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Reserved and sensitive, difficult to approach…
Inside the solo recording room of Heartbeat Acceleration.
“Please select your initial persona for the reality show.”
The steady and clear voice of the director resonated through the small, brightly lit room.
In front of the camera, Ning Qingyan glanced at the three differently colored cards laid out before her.
The pink card represented a romance persona, the yellow card a money-driven persona, and the black card an undercover persona.
The moment the director finished speaking, Ning Qingyan decisively picked up the undercover card. It was just like her previous life but now with greater resolve.
The pure black card with gold edges rested between her pale fingers, the bold red “Undercover” characters standing out against her innocent and harmless appearance. The contrast was strikingly harmonious.
No one could have guessed that this scene would later become a viral moment, shocking countless fans who exclaimed, “Our innocent baby couldn’t possibly be the undercover!” It became the ultimate plot twist of the year.
On the island rented by the Heartbeat Acceleration crew, heavy rain and thunder roared, with flashes of lightning carving pale scars into the dark sky.
Despite the storm, the villa on the island glowed warmly with its lights on.
The male contestants were supposed to arrive earlier that afternoon, but due to weather delays, only Ning Qingyan—who had arrived in advance—was present. Not a single other contestant had shown up by nearly 11 p.m.
Ning Qingyan turned up the heater in the living room slightly, glanced at the unmoving door, then at the clock on the wall. Hugging three clean, white towels, she half-lay on the armrest of the sofa, drowsy.
Dressed in a white shirt, her soft chestnut hair was slightly disheveled. Long lashes cast shadows under her eyes, and her pale face rested against the towel, giving her an air of pure innocence.
When Huo Qi pushed open the living room door, this was the scene that greeted him.
The noise startled her slightly. Her lashes fluttered, and her half-asleep eyes squinted at the tall man standing by the door, her expression dazed.
The man’s sharp, aloof features carried a faint chill. His black shirt was slightly damp, and the open collar clung to his throat, exuding a restrained sensuality that was paradoxically alluring.
His long, narrow phoenix eyes regarded her coldly, their ink-like depths unfathomable. Meeting his gaze sent an inexplicable chill down Ning Qingyan’s spine.
Green Tea System: “Huo Qi’s favorability +1.”
Green Tea System:
Ning Qingyan remained calm, though her thoughts stirred. She lazily rose from the sofa, her white shirt slightly rumpled, revealing a delicate collarbone marked by faint impressions. It carried an unintentionally seductive charm.
With just one glance, Huo Qi averted his gaze, expressionless.
Ning Qingyan held out a clean towel, her voice hoarse from sleep:
“I’m contestant number one, Ning Qingyan. I arrived earlier. You can use this towel… Oh, there’s hot water on the table. Would you like some?”
Her voice was clear yet soft, with a slightly raspy quality from just waking up—extremely pleasant to the ear.
“No need,” the man replied coldly, his voice deep and frosty, like the onset of winter.
“Okay,” Ning Qingyan replied softly, brushing her chestnut hair as her sleeve slipped, revealing a pale, jade-like arm. She was about to retract the towel.
Her downcast eyes gave off a subtly aggrieved vibe.
In the warmth of the living room, Huo Qi glanced at his watch and hesitated for a moment before unexpectedly accepting the towel.
The towel, which had been nestled in her arms, was soft and warm, carrying a faint scent of sunshine.
Huo Qi’s cold fingers unconsciously tightened around the towel as a flicker of unreadable emotion crossed his eyes. He quickly returned to his indifferent demeanor, walking past her without another word.
Translation:
The black coat, damp with rain, billowed slightly as he strode past, and Ning Qingyan caught a faint scent of fresh grass and cool wood. As they brushed past each other, he spoke in a low, cold voice, “Huo Qi.”
Green Tea System: “Huo Qi’s favorability +1.”
Ning Qingyan watched the man’s cold and elegant figure gradually disappear into the distance. She frowned slightly, and the half-squinted eyes that had earlier appeared dazed and flustered now shone with clarity.
As the system described, he was indeed cold, sensitive, and difficult to approach.
She glanced at the steaming cup of water on the table. Given Huo Qi’s character, it was impossible for him to accept anything of unknown origin from a stranger. The fact that he accepted the towel earlier was already an exception.
