The Delicate Cannon Fodder Is Coveted By Her Ex-Husband In The Love Show Chapter 15
byChapter 15: Gaining the Dating Privilege
Chapter Fifteen
“What kind of trick is the production team pulling? A top celebrity? Don’t let it turn out to be some unknown celebrity in the end!”
“Real top celebrities are busy to death every day, constantly doing announcements. How would they have time for a dating show? It must be another flop trying to gain popularity…”
Netizens didn’t believe a top celebrity would join a dating show and mocked the official blog in the comments.
In the Heartbeat Cabin, Xia Mu couldn’t help but look forward to who the new arrival would be after seeing the new guest preview. He brought it up during breakfast, and everyone immediately became interested.
Xia Mu asked curiously, “I wonder if the newcomer is a 1 or a 0?”
Everyone had already stated their roles during the self-introductions on the first day. Currently, there were three 1s and four 0s in the show—more 0s than 1s. Xia Mu naturally hoped the newcomer would be a 1 to balance things out.
Pei Huaixue, however, didn’t care at all.
His mind was solely focused on the mission, and he wasn’t very concerned about other matters.
–
During the day, the residents of the cabin went to work or school, only returning in the evening.
Su Jin recently had a performance that required a lot of rehearsal time, keeping him busy from dawn till dusk. He would wake up early and have Gu Yanchen drive him to the theater.
Pei Huaixue, who loved to sleep in, always woke up to an empty room, leaving only himself behind.
Today, he finally woke up early.
Though, it was only because he told 029 to electrocute him if he didn’t get up on time…
Pei Huaixue rubbed his face, looked at Gu Yanchen, who was about to go downstairs with Su Jin, and yawned sleepily, “Brother Chen, I have to go back to the company today for something. Could you drop me off on the way?”
Gu Yanchen frowned slightly, “I still have to take Su Jin this morning.”
“Brother Su Jin, you’ve monopolized Brother Chen for so many days, having him drive you every morning. I only need Brother Chen to drive me this one time. You wouldn’t disagree, would you?” Pei Huaixue looked at Su Jin, his face full of grievance.
Su Jin said, “I…”
“You agree? I knew Brother Su Jin was the best.” Pei Huaixue’s beautiful lips curved into a smile, his eyes crinkling.
“Fine, then hurry up and get ready. I need to leave soon,” Su Jin reluctantly agreed.
Su Jin’s fans in the live stream were instantly furious.
-Is Pei Huaixue sick? Where did Su Jin agree?
-I can’t stand how manipulative he is. He takes advantage of Su Jin’s kindness and bullies him like this!
-He really has to stick his nose into everything. He’s like a persistent ghost!
Pei Huaixue lazily got out of bed, changed his clothes, and walked out the door with only a clean, handsome face washed with water.
A few crystal clear droplets still clung to his eyelashes, reflecting a magnificent light in the faint morning glow of autumn.
For a moment, the netizens in the live stream were stunned again.
Although Pei Huaixue’s character was poor, his face was flawless.
He looked so good even without makeup.
It was truly a waste of heavenly resources for such a beautiful face to belong to such an annoying person.
Getting into Gu Yanchen’s car, Pei Huaixue beat Su Jin to the passenger seat. “Brother Chen, I get a little carsick. You don’t mind me sitting in the front, do you?”
Carsick?
Su Jin and Gu Yanchen were speechless. Since when did Pei Huaixue suffer from carsickness?
Gu Yanchen was about to say something, but Su Jin, already annoyed, said, “If that’s the case, then you sit there.”
Pei Huaixue’s sudden intrusion made him very unhappy, but he was used to being gentle and generous in front of everyone. He didn’t want to lose his temper at Pei Huaixue, so he could only swallow his frustration. However, the smile on his face had vanished, and he pursed his lips, falling silent. The atmosphere in the car became subtle.
Pei Huaixue was jolted awake by a barrage of Points notifications. He kept a straight face but was happily counting his Points internally.
Gu Yanchen first dropped Pei Huaixue off at Xingyue Agency, and only after he got out of the car did he continue driving Su Jin to the theater.
Watching them leave, the smile on Pei Huaixue’s face didn’t fade. He stretched, turned, and walked into the Xingyue building.
…
“I heard Pei Huaixue is coming over today. What do you think he’s here for?”
“What else could it be? He’s been getting slammed online lately, and he even dragged our company’s Xu Ran into the criticism. Anyone who touches him is unlucky now. The company probably called him back to terminate his contract.”
“Stop talking, he’s getting into the elevator.”
Some colleagues were watching the live stream and quickly told others to shut up when they saw Pei Huaixue approaching.
The elevator doors opened.
Pei Huaixue walked toward the Influencer Management Department.
As soon as he entered, he bumped into someone with an arrogant look on his face: Dai Xiaotao.
