Scum A with a Sweet Black Lotus O – Chapter 25.2
by Little PandaDating Show Phase One: Contestants’ Ages and Occupations Revealed!
Pei Xuezhi also lowered her head, noticed a strand of hair sticking to Fu Chaoyun’s fair cheek, finding it somewhat bothersome.
After pausing for a moment and thinking about it, Pei Xuezhi still reached out to brush it away.
Neither of them looked at Fu Li, yet their atmosphere was harmoniously isolated, with nothing from the surroundings able to penetrate it.
Ni Jiaojiao smiled, “So you like older brothers and sisters.” She paused, then said meaningfully, “But always accommodating others doesn’t necessarily lead to happiness~”
Fu Li disappointedly withdrew his gaze, and hearing Ni Jiaojiao’s words, his cheeks turned rosy again, but he still gave a slight nod.
“…Mm, thank you Sister Jiaojiao, I understand.”
With that expression, it was unclear whether he truly took the other’s advice to heart. Ni Jiaojiao tugged at the corner of her mouth [indicating slight displeasure/skepticism] and didn’t say anything more.
Turning around, she happened to meet Jian Yi’s gaze. Jian Yi smiled at her, Ni Jiaojiao smiled back, both sharing an unspoken understanding [literally: both people mutually understood without words].
Meanwhile, Qi Changfeng at the side looked like his eyes were about to pop out [from surprise/anger].
He had zero interest in Fu Li, this default male omega, aside from subtly putting him down at the beginning, he hadn’t participated in the conversation further.
He just stared at Jian Yi.
He knew that person wasn’t a good bird! Even now he was thinking about digging his wall corner [stealing his potential partner]!!!
After the three male guests had each revealed their information, it was the women’s turn next.
Ni Jiaojiao voluntarily stepped forward first.
“Is it my turn?” Her smile was sweet, appearing very excited, “Alright, everyone start guessing.”
“Jiaojiao should be quite young too, I guess you’re also a student?” Qi Changfeng rushed to answer first!
Over this past week, their interactions had been frequent, everyone could see they were burning hot [getting along well]. They had just watched the movie together, so naturally Qi Changfeng wanted to support Ni Jiaojiao at this moment.
Moreover, he was very curious about everything regarding Ni Jiaojiao, wanting to get to know her more deeply.
No one else spoke, basically all silently agreeing with this guess.
The smile on Ni Jiaojiao’s face gradually widened, “Congratulationsโ”
“I knew it!”
Qi Changfeng excitedly jumped up and pumped his fist twice, already feeling certain of victory, however just as his excitement was about to reach its peak…
Ni Jiaojiao’s drawn-out second half of the sentence finally came out.
“Wrong~ answer~”
Qi Changfeng: “………..Huh?” This answer made even Jian Yi, who was typically unmoved by praise or criticism, show a slightly surprised expression. “Has Jiaojiao already graduated?”
“A recent graduate, or just started working for one or two years?” Fu Li also said, “Sister Jiaojiao looks quite young.”
Ni Jiaojiao maintained only a smile without speaking, clearly none of these guesses were correct.
The on-site guests and the live streaming audience were all shocked!
Fu Chaoyun appeared to be asleep.
After a brief silence, Pei Xuezhi spoke, “Sister Jiaojiao’s way of dealing with people feels very comfortable, she should have been working for some time, with corresponding social experience. Maybe she works in HR or something similar, with lots of people contact, or perhaps something design-related? As for age…”
Pei Xuezhi paused, then continued, “Between 28-30?”
“The occupation guess is wrong,” Ni Jiaojiao said with a smile, “but thank you Zhizhi, for being so kind as to underestimate my age.”
Both “Zhizhi.”
But when Fu Chaoyun and Ni Jiaojiao said it, the feeling was completely different.
At this moment, Jian Yi, Fu Li, and Qi Changfeng were all dumbfounded, even Pei Xuezhi was somewhat surprised, but the most dramatic reaction came from Qi Changfeng, who was known for “looking mature for his age.”
He stared at Ni Jiaojiao, his eyes nearly popping out!
Age has always been a taboo topic for most people, especially for those who aren’t young. Pei Xuezhi’s guess combined with Ni Jiaojiao’s response gave a range, but no one dared to guess further.
Ni Jiaojiao actually didn’t mind that much, after all, she naturally looked young~
Finally, under everyone’s gaze, Ni Jiaojiao gracefully announced, “Zhizhi’s guess was closest, I’m 32 this year!”
“How is that possible!!!” Qi Changfeng jumped up from the sofa again, as if it had burned his bottom.
“I’ll take that as you complimenting my good self-maintenance [skincare]. Ah, having a baby face really has its advantages at times like this.”
