166: Chapter 166 Reunion of Dating Variety Show Guests

The next day.

Four o'clock sharp in the afternoon.

The TikTok "Busy Roommates" livestream began right on time.

Cameras throughout the house lit up.

The living room, kitchen, dining room, front yard, backyard, stairs, and terrace were all live.

In the first second of the broadcast, there were a hundred thousand viewers.

By the third second, five hundred thousand.

By the tenth second, it had surpassed a million.

The screen was instantly covered in comments.

[Holy crap, how big is this villa?]

[A detached house in Shenzhen? The Production Team really isn't afraid to spend money.]

[Three floors with front and back yards, I don't even dare calculate the rent.]

[Forget the house, I just have one question: is Li Li here?]

[Gift boxes! There are seven gift boxes on the coffee table! Quick, take a screenshot!]

The camera panned across the living room.

Seven welcome gift boxes were arranged on the coffee table.

But the camera moved quickly.

Before the viewers could see clearly, the camera at the entrance captured the first person.

A girl stood in front of the door lock.

Her bucket hat was pulled down low, her chestnut-brown hair was braided into a fishtail plait, and the ends were tied with goose-yellow ribbons.

She gripped the door panel, studying it for a dozen seconds.

She entered the password.

Wrong.

She tried again.

Wrong again.

A third time.

Still wrong.

The comments were cracking up.

[Who is this? She's been defeated by the door lock before the show even started.]

[Is she planning to guess the password to get in?]

[Isn't the password slip in the invitation?]

[This level of intelligence, it feels familiar.]

The girl finally dug an invitation out of her bag.

She opened it.

She flipped to the last page.

Tucked inside was a slip with the password.

She looked down to double-check it, then entered it again.

The door opened.

[Case solved, she was really just guessing earlier.]

[I'm already looking forward to her cooking.]

The girl entered the living room and took off her hat.

It was Wen Tang.

[Little Deer!]

[An old Dating Reality Show regular is here.]

[Wen Zhuotang is an influencer now, right? I think she goes by Wen Tang.]

[Arriving first, she really knows how to steal the spotlight.]

Wen Tang stood in the center of the living room and spun around once.

Then, she reached up to fix her bangs and adjusted her standing position slightly.

This angle faced the main living room camera directly.

"Hello everyone, I'm Wen Tang."

She waved at the camera.

"This is my first time participating in a twenty-four-hour livestream variety show, so I'm a bit nervous."

Her smile was sweet.

Her hands were demure.

Her camera presence, however, was anything but.

She quickly walked through the living room, kitchen, and dining room.

There were two labels on the refrigerator.

Public Ingredient Zone.

Private Ingredient Zone.

Wen Tang opened the fridge and saw that the Public Ingredient Zone was packed full.

"Wow, so many things."

She picked up a carton of yogurt, checked the brand, and put it back.

Then, she headed upstairs.

There were four bedrooms on the second floor.

Two master bedrooms on the third floor.

The master bedrooms had walk-in closets and terraces outside.

Wen Tang stood at the doorway for a while, but didn't go in.

[She wants to pick the third floor.]

[It's normal to want the master bedroom, the question is whether her status is high enough.]

[Seven people, there's definitely going to be a battleground for the master bedrooms.]

[Right now, I only care about who's here.]

4:23 PM.

The doorbell rang.

Wen Tang ran to open the door.

Standing outside was a lean man.

The sides of his hair were shaved short, he had three silver hoops in his left ear, and half a dragon tattoo was visible on the side of his neck.

Cargo pants.

High-top Converse.

Four large characters on his T-shirt chest—Don't Touch Me.

It was Cen Ye.

[Brother Ye!!]

[Boss Cen is here!!]

[This outfit is so Cen Ye.]

[Variety show fashion: Don't Touch Me.]

Wen Tang let out a sigh of relief.

"Cen Ye!"

Cen Ye entered, scanning the living room.

"Yo, Little Deer, you arrived first?"

"Yeah. I had to enter the password four times just now to get in."

"Four times?"

Cen Ye paused, stunned.

"Isn't the password slip tucked inside the invitation?"

Wen Tang stumbled for a second.

"I only realized that later."

Cen Ye slapped his thigh.

"Impressive. Dating Reality Show is over, and you're still in top form."

Wen Tang didn't take the bait and quickly changed the subject.

"Do you know who else is coming?"

"No idea."

Cen Ye tossed his backpack next to the sofa and sat down.

"The notice just said seven people, the list is confidential."

He gestured upstairs.

"But this place—a detached house in Shenzhen, three floors with a yard, twenty-four-hour livestreaming."

"With this kind of budget, they can't just hire cheap goods like us."

