Heartbeat - Chapter 6

“Director, do you think Miss Shen has already blocked me?” Feng Xiangpeng was on the verge of tears. They had successfully invited all the other guests, but Shen Xun was proving to be an insurmountable obstacle.

“Forget it, forget it. I’ll try calling her again with my personal phone,” Cheng Fei said, dialing Shen Xun’s number on his own device.

Shen Xun had just finished contacting Zhang Qiao, arranging to meet her at the cafeteria entrance later. It was exam week, and no one wanted to bother going out for meals.

She had just confirmed the plans with Zhang Qiao on Green Bubble when an unknown number called. Shen Xun frowned slightly and immediately hung up.

As she locked her dorm room and stepped outside, her phone rang again. She simply muted it and ignored the calls.

By the time she reached the cafeteria entrance, she had over a dozen missed calls.

Zhang Qiao noticed her checking her phone and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Someone’s been calling me dozens of times this afternoon, claiming they want to invite me onto some dating reality show. I rejected them, but they’ve called over a dozen more times,” Shen Xun said, frowning.

“A dating reality show? That sounds great! You could meet some eligible Alphas and get paid too. Why wouldn’t you go?” Zhang Qiao exclaimed excitedly.

Shen Xun shook her head. “No interest. Dating is just a waste of time. I could be interning at the family company and making money instead.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, you’re such a hypocrite! When your sister came to visit, you didn’t think spending time with her was a waste, did you?” Zhang Qiao teased, sensing something was off.

Shen Xun remained unfazed. “She’s different, of course. How could those strangers compare to her?”

“Come on, Miss Shen, the Campus Belle, even you have two faces. Hey, your phone’s ringing again. Why don’t you answer it this time? Reject them clearly so they’ll stop bothering you,” Zhang Qiao suggested.

Shen Xun considered it. She realized Zhang Qiao had a point. If she kept ignoring the calls, they’d just keep calling. A clear rejection might be better.

She nodded to Zhang Qiao, and as they walked toward the cafeteria, Shen Xun answered the phone. “Hello?”

“Hello, Miss Shen. I’m Cheng Fei, the director of Heartbeat Emergency. The staff member who contacted you earlier might not have explained things clearly. I’d like to give you a more detailed explanation, and then you can decide whether to accept our invitation. Would that be alright?” Cheng Fei’s tone was exceptionally sincere, his posture humble as he tried to persuade Shen Xun.

“Alright, go ahead,” Shen Xun said, her voice tinged with resignation.

Beside her, Zhang Qiao gave her a knowing look. “Find a seat. I’ll go get us some food.”

“Okay,” Shen Xun nodded.

Hearing Shen Xun agree to listen, Cheng Fei immediately continued, “Our show has no script. It’s a completely unscripted reality show. Even if you don’t find a match, it’s not a big deal. Also, Miss Su Jianyue has already signed with us…”

Shen Xun stopped listening after that. Her mind latched onto the news that Su Jianyue had signed on. “What? She accepted your invitation?”

“Yes, Miss Shen. Miss Su has already signed the contract, and I’ve even transferred her appearance fee. You can confirm with her directly and then give us your answer,” Cheng Fei said, his earlier urgency replaced with a newfound confidence.

“Alright, I’ll hang up now.” After ending the call, Shen Xun’s expression turned terrifyingly cold.

Zhang Qiao had already gotten Shen Xun’s meal. Noticing her friend’s grim face, she asked, “What’s wrong now? You look awful.”

“They said Xiao Yueliang has already signed a contract with them.”

“Su Jianyue signed with them? That’s perfect! You two can go together,” Zhang Qiao replied, seeing nothing wrong with it.

Shen Xun frowned. “How could she go? Xiao Yueliang is only a freshman. What if someone with ulterior motives tricks her on the show?”

“Sigh, she’s a college freshman, not a middle schooler. How could she be tricked? You’re just letting your concern get the better of you,” Zhang Qiao said, exasperated.

“No, I have to ask her.” With that, Shen Xun called Su Jianyue.

Su Jianyue was in her dorm when her sister called. Her eyes lit up. “Sister? Are your exams over?”

“Not yet.” Hearing Xiao Taiyang’s voice calmed Shen Xun’s frayed nerves a little.

“Hehe, mine aren’t either. Sister, I miss you~” Su Jianyue instinctively began to act cute.

Shen Xun’s expression softened, and a smile finally graced her face. She could almost picture Su Jianyue wagging her tail like a puppy, showering her with affection, and instantly, all her anger melted away.

“I heard you’re going on a dating reality show?” Shen Xun asked.

Su Jianyue immediately replied, “Mhm! Just for two weeks. I’ll get 6.5 million yuan for spending money—pretty good deal, right?”

Shen Xun’s eyes darkened. “So you won’t come visit me this summer?”

“Of course I will! I’ll do the show for two weeks, then come to Lin Hai City to see you, Sister. I’ve already planned it all out—we’ll go play in the ocean!” Su Jianyue daydreamed about the carefree days after her exams.

Shen Xun sighed helplessly. “Do you even know what a dating reality show is? How could you sign a contract without understanding?”

“I know! It’s about dating, but the director said I don’t even have to hold hands. I’m just going to make friends and have fun. Hehe. Plus, the company’s Legal Department reviewed the contract, so there won’t be any problems,” Su Jianyue assured her confidently.

