Against the Light - Chapter 80
Chapter 80: Choosing a House
Half an hour later, the car slowly drove into their destination.
The village seemed to be enveloped by mountains, completely cut off from the outside world. Even the road leading into it was difficult to traverse, making for an exceptionally bumpy ride.
Gu Xinran silently memorized the route.
"It's about a thirty-minute drive from here to the market. If we need to go shopping later, will there be a car?" Gu Xinran asked.
"Yes, the production team has arranged a van for you for easy transportation."
Gu Xinran nodded. That was good.
Before long, the car slowly came to a stop, and they all got out.
The ground beneath their feet was soft earth. Not far ahead were three houses, each with its own small yard enclosed by a fence. Looking further out, there was an endless wheat field. The wheat swayed rhythmically in the gentle breeze, like a golden wave, utterly beautiful.
Gu Xinran fell in love with the place at first sight. She turned to look at Yilan, who also had a relaxed expression and seemed to be in a good mood.
As the two were looking, they heard the sound of cars. They turned to see two other vehicles arriving, one after the other.
The other two pairs of guests got out of the cars.
Gu Xinran spotted Qi Qiuyan right away and walked over to greet her with a smile.
"President Gu, Director Bai."
"Hey, don't call us that." Gu Xinran waved her hand with a smile. "Sister Qiuyan, you really kept this well hidden, didn't you?" She glanced at Qi Yuwei beside her.
On the show 【A Good Show】, she had met Qi Yuwei a few times and had a decent impression of her. She just never expected the two of them were actually a couple. They hadn't shown any signs of it on the show at all!
"How long have you two been together?" Bai Yilan was also very curious.
"Almost a year."
Gu Xinran calculated the time and had a moment of realization. No wonder.
"Don't tell me it was during that show…"
"Mhm," Qi Qiuyan responded softly. Qi Yuwei also smiled and nodded.
"That's great, really great." Gu Xinran looked at the two of them and couldn't help but nod.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Ruan Tang." The girl who got out of the other car walked up to them and greeted them.
"Hello."
"Oh, don't be so formal." Ruan Tang waved her hand with a smile.
"Everyone!" A sudden shout startled them. They all turned to look. In front of the three houses stood a man in a straw hat, dressed very plainly with his pant legs rolled up. He was holding a large megaphone and shouting at them.
They immediately walked over.
"Welcome, everyone, to 【Wonderful Love】. I'm your on-site host and landlord. For the next fourteen days, you'll be living in my houses." He pointed to the houses behind him.
"You can renovate them freely to create your ideal love nest. Of course, you'll have to pay for the renovations yourselves. The houses only have some simple, basic facilities for you to use."
They exchanged glances and nodded.
"Earlier, during the market segment, we set up a little game. A staff member would lead away one guest from each group to see who could react the fastest and find their partner."
"The result was that Qiuyan reacted first and found Yuwei in less than three minutes." The landlord paused after speaking.
Qi Qiuyan and Qi Yuwei glanced at each other. They weren't as reserved as they were at the beginning and were slowly letting go of their celebrity personas.
"Next were Wei Zhan and Ruan Tang."
Qi Qiuyan was slightly taken aback. She turned to look at Gu Xinran, puzzled. These two are so lovey-dovey, how could they not have found each other?
Gu Xinran touched her forehead, her face flushing slightly in embarrassment.
"As for the last group, the staff couldn't even manage to lead Teacher Bai away from Xinran's side." The host sounded helpless.
The other two groups understood and chuckled lightly.
"But according to the rules of the show, we can only declare Xinran's group as having failed. Therefore, Qiuyan and Yuwei get priority in choosing a house."
Gu Xinran nodded, indicating she had no objections. As long as they don't abduct my wife, anything is fine.
"Come on, let's take a look at the houses."
House #1 was a two-story villa, exquisitely constructed, stylish and grand. The second floor had a small balcony, from which one could gaze into the distance and faintly see the rolling mountain ranges. The view was fantastic.
Moreover, the interior was spotlessly clean, ready to be moved into immediately.
House #2 was just an ordinary single-story house, standard and unremarkable, without many highlights.
When everyone saw House #2, they already started to feel uneasy. The difference between it and House #1 was more than just a little.
Arriving in front of House #3, everyone was dumbfounded. It was a small wooden cabin built from a pile of dilapidated planks, with two broken wooden doors at the entrance. Before they even went inside, they could smell a strange, pungent odor.
"Ugh, what is that smell?" Ruan Tang pinched her nose, frowning as the smell assaulted her. She didn't even step over the threshold.
"Whoa, that smell… seems like livestock." Wei Zhan also covered his nose.
They pushed the door open and entered. It was a courtyard house that had been abandoned for a long time. In the yard was a thatched shed, and inside the shed… was a goat, bleating away.
"…???"
The whole group was stunned, gaping in disbelief.
