Chapter 23. I'm very jealous.
Hearing Lu Xubai's deep, slightly cold voice, Chu Ruofu felt a little uneasy.
Lu Xubai suddenly appeared in front of her like a ghost, startling her.
The man's hand gripped her waist, burning hot, a tingling sensation spreading from her waist, causing Chu Ruofu to tremble and her whole body to go limp.
How could he openly hug and kiss her? If the backstage staff found out and switched the live stream, the whole internet would be watching.
Chu Ruofu lowered her head and grabbed his hand, trying to pry it open.
Lu Xubai looked down and saw that her earlobe was slightly tinged with red, so he gently bit it as punishment.
The girl in his arms stiffened, trembling slightly like prey whose neck had been seized by a wild beast.
Lu Xubai asked like a wronged husband, "Why won't you answer me?"
Chu Ruofu had her back to him and couldn't see the expression on his face. Her keen intuition told her that she absolutely could not answer that she was happy.
Lu Xubai knew she wouldn't give him the answer he wanted. She was like a docile and timid rabbit, possessing a natural alertness, and would quickly avoid danger.
He texted her but she didn't reply. He went downstairs to her room and knocked on the door, but no one answered. He searched the villa but couldn't find her, so he waited for her to come back on the second-floor viewing balcony.
They seemed to have had a lot of fun. Chu Ruofu and Shen Wuyang returned to the villa from the backyard, neither of them noticing him on the second floor watching them go back to the villa.
Lu Xubai felt like his heart was being fried in oil. Jealousy was twisting his heart. He suppressed the bitterness in his heart and watched as Shen Wuyang and she parted at the stairwell. When Shen Wuyang reappeared in front of her, he held her tightly in his arms.
Lu Xubai lowered his head, his warm breath brushing against her neck, and said, "I saw you and Shen Wuyang coming back from the beach together."
Chu Ruofu subconsciously explained, "Shen Wuyang asked me to go for a walk..." Lu Xubai didn't want to hear her continue, so he quickly turned her around, uncontrollably lowered his head, and leaned close to her as if to kiss her.
"Wait..." Chu Ruofu turned her head, trying to avoid his kiss.
His cool lips landed on the corner of her eye, kissing the beauty mark under her eye, a small but unexpectedly alluring mark. Lu Xubai's Adam's apple bobbed as his lips slowly caressed her.
Chu Ruofu's face was flushed red. How could he be so easily aroused and like to kiss her? The hormones emanating from his body completely enveloped her, making it impossible for her to think straight.
Lu Xubai kissed her cheek tenderly, his breath hot.
Chu Ruofu is obedient but not bold enough. She is too soft-hearted and not good at refusing others. So when Lu Xubai made a strong move, she was unable to resist. She wanted to dodge but couldn't. Her weak resistance was useless.
Unless someone pushes her to the limit and arouses a little courage in her, she will explode.
Therefore, Lu Xubai took advantage of the situation, holding her tightly in his arms, kissing her cheeks, his thin lips lingering on her lips, kissing her soft lips, and stealing her breath.
A burning kiss, scalding breaths, intertwined.
Chu Ruofu tilted her head back and whimpered twice. While she was still conscious, she pushed against his chest, trying to refuse to be kissed again.
The villa is under constant surveillance; she's afraid they'll be caught on camera kissing passionately.
In reality, Lu Xubai had his back to the surveillance camera, which covered her with his tall figure. The camera couldn't capture her face, but could only vaguely see the tall man holding the girl and kissing her deeply.
Lu Xubai didn't want anyone else to see her with her eyes watering from the kiss, her charming and alluring appearance; only he could see it.
Chu Ruofu gradually lost her strength and could only grab his well-made shirt with her hands, making wrinkles.
After a brief, intimate kiss, Lu Xubai released her lips, his hand stroking her flushed cheeks, his eyes dark and his voice hoarse: "Still haven't learned how to breathe?"
Chu Ruofu calmed her breathing, her wet eyes glaring at him, and said, "I'm really angry."
"You are not allowed to kiss me again without my permission."
Lu Xubai was silent for a moment, then said, "You don't hate it when I kiss you."
Chu Ruofu thought to herself, it's one thing not to dislike him, but it's another thing for him to ask her opinion.
Lu Xubai understood that she was really anxious, and said in a hoarse voice, "Seeing you with Shen Wuyang, I am very jealous."
