Ever since arriving at this little courtyard, every move the guests made was under the scrutiny of cameras. Qin Wunian knew this, yet showed no restraint, as though he could not even see the constantly moving lenses. Song Cheng, on the other hand, did not realize. He genuinely believed their whispering could not be heard by the production team.
The first floor of the villa was a shared public space. The variety show’s other investor—a certain television station—had sent over one of their recently promoted rising star hosts. A handsome twenty-six-year-old, he and his girlfriend were colleagues, and their relationship had gone public last year. During recordings, they frequently showered the audience with displays of affection. The station had chosen him precisely for that reason: someone deeply in love, facing a group of men and women whose relationships had long since ended. He was both host and audience surrogate, helping viewers immerse themselves more fully.
The host’s name was Gan Yawen. The moment he appeared, he unceremoniously took over from the director, joking that since he was here, the director could go home and rest.
Gan Yawen then led everyone on a tour of the villa. The first floor was shown only briefly—many doors remained closed. On the second floor, however, lay their living quarters for the coming days.
Song Cheng counted four rooms in total.
The largest was a suite: two bedrooms, two double beds, an independent bathroom and walk-in closet, and all kinds of luxurious amenities. No need to ask—this was clearly the best room.
The second-best was a master bedroom of over thirty square meters. A soft double bed stood in the center, with a private bathroom attached. The bathroom had only a shower, no bathtub—slightly less impressive than the suite.
The third option was even smaller. Two single beds occupied most of the limited space, with the remaining furniture arranged tightly together. Across from the beds was a door. Song Cheng initially assumed it led to a private bathroom, but upon opening it, he discovered it was a small balcony instead—empty, overlooking the courtyard below.
As for the worst room, its size was the same as the previous one, and the layout identical. The only difference was that it had just one bed—and a very small, cramped single dorm-style bed at that. Whoever ended up there would effectively be sleeping on the floor.
That’s when the results of the earlier “competition” really came into play. After touring all four rooms, the Couples Pair didn’t even need to discuss—they immediately nodded in agreement. “We’ll take the suite.”
Liu Yanchu even gave the other three groups an apologetic smile. “Sorry, everyone, but that’s just skill, haha!”
The other three groups: “……”
With the Couples Pair having made their choice, it was now Song Cheng and Qin Wunian’s turn. The cameras caught their exchange as they shared a brief, awkward glance.
If they cared about amenities, obviously a room with a bathroom would be preferable. But their assigned space had only one bed—and a particularly luxurious double bed at that…
Song Cheng finally experienced firsthand what it meant for the production team to be cunningly meticulous—they had done this on purpose! All the participants here were ex-couples; they definitely shouldn’t have been placed in a double bed room!
Yang Qing noticed and immediately gleefully chimed in, “Take the standard room, and leave the big bed room for me and Zhao Feifei. We’re the same gender, same orientation, nothing to worry about—but you two? Who knows what you’d be doing in there once the door closes?”
Song Cheng’s face flushed crimson at her words, while Qin Wunian remained completely unaffected. He looked at Yang Qing. “I was originally going to take the standard room, but since you put it that way, I’ll take the big bed room. Not for anything else—just to give the audience a little something to imagine.”
He smiled faintly, as if saying, Yes, I’m that thoughtful.
Yang Qing: “……”
The host had been quiet the entire time. Only now did he interject at the right moment: “Mr. Qin, the room has to be chosen together. Shouldn’t you ask Song Cheng if he agrees?”
Qin Wunian paused for a beat, then asked Song Cheng politely, “Do you agree?”
Song Cheng could only nod. With everyone watching, he forced a polite smile. “I agree. The double bed room is fine.”
Su Yu glanced at him, genuinely feeling secondhand embarrassment.
So far, Song Cheng and Qin Wunian were the only pair on the show who hadn’t had a single argument, and their interactions were painfully minimal. Though they had broken up years ago and only recently reunited, the awkwardness between them was palpable. Looking at Liu Yanchu and Lü Ruosi—also broken up for years—the familiarity was clear. By contrast, Song Cheng and Qin Wunian exuded a sense of strangeness and distance, even through the camera.
Su Yu paused slightly at this thought.
Everyone on the show had different reasons for participating. Some were obvious: Yang Qing wanted publicity, especially since her popularity had dipped recently. After Zhou Qingge’s scandal drew public sympathy, if she didn’t create her own buzz, all her opportunities would be snatched away.
Others were less clear, like Lü Ruosi. As a film star distinct from these trending young talents, even with low domestic recognition, she could still headline movies by renowned directors. Was she here for money? Somehow, it didn’t feel like it.
Liu Yanchu’s motives were easier to grasp. He never cared about image and had a reputation in the industry for loving fun and self-challenges—he was likely here just to play.
The rest: Zhao Feifei came for exposure, Qin Wunian to cleanse his image, and Yue Yuran to promote his new album.
Everyone’s intentions were transparent—even for Song Cheng and Qin Wunian.
Su Yu lingered on Song Cheng a few extra moments. Song Cheng noticed and returned his smile before turning back to mingle cheerfully with the others. Once he spoke, the camera, which had been pointed elsewhere, swung back to capture him.