“Do you realize how treacherous people can be? What if someone tries to take advantage of you?” Shen Xun remained worried.

“Sister, they said you’re going too! Why don’t we go together and have fun?” Su Jianyue paused, then added, “Sister, if you don’t want to go, that’s okay too. I’ll just stay for half a month and come back.”

Shen Xun nearly ground her teeth to dust. “I’m worried someone might kidnap you in half a month. Never mind, I have things to do here. I’ll hang up now.”

“Okay, Sister! I’ll call you again tonight,” Su Jianyue cooed.

Just then, her roommate Liu Yujia returned. Even though she was used to Su Jianyue’s calls to her sister, she still found it a bit much. “Ugh, are you really an Alpha?”

“Yep! What’s wrong? Never seen anyone so kawaii before?” Su Jianyue said proudly.

Liu Yujia chuckled. “You’re actually proud of that? Only you would be.”

“Of course!” Su Jianyue rolled happily on the bed before pulling Liu Yujia downstairs for dinner.

Meanwhile, Shen Xun was about to call the production team when Zhang Qiao stopped her. “Sis, let’s eat first. Don’t worry, your little moon is perfectly safe right now. No one can kidnap her. You can call the production team after we eat.”

Shen Xun took a deep breath. “Fine.”

Though she said that, Shen Xun ate extremely quickly. Before long, she put down her chopsticks and called the production team.

Cheng Fei’s face lit up when he saw Shen Xun’s call. “Miss Shen, how’s it going? Have you made up your mind?” he asked eagerly.

Shen Xun frowned. “Yes, wasting a few days won’t matter. I’m just worried your show might corrupt my sister.”

“Then why not come and keep an eye on her yourself? I’ll send you the contract right away.”

After a moment’s thought, Shen Xun replied, “I’ll have someone from my company add you. The Legal Department will handle the specific appearance fees directly with you.”

“Alright, alright,” Cheng Fei agreed, though he had hoped to save over a million yuan. It seemed they wouldn’t be able to get any financial advantage from this deal, since Miss Shen’s family owned a company.

Over the next few days, both Su Jianyue and Shen Xun entered their exam periods. They spent their days taking tests and their nights studying. Su Jianyue, however, maintained her habit of calling Shen Xun every night before bed, rambling about her day’s events.

“Sister, I think I did pretty well on the exams this time, but it’s so boring! All these tests… Oh, but today I saw the cutest little orange cat at school! Guess what happened next?” Su Jianyue recounted with vivid enthusiasm.

Shen Xun still had her review textbooks spread out before her, but she listened patiently to Su Jianyue’s rambling, a smile playing on her lips. “What is it?”

“That little orange cat actually latched onto me! Hehe, it kept rubbing against my legs and meowing at me. So I went to the convenience store and bought a small bag of cat food, then went back to feed it. The little thing was so well-behaved—it even rolled over to let me pet its belly!” Su Jianyue’s eyes curved into crescent moons as she recalled the cat that had tried to scam her earlier that day.

Shen Xun could practically hear her smugness over the phone. “Really? You’re so adorable, it’s no wonder animals love you.”

“That’s right, hmph! Oh, by the way, Sister, did you sign the contract for that show?” Su Jianyue asked.

“Mm-hmm. I didn’t want you going alone, so I decided to join you.” Shen Xun replied.

“Yay! That means I get to spend the whole summer with you! Hooray!” Su Jianyue rolled around excitedly on her bed.

Across the room, her roommate Liu Yujia rolled her eyes. These lovey-dovey couples just love to show off, always calling each other “Sister” and “Little Sister.” I can’t believe it—which sisters spend hours on the phone every day?

Whenever Liu Yujia met her own sister, they’d start arguing within minutes.

Hearing Su Jianyue’s cheerful tone on the phone, Shen Xun’s smile deepened. “Mm, you’ll get to see me every day during the break. Are you happy?”

“Mm-hmm! Super happy!”

The two continued their affectionate call for another half-hour before finally hanging up.

Zhang Qiao, playing a game on her bed, teased, “Hey, Academic Ace Shen, why aren’t you saying this is a waste of time now? It’s usually impossible to get you to go out for a walk, but suddenly you have all the time in the world to chat with your ‘sister’?”

A faint smile played on Shen Xun’s lips. “She’s different.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, ‘she’s different’~ Ugh, you lovey-dovey couples are so nauseating,” Zhang Qiao muttered under her breath. “Sister? Please, you’re only fooling ghosts. Anyone with eyes and ears can tell you two aren’t just sisters.”

Accustomed to her roommate’s teasing, Shen Xun didn’t bother arguing. She needed her daily call with Su Jianyue to focus on her studies.

Meanwhile, on the other end of the line, Su Jianyue’s roommate, Liu Yujia, was also complaining. “Sis, you’re seriously the most clingy Alpha I’ve ever met.”

“Of course!” Su Jianyue declared proudly. “Clingy Alphas have the best lives. My family and my sister spoil me rotten, hmph!”

Su Jianyue wasn’t particularly obsessed with grades, as long as she didn’t fail. So instead of studying in the dorm, she joined Liu Yujia in playing games.