Wen Tang's smile faltered for a second.

"Maybe the Production Team is prioritizing cost-effectiveness."

The comments tore her down.

[Cost-effectiveness = cheap.]

[Little Deer, you're really good at finding excuses for yourself.]

[Brother Ye really dares to say anything.]

They hadn't chatted for long when the doorbell rang again.

This time, Han Xubai walked in.

He wore fine-rimmed gold glasses, his shirt sleeves were rolled up to his forearms, his parted hair was neatly styled, and he was carrying a briefcase.

His first words upon entering were directed straight at Cen Ye.

"What does your T-shirt say? 'Don't Touch Me'? Are you here to film a variety show or to write your will?"

Cen Ye sprang up from the sofa.

"Lawyer Bai is here? You brought a briefcase to film a variety show—you're the one here to attend a court hearing."

"These are clothes to change into."

"You use a briefcase to pack clothes?"

"Suitcases are too big; they don't fit in the trunk of a taxi."

"So you came by taxi?"

"The reimbursement process for lawyer travel expenses is too long; it's more efficient for me to pay out of pocket."

Cen Ye spread his hands toward Wen Tang.

"See that? The stingiest lawyer in the country."

Lawyer Bai pushed up his glasses.

"I'm not stingy; I'm controlling costs."

"Translated into human language, that's still stingy."

Wen Tang stood nearby, finally managing to interject.

"Lawyer Bai, long time no see."

Lawyer Bai finally turned toward her.

"Little Deer is here too? Good, good, good."

Three 'goods'—polite enough.

He had already turned back to arguing with Cen Ye.

The comments were quite wicked.

[Little Deer got left hanging.]

[The density of the trash talk between Lawyer Bai and Cen Ye is so high, no one else can get a word in.]

[Wen Tang: I'm an old Dating Reality Show guest too, you know.]

5:07 PM.

Fang Ruowei arrived.

She had collarbone-length dark tea-colored hair, curtain bangs, and a book-shaped collarbone necklace hanging on her chest.

She poked her head in first.

Then she trotted in with small steps, hands pressed together.

"Hello everyone, hello everyone, I'm Fang Ruowei, just call me Sister Wei!"

[Teacher Fang's standard entrance.]

[I've seen this exact move on three other variety shows.]

[Templated social interaction, so practiced it's heartbreaking.]

Wen Tang immediately went to greet her.

"Sister Wei!"

Fang Ruowei grabbed her hands and patted them three times.

"Little Deer is here too? That's great, that's great!"

Wen Tang finally found someone who could carry a conversation with her.

She looked around, unable to help but laugh.

"Did I time travel? Why is everyone an old acquaintance?"

5:11 PM.

The doorbell rang again.

Fang Ruowei went to open the door.

Standing at the door was Yin Ruoying.

She had striking features, voluminous Hong Kong-style curls, dark cherry-red dyed ends, and her long tassel earrings swayed.

She didn't rush to greet anyone after entering, instead scanning the living room first.

Cen Ye.

Han Xubai.

Wen Tang.

Fang Ruowei.

All Dating Reality Show regulars.

Yin Ruoying walked straight to a single-seat sofa, sat down, crossed her legs, and unscrewed a bottle of mineral water.

"Who else is left?"

Cen Ye spread his hands.

"No idea, do you?"

Yin Ruoying took a sip of water.

"I know."

Then she didn't say anything else.

Lawyer Bai pushed up his glasses.

"Miss Yin, the way you're withholding information has real litigation value."

Yin Ruoying set down the water bottle.

She was just about to speak.

The doorbell rang.

Everyone turned their heads.

The door opened.

A woman in an orange-red cardigan stood at the doorway.

Her sunglasses were pushed up onto her head.

In her left hand, she held a leash for a gray-black husky.

In her right, a leash for a gray-white husky.

Jiang Rumu.

As soon as Xiao Chai entered, it started sniffing the floor, its tail wagging rapidly as it circled the shoe cabinet.

Xiao Qian followed obediently by Jiang Rumu's feet, not running around.

The number of viewers in the livestream jumped from three million.

Five million.

Eight million.

Twelve million.

And it was still climbing.

The comments exploded.

[Queen Jiang!!]

[Mumu is here!!!]

[Xiao Chai and Xiao Qian are here too!!!]

[Where's Li Li? Where's Li Li? Where's Li Li?]

[Li Li is with Mumu!]

[Li Li is with Mumu!]

[Li Li is with Mumu!]

The entire screen was filled with these four words.

The living room also went quiet for a moment.

Cen Ye was the first to stand up.

"Sister Mu! It's really you?"

