◎ Onlookers for Fun ◎

— Came here by reputation, eagerly watching the little secretary successfully rise to the top!

— Ding, interview card, really want to know how much effort Ren Lu put in to climb from a little secretary to Mrs. Lu!

— In the same three years, I still haven’t passed CET-4 in English, but she went from a secretary to a wealthy young madam. Comparing people really makes you angry.

— As long as one works hard, an iron pestle can be ground into a needle. Mrs. Lu must be very skilled in serving people up close, tsk tsk.

— No wonder Ren Lu could rise to the top. Just her face alone is stunning. Even when standing between a popular young actress and a triple-award-winning film queen, she is not the least bit inferior.

This was the live broadcast scene of the couple variety show A Perfect Match. There were a total of four couples from different fields. The guests jointly displayed their affection, competed in tacit understanding, and each showed their own abilities, dazzling the audience.

In the first episode, the couple that the audience stayed with the longest was not the top celebrity couple from the entertainment industry, but a wealthy couple.

Of course, the audience was not here to watch this couple display affection, nor to see them flaunt their wealth. Most were just here for fun, purely to watch the drama.

Ren Lu and Lu Sinian were a wealthy couple, but their marriage was not a match between equals.

The Lu family was a top-level wealthy family with an extremely wide range of industries.

Lu Sinian was young and promising. After inheriting the Lu family business, his methods were swift and decisive, and he expanded the family’s territory by a great deal. Back then, the number of wealthy young ladies who wanted to marry into his family was countless, yet the one who became Mrs. Lu was his secretary.

Ren Lu came from an ordinary family. She graduated from a prestigious university, entered the Lu Group’s head office during her internship, and later defeated countless interviewees to successfully make her way to Lu Sinian’s side.

Such a story of a secretary rising to become a virtuous wife, even if only hinted at, was enough for people to imagine countless melodramatic plots.

Why did President Lu not choose a wealthy young lady of equal status, but instead choose a woman from an ordinary background?

At this moment, the four wives were gathered together. Their faces were fully made up, but they were not wearing evening gowns. Instead, they were all wearing the same style of morning robe.

“Today’s outfits are prepared by the couples for each other. All selections were made last night. Now, ladies, please choose your own set from the four outfits.”

The director acted as the off-screen narrator, explaining the rules.

When selecting clothes, the guests had not told their spouses in advance, so this segment was highly watchable. Not only did one have to pick something the other liked, but they also hoped their spouse could guess correctly. If one ended up wearing someone else’s outfit, it would be rather awkward.

“This one should be mine. I like blue the most. No, wait, this one also looks like it. Xiao Jin once said he liked me in a qipao.”

The four wives began picking outfits, but since they had not coordinated beforehand, they hesitated upon first glance.

The first to speak was veteran film queen Chen Wan. She initially chose one, but quickly changed her mind, obviously falling into hesitation.

“Sister Xu, it definitely isn’t the qipao. Look at the matching jewelry.” At this moment, another female guest, Zhou Shanshan, spoke. She was once a famous TV host and had a very keen eye.

“Oh, this bracelet looks so familiar!” Reminded by her, Chen Wan quickly noticed as well, directly pointing out which piece it was.

“Ren Lu, did you see the trending search? They said yesterday, President Lu went to an auction and took a liking to a jade bracelet. Isn’t it this bracelet?”

As soon as she said this, the other female guests all walked over to take a closer look.

“The bracelet in the trending search is exactly this one. I’ve always liked jade, so I looked at the photo carefully. I can only say the photo didn’t capture even one-third of the real thing’s beauty.”

The one who spoke last was the young and beautiful internet celebrity Xu Shiqing, who had tens of millions of followers. She had married a rich second-generation heir, and the two often appeared together in videos after marriage, becoming a wealthy couple influencer duo.

Originally, they should have been the most attention-grabbing couple. After all, they came from the online world and were very good at creating buzz. The veteran film queen and the host, however, had a more age-restricted audience, so their popularity could not compare with hers.

But unexpectedly, a dark horse appeared. Compared to the influencer-rich second-generation pairing the audience already knew about, the little secretary’s rise to the top was more intriguing.

“Sister Lulu, President Lu really has good taste. This bracelet is clearly top quality, and pairing it with this qipao is a perfect match. It really suits you. Hurry and try it on.” Xu Shiqing’s gaze stayed fixed on the jade bracelet, clearly liking it very much. However, her eyes showed only appreciation, without greed or jealousy. On the contrary, she enthusiastically urged Ren Lu to try it.

Chen Wan and Zhou Shanshan did not speak again, only smiling at her, clearly agreeing with Xu Shiqing’s words.

A Perfect Match, from the moment the guest list was revealed, had very high popularity. Each couple was distinctive, and the trending topics had hardly stopped.

Among the four couples, Lu Sinian and Ren Lu were the most mysterious. Apart from the story of the secretary rising to the top, everything else was unknown.

Coupled with the strong, wealthy family background, it only made people more curious.

Thus, the couple frequently appeared on trending searches, and even their outings were closely followed. Lu Sinian’s visit to the auction had also been exposed.

Marketing accounts reported it extensively, confidently claiming that Lu Sinian had gone specifically for this jade bracelet.

Ren Lu smiled lightly and waved her hand in refusal. “He wouldn’t pick a qipao for me. This set is the one.”

She pointed at another light purple, hip-hugging, mid-length dress with a very firm tone.

The skirt was bright in color, a comfortable romantic purple. The hem was made into circle after circles of fringe, which, when connected together, looked like glowing satin.

“This dress is very pretty, but it doesn’t come with any jewelry. It’s not like something President Lu would choose.” Xu Shiqing was the first to object.

