I Turned a Competitive Variety Show into a Dating Show - Chapter 50

After another sleepless night, the makeup artist saw Ou Xu’s even more haggard face and felt like the sky was about to fall.

She used to love painting on this face, feeling like a sculptor meticulously refining an already perfect masterpiece, making her beauty flawless and transforming her into a work of art.

Now, just concealing Ou Xu’s dark circles took as long as her entire makeup routine used to. Still, compared to other celebrities, Ou Xu’s makeup was relatively easy. Plus, the stage demands allowed for boundless creativity, letting the artist experiment with bizarre looks that Ou Xu’s natural beauty effortlessly carried off.

“You look like a fairy drained your life force,” the makeup artist remarked.

Ou Xu replied weakly, “You can tell? I’m a bit tired. Two sleepless nights in a row. My body feels like it’s in the Northern Hemisphere, while my brain is on another planet.”

“That serious? Should you rest later?” The makeup artist’s hands moved noticeably faster.

“Okay, I’ll take a nap after you’re done.” Ou Xu’s eyes were vacant, like those of a marionette.

The makeup artist secured Ou Xu’s hair, cautioning, “Absolutely don’t let your hair get flattened, and be careful not to smudge your makeup.”

“Got it,” Ou Xu replied. “I’ll sleep standing up.” She rose and left, her posture less upright than before.

The waiting area had a lounge, but Ou Xu couldn’t sleep. Her eyes felt sore and dry, so she leaned back on the sofa and closed her eyes to rest. After a while, there was a soft knock at the door, and light footsteps approached. She didn’t even bother opening her eyes.

Most people would quietly leave if they saw someone resting, but there were always exceptions—those with unconventional minds, like…

“Xiao Xu, are you asleep?”

It was Shu Yueyao’s voice.

Ou Xu slowly opened her eyes, her gaze cold and indifferent.

“You don’t look well. Are you feeling unwell?”

“Say what you need to say. If there’s nothing, get out and let me rest.”

Ou Xu’s voice was flat, almost devoid of emotion, but a careful listener could detect a hint of coldness.

Initially, Ou Xu had a decent impression of Shu Yueyao. After all, during their debut stage, no one wanted to get too close to a newcomer with so much negative press. Shu Yueyao was the first to show her genuine kindness.

At the time, Ou Xu believed Shu Yueyao was a kind person. She never imagined she was just trying to use her to create a romantic pairing for publicity.

If she had known Shu Yueyao’s true intentions from the start, she wouldn’t have resented her so much. Over the years, countless people had approached her with ulterior motives, and she had grown numb to it.

But Shu Yueyao shouldn’t have revealed her ambition so quickly after pretending to befriend her. This blatant manipulation was far more disgusting than outright exploitation.

As Shu Yueyao leaned closer, subtly pressing against her, Ou Xu immediately shifted away, refusing to let her touch her even slightly.

“Why so tense? I’m not going to bite you,” Shu Yueyao said, covering her mouth to stifle a laugh. Her eyes gleamed with a calculating shrewdness that seemed to betray her true nature.

How could I have missed such obvious signs before? Ou Xu wondered. I’m still so naive when it comes to judging people. The people I meet have impure motives, and even the person I like…

Ou Xu’s heart sank, her mood darkening further. She glared coldly at Shu Yueyao, about to speak when Shu Yueyao cut her off.

“After a breakup, it’s normal to have trouble sleeping. Get some rest; I won’t disturb you.”

Shu Yueyao tilted her chin, her voice crisp and clear, but the words sent a chill through Ou Xu’s heart.

Ou Xu’s gaze deepened, her voice icy as she snapped, “What nonsense are you spouting? Have you gone mad?”

“Isn’t it true?” Shu Yueyao stared directly at her, her expression unwavering. “Did I missee you and Jian Zhi last night? I couldn’t have imagined it, could I?”

The moment the words left Shu Yueyao’s lips, Ou Xu knew their conversation with Jian Zhi last night had been witnessed. She wasn’t afraid of Shu Yueyao’s threats, but she didn’t want Jian Zhi to face controversy because of her.

To the outside world, they were from different worlds: one a paragon of virtue, renowned for her impeccable reputation and formidable talent; the other mired in scandals, constantly trending on social media, and plagued by rumors. If news of their relationship broke, Jian Zhi would become a target for online trolls, something Ou Xu couldn’t tolerate.

They had never been together in the first place. Letting baseless rumors affect them would be a terrible loss.

Ou Xu was speechless, on the verge of tears. Those sweet, intimate days felt like yesterday, yet in the end, they didn’t even have an official title.

Even after their breakthrough, her relationship with Jian Zhi remained limited to being roommates who shared a bed. If they were any closer… friends?

Even the boundaries of friendship were blurred, and in her heart, that didn’t count.

After a long silence, Ou Xu’s voice turned cold and sharp. “I advise you to abandon any inappropriate thoughts. Otherwise, I can make you disappear from the entertainment industry immediately.”

“Look at you, your words are so harsh,” Shu Yueyao cooed, completely unfazed by the threat. “Of course I know Miss Ou’s power. Crushing a little shrimp like me would take nothing more than a finger. But I have my own principles. If you don’t meet my demands, we’ll both go down in flames.”

Ou Xu felt a headache coming on, inwardly cursing how she’d gotten entangled with this rat. Now she couldn’t shake her off, and it was utterly infuriating.

“What do you want?”

“Simple. Help me terminate my contract with the company, and I’ll let you ride my coattails.”

Ou Xu scoffed coldly.

Shu Yueyao raised a delicate eyebrow, her lips curling into a smile. “You’re overthinking things. You’re beautiful and come from a wealthy family, but I’ve never cared about romance. To me, love is just a seasoning in life. Success is the only thing I’ve ever pursued.”