Dai Xiaotao had been quite successful recently. Although he was a major influencer, he hadn’t had any viral topics in the past year, and the influencer circle was constantly seeing newcomers. His account data hadn’t broken 100,000 likes for a long time, and he was close to being forgotten.
Until he and Xu Ran posted a collaborative video. Riding the wave of backlash against Pei Huaixue, he returned to the public eye. These days, he was flooded with commercial advertisements, and his account data had exceeded 100,000 likes for several consecutive days.
Everyone in the company fawned over him, and Xu Ran interacted with him online and offline daily, clearly becoming Dai Xiaotao’s lackey.
At this moment, Xu Ran was walking beside Dai Xiaotao, carrying his bag.
Pei Huaixue’s gaze swept past Dai Xiaotao and landed on Xu Ran. He asked strangely, “Why are you hanging out with him? Didn’t you used to say you hated his pretentious act, always acting like he’s the number one star at Xingyue?”
Xu Ran choked on Pei Huaixue’s words, his face flushing red.
“When did I ever say that? Pei Huaixue, don’t slander me just because I’ve seen the light and you hold a grudge against me!”
“Oh.”
Pei Huaixue looked indifferent.
Without saying anything more to them, he headed toward the manager’s office.
Dai Xiaotao gave Xu Ran a meaningful look. Xu Ran understood and quickly blocked Pei Huaixue’s path.
“Pei Huaixue, you just bumped Brother Tao and haven’t apologized yet.”
Pei Huaixue looked surprised, “Really? Oh, Dai Xiaotao was here? Maybe because he’s too short, I didn’t notice him.”
Dai Xiaotao was only 175 cm tall and usually wore four or five centimeter insoles when going out. Even so, he was still significantly shorter when standing next to Pei Huaixue.
Every time Pei Huaixue mentioned his height, he would get furious.
Today, however, he only raised an eyebrow and said leisurely, “Since you’re about to be terminated by the company, I’ll be generous and let it go. I’m here today to sign a new advertising contract. You know Fulis, right? It’s an international luxury skincare brand. One advertisement earns tens of millions in commission.”
Although Xingyue Agency wasn’t a top-tier company in the influencer world, it was backed by the Gu Corporation and was never stingy with resources for its influencers.
It was only because Pei Huaixue didn’t like to show off, didn’t want to rely on connections for too many resources, managed his account casually, and didn’t need to rely on advertisements to live, that he had never pursued commercial resources.
Hearing Dai Xiaotao boast in front of him, he merely smiled and deliberately used a saccharine voice, “I’m so envious, Brother Dai Xiaotao. Earning so much money, remember to pay your taxes properly and don’t evade them.”
“Who are you calling a tax evader!” Dai Xiaotao looked at the follow-up director behind Pei Huaixue, startled. He was indeed not clean regarding taxes, but how could Pei Huaixue know?
Pei Huaixue almost burst out laughing seeing how terrified he was.
He knew, of course, because he had read the original novel. He remembered that one day in the future, Dai Xiaotao would be reported and banned across the entire network for tax evasion. As glorious as he was now, he would be just as miserable later.
So, Pei Huaixue couldn’t be bothered to argue with him.
Netizens in the live stream immediately started discussing.
-Why does Dai Xiaotao look so panicked? Did he really evade taxes?
-How is that possible? It’s clearly Pei Huaixue slandering him. Does anyone still believe his character?
-Earning over ten million from one advertisement. Influencers really make money these days, even better than the 208s (referring to celebrities).
-Fulis would choose Dai Xiaotao? What were they thinking? He looks so tacky, always wearing insoles. Wouldn’t advertising for Fulis lower their brand value?
-Pei Huaixue is too manipulative. He deliberately mentioned tax evasion. Now, whether Dai Xiaotao did it or not, people will suspect him!
-If he didn’t do it, why is he nervous?
“What are you arguing about so early in the morning?!”
Just as the live stream was buzzing, Manager Wang came out of his office.
Seeing the two people at loggerheads, he instinctively scolded them.
Pei Huaixue shrugged, “He insisted on arguing with me.”
Dai Xiaotao recovered, glared fiercely at Pei Huaixue, and then sweetly addressed Manager Wang, “Manager Wang, didn’t you say I was coming over today to sign the new commercial advertisement? I’m completely ready.”
Manager Wang, however, bypassed him and bowed obsequiously to Pei Huaixue, “Mr. Pei, you’re here. The Fulis advertising contract is ready for you. When would be a good time to sign it?”
What?
The Fulis advertising contract was prepared for Pei Huaixue?
Everyone in the office was stunned.
“Doesn’t Pei Huaixue refuse advertisements? Especially international luxury brands like Fulis…”
“His Rich Second Generation persona was exposed as fake before, so maybe he doesn’t need to maintain the image anymore, and whether he takes ads or not doesn’t matter?”
“Didn’t they say he was here today to terminate his contract? What happened to the termination? How did it turn into signing a new advertisement!”