Ni Jiaojiao still maintained that young-looking, innocent, and well-behaved baby face, speaking sweet words, her eyes curved, as she cast a glance at Qi Changfeng.
Just one light glance, and Qi Changfeng could see the expression in her eyes.
This was completely different from Ni Jiaojiao’s usual act of acting like a young chicken [cute and innocent], just one look completely subdued this noisy little brother [term indicating both youth and contempt] Qi Changfeng.
Yet Ni Jiaojiao remained perfectly composed, appearing to thoroughly enjoy the situation.
“There’s still my occupation, why don’t everyone try guessing again?”
However, the words “32 this year” were truly frightening, crashing down and stunning everyone, even the usually calm Jian Yi was affected, and no one had any interest in continuing to guess.
The game couldn’t continue, and though Ni Jiaojiao was still eager to play, she had no choice but to tell them herself, “Alright, I’m the chief secretary of a CEO’s office, I suppose that’s what people would call… a white-collar worker?”
Qi Changfeng was still staring wide-eyed. After Ni Jiaojiao’s “self-revelation,” when she walked back and saw his expression, she smiled again.
Perhaps because everything was exposed now and there was nothing left to hide, Ni Jiaojiao’s current smile was completely different from her usual sweet and shy demeanor, showing instead a black-bellied [cunning] and slightly malicious teasing.
“You took such good care of me before, I’m very happy,” she paused, then continued, “I’ll have to trouble you to take care of me in the future too, Brother~ Chang~ Feng~”
The word “brother” was emphasized slightly, with a hint of light and ambiguous teasing.
Qi Changfeng: “…”
When no response came, Ni Jiaojiao’s smile grew even sweeter, “Or as repayment, I could take care of you instead?”
Qi Changfeng’s whole body stiffened, the usually arrogant person now shocked into being as docile as a quail [Chinese idiom for being meek/timid], head hanging down, not daring to look at Ni Jiaojiao’s eyes.
“No, no need…”
After speaking, Qi Changfeng secretly looked at Jian Yi, this time not with wariness or hostility, but seemingly seeking some kind of allied comfort.
The usually clever-minded Jian Yi appeared not to notice, giving him only a kind smile.
Qi Changfeng: “………..”
The first bombshell of the night had arrived.
ใThis shocked my whole family!ใ
ใNi Jiaojiao… is actually like this?ใ
ใShe exposed herself? No more pretending?ใ
ใWhat was said before was right, poor Qi Changfeng is really being played in the palm of her hand! This isn’t just a saying, it’s real!ใ
ใSo these past few days of being shy and sweet were all just an act… so this is the real Ni Jiaojiao… oh no, we should call her Sister Ni now, does Sister Ni find this fun?ใ
ใHoly crap! Sister really knows how to play!ใ
ใSister! Don’t play with him, play with me! (bushi)ใ
ใ32-year-old Sister Ni, at this age, still a CEO’s secretary, years of work experience and social knowledge… so those needles hidden in cotton [subtle barbs] she said to Fu Li that night were all real, not jokes?ใ
ใSister is so fierce, I love it ahhh!ใ
ใI have a feeling that as this show continues, Ni Jiaojiao will bring us even more surprises…ใ
The next person was Fu Chaoyun.
[Note: “bushi” in Chinese internet slang means “just kidding” or “not really”]
Pei Xuezhi pushed her awake, and Fu Chaoyun was too lazy to walk to the front, just sitting on the sofa next to Pei Xuezhi, leaning her whole body back, saying lazily:
“Go ahead and guess.”
Perhaps because Ni Jiaojiao had set such a high standard [idiom: jade sets the precedent], even when it came to Fu Chaoyun’s turn, it didn’t cause much of a stir.
Moreover, once age and experience were exposed, Ni Jiaojiao didn’t hide anymore, and in just a few sentences pointed out Fu Chaoyun’s identity.
“Ah Yun’s family background must be quite good.”
“As for work… working at her family’s company?”
“I guess her age isn’t too old, under 25?”
Qi Changfeng was still too shocked to recover, Fu Li had just been through an ordeal earlier, and now didn’t dare get too close to Fu Chaoyun, so he didn’t speak.
Only Jian Yi was left. He thought for a moment, “My thinking is similar to Jiaojiao’s, but I guess the age should be a bit younger, 23 or 24?”
After speaking, he looked at Pei Xuezhi and said with a smile, “Zhizhi and Ah Yun already knew each other originally, you’re not allowed to guess. If you guess, I’ll report you to the show producers for cheating.”
He was making a joke, while also helping to ease the shock that Ni Jiaojiao’s self-revelation had brought to everyone.
