Chapter 68 A Phone Call in the Fog: A heart-stirring situation unfolds in the fog.
"The mist shrouds the pavilions, the moon obscures the ferry crossing. A captivating scene unfolds within the mist."
"This is the theme of 'Calling Through the Fog.' During the ten-day recording, we will arrange various activities for everyone to complete, fostering relationships between you while maintaining restraint and distance. There will be two fixed tasks and one random task each day. Guests without special arrangements are free to move around within the villa area at other times."
"Please come forward one by one to draw a slip of paper. During the recording period, each guest will need to stay in a separate room. Visiting other rooms, mixing rooms, or sharing rooms are not allowed. We will monitor your behavior 24 hours a day. Any violation will result in immediate punishment after three violations!"
Lin Shu emphasized the words "shared dormitory" as her gaze swept over the three suspects who looked eager to try.
Everyone took turns drawing room numbers.
"The first day is for everyone to get used to the environment. There will be a fixed dinner party in the evening. The rest of the time is free for the guests. Now you can check in."
Everyone picked up their luggage and headed to their rooms.
Although it's called a villa, it's more like a castle, with over a dozen guest rooms. Qin Lan dragged her suitcase into the elevator, went up to the second floor, turned right, and walked straight ahead; her room was at the end of the way.
On the first floor, the first house on the left is Yun Chui, and the second house on the left is Anna.
The first person on the left on the second floor is her, and the second person on the left is Xiahou Cheng.
On the third floor, the first house on the left is occupied by Feng Manhong, the second house by Song Man, the third house by Jiang Yan, and the fourth house by Yu Jintang.
The only two guest rooms on the fourth floor were occupied by Yang Xingji and Liu Lü, respectively.
The first floor is mainly for dining and entertaining, the second floor is for family entertainment, the third floor has a lot of laundry facilities, and the fourth floor is the villa owner's office space, including a huge home theater. Villas of this size usually also have a wine cellar, and Qin Lan saw a staircase leading down to the basement.
Besides these basic features, there are some places in this villa that show Xiahou Cheng's personal style.
Qin Lan expressionlessly picked up the two red and green pillows on the bed and opened the cabinet door.
She took a step back, staring in disbelief at the entire row of Ultraman figures in the wardrobe.
Xiahou Cheng, standing at the door next door, gave a wicked smile: "Sorry, I may have lived in this house before, and I have some trinkets here."
Qin Lan threw the two pillows at her: "I want two normal pillows. Quickly give me the ones from your room."
Xiahou Cheng: "Why don't we just switch rooms?"
Qin Lan leaned on the railing and asked Lin Shu, "Director, I'd like to switch bedrooms with her!"
Lin Shu said sternly: "The rules state that it is forbidden to visit other dormitories, mix with others, or share a room. Whatever number you draw is what you get."
Xiahou Cheng shrugged: "Teacher Tangtang's friend is so boring, she has no creativity at all."
Lin Shu: "I can hear you."
Qin Lan went out for a stroll after she finished getting ready.
The door to the next room was wide open, and Xiahou Cheng lay sprawled on the bed, gazing at the sky.
Qin Lan leaned against the door and knocked: "Xiahou? Xiahou! Want to visit your house?"
Xiahou Cheng: "Do you want to hear what you're saying?"
Qin Lan: "Oh dear, you've been here before, but I haven't. Aren't you going to show me around?"
Xiahou Cheng immediately jumped up: "Let's go, let's find other people's rooms."
Just as he was about to pounce on Qin Lan, Qin Lan quickly took a step back: "No, I don't want to get a penalty."
Xiahou Cheng withdrew his arm: "Let's go to the third floor and take a look first."
Qin Lan drawled, "Oh, the third floor."
Xiahou Cheng glanced at her sideways: "You have a problem with that?"
"I didn't. Let's go."
The two went upstairs, and Xiahou Cheng went straight to Yu Jintang's room. The door wasn't closed either, and the room was a mess. How messy? Xiahou Cheng glanced up and noticed a piece of underwear hanging on the air conditioner.
Xiahou Cheng kindly reminded her, "Teacher Tangtang, your bra is about to get caught in the air conditioner."
