Chapter 8: Smile for Me, Okay?

Jiang Mi, who had been drowsy, instantly became alert. She lightly clapped her delicate hands, her voice full of excitement, “This performance of ‘playing the piano to a cow’ was excellent—perfect! Absolutely perfect!”

【Hahaha, I knew Jiang Mi couldn’t say anything nice, but I didn’t expect her to be so blunt in front of Shen Mingxuan.】

【Dying of laughter, only Jiang Mi would dare!】

【Jiang Mi is so rude, this is outright insult! So unrefined!】

The comments started arguing about Jiang Mi and Shen Mingxuan, but since Shen Mingxuan had a large fanbase, they quickly suppressed the neutral comments in Jiang Mi’s favor.

Shen Mingxuan’s face darkened, and he shot a dark look at Jiang Mi.

Bai Ruanruan, ever so thoughtful, spoke up, “Mimi, you’re being too harsh on Xuan Ge. He really played well.”

Jiang Mi smiled sweetly, “I was praising him, perfect, absolutely perfect!”

Bai Ruanruan wouldn’t let it go. “You said it was ‘playing the piano to a cow.'”

Jiang Mi looked innocent, “But that’s the truth.”

Then, Jiang Mi stood up and pointed dramatically at the nearby fence.

Inside, a black-and-white cow was standing, and when the crowd turned to look, the cow stomped its hooves and let out a loud moo.

The crowd: “…….”

【Hahaha, I can’t breathe, it really is playing the piano to a cow!】

【No problem at all, Shen Mingxuan is indeed playing the piano to a cow!】

【Jiang Mi’s humor is on another level!】

Gu Chuan couldn’t help but smile slightly.

Jiang Mi turned her head, caught off guard by Gu Chuan’s dark eyes sparkling with a faint smile. So handsome!

But the next moment, Gu Chuan returned to his usual poker face.

As if his smile had been just a figment of Jiang Mi’s imagination.

Meanwhile, Shen Mingxuan seemed intent on retaliating, grinding his teeth and growling, “Jiang Mi, you go next!”

He was eager to see how this useless woman would embarrass herself!

But when her name was called, Jiang Mi didn’t even give him a glance. Instead, her beautiful face leaned toward Gu Chuan, and she said seriously, “You smiled just now.”

Gu Chuan flatly denied with a one-syllable word, “No.”

Jiang Mi pouted her red lips and, looking slightly anxious, emphasized, “I really saw it, you smiled. And it was… super handsome!”

Gu Chuan’s eyelid twitched slightly.

The next second, Jiang Mi’s watery eyes sparkled as she looked at him expectantly, her voice soft and coquettish, “Always smile at me, okay?”

At this moment, Gu Chuan was sitting down, and Jiang Mi bent over, getting close.

Gu Chuan could see… well, it wasn’t even necessary for him to look down—he could see very clearly.

Against the wine-red fabric, it was even more dazzlingly white.

Gu Chuan cleared his throat, turned his face away to look at the green grass, and stiffly refused, “It’s your turn to perform.”

A flicker of disappointment passed through Jiang Mi’s beautiful eyes. She was about to sit up with a huff when she suddenly noticed the pair of slightly flushed ears beneath Gu Chuan’s black hair.

Wait a minute!!!

Was he… shy?

Shy just because she wanted to see him smile? How pure!

Jiang Mi felt like she had uncovered a shocking secret, her heart fluttering with excitement. Meanwhile, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something else… trembling.

Jiang Mi suddenly stood up, her small hand hurriedly tugging at her black cardigan.

Ahhh!

What was she just doing!?

That action… it was like feeding Gu Chuan something!

Stop! Stop! Right now!

Jiang Mi was genuinely flustered, her entire being at a loss for what to do with her embarrassment!

Fortunately, Bai Ruanruan wasn’t about to let her off the hook.

“Mimi, if you haven’t figured out your performance yet, just let everyone know, and Xuan Ge can swap out.”

Bai Ruanruan’s words were a thinly veiled jab at Jiang Mi for wasting time.

But for the first time, Jiang Mi found Bai Ruanruan’s voice remarkably pleasant, her eyes filled with gratitude. “I’ve thought of something, I’ll go perform now!”

Bai Ruanruan, caught off guard by Jiang Mi’s fervent gaze, felt uneasy—what was Jiang Mi planning now?

Jiang Mi wasn’t planning anything devious. She just wanted to handle men—oh no, that’s wrong. She wanted to handle lions—wait, that’s also not quite right… she meant tame lions!

With a determined stride toward the fence, Jiang Mi caused the bullet screen to explode!

【Oh my god, can someone tell me what just happened? Why did Jiang Mi suddenly blush?】

【What did they do in those seven seconds?! Oh, I mean, it’s not what you’re thinking! But still, I hope they go for seven more tonight!】

【Ahhh, losing it! That had to be an NC-17 scene, otherwise why would one person blush and the other be so deep in thought?!】

【This is the first time I don’t want to see Shen Mingxuan’s face in a dating variety show. If he hadn’t kept talking, the camera would’ve focused on Jiang Mi and the others!】

【I would gladly sacrifice ten pounds of fat just to get my hands on that seven-second NSFW video!】

【@Heartthrob10, don’t make me beg you, I know you have plenty of footage, please find that seven-second clip for me!】

The production team, always keeping an eye on the public sentiment, was terrified when they saw the comments flooding with references to the “seven-second” incident. The director was panicking, but after figuring out the situation, he didn’t worry too much—it was just the CP fans blowing everything out of proportion.

Still, following the golden rule that CP fans are the lifeblood of the show, the director had an assistant search for any footage of those “seven seconds.”

But soon enough, everyone forgot about the seven seconds because Jiang Mi was about to tame a Tibetan Mastiff!!!

“Actually, I have a special technique for taming lions, but since there are no lions here, I’ll tame a Tibetan Mastiff today.”

Jiang Mi, dressed in a wine-red spaghetti strap dress, stood in front of the huge, fierce Tibetan Mastiff, looking every bit like the Beauty and the Beast in real life.

【Tame lions? Tame a Tibetan Mastiff???】

【Oh my god, has Jiang Mi lost her mind? She’s bragging like she’s about to break the sound barrier!】

【Wait, is this really a dating variety show? Why is everyone so strange? Are they actually here to fall in love?】

【Jiang Mi will do anything for attention, seriously.】

【Am I the only one who thinks the lion isn’t a literal lion but something else? Anyone else?】

【Isn’t this about the guy from the seven-second incident? Wild, ruthless, and fierce—he really does resemble a lion!】

The director rushed over, looking like he was about to faint. “Sister Mi, can I call you sister? Are you crazy?!”

Jiang Mi, noticing the adorable Tibetan Mastiff, felt her chaotic embarrassment settle. “I don’t do things I’m not confident in.”

“This isn’t about confidence; this is about whether you want to live or not!” the director snapped.

The director was regretting his decision from when they booked the place—he’d saved a little money by telling the landlord that the animals didn’t need to be moved, so the cats, dogs, and rabbits could all line up in the pens. It seemed like it would add to the ambiance.

But now, seeing the monstrous, terrifying face of the Mastiff, he realized that “ambiance” was just code for “a death wish.”

Jiang Mi looked toward Gu Chuan in the distance and smiled brightly at him. “Of course, I want to live. I haven’t even caught a man yet.”

The director was momentarily distracted. “Who? Gu Chuan or Shen Mingxuan?”

Jiang Mi blinked innocently. “Guess.”