Chapter 3

The room fell quiet again—quieter than before.

Everyone’s eyes landed on Ruan He, making her feel like she was sitting on pins and needles.

On the surface, her expression remained calm as always, but beneath the table, her fair fingers were nervously twisting the tablecloth. “Maybe the machine glitched?”

Director Zhou shook his head. “No, you received four messages.”

Now the gazes around her grew even more complicated.

There were nine guests in total. Excluding her own message, Ruan He had received almost half.

That also meant the likelihood of mutual matches for everyone else dropped significantly.

“Ruan He, would you like to reveal any of the messages?”

She quickly refused. She just wanted this part to end as soon as possible.

“Then please open them on your phone—”

“Aw, don’t!” Zhao Qiaoshi coaxed playfully. “You got so many, at least reveal one!”

The suggestion piqued the others’ curiosity too, and they chimed in.

Backed into a corner, Ruan He relented. “Then… I’ll reveal the third one.”

A letter floated out from the onscreen box, slowly unfolding to reveal a single simple line:

**“Ruanyuan, I’m happy we’ve crossed paths again.”**

Unsurprisingly, that was from Tian Ruo. It echoed the message Ruan He had sent her earlier.

Clearly just polite small talk, it left the group a bit disappointed. No one had learned anything juicy.

The rest of the messages continued to arrive—three anonymous ones on Ruan He’s phone.

One said it was nice to meet her.  

One asked whether she had eaten enough.  

The last one said she was very beautiful—and had a lovely personality too.

The first two were acceptable. The last one made her a little uneasy.

They’d known each other for less than two hours, and she’d barely spoken. How could anyone tell she had a good personality?

Today’s messages were rather concentrated. Tian Ruo and Feng Qing each received two, and Jiang Lelan got one. No one else received any.

Tian Ruo revealed one of hers. It read: **“Do you believe in love at first sight?”**

Feng Qing shared one too: **“Hope you have a lovely journey.”**

Ruan He analyzed all of this quietly for a long time but couldn’t detect any clear romantic signals.

Even her own three messages? She had no clue who sent them.

The house where the guests would stay—called the Love House—was located nearby, right next to the park.

The yard was spacious. A small building stood lit from within, waiting to welcome its new residents.

It must’ve once been a guesthouse. The crew had refurbished it for the show.

Each room was fully equipped to meet every need for daily life and entertainment.

Everyone wandered around for a bit, checking out the place and choosing their rooms.

Ruan He picked a room on the second floor. To her right were Su Yifan and Ding Chulan. Diagonally across the hall was Feng Qing.

On her left was one room still unoccupied—the door shut tight.

Originally, Yan Yang had chosen that one, but the director reassigned her to a third-floor room, citing “A and O incompatibility.”

After the hours of filming, everyone was feeling a bit worn out.

Plus, they still had to unpack, so they all headed back to their rooms early.

Ruan He’s room was a cozy blend of pink and white tones.

With the door closed behind her, cutting off all the outside motion and noise, she let out a long sigh, kicked off her shoes, and flopped onto the soft bed.

Two seconds later, she lifted her head again.

Her clever fox-like eyes scanned the room—like a small animal peeking out of its den.

Sure enough, in the corner of the wardrobe, she spotted a round surveillance camera.

She cleared her throat and stood up again. Her face remained calm, but behind her back, she was fussing with her dress, adjusting it quietly.

Her oversized suitcase sat squarely in the center of the room. She gave it a long look—completely unwilling to deal with it.

She had even fantasized about leaving the show after failing to receive three messages in a row. She could’ve wheeled her untouched suitcase right back out.

But on the first day, that dream was already crushed.

Her phone, casually tossed on the bed earlier, suddenly lit up and buzzed.

She glanced at the screen, then at the camera, picked up her phone, and stepped out onto the balcony.

There were no cameras out there.

Even though the director had promised that Tao Tao wouldn’t appear in any footage, she figured it was better to be cautious.

Two faces—one big, one small—squeezed into the phone screen, both louder than all nine show guests put together, firing off a rapid stream of questions:

“How are the guests? What did you guys do today? Are they nice? Who do you like best? Do they like you back?”

Ruan He shook her head. “I don’t know.”

Chen Yueying snatched the phone. “Then who sent you the sweet messages?”

Another headshake. “No idea.”

“What do you mean! At least tell me, I’ll help you analyze—”

Tao Tao, frustrated from running two full circles around Chen Yueying trying to grab the phone, finally gave up.

She pouted and crossed her arms, standing aside. “Godma, I’m sleepy.”

“Huh?” Chen Yueying glanced at the time. “This early?”

Despite her words, she still ended the call and went to tuck Tao Tao in.

A faint smile lingered on Ruan He’s lips. She might’ve raised Tao Tao a little *too* clever—someone even the famously praised Ms. Chen from the industry couldn’t outplay.

The evening breeze was cool and comfortable. Ruan He leaned against the balcony railing and took in the view.

The park stretched out below in quiet green swaths. The lighting was soft, a few unnamed birds chirping in the distance.

Farther out, tall buildings glowed under the night sky.

Her memory stretched backward.

Six years ago, there had also been a night like this, with her and Shen Peiqing sitting side by side on the shuttle back to the dorms.

Shen Peiqing’s eyes were deep and luminous, like a lake bathed in moonlight high up on the plateau.

Her shoulder had leaned lightly toward Ruan He, and the gentle bamboo scent drifted closer. “Xiao He, let’s buy two apartments here someday and be neighbors. You can come to my place for food anytime!”

Ruan He’s eyes stung slightly. The corners of her lips dipped before she forced them up again.

