“What’s going on?! You really just left Shen Wanwan there alone? Ugh, can’t you just give in to her a little? Look at how the public opinion online has blown up! People are even spreading rumors that you have a temper disorder now!
“And listen, my dear ancestor! Do you even know who Shen Wanwan is? Her Dad is Shen Rong, one of the most notorious real estate tycoons in the capital! That luxury villa you were looking at the other day, the one we couldn’t even afford after gritting our teeth, her family owns thousands of those.
“It makes sense that Shen Wanwan has that kind of personality. She’s in the entertainment industry just for fun. At the end of the day, she’s still a pampered heiress, a proper rich princess. Can’t you just go easy on her?”
From the phone on the coffee table, which was on speaker, the voice of Shao Yuye’s manager, Brother Li, sounded exasperated.
Shao Yuye had just changed into clean clothes. While toweling his hair dry, he motioned for his assistant, who had been about to blow-dry his hair, to wait a moment.
The assistant had been working for a month now, but even after staring at Brother Ye’s face for that long, she still couldn’t help but marvel inwardly—
Brother Ye is seriously so handsome.
At 18, Shao Yuye debuted as the undisputed champion of a talent show, and his popularity had remained sky-high ever since. Even though seven years had passed, he still carried a youthful edge that was uniquely his.
The closer one got, the clearer his sharp and striking features became.
He had just fallen into the water and had taken a quick shower. His damp hair clung to his skin, with droplets trickling down his strands and landing on the tip of his nose. As he wiped his hair with the towel, a droplet fell with a *plop*, as if it could land straight into someone’s heart.
Hearing his manager’s scolding, Shao Yuye’s lips curled into a sneer. His voice was wild and defiant:
“So what if she’s rich? Do I, Shao Yuye, look like someone who would bow down for money?
“Besides, she fell into the water on her own. What does that have to do with me?!”
The assistant took a silent, sharp breath. Even though she couldn’t see Brother Li’s face, she could perfectly imagine his cheekbones rising in fury.
Sure enough, the manager’s voice came through the phone, barely suppressing his frustration:
“I’m begging you, Young Master, just check the news. Do you even realize how badly you’re getting dragged right now? Honestly, I think we should just quit the show. With your temper, I’m afraid even your own fans will start leaving you!”
Shao Yuye was fuming. “Quit? No way. Let them see clearly, I’m exactly like this. Don’t try to lecture me with all that fake kindness!”
Just thinking about Shen Wanwan made his temples throb. That woman was spoiled and insufferable. Being on a team with her was the worst luck in eight lifetimes!
“People online don’t care about the details. At the end of the day, you’re a man, and she’s just a delicate girl. Couldn’t you have been a little more accommodating?”
Shao Yuye was utterly fed up. He didn’t want to hear Brother Li nagging anymore. Snatching up his phone, he quickly ended the call and sank into the couch.
The assistant stepped forward tentatively. “Brother Ye, do you want me to dry your hair for you?”
Shao Yuye waved her off irritably. “No need!”
He just wanted some peace and quiet.
With no choice, the assistant put down the hairdryer and reluctantly walked away, glancing back every few steps.
Left alone, Shao Yuye sat on the couch for a while before grabbing his phone again. He typed his own name into the search bar.
The clip of him and Shen Wanwan pushing each other had already spread from the live broadcast. Media outlets had wasted no time releasing their headlines—
[Hot-headed Top Star Shao Yuye Clashes with D-list Actress Shen Wanwan!]
[Shocking! Shao Yuye Shows His Fiery Temper Again, Acting Like a Big Shot on Reality Show!]
[Is It Pure Frustration or an Actual Disorder? Click Here to See the Top Star Lose His Cool On-Camera!]
The whole point of this show was to fix his public image. His team had arranged for him to participate because he’d been getting too many negative trending topics lately.
With his competitive nature and natural athleticism, this kind of game-focused variety show should have been perfect for reshaping his reputation.
But the moment he crossed paths with Shen Wanwan? Forget image repair, he was now being completely torn apart by the media.
Running a hand through his still-wet hair, Shao Yuye, now in a sulky rage, kicked over an empty bottle by the sofa, sending it clattering noisily across the floor.
So damn annoying!
