We Went Viral After Appearing on a Dating Reality Show with Movie Queen O - Chapter 41

After Bai Shulan finished her call with Yin Xian, the room fell into a deep silence. She felt an odd sense of something missing.

Why hasn’t Xingyu come to find me yet? What should I do now?

A faint smile curved Bai Shulan’s lips as she pondered.

Maybe Xingyu is still too shy to approach me.

She scrolled through her phone, checking Weibo for updates while eagerly awaiting Gu Xingyu’s arrival.

Last night, while watching the Spring Romance dating reality show, she had taken a photo and posted it online. After all, it was a show she had invested in, so she naturally wanted to promote it and generate some buzz.

The comments section was filled with praise for her, along with numerous fans asking who she liked and urging her to stay away from Gu Xingyu.

Next, she clicked on Gu Xingyu’s Weibo account and scrolled through it. It seemed Xingyu hadn’t updated her feed in a long time, and she hadn’t even retweeted or promoted her appearance on the Spring Romance show. It looked as if she had completely withdrawn from the entertainment industry.

But it wasn’t that simple. Even if she avoided the entertainment industry, rumors about her still circulated online, especially after her return to the dating reality show, which caused a major stir. This time, however, public opinion was mixed, a vast improvement over the previous unanimous condemnation.

Perhaps appearing on the dating show was a good decision after all, Bai Shulan thought.

Meanwhile, in her room, Gu Xingyu stared blankly at her phone, lost in thought.

Her long lashes drooped, concealing the sadness and loneliness in her eyes. A faint mist gathered in her almond-shaped eyes, and her lips curved downward in a tearless, sorrowful expression, as if she were forcibly suppressing her tears, just as she had suppressed her love deep within her heart.

I must have been deluding myself too much, she thought.

Shulan and I were never meant to be… It’s only natural that Shulan would fall for Chen Ren… Shulan is just too kind… She even gave me the illusion that she might like me back.

Gu Xingyu’s heart pounded slower and slower, as if someone were squeezing it mercilessly, each beat a searing pain that left her dizzy and breathless. She could only let the emotions rampage through her heart, leaving her defenseless as the storm of anguish swept away every beautiful moment she had shared with Shulan.

She curled up on the sofa, letting out a deep sigh. Her face, hidden in shadow, was barely visible, save for the strained, ugly twist of her lips and the tears that streamed down her cheeks.

Suddenly, her phone on the coffee table buzzed loudly. After a long moment, Gu Xingyu slowly wiped away the tears, grabbed a tissue, and picked up her phone.

Xiao Xiaoxiao was bothering her again, sending her a barrage of messages for no reason. Honestly…

She called back, but this time it was just a voice call.

“Xingyu!” Xiao Xiaoxiao’s cheerful voice burst through the line.

“Mm, I’m here. What is it?” Gu Xingyu’s voice was eight octaves lower than usual, deep and hoarse.

“Hey, Xingyu, wait a minute… This is a video call, right? Turn on your camera!” Xiao Xiaoxiao paused, then realized something was off. “What’s wrong? Your voice sounds strange. Is that really you, Gu Xingyu? Do you have a cold, or did you get disfigured?” Confusion flickered across Xiao Xiaoxiao’s face on the screen.

“It’s me, Xingyu… Xiaoxiao, Shulan said she likes Chen Ren…” Gu Xingyu choked back a sob, suppressing the grief rising within her. She calmly delivered the news, but her voice still trembled with tears at the end.

“…Xingyu, it’s okay, it’s okay,” Xiao Xiaoxiao stammered, momentarily speechless. The news had hit her too suddenly, leaving her flustered.

“If you’re upset, just cry. It’s okay, it’s okay. With our status, what kind of Omega can’t we find? So she doesn’t like you? Who does Bai Shulan think she is anyway, right?” Xiao Xiaoxiao offered clumsy comfort.

“…But I like her…” Gu Xingyu replied instinctively, her grief momentarily overshadowed by the sting of Xiao Xiaoxiao’s dismissive words.

“Alright, alright, if you like her, you like her! Who does Chen Ren think she is?! It doesn’t matter whether Shulan likes her or not—you’re the one marrying Bai Shulan! You’re the Empress! So go and take Bai Shulan back!” Xiao Xiaoxiao paused. “Don’t be sad, I’ll help you! Chen Ren? Who’s afraid of her?! Right?” Her fiery declaration deflated with the last two words, “Right?” The momentum suddenly softened.

“But… Shulan likes Chen Ren. I feel like… Chen Ren doesn’t like Shulan… Shulan says they’re just friends…” Gu Xingyu frowned, explaining weakly, her face pale and powerless.

Xiao Xiaoxiao pondered for a moment before understanding. “Perfect! If they don’t know what’s good for them, forget them!”

She continued, “Who’s marrying Shulan?”

“Me…” Gu Xingyu replied softly, utterly lacking confidence.

“Exactly! Stop overthinking and go take her back!”

