Of course, Shanglu couldn't possibly give a detailed answer. She just smiled and said one word : "Secret."
The barrage comments was filled with question marks, and the more they couldn't guess, the more curious they became.
[D*mn, Shang Lu, you're so heartless.]
[I won't be able to sleep tonight if I don't get an answer!!!]
[Wuwuwu, can someone tell me what she said?]
…
Of course, the staff of the program group were also curious about this "secret", but because they felt that they had wronged Shang Lu for the previous incident, they didn't dare to press further at this moment and could only quickly skip the topic.
According to the previous rules, Shang Lu and Xu Ze were in the same group, so Xu Ze also benefited and got Room A.
The program prepared a total of six rooms for the guests, with two rooms each labeled A, B, and C.
So Lin Yanyan and Ye Lu got Room B, while Song Zeqian and Jiang Jing got Room C.
#The_Harder_You_Work_The_Luckier_The_People_You_Hate_Will_Become#
But fortunately, Shang Lu didn't really dislike Xu Ze, so she didn't mind. On the other hand, Lin Yanyan seemed quite unhappy that Ye Lu got Room B thanks to her efforts.
Finally, the program team gave them half an hour to rest and let them go to their respective rooms to pack their luggage.
Room C was the most basic, with only a single bed and a desk with chairs. Jiang Jing, as the senior, was more accepting of the conditions. Song Zeqian had experienced much harsher environments during his documentary filming, so he didn't have any complaints either.
Room B was modestly decorated and looked like a regular hotel room, neither good nor bad.
Room A, on the other hand, was different. It had a large balcony with excellent lighting, and the space was quite large. It was equipped with a sofa, air conditioning, projector, and coffee machine, just like a luxurious hotel.
Just as Shang Lu had put down her suitcase, sat down, and started opening a bottle of mineral water, the door was pushed open from the outside.
Lin Yanyan stood at the doorway, her hand still on the doorknob, but her eyes were scanning the entire room with a scrutinizing look.
Shang Lu lazily looked at her from the sofa and said, "Knock on the door before entering someone else's room. Didn't anyone teach you basic manners?"
Lin Yanyan didn't answer Shang Lu's question. Instead, she walked into the room with a commanding tone, saying, "Hey, let's switch rooms."
Barrage : [?!]
[Wow! Are we going to witness a showdown so soon? I'm looking forward to it!]
[Lin Yanyan's princess disease is beyond help.]
[But Shang Lu is not a person with a good temper either, Shang Lu is going to tear her apart!]
[Let's guess if Shang Lu can keep the right to use the room? Bet on it!]
…
Although the rooms were obviously assigned according to the rules of the game, the person in front of her was able to confidently request to change rooms. Shang Lu had never seen such a move before.
But to be honest, it wasn't too annoying.
Being able to directly express thoughts and intentions with her, it was better than the time when Ning Lin hinted at changing the lounge at a certain banquet in front of Jiang Yi, but didn't directly say it and instead beat around the bush.
Compared to hypocritical kindness, Shang Lu preferred a more foolishly straightforward approach.
Shang Lu suddenly stood up and walked towards Lin Yanyan, her gaze falling on her face with some meaning, then she smiled gently: "Alright, but there are conditions."
Lin Yanyan was startled by Shang Lu's sudden smile and took a step back, but she refused to back down: "Shang Lu, what are you trying to do?"
"There's no such thing as a free lunch, or free accommodation." Shang Lu took out her phone and asked, "50,000 yuan for one night, 20% off for two nights, WeChat or Alipay?"
Lin Yanyan: "?"
Finally, as she looked at the 80,000 yuan credited to her Alipay account, Shang Lu smiled more sincerely, dropped a "Welcome to cooperate again next time!" and then exchanged keys with Lin Yanyan and went to Room B with her luggage.
Lin Yanyan fell silent. As far as she knew, the Shang family was even wealthier than her own. This amount of money should not be a big deal for Shang Lu, especially considering the "taking advantage" smile on her face, which made Lin Yanyan suddenly feel like she had made a bad deal and even regretted her actions.