【Holy crap hahaha there's actually a goat hahaha】
【The difference between these three houses is way too big hahahaha I can't, I'm going to laugh myself to death. Look at Teacher Bai's disgusted expression, I kinda want to see what happens when she's with the goat hahahahaha】
【The production team is too cruel hahaha】
【Hey, to be fair, isn't this Teacher Bai's variety show debut? Are they really going this hard right from the start? Hahahaha】
【Isn't this kind of bullying? The guests with priority will definitely choose the good house, so isn't this dilapidated house basically reserved for Ranran and Teacher Bai?】
【I agree with the person above, the difference between these houses is really too much, right? I think it would be more reasonable for Wei Zhan and Ruan Tang to stay in House #3, since there's a man to take care of Tangtang.】
【Why should the man have to live in the broken house?? Does Brother Zhan owe you something?】
【Wait, for Yilan and Xinran's pair, it was just that Xinran was watching Teacher Bai too closely. It's not fair to force a mission failure on them like that, right? I think if you really think about it, they should have been first, because Xinran could find Teacher Bai in a second!】
【Agreed!】
【Stop worrying about things that aren't your business. What does their choice of house have to do with you?】
On screen, Bai Yilan covered her forehead, having a very bad premonition.
"Alright, everyone has seen the three houses. Actually, besides the environment being a bit poor, House #3 has a relatively large area. It's a courtyard house, after all, and it even comes with a goat. It doesn't seem that bad, haha." The landlord laughed and looked at Qi Qiuyan and Qi Yuwei.
"You two have priority. Which house will you choose?"
The two looked at each other, then glanced at Gu Xinran and Bai Yilan. Qi Qiuyan frowned slightly, looking a bit troubled. She pulled Qi Yuwei aside to discuss it in a low voice.
Wei Zhan and Ruan Tang were also relaxed. No matter how it played out, they weren't worried. Although House #2 wasn't as exquisite as #1, it was still pretty good.
As for Gu Xinran and Bai Yilan's pair, both of them were frowning. House #3 was indeed a bit too dilapidated.
"Have you two decided?" the landlord asked.
"Mhm." Qi Yuwei nodded. "We choose House #2."
"Huh?" Not just the landlord, but even Ruan Tang and the others were stunned. With such a great opportunity, they didn't choose House #1??
"Can you tell us why?" the landlord asked curiously.
"We really can't accept House #3. As for Houses #1 and #2, there isn't much difference in my opinion. House #2 is good enough. We'll leave the better house for someone else," Qi Qiuyan said.
【Ahhh why, why, why would you leave the good house for someone else!】
【Could it be that they want to leave it for Teacher Bai and Ranran? That's not very likely, is it?】
【I have to say, these two are really good at handling social situations. If they had chosen the best house right away, the fans of the other two couples would have complained a bit. In this situation, whoever chooses House #1 will be the one to stick their neck out.】
【I agree with the post above. These two know when to advance and when to retreat, and their values align. No wonder they've been popular for so long!】
【This move is definitely going to win them some fans.】
"Alright, Qi Qiuyan's group has chosen House #2. That leaves Houses #1 and #3. Brother Zhan, what's your choice?"
"I…" Wei Zhan was actually in a difficult position. Couldn't Qi Qiuyan and her partner have just chosen House #1? Why did they have to pull a stunt like this, leaving him, the only man, to make the choice?
"Can we eat the goat?" Ruan Tang asked.
"???"
"N-no, you can't! It's a member of your family!"
"Then I can only choose number one. I won't be able to stop myself from wanting to eat that goat," Ruan Tang said with an innocent expression.
Everyone was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing.
"Well then, Teacher Bai and Xinran, you'll have to move into House #3."
Bai Yilan held her forehead, looking very distressed. The others exchanged glances. Making two women live in a house like this was indeed asking too much. Just when everyone thought she was about to go on strike…
Bai Yilan sighed. "I don't really have an opinion, but… you'd better not give her this opportunity." She glanced at a certain someone.
"Huh??"
Gu Xinran, who was observing the goat, suddenly gave a cryptic smile.
Bai Yilan caught her small expression and pressed her lips together helplessly. This woman…
【What what what? I don't get it!!】
【I don't get it either, but Teacher Bai is so doting!!】
【Wuwuwu I'm so jealous, when will it be my turn for a sweet romance?】
"Alright, since none of the three families have any objections, you can all return to your respective homes and take a good look around. Since today is the first day of recording, you don't have to worry about meals. The production team will provide lunch and dinner. But starting tomorrow, you'll have to fend for yourselves."
"Hey! You can't eat that goat!" The landlord had already started to leave, but when he saw Ruan Tang paying special attention to the goat, he quickly added a reminder.
"Mhm, don't worry."
With the houses assigned, the groups returned to their cars, grabbed their suitcases, and moved into their new homes.
The two pushed the door open and entered. The wave of damp air that hit them almost drove Gu Xinran back out. She quickly pulled Yilan into the yard, took out two masks, and put them on. "Why don't you wait here for me, or maybe play with that goat for a bit? I'll clean up."
"It's fine. We'll finish faster if we clean up together."
Inside, cameras were mounted in all four corners. As the two entered, the audience also got a full view of the room and their scalps tingled.
There were cobwebs in every corner and the whole room was covered in dust. As they walked in, their footprints were clearly visible on the floor. The only saving grace was that the furniture was covered with dust cloths, though the white fabric had already turned gray.
【Damn, I'd be smoked out if I walked into a house like that. Making a pair of celebrities clean it up and live there? Are they serious?】
【Emmm, go Sister Ran… Charge… You guys, you can do it… I guess…】
【Wuwu Teacher Bai is too good. The production team is really mischievous, insisting on pulling stunts like this.】
【This is too miserable. How can anyone live here?】
【?? Why do I get the feeling Sister Ran is a little happy??】
【My heart aches for Teacher Bai. Having to live in such a dilapidated house for her variety show debut. I definitely couldn't last a single second in that place.】
【Go Sister Ran! Go Teacher Bai!】
Comments
Post a Comment