When Lu Jingdu opened the door wearing a bathrobe, this was the scene that greeted him.

A young woman sat casually at the doorway, blocking it completely, refusing to let anyone in who might cause trouble.

Her posture was far from ladylike, but it looked natural and effortless, making her presence feel oddly comforting.

Logically speaking, sitting like this should have been dull and tedious, yet she held a handful of pecans, leisurely cracking them open as if she were thoroughly enjoying herself.

Countless thoughts flashed through Lu Jingdu’s mind in an instant.

First, she even carried pecans around with her? Then, besides melon seeds and pecans, what else did she keep in her pockets? And further, her pockets didn’t seem large, yet they could hold so many things?

The most surprising thing was that she even carried a plastic bag for her trash. Clearly, this wasn’t the first time she had done such a thing. The place would look the same as when she had arrived, showing that she never left any mess behind.

She never added to the workload of the cleaning staff.

Lu Jingdu lowered his gaze and asked, “Why didn’t you knock?”

Hearing his voice, Ning Xiaoyu put away the half-eaten pecans, grabbed the plastic bag, and stood up, shaking out her slightly numb legs.

Seeing that he was still in a bathrobe, she didn’t give him a second glance and simply asked, “Where’s your new suit?”

As soon as she finished speaking, a middle-aged man with round-framed glasses and a refined appearance approached with a broad smile. He handed over a bag containing a full set of clothing to Lu Jingdu. “Everything is inside.”

Having been around the entertainment industry for a while, Ning Xiaoyu naturally recognized the man. He was Lu Jingdu’s manager.

So, the one delivering his clothes had changed from his personal assistant to his manager.

Unlike the assistant who could be easily bribed with a seven-figure sum, Lu Jingdu’s manager was someone he trusted completely. Previously, when his manager’s mother had fallen seriously ill, Lu Jingdu had granted him a long leave so he could stay by her side.

Now that even his manager had been called back from the hospital, Ning Xiaoyu figured she didn’t need to worry about anything else.

Since this was no longer her concern, she patted her clothes, turned around, waved casually, and walked away without hesitation. “I’m off, bye-bye.”

She had barely taken a few steps when the annoying voice of the love system rang in her ears, chattering nonstop.

〖The bag the manager just delivered…… it even contained disposable under— ahhh! Girl, I’m dead! I’m absolutely dead! That means just now—?!!!〗

Just now?

Ning Xiaoyu immediately understood.

Why did she always manage to guess the correct answer?

Expressionless, she said, “Shut up. Be normal.”

〖Love System: I’m too excited! Wuuwuuwuu, my CPU is about to overheat from excitement!〗

“Then hurry up and calm down.”

〖Love System: I can’t calm down! He must have known you were outside right after showering, which is why he didn’t ask if you needed something— he only asked why you didn’t knock! And Girl, did you notice? His hair wasn’t even dry when he opened the door! I’m shipping this moment so hard!〗

See no evil.

Ning Xiaoyu hadn’t even looked at Lu Jingdu properly, so how could she have noticed such details?

She spoke slowly, “If you don’t shut up, I won’t save your runaway little prince anymore.”

The love system instantly fell silent, as if she had hit its weak spot.

It couldn’t help but think to itself, Why did she say ‘your’ little prince? Clearly…… But never mind, it wouldn’t say it out loud— it would just keep the thought to itself.

After returning to her room, Ning Xiaoyu lay down for another half hour before receiving a call from Shen Yueyue.

“Xiao Yu, where are you? The director was just asking about you and was going to call you himself. I volunteered to do it instead.”

Finishing the last bite of her tiramisu, Ning Xiaoyu replied with satisfaction, “I’m in my room, eating.”

She had to admit that the tiramisu at this hotel tasted much better than anything she had bought outside.

Shen Yueyue, being more diligent than Ning Xiaoyu, urged, “Hurry down, the director asked for you.”

“Okay, I’ll be right there.”

Since she had signed a contract, Ning Xiaoyu wouldn’t act recklessly. She would follow the contract’s requirements.

Now that the director was looking for her, of course, she would go.

By the time Ning Xiaoyu arrived at the banquet hall, it was already 11 p.m. As expected, the program’s guests would be staying at this hotel for the night.

It was late. Once Lu Jingdu gave his speech, this chaotic birthday banquet would finally come to an end.

Birthday banquet over = time to go back to her room, wash up, and sleep.

