Early the next morning, Yu Jinche sat in the dining room eating breakfast with dark circles under both eyes.
He looked utterly distracted, not even responding when several people greeted him.
"I'm finished."
After breakfast, he picked up his plate and wandered off in a daze.
Xie Mi, who had just sat down with a bowl of instant noodles, noticed the phone he had left behind. She picked it up to hand it to him. "Your phone..."
Buzz, buzz.
Two messages arrived, lighting up the screen.
[Xie Lian]: Well? Did you scare her?
[Xie Lian]: Wasn't that horror novel I recommended a real thrill?
"Huh?"
Xie Mi stroked her chin, a knowing look spreading across her face.
So that was it.
She put the phone back exactly where it had been and went on slurping her noodles.
But after just one mouthful, someone whisked her noodles away and replaced them with soy milk and steamed soup dumplings.
Xie Mi stared at Shen Yeqing in horror.
"You made these?!"
They had agreed to be kitchen disasters together, yet he had secretly evolved.
Her own failure was regrettable, sure, but a friend's success was even more heartbreaking!
Before Xie Mi could beat her chest in anguish, Shen Yeqing knocked her on the head.
"What are you thinking? I bought them while I was out for my morning run."
"Then that's a relief."
"Hm?"
"I mean... I'm grateful to have you."
That morning's activity was tending the garden.
The eight guests gathered in the villa's back garden to trim the plants, water the flowers, and play a few little interactive games. It was wonderfully relaxing.
Just as Yu Jinche was starting to put last night's terrifying images behind him, he suddenly received a text.
[Anonymous number]: I'm coming to find you.
A