Forced Cohabitation After a Hit Romance Variety Show with My Rival Actress - Chapter 30

On the set of Love’s Heartbeat.

Inside the Love House, Ruan Feiyu and Lu Wenrui were the only ones busy in the kitchen, working in front of the surveillance cameras.

A crew member noticed the two guests clumsily working in the kitchen on the monitor and pointed it out to the Chief Director. “Director, it’s just Ruan Feiyu and Lu Wenrui here. We can’t find the other four guests anywhere.”

The Chief Director and Chief Writer leaned in to examine the monitor. Chief Writer Zhu even pushed up his thick, bottle-bottom glasses.

“Huh? You’re right. With all these camera feeds, the kitchen is the only one showing any activity. Where did the other guests go?”

Meanwhile, the busy duo in the kitchen were still bickering, thoroughly enjoying their banter.

Ruan Feiyu was chopping vegetables while Lu Wenrui sulked nearby, washing dishes with exaggerated motions.

Splash! She flung water high into the air.

Ruan Feiyu: “……”

“What was that for? You got me all wet!”

Lu Wenrui tossed the spinach she was holding into the sink, her face stormy. “What do you mean ‘what was that for’? I’m washing vegetables, aren’t I?”

“It’s not like I don’t work!”

“……”

Ruan Feiyu looked utterly bewildered. Her cleaver landed on a potato again as she shook her head and continued chopping. “I never said you don’t work. Where’s all this anger coming from? Who upset you?”

“……”

After a pause, Lu Wenrui grabbed a handful of spinach leaves. “You really don’t know who upset me?”

“How would I know?” Ruan Feiyu replied.

“……”

Lu Wenrui seemed even more infuriated, and the spinach suffered the consequences.

“All you care about is Hao Hao, right? Just now, when Hao Hao went to massage Sister Yuanyuan, you were so anxious, it was like you were the one getting the massage!”

“……”

This struck a nerve. Ruan Feiyu’s cleaver slammed into the cutting board, splitting the potato in two.

“I wanted to! Why were you stopping me?”

Lu Wenrui stuck her tongue out and made a face. “Nyah-nyah! I stopped you because I wanted to!”

Turning Ruan Feiyu’s own logic against her, Lu Wenrui left her speechless.

After a moment, Ruan Feiyu looked up toward the ceiling, as if she could see through the floorboards and layers of structure to the master bedroom on the second floor.

“Forget it,” Ruan Feiyu said, lowering her head with a frustrated laugh and starting to chop potatoes. “Let’s make dinner first. Aren’t you hungry?”

Lu Wenrui finally put down the vegetable she was holding and began swirling her fingers in the sink.

“Then let’s make dinner.”

After a pause, Ruan Feiyu added quietly, “Don’t just stop me like that again.”

Lu Wenrui continued playing with the vegetables in the sink. “Oh,” she replied. “Depends on my mood.”

With that, she tilted her head to look at the ceiling at the same angle Ruan Feiyu had been gazing, as if deep in thought.

“What do you think they’re doing right now?”

Ruan Feiyu rolled her eyes and resumed chopping vegetables, refusing to answer.

But Lu Wenrui wasn’t the type to be silenced by being ignored. After rinsing the spinach, she moved on to another head of cabbage. “Do you think Hao Hao is giving Sister Yuanyuan a massage right now?”

“……”

Ruan Feiyu finally spoke. “Well, what else would they be doing?”

“Otherwise?” Lu Wenrui tossed a large cabbage onto the cutting board. “Otherwise, those two might not be so lovey-dovey, you know?”

Ruan Feiyu fell silent again, her lips pressed into a thin line. With a swift chop, she split the fresh, crisp cabbage in half.

“Who puts cabbage in mala hot pot?”

“Huh?” Lu Wenrui asked. “You don’t add cabbage to your mala hot pot?”

“No,” Ruan Feiyu replied curtly, returning to her work.

Though she didn’t voice her annoyance, the rhythmic thud of her knife against the cutting board grew louder, as if the cabbage had committed some grave offense.

The pot of simmering mala hot pot broth steamed fragrantly, filling the kitchen with its savory aroma.

Lu Wenrui inhaled deeply, savoring the scent as she tossed the various vegetables Ruan Feiyu had already sliced into the pot. Standing by the simmering pot, watching the ingredients bob and sink, she sighed. “Ah, having a massage must be so nice. I should have snuck in a request for Hao Hao to give me one too.”