“You need to know that jealousy is a terrible thing for a man.” He took her hand and said, “I apologize to you. If you’re unhappy, you can hit me to vent your anger.”
Lu Xubai took her hand and placed it on his handsome face, while he stared straight at her, looking as if he was at her mercy.
Lu Xubai's gaze was fixed on her face. It was very hurtful for a man to be slapped in the face, but she was an exception. He had made her angry, and it was his fault. He was willing to let her vent her anger in this way.
An incredulous look flashed in Chu Ruofu's eyes. She hastily pulled her hand back and said, "I don't want to."
Lu Xubai's 'showing weakness' in front of her was likely a calculated move to get back at her one last time. He was a lawyer, and she had every reason to suspect that he was trying to extort money from her.
If that slap lands, I might lose both my house and my car.
Seeing her timid and wary expression, Lu Xubai patiently asked, "Then how can you calm down?"
“Keep your distance from me from now on,” Chu Ruofu said immediately.
“I can’t do it.” Lu Xubai said in a low voice, “You don’t understand your own attraction to me. When I see you, I want to get closer to you.”
Chu Ruofu felt a flutter in her heart, and she avoided his gaze. His deep blue eyes were like a bottomless pool, as if they wanted to draw her in.
"In short, you must maintain a polite social distance from me from now on and you can no longer have close physical contact with me," Chu Ruofu said seriously.
"I'm going back to my room to sleep," Chu Ruofu said and immediately slipped away.
Lu Xubai watched her leave. He didn't want her to drift away from him, so he could only compromise for the time being.
Back in her room, Chu Ruofu locked the door, collapsed onto the bed, and her frantic heartbeat slowly returned to normal. Saying those words to Lu Xubai had used up all her courage.
Lu Xubai is too domineering. If she doesn't draw a line with him sooner or later, he will eventually devour her completely.
She didn't dislike him, but she wasn't in love with him either. It was just that when the atmosphere was pleasant, her hormones would surge, and she would briefly fall into pleasure.
...
The third season of Romantic Encounters was filmed weekly and broadcast simultaneously. After the first episode of the dating show was filmed, the guests returned to their respective cities the next day.
Chu Ruofu woke up naturally, got up to wash up, packed her luggage, retrieved her phone from the staff, and booked a flight back to Haicheng for the afternoon.
When she came out, the guests had already left. On the phone provided by the production team, there were two messages from Lu Xubai and Shen Wuyang, respectively. The two said goodbye to her and looked forward to seeing her next week.
During the recording of the program, the production team had a rule that guests were not allowed to contact each other privately, and the mobile phones used by the guests during the recording were collected when they left.
Chu Ruofu landed at Haicheng Airport at 5 p.m. Wearing a hat and mask, she pulled her suitcase out of the passageway.
At the exit, a pretty girl waved, "Fufu, over here."
Chu Ruofu was momentarily dazed when she saw her face, then pushed her suitcase toward her.
When she transmigrated into the book, she had already arrived at the hotel where the dating reality show was being filmed. She hadn't met her manager best friend from this world yet, but she never expected that her manager would look exactly like her best friend from her original world.
Their personalities are the same—cheerful and adorable.
Xue Fangfei rushed up to her, pulled the suitcase over, and asked, "Are you tired?"
Chu Ruofu said, "I'm not tired."
The airport was bustling with people, and the two walked quickly, taking a taxi back to her current small-scale apartment.
Back in her apartment, Chu Ruofu took off her hat and mask, changed her shoes, and sprawled on the sofa.
"You said you weren't tired, but you just lay down as soon as you got back." Xue Fangfei took her suitcase back to the bedroom and came out to say, "I bought groceries this afternoon. Let's have hot pot at home tonight to celebrate."
Chu Ruofu casually replied, "Okay."
Xue Fangfei took out the beef, tripe, and other hot pot meats she had bought from the refrigerator, quickly washed the vegetables, and after working for half an hour, she set up the hot pot on the coffee table in the living room, boiled the broth, and prepared all the ingredients.
"Alright, we can start eating now." Xue Fangfei said with satisfaction, hands on her hips.
The coffee table had low legs, and the two of them sat on the carpet at just the right height. Xue Fangfei chose a movie, and the two of them watched the movie while eating hot pot.
