Part 4 of Chapter 48
Do You Still Hate Her? 38 – Absurd Romance Compilation
Today’s second round was about the engaged couple about to get married.
In this round, all the partners and lovers were switched, and Shang Lu’s partner for this round was Xu Ze.
Next was to redraw persona setting cards.
Shang Lu drew [Tsundere], while Xu Ze drew [Reliable].
The restriction for [Tsundere] is that they must speak in opposites, while for [Reliable], like Lin Yanyan in the previous round, must agree to any request made by their partner.
Shang Lu didn’t find it difficult at all; after all, she still had the upper hand.
Because her partner was Xu Ze, she didn’t care about winning or losing anymore.
Finally, she got the chance she had been waiting for! The program team announced yesterday that today’s filming would be divided into three time slots : morning, noon, and evening. She immediately scheduled Xu Ze for noon! All for this moment!
Shang Lu looked at Xu Ze with anticipation written all over her face and said, “I don’t want to eat boiled sliced pork, I don’t want to eat salt and pepper prawns, and I definitely don’t like spicy hotpot!”
Xu Ze : “…”
[Hahaha, Shang Lu, are you listing your preferences here?]
[Shang Lu : I want to eat, I want to eat, I want to eat!]
They looked at each other.
Shang Lu blinked her eyes expectantly, her face filled with hope.
After a moment of silence, Xu Ze said, “Alright, I won’t make it.”
Shang Lu : “???”
Huh? How did this happen? Did she not make her hint clear enough?
Because she was so disappointed, Shang Lu didn’t even realize the problem right away.
The netizens were quicker to react.
[Wait, wait, Shang Lu is [Tsundere], so she can only speak in opposites, and Xu Ze is [Reliable], so he has to agree with everything Shang Lu says 🤦♀️]
[Help, their character roles are completely conflicting, are they going to be stuck in a loop?]
It took Shang Lu a good half minute to figure out the reason.
So, she didn’t care about getting shocked anymore. After all, it was just this one time. She said directly, “I want to eat…”
“Got it, I’ll go buy it,” Xu Ze said as he got up and headed outside.
Shang Lu : “??!”
She hadn’t even said anything yet!
Because the location they were currently filming at was a regular residential area, the nearest market was just a five-minute walk away.
So, in no time, Xu Ze returned with the groceries and went straight into the kitchen.
Shang Lu followed along and walked inside, her eyes immediately forming crescent moons as she smiled.
Because everything Xu Ze bought was exactly the dishes she had requested, how wonderful.
[Ah, he bought everything she wanted to eat!]
[Xu Ze’s bracelet had already lit up, because he opposed the [Reliable] persona by not following the request to not make these dishes, so he was deemed to have broken the character setting.]
Lunchtime.
Shang Lu, who hadn’t eaten sweet and sour spare ribs in the morning, finally showed a satisfied expression when she had her hearty lunch.
But inexplicably, she thought of the question Chi Yan asked her before.
Between Chi Yan and Xu Ze, who is better at cooking?
Shang Lu picked up another bite of the dish Xu Ze made, conducted a fair and just evaluation in her heart, and the answer was—
About the same.
In Shang Lu’s opinion, both of these people’s culinary skills were nearly perfect, and she couldn’t choose between them even if she tried.
When recording variety shows, she could eat Xu Ze’s cooking. When filming, she could go home and eat at Chi Yan’s place next door. Shang Lu felt that her life had become happier because she could enjoy delicious meals.
There might not be many common topics between Shang Lu and Xu Ze because their personalities were quite different.
But Shang Lu still found it very comfortable to be around Xu Ze because, whether or not there were restrictions of the persona setting, he was a relatively reliable person.
So, surprisingly, their date parts actually felt like a normal romance variety show. Shang Lu proposed wanting to learn how to make desserts, and the two of them went to a nearby supermarket to buy ingredients and then returned to start making them.
Shang Lu wasn’t particularly interested in cooking; she didn’t like the smell of cooking oil sticking to her clothes.
But she really wanted to learn how to make desserts, thinking that desserts were both attractive and delicious.
However—
The all-around chef Xu Ze wasn’t particularly skilled at making desserts.
Holding half a lemon with a serious expression, Shanglu said, “Lemon juice removes the egg smell, so it’s okay to squeeze a little more, right?”