So, Ning Xiaoyu couldn’t wait for it to be over.

Shen Yueyue, on the other hand, looked regretful. “How can a birthday banquet not have a dance?”

Ning Xiaoyu looked at her in surprise. “Are birthday banquets supposed to have dances?”

Shen Yueyue widened her eyes. “Aren’t they supposed to?”

Ning Xiaoyu: “……” This wasn’t a fairy tale where the prince hosts a ball to dance with various ladies, and the ladies all fight to be his first dance partner.

The love system was just as disappointed as Shen Yueyue.

〖Love System: Ah, Girl, if there were a dance, wouldn’t the movie king invite you to be his dance partner?〗

Ning Xiaoyu shrugged, noncommittal.

She never bothered thinking about ‘what if’ scenarios as it was meaningless.

In this world, there were no ‘ifs’, so there was no point in dwelling on them.

Rather than wasting time on hypotheticals, she preferred to do things that made her happy. Besides, even if there were a dance, she wouldn’t want to be a dance partner. That would be too tiring.

Feeling thirsty, Ning Xiaoyu grabbed a glass of water. As she did, her gaze accidentally landed on Lu Jingdu in the crowd.

He had changed into his new suit, looking composed and elegant. It seemed the previous crisis had been completely resolved.

This time, instead of the previous white suit, he was wearing a black one.

Compared to the classic white princely suit, Ning Xiaoyu thought black suited him better. His temperament was on the colder side, making darker colors a better fit.

〖Love System: The movie king is literally the peak of good looks!〗

Ning Xiaoyu: “……” So you’re just a superficial looks fanatic.

The guests in the hall laughed and chatted, completely oblivious to the undercurrents of what had just transpired. Even Lu Jingdu’s uncle and the others showed no outward signs of what had happened.

They all wore polite masks and no one could guess their true thoughts.

As Ning Xiaoyu quietly drank her water, her gaze once again met that of Ms. Zhang.

Ms. Zhang stood gracefully, holding onto the slightly chubby President Shen, her makeup flawless. She looked so refined that no one would believe she already had a twenty-three-year-old daughter.

But neither mother nor daughter seemed to have any intention of catching up.

Even though Ning Xiaoyu had been seen spending time with Lu Jingdu lately, Ms. Zhang’s deep-rooted prejudice against her remained unchanged.

To her, Ning Xiaoyu was as worthless as her useless father and not worth any real attention.

Even though Ning Yuwei had repeatedly voiced her complaints, Ms. Zhang still didn’t consider her eldest daughter important.

As for Ning Xiaoyu, she never did unnecessary things. Chatting with Ms. Zhang now? Completely unnecessary.

Lu Jingdu’s speech was brief. Finally, the chaotic birthday banquet came to an end and Ning Xiaoyu could return to her room.

She took a long, relaxing bath and changed into comfortable sleepwear.

Thinking about how she wouldn’t have to do any love missions the next day, she felt completely at ease.

Before long, she drifted into a deep, sweet sleep.

────ρя


The next day, after the twelve guests finished breakfast, they set off on their way back to the Friendship House.

Upon returning, they didn’t even have time to eat lunch before they were called into the interview room one after another.

Interviews seemed to be an essential part of many variety shows.

For example, in talent shows and dating programs, the production team loved interviewing guests, asking them all sorts of questions that audiences found entertaining.

Now that 《Hi, My Friend》 had been filming for over a week, the guests had formed their initial impressions of each other. It was the perfect time for interviews!

None of them were rookies in the industry, so they had no concerns about this segment.

Ning Xiaoyu was sixth in line. Just as she was about to doze off from waiting, it was finally her turn.

The first question she heard was, “Among the six male guests, is there anyone who matches your ideal type?”

【Obviously…… no?】

【Already see through Xiao Yu’s essence!】

【But according to the usual interview script, even if the answer is no, they’d still say yes, right?】

【No, no, no, Upstairs, you don’t understand her.】

In truth, not even Ning Xiaoyu’s so-called genuine fans could accurately predict her answer.

Because she didn’t say yes, nor did she say no.

Instead, she sincerely asked, “Isn’t this a friendship variety show? What does it have to do with an ideal type?”

The interviewer was momentarily stunned by her question.

After interviewing countless guests, Ning Xiaoyu was the first to respond with such blunt honesty.

She truly played by no one’s rules.

The interviewer, with a meaningful smile, said, “Isn’t friendship also about finding the right connection?” She smiled briefly, glanced at her cue card, and asked again, “So, Xiaoyu, is your ideal type among them?”

