Chapter Fourteen: The Modern Society's Faux Heiress—The Trophy Actress (14)

"I'm so full." Xiandu rubbed her belly, which had bulged from overeating, and stepped outside the cabin to walk off her meal.

Although the show assigned rooms based on points, Xiandu had inspected them all and found each quite nice. If there were differences, they were only in orientation toward the sun or size.

After all, aside from Xiandu, the other regular guests were all prominent figures, so the production team wouldn’t dare shortchange them—especially if they wanted to avoid being roasted online.

Moreover, everyone was very easygoing. Despite the director’s efforts to create dramatic conflicts to boost ratings, these attempts failed, and the show ended up as a warm, relaxing rural variety program.

Today was the last day of the three-day shoot. The crew had already gathered enough footage, so Xiandu was free to wander about without being followed by cameras.

TV host Guo Ke loved cooking; the esteemed actor Li Huanyuan also enjoyed it and even earned a chef’s certificate.

They had taken over the kitchen, naturally earning the most points, and no one objected.

Today's lunch featured braised spare ribs, stir-fried eggplant with potatoes and peppers, spicy pork with chilies, fish-flavored king oyster mushrooms, crispy lotus root pockets, shrimp stir-fried with cabbage, dry-pot potato slices, and a pot of hot and sour tripe soup.

Everyone had intended to maintain their figures, but seeing Xiandu eat with sparkling eyes and unstoppable appetite led them to unconsciously eat more as well.

Everyone except Su Jinnian.

Outside, Jin Li secretly handed Xiandu some food to share with Su Jinnian, saying that interaction between fans and idols was only natural.

Xiandu found Jin Li increasingly strange: sometimes, when looking offstage, she noticed Jin Li’s gaze fixated on Su Jinnian, filled with a mix of concern and a faint joy.

Case closed—Jin Li liked Su Jinnian!

Xiandu was eager to play matchmaker. She couldn’t bear to see such a sweet girl suffer from unrequited love.

So, holding the snacks, Xiandu chatted with Su Jinnian, claiming to be his fan and mentioning that her assistant was also fond of him. She hoped to greet him in person someday, all while casually pulling out a bag of chips she endorsed, recommending them to Su Jinnian on camera.

Su Jinnian was polite, smiling and saying he’d like to meet when there was a chance. He only nibbled one chip symbolically, barely touching the snacks.

[Host, if Ho Ying finds out you’re eating this much, she’ll scold you again!]

Wang Cai interrupted Xiandu’s thoughts. Thankfully, it was winter and she was well bundled up; otherwise, Ho Ying would have rushed over to reprimand her, no matter how busy.

“So what? It’s already in my stomach. Being able to eat this now is a fond memory. If I don’t have this in other worlds later, I can still recall the sweetness amidst the bitterness.”

*Ding—*

Xiandu’s phone buzzed with a new message.

During filming, guests had to hand over their communication devices, but Xiandu had secretly hidden her phone to keep in touch with Gu Qianxi.

She glanced around, seeing no one nearby, then slipped into a secluded part of the woods. Layer by layer, she peeled off her outerwear and retrieved her phone.

[Host, you definitely can’t play the role of a domineering CEO’s pampered wife, or else you’ll end up with the classic “CEO tearing off my cotton pants, fleece pants, thermal underwear...” scenario.]

“Not tonight, then.” Xiandu’s expression didn’t change as she pinched Wang Cai’s nape.

[No, please! Host, I was wrong!]

Wang Cai’s automatic feeder was controlled by Xiandu, and the cat food was locked away, with the key in her possession.

Ignoring Wang Cai’s wails, Xiandu opened her phone. Sure enough, it was a message from Gu Qianxi:

[G: The matter is settled.]

She put the phone away and sighed in relief. Although they couldn’t topple the Bojiang families immediately, at least they had contained their expansion, boxing them in and nibbling away bit by bit. By the time they realized, it would be too late. They aimed for a decisive strike.

It seemed Gu Qianxi was taking this seriously, so she had to focus on task two and start planning for task three.

Initially, she thought that if the babies had been switched at birth, finding Jiang You’an’s adoptive parents would lead to locating the original family.

But strangely, Jiang You’an had grown up in an orphanage, which, along with the hospital where Jiang’s mother gave birth, had mysteriously disappeared—no trace at all. Xiandu even visited the site; the addresses were fake, though photos still existed online.

Things were getting more complicated. No wonder the reward for task three was double that of task one.

Capitalists’ points were never easy to earn.

Xiandu mused silently as she left the woods, preparing to return to the Peach Garden cabin.

By the creek, she saw Su Jinnian walking toward the deep water with a vacant, numb look.

He was going to commit suicide!

Xiandu sprinted forward and tackled him just before he could jump in.

*Thud—*

Ouch, that hurt!

If not for thinking about Jin Li’s feelings—Jin Li would be devastated if he died here—Xiandu wouldn’t have bothered.

She hated seeing sweet kids cry!

Because Su Jinnian was lightly dressed and the creek bank was full of sharp stones, Xiandu shifted her angle during the tackle, using herself as a cushion.

Yet, despite her thick clothes, she still felt the pain.

“Do you have some major problem? Trying to end it all here?” Xiandu’s anger flared as she looked at Su Jinnian’s bewildered face, still unaware of what happened.

The original owner and Jin Li both liked him—such a waste of that handsome face!

Su Jinnian’s cheeks flushed suddenly, and Xiandu realized their current position was rather awkward.

[Host, I thought you’d be blushing and bubbling with romance!]

“Tomorrow’s food is gone too!” Xiandu shouted telepathically at Wang Cai.

Wang Cai instantly fell silent.

Su Jinnian climbed off her, and Xiandu stood up, brushing stones off her clothes.

This was the second outfit to get dirty; she noticed a hole torn in the back and felt a pang of regret.

Funds were tight, her star project was just starting, and money was needed everywhere. She had finally bought something expensive, only to have it ruined.

She decided to deduct it from Wang Cai’s food budget—after all, the vet said the cat was at risk for pancreatitis.

“I wasn’t trying to kill myself. I just saw the pretty shape of the river stones and remembered Guo Ke saying he might stir-fry river stones someday, so I came to collect some,” Su Jinnian explained, pulling a plastic bag from his pocket as Xiandu stared skeptically.

“Oh... I see,” Xiandu scratched her head awkwardly, trying to change the subject. “The trees by this river are really something.”

Su Jinnian chuckled softly and looked at her. “But you’re right. I did have some self-harming tendencies a while back, feeling like a glass dome separated me from the world. I’m better now.”

Xiandu sensed his despondency had lessened considerably.

“If you feel uneasy, you have the right to choose your path, but don’t forget there are people who truly care for you.”

Su Jinnian tilted his head toward Xiandu. Seeing her awkwardly avert her gaze by staring at the creek, his tone grew earnest.

“…I will.”

…

After filming, Ho Ying caught up with Xiandu and scolded her at length, then laid out several scripts before her.

“Take a look and see if any interest you. But ‘Mountain Trace’ is off the table—it's a web series, shot deep in the mountains with a closed set, and filming starts next week.” Ho Ying took a sip of water, her throat sore from frequent speaking.

“Hmm...” Xiandu was about to agree when a reminder popped up:

[Random Task Five Released: Take the role of Huang Yueliang in ‘Mountain Trace’ (10 points) (Limited to 3 hours)]

“...Hmm? Why not!” Xiandu forcefully raised her tone, which was about to drop.

Smiling, she inwardly began to curse the system.