Zhuang Li didn't intend to dig Meng Lan's system out of his head, as that would be too much trouble. Now that he had the overall situation under control, he could just deal with Meng Lan herself.
While thinking, Zhuang Li slowly fell asleep. When he woke up, it was already past six in the afternoon. He went straight to the studio to find the chief director.
The director shrank his neck, looking as if he was afraid to face people.
Zhuang Li then understood everything, "Xi Ming doesn't want to come to the show, right?"
"Yes, he said he doesn't accept variety shows. We have tried our best, but he doesn't give us any chance. Here is the video, please take a look." The director pointed to the computer screen.
On the screen, Xi Ming impatiently declined the invitation and walked towards the nearby garage without looking back. The director had been waiting outside. After more than an hour, he finally emerged, driving a car that roared onto the track like lightning, circling it again and again.
The director couldn't even touch his shadow.
"Mr. Zhuang, if he doesn't agree, there's nothing we can do." The director carefully observed Zhuang Li's expression.
Zhuang Li pursed his lips and smiled, praising him sincerely: "Even when he's impatient, he's so handsome."
Chief Director: “…” He is indeed a bootlicker.
Zhuang Li rewound the video and stared at Xi Ming's handsome face for a long moment before leaving, feeling completely satisfied. As he was about to leave the monitoring room, he ordered, "Didn't they say the guests can go on dates with each other? Let's start tomorrow."
The director, who had originally wanted to prepare for another day, immediately agreed: "Okay, I'll announce the appointment after you finish dinner."
"We can choose the location as we like, right?"
"Yes, you guys make your own arrangements. If Xi Ming doesn't come, do the fifth male and female guests still need to join the group?"
"Wait a little longer, I'll notify you when the time comes." Zhuang Li waved his hand and left the monitoring room.
The director wiped the sweat from his forehead and sighed, "I thought Mr. Zhuang would be very angry or disappointed, but I didn't expect him to react so calmly. If Xi Ming doesn't want to come, then there's no point for Mr. Zhuang to participate in our show. Will he get bored and cancel the contract?"
The assistant director said nervously, "You never know. That little bit of liquidated damages is nothing to him. We can't stop him even if we want to. So if you have time, you should go there more often and try to invite Xi Ming over."
Thinking of the tall and imposing Xi Ming, the director wiped his face and really wanted to give up.
---
When Zhuang Li returned to the villa, the other seven guests were already gathered around the dining table ready to eat.
Wan Anni was dialing on her phone when she saw Zhuang Li and immediately waved, "Come and sit down! I was just about to call you!"
At the same time, Zhuang Li's cell phone rang. It was Wan Annie calling.
He pressed the reject button and sat in the only empty seat. Coincidentally, the person next to him was Meng Lan.
In front of the camera, everyone greeted Zhuang Li in a friendly manner. No matter what they thought in their hearts, at least they did not show any hostility on their faces.
Even Chang Jinbo, who had the worst acting skills, pulled the corners of his mouth stiffly.
Only Meng Lan was smiling happily at Ou Lu one second, then frowned in the next, looking very unhappy. When Zhuang Li sat down, she immediately moved her chair towards Xu Jingjing, pretending to avoid him as much as possible.
The sound of the chair scraping against the floor was so harsh that it attracted everyone's attention.
Zhuang Li seemed not to hear anything. He picked up the bowl, picked up some vegetables, and ate slowly.
Meng Lan put down the bowl and said to Zhou Banxia who was sitting opposite her, "Xia Xia, can you change seats with me?" After saying that, she glared at Zhuang Li.
She almost showed her hostility on her face, because she knew that even if the director did not kick Zhuang Li out for the time being for the sake of popularity and topic, after two episodes of the show were aired and the audience scolded him harshly, Zhuang Li would still have to leave.
She was the only female guest who had the words "I hate Zhuang Li" written all over her face, so her personality was definitely more distinct than the other female guests. And reality shows require authenticity, distinctness, and character.
She believes that her image of being soft on the outside but strong on the inside, sweet yet spicy, will be well received by the audience.
Zhou Banxia glanced at Xu Jingjing who was sitting on the other side of Meng Lan, and agreed with a blushing face.