“Seriously, when will Hao Hao ever give me a massage? I’m so tired too…”

Ruan Feiyu slammed her knife down with a thud, her voice muffled. “Who doesn’t want that…”

“Besides… what are you tired from? Hao Hao and Yuanyuan have been doing all the work. It’s only fair that the two of us who’ve been slacking off are cooking dinner.”

“What do you mean I haven’t been working hard?!” Lu Wenrui’s temper flared. “I’ve been managing the sisters’ moods—that’s exhausting too, you know! But I have a point to make: based on workload, Tianyin Eonni and President Lin should be cooking too! They both ran off, claiming they needed to grab something from the tent. What could possibly take this long? I even shouted for them at the tent entrance, but there wasn’t a sound inside. The tent was zipped up tight—they weren’t even there! When they get back, I’m giving them a piece of my mind!”

“Honestly, this is ridiculous! Those two… sigh… they’ve just abandoned me and don’t care about me anymore. I have no idea where they’ve gone.”

“……”

The production crew shared Lu Wenrui’s confusion.

A staff member reviewing footage on a laptop looked up at the Chief Director. “I see it now. Li Tianyin and Ruan Feiyu went into the tent earlier and never came out.”

The Chief Director and Chief Writer Zhu exchanged uneasy glances.

“Then why didn’t Lu Wenrui get a response when she called out?”

The crew’s expressions turned subtly suspicious. However, Chief Writer Zhu’s primary concern was the obscured camera in the second-floor bedroom.

The Chief Director and Chief Writer Zhu had the same thought. They leaned over the monitors, staring intently at the screens.

“Have Gu Yuan and Chi Yu come out of the second-floor bedroom yet?” the Chief Director asked.

“No, they’re still in there,” the staff member replied.

“Just like the tent situation, the cameras in the second-floor bedroom are blocked, and even the microphones have lost connection…”

“……”

In the kitchen, the two women were still bickering back and forth. “Hey, hey, you put too much of that in! I don’t like it.”

Lu Wenrui’s voice cut through the air, her shout echoing through the villa’s main hall.

Ruan Feiyu’s voice immediately rose in response. “Why can’t I? Hao Hao and I both love it!”

“Hao Hao, Hao Hao, it’s always Hao Hao! Aren’t I your good sister anymore?”

Ruan Feiyu paused, taken aback. “…What are you talking about?”

Lu Wenrui sniffled, looking utterly aggrieved. Just as she was about to retort, a knock echoed from the front door.

Knock, knock, knock.

The villa’s main door was struck. Lu Wenrui froze for a moment before turning to leave the kitchen and heading to the entrance hall.

“Who is it?”

A staff member’s voice called from outside the villa. “Hello, Teacher. We’re experiencing some technical difficulties with the live streaming equipment. Would it be convenient for us to come in now?”

Lu Wenrui opened the door to find several staff members standing on the villa’s porch.

“Oh, the live streaming equipment is malfunctioning?”

“Yes, it is.”

The young woman smiled apologetically at Lu Wenrui, waving the replacement equipment in her hand. “We need to go in and repair the equipment.”

In truth, this was a ploy by the production team, a preemptive excuse to avoid backlash.

Live Chat:

Finally, you realize only two people can be seen?

Didn’t I say last time not to let the guests randomly cover the cameras? What’s wrong with you guys? You’re not paying attention at all!

Pretending the equipment is broken? Everyone knows the guests covered it up to block the view!

Exactly! Now you decide to fix it? I’ve been squatting in the kitchen for ages, just watching Ruan Feiyu chop vegetables with a cleaver and Lu Wenrui hacking pitifully at the poor veggies.

You better hurry up! I’m dying to know how far Chi Yu has gotten with Gu Yuan’s full-body massage. licks lips

LOL, me too! I want screenshots to shove in the faces of those toxic fans. I checked Chi Yu’s fan forum earlier out of boredom, and they’re already blowing up her forum over this full-body massage thing.

I genuinely pity Chi Yu’s small group of fans, constantly battling the rival fandom.

The two fandoms are vastly unequal in numbers, yet they’re truly like fire and water!

The toxic solo stans are tearing each other apart, while the two sisters are just enjoying their romance. Isn’t that infuriating?

