Chapter 50: Chi Mo 4

The first official shoot took place in the evening, marking the formal meeting of the seven guests. Perhaps a dinner together is the quickest way to bridge the distance between people, so Tan You had plenty of time on her hands.

However, Tan You was somewhat surprised after hearing the director's instructions: "Why am I the first one to appear?"

She remembered that when Chi Mo participated previously, she was the third female guest to appear. Why was she the first one this time?

The director thought to himself: *Doesn't the director think you're so beautiful that you'll definitely attract more viewership? Besides, a girl this beautiful is perfect material for creating buzz and hype.*

But he couldn't say that out loud, so the director simply smiled and said, "It's like this—Mo Mo, you arrived the earliest. The other female guests are still on their way."

Tan You didn't mind. "I'm fine with anything, but I'm not the type of person who can liven up a crowd. As long as everyone doesn't feel awkward, it's fine."

She hadn't intended to find a partner through this show, so she didn't care at all about her own performance.

The director replied, "It's okay. A male guest has already arrived, and he's very active. You shouldn't feel like the atmosphere is cold, Mo Mo."

Tan You wondered to herself: *A male guest who can liven up the atmosphere... could it be Xu Jike? Has his appearance order changed too? This dating show is getting more and more interesting.*

With these thoughts in mind, Tan You stood up. "Then let's go."

Following the signposts, Tan You made her way to a certain hall. On both sides of the hall were four small tables, each with a small blackboard and a marker above it.

Tan You didn't rush to write anything. Instead, she first glanced at the only blackboard that had writing on it, which read: "Even a Möbius strip has an end."

She then noticed a small box on the table, containing a pair of rings. The rings were exquisitely crafted, with the entire band shaped like a Möbius strip, suggesting they were custom-made.

Looking at the rings and then at the sentence, Tan You knew the male guest was Xu Jike. Without lingering at his table, Tan You placed the items she had painstakingly found belonging to Chi Mo and her ex-husband onto the small table.

Inside was a photocopy of Chi Mo's former marriage certificate; this was the only thing Tan You could find belonging to Chi Mo and her ex-husband, as Chi Mo had handled everything else very cleanly back then.

Standing before the small blackboard for two seconds, Tan You wrote a sentence: "The past is all empty; I am beautiful in my own solitude."

After putting down the pen, Tan You followed the signs to the second floor. Just as she reached the corner of the second floor, she saw a man sitting with his back to her. Even from the back of his head, Tan You recognized him.

Of course, in her current persona, she wasn't supposed to know him, so her expression remained calm.

Hearing the footsteps behind him, Xu Jike turned around. Upon seeing Chi Mo's face, he froze for a moment before breaking into a wide smile.

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

He moved to pull out a chair for her. Tan You, of course, did not refuse. Why should she do it herself when someone was offering to serve her? If he wanted to demonstrate gentlemanly conduct, she would let him.

Sitting opposite Xu Jike, Tan You gave a very faint smile. "Hello, my name is Chi Mo."

As Tan You smiled, Xu Jike's gaze became even more mesmerized. He considered himself well-traveled, but ultimately, the women he had met were just "pretty girls." He had truly never seen a "great beauty" like this—though, of course, he didn't count those on film and television screens.

Tan You slightly restrained her smile. She now knew how much destructive power Chi Mo's face had after the "beauty value" was added. To stay low-profile in her daily life, Tan You would consciously wear hats and masks to avoid trouble.

But now that she was filming a show, she had naturally stripped off all that gear.

Realizing he had lost himself in thought, Xu Jike snapped back to reality. He looked at Tan You again. "You are truly exceptionally beautiful."

Tan You nodded slightly. "Thank you. The director told me the male guest was very enthusiastic; I can see that now."

She truly didn't want to chat much with Xu Jike. What if there was malicious editing later? It was better to speak as little as possible and maintain distance from the male guests.

Soon, the second and third female guests arrived, significantly reducing the pressure on Tan You. Gao Jing was the second female guest—though, logically, she should have been the first to appear.

She was a streamer whose daily work involved live-streamed sales, but she also held another identity: the ex-wife of a certain male celebrity. Perhaps because she had encountered all sorts of people, Gao Jing was very witty, and the atmosphere in the restaurant quickly became very pleasant.

Sitting beside her, Tan You watched Gao Jing, who sat in the seat of honor, with a hint of a smile in her eyes. She enjoyed being around humorous and witty people because she herself wasn't particularly interesting.

Zhou Wenwen was the third female guest. She was also very accomplished, a university lecturer teaching finance. Tan You felt a sense of kinship upon meeting her, perhaps because she had once been a finance student herself?

However, in this world, Tan You would not reveal this, as it would not align with Chi Mo's background.

In less than half an hour, all four female guests and three male guests had arrived: Tan You, Gao Jing, Zhou Wenwen, and Lin Meng; and Xu Jike, Shi Lei, and Xiang Zhe.

Once everyone was present, Tan You spoke even less. She was naturally a person of few words, only curling her lips slightly when she heard something funny.

However, almost everyone at the table was paying attention to her. When they saw her smile, they would smile along; clearly, everyone felt that when meeting a great beauty, one naturally wanted to look a few more times.

In such conversations, it is inevitable to discuss exes, and the topic soon drifted in that direction. It wasn't quite a "shura field" (a scene of intense conflict), as this was meant to be an open and honest exchange.

The atmosphere was harmonious, but the questions were sharp. For example, they would ask about your age, profession, how many children you have, why you divorced your ex, and whether you have moved on.

Compared to the other three female guests, Chi Mo's experience could be described as thin. First, she was the youngest among them, her marriage had been the shortest, and she had no children. Because of these three points, she had much less in common with the others.

Among the female guests, only Chi Mo and Lin Meng had no children, while among the male guests, only Shi Lei and Xu Jike had no children; Xiang Zhe had two.

When it came to the reason for divorce, everyone had their own reasons.

For instance, Gao Jing said, "He and I didn't separate because something went wrong between us; it was just that one day, we suddenly realized we no longer loved each other."

"There were no conflicts between us; we are both good people. But being together had become very mundane—the love was simply gone."

"When he proposed to me, I believed he truly wanted to spend his life with me, but time eventually killed our love. I had to take care of the children, and he wanted to go out and build his career. Perhaps being apart so often was also a factor."