The Film Queen’s Live-In Son-in-Law is the King of the Women's Kingdom (GL) - Chapter 21

The kiss was intense, but it was nothing compared to the intense inner struggle of the reality show’s staff.

Should we interrupt or pretend we don’t exist? This was a tough question.

Finally, for the sake of the show, a staff member coughed twice to remind the two lovebirds they weren’t alone.

Yu Chiyin’s legs were weak, and she was draped over her little live-in wife, Shen Ji. Without blushing, she turned to look at the staff member who coughed, then looked at the camera equipment.

She turned back to Shen Ji calmly, raising both hands to pinch her cheeks. 

“Who gives a good morning kiss like that?”

The little live-in wife looked confused. What? Was the kiss not passionate enough?

Yu Chiyin could tell what she was thinking just by looking at her. Annoyed, she whispered in her ear, “It should just be a quick peck!”

“Do you know how many people were watching? At least a few hundred thousand people were watching us… you know…” Yu Chiyin was so shy she couldn’t even say the word “kiss,” so she used “you know” instead.

They weren’t speaking quietly, and the microphones picked up everything for the viewers.

******

[Haha, someone needs to tell Yu Bao it wasn’t a few hundred thousand, but tens of millions of people who saw them.]

[She’s so cute! When she said ‘you know,’ my heart melted!]

[Wuwuwu, why is Yu Bao so gentle? I want a wife like that too.]

******

The two of them separated. Yu Chiyin hid her wobbly legs and calmly took a microphone from the staff, attaching it to her “amateur” little wife.

“My turn,” Shen Ji said, copying her, and took the other microphone to attach it to Yu Chiyin.

A staff member handed them a mission card. Trying not to laugh, she said professionally, “Welcome, Actress Yu and Ms. Shen Ji, to ‘Love Nest’ Season 2. This season has a brand-new format.”

“Next, all the couples will go to the meeting point. From now on, we’re taking away your phones and cash. You can only bring your luggage and basic necessities.”

“The show has thoughtfully prepared a few ways for you to get to the meeting point. Please open your mission card to see your first task. You can choose whether or not to accept it.”

Yu Chiyin didn’t open the card right away. She asked, “What’s the reward for completing it? Will there be a penalty if we don’t?”

The staff member held up a board with pictures of three different vehicles: a small car, a human-powered tricycle, and a flat dolly.

The staff member smiled. “If you complete the task, based on how well you do, you can choose one of the three options the show provides to get to the meeting point.”

“If you don’t accept the task, you’ll have to figure out how to get there on your own, with no phone or money.” The staff member looked like she couldn’t help.

Shen Ji didn’t want her wife to suffer. She urged her to open the card, and no matter how hard the task was, she was determined to get Yu Chiyin the car.

As Yu Chiyin opened the card, the two of them squeezed their heads together to read it.

The comments in the livestream were full of fans gushing.

******

[I’m just saying, they’re so perfect together and so good-looking.]

[I can’t believe I get to see two of the goddess Nuwa’s perfect creations for free.]

[Just a reminder, you’re not only getting to see them for free, you also got to see them kiss for free.]

[Hehe, kissing, hehe~~]

[Oh no, another one’s gone crazy. Someone get them some bitter gourd juice to wake them up.]

******

Yu Chiyin read the mission out loud. “To get the best start to your journey, please complete this challenge: carry your partner and do squats. Completing ten squats will unlock one mode of transportation. Every ten additional squats will upgrade your vehicle. If you complete 30, you’ll get to ride in a luxurious SUV sponsored by Zero Drive Cars…”

She realized at the end that it was a sponsor’s ad slogan. Yu Chiyin smiled. Since it was part of her pay, she didn’t mind. It was just a small trick by the show’s producers.

Shen Ji was a woman of action. The moment Yu Chiyin finished reading, she picked her up in a princess carry. She even asked sweetly, “Are you uncomfortable?”

“No.” Yu Chiyin instinctively wrapped her arms around her little wife’s neck. Surprised by her strength, she whispered, “Am I heavy?”

“Of course not.”

Shen Ji started squatting.

The staff member counted. The first task was a moderate difficulty, and since three of the four couples were same-s3x, there was no time limit. The show took into consideration that it would be hard for a girl to carry another girl and do squats.

