Milk Orange Omega Becomes Popular Through Dating Variety Show [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 3

Should she smile back?

As a Bai Ze cub, Zhong Lin suddenly felt a hint of shyness, but she still generously and naturally smiled back at Pei Yi.

Two tiny dimples appeared at the corners of her lips, her pink lips parted slightly, revealing a few neat, pearly teeth. Her deep brown eyes sparkled brightly, and Zhong Lin’s gaze was clear, untainted, innocent as a child’s.

Pei Yi blinked, clenched her fist sharply, then released it, feeling a moment of bewilderment—what was this person giggling about?

She was, surprisingly, a little cute??

Pei Yi quickly turned her head away, leaving only her profile. As her dark hair fluttered, the smooth line of her jaw was visible, and her red lips were tightly pressed together, her mood clearly complex.

[AWSL (Ah, I’m dead with cuteness), this eye contact, it’s something, isn’t it? I must be blind, to actually find it a little sweet?!]

[Zhong Lin’s smile is so sweet~ I smell a hint of a ship.]

[Srds (Seriously, but still), I think the person above is overthinking. Yiyi wouldn’t like this kind of person…]

[Cringe! Zhong Lin, flop hard!]

[Calm down, person above. This cub’s smile is so cute.]

[Zhong Lin, get out of the entertainment industry +1]

[Zhong Lin, get out of the entertainment industry +100,000,000]

••••

To accelerate the guests’ mutual understanding, *Thirty-One Days of Heart-Fluttering Challenge* arranged dating segments for the first three days, randomly pairing Alpha and Omega guests.

Female Alpha 1: Pei Yi; Female Alpha 2: Chu Yunze; Male Alpha 3: Zhu Ying;

Female Omega 1: Zhong Lin; Male Omega 2: Zhou Xiaoduo; Female Omega 3: Liang Shan.

They were randomly paired, then went on dates simultaneously, livestreamed on split screens in different room numbers, and later edited into recorded episodes.

Today was the third day of the show. For the first two days, the “Zhong Lin” in the original book had dated female Alpha 2 Chu Yunze and male Alpha 3 Zhu Ying. So today, Zhong Lin’s date was Alpha guest number one—Pei Yi.

Zhong Lin lowered her eyes slightly, her slender eyelashes trembling. She suddenly recalled the plot of the original book, specifically the two days before she transmigrated:

When the original “Zhong Lin” was on dates with the other two Alpha guests,

She had stood up her date and instead ran off to pester Pei Yi, to disrupt Pei Yi’s dates with the other two Omega guests!

The “Zhong Lin” in the original book even uttered the golden line: “I’m not here to ruin your date, but to join your date~”

While Zhou Xiaoduo, the Omega guest dating Pei Yi, was in line, the “Zhong Lin” from the original book took advantage of the situation, skipped her own date, and disrupted the male lead Omega’s and female lead Alpha’s date.

“Zhong Lin” opened her arms to Pei Yi, asking for “kisses, hugs, and to be lifted up high”…

As a result, Pei Yi coldly dodged backward, and the original “Zhong Lin” fumbled and fell, landing face-first in the dirt, looking like a clown.

Thinking of this, a sudden chill ran down her spine, and Zhong Lin’s small body couldn’t help but shiver.

Pei Yi must absolutely detest her now!

“Now entering the AO random dating segment,” the director turned and gestured to the staff behind him.

Zhong Lin: …Wuwu TAT

••••

Three white nanny vans were parked at the entrance.

Led by a staff member, Zhong Lin stopped beside one of them.

When she first transmigrated, she experienced a headache, and at the same time, a segment of common knowledge about modern society was implanted in her mind.

Zhong Lin clearly knew that the white, somewhat clumsy-looking hollow-shelled object in front of her was a human’s mount—a car.

A staff member opened the car door, signaling Zhong Lin to get in.

Zhong Lin nodded softly and, following the instruction, sat in the innermost rear seat. Her two milky-white hands rested obediently on her knees. She turned her head towards the car window, observing this world that had changed beyond recognition.

Earlier, when she transmigrated, fragmented data about human society was implanted in her mind. But upon truly observing this world, Zhong Lin felt a sense of unfamiliarity…

And intense curiosity.