She was the youngest female guest, and her speech was always straightforward, allowing people to instantly understand her meaning.

Lu Sinian was from an old wealthy family. Even if he had no special preference for women’s jewelry, having grown up in a luxurious environment, he would know that wearing a beautiful dress must be paired with jewelry.

“If he didn’t choose it, then who did?” Ren Lu did not rush to refute her, instead asking a question.

Xu Shiqing blinked, her gaze shifting among the female guests, before smiling awkwardly.

“I’ll just take a wild guess. Sister Shanshan is a host, so her outfit would definitely be more formal. Sister Wan is a triple-award-winning actress, so her husband would definitely pick haute couture. This dress looks like something my husband would choose. I also really like romantic purple.”

Zhou Shanshan stood in front of a white suit and smiled. “Shiqing, I think you guessed right. When I left the TV station, the last hosting event I did, I wore something very similar to this. Old Yang also knows I’ve always cherished that memory.”

As she spoke, she raised her hand to stroke the soft collar, her gaze focused, clearly lost in memory.

Chen Wan also stood in front of a black evening gown and said firmly, “When I won my first film queen trophy, I wore a Barry dress. Today I will wear the same brand and same color dress to make a comeback.”

The two female guests, who had previously been gentle, immediately radiated a completely different aura when recalling their past glory. Their presence was sharp and commanding.

— Wow, the husbands are really good at choosing.

— I take back what I said earlier. Whoever said straight men can’t do it? They can.

— Ahhh, both of them are leaders in their fields. They left their industries at their peak, but now it’s like they’ve gone back in time.

— At first, I was a bit against this show. Seeing a film queen and an outstanding host revolve around household chores, losing their original aura, talking about beauty fading. But now, I really look forward to them wearing their own outfits.

“Sister Lulu, it’s just the two of us left. I’ve studied all the major haute couture brands, and I’ve never seen this dress before. It’s not like President Lu’s big-spending style. But I’ve always liked sparkly things, very vibrant, and Brother Yu also likes my bright and lively look. So this dress must be the one he chose for me.”

The two female guests who had chosen their outfits had already gone to change, leaving only Ren Lu and Xu Shiqing trying to convince each other.

“Sinian wouldn’t choose a qipao for me.” Ren Lu was equally firm.

“President Lu doesn’t like qipaos?”

“He likes other styles of qipaos. He doesn’t like this kind.”

“Why?” Xu Shiqing was genuinely curious, and her gaze immediately shifted to the qipao.

The camera also moved over so the viewers in the live stream could see clearly.

This qipao was of the most classic style, with a white base with painted green bamboo, no high slit, and very form-fitting. Paired with that jade-green bracelet, even without being worn by a beauty, one could already imagine how stunning the scene would be.

Ren Lu gently shook her head, smiling without answering.

The qipao had a row of cloud-shaped frog buttons running from the collar to the thigh, also bringing out the waistline. It was elegant and fresh, and wearing it would certainly give off a refined temperament.

Unfortunately, unfastening this row of buttons was extremely troublesome. Lu Sinian was not a patient man—three or so buttons he might still consider playful, but unfastening an entire row would make him impatient, and he would inevitably tear it straight off.

When the two of them had just gotten together, there was a time on his birthday when Ren Lu wore a similar qipao, her hair styled into a bun, holding a round silk fan in her hand, her slender waist fitting within his palm, her figure graceful and curvaceous, her whole being filled with an alluring air.

That night, they had a candlelight dinner and even danced together, and afterwards naturally danced their way onto the bed.

While he was unfastening those frog buttons, his hot kisses were already falling densely upon her lips and then down to her neck. Unfortunately, by the time he reached the third button, the man’s patience had completely run out, and in the end, that expensive qipao never got worn again.

When she woke up the next day, she saw the wrinkled floral fabric on the carpet and was momentarily stunned, wondering where that rag had come from.

It was only after she recognized the familiar floral pattern that she belatedly realized it was the qipao she had carefully chosen.

From then on, whenever she wore a qipao, it was always a zipper style.

“But this jade bracelet is exactly what President Lu bought, and it’s still trending right now. The qipao can’t possibly be mine. Sister Lulu, stop refusing. If you don’t believe me, ask the director for a phone and check the trending search.” Xu Shiqing made a show of trying to contact the director, but was stopped by Ren Lu.

“Trending searches can’t be fully trusted. What marketing accounts say isn’t reliable.”

“Did President Lu tell you something?” Seeing how firm she was, Xu Shiqing couldn’t help but feel curious.

Ren Lu immediately waved her hand. “The program’s rules say that when choosing clothes, you can’t tell each other privately. Besides, in order to test the couples’ tacit understanding, couples weren’t allowed to communicate last night at all.”

“Not all trending searches are from marketing accounts. The first person to break the news was a gossip reporter. President Lu really did go to the auction, and this bracelet also—” Xu Shiqing was still trying to persuade her.

Ren Lu waved her hand again, stopping her well-intentioned persuasion.

“Whether it’s a marketing account or a gossip reporter, I don’t believe any of them.”

It was obvious that the two had reached a stalemate, with neither willing to give in.

The live comment section was even noisier with arguments.

— Seriously, is Ren Lu part donkey? How can she be this stubborn?

— There are photos in the trending search! How could they be fake?

— The news that President Lu liked the jade bracelet came from insiders at the auction. Obviously, it was meant to go with this qipao, and Ren Lu still doesn’t want it.

— Tsk tsk, looks like there’s a good show coming. I thought the secretary-turned-rich-wife Mrs. Lu at least understood President Lu. Now it seems she’s not that skilled after all.

— Hahaha, is Mrs. Lu about to crash and burn right at the start?