The two quickly exchanged positions.
Meng Lan, who was sitting opposite, could see Zhuang Li as soon as she looked up, so she started to feel unhappy again. However, this time she just pouted and suppressed her anger. She turned her head to talk to Chang Jinbo who was sitting next to her, and didn't look at Zhuang Li again.
Zhuang Li ignored her series of "big moves" throughout the whole process.
The director who was watching this scene in the monitoring room: "..."
"Who recommended this Meng Lan?" he asked, pointing at the figure on the screen.
"It's me." The assistant director raised his hand awkwardly.
"Very good, very good. Her expressiveness is great. Xiao Li, Meng Lan is the most hostile to Mr. Zhuang, and her expression is the most obvious. You should focus on shooting her and give her more close-ups. The reversal of the plot requires a few clowns to set the mood, and this clown is Meng Lan. Pay more attention to her in the future, understand?" The director picked up the walkie-talkie and gave instructions.
Standing by the dining table, the cameraman filming the guests whispered, "I understand." Looking at Meng Lan again, he couldn't help but mourn for her for a few seconds. How could such a beautiful girl be cast as a clown by the director?
While everyone was carefully assessing the situation and trying to control their words and actions, Meng Lan was the most aggressive. With the system to help her, she wasn't worried about the situation getting out of control.
As soon as she entered the Love House, she grasped the basic information of several male guests: Chang Jinbo was A-level, Ou Lu was B-level, Zhou Banxia was B-level, and Zhuang Li was F-level.
According to the system's grading standards, A-level men must be outstanding individuals with distinguished family backgrounds and outstanding abilities; B-level men must be social elites with successful careers; and F-level men can only be described in one word: loser.
Meng Lan saw through Zhuang Li's disguise at a glance. She originally wanted to vote for Chang Jinbo, but later found that everyone voted for Zhuang Li. In order not to reveal her target too early and to not appear too abrupt, she followed the crowd and voted for Zhuang Li.
Facts proved that the system's judgment was absolutely correct. Zhuang Li, the "rich second generation", was indeed a fake. That was why she dared to be so straightforward in front of the camera.
She was chosen by the God of Destiny, so she is confident in everything she does.
Look, the cameraman who had just been circling the table filming the other guests has now come over to her, filming her every move individually. She has become the one the program team values most.
When the next episode airs, she will definitely appear in the most scenes.
Meng Lan lowered her head and secretly curled the corners of her lips.
---
When dinner was almost over, Lin Caixiu wiped her mouth and asked, "Who will cook tomorrow?"
Meng Lan, who was originally on duty with Zhuang Li, immediately raised her hand: "Who can switch with me tomorrow? I'm not feeling well and it's not convenient for me to cook."
From the change of positions just now, it can be seen that she is not uncomfortable, but simply does not want to stay with Zhuang Li.
Everyone also disliked Zhuang Li and was unwilling to cook with him, so no one said anything.
Wan Annie couldn't stand it anymore. She ripped the napkin off her neck, slammed it on the table, and said in a gruff voice, "Meng Lan, I'll switch with you. We'll see each other every day from now on. We still have a lot of time to spend together, so don't be so deliberate."
"Thank you for switching with me. Have you finished your meal? I'll clear the table after you've finished." Meng Lan asked everyone with a smile, and used a clever trick to fight back against Wan Annie's rebuke.
Wan Annie was so angry that she gritted her teeth secretly. When she saw the cameraman filming her and Meng Lan's faces, she suppressed the urge to lose her temper.
Zhuang Li put down his chopsticks, smiled gently at Wan Annie, and shook his head slightly.
At this moment, Wan Annie's anger naturally subsided.
Being stared at by Zhuang Li's dark and deep eyes, she actually felt at ease. To be honest, even though the online rumors portrayed Zhuang Li in an extremely bad light, even with pictures and facts, she still couldn't believe that this man would be like that.
Whether a person has connotation, background and bearing can actually be seen from his words and deeds.
Wan Annie is a fashion designer who is used to observing a person's appearance and inner qualities. Her eyes tell her that Zhuang Li is very powerful.
