"Alright then," Qiao Xi nodded.
Zhu Yibai couldn't help but chuckle, "Fine, I don't think we need to continue. It's clear that the game is lost. Let's let Qiao Xi pick her date first."
"Why should she?" Yu Xiao immediately retorted, "She only made minor moves, and in the middle, Year... Yu Si Nian helped her several times! It wasn't even her own accomplishment! I don't agree!"
Director Jiang used a small megaphone to shoo her away.
"Not agreeing again! Why are you so talkative? If we delay any longer, it will be dark soon! Or tell me, what game could you possibly play better than her?"
Yu Xiao was momentarily speechless.
She turned to look at Qiao Xi, who was leaning against the wall, seemingly unwilling to exert any effort, slowly sliding down.
Yu Xiao: "..."
Damn it, she thought, she absolutely cannot let Yu Si Nian end up with someone like this!
However, Director Jiang gave Yu Xiao no chance to speak further, making a firm decision, "Qiao Xi, pick someone!"
"Okay." Qiao Xi nodded and walked over.
Her gaze passed over Cui Hao, who was avoiding eye contact, Qin Ruian, who was looking up at the sky, and then landed on the notably upright Li Cheng and Yu Si Nian.
"I choose…"
In an instant, two faces followed the movement of her finger.
The next second, her finger pointed at Yu Xiao.
"Her."
The whole place erupted immediately!
["What? What does this mean? She picked a female guest??? Miss, it's supposed to be a date! A date!"]
Yu Xiao fumed, "Are you out of your mind? I'm a female guest!"
Qiao Xi smiled, "You've been following me all afternoon, right? Fighting for game time, fighting for topics, fighting to swap lots—this isn't liking me? This isn't caring about me? If this isn't love, then what is it?"
"Don't be so rigid about gender. I'm willing to give you a chance."
Yu Xiao shivered, "Ahhhh!!!"
Seeing that persuasion wasn't working, Director Jiang had no choice but to place his hopes on Yu Si Nian.
In the end, the guy just nodded, "I have no objections." He then called Yu Xiao over and advised, "Control yourself, I know it's hard, but don't fall for her."
Yu Xiao: "..."
Under Qiao Xi's threat and Yu Si Nian's strong support, the team arrangements were as follows—
Qiao Xi with Yu Xiao, Yu Si Nian with Li Cheng, Zhu Yibai with Qin Ruian, Rona with Cui Hao, and Qiao Yuyi with Tan Xiao.
Yu Si Nian's fan group was in an uproar.
[@YuJianYiSheng: This woman is too difficult to handle! She's so shameless!!!]
[@SiSiShiLiu: She just wants an excuse to get rid of our undercover agent! Don't be fooled by her, @YuHahaHaha, cheer up, Xiaoxiao! You can do it!]
[@YuSiNianShouLiDeHeiSeNeiKu: This is a psychological tactic, I get it! That guy often uses this on us. Everyone hang in there, Xiaoxiao, hang in there! Don't be deceived by this tactical attack!]
When the group set off, Yu Xiao received messages from the fan group and rallied her spirits.
This was the perfect opportunity to make Qiao Xi fall flat on her face!
Qiao Xi walked at the back, checking her remaining items.
[Items to Use]: Hemorrhoid Pills*1, Double-sided Tape*10 (one minute each), Extension Spell, Electric Shock*10
[System Level]: 29
The first three were leftovers from last time, and the latter two were obtained during today's show.
Little 6 said, "At level 30, you can check the love interests of antagonists! This time you can check two people!"
Qiao Xi nodded, taking the task card from the director team.
The three locations to check in were: a restaurant, a movie theater, and riding electric bikes along the coastline.
The first location they reached was the restaurant.
Yu Xiao's phone buzzed with group messages.
[@SiSiShiLiu: This restaurant is owned by my dad. Don't worry, I've already informed them to add extra ingredients to Qiao Xi's dish.]
Yu Xiao smiled and sat down across from Qiao Xi.