The livestream chat was also silent.
[Oh my goodness, I didn't expect this to be the outcome in the end.]
[Shang Lu made a net profit of 80,000… I'm impressed.]
[80,000 for two nights? Let alone Room B, I'd even sleep on the streets for that.]
[Instead of a war, it's filled with peace and love, such a strange turn of events.]
Meanwhile, Shang Lu walked out with her luggage and headed towards the room with the B1 doorplate.
Just as she inserted the key, the door of another room with the A2 doorplate nearby opened, accompanied by a puzzled voice, "Shang Lu?"
Shang Lu turned around and saw Xu Ze calling her. She waved her hand in greeting and said casually, "Hi."
To Shang Lu's surprise, the door of the room opposite also opened, and Ye Lu poked his head out and asked, "Shang Lu, why did you come to Room B?"
Xu Ze was also puzzled, and he stood quietly in place, watching Shang Lu, waiting for her answer.
Shang Lu pushed her luggage into the room and explained, "Lin Yanyan bought my room with money."
Ye Lu's voice was full of confusion, "…Huh? Can rooms be sold?"
At that moment, Xu Ze quickly walked over.
He handed his own key to Shang Lu and extended his other empty hand towards her.
Shang Lu tentatively raised the Room B key in her hand and asked, "Are you suggesting we swap rooms?"
Xu Ze nodded.
After thinking for a moment, Shang Lu said, "There's no need for that."
With air conditioning, a phone, and a bed, it didn't really matter where she stayed.
But Ye Lu immediately protested, "Hey Xu Ze, if you don't want to live in it, then swap with me!"
But Xu Ze looked into Shang Lu's eyes and said, "You can have it."
He hadn't successfully sold his product, but he was lucky enough to be in the same group as Shang Lu, otherwise he would have had to stay in Room C.
Shang Lu understood Xu Ze's meaning. Although she couldn't tell if Xu Ze was being genuinely kind or just being polite, she had always disliked the classic Chinese tradition of insisting on treating each other and fighting over who pays. In order to quickly end the situation, she stopped declining and directly agreed.
After feeling Ye Lu's puzzled gaze, Shang Lu repeated the same line to him, "Do you also want to stay in Room A? It's 50,000 yuan per night, with a 20% discount for two nights. Do you prefer WeChat or Alipay for payment?"
Ye Lu was taken aback for a moment and then said, "Don't even think about it! My money didn't come out of the blue! Only a fool would spend money to buy your room!"
*Creak—*
Another Room A's door opened from the inside, and Lin Yanyan looked expressionlessly at Ye Lu.
Shang Lu walked over with a smile, patted Lin Yanyan's shoulder, and pointed at Ye Lu, saying sincerely, "He called you a fool."
Ye Lu : "?"
Barrage : [?]
[Shang Lu, you're shamelessly instigating discord in such an open and honest manner, it's so funny! You're like an elementary school student!]
[Well, it's not really instigating discord, Ye Lu did mean that hahaha]
[Lin Yanyan's face turned dark hahaha]
[Ye Lu, why are you closing the door? Are you scared or what?]
[Shang Lu, this kind of person who enjoys watching the excitement and doesn't mind getting involved in big things, has a mindset that's really suitable for this show, hahaha.]
...
When they gathered again downstairs, it was already dinner time.
There were six different dishes on the table, each with very different types of food.
Dish 1 had abalone rice, chicken soup, and shrimp dumplings, followed by progressively less luxurious dishes, until Dish 6 had only a solitary steamed bun.
Before they were assigned their dinner, they needed to score each other first.
Each person had five different score cards, representing scores of ten, eight, six, four, and two.
The program group had a separate room with six boxes, each with the names of the participants. Each person had to submit a score card for every other guest except themselves.
After voting, the guests would return to their rooms, and dinner would be delivered based on the final scores.
The scores from this round of voting might also affect the subsequent task arrangements, so everyone had to keep their scores and food allocation confidential and not tell anyone.