"I watched the dating reality show live, why didn't you send your 'heart-fluttering' text message to Li Yichen?" Xue Fangfei asked.
Chu Ruofu recalled the original plot, where Xue Fangfei thought she liked Li Yichen, which was why she went to great lengths to get her a spot on the dating reality show. She felt it was necessary to explain things clearly to her best friend.
She didn't secretly have a crush on the movie star Li Yichen.
“I don’t actually like Li Yichen,” Chu Ruofu said.
Xue Fangfei exclaimed, her eyes widening: "I remember you personally made him a gift last year and even wrote him a letter by hand. Weren't you confessing your feelings to him?"
Chu Nufu: "..."
It turned out to be a misunderstanding.
“That wasn’t a love letter,” Chu Ruofu explained earnestly. “He helped me keep my job on set, and I was very grateful for his help, so I sent him a gift and a thank-you letter.”
Xue Fangfei's mind was a little confused: "Did I misunderstand?"
Chu Ruofu looked at her silly best friend who was wholeheartedly fighting for her love, and couldn't help but feel a little touched. She said, "You misunderstood. How could I possibly like him? The gift I gave him was probably thrown away by his assistant eight hundred years ago."
"He is a movie star, and I am just an unknown actor. I am not worthy of him at all."
"Nonsense." Xue Fangfei put down her chopsticks and hugged her. "My darling, you are the most beautiful and best girl in the world, and you will always be worthy of anyone."
A warm feeling welled up in Chu Ruofu's heart, and she smiled, "That's in your heart."
Xue Fangfei said, "I see you're quite popular on the dating reality show; two male guests sent you messages expressing their interest."
Chu Ruofu's face flushed with embarrassment. She asked, "Did you watch the live stream?"
"Of course." Xue Fangfei blinked and said with a smile, "I watch every live stream, specifically looking for your shots."
"If Qiao Yimo weren't a movie queen with a lot of fans, you would be the popular guest this time." Xue Fangfei complained, "Qiao Yimo is really good at acting. Luckily you don't like Li Yichen, otherwise you would be her number one thorn in her side."
Xue Fangfei has been keeping a close eye on the latest developments of the dating show, preparing to fight back against the negative publicity surrounding Chu Ruofu.
The third female guest and Li Yichen exchanged heart-fluttering text messages, but Qiao Yimo tormented her relentlessly, making her cry and play the victim in front of the camera, and subjecting her to all sorts of cyberbullying by her solo fans and the CP fans of the movie stars.
She was worried that if Fufu revealed her feelings for Li Yichen, she might be targeted by Qiao Yimo.
Chu Ruofu said, "I will stay away from her and Li Yichen in the Love and Romance Club."
"Let's not talk about her anymore." Xue Fangfei asked with great curiosity, "Which of the two male guests do you like the most?"
Chu Ruofu remained silent.
Xue Fangfei said, "One is a handsome mature man with a great physique and a lot of sexual tension with you, and the other is a handsome and charming college student who is clingy and obedient. Both of them look pretty good. Don't tell me you're not attracted to either of them."
Chu Ruofu took a sip of her drink and said, "I don't have any plans to be in a relationship right now."
Xue Fangfei said, "You're already on a dating reality show, why don't you fall in love? Find a male guest to date, you'll get both popularity and a chance to date a high-quality man, it's the best of both worlds."
Chu Ruofu couldn't tell her best friend that as long as she completed the storyline of the cannon fodder passerby, she could finish the mission and return to her world.
Love would disturb her peace of mind.
Xue Fangfei advised, "I think the guests are all top-quality men. You can gain a lot from dating any of them. Even if you don't gain anything, you won't lose out by dating them."
Chu Ruofu replied dismissively, "We'll see."
They had almost finished their hot pot meal and were both stuffed, so they leaned back on the sofa to rest, looking quite relaxed.
Xue Fangfei said, "You've gained exposure from the dating reality show, and I've received a few commercial offers. I'll show them to you tomorrow. If you're satisfied with any of them, take them; if not, turn them down."
Chu Ruofu replied, "Okay."
Xue Fangfei said in a good mood, "I have a feeling, Fufu, you're going to be a huge hit this time. Our good days are coming."
Chu Ruofu said, "...I hope so."
Xue Fangfei said firmly, "You can definitely do it."
After resting for a while, the two cleaned up the living room, washed the dishes and pots, and sat down to chat. Having not seen each other for a while, Xue Fangfei had a lot of gossip about the entertainment industry to tell her.
