Romance Variety Show: The aloof and beautiful fourth female lead is always coveted.

This was the first time Bai Nianchu had ever seen Xu Muyang looking like he was about to cry.

His eyelashes trembled slightly, like butterflies about to take flight, a faint red tinge appeared at the corners of his eyes, and his lips were tightly pressed together.

With her head bowed, her neck was long, slender, and fair, with slightly taut lines, and the contours of her neck and collarbone were clear and sharp.

A strange thought inexplicably flashed through Bai Nianchu's mind:

She felt a strong urge to strangle Xu Muyang.

It's probably similar to a psychological phenomenon called "cuteness aggression," where seeing a cute little animal makes you want to bite it, pinch it, or even abuse it, forcing it to make unbearable whimpering noises.

The moment the thought popped into my head, incredibly clear images and details unfolded in my mind.

If she were to actually reach out and pinch him, she would feel the Adam's apple bobbing delicately in her palm, and the warm pulse beating rhythmically in his neck. At that point, the young man would inevitably experience difficulty breathing, dizziness, tears welling in his eyes, and even his low, labored breathing would become intermittent.

This imagination was unrelated to violence and harm, and Bai Nianchu never intended to suffocate Xu Muyang to death.

Besides, with so many people around, she couldn't possibly actually do it.

Perhaps it was because of his tearful expression...

It was just that a strange desire for domination was aroused.

Bai Nianchu lowered her eyes, banishing the strange thought from her mind.

She thought for a moment about how she had always calmed down subordinates who overreacted, and then said, "Don't worry, don't overthink it."

Bai Nianchu's voice was naturally on the colder side.

At first glance, it sounds like an order that cannot be disobeyed.

It was clearly a statement devoid of any warmth, yet Xu Muyang found himself inexplicably drawn to its tone.

He tried to control himself, but his eyes were brimming with tears. His eyelashes trembled, and a few tears rolled down his cheeks unexpectedly, falling straight to his chin.

He lowered his head in a panic: "I understand..."

Wow, Xiao Xu looks so pitiful crying!

Men's tears are a woman's stimulant.

【This little dog is really being treated so unfairly ૮₍ ◞‸◟₎ა】

[Xu Muyang (belike): If you don't even care about my tears, then I have no weapons.]

The male guest, who had been standing to the side watching for a long time, thought: "..."

Do they really think they can't see through this blatant attempt to gain sympathy?

Chen Yuze couldn't stand it anymore: "Xu Muyang, do you live near Dongting Lake?"

"What do you mean?" Xu Muyang didn't understand at first.

What Dongting Lake? How come his family lives by Dongting Lake?

Chen Yuze chuckled: "I'm praising you for having a natural tea fragrance."

Xu Muyang: "?"

Xu Muyang was so angry that she stopped crying, and the blush on her face disappeared.

"Nianchu, look at him!" Xu Muyang had no words to express his bitterness.

Little did he know, his noisy and fussy behavior made him look even more like a scheming puppy.

It's still a repair dog that barks and whines around its owner whenever it feels wronged.

"Complaining again," Chen Yuze raised an eyebrow, "and it's Biluochun tea, huh? Impressive."

It truly lives up to its reputation as top-grade green tea.

Xu Muyang: "..."

Xu Muyang was furious!

Without thinking, he retorted, "No matter how good you are, you're not as good as your mouth."

"Oh, so you admit you're a green tea b*tch."

"I'm not!"

The guests watching their argument all laughed.

It has to be admitted that Xu Muyang, this clown, really provided them with a lot of fun.

The director's voice came from behind them:

"Winning blue team members, you can go back and change your clothes and get your makeup done."

"We set off promptly at ten o'clock."

The blue team went out on a date, while the red team, who lost the game, had to stay at the villa.

Back in his room, Xu Muyang closed the door and sat on the bed for a long time.

As soon as Bai Nianchu left, he started being emo again.

While he was still trying to calm himself down, his phone vibrated – it was a video call invitation from his college roommates' group chat.