Pei Xuezhi, who hadn’t planned to participate in the activity anyway: “………..”
“All guessed correctly,” Fu Chaoyun announced without suspense, her demeanor still lazy.
Her current work position was connected to the show’s production team, so it wasn’t appropriate to discuss in detail.
Plus, this position itself was forced on her by Madam Fu who couldn’t stand her mixing eating and waiting for death [idle] lifestyle and pushed her in to kill time. After working for so long, she only indulged in stroking fish [slacking off] without making any special outstanding contributions, so there wasn’t much to say.
Fu Chaoyun only mentioned the latter, “My age is 23.”
“Ah Yun looks more mature than her age,” Jian Yi remarked.
Ni Jiaojiao agreed, “But it’s completely different from how Brother Changfeng looks mature in appearance, more like mental maturity?”
Already very sad yet still becoming an innocent target, Qi Changfeng: “………..”
Pei Xuezhi turned her head to look at someone, suddenly speaking, “Isn’t it because of the hairstyle?”
The other two who hadn’t caught on: “Huh?”
Pei Xuezhi explained, voice cool, “Scumbag girl’s big wavy hair.”
“………”
After a brief silence, the living room burst into laughter!
It wasn’t that what Pei Xuezhi said was particularly funny, just that when someone usually so serious suddenly comes out with something like this… the contrast was huge!
Only Fu Chaoyun turned her head to look at Pei Xuezhi, her amber-colored beautiful eyes full of innocence, “Don’t judge people with stereotypes, isn’t big wavy hair pretty?”
She was so annoyed~!
“Does this mean to get rid of this label, I need to straighten my hair again? This is naturally curly hair!!!”
Pei Xuezhi’s gaze fell on her head.
Honestly speaking, Fu Chaoyun’s curls were very beautiful.
She was born with thick hair, an amazing volume, and the so-called natural curls weren’t like tight sheep’s wool curls, but rather larger curves that didn’t damage the hair texture while appearing especially fluffy, making her face look small in comparison.
Before joining the show, she had just touched up her roots, and now the chestnut-colored waves made her skin appear even whiter, with striking red lips and distinguished features. With every movement, that fluffy hair spread out like a sea of clouds, showing complete charm.
“It’s beautiful.”
Now being stared at with a resentful face, Pei Xuezhi, as the “owner,” instinctively went to comfort this bristling cat, and reached out to pat her head.
Where the hand touched, the feeling was indeed excellent.
Pei Xuezhi’s voice unconsciously softened, “No need to straighten it, just keep it like this, the current style… is quite nice.” While speaking, she rua [internet slang for petting/touching] the cat again.
The others all stayed quiet. How could Jian Yi and Ni Jiaojiao, who were shipping this couple intensely [literally: flying high], interrupt?
As for the rest, Fu Li’s eyes were red, and Qi Changfeng…
Oh, Qi Changfeng was still immersed in his own sadness. This man who once had such strong collective pride, at this moment chose to shut down, refusing to participate in any group activities.
The last one was Pei Xuezhi.
Like Fu Chaoyun, her characteristics were too obvious. Ni Jiaojiao pointed out in a few words that Pei Xuezhi was still a student, which immediately locked her age into a specific range.
“Yes, I’m a student, 21 years old,” Pei Xuezhi simply confirmed.
“Wow, then is Sister Xuezhi from the Film Academy?” Fu Li suddenly asked.
As he spoke, Fu Chaoyun seemed to suddenly become alert, her amber-colored beautiful eyes growing deeply bright, looking over with an ambiguous smile.
Interesting.
Since someone has so much energy, perhaps they haven’t received enough shocks today?
“I’m not,” Pei Xuezhi looked at Fu Li, her expression still cool and distant, showing no displeasure at being presumed upon.
She didn’t explain which school she attended, but instead asked, “Why do you say that?”
“Ah…?”
Fu Li, being looked at by her, suddenly appeared somewhat wronged, “Because I haven’t seen Sister Xuezhi at my school so I just asked. Someone as beautiful as Sister Xuezhi, I definitely wouldn’t forget if I had seen her before, and also…”
“Sister Xuezhi is very beautiful, just like those stars on TV…”
Ni Jiaojiao almost laughed at Fu Li’s stupidity, and despite usually being skillful in all directions [socially astute], she didn’t intervene this time, just sat watching the show. However, Jian Yi, being the nice guy, came out to help say a few words.
“It’s normal not to have seen her, Rong City has more than one university.”
Fu Li nodded gratefully at him, “Yes, yes, yes, that’s exactly what I was thinking. Sister Xuezhi please don’t blame me, I’m clumsy with words, I just wanted to be your schoolmate…”
Pei Xuezhi didn’t speak.
