Chapter 21: Breakneck Speed

Qiu Chao’s expression was so out of character right now that Yan Muyu shot her a glance before looking over at Qiu Siyuan.

The silver-haired woman who was still wearing a long-sleeved windbreaker despite the summer heat had already made her way to the equipment setup and was now urging the guests inside.

“Go on and take a look at the house where you’ll be staying for the next twenty-odd days.”

Yan Muyu’s gaze lingered on Qiu Chao.

But Qiu Chao just hugged her arm. “Come on, Manager.”

Pei Wan and Ding Yingxue walked ahead.

It wasn’t as if they hadn’t watched variety shows before—most of them scouted locations during the day. But now it was pitch black outside, and these rustic houses looked downright creepy no matter what.

There were piles of clutter right by the doorway.

Qiu Siyuan, off-camera, grabbed a megaphone and shouted, “Push the door open.”

Her voice was rough, like a busted gong, completely at odds with her stylish face. It sounded like her vocal cords had been in a car wreck—positively painful to hear.

The door was wooden and looked weathered by years of wind and rain, complete with wormholes.

The light above it was an old pear-shaped bulb, and a spider was still industriously spinning its web in the dead of night. When the camera panned over it, the viewers were stunned.

[Anyone clueless would think this was a haunted house expedition.]

[I thought I was tuning in for a sunny pastoral variety show…]

[Yingxue is so clingy with her sister…]

[Qiu Chao, aren’t you hugging a bit too tight? What was that about what Director Qiu just said?]

[Feels like there’s some backstory? Or is it scripted?]

[Seeing Qiu Siyuan tells me the scripting is minimal—she shoots super casually.]

[Where’s her go-to writer? Did they really break up?]

Yan Muyu pushed the door open. The wooden door creaked and groaned in the dead of night, but lights flickered on once it swung wide.

The stone threshold was high, and Yan Muyu lifted her leg to step over it. The close-up shot of her back highlighted her tall, slender figure as she became the first to enter.

The house looked rundown on the outside, but the inside wasn’t quite as bad. It was clear the production team had shown a bit of mercy—they’d at least tidied it up somewhat.

The courtyard was dry, and the water jar was only half full.

Qiu Siyuan announced, “There are three rooms in total. Pick whichever ones you like.”

Yan Muyu let out an “ah” and whipped her head back around. “You mean I have to room with Qiu Chao?”

Qiu Siyuan, off-camera, shrugged. She looked cold, and the mountain wind whistling through the open door wasn’t helping.

The house wasn’t exactly modern. The pillars had a strong vintage feel, covered in who-knows-what, even bearing height marks from measuring a child over the years.

The floor had at least been redone—nice and level.

Pei Wan and Ding Yingxue weren’t surprised at all. Even when Ding Yingxue was filming on set, Pei Wan stuck by her side the whole time.

Ding Yingxue hadn’t had a single scandal in all these years, making her one of the most reassuring idols for fans.

Qiu Chao stood beside Yan Muyu. “So, do you want to bunk with Miss Pei Wan instead?”

Yan Muyu glanced at Pei Wan, but the next second, Ding Yingxue latched onto her sister’s arm. “No way! My sister has to room with me.”

Her stance made it seem like Yan Muyu was trying to steal her wife.

Yan Muyu twitched her lips. “Of course not. Don’t worry, little sister.”

[Ding Yingxue is way too attached to her sister.]

[Did Ding Yingxue really sabotage Pei Wan’s boyfriend? Is that true?]

[Yan Muyu, why turn up your nose at Qiu Chao? If you won’t sleep with her, I will!]

[Qiu Chao brings this ambient vibe wherever she stands… These two sharing a room with that kind of dynamic—won’t they end up fighting?]

[The sister-in-law duo still has the most potential. Yan Muyu gets so chummy with people she just met.]

Pei Wan and Ding Yingxue chose the first room on the left, and Yan Muyu followed them in to check it out.

The lights were the pull-string kind. Two beds, a table, a wardrobe—all in a rustic log-cabin style with a bit of distressed finish.

Yan Muyu turned to Qiu Chao. “You pick.”

Qiu Chao smiled at her. “You pick. I’m sleeping with you anyway—no choice in the matter.”

Her words sounded so aggrieved that Yan Muyu took a deep breath and let it go.