Having clawed her way up from the bottom, she had finally achieved some success. But the past two years had been hellish, a living nightmare of exploitation. If fame was the goal, she would do anything to achieve it.

“That’s a small matter.”

“No, no, no. This isn’t a small matter to me. It’s a life-altering decision.”

As Ou Xu’s initial anger subsided, her emotions stabilized. She realized Shu Yueyao was a deeply contradictory person, but humans were inherently complex and couldn’t be judged through a single lens.

“You should have been honest from the start. I might have helped you directly.”

Shu Yueyao paused, then her eyes curved into a smile. “Really? But I prefer to rely on my own efforts. It feels more solid that way.”

With that, she stood up decisively and strode toward the door.

“Since we’ve reached an agreement, there’s no need to linger. Get some rest. Bye~”

As she opened the door, she glanced back at Ou Xu with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Ou Xu sensed something was off. “What scheme are you plotting now…?”

Before she could finish, Shu Yueyao lunged at her. Caught off guard, Ou Xu was pinned to the sofa, her arm shielding her face as she glared at Shu Yueyao.

“What are you doing?!”

Shu Yueyao’s eyes narrowed as she whispered, “Giving you a little help.”

Click. The lounge door opened. Ou Xu looked up to see Jian Zhi standing in the doorway, his hand on the handle, his expression blank.

Their eyes met. Jian Zhi’s deep, peach-blossom eyes flickered briefly, like a ripple on a still lake, before settling back into an unyielding calm, as if frozen in place.

“My apologies. I didn’t realize the lounge was occupied.”

He took a step back and closed the door, leaving Ou Xu and Shu Yueyao in a deathly silence.

“Huh? That didn’t go as I expected,” Shu Yueyao murmured, puzzled.

Ou Xu pushed Shu Yueyao away, snapping, “Now that you’ve achieved your goal, stay away from me. Don’t do anything unnecessary.”

Her relationship with Jian Zhi had already been riddled with cracks, and this latest blow had only deepened the wounds. Mending things back to how they were before seemed increasingly impossible.

Sigh.

Everything was a mess, nothing going right.

“Oh? If that’s the case…” Shu Yueyao mused.

She had initially planned to tell Ou Xu that she’d seen Jian Zhi crying last night, suggesting there might still be a chance for reconciliation. But given Ou Xu’s attitude, she decided to let her stumble down a few more wrong paths.

“Normally, people would get angry in this situation. Why didn’t Jian Zhi react at all? It seems she really doesn’t like you. If she did, she’d definitely be jealous. Poor thing… tsk tsk tsk~”

Shu Yueyao clicked her tongue mockingly before leaving, utterly satisfied. Ou Xu sat up and leaned back, then froze, remembering her hairstyle. The effort only deepened her exhaustion.

The silence around her was suffocating. In such an environment, it was impossible to stop her mind from racing.

Did Jian Zhi like her? She didn’t know.

But one thing was certain: she had never once heard Jian Zhi say the words “I like you.” Perhaps Jian Zhi simply found her different from her previous lovers, sparking a fleeting interest. Once the novelty wore off, it would be easy for her to withdraw, unlike Ou Xu, who was deeply entangled, reduced to a clown in this mess.

Ou Xu hated internal conflict, but her chaotic thoughts wouldn’t stop, draining her energy and emotions.

It was more exhausting than not resting at all.

Just before going on stage, they needed to film behind-the-scenes footage. As soon as Ou Xu stepped outside, the makeup artist grabbed her.

“Where’s your lipstick? Were you licking it off out of boredom?”

Ou Xu figured she might have unconsciously bitten it off due to anxiety. “It’s just… some things happened,” she mumbled.

Jian Zhi happened to be passing by. Hearing her words, she lowered her gaze, her raven-like lashes veiling the emotions in her eyes. She walked away as if nothing had happened.

Ou Xu caught Jian Zhi’s reflection in the mirror. When she turned around, Jian Zhi had already vanished, still maintaining that stoic composure—unfazed even if Mount Tai collapsed before her. Ou Xu had once admired this as a sign of maturity, but now she resented Jian Zhi for being as unyielding as a block of wood.

So calm, Ou Xu thought, not a hint of her true feelings visible. Couldn’t she at least show a flicker of sadness? This indifference, just as Shu Yueyao had said, made it seem like Jian Zhi felt nothing for her.

Ou Xu frowned, her heart sinking to the depths.

The filming was even more agonizing. Despite their strained relationship, they had to force a show of team spirit. By the time they finally took the stage, Ou Xu was already mentally and physically exhausted.

Shu Yueyao stood beside her, saying, “No matter how bad you’re feeling, you can’t go on stage looking like a corpse.”

Ou Xu knew she was wrong. Before going on stage, she took repeated deep breaths to get into the best possible state, delivering an exceptional performance that earned her first place within her group. However, due to the complete lack of coordination in their performance, her group ranked last overall, crushed by Jian Zhi’s first-place group.

Ou Xu wasn’t surprised by the result, but facing Jian Zhi’s cold indifference made it impossible to rush forward recklessly as she used to, trying to melt the icy barrier around her with her own warmth.

Jian Zhi also looked exhausted, likely from the long hours of travel and lack of rest. After the recording ended, Ou Xu approached her and said, “Go back to the dorm and sleep. We have an early shoot tomorrow. Don’t waste time on the road.”

Before Jian Zhi could reply, Ou Xu added, “Don’t worry, I’ll stay at home tonight. I’ll talk to the production team tomorrow about moving out.”

Jian Zhi pursed her lips. “It’s fine…”

“It’s not fine with me,” Ou Xu interrupted, staring at her intently as she said each word deliberately. “I can’t live with you anymore. If we’re going back to how things were, it’s better to keep our distance.”