The loud noise startled Xiao Jin, the staff member in charge of interviews, who had just walked in.
He had heard about Shao Yuye’s notorious temper, and now he was seeing it firsthand.
Shrinking back slightly, Xiao Jin had no desire to step into the lion’s den and was about to quietly retreat when Shao Yuye spoke first.
“What do you want?”
Xiao Jin : “……”
Bracing himself, he asked hesitantly, “Brother Ye, is now a good time for an interview?”
Shao Yuye’s expression cooled slightly as he straightened up.
“Sure.”
Thank god.
Despite his bad temper, at least Shao Yuye didn’t take his anger out on innocent bystanders.
The program had prepared standard questions, which he answered one by one. But when Xiao Jin reached the last one, Xiao Jin hesitated.
Shao Yuye raised an eyebrow. “Are we done?”
“Uh… there’s one more.”
Glancing at the final question on the sheet, Xiao Jin hesitated even more.
Judging by Brother Ye’s mood right now… if he asked this question, would he get punched?
Shao Yuye looked relaxed. “Go ahead.”
Taking a deep breath, Xiao Jin finally asked, slightly embarrassed—
“Uh… In the show, which guest do you least want to be partnered with?”
As soon as the words fell, a cold laugh was heard.
“Heh.
“Who do you think I least want to team up with?”
The entire interview team exchanged glances.
Ah, well.
Of course, it was Shen Wanwan.
“And in the show, who would you most like to partner with?”
“Anyone but Shen Wanwan.”
It was obvious that his hatred for Shen Wanwan had reached an extreme.
After Xiao Jin led the team out, Shao Yuye was just about to dry his hair.
The door of the lounge was knocked on again, and a staff member peeked in.
“Brother Ye, the hot spring area has been set up. You can go over anytime.”
Shao Yuye frowned. “Hot spring area?”
The staff member patiently explained, “Shen Wanwan used a hot spring card. Her teammate can also use the hot spring. You don’t need to go to the next challenge this afternoon; it’ll be skipped automatically.”
Just hearing Shen Wanwan’s name made Shao Yuye instinctively disgusted, but the staff member’s words made him pause.
Hot spring card?
Where did she get that?
On the other side, Shen Wanwan finished washing up, took a short break, then left with the hot spring card that Bai Ling had given her.
The small, chubby light ball, 001, was rolling anxiously through the air.
{This is bad, this is bad, this is really bad! You offended the female lead, we’re doomed!}
Shen Wanwan almost laughed.
“What are you panicking for? She gave it to me herself.”
{She was just being polite! Who knew you’d actually take it?!}
Thinking of this, 001 felt utterly broken.
This host was way too hard to manage!
While the little ball was busy worrying about the future, Shen Wanwan walked forward at a leisurely pace, saying calmly, “Calm down. You’re too noisy.”
{Aaaah! People who offend the female lead never have a good ending! You should be the one taking this seriously!}
Shen Wanwan reached out and poked the panicking little light ball.
“Didn’t you say before that the female lead is full of kindness and virtue? If she offered the hot spring card, it should be sincere. I accepted her kindness just as sincerely, what’s the problem?”
001 : {…}
{That… kind of makes sense.}
Shen Wanwan remained composed. “Then what are you so worried about?”
001 : {But anyone with eyes can tell she didn’t really want to give it to you!}
Shen Wanwan : “If she didn’t want to, why did she offer?”
001 : {…Because she was just being polite.}
“Which brings us back to the original question. She’s the female lead, she’s kind and beloved by all, so why would she pretend to be polite?”
001 felt its circuits overheating. It struggled to respond : {…Because it’s just human nature. That card was a hard-earned reward from a bonus round. Of course, she’d be reluctant to give it away…}
Shen Wanwan : “If she didn’t want to give it away, why did she say she would? Was it just to act generous and get the live audience to praise her for being beautiful and kind?”
001 was completely stunned by her confident reasoning. Its processing power nearly crashed, it had no way to argue back.
Flipping around in the air in frustration, 001 felt utterly wronged.
This was definitely the hardest host it had ever managed!
Shen Wanwan chuckled softly, squinting her eyes as she took a deep breath.
The feeling of being in control, of not being manipulated, it was wonderful.