The staff and viewers expected Shen Ji and Yu Chiyin to take turns.

But everyone watched as Shen Ji, without her face turning red or her breathing becoming heavy, carried Yu Chiyin and squatted down, stood up, and squatted again. The staff were shocked. “Twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty…”

Shen Ji was used to it and almost kept going. Yu Chiyin quickly stopped her. 

“Okay, okay, that’s enough.”

After safely putting her down, Shen Ji let out a small breath. It wasn’t hard; she could handle it.

Yu Chiyin thought to herself, No wonder this girl has abs. I wonder when she secretly works out when I’m not looking.

She felt a little conflicted, wondering if she should also secretly work out. She wanted to try carrying Shen Ji and doing a few squats herself. Seeing her eagerness, Shen Ji quickly grabbed her hand and headed for the door. She held Yu Chiyin with one hand and their two suitcases with the other.

The show’s car was waiting downstairs. Because it was a livestream, unlike prerecorded shows, they had to handle everything themselves. The assistant, Dou Dou, watched from a distance, enjoying the “dog food” from his boss.

There was plenty to go around, but the sugar content was too high.

Even on the way to the elevator, Shen Ji asked Yu Chiyin,

 “Do you want to sit on the suitcase? I can push you.”

The little live-in wife knew what her wife’s personality was like, which is why she asked.

Yu Chiyin was too embarrassed to let her spoil her so much in front of so many viewers. How would she maintain her image as the cool older “sister”?

She shook her head with a blush.

But she didn’t know that the millions of viewers had already seen a few seconds of hesitation in her eyes. When Shen Ji mentioned the suitcase, Yu Chiyin’s eyes lit up.

When they got downstairs to the hotel lobby, Yu Chiyin got into the back seat, and Shen Ji put the suitcases in the trunk. When she got back to the car, she saw her wife, looking like a little kid, all well-behaved and already buckled up.

Shen Ji got in and told the driver, “Okay, we can go.”

She also reminded him, “No need to rush. Drive slowly. My wife gets carsick.”

Yu Chiyin had a lot of small, fussy habits, and Shen Ji had long gotten used to taking care of her every need. But this led to a heated debate among viewers in the comments.

******

[I think they’re faking it a little…]

[Yeah, is that slacker Shen trying to act like a changed person?]

[Lol, the trolls are working overtime?]

[Some people just can’t stand to see a couple happy, right? You love conspiracy theories?]

[But honestly, does she need to go that far? She’s her wife, not her boss. Why does it feel so formal?]

[Agreed. It feels super formal.]

******

At the same time, the hashtag #ShenJiLooksLikeAnOverlyFormalWife became a top trending topic. Li Ran, who was in the public relations department, immediately noticed the problem. Negative comments about Shen Ji in the comments started to increase.

This was a planned attack, clearly aimed at the most popular couple. But Shen Ji was just a small-time internet celebrity before, so it was obvious that the real target was Yu Chiyin.

Since the couple was filming a livestream, Li Ran couldn’t contact her boss to say anything. All she could do was investigate whether one of Yu Chiyin’s rivals was behind it.

Meanwhile, the two wives were in the sponsored luxury SUV. Yu Chiyin was dozing off, and Shen Ji was also looking tired. Neither of them had gotten much sleep.

Sharp-eyed viewers had already noticed. Their faces were beautiful, and they only had a little bit of makeup on to be respectful to the show. At home, they usually went without makeup.

So some people started making dirty jokes, which turned the comments into a mess of “croaking frog” emojis.

******

[Did these two get busy all night?]

[First, they give us a shock in the morning, and now this? It’s hard not to think about it.]

[They definitely did it. You don’t look like that unless you were busy all night.]

******

Yu Chiyin put her hand over her mouth and yawned, complaining to Shen Ji, “It’s all your fault. You wouldn’t listen to me last night.”

“I’ll be more careful next time,” Shen Ji apologized immediately. 

“My bad. I got carried away. Why don’t you sleep on my shoulder?”

The two of them continued to talk about things that were easily misunderstood, and the viewers in the comments were going crazy. But the two of them had no idea.

Li Ran, who was handling the comments while watching the livestream, was on the verge of fainting.

Yu Chiyin, with her eyes half-closed, grumbled, “I told you to go slower, but you wouldn’t listen.”

