Qin Yu’s movements were subtle enough that even the cameras couldn’t catch the way her hand fidgeted behind Lin Ziyao. From the front, everyone saw Lin Ziyao wait until Qin Yu wasn’t paying attention, then lean right against her as soon as they sat down.
“No, you’ve got it backward! You’re supposed to let me use your lap as a pillow!”
But Lin Ziyao was still sprawled across Qin Yu’s lap, flailing and protesting without getting up. Even her hands, which had been waving around wildly, soon fell still. Her attention had been caught by a new message from the system.
【Mission Complete】
“The mission’s already complete?” Lin Ziyao was completely baffled by the system’s criteria.
“Wasn’t the guest supposed to experience having someone use their lap as a pillow?”
【The host is also a guest】
So someone else didn’t have to use my lap as a pillow? I could use someone else’s instead?
“W-Wait, what?” Feng Qiqi, her hair tied in twin tails, stared at the unexpected scene in shock. She never imagined that the little green-tea schemer who’d just come over to chat would end up leaning against Qin Yu’s lap the moment she arrived.
Lin Ziyao’s sudden move startled everyone. As the director, Director Chen could only marvel inwardly: the first episode’s ratings were guaranteed to be a hit.
Ziyao’s really that dedicated, huh?
No matter how delighted he was inside, Director Chen couldn’t show it on camera. He cleared his throat twice. “All right, no more fooling around, everyone. Let me explain what we’ll be doing next.”
The variety show Director Chen was filming was actually pretty simple: a reality show with a relatively young cast. Shows like this were easy to film, and plenty of viewers enjoyed them. This time, he’d also brought Lin Ziyao on as a little green-tea instigator, guaranteeing the audience plenty of drama.
Back in her seat, Lin Ziyao listened to Director Chen’s arrangements while checking the reward the system had given her. Once filming was over, she planned to ask Qin Yu in private what she wanted from the song.
“Oh, right!” Director Chen slapped his forehead and pretended he’d only just remembered. “The resort’s in its off-season, so all the nearby restaurants are closed. That means everyone will have to cook for themselves while we’re filming.”
Most of the guests’ faces fell as soon as they heard that. Lin Ziyao secretly looked around. Only Qin Yu and an older man sitting farther away seemed unfazed. The only older man here—his name was Xu Li, if she remembered right.
“The men will go with our crew to pick up this week’s groceries. The women can head to the accommodation and get settled.” Director Chen split the guests into two groups and assigned camera operators to follow each one.
There was no getting around it. Since they’d agreed to appear on the show, they had to follow the crew’s arrangements. Yang Tian and the others followed Director Chen to the resort entrance to collect the food.
Once all the male guests had left, the remaining women finally gathered together.
“Can anyone cook?” Qin Yu was the first to ask, glancing around at everyone.
Lin Ziyao volunteered at once. “I can make a few home-style dishes.”
After hearing Lin Ziyao, Qin Yu spoke up too. “I can cook a little as well, but mostly vegetarian dishes.”
Now that someone could cook, Feng Qiqi finally relaxed. She turned to the remaining female guest, Dai Wen, and asked, “Once the guys bring the food back, how about those two do the cooking and we do the dishes?”
Since this was a reality show, anything the guests did could end up in front of the audience. Naturally, none of them wanted to seem lazy or greedy. Dai Wen only pretended to think it over for a moment before agreeing.
With the cooking situation sorted out, Lin Ziyao and the others followed the staff to the villa where they’d be staying. The staff had already brought their luggage into the villa’s main hall.
Feng Qiqi flopped onto the soft sofa. “We’re finally here! I’m exhausted!”
When no one chimed in, Feng Qiqi turned around. Qin Yu was taking out a hair tie to put her hair up, Dai Wen was putting away her sun-protective jacket, and Lin Ziyao had already found a broom and a rag.
“Don’t forget what the director said—we’re supposed to tidy this place up.” Lin Ziyao handed Feng Qiqi a rag.
The girls bustled around and gave the villa a basic clean. Just as they were about to carry the suitcases from the main hall back to their rooms, the staff stopped them.
As soon as Director Chen came in, he saw Feng Qiqi trying to retrieve her luggage. “Looks like we got back at just the right time!”
The male guests following Director Chen were soaked through their backs. The trip to pick up the groceries clearly hadn’t been easy.
“All right, without further ado, I’m announcing our first activity here!” Director Chen, acting as both host and director, slipped straight into his role.
“This villa has seven rooms, but only three are for the guests to sleep in. Here’s how they’ll be assigned: one room for the male guests and two for the female guests. You’ll draw lots to decide who shares a room with whom.”
Realizing there was a problem, Yang Tian raised his hand. “Director Chen, doesn’t that leave one male guest without a room?”
“I’m not finished.” Director Chen knew perfectly well there’d be one extra male guest. He patted his chest and said, “The remaining male guest will share a room with me, the director!”
When no one had any more objections, Director Chen brought out the lots prepared by the production crew. The men drew first, and Yang Tian ended up as the lucky one who’d share a room with Director Chen.
“I’ll be in your care these next few days, Mr. Xu!” Tang Wenjie, who’d drawn the room with Xu Li, had recently seen him in several of his TV dramas.
Xu Li was kind to the polite young man. “Of course.”
Yang Tian managed a rather strained smile. “I’ll be in your care, Director Chen!”
It was the female guests’ turn to draw lots. Feng Qiqi went first. As soon as she got her lot, she quickly tucked it away. Lin Ziyao barely caught a glimpse of the room number written on it.
When Lin Ziyao drew her lot, she checked the room number. It was different from Feng Qiqi’s, which meant her roommate would be either Dai Wen or Qin Yu.
If it were up to her, she’d much rather room with Dai Wen. Dai Wen didn’t pay much attention to the people around her, while Qin Yu had just pressed Lin Ziyao down onto her lap. If they ended up sharing a room too, Lin Ziyao couldn’t imagine what other tricks Qin Yu might pull.
But it seemed fate was determined to make things difficult for her.
“301?” Dai Wen read the room number she’d drawn, then looked around to see who her roommate would be.
“Huh? We’re roommates!” Feng Qiqi pulled out her lot. It also had 301 written on it.
That left Qin Yu and Lin Ziyao as roommates by default. Qin Yu didn’t need to draw.
And just when things couldn’t get any worse, the system’s next mission appeared.
【Please share a bed with one of the guests for a night】
Damn it!