She pulled Qiu Chao out of the room. “You choose. I’m going to check the kitchen.”

Yan Muyu already looked drained, but even with the follow-cam shoved right in her face, it didn’t diminish the natural perfection of her features.

She glanced at Qiu Siyuan standing off to the side. Not caring that the woman was the director, she dragged her into conversation anyway.

“When did you get here?”

Qiu Siyuan: “A few days ago.”

Yan Muyu: “That explains it. You didn’t tell me a thing. What kind of boss does that make me…”

She let out a laugh. “Utterly powerless.”

Qiu Siyuan was holding a megaphone and her phone, monitoring the live stream in real time.

The show had strong viewer interaction and even allowed guests to check the live feedback.

Qiu Siyuan: “This is working out great. You’ve been living the pampered life for years—time to rough it up a bit.”

Her voice was always rough, but she dressed cool as hell and even had prominent tiger teeth.

Qiu Chao eyed the two women’s backs just as Pei Wan emerged and noticed her gaze. She asked Qiu Chao, “Does Young Boss Yan know Director Qiu from before?”

[Me too, I’m curious!!]

[Why does Pei Wan have such an aloof vibe? She’s so slim, like a stiff breeze could knock her over…]

[Qiu Chao, my darling wife—she hasn’t said much at all.]

[Feels like Director Qiu knows Qiu Chao too.]

Qiu Chao: “They were high school classmates.”

Pei Wan looked a bit surprised and pressed, “Do you know Director Qiu as well?”

Qiu Chao: “Years ago, I attended an event for an overseas brand, and Director Qiu’s… close friend was the designer.”

There was a clear pause in her words, but Pei Wan got the picture.

“I see.”

[Close friend? You mean that fashion designer Zhan Xing? Wasn’t she her girlfriend?]

[Qiu Siyuan doesn’t strike me as straight…]

[Does Yan Muyu?]

[Are they into women???]

Over there, Yan Muyu checked out the kitchen and found the most primitive kind of stove—one that required firewood to cook. Twin giant woks had her covering her face.

Qiu Siyuan chuckled through her megaphone. “That despairing already? I love that feeling.”

[So mean.]

[You can tell they go way back.]

[Someone dug up Yan Muyu’s old socials on Weibo—yep, photos with Qiu Siyuan…]

[I checked it out!! So youthful! Film photos too—how was Yan Muyu giving off playboy vibes at seventeen?]

[Campus romance vibes incoming.]

[I’m already worried none of these three pairs can cook…]

[Three pampered young ladies: Yan Muyu the real heiress, Ding Yingxue the spoiled sweet idol, and the incoming Xi Xi the corporate princess…]

[The pressure’s on the other three…]

[Can you bear to watch Qiu Chao cook?]

[Can you bear to watch Pei Wan cook? She’s a PhD holder! My academic fetish is tingling.]

Yan Muyu: “Not surprised it’s you. So, Director Qiu, what’s next on the torture menu?”

She’d seen the proposal beforehand and didn’t care that they were live.

Qiu Siyuan’s presence meant no rigid scripting—they could wing it.

Yan Muyu had been in the car all day; her shirt was wrinkled, her hair a mess, but she still photographed beautifully.

No fancy lighting, just the kitchen’s dim yellow glow. As she eyed the sparse veggies in the fridge, she remarked, “With tea gardens all over these hills, we won’t have to pick tea, will we?”

She hadn’t checked the backyard yet, but she figured there’d be vegetable plots too.

Yan Muyu sighed.

Qiu Siyuan: “That’d be too boring. There’s a whole mountain out back for sheep.”

[Is it what I’m thinking?]

[Sorry, but I wanna see rich kids herding sheep…]

Qiu Siyuan: “You didn’t see the pigsty outside?”

Yan Muyu let out an “oh.” “Forgot—it’s not lit.”

Yan Muyu: “And I’m doing all this?”

The camera was only on Yan Muyu, but Ding Yingxue’s voice calling for Pei Wan drifted in from the other side.

Midway through, Liu Song and Xi Xi arrived—their car had broken down en route.

Each dragged a suitcase inside and immediately marveled at the house’s layout.

“This is my first time seeing a place like this.”

Xi Xi was nearing forty, her age showing, but she radiated the effortless allure of a mature woman.

