Chapter 10: A Lesson in Courtesy

“The next film is a kung fu movie. I’ve been learning lately, and I didn’t expect to meet a professional teacher on the show. I’d like to ask for some pointers,” Shen Mingxuan said smoothly.

His words were skillfully crafted—if he lost, he’d claim it was because the other person was a professional while he was an amateur; if he won, he’d say it was because he was better than a professional.

Jiang Mi raised an eyebrow in surprise.

In the original text, the male lead and the antagonist only started competing for the female lead’s attention later in the story, but here it’s happening already in the first episode?

No wonder she’s the female lead—her charm is undeniable!

Soon, the two stood at the center of the stage, with the other guests scattered around the edges, watching.

【Ahem, does everyone remember that half an hour ago, Jiang Mi was whining to Gu Chuan, asking him to help beat up Shen Mingxuan because he was bullying her?】

【Haha, of course I remember! I thought fights were too rough to appear on the show, but here we are! I’m so excited!】

【Shen Mingxuan doesn’t seem to have the advantage over Gu Chuan in terms of physique, presence, or looks.】

【Yeah, even though Gu Chuan’s muscles aren’t exaggerated, they have a solid, powerful feel. Ugh, just now, he picked up Jiang Mi with one hand—I’m swooning!】

Naturally, Shen Mingxuan’s fans weren’t happy to see their idol being overshadowed and started flooding the comments, claiming that Gu Chuan’s muscles were just for show and weren’t actually useful.

But in the next second, the fans got a slap in the face.

Shen Mingxuan shot Jiang Mi a dark look before taking the first swing.

Gu Chuan raised his arm to block the punch, and Shen Mingxuan quickly followed up with a powerful kick.

The two exchanged blows, evenly matched, and the fierce, primal competition drew everyone’s attention.

Slowly, the discussion in the comments faded as everyone focused on the fight.

But while to the audience, it seemed like an evenly matched battle, Jiang Mi could tell that Gu Chuan was handling things with ease, while Shen Mingxuan’s movements were becoming more urgent after failing to land a hit.

Seizing the opportunity, Gu Chuan pushed Shen Mingxuan back by two steps.

Before Shen Mingxuan could regain his footing, Gu Chuan delivered a sharp kick.

Shen Mingxuan staggered back two more steps before halting, his eyes flashing with frustration and unwillingness to admit defeat.

Gu Chuan clasped his fists and spoke in a calm tone, “I concede.”

Shen Mingxuan curved the corner of his lips into a vicious smile, but still kept up appearances, “Thank you for the lesson. It seems I still have a long way to go.”

“Mingxuan, you’ve only been training for two months, you’re already really good,” Bai Ruanruan said, trying to salvage his reputation. She then hesitated and stuck out her tongue, “Gu Chuan is amazing too. You both are incredible.”

Oh, such a perfect show of fairness.

Jiang Mi opened her mouth to expose the male lead’s martial arts background but suddenly felt a sharp pain in her head. She couldn’t control herself and blurted out, “Mingxuan, you’re so handsome!”

【Please maintain your character, be infatuated with the male lead, praise him, and never speak ill of him.】

Shua shua shua, everyone looked at Jiang Mi in confusion.

Taking control of her body, Jiang Mi smiled. Good, so I’m supposed to praise the male lead, huh?

“Mingxuan, you kept attacking but couldn’t get past, then when you were kicked back, you steadied yourself without changing your expression—so cool!”

“You didn’t want to admit you were losing, and even though you were clearly frustrated, you pretended to be humble. That’s just so cool!”

【Wow, I’m constantly amazed by Jiang Mi’s mouth!】

【Jiang Mi is going too far. Trying to use this trick to attract Shen Mingxuan will just make her more annoying!】

【I weirdly find Jiang Mi’s attempt to mess with Shen Mingxuan kinda sweet, like a love-hate thing.】

【Friendly reminder: you can ship rare pairs, but don’t cross the line!】

【But even though Shen Mingxuan isn’t angry, it seems like he’s a little moved.】

Shen Mingxuan looked at the small black mole at the corner of Jiang Mi’s eye. He had once found it annoying, but now, it seemed to bring the whole face to life in a way he hadn’t noticed before.