...
Villa area in the prime location of Haicheng.
Li Yichen's private villa was among them. He returned to Haicheng, rushed to a work event, and didn't get home until evening.
He was still wearing the dark suit he was wearing for the event, with no shirt underneath, his chest exposed, and a diamond necklace around his neck. Under the lights, he looked like a young master from a manga, with a cold and noble demeanor.
Li Yichen sat on the sofa, picked up his phone, and dialed his agent's number.
The call was answered quickly.
Li Yichen asked impatiently, "Haven't you found the gift I asked you to find yet?"
The agent is busy with many things every day. After a pause, she remembered the gift. "I don't know. I'll go ask Xiao Wu."
Li Yichen has several assistants, and Xiao Wu is specifically responsible for handling gifts from fans on his behalf.
Soon, the agent called back, sounding somewhat uneasy: "Brother Li, Xiao Wu said he searched through all the gifts but couldn't find the one Chu Ruofu gave him."
Li Yichen leaned back on the sofa, brushed his stray hairs behind his head, and said coldly, "Did he sell it?"
“Brother Li, you can’t blame Xiao Wu. He only kept a small portion of the gifts his fans gave him in the past. He resold most of the common and valuable gifts.”
The agent was somewhat helpless, wondering what had gotten into Li Yichen, insisting on getting back the gifts that someone had given him before. He suggested that Li Yichen simply say that he had accidentally lost them, sincerely apologize to her, and then give her a replacement gift.
Li Yichen ordered, "I don't care what method you use, you have to buy it back for me even if you've sold it."
Agent: "I'll have Xiao Wu check the records again."
He prayed that the gift would be sold so he could buy it back; if it ended up in the trash, then all was lost.
Li Yichen turned off his phone and tossed it aside, his expression slightly irritated. Thinking of Chu Ruofu's indifferent attitude towards him, he felt uneasy.
He rose to fame at a young age and became a top-tier actor with hundreds of millions of fans. He was sought after wherever he went, and everyone in the entertainment industry wanted to curry favor with him. Men and women would come to him wanting to be sexually exploited, but he didn't care about any of them.
These people are despicable; they'll do anything to become famous.
Chu Ruofu kept her distance from him, so why was he so concerned about her?
The phone rang, and Li Yichen answered it. His assistant, Xiao Wu, spoke from the other end, sounding very nervous: "Teacher Li, is the gift you're looking for a handmade item?"
Li Yichen said coldly, "I've never even seen it, how would I know?"
“Teacher Li, don’t worry, I remember now.” Xiao Wu said, “Last year on the set of ‘Flying in the Snow,’ there was indeed an actress who gave you a gift and a thank-you letter. You were busy with your schedule, and I forgot to give it to you.”
Li Yichen pressed further, "You found it?"
"No," Xiao Wu hurriedly replied, "That gift should have been delivered to your home along with the gift and is currently stored in the storage room."
Li Yichen felt as if he had found a treasure, and his mood became pleasant. "Alright, I understand."
He called the housekeeper to open the storage room door. Because he was often away filming and attending events, Li Yichen rarely returned to the villa, so the storage room had been closed for a long time and was covered in dust.
"Cough cough." Li Yichen coughed a few times, choked by the fumes.
The storage room was piled high with gift boxes, things given by fans. He glanced at them and tossed them into the storage room, barely opening them.
Li Yichen glanced around and asked the butler, "Where is the gift that Xiao Wu sent last December?"
The butler pointed to a pile of gifts and said, "Put them all here."
Li Yichen looked at the wide variety of gifts and fell silent. With so many things, he didn't know how long it would take to find them all.
Forget it, let him find it himself.
Li Yichen stayed in the storage room and began to look through and open the gifts. With so many gift boxes, he could only open and check them one by one.
Each gift box contained a handwritten letter. At first, he glanced at the writer's name and put the gift and letter aside. Gradually, he began to read what was written in the letter.
His fans are named Morning Light, like the rising sun radiating a strong morning light, piercing through the darkness and bringing dawn.
[Chenguang] said she loves him very much and hopes that his career will continue to flourish and that he will never lack people who love him.
Li Yichen smiled. Of course, he was not short of love. He was a top-tier movie star who was the focus of everyone's attention. He had acting skills and good looks, and his appearance was irreplaceable in the entertainment industry.
