This time the lie-detector stayed silent. Wen Zhi let out a long breath and yanked her hand free, muttering a string of curses in her head.
That Wen Yin—what kind of trouble was she always digging up? She was relentless.
Wen Zhi scanned the three men at the table. Apart from Lu Ziqiu, the other two looked off. Xiao Mo, ever expressionless, looked even darker than usual. Jiang Shihuai kept his face composed, but Wen Zhi could tell he was masking something; his mood wasn’t good.
Swearing under her breath at Wen Yin, Wen Zhi forced a smile and slid back into her seat.
The little incident had thrown the atmosphere off. The chat erupted: Wen Yin and Wen Zhi were at each other’s throats again, and Wen Zhi’s fans were the loudest. The director stepped in to break the stalemate. The game round was over; it was time for the segment everyone had been waiting for—the Heartfelt Letters.
As before, the cameras only showed the contestants’ hands. No one knew which letter was meant for whom; viewers could only read the contents and the signatures. Speculation lit up the barrage of comments.
“Blind guess: Xiao Mo and Jiang Shihuai’s notes are for Wen Zhi. Lu Ziqiu seems cold toward Wen Zhi this episode—feels like he’s paying more attention to Wen Yin?”
“Don’t force a ship. ‘Only Crush’ forever, OK? I want these letters to be mutual—make my dream come true!”
“Shao Yinan, go!”
“Lu Ziqiu, go! Age-gap little puppy for the cool older sister—this pairing slaps!”
“Lu Ziqiu fans, calm down. I don’t think Wen Yin feels anything for him. ‘Only Crush’ fits the mutual crush vibe better.”
“Is the annual ‘steal-the-sister-in-law’ war starting?”
“Am I the only one shipping ‘XiangZhou’? The proud ballet heiress and her loyal hubby—so cute!”
“Senior and junior are the best!”
A knock came at Wen Zhi’s door. She practically ran to open it, eyes bright with hope. Both Xiao Mo and Jiang Shihuai had shown so much on their faces that she’d feared neither would have given their letters to her. The thought of Lu Ziqiu made her pulse quicken—this was getting complicated.
With the cameras trained, Wen Zhi accepted the envelope with a practiced, sweet smile. She toyed with it between her fingers, trying to guess how many letters she might have.
Back in her room, she opened them.
“Believe what your heart says, Xiao Mo.”
“Get to bed earlier, Jiang Shihuai.”
The matter-of-fact tones lifted a heavy weight from Wen Zhi’s chest. Her pupils shifted as a new, simple thought formed in her mind.
In the other room, Wen Yin had two envelopes as well.
“She’s trending so hard this episode—she had zero at first!”
“My gut says one of these is from Shao Yinan.”
“Lu Ziqiu, come on—if you don’t make a move, someone else will!”
“The handwriting on those envelopes looks familiar. I bet it’s Shao Yinan and Lu Ziqiu.”
Wen Yin opened one. The pale blue envelope had nothing written on it but a small, black-ink fox doodle on the flap. She raised an eyebrow and glanced at the signature below.
Shao Yinan.
A hint of a smile crept into her eyes; the corner of her mouth lifted almost against her will.
The other note was short and plain.
“This time, I’ll stand behind you. — Lu Ziqiu.”
“OMG I can picture Lu writing that face!” “Who could resist brotherly love? Wen Yin, say yes!” “Fans of the ‘steal-the-sister-in-law’ crew can sit down—last episode Lu totally misread things. I want to see a full-scale chase!” “He messed up last time, but he’s being so sweet this episode—he’s realized his mistake.” “I still ship Shao Yinan and Wen Yin the most.”
Wen Yin folded the letter and left it on the table without much care. If it had been her former life, she might have been moved. Now she felt nothing—calm, as if their words could no longer tug at her heart.
Li Xiangwei had, as usual, received a note from Xiang Zhou. She sniffed, then read it anyway.
Qian Shuzhi had received nothing. She bit her lip in frustration, almost chipping a tooth in the effort. Was it because Wen Yin had snagged Shao Yinan? Across two episodes, Qian Shuzhi hadn’t gotten close to Shao Yinan and, thanks to that necklace incident last week, had left a bad impression. By contrast, Wen Yin kept getting opportunities.
On the men’s side, Lu Ziqiu and Xiang Zhou each had one letter; Shao Yinan had two. The chat exploded with guesses about who the other sender might be.
“One has to be Qian Shuzhi’s—who’s the other? Li Xiangwei? Wen Yin?” “Half chance it’s Wen Yin—don’t make my ship sink!” “Everyone, chant with me: Only Crush! Only Crush!”
Shao Yinan chuckled and tore his envelope open at the door. The camera crew obliged the viewers and cut to the letter’s contents.
“Thank you, Wen Yin.”
Screams and cheers flooded the comments. “AHHH! The ‘Only Crush’ stans are losing it!” “This is the perfect mutual pull!” “My mom asked why I’m dancing in front of the screen!” “Obviously a Wen Yin fan—lucky girl to ride Shao’s heat!” “What are you even barking about?”
Shao’s expression softened the way a clear breeze clears a sky. He turned and walked back into his room.
For once, Li Xiangwei had given her envelope to Xiang Zhou. He barely acknowledged it, then let a small smile pull at his lips—he was in a good mood.
They left Wen Zhi’s letter for last. The fans argued and begged in the chat as to whom she would have picked. A knock, and Lu Ziqiu—completely unprepared—appeared in the doorway.
“My god, why is nobody reacting?” “...” “...” “The ‘cool-off’ ship fans are crushed.” “Why wasn’t it Xiao Mo?!” “Hahaha, Lu Ziqiu just skyrocketed.”
Lu looked down at the envelope in his hand. Surprise flickered across his face, then he hurried to open it.
“Tonight’s fireworks were beautiful. Even if you weren’t beside me, I hope we can watch them together next time. — Wen Zhi.”
The words hit him like cold water. They left his face drained of color, disappointment written clearly across his features.