Chapter Thirteen: Hidden Motives

As soon as Jin Jianyi took his seat, Li Weiwei asked, “Was your family involved in gambling before?”

“Yes.” He answered without hesitation.

[Wow, seriously? Are people really this bold nowadays, even doing that?]
[I never expected it. I always thought his family was in business.]

Li Weiwei was once again surprised, abandoning her prepared questions and instead asking, “Why did you choose to admit it so directly?”

“Because I don’t think there’s any reason not to. After all, it’s part of my past and my family’s history.”

Hearing Jin Jianyi’s words, Jian Anan’s gaze slowly grew dim.

She had always heard that Jin Jianyi’s family were nouveau riche, that they’d gotten wealthy by catching the right moment in the past few years.

She never imagined it would be such a moment.

She had always despised those addicted to gambling, so whatever faint goodwill she had toward Jin Jianyi instantly plummeted to zero.

Jian Anan didn’t know that Li Weiwei had asked the question on purpose to stir up conversation.

Jin Jianyi’s father had indeed enjoyed gambling at first, but later followed friends into stock investment, struck it lucky, and made a fortune.

Moreover, the investments were stable, and so far there had been no sign of decline.

Li Weiwei, hearing his answer, raised her hands and applauded vigorously. “Good! Well said. But I regret to inform you that you’ve failed this round of the game, so there will be no opportunity for you tomorrow.”

Jin Jianyi nodded, “Mm, I knew.”

“Next guest, Shen Yue!”

Shen Yue was especially adorable today, wearing a pink dress, her hair braided into two plaits at the back, each tied with a little pink flower.

In the live stream, her motherly fans grew increasingly excited as they saw her appear.

[Ah!!! Shen Yue, Mommy loves you so much!]

Li Weiwei smiled, her eyes narrowing as she continued, “Your family runs an entertainment company. Why haven’t you chosen to enter showbiz? Is it because you dislike the industry?”

Shen Yue immediately shook her head. “No.”

“Then are you participating in this program because you want to enter showbiz?”

“Yes.”

“And is your desire to enter showbiz driven by personal reasons?”

Shen Yue nodded again. “Yes.”

She breathed a silent sigh of relief—thank goodness Li Weiwei’s questions weren’t too tricky.

Inside the live stream, Shen Yue’s fans were even more thrilled upon hearing her intention to enter showbiz.

Li Weiwei, seeing the enthusiastic comments, was quite pleased with her line of questioning.

“Alright, congratulations to Shen Yue for smoothly passing this round. Let’s welcome our next guest.”

Jiang Mingzhao didn’t wait for Li Weiwei to say more. As soon as Shen Yue left, he seated himself confidently.

He was also the only one this round to face Li Weiwei with a smile.

Li Weiwei secretly shook her head. She had wanted to stir things up with Jiang Mingzhao, but there was nothing about him—whether in the show or daily life—that could be criticized.

This guest was simply too aboveboard, bold to the point of audacity, never hiding anything, and whatever anyone wanted to know could be easily found out.

So she had to stick to three simple questions, making the process quick.

Both the production crew and the viewers were accustomed to Jiang Mingzhao’s laid-back attitude, as well as his indifferent treatment of Shen Yue.

Next up was Nan Yan.

She wore a long purple dress, with light makeup highlighting her radiant presence.

Li Weiwei asked, “After graduation, you chose to strike out on your own. Is it because you don’t want to rely on your family?”

“Yes,” Nan Yan replied with a smile.

“Was joining this show your own wish?”

Nan Yan paused, then answered truthfully, “No.”

“And… do you dislike your partner?”

Li Weiwei hesitated, but in pursuit of greater buzz, decided to follow her original plan.

For today’s game, Li Weiwei had done her homework, researching a wealth of information about all the guests to ask questions sure to intrigue the audience.

She’d been confident that this program would be a hit.

So she didn’t want to miss any chance to boost popularity.

The Nan family ran a pharmaceutical factory in the capital, wealthy and influential.

Li Weiwei’s husband’s family was also based in the capital, so she knew some inside information.

Nan Yan hesitated for a moment, but before the five seconds were up, quietly shook her head and said, “Yes.”

“Alright, congratulations on passing this round. Next guest, Yun Ze!”

Although Nan Yan passed, she wasn’t particularly happy, and Yun Ze, who followed, wore a somber expression.

Everyone in the live stream was relishing the drama.

[Nan Yan is the youngest guest in the show—I was really looking forward to her pairing, and now you’re telling me they might break up!?]
[No! This is my favorite pairing, their previous interactions felt so sweet.]

Li Weiwei, perhaps feeling guilty for exploiting Nan Yan, finally refrained from any tricky questions when facing Yun Ze.

“Yun Ze, do you like Nan Yan?”

Yun Ze nodded without hesitation. “Yes.”

The viewers erupted at his answer.

[Is this the legendary ‘she runs, he chases, she can’t escape’?]
[Ah!! This plot, these developments, it’s even more exciting, isn’t it?]

Li Weiwei nodded, confirming his answer.

Though the show had only been filming for three days, everyone on set could see that Yun Ze was genuinely, deeply fond of Nan Yan.

Every glance, every movement from Nan Yan, Yun Ze could read her intentions precisely.

Yun Ze simply cared a lot for Nan Yan.

But for Nan Yan, it was simply too much.

She clearly didn’t like Yun Ze that much, but faced with his overwhelming affection, unable to reciprocate, she felt a growing sense of guilt.

Song Wannian, hearing Yun Ze’s answer, immediately turned her gaze to Nan Yan.

By rights, Nan Yan’s personality was cheerful, generous, and gentle—no matter what, her story shouldn’t end in gloom.

And from the look of things now, Song Wannian seemed to understand the root cause.

According to the story, the Nan family, wealthy from pharmaceuticals, lacked political power. So Nan Yan’s father arranged a marriage alliance with the Yun family.

Though the Yun family wasn’t in big business, they were a scholarly household, with nearly all members holding public office.

This union was mutually beneficial for both families.

Yet Nan Yan didn’t actually like Yun Ze.

But, pressured by family expectations and fate, she had no choice but to compromise, eventually falling ill from prolonged distress?

Song Wannian wasn’t entirely sure, but based on the current situation, she felt this was the most likely reason.