“Dai Xiaotao thought the ad was for him. That’s quite a slap in the face.”
Hearing the whispers, Dai Xiaotao’s face turned crimson with anger.
“Manager Wang, what’s going on? You clearly said last night…” He blurted out, then quickly covered his mouth when everyone looked at him, though his face still showed indignation.
Manager Wang’s face darkened, “When did I ever promise you that the Fulis advertisement was for you? The brand explicitly stated they only wanted Pei Huaixue!”
“Ah—” Dai Xiaotao was furious. He pointed his sharp, long-nailed finger at Pei Huaixue, “Did you steal my advertising contract, you bastard!”
Pei Huaixue merely raised an eyebrow and smiled at him, “You’re so angry. If I didn’t take it, wouldn’t your insults be wasted?”
Recently, he had gained notoriety online, and many businesses, seeing his traffic, approached him for various advertising collaborations.
Pei Huaixue wasn’t interested in any of them.
He never liked taking ads before, and that remained true now.
Only Fulis.
This brand had always been endorsed by Gu Minghe. When he heard the brand approached him, Pei Huaixue’s heart stirred.
He couldn’t bear to refuse anything related to Gu Minghe.
He hadn’t seen Gu Minghe in a long time, so much so that even small things related to him sparked countless feelings of longing.
–
After Pei Huaixue finished signing the contract and came out, the people in the office looked at him with much more caution.
It had been rumored that Pei Huaixue had strong backing in the company, and no one dared to provoke him easily. Now, even though he was being heavily criticized online, the company not only didn’t terminate his contract but also gave him an advertisement contract worth tens of millions in commission. It was clear that his background was not one they could afford to offend.
The working drones fell silent.
And Dai Xiaotao had already left in a fit of rage.
Pei Huaixue went to the restroom, with the follow-up director waiting outside.
As he was washing his hands in front of the mirror, Xu Ran emerged from another stall, looking ingratiatingly at Pei Huaixue, “Xiao Xue, Dai Xiaotao and I aren’t what you think. I was forced to suck up to him. You know my traffic isn’t as good as yours, and I’ve been criticized by so many people. I couldn’t handle it, so I had to…”
“Enough, Xu Ran,” Pei Huaixue turned around, his eyes somewhat cold. “Don’t make so many excuses. Since you chose Dai Xiaotao, go suck up to him properly. Don’t waste your energy on me anymore.”
With that, he dried his hands and, ignoring Xu Ran’s ugly expression, smiled as he left, “Oh, and remember to return the bags and jewelry I bought you, converted to cash at the second-hand market price. Otherwise, we’ll have to meet in court.”
“Pei Huaixue, do you have to be so ruthless?!”
Xu Ran screamed in frustration.
Pei Huaixue, however, ignored him.
Xu Ran watched Pei Huaixue’s retreating figure with hatred, his eyes red with anger.
He envied Pei Huaixue for being better looking, for being so rich, and for being able to have a scandal with Gu Yanchen. He was consumed by jealousy, following Pei Huaixue around every day like a dark, twisted mouse, secretly laughing at him for being a fool when the other bought him bags and jewelry.
Now, the fool was still living a glamorous life and was taking back everything he had given. Xu Ran felt like he hated Pei Huaixue to death!
–
Returning to the cabin in the evening, the staff announced that tomorrow would be the first date and asked everyone to prepare.
To be in good shape for the date, everyone went to bed early tonight.
The next day, everyone gathered in the living room after breakfast. Three gifts were placed on the sofa. The staff said, “These are the date gifts prepared by the 1s. You can choose one. Whoever you choose will be your date.”
There were only three gifts, meaning one person would be left out.
Everyone secretly prayed it wouldn’t be them.
Pei Huaixue woke up 029: “Little System, quickly help me check which gift belongs to Gu Yanchen.”
029 dutifully scanned the gifts and locked onto the one wrapped in pale purple.
Pei Huaixue wrote down “Purple” on his paper.
The final results were announced: Shen Zhimian chose Zhou Jingyuan’s, Xia Mu chose Jiang Leran’s, and both Pei Huaixue and Su Jin chose Gu Yanchen’s gift.
The staff then asked Gu Yanchen to make his choice.
Gu Yanchen looked at Pei Huaixue with apologetic eyes, “Sorry.”
He then chose Su Jin as his date for the day.
The comments section in the live stream went wild with delight.
-Hahaha, Pei Huaixue deserved that!
-Gu Su are a match made in heaven!
-CEO Gu is mighty! Looking forward to their date!
-It’s over, only Pei Huaixue wasn’t chosen. He doesn’t have a date.
Netizens gloated.
But then, the staff mysteriously pulled out a pink gift box and handed it to Pei Huaixue.
“Pei Huaixue, this is the date gift prepared by the new male guest.”
“Congratulations, you have gained the privilege of dating the new male guest.”