NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 44 - Dating show
Tang Yuan lowered her hand, recalling that Jiang Zi indeed had no family business inheritance, which meant… she’d built it all from scratch?
That was so cool! And she was only a year older than her!
Tang Yuan compared herself and realized she was just a dependent slacker. The gap between people really was vast.
Suddenly, a burst of motivation hit her. She couldn’t just keep drifting aimlessly—she needed to build her own career, too!
After they parted, she didn’t meet up with Jiang Zi for a few days, although they never missed a daily phone call and would play games together every other day.
Yet Jiang Zi still felt unsatisfied. Each night, she’d have a vivid dream about Tang Yuan. There was a phrase for this kind of unfulfilled desire: an insatiable craving.
The 18-episode fantasy web series they’d filmed together had finally aired. It was a fast-paced story that began with the complicated relationship between the heroine, the senior sister, and the secondary female lead, her junior. After the junior’s death, the plot shifted to the romance between the heroine and the male lead, eventually ending in a happy ending.
It finished airing in just one week and received a fantastic response. Using Jiang Zi and Tang Yuan’s real names, the characters trended on social media multiple times.
To promote the series, the production team invited the main characters—three “couples” in total—to a season of a popular reality dating show.
But don’t forget, in this drama, Tang Yuan played the heroine, and Jiang Zi her junior sister.
However, in the eyes of fans, these two were already rumored to be dating in real life, so viewers ignored the male lead altogether, shipping the senior sister and junior sister instead.
Of course, some fans still stood firmly by the official couple pairings; after all, in the show, both the senior and junior sisters had their respective love interests.
【I’m only here for Tang Xiao Yuan and Jiang Zi.】
【Raise the flag for the official pairing! Anyone watching seriously knows that the senior and junior sisters only have a grudge between them. How are people shipping this? It’s so bizarre.】
【But wasn’t their interaction sweet? The senior would bring back things just for the junior, even buying her hairpins and dresses.】
【First, without bringing in their real-life selves—although I can’t really help it—there’s no way these two aren’t adorable together.】
【Excuse me, the senior was forced to hand over her things to the junior. Are we even watching the same show?】
【The entire sect wronged the senior sister, and in the end, she avenged them. The male lead was with her through it all. How is that not sweet?】
【There’s no spark between Tang Yuan and Deng Pei Luo. I’m rooting hard for Jiang Tang.】
【But they didn’t have any official announcements, did they? Don’t let shipping go to your head.】
Early the following day, Tang Yuan arrived first at the romance house. Only the two regular couples were present; no one else had arrived yet.
These two regular couples had made a comeback on this show, and their on-camera chemistry was overflowing with pink bubbles—the audience loved shipping them.
They greeted Tang Yuan enthusiastically, and the two male guests helped her bring her luggage to the room assigned by the show.
“Have you eaten?” The two female guests chatted with her.
A sultry beauty with curves and voluminous waves introduced herself, “I’m Ling Jun, but you can just call me Jun-Jun. And this here is Jie Xin.”
A girl with pigtails and a doll-like face beamed, “Hello! You can call me Xin-Xin!”
Tang Yuan loved chatting with beautiful women, so fitting in was a breeze. “I’ve already eaten. I’m Tang Yuan.”
Around noon, the second guest finally arrived.
A lively young man in a crisp white shirt, slim and fair, stepped through the door.
“Hi, Sisters and brothers! I’m Deng Pei Luo.” His voice was refreshing, with a bit of boyish shyness.
He was the male lead in ‘Qin Yan’s Tale’ and one of the newer stars(fresh little meat). Even before the series aired, he’d already gained a bit of popularity.
After dropping off his luggage, he naturally greeted Tang Yuan. “Sister Yuan, when did you get here?”
“I’ve been here for a little while.” Tang Yuan responded politely, though her attitude wasn’t particularly warm. On set, she’d spent most of her time with Jiang Zi, only interacting with him during scenes.
The official couple pairing also had a large fan base, especially since the production team had edited some behind-the-scenes footage to create a sweet atmosphere, giving plenty of material to fans of the official couple.
Now, with both main actors in the same shot, Deng Pei Luo’s serious gaze toward Tang Yuan didn’t go unnoticed by viewers, stirring up the fan base.
The other two regular couples, seasoned veterans of the show, shared a look and immediately created a private moment for them.
“Oh, it’s lunchtime! We’ll go prepare something.”
“You guys just arrived, so take a break from all the traveling. We’ll handle it.”
Tang Yuan stood, wanting to join them, but Jie Xin gently pushed her back onto the couch. “No need for you either—just sit tight, okay?”
Tang Yuan could only watch as the four of them left, leaving her and Deng Pei Luo alone in the living room. The sound from the television suddenly felt much louder in the silence, and coincidentally, ‘Qin Yan’s Tale’ was playing.
At first, Tang Yuan didn’t feel awkward, but with everyone’s curious glances, her toes curled uncomfortably.
Understanding the usual dating show tricks, Deng Pei Luo cleared his throat awkwardly. Not wanting the mood to turn cold, he casually tried to start a conversation. “Sister Yuan, didn’t sister Jiang come with you?”
“Huh? Oh, right, she’s not here yet. Let me check on her.” Tang Yuan lowered her head, pulled out her phone, and opened her chat with Jiang Zi.
Tang Yuan: Sister, why aren’t you here yet?!
Deng Pei Luo had observed their interactions on set and had seen plenty of rumors online. But he’d also seen his fair share of pretend CP, so he couldn’t quite guess their relationship. He could only say, “You two really get along well.”
“Yeah,” Tang Yuan replied casually. Seeing no response from Jiang Zi, she tucked her phone away.
She glanced at Deng Pei Luo, noticing he seemed just as uneasy, though he hid it better.
Tang Yuan shifted her gaze away. Right, there was nothing between her and Deng Pei Luo. They were just co-stars with nothing to be awkward about.
“I saw some sneak previews of your new show. The concept seems solid, and your look is really eye-catching. You will definitely make it big.”
Deng Pei Luo was caught off guard by the sudden change in topic. But he quickly laughed it off, saying, “Oh, It’s way too early to say that. Plus, ‘Qin yanTales’ is still airing!”
He figured Tang Yuan wasn’t used to being on variety shows and was trying to promote his new show. He was a bit touched, but it was out of place here.
“True,” she said, looking distractedly toward the door, hoping the next person would arrive soon.
Out of nowhere, Tang Yuan remembered something she’d seen online and blurted, “Actors shouldn’t date when they’re on the rise in their careers.”
Hearing Tang Yuan’s bold statement, Deng Pei Luo’s smile froze for a second, his eyes cleared.
Sister, you’re now on a dating show!