Chapter 22 Part 1

Shen Li stepped down from the police Haval H9 with an ashen face, his ears burning red and his heart pounding wildly. Yet beneath his calm, even indifferent exterior, scarcely anyone could spot a single flaw.

Once he boarded the program group’s RV, he saw that Jiang Nan and Li Weiwei were already seated.

Shen Li exchanged a glance with Li Weiwei and briefly sized up the two remaining spots.

She had chosen the seat farthest from Jiang Nan, leaving the empty ones right beside each of them.

Jiang Nan flicked a glance at Shen Li’s collarbone, the look loaded with implication and brimming with judgment.

Shen Li pretended not to notice. Before Kris could climb aboard, he leaned over as if stowing his water cup and claimed the seat next to Jiang Nan with decisive flair.

He sat down without so much as a sideways glance.

Though Shen Li loathed the idea, if he sat by Li Weiwei, Kris would be stuck next to Jiang Nan.

A man like that clearly wouldn’t fixate his interest on just one person—

Anyone attractive fell within his sights. Pushing a girl toward someone like him was something Shen Li simply couldn’t stomach. He would just have to endure it himself for a bit.

Right then, with ten minutes to eleven, Kris boarded. The director signaled the driver that they could head out early.

Amid the roar of the engine firing up, Jiang Nan leaned in and whispered into Shen Li’s ear.

“Your ears are beet red. Too close to someone you like?”

Shen Li frowned. No one should know about his recent encounter.

So was this guy referring to himself?

Shen Li shot Jiang Nan a look, as if he were some lunatic.

After a long pause, he said, “If I said yes, would you believe me?”

“Umph?”

Jiang Nan let out a smug little hum, as if his charm were irresistible. “Why wouldn’t I? Money makes the world go round. If you’d asked around yesterday, you’d have seen what I’m capable of.”

Shen Li’s brow arched. Even with all the people he’d met, he couldn’t tell if this guy was genuinely this clueless—or just playing the part.

Though puzzled, Shen Li played along on the surface, channeling a bit of child psychology. “Yeah, I did ask around. Impressive stuff. Really makes you envious.”

“No need for envy. I might not have 18 million to toss your way, but two million a month? That’s no problem. What do you say?”

Shen Li thought, Fine, so it really does take dirty money to throw it around like confetti.

His expression remained impassive as he nodded. “That’s a bit low. Let me think it over—maybe check the going rate with that Qian fellow.”

Jiang Nan: …

“What are you two talking about?” Li Weiwei’s gaze darted over sharply. She’d clearly noticed their muttering, and it didn’t sound like anything fit for daylight.

Jiang Nan spun a lie without missing a beat. “Just chatting about today’s viewer vote.”

Kris had been watching them closely. When Jiang Nan switched topics, she chimed in smoothly. “Oh, right. So today’s about picking the true ‘sister-in-law,’ then?”

Meanwhile.

Netizen Discussion Zone

[Here I am on a salaried dump at the office toilet, one hour of sales ads down, and the true sister-in-law vote still hasn’t dropped. My heart’s gonna give out 💔]

[Holy hell, upstairs Hemorrhoid Bro, you’ve gotta be wearing through your company’s toilets. Your boss is blessed to have you 💕💕]

[So hyped! Valentine’s in a week, and my thing with Shen Li can’t stay hidden much longer. Wonder if it’ll be his official announcement or my rumors that break it first 🌹]

[Hahaha you guys are too much!!! I’ve already shipped Shen Li and Qian Xingzhi—there’s even a CPF fan support group now!! Anyone got the deets?? Absolute perfection!!]

[Love your take upstairs, but close your DMs before Qian Xingzhi’s dream guys and gals swarm you to death]

[These true sister-in-law contenders are fierce. Most fans these days go nuts, doxxing anyone in sight—if it were me, with that many ex-fans, I wouldn’t touch a show like this]

[For cash and clout? Doxxing’s nothing.]

[Oof, fair. The thick-skinned probably don’t care.]

[AAAAH TRUE SISTER-IN-LAW VOTE’S LIVE, BROTHERS CHARGE!!!]

At noon sharp, the voting channel and live feed both went live.

Under the high-def glare of multiple cameras, Shen Li sat with a blank expression. His fine brows and cool, crystalline eyes gleamed coldly, his skin white as chilled jade—the whole of him like a drift of pristine snow.

As one of the players in this game, Shen Li had no idea that at the instant the “true sister-in-law” vote launched, netizens catapulted him to a landslide first place.

He simply sat there quietly.

His aloof, unflappable demeanor, paired with yesterday’s standout performance, easily led viewers to wonder if he was pondering some weighty matter. In truth, his natural poker face hid simpler thoughts: Once this butler’s done yapping, lunch at last.

The host’s voice—dramatic as a soap opera—warble-sang on:

“If you peel back layer after layer of my heart~

“You’ll find~ you’ll be surprised~

“I’m your most repressed~ deepest secret~

“Dear guests, getting to know each other is the foundation of any spark. Now that we’re into day two of filming, it’s high time for some deeper connections—

“First off, know that your anxiously awaiting fans are dying to learn which of you might be the hidden spouses or exes of these celebs. True sister-in-law? Or true brother-in-law?

“Hahaha! Give your adoring audience more intel and laughs!

“Lunchtime rules: Guests may ask each other anything freely—except job details or direct ex-reveals. No holds barred otherwise. Answer truthfully based on facts.