The barrage comments quickly caught on to the purpose of this segment.
[So, voting is not scary. Whoever gets a low score will be awkward.]
[If the total of five votes is only a dozen points, that would be awkward. It shows that this person is really unpopular and disliked by everyone.]
[I'm starting to look forward to it, hahaha! I bet Xu Ze will have the highest score. So far, he seems to be the most normal one.]
"[hoosing the king of all villains among all the villains…?]
[Let's call it the 'King of Villains' (just kidding)]
The first one to go in and vote was Shang Lu.
Shang Lu didn't need to think at all and directly put the highest score of ten points into the box with Lin Yanyan's name on it.
The PD who was following along was very surprised. "Teacher Shang, do you have a good relationship with Teacher Lin?"
He felt like he was being insincere even as he said those words.
The barrage was filled with question marks, as no one could understand why Shang Lu would vote for Lin Yanyan, who had never treated her well.
After thinking for two seconds, Shang Lu answered, "We're not close, but I don't dislike her."
As for the remaining score cards, Shang Lu gave the lowest two points to Song Zeqian. Neither Licking Dog No.1 nor Licking Dog No.2 were good people, so she naturally didn't like Licking Dog No.3 either.
The other participants entered the room one by one to vote, and then returned to their own rooms to wait.
Ten minutes later, Shang Lu's door was knocked on.
A staff member entered the room with a tray, and in his hand was a lone steamed bun. He apologized as he announced the result, "I'm sorry, Shang Lu, you ranked sixth in this round of voting, so you can only have one steamed bun."
Shang Lu accepted the result calmly and asked, "Is there any chili sauce?"
The staff member asked incredulously, "Don't you have any reaction to this result?"
"No." Shang Lu shook her head and asked again, "So, is there any chili sauce?"
—It's really hard to swallow when eating it plain.
Staff member : "…"
In Shang Lu's livestream room, there were many question marks at the moment, as a considerable number of people couldn't understand the voting result.
[I think Xu Ze and Shang Lu get along pretty well. Xu Ze voluntarily changed rooms later, so he should have some goodwill towards Shang Lu and give her a high score, right?]
[She didn't have any issues with her performance today, why is she ranked the lowest?]
[To be honest, Shang Lu was quite cute today, this result is so strange.]
Immediately, some of Shang Lu's black fans jumped in to explain.
[Why so many 'whys'? We watch the show for the entertainment value, only those who were present during the actual recording know what kind of person Shang Lu is. It's not surprising for her to get such a low score.]
[Hahaha, feeling refreshed! Shang Lu is always the least popular wherever she goes.]
[Serves Shang Lu right. It's clear as day that everyone sees through her.]
[All Shang Lu black fans, assemble in the lower right corner!!!]
At this moment, the situation took a turn.
[Wait! Everyone, go check other livestream rooms. There's an issue with the results. Song Zeqian also got an only steamed bun!]
[Agree +1, I just came from Xu Ze's livestream room, and he also has a steamed bun. I checked everyone's rooms, and they all have steamed buns!]
[???]
[What? Are all the scores the same? That's impossible.]
[I understand now. It's the program team's doing! They deliberately gave steamed buns to each guest, making them think they are the least popular, so as to stir up internal conflicts.]
[Indeed, if someone finds out they are the most hated person in the group, it would definitely affect their attitude towards others and easily trigger conflicts.]
[The program team is really wicked… but I love watching it!]
Among the guests, the one who had the strongest reaction to this trap set by the production team was Lin Yanyan.
She looked incredulously at the PD and asked, "I actually got the lowest score? Am I the most hated?"
The PD was intimidated by Lin Yanyan's imposing manner and took a step back, but could only nod with a stiff smile as he tried to endure the pressure. "Please keep this result confidential, as it will affect the next task."
Lin Yanyan was furious and threw the steamed bun directly into the trash can, saying, "Even if I starve, I won't eat this kind of thing!"