She heard faint rustling sounds beside her. The adjacent car seat subtly swayed as another person sat in the nearby back seat.

Zhong Lin continued to cup her face and look out the car window, not even turning to greet them. Her small head leaned towards the window, her face almost pressed against the glass, clearly captivated by the scenery outside.

Outside, tall buildings rose, appearing four-sided and square, like colossal standing coffins.

Do humans not get stuffy living in these airtight, coffin-like houses now?

In her era, everyone had their own territory, using the sky as a blanket and the earth as a bed, and they could even visit each other’s territories to drink water from the streams (*^▽^*).

The car started, and the scenery outside the window slowly receded.

Through the car window, Zhong Lin saw “bridges” suspended high above the ground, crisscrossing, with many beetle-like “human mounts” rapidly moving on them. She gradually became engrossed, her light brown pupils widening…

She held intense curiosity for novel things, yet outwardly, she remained restrained, not pressing her face against the window to stare. As a female cub, one must be reserved.

Pei Yi, beside her, had been on high alert. Pei Yi intensely disliked Zhong Lin. She sat perfectly straight, her body stiff, her back rigid, unconsciously leaning away from Zhong Lin and closer to the window.

Pei Yi stared straight ahead at the seat back, fearing that this “drama queen Omega” would cause more trouble… asking for kisses, hugs, lifts, and all sorts of excessively terrifying demands again.

Pei Yi hadn’t expected that since getting in the car, Zhong Lin would keep looking out the window, not even glancing at her. It was as if the road conditions outside were more appealing than she was.

Had her value to Zhong Lin plummeted overnight?! Was it just her imagination?

After being on high alert for over ten minutes, Pei Yi noticed Zhong Lin was still staring out the window. The tense string throughout Pei Yi’s body slowly relaxed, and the huge rock that had been weighing on her heart was finally lifted. She leaned back against the leather seat,

Good. This person wasn’t bothering her. Pei Yi was content with the peace.

The show regulations stipulated avoiding phone use during the live broadcast, so the atmosphere between the two was awkward—

Although nothing was going wrong, there wasn’t even a hint of eye contact. One looked out the window, the other looked straight ahead. The atmosphere was colder than between strangers…

Halfway through the drive, nearly thirty minutes in, no one in the car had said a single word. The bullet comments on the live streaming app started getting impatient—

[Just a passerby… did I open it wrong? Is this it? A dating variety show?! Where’s the dating? Where’s the sweetness? Is the production team XX-ed? Why isn’t it sweet at all?]

[Go out and change room numbers. The camera in this room is showing the least compatible pair. Go watch the other two groups in other rooms, they’re really sweet.]

[Yiyi is so beautiful, even when she’s still, she’s so regal. Her jawline is so clear and smooth, so Alpha~]

[Slurp~ I’ll lick Yiyi’s beautiful face~~]

[Drama queen Zhong Lin actually didn’t cause trouble?? I was expecting to see Yiyi tear into the drama queen…]

[Don’t incite conflict! Zhong Lin is so well-behaved today, staring at the road. I want her as my good daughter~] (But this bullet comment was ineffective)

[I don’t care, I’m going to bash this clingy nuisance! Drama queen Zhong Lin, get out!!]

[Drama queen Zhong Lin, get out!!]

••••

The director and cameraman grew anxious. This wouldn’t do~ A dating variety show without dating, without a rosy atmosphere—it was like chili fried pork without pork, or mushroom stewed chicken without chicken, utterly unwatchable!

The director coughed sharply twice.

Zhong Lin immediately turned her head and looked in the director’s direction. As a Bai Ze divine beast, she was keenly aware from the book’s text that the “director’s” role was very important, and his words needed to be carefully heeded.

The director, hiding behind the camera, slightly turned his head and pointed his hand towards Pei Yi, signaling Zhong Lin to be proactive and try to interact with Pei Yi.

Zhong Lin followed the director’s instructions and looked over—

Her gaze passed over Pei Yi and landed on the card slot directly in front of Pei Yi, where two bottles of water were placed, clearly provided by the show’s sponsor.

But it was a bit far for Zhong Lin, and she was still wearing her seatbelt, so it wasn’t convenient to reach for them.