Yu Jintang glared at her: "You're a pervert!"
The two men watched as she tore off her clothes and casually tossed them into the laundry basket: "Are you two here to help me clean up?"
Xiahou Cheng tentatively probed the doorway with her toes: "The film crew doesn't allow us to visit other dorm rooms or stay in the same dorm."
Yu Jintang: "So what are you two doing here?"
Xiahou Cheng: "I'd like to invite you to go out for a walk."
Yu Jintang: "Can't you see I'm busy?"
Xiahou Cheng: "There's a wine cellar downstairs."
The door slammed shut, then opened three seconds later, and Yu Jintang emerged, dressed impeccably.
“Take me there,” she said solemnly.
Song Man had no heart to tidy up.
She hastily threw all her clothes into the walk-in closet, laid out a yoga mat on the floor, and tried to warm up.
Five minutes later, she couldn't sit still anymore. Dejected, she got up, walked around a couple of times, and then decided to go out for a stroll.
She went up to the fourth floor to take a look. Staff were hanging name tags on the doors, supposedly to prevent people from going to the wrong room and breaking the rules.
Song Man walked around the fourth floor but didn't see a single person.
She went out onto the terrace, where several staff members crossed the lawn, carrying boxes toward her.
Song Man sighed sadly.
Song Man made his way to the first floor and successfully found Yun Chui's room.
Her heart skipped a beat, but she walked past with an air of haughtiness. Just then, a door opened, and Song Man, feeling guilty, quickly slipped into the next room. Turning her head, she saw a row of washing machines and pretended to examine them.
Anna passed by and greeted her: "Teacher Song."
"Hello." Song Man nodded politely.
"Does Ms. Song need to do laundry?" Anna asked kindly.
Song Man replied vaguely, "Ah, yes, let's study how to use it."
"Do you need my help? I just tried it." Anna smiled and pointed to a washing machine that was running next to her. "This machine is a little complicated."
"Okay, thank you, Teacher Anna."
Song Man nodded, wishing she had someone by her side to make her feel less strange on this floor.
The two maintained a distance, avoiding physical contact, for a while. Song Man noticed that her left hand was more dexterous, so she asked, "Are you left-handed?"
"Hmm...I guess so."
Anna successfully taught Song Man how to use Xiahou Cheng's washing machine and left satisfied.
Song Man waited for two minutes to make sure there was no movement in Yun Chui's room before coming out.
She listlessly wondered how they had met, then went back to the fourth floor. She remembered there was a media room there. Yes, it had movies she liked.
Next door was a study. She pushed open the door and went in, only to find someone inside.
She was startled, but breathed a sigh of relief when she realized it was Jiang Yan: "Oh, it's you."
"Teacher Song?" Jiang Yan smiled warmly: "This is the study. I've come to find two books to take downstairs and read."
"You can just call me Aman."
Song Man was very grateful to her for bringing Yun Chui back to the country, and her prejudice against her disappeared without a trace: "What book are you looking for? I'll help you find it."
“Okay,” Jiang Yan said. “Just give me any books you see that are related to movies.”
A warm atmosphere, a sun-drenched study, two beautiful figures, occasionally leaning closer to whisper a conversation…
After monitoring the situation, Lin Shu was both satisfied and moved: "Finally, a couple with chemistry has appeared. All those before were just crazy people. Zoom in and take some good pictures of them."
＊
Apart from Qin Yucheng and her two companions who went to the wine cellar, Song Man who wandered around the villa, and Jiang Yan who stayed in the study, almost no one else left their rooms.
The entire villa was quiet.
At 6:40 p.m., a beautiful classical melody filled the entire villa.
The aria on the G string continued to play, and Lin Shu's voice came from the loudspeaker: "The dinner party will begin at 20:00. The address is the restaurant on the first floor. Please be prepared, teachers. We will explain the rules to you five minutes in advance."
At 6:55, everyone sat down at the dining table according to the names written on the back of their chairs.
The production team clearly didn't want familiar faces to sit together, so they broke everyone's seats into tiny pieces.
