Then You Should Quit

"Break time is over. Please gather on the first floor in five minutes."

The director's voice came over the speakers.

Shen Yan got up and left Pei Heng's room.

That bastard had gotten his whole body soaked. He had to go back and change clothes.

As for the photo, Shen Yan had no memory of it and did not intend to dwell on it.

As soon as Shen Yan left, Pei Heng's face darkened completely.

After staring at the person in the photo for a long while, he made a call.

"President Pei."

Pei Heng's secretary picked up immediately on the other end.

Staring at the photo, Pei Heng ordered, "Look into the people living in that house at Maple Grove."

The secretary paused slightly before quickly replying, "Yes."

The house at Maple Grove was the marital home Pei Heng had prepared for himself.

Ever since the incident that year, he had never gone back.

Why did he suddenly want to investigate that place?

Could what happened back then have been related to the people there?

Five minutes later.

The first floor of the villa.

"Ah, did you save this durian especially for me? I'm so touched! You're all so nice. I'm really so happy to be filming this show with you!"

Xie Li sat on the sofa. The moment he saw the durian on the table, his eyes curved into crescents as he picked it up.

Bai Jing: ...

Oh, hell no!

That was the piece Pei Heng and Shen Yan had been fooling around with earlier!

It had rolled over Shen Yan's clothes, landed on Pei Heng's head, then been taken down by Pei Heng and placed on the coffee table.

She had been worried that the durian's sugar content would leave sticky residue on the table that would be hard to clean, so she had casually found a disposable paper plate to set underneath it.

As for why she had not thrown it away, naturally, it was because she could not find a trash can.

Now—

Seeing how happily Xie Li was eating, Bai Jing kindly chose to keep her mouth shut.

Eat up, eat up. Just keep eating.

On the other hand, when Lu Xingchuan came downstairs, he found Xie Li gnawing on a durian seed. "There are so many durians. Just open another one if you want to eat. Why are you gnawing on the seed?"

Xie Li said with a grin, "Then help me open one, Xingchuan-ge."

Lu Xingchuan turned and headed toward the yard.

When he reached the doorway, he watched helplessly as the spot in the yard where a pile of durians had been was now completely empty.

Lu Xingchuan immediately remembered what Pei Heng had said during the earlier game.

But unfortunately—

His mouth moved faster than his brain. "Where are the durians?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Lu Xingchuan regretted them.

Thankfully, he had not spoken loudly. He was just about to turn around and pretend nothing had happened.

However—

The instant he turned, Song Qianshan's calm voice sounded beside him.

"President Pei said he was afraid you'd fall in love with him, so he stepped on your double-standard morals and had someone haul all the durians away. Oh, Xie Li was there when he gave the order. Xie Li heard it perfectly clearly, didn't you, Xie Li?"

Song Qianshan turned to look at Xie Li.

Lu Xingchuan's face immediately stiffened.

Then he looked at Xie Li as well.

Xie Li had been there, which meant he knew the durians were all gone?

Then why had he asked him to open one?

Xie Li had not expected Song Qianshan to say that. He viciously cursed her as a bitch in his heart, then hurriedly said to Lu Xingchuan, "I'm sorry, Xingchuan-ge. I—I forgot. I really didn't mean to. You know, I was a little tired just now, and my mind still hasn't caught up."

Lu Xingchuan frowned.

He still felt uncomfortable about it.

First, because Xie Li had not explained himself clearly, he had mistakenly thought Shen Yan did not clean up the dishes.

And now, once again, because Xie Li had not explained himself clearly...

Song Qianshan watched the two of them coldly and gave a soft, neither-light-nor-heavy snort.

Pei Heng and Shen Yan came downstairs side by side.

Bai Jing's eyes immediately lit up. "Are you two wearing matching couple outfits?"

Shen Yan wore a white T-shirt and black casual pants.

Pei Heng wore the exact same style of T-shirt, along with black casual pants as well.

Shen Yan had not noticed until Bai Jing pointed it out. At her words, he turned to look at Pei Heng.

Before Shen Yan could speak, Pei Heng immediately said, "I'm a copycat."

Shen Yan: ...

Very good.

He had nothing to say.

The anger simmering in Lu Xingchuan's heart found a new target.

Clutching the cup in his hand, he wanted to curse at Shen Yan, but Pei Heng had already taken the initiative to say he was copying Shen Yan. Lu Xingchuan did not dare curse Pei Heng, yet he was still unhappy, so in the end, he could only let out a sarcastic scoff.

Shen Yan picked at his ear. "I think I just had an auditory hallucination. I heard the wind howling and a dog laughing."

Pei Heng nodded. "And zombies roaring!"

Lu Xingchuan slammed the cup in his hand heavily onto the table.

"Good afternoon, everyone! After more than an hour of rest, I'm sure you're all fully recharged!"

The director came in from outside with a portable loudspeaker. No one knew what he had been busy with, but he was drenched in sweat, though his eyes gleamed with mischief.

"The production team has prepared a thoughtful little game to help everyone deepen their bonds.

"Our new game is...

"Ta-da-da-da-da!

"Haunted house adventure!"

As the director entered, the livestream resumed.

[Wow wow wow! Exciting!]

[Huh? What's going on with the Jury? Matching couple outfits!]

[They definitely did it! Damn it! How could they not let me watch!]

[CP fans, keep your fantasies in your own space. Other viewers still want to watch the livestream normally.]

The director wore the smile of a major villain.

"To make the game more interesting, this haunted house adventure will be carried out by three groups simultaneously.

"You'll draw lots to determine the couple pairing for your group.

"Then one partner will be taken away by the Ghost King, while the other fights through the challenges to rescue their lover from the Ghost King.

"Those who successfully complete the mission will receive a mysterious gift package from the production team tonight."

As the director spoke, the staff brought the lottery box forward again.

The groups were quickly decided.

Shen Yan and Lu Xingchuan were one group.

Xie Li and Pei Heng were one group.

Song Qianshan and Bai Jing were one group.

Holding his group card, Pei Heng raised a brow and asked the director, "Can I steal someone's bride during the mission?"

Bai Jing immediately let out a squeal and grabbed Song Qianshan's arm beside her.

Song Qianshan cried out, "Ow! That hurts!"

[You little brat!]

"Are you going to steal Lu Xingchuan?" Shen Yan stared at Pei Heng in speechless shock. "Didn't you already reject him clearly?"

Lu Xingchuan: ...

Pei Heng smiled. "I'm stealing you."

[Ahhhhhhh!]

[What a mouth! This CEO finally knows how to talk!]

[President Pei's direct approach is my favorite!]

Lu Xingchuan: ...

Am I part of your little game or not?!

With a dark expression, Lu Xingchuan stiffly said, "The rules set by the production team are not meant to be broken. Since President Pei chose to join the show, he should follow the rules."

Pei Heng was about to say something else when the director immediately said, "Each guest can only rescue their own lover. No bride-stealing allowed."

Pei Heng sighed in disappointment.

Lu Xingchuan turned to Shen Yan smugly. "Don't worry. I'll definitely rescue you."

Shen Yan answered with complete seriousness, "I thought you were the one getting captured."

The disappointed Pei Heng immediately burst into delighted laughter again.

Lu Xingchuan: ...

Half an hour later, the guests arrived at the haunted house.

Xie Li shuddered at once. "Just hearing the sounds is already kind of scary. This is terrifying."

Pei Heng glanced at him. "Then you should quit."