“How’s it your first? Sister Xi, you forgot that Chinese New Year when you took me to the countryside?”

Liu Song made her living with her voice; even without a mic, she sounded refreshingly warm.

The six finally exchanged proper greetings, and Qiu Chao picked a room.

Yan Muyu didn’t speak to her, silently hauling her suitcase inside.

In the main hall sat a long wooden table. Ding Yingxue and Pei Wan were side by side, waiting for everyone to gather so the production team could announce the rules.

Ding Yingxue was still buzzing with excitement, her eyes tracking Qiu Chao.

Qiu Chao was a film star she’d admired for years, but meeting her in person, she found the woman quieter than expected.

Her gaze was friendly, but somehow distant.

Yet Qiu Chao was different with Yan Muyu. Even among all these first-time acquaintances, the two of them standing together carried this inexplicable, tantalizing vibe that piqued everyone’s curiosity.

Pei Wan nudged Ding Yingxue. “Stop staring. It’s too obvious.”

Yan Muyu and Qiu Chao weren’t talking at all, but she’d just chatted amiably with Liu Song.

With the mics not handed out yet, Ding Yingxue huddled close to Pei Wan and whispered, “Think those two will fight? Their relationship seems rocky.”

Ding Yingxue had her hair tied back with a braid dangling down—pure youthful energy.

The total opposite of her sister’s vibe, and the kind that drew affection from other women.

Pei Wan: “No way. Young Boss Yan might not be talking to Qiu Chao, but wasn’t it her carrying the luggage inside?”

Liu Song and Xi Xi were also tidying up their rooms, waiting for Yan Muyu to emerge. Then Qiu Siyuan announced the first order of business.

“Please leave just five essential items in your suitcases. The production team will take care of the rest of your luggage.”

“Ah? Why didn’t you say so earlier!” Ding Yingxue blurted out.

Pei Wan tugged her back down. “Five items? Isn’t that too few?”

Liu Song took it in stride and glanced at her own manager. Xi Xi had even brought an electric hot pot.

Yan Muyu, who had just hauled Qiu Chao’s ridiculously heavy suitcase inside, burst back out. “Qiu Siyuan, have you lost your mind? Five items?”

【Yan Muyu’s totally speaking for everyone here, right?】

【I’m terrified she’s gonna throw down with the director…】

【Is Qiu Siyuan moonlighting as the MC too?】

【Her voice is… seriously one of a kind.】

Qiu Siyuan let out a laugh. “You’ve got a twenty-minute time limit. Anyone who hasn’t decided by then, the production team will handle it for you.”

【Savage.】

【Things are heating up!】

Yan Muyu, who had already stepped one leg over the threshold, whipped right back into the room.

She left just a crack for the follow cam. “Are you blurring the luggage on the live stream? If not, you can film through the door slit.”

【She looks seriously intimidating when she’s not smiling!】

【Does no one else think Yan Muyu’s like a total vixen? (In a good way.) Haven’t seen someone this otherworldly in ages.】

【And Qiu Chao got shoved right back in…】

Qiu Chao had three suitcases in total—small, medium, and large. Once they were all laid out, the room felt a lot more crowded.

Yan Muyu turned her back to the door and eyed the cameras inside. There were five of them, and none had switched on yet.

“What did you bring that’s got you in such a rush?” Qiu Chao asked.

The mics picked up a jumble of noise, so the audience could hear Qiu Chao’s voice but not quite make out her exact words.

Yan Muyu popped open her own suitcase and swiftly pulled out the unnecessary stuff.

“I didn’t bring much,” she said while working. “You, on the other hand—hurry it up.”

Yan Muyu stared at Qiu Chao’s massive pile of clothes and fell silent for a long moment.

“Do the clothes count toward the five?” Qiu Chao asked. “Will the production team provide more?”

“Of course they count,” Yan Muyu replied. “That nutjob Qiu Siyuan’s probably already schemed with the sponsors to outfit us.”

She set aside the coffee packets she’d brought, then chucked out the egg rolls Yan Tianxing had snuck in.

“Doesn’t matter anyway. I look good in anything.”

【I caught that line.】

【Way too confident!!】

“What about pajamas?” Qiu Chao pressed.

Yan Muyu didn’t even look up. She was about to snap that it was none of her business when Qiu Chao added, “Little Yan, can I borrow your pajamas?”