Chapter 3

Silence. The whole place was silent.

Even the sound of birds flapping their wings and flying away from the trees could be heard.

It was already hard to believe that Si Xiang was a man who underwent gender reassignment surgery and transformed into a beautiful woman, who then entered online relationships with eighteen male internet users who spent money on her.

But no one expected what came next, and this development of gossip was something no one had ever predicted.

— Best friends turned into siblings!

This was totally explosive!

This kind of melodramatic plot would only appear in a novel, right? No one expected it to happen in real life, and even less did they expect to hear it all unfold in front of them.

The director slapped his thigh, exclaiming, Good one! Really good one!

If he were the director of a melodrama, this plotline would be gold. He would definitely make use of it—this would stir up a huge buzz!

Qiao Cen, who was sitting beside Qiao Chuchu, was nearly choked by his own spit. “Cough, cough—”

This was the most mind-blowing story he’d heard this year—absolutely shocking.

Qiao Chuchu turned to look at him. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

Qiao Chuchu: 【Little brother is so fragile, he can’t even drink water without choking.】

Upon hearing the voice, Qiao Cen coughed harder. He wasn’t fragile, not at all!

The two main characters of the story were both stunned, and Bai Yun was so shocked that she dropped the iodine.

What had she just heard? Si Xiang was her half-brother?!

What kind of joke was Qiao Chuchu playing? How could that be possible?!

Her best friend was actually her brother? This was too absurd…

Si Xiang, seeing this, felt a chill in his heart and quickly grabbed Bai Yun’s arm, softly saying, “Yunyun, we’re good friends. You can’t really believe this nonsense, can you? It’s all baseless.”

Qiao Chuchu: 【I thought this was already explosive enough, but it turns out there’s more. Si Xiang is quite the ruthless person. In order to get back at Bai Yun’s father for abandoning them, she befriended Bai Yun and secretly seduced her father, making sure the father-daughter relationship could never be smooth.】

Si Xiang’s fingers tightened a little. “Yunyun, I have no grievances with her. I don’t know why she would slander me like this. But I truly care for you.”

“We’ve been together for so long, don’t you feel it?”

Qiao Chuchu: 【What a pity, Bai Yun trusted Si Xiang too much. They went to the hospital together for IVF, and it wasn’t until the difficult labor that led to death that she learned the truth. But by then, it was too late. Si Xiang had reverted to his male form and his original name, Bai Run. He seized all of the Bai family’s assets. However, he wasn’t good at managing money, and he squandered the wealth in no time.】

【Hmm, this is hard to judge.】

Si Xiang slowly took her hand and whispered, “Yunyun, we are good friends, the kind of friends I would protect with my life.”

Her words did have some effect, at least half of Bai Yun’s suspicions were alleviated.

Especially when she thought about how not long after she and Si Xiang became close, one night when they were out, she was kidnapped by robbers. It was Si Xiang, without a second thought, who saved her, even though she was seriously injured and spent a month in the hospital.

Since then, she had considered Si Xiang as the most important person in her life.

She truly shouldn’t doubt her best friend based on the strange words of a stranger. Looking at Si Xiang’s injured expression made her feel a moment of guilt.

“We are good friends, I trust you.”

Although she said that, the seed of doubt had already been planted in her heart, making her feel uneasy.

Finally, unable to bear it any longer, she contacted a private detective while going to the restroom. “Help me investigate someone. Her name is Si Xiang. Find everything about her, the sooner the better.”

She told herself that it wasn’t because she doubted Si Xiang, she just wanted to get to the bottom of things and clear her mind.

—

The atmosphere on site fell into silence again due to this explosive gossip. Eating melons was definitely more interesting than watching TV, at least when it was someone else’s gossip.

When the two main people involved, Bai Yun and Si Xiang, left, there was no more gossip to eat.

After finishing this juicy tidbit, Qiao Chuchu sighed, amazed by how vast and full of surprises the world was.

Qiao Cen, being observant, handed her a glass of water and some snacks. “Sis, you’ve worked hard. Drink some water and have some snacks.”

Qiao Chuchu smiled. “Thank you, brother.”

She wasn’t tired. She was enjoying herself.