Zhong Lin’s gaze at Pei Yi was a little hesitant…

Seeing this, the director raised his arm and waved his fist upwards, giving Zhong Lin a “go for it” gesture.

Zhong Lin immediately understood. As long as it was for a commercial, it was okay to bother Pei Yi!

Her slender arm cautiously extended, slowly reaching towards Pei Yi.

Pei Yi’s gaze was unfocused, staring straight ahead, deep in thought. The corner of her white blazer was tugged by a small hand. She turned her head, brushed her long hair, which had fallen across her face, behind her ear, and couldn’t help but frown—

Zhong Lin, in the adjacent seat, was currently buckled in, but she had leaned forward, bent her legs, and reached out to tug at Pei Yi’s clothes.

Her white shirt had a simple V-neckline, which had now slightly slipped, revealing her fair, long neck, and the delicate lines of her collarbones were faintly visible.

Pei Yi’s gaze slowly moved upwards. A pair of light brown eyes, filled with liquid clarity, watched her. Zhong Lin’s face was full of anticipation—

Such a cute and adorable Omega, most people couldn’t refuse Zhong Lin’s request.

Pei Yi was not most people.

She cast a cold glance at Zhong Lin, one by one gently prying open the fingers that were tugging at her, and tossed the soft little hand aside.

“Zhong Lin, I hope you can have some self-awareness,” Pei Yi addressed her, her voice very cold.

Pei Yi took a tissue from her pocket and meticulously wiped the hand that had just touched Zhong Lin.

“Stop clinging to me, you really don’t look good like this,” Pei Yi’s voice was clear and distant, restrained, yet unable to conceal the disdain revealed in her movements towards Zhong Lin. “Has no one taught you…”

—Has no one taught you to be reserved?

Before she could finish those words, the small hand that had been tossed away immediately retracted. Zhong Lin sat up straight. Although a little disheartened and disappointed, she still remembered the director’s instructions.

“I won’t cling to you like that anymore…” Zhong Lin’s voice was soft, sweet, and low, her eyes innocent. She looked utterly wronged, a frail, pitiful little cub.

She’s so pitiful.

She’s faking it. _(:з)∠)_

Pei Yi had never seen Zhong Lin like this before and suddenly felt a moment of tenderness in her heart.

But it was only a fleeting moment of softness. Pei Yi’s tone remained stiff, cold, and emotionless: “What do you want?”

“I want…”

“I want to drink Changbai Mountain Villa mineral water. The water tastes a little sweet.” Zhong Lin blinked, raising her finger to point at the card slot in front of Pei Yi, which held two bottles of mineral water.

Pei Yi: ??

That’s it? Just wanted a bottle of mineral water?

Her hands, which had been clasped in front of her knees, gradually tightened. Pei Yi subtly felt that something had changed in the “drama queen” beside her, from the inside out, from her actions to her words.

Even the fervent enthusiasm and deliberate closeness she once displayed towards Pei Yi seemed to have evaporated overnight? Was this truly an illusion?

Pei Yi inwardly marveled, but the corners of her lips unconsciously curled upwards. She secretly tilted her head to look at Zhong Lin, suddenly feeling that this girl didn’t seem so annoying after all…

—If she truly wasn’t as excessively clingy and almost obsessively, frighteningly enthusiastic as before.

This product placement was too blunt!

The director’s smile gradually froze. Was this… what he wanted?

Where was the romance? The intimate interaction!? Comrade Xiao Lin, please be more professional? Please show some of your enthusiasm from the past two days!!

Cameraman: “…”

The bullet comments were uniformly

[hahahahahahahahahaha]

[233333333 (Chinese internet slang for laughter)]

[What a poor little darling, getting scolded just for wanting a drink of water~~~]

[Yiyizi’s shocked face: Can I take back what I said earlier?]

[What’s going on? Drama queen turns into a commercial fanatic??!!]

[Don’t be fooled by Zhong Lin, the clingy maniac! She just wants to ride Yiyi’s coattails. E-fans, flood the comments~ Zhong Lin, get out of the entertainment industry!!!]

••••

The destination of this car was Happy Valley.

After getting out of the car, staff came to distribute entry tickets, which were all-access passes to Happy Valley. This saved time, as there was no need to buy individual tickets for each attraction inside.