“Xuan Ge!” Bai Ruanruan called out anxiously.

Shen Mingxuan’s heart skipped a beat for a moment before he quickly turned around. “Ruanruan, what’s wrong?”

Bai Ruanruan, eyes red, smiled sweetly. “I just wanted to check if you’re thirsty. Do you want some water?”

“Thank you, Ruanruan. You’re so considerate.”

“Of course!”

Jiang Mi raised an eyebrow in surprise. Shen Mingxuan and Bai Ruanruan didn’t snap at each other. Instead, they gracefully let it slide and walked away. What’s going on?

【Host, were you just praising the male lead?】

“Yeah, he’s amazing! So handsome, so cool… Do you want me to praise him more? I could say he’s ‘handsomely mind-blowing.’”

【No, the focus is on the earlier part.】

“Stop being silly, sweetheart. The earlier stuff was the truth. Is it wrong to speak the truth in this world?”

【Ahem, please maintain your character. Stay infatuated with the male lead!】

Having gone through a few forced tasks, Jiang Mi didn’t hesitate and immediately began to insult him, or else the system would push the plot forward.

“Mr. Bodyguard, you’re a professional, so there’s nothing to be proud of beating an amateur like me. Okay~”

Her tone was soft and playful, not at all harsh—more like teasing.

Gu Chuan looked at her with his deep black eyes. “Hmm, not proud.”

Jiang Mi smiled, her eyes bright, “You’re so obedient.”

Suddenly, Gu Chuan’s lips curled into an enigmatic smile, and without warning, he turned to the man standing behind Jiang Mi, wearing gold-rimmed glasses. “Next, your turn.”

The man adjusted his glasses, his narrow eyes resting on Jiang Mi’s graceful back. His voice was slightly excited. “Alright.”

【Here it comes! A love triangle between two men fighting for one woman!】

【They barely know each other’s names, and they’re already at each other’s throats. The ancient saying about ‘beauty bringing disaster’ really is true!】

“Director, should we let Gu Chuan choose a female guest to introduce herself? It’s kind of pointless for guys to pick each other,” the assistant whispered.

The director shot him a sideways glance. “You go remind him.”

The assistant shuddered. “Actually… two men fighting isn’t that bad either.” Gu Chuan could kick a Tibetan Mastiff into the air with one foot, and if he aimed that foot at his head, the assistant wouldn’t dare make him angry!

The director: “…”

“Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Fu Li, and I’m a surgeon.”

Jiang Mi thought to herself, sure enough, the genius surgeon Fu Li falls for the female lead’s body at first sight, becoming obsessed with collecting and dissecting it, later turning into a lovesick second male lead.

He collects human organs—talk about a twisted obsession.

Jiang Mi clicked her tongue, and accidentally locked eyes with Fu Li’s narrow gaze as he continued, “My specialty is human dissection, so I’ll use that as my introduction.”

Jiang Mi: “….”

Of course, the show’s producers advocated for civility, harmony, and love, so they brought in an adorable stuffed animal for him to “dissect.”

Then, everyone watched as Fu Li pulled a surgical scalpel from the inner lining of his coat. The gleaming blade twirled skillfully in his hand, performing a beautiful flourish before swiftly plunging it into the small rabbit’s belly…

“Ah—!” The sweet girl squeaked, her eyes reddening, as if the scalpel was piercing her own body, not the stuffed bunny.

Fu Li glanced at her, his expression calm.

The sweet girl’s face immediately turned crimson, and she hurriedly bowed in apology. “I’m sorry, sorry! I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

Fu Li smiled lightly. “Did I scare you?”

The sweet girl quickly hid behind Jiang Mi. “No, no.”

【Ahhh, the creepy doctor and the soft, sweet girl are perfect together!】

【The beautiful older sister and the obedient little sweet girl make a great couple too!】

After finishing with the stuffed bunny, Fu Li turned his attention to the sweet girl.