We Went Viral After Appearing on a Dating Reality Show with Movie Queen O - Chapter 1

Under the hazy night sky, Gu Xingyu sat on the open-air balcony, the starlight above her head, gazing leisurely at the 115-inch LCD television before her.

On the screen, a stunning woman stood on stage, wearing a creamy white strapless mermaid gown adorned with scattered diamonds. A pure sapphire necklace graced her slender neck, making her entire figure shimmer with radiance. When she wasn’t smiling, her demeanor was noble and aloof; when she smiled, her expression was radiant and alluring, drawing viewers into her infectious joy.

Her clear, melodious voice rang out: “It’s a great honor to receive the Three Flowers Award. Thank you all for your recognition. I will continue to work hard in the future, but my focus will now shift to my personal life. Thank you.”

The glamorous woman on the screen waved, a fleeting smile flickering across her face before returning to her usual cool, alluring composure. Like a diamond without warmth, she briefly flashed with colorful brilliance under the light, only to vanish in an instant.

Gu Xingyu, who had been staring intently at the woman, froze for a moment. The swirling red wine in her glass stilled, and a flicker of confusion and disappointment crossed her eyes.

Personal life?

The cool beauty on the screen, who had just won the Best Actress Award at the International Three Flowers Film Festival, was her wife—Bai Shulan. Gu Xingyu had cut her trip short and rushed home, eager to see her.

Gu Xingyu’s lips curved into a smile, mirroring the beauty on the screen. Even in the dim light, her half-hidden face was breathtaking, rivaling the woman on the screen.

She replayed the short clip dozens of times, yet her glass of red wine remained unfinished. She swirled the wine in its tall-stemmed glass, gently inhaling its aroma, the curve of her lips deepening slightly.

In Gu Xingyu’s subjective world, time seemed to crawl. She lost track of how long she’d been watching when a sound came from the doorway. She quickly turned off the TV and rushed downstairs.

She was really back.

The beauty from the screen had stepped into reality, standing before Gu Xingyu.

“Hmm? You’re home?” Bai Shulan glanced at Gu Xingyu in the living room. She carefully removed her shimmering silver heels and placed them in the shoe cabinet, then slipped into a pair of equally dazzling slippers, sparkling with crushed diamonds.

“Yeah, the trip’s over,” Gu Xingyu said casually, swiping through her phone. A slow smile spread across her face. “Congratulations.” She looked up, meeting Bai Shulan’s gaze directly, and detected a hint of timidity in her eyes.

Bai Shulan paused, a faint smile appearing on her face. “Thank you. I thought your Antarctica trip was supposed to last until the 24th?” Her figure froze for a moment before she turned and headed upstairs alone, her pure white dress swaying gracefully around her slender, pale legs.

“Mm,” Gu Xingyu responded, but the person she was addressing had already disappeared around the corner. She watched the figure vanish.

Returning to the balcony, Gu Xingyu swirled the wine in her glass. The aroma intensified, but the flicker of joy in her eyes had vanished. Her frantic journey back from Antarctica had been for nothing.

The icy red wine slid down her throat. Just as she was about to rise and chase after that fleeting silhouette, the beautiful, dancing butterfly swooped back into view. The balcony lights flared as Bai Shulan’s peach-blossom eyes, brimming with a hint of amusement, glowed with a bewitching radiance that was both captivating and enigmatic.

“Here, take a look,” Bai Shulan said, immediately settling beside her.

A stack of unnoticed contracts lay before Gu Xingyu. The bold words “Divorce Agreement” caught her eye, causing her breath to catch and a momentary darkness to flicker in her eyes.

She and Bai Shulan had been married for over two years. Though their union was a family arrangement, their relationship had been peaceful—like well water and river water, each flowing in its own course, neither interfering with the other. They were perfect roommates, asking nothing of each other.

“Xingyu, let’s finish this dating reality show together, then we’ll divorce and pursue our own happiness,” Bai Shulan’s clear, melodious voice whispered in her ear.

Despite Bai Shulan’s intimate and gentle tone, her words plunged Gu Xingyu into an icy abyss.

The wine glass in her hand remained suspended in mid-air, and she didn’t dare glance at the contract lying on the table.

After a long moment, Gu Xingyu finally looked up at the woman beside her. Bai Shulan wore that rare, gentle smile—the kind that made people fall in love involuntarily. For a moment, Gu Xingyu couldn’t see clearly.

So, “romantic life” meant this? She suddenly remembered the person Bai Shulan’s gaze had lingered on.

“Weren’t we supposed to have a family marriage?” she asked slowly after a long silence. She didn’t want to divorce Bai Shulan.

