I Turned a Competitive Variety Show into a Dating Show - Chapter 9

Shi Xu’s breath caught in her throat, her first thought not to prevent Jian Zhi from waking up, but to deal with Xue Qing, the culprit behind this mess.

She lunged forward, grabbed a pillow, and struck Xue Qing hard. Xue Qing, her eyes glazed with drunkenness, managed a slurred “You…” before collapsing into unconsciousness.

With no witnesses left, Shi Xu felt a wave of relief. She exhaled slowly and turned around, forcing herself to appear calm as she faced Jian Zhi.

Jian Zhi lay curled on her side, still asleep and peaceful. Perhaps the blanket was too warm; she had stretched one slender, pale leg out to cool down, the limb dangling over the edge of the bed—a sight that struck Shi Xu with devastating force.

Shi Xu’s gaze flickered between Jian Zhi’s face and that exposed leg, but she ultimately resisted the urge to tuck the blanket around her.

Instead, she tossed a blanket over Xue Qing, climbed into bed on the opposite side, and turned her back to Jian Zhi, forcing herself to push aside the lingering erotic tension.

Her mind raced with conflicting thoughts, unable to settle on any conclusion. She feared Jian Zhi remembering everything and growing distant upon waking, yet she also dreaded her forgetting, leaving Shi Xu alone in her turmoil.

She tossed and turned all night, only drifting off as dawn approached. But just as she closed her eyes, rustling sounds came from the bed next to hers.

As if by reflex, someone with dark circles under their eyes sat up abruptly, the blanket sliding off their shoulders to reveal slender, pale skin.

Both women turned to look. Jian Zhi was still groggy, while Xue Qing, her hair a mess, clicked her tongue with a sarcastic “tsk.”

“What a cunning old fox,” Xue Qing remarked. “Every move is meticulously calculated.”

Shi Xu pulled her pajamas up, her entire focus on Jian Zhi, not sparing Xue Qing even a glance. Jian Zhi stared at her for a few seconds before silently averting her gaze. She sat on the edge of the bed, dazed for a moment, then frowned and went into the bathroom.

Shi Xu, her heart pounding with anxiety, thought: ?

It seems she wants to pretend nothing happened, and I’m the only one who cares.

In a fit of pique, Shi Xu resolved to stop caring about Jian Zhi too, to be carefree. But this resolve crumbled within three seconds when Jian Zhi emerged from the bathroom.

Jian Zhi walked slowly, struggling to recall the events of the previous night.

Ever since waking up, she’d sensed something was off. Shi Xu’s complicated expression only deepened her suspicion that something had happened last night, yet she couldn’t remember a thing.

Her memory only went as far as the three of them drinking. After that, she seemed to have gotten a bit drunk and wanted to go to sleep. What happened next?

Jian Zhi walked up to Xue Qing and asked, “Did I act crazy when I was drunk last night?”

Xue Qing, who had just lain back down, glanced at Shi Xu before replying vaguely, “I was drunk too, so I don’t remember much. You should ask Shi Xu.”

With that, she peacefully closed her eyes, thinking she had given enough of a hint. The rest was up to the two of them to sort out.

She wasn’t entirely lying. After drinking so much, her memory was indeed fragmented. Only one scene remained clear:

Shi Xu was suspiciously leaning over Senior Sister’s bed, as if trying to steal a kiss…

Just thinking about it made Xue Qing’s head ache. She pulled the blanket over her head, blocking out the world and focusing solely on getting back to sleep.

Shi Xu sat cross-legged on her bed. With each step Jian Zhi took closer, her heart pounded faster. She couldn’t possibly maintain a calm, nonchalant demeanor.

Jian Zhi sat on her own bed, facing Shi Xu, and asked, “Did I…”

“Nothing happened! You just fell asleep after drinking!” Shi Xu blurted out, her words outpacing her thoughts. Her attempt at concealment was clumsy at best.

Jian Zhi’s suspicions weren’t dispelled; instead, they grew stronger. Something had definitely happened. Her intuition, combined with various subtle clues, all pointed to this conclusion.

She was the type to black out after drinking, so forgetting the night was normal. But Xue Qing and Shi Xu’s evasiveness was deeply suspicious.

Her thick lashes fluttered as her eyes darkened slightly. “Are you sure nothing happened?”

Shi Xu felt a pang of guilt under Jian Zhi’s intense gaze, almost blurting out the truth. But she knew that Jian Zhi, given her personality, would go to great lengths to erase any trace of such a mistake—starting by distancing herself from Shi Xu.

Shi Xu nodded stiffly. “Yeah, nothing at all.”

Realizing she wouldn’t get anything out of Shi Xu, Jian Zhi ended the conversation and stood up to change. Looking down, she noticed her pajamas were different from the ones she’d worn the night before.

Was this what I wore last night? Or was I too drunk to remember?

Seeing Jian Zhi staring blankly at her pajamas, Shi Xu quickly slipped into the bathroom. She turned on the faucet and squeezed face wash onto her toothbrush, her movements frantic and disorganized.

With a plan forming in her mind, Jian Zhi dropped the subject. Having no work commitments, she could freely use the next few days as she pleased.

She had already made plans, but an online poll had thrown everything into disarray.

“Senior Sister, you’re the most popular contestant! First place!” Xue Qing exclaimed, holding up her tablet and blowing a kiss across the room.

Shi Xu blocked the kiss and said to Jian Zhi, “Congratulations, Sister! Your popularity is truly undeniable.”

Jian Zhi felt awkward. She never expected the audience to vote for her, let alone put her in first place. Online streaming required both charisma and demonstrable talent, and she… didn’t seem to excel at either.

“Could the company have intervened?” she wondered aloud.

“Hey! Have some self-awareness! The audience voted for you because they like you. The company doesn’t have the spare cash to rig the votes!”

“Yeah, Sister, your performances on both stages were amazing!”

Watching Shi Xu’s red lips move, Jian Zhi’s thoughts began to drift. Vague fragments flashed through her mind, and the fog clouding her memory seemed to dissipate slightly.