When she saw Shen Peiqing that day, the gap between memory and reality wasn’t so wide—only now, those once warm eyes had turned cool and aloof.

Ruan He sometimes still searched for news about Shen Peiqing. Fans often praised her distant, icy elegance.

But maybe it was because she had once seen Shen Peiqing’s warmest, most affectionate gaze... that she knew how beautiful the real her truly was.

Still—

Shen the Actress probably had plenty of houses now. At least that old wish was halfway fulfilled.

Ruan He didn’t end up unpacking her suitcase. She got up late the next morning too, scrambling to throw herself together before rushing downstairs.

Downstairs, Tian Ruo and Ding Chulan were already at the breakfast table, chatting.

When they saw her coming down, they quickly waved her over.

Ruan He looked around in disbelief. “I’m that early?”

“They finished eating and went back upstairs to pack.” Tian Ruo smiled and slid a plate of sandwiches over. “Come eat!”

Ruan He murmured a “thank you” and picked up a small piece.

As the familiar flavor bloomed on her tongue, her fine brows knit slightly. “This tastes like the ones I used to eat in middle school.”

Tian Ruo nodded. “It is that one.”

“But that shop’s really far from here…”

“There’s a new branch nearby!”

“Oh, I see.” Ruan He nodded and didn’t say anything more—but also didn’t reach for another sandwich.

She couldn’t remember ever telling Tian Ruo that she liked this breakfast place.

And honestly, those happy memories only reminded her that everything from back then… wasn’t real anymore.

The rest of the guests trickled down, waiting for the day’s date assignments.

Last night, the staff had gone door-to-door, asking each guest to choose between two cards: “active” or “quiet” as the date theme.

Ruan He had picked “quiet.”

But now, sitting in the car with Zhao Qiaoshi, Su Yifan, and Yan Yang, she seriously suspected she’d chosen the wrong card in her sleepy haze.

These three were the liveliest of the entire cast.

On the way to their destination, they chattered nonstop, not even one second of silence.

The drive wasn’t long. The car turned into an artsy neighborhood and stopped in front of a pottery studio.

So this was their date activity for the day.

The studio was neat and elegant. Two workstations had already been prepped, cameras set up for close-range filming.

Yan Yang dashed ahead, clearly eager to claim a seat.

Su Yifan shot her a discreet glare, then sweetly took Ruan He’s arm and slowed their pace.

Her voice was soft and coaxing as she said, “Ruanyuan, let’s pair up, okay?”

Ruan He smiled gently. “Sure.”

Her mind spun quickly, analyzing the situation.

Since Su Yifan had made such a request, she probably didn’t like Yan Yang or Zhao Qiaoshi, and was settling for Ruan He as a partner.

Meanwhile, Zhao Qiaoshi was tailing Yan Yang closely—she was clearly aiming for the seat beside her.

As for Yan Yang… she probably liked Zhao Qiaoshi. They even sang a love song together in the car earlier.

Silently, Ruan He gave herself a mental pat on the back for her careful, clever observations.

The only thing she couldn’t figure out was—why hadn’t either Yan Yang or Zhao Qiaoshi received any messages last night?

Maybe they were just playing it cool!

Unfortunately, the production team didn’t share Ruan He’s noble spirit of “helping others find love.”

A staff member appeared seemingly out of nowhere, holding a bamboo tube of draw lots for random pairing.

In the end, Ruan He ended up paired with Yan Yang, while Su Yifan was assigned to Zhao Qiaoshi.

Su Yifan looked miserable. Yan Yang, on the other hand, was beaming—her little pigtails even bouncing with excitement.

Yan Yang gently bumped Ruan He’s elbow. “Ruanyuan, do you know how to do this stuff?”

“Just a little.”

Pottery was an ancient and intricate art form.

Ruan He was only at a beginner’s level. She sometimes made utensils for herself or accessory pieces for other crafts.

Yan Yang let out a sigh of relief. “I’m actually pretty good at this!”

Ruan He looked over, surprised. She hadn’t expected that from Yan Yang—this was the first time she’d heard anyone on the show say they were skilled at pottery.

Su Yifan gave Yan Yang a sideways glance, her voice sharp and nothing like her usual sweet demeanor. “Let me guess—did you do pottery with every ex-girlfriend you’ve had?”

“What ex-girlfriends! I don’t have any ex-girlfriends!” Yan Yang was flustered but held back—Ruan He was sitting between them. “I just did it with… friends…”

“Alright, alright,” Zhao Qiaoshi, who had been sitting at the edge of the group, cut in smoothly. “Let’s hear what the teacher has to say.”

Technically, as the minor celeb among them, Zhao Qiaoshi should’ve had the most camera time today.

But now, she was practically blending into the background. If she didn’t speak up soon, she might vanish from today’s footage altogether.

The teacher finished the demonstration and handed out the clay.

Yan Yang took hers naturally and began kneading the clay with practiced ease.

Seated beside her, Ruan He occasionally offered a few compliments, which only fueled Yan Yang’s enthusiasm.

But then Yan Yang noticed Su Yifan and Zhao Qiaoshi huddled together over a single ball of clay, whispering and collaborating smoothly. Only then did she remember—she wasn’t here just to do pottery. This was a dating show.

“Ruanyuan,” Yan Yang picked up a piece of clay and offered it to her. “You should give it a try too.”

She held it out for a while, but Ruan He didn’t take it.

Her attention was completely absorbed by the street outside the window.

A sleek black luxury sedan was slowly cruising past.

The car looked incredibly familiar.

If Ruan He remembered correctly, it was identical to the one Shen Peiqing had arrived in at the TV station.

Ruan He (suddenly alert): *Oh no… don’t tell me she’s here because of me?!*