Kate sat upright, her posture impeccably straight, though her ears had turned an unmistakable shade of red, deepening rapidly. Ivy, realizing there were cameras and people around them, sat up quickly as well, mumbling, "It's just that it's so cozy here, I couldn't help but relax." She held up her fingers to indicate a small gap, "Just a tiny bit, really."
Kate sipped her tea, her gaze shifting away as if to create some distance.
Sensing the atmosphere beginning to cool, a production team member interjected, "We've prepared a little Q&A for your afternoon tea to test your compatibility!"
Ivy perked up instantly, like a student called on by a teacher, sitting straight with a serious yet eager expression.
"We'll give you each a whiteboard for your answers. If your responses match, you'll get a point!" one of the team explained.
Ivy, brimming with confidence, declared, "I'm really good at these kinds of games!"
One crew member chuckled, "Alright, let's see Ivy in action!"
Both Ivy and Kate accepted their whiteboards and markers.
"For the first question," began the crew, "what is your partner's favorite food? Guess your partner's answer at the top, and write your own favorite at the bottom."
Ivy froze, a bit flustered. She'd thought this game would just involve selecting answers like apples, oranges, or pears, as long as both chose the same thing. But how was she supposed to know Kate's favorite food? They'd only been roommates for a few days.
After racking her brain, Ivy decided on her guess and wrote down "pickled fish." As for her own favorite food… there were too many to choose from, but she settled on "braised pork knuckle."
"Alright, let's see what we have!"
The screen lit up with Ivy's guesses: "For Kate, pickled fish; and for herself, braised pork knuckle."
The crew burst into laughter. "Now that's an interesting combo!"
Kate had guessed Ivy's favorite as "crackers," and Ivy's face flushed a little—she hadn't expected Kate to remember her playful banter with Ethan. Meanwhile, Kate had indeed written "pickled fish" as her own favorite.
"What luck!" Ivy beamed, thrilled at her successful guess.
"Next question," said the crew, "What is your partner's favorite color?"
Ivy thought back to the colors she'd seen in Kate's wardrobe—mostly black and white, with a bit more white. But a voice in her mind whispered, "green." She decided to take a chance on it.
When the boards flipped, the result was a win: Kate's favorite color was indeed green, although Kate's guess that Ivy's favorite color was simply "purple" missed Ivy's specific preference for "cyberpunk purple."
"I knew it!" Ivy smiled, unable to contain her satisfaction.
With each answer, Ivy's confidence grew. Kate rarely revealed personal preferences in public, so Ivy's successful guesses made her feel like she was piecing together a rare puzzle.
One crew member noticed Kate's slight frown and remarked, "Maybe cyberpunk purple is close enough to just purple?"
The director chuckled, "Close doesn't cut it—we need an exact match."
"Alright," said the crew, moving on. "Next question, what's your partner most afraid of?"
After a moment of thought, Ivy recalled a humorous moment when Kate mentioned fearing cockroaches and scrawled "giant cockroach" onto her board with a mischievous grin.
The results had the crew laughing in disbelief. "Are you sure there's no telepathy going on? Ivy's guessed correctly again!"
Beaming with pride, Ivy tapped her chest. "I know Kate through and through!"
The final tally showed Ivy in the lead by three points, so the victory went to her.
With a bright smile, Ivy turned to Kate. "So I get to make a wish, right? Can I ask for it now?"
The entire crew turned toward Kate, who, with a slight tilt of her head, glanced at Ivy and nodded.
Unable to hold back, Ivy laid her head on Kate's shoulder, intoxicated by the sweet fragrance Kate always seemed to carry. "If only I could stay with you forever, Kate…"