“Voting closes at end of lunch.

“If netizens nail both exes, we’ll draw winners from correct voters for a 10,000-yuan prize—and punish the picked exes with a program penalty.

“If they miss, those guests get a ‘Home Purchase Subsidy Coupon’ for discounts on new developments.

“Lunchtime… begins!”

The rules droned on forever. Shen Li’s hunger was turning his vision green.

But he’d taken their money, so professionalism kicked in. He made sure he got the gist, then picked the most out-of-the-way corner seat, leaving the hot seat to Kris, Jiang Nan, and Li Weiwei.

As Shen Li pondered how to fade even further into the background during the meal, Ke Jiujiu—seated across from him—took charge with her lively, bell-like voice. She clearly excelled at these social segments and dove right in after the host’s spiel.

“Finally, we can get to know each other! Yesterday was all ‘no questions, no talking’—I was about to burst!” As Ke Jiujiu passed out utensils, she pressed on. “I’m genuinely curious: What do you look for in a new partner now? We’ve all been married once, so it must differ from the start. Any deal-breakers you overlooked before that matter now—like must-haves?”

“There are! Definitely!”

From the far end of the long table, Yang Zhiqi called back. “Back in the day, I thought degrees were bullshit. If you love someone, who cares about education? But now I see it’s not that simple. Too big a gap, and your worldviews clash—no shared perspective, no common ground.”

Yang Zhiqi’s words flowed like a river. Shen Li couldn’t help glancing his way, wondering if the guy had eaten post-interview or if he just never got hungry.

How could anyone talk so much?

If this were a novel, it’d scream “padding for word count.”

Yet real life brimmed with these oblivious windbags.

Always expressing, always centering themselves, forever hogging attention with marathon sentences.

“How about this—everyone share their education first? Shen Li, you kick us off?”

Ke Jiujiu deliberately tapped the end of the table where Shen Li sat. He stayed cool, snagged a steaming pan-fried bun, and smoothly deflected with calm poise. “Nah, let’s start with Brother Yang. Older folks first.”

Lin Xu was about to object—that Yang Zhiqi’s CP was already out, so they should grill the unknowns like Shen Li first—when Yang Zhiqi gleefully cut him off.

“Sure, I’ll go.” Pride laced Yang Zhiqi’s tone. “Kid me had no shot at school—dropped out at 15 to work. But later, I took the adult college exams, failed twice, nailed it on the third… got into university…”

Shen Li listened impassively, snatching another glistening bun and eating in silence.

The live chat was rioting.

[I need a progress bar in this stream. One I can actually skip with.]

[Director! Fast-forward!!! Zero people care about Yang Zhiqi’s education saga!!!]

[Wah QAQ Shen Cat-Cat whyyyy! It was your turn, I don’t wanna hear him drone!!!]

[LOL only Shen Li came to actually eat.]

[AAAA beauty eating is eye candy! Shen Li Baby you’re my fave little kitty (nuzzles into lap) (shreds hems)]

[Damn, their creds are stacked? Six peeps, five overseas, four masters!?]

[Haha, yeah: “overseas returnees” = pay to play. Masters? Dime a dozen now, ‘cept legit ones—most are watered down.]

[These folks are so fake. Switch to Peasant Channel pls]

[You picked a romance show but ain’t ready for elite shock therapy? 😂]

Amid the barrage of gripes, Lin Xu picked up from Ke Jiujiu.

“Jiujiu and I met during undergrad in Country Y. I was in art; she did fashion design.”

“Yeah, back then my family was broke. Mom sold the house to scrape together three mil—just enough for my tuition and living there. Whew, that place is insanely pricey.”

Ke Jiujiu spoke those words while leaning a bit closer to Lin Xu. Her large, strikingly black pupils from the beauty contacts looked affectionate in the camera’s gaze. “So, I’m really grateful to Brother Xu. His family is well-off, and back then, he basically covered all my living expenses.”

Only two buns remained on the steamer tray right in front of Shen Li’s eyes.

He felt a bit awkward taking more, so he reached toward the plate in front of Lin Xu to snag a piece of three-cup chicken.

Then Lin Xu’s voice rang out again.

“After she graduated, she didn’t go back to school, while last year I went to Los Angeles for an EMBA.”

“Oh, over in LA?” Jiang Nan’s voice carried over from halfway across the table.

“USC’s Marshall School? I studied business there. USC’s business school is top-tier.”

Lin Xu nodded in agreement. “Yeah, but I went to UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. The sea breeze there is really nice.”

The two of them went back and forth, chatting animatedly.

Shen Li stared blankly at Broccoli, thinking to himself that these posers were driving him nuts. Couldn’t there be a translation button to zap everyone into a world where they only spoke Chinese? Even foreigners spoke Chinese—why did it have to be these guys showing off?

At that moment, Jiang Nan leaned across half the table and asked him specifically.

“Shen Li? Your turn. What schools have you attended?”

Shen Li wasn’t sure what came over him, but following their string of English, he smoothly added.

“Me? I did nine years of compulsory education in China.”

The moment the words left his mouth, the entire long table fell silent.

Shen Li: .

He took a sip of tea without glancing sideways, as if utterly unconcerned by the awkward lack of response.

Whatever. He hadn’t meant anything by it—just an instinctive refusal to name his alma mater in a place full of people showing off.