Shen Ji nodded obediently. “I’ll definitely go slower next time.”

The comments were full of question marks. Is this what we’re supposed to be hearing? Can we get more? The director was already wondering if he should mute their microphones to prevent them from saying something that would get the livestream shut down.

The buzz and discussion were great, but so was the stress.

“No, that’s not good. That’s your skill. You’re great. You don’t have to slow down just for me.”

Yu Chiyin was annoyed. She sat up and patted around, remembering that her phone wasn’t there. “You play so fast. What if there aren’t enough levels in ‘Candy Crush’ for you to play? What will we do if you finish it?”

She was upset. “Then I’ll have no more games to play.”

“We can try a different, harder game. That way, I can play slower,” Shen Ji suggested.

The viewers in the comments, who had been speculating for a long time, finally realized that the two of them had been talking about playing “Candy Crush” all along. They were all speechless, feeling silly for imagining things.

After about a thirty-minute drive, Shen Ji looked at the city that felt both familiar and strange. In her memories from the original Shen Ji, there were many scenes from City A.

Yu Chiyin quietly held her hand, her eyes asking if she was okay. Shen Ji shook her head.

What could be wrong? It had nothing to do with her, but now it would, because it was a place she and Yu Chiyin had been to together.

They were the second couple to arrive at the meeting point. The first to arrive were Qiao Chi and his wife, Mu Linqing.

They were older celebrities, so Yu Chiyin pulled her little wife over to greet them politely.

“Hello, Senior Qiao and Sister Mu~”

She had met Sister Mu before, so she greeted her a bit more intimately. Qiao Chi looked like a gentleman, smiling and nodding. Then he teased his wife,

 “I didn’t know you and Xiaoyin were so close.”

“Not really,” Mu Linqing replied, her attitude toward him distant, not as loving as the rumors suggested. She seemed to be faking it. But she did smile at Yu Chiyin.

“Long time no see. Was the last time we met at the awards ceremony?”

“Yes, I can’t believe Sister Mu still remembers.” Yu Chiyin quickly pulled her little wife forward, smiling. “Let me introduce you. This is my partner, Shen Ji.”

Shen Ji smiled at them. “Hello, it’s Shen Ji.”

Mu Linqing returned a friendly smile. “Hello. You two are a great match.”

“Thank you,” Shen Ji said sincerely.

Qiao Chi’s attitude, however, was colder. He just gave a slight nod. “Hello.”

But no one cared what he thought. His arrogance had no effect on the little princess. She sat quietly, while Yu Chiyin chatted with Mu Linqing from time to time.

Soon, the other two couples arrived. They seemed to have had a rough time, getting only the basic flat dolly. They had to walk and pull their luggage.

Of course, they were all smart and had managed to hitchhike with many passersby. But since the meeting point was in a remote area, the most they could get was a ride to a few hundred meters away. They had to walk the rest of the way.

After everyone had greeted each other, the host, Lan Hui, finally arrived.

The show had one main livestream and four separate livestreams for each couple, with cameras following each group.

“Welcome, our four couples, to the Love Nest! You’re about to have a wonderful time here.”

Lan Hui was an experienced host and got straight to the point, explaining the rules of the show.

“So, without further ado, let me introduce the rules of this season of Love Nest.”

Shen Ji listened carefully, while Yu Chiyin leaned on her shoulder and dozed off.

Qiao Chi and Mu Linqing sat at a distance from each other. He had a refined smile, and she had a blank expression. The four young people were very lively, huddled together and chattering about the rules. Lan Hui felt tired, like she was teaching a class of elementary school students.

Some looked like they were listening but were actually daydreaming. Some were whispering to each other, and Yu Chiyin was openly sleeping.

Maintaining her professional host smile, she asked, 

“Does everyone understand? Do you need me to repeat anything?” After a long wait, only Shen Ji pointed to the four pictures of the houses on a big board behind the host, which were numbered 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Shen Ji pointed to House #2 and asked,

“Does this mean that according to the order of arrival, House #2 is ours, right?”

Lan Hui was relieved and nodded. She always had a special affection for students who listened. “Yes, Ms. Shen.”

“So, can we do our own thing now?” Shen Ji asked.

That was the rule. Besides the houses being assigned by arrival order, everything else was up to the couples.Since it was a 48-hour livestream, the show might randomly give them tasks to complete, with rewards like supplies.