In the large open space in front of Happy Valley, there was lush green grass (all artificial), which Zhong Lin spotted immediately. There were also several enlarged bronze statues of people, and many “dummies” rolling around in various poses on the “artificial lawn.”

At this time, there were not too many, nor too few, tourists.

Zhong Lin and Pei Yi, surrounded by the cameraman and staff, quickly attracted the attention of tourists.

Some quietly peeked out, gradually approaching the show crew’s direction, thinking they were filming a drama there.

Tourists pulled out their phones and aimed them at Zhong Lin and Pei Yi, taking “snap-snap-snap” photos and short videos…

The two girls in the center, with their cold, fair skin that almost reflected light, and facial features more refined than some popular celebrities,

These two stood out too much in the crowd.

In recent years’ dating variety shows, the proportion of ordinary people has been getting lower and lower. Zhong Lin was an eighteen-line internet celebrity, just stepping half a foot into the entertainment industry.

And Pei Yi, she was the youngest Best Actress, a graduate of the Central Academy of Drama, trained professionally, winning Best Actress at 19 during her sophomore year, but then suddenly retired at the peak of her popularity.

She actually went to study at the Wharton School of Business. During her studies, Pei Yi, as a co-author, published an SSCI paper with her professor, making her the academic ceiling of the entertainment industry.

Just when everyone thought Pei Yi would completely retire from the industry—that Best Actress who had once vanished and been forgotten by domestic entertainment, that woman, she was back!

Pei Yi had her own fan club, the E-fans.

Zhong Lin’s Weibo also had over eight hundred followers, all of whom were anti-fans.

At this moment, some tourists recognized their identities.

“Yiyi, fly freely; E-fans will always follow you!!”

A girl standing not far away pulled down her baseball cap and wore a mask. With one hand holding a camera, her other hand frantically waved towards Zhong Lin:

“Stop trying to ride our Yiyi’s coattails. Your Five Elements lack fire, and you’re destined for obscurity,”

“If you keep trying to gain attention, be careful you don’t get burned to a crisp.”

Zhong Lin heard it clearly. One of the golden lines from the original novel was, “If you keep trying to gain attention, be careful you don’t get burned to a crisp.”

So, that’s where this plot line came from.

Zhong Lin: Heh, humans.

So arrogant…

But the Bai Ze cub’s philosophy: Don’t panic when scolded, just endure it for now (:з)∠)_

“Hello there~ I’ve received your support and love for *Thirty-One Days of Heart-Fluttering Challenge*!”

“Thank you, Yiyi and I will film well~” Zhong Lin also waved towards the E-fan, completely ignoring the insults. Her small arm waved joyfully.

A ray of pale golden sunlight fell on Zhong Lin’s cheek, outlining the contour of the girl’s bright smiling face.

Her slender eyelashes fluttered. Zhong Lin smiled brilliantly, seemingly carrying a warm current that could melt hearts, very infectious.

The cameraman quickly zoomed in, giving a big close-up of Zhong Lin’s smiling face.

[AWSL!! AWSL!! Dying repeatedly! Why did I only discover Zhong Lin’s cuteness today? Cub, mommy loves you~ muma~~]

[Allow me to switch sides for half a second. For this half second, I won’t scold Zhong Lin. She smiles so beautifully…]

[No matter how beautiful, drama queen Zhong Lin, riding Yiyi’s coattails, flop to the center of the Earth!!]

••••

The staff member behind the camera gave Pei Yi a thumbs-up, secretly marveling at the same time: how did Zhong Lin suddenly become so emotionally intelligent?

Her ability to react on the fly is really strong!!

The words of that girl just now weren’t recorded very clearly. After some post-production adjustment, it would genuinely sound like an enthusiastic fan encountering the show and saying hello.

The staff couldn’t help but click their tongue lightly. Why had they never felt Zhong Lin’s adaptability was so impressive before?

At the same time, Pei Yi, standing nearby, looked up at Zhong Lin, her eyebrow unconsciously raising slightly. What did she just say?

—”Yiyi and I will film well~”

What did Zhong Lin just call her? Yiyi?!

Pei Yi lightly bit her molars. This feeling…

It was a little subtle.