For Lin Yanyan, it was not just a steamed bun, but also a disgrace!
She was actually hated? How could anyone hate her? Were these people blind?
Meanwhile, Ye Lu rolled his eyes at getting the steamed, while others remained relatively calm.
Xu Ze clearly didn't care about these things and remained silent.
Song Zeqian knew that he had annoyed four people at once during the day, so it was normal to be hated. He felt the result was reasonable, though he was unhappy, he accepted it.
Jiang Jing, as the senior, could only show a helpless and accommodating smile, saying some nice words to express her sadness about the result but she would continue to try to integrate with everyone.
Night fell quickly.
The first day of the livestream recording came to an end, and everyone finished their bedtime routines and went to sleep.
Everyone had a good night, except for Lin Yanyan.
Because she had thrown away the only steamed bun and was too hungry to fall asleep.
So the next morning, the program team prepared a regular breakfast for them, but Lin Yanyan completely forgot to maintain her image and ate with a wolfish look.
Because Lin Yanyan made too much noise, Shang Lu glanced at her.
Lin Yanyan immediately realized it and sat up straight, holding a piece of bread, glaring back.
What are you looking at? Surely Shang Lu gave her a low score. She only got a steamed bun yesterday, Shang Lu's "credit" must be indispensable!
Shang Lu didn't understand why Lin Yanyan was unhappy, and didn't care much. She withdrew her gaze, took a sip of milk, and continued eating breakfast.
Some netizens in the livestream room found it strange.
[Why is Lin Yanyan so angry early in the morning? Who offended her?]
[It's probably the result of the program team's instigation. When Jiang Jing handed out utensils in the morning, she said some strange things, trying to probe if anyone had any opinions on her.]
[Even though Song Zeqian didn't take off his sunglasses today, I can feel that he must be rolling his eyes behind the lenses.]
[Such a mean move. It makes the already awkward atmosphere between them even more awkward, but I love watching it.]
...
After finishing their meal, their schedule for the day officially began.
This time they were divided into groups of three, and the groupings were arranged in advance by the production team.
They were arranged directly based on gender, so Shang Lu, Lin Yanyan, and Jiang Jing were in one group, while Song Zeqian was in a group with Xu Ze and Ye Lu.
The moment Lin Yanyan saw that she was in a group with Shang Lu, she almost wrote "unwilling" on her face.
Lin Yanyan didn't like Shang Lu.
Never did.
Shang Lu and Jiang Yi's engagement was a semi-public secret in the wealthy circle, but Jiang Yi and Ning Lin's scandal never stopped, showing no respect for Shang Lu and the Shang family. Despite this, Shang Lu still followed Jiang Yi like a dog, day after day, for decades, unaware of how many people were mocking her behind her back.
Shang Lu used to be a goddess-level figure in the wealthy circle, but now she's nothing more than a joke.
Or, in other words, Lin Yanyan actually looks down on Shang Lu.
With such a privileged background of the Shang family as her trump card, and her own conditions not being bad, she still lives so pitifully and lowly for a man. It's ridiculous.
After spending a day together, Lin Yanyan feels even more convinced that her judgment of people is indeed correct, and Shang Lu is even more detestable than she imagined.
Whether it's the outcome of the game or the ordinary interactions, Lin Yanyan always feels overshadowed by Shang Lu. Even though she successfully obtained the right to use the room in the end, she still feels a sense of inexplicable frustration, especially since she has to be in the same group with Shang Lu today, which makes her even more irritated.
Unlucky! Really unlucky!
As for the other group, Song Zeqian and Ye Lu both dislike each other, and Xu Ze is not talkative.
In short, the atmosphere in both groups is not good.
But the mission must go on.
The director quickly announced the rules of the game this time. Each group consists of three people, with two people responsible for dodging attacks, and one person holding a soft ball to attack the people of the other group. The two groups play the game simultaneously in adjacent venues, and the standard for judging the outcome is the number of times the two people responsible for dodging are hit by the ball.
