The Final Winner

Dong Hua and Cang Yi waited outside of the Washroom for Feng Jiu. Cang Yi then said sarcastically, "I thought you wanted to use the Washroom, too? Go ahead, and I can wait here for Feng Jiu."

Dong Hua then replied coldly, "It's fine. I suddenly lost the urge to use the toilet. You can go back to work first, and I can wait here for her. You shouldn't waste time waiting anyway."

"It's fine. I'm a patient man. I can wait for a long time, and it wouldn't affect my work at all. I heard the President of Tai Chen Group is always busy, so I think it's better if you head back to work first and not waste your time too."

Then they glared at each other with coldness in their eyes.

On the other side, Si Ming and Lian Song were still stalking them like secret agents.

"Did you see them anywhere, Si Ming?" Lian Song asked, and he looked around.

"No, but I definitely saw them took a turn at this corner." Si Ming also looked around and tried to spot the three of them.

Lian Song continued walking until he saw Dong Hua and Cang Yi standing outside the Washroom and giving each other a death stare. He immediately stopped in his tracks and hid behind the wall, so that Dong Hua won't see them snooping around. Si Ming, who wasn't looking in front, then bumped into Lian Song. Both of them then 'fell out' from their hiding spot. Dong Hua immediately turned his head and stared at them intensively.

Lian Song immediately pretended to look around and then looked towards the Washroom's sign. "Oh. The Washroom is here. We finally found it, Si Ming. Let's go in, you said that you needed to use the toilet urgently, right?" Then he looked at Si Ming and Si Ming immediately replied, "Oh, yes! Finally, we found the Washroom." Then the gossip duo ran into the Washroom and locked themselves up in one cubicle each.

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Feng Jiu came out of the Washroom shortly, and she said, "You guys are still waiting here? I could have found my way back by myself.

Cang Yi immediately replied, "Don't worry, I didn't wait long anyway." Then he smiled warmly at Feng Jiu. Dong Hua wasn't good at words, so he just looked away and slowly began to walk back to the hall. Feng Jiu then replied cheerfully, "Let's head back to work! We still have so much to do."

Dong Hua kept quiet all the way because he was thinking about what to do next. He knew that he wouldn't beat Cang Yi in sweet-talking, but he knows that he won't lose out on his love for her. Feng Jiu then noticed him acting differently, and she thought to herself, "Is Dong Hua feeling nervous about being around other people again? What should I do?"

Then she suddenly thought of a plan, and she said to Cang Yi, "Hey, you can head back to the exhibition hall first. I think I left something in Dong Hua's car, so we need to go retrieve it."

"I can also come along with you both." Cang Yi replied casually. Dong Hua then asked Feng Jiu, "What did you forget this time?" Then she subtly winked to Dong Hua and replied, "Some important documents. Don't ask so much, and let me retrieve my stuff from your car!"

She also turned to Cang Yi and replied, "No worries, you can head back first. I also have some work-related stuff to discuss with Dong Hua." Then she nudged Cang Yi to continue his way, and then she pushed Dong Hua towards the car park. Before they left, Dong Hua smirked at Cang Yi, because he knew that he could finally spend some alone time with Feng Jiu.

'Battle Of The Suitors' Round 3:

Dong Hua - 2

Cang Yi - 1

"So, what do you have to discuss with me about?" Dong Hua asked curiously. Feng Jiu then smiled brightly and replied, "You forgot about it?"

"What did I forget?" He replied calmly. Feng Jiu then replied proudly, "I knew it! You totally forgot about it. Well, I told you that I would drag you away when you get nervous around people. I noticed you were acting differently, so I instantly knew what to do!"

Dong Hua smiled upon hearing that, and he silently thought, "Silly girl. She actually thinks I was nervous, but at least it's better than letting her know about my jealousy." Then he replied, "Oh, guess you're smart for noticing it immediately. So should I thank you with free food for saving me?"

"Hmm... Free food sounds nice. But it's fine, and you don't have to repay me for doing that. That's what friends are for." She then smiled warmly at Dong Hua, and then he replied, "What do you mean by that? Doesn't friendship means that if you do something nice for your friend, they would have to repay you back?"

Feng Jiu then chuckled and replied, "So you think friendships are like a business deal? It doesn't work that way, Dong Hua. You do nice things for your friends, and you also don't expect anything back from them."

Dong Hua pondered, "So this is what friendship is really like?" Then he replied sarcastically, "But you ask me for free food."

