The two of them sat side by side, blending quietly into the group conversation. Yet the moment they joined, the atmosphere shifted—what had been warm and romantic turned abruptly tense. Everyone seemed to grow more reserved, careful with their words and expressions.
It didn't take long for the rest of the guests to find excuses to slip away one by one. Shen Xuanxuan leaned close to Lin Ruijiao and whispered apologetically, "Sorry, Sister Ruijiao, I can't help you this time."
With that, she and her male partner headed out for their task.
Lin Ruijiao gave a small, knowing smile and waved them off.
Now, once again, only the two of them remained in the room. Even the couples with no scheduled activities had disappeared elsewhere. Though they shared the same space, it felt as if an invisible wall separated them. They neither acknowledged each other's presence nor attempted to break the silence.
The livestream viewers, however, were riveted. No one dared to look away, wide-eyed and holding their breath as if afraid to miss a single moment.
Despite the unbearable tension, nothing actually happened. The two women simply stared at their phones in silence.
Even the livestream chat had quieted. Fans returned to subtly praising their favorites, before inevitably sparking yet another argument over something trivial—dragging out old grievances to settle scores in real-time.
Casual viewers, bored of the standoff, had long switched to other streams, leaving only the two fandoms locked in digital combat.
Eventually, Lin Ruijiao caught sight of a trending topic on Weibo. Shock gave way to exasperation. "This? This made the hot search?" Her head snapped toward the culprit—Ye Ruihuan lounged comfortably on the sofa, looking utterly relaxed, scrolling through her phone like she was on vacation.
Lin Ruijiao sighed and stood. "I'm going upstairs for a nap."
Ye Ruihuan rose as well, silently following her.
[??? What is happening? Why is Sister Ye following her??]
[What the hell? Why is she always trailing after our JiaoJiao?!]
[She's probably tired too! It's not that deep—stop making stuff up.]
[The bedrooms are in the same direction! What's she supposed to do, climb out the window? Sister Ye takes afternoon naps. It's just convenient.]
[...Birds of a feather. Shameless. Just shameless.]
The fans, unwilling to concede, clung to any defense they could muster, arguing pointlessly without backing down. Since the two were going to rest, the camera and mics were shut off. The livestream cut to other guests.
Upstairs, Lin Ruijiao pulled the curtains shut. The room darkened instantly. She turned toward Ye Ruihuan, arms crossed, expression tight.
"What now, JiaoJiao?" Ye Ruihuan asked gently, noting her irritation.
"What do you think?" Lin Ruijiao snapped. "Have you seen the hot search?"
Ye Ruihuan blinked, still clueless. "Hot search?"
"You seriously haven't looked?" Lin Ruijiao scowled.
"Hot search for what?" Ye Ruihuan asked, smile finally faltering.
"We're on Weibo's trending list because of the bathroom incident earlier." Lin Ruijiao's tone sharpened. "From now on, don't follow me around. And stop doing... weird things like that."
"...Okay." Ye Ruihuan forced a small smile and nodded.
"How many episodes did you sign up for?" Lin Ruijiao asked after a breath, trying to keep her anger in check.
"Two." Ye Ruihuan answered plainly.
"Then why did you even come on this show?" Lin Ruijiao's voice rose again, round eyes wide in frustration.
"Well... didn't you come too?" Ye Ruihuan softened her tone, offering a light smile. "I haven't appeared on this kind of program in a while. Thought I'd remind people I still exist..."
"Whatever." Lin Ruijiao flopped onto the bed, voice trailing off. "Just don't drag me into it."
"...It's not really my fault. Netizens like to overthink everything." Ye Ruihuan tried to placate her, sitting by the bed.
Lin Ruijiao didn't respond. She lay still, only a fluffy tuft of hair visible, eyes shut tight, ignoring the world.
Silence engulfed the room once more. Ye Ruihuan let out a helpless laugh, then lay down beside her. Well, at least we're still in the same space, she thought. "And I kissed her... that sweet little rabbit..."
Replaying the soft press of that earlier kiss in her mind, Ye Ruihuan drifted off with pink-tinted thoughts.
Lin Ruijiao, on the other hand, remained very much awake. This girl was nothing but trouble—reckless, unpredictable, and constantly stirring up drama.
"And she even kissed me thinking I was someone else..." The memory made her stomach turn. Her desire to terminate the contract flared up again. "Maybe in the next second, we'll have nothing to do with each other ever again." That'd be a relief.
With a long sigh, she finally succumbed to sleep.
By the time the sun dipped below the horizon, the others began trickling back in. They'd taken their time, clearly trying to avoid running into Ye Ruihuan.
Outside, the deep blue of dusk bled into the sky. Insects began to chirp louder, night taking over.
Dinner wouldn't be an issue tonight—tasks were completed, food was covered. But the obvious absence of two cast members didn't go unnoticed.
The crew informed them that Lin Ruijiao and Ye Ruihuan were still napping. The others exchanged glances, but no one volunteered to wake them.
"Xuanxuan, aren't you always glued to Sister Ruijiao? Why don't you check on her?" Meng Yi teased.
"...Huh?" Shen Xuanxuan blinked, visibly startled. She wasn't afraid of Sister Ruijiao—but Sister Ye, the new addition? That was another story.
"How about we rock-paper-scissors?" suggested Jin Yan, one of the male cast, with an easy smile. "Loser goes."
Everyone agreed without hesitation.
The livestream cut off right then.
[Wait, who lost??]
[Is Sister Ye really in there? Doubt.]
[Is Ruijiao in there too? Were they seriously together all this time?!]
[What even happened in that room? Someone spill already!]
[They haven't shown up at all—AHHH what's going on?!]
[WHY BLACK SCREEN NOW??]
[Same old tricks—this network always cuts livestreams at night...]
[Please! I'll pay! I'll subscribe! Just let me see!]
In the end, Jin Yan lost the game. With the grim resolve of a man walking to his doom, he knocked softly on their door.
"Who is it?" Lin Ruijiao's sleepy voice rang out. She switched on the light, blinking in the brightness. Ye Ruihuan sat up beside her, squinting.
"It's me, Sister Ruijiao, Sister Ye," Jin Yan said cheerfully. "Dinner's ready..."
"We'll be down in a bit," Lin Ruijiao replied promptly.
Ye Ruihuan got up without a word and made her way to the bathroom.
They ran into each other again at the sink. This time, Ye Ruihuan didn't try anything. She simply washed her face quietly beside Lin Ruijiao, trailing behind her like a well-behaved shadow.
She didn't talk much. She didn't need to. These people weren't her friends, no matter how much she knew about them. They didn't want to get close to her either—at best, they respected her, maybe feared her. It was odd, yes, but she was used to it. That's just what her public persona had become.
Not that she planned to change it. She didn't need to, and didn't care to. In their generation, only Dong Yulan and herself still had any standing in the industry.
The others noticed how closely Ye Ruihuan stuck to Lin Ruijiao, and their expressions flickered with doubt. "Were they really on such bad terms, as the rumors said? Or not?"
Everyone stood politely to greet them. The tension from before had eased somewhat—people were starting to adjust to Ye Ruihuan's presence.
She, in turn, kept her head down, quietly eating her meal with her usual faint smile.
Lin Ruijiao took the lead in conversation this time, doing her best to revive the mood.
"So, what did you all get up to this afternoon?" she asked, her gaze landing on Shen Xuanxuan.
"We just wandered around nearby, chatted, and enjoyed the breeze," Xuanxuan said with a grin.
"That sounds lovely." Lin Ruijiao smiled.