Baihe Fan

Chapter 12: Start

The recording location was a villa halfway up a mountain, where the three couples would live together.

The car stopped by the roadside. Xia Linxia, wearing sunglasses, stretched out her long legs and got out of the car, standing by the road to take in the surroundings. The layered mountains and the breeze somewhat alleviated the summer heat.

The sound of suitcase wheels rolling caught her attention. She turned to see Ji Fengxue dragging two suitcases from the trunk, standing still and waiting for her.

Xia Linxia glanced at the camera, put her fists to her cheeks, and blinked innocently, “You can do it, babe! Meow~!”

“……”

Ji Fengxue dragged the two large suitcases up the path, pushing open the wooden gate. Inside was a sizable garden, with a cobblestone path winding its way to the front door. Laughter echoed from the living room, indicating someone had already arrived.

Once through the gate, they were officially in the live recording area. Cameras were positioned in every corner of the house, capturing their every move for the audience.

Ji Fengxue waited at the entrance for two minutes before the wandering Xia Linxia arrived.

Xia Linxia expressed her approval of the environment, pointing to the corner’s artificial lake, “Are there fish in there? Can we grill them?”

“You can grill anything, even a dinosaur if you want,” Ji Fengxue said casually, handing over her suitcase and indicating the presence of cameras.

“……”

Xia Linxia took the suitcase and entered the house, seeing the other guests already seated in the living room. Two couples sat politely on the sofas, looking a bit awkward.

One couple had been together since their school days, dating for nine years. The other was an older couple who had faded from the spotlight for a while. They hadn’t interacted much before, making the atmosphere quite stiff.

Even the live chat felt the awkwardness.

[I can smell the awkwardness through the screen.]

[How long are they going to sit there like this?]

[This feels like me visiting relatives during Chinese New Year.]

[Xia Linxia and Teacher Ji are here! Won’t it be even more awkward?]

[Wow, their looks are stunning even without filters. Their figures are amazing too!]

Despite having many haters, Xia Linxia was the most popular person present. Even the long-retired older couple knew about her fame.

Ji Fengxue’s reputation and talent were also well-known. As they entered, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, shifting the conversation to greet each other.

“Sorry we’re late,” Ji Fengxue said.

“No worries, we just got here ourselves,” Song Wanyi replied with a smile. She was 29, and despite dating her boyfriend Xue Hui for many years, neither had achieved much career success. Song had gained attention from a popular historical drama early in her career, but subsequent opportunities hadn’t followed, and she lacked strong audience appeal.

Xue Hui was similarly lukewarm in his career, appearing in numerous works but always in minor roles, never leading.

Xia Linxia glanced at the older couple, Fang Qiushuang and Tang Yuande, who were famous TV drama partners. They had gradually retired from the industry after getting married, but their legends still lingered.

Having watched many of their dramas in her childhood, Xia Linxia immediately recited a famous line from their show to Fang Qiushuang, “May I ask, maiden, how old are you, and are you married?”

Both Fang Qiushuang and Tang Yuande were taken aback before laughing. Fang Qiushuang lowered her head and smiled gently, “No, Young Master, do you find this question abrupt?”

Tang Yuande continued, “A beauty must be treated unexpectedly, so she can keep me in her heart.”

[Ahhhh, nostalgic! My youth is back!]

[I can’t believe Xia Linxia watched the same drama as me, hahaha, such an old fan! This show is ancient!]

[Crying, they didn’t end up together in the show, but at least they did in real life. So fulfilling!]

[The beauty kept you in her heart, but why did you leave her alone in the world?]

[Stop it, I’m crying! What is Xia Linxia doing? Making me cry right off the bat!]

Fang Qiushuang and Tang Yuande smiled at each other, recalling the old days. They laughed, “Little Xia, you also watched our drama? I thought young people these days didn’t like it.”

Xia Linxia quickly said, “How could that be? Your acting was superb! I used to love watching it with my parents. They even asked me to get your autographs. Can I?”

“Of course, of course,” Fang Qiushuang, nearing fifty, couldn’t help but feel maternal. She looked at Xia Linxia as if she were her daughter, “No rush on the autographs. Put your luggage away first.”

“Oh right! I almost forgot. There are two empty rooms left. Which one do you want?” Song Wanyi said, and everyone went to look at the rooms.

The bedrooms were on the second floor, with four rooms in total. Two were already chosen, leaving a loft and a master bedroom. However, Xia Linxia and Ji Fengxue couldn’t agree.

Xia Linxia: “I want the master bedroom.”

Ji Fengxue: “I want the loft.”

They locked eyes, neither willing to back down.

The other four looked on awkwardly. Fang Qiushuang, seeing Xia Linxia as her own child, suggested, “Linxia, the loft has a nice view.”

“I don’t care. The loft is too small, and the bed is too hard,” Xia Linxia argued, “Sister Shuang, you might not know, but I’m a princess and need a soft bed.”

Everyone: “……” We really didn’t know that.

[Hahaha, what?! Did she just say she’s a princess?]

[Here we go again, Xia Linxia is so annoying. Lifetime blacklisting her.]

[She’s so straightforward with her princess syndrome, it’s kind of cute, isn’t it?]

[Honestly, I’m not surprised she’s a modern-day princess. What’s surprising is how confidently she admits it, hahaha!]

[Xia Linxia is the most annoying woman ever. Is she trying to play the straightforward rich girl now? Get out of showbiz already!]

[Dating someone like this must be exhausting, right?]

Ji Fengxue suggested, “Let’s just live separately then.”

Xia Linxia agreed immediately, “No problem.”

Everyone: “……” This is a dating show! A dating show!

The director quickly spoke through the walkie-talkie, “That’s not possible. The remaining room is for guests.”

Xia Linxia frowned, looking at the production team, “Aren’t there more rooms upstairs? Clean up a few more! You have the budget for a big villa but can’t prepare a few more rooms?”

[Hahaha, she’s arguing with the production team!]

[The director is panicking right now, hahaha.]

[So rude, dislike.]

[If you don’t like it, leave. Don’t ruin our good mood.]

“Forget it, we’ll stay here,” Ji Fengxue conceded, dragging the suitcase into the master bedroom.

Xia Linxia looked around the room, noting its nice decor, but there was one problem—it only had one large bed.

This meant they had to sleep together.

The bathroom was the only place without cameras. She quickly dragged Ji Fengxue, who was unpacking, into the bathroom.

[Whoa, exciting! What are they going to do?]

[Xia Linxia looks so desperate!]

Xia Linxia whispered, “What are we going to do tonight? Are we really going to sleep like this?”

Ji Fengxue smiled, “What else can we do? Are you going to sleep on the floor?”

Xia Linxia: “Why don’t you sleep on the floor?”

Ji Fengxue retorted, “I’m the ‘sleep on the floor and die’ princess.”

“……” Xia Linxia was speechless and started to act spoiled, “I don’t care, you sleep on the floor… Hahaha! Ji Fengxue!”

Remembering Xiang Yangxuan’s suggestion, Ji Fengxue suddenly tickled her.

Xia Linxia’s biggest weakness was her extreme ticklishness. She leaned against the door, laughing uncontrollably, her hands flailing to push away the attack, both angry and annoyed, “Hahaha, stop! Please, I beg you, haha!”

[OMG, this is so thrilling! Please, camera, show us what’s happening!!!]

[What does Xia Linxia mean by stop? Is it what I think? Observing quietly.jpg]

[Hello everyone, I’m that door. They’re doing unspeakable things against me.]