"But that's different! I mean, sometimes it's a bonus to receive free food from your friends." Dong Hua then smiled and replied, "Our friendship would definitely cause me to be bankrupt." Feng Jiu immediately countered, "Hmph! At least our friendship is priceless."

Feng Jiu then dragged Dong Hua and said, "Let's go back to work now. Just because you're the boss, doesn't mean that you can slack!" which he coldly replied to, "No free food for you too if you continue to slack." Then they both laughed and walked back to the exhibition hall.

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On the other side, the gossip duo was still hiding in the toilet cubicle, and both of them were sweating buckets because it was very stuffy in there.

Lian Song then whistled softly and tapped on Si Ming's cubicle seven times to get his attention, and Si Ming also whistled back and tapped seven times. This is their 'silent signal' to check for danger out there. Si Ming volunteered to sacrifice himself, and then he slowly opened the door. He then peeped out to check if the coast was clear.

Suddenly Si Ming gave a faint scream, and there was total silence after there. Lian Song immediately felt nervous, and he whispered, "Psst Psst. Agent S, Radio Check." But there wasn't any response.

Lian Song guessed that something terrible had happened to Si Ming, and he fearfully thought to himself, "Operation Mayday. Si Ming, wait for me. I'll come to save you."

He did a small prayer in his heart, "If I die by sweet and sour fish tonight, I pray that Cheng Yu will finally realize how much she loves me. Wait, no, I would be dead by then. Sorry gods, please allow me to change my wish. Please protect me and not let me die tonight. I still need to marry Cheng Yu someday, and I'm way too young to die. Thank you very much for blessing me."

Lian Song then stood up, swallowed his saliva nervously, and then slowly opened the door. He slowly peeped out from his cubicle, and then he noticed that the Washroom was empty. He walked out of his cubicle and slowly began to walk towards the entrance. Little did he know, Si Ming was hiding in the cubicle behind him, waiting for a chance to scare him.

Si Ming then slowly crept up behind Lian Song and tapped on his shoulder. At the same time, he also mimicked Dong Hua's voice and said coldly, "Lian Song."

Lian Song immediately dropped to his knees in fear, and he almost fainted. He then blurted out, "I don't want to eat Sweet and Sour Fish, please!" Si Ming immediately burst out into laughter and said, "Agent L, why are you kneeling on the floor? Practising to propose to Cheng Yu?"

Lian Song immediately turned around and exclaimed, "Agent S! You're dead." Then Si Ming yelled, "Code Red," and sprinted out of the Washroom. Lian Song then chased after him, trying to catch him and then beat him up.

At this moment, they noticed Feng Jiu and Dong Hua standing together, and they were happily talking. The gossip duo immediately hid behind the wall to spy on them.

Si Ming turned back to Lian Song, "Shall we sign a peace treaty? Our common objective is to matchmake Dong Hua and Feng Jiu now, so I think we should forget the hatred and focus on that." Lian Song then replied, "Fine. But you have to help me with Cheng Yu on Saturday night when we have the potluck gathering with Yu Xi."

"Deal." Si Ming said. Then they shook hands and made peace with each other. After that, they continued spying on Dong Hua and Feng Jiu.

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"I will send you back home tonight as well." Dong Hua said to Feng Jiu. Then she replied, "Are you sure about that? I don't want to trouble you too much."

"No trouble at all, and it's on the way too." He replied calmly. Feng Jiu felt a little confused as she remembered that Dong Hua's place was on the other side of the city. He had told her his address as she would be heading over to his place next Saturday, to cook for him. Then she replied confusedly, "But isn't your place on the other side of the city?"

Dong Hua then replied calmly, "Yes, but I need to collect something near to your place tonight as well." Feng Jiu then smiled, "Alright then. I guess I'll grant you the honour of being my personal Chauffeur."

Dong Hua then put one hand on her head and messed her hair up, "Personal Chauffeur, huh? How are you going to repay me for this then?" Feng Jiu immediately fixed her hair, and she playfully replied to him, "You still dare to ask me for repayment after messing up my hair?!" Then she jumped up and tried to mess Dong Hua's hair, but she couldn't reach at all due to their height differences.

He thought to himself, "Silly girl, she really knows the way to my heart." Then he suddenly pointed towards her hair and exclaimed, "There's a bug in your hair." Feng Jiu immediately slapped her hair and whined, "Where is it? Get it off! Help me get it off!"

