When the Side Character Gets a System and Travels through Difference Worlds-Chapter 50: Chi Mo 4

The first official shoot was in the evening. The seven guests would formally meet, and sharing a meal was perhaps the quickest way to close the distance between them, so Tan You had plenty of time.

But Tan You was a little surprised to hear what the director had to say. "How am I the first one to go on?"

She remembered that when Chi Mo was on the show before, she was the third female guest to appear. Why was she the first one now?

The director thought to himself, ’Isn’t it obvious? The producer thinks your beauty will definitely pull in higher ratings. Besides, a woman this gorgeous is fantastic material for stirring up buzz and creating clickbait.’

But he couldn’t say that out loud, so the director just smiled. "Well, Momo, you were the first to arrive. The other female guests are still on their way."

Tan You didn’t mind. "I’m fine with whatever, but I’m not the type to liven things up. As long as it doesn’t get awkward for everyone, I’m good."

She had no intention of finding a partner on this show, so Tan You couldn’t care less about how she came across.

The director said, "Don’t worry, one of the male guests has already arrived. He’s very energetic, so I doubt there’ll be any awkward silences, Momo."

Tan You mulled it over. ’A male guest who can liven things up... couldn’t be Xu Jike, could it? Did his appearance order change too? This dating show is getting more and more interesting.’

With these thoughts in mind, Tan You stood up. "Alright, let’s go."

Following the signs, Tan You found her way to a large hall. There were four small tables on each side, and every table had a small blackboard above it, along with a marker.

Tan You wasn’t in a hurry to write anything. Instead, she first glanced at the only blackboard that already had something written on it: "Even a Mobius strip has an end."

She then noticed a small box on the table. Inside was a pair of matching rings. They were exquisitely crafted; the entire band of each ring was shaped like a Mobius strip, suggesting they were custom-made.

Seeing the rings and reading the phrase, Tan You knew the male guest had to be Xu Jike. Without lingering at his table, she moved to hers and placed the items belonging to Chi Mo and her ex-husband—which she had gone to great trouble to find—on the table.

It was a copy of Chi Mo’s old marriage certificate. This was the only thing Tan You had been able to find that belonged to Chi Mo and her ex-husband; Chi Mo had been incredibly thorough in getting rid of everything else.

She stood before her blackboard for a couple of seconds before writing a line: "The past has vanished into thin air; the view from here is uniquely beautiful."

After putting down the marker, Tan You followed the signs to the second floor. The moment she reached the landing, she saw a man sitting with his back to her. Just from the back of his head, Tan You recognized him.

Of course, she was supposed to act like she didn’t know him, so her expression remained perfectly calm.

Hearing the approaching footsteps, Xu Jike turned his head. Upon seeing Chi Mo’s face, he froze for a second before breaking into a huge grin.

"Hello, I’m Xu Jike. Please, have a seat."

He moved to pull out a chair for Tan You, and of course, she didn’t refuse. ’Someone’s offering to do it for me, so why should I lift a finger? He wants to show off his gentlemanly manners? Fine, let him.’

Sitting down across from Xu Jike, Tan You offered a faint smile. "Hello, my name is Chi Mo."

When Tan You smiled, the look in Xu Jike’s eyes became one of pure astonishment. He considered himself worldly and had seen his fair share of attractive women, but they were all just "pretty." He had never seen a truly stunning beauty in person—actresses on screen didn’t count, of course.

Tan You let her smile fade slightly. She was well aware of how lethal Chi Mo’s face was now with the added beauty points. That’s why she usually made a conscious effort to wear a hat and mask to keep a low profile and avoid trouble.

But now that she was filming a show, she had naturally taken off all her "gear."

Realizing he’d been staring, Xu Jike snapped out of it. He glanced at Tan You again. "You’re truly stunning."

Tan You gave a slight nod. "Thank you. The director told me the male guest was very enthusiastic, and I can certainly see that now."

’I really don’t want to talk to Xu Jike too much,’ she thought. ’What if they use some malicious editing later? It’s better to say as little as possible and keep my distance from all the male guests.’

Soon, the second and third female guests arrived, and the pressure on Tan You instantly lessened. Gao Jing was the second female guest to arrive, though in the original version of events, she should have been the first.

She was a streamer whose job was to sell products via livestream. Of course, she had another claim to fame: she was the ex-wife of a male celebrity. Perhaps because she had interacted with all kinds of people, Gao Jing was incredibly witty, and she quickly filled the dining hall with a pleasant atmosphere.

Tan You sat next to her, watching Gao Jing take the lead in the conversation as if she were the host, a faint sparkle of a smile in her own eyes. She liked being around humorous and witty people, because she felt she wasn’t very interesting herself.

Zhou Wenwen was the third female guest. She was also very accomplished—a university professor who taught finance. The moment she saw her, Tan You felt a sense of affinity. ’Maybe it’s because I used to be a finance student?’

But in this world, Tan You wouldn’t reveal that. It didn’t align with Chi Mo’s life story.

In less than half an hour, all four female guests and three male guests had arrived. The women were Tan You, Gao Jing, Zhou Wenwen, and Lin Meng, while the men were Xu Jike, Shi Lei, and Xiang Zhe.

Once everyone had arrived, Tan You spoke even less. She was a woman of few words to begin with, only offering a slight curl of her lips when she heard something amusing.

However, nearly everyone at the table was watching her. When they saw her smile, they would smile along, too. It was clear they all felt that when you meet a stunning beauty, you have to take a few extra glances.

This kind of get-to-know-you chat inevitably turned to the topic of exes. The conversation soon shifted in that direction. It wasn’t quite the dramatic battlefield one might expect, because the point was for everyone to be open and honest.

The atmosphere was amicable, but the questions were pointed. For instance, people were asked their age and profession, how many children they had, the reason for their divorce, and whether or not they had moved on.

Compared to the other three female guests, Chi Mo’s history was quite simple. First, she was the youngest person there, her marriage had been the shortest, and she didn’t have any children. On these three points alone, she had much less common ground with the others.

Among the women, Chi Mo and Lin Meng were the ones without children. Among the men, Shi Lei and Xu Jike were childless, while Xiang Zhe had two kids. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

When it came to the reasons for their divorces, everyone had their own story.

Gao Jing, for example, said, "We didn’t separate because something went wrong between us. It was just that one day, we suddenly realized we weren’t in love anymore."

"We never fought. We’re both good people, but our life together had become so flat. The love was just gone."

"When he proposed, I believe he truly wanted to spend the rest of his life with me, but over time, that love just died. I had to raise our child, and he had to be out there building his career. Maybe spending more time apart than together was a factor as well."