Xu Muyang answered the video call, and his other three roommates, Pu Lechi, Feng Xiuran, and Guo Chai, were also present.

They were roommates and friends, and they have kept in touch since graduation, meeting up for meals every week or two.

My roommates are too busy with work to watch their good friend's live stream, but they will occasionally check on the progress like they do now.

"Hey, big star Xu, how's your dating reality show life going?" Pu Lechi leaned against the screen frame, grinning mischievously.

Xu Muyang remained silent.

Feng Xiuran immediately sensed something was wrong: "What's wrong? Did you get rejected by the girl you liked?"

Xu Muyang's face darkened: "Don't curse me."

He leaned back on the bed, sullenly saying, "I lost the game today. She was on the winning team, and she's going on a date with someone again."

"How come you lost again?" roommate Guo Chai laughed and scolded. "How many times has this happened? You're like cannon fodder used as a control group by the production team."

Xu Muyang: "..."

Xu Muyang had no choice but to let the crickets chirp.

Pu Lechi's smile faded, and he carefully began to speak: "Muyang, although we haven't watched this show, there's a question we've been wanting to ask for a long time. That girl you like... is she really not just playing you for a fool?"

Xu Muyang sat up abruptly, his face darkening. "Pu Lechi, what do you mean?"

"It means exactly what it says," Pu Lechi said. "Don't be angry, I'm just guessing."

"Think about it—she's not completely ignoring you, but she's always kept at a distance, giving you hope while keeping you just out of reach. In reality, isn't that like fishing for someone?"

"Nianchu isn't that kind of person." Xu Muyang's voice deepened. "Yesterday, while playing games, she even let me kiss her."

"You two kissed?" Feng Xiuran was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and tried to smooth things over, "Le Chi didn't mean to discourage you, he was just worried you'd get hurt."

"You're the most handsome guy in our department, you've never been in a relationship, and you're so innocent. If you go on a dating show like this, you'll easily be used as a backup option by the female guests..."

"So what if I get hooked?"

Xu Muyang interrupted him expressionlessly, his eyes burning like a flame.

"I like being hooked."

The three roommates looked at each other in bewilderment.

They were all stunned by his self-righteous tone.

Pu Lechi hesitated before speaking, "Mu Yang, that's not what I meant. I just felt..."

"Alright, everyone, say less," Guo Chai interjected. "If you didn't really like someone, why would you be willing to be a simp?"

Pu Lechi and Feng Xiuran both choked.

"...What should we do then?"

Xu Muyang lowered his eyes, his voice hoarse: "What can I do? I just like her. I liked her the moment I saw her on the show. If she doesn't feel the same way about me, I can wait; if she smiles at me, I can be so happy I can't sleep all night. So what if I'm a simp? So what if I get hooked..."

"I'm like Jiang Taigong fishing; those who are willing will take the bait," he said sullenly. "I took the bait myself."

On the other end of the video, the three roommates fell silent.

Xu Muyang had already shown his true feelings to this extent, so they couldn't say anything more.

Indeed... it's all nonsense about fishing or being a simp.

Xu Muyang's dog is easy to train, not because the other person is a highly skilled dog trainer, but because the dog likes her.

If you truly like someone, you can't persuade them otherwise.

"Alright, we misspoke." Pu Lechi's tone softened completely. "The show doesn't have many days left, so do your best."

"If it really works out, I'll treat you two to dinner," Feng Xiuran said. "If it doesn't, it's okay. Don't put so much pressure on yourself."

Guo Chai concluded, "Don't worry about whether it works out or not, as long as you don't regret it."

Xu Muyang hummed in agreement and hung up the video call.

The bedroom fell silent again.

Footsteps could be heard coming from outside the door; it seemed the others were heading off on their dates.

Xu Muyang walked to the window and watched the program crew's car slowly drive out of the villa gate.

He stood there until the car disappeared completely at the end of the road.

【well……】

[Xiao Xu looks like that meme of the puppy getting caught in the rain.]

[It's always raining in the world of humans and dogs, and dogs just can't handle it ( ´•̥̥̥ω•̥̥̥` )]