Chapter 39: Let the Date Begin

"That’s right, Sister Liu..." Zhao Xin guided Liu Li. "Although Sisi's reputation has been ruined by this dating show, Zhaozhao's popularity continues to rise!"

However, the light in Liu Li’s eyes quickly faded. "What good is that? The day the show ends is the day her contract expires..."

Once a person becomes a star, they are no longer under her control. Speaking of this, Liu Li couldn't help but feel regret. How could she have failed to see the potential in Xu Zhaozhao back then? She could have promoted Chen Sisi and Xu Zhaozhao together, but instead, she had listened to Sisi and relegated Xu Zhaozhao to the role of a mere background prop.

"Sister Liu, we can go and renegotiate a contract renewal with Zhaozhao!"

"Do you really think she would agree?"

Through the dating show, Chen Sisi's true character had been fully exposed. No matter how many resources were poured into her in the future, she would never again be seen as the innocent, kind girl. They could try to pivot her toward the role of a scheming antagonist, though Chen Sisi might not be willing. But as for being the leading lady, that was certainly out of reach for her.

Conversely, Xu Zhaozhao, with the foundation of her previous roles and her current reputation, was perfectly suited to play the lead.

"I think that as long as the terms are right, Zhaozhao won't be unwilling to renew with us. After all, she has been working with us for five years," Zhao Xin said. "She endured such harsh conditions before, and it was your insistence, Sister Liu, that put her on this show, which is why she became famous so quickly."

"You’re right. She was willing to sign such an unfair contract back then; if we offer her a deal hundreds of times better now, she will definitely agree."

Thinking of this, Liu Li’s anxiety eased. It wasn't the end of the world. Star Entertainment still had two actors on the dating show. Even though Chen Sisi had fallen, Xu Zhaozhao was genuinely rising. When she had originally asked Xu Zhaozhao to be a foil for Chen Sisi, it was because she recognized her potential—she had even required her to tone down her makeup at times. Xu Zhaozhao was absolutely the future of their traffic.

"Then what are you standing there for? Quickly bring me all of Zhaozhao’s previous acting experience so I can map out a brilliant path for her again..." After all, she, Liu Li, was a gold-medal agent.

"Understood, Sister Liu, I’ll bring the documents right away!"

Leaving Liu Li’s office, a look of relief washed over Zhao Xin’s face. She didn't believe for a second that Zhaozhao would renew her contract with Liu Li. After all, for those five years, the company had never treated Zhaozhao like a human being. The only reason she encouraged Liu Li was to stop her from wasting her energy trying to salvage Chen Sisi, as saving Sisi would inevitably mean stepping on Xu Zhaozhao—something Zhao Xin did not want to see.

She pulled out her phone and glanced at Xu Zhaozhao, who was happily eating dinner on the live broadcast.

"Zhaozhao, this is all I can do to help you. I hope that wherever you go in the future, your path to stardom will be smooth!"

***

On the live broadcast, the guests had finished their potato feast. Shredded potatoes, potato chunks, potato pancakes... everything was made of potatoes. The reason, naturally, was that the production team had delivered all the fruits of their labor from that morning.

Ke Hao had found time to go to Auntie Fu’s house to buy eggs, and he had used the fifty-yuan bonus Chen Sisi had turned in to buy two chickens. Auntie Fu, knowing that two chickens wouldn't be enough for so many people, threw in two more. Furthermore, she picked the four largest and fattest ones. Ke Hao knew this was because of the goodwill earned by Xu Zhaozhao and Shen Mu. So, even though he personally had plenty of complaints about Xu Zhaozhao, when Song Qing suggested calling Chen Sisi to eat, he didn't object.

After the potato feast ended and the guests had spent a little time chatting in the courtyard, the director's voice rang out.

"After three days together, I believe you all have gotten to know each other a bit better. So, tonight, pick up your phones and send a date invitation text to the person you are interested in for tomorrow!"

"Note: Each person can only send one text. Guests who receive a text from the person they also messaged can win a meal carefully prepared by the production team!"

"Finally, the phones are useful for something!" Luo Chengfeng looked at Qiu Qianrou with a hint of anticipation. The two shared a knowing smile.

*I bet those two will lock in.*
*No doubt.*
*Everyone, take a guess—which male guest will receive the most texts?*
*That's not even a question, it has to be the award-winning actor, Ke Hao.*
*What about second place? Will it be Shen Mu?*
*Impossible. I admit Shen Mu has a handsome face, but his ability to offend people with his tongue makes people want to keep their distance.*
*Who has he offended? As far as I can tell, only Chen Sisi.*
*That's because he hasn't approached any other female guests; he only circles around Xu Zhaozhao. I interpret his hostility toward Chen Sisi as a way to protect Xu Zhaozhao.*
*As seen above, the other female guests are even less likely to text Shen Mu. He is too much of a 'loyal dog' to Xu Zhaozhao; no one wants to ask for rejection.*
*Currently, the only ones showing clear mutual interest are Shen Mu and Luo Chengfeng.*

At night, after the guests finished washing up and returned to their rooms, the live stream displayed their rooms while also projecting their phone screens.

In the women's double room—
Xu Zhaozhao sent her date invitation to Ke Hao without a moment’s hesitation. It was exactly as the audience expected. After all, everyone knew she was there for a mission; her target couldn't be anyone else.

Chen Sisi was the second to send a text, and without a doubt, she also sent hers to Ke Hao.

In the women's four-person room—
As Qiu Qianrou sent her text to Luo Chengfeng, she received one back from him, and she curled up in her bed, giggling foolishly. The audience outside the screen could also feel the sweetness of this firm, mutual choice. This pair had become the "sugar-distributing" highlight of *Love in the Wild*.

Song Qing stared at her contact list, lost in thought for a long time. She hesitated between Ke Hao and Sun Yu. Remembering how she had proactively chosen Ke Hao before, only for him to choose Xu Zhaozhao, and contrasting that with the times Sun Yu had stepped in to help her, she finally tapped on Sun Yu’s page.

Before she could even send the invitation, she saw a text from Sun Yu pop up. Seeing his message, she felt comforted and deeply grateful to this man who had been her safety net. However, just as she was about to reply to Sun Yu, she suddenly received a date invitation from Ke Hao.

"Ah!" she gasped in surprise.

The other girls in the room looked over.

"Qingqing, what kind of text did you get that surprised you so much?"
"Let me guess, it’s probably Actor Ke, right?"
"After dating Chen Sisi and Xu Zhaozhao, he must have realized that the simple and kind Song Qing is the best one after all..."

Song Qing blushed under their teasing.

*Whoa, Song Qing. She isn't going to reply to the movie star, is she?*
*At this moment, I suddenly feel like Actor Ke is a master of 'keeping everyone happy.'*
*You took the words right out of my mouth. I have that feeling too. Between Chen Sisi and Xu Zhaozhao, he chose Song Qing; between Chen Sisi and Song Qing, he chose Xu Zhaozhao. It’s like he’s trying to be fair to everyone... you know.*
*He’s an actor, he’s spent his life buried in work and hasn't been on variety shows before. Not wanting to offend anyone is a normal psychological response, right?*
*There are no established romantic relationships yet, so getting to know more girls is perfectly fine.*

Song Qing’s final choice was indeed Ke Hao.

The next day, there were quite a few successful mutual-choice couples. Out of six pairs of guests, four were formed: Ke Hao and Song Qing, Luo Chengfeng and Qiu Qianrou, Zhan Wang and Lin Xuehui, and He Xingchen and Xu Wenya.

In the end, Chen Sisi, Xu Zhaozhao, Sun Yu, and Shen Mu were left without matches.