But other than that, the couples could do whatever they wanted, even if it was just lying in bed and sleeping. However, anyone who goes on a reality show cares about their popularity. And if they don’t, they’ll at least care about their image. No one was going to do nothing.

In front of the cameras, everyone was a great actor.

“Yes, you can do whatever you want now,” Lan Hui said. She looked at Shen Ji with expectation, thinking she was the most eager student in the class.

Then she saw Shen Ji turn and pick up Yu Chiyin. Yu Chiyin just opened her eyes sleepily and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I’m taking you back to bed.”

Hearing Shen Ji’s answer, Yu Chiyin closed her eyes and went back to sleep. She was genuinely tired. They had played “Candy Crush” all night and only realized at dawn that they had to film. She only got about two hours of sleep before getting up to get ready, while Shen Ji hadn’t slept at all.

Shen Ji walked over to Lan Hui with Yu Chiyin in her arms and lowered her voice to ask, 

“Which way is House #2?”

Lan Hui instinctively pointed in a direction. Shen Ji politely said thank you and walked away, holding Yu Chiyin.

Lan Hui watched them leave in disbelief, then looked at the director behind the camera, who also looked stunned. She wanted to ask if they should change the show’s rules.

The two who had just challenged the rules were no longer in the main camera’s view. More viewers tuned into the mobile camera that was following them.

A round, winged drone flashed red and buzzed quietly as it flew on either side of Shen Ji. Shen Ji stopped and looked at the buzzing machine, seeming to consider if its tiny noise would disturb the person in her arms.

The viewers, however, were making direct eye contact with Shen Ji through the screen, which was like a death stare.

******

[Who understands this? Her eyes look like they’re going to kill me…]

[Wuwuwu, my mom asked me why I suddenly knelt down to play on my phone.]

[Isn’t she so two-faced? She’s so fierce when she looks at us, but her eyes are so soft and puppy-like when she looks at her wife. I can’t believe it.]

[I’m mad but also shipping it. It’s so cute, but I’m mad. She killed me with her eyes once, but it’s okay, I have 999 lives left.]

******

Luckily, Yu Chiyin was sleeping soundly in her arms, so the little live-in wife generously spared the camera. She carried Yu Chiyin into House #2, looked at the layout, and found the bedroom.

She put Yu Chiyin on the bed, took off her jacket and shoes, turned on the air conditioner, and covered her with the blanket. She then took off her own jacket, rolled it into a ball, and put it next to Yu Chiyin’s pillow.

The viewers didn’t understand her strange action at first, but then they saw the sleeping Yu Chiyin instinctively move her head and softly rub against the jacket ball, a satisfied smile on her face as she continued to sleep.

******

[I can’t believe it. She’s so in love…]

[That’s true love.]

[Are they going to change the name from “Crucian Carp” to “True Love”?]

******

Shen Ji quietly closed the door and went back to the meeting point, where two big suitcases were waiting for her. One of the two cameras that had been following her was still with her, but the other was in the room filming Yu Chiyin.

The famous actress was sleeping on a livestream. Shen Ji chuckled, wondering if Yu Chiyin would wake up and cry about her ruined image.

But she didn’t know that Yu Chiyin, with her eyes closed, was reaching for her but couldn’t find her. She mumbled in her sleep, not even opening her eyes.

“Wife?”

She grumbled a few more times. Her soft, sweet voice was a far cry from the gentle actress the public was used to.

Usually, Shen Ji would appear as soon as she called out. Even from a distance, a few grumbles were enough to get Shen Ji to come and hold her while she slept.

She was used to sleeping in her little wife’s warm embrace. So the sleeping person grumbled unhappily.

“Hmph, hmph, wife~ a hug~”

“If you don’t hug me, I’ll cut your allowance~”

Later that night, the comments under the trending topics were full of Yu Chiyin’s fans yelling: “Shen Ji, go hug her! She’s so upset!!!”

Their “mom-like” instincts took over. And the real-time comments were all laughing at the last part of her mumbling.

******

[Lol, someone’s wife is going to cut their allowance~]

[Shen Ji, who diligently came back carrying two big suitcases, just lost her allowance.]

[What a sweet couple! If she doesn’t get a hug, she’ll lose her allowance!]

******