To those toxic solo stans: I’m telling the truth, so don’t report me! If you keep falsely reporting, your instant noodles will come without seasoning packets!

The live chat erupted into chaos. After speaking with Lu Wenrui, the production crew prepared to move their equipment and go through the motions of checking the cameras.

Hearing the commotion, Ruan Feiyu emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands. Seeing the large crew, she asked, “What’s going on?”

Lu Wenrui quickly replied, “They said the cameras in the second-floor bedroom and the tent room are malfunctioning, so they’re here to fix them.”

Ruan Feiyu’s brow furrowed slightly. “The second-floor bedroom… the camera is malfunctioning?”

She pressed her lips together and swallowed, her throat suddenly dry. “W-when did this happen?”

The crew member smiled apologetically. “Right after Chi Yu went back to her room.”

Ruan Feiyu: “……”

In the second-floor bedroom, semi-transparent silk veils fluttered in the background.

On the chaise lounge, two figures lay pressed tightly together.

Gu Yuan’s soft, lustrous hair, slightly disheveled by Chi Yu’s slender, jade-like fingers kneading the back of her head and neck.

Her eyes were rimmed with red, long lashes trembling gently. The delicate, swan-like curve of her neck was stretched taut as Chi Yu forced her chin upward, revealing the slender line of her throat.

The skin on her neck was thin and pale, the contours of her straining muscles visible beneath its delicate surface as she struggled against Chi Yu’s control.

Chi Yu gripped Gu Yuan’s hair at the back of her head, tilting her face to better claim her mouth with increasing ferocity.

What began as tentative exploration soon escalated into insatiable hunger.

Chi Yu closed her eyes, immersing herself in the sensation of Gu Yuan.

She tasted Gu Yuan’s lips again—still so soft, so sweet, so tempting to devour whole.

Her initial blocking kiss transformed into a series of nibbling bites.

The sharp tip of Chi Yu’s nose had to constantly shift, her head tilting slightly to better knead those increasingly crimson lips.

At that moment, Chi Yu was like a ravenous beast tormenting its prey.

She felt the slight tremor in Gu Yuan’s slender shoulders and back, and the faint rasp in her increasingly unsteady breathing.

Only then did Chi Yu realize how much she had missed her.

This taste, once only a dream, had now become reality.

Gu Yuan’s breathing grew increasingly rapid. Her arms, which had been supporting her weight, seemed to lose strength, trembling slightly before finally collapsing limply.

The weight of her upper body now rested entirely on Chi Yu’s hand cradling the back of her neck.

Her breathing grew more labored, and the watery red at the corners of her eyes deepened into a shimmering crimson. Fine tears glistened on her long lashes.

She was truly on the verge of fainting from oxygen deprivation, a situation that had occurred before.

The girl in the ugly, oversized blue school uniform would pin her against the vine-covered corridor of the campus, demanding kisses until Gu Yuan’s limbs went limp, and she collapsed into that fervent embrace.

At the end of the corridor, where grass grew lush and birds sang, two bodies pressed together as tightly as possible.

Just like today.

Yet, despite the similarities, something felt different.

In that instant, over four years seemed to vanish. It was impossible to tell whether it was the people or time itself that had subtly changed.

Gu Yuan let out a soft moan. She tried to turn her head, but her neck was restrained, preventing any movement. Her body struggled briefly, but to no avail. Finally, her limp hand rose and pushed weakly against Chi Yu’s shoulder.

It was clear Gu Yuan couldn’t push Chi Yu away. Not because Chi Yu was heavy, but because Gu Yuan’s arm had almost no strength left. The feeble push was like a kitten’s scratch, as if she had exhausted all her energy, and her hand slid weakly downward.

Chi Yu’s brow furrowed slightly, a faint irritation rising from this futile resistance. She grew even more aggressive in her plunder of Gu Yuan’s crimson lips.

As Gu Yuan’s slender wrist fell limp, Chi Yu seized it and pinned her to the couch. She pressed the delicate wrist against Gu Yuan’s ear.

In an instant, Gu Yuan’s frail body was overwhelmed. Her hair fluttered lightly as she was forced downward, then collapsed with a soft thud.

Chi Yu’s kiss grew fiercer, her lips pressing so hard against Gu Yuan’s that they seemed to burn with crimson intensity.

It felt almost like a punishment.