Jiang Jing showed a hesitant expression on her face and said, "I'm not as quick in my reactions at my age, so I won't drag you down. I'll be responsible for attacking them."
Everyone thought that Lin Yanyan would compete with Jiang Jing for this position. After all, a pampered and spoiled rich girl like her would not want to do an embarrassing show of running around the field to avoid those balls.
Jiang Jing also thought the same way. Naturally, she would prefer to take on this simplest task. But if Lin Yanyan were to compete with her for it, Jiang Jing, as a senior, would naturally have the advantage of public opinion. Such subtle scenes would not be edited out in the later stages of the TV program, as they would make for good footage and discussion topics.
However, to Jiang Jing's surprise, Lin Yanyan did not have any objections to the task assignment.
The other group quickly discussed their personnel arrangement as well, with Xu Ze and Ye Lu responsible for evasion, and Song Zeqian attacking both Shang Lu and Lin Yanyan.
The game started promptly.
Shang Lu and Lin Yanyan both put on the team uniforms prepared by the program crew and entered the game field.
The surroundings were well-protected with air cushions, reducing the possibility of them getting injured while evading.
Lin Yanyan glanced at Shang Lu and arrogantly said, "Don't drag me down, and better not appear in my line of sight."
Lin Yanyan had years of dance training and considered herself to have very agile body reflexes. She was confident in avoiding Song Zeqian's attacks and planned to outperform Shang Lu in the upcoming performance.
This was also the most important reason why Lin Yanyan was willing to take on this task : to showcase herself.
After hearing what Lin Yanyan said, Shang Lu pondered for a few seconds and finally agreed, "Okay."
The five-minutes game started with the music, and Lin Yanyan kept a close eye on Song Zeqian, who was responsible for attacking them, determined to win this competition.
Song Zeqian still wore sunglasses on his nose, but his movements of throwing balls at them with alternating hands were very fast, wasting no time at all.
[Wow, how come Shang Lu and Lin Yanyan are both beauties, but Song Zeqian really shows no mercy.]
[What are you thinking? Forget about gender, in Director Song's eyes, there are only two types of people in the entertainment industry: good actors and useless ones (smoking cigarette emoji)]
Although Song Zeqian's attacks were not gentle, Lin Yanyan also demonstrated her advantages, dodging Song Zeqian's attacks with great agility time and time again.
Although she was unfortunately hit a few times within the five minutes, overall it was still a very good result.
Even many viewers in the live stream room had a changed opinion of Lin Yanyan.
[I thought Lin Yanyan would be crying while running from the balls, but I'm surprised that she's not just a vase.]
[She's quite skillful indeed, there's something more to her than meets the eye.]
[Wait a minute… Where is Shang Lu?]
Lin Yanyan finally realized that something was off.
Why didn't she feel Shang Lu's presence throughout the game? Weren't they supposed to be teammates? Why was she the only one fighting alone?
Lin Yanyan looked to her left and right, but she couldn't see Shang Lu anywhere, not even a single strand of hair.
"...Why did you stop? Is the game over?" A puzzled voice came from behind Lin Yanyan, and Shang Lu's head popped out as well.
Lin Yanyan : "?"
Netizens in the livestream room : "???"
Lin Yanyan slowly turned her head and looked at the pretty yet annoying face that was leaning so close to her, with Shang Lu's chin resting on her shoulder. She felt like there were several cross marks popping up on her forehead.
Lin Yanyan gritted her teeth and asked, "Shang Lu, why are you hiding behind me?"
"Isn't that what you said?" Shang Lu asked back, then explained seriously, "Hiding behind you means I won't be in your line of sight, and I won't drag you down. Isn't this the best answer for both conditions?"
Lin Yanyan: "???"
[I'm about to laugh like crazy, hahaha, Shang Lu, you're toxic!]
[Although it seems strange, but when you think about it, it actually makes sense.]
[Shang Lu (innocently): Woman, aren't you satisfied with what you see?]
[I get it now, this must be the legendary concept that behind every successful woman, there's often an even more amazing woman?]