Chapter 16: Another Sleepless Night

In the double room, Chen Sisi was still unaware that her words had already stirred up a fierce storm outside.

Liu Li, her manager, had bloodshot eyes ready to burst.

After threatening Xu Zhaozhao, she patted the pillow, put on her eye mask, and quietly complained about a musty, earthy smell in the room.

But despite her complaints, the moment her head touched the pillow, she immediately fell into a deep sleep.

Having lived a life of ease, Chen Sisi had never done farm work.

Even though fitness trainer Sun Yu took on almost all the labor, Chen Sisi was utterly exhausted.

Listening to the faint sound of clinical snoring, Xu Zhaozhao tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

She was not the type to suffer from nervous insomnia; it rarely happened.

Back when she was working nonstop on the film set, crammed with five or six female extras in a cramped rented room, despite the constant coming and going at different times, she never once lost sleep.

But since last night, she had been sleepless for two nights in a row.

Thinking that Shen Mu was just next door, and that they would have to spend ten days together, she didn’t know how long she could hold on before breaking down.

Eventually, lying down uncomfortably, Xu Zhaozhao simply sat up.

She slipped on a jacket over her pajamas, quietly got out of bed, opened the door, and stepped outside.

The farmhouse courtyard was silent; the lights in the other rooms were all off, leaving only a dim yellow light in the yard to guide those who needed to get up during the night.

Xu Zhaozhao sat on the swing in the center of the yard and looked up at the sky.

The bright moonlight shone into the farmhouse courtyard, draping everything in a hazy white veil.

Summer insects chirped all around, and in the distance, a dog barked occasionally.

In the fresh air, Xu Zhaozhao exhaled deeply, releasing the heavy breath weighing on her chest, finally feeling a bit of relief.

She stood up and began practicing the Eight Brocade Qigong to ease her tension.

She thought that deep into the night, with the guests asleep, no viewers would still be watching the live broadcast.

But little did she know, because of the whispers between her and Chen Sisi, the live stream had shot up to the top three trending spots late into the night.

#The entertainment industry's popular innocent flower is actually the daughter of a crime boss#

#A certain popular innocent flower’s image only shines by comparison with her peers#

#Suddenly can’t tell the innocent flower from the scheming vixen#

For five years in acting, no one knew Xu Zhaozhao was part of Star Entertainment.

After just half a day and a night on the reality dating show, her connection with Chen Sisi and Star Entertainment was completely exposed.

For her and all the guests, this was a fresh, pleasant, and cool night.

But beyond the ancient tree village, this night was extraordinarily heated.

Soon after finishing the Eight Brocade Qigong, Xu Zhaozhao began practicing Tai Chi.

[Haha, Xu Zhaozhao is acting out my old age.]

[Not gonna lie, her moves are pretty standard.]

As people debated Chen Sisi, voices supporting Xu Zhaozhao began to emerge.

Otherwise, the bullet comments would have been drowned out by mindless praise.

After completing a set of Tai Chi, Xu Zhaozhao was slightly sweating.

She wiped her sweat, sat back down on the swing, intending to enjoy the moonlight a while longer before returning to sleep.

Just then, she heard movement from the male guests’ rooms.

She turned to look.

Even though a low fence stood behind the swing, the moment she saw the silhouette stepping out the door, she immediately recognized it as Shen Mu.

Seeing that Shen Mu was heading in the direction of the swing, Xu Zhaozhao quickly bent slightly and tried to hide behind the swing.

Though it felt like covering her ears to deceive herself, she simply didn’t want to face him.

In the world of reality dating shows full of cameras, she had to suppress the urge to loudly question him, feeling both repressed and frustrated.

Having been sleepless for two days, she did not want to continue that way for the next ten.

What could cure her insomnia was probably staying away from the person who caused it.

[These two can’t sleep either—does that count as being telepathic?]

[I’m not sleeping either, and I’m watching the show. Do you think we’re telepathic?]

[Together telepathic, together telepathic.]

[Not that I want to be telepathic with you guys. I just ate too much gossip and need to digest before sleeping.]

With the swing casting a shadow and Xu Zhaozhao deliberately hiding, Shen Mu didn’t notice her presence in the yard.

[Seeing Xu Zhaozhao avoid Shen Mu like that, Shen Mu is definitely one-sided!]

[Even if Shen Mu isn’t a star, his conditions are pretty good. Didn’t he wear clothes worth hundreds of thousands? Shouldn’t Xu Zhaozhao consider him?]

[Xu Zhaozhao is really blind; she’s completely focused on the Film King! Besides, with such an ultimate green tea personality, it’s better not to mess with anyone.]

[What ultimate green tea? Can’t you speak less absolutely? Didn’t you hear Chen Sisi’s shocking statement just now?]

[What statement? Did I miss something? She just went to the bathroom, what’s the big deal?]

[These days, anyone who goes to the bathroom without their phone is a good person!]

Xu Zhaozhao lay on the swing, barely daring to breathe.

Even though Shen Mu had coldly distanced himself from her, it felt as if she was at fault.

Unsure what Shen Mu was thinking as he stood in the yard, he lingered so long that Xu Zhaozhao’s half-leaning body went numb before he finally returned to his room.

Only then did Xu Zhaozhao straighten up, supporting her waist.

Just moments ago, sleepiness had crept in, but Shen Mu’s appearance had completely driven it away.

With no other choice, she pulled out paper and pen from her pocket.

Since she couldn’t sleep, she might as well make good use of the beautiful night to carefully compose her new song.

Though she planned to retire from the industry, her musical career under “Greedy Life Pass” would continue.

Thanks to the film “Life,” her songs had gained some fame, and she had already received invitations to write songs for new movies.

The production team had already shown her the script outline.

Xu Zhaozhao’s task was to create a gentle yet powerful soundtrack that fit the movie’s scenes.

Her phone had been taken by the production team. Although they provided a uniform phone, it had no internet access and could only make calls and send texts.

Moreover, it was the production team’s property, not hers.

She wouldn’t be foolish enough to store her original compositions on a phone that wasn’t hers.

Otherwise, it would cause trouble in future copyright disputes.

Sitting on the swing, she tried to capture the melody floating in her mind.

Once caught, she quickly jotted it down and softly hummed it.

[What melody is Xu Zhaozhao humming? Anyone know? I feel like it’s so soothing.]

In the early hours, some night owls were still awake.

Although the camera didn’t show what she was writing, her voice could be heard.

[Don’t know it, never heard it before.]

After a long time, only this comment appeared.

[Forget it, I recorded it. I’ll post it and ask on Weibo.]

As the moon shifted and dawn tinted the horizon pale, Xu Zhaozhao finally filled a full page with musical notes.

Of course, these were just the framework; she would refine them properly after the dating show ended.

Exhausted, Xu Zhaozhao finally felt sleepy.

She carefully put away the score and returned to her room.

She thought she was staying up late enough, but little did she know the production team hadn’t slept all night either.