Chapter 13

No one spoke.

A deathly still silence filled the room.

After a long time, Tong Luo eventually found her voice.

“Do you mean to say the person who cooks for you is your… debtholder?”

“Yes!”

Qi Qu emphatically nodded. She did not look like she was joking at all.

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Tong Luo awkwardly laughed. She did not know if she should be calling Qi Wu naive or… No debtholder would actually cook for their debtor!

However, Qi Wu looked so serious without a hint of glee in those eyes that Tong Luo decided to push her curiosity out of her mind to avoid being dragged into a mess.

“You have a kind debtholder,” she commented.

“You’re right.”

Tong Luo’s comment had earned her Qi Wu’s approval once more.

Not only would Jin Si cook for her, but he would also buy her lemon drops and allow her to live in his home. He was the best debtholder ever!

At a loss for words from conflicting feelings, Tong Luo decided to focus on her bowl of noodles.

As she was enjoying her food, the two other housemates arrived.

It was clear that the two contestants knew each other as they were holding hands as they walked in. The pleasant looks on their faces twisted when they noticed Tong Luo sitting at the dinner table, however.

When one of them eventually spotted Qi Wu, her eyes lit up and she dragged her friend over to Qi Wu.

“Hello! We’re your housemates. My name is Yao Ning, and she’s Yin Yueyue.”

There was a bright smile on her face as she asked in an extremely friendly voice, “You have amazing skin. Are you a newcomer to the industry?”

Yin Yueyue snapped out of her thoughts and started playing along as well. “Yes! I’ve been wanting to get to know you since I saw you enter the hall. I did not expect us to be lucky enough to be in the same villa!”

Both of them completely ignored Tong Luo as they focused all their attention on Qi Wu.

As for Tong Luo, she merely ignored them after letting a flash of scorn show in her eyes.

These two were only using the most basic tactic of befriending someone while pushing another away.

Yao Ning and Yin Yueyue were certain Qi Wu must be from some talent agency.

If they could befriend someone from a talent agency while they were on the show, they might be able to show up more often in the edited episodes.

They naturally understood the importance of appearing more often on a show for newcomers like them.

As for their “senior”, Tong Luo, they had long since abandoned all thoughts of her.

After all, someone who had been hidden away from the industry just two years after making her debut cannot draw any attention at all. Tong Luo was already struggling on her last legs.

“Qi Wu.”

After Qi Wu calmly stated her name, she turned to look at Tong Luo and urged her, “It’s your turn.”

Tong Luo stared in silence.

Did Qi Wu think this was the time for self-introduction?

While the other two contestants knew Tong Luo and Qi Wu were sitting together at the table, they had never imagined Qi Wu would be nice to Tong Luo.

Did they come in too late?

Yao Ning and Yin Yueyue glanced at each other.

Their schemes were as clear as day in Tong Luo’s eyes. Well, she already had dozens of labels and targets stuck to her. She did not mind if there was one more target on her back.

With a cold scoff, she stated, “They would much rather that I am mute.”

Her blunt reveal of their intentions caused Yao Ning and Yin Yueyue’s faces to turn ugly.

However, Yao Ning soon recovered from the shock and came up with a way to dispel the awkward tension.

With a look full of innocence and shock, she smiled at Tong Luo and exclaimed, “You’re here as well! I’m sorry. We were in such a hurry that we didn’t see you.”

Yin Yueyue chimed in as well, “You wouldn’t hold it against us, right?”

Tong Luo nodded, seemingly in agreement. There was a mocking and sinister glint in her eyes as she looked at the two of them. “True. I would never hold a grudge against those who are blind.”

Yao Ning hated people like Tong Luo who acted all high and mighty, but with so many cameras trained on them, she could not really do anything. However, if she could provoke Tong Luo into humiliating herself…

According to the rumors, the real daughter of the Tong family was also participating in the talent show.

Just as Yao Ning was about to use her underhanded tactics to anger Tong Luo, Qi Wu coldly declared from behind Yao Ning and Yin Yueyue, “I’m full.”

The other three women in the room all turned to look at her.

However, Qi Wu looked straight at Tong Luo, ignoring Yao Ning and Yin Yueyue. “Can we head back up now?”

Yao Ning and Yin Yueyue stared at Qi Wu in disbelief over how they were just ignored. Even Tong Luo was stunned.

Qi Wu actually chose her.

Still, Tong Luo did not want to continue breathing the same air as the other two, so she did not hesitate before nodding.

“Let’s head back.”

Thus, the two women left the living room together, leaving behind Yao Ning and Yin Yueyue with shock and disgruntlement painted all across their faces.

Yin Yueyue could not resist softly cursing. “Those two know each other! Do you think they’ve already joined forces?”

“Even if Tong Luo appears on the show, she would only be cursed by the fans until she is canceled. Don’t forget, her older sister is here as well.”

In contrast to Yin Yueyue’s lack of control over her temper, Yao Ning was much more composed.

While she was unhappy with Tong Luo’s haughty attitude, she was very happy she could watch Tong Luo clash against the real daughter of the Tong family. It would spark many heated debates when that happened

*

Tong Luo waited until the door closed behind them before finally asking the question that had been bothering her the entire time.

“Why help me?”

Qi Wu turned to look at her. “I don’t like them.”

She spoke in a slow yet deliberate manner that rang with sincerity and solemnity.

Tong Luo was stunned. The words “does that mean you like me?” nearly leaped from the tip of her tongue.

When she saw that Qi Wu had returned to the spot by the window and pulled out the phone the production team gave them from her bag, Tong Luo forced those words back down her throat.

Realization suddenly struck her as panic filled her heart.

What was she doing? She was actually going to befriend Qi Wu!

Qi Wu did not notice Tong Luo’s journey of panic and conflicted distress.

Instead, she was focused on the phone the production team gave her. It was one of the latest phone models from Chaoqi Group. Its soft and gradual color tones had garnered it the love of many young consumers.

Qi Wu turned the phone this way and that. When she realized it was the same model as the phone Jin Si bought her, she quickly understood how to use it.

She then tapped into her messaging app to send a message to the only contact she had.

Wu: ^_^

Jin Si was working on something at Yunu Bay when he received the message.

He was at a loss for words when he saw the familiar smiley face.

Before he could reply to her, he received another message from her.

Tiny Lemon Drop: Jin Si, you’re the best debtholder ever.

Jin Si silently stared at the message.

Debtholder?

With lowered eyes, he chuckled. There was no need to wonder about it. She had definitely been learning from a new set of “study materials.”

Without the cover of the night, Yunu Bay’s white sandy beaches and blue waters shimmered as the sun shone down in rays of hazy gold.

However, whatever was happening right now at Yunu Bay was not as beautiful as the place was.

Ignoring the group of men struggling hard against the sand as they were pinned down by his subordinates, Jin Si calmly replied to Qi Wu.

Jin Su: In that case, can you tell your debtholder if you’ve had lunch yet?