Dong Hua snickered upon seeing her panic, and then he pretended to look at her hair and pointed out a few spots. "Here. It's here." Feng Jiu was afraid of bugs as well, and she was about to cry. Dong Hua then chuckled and replied, "I'm just fooling around with you."

Feng Jiu then turned away, "You're not my friend anymore." Dong Hua then replied calmly, "If I'm not your friend, what am I to you then?" Feng Jiu then had a mini panic attack internally as she thought to herself, "Wait, what should I say then? I mean... I wish that he's my boyfriend. What are you thinking of?! He already belongs to someone else." Then she swiftly turned around and replied, "You're my boss."

"Oh. If I'm your boss, then what is Cang Yi to you?" Dong Hua said while trying to hide his jealousy. Feng Jiu pondered for a while, "Hmm... Is he testing me? He's going to tease me about peeping at guys again. I won't give him that chance!" Then she replied, "Just a co-worker."

Dong Hua smiled upon hearing that, and he gently messed up her hair again. Then he said, "Now your hair is blocking your eyes, so you won't be able to peep at guys anymore."

Then she whined, "Not fair! You're too tall, and I can't mess up your hair." She also tried to jump up a few times and playfully tried to reach for Dong Hua's hair. Dong Hua then looked down at her and smiled to himself. "You're the only person that I would allow to come this close to me."

Right at this moment, Cang Yi then came walking over. "Oh, you guys took so long, so I came out to check on both of you."

Feng Jiu then replied, "Oh! We were about to head back into the hall." Cang Yi then said to Feng Jiu, "Hey, would you mind coming with me to somewhere quiet? I need to discuss with you about something. Don't worry; it won't take long." Dong Hua stared intensively at Cang Yi and he also waited for her answer.

"Oh, is it urgent? Because I need to go back to work soon." She replied casually. Dong Hua then replied, "Yeah. She needs to work." But Cang Yi insisted, "Yes, it's pretty important. It won't take long." Then he whispered to Dong Hua, "Real men play fair."

Feng Jiu then looked over to Dong Hua, and he replied coldly, "Go ahead, don't take too long." Afterwards, he calmly walked away with jealousy in his heart. He also thought to himself, "He's right, real men play fair." Although he badly wished that he could get rid of Cang Yi, he knew that Feng Jiu would definitely be upset about it. At the same time, he also didn't want to see her upset.

Feng Jiu then followed after Cang Yi, and they went to the outdoor garden.

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The gossip duo was busy spying on them from the start, and they were trying to figure out what was going on.

"Can you read their lips and figure out what they are talking about?" Lian Song asked Si Ming. Then he rolled his eyes and replied, "Do you really think we are real secret agents and that we could do something like that?"

Lian Song then said, "Yeah, but you're the walking encyclopedia. I thought you were smart enough for that, but I guess not. Wait, don't distract me. I'm trying to hear what they say." Then he cupped his ear with the palm of his hand and leaned nearer towards them to eavesdrop.

Si Ming then shook his head lightly and replied, "You're not Shunfeng-er, you won't be able to hear them from so far away. We need to move closer." Then Si Ming pointed out to another pillar which was nearer to them, and they could hide there instead.

*Shunfeng'er (顺风耳) is a Chinese sea and door god.

The name "Shunfeng'er" literally means "Wind Accompanying Ears" in reference to his ability to hear any sound carried upon the wind. So if we call someone Shunfeng'er, it could mean two things depending on the context. 'All-knowing person' or 'someone with superhuman-hearing.'

Lian Song slowly leaned out from behind the wall, and then he whispered, "Area cleared." He then gestured Si Ming to go first, and he said, "I'll cover you from the back. You go ahead first."

Si Ming then shook his head and replied, "It's such a waste that you didn't sign up for an acting role. Come on; there's obviously no one here. Dong Hua's eyes are fixed on Feng Jiu, so he definitely won't see us." Then he walked out casually, towards the other pillar.

Lian Song immediately whispered, "You'll ruin our mission! This is a suicide mission, get back here." Si Ming then rolled his eyes and replied, "You're literally 'Mission Impossible.'"

Then they both hid behind the pillar that was located nearer to them, and it was also facing Dong Hua's back.

At first, they saw Dong Hua and Feng Jiu happily chatting with each other. They even looked like they were having fun with each other, but the gossip duo still couldn't hear anything, as they were still a distance away. At the same time, they didn't want to move closer, in fear of getting caught by Dong Hua.

Then they noticed Cang Yi walking over to Feng Jiu and Dong Hua.