Qin Lan sat at the corner of the table, with Anna sitting to her left and Liu Lü sitting opposite her.
She glanced over and saw that there were two people between Jiang Yan and her.
Everyone remained silent.
The elegant orchestral music continued to play as the production team approached.
Lin Shu coughed and said, "Alright, now I will explain the dining rules for the dinner party."
Xiahou Cheng: "Thank you, we know how to eat."
Lin Shu: "A small mouth?"
Xiahou Cheng: "Just say it."
Lin Shu chose to ignore her: "The first rule is that everyone must remain absolutely quiet during the meal and must not speak. Anyone who violates this rule will be punished by washing dishes. One dish will be washed for every word spoken, and plates will be used instead of bowls."
Everyone: ?
Anna seemed a little flustered as she spoke for the first time, but she forced herself to remain calm for the sake of her appetite: "What if we want more after we've finished eating?"
Lin Shu: "?"
Forgot there's an ordinary person here who doesn't need to manage their physique.
Lin Shu: "You can raise your hand to signal, and a staff member responsible for supervising everyone will be nearby."
Everyone fell silent.
"Okay, now for the second rule. Please turn over the heart-fluttering card you have. You'll see a love quote on it."
Qin Lan flipped open the pink card.
When you first came, you were like red wine and honey.
The sweet taste burned my lips.
Lin Shu: "Everyone needs to write their name on the card and pass it to the person they want to give it to before the meal ends. One thing to note is that if you want to pass it to someone diagonally opposite you, you must walk in a straight line, not diagonally."
Qin Lan: "You just said we weren't allowed to talk."
Lin Shu smiled and said, "That's right, so we need to pay special attention to the teamwork and coordination between everyone, and you can't point at the target with your hands."
Jiang Yan: "What's the reward for delivering the right item, and what's the punishment for delivering the wrong item?"
Lin Shu: "There are no rewards or punishments, but they will be included in the final heartbeat chart as part of the heartbeat score. The heartbeat score will vary depending on factors such as the communication and cooperation between the teachers and the level of tacit understanding during the tasks and activities. The chart will be announced on the last day."
"Understood." Xiahou Cheng quickly wrote his name on the spot and then slid the card to Jiang Yan on the other side.
Jiang Yan's lips twitched, and she handed it to Yu Jintang on her right.
Yu Jintang turned it over and saw only one line of poetry:
You are like a flame, you are the cold light.
You are the purple of the amaryllis.
You are the silvery hue of the magnolia under the moonlight.
The others remained silent, and no one moved.
Lin Shu paused for a few seconds, then said, "Alright, our Day 1 dinner party will now officially begin. Please remain silent and refrain from speaking..."
Yu Jintang, ever defiant, suddenly declared: "I'll speak up!"
A staff member immediately stepped forward: "Teacher Yu has violated the rules once!"
Lin Shu: "You..."
Yu Jintang: "I'll speak."
"Teacher Yu has violated the rules twice!"
Lin Shu: "Speaking out of turn is against the rules!"
Yu Jintang roared in fury: "I'll talk!!!"
Yu Jintang kept talking.
Then he was constantly punished.
Xiahou Cheng chuckled wickedly: "What a rebellious little thing."
Lin Shu: "Shut up!!"
Qin Lan blurted out without thinking, "It seems like the two of them have already taken care of all the plates and bowls on the table."
Lin Shu turned to look at her: "Teacher Qin needs to wash a dish tomorrow morning."
"?"
Qin Lan shut her mouth and ate.
She is competitive, but not insane.
Lin Shu left, panting heavily.
Everyone began to eat.
Liu Lü ate a few bites of salad, then eagerly flipped open her card to look at it, her face gradually brightening with delight. Qin Lan then saw her quickly sign her name, push the card to Yun Chui next to her, and raise her eyebrows wildly at Feng Manhong's profile.
Yun Chui understood and handed the card to Feng Manhong.
Feng Manhong paused for a moment, then saw Liu Lü's smiling face and returned the smile, turning over the card.
How many people loved you in your most charming and alluring moments?
Whether your love for beauty is feigned or genuine is another matter.
Only one person loves the sincerity of your soul.