The smile on Bai Shulan’s face seemed to widen slightly, almost mockingly. Gu Xingyu didn’t understand the intricacies of the business world or the entertainment industry, but she sensed that Bai Shulan’s behavior today was very strange.

“…Yes, but haven’t we already achieved the purpose of our family marriage? What does this marriage even mean now?” Bai Shulan scoffed, her slender fingers twirling the ends of her slightly curled hair.

Gu Xingyu didn’t reply. She had believed they could maintain their peaceful marriage until the end, even without mutual affection. She had been perfectly content with their current arrangement.

“You don’t need to worry so much. I’ll handle everything. You’re barely in your twenties…” Bai Shulan said, seeing that Gu Xingyu remained silent. Her expression was emotionless, cold, elegant, and noble, like the full moon overhead—isolated, flawless, and so dignified that refusal seemed impossible.

“…Fine,” Gu Xingyu interrupted, frowning. Without even glancing at the document, she flipped to the last page and signed her name briskly.

But as soon as she finished signing, she remembered something crucial. “Will those rumors about me online cause any problems?”

Her online persona was notoriously infamous—a notorious “scumbag Alpha.” But these were all baseless accusations. She’d always been adventurous, eager to try anything. Two years ago, she’d participated in a talent show variety program. Though her looks had secured her debut, she’d faded into obscurity, becoming little more than background noise. Her entire identity had been exposed, and she’d eventually lost interest in the entertainment industry. However, paparazzi photos of her traveling with various groups had been leaked, and the media, ever eager to sensationalize, falsely claimed she changed Omegas daily, branding her a “scumbag Alpha.” Her name frequently trended on Weibo, but she couldn’t be bothered to manage it herself, leaving it entirely to her management team. She let it run its course, since she never intended to make money in the entertainment industry anyway.

“No, none of that is a problem,” Bai Shulan said with a calm smile, her voice brimming with confidence.

“Alright,” Gu Xingyu replied, rising to leave as soon as the words left her lips.

The expression on Bai Shulan’s face faded as she picked up the stack of contracts, her gaze lingering on the elegant signature, lost in thought.

Back in her room, Gu Xingyu’s expression turned icy, her brows furrowing so deeply they nearly met.

Her phone rang. Seeing her friend Xiao Xiaoxiao’s name on the screen, she answered immediately. According to her original plans, she should have been in Antarctica right now, watching the aurora with Xiao Xiaoxiao and the others.

“Holy sh1t, Gu-jie! You have no idea how much fun we’ve been having these past few days! The aurora is fucking gorgeous—you’re missing out big time!” Xiao Xiaoxiao’s voice was brimming with excitement.

Gu Xingyu’s face softened slightly. “Is that so? We can always plan another trip later. It’s not like I’m missing out on anything.”

Sensing something was off, Xiao Xiaoxiao paused. “What’s wrong? When did you start talking so formally to me? What’s up? Didn’t you see Bai Shulan? Or did she cheat on you?”

“What nonsense are you spouting? Can’t you say something nice for once?” Gu Xingyu retorted immediately, her beautiful brows furrowing again.

“I saw her. She said she wants a divorce,” she continued slowly, her voice flat and emotionless, like stagnant water.

“Holy sh1t! What the hell? Everything was fine just two days ago! How could so much happen in just two days?!”

“Xiao Xiaoxiao, can you shut up for a minute?” A noisy voice from the other end of the line made Gu Xingyu’s already foul mood even worse.

“…Wait, I’m arranging a flight back right now. What the hell is going on? You two were fine! You even went back to congratulate her… You…”

Gu Xingyu cut her off sharply. “Stop rambling. You’re being annoying.”

At this moment, her friend’s words felt like sharp knives stabbing into her heart, each sentence piercing her to the core. If I hadn’t come back, none of this would have happened. We wouldn’t be getting divorced.

“What’s all the racket? Calm down first, you idiot! I’ll explain everything when I get back!” Gu Xingyu could clearly hear her friend making arrangements for a private jet to fly her home immediately.

Gu Xingyu’s brow furrowed even deeper. “I can’t calm down. I’ve already signed the papers,” she said flatly.

“Holy sh1t, Gu Xingyu! Did you hit your head? You’re in love with her! Why the hell would you sign?! Have you lost your mind?” Xiao Xiaoxiao’s voice suddenly shot up three octaves, erupting into an angry shout.

“Can you stop overreacting?” Gu Xingyu finally snapped back. She was already irritable from losing her wife. “Shut your mouth! If you spread this around, you’ll regret it.”

She knew her circle of friends all too well. This industry was small; if she didn’t warn them, the whole world would know by tomorrow.

“Alright, alright, just get some rest. We’ll talk properly when we get back.”