Xu Ze thought for a moment, hesitated, and finally nodded.
Then they both moved chairs into the kitchen, and in the end, they achieved a flat and uneven cake base with a crooked layer of cream on top.
Shang Lu & Xu Ze : “…”
Both of them fell into silence together.
Shang Lu suggested : “Let’s give it a try; maybe it’ll taste good.”
Xu Ze nodded and used a knife to cut the cake into four pieces, placing them in different plates.
Both of them took a piece of cake, picked up their forks, and tasted it.
Shang Lu : “Actually… it’s good.”
Xu Ze : “…it’s good.”
[It’s good? Really? I don’t believe it.]
[Hahaha, but your expressions clearly say it doesn’t taste good at all.]
[I knew it would end up like this when Shang Lu squeezed half a lemon to mix in.]
In the end, neither of them forced themselves to finish the cake.
Shang Lu sighed and said, “I remember there’s a cake shop on the west side of town with really delicious cakes, especially the mango and peach flavors. But you have to wait at least two hours every time you go there. It’s not just for the hype; you’ll know once you’ve tasted it. I always pay someone to wait in line for me. I’ll bring you some next time we’re recording a variety show.”
“Sure,” Xu Ze agreed, giving her a slight smile.
[I know that shop too. It’s really good, I can vouch for it.]
[The cake itself costs 61 yuan, but paying someone to wait in line costs a few hundred. It’s expensive, but worth it for lazy people like me.]
Now it’s three o’clock in the afternoon.
The program team assigned them a new task.
Since they are ‘engaged,’ they need to prepare gifts for each other before getting their marriage certificate.
Xu Ze left the house immediately.
Shang Lu looked somewhat lost, watching Xu Ze’s departing figure, then stared at the 100 yuan bill in her hand, lost in thought.
What can she buy with it?
Shang Lu walked out with the 100 yuan, looking around and finally chose a light blue woolen hat with a great texture, a perfect gift for the winter.
However, when Shang Lu returned to the house, Xu Ze still hadn’t come back.
Shang Lu let out a sigh and took another, and then another deep breath, before eventually leaning back on the couch and falling asleep.
[How many times have we told her not to stay up late? It seems she still hasn’t listened.]
[It’s also possible that it’s because Xu Ze has really been gone for too long. Shang Lu fell asleep. If this is how they are before getting married, what’s the point of getting a marriage certificate?]
[Don’t say that, previous commenters. Just go to Xu Ze’s live broadcast room, and you’ll see.]
[Wuwuwu, who can look at Xu Ze’s live broadcast without saying ‘perfect husband’? I couldn’t wait even a second. I’d sit outside the Civil Affairs Bureau waiting for it to open and get the certificate tonight.]
Some people felt curious and immediately rushed over.
Then they saw Xu Ze standing in front of an incredibly long queue, quietly waiting in line.
The barrage discussion was very active.
[Xu Ze went out to inquire about the cake shop in the west of the city that Shang Lu mentioned. After confirming the address with several people, he rushed over.]
[The two cakes that Shang Lu wanted, one was 61 yan, and two of them would be 122 yuan. Xu Ze was still short by 22 yuan, which he earned by taking photos with passersby.]
[Although the temperature has dropped recently, the sun is so strong today. It’s still a bit hot, isn’t it?]
[It’s been almost three hours already… It usually doesn’t take this long, right? Why hasn’t it been Xu Ze’s turn yet? Mom’s worried.]
[Because Shang Lu mentioned it during the livestream, more people went, like my friend. She and Xu Ze are waiting in the same line, and she got her ticket before Xu Ze, haha.]
[Puppy, puppy, a puppy that can be taken home with just a roasted sweet potato.]
[I understand. So, when it snows this year, I’ll go to a filming set to sell roasted sweet potatoes. On cold nights, I’ll give a piece to every extra actors on the set. Ten years later, I’ll replicate Shang Lu’s successful path!]
[Don’t make me laugh, previous commenter. It’s not that serious, really not that serious. (I purchased a roasted sweet potato oven online, payment successful, I went to the filming set first and set up a stall.)]
…
I know, honestly, I wouldn’t be mad if she ended up with either of them.
I would’ve rooted for Xu Ze if it weren’t for Chi Yan