Barrage:

【The sibling relationship is really great! I’m so happy watching them, and I envy them so much. I wish my mom would have a brother for me too!】

【The sister ahead of me, did you get slapped? Hahaha, I was thinking the same thing!】

【Qiao Ge is so well-behaved in front of his sister! I want to pat his fluffy head!】

【Tsk tsk, Qiao Cen is really good at pretending. In the livestream, he acts like the perfect grandson. Does he think that will make people forget about his bad temper and how he hits people?】

Bai Yun and Si Xiang returned, and there was a subtle shift in the atmosphere between them.

This change made Si Xiang’s inner fear grow infinitely larger. She glared at Qiao Chuchu, filled with anger. It was all because of that damned girl. She was going to make her pay!

But just as this thought crossed her mind, it felt as though something was lodged in her throat. She couldn’t stop coughing and struggled to catch her breath.

“Cough cough—”

It felt as though she were about to die.

She desperately tried to grab at her throat, but it was of no use. Only when Bai Yun looked over at her did she manage to speak. “What’s wrong with you?”

“I…” She couldn’t say a word. The thought of teaching Qiao Chuchu a lesson was pushed out of her mind, and only then did her breathing ease.

Her commotion still attracted the attention of others, and Qiao Chuchu also looked over.

【Is this the punishment the system mentioned for choking someone? Hmm? It does look pretty serious. Anyone who’s against me gets punished, so does this mean Si Xiang wants to do something to me?】

Qiao Cen was the first to object. If Si Xiang dared to hurt his sister, he wouldn’t hold back!

—

Finally, the last two groups of guests arrived before the variety show started. One group consisted of the top celebrity Tong Zhichen and his designer friend Lin Lin.

The other group consisted of veteran variety show host Tian Ka and his sister Ye Yu.

“Hello everyone!”

The four groups of guests greeted each other, picked their favorite colored sofas, and chatted casually with familiar faces.

Tong Zhichen happened to sit next to Qiao Cen. After sitting down, he smiled and nodded at Qiao Cen.

“What a coincidence.”

Qiao Cen replied, “What a coincidence.”

Both of them were top celebrities in the entertainment industry, but Tong Zhichen had debuted six years before Qiao Cen. He was extremely famous and was known as the “national husband” by netizens, while Qiao Cen was called the “new king of popularity.”

The two weren’t familiar with each other, they only met at events and exchanged a few awkward words before the conversation ended.

When Qiao Cen turned around, he noticed that his sister was still looking at Tong Zhichen. He thought to himself, “Does my sister think Tong Zhichen is more handsome than me?”

He’s handsome too! She’s never looked at him this seriously!

Ugh, so unfair! X﹏X

He slightly turned his body to block his sister’s line of sight. “Sis, what are you looking at?”

Qiao Chuchu withdrew her gaze. “Nothing.”

But in her heart, she was thinking: 【So this is Tong Zhichen, the national husband that Yinyin is crazy about. He’s quite tall, and his face isn’t bad either, but why do I feel like he looks different from his photos?】

Shen Yinyin is Qiao Chuchu’s best friend.

Tong Zhichen, “…”

What was that sound?

Why did he hear someone calling his name?

He looked around, but no one was speaking!

Apart from the other two groups of confused guests, everyone else who heard the sound had their eyes lit up.

Hurry up and speak, what’s different about Tong Zhichen?

As expected, Qiao Chuchu didn’t disappoint.

【Ah, I know now! When he smiles, there are crow’s feet around his eyes, and there’s a pimple on his forehead that just started to appear. He looks several years older in person than in photos. As expected, photos—photo deception.】

Everyone: “…”

Is that all?

Tong Zhichen: “…”

Wasn’t that enough?

He didn’t know where the voice came from, but he had to stop it, or his image was going to be ruined.

“Director, now that everyone is here and has gotten to know each other, what’s next?”

His change of topic was successful.

The director said, “You’ll all know in a moment.”

Finally, the program team started the main event.

The director continued, “Welcome to Dear Us. Over the next three days and two nights, we’ll spend some wonderful time together. I hope everyone can create some beautiful memories!”

“Now, I officially announce that the variety show has begun!”

“Your first task for today is to choose your house and cook a big meal for yourselves!”

Before choosing the house, the four groups of guests had to complete a task. They arrived at a mud pit, and the director pointed at it and said…

“There are different supplies here. Whatever you grab, you can take home. The group that collects the most will have the privilege of choosing a house first.”