Chapter 18: First Date Choice

With a sharp whistle, the

battle began.

Shen Mingxuan, Cheng Lin, and Fu Li, as if they had already planned it, surrounded Gu Chuan in a perfect triangle.

Gu Chuan raised an eyebrow lightly, his black eyes gleaming with interest.

Cheng Lin laughed heartily. “Gu Ge, you’re just too strong.”

If it had been a one-on-one fight, none of the three could have beaten him, and the final result would have been Gu Chuan’s victory.

Instead, they decided to team up and try to knock Gu Chuan out first, and then fight among themselves. At least that would give them a one-third chance of winning.

Gu Chuan showed no fear, a smile playing on his lips. “Come on.”

The three exchanged glances and charged at Gu Chuan together, full of momentum.

Gu Chuan sidestepped with ease, and the most aggressive, Cheng Lin, went flying past the line. Immediately, a wave of joyful laughter erupted in the chat.

【Hahaha, President Cheng, you lost too quickly!】

【President Cheng is officially a comedy king.】

Seeing this, Shen Mingxuan and Fu Li charged at Gu Chuan again.

But Gu Chuan’s stance was much more stable than they anticipated. He remained unmoved, and with a swift move, he sent them both stumbling backward. Luckily, they caught each other and avoided a complete defeat.

Fu Li glanced behind Gu Chuan, the gold-rimmed glasses catching a flash of light.

Soon, Fu Li and Shen Mingxuan charged together again. Gu Chuan, switching to an offensive stance, kicked Shen Mingxuan out of the way and then spun around to knock Fu Li back…

In just a few seconds, only one man remained standing on the grass.

A light breeze blew through, tousling his black hair, revealing his dark, deep eyes.

“We won!” Jiang Mi’s eyes were bright as she smiled, her gaze never leaving him.

“Wait.” Cheng Lin, who had been eliminated in a second, scrambled to his feet and ran over, pointing to the ground near Gu Chuan’s feet. “Gu Ge’s foot was out of bounds. He didn’t win!”

Gu Chuan glanced down at the white line, squinting slightly. He recalled the moment Fu Li had collided with him, and his foot had indeed stepped back by half a step.

Gu Chuan nodded, acknowledging the result, but then turned the tables. “If my foot was out of bounds, but you three are all lying on the ground—who won?”

Cheng Lin was stunned. Yeah, who did win?

Fu Li stopped adjusting his glasses halfway.

Shen Mingxuan, in the middle of brushing off his clothes, froze as well.

【Honestly, it should count as Gu Chuan winning, since he managed to knock all three of them down in a three-on-one.】

【But Gu Chuan’s foot did go out of bounds.】

The pressure was now on the director’s team. After some intense discussion, they made their decision.

“Ahem, none of the male contestants are standing, so the ultimate winner is Jiang Mi!”

Jiang Mi: “???”

【That was a totally unexpected big win.】

【The director’s team is being a bit hasty. Why not have another round?】

【They’re probably considering the faces of the three male contestants. They teamed up and still couldn’t beat Gu Chuan. If they had another round and lost, it would be really embarrassing.】

【It’s fine, though. Mimi will definitely choose Gu Chuan for a date. Winning or losing isn’t that important.】

The director’s team quickly moved on, realizing they hadn’t handled the situation perfectly, and threw the question to Jiang Mi.

“Mimi, which male contestant would you like to go on a date with for the day?”

【Ding, please maintain your character and choose to go on a date with the male lead, Shen Mingxuan.】

The voices of the director and Benben echoed in her ears at almost the same time.

Jiang Mi seemed to have anticipated this moment. Her beautiful face showed no surprise as she blinked her eyes and smiled. “I choose…”

【Bet ten bags of spicy strips, it must be Gu Chuan!】

【Handsome guys and beautiful girls, go for a sweet date! Make it as sweet and cheesy as possible, let’s go!】

【Don’t forget how Jiang Mi was practically throwing herself at Emperor Shen before. Now she has the chance to openly cling to him, she’s definitely going to pick him.】

【No way, Jiang Mi’s attitude is crystal clear. She hasn’t even looked at Shen Mingxuan once.】

【Give it up. My Emperor Shen has never looked at her either, don’t flatter yourself.】

The comments in the chat went wild, debating who Jiang Mi would choose for the date.

On the show’s set, the atmosphere was a bit tense, especially after the name “Shen Mingxuan” was mentioned.

Lu Yu blurted out, “Why?” before quickly covering her mouth, her eyes wide in disbelief.

Why?

Why didn’t she choose Gu Chuan, but Shen Mingxuan?

Gu Chuan’s expression remained cold, though his gaze seemed even colder.

Jiang Mi looked at him and blinked, her pretty eyes holding a hint of vulnerability.

【???】

【Is the CP I ship over before it even started?】

【Haha, Jiang Mi is still the same, clinging endlessly!】

【I really don’t get it. Why not go on a date with Gu Chuan and gather a bunch of CP fans? Why pick Shen Mingxuan, just wait for his fans to bash her for clinging on.】

【Flip-flopping, love-struck brains are hopeless.】

【I told you, Jiang Mi’s antics in this love reality show were all to get Shen Mingxuan’s attention. Turns out, I was right.】

【Jiang Mi is really disgusting, can’t she stop clinging to Emperor Shen?】

This time, the comments were remarkably unified, all criticizing Jiang Mi. Some were disappointed in her, while others, fans of Shen Mingxuan, gloated, pointing out that Jiang Mi was still hung up on their “brother” and wouldn’t stop chasing him.

On the way to the date…

Shen Mingxuan looked a little smug. “You really did pick me, huh.”

At first, when Jiang Mi had relentlessly pursued him, he found it annoying, irritating, and unpleasant.

Later, when Jiang Mi started showing indifference to him on the show, Shen Mingxuan found himself paying more attention to her, especially when he noticed that Jiang Mi seemed to have taken an interest in Gu Chuan.

But now it was clear: Jiang Mi’s “changing her affections” to her bodyguard had just been a way to draw his attention. As soon as there was an opportunity for a date, she immediately threw Gu Chuan aside.

Well, after all, a rough bodyguard like that didn’t even deserve to carry his shoes.

Jiang Mi glanced at the smug Shen Mingxuan, her lips curling into a faint smile with no emotion. “If you’re happy, then that’s good.”

With that, she pulled her shirt over her cheek and leaned back in her seat to catch some sleep.

Shen Mingxuan: “???”

Wasn’t this the moment for a heartfelt confession? Why was she saying something so sarcastic like “If you’re happy, then that’s good”?

Oh! She must be shy!

Shen Mingxuan, ever considerate, found a reason for her behavior.

At that moment, the director’s team called to inform them of a last-minute change in their destination.

Shen Mingxuan was puzzled as to why the destination had shifted from an art museum to an amusement park, but he didn’t think much of it. He didn’t notice Jiang Mi’s carefree smile at the corner of her lips.

Behind them, in another car, the director was pulling his hair out in frustration.

The scriptwriter beside him tried to calm him down. “Director, relax. Going to an amusement park is a common choice for young couples, what’s the big deal? Don’t worry, everything’s fine.”

The director anxiously said, “For a regular couple, no problem. But Jiang Mi changed the plan last minute. What does she want to do?”

“Facing the live cameras, surrounded by so many tourists… could a fragile woman really overpower Emperor Shen?”

“…..”

That… actually made sense.

But the bad feeling in his heart only grew stronger.