Chapter Eleven: Destiny Woven by Fate

“So we have to see if it’s real, don’t we?” Qi Yue popped another chip into her mouth.

Her roommate was just as curious. “Yueyue, shall we watch together?”

“Sure,” Qi Yue agreed without hesitation.

The roommate dragged over a chair and sat beside her to watch the live stream.

On screen, Sang Yijia just glanced at the bottle of mineral water before her gaze drifted away.

Bian He, with amusement in his eyes, looked at the two people beside him, his gaze settling on Sang Yijia. The corners of his lips curled upward as he began, “Yijia—”

He hadn’t finished speaking when the sound of a car engine came from outside again. It seemed the next guest had arrived.

His train of thought interrupted, Bian He glanced toward the door. “I wonder if it’s a male or female guest.”

It turned out to be a male guest—a civilian participant whose occupation was unclear.

Shen Jin saw the newcomer too, his eyes tightening imperceptibly. He glanced over twice, then looked away casually.

Lu Wenchuan cast a quick look around the courtyard, then inside. Seeing that three people had already arrived, he nodded slightly in greeting.

The production team didn’t know much about Lu Wenchuan—only that he was a guest arranged from higher up, participating for just one episode and not returning for the next.

“This is our civilian guest, Mr. Lu, currently a programmer at a company,” the director announced, reading off a card.

Upon hearing the introduction, Sang Yijia couldn’t help but look at Lu Wenchuan a little longer. He was the partner she’d be paired with as a couple for the show.

Sang Yijia was quite curious about Lu Wenchuan—there was little description of him in the novel. When the original character shamelessly trailed behind the main couple, he had no objections. But after the first episode, Lu Wenchuan never returned. Later, the production team brought in another civilian male guest, who was described even less.

“Four out of the six guests have arrived,” the director announced, still holding his card. “The remaining two will be here before lunch.”

Sang Yijia checked the time—it was only ten o’clock. What did “before lunch” mean? Her brows furrowed; if she remembered correctly, lunch was supposed to be self-catered, and the person who got the money for groceries was—

Just as she was getting to the key point, someone appeared beside her, bringing with him a faint scent of pine, subtle yet lingering, so that she could sense his presence with every breath.

Lu Wenchuan had sat down, right beside her.

“Hello.” Sang Yijia turned her head, body tensing slightly. She couldn’t understand why Lu Wenchuan had chosen to sit there when there were plenty of other places.

Meanwhile, the live chat exploded.

“Oh my god, this man is so handsome!”

“So what if he’s handsome? If you only care about looks, you must be blind.”

“Huh, I wouldn’t have noticed if you hadn’t said it, but why does Sang Yijia look so much prettier than before?”

Qi Yue, watching the stream, noticed it too. The last time she’d seen Sang Yijia, the girl wore no makeup but was strikingly beautiful, almost deceptively so.

“Could it be a new trick she’s learned?” Qi Yue frowned, but at this moment, she was even more curious about Lu Wenchuan’s actions. Why was he doing this?

Was it because Qi Bin had mentioned her twice, and now Lu Wenchuan was curious about Sang Yijia?

Qi Yue didn’t think so. She shook her head emphatically.

Her roommate, upon seeing Lu Wenchuan, had hearts in her eyes and clutched Qi Yue’s shoulders, gushing, “Oh my god, who is that?”

“He’s way too handsome.”

Qi Yue wanted to say he was a friend of her brother, but seeing her roommate’s infatuated look, she shivered and held her tongue, turning her attention back to the live stream.

“Hello, Lu Wenchuan.” Lu Wenchuan extended his hand to her. “I look forward to working with you.”

Sang Yijia frowned in confusion, sensing he knew something, but it didn’t matter; she’d planned to get along with him anyway.

When she took his hand, she realized how beautiful it was—long, slender fingers, well-defined joints, flawless as a piece of art. Yet it wasn’t as warm as she’d imagined; on the contrary, it was a little cold, as if he’d just washed it in ice water.

“All right.” Sang Yijia curved her lips in response.

The production team felt the guests were still unfamiliar with each other, just sitting there without talking, and the atmosphere was too dull, lacking any excitement.

So the director stepped up. “The other two guests will try to arrive before lunch begins. In the meantime, the four of you can tidy up your rooms and arrange the courtyard to make it more welcoming and romantic. Please use the time as you wish.”

With four guests present, there were four camera crews following them.

Sang Yijia knew the second floor was reserved for the female guests’ quarters, so she stood up first. “I’ll go up now.”

“Okay.” Bian He glanced at her twenty-six-inch suitcase, showing no intention of helping, instead winking at Shen Jin.

Before Bian He could say anything, Sang Yijia had already hefted her suitcase upstairs with ease.

Standing beside her, Lu Wenchuan wanted to help but had no chance to speak up.

“I thought you’d offer a hand,” Bian He remarked. His own suitcase was a business model, twenty inches, containing only clothes and daily essentials, nothing more.

Shen Jin shot him a glance. “Even if I don’t, someone else will.”

After Sang Yijia went upstairs, Shen Jin noticed she was no longer wearing heavy makeup as before; the light touch made her look fresher, more spirited, and even more alluring.

His brows tightened, and as Lu Wenchuan was about to leave, Shen Jin reached out a hand. “Hello, I’m Shen Jin.”

“Lu Wenchuan.” Lu Wenchuan turned back and answered, but didn’t offer his hand.

Shen Jin withdrew his hand, his expression sour. Bian He continued, “So, Mr. Lu, which company do you work for?”

“Shengchuang,” Lu Wenchuan replied coolly.

His suitcase, a black twenty-six-inch one, was just as large as Sang Yijia’s.

Bian He cast a meaningful look at it.

“You know her?” After Sang Yijia had made it clear they’d have nothing more to do with each other, Shen Jin didn’t believe it, thinking she was playing hard to get.

He hadn’t planned to dwell on it, but Sang Yijia’s actions would affect his future plans. At this crucial moment, Lu Wenchuan’s apparent interest in Sang Yijia was untimely.

“We’ve met,” Lu Wenchuan nodded, and before anyone could ask more, added, “Just recently.”

Shen Jin felt as if he’d punched cotton—completely ineffective.

“Hey, this civilian guest seems to have a thing for Yijia. I wonder if they'll end up as a couple,” Bian He mused, watching Lu Wenchuan choose the innermost room. With no objections, he carried his suitcase off to pick a room himself, only to discover the production team had already assigned them.

Shen Jin frowned as he listened to Bian He.

The audience in the live chat was about to erupt.

“Brother, don’t let this get to you!”

“Bian He’s doing this on purpose, stirring up trouble as soon as Sang Yijia arrives.”

“Yeah, he’s fine when acting, but why is he so gossipy on reality TV?”

“What do you mean, ‘on purpose’ and ‘gossipy’? Our guy is just trying to make the show interesting!”

The fans of the two stars were already at each other’s throats.

But neither star was aware of it.

When Shen Jin entered his room, he realized that the one directly above was Sang Yijia’s. The corners of his lips lifted in a smile.

Some things, it seemed, were destined.