I love the sorrow and hardship etched on your aging face.
Qin Lan watched as Feng Manhong's pupils trembled slightly, her expression moved.
She thought to herself, "Oh no, my idol is probably going to fall for Liu Lü."
Five minutes passed, and no one delivered another card.
Ten minutes passed, and still no one moved.
After a while, Yang Xingji tried to give the card to Feng Manhong.
As a result, Xiahou Cheng, who was sitting next to her, misunderstood and passed the card to Yu Jintang again.
Yang Xingji couldn't hold back any longer and blurted out, "Why did you give her oranges?"
The staff immediately announced: "Teacher Yang has violated the rules once!"
Yang Xingji suddenly covered her mouth, looking at Xiahou Cheng with a pitiful expression.
Xiahou Cheng looked bewildered and winked at Yang Xingji. She had heard Yang Xingji mention that she was close to Yu Jintang, and she assumed Yang Xingji was going to give it to a friend.
Immediately afterwards, Song Man snorted and handed the card directly to Jiang Yan next to him.
Jiang Yan reached out to pass it, but Song Man was so startled that she opened her mouth to stop her: "Hey, don't pass it on, it's for you!"
A staff member called out, "Teacher Song has violated the rules once!"
Song Man: "?"
Yu Jintang couldn't help but laugh out loud, as she was scheduled to wash the dishes with Qin Lan the next morning.
Jiang Yan also looked puzzled and cautiously pointed to herself.
Song Man nodded nonchalantly. Since she didn't want to give it to Yun Chui anyway, she might as well find someone nearby to deliver it.
Jiang Yan accepted the gift with a flattered expression, but Song Man wasn't the only one who had this idea of finding a solution nearby. Anna immediately passed it on to Qin Lan, who was standing next to her.
Qin Lan then gave her his as well, and the two became the first couple to exchange love letters that day.
A sudden gasp came from the dining table. Qin Lan looked over and saw Feng Manhong gracefully leaning forward, handing the greeting card to Yun Chui, and smiling at Liu Lü.
Liu Lü was so happy she almost burst out laughing, covering her mouth and laughing incessantly.
"Who's shaking their leg?" Yu Jintang had too many bowls, so she didn't mind adding another one.
Liu Lü clasped her hands together and said, "I'm sorry..."
He realized he'd made a mistake halfway through his sentence and immediately covered his mouth.
It wasn't her legs that were trembling, but her excited heart.
Yu Jintang then gave the card to Xiahou Cheng.
Everyone had almost finished eating, and only Jiang Yan and Yun Chui hadn't given out their cards yet.
Yun Chui looked over, his eyes questioning, indicating that she could have the card. Jiang Yan smiled and shook her head, handing the card to Song Man on her left, then lowered her head to continue eating.
Everyone had finished eating, and everyone was waiting for Yun Chui.
Yun Chui had already signed his name. He looked straight ahead, the pen sliding lightly under his fingertips, as if he were pondering some difficult problem.
After a dozen seconds, she smiled slightly and handed the card to Anna across from her.
Song Man's heart sank suddenly, and she almost immediately turned her head away, feeling a mix of bitterness and resentment. She unconsciously stirred the vegetables in her plate, her mind filled with thoughts of their relationship and how Yun Chui had lied to her—that they weren't friends at all.
She was so engrossed in her anger that it took her a while to realize that someone was gently poking her arm.
She looked up and found that everyone was looking at her.
Jiang Yan pushed the love letter forward, using the corner of the card to remind her to accept it.
Song Man opened her mouth in surprise, and after a long while, she took the card and looked at Yun Chui with a confused expression.
Yun Chui was also looking at her, his expression calm and serene, showing no surprise at having given the card to the wrong person. Only then did she realize that the card was originally meant for her.
Why?
Did Anna know that Yun Chui was going to give it to her? Did Yun Chui tell her about their relationship?
Her mind was in turmoil, and she quickly flipped through the card, where the two slender characters "Yun Chui" caught her eye.
Say just one more word, smile just one more time, and I'll be satisfied.
I'm so glad, so glad this isn't goodbye forever.
