Chapter 18: First Date Choice

As the whistle blew, Shen Mingxuan, Cheng Lin, and Fu Li immediately ganged up on Gu Chuan, as if they had planned it beforehand. Gu Chuan raised an eyebrow, a glimmer of interest flashing in his dark eyes.

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

In a one-on-one battle, none of the three could beat Gu Chuan, and the outcome would inevitably be his victory. So they decided to team up and eliminate him first, giving themselves a better chance to win in the end.

Gu Chuan, unafraid, smirked and said, “Bring it on.”

The three exchanged a glance and charged at Gu Chuan with full force. Gu Chuan swiftly dodged, causing Cheng Lin, who was leading the charge, to rush out of bounds immediately, triggering a wave of laughter on the live chat.

【Haha, Cheng Lin, you lost way too quickly!】

【Cheng Lin’s physical comedy is confirmed!】

Seeing this, Shen Mingxuan and Fu Li quickly moved to attack Gu Chuan again. But Gu Chuan’s lower body was more stable than they had anticipated. He stood his ground, unmoved, and took the opportunity to counterattack, knocking Shen Mingxuan and Fu Li back. Luckily, the two managed to catch each other, preventing a total defeat.

Fu Li glanced behind Gu Chuan, a calculating glint flashing behind his gold-rimmed glasses.

Soon, Fu Li and Shen Mingxuan attacked Gu Chuan again. But this time, Gu Chuan switched from defense to offense, knocking Shen Mingxuan away with one kick and then turning to knock down Fu Li as well.

In just a few seconds, only one man was left standing on the field. A gentle breeze blew, lifting his black hair and revealing those deep, dark eyes.

“I won!” Jiang Mi smiled with crescent-shaped eyes, her gaze never leaving him.

“Wait a minute.” Cheng Lin, who had been the first to be eliminated, got up from the grass and jogged over, pointing to Gu Chuan’s foot. “Brother Gu’s foot went out of bounds, he didn’t win!”

Gu Chuan looked down at the white line by his foot and narrowed his eyes, recalling the moment when Fu Li bumped into him, causing him to step back half a step.

Gu Chuan acknowledged the result, but then added, “I stepped out of bounds, but all three of you are down. Who’s the winner?”

Cheng Lin was dumbfounded. Right, who would be the winner?

Fu Li stopped mid-adjustment of his glasses.

Shen Mingxuan froze halfway through dusting off his clothes.

【Honestly, it should be Gu Chuan who wins. After all, he took down all three of them!】

【But his foot did go out of bounds.】

In the end, the decision was left to the director’s team, who, after much discussion, announced, “Ahem, since no one in the men’s group survived, the final winner is Jiang Mi.”

Jiang Mi: “???”

【Unexpectedly, she won big!】

【The director’s team is so hasty; they could have just had another match.】

【They probably wanted to save face for the three male contestants. They teamed up and still couldn’t beat Gu Chuan. If they lost again, it would be even more embarrassing.】

【It doesn’t really matter, though. Mimi will definitely choose Gu Chuan for the date. Winning or losing isn’t that important.】

The director’s team, aware of their questionable handling, quickly moved on with the process and posed 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 spend the day with the male lead, Shen Mingxuan.】

The director’s voice and Bobo’s reminder rang simultaneously in her ears.

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

【Betting ten bags of spicy strips that it’s Gu Chuan!】

【Let the handsome guy and the beauty go on a sweet date, make it as sweet and lovey-dovey as possible, go for it!】

【Don’t forget how Jiang Mi used to cling to Movie Star Shen. Now that she finally has a chance to date him openly, she’ll definitely choose him.】

【No way, Jiang Mi’s attitude has been obvious. She hasn’t even looked at Shen Mingxuan once.】

【Come on, Shen Mingxuan never gave her the time of day either. Stop flattering yourself.】

The live chat exploded with debate over who Jiang Mi would choose for the date.

On set, the atmosphere grew tense, especially when the words “Shen Mingxuan” were spoken.

Lu Yu blurted out a “Why?” before quickly covering her mouth, her eyes wide with shock and confusion.

Why?

Why not choose Gu Chuan but Shen Mingxuan?

Gu Chuan’s expression remained stern, though his eyes seemed to grow even colder.

Jiang Mi looked at him and blinked, her pretty peach blossom eyes appearing somewhat pitiful and wronged.

【???】

【The couple I was shipping just ended?】

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

【I’m so done with this. Why not choose Gu Chuan and gain a ton of couple fans? Why choose Shen Mingxuan, just to get scolded by his fans for being clingy?】

【I’m officially switching from being a fan to being indifferent, and back to being a hater. People who are obsessed with love are hopeless.】

【I knew it! All Jiang Mi’s antics on the show were just to attract Shen Mingxuan’s attention. Sure enough.】

【Jiang Mi is so disgusting. Can she stop clinging to Shen Mingxuan?】

This time, the live chat was surprisingly unified, all slamming Jiang Mi.

On the way to the date, Shen Mingxuan was feeling smug. “You still chose me after all.”

In the past, when “Jiang Mi” had clung to him relentlessly, he found her annoying, irritating, and disgusting.

But then, when Jiang Mi started ignoring him on the romance show, Shen Mingxuan began to care more about her, especially when it seemed like Jiang Mimight have fallen for Gu Chuan.

But this proved that Jiang Mi’s “change of heart” towards the bodyguard was just a ploy to get his attention. Now, given the chance to date him, she immediately discarded Gu Chuan.

And rightly so, he thought. A rough bodyguard wasn’t even fit to carry his shoes.

Jiang Mi glanced at the smug Shen Mingxuan, her expressionless face pulling up into a slight smile. “As long as you’re happy.”

With that, she covered her face with a shirt, leaned against the car seat, and napped.

Shen Mingxuan: “???”

Shouldn’t she be confessing her undying love for him right now?

What’s with this strange “as long as you’re happy” attitude?

Oh! She must be shy!

Shen Mingxuan kindly found a reason to explain it.

At that moment, the director’s team called to inform them of a sudden change in the destination.

Shen Mingxuan was puzzled by the change from the art museum to the amusement park, but didn’t think much of it. He also didn’t notice the lazy smile playing on Jiang Mi’s lips.

In the car behind them, the director was pulling his hair out.

The scriptwriter tried to console him, “Director, calm down. Going on a date at an amusement park is a popular choice for young people. Why are you panicking? There’s no need to worry, everything’s fine.”

The director anxiously replied, “If it were a normal couple, there wouldn’t be a problem. But Jiang Mi made this change at the last minute. What is she planning?!”

“Come on, with live cameras and so many tourists around, what could a ‘weak woman’ possibly do to Shen Mingxuan?”

“…”

Yeah, that’s true!

But the feeling of foreboding just kept getting stronger!