One of them might truly have ties to a civilian guest in the cottage. The other? Just tagging along for a colleague and buddy, to hype the vibe.
Su Xilan fit that bill perfectly.
“Yeah, I saw it.”
Su Xilan’s fair, delicate face creased slightly. His long lashes fluttered like tiny fans, casting faint shadows in the hollows of his eyes.
Then he spoke again, slowly.
“Brother Qian and I are great friends. We’ve never shown it publicly, but he knows all about me and my ex.”
Liu Jinci read more comments aloud. “The barrage is asking: if you and Qian Xingzhi are such good friends, how come he’s not on that ‘Following’ list you just made public? Only one cottage guest is there.”
Su Xilan’s lips pressed together, his face taking on a pensive look.
His fingers twisted unconsciously at the hem of his shirt, betraying his inner unease.
“To be honest, I feel bad about it toward Brother Qian. You all know we starred together in Shen Chuang, and it was a hit. But back then, we both had partners and didn’t want any misunderstandings, so we kept our distance. I never followed his Weibo. He never followed mine. Totally normal.
“As for opening up my ‘Following’ list to visitors just now, it was to show my sincerity. I wanted everyone to see exactly who my measly 131 follows are—and who isn’t. To cut down on the guesswork.
“Since I chose to join this show, I’ll be honest about myself. I’ll lay myself bare for all of you to see right into my heart.
“I’m not afraid of losing fans, because I’ve never pandered to them.
“I’m not afraid of a scandal, because the breakup was amicable. But I’ve thought this through clearly now.
“These past few years without him, I’ve realized more and more that my life just isn’t complete. So I’m willing to give everything to make up for my past mistakes.”
By the latter half of Su Xilan’s speech, his voice had grown low and heavy, each word weighted like a boulder.
His breathing quickened slightly, as if struggling to contain surging emotions.
But when he bowed his head, his tousled bangs veiled half his eyes, hiding the obsessive glint within.
The smile at his lips shifted seamlessly—from enigmatic to innocently captivating.
“Lunch is wrapping up in the cottage, and the ‘Real Ex’ vote there is about to close. But the observation lounge vote hasn’t even started.
“I’m laying it all out now because I really want to be the first one in.
“That’s all from me. Judge for yourselves.
“Thanks, everyone. Appreciate it.”
With that, Su Xilan finished. He pressed his palms together in a earnest plea, his gaze humble and devout, like a man in true prayer.
He looked exactly like Lian Xiaoqi from the film.
Netizens, seasoned gossip hounds, had never witnessed anything like this.
The endless discussion threatened to crash the live stream again:
【OMG, it’s Lian Xiaoqi flashbacks! No wonder it’s Su Xilan’s breakout role. Why does he sound just like yandere pretty boy Xiaoqi now?! qaq】
【Awoooo, Broccoli’s so sincere! Help a fan out—I’m all in on him and Shen Li!】
【My gosh, real or not, if he can act like this? I’m sold.】
【LMAO, if this is acting, it’s better than 90% of what I’ve seen in movies.】
【If it’s fake—and he planted that follow ten years ago just to fool me? Yeah, I’d fall for it.】
【Never pegged Su Xilan for crushing on Shen Li’s type. Thought Shen Li was a bottom too lol [headscratch]】
【Hahaha, check out Zhen Tian next to him—dude’s desperate for camera time!】
【But… can I whisper? Broccoli playing his hand so openly—is that smart? The real spouse vote isn’t closed yet, and he’s spilling the ten-year follow? Kinda eager.】
【Doesn’t matter if it’s closed or not. Check the real spouse poll—Shen Li’s already crushing it by ten times the runner-up.】
【Yeah, runner-up has some fight, but first place is locked.】
【Broccoli rushing to lock in a lead for the next vote? First into the cottage tomorrow?】
【Anyone remember Qian Xingzhi from back in the day?】
【So Qian Xingzhi’s the fake, Su Xilan the real ex?】
【Awoooo feels fuel! I just joined the Qian Xingzhi x Shen Li shipper Discord! Nooo, can’t handle Qian being scripted qaq】
【Finally, lunch done—vote closed!】
【No surprise: Shen Li tops real spouse. Vote confirmed.】
【WTF, who voted Jiang Nan second?! Invalid! Dead.】
【Just wanna see the Program Group’s punishment! Didn’t the Butler say the top spouse pick gets one today?】
【Whoa, can’t wait!!】
【Same as yesterday—answering barrage questions?】
【Fingers crossed. I got questions ready.】
“—Great question. So, what punishment awaits Mr. Shen this time?”
The Butler System’s voice dripped with playful mockery, its drawn-out ending notes laced with lavish absurdity.
Moments earlier, it had announced that since Kris hadn’t been voted as the real spouse, her identity remained hidden. She received one Home Purchase Subsidy Coupon and one Rental Subsidy Coupon.
Without pause, it pivoted to Shen Li.
The camera cut back to him. Shen Li had set down his utensils and now sat ramrod straight, posture tall and unyielding as a pine.
The barrage ignited once more over his face.
The system continued:
“—Announcing ten new rooms in the cottage. Members can purchase or rent them in order of asset ranking, or pair up for cohabitation!
“As today’s punishment guest, Shen Li will choose last, regardless of his asset rank—after everyone else.