But… really? Was that really the meaning?
Speaking of art students, their entrance exam scores are much lower than regular students. Fu Li had just “unintentionally” shown off his school, wasn’t this putting others down to elevate himself?
Was he implying that Pei Xuezhi wasn’t smart and could only get into a good university based on her looks? That he was different from her, he had real substance!
Moreover, while this profession [entertainment industry] looks glamorous in front of the camera, it’s understood within the circle to be very messy [morally], and even if someone is beautiful, most people outside the circle wouldn’t choose celebrities as partners.
Fu Li’s remarks were truly attacking the heart, both tea and lotus [internet slang for being fake and two-faced]!
Like Pei Xuezhi, Fu Chaoyun, as someone who knew her, wasn’t allowed to participate in guessing about Pei Xuezhi, but at this moment she let out a light sneer.
“Brother Fu Li,” Fu Chaoyun called Fu Li’s name, but her eyes grew dark, “Perhaps you really should get your brain checked…”
Jian Yi frowned.
Not that he was calling out unfairness for Fu Li.
His impression of Fu Li wasn’t particularly good either, at least not as good as his relationship with Fu Chaoyun.
But this counted as an indirect personal attack. Just now Ni Jiaojiao was only secretly mocking and satirizing, wasn’t Fu Chaoyun being too direct saying it this way?
This was still being livestreamed, would it… have a negative impact on her?
“Oh, sorry, I misspoke, I meant memory,” fortunately, Fu Chaoyun quickly corrected herself.
Fu Li blinked his little deer eyes, which were misty and blurry, looking extremely innocent, “Sister Yun, what are you talking about?”
Now not just Fu Li, but everyone looked over in confusion, except for Ni Jiaojiao who showed a thoughtful expression.
Sister Yun.
No one noticed that when Fu Li called out this title, Pei Xuezhi, who had been expressionless all along, slightly furrowed her brows.
“Let me introduce.”
Fu Chaoyun suddenly stood up, opening her palm in front of Pei Xuezhi. She wasn’t standing completely straight, still carrying her usual lazy demeanor, but her manner showed clear solemnity.
It was precisely this contrast that drew more attention to the person she was about to introduce.
At this moment, the guests and even the livestream audience, everyone’s attention was drawn to Pei Xuezhi, who was sitting quietly on the sofa.
“Three years ago, reported by various media for achieving first place in Jiang City’s science track college entrance exam, causing nationwide competition among major universities fighting to recruit her, and finally secured by Rong City Universityโ”
“The top scorer of the college entrance examination, Pei Xuezhi!” [“็ถๅ ” (zhuangyuan) historically referred to the highest scorer in the imperial examination system, now used for top scorers in the college entrance exam]
As the words fell, Fu Chaoyun satisfyingly watched everyone’s shocked faces. Now she was just like a parent who learned their child got good exam results, grabbing random people on the street just to show off!
“Now do you remember?” Fu Chaoyun’s tone was triumphant.
“I knew it!”
Ni Jiaojiao was the first to be triggered into remembering, “Three years ago, my niece was about to take the college entrance exam, and they asked me to help look into things, so I paid special attention… No wonder, no wonder Zhizhi’s name sounded so familiar, I said my memory was good… turns out I really had heard it before.”
As someone who had been excellent since childhood, Pei Xuezhi herself didn’t feel her achievements were anything to be proud of. Being praised like this, she was used to it, had heard it all before, and should rightfully remain unmoved by either praise or criticism.
But now…
Being mentioned so proudly by Fu Chaoyun, for some reason… her cheeks suddenly felt a bit hot.
It seemed like happiness, but also like embarrassment, wanting to cover up, to quietly hide away;
Wanting to pull that person back and tell her to stop talking, yet also wanting… wanting to hear more words of praise and admiration from her mouth…
Very contradictory.
Too contradictory, the two emotions burning within her, which is why Pei Xuezhi couldn’t react for a moment.
While everyone was looking at the real-life academic god [or study deity] with worshipful gazes, only Fu Li’s face turned deathly pale, looking extremely awful, but someone still wasn’t planning to let him off.
“Oh, you’re right,” Fu Chaoyun said while looking at Fu Li, “You two indeed aren’t from the same school, it’s not that Zhizhi isn’t excellent enough…”
Saying this, Fu Chaoyun paused, raising an eyebrow, showing complete arrogance. She spoke carelessly yet with extreme sarcasm.
“It’s you who falls far too short.”
dAmn
Without the annoying system this novel is really nice and sweet, how FC praises PX while completely hummiliating that boy xDBut I am still wondering why PX joined the show in the first place.
Bro keep inviting social death on his front door
Oh boyy!!! This is nuts! I love it!