Chapter 94 Part 1

Every villa in this villa district had a garden. Inside Love Cottage’s garden stood a massive banyan tree that took up nearly half the space. A little tree house perched in its branches, hidden under layers of foliage. Unless you looked closely, it was hard to spot.

In the production team’s script, this little tree house was a key prop in post-production to advance the romantic lines between male and female guests. One pair was supposed to confess their feelings inside it. The team had put a lot of effort into decorating it, with every detail exquisite. This live episode marked its debut.

Lu Rui stood under the banyan tree and looked up at the little tree house.

The directors had told her that the key to today’s live game segment was securing the one and only Date Card out of the thirty task cards. Whoever got it had to complete the hint task on the card first, then they could invite any guest on a date—and the invitee couldn’t refuse.

A wooden ladder led from the ground to the tree house, but it wasn’t outside. Otherwise, the tree house would have been too obvious. If someone had found it before Lu Rui and snagged that unique Date Card, the whole script would fall apart.

The production team’s plan was for Lu Rui to get the Date Card, then pass it to Xu Xingche. After he completed the task on it, he’d invite her on a date, forming the show’s first official CP.

Romance show scripts usually followed a rhythmic progression. Reaching this point meant that CP was locked in—they’d fast-tracked to being together, paving the way for more dramatic, explosive plotlines ahead.

If she could lock in a CP with Xu Xingche early, the audience would see them as a couple. From this episode on, they’d be tied together, and they’d get way more screen time.

And most importantly…

Lu Rui stood under the banyan tree and turned her gaze to Xu Xingche, about ten steps away.

She and Xu Xingche had spent a few days together last week, including their last date shoot. To be fair, he was incredibly gentle and considerate. Being around him felt comfortable.

She actually preferred Yi Jing. She knew he had connections in the industry and had heard about how he’d quit the shoot last time only to be persuaded back by the directors. He was tough, but that also meant he had the capital to be so willful.

Lu Rui’s scrutinizing gaze lingered on Xu Xingche for a moment before she looked away. She did have feelings for him. If Yi Jing didn’t work out, Xu Xingche was a solid choice.

But not the best one.

Xu Xingche paid no attention to Lu Rui’s inner machinations. Not far from the banyan tree, a small man-made lake glittered in the garden, spanned by a little artificial bridge. He stood on the bridge, peering into the water. He seemed utterly uninterested in the game, lost in whatever he was staring at.

At that moment, Bai Rou and Qin Yang were lounging on a hammock at the other end of the garden, while Yi Jing and Leng Xiang were on the opposite side, out of sight. This was the perfect opportunity—before anyone noticed, she needed to grab that Date Card.

But she had no ladder.

Lu Rui glanced at the entranced Xu Xingche, a bit annoyed, but she called out to him anyway. “Brother Xingche.”

Xu Xingche finally looked up in a daze, turning to her.

Lu Rui smiled sweetly. “I think there’s a tree house up in this tree. I want to check it out.”

Xu Xingche walked down from the bridge to the tree and looked up. He vaguely made out a tree house and responded, “Huh?”

Lu Rui’s smile stayed sweet, but inwardly she was rolling her eyes.

Did she have to spell it out?

Was he an idiot?

Viewers watching the live stream found the pair adorable—one so obvious, the other clueless. They flooded the barrage with laughter.

“This is exactly like my boyfriend…”

“Hahaha, so straight, so straight. How’s he gonna survive like this?”

“I’m kinda looking forward to what happens if they actually get together…”

“But Xu Xingche like this is so cute! I’m stanning him!”

Seeing he still didn’t get it, Lu Rui smiled and prompted, “Can you grab a ladder for me? I want to go up.”

As she spoke, she turned to the cameraman. “Is there a ladder to climb up?”

The cameraman shook the camera up and down.

Xu Xingche finally caught on. After asking nearby staff, he headed back to Love Cottage to fetch a ladder.

Lu Rui smiled while rolling her eyes inwardly. Why had she ever thought Xu Xingche was gentle?

He was straight as an arrow and dense as a brick—the kind of big straight guy who couldn’t understand unless you spelled it out.

But… kinda cute.

Lu Rui waited under the tree, idly lost in thought, when Bai Rou and Qin Yang approached from the hammock area.

They’d searched the hammock spot thoroughly and found two regular cards—nothing special. Now they wanted to check this side for discoveries.

Ever since the last live episode shattered the production team’s persona for her, Bai Rou had reverted to her hyper, lively self—like a wild rabbit on the loose. She didn’t hold back in front of the cameras. In a great mood that day, she beamed at Lu Rui. “How’s it going over here? Find anything?”

Lu Rui’s heart sank.

The barrage lit up.

“Lu Rui doesn’t look like she wants to tell Bai Rou about the tree house. Suspicious.”

“That tree house definitely has something…”

“Romance shows are all scripted. Everyone knows.”