Gu Xingyu hung up abruptly, staring at the delicate cake on the table. It read: “Congratulations, Bai Shulan, Best Actress Award Winner.”

She’ll probably like it, right? At least the cake looks beautiful. But she hadn’t yet overcome her inner reservations. This gesture felt too contrived, especially since her relationship with Bai Shulan wasn’t close enough for such sentimentality.

Gu Xingyu meticulously recalled their few shared moments. She couldn’t think of anything she’d done recently that might have caused this. If that were the case, then the only reason for the divorce must be what Bai Shulan had called “emotional incompatibility.”

The social circles of wealthy families were small. Whether their relationships were distant or intimate, they were bound to cross paths. Before their marriage, Gu Xingyu’s shallow acquaintance with Bai Shulan had only sparked a mild fondness, nothing that could be called love. When she learned that her arranged marriage partner was Bai Shulan, her heart, which had remained as calm as still water for over twenty years, stirred slightly. I probably like her, she thought. Who wouldn’t like such a stunning beauty?

But on their wedding day, Gu Xingyu followed Bai Shulan’s gaze and saw Chen Ren, the Alpha prodigy of the day. Chen Ren, a dragon among humans, possessed unparalleled looks and abilities, an S-Class Alpha, and the head of the Chen Group. It could be said that every Omega in The Capital dreamed of marrying her.

Gu Xingyu, a frivolous and idle woman, was merely an ordinary A-grade Alpha. Stripped of her status as the third daughter of the Gu Family, she was nothing more than an empty shell with a pretty face.

She couldn’t possibly compare to Bai Shulan. If this was truly the happiness Bai Shulan sought, what could she do?

She couldn’t stop Bai Shulan from pursuing someone better.

Gu Xingyu’s lowered lashes flickered as her slender fingers smeared the vibrant birthday message on the white cream into a messy blur. The words “Bai Shulan” were scratched out, mirroring her chaotic thoughts as she made a hazy decision to banish this person’s existence from her world.

This was her problem. She had committed a cardinal sin in arranged marriages. She shouldn’t have done this. She couldn’t.

The sweet cream tasted bitter. Gu Xingyu’s mind was a jumbled mess. The arranged marriage she had once believed to be unbreakable had proven so fragile, just like her heart, brimming with admiration, so easily shattered. Before even weathering any storms, she was already contemplating giving up.

Gu Xingyu and Bai Shulan’s names were often mentioned together, but in every aspect, Gu Xingyu fell short. Bai Shulan was an S-Class Omega, managing part of the Bai Family’s business empire. To the public, she was the beautiful and aloof Film Queen, renowned for both her virtue and talent—perfect to the point of being flawless.

Gu Xingyu sighed softly. Forget it. Let’s just give up.

But Bai Shulan’s heat cycle was due in the next few days, one of the reasons Gu Xingyu had rushed back. Now, it seemed Bai Shulan didn’t need her after all. After all, her belonging wasn’t hers.

Gazing at the starlit sky outside the window, Gu Xingyu unconsciously sighed again. She wondered if Bai Shulan would eat the light meal she had instructed the butler to prepare earlier.

This isn’t something I should be worrying about, is it? she thought. It’s not my place to worry, not now, not ever. A faint smile touched her lips—she had been deluding herself.

As her gaze lowered, she noticed the cake on the table. Instantly, another smile bloomed, warm and tender, outshining even the starry sky. Yet her eyes remained filled with an unyielding bitterness.

A knock at the door interrupted Gu Xingyu’s thoughts.

“Come in,” she said, her expression immediately smoothing into a faint smile.

Bai Shulan appeared at the door, the corners of her lips curving upward slightly. Freshly washed and dressed, she looked even more radiant than on screen, her skin delicate and fair, her peach-blossom eyes shimmering with allure, and her full, rosy lips softening the cool detachment she usually exuded. Yet the black silk slip dress she wore drew attention back to her sensuality, leaving anyone who saw her to marvel at this earthly goddess.

Damp strands of hair cascaded over her delicate collarbones, while a large yellow diamond pendant around her neck refracted rainbow-colored light.

Gu Xingyu’s eyes were dazzled by the brilliance. She quickly averted her gaze, her heart pounding uncontrollably with each glance. Love surged within her, and she had to tighten the thread of restraint in her heart, suppressing the burgeoning emotions.

“Xingyu, thank you for the noodles,” Bai Shulan said softly, her voice gentle and warm, lacking only the aloofness that usually kept people at a distance.

“Mmm… you’re welcome,” Gu Xingyu replied, lifting her eyes to meet Bai Shulan’s gaze, her heart drumming like a war drum.

Before she knew it, Bai Shulan had moved right in front of her.

The faint scent of red wine wafted into her nostrils—Bai Shulan’s pheromones.