I Turned a Competitive Variety Show into a Dating Show - Chapter 5

Jian Zhi’s expression had already returned to normal. She glanced at the soup bowl in Shi Xu’s hand and said coolly, “No need. I don’t eat at night.”

Her attitude was cold and distant, clearly maintaining her distance from Shi Xu. If anyone else had treated Shi Xu this way, she would have inwardly grumbled about their rudeness. But when Jian Zhi acted like this, Shi Xu didn’t find it problematic at all.

They had only just met, and Jian Zhi was clearly in a bad mood. What did it matter if her attitude was a little off?

Shi Xu talked herself into feeling better and stubbornly walked up to Jian Zhi, placing the soup bowl on the table and opening it. She fanned away the rising steam with her hand.

“Really not going to eat any? It’s especially fragrant pigeon soup.”

Jian Zhi wordlessly shifted her gaze away, her voice even colder. “No.”

Shi Xu lowered her voice. “I specially snatched this from Xue Qing. Senior, please just take one bite for my sake~”

Shi Xu had mentally prepared herself for Jian Zhi to say something like, “Your sake is my shoe insole,” but Jian Zhi’s focus landed on something else entirely.

“We’ve only just met, and we’re not even from the same company. Let’s drop the ‘Senior’ thing.”

Shi Xu leaned forward slightly. “Then what should I call you? ‘Miss Jian’ is too formal, and calling you by your first name would be impolite. How about ‘Sister’?”

Jian Zhi’s expression froze slightly. “What?” she asked, her voice tinged with disbelief.

Shi Xu replied clearly and distinctly, “Sis~ter~”

Before Jian Zhi could react, Shi Xu had already pressed a soup spoon into her hand, pulled out a chair, and gently pushed her down into it.

“Hurry and drink, Sister. It won’t taste as good if it cools down.”

Jian Zhi stared at the spoon in her hand and the steaming soup, her heart a mix of conflicting emotions. She still disliked Shi Xu, finding her shameless and lacking boundaries. Yet, beyond her dislike, there seemed to be something else stirring within her.

After a moment’s hesitation, she scooped up a spoonful of soup. Shi Xu’s gaze followed her every movement, her eyes shining with anticipation, pupils bright as if stars had fallen into them.

Feeling self-conscious under that intense gaze, Jian Zhi paused the spoon at her lips. It’s just a sip of soup, she thought. What am I even waiting for?

Seeing her hesitation, Shi Xu grew anxious.

“Just try a bite! If you don’t like it, I’ll order something else for you.”

Jian Zhi lowered her gaze, her tone still icy. “If I want something, I’ll buy it myself. Don’t bother with these pointless gestures.”

Shi Xu looked up and met Jian Zhi’s dark eyes. The gaze was like an autumn wind, instantly chilling her to the bone. Yet the close proximity also made her heart race wildly, her emotions surging like a roller coaster ride.

In this position, if she leaned forward just a little, she could touch Jian Zhi’s lips. The thought made her gaze involuntarily fixate on those crimson lips. To avoid seeming like a pervert, she abruptly stood up and fanned herself to cool down.

“How is this a pointless gesture? I’m just trying to maintain our roommate bond,” she said.

Actually, I just wanted to cheer you up and stop you from crying. Seeing you so upset makes my heart ache too, she thought, silently completing the sentence.

Roommate bond? Jian Zhi mused. That’s such a strange way to put it. Maybe I’m just too old to understand how young people think these days.

The soup in her spoon had cooled. She poured it back into the bowl, stirred it, and scooped up another spoonful. The warm liquid slid down her esophagus, soothing her stomach, which had been aching faintly.

During dinner, she had refused everything and vomited several times. Now, whether from extreme hunger or something else, she found the soup surprisingly delicious.

Jian Zhi drank several mouthfuls before stopping. Shi Xu, having calmed her racing heart, walked back to her side and, noticing the remaining meat, said, “Eat some of the meat too.”

Jian Zhi set down her spoon. “I can’t eat any more,” she said.

Her voice was softer than before, with a warmth that reminded Shi Xu of a gentle spring breeze.

Jian Zhi stood up to take the soup bowl away, but Shi Xu took it from her. “There’s still meat left. Don’t waste it.”

She picked up a piece and popped it into her mouth, savoring it with relish. Jian Zhi’s expression stiffened, and she opened her mouth to speak but said nothing.

Shi Xu took the bowl out. When Jian Zhi was alone in the room again, the earlier coldness had vanished. She couldn’t help but feel a strange emotion when she remembered Shi Xu eating her leftovers without hesitation.

Before she could dwell on it, Shi Xu returned with two drinks, a mischievous grin on her face.

