Chapter 51 Minors are prohibited from drinking alcohol.
She quickly turned her face away to chat with Shi Yan.
She had just fantasized that he might have feelings for her, but now, looking at him, she felt truly guilty.
Sensing Jiang Luo's evasiveness, He Ziyan's eyes flickered slightly, and the smile that was about to rise faded away.
Was it because the text message he sent her was too direct, and she didn't like it?
He clearly received a thank-you text message from Jiang Luo.
Hmm... Jiang Luo's text message was probably purely for work.
What about the gratitude expressed?
Is that just a polite response?
While reviewing the situation, He Ziyan sat down on the outermost side of the sofa.
If you shift your gaze even slightly, it will fall on Jiang Luo's profile.
The lights at night are always sharp, dividing the world into black and white.
Jiang Luo's profile was like that light, thin and sharp.
But He Ziyan knew that it was just a shell; her heart was like the lights of a thousand homes in the dark night, warm and inviting, making people want to touch it.
"Okay, everyone's here. We're about to announce the top three." A staff member wearing a mask stepped forward with a card in hand.
The live stream ends at 6 p.m. every day, and the segments featuring the exciting text messages and the announcement of the current rankings are part of the main program.
Without the large group of photographers, the atmosphere felt a bit thin.
To create the illusion that everyone was excited and looking forward to it, the staff raised their voices and pretended to be excited, saying, "In addition to continuing to be broadcast live, the top three will also get a mandatory date opportunity!"
"Forced dating?"
The moment this word was uttered, everyone became genuinely excited.
The staff member smiled with satisfaction and explained the rules: "Forced dating means you can choose any opposite-sex guest for a date. The selected guest cannot refuse. The validity period is from the announcement of the list until 6 pm this Saturday. It will be invalid if you exceed the period."
Jiang Luo didn't care whether she got into the top three or not.
She didn't have a strong urge to force herself to date anyone.
This job ends on Saturday.
After it's over, we'll go our separate ways, just like the friends we made on set.
"First place—" the staff member drawled, adding suspense, "Ta-da! He Ziyan!"
Applause erupted.
Qin Ning clapped his hands exaggeratedly, clapping repeatedly, almost jumping up like a gorilla beating its chest and stamping its feet.
Being number one in popularity seems to be the highest honor.
Jiang Luo was puzzled: ...Why? This isn't an idol debut! It's a dating reality show! A dating reality show!
"Second place, Qin Ning."
More applause.
"Third place, Xi He."
Applause again.
The top three were all male guests.
That was expected.
Faced with this result, Jiang Luo felt no disappointment, only relief.
Being broadcast live puts immense pressure on her, as if she's living under surveillance. She has to think twice before doing anything, fearing that saying or doing the wrong thing will become "evidence" for netizens to judge her.
Looking sideways, the other two female guests also seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.
Jiang Luo: Clearly, nobody wants this... so... why is it being announced in such a grand way?
After the rankings were announced, the staff left the room.
After a brief chat, everyone got up to go back to their rooms.
"Look! The stars are so bright tonight!" Tao Le suddenly exclaimed.
She lay on the transparent glass, her hands raised, like a child peering longingly from outside the fence of an amusement park.
In the deep blue night sky, stars twinkle like jewels under a spotlight, exuding ultimate luxury and beauty.
Shi Yan walked over and stood beside Tao Le, craning her neck. "Wow! Which rich lady lost her diamonds?!"
Tao Le chuckled.
Shi Yan suggested, "We can go stargazing! It's not even 10:30 yet. Let's stargaze until 11 and then go to sleep. That's the proper schedule for young people!"
“Yes! The second-floor terrace is perfect for stargazing! The day we arrived, I thought that if we had the chance, we should do something romantic together. There’s no time like the present.” Qin Ning jumped to their side.
The three reached a preliminary consensus, then turned to look at the remaining three, asking, "What do you think?"
Jiang Luo shrugged, unconcerned: "Fine."
Neither He Ziyan nor Xi He had any objections.
"I've come to get some wine and snacks!" Tao Le ran off quickly.
Qin Ning and Shi Yan followed closely behind: "Let's go together!"
The three people in front of the sofa had barely taken a step when the other three swooped past like cheetahs.
Finally, the six of them carried their bags and headed upstairs to the second floor.
Since her initial visit to the cottage, Jiang Luo had never gone up to the second floor again, and even felt a little anticipation as she stepped onto the stairs.
"Hey, Ziyan, you're not afraid of stairs anymore?" Qin Ning and He Ziyan walked at the back.
Yesterday, when He Ziyan wanted to choose a room on the first floor, the excuse she used was "staircase phobia".
Qin Ning still remembers.
He Ziyan remained expressionless: "I'm fully recovered."
"Pfft." Jiang Luo was one step ahead of them. She chuckled, then realized something was wrong. She glanced at him furtively and found He Ziyan scrutinizing her.
His eyes were full of warning, not a fierce warning, but a smiling warning, a playful warning between friends.
She pursed her lips, pretending nothing had happened, and strode up the stairs.
The nights in early March were still a bit chilly, and the six of them shivered as soon as they stepped onto the terrace.
A row of low wooden chairs was placed on the terrace, and in the center of the semicircle was a square wooden table.
Two rabbit-shaped decorative floor lamps were placed on the open space opposite the wooden chair. The fluorescent rabbits were cute and cozy.
A lamp-shaped chandelier hung on the wall, its yellowish light rather weak, casting only a few faint spots of light, while most areas remained dim.
"Wait a moment, I'll go get you some blankets." After putting down her things, Shi Yan headed straight for the bedroom.
Tao Le also said, "I'll go too."
Jiang Luo naturally became the first one.
To avoid blocking the narrow gate that was only wide enough for one person to pass through, she walked forward and chose the innermost spot.
Next is Qin Ning.
Qin Ning stood in front of the chair next to Jiang Luo, just about to sit down.
"Qin Ning," He Ziyan called out.
Qin Ning, who was already half-bowed, had no choice but to straighten up.
"Take a look and see what you'd like to drink." He Ziyan looked at him, holding two cans of beverage, and walked around to the other side of the wooden table.
Qin Ning waved her hand, "Anything is fine with me, just give me one."
Just as he was about to sit down, He Ziyan said again, "Such a beautiful night should have a sense of ceremony, it can't be just any ordinary one, go and pick one."
“That’s right, such a beautiful night, we should pick one we like.” Qin Ning nodded.
He walked over to the food bag in a few steps, carefully rummaged through it, and then selected a jar of white peach-flavored fruit wine.
When he turned around, He Ziyan was already sitting comfortably in his seat.
This scene seems familiar.
"Here you go." He Ziyan handed over a can of drink.
In the dim light, Jiang Luo carefully examined it and confirmed that it was orange...juice.
She clearly remembered that Tao Le had said "alcohol and snacks".
Jiang Luo frowned: "You guys drink alcohol, and I'll drink orange juice?"
He Ziyan gave a light "hmm".
"Why?"
Minors are not allowed to drink alcohol.
He Ziyan was actually teasing her!
Jiang Luo retorted, "If I remember correctly, I should be two years older than you, right?"
Upon hearing the age, He Ziyan immediately thought of Qin Ning's comment, "Sister-brother relationships are very popular now."
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