Irritating CP Lives Up to Its Name

Then he saw Lu Zhi emerge from the room behind Shen Ranxin.

His silver hair was a mess, his sleepy eyes hazy, and several bright red scratches stood out against the delicate collarbones exposed by his white V-neck sweater.

Most noticeable of all was the bright red slap mark on his right cheek.

Gu Yifei: "?"

Looking thoroughly accustomed to it, Lu Zhi took an ice pack from the refrigerator and pressed it to his face before shuffling upstairs to wash up. As he squeezed toothpaste onto his brush, he muttered, "You hit too hard, Teacher Shen."

Shen Ranxin brushed his teeth beside him. A trace of embarrassment flashed across his face at that. "Who told you to act like a pervert first thing in the morning?"

"When did I? I was just waking you up," Lu Zhi argued.

Shen Ranxin gritted his teeth. "Did waking me up require you to undo my waistband?"

"I had a dream last night." Lu Zhi spat out the foam in his mouth. "The content of the dream isn't very convenient to talk about..."

Shen Ranxin kicked him. "Shut up."

Lu Zhi raised an eyebrow, removed the ice pack strapped to his face, and, after confirming the redness and swelling had faded, followed Shen Ranxin downstairs.

Shen Ranxin rubbed his temples, sighed, and muttered, "I didn't sleep well last night. I dreamed some idiot was holding an electric guitar and insisting on singing Love You Till Death right in front of me. It was so loud my head still hurts..."

Gu Yifei: "..."

*

After everyone had washed up, they gathered downstairs and began the new day's filming.

After the chaos of the previous night, Director Chen had urgently drafted a set of Instant Heart Guest Rules and handed them out to the six guests.

Fang Yu was the first to raise an objection. "Forget the rest. Why does Rule Three prohibit guests from sneaking into each other's rooms at night? And violators get fined ten thousand yuan?"

Director Chen instinctively glanced at Lu Zhi beside him.

There had originally been no such rule, but early that morning, the show's financial backer had spoken up. He was willing to add another million in investment, on the condition that the guests could not sneak into each other's rooms.

More interaction between guests was not actually a bad thing for the show, but... Lu Zhi was simply offering too much!

"Ahem, that's because..." Director Chen was about to give the perfectly reasonable excuse he had agonized over all night when his phone chimed in his pocket.

[Taobao: 300,000 yuan received]

Director Chen: "?"

Cheng Cheng put away his phone and said lightly, "Monthly subscription."

Director Chen: "..."

What did monthly subscription mean?!

Was he planning to raid Shen Ranxin's bedroom every night for an entire month?!

Did he really have no one important left in the entertainment industry?!

In truth, Cheng Cheng had an excellent reputation in the industry. Every director and artist who had worked with him praised him to the skies, saying he was obedient, sensible, and never caused trouble for a production.

Yet the moment he encountered Shen Ranxin, he became like a wild horse that had broken free of its reins—more troublesome than even the biggest troublemaker!

Director Chen returned the three hundred thousand without delay and hurriedly revised the rules. "Sneaking into rooms at night is strictly prohibited. Guests may report one another. If a report is successful and relevant evidence is provided to the production team, the reporting party may make any one request of the offending party!"

Lu Zhi spoke with interest. "Any request at all?"

Director Chen clarified, "As long as it doesn't involve money, violate laws or regulations, or endanger anyone's personal safety, any other request is acceptable."

Lu Zhi nodded. "I report Cheng Cheng for sneaking into someone's room last night. His audacity is outrageous. I propose that he go sleep in the pigsty tonight."

Cheng Cheng: "..."

Director Chen: "...Ahem, well, the rules were issued today, so they will be enforced starting tonight."

"I see." Lu Zhi nodded in understanding. "Fine. Sleeping there tomorrow is the same."

Cheng Cheng's face turned black with anger.

*

After the guest rules had been announced, everyone was already starving and eagerly prepared to eat breakfast.

This morning's breakfast was provided by the production team, but it required points.

There were three breakfast tiers: A, B, and C.

Tier A was quite lavish: a cup of iced Americano, a serving of filled toast, and a grilled sausage that looked, smelled, and tasted delicious. It cost 25 points.