Before he knew it, he had become fascinated, drawing a lot of passionate emotions from his fans' words. His fans loved him so fervently and regarded him as a role model in their lives.
Li Yichen comes from a wealthy family and has never lacked money since birth. He has received countless expensive gifts since childhood. He is not surprised by any gift he receives. But for some reason, the gifts designed and made by these fans tonight feel much more substantial to him.
Time passed second by second.
He sat alone in the storage room until dawn broke, and finally, among a pile of gifts, he found the thank-you gift from Chu Ruofu.
Inside a rectangular orange gift box lay a fox keychain and a handwritten letter.
Li Yichen picked up the small pendant and held it in front of him. He found the rough handmade piece quite cute, no less so than other gifts.
He put down the little fox, picked up the letter and unfolded it. The girl's delicate handwriting appeared before his eyes. The letter exuded a faint fragrance, a sweet and refreshing scent that seemed to seep into his heart through his breath.
[Teacher Li, thank you for helping me out on set. I don't have much to give you, so I made a handmade pendant to express my gratitude.]
I hope seeing this brings you joy every day, and I wish you continued success in your career.
Li Yichen said, "I thought it would be some exquisite and expensive gift. A handmade pendant will do as a thank you gift."
He picked up his phone, took a few photos of the opened gift box and letter, edited a post on Weibo, and sent it out.
@黎逸辰 [Went all night unpacking gifts (jpg)]
The nine-grid photo contains letters and gifts from fans, with a little fox pendant placed in the very center, looking rather silly among a pile of expensive and exquisite gifts.
Many fans left comments instantly.
[Front row!]
Good morning, brother.
【Aaaaaaah, my brother opened my present!】
Brother, please take a rest and don't overwork yourself.
[Who sent this little fox keychain? It's kind of adorably ugly.]
Li Yichen selected a few familiar fans to reply to, closed Weibo, picked up the little fox keychain, and left the storage room.
Having not slept all night, Li Yichen returned to his bedroom and lay down on the bed to catch up on sleep.
After waking up, he called his agent and explained a few things.
The agent's surprised voice: "If you clarify now that you and Qiao Yimo never dated and tell netizens that you were just creating a CP (couple pairing) for the broadcast of the drama, you will definitely be criticized."
Li Yichen said calmly, "I'm not afraid of being criticized. You should contact the public relations team and do as I say."
"I think you really are..." the agent hesitated, unable to finish his sentence.
Li Yichen urged, "Go quickly."
The agent had no choice but to say, "Okay, okay, I'll arrange it right away."
...
Soon it was time to film the dating reality show again, and the guests flew from their respective cities to the island villa.
Before dinner, the guests arrived one after another.
Chu Ruofu pushed open the villa door, dragging her suitcase. The wind chimes rang, and she pulled her suitcase toward the stairs.
Before she left, her best friend packed a lot of clothes, skincare products, and snacks for her. The suitcase was much heavier than last time, and she seemed to be struggling a bit with the huge suitcase.
"I'll do it," a cold voice came from the side.
Chu Ruofu looked up.
Gu Junsheng was dressed in a white shirt and trousers, with a pair of gold-rimmed glasses on his high nose, giving him a cool and aloof appearance.
He bent down slightly, took the suitcase from her hand, and carried it upstairs.
Chu Ruofu quickly followed behind him, saying, "Thank you."
Gu Junsheng helped her carry her suitcase upstairs and put it away, saying casually, "Dinner is almost here. Put your things away and come down for dinner later."
Chu Ruofu hummed in agreement, pushed her suitcase back to her room, rested for a while, and then left the room and went downstairs.
The guests took their seats in the restaurant one after another.
Chu Ruofu went downstairs and found that there was only an empty seat next to Song Yi, so she quickly went over and sat down.
The guests chatted while having dinner.
Chu Ruofu sat opposite Li Yichen, who would occasionally pick up his phone to glance at it, the little fox pendant on his phone swaying in the air.
Having traveled by plane and boat, Chu Ruofu was hungry and focused solely on eating.
For the nth time, Li Yichen picked up his phone and pretended to check messages, but Chu Ruofu on the other end didn't even glance at him. He gritted his teeth inwardly, wishing he could put the phone right under her nose.
He deliberately hung such an ugly thing on his phone, yet she completely ignored it.
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