Chapter 32: The Greedy Deceiver Part 1

When Lian Mei approached the sofa, she saw seven people sitting there. Apart from Xie Moluo, everyone else was paired up, sitting two by two.

Seeing Lian Mei approach, everyone acted warmly, tilting their heads to greet her.

Among them was one person Lian Mei was rather familiar with—her former teammate, Wang Jianxi.

Lian Mei had originally intended to plop down directly on the sofa, but Xie Moluo signaled her with a look, reminding her to introduce herself first, as she was the youngest there.

Her wife had a request; there was no way Lian Mei could refuse. She walked over and smiled at everyone. “Hello everyone, I’m Lian Mei.”

After Lian Mei’s extremely brief self-introduction, the others also briefly introduced themselves to her, the last to arrive. Aside from Wang Jianxi’s female lover, Tang Su—a businesswoman from outside the entertainment circle—everyone else was in the industry.

The middle-aged actor Zhao Chun, who had a tough-guy image, and the middle-aged actress Wu Shuyi, known for her intellectual charm, were a married couple of ten years. The powerhouse male singer Han Hao and the beautiful, funny hostess Zhang Xingyan were a married couple of three years. The ace idol Wang Jianxi and the well-known businesswoman Tang Su were a newlywed couple of seven days. Adding the young couple Lian Mei and Xie Moluo, that made four couples, eight guests in total.

Two husband-wife couples and two wife-wife couples.

Wang Jianxi and Lian Mei hadn’t gotten along well when they were in the group together. Seeing Lian Mei arrive last, Wang Jianxi curved her lips into a smile. “Xiao Mei, after all this time, you still love to arrive just in the nick of time.”

Wang Jianxi was completely different from Lian Mei. She had debuted as the third-place winner in their girl group. With makeup, she was beautiful, and her sweet smile attracted countless fans who loved her for her looks. Moreover, Wang Jianxi was skilled at appearing to care for her teammates on camera, coming across as very gentle. After the limited-time group disbanded, Wang Jianxi secured many resources, both in fashion and film.

Lian Mei, on the other hand, couldn’t make it in the entertainment industry and could only work as a resident singer in a small bar.

Many netizens compared the two of them back then. Both were the visual pillars of the group, so why was the gap between them so huge?

Heaven had eyes, it seemed. An idol like Lian Mei, who debuted purely on her looks, eventually faded into obscurity.

Lian Mei looked at her flatly. “Weren’t you the one who taught me? ‘Arriving early is a waste of time. It’s what idiots do.’ I’ve remembered that line.”

The faces of the several people who had arrived earlier stiffened for a moment.

Those words were an indirect slap to their faces! They’d come early, and now they were being labeled idiots?

The people around shifted their gazes to Wang Jianxi, their eyes filled with strong disapproval.

These younger generations really have no sense of propriety!

Wang Jianxi’s face paled slightly. She lowered her gaze, pursed her lips, and grabbed her wife Tang Su’s arm. Looking wronged, she said to Lian Mei, “I never said anything like that. Maybe you’re remembering wrong. Someone else must have told you that.”

Lian Mei shrugged, not replying. She directly plopped down next to Xie Moluo, placing the bag containing their toiletries beside her. No one paid attention to the bag.

Lian Mei’s disregard made Wang Jianxi grind her back teeth, but on the surface, she maintained a gentle smile and said nothing more.

Although no one from the Production Team was following them with cameras, the show certainly wasn’t ignoring them. The moment they entered this Western-style Villa, filming should have already begun. Since no obvious cameras were visible, it meant the Production Team had likely installed many Hidden Cameras around the villa. Their every move was being recorded.

Wang Jianxi wouldn’t let a momentary burst of anger destroy the persona she’d so carefully built up over time.

The living room fell into an awkward silence for a moment. It was the female host Zhang Xingyan who picked up the conversation. She laughed and said, “Based on the first two seasons, Han Hao and I guessed this season would be filming in some remote mountain area. We never expected to be sent to a big villa! Haha, maybe the earlier seasons got criticized so much for the poor conditions that they’re giving us a nicer environment this time?”

Her husband, the singer Han Hao, chimed in, “Our guess wasn’t completely off, actually. Look, this villa is in the middle of nowhere, right? No one around. It’s pretty bleak too.”

Han Hao had just meant to lighten the mood by adding a comment, but the more he spoke, the more he felt the location itself was eerie.

What rich person in their right mind would build a villa in a place like this? Personal safety wouldn’t even be guaranteed.

Except for Lian Mei, who seemed to be spacing out on the sofa, the other seven felt a prickle of unease.

However, once someone started talking, others quickly joined in. They chatted about interesting things, trying to help everyone relax. After all, the four couples would be recording together for four days and three nights. It wouldn’t look good to start off on the wrong foot.

Behind the scenes, at the Production Team’s monitors: Fight, fight! The more conflict, the better!

Just as the conversation was picking up, an elderly man in a Zhongshan suit descended from the upper floor. He smiled kindly at the eight guests. “Welcome home, eight Masters. I am the Butler here. You may call me Old Chen. I was just attending to some matters upstairs and have only now finished. Please do not mind.”