Tier B consisted of a fried egg and a glass of milk, costing 15 points.

Tier C was even more pitiful: just a cup of water for 5 points.

"Since today is the first official day of filming, the production team will advance each of you one hundred points. However, you must return one hundred and twenty points to the production team by the end of tonight, or you will face severe punishment."

Upon hearing that they could borrow points in advance, they all agreed that the production team was still fairly humane.

Fang Yu, Gu Yifei, and Jiang Ye all chose the mid-range Tier B meal.

After all, they still had lunch and dinner to consider, and items from the little convenience store nearby also had to be exchanged for points.

No one knew what tasks the production team would give them, or whether earning one hundred and twenty points would be difficult...

President Lu was naturally incapable of living a thrifty life, and he casually spent 25 points.

Only Shen Ranxin tipped all kinds of snacks out of his backpack, then pulled out a packet of prepackaged braised beef noodles...

The three people eating fried eggs and drinking milk instantly broke down.

Jiang Ye frowned. "Production team, you didn't confiscate his snacks?"

Before filming began, their suitcases had all been carefully inspected, and every snack and drink they had brought had been taken away.

Other than a few necessary skincare products, they had been left with nothing.

How did Shen Ranxin have this stuff?!

"They were confiscated." Shen Ranxin put the braised beef noodles into a pot to cook, then poured the beef from the prepackaged meal pouch over them. The aroma instantly spread through the room.

Everyone had been in the entertainment industry for years and naturally knew how to control their diets, but no one from Country C could resist a scent like that.

Gu Yifei's eyes were practically glued to the noodles.

"Then how do you still have that?!"

"Because it wasn't in my suitcase."

Shen Ranxin ate heartily in front of everyone. While Director Chen was still stunned, he quickly finished a bowl of noodles, then smiled faintly.

"I ordered express delivery from the supermarket when I got up this morning."

Everyone: "..."

Fuck! Why hadn't they thought of ordering delivery?!

Director Chen: "..."

Fuck! When had he picked up the delivery?!

Gu Yifei immediately grabbed his phone, preparing to imitate Shen Ranxin.

Director Chen naturally would not let him get his wish. He swiftly confiscated the guests' phones and asked through gritted teeth, "When did you go pick up the delivery?"

Shen Ranxin replied, "When Lu Zhi was talking to you."

Director Chen abruptly turned to look at Lu Zhi.

Young Master Lu showed no trace of surprise. He was obediently eating the breakfast he had exchanged for 25 points and elegantly took a sip of his iced Americano.

Director Chen: "..."

[Hahahahaha, stop using your powers already. The director's face is about to turn into a traffic light from anger.]

[Irritating CP truly lives up to its name.]

[Lu Zhi did that on purpose, didn't he? He did, right? I was wondering what Lu Zhi had said to the director. Turns out he was distracting him so Shen Ranxin could pick up the delivery!]

[I really ship them now. Young Master Lu loves him so much.]

[I ship them too. After shipping CPs for so many years, I've never seen an Alpha this resistant to getting beaten up. It feels like Young Master Lu getting slapped is an indispensable part of his life.]

[How can anyone ship this? Does Shen Ranxin have violent tendencies? He was way too scary last night.]

[So scary, yet in the end, wasn't he still coaxed into obediently going to sleep by our Young Master Lu?]

[Seriously, President Lu is decisive and ruthless outside, the kind of person who never lets a slight go. Yet when he gets home and faces his wife, he won't fight back when hit or talk back when scolded. Honestly, battle-damaged President Lu is breathtakingly beautiful.]

[That brat Shen Ranxin is so lucky. Filming a variety show must be exhausting, right? Let me film a couple of episodes too.]

Since Shen Ranxin had ordered the delivery before their phones were confiscated, the production team had no reason to take away his snacks. In the end, they could only buy every snack in Shen Ranxin's possession at one point per bag.

After counting Shen Ranxin's snacks, the production team painfully paid him one hundred and thirty points.

Everyone was speechless.

The gap between people was truly enormous. While they were still deeply in debt, Shen Ranxin already had ten points in savings...