Chapter 21: From Innocent Flower to Scheming Siren

"How about that, do you know her?" Su Chengyu asked curiously, noticing Wu Wei's eyes fixed on Xu Zhaozhao.

"No, not at all, she just looks a bit familiar."

The Big Boss had issued a strict order: the news of his flash marriage and divorce was absolutely forbidden from leaking. Without the Big Boss's permission, even his own nephew couldn't be told a single word.

Leaving the hospital, Wu Wei hurriedly used his phone to search for the live stream of "Love in the Wilderness." This time, he was absolutely certain: the woman with wavy hair standing next to the Big Boss was undoubtedly his ex-wife from the flash marriage.

"This..."

Wu Wei was baffled. For the first time, he questioned his own impeccable work efficiency. Had he helped the Big Boss finalize the divorce too quickly? Perhaps, in the Big Boss's heart, he actually cared a great deal about Xu Zhaozhao?

Back on the island, he had felt that Xu Zhaozhao possessed a wonderful temperament and made a perfect match for the Big Boss. He couldn't understand why the Big Boss had been so determined to divorce her. Another thing that puzzled him was Xu Zhaozhao's demeanor. On the island, she had been such a bright and sunny person. Even when she suddenly received the divorce papers from the Big Boss, she didn't fall into despair but instead made a dignified exit. Yet, on this dating show, she looked like a frost-bitten eggplant. It had only been two days, after all.

Then there was her attire. The clothes she wore were clearly low-quality, unfashionable, and didn't suit her temperament at all. When he had seen her before, she was dressed in a way that was stylish, elegant, poised, and gentle.

It wasn't until he saw some comments and followed the links to the relevant discussions that he finally understood why he was seeing such a starkly different Xu Zhaozhao:

#The script of "Love in the Wilderness" has been exposed#
#Acting, let's just watch them act#
#On watching reality show guests act while they don't know the audience already knows they are acting#

So, Xu Zhaozhao hadn't joined the dating show for romance; she was there to serve as a foil for the popular young actress. Did the Big Boss know about this? Wait, was the Big Boss terrified that he wouldn't be able to shake this woman off? Now that he had walked right into her presence, wasn't he essentially a lamb walking into a tiger's den?

However, after observing for a while longer, he realized that it was actually Xu Zhaozhao who had truly moved on, while the Big Boss seemed to still have lingering feelings.

"My dear Big Boss, if you still have feelings for her, why did you choose such a way to get divorced?!" Lawyer Wu was truly at a loss.

***

Ke Hao and Chen Sisi wasted no time after forming their team. Relying on the goodwill he had built up doing farm work the day before, Ke Hao found out the location of the market and thought he would go check it out to see what they could buy with a hundred yuan.

However, Chen Sisi hadn't even walked a mile behind Ke Hao before she grew tired and sat down to rest under a large tree by the roadside. This tree, with its massive, lush canopy, was said to have existed since the Tang Dynasty, which was how the village got its name.

Seeing Chen Sisi get tired so quickly, Ke Hao didn't say anything, but he felt skeptical. As a girl who claimed to have a fitness routine, how could she be exhausted after walking such a short distance? Still, despite his doubts, he maintained his gentlemanly demeanor and let her rest for ten minutes.

Ten minutes later, he called for her to continue. But just as Chen Sisi stood up, she lost her footing and tumbled straight into Ke Hao's arms.

"Sisi, what’s wrong? Are you okay?" Ke Hao was startled by the sudden movement. Fortunately, his reflexes were quick, and he managed to keep her from hitting the ground. Because he had a good impression of her, he didn't suspect this was intentional, despite the coincidence.

"I'm sorry, Movie Star Ke." Chen Sisi panicked, trying to wipe away the lipstick stain she had "accidentally" left on his white athletic jacket. The more she rubbed, the larger it became, making it impossible for anyone to miss.

"It, it's fine..." Ke Hao blocked her hands, which were frantically scrubbing at his clothes.

"Ah!" As soon as Ke Hao nudged her, Chen Sisi let out a cry of pain and crouched down in agony.

"Sisi?" By now, Ke Hao was sweating.

"I, I..." Chen Sisi looked up at him with teary eyes. "I'm so sorry, Movie Star Ke, I think I twisted my ankle!"

"Huh?" Ke Hao felt completely bewildered. Was Chen Sisi made of porcelain? They had only walked a mile out of Ancient Tree Village and she was already tired. And just now, he had barely given her a light push—how could she have twisted her ankle?

Clutching her ankle, Chen Sisi apologized profusely to Ke Hao with tear-filled eyes.

"I'm sorry, it's my fault. Movie Star Ke, it's not your fault!"

Ke Hao frowned. Since she had already said that, what else could he say? He had to offer an apology of his own. "I'm sorry, did I hurt you?"

Chen Sisi shook her head like a bobblehead. "No, no, it was all my own clumsiness."

"Can you still stand up?" Ke Hao asked.

Chen Sisi held onto his hand to try and stand, but halfway up, she stumbled again. She leaned back into Ke Hao's arms, and this time, he didn't dare push her away, only helplessly supporting her.

"Looking at your condition, it seems you won't be able to make it to the market. Why don't you go back to the old house to wait, and I'll go to the market myself? Tell me what you want to eat, and I'll bring it back."

How could Chen Sisi let Ke Hao leave her behind? She had gone through so much trouble to team up with him. "How could I do that?" she said, her voice nasally. "The rules state that the pair must act together. What if I go back and you act alone, and we're disqualified for breaking the rules?"

Ke Hao became increasingly frustrated, yet he maintained his gentlemanly attitude. "Then what should we do? If I support you while we walk, I'm afraid we won't reach the market until after noon." By then, the market would be closed; what would be the point of going?

In reality, Chen Sisi had planned for Ke Hao to carry her to the market. That way, through physical contact, their relationship would surely warm up. Of course, she didn't expect him to carry her the whole way—that was seven or eight miles, after all—but her plan was to have him carry her for about half an hour, after which she would pretend her leg had recovered so she could walk with him again.

She was waiting for Ke Hao to offer to carry her. However, she had overestimated the importance of the show in Ke Hao's heart, and she had overestimated his sense of obligation to the director. It was true that Director Sun had been a mentor to him, and he had come to the show at his invitation. By appearing here, he had already fulfilled his promise. As for getting eliminated? He was practically hoping for it. With his current status and position, he was truly ill-suited to linger on a boring dating show.

"Sisi, your foot looks quite serious. Why don't we just withdraw now? Your health is more important!"

[Ahahaha, Movie Star Ke, you really know how to play dodgeball.]