She had just taken a few more steps when someone angrily blocked her path.
“You took Bai Ling’s hot spring card?”
The voice was low, carrying clear anger.
001 : {See! I told you! Trouble came knocking so fast!}
Shen Wanwan lazily lifted her eyelids.
The man in front of her was dressed in a black sports outfit. His face, usually cold and indifferent, looked twisted with rage.
Oh.
Her childhood fiancé, Su Tingxuan.
Here to defend the female lead already?
According to the novel’s setting, she was supposed to like him.
Ridiculous.
She had no interest in this reality show. Why would she be so obsessed with joining?
Turns out, it was all just to play the role of the villainous supporting character.
And Su Tingxuan? He liked Bai Ling.
For her, he had even spent a fortune just to get into this reality show.
In the novel, he was nothing more than a devoted but pathetic side character.
Now, the loyal dog himself was dutifully fulfilling his role, questioning Shen Wanwan in that righteous but hopeless tone—
“Shen Wanwan, I’m really disappointed in you!”
Shen Wanwan chuckled. “She gave me the card herself, and now she’s sending you to take it back?”
Su Tingxuan’s expression darkened. “She didn’t send me! She even told me that you’ve had a hard time. You’re a spoiled young lady, delicate and willful, but do you have any idea how hard Bai Ling had to fight to get that card?!”
Shen Wanwan had never liked Su Tingxuan much. She always thought he was a bit of a self-righteous hypocrite, appearing aloof and noble on the surface, but in reality, utterly pretentious.
Their families had been close, and their engagement had been arranged early on.
In their world, marriages between wealthy families were nothing unusual.
Since her mother liked him, and he was destined to become her husband, she had simply accepted him as part of her own circle. Over time, she had forced herself to get used to him, to find him tolerable.
But now this damn dog had decided to chase after his so-called true love.
She frowned slightly.
Su Tingxuan froze. His instincts screamed that this was the prelude to Shen Wanwan’s displeasure, and his heart skipped a beat.
She extended a slender, pale hand, her gaze icy.
“First.
“A person should take responsibility for their own words and actions. If she regrets it, she can come talk to me herself.”
“That’s impossible!” Su Tingxuan blurted out, “Bai Ling would never ask you to return it, she’s so kind—”
The rest of his words died in his throat under Shen Wanwan’s increasingly frigid gaze.
She lifted a second finger, her tone even colder.
“Second.
“A good dog knows not to block the way. Move.”
Su Tingxuan instinctively stepped aside.
He even reached out slightly, as if to protect her as she walked past.
Shen Wanwan stepped forward without sparing him a single glance.
Watching her graceful figure disappear into the distance, Su Tingxuan’s face darkened, and a splitting headache pounded at his temples.
They had known each other for over ten years, and for just as long, he had been at her beck and call. She used to be even more spoiled than she was now, needing someone to support her while walking, someone to fetch her water. Taking care of her had practically been engraved into his bones, becoming second nature.
Clenching his fists in frustration, Su Tingxuan felt his resentment towards her surge uncontrollably.
He truly, utterly despised the version of himself that existed around her!
Why did he always end up obeying her like a dog whenever she gave an order?!
Shen Wanwan didn’t need to turn around to know what was happening behind her.
Because 001 was reporting every detail to her in real time.
{He looks really angry.}
{Oh, now he seems… frustrated.}
{Sigh, honestly, wouldn’t it have been easier to just give the card back? That’s the female lead you’re going against, your luck is going to take a serious hit.}
The private hot spring room was designed for celebrities, with no surveillance cameras installed to ensure their privacy.
Thick steam filled the entire space. Tired of listening to the little light ball’s incessant chatter, Shen Wanwan asked, “What do you like to drink? Orange juice, milk, coffee, or something else?”
001 : (OvO)!
{…Coffee. No sugar, thanks.}
Shen Wanwan picked up a cup of unsweetened coffee. The little light ball zipped over at lightning speed, hovering near the rim to take a sip.
{You’re the first host to ever ask me what I want to eat. You’re so kind.}
Shen Wanwan chuckled, leisurely making her way to the dressing room.
Following beside her, 001 thought, well, the female lead has already been offended anyway.
Might as well enjoy the bath first and figure things out later!