Lawyer Bai also rose.

"Boss Jiang, long time no see."

Cen Ye turned his head.

"Boss? You're already soliciting business?"

Lawyer Bai set down his briefcase.

"Correction: I am indeed Boss Jiang's legal counsel now."

"You move fast."

"Legal and compliant, first come, first served."

Jiang Rumu looped the leashes around her hand to prevent Xiao Chai from rushing into the kitchen.

Wen Tang walked up.

"Sister Mumu."

Jiang Rumu nodded.

"Little Deer."

Two words.

Just enough for social interaction.

Yin Ruoying sat on the single-seat sofa, still holding the water bottle.

"You arrived just in time."

Jiang Rumu took off her sunglasses and put them in her bag.

"I've been in Shenzhen the whole time."

Yin Ruoying didn't have a comeback.

The audience in the comments was loving it.

[Translation: I'm nearby, I come whenever I want.]

[Yin Ruoying was just about to take control of the situation, and Jiang Rumu walked right in.]

[As soon as Queen Jiang arrived, the livestream got a new master.]

[The question is, when will Li Li arrive?]

Xiao Chai had already wandered over to the coffee table.

It nudged its nose against the welcome gift box on the edge, knocking it crooked.

— Beijing. Shenghui Company conference room.

Zhou Hui stared at the tablet.

On the screen, the comments were still scrolling.

[Li Li is with Mumu]

[Li Li is with Mumu]

[Li Li is with Mumu]

The cup in his hand hovered in mid-air.

Three seconds later.

Crash.

The cup shattered on the floor.

The little assistant immediately crouched down to pick up the shards and took a new cup from the cabinet to place on the table.

The movement was so practiced it was heartbreaking.

On both sides of the long table, the four vice presidents and three managers all remained silent.

Zhou Hui slammed the table.

"She's in Shenzhen, who doesn't know she's in Shenzhen?"

"She didn't go early, she didn't go late—Yin Ruoying sits down, and she walks in right after!"

"She did it on purpose!"

No one refuted him.

Because it was, indeed, on purpose.

But they couldn't be the ones to say it.

Zhou Hui picked up the new cup and took a gulp of water.

The Vice President of Legal seized the opportunity and spoke up, bracing himself.

"Mr. Zhou, the tax bureau has sent a third notice regarding Jiang Rumu's back taxes and penalties, totaling 17 million. We can't delay any longer."

Crash.

The new cup was gone too.

The little assistant crouched on the floor, her hand pausing for half a second before she went to the cabinet to get another one.

Zhou Hui turned to his right.

"Sun Kezheng, how are things in Hong Kong?"

Sun Kezheng sat up straight, her tablet by her side.

Her phone screen lit up.

It was a sunflower drawn by a child.

She opened her schedule.

"Next weekend, the 2 billion box office celebration party for 'Cold War 4' at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel."

"Three production companies from the Hong Kong circle and two investment funds will be attending."

"They gave us eight spots."

Zhou Hui's expression calmed down slightly.

"Yin Ruoying must go."

"She has a role in 'Cold War 5', so her status is legitimate."

Sun Kezheng flipped to the list page.

"I suggest you lead the team yourself. Besides Yin Ruoying, take three to four other female artists to facilitate exposure and make it easier to discuss financing."

Financing.

Those two words made the air in the conference room feel a little lighter.

Shenghui's cash flow was painfully tight.

The 17 million in taxes was still blocking them, new artists were burning through money, and Yin Ruoying's short drama numbers were dropping.

Zhou Hui couldn't afford to lose this opportunity in the Hong Kong circle.

"You decide the list."

Zhou Hui stood up, walked to the door, and stopped.

He looked back at the tablet.

In the livestream, Jiang Rumu was pulling Xiao Chai away from the gift boxes.

The comments were still spamming Li Li.

Zhou Hui reached for the cup on the table again.

In the corner, the little assistant huddled back, clutching the broken porcelain shards.

Zhou Hui stopped.

He pulled his hand back.

He pushed the door open, dropping a sentence before leaving.

"Oh, right."

Sun Kezheng looked up.

Zhou Hui didn't turn around.

"Bring that lazy little influencer, Su Wantang, along too."

Sun Kezheng's finger paused on the tablet.

"Su Wantang?"

"Yeah."

Zhou Hui said with a cold face.

"She has business cooperation clauses in her contract. Don't let her just sit around."

The door closed.

The conference room went quiet for a few seconds.

The little assistant dumped the shards into the trash can and opened the cabinet to count.

There were three cups left.

She took out her phone and opened a shopping app.

She typed a few words into the search bar—water cup.

Drop-resistant.

Large capacity.