She stood there, stunned.
The post-meal silence finally broke, and everyone started talking loudly.
The group visited in twos and threes. During this time, Yang Xingji accidentally bumped into Xiahou Cheng, and Song Man bumped into Yang Xingji. Both of them were given a violation record.
From then on, everyone became cautious in their words and actions, and treated each other with gentlemanly manners and politeness.
Jiang Yan extended an invitation to all the guests: "Does anyone want to go to the gym?"
Wang Zihan is constantly watching her weight; her persona means she can't gain weight.
"Can I come along?" Liu Lü asked.
“I want to go too.” Song Man suddenly raised her hand.
"Okay, okay." Jiang Yan instinctively reached out to take her arm, and received a warning for violating the rules.
The three people left.
"Does anyone want to play cards?" Yu Jintang asked.
"What brand?" Anna asked as well.
What can Teacher Anna do?
"I can play all kinds of games, including Dou Dizhu, Bridge, Blackjack, and Texas Hold'em."
Qin Lan became interested: "Come on, let's play bridge. Two more people, anyone else want to play bridge?"
Yu Jintang pouted: "I don't like playing bridge, you guys play."
Yun Chui spoke up: "Me."
Feng Manhong: "Me too."
Yang Xingji: "I want to play games. I just saw a really big game console in the living room on the second floor."
Xiahou Cheng: "I, I, I can! Teacher Tang, would you like to play? We can have a three-on-three match."
Yu Jintang smiled gently: "Silly Chengcheng, what are you resisting? I'll help you hunt the sheep."
Yang Xingji: "I haven't offended anyone???"
Yu Jintang: "Yes, it's us who want to actively show off our love."
Xiahou Cheng's eyes lit up: "Teacher Yu, are you finally willing to accept me?"
Yu Jintang smiled and said, "After all, Teacher Chengcheng is a madwoman. Who else is more likely to be her?"
A group of people rushed upstairs to the second floor. The first room on the left was a spacious living room. A fire was burning in the fireplace, making it look warm and cozy.
Qin Lan and the other three sat down around the fireplace and began shuffling the cards.
Yang Xingji originally wanted to pull the other two down to sit, but then remembered that they shouldn't have physical contact and quickly stopped.
“This won’t work; we’re running into each other too easily,” she suggested. “We need to separate them with something.”
Several people brought in many cushions and threw them into the sunken living room.
They played until after 9 p.m., and everyone in the living room was exhausted, so they lay down in the huge pit and looked up at the sky.
Yun Chui had just gone to the restroom when Yu Jintang sprang into action, yelling, "Did you see that?! Did you see that?!"
Qin Lan and Yang Xingji sat up abruptly: "That's amazing!!"
Feng Manhong asked curiously, "What are you talking about?"
She was the only one in the room unaware of the love-hate relationship between Song Man and Yun Chui, so Yu Jintang immediately explained it to her. Anna sat beside her, her lips twitching, unsure whether to tell Yun Chui that she had been set up.
Feng Manhong sighed after hearing the story, but was also very interested: "It seems to me that Teacher Yun's attitude towards Teacher Song doesn't seem like she has any deep hatred, otherwise she wouldn't have given her the card."
"That's exactly what we're talking about!" Yu Jintang clapped her hands excitedly, and the next second a laugh came from the doorway: "What is Teacher Yu talking about?"
Jiang Yan and the other two walked in. Yu Jintang got even more excited when he saw Song Man and went up to hug her, but then stopped himself when he remembered the punishment: "How does it feel to receive a love letter?"
Just as Song Man was about to speak, she suddenly realized that everyone in the room was staring at her.
Then he changed the subject: "It's nothing special, just so-so."
Yu Jintang started cheering loudly, and just then Yun Chui returned, and everyone fell silent for a second.
Sixteen eyes were secretly watching the two of them.
Song Man was embarrassed for two seconds, then raised her head and took a step to the side.
Yun Chui remained silent for two seconds, then wiped his hands and walked away.
An undercurrent of tension arose, and soon someone took their leave to go to sleep.
After 10 o'clock, everyone gradually returned to their rooms.
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