Chi Yu’s own breathing grew ragged, her heart racing, yet her grip on Gu Yuan’s slender wrist tightened relentlessly.

And so, Gu Yuan lay pinned beneath Chi Yu on the chaise lounge, kissed until her hair was disheveled, her breath ragged, and the delicate shoulder straps of her robe slipped halfway down her arms, hanging loosely.

Hints of spring’s allure threatened to break free from the thin confines of her robe, revealing glimpses of exquisite curves.

The air between them seemed to ignite, radiating an increasingly scorching heat.

Chi Yu wanted to pull away, but her hand remained firmly clamped around Gu Yuan’s slender wrist, as if restraining herself. Her grip tightened, leaving red finger marks on the delicate, bony wrist.

…

The room’s temperature seemed to rise.

Vibrant, dewy roses bloomed on the bedside table, their petals unfurling in full splendor. Gauzy curtains billowed gently, filling the bedroom with a rich, fragrant aroma.

The delicate scent of jasmine mingled with the warm, milky fragrance rising from their skin, creating a sweet, lingering body scent that hung in the air, teasing their senses.

Their breathing grew ragged and erratic.

They were on the verge of losing control, nearing a point of no return.

Chi Yu reined herself in sharply. She tilted her head slightly and, with her free hand, firmly gripped Gu Yuan’s chin, forcing her to look up and meet her gaze.

…

In Chi Yu’s eyes, Gu Yuan’s eyes were already hazy from lack of oxygen.

Her breathing was ragged and uneven, her chest rising and falling rapidly. Her lips glistened, as red and glossy as plump cherries glistening with dew.

The fair skin on her chin had reddened slightly from Chi Yu’s grip.

…

Chi Yu tried to calm her breathing, but when she spoke again, her voice sounded even more hoarse, as if the words weren’t coming from her own throat.

“Sister, didn’t you want to play? Are you satisfied with this kind of play?”

Gu Yuan gasped for breath, the corners of her eyes still flushed with two crimson streaks, which only served to make her fair, delicate skin appear even whiter and more radiant.

She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. In the end, she could only swallow hard.

Watching Gu Yuan’s distress, Chi Yu felt a sudden surge of pleasure.

Maintaining her grip on Gu Yuan’s chin, Chi Yu subtly lifted her thumb and pressed it against Gu Yuan’s crimson lips, gently stroking them.

“My dear sister, do you still want to play?”

Gu Yuan’s lips were being toyed with—stroked, pressed, and kneaded—sending a tremor creeping up her delicate, pale shoulders.

Still in a playful mood, Chi Yu tilted Gu Yuan’s chin up, leaned in close, and paused just before their faces touched. “Good sister,” she whispered, “let me say it again. Since you agreed to play with me, don’t think about anyone else, okay?”

The question “Okay?” was delivered in a tender, lingering tone, but the deer-like eyes narrowed, brimming with warning.

“Sister needs to be a good girl, okay?”

Gu Yuan swallowed hard, her gaze still unfocused, yet her breathing gradually steadied.

Finally, she composed herself. Her crimson lips parted slightly beneath Chi Yu’s playful fingertip, as if deliberately brushing against it. She reversed the caress, gently stroking Chi Yu’s finger.

“Then… can I have my own way of playing?”

“Hmm?”

Chi Yu paused, slightly taken aback. She hadn’t expected Gu Yuan, already so thoroughly “teased,” to make such a request.

Intrigued, she asked, “For example? How do you want to play?”

Gu Yuan’s crimson lips parted and closed softly, as if deliberately grazing Chi Yu’s fingertip, her touch lingering.

“Truth or dare… is that okay?”

Chi Yu raised an eyebrow and nodded. “Of course.”

Gu Yuan took a deep breath. “You were hit on today… So, if the cameras weren’t rolling, would you have gone for a drink with that girl?”

“……”

After asking the question, Gu Yuan lifted her luminous, watery eyes, meeting Chi Yu’s gaze directly. “Would you?”

“……”

Gu Yuan seemed to hold a glimmer of anticipation in her eyes as she gazed at Chi Yu. The tendons in her swan-like neck stood out sharply with the effort.

Finally, Chi Yu narrowed her eyes and tilted her head, smiling at Gu Yuan. “Of course.”