The Butler was clearly an NPC arranged by the Production Team. How could anyone actually mind? Most people quickly shook their heads. “No problem, no problem…”

The minority—Lian Mei—leaning against Xie Moluo, directly asked, “Butler Chen, what were you doing upstairs just now?”

The Butler paused briefly, then looked at Lian Mei and smiled. “Knowing that the eight Masters would be arriving, I specially prepared four gifts for you upstairs.”

“Four?” The middle-aged actress Wu Shuyi said. “So that’s one for each couple?”

The Butler nodded with a smile.

“So, can we go get them now, or do we have to complete some task first?” Zhang Xingyan asked.

The show wouldn’t be that easy. Usually, tasks had to be completed to earn rewards. A smooth, effortless show wouldn’t have much to watch. Sometimes, the more a show tormented its guests, the higher the viewership.

Many netizens, after a hard day’s work, just want to come home and watch something relaxing. Shows that messed with celebrity guests always made them laugh.

The Butler gave a subtle smile and sidestepped the question. He beamed, “It’s already noon. You must all be hungry. Let’s eat first.”

He then clapped his hands twice at ear level. The four Maids who had been waiting at the door earlier came in, each carrying trays of delicious dishes, which they placed on the round table in the dining room.

The Butler warmly welcomed them. “Please, take your seats. This is your first lunch in the villa. I hope the dishes suit your tastes.”

The eight moved from the living room to the dining area. Seeing the round table, they were instantly shocked.

The dishes included both Chinese and Western cuisines. Steak sat next to scrambled eggs with tomatoes. Salad was placed beside red bean cake. Desserts and congee were together. Red wine and white wine were side-by-side…

Such a mix of Chinese and Western styles was something none of them had ever seen before.

The Butler still wore his genial smile and explained, “We didn’t inquire about everyone’s dietary preferences beforehand, so we asked the chef to prepare a bit of everything.”

Once the eight were seated, a Maid brought eight glasses of wine or beverages: red wine, white wine, milk, and orange juice, two glasses of each.

The Butler said, “Please choose whichever you like, and then let’s raise our glasses to celebrate your arrival.”

The Maid first approached the tough-guy and sexy-actress couple. Zhao Chun, taking charge, chose two glasses of white wine. Next came the singer and host couple, who chose two glasses of red wine.

Wang Jianxi chose two glasses of milk, smiling softly. “I can’t really hold my liquor. Milk is better. Sister Tang, what about you?”

Tang Su smiled. “Of course, I’ll have the same as you.”

Wang Jianxi smiled sweetly.

Lian Mei and Xie Moluo exchanged a glance. Well, well. The wife-wife persona they were building had collided directly with the other couple…

All that was left for Lian Mei and Xie Moluo were two glasses of orange juice. Lian Mei sniffed lightly. It was normal orange juice. The entire glass was clean, with no unusual traces.

Everyone raised their glasses, took a sip, and set them down, then began lunch. Every dish was amazing, definitely five-star quality. Everyone ate heartily.

Zhang Xingyan kept picking up vegetable dishes. “It’s so delicious! Everyone, eat up. Who knows what the Production Team will feed us next? Their directing crew is notorious for messing with the guests.”

“Then we should eat more, to store up Energy,” Wang Jianxi said with a laugh. She then peeled a shrimp for her businesswoman wife, Tang Su, dipped it in sauce, and brought it to Tang Su’s lips, cooing, “This shrimp is so good. Have one too.”

Tang Su glanced up at Lian Mei, who was focused on peeling a crab, then turned and ruffled Wang Jianxi’s hair. “Thanks, Darling.”

“Wow, you two are so sweet! Newlyweds really are the most sickeningly sweet!” Zhang Xingyan said with perfect timing.

Wang Jianxi’s eyes curved into crescents. “Sister Tang has always spoiled me. That’s why I wanted to marry her.”

Seemingly by accident, Wang Jianxi’s gaze fell on Lian Mei and Xie Moluo. She smiled. “After all, marriage should be for love. A loveless marriage only leads to eventual resentment.”

She then turned to Zhang Xingyan, the best at livening up the atmosphere. “Sister Xingyan, don’t you think so?”

Everyone present immediately caught the pointed implication in her words. They stole subtle glances at the silent Lian Mei and Xie Moluo. After all, just the night before filming started, Weibo had been circulating photos of Lian Mei allegedly meeting her Little Lover.

People sighed inwardly. Xie Moluo was quite naive, a poor judge of character.

Xie Moluo smiled on the surface, speaking up for the first time to agree. “Sister Wang makes a good point. One truly should marry for love.”

She looked at the plate of seafood in front of Lian Mei—nearly piled high with shelled meat—and smiled faintly. “Stop peeling. I can’t finish all that.”

While Xie Moluo smiled and spoke, her hand under the table rested on Lian Mei’s thigh, signaling her to hand over that plate of seafood immediately.