Thank You for the Invitation, I Successfully Held Hands with the Best Actress - Chapter 16

The live stream viewers watched as Ming Jue amiably draped an arm over Ning Yu’s shoulders and led her off-camera.

Destination—the small garden.

What’s going on between them? Rivals meeting should be full of hostility, but this doesn’t seem right. Yet with all this shoulder-draping and hugging, if you say they’re just close girlfriends, I’m not buying it.

President Ming looks like she’s in a bad mood. Did something happen during today’s date? I only watched Mu Mu’s stream, didn’t catch the others.

As someone following all four streams simultaneously, let me tell you—the Ming Jue and Gao Mi pairing is boring, utterly boring. Is this supposed to be a dating show? Where’s the blushing, the heart-pounding intimacy? None of that here.

I’d call this a high-end matchmaking event for the rich. Truly eye-opening—if by ‘eye-opening’ you mean displays of wealth.

Riding in the latest million-dollar sports car, dining at the rooftop restaurant of Blue Moon Tower, casually mentioning family businesses worth tens of millions—if not for the chat comments, I’d think I was watching some CEO drama.

The Ming family’s wealth is staggering. We ordinary folks are just glimpsing the tip of the iceberg. Rumor has it their estate covers an entire mountain, built like a medieval castle with multiple layers—football fields, golf courses, and a massive garage housing hundreds of luxury cars.

Never seen it, but I’m thoroughly awed.

Gao Mi’s family seems wealthy too—the cherished daughter of a conglomerate tycoon, with an aunt who’s an oil magnate. But I heard she’s relatively low-key.]

Low-key? Could’ve fooled me. Can’t go three sentences without mentioning “matching social status and family conditions.” Can’t you hear the subtext? “Among omegas, only I’m worthy of you.”

That’s taking it too far. What’s wrong with mentioning family background? Are you just jealous? President Ming’s rich second-gen aura is intimidating enough. Mi Mi just wants to prove herself—why not mention her outstanding professional skills? Cheche Company is industry-leading, and she’s already in management at such a young age. You outsiders wouldn’t understand how remarkable that is.

I don’t know about design, but the way she looks at Ming Jue is downright predatory—so calculating. Don’t get why you all like her.

Ning Yu found herself steered by Ming Jue to the familiar garden pavilion. Seeing the storm brewing on President Ming’s face, she preemptively raised her hands in surrender.

“I’m innocent, President Ming, completely innocent!”

Ming Jue’s mouth twitched, her accusatory stance nearly crumbling as anger flared. “I haven’t even asked anything yet! Why are you pleading innocence?!”

Ning Yu: “President Ming’s expression is terrifying—clearly you think I’ve done something wrong again. But I swear to heaven, I haven’t done anything.” These alphas, why are they all so temperamental?

Ming Jue crossed her arms, her form-fitting light brown dress strikingly beautiful—a stark contrast to her usual professional style, clearly a deliberate choice. She seemed to pause briefly before asking, “Did you rig this morning’s task selection?”

Her tone carried weight, scrutinizing every microexpression on Ning Yu’s face.

“Rig? How could anyone manipulate an on-the-spot task selection?” Ning Yu was baffled. “What makes you say that, President Ming?”

Ming Jue pressed her lips together unhappily. “Don’t play dumb with me. If there was no tampering, why wasn’t I paired with Mu Qiu Yan?”

Ning Yu was stunned, instantly grasping the implication in Ming Jue’s words. She had thought this live variety show had no script or predetermined roles, believing it to be completely fair. But apparently, there were still underhanded tricks like cheating behind the scenes.

“President Ming, you must have forgotten—I was the last alpha to enter and choose a location. I literally had no other options.”

Ming Jue narrowed her eyes, arms crossed, as if considering the possibility. “I specifically spoke to the production team yesterday. They were supposed to tell me Mu Qiuyan’s selection today. I made my choice, but somehow, the partner turned out to be Gao Mi. And you—you ended up paired with Mu Qiuyan. Don’t tell me this has nothing to do with you…”

“How is this my fault? Clearly, President Ming didn’t pull enough strings. That staff member must have backed out last minute. If you want to assign blame, you should go after them, not me.”

Ning Yu grumbled inwardly. The female lead was putting effort into all the wrong places, resorting to shady cheating methods—things that should have been the specialty of a cannon-fodder antagonist like herself.

Ming Jue clenched her jaw and shot Ning Yu a glare, though she had no real rebuttal.

“Fine. How was today with Mu Qiuyan, then? Just because you lucked out and got paired with her, don’t get too full of yourself.”

Ning Yu placated her. “Not full of myself at all. I’ve been called a scummy alpha all day. If you’re so curious, President Ming, you can always watch the replay.”

After a few more dismissive remarks, Ming Jue had no choice but to leave, though clearly unwilling.

Thinking about the deviations from the original plot, Ning Yu knew part of it was her own doing. But the person behind this wasn’t simple—they had even managed to outmaneuver the female lead. Connecting this to that strange “invitation” letter, she was certain the two were linked.

Mu Qiuyan returned to her room and immediately called Jiang Yao.

“Was that Li Mengmeng your doing?”

Jiang Yao didn’t deny it, though her tone lacked conviction. “Yeah, it was me. I just wanted to… teach her a little lesson.”

Mu Qiuyan sighed. “A lesson is one thing, but you couldn’t have picked someone more unhinged and loose-lipped?” The thought of Li Mengmeng’s reckless behavior still left a bitter taste.

Jiang Yao admitted, “I didn’t handle it well. Who knew she’d go that far for clout? It’s all over the hot searches now, and the backlash is huge. No platform would dare feature her anytime soon.”

“But how did you know it was me?” Jiang Yao asked, puzzled.

Mu Qiuyan massaged her temples. “You wore a long trench coat with a high collar, wrapped up like a mummy, skulking behind trees and looking around suspiciously. You might as well have had ‘I’m up to no good’ written on your forehead. A-Yao, detective work really isn’t your forte.”

“Alright, alright. Judging by your tone now, you’ve completely taken Ning Yu’s side?” Jiang Yao teased. “You should be more careful. She’s definitely not as simple as she seems.”

Mu Qiuyan closed her eyes, masking the depth in her gaze, and exhaled softly as she sank into the plush sofa. “I don’t feel anything for her, okay? At most, I’m just… curious. Curious about what kind of person she really is.”

Jiang Yao sighed in exasperation, like a parent watching their child march straight into danger. The moment you start feeling curious about someone, that’s when the falling in love begins.”

She rested her wrist on her forehead. At first, her attention toward Ning Yu was entirely due to mistaking her for the alpha with the whiskey scent that night. Later, upon realizing her mistake, she actually felt somewhat guilty about it.

Since they had unexpectedly become a CP pair, she just needed to complete the task properly.

And then…

Mu Qiuyue said, “A Yao, there’s something I’d like to ask of you. I’ll have something delivered to you tomorrow—it’s a bottle of a drink. Could you help me find a professional to analyze its contents?”

Jiang Yao paused, her tone unusually serious. “Did something happen?”

“It’s nothing. I just… want to know what kind of person she really is.”