Heartbeat - Chapter 21

Meanwhile, in Zhao Qifei’s room, he sat on the sofa, staring intently at his phone. Forty minutes had passed, and he hadn’t received a single message.

Zhao Qifei even wondered if his phone was broken. He shook it, but the chat interface remained unresponsive.

Waiting was always the hardest part. Zhao Qifei felt he had performed well today, even cooking dinner himself. Surely he wouldn’t get zero votes, right?

The longer he waited, the more anxious he became. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Zhao Qifei got up to find Chen Zhibin. He planned to ask if Chen Zhibin had received his messages yet.

Zhao Qifei left his room and headed straight to the third floor. By this time, the filming crew had already retired for the night, but fixed cameras were still operating throughout Heartbeat House.

Reaching the right side of the third floor, Zhao Qifei knocked on Chen Jianbin’s door.

Chen Jianbin immediately understood Zhao Qifei’s purpose. He quickly asked, “Brother Zhao, have you received your messages yet?”

Zhao Qifei shook his head. “I came to talk about that. I didn’t get it. What about you?”

“I didn’t get it either. Could it be a problem with the phone’s software? Since they’ve restricted the phones to the local network, maybe we can’t receive messages?” Chen Jianbin also found it strange that he hadn’t received any messages. After all, he was quite popular at school, so it was unlikely no one would text him.

“Why don’t we ask Yu Lin? She lives next door to you,” Zhao Qifei suggested after a moment’s thought.

“Yeah, good idea,” Chen Jianbin nodded eagerly.

Zhao Qifei turned and walked to Yu Lin’s door. He knocked. “Yu Lin, are you asleep? I need to ask you something.”

Yu Lin had just covered her room’s camera and was about to go to bed when she heard the knock. Surprised, she still went to open the door.

“What’s up? Why are you two still awake so late?” Yu Lin asked. She wasn’t worried about any danger, since the corridor was covered in cameras.

“No, I just wanted to ask if your phone signal is acting up,” Chen Jianbin said anxiously. “We were supposed to send messages to the guests every night, but neither of our phones has received anything.”

He had joined the show to boost his popularity, and if he could snag a wealthy woman, even better. He wasn’t here to embarrass himself.

Yu Lin bit her lower lip hard to suppress a laugh. She took a deep breath before replying, “The signal’s fine. I received the message.”

“Ah?” Zhao Qifei’s face flushed crimson. Damn it, he’d embarrassed himself again.

Afraid of further humiliation, Zhao Qifei quickly tried to recover. “It’s only 11 PM. Maybe some people haven’t sent theirs yet. I’ll head back now. Good night.”

“Mm-hmm, good night. Get some rest.” As soon as Yu Lin closed the door, she burst into laughter. Seriously, do these Puxin A types really think someone would be interested in them?

The entire scene had been witnessed by numerous online viewers, and Zhao Qifei’s live stream chat was now flooded with comments.

LOL, Zhao Qifei! If only I had half your confidence!

Could it be that the problem isn’t the signal, but simply that no one is messaging you?

Zhao Qifei is so narcissistic. Does he really think making dinner will make someone choose him?

If they were judging who cooks the best, Xiao Yueliang might actually vote for you.

Meanwhile, in Su Jianyue’s room, she had just come out of the bathroom. Planning to bid her viewers goodnight and go to bed, she picked up her phone and noticed two new messages:

Anonymous: You’re so cute! I hope you have fun tomorrow.

Anonymous: I hope we can get to know each other better in the future. Please take care of me from now on!

Su Jianyue sat there staring at her phone, scratching the back of her neck. Wait, why are people still messaging me?

Though she didn’t know who they were, Su Jianyue didn’t dwell on it. She got up, walked over to the fixed camera, and flashed a sweet smile at the lens. “Goodnight, everyone! I’m going to bed early!”

That night, all the other guests except Su Jianyue were more or less anxious. Some were guessing who their date would be tomorrow, while others worried about messing up the various activities planned for the day.

Only Su Jianyue remained blissfully unaware, convinced her sister had taken her gift, and slept soundly and sweetly.

The next morning, the production team sent a message to the group chat instructing the Alphas to privately message Host Yang Rui their chosen first date locations. Yang Rui would then inform the Omegas of their respective locations based on yesterday’s gift selection.

After compiling the information, Yang Rui instructed the Alphas to head out first and wait at their designated date spots.

Su Jianyue was still a bit sleepy, but the thought of spending the whole day with her sister instantly energized her.

To ensure she could fully enjoy the day, Su Jianyue opted against wearing a dress. Instead, she chose a white short-sleeved top, black denim shorts, and white platform sneakers, creating a fresh and casual look.

She put on her blue baseball cap, grabbed her small crossbody bag, and skipped out the door, her heart brimming with excitement.

Viewers in the live stream erupted in laughter at her exuberant demeanor, flooding the chat with rows of “hahahaha.”

Hahahaha, I’m dying of laughter! Seeing Xiao Yueliang so happy just makes me want to laugh.

Is our little one a bit too optimistic? Has she even considered what her sister will do if she doesn’t get her gift?