Having also experienced cyberbullying, she realized early on that most of what is online is fake. She trusts her own judgment and will never follow the crowd.
Thinking of this, Wan Annie raised her chin and smiled at Zhuang Li easily.
Everyone stood up one after another to help Meng Lan clear the table.
After finishing their work, everyone gathered around the sofa and began today's task—guessing their occupations. Before arriving, they had deleted any clues from their Weibo accounts that might reveal their occupations, leaving only traces of their daily lives.
Meng Lan was very active and said with a smile: "Let's each give a clue. Who goes first?" Her bright eyes swept over everyone and finally stopped on Chang Jinbo.
Chang Jinbo took out his phone and was about to give a hint when Zhuang Li, already tired of this fake performance, said calmly, "You are a racing driver. The sound of the sports car you drove is deeper than that of ordinary sports cars. It's obvious that the engine has been modified and is racing grade. Of course, it's not ruled out that you are a racing enthusiast."
Chang Jinbo nodded reluctantly.
Zhuang Li looked at Zhou Banxia. "You're a pharmacist. You like to use beakers and scales to weigh food when you cook. It's a professional habit. Also, the chemical formula you casually scribbled on the small blackboard by the door this afternoon is a formula for treating chronic cor pulmonale. However, the formula's effectiveness is very unstable and is probably still in the experimental stage. I suggest you increase the dosage of the traditional Chinese medicine ingredients. The final answer lies in your name."
Zhou Banxia, who had never looked at Zhuang Li straight in the eye, suddenly looked up with his eyes shining.
Zhuang Li pointed at Wan Annie and said, "You are a fashion designer. The lines you scribbled on the letter paper are the pattern breakdown diagram of a men's suit."
Wan Annie: “…That’s right!”
Zhuang Li looked at Lin Caixiu and said, "You're in the cosmetics business, so your title should be CEO. I overheard you talking to a client on the phone this morning about importing a batch of cosmetics raw materials."
Lin Caixiu: "But I speak French!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she covered her mouth, her cheeks slowly reddening with embarrassment. No one had stipulated that Zhuang Li couldn't understand French; these words clearly showed contempt for him.
Zhuang Li pointed at Ou Lu and said, "You are a financial analyst. The books you brought are all monographs on financial analysis."
Ou Lu: “!!!” The books he brought were all original English versions, how could Zhuang Li understand them?
"You're an English teacher at the early childhood education website. I saw the lesson plan you wrote." Zhuang Li glanced at Meng Lan, then looked at Xu Jingjing and said with a smile, "You're a pianist."
Xu Jingjing opened her mouth into an O shape, then tilted her head, looking eager to learn.
Zhuang Li took the initiative to explain: "While you were daydreaming, you rested your fingers on the table and played 'Dream of Love.' This is a professional habit. There's no piano in the room, and a good pianist must practice for two hours every day, so you enjoy daydreaming. You're not mentally slow; you're just practicing piano in your head, a quality of musical imagination that only musicians possess. You're very focused, and your future is promising."
Zhuang Li stood up, patted Xu Jingjing on the shoulder, and then walked upstairs slowly.
All the guests who were guessed correctly: "..."
After a long while, Xu Jingjing clapped her hands softly and exclaimed with heartfelt admiration: "Zhuang Li is amazing!"
Zhou Banxia, who was scribbling down a potion recipe on the table, raised her head and agreed earnestly, "I'm already a Level 5 pharmacist, yet Zhuang Li is able to guide me. He's a great senior!"
Guests: “…” What happened to the poor gold digger who knew nothing?
The chief director sitting in the monitoring room pointed at the computer screen and sighed to the staff standing behind him: "See, everyone? The most terrifying thing is not that rich people work harder than you, but that they are both hardworking and smart!"
The author has something to say:
Some readers may feel that my pace is too slow and the plot is dragged out.
I was actually very anxious and wanted the old man to appear as soon as possible, but there were too many foreshadowings and plots that needed to be laid out.
I need to explain clearly the psychological transformation of the second male lead, the psychological transformation of several other guests, Meng Lan's psychological transformation, her system and other background.
Otherwise, the subsequent plot development will appear abrupt and the climax will not be able to unfold.
Please bear with me.
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