“Shen Li, any objections?”
Shen Li’s cool features barely shifted. “None.”
If living conditions mattered to Shen Li, he never would’ve ditched his old place to start a village school in Geng Family Village.
Since joining the show, he’d shown zero competitive fire. His goal was crystal clear: the appearance fee.
Ever self-aware, he’d long understood that the Program Group paid him 200,000 a day—more than the other civilians—purely on the strength of being Qian Xingzhi’s ex.
For Shen Li himself, appearing on the show was nothing to boast about or flaunt. He cooperated fully with every arrangement and segment from the program group, never batting an eye—a model of professionalism.
And this punishment… well, at least it was better than yesterday’s bizarre demand that he give birth to Little Cat?
Shen Li thought this to himself as he calmly watched the others go first to view and select their rooms.
It was only when the remaining three rooms had been left for him that he found himself at a bit of a loss.
The selection interface showed just three options lit up:
【Room 3】
Kinky Lovers’ Suite
The preview image glowed with strange colored lights, featuring a massive waterbed.
Buyout Price: 41,000
Rent: 4,800/day
Shen Li’s brows furrowed deeply.
He couldn’t fathom which genius had come up with this absurd option. It wasn’t like they were streaming on an adult site—no one in their right mind would pick it.
Pass.
His slender finger slid down to the next one.
【Room 7】
Antique-Style Canopied Bedchamber
The preview image screamed top-tier luxury, but unfortunately, so did the price.
Buyout Price: 55,000
Rent: 8,500/day
Shen Li: …
The afternoon tea was tempting, but who could afford to buy or rent it?
He had a total of seven thousand on hand.
Next.
【Room 10】
Single Room
Dim, damp, rundown, windowless, with nothing but a lonely iron single bed. Just looking at the image, Shen Li had no doubt that even sitting on it would make the thing creak and groan.
If that was all there was to it, Shen Li might not have minded the room so much.
But this decrepit Room 10 was shockingly expensive too.
Buyout Price: 40,000
Rent: 6,000/day
Absurd.
Shen Li glanced at the 7k balance in his account. Indeed, the only rooms he could afford to rent were the kinky suite and this single.
Meanwhile, the rooms the others had taken averaged around 2-3k per day, with some as low as 1k.
Shen Li had even specifically checked Jiang Nan’s choice. As the one with the highest personal assets aside from himself, Jiang Nan had picked first and was now bragging to Li Weiwei about it. The room was spacious and grand, fully furnished like a presidential suite, yet it only cost 2k.
Shen Li had no other options left.
In the end, between the kinky suite and the single room, he chose the latter.
When he received the room key, Shen Li still held a sliver of hope that it would be worth it, just as the description promised:
I’m expensive for a reason.
At that moment, faint sounds drifted down from upstairs—Jiang Nan’s protests and Yang Zhiqi’s gleeful laughter.
Shen Li paused, holding his breath to eavesdrop.
“—Why can’t I use my phone in this room? Does that mean my half-hour phone time is canceled too?!” Jiang Nan’s voice was furious; he clearly didn’t care about the cameras anymore.
Yang Zhiqi laughed heartily. “Cool your jets, bro. Every rose has its thorn, haha! Look at your room—bright and airy, super cheap rent. If you hate it that much, wanna swap with me?”
“Does your room have conditions? What even is yours?”
“Mine’s the ‘No Big Business’ room. I’ve only got a sink, no toilet.”
“Fine then, let’s swap?”
“Nope~ I need my phone time too, haha!”
“But you just said—”
“You’re left with two rooms. Why not ask the system if you can switch to one of those?”
“But they’re expensive. I don’t have enough money.”
“Oh. Well, why not ask your ex-wife if she’d room with you?”
“Damn it, she’d never agree, and anyway, I just asked—her room doesn’t allow phones either.”
“Hahaha, then suck it up! Skipping half an hour of phone time won’t kill you…”
Shen Li lowered his gaze, his lips pressing into a thin line.
He recalled Guan Ning’s warning: the program group would find some pretext for a segment to keep Jiang Nan and Li Weiwei from using their phones. So this was it—temporarily imposed here?
That made the early-bird room selection segment quite clever.
A masterstroke by the program group, luring them right into the trap.
The other rooms must have contrived drawbacks too—like no showers, no toilets, no…
Shen Li’s rational prediction ground to a halt.
He pushed open his own door.
The little room measured just four square meters, yet it was nothing like the grim, dank preview image.
Warm yellow lighting bathed the space in coziness. Red-plaid bedding looked fluffy and inviting. Beside the single iron bed sat a charming antique wall hearth, and the floor near the bed was covered in a floral yellow rug. Potted plants and books were artfully arranged throughout—and who could have guessed that this fully equipped haven even hid a private bathroom?
Whoa.
Talk about hidden gems.
Shen Li had zero resistance to a warm, tidy little space like this.
The faint chill between his brows vanished the moment he laid eyes on it, replaced by a subtle softness.
His lips barely curved, but any viewer could tell:
Shen Li was genuinely pleased.
Excellent. Pricey it was, but worth every—
Hm?
…
The hand Shen Li had raised to close the door froze midway.
There, on the inside of the room’s door, was a boldly pasted note:
【A Room Where You Can’t Sleep Without Voice Chatting with Your Ex】