She wasn't going to sit idly, so she initiated a provocation, "This meal costs as much as your monthly salary! Such a high-end restaurant, you must have never even heard of it before, let alone come here."
Qiao Xi was shocked, "What, this meal costs five hundred?"
Yu Xiao: ???
She suddenly felt a pang of guilt, "You… you only make five hundred a month?"
"It depends. Sometimes it's free, sometimes it's at a discounted rate."
Yu Xiao fell silent, feeling she had been a bit harsh earlier.
Did she hit a sore spot? She hadn't anticipated that…
"Although, it did increase last month," Qiao Xi said as she munched on peanuts, "Mainly because of our company's booming momentum. What's that saying again? When you're at the forefront, even pigs can fly. By the way, how's your income as a fitness influencer?"
Yu Xiao couldn't help but share, "Don't mention it, it's about the same. Recently, the income has been affected by Zhou Ning…"
She suddenly stopped, glancing at Qiao Xi.
The traffic on the entire internet had been diverted by Zhou Ning's red autumn jacket, which was no secret. Even influencers were struggling.
"Ah, I understand." Qiao Xi leaned back in her chair, "In the dead of night, I often wonder what I did right to go from 500 to 5 million. Was it seizing the opportunity? Or choosing the right company? In the end, I concluded—life is always about choices over effort."
She stood up and patted Yu Xiao on the shoulder, a card slipping out of her sleeve. "I'm going to the restroom."
When she left, Yu Xiao picked up the card and found it was a recruitment business card with detailed requirements and the company address!
Her hands trembled!
[So that's why Qiao Xi picked Yu Xiao! She was waiting here for this!]
[Yu Xiao, control the excitement on your face! It's practically spilling over the screen!]
[Are there still job openings? I can wear a see-through autumn jacket. Is that competitive enough?]
Yu Xiao pulled out her phone, and the group chat was indeed exploding, reminding her not to forget the main task.
She quickly replied, "I haven't forgotten! I'll get on it right away!"
When Qiao Xi returned, Yu Xiao quickly pushed the plate of food toward her.
"Here, you eat. The pasta just came out."
"Oh." Qiao Xi took it and started eating with a gust.
One second, two seconds, three seconds… Five minutes passed.
All that could be heard was the sound of burping, with nothing else.
Yu Xiao: ???
She took out her phone!
[@YuHahaHaha: What's going on?]
[@SiSiShiLiu: I don't know! I'll go ask!]
Qiao Xi, having eaten her fill, lifted her eyelids and looked at the position outside the door, smiling.
At the door, Yu Si Nian kicked Li Cheng, who was beside him.
"She smiled at me, did you see? Not at you, or any other dog, but at me—an outstanding human being."
Li Cheng: "..."
Director Jiang was at his wit's end, "Guests, your task is to go to the aquarium to see mermaids! Not to watch someone eat!"
As soon as they exited, Yu Si Nian's car followed right behind Qiao Xi! The entire director team couldn't stop them! At that moment, Yu Si Nian and Li Cheng reached an amazing level of tacit understanding. Working together, they spent half an hour finding them through Qiao Xi's live stream reflection!
Yu Si Nian retorted, "Isn't this a mermaid? Look—"
He pointed at the burping Qiao Xi, "She eats, she sleeps, she's beautiful, and she even blows bubbles."
Director Jiang roared, "Where is her fish tail!"
"You don't understand this," Yu Si Nian glanced at him with an inexplicable blush on his face, "Once you fall in love with a human, the tail becomes legs. Don't believe me? Ask Li Cheng. He's heard this story before. When his mom brought him to my place to seduce Mr. Yu, she used to stand in the yard reading these stories in a high-pitched voice—Li Cheng, tell Director Jiang, are mermaids like this."
Li Cheng's veins bulged on his forehead!
"Speak!" The young master urged.
After a long pause, Li Cheng gritted his teeth, tensed up, and uttered a single word, "…Yes."