【Yes!】

【No!】

【Vote now! If you think her answer will be yes, press 1. If no, press 2!】

【The answer has to be one or the other.】

In reality, Ning Xiaoyu’s response lay outside these two choices.

After thinking it over carefully, she earnestly replied, “I haven’t thought about it.”

If you were to ask her what her ideal type was, she truly couldn’t give an answer.

She was different from most people.

When others had insomnia or felt bored, their minds wandered, producing all sorts of wild thoughts.

For example, imagining themselves as the heroine of a CEO romance novel, or as the male protagonist of a cultivation novel who dominated the world.

In general, most people occasionally fantasize about leading entirely different lives. Even if they didn’t imagine themselves as the main character, they might reflect on the day’s happy or sad moments.

But Ning Xiaoyu was not like that.

Most of the time, her mind was completely blank, as empty as could be. She thought about nothing at all.

She genuinely hadn’t considered her ideal type.

Faced with a guest like Ning Xiaoyu, the interviewer couldn’t help but find it tricky.

The previous guests had all given the same answer, which was ‘yes’.

Though predictable, it was a safe choice.

But Ning Xiaoyu said she hadn’t thought about it? Had she never imagined dating a handsome male celebrity in the entertainment industry?

With a stiff smile, the interviewer asked, “Why haven’t you thought about it?”

Ning Xiaoyu replied frankly, “Because I’m lazy.”

【This is the first time I’ve heard someone say they’re lazy with such confidence! And oddly enough, I don’t find it off-putting?】

【I can see the sincerity in her eyes! Does she really think this way?】

【Too lazy to even think? That’s fine. Just use a template then.】

【Height: 186 centimeters, age: 23, a graduate of Beijing University’s architecture department. After graduation, he didn’t pursue a career in architecture but entered the entertainment industry. Long eyelashes, double eyelids, high nose bridge, third-generation wealthy, rarely smiles, but when he does, it’s captivating. Likes sports, maintains good habits.】

That segment of the interview ended with Ning Xiaoyu’s single word— ‘lazy’.

It was the first time the interviewer had encountered such a guest.

If it had been anyone else with such a lackadaisical attitude, they would’ve been criticized out of the industry. But perhaps because she was consistently this laid-back, most of the audience actually accepted it.

By the time Ning Xiaoyu had lunch, it was nearly dinner time. That meal ended up being both lunch and dinner.

Afterward, the production team didn’t assign any evening tasks, which was rare.

All the guests returned to their rooms to rest on time.

Back in her room, Ning Xiaoyu scrolled through videos for a while before falling asleep. As she drifted off, she groggily realized that the system really didn’t issue any love missions that day. Looks like it keeps its promises after all.

────ρя


The next morning, the director cheerfully announced the day’s activity— a seaside trip.

The villa was located near the beach and guests could see the vast blue sea from the windows when they relaxed.

The director reminded them, “We’ll be filming at the beach all day today. Please remember to apply sunscreen. Oh, and tonight, there’ll be a bonfire party. I hope everyone has fun and enjoys themselves today!”

A bonfire party usually meant a chance for the guests to show off and stand out.

The love system, having long seen through Ning Xiaoyu’s laid-back nature, decided it couldn’t sit idly by any longer. Everyone needed to witness its host’s true beauty! Currently, she was completely dragged down by her hairstyle!

After all, clothes make the person, and in an entertainment industry filled with beauties, no matter how striking Ning Xiaoyu’s looks were, if she didn’t dress up, she couldn’t overshadow the other meticulously styled female guests.

The others weren’t spending money on top stylists and skincare for nothing.

Usually, the love system only issued missions when Ning Xiaoyu interacted with the movie king, but today, it released a daily mission for the first time.

〖Girl, tonight there will be a bonfire party. Such a good opportunity to show off your figure won’t be easily missed by most of the guests. In my eyes, you have a beautiful appearance, but your usual lack of effort in dressing up makes you less striking compared to the other female guests. Today, you can:

A. Wear a trendy cropped top to show off your slender waist.

B. Wear something that highlights your best features and firmly captures the movie king’s attention.

C. Wear a black women’s blazer paired with high-top boots, creating a look that’s both pure and seductive, dazzling everyone!〗

The love system was full of confidence. The love system was full of confidence. 〖Girl, you can absolutely be the most beautiful female guest!〗