Heartbeat - Chapter 13

Meanwhile, inside the room, Su Jianyue remained completely unaware of the online chatter. She dutifully helped Shen Xun organize their clothes.

Downstairs, the remaining eight contestants continued to debate room assignments. With Su Jianyue gone, Jiang Ying was now the only female alpha among the alphas, making her highly sought after. Liang Wenjing and Yu Lin both wanted to be her neighbor, and even Ren Peng, the male omega, expressed interest in living next to her.

The host, Yang Rui, chuckled. “It seems our female alphas are quite popular! Three of you have chosen Jiang Ying. Jiang Ying, please select your roommate.”

Jiang Ying glanced at the three contestants before her, her gaze finally settling on Liang Wenjing. “Then… I’ll choose Liang Wenjing. To the other two, I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. Female alphas are just too rare,” Yu Lin sighed with a smile.

“Very well, you two may now enter and choose your rooms,” Yang Rui announced.

Jiang Ying and Liang Wenjing chose the ground-floor rooms to avoid having to carry their luggage upstairs.

The remaining three male Alphas looked visibly displeased, especially Zhao Qifei. As a high school teacher with decent looks, he was usually popular at school. He hadn’t expected to be overlooked on the first day of the dating reality show and felt deeply embarrassed.

Zheng Tianming, having seen Mao Ning choose him, decided to go with the flow. He quickly discussed with Mao Ning, and they agreed to be neighbors, selecting the two rooms on the left side of the third floor.

Of the remaining four, Yu Lin chose Chen Zhibin. After a brief discussion, they settled on the rooms on the right side of the third floor.

Ren Peng and Zhao Qifei, who had been left unchosen, automatically paired up. With no other options left, they were assigned the two pastel pink rooms on the right side of the second floor.

Half an hour later, the host’s voice echoed through the villa: “All guests, please gather in the living room on the first floor. All guests, please gather in the living room on the first floor…”

Hearing the announcement, Su Jianyue hurried back to her room, packed the remaining eight plush toys into a bag, and prepared to take them downstairs to give to the other guests.

When she emerged, she found Shen Xun already waiting outside her door.

Su Jianyue smiled at Shen Xun. “Sister, let’s go.”

Shen Xun’s gaze fell on the bag Su Jianyue was carrying. She chuckled helplessly. “Alright, let’s go.”

With that, Shen Xun casually took Su Jianyue’s wrist and led her downstairs.

When they reached the living room, Zhao Qifei and Ren Peng were already sitting on the sofa, waiting.

Zhao Qifei’s eyes lit up when he saw Shen Xun. He quickly stood up to greet them. “You two are quick! Did you pack everything?”

Su Jianyue nodded. “Yes, everything’s ready.”

She placed the plush toys from her bag on the coffee table. Smiling at Zhao Qifei and Ren Peng, she said, “These are gifts for everyone. First come, first served! Teacher Zhao, Teacher Ren, you two can pick first.”

Ren Peng smiled at Su Jianyue. “Just call me Ren Peng. No need for the ‘Teacher’ stuff—it feels weird.”

“Alright,” Su Jianyue replied with a smile.

“Your capybaras are pretty cute. I’ll take one then,” Ren Peng said, picking up a capybara from the coffee table to play with.

“Take as many as you like,” Su Jianyue said, sitting down next to Shen Xun with a smile.

Zhao Qifei glanced at the table full of plushies, thinking to himself that Su Jianyue was still such a child, gifting everyone these childish toys. Omegas probably wouldn’t be interested in such a immature Alpha, he mused, but he kept his thoughts to himself, praising the toys’ cuteness as he chose a small bear to hold.

Soon, more guests began to trickle down from the upper floors.

Yu Lin had already spotted the table full of plushies. “Whose are these? Did the production team provide them?”

“No, they’re gifts from me,” Su Jianyue explained with a smile. “First come, first served—one per person.”

Yu Lin smiled back. “Then I won’t be polite. This little brown bear is quite cute. I’ll take it.”

With that, Yu Lin sat down next to Su Jianyue, hugging the bear.

Shen Xun’s gaze lingered on Yu Lin for a moment before shifting away. During the seat selection earlier, Yu Lin had snagged the spot next to Su Jianyue just ahead of her. And when choosing roommates, Yu Lin had also picked Su Jianyue.

Shen Xun’s fingertips gently rubbed together. This person really seems to have feelings for Xiao Yueliang. I need to be careful.

“Aww, what an adorable little bear! Who brought these?” Jiang Ying and Liang Wenjing descended from upstairs.

“They’re gifts I prepared for everyone,” Su Jianyue said with a smile. “First come, first served!”

“Then I’m grabbing that white rabbit!” Jiang Ying declared, snatching the plush toy from the table and hugging it to her chest. Not gonna lie, this little thing is pretty cute.

The others gradually settled down, each taking a plush toy to be polite.

Zhao Qifei noticed Shen Xun wasn’t holding one and seized the opportunity to strike up a conversation. “Shen Xun, where’s your plushie?”

Shen Xun’s gaze swept coldly over Zhao Qifei. “In my room. She gave it to me.”

The “she” she referred to was, of course, Su Jianyue. The others exchanged knowing glances.

In the live stream chat, viewers flooded the screen with comments.

Hiss, hiss, hiss… Who is this “she” she’s talking about? It’s so hard to guess.

Why does this feel so off? Yu Lin seems to have a crush on Xiao Yueliang too. When we first arrived, Yu Lin was sitting right next to her.

Is the love triangle drama starting already? This is great! I’m hooked! More, please!

Seriously though, where did Su Jianyue get those plushies? They’re so cute! I want one too!

Yang Rui had already arrived in the living room. He smiled at the group and said, “Everyone arrived rather hastily today. The kitchen is preparing lunch, but starting this afternoon, you’ll need to cook your own meals for the next two weeks. Please relax for a bit, then head to the dining room when you’re ready.”

Su Jianyue rubbed her stomach, feeling genuinely hungry. She turned to Shen Xun. “Sister, are you hungry?”

Shen Xun casually smoothed Su Jianyue’s hair. “I’m okay. Are you hungry? Eat plenty later. The production team probably has more activities planned for the afternoon, so we might not get another chance to eat for a while.”

“Okay!” Su Jianyue smiled sweetly at Shen Xun, looking very obedient.

Yu Lin cracked her knuckles, her gaze lingering thoughtfully on the two women.

Soon, the group moved to the dining area. Su Jianyue remained close to Shen Xun, with Yu Lin seated to her left, Shen Xun to her right, and Zhao Qifei to Shen Xun’s right.

As everyone settled around the long table, Zhao Qifei tried to strike up a conversation with Shen Xun, but her cold expression made him swallow his words. After all, they were live on camera, and everyone had to maintain their public image.

Before long, dishes began arriving at the table. It was nearly one o’clock, and everyone was hungry, so they started eating.

Shen Xun ate a few bites and felt full. She got up to pour herself a bowl of soup, then filled another bowl for Su Jianyue before sitting back down.

Su Jianyue was still focused on eating when Shen Xun handed her the soup. She beamed at Shen Xun, “Thank you, Sister.”

“You’re welcome. Eat slowly, don’t rush,” Shen Xun replied, her eyes curving into crescents as she watched her little puppy devour her food. Honestly, the way she eats is still just like when she was a kid—everything tastes delicious to her.

Zhao Qifei noticed the exchange. He’d briefly thought Shen Xun might pour him a bowl of soup when she stood up, but she only filled one for Su Jianyue. Good thing I didn’t thank her prematurely, that would have been awkward.