“…I don’t know…” Gu Xingyu said dejectedly, her head hanging low, her eyes filled with confusion. “How am I supposed to win her back?”

Xiao Xiaoxiao was speechless for a moment. “Well, yeah… I guess you’re right. Then why don’t you just stop liking her? It’s not like it’s a big deal, right? Out with the old, in with the new! Let’s go find another Omega. Wait, what about me?”

“Stop messing around,” Gu Xingyu snapped, finally regaining some composure after all that talk. “You’re joking at a time like this? Are you even a friend?”

“I’m just trying to come up with a Plan B for you… Seriously though, someone like Bai Shulan—the type you like—is really hard to find… But don’t worry, leave it to me. I’ll go do some recon for you…” Xiao Xiaoxiao suddenly had an idea.

If Bai Shulan was too difficult to win over, wouldn’t her stand-in be much easier…?

“What kind of terrible idea is that?! Didn’t you say we should win her back?” Gu Xingyu couldn’t help but laugh, though her tone was tinged with helplessness.

This friend of mine is so unreliable…

“Exactly! If you’re going to steal her, you should seduce her! With your looks, you’re definitely better than Chen Ren!”

“…Huh?” After the initial shock, Gu Xingyu actually found some logic in Xiao Xiaoxiao’s words and began considering the feasibility.

“Just sleep with her and make her completely dependent on you! Permanently mark her—it’s foolproof!” Xiao Xiaoxiao declared confidently, nodding to herself.

“…Ahem… What exactly is going on in that head of yours?! Can’t you be normal for once?!” Gu Xingyu’s ears flushed red as she awkwardly licked her lips.

“But it’s true… Or you could just…” Xiao Xiaoxiao hesitated, trying to persuade her.

“…Shut up! Stop talking! Just… just leave it at that.”

“You’re going to seduce her?” Xiao Xiaoxiao’s eyes lit up. This is going to be fun! she thought. This requires my detailed planning.

“No… I’ll wait and see. If Shulan really loves Chen Ren, then I’ll just let it go…”

“Fine. But if Bai Shulan shows even a hint of affection for you, you should seduce her. After all, you’ve been married for years—there must be some feelings there, right?” Xiao Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret.

“…Okay,” Gu Xingyu replied, lowering her gaze and avoiding eye contact.

“…Xingyu, I didn’t call to talk about that! I saw your Spring Romance drama—are you and Qi Meng getting too close? I don’t care, I want that dress!” Xiao Xiaoxiao pouted, her voice filled with complaint.

“…We’re just friends. Are we really that close? It’s just a dress—you can afford it yourself… Fine, fine, I’ll get it for you next time you come over,” Gu Xingyu said, trying to recall their interactions. She realized her memories of Qi Meng were fading, and she couldn’t remember any particularly intimate moments between them.

“Friends? You call that friendship?! I think Qi Meng has a crush on you.”

“Huh? You must be mistaken. She just said she enjoys hanging out with me, that’s why we spend so much time together. My relationship with Gao Pian is good too, isn’t it?” Gu Xingyu asked, surprised.

“That’s different! I’m telling you, Qi Meng definitely likes you.”

Gu Xingyu’s face was a mask of confusion, her mind a tangled mess of thoughts. The lingering grief and heartache were now mixed with shock and bewilderment.

Gradually, her doubts began to surface, growing larger and larger in her mind.

“…Xiaoxiao, you don’t… you don’t like me, do you? We’re just friends, right…?” she asked hesitantly.

“Ahahaha, what’s with that?! Of course I like you! We definitely like each other! You always say you like me too,” Xiao Xiaoxiao teased, deliberately playing up her cautious and timid demeanor.

“Ah? We’re friends, aren’t we? Don’t say such nonsense!” Gu Xingyu gasped, taking a sharp breath.

“…Ahahaha, of course we’re friends! But I really do like you! If we didn’t like each other, how could we have been friends for so long?” Xiao Xiaoxiao laughed heartily.

“…Hmm, you’re right. This kind of liking isn’t the kind between Alphas and Omegas, is it?” Gu Xingyu pressed, the hypothetical question Shulan had posed that afternoon still lingering in her mind.

“Aiya… it could be either! If you don’t like Bai Shulan, you can always come to me! We could play Spring Romance together—it’d be so much fun! I wouldn’t mind at all!” Xiao Xiaoxiao said with a nonchalant shrug.

“Xiao Xiaoxiao, if you keep talking like that, I’ll go to Xianxian and spill all your embarrassing secrets!” Gu Xingyu instantly understood: this girl was just thinking about playing all day.

“Are we even still friends?! I have plenty of embarrassing secrets about you too, you know!”

Meanwhile, in her room, Bai Shulan had been waiting for a long time. Even scrolling through Weibo had grown boring. Why hadn’t Xingyu come to find her yet? There hadn’t been any messages either.

After a moment’s thought, she stood up and headed out.