Forced Cohabitation After a Hit Romance Variety Show with My Rival Actress - Chapter 13

After the guests gave brief introductions, the live chat went wild. Suddenly, a sound came from outside the door.

Ding-dong!

The doorbell rang, its chime echoing through the vast villa living room.

The house was so large that the sound seemed to come from all directions, likely a deliberate trick by the production team.

As the youngest, Chi Yu volunteered to open the door. “Sisters, please stay seated. I’ll get it.”

She understood her position as the youngest and least established member of the group, and knew it was best to take initiative with errands.

Her naturally sweet and approachable demeanor, with her eyes curving into crescents when she smiled, made her eagerness to help particularly endearing.

Lu Wenrui spoke for the group, “On behalf of everyone, thank you, Sister Chi Yu.”

As expected, Chi Yu’s warm smile had a strong impact. The live chat praised her for being considerate and sensible.

Many viewers also speculated whether the production team was up to some new mischief.

Their suspicions proved correct.

Chi Yu opened the villa’s wooden door, but no one was there.

Only a delivery box sat quietly on the porch, bearing the show’s prominent logo.

It was undoubtedly a Task Card.

The camera at the entrance silently recorded Chi Yu’s reaction as she noticed the box on the ground.

—At first, she raised an eyebrow in mild curiosity.

But in the end, she picked up the small box and returned to the living room.

“There’s a package,” she said, glancing at the room full of expectant eyes. Clutching the box, she walked to the round table.

Lin Yihan tilted his head, studying the cardboard box she placed on the table.

“The production team is delivering the Task Cards by courier this time. It must be a major challenge, right?”

Chi Yu set the box down calmly, not intending to open it yet. The first shot of someone reading the Task Card usually gets the most screen time.

Unexpectedly, Gu Yuan looked up and said, “Chi Yu, why don’t you open the package?”

Chi Yu…

In that moment, Chi Yu felt an indescribable pang in her heart.

Gu Yuan had always called her “Haohao” before.

She didn’t move, but Lu Wenrui blinked her big eyes and said, “I think ‘Haohao’ sounds more affectionate. Should we all call you ‘Haohao’ like Sister Feiyu does?”

“Sure,” Chi Yu replied.

“Okay!”

Chi Yu tilted her head, her radiant smile catching the sunlight streaming through the window. The warm glow bathed her cheeks, making her smile particularly infectious.

Lu Wenrui led the charge: “Haohao~”

After saying this, she nudged the silent Li Tianyin. Li Tianyin remained quiet until Lin Yihan called out “Haohao,” then she finally echoed, “Haohao.”

Gu Yuan maintained her gentle smile. “Go ahead and open it, Chi Yu.”

Now everyone was calling Chi Yu “Haohao,” except for Gu Yuan, who used to shower her with the nickname, weaving it into every other sentence. Now, she addressed her formally as “Chi Yu.”

Chi Yu’s long eyelashes fluttered slightly. Finally, she smiled, the corners of her lips curving upward. “Then I’ll start!”

Her tone was enough to charm anyone who didn’t know her well.

It was like clasping her hands together, smiling sweetly, and saying, “Then I’ll dig in!”—making you want to pinch her fair cheeks.

Ruan Feiyu watched Chi Yu’s constant smiles, while the comments section overflowed with praise. This was a complete reversal from the pre-broadcast mockery and resentment.

The misunderstanding had been cleared up: Gu Yuan and Ruan Feiyu were the real couple, and Chi Yu was just an innocent pawn, a pitiful casualty in their love story.

With a rip, the packaging of the delivery box was torn open. Chi Yu tipped out the contents: an envelope and four sets of keys, each with a folded card attached.

“Hmm? Four sets of keys?”

Each set was distinct. There were gold keys, silver keys, and two sets that looked like children’s toys, clearly not meant for unlocking doors.

For a first-time guest on Love’s Heartbeat, these items might not seem particularly significant.

But for viewers seasoned by years of dating reality shows, the purpose was immediately clear.

Hahaha! Still watching? The first challenge is coming!

They’re going to be stunned when they read the letter! You’ll be assigned rooms based on your performance in the challenge!

A classic move! This devoted fan offers a packet of spicy noodles, hoping Sister Ruan Feiyu and Best Actress Gu Yuan get the sexy king-size bed room—and forget to remove their mics and turn off the cameras!

……

Chi Yu glanced around, but no one reacted.

Left with no choice, she picked up the envelope, opened it, and pulled out a letter printed on stationery with the show’s logo on the back.

“Welcome to your first day at our destination! To conserve your precious energy, please enjoy a leisurely lunch. This afternoon, we’ll head to the Water Extreme Sports Amusement Park. Your final ‘Love’s Heartbeat’ scores will determine your room assignments for the night.”

“We’ve prepared four types of accommodations: a starry hammock, an elegant floor mat, a secluded tent room, and a luxurious king-size bed room. Give your all in the extreme entertainment!”

Finally, it made sense why some of the keys looked like children’s toys—they were merely decorative.

What use would a hammock or floor mat have for a key?

“……”

“Wait a minute…” Lin Yihan raised his hand. “The last thing you read—’extreme entertainment’?”

Li Tianyin asked, “An aquatic extreme sports amusement park?”

Chi Yu glanced down at the letter again, then nodded and passed it around for everyone to see.

Having frequently participated in extreme sports before, she remained relatively calm.

The others, however, were far from composed.

Lu Wenrui read the letter and immediately tossed it onto the table. She covered her face and leaned back in her chair, her expression one of utter despair. “No wonder my fans kept warning me to be careful on the supertopic before I came. They said the production team was particularly… that way. I never imagined they’d ramp up the intensity on the very first day!”

“Heavens! We have to earn our accommodations based on performance?”