“I swiped these from Xue Qing. I’ll buy her more tomorrow,” she said, sticking straws into the cups without a hint of apology.

“I won’t drink it,” Jian Zhi protested. “I won’t be able to sleep tonight.”

Before she could finish, Shi Xu had already placed the straw between her lips. Shi Xu blinked her narrow, glass-like eyes, their amber depths reflecting Jian Zhi’s face as if imprinting her image within.

Jian Zhi’s breath hitched for no reason, and she forgot to scold Shi Xu for her impolite behavior. Shi Xu picked up her own cup with her other hand and took a large gulp.

“Mmm! Delicious!”

Jian Zhi followed suit, taking a small sip. The grape-flavored fruit tea, with its tangy notes, wasn’t too sweet—just to her liking.

Shi Xu grinned, her phoenix eyes narrowing into crescents. “Not bad, right?”

Jian Zhi didn’t reply. She took the cup from Shi Xu’s hand, walked to the sofa farthest from her, and sat down. Shi Xu, of course, wouldn’t let her dwell on her thoughts. She skipped over and plopped down beside her, slurping loudly on her milk tea.

Jian Zhi glanced at her. Shi Xu smiled back, her eyes crinkling at the corners, leaving Jian Zhi with no reason to ask her to leave.

Jian Zhi sighed silently, thinking, What’s the point of arguing with a child?

Lying in bed later, she realized it had been a long time since she’d spent the day feeling so relaxed. Can I really allow myself this?

Her gaze drifted to Shi Xu, who was staring at her with bright eyes. When Jian Zhi looked back, Shi Xu’s eyes lit up even more.

“Sister, can’t you sleep either?”

Jian Zhi: … Fruit tea is still tea.

Shi Xu sat up in a flash, hugging the blanket around herself as she crossed her legs and faced Jian Zhi.

“Since you can’t sleep, why don’t you tell me some funny stories from when you were filming?”

Like who bullied you, who stole your scenes, or… that awful woman who stole your first on-screen kiss!

She’s not as pretty as me, her figure isn’t as good, and she even forced you into a fake relationship for publicity. You must hate her!

Shi Xu pressed her lips together firmly, silently pleading: You have to hate her!

Jian Zhi stared at her for a few seconds before slowly turning away. “Go to sleep. We have rehearsals tomorrow.”

Shi Xu collapsed like a deflated balloon, staring into the darkness for a while before finally drifting off. The person who truly couldn’t sleep listened to her mumbled ramblings, her mind swirling with complex thoughts, as if lost in a dense fog.

The next morning, both women emerged with varying degrees of dark circles under their eyes. Xue Qing scrutinized them intently, convinced something was amiss and that she was the only one who had noticed.

Sigh, I’ll just have to keep this a secret. After all, I’m an honest person.

After rehearsals, they were summoned by the Stage Director, who explained that the current presentation wasn’t satisfactory. The lighting and set design needed to be completely reworked. Though time was tight, the director was a professional, so they couldn’t argue.

As they were pulled into the makeup room to have their hair extensions removed and dye applied, Shi Xu finally understood why they had been called in for this special announcement. The redesign included them too.

The makeup artist grabbed her face and worked her magic, then stepped back to admire her “masterpiece” with satisfaction.

“If you’re pretty, anything you put on will look good.”

Shi Xu glanced in the mirror. The reflection showed a person with smoky eye makeup, a mullet, black lipstick, and piercings in their nose, eyebrows, and ear cartilage—none were missing.

She asked, “Is this… alternative?”

The makeup artist clicked her tongue. “Alternative? That one word just set my aesthetic sense back twenty years. This is yandere, understand?”

Shi Xu: “No.”

The makeup artist paused. “…” She handed Shi Xu the stage outfit. “Try this on and see. This look needs to be seen as a whole.”

Inside the dressing room, Shi Xu discovered the outfit consisted of a sleeveless, tight-fitting crop top, baggy ripped jeans, a black leather thigh belt that peeked out just right, and a chain of metal accessories around the waist.

Shi Xu: “……” Isn’t this just alternative?

After changing, she stepped out to find the dressing room empty. She stood before the mirror, feeling utterly out of character.

But since it was a stage requirement, there was nothing she could do.

She tugged at the thigh belt, pushed open the door, and collided head-on with Jian Zhi, who was talking to someone. Jian Zhi, being shorter and thinner, stumbled backward from the impact. Shi Xu quickly reached out to steady her, but her grip was a little too strong, pulling Jian Zhi directly into her arms.

Jian Zhi’s face pressed against Shi Xu’s chest, her breath catching in her throat. Shi Xu could feel her panic and stiffness, the faint warmth of her breath against her chest. Her heart inevitably began to race.