"What is that Cang Yi-ng (fly) doing here?" Lian Song said. Si Ming shrugged his shoulders and told him to continue observing.

"I still can't hear anything. So boring!" Lian Song whined. Then he tried to entertain the both of them while they were still trying to eavesdrop. He then clenched his fist and held it up to Si Ming's mouth, acting like it was a microphone.

After that, he acted like a professional interviewer and asked Si Ming, "You have been watching the reality show, 'Battle of the suitors' for the past two days. So... Tell me, are you team Dong Hua or Team Cang Yi? Would you mind sharing some of your thoughts?"

Si Ming played along and said, "Hmm... tough choice. But I think I'll go with Team Dong Hua. Both contestants have their strengths and weakness, thus making it hard to decide. One is Ice, and another one is Fire."

Lian Song then replied professionally, "Great answer. I'm definitely Team Dong Hua as well. So... the important question is, who do you think would emerge as the final winner?"

"I think it's going to be Contestant 1, Dong Hua. I mean, he has the upper hand because the 'judge' might practice favouritism towards him."

Then Lian Song continued his act and replied, "I guess our interview comes to an end today. I'm sure everyone is excited to know who would be the final winner, so remember to stay tuned to another episode of 'Battle of the suitors' to find out."

Then they both chuckled to each other before Si Ming tapped Lian Song's shoulder and whispered, "Dong Hua is leaving. Wait, why is Feng Jiu leaving with Cang Yi?"

Lian Song then replied, "Wait. So, should we place our bets on Cang Yi instead?" Si Ming then replied, "It's still too early to know. Let's follow them."

Lian Song nodded his head in agreement and whispered, "Yeah. At least if we get caught by these two, we won't get into any trouble."

They watched Dong Hua leave, and then they followed after Feng Jiu and Cang Yi into the outdoor garden.

Then they spotted them sitting in a corner on a bench, and Cang Yi seems to be nervous. The gossip duo then crept slowly behind trees and bushes. Then they hid behind some tall bushes, right behind their bench.

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"So, you said that you have something to discuss with me about?" Feng Jiu asked casually.

Cang Yi then hesitated for a while and replied nervously, "Yeah. So actually I have something serious to talk to you about. But it's not work-related."

"Oh? Sure. What do you want to talk about? I'm all ears."

"Uhh... Uhh... To be really honest with you, I actually fell in love at first sight with you."

Lian Song almost yelled out in shock upon hearing that, but luckily Si Ming covered his mouth with his hand. Then the gossip duo looked at each other, and their minds telepathed, "Soon, we will know who's the winner." Then they continued to observe and eavesdrop silently.

Feng Jiu was obviously feeling kind of nervous, even though she had been in this situation before. It was also because he totally caught her off guard with the confession. Then she bowed her head and replied softly, "I'm sorry, Cang Yi. I won't be able to accept your feelings. I already have someone in my heart, and I think I should be honest with you.

Even though I know he probably doesn't feel the same for me; I still can't let go of my feelings. But we can still remain as friends if that's okay with you too."

Lian Song and Si Ming then smirked to each other, "We have a winner. *ding ding ding*."

Cang Yi was visibly upset, and he replied, "I'm okay with being friends, but I also won't give up my feelings for you. Maybe someday you'll change your mind."

Feng Jiu then smiled softly and replied, "I highly doubt so. I don't think I can ever move on from him. No matter how hard I tried, he's always still there at the back of my mind. I'm so sorry, Cang Yi. You're a great guy, but my heart no longer has any space left for anyone else to enter." Then she bowed her head and looked sad.

Cang Yi then tried to cheer her up, "Hey, it's fine. I actually felt relieved after I confessed my feelings. It was suffocating, trying to keep it in. I'm glad that you still want to be friends with me. Anyway, have you tried confessing to the person you love?"

Feng Jiu looked down at her feet and replied sadly, "Unfortunately, no. And I doubt I'll ever do it too. It's just impossible. I think he already has someone else in his heart as well. I had been hurt a few times because of my unrequited love for him, and I need to protect my heart now. We are still friends, and I also think it's better to stay that way."

Cang Yi then patted her back gently and tried to console her.

Right at this moment, the sound of a twig snapping came from one of the trees nearby. Everyone turned over and stared at the direction where the sound was coming from.

"Dong... Dong Hua?!" Feng Jiu exclaimed. Then she added on, "Why are you here? Aren't you doing work in the exhibition hall?"