“…Extreme sports on the first day? And it’s aquatic?” Ruan Feiyu frowned. “Isn’t this a bit too desperate for ratings?”

The live stream chat erupted in agreement:

Hahaha, perfectly worded! It’s all about the ratings! See? They’re making you exchange the Heartbeat Coins you earned through extreme sports for housing on day one!

LOL, I’m dying! I know what Lu Wenrui wanted to say. She meant the production team is a bunch of dogs! And they are! They flew us here, fed us a fancy meal, and now they’re treating us like cattle!

Great! The beautiful sisters are doing extreme sports—on the water! I’m so excited I’m rubbing my hands together.

Following the prominent signs in the villa, everyone arrived at the dining hall.

A dazzling array of delicacies covered the long island counter.

For a moment, the sight of the food stirred mixed feelings in everyone’s hearts.

Lu Wenrui: “I’m done. I don’t even want to eat anymore.”

“I’m worried I’ll just throw it all up during the extreme sports later. What’s the point of eating?”

After she spoke, no one else sat down to eat either.

Chi Yu, however, was hungry. She was the first to take a seat, picking up a piece of kung pao chicken with her chopsticks and popping it into her mouth.

The food’s excellent flavor pleased Chi Yu’s taste buds. She chewed slowly, her eyes closing in blissful contentment.

Her actions spoke louder than words: the food was delicious.

The second person to sit down was Gu Yuan.

With elegant posture, she delicately pierced some vegetable salad with her silver fork, placed it on her plate, and began to eat slowly.

“…”

“Your mental fortitude is impressive,” Lu Wenrui said, her face crumbling. “But how can you even eat? How do you maintain such a positive mindset?”

Ruan Feiyu stood to the side, frowning. “I can’t eat either. My skin is UV-sensitive.”

“Alright, alright. Why are you still eating…?”

Chi Yu swallowed a mouthful of Kung Pao chicken and reached for another plate of exquisitely prepared squirrel-shaped mandarin fish with her serving chopsticks.

“Ah, I’m hungry,” she said, picking up a piece of fish and setting down the serving chopsticks. She then picked up her own chopsticks. “If you’re hungry, you eat. Isn’t that just common sense?”

Girl, that relaxed attitude is seriously impressive!

She’s right, though. Isn’t living all about eating?

I support this! No one can stop me from eating!

Chi Yu continued to eat, thoroughly enjoying her meal. She never gained weight no matter how much she ate, but she dared not mention it, as every previous attempt had earned her a barrage of “Versailles!” accusations from the other contestants.

Gu Yuan quietly ate the green vegetables on her plate.

Li Tianyin pulled up a chair and sat down. “She’s right. How can we have the energy to film if we don’t eat properly?”

Lin Yihan sat beside her. “Mm, you’re right.”

She turned to Li Tianyin. “Salad or rice?”

“Huh?”

Li Tianyin paused, surprised by this rare display of concern from the icy CEO. “Rice, please.”

“Okay,” Lin Yihan naturally served Li Tianyin a small bowl of rice and placed it in front of her, along with a pair of chopsticks. “Enjoy your meal.”

Li Tianyin wasn’t the type to be taken care of, but at that moment, holding the chopsticks, she felt a strange warmth in her heart.

Lin Yihan actually cares about people.

As everyone settled down to eat, Lu Wenrui and Ruan Feiyu’s earlier fussiness seemed rather contrived.

Reluctantly, the two women sat down, but they ate without appetite, taking only a few bites before giving up entirely.

Lu Wenrui slammed her hand on the table, her face twisted in distress. “You guys are so calm! We’re doing extreme sports in a while! Has anyone here ever done extreme sports before?”

She was certain that none of the delicate, glamorous actresses present—except for Li Tianyin, of course—had ever tried anything like that.

To her surprise, two out of the five people besides her raised their hands.

Everyone stared in disbelief. It was Chi Yu and Best Actress Gu Yuan.

“……”

“Hmm?”

Lu Wenrui took a sip of water. “So, what kind of extreme sports have you two done before?”

Chi Yu slowly lowered her hand and picked up her own glass of water. “Well, I’ve mostly done gliding sports.”

She chuckled softly, as if recalling a fond memory. “The most memorable was tandem jetpack flying over water, with my ex-girlfriend.”

Lu Wenrui’s gossip radar went into overdrive. “Like, hugging each other tight?”

Chi Yu blinked her doe-like eyes. “Yeah, the kind where you’re holding on for dear life.”

“Wow!”

This time, Lu Wenrui’s gossip radar shifted its focus to Gu Yuan.

“So, Sister Gu Yuan, what’s the most unforgettable extreme sport you’ve ever tried?”

Gu Yuan glanced up, sunlight glinting in her slightly elongated eyes. She picked up a pristine white napkin and slowly, deliberately wiped her fingertips.

“The tandem jet-powered hydrofoil, with my ex-girlfriend.”

“……”

“Hmm…”

“Huh?”

Lu Wenrui’s brain short-circuited. She was so stunned she nearly morphed into a wall-clinging meme.

She turned to Ruan Feiyu, whose expression had darkened. “Ex-girlfriend… then why didn’t you raise your hand?”

“……”

Ruan Feiyu pressed her lips together, clutching her cup, unable to utter a word.

An anomaly had emerged: Gu Yuan and Chi Yu had both flown the hydrofoil with their ex-girlfriends, while Ruan Feiyu hadn’t.

It seemed Chi Yu and Gu Yuan were more like each other’s ex-girlfriends…

Live Comments:

Oh!! I get it now! So Gu Yuan’s last ex-girlfriend wasn’t Ruan Feiyu!

Blind student, you’ve discovered a groundbreaking revelation!

Ooh, this is getting even more interesting!