Provoking Fire [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 19

The crisp, cool autumn breeze swept through the gap in the window, carrying with it an indescribable sweetness.

The sweet, refreshing juice of the cantaloupe lingered between their lips, flowing freely. The person who had initially intended to savor the fruit completely forgot their purpose, gazing intently as the woman’s picturesque features drew closer. It felt as though the slightest touch of their lips would unleash an entirely new sensation.

At the same moment, Su Yan struggled to control her breathing. Her hand, which had been reaching around to cup Chu Xiyue’s head, slowly retreated under the pull of reason.

When the cantaloupe juice trickled from Chu Xiyue’s glistening lips to her chin, Su Yan’s warm fingertip gently wiped it away. Chu Xiyue pursed her lips, swallowing the fruit with some effort, then defiantly speared a piece of Autumn Moon pear with her fork and offered it to Su Yan’s mouth.

Su Yan reciprocated with a piece of grapefruit. Compared to the cantaloupe, the grapefruit’s inherent tartness became particularly pronounced, causing Chu Xiyue to wince and squint.

The next piece was a segment of fresh mandarin orange.

The sweet citrus aroma was even more assertive than the cantaloupe, especially with the glistening orange segments peeled and presented right in front of her. Before Chu Xiyue could even wonder how Su Yan knew she disliked the white pith, she instinctively bit into the juicy segment, savoring its fresh, sweet taste.

That evening, the two had shared only one fish. Though they had caught several more, fearing they couldn’t finish them all, they gave the remaining fish to the production crew to distribute. Now, watching an entertaining TV show, Chu Xiyue gradually began to enjoy the snack.

Finally, the dog handlers gathered the dogs for an obstacle course race. A black-and-white border collie moved with the agility of a seasoned athlete, leaving the other dogs far behind.

Compared to the highly intelligent and trained border collie, all the other dogs, big and small, paled in comparison. The race concluded without any suspense.

By then, the fruit plate was nearly empty, mostly devoured by Chu Xiyue. Now, she reclined comfortably on the sofa, savoring the lingering sweetness while flipping through channels with the remote. After several days of the dating show airing, viewers had grown accustomed to the Beauty’s uninhibited demeanor.

After all, there wasn’t a single angle from which one could find fault.

Just then, Su Yan Qingling’s crisp voice drifted from beside her, as casual as asking about the weather:

“Are you full?”

“Quite full.”

Su Yan: “Since you’re full and have seen enough, let’s go back to bed.”

Chu Xiyue instinctively glanced at the time: 11:20 PM, not even midnight yet. Oh, how fitting for Su Yan, the ‘old cadre’, she thought. But before she could protest that she wasn’t tired and didn’t need to go to bed, Su Yan seemed to anticipate her objection:

“I tested the soundproofing in these rooms earlier. It’s not very good, so—”

Su Yan turned away naturally, positioning herself so the camera couldn’t capture her face directly. Then, her crimson lips parted slightly, and she mouthed:

Keep your promise.

The original contract had been drafted by Su Yan, and one clause stipulated that “Party B shall provide emotional value to Party A.” In other words, Chu Xiyue was expected to comply with Su Yan’s wishes. While she could accept other terms, being forced to go to bed so early—especially with the spotty internet making it impossible to play mobile games—would be unbearable.

Chu Xiyue tried one last protest:

“I’m too full to sleep right now. I’ll just toss and turn all night.”

“The TV’s too loud. It’s noisy,” Su Yan said casually, yet she decisively grabbed the remote and turned it off. Her deep, captivating coffee-colored eyes, like bottomless lakes, radiated a silent allure. “If you can’t sleep, let’s go to the balcony. Or come to my room and we can analyze the script together.”

Chu Xiyue’s bright eyes widened in shock at Su Yan’s words. For a moment, she couldn’t tell if the other woman was joking or serious.

“Me… go to your room now?”

As she spoke, Su Yan leaned closer to the camera, her fingers casually touching the audio equipment. She subtly lowered the volume, her hand covering the device to further muffle the sound.

A smile played at the corners of her eyes and lips, softening her cool, aloof demeanor. Her features seemed to bloom with spring, radiating a seductive charm. Her lower lashes were enviably thick and distinct. Su Yan watched Chu Xiyue’s changing expression, her voice slow and deliberate, like a gentle hammer striking the heart:

“What are you thinking? I’m a straight woman. What could I possibly want? Hmm?”

Her tone remained light and familiar, but the upward lilt at the end of her sentence betrayed her genuine good mood. Su Yan’s gaze seemed to chide Chu Xiyue for her wild thoughts, leaving the younger woman seething with indignation.

What the heck? Why can’t I hear anything suddenly?!

Teacher Su must have turned the volume down. Damn it! I paid for VIP access just to see this?!

I was trying to guess from their lip movements earlier. Did they say something about a ‘room’? These two are so hard to figure out!

Good news: they actually went into a room. Bad news: it was their own rooms, and they just said goodnight to each other.

Xiao Chu, that headstrong girl, seems like only Sister Yan can keep her in check. Look at her reluctantly going to bed early, haha! Helpless but afraid of her wife.

Chu Xiyue returned to her room, grabbed a change of clothes, and took a shower in the shared bathroom. True to her word, she was back in bed by midnight.

The sound of the sea breeze lapping against the shore outside her window made for an exceptionally restful sleep. When she woke up just after eight the next morning, she felt refreshed and full of energy.

The production team provided a simple complimentary breakfast: two steamed buns and thin porridge per room, along with a small bag of pickled vegetables to share between two people. Initially, viewers had teased the couple with envy, joking that after only two days in the villa, they were already on their honeymoon. Now, however, the comments had fallen silent.

After all, no one would bring their lover on a honeymoon-style vacation like this.

However, this environment presented a novel challenge for the “couples.” Most of them were either major celebrities, renowned hosts, or screenwriters, hailing from privileged backgrounds where they’d never lifted a finger. Even securing dinner the previous day had been a Herculean effort, with some teams barely managing to find anything at all.

Take Lu Rujin and Yao Tian’s group, for example. They had initially gathered some fruits with great enthusiasm, only to discover they were so sour they were inedible, rendering their efforts completely futile.

Not only was Lu Rujin tormented by mosquito bites, but Yao Tian, who had practiced tree climbing for a period drama, had been responsible for scaling the trees. After all that effort, finding the fruits inedible nearly brought her to tears.

While celebrities are accustomed to dieting, most now have nutritionists to plan their daily meals unless specifically required otherwise. Exhausted from their ordeal, they were fortunate when another team sent them fish as a lifeline from the production crew. Lu Rujin and Yao Tian rolled up their sleeves and managed to grill it, finding joy in their hardship as they sat under the moonlight, chatting half the night while sharing the grilled fish.

After breakfast, the production team announced it was time to gather. Seeing Chu Xiyue and Su Yan glowing with vitality, Lu Rujin nearly lost her composure and lunged forward to hug their legs.

Fortunately, the Director promptly announced the task for the gathering:

“For the next two days, our main activity will be beachcombing and wave-riding. You’ll need to film everything yourselves, capturing those heart-fluttering moments from your dates. You have two full days and can even travel to another island using transportation. Feel free to plan your own itineraries. Staff will be stationed at random locations between 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM daily to hand out mini-tasks for check-in. Completing these tasks will earn you ingredients for lunch. Dinner time is from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM.”

“Of course, your previous stalls remain open if you want to earn resources independently. For today’s task, you can choose romantic solo outings or team up with others. Now, the rest of the time is yours to enjoy. Have a wonderful two days, lovebirds!”