Heartbeat - Chapter 15

Su Jianyue glanced around at the remaining five people, all of whom were women. She chuckled, “This is actually quite easy to remember—men one day, women the next. Perfect.”

“Let’s head back to rest for now,” Shen Xun said, looking at the group. “We can start working again tomorrow.”

“Alright,” Jiang Ying replied, and everyone gathered their belongings and returned to their rooms.

Zhao Qifei gritted his teeth, nearly breaking them. He had only wanted to show off, not be stuck in a fixed group. Both omegas in his group were men—not his type at all!

As he washed dishes, Zhao Qifei said to Chen Zhibin in a joking tone, “Don’t you think this grouping is a bit too simple? Shouldn’t we have played a game or something to decide? Isn’t this a bit hasty?”

“I agree,” Chen Zhibin replied. He also preferred female omegas and was dissatisfied with the arrangement. “Shen Xun didn’t even ask everyone’s opinion.”

“Not really,” Mao Ning said with a smile. “Zhao Qi and I volunteered to help. Isn’t it nice that the five of us are working together?”

“I’m not saying it’s bad,” Zhao Qifei said with a forced smile, the veins on the back of his hand bulging as he washed the dishes. Yet his expression remained amiable.

With five people working together, the cleanup went quickly. Zhao Qifei washed the pots and pans, Zheng Tianming wiped down the stove, Chen Zhibin cleared the dining table, and Mao Ning and Ren Peng swept and mopped the floor.

Meanwhile, viewers in the live stream chat were discussing the situation.

I get the feeling Zhao Qifei and Chen Zhibin don’t like being paired with the male omegas.

Maybe it’s just my imagination, but Zhao Qifei seems kind of scheming.

Same here. He even tries to drag others down with him. I bet he’ll cause trouble with the group assignments.

Can you guys stop with the conspiracy theories? Teacher Zhao is a great guy! He was super popular with the students at our high school.

How is it a conspiracy theory? Just watch and see for yourself.

On the other side of the house, Su Jianyue and Shen Xun had returned to their room on the left side of the second floor. “Sister, see you later. If I oversleep, come wake me up.”

Shen Xun smiled at her. “Okay.”

Su Jianyue entered her room. Since sleeping was considered a private activity, the production team allowed guests to cover the fixed cameras in their rooms while sleeping or showering.

After returning to her room, Su Jianyue found a black cloth bag. She stood beneath the camera, waved at it, and said, “See you all later! I’m going to sleep now~”

As she spoke, Su Jianyue blew a kiss at the camera.

The live stream chat exploded.

My baby kissed me! Waaah, I love Xiao Yueliang so much!

She’s so cute and well-behaved, not at all like a spoiled rich kid.

Exactly! Especially when she’s with Shen Xun, she listens to her so obediently.

She even calls her “Sister”! I’m dying from this ship!

Su Jianyue rummaged through her phone. Thankfully, even though it couldn’t connect to the internet, it still had an alarm function.

She set an alarm for 2:30 AM and lay down to rest.

Having woken up early that morning and spent the day traveling by car and plane, Su Jianyue was exhausted. She fell asleep almost immediately.

Most of the guests who had gone to rest had already closed their live streams. Of course, there were exceptions, like Zhao Qifei and Chen Zhibin, who were eager to showcase themselves.

By now, the first-floor dining room and kitchen had been mostly cleaned up, and Zheng Tianming and the others were thinking of heading back to bed.

“Let’s go get some rest too,” Zheng Tianming said to the group. “We’ll be too tired later if we don’t.”

Zhao Qifei glanced at the others. “Are we all going to sleep? What will the viewers watch then?”

Zheng Tianming paused for a moment before nodding. “If you’re not tired, you can stay and keep the viewers company. I’m exhausted though; I need to rest.”

Mao Ning nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I should go rest too.”

Zhao Qifei turned to Chen Zhibin, who had aligned himself with Zhao Qifei earlier. Seeing Zhao Qifei’s silent plea, Chen Zhibin couldn’t refuse. “Then you guys go ahead,” he said. “I’ll stay here with Qifei for a while.”

“Alright, you two stay here then,” Zheng Tianming said, before heading upstairs with the others.

In the downstairs living room, only Chen Zhibin and Zhao Qifei remained.

Zhao Qifei glanced at Chen Zhibin and initiated the conversation. “So, have you found anyone you’re particularly interested in?”

Chen Zhibin covered his face with his right hand before nodding. “I have someone I’m drawn to, but it’s still uncertain. We’ll probably have more one-on-one dates later, so I’ll see how things go then.”

“What about you?” Chen Zhibin asked in return.

“Same here,” Zhao Qifei replied. “It would be too hasty to make a decision now. We need more time to get to know each other. But all the omegas here are wonderful. I’m really glad I joined this show.” He added these flattering remarks to reinforce his image as a gentle and intellectual person.

“Absolutely,” Chen Zhibin agreed. “As a student, I’m also grateful for the show’s invitation. It’s given me a valuable opportunity to participate.” He then thanked the production team again.

The rest of their time together was filled with awkward small talk. They either repeated platitudes to maintain their public personas or awkwardly praised each other’s strengths.

“I’m also very grateful for the show’s invitation,” Zhao Qifei said, smiling a little self-consciously at the camera. “I’m usually so busy teaching at school that I really don’t have time for romance.”

Chen Zhibin picked up the thread. “High school teachers work so hard, especially homeroom teachers like you. You must have so much on your plate every day! But with such a handsome teacher, your students must love coming to your classes, right?”

Zhao Qifei secretly felt a surge of satisfaction. Chen Zhibin was playing his part perfectly, helping him solidify his public persona.

“It’s not too bad,” Zhao Qifei replied. “Homeroom teachers like me have to get up around 5 AM and be in the classroom by 6 AM to supervise morning study. It’s definitely tiring, but seeing the kids grow day by day makes it all worthwhile. I truly feel like it’s all worth it.”

“Wow, what a wonderful teacher!” Chen Zhibin exclaimed, offering enthusiastic praise.

Having received his share of flattery, Zhao Qifei naturally returned the compliment. “What about you? Being so handsome, you must have plenty of omegas chasing after you at school, right?”

Chen Zhibin, his face flushed, scratched the back of his neck, trying to project the image of a pure-hearted college student. “Well, I have been pursued, but I’ve politely turned everyone down. I just haven’t met anyone who feels right yet, and I don’t want to waste anyone’s time, so I’ve been declining.”

Zhao Qifei nodded in agreement. “That’s the right approach. I’m the same way—I don’t like to drag things out.”

In the live stream chat, rows of ellipses drifted across the screen.

…Seriously, guys, there’s nothing to talk about here. Can you two just go to sleep?

This is so awkward. Zhao Qifei keeps steering the conversation back to himself.

They’re just awkwardly hyping each other up to maintain their image. It feels so fake.

This is making my toes curl. I’ll check back at 3 AM.

You two seem equally fake. You’re a perfect match—why don’t you just get together?

Can you guys stop already? Am I the only one who thinks the male guests are being genuine and respectful?

I agree. Aren’t you being too harsh on them?