one of the most popular guests on this show,” Liang Wenjing said to Su Jianyue with a smile. “I used to watch Rural Cuties when I was little.”

“Really? I never imagined people would still remember me after all this time,” Su Jianyue replied with a wide grin.

“Of course! You were a top star when you were a kid,” Ren Peng teased from the side, chuckling.

“That’s true. I was a bit famous back then, heh heh,” Su Jianyue admitted without false modesty. After all, she had been the nation’s beloved “cutie pie” as a child, and her popularity was undeniable.

Zhao Qifei glanced at Su Jianyue, dismissing her as a mere child who posed no threat. This was a dating reality show, and omegas would undoubtedly prefer mature, stable alphas. He completely overlooked her.

The group chatted and ate fruit for about twenty minutes before three more guests arrived.

The female alpha, dressed in a hip-hop style with cool sunglasses, was Jiang Ying, a musician.

Beside her stood Mao Ning, a male omega with a buzz cut who looked to be around 185 centimeters tall. He was a flight attendant.

The other male Alpha, wearing a headband and athletic gear while holding a basketball, was Chen Zhibin, a university student from Hai City.

After exchanging greetings, an awkward silence descended upon the group. Without a host to steer the conversation, the guests had to break the ice themselves.

“Are we going to be stuck in the courtyard the whole time?” Chen Zhibin asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

“Yes, the production team probably won’t let us settle in so easily,” Mao Ning replied with a smile.

Su Jianyue glanced at her phone. It was almost noon—why hadn’t her sister arrived yet? She grabbed some fruit from the nearby table and began eating while waiting for her sister. Most of the other guests had quieted down, each pretending to be busy with something.

Meanwhile, the live stream chat was buzzing with activity, comments scrolling across the screen in rapid succession.

LOL, they’re all so busy, but what are they even doing?

Chatting with strangers is so awkward! I’m cringing so hard my toes are curling.

This is hilarious! Look, Xiao Yueliang’s already zoning out!

Chen Zhibin’s rubbing that basketball so hard he’s practically sparking it! You can tell he’s super uncomfortable too.

HAHAHAHA, their awkwardness is pure gold! I’m loving this!

After another wait, the final three guests finally arrived.

Su Jianyue was nearly asleep, but her eyes lit up instantly when she saw Shen Xun.

It wasn’t just her; the other Alphas in the room straightened up as well.

Shen Xun spotted Su Jianyue immediately. Seeing the little dog nearly dozing off, the corners of her lips curved into an involuntary smile.

The lead female Omega introduced herself first. “I’m Yu Lin, a lawyer. Are these seats free to take?”

Zhao Qifei nodded, smiling. “Yes, please sit wherever you like.”

Yu Lin’s gaze swept across the Alphas before settling on the seat next to Su Jianyue.

She smiled at Su Jianyue. “Hello.”

Su Jianyue had been so focused on watching her sister that she hadn’t noticed someone had taken the seat beside her. This seat was meant for her sister, and now she felt too awkward to ask the seated guest to move.

“Hello,” Su Jianyue replied politely.

“I saw you on that variety show. You were so adorable as a child,” Yu Lin remarked. She exuded a mature aura, dressed in a sleek black suit that made her look both beautiful and effortlessly cool.

“Really? Everyone says I was adorable as a child,” Su Jianyue replied to Yu Lin with a bright, sunny smile.

As soon as she finished greeting Yu Lin, Su Jianyue felt a sudden chill, as if someone was staring at her.

She turned her head and saw Shen Xun staring at her with an icy gaze. Su Jianyue involuntarily shivered.

Wait, what’s wrong? Sister was fine just a moment ago. Why is she looking at me like that now? I didn’t do anything! Is Sister Xunxun mad at me for not saving her a seat? But it’s not my fault! Yu Lin sat down so quickly, I didn’t have time to stop her.

Su Jianyue spread her hands in a gesture of innocence, trying to convey that she had been a good girl and done nothing wrong.

The viewers in the live stream went wild as the two women appeared in the same frame.

Huh? Do they seem really close to each other?

Was Shen Xun trying to sit next to Su Jianyue? LOL, Yu Lin beat her to it.

Exactly! When Su Jianyue was talking to Yu Lin, the smile completely vanished from Shen Xun’s face.

Aaaah! Xiao Yueliang! She’s jealous! Look at her!

This is so intense! A love triangle right from the start?

Shen Xun finally shifted her gaze, glancing at the group before saying calmly, “Hello everyone. I’m Shen Xun, and I’ll be a senior soon.”

“I know you! You were on that reality show Rural Cuties with Su Jianyue,” Chen Zhibin exclaimed excitedly.