However, despite her vast experience with men, Ning Qingyan had to admit that Huo Qi lived up to his reputation. In her previous life, he built a business empire and stood at the top of the food chain. Even during this low point in his life, his powerful aura was unshakable and intimidating.
Waiting late into the night with the lights on only earned her two points of favorability—how intriguing.
Ning Qingyan licked her dry lips and lowered her gaze, collecting her thoughts.
At the top of the stairs on the second floor, the rooms for the male guests were on the left, and those for the female guests were on the right. A small lounge was in the middle.
Due to limited rooms, the show used a configuration of two single rooms and one shared room with bunk beds.
Although the shared room was several times larger, it lacked the privacy of a single room.
Since she was disguised as a man, staying in the shared room risked exposing her secret. Thus, Ning Qingyan had moved her luggage into the outermost single room earlier in the morning, just as she had in her previous life.
She walked into the bathroom and used scissors to trim her recently dyed short brown hair even shorter, fully revealing her ears and neck. Only then did she begin removing her makeup.
The semi-permanent straight brows she had done specifically for a more masculine look ensured she still appeared sharp, even without brow powder.
As the contouring and shading makeup washed away, the sharp, delicate face of a young man gradually softened, revealing the natural gentle curves unique to a woman.
After unbinding the chest wrap, she took a quick shower, applied some simple skincare, and lay down on the bed with a sigh of relief.
Even though she had been reborn for several days now, whenever she closed her eyes, she couldn’t help but recall the image of that man from her previous life—the way his stunningly beautiful eyes remained calm yet resolute as she faced death.
Ning Qingyan opened her eyes and shook her head, as if trying to scatter the memory.
In her past life, her father had incurred high-interest debts. To evade creditors, he disguised her as a boy and sent her onto the dating reality show. The island where the show was filmed didn’t allow outsiders and was broadcast live across the internet, so even if the creditors found her, they couldn’t act too rashly.
After settling her in, her father, unable to bear the pressure of the company’s bankruptcy, jumped off a building, leaving her with millions in debt.
Although the initial days were difficult, she had managed to get by after some ups and downs. Fishing for favors, playing games, and making money went relatively smoothly—until she fell victim to a blackened, obsessive character.
Green Tea System: “Cumulative favorability points gained from male lead Huo Qi: 2. Ning Group’s bankruptcy has been delayed by two days. Total favorability points remain too low to unlock the Favorability Exchange Store.”
Lost in thought, the system’s cold mechanical voice snapped Ning Qingyan back to reality, though it plunged her into another whirlpool of concerns.
Three days ago, after her rebirth, a system had appeared in her mind.
The Green Tea System explained:
“You are in the world of a novel, specifically a shared universe of three non-romantic male lead stories. The common point between these stories is that the male leads, during their low points, participated as amateur male guests on the reality show Heartbeats Accelerate. However, once the show ended, they returned to their separate trajectories with no further intersections.”
“Your father’s bankruptcy is irreversible, but by using a green tea persona to gain favorability points from the male leads, you can delay the bankruptcy and unlock golden opportunities.”
“Friendly reminder: all four female guests are transmigrators from different worlds. Do not let them discover anything unusual. Proceed cautiously.”
One reality show, four male guests—three of whom were male leads—and four female guests, all transmigrators. Only she was a mere side character.
Ning Qingyan: ? (Are you kidding me?)
Returning to the present, Ning Qingyan exhaled deeply. Tomorrow, all the male and female guests would gather, and the live broadcast of the reality show would begin. She turned over and forced herself to fall asleep quickly.
In the brightly lit open kitchen, the rice cooker gurgled with bubbling millet porridge, and the sizzle of oil hinted at the faint aroma of something frying.
A slender youth wearing an apron had rolled up their sleeves, revealing a stretch of fair, toned arm, and was currently focused on frying eggs with a spatula.
This warm scene greeted Huo Qi, who had just returned from his morning run, accompanied by Wen Shijin, whom he had met on the way.
Green Tea System: “Huo Qi’s favorability +1.”
Green Tea System: “Wen Shijin’s favorability +1.”