“……”

An emotion flickered through Gu Yuan’s eyes, vanishing so quickly that Chi Yu didn’t notice.

The taut tendons in her neck relaxed as Gu Yuan sank back onto the chaise lounge. Her hair spread across the soft cushions, and her crimson lips parted slightly as she focused on calming her breathing.

Chi Yu withdrew her fingers from Gu Yuan’s lips and gently stroked her slightly flushed cheek instead.

“Sister, weren’t you going to give me a massage?”

A mischievous glint sparkled in Chi Yu’s deer-like eyes. “After a long day, you’re thinking about a stranger instead of getting a massage? How disappointing.”

“……”

At last, Gu Yuan’s heaving chest settled. She swallowed hard, her gaze fixed on Chi Yu’s beautiful, deer-like eyes for a long moment.

Gu Yuan tilted her head, her crimson lips gently nipping at Chi Yu’s fingers as they caressed her cheek. With a slight pressure from her pearly teeth, she left a neat row of bite marks on Chi Yu’s slender, pale fingertips.

It was hard to tell if this bite carried a hint of resentment.

Perhaps Gu Yuan had been brooding over Chi Yu being flirted with earlier that day, making this bite seem like a vengeful act of retaliation.

Chi Yu frowned slightly, lifting her hand to examine the tooth marks on her finger.

Gu Yuan actually bites people.

And with some force.

“Sister, what are you doing?” Gu Yuan asked, her gaze still fixed on Chi Yu’s eyes. “This is a thank-you gift for the massage. No need to be polite.”

“A paid massage.”

“……”

Pfft.

Chi Yu burst into laughter, staring at the bite marks on her finger for a moment longer.

Suddenly, she leaned forward and bit Gu Yuan’s ear.

Her soft, plump lips brushed against the rapidly reddening earlobe, her breath warm and fragrant as she spoke, the air from her words caressing the skin of Gu Yuan’s cheek and ear.

“Change.”

Feeling Gu Yuan’s slight tremor, Chi Yu straightened up with satisfaction, returning Gu Yuan’s gaze with a warm smile.

“No need to thank me. It’s just honest business.”

“……”

The atmosphere between them had grown intense, their eyes burning with a hidden passion beneath a calm surface.

It was as if some unspoken emotion was secretly blossoming, surging between them like vines slowly wrapping around their wildly beating hearts, tugging at the softest soil within their souls.

Finally, Chi Yu smiled gently. “Sister, shall I give you a massage now?”

After a pause, she added, “Since you’ve already paid, you deserve the full service.”

“……”

After a few seconds, Gu Yuan’s gaze traced Chi Yu’s exquisite features. A moment later, she chuckled softly. “Alright.”

“Since I’ve already paid, Xiao Chi, you’d better make it a good one.”

“……”

The air was filled with Gu Yuan’s delicate fragrance, a subtle blend of jasmine and musk that teased the senses and left one’s throat parched.

Chi Yu raised an eyebrow. “Naturally. I’ll make sure you’re completely satisfied, Sister.”

As she spoke, Chi Yu’s hand slowly rose, reaching toward Gu Yuan’s porcelain skin…

Just a little lower, and those slender, jade-like fingers would press against her icy-smooth flesh…

Just as Chi Yu’s fingertips were about to touch Gu Yuan’s skin, a polite knock echoed from the wooden bedroom door.

Knock, knock, knock.

Three courteous taps.

Immediately after, a staff member’s apologetic voice called out, “Teachers, I’m sorry to disturb you.”

“Are you both inside?”

“Yes, well… ahem… there seems to be a malfunction with the live streaming equipment in the room. We need to come in and troubleshoot it. If it’s convenient, could you please open the door?”

“……”

The voice lingered in the air, and for a moment, the room seemed to freeze.

Convenient? Clearly, the current situation couldn’t be more inconvenient for the two women.

Gu Yuan lifted her misty eyes to meet Chi Yu’s gaze, a faint smile playing on her lips. “Looks like today’s massage is off the table.”

“But I’ve already paid.”

“……”

Chi Yu glanced at the white door before returning her gaze to Gu Yuan’s cheek. She tilted her head slightly. “Alright, then how about I owe you one, sis? Don’t worry, I won’t run away.”

Gu Yuan continued to hold Chi Yu’s gaze for a moment before finally speaking. “Of course I’m not worried.”

“Because you can’t run away.”