The director, witnessing this scene on the monitor, spat out the water he had just taken into his mouth.
"Cough, cough, cough..." He quickly grabbed the walkie-talkie nearby. "Everyone, go back to your rooms to rest. Gather in the living room in five minutes!"
Shen Jianxi naturally heard the director's words. Those in the living room felt as if they had received a great pardon.
She closed the lid of the box, wanting to salvage her image before everyone left:
"Teacher Li, listen to me..."
Li Ying: "Young man, haha, I understand, I understand."
Shen Jianxi: ...
You don't understand.
"Qi..."
Qi Jiawang clapped his hands: "Ah! I suddenly remembered the sheets I washed haven't been collected."
Saying that, he turned and went out.
Shen Jianxi: ... Why would you wash bedsheets on your first day here.
It seemed impossible to explain to the girls, and as she was about to clarify with the boys, she happened to turn her gaze:
Jing Luan quickly stood up: "I'm going to change!"
Shen Xingzhi walked to her side, hesitated for a moment, and then patted her shoulder hesitantly: "Kid, take it easy."
Although Ji Zhaoyun didn't say anything, his expression clearly conveyed everything.
Shen Jianxi: ...
My reputation is ruined!
The once lively living room suddenly became deserted.
Ye Chuan's expression froze as he approached her, only to be startled by a glare from Shen Jianxi. All the words he had prepared were forgotten, and he stammered, "Th-th-that, you-you-you listen to my explanation."
"Hmph!" She let out a cold laugh, shoved the box into Ye Chuan's arms, crossed her arms, and waited for his explanation. "Come on, explain it to me, p-r-o-p-e-r-l-y."
Ye Chuan swallowed guiltily. "My gift box was packed together with the little assistant's gift box. The paper we used for wrapping is the same."
As he said this, Ye Chuan stealthily glanced at her expression. Seeing that Shen Jianxi didn't stop him, he gritted his teeth and continued, "I left in such a hurry this morning, so I probably, possibly, seemed to have mixed them up."
"Understood," Shen Jianxi said with a fake smile, "I'll go back to my room now."
After turning away, her expression instantly became blank.
Thinking about what Ye Chuan had said earlier, that this was a gift she had been pestering him for a long time to get, she felt an even stronger urge to crawl into a hole.
Ye Chuan reached out as if to say something more, then hesitantly withdrew his hand, too guilty to stop her.
Damn it!
This Chu Yunqing's little assistant plays quite dirty!
What, little ears, little tail, and all sorts of other things, he didn't even want to mention them!
Ye Chuan was truly at a loss for words now and could only walk to the director's room with a stern face.
As soon as the director saw him, he knew why he was there.
Before Ye Chuan could speak, he preempted him, "Don't worry, this part will definitely be cut, and it won't be leaked to anyone."
Ye Chuan looked at him for a moment, and seeing the director's sincere expression, he smiled, "Then thank you, Director."
"No need, no need, haha."
The director gave an awkward laugh, thinking to himself: How dare he leak it? That Shen Jian is someone Director Shen of ILC specifically spoke about. He'd be crazy to offend him. Didn't you see that this show didn't even dare to install cameras in the guests' bedrooms? What kind of dating show is this!
...
Five minutes later.
Everyone gathered in the living room again.
They were all in the entertainment industry, and regardless of their inner thoughts, managing their expressions was a compulsory skill. Now, they had all returned to their normal selves, showing no signs of what had happened.
Although Ji Zhaoyun was not from the entertainment industry, he was accustomed to giving people a cold shoulder, so it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
Shen Jianxi sat beside Jing Luan as if nothing had happened. With their whispered conversation, her fake smile almost broke.
Jing Luan: "Hide the items well. Everyone here knows not to leak anything. Don't let the cameras catch you again."
Shen Jianxi: "That wasn't for me!"
Jing Luan: "Okay, okay, I know, it's not yours."
A minute later, he leaned in again: "How about I get you the stuff from last time again when I get back?"
Shen Jianxi: "... I already told you it wasn't for me."
Jing Luan: "I know, I believe you. What I mean is, it's good for supplementing your health."
Shen Jianxi: ... This can't be explained clearly, can it?
She sighed with a hint of resignation and said, "... As long as you're happy."
After saying this, Jing Luan gave her a meaningful look, as if to say: You admit it, don't be shy.
Shen Jianxi: ...
She was tired and decided to stay silent.
Shen Jianxi closed her eyes, leaned her head back against the sofa, and refused all communication.
At this moment, the director, holding a megaphone, slowly walked over. His eyes immediately fell on Shen Jianxi, who was resting with her eyes closed. He cleared his throat: "Cough, cough, cough! Everyone, look this way."
After all attention was focused on him, the director waved his hand, and someone behind him brought forward two boxes.
"You can all see these two boxes, right? They contain the names of the male guests and female guests respectively."
"Later, I'll call out names, and you'll come up one by one to draw a name to choose who you want to go out with tomorrow."
"Any questions?"
The guests looked around at each other and all shook their heads.
The director nodded in satisfaction. It was good that there were no objections; speaking too much was tiring.
"Alright! Let's start with Teacher Shen. Please come up and draw a name."
When the director said this, he specifically looked at Shen Xingzhi, as there were two people named Shen here, to avoid any misunderstanding.
Shen Xingzhi reached into the box and casually drew a name. Just as he was about to open it, the director stopped him: "Teacher Shen, wait a moment. This slip of paper should only be opened after all guests have drawn."
Next were Li Ying, Ji Zhaoyun, Zhao Yingxin, Ye Chuan, Qi Jia, Jing Luan, Qiao Nuan, Shen Jianxi, and Lin Jing.
From this order alone, one could see the principle that in the entertainment industry, status equals everything.