It appeared that Dong Hua had actually followed after them secretly, and he was trying to see what they were talking about. But unluckily for him, he chose the wrong spot to hide, and he couldn't hear a word at all. Dong Hua then saw Cang Yi touching Feng Jiu's back, and he got jealous. Then he accidentally stepped on a large twig, thus giving off his hiding location.

At the same time, Lian Song accidentally yelped in surprise, "Oh, sh*t." And that also caused them to give off their hiding spot.

Dong Hua immediately spotted Si Ming and Lian Song hiding behind the bush, and he replied to Feng Jiu, "Oh. I was here to look for Lian Song and Si Ming." Then he pointed towards them.

Feng Jiu then turned over to them and exclaimed, "What are you two doing here too?!"

Dong Hua then stared intensively at the gossip duo, like as if he was warning them not to say the wrong thing.

Lian Song immediately replied nervously. "Oh yeah, Dong Hua is here to look for us. We were supposed to check the outdoor venue as well. But then Si Ming dropped his car keys around this area, and we were trying to find it." Si Ming immediately nodded and started looking around, pretending to find his car keys around the bush too.

Lian Song then subtly dropped his own car keys onto the grass, from his back pocket. Then he immediately yelled, "Oh! We found it, Si Ming. Here you go." Then he swiftly picked up the car keys and handed it over to Si Ming.

Si Ming then replied, "Oh. Wow, we finally found it. I guess we should get going now." Then the gossip duo turned over to Dong Hua and said, "Oh. Sorry about that, we should now continue to check on the outdoor venue." Then Dong Hua nodded his head and slowly followed after them.

Feng Jiu was completely oblivious to the fact that they were all eavesdropping. Then she turned over to Cang Yi and said, "They are so hardworking. I guess I should be more like them, and I'll head back to work now. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes, yes. I'm fine. Don't worry about it, and head back to work." Then he smiled at her sweetly. Feng Jiu then smiled back at him and then quickly went back to work. Cang Yi thought to himself, "I won't give up so easily. But it seems like Dong Hua really does like her. Too bad Feng Jiu's heart is already taken by someone else. I guess that makes us both losers."

Unbeknownst to him, Feng Jiu was actually referring to Dong Hua, the one in her heart since then start.

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"What were you guys doing out there? And what did you hear?" Dong Hua asked sternly. He actually wanted to dig out some information from the gossip duo since he couldn't hear anything from standing so far away.

"I'll tell you, but you must promise me to spare us from any punishment." Lian Song replied.

"You have my word." Dong Hua replied coldly.

"Okay, so... We heard Cang Yi confessing to Feng Jiu."

Dong Hua instantly widened his eyes, but he acted calmly and replied, "Oh?"

"Then Feng Jiu rejected him straight." Si Ming quickly added on, in fear that they would be served sweet and sour fish.

Dong Hua then replied sternly, "I see. Now get back to work. I'll go run some errands." Then he turned around and walked away. He made sure that the gossip duo was out of his sight before a wide smile spread across his face.

"She rejected him? Guess she doesn't like him after all." He thought to himself. Then he went into his car and drove off to settle some errands.

Lian Song and Si Ming then drank a cup of 'tea.'

"So weird, Dong Hua has no reaction at all. Maybe we were wrong, and he doesn't like Feng Jiu?" Lian Song said.

"It's Dong Hua. He's good at hiding his emotions, and he only shows them around Feng Jiu. Don't you think that already speaks volumes as to how much he likes her?"

"You're certainly right. But we still can't tell her about it, just in case we misinterpreted his feelings for her. It could be friendship love too. Who knows."

Si Ming then nodded his head in agreement and replied, "But at least now we know who's the final winner."

Lian Song then started to whine, "Oh man, it's just two days and Cang Yi already lost. I thought this game show would last on for a longer time. What a shame, we won't get to see such a 'good show' anymore."

Si Ming snickered, "Judging by how jealous Dong Hua is, and how many suitors Feng Jiu have, I'm pretty sure there would be a sequel to this show."

Lian Song then smirked, "Can't wait to see it."

Then they both laughed out loud and quickly went back to work as they had been slacking for almost the whole day.

We have a winner, Contestant number 1.

Congratulations Dong Hua!

It's a pity that the reality show, 'Battle of the Suitors', came to an abrupt end. But do remember to stay tuned and keep a lookout for any upcoming seasons.

Reporting Live from your favourite matchmakers, Lian Song and Si Ming.

XOXO, Gossip Duo