LOL, she really hasn’t thought about it at all.

Hahahaha, so tragic, yet so adorable.

I just want to go in and ruffle Xiao Yueliang’s hair. A carefree Little Puppy A like her is impossible not to love.

At that moment, Su Jianyue had no idea everyone was laughing at her. She smiled at the camera, radiating cheerfulness, and said, “We’ll head to a nearby breakfast stall to wait for Sister. After breakfast, I’ll take her out to play!”

Such a good little puppy! I want to kidnap her and take her home.

Xiao Yueliang, don’t think we can’t see through you! You just want to go play, right? (Dog head emoji)

Hahahaha, everyone else is here for romance, and you’re just here to eat, drink, and have fun!

Our little one deserves to play more!

Su Jianyue claimed a table at the breakfast stall. The shop wasn’t large, with some tables and chairs set up outside as well.

Su Jianyue chose this place because local online reviews praised its breakfast. When visiting a new place, she always preferred the authentic, tastier food found in local hole-in-the-wall eateries.

Besides, she was meeting her sister, who wouldn’t mind if the place wasn’t fancy.

Meanwhile, Yang Rui sent the address to each omega individually before announcing it to the group at the villa.

Shen Xun glanced at the address on her phone—a well-known tea restaurant in Beijing. She lightly twirled the pen in her right hand before getting into the car with the cameraman.

Yu Lin, on the other hand, had meticulously dressed up. She woke up early that morning, wearing a white dress and carefully applied makeup, all to leave a different impression on Su Jianyue.

While Shen Xun was undeniably beautiful, Yu Lin wasn’t lacking in looks either. Moreover, her work experience gave her a different aura than Shen Xun’s. Yu Lin wanted Su Jianyue to see her unique qualities, setting her apart from the others.

With these thoughts, Yu Lin finally got into the car with the cameraman. However, the taxi didn’t take them to the breakfast shop she had imagined. Instead, it dropped them off at the entrance of an alleyway. The shop Su Jianyue had chosen required walking through this alley, which was too narrow for vehicles.

Yu Lin didn’t mind. She and the cameraman got out of the car and followed the phone’s navigation through the alley. In the distance, she spotted Su Jianyue waiting at the entrance of a breakfast shop.

Su Jianyue also noticed the cameraman approaching in the distance. Her gaze shifted to the side, and the radiant smile that had been on her face vanished instantly.

Huh? Why isn’t it Sister? Isn’t that Yu Lin, the lawyer? Su Jianyue was completely stunned.

At the same time, a barrage of “hahahaha” bullet comments flooded the screen, completely obscuring the video.

Xiao Yueliang is so cute, she’s totally frozen.

Our baby thought her date was with Shen Xun, hahahahaha.

Xiao Yueliang is so confused! I want to pinch her cheeks.

Aaaah, what a cute Little Puppy A! She’s adorable!

Su Jianyue, why aren’t you smiling? Are you just naturally not a smiley person? (Dog head emoji)

Su Jianyue scratched the back of her neck in a daze. As Yu Lin approached, she quickly plastered a smile on her face. “Sister Yu Lin, it’s you!”

Yu Lin chuckled, amused by Su Jianyue’s momentary confusion. “Yes, what’s wrong? Am I not the person you were hoping for?”

Su Jianyue gave Yu Lin an awkward laugh. “No, no, I just thought it was my sister.”

She glanced nervously at the breakfast stall she had chosen, then at Yu Lin’s elegant attire, and said apologetically, “The place I picked…”

Yu Lin sensed her discomfort and smiled, cutting her off. “It’s perfect. Street-side stalls like this are often the most authentic. If I’d known you were choosing this place, I wouldn’t have dressed up so much today.”

“Then… should we go somewhere else?” Su Jianyue asked, still feeling apologetic. She had assumed her sister was coming to join her. If it had been Sister Xunxun, she wouldn’t have felt any pressure at all.

After all, she and Shen Xun had known each other since childhood and were as close as could be. Her sister would have been understanding about her choice. But with Yu Lin, whom she barely knew, taking her to a street-side breakfast stall for their first meal together felt a bit embarrassing.

“It’s fine, this place is perfect. Let’s sit outside,” Yu Lin said.

Hearing this, Su Jianyue felt even more guilty. She quickly pulled out a tissue. “Wait, let me wipe the chairs first.”

With that, Su Jianyue meticulously wiped Yu Lin’s chair clean, then took out another tissue to wipe the table in front of Yu Lin.

As Su Jianyue did this, Yu Lin’s gaze remained fixed on her, a faint smile playing on her lips.

The moment the two met, the Live Stream’s bullet comments flooded the screen, making them nearly illegible.

Ahhh! I’m done for! I think these two might actually be a ship!

Yu Lin is so kind! She knows Su Jianyue wasn’t waiting for her, but she’s not angry at all. She’s even helping Su Jianyue out of this awkward situation.

Look at the way Yu Lin is staring at Su Jianyue! Oh my god, how is this pair so sweet too?!

Hmph, a well-behaved Little Puppy taking care of someone is just too adorable! Who could resist Xiao Yueliang?

Waaah! Our baby is so cute!