006 The Game Black Hole

The group had already bought the groceries and was heading back to prepare dinner.

Gu Siyuan happened to meet Qu Wan’s gaze for a moment, and was promptly glared at. He hurriedly looked away, pretending nothing had happened—he knew well enough he’d said the wrong thing earlier.

Qu Wan was no help in the kitchen, so she could only lend a hand with simple tasks. Spoiled from childhood, she’d barely set foot in a kitchen, and had never really suffered much hardship. The worst she’d endured was the verbal abuse after entering show business—but honestly, that didn’t bother her.

She had a good attitude; a few harsh words wouldn’t cost her any flesh. Besides, she could get the better of Jiang Zeyu. In that sense, being scolded was worth it.

Once everyone was back, the two senior members cooked in the kitchen while the other four cleaned up and decided on room assignments.

There were six people, but only four rooms.

Qu Wan raised an eyebrow and glanced at Sun Yuxin, curious to see what sort of drama she’d stir up.

There were two large rooms and two small ones.

Xu Jiawei spoke up, "Let the two girls pick first—ladies first."

The live-stream chat was full of comments praising how considerate he was.

Qu Wan smiled and said, "Let the seniors choose first. We didn’t help with dinner; it’d be embarrassing to pick before them."

Sun Yuxin’s face stiffened for a moment before she forced out, "Right, I think it’s better for the seniors to choose first. It doesn’t matter where we sleep."

"How about you two share a room?" someone suggested before Qu Wan could reply.

Sun Yuxin quickly objected, "Ah? I like having my own room. I had my own room last season, too."

A not-so-subtle jab at Qu Wan’s presence this season.

In the end, after some discussion, they decided the four men would take the large rooms, and the two small rooms would go to the girls individually.

The south-facing small room was brighter; the north-facing one was dimmer.

After a quick look, Sun Yuxin took her luggage straight into the sunny room.

Qu Wan went to the other. The show crew had tidied up beforehand; though the space was small, the bed was big and comfortable.

She lay on the bed, relishing its comfort.

A knock came at the door—Gu Siyuan appeared at the threshold.

"Dinnertime."

"Already?"

Gu Siyuan glanced around the room. "Tsk, this room isn’t as bright as the other one."

"They’re all the same," Qu Wan replied coolly.

[Honestly, I can’t stand Sun Yuxin’s act—always so pretentious and precious. Qu Wan can’t even be bothered to compete with her.]

[What’s wrong with Yuxin? I don’t like rooming with others either. Besides, there should be only one female guest—why bring in another?]

[Qu Wan actually seems pretty steady. Not as annoying as I imagined.]

[Are you crazy? That’s Qu Wan! You’re using a Jiang Zeyu avatar and saying that—are you betraying us?]

Over dinner, they discussed the tasks for the coming days. No one yet knew who the next guest would be, and they were running low on funds—they’d have to earn more tomorrow.

After the meal, Qu Wan offered to help clean up. While everyone else chatted in the living room, she joined the seniors in the kitchen to wash dishes.

Zhao Shen glanced at her. "Do you usually do housework at home?"

Qu Wan shook her head. "We usually order takeout. Or my mom does it—rarely my turn."

"Not a bad thing for a girl to learn."

"Your cooking tonight was delicious, Mr. Zhao." Especially the braised fish—she’d watched this variety show back in college, and even Jiang Zeyu had praised his braised fish.

"Next time, come watch while I cook. You might pick up a few tricks."

"Sure."

Qu Wan was naturally easygoing, making it comfortable to get along with her. After a few words, Zhao Shen found his opinion shifting; she was nothing like he’d expected. Clearly, the rumors online were unreliable.

Before bed, everyone gathered to play games.

By coincidence or fate, Gu Siyuan ended up on a team with Qu Wan.

The game was childish—counting ducks—and mistakes meant punishment.

"Count the ducks."

"How many?"

"Three."

"Quack!"

"Quack!"

When it was Gu Siyuan’s turn, he stared blankly at Qu Wan.

"Why are you looking at me? Quack, right?" Qu Wan asked, resigned.

Gu Siyuan hesitated, then finally responded, "Quack."

"Hahaha, Siyuan lost this round—time for your punishment."

Normally, the loser took the punishment alone, but since Qu Wan was his teammate, she had to share it.

Gu Siyuan was hopeless at games—even this simple one. He’d been like this as a kid and hadn’t changed at all.

Qu Wan was exasperated by his blunders, yet he stubbornly insisted on playing round after round.

[I’m dying—what kind of adorable fool am I a fan of?]

[Look at Qu Wan’s exasperated look at Gu Siyuan—it’s just like how I look at my own friends.]

[Don’t you think these two have great chemistry? Why isn’t everyone shipping them?]

[Heh, must be a Jiang Zeyu fan above? Stop treating us like idiots. We’re not shipping them. Still, this is sweet!]

The barrage of laughter in the chat quickly spiraled into another argument between Gu Siyuan and Jiang Zeyu’s fans.

Qu Wan had too few fans to win any fights, so they just watched the drama unfold, admiring their beautiful idol and ignoring the rest—she was used to being scolded anyway.

At last, the recording stopped for the night. After a day of live-streaming, everyone was tense and exhausted, but now they could finally relax.

With the cameras off, no one had to put on an act.

While washing up, Qu Wan ran into Sun Yuxin. The latter snorted and rolled her eyes at her.

Qu Wan was speechless—had she offended her ancestors or something?

Just then, she saw Gu Siyuan heading upstairs. Her agent had sent her a barrage of messages today—thanks to his slip of the tongue, she’d been trending all day.

Still, she thought, this was just a show. Any real grudges could wait until filming was over.

Before bed, Qu Wan glanced at her phone—so many people had messaged her. Why couldn’t Jiang Zeyu send her a message? Why hadn’t he asked why she was filming with Gu Siyuan?

He’d known when she’d had lunch with Gu Siyuan; how could he not know about this show?

Qu Wan sighed. She really was too greedy, always wanting more.

She stretched out luxuriously—she had to get up early tomorrow, best not to overthink things tonight.