“That’s right,” Shen Xun replied coolly.

“Then come sit down and rest for a bit,” Zhao Qifei chimed in, gesturing to the empty seat beside him.

Shen Xun scanned the already seated guests. Only two spots remained: the one between Zhao Qifei and Chen Zhibin, and the one between Ren Peng and Yu Lin. Yu Lin was seated to Su Jianyue’s right.

Shen Xun chose the seat between Yu Lin and Ren Peng, leaving Zhao Qifei and Chen Zhibin visibly disappointed.

The final male Alpha, Zheng Tianming, took the remaining spot between Chen Zhibin and Zhao Qifei, completing the ten-member cast of Heartbeat Emergency.

There were three male Alphas: Zhao Qifei, Zheng Tianming, and Chen Zhibin; and two female Alphas: Su Jianyue and Jiang Ying.

There were three female Omegas: Shen Xun, Liang Wenjing, and Yu Lin; and two male Omegas: Mao Ning and Ren Peng.

The show’s host, Yang Rui, finally arrived. “Hello everyone! With all the guests for this season of Heartbeat Emergency now assembled, we need you to hand over your electronic devices—phones, tablets, laptops, etc. The production team will issue you temporary phones shortly, and we’ll keep your personal devices safe for the next two weeks.”

“Ah? They’re taking this pretty seriously,” Chen Zhibin grumbled as he handed over his two phones and tablet. The others followed suit, surrendering their electronic devices.

Once everyone had submitted their belongings, Yang Rui continued, “I trust you’ve all had a chance to break the ice. Now, we’ll play a small game together. This game will also determine your room assignments.”

Yang Rui smiled and continued, “Here’s how it works. Our villa has three floors. The first floor has two adjacent rooms, while the second and third floors each have four rooms: two adjacent rooms on the left, two adjacent rooms on the right, and a connecting corridor in the middle. Therefore, we’ll play a small game to choose rooms.”

“How do we choose?” Chen Zhibin asked.

“There are paper and pens on the table. Guests can write down their preferred neighbor. Guests who mutually choose each other will get priority in selecting rooms. If there are no mutual choices, the remaining guests can negotiate to choose their rooms. Remember, guests in adjacent rooms must be one Alpha and one omega.”

After explaining the rules, Yang Rui added, “You can start writing now. Once everyone is finished, we’ll reveal the choices together.”

Su Jianyue picked up a pen and, without hesitation, wrote down Shen Xun’s name. She wanted to stay next to her sister.

The other guests also pondered briefly before writing their choices.

Like Su Jianyue, Shen Xun had written her name almost immediately. She had hesitated for only a moment earlier, and someone else had already taken the seat next to Su Jianyue. This time, she wouldn’t let anyone beat her to it.

A minute later, most of the guests had written their names on the slips of paper. Seeing that everyone was nearly finished, Yang Rui announced, “Alright, everyone, please reveal your choices now.”

As soon as the host finished speaking, the guests began to show their slips of paper.

Although this segment appeared to be about choosing rooms, it was actually a way for the guests to select the person who had made the strongest first impression on them.

Not only were the guests on set nervous, but the viewers in the live stream were also on edge.

Since our Xunxun baby doesn’t like men, she definitely won’t choose a male Alpha.

I bet Shen Xun will only choose Su Jianyue. It’s a 100% certainty!

I bet Su Jianyue will choose Shen Xun too. Mutual pining? I’m dying from the cuteness!

Not necessarily. They haven’t seen each other in over a decade. They’re practically strangers now. Maybe both Shen Xun and Su Jianyue will choose someone else.

I think that lawyer sister is pretty cool too. She seems to have a bit of a crush on Xiao Yueliang—she sat right next to her as soon as she arrived.

Yeah, and Zhao Qifei and Chen Zhibin were totally starstruck when Shen Xun showed up. Their eyes were practically glued to her.

LOL, too bad our Xunxun only likes girls~ She’s got her preferences locked down tight.

The camera panned across the slips of paper in the guests’ hands, and they glanced at each other to see who everyone had written down.

Following the seating order, the camera first focused on Jiang Ying, whose slip read “Liang Wenjing.” Next to her, Chen Zhibin’s slip read “Shen Xun.” To Chen Zhibin’s right sat Zheng Tianming, whose slip read “Yu Lin.” Then came Zhao Qifei, whose slip also read “Shen Xun.” Finally, the camera landed on Su Jianyue, seated in the middle, whose slip still bore the name “Shen Xun.”

Shen Xun naturally noticed that the little puppy had written her name on the slip, and a satisfied smile curved her lips.