“Maybe Lu Rui knew about the tree house beforehand?”

“No way the script is this blatant, right?”

“Bet it is, hahaha.”

The directors in the basement, glued to the barrage, frantically signaled staff. A nearby worker got the message and wildly gestured at Lu Rui.

Irritated but helpless, Lu Rui was about to spill about the tree house when Bai Rou shifted under the tree and looked up.

Bai Rou said, “Hey, there’s a little house up in the tree.”

Qin Yang crowded in for a look. “Where? I don’t see it. Oh, there is! A tree house?”

Bai Rou nodded. “Seems like it.”

Lu Rui chimed in with a smile, “I just noticed it too. Wanted to check it out, so I sent Brother Xingche for a ladder.”

Qin Yang eyed the height. The little tree house sat midway up the massive banyan, pretty high up. A regular ladder might not reach.

Qin Yang remarked, “That’s pretty high.”

Lu Rui laughed. “Feels romantic, though. A tree house for napping in later.”

Bai Rou stayed quiet beside them. She stared at the tree house for a while, then examined the trunk, rubbing it with her hand.

Lu Rui watched her curiously. “What are you doing?”

Bai Rou replied, “You can climb this straight up. Good friction—no ladder needed.”

Lu Rui: “…”

The barrage exploded in laughter.

“Mom, my Bai-jie is just badass! Awesome!”

“Thinking of Rourou topping the rock wall in three seconds flat at the gym… She’s not wrong.”

“Hahaha, if this is scripted, it’s the funniest script ever!”

Bai Rou wore athletic clothes that day—nothing restrictive. She rolled up her sleeves, borrowed a rubber band from staff, tied back her long hair, and hiked her sleeves higher, revealing forearms with faint muscle lines.

“Mommy so A! I’m losing it, dying, slamming into walls for her!!!”

“Aaaah, flat on my back for Bai-jie! Go up—me!!”

“Bai-jie rules! Bai-jie mighty!!”

Lu Rui burned with anxiety. If Bai Rou climbed up, what then? The tree house held that crucial Date Card!

She grabbed Bai Rou’s arm, her smile strained. “Too dangerous. Let’s wait for the ladder—Brother Xingche should be back soon.”

Bai Rou smiled at her. “It’s fine. I’ve rock climbed for over a decade. Climbing a tree? Piece of cake.”

Her fingers subtly pressed the mic clipped to her collar, muting it from picking up her voice. She whispered, “There’s something up there, right?”

“I saw you in your pajamas heading to the basement that night.”

Lu Rui’s pupils shrank. She stared at Bai Rou in disbelief.

Bai Rou smiled again, a sly glint in her eyes.

“They edited me as the homewrecker, but between you and me, who do you think Xu Xingche would pick?”

Lu Rui paled, staring up at her, lips trembling. “You…”

Bai Rou ignored her. She rubbed the trunk again, planted her foot, and with clever leverage, scrambled up agilely.

The whole climb took less than two minutes. She reached the tree house door, ducked inside, then looked down, waving excitedly at the group below. “This place is so fun!”

Qin Yang yelled up, “Be careful!”

Lu Rui whipped around to the staff in panic. They were stunned too—the script wasn’t playing out like this. Bai Rou’s stunt had thrown everything into chaos. The directors in the basement hadn’t anticipated this after dealing with Yi Jing.

Gao Qin slammed the script onto the table, glaring furiously at the live feed.

One after another, were they all rebelling?

The barrage, oblivious to the storm in the control room, kept laughing.

“Hahaha, this show is too fun!”

“I came for Sisi, but got hooked on another girl.”

“Bai Rou started with that ladylike persona—must’ve been suffocating, hahaha!”

“Love these unhinged shows. Chicken legs for the directors!”

“Look, Xu Xingche’s back with the ladder, hahaha—so funny!”

Xu Xingche arrived with the ladder, but everyone was frozen—no one helped set it up.

He set it aside, sensing something off. “What’s going on?”

Suddenly, Bai Rou’s voice called from the tree.

“Xu Xingche, over here!”

He looked up. Bai Rou poked her head out of the tree house, waving excitedly.

Xu Xingche laughed and shouted back, “How’d you get up there?”

Bai Rou yelled, “Climbed!”

Xu Xingche chuckled. “Too dangerous!”

Bai Rou called, “No worries! Wait—I found a card inside. I’m tossing it down! Catch, Xu Xingche!”

Xu Xingche blinked, and then a light pink card fluttered down from the tree.

The legendary Date Card.

Jiang Sisi had shown up at some point, arms crossed, watching it all unfold.

She stayed off-camera. A follow-cam captured her, but only the basement directors could see that feed—not the main live stream.

She was close enough to clearly see Bai Rou’s excitement in the tree house.

Even without her interference, the show wasn’t going to follow Gao Qin’s smooth script.