The double bed room went to the “Redemption Pair,” the two female stars naturally took the standard room, and the smallest single dorm room—the worst of the lot—was begrudgingly claimed by the “Unforgettable Pair.”
Su Yu told Yue Yuran, “I’ll take the bed; you take the floor.”
Yue Yuran: “Why?”
Su Yu: “Because I’m short. From experience, that bed is only 1.9 meters long. If you sleep there, your legs won’t fit. The floor is better—spacious and cool.”
As a singer, Yue Yuran was indeed excessively tall. At 1.91 meters—two centimeters taller than Qin Wunian—he glanced at Su Yu and nodded reluctantly. “Fine, I’ll take the floor. But if my back and legs ache by tomorrow…”
“I’ll massage you!” Su Yu immediately interjected.
Then, she moved ahead, putting distance between them and preventing any further bargaining. Yue Yuran sighed silently behind her back, his cool persona slightly cracked. The cameras captured just a hint of his indulgence.
With the rooms settled, everyone returned to the first floor. The dining room had already been set with a feast for eight. Gan Yawen described it as the last supper, because after this, any further food would have to be purchased from the production team. Of course, the money would come from the upcoming competitions.
To reward everyone for showing up as promised, the production team gave each group 500 yuan. Meals, supplies, even transportation would all require money. Five hundred yuan would barely cover expenses, so every group would need to work hard to earn more.
Sitting at the table, looking at the red envelopes with the show logo placed by the staff, Song Cheng muttered, “Two-fifty.”
Qin Wunian, inspecting the dishes critically, didn’t catch what he said.
“What two-fifty?”
Song Cheng pointed to the red envelope. “Five hundred per group. That’s 250 per person. Basically, in the director’s eyes, we’re all two-fifty.”
Qin Wunian: “……”
“You’re overthinking it. Just a coincidence.”
Hearing that, Song Cheng opened the red envelope and took out the cash inside—four 100-yuan notes and two 50-yuan notes, which perfectly split into two halves of 250 each.
Qin Wunian: “…………”
Song Cheng wasn’t the only one to notice this detail, but he was the only one who mentioned it to Qin Wunian. The others would have made a huge fuss.
Meanwhile, the director, having stepped back from the spotlight, endured a round of verbal lashing from the cast. No matter how much the guests protested, he remained composed and absent from the confrontation. Gan Yawen, the host, finally managed to calm everyone down and, showing a pained sense of concession, handed an extra 100 yuan to each group. Yang Qing, having been the loudest voice in arguing, gleefully distributed the money.
Back at her seat, she clutched her group’s 100 yuan. Zhao Feifei reached for it, but Yang Qing glared.
“Don’t even think about it. I’m not letting you handle the money. Remember our trip to Maui?”
Zhao Feifei instantly deflated and said nothing further.
Su Yu, curious, asked, “Maui? What happened there?”
Yang Qing casually unfolded her napkin. “Nothing much. About six or seven years ago, the two of us went on vacation to Maui. We agreed she’d handle the planning and the money, and I’d just have fun. Since Zhao Feifei often travels abroad, I assumed she knew what she was doing. But by the second day, all our cash was gone. Paying by card wasn’t convenient everywhere, and we had no choice but to cut the trip short—planned seven days, ended up staying only three.”
Zhao Feifei retorted, “If you’d just compromised a little, we wouldn’t have had to fly back on the third day. You kept nitpicking hotels, insisting on changes if the pillows weren’t soft enough—traveling with you was a disaster.”
Yang Qing shot back, “I’ve always been like this. Didn’t I warn you before we left? And who told me to trust you? If I felt uncomfortable, we could’ve turned back. Now you’re dredging up the past? What’s the point?”
Zhao Feifei: “Who’s dredging up the past?”
Seeing their expressions grow icier by the minute, Gan Yawen quickly intervened, redirecting the conversation with his veteran skill.
For Song Cheng, it was hard to tell whether the quarrel was real or staged. He quietly observed the two actresses’ expressions, thinking he could learn from their behavior later.
After the meal, Yang Qing’s mood hadn’t improved, and Zhao Feifei said her goodbyes. Yang Qing, however, slammed the door and retreated to her room.
The lunch break lasted two hours. In the double-bed room assigned to them, Song Cheng closed the door and turned to speak to Qin Wunian. Qin Wunian stopped him with a glance, then looked at the camera positioned by the window.
“Even in the room?!”
Song Cheng tensed. “Does it record at night too?”
Qin Wunian: “It shuts off automatically after ten.”
Song Cheng exhaled in relief. Qin Wunian chuckled, observing him. “So what if it records? Or are you planning to do something secretive?”
Song Cheng froze, instinctively raising his head to meet his gaze.
Qin Wunian: “……”
Song Cheng looked at him because, given his deeply sentimental nature, he wasn’t sure what he might do. But Qin Wunian, catching his gaze, misinterpreted it.
He had been confident and composed in front of the cameras, but now his body stiffened slightly. Then he forced a cold smile:
“Song Cheng, don’t be so narcissistic. After all these years, you don’t really think I still like you, do you?”