The second day of the live broadcast for "No Romance Cottage" also ended at 10 PM.
After that, the cameras would only activate if drones spotted any two guests of the opposite sex meeting privately.
Although there were only six guests officially recording the show, each of them had their own managers or assistants nearby.
Yesterday had been relatively calm—netizens had only uncovered Lin Mo's identity and her connection to Shen Sizhan.
But today was different.
The moment the live stream cut off, Zhang Nan grabbed Lin Mo and pulled her into a corner. "Sister, this is bad! Netizens have already dug up your past with Gu Zhongdeng!"
Lin Mo felt her vision darken, nearly stumbling as she forced a bitter smile. "There goes my hope. Oh well, guess it’s time to soak in despair. Feels great."
Zhang Nan sighed. "These days, netizens can find anything except a decent relationship!"
Meanwhile,
Shen Sizhan’s manager, Zhou Sheng, cornered him with a grim expression. "Who told you to promise your fans a dance? You’re an idol, not some third-rate internet celebrity!"
Shen Sizhan frowned. "Since when is dancing ranked by status?"
Zhou Sheng took a deep breath, barely containing his anger. "Stay away from your sister. Your image is already in shambles these past two days. Do you even want a future in this industry?"
To his surprise, she really was his biological sister.
Shen Sizhan’s tone was casual yet firm. "I’m not staying away from my sister."
With that, he walked off.
Zhou Sheng watched his retreating figure, his eyes darkening.
Stepping outside the villa, he lit a cigarette and made a call.
A girlish voice answered quickly. "Brother Zhou."
Zhou Sheng exhaled smoke. "You’re in Jiangcheng already, right? Tomorrow night is your last chance. If you don’t obey, don’t blame me for what happens next."
The voice on the other end wavered timidly. "No, Brother Zhou, I—"
Zhou Sheng cut in, icy and furious. "Stop fucking hesitating. Don’t you love him? Consider this a reward!"
He hung up.
Glancing back at Shen Sizhan,
the silver-haired young man was setting up a tent, completely unaware of what awaited him tomorrow.
Zhou Sheng smirked, crushing the cigarette butt between his fingers.
He was determined to break Shen Sizhan’s defiance, to control him completely—to make him obedient, profitable, and utterly at his mercy.
Li Huanyu was also pulled aside.
Her assistant informed her about the rumors linking Gu Jingchuan and Lin Mo.
"The entire internet is calling Lin Mo Gu Jingchuan’s ‘white moonlight’!"
Li Huanyu’s face paled. Her mind flashed back to when she and Gu Jingchuan had nearly broken up—because his friend mentioned a girl he’d loved in high school who had supposedly died.
When she asked whom he loved more, Gu Jingchuan had hesitated.
Later, he claimed to choose her, and they reconciled.
But today’s events proved otherwise.
Li Huanyu clenched her fists, unable to calm down. "How could this happen? The ‘dead’ girl isn’t dead at all!"
The guests weren’t allowed much time to talk. Soon, the director shooed all staff members out.
Li Huanyu tossed and turned in her tent, sleepless.
A resurrected "white moonlight" was an unstoppable force.
Gu Jingchuan’s heart was likely already lost.
That left her with only one option: Xie Guanyan.
If she could secure Xie Guanyan, she’d have everything she wanted.
Once her plan solidified, Li Huanyu finally drifted off.
Lin Mo, meanwhile, slept soundly in her luxurious single room.
She adjusted her medication dosage and only woke up three times during the night.
Morning arrived swiftly.
The director walked in and announced, "Today, our little house welcomes two new members—let's give a warm welcome to Xu Yan and Qiao Yinyin!"
The young man was slender and handsome, dressed in a simple yet high-quality gray windbreaker.
The girl had fair skin, large round eyes, and straight long hair with bangs, giving off an innocent and pure beauty.
—"Holy crap, Wu Gui’s really stepping up! Even the crown prince of the Xu family from Jingnan is here!"
—"He looks barely eighteen or nineteen. Isn’t it too early for a kid like him to join a dating show? He should date me first to gain some experience."
—"I’m done dating younger guys. Last one was eight years younger—called me ‘baby sister’ when we were together, then ‘old hag’ after we broke up. Said I had ‘charm’ while dating, then ‘old lady smell’ after dumping me!"
—"Yinyin baby’s here too! So excited!"
—"Ugh, can’t stand that fake-cutesy Qiao Yinyin. Why is she everywhere?"
—"Yinyin’s voice is naturally like that—stop being so misogynistic!"
—"Wait… is this Shen Sizhan’s actual girlfriend? They’re from the same company, always attend events together, and hers was the only movie he ever promoted. They even have a small CP fanbase!"
Lin Mo couldn’t help but frown when she saw Xu Yan.
She knew he’d been there the day she confessed her feelings.
Professor Xu had told her about Xu Yan’s worsening condition.
Honestly, she felt no romantic attraction to him—but she still remembered how adorable he’d been as a child.
Always chattering nonsense, even insisting once, "I don’t chatter nonsense!"
Uncle Xu was a good man too. He’d originally planned to have more kids, but after Xu Yan’s genetic disorder was diagnosed, he and his wife decided against it.
They didn’t want Xu Yan to feel like they were giving up on him.
Hearing these things made her heart ache.
She’d gladly be his friend.
But anything more? Impossible.
The living room had two rows of sofas.
The seating arrangement was the same as on the first day.
Xie Guanyan still sat alone on the perpendicular sofa.
After greeting everyone, Qiao Yinyin’s eyes flickered with something unreadable before she took a seat at the other end of the perpendicular sofa.
Xu Yan walked straight toward Lin Mo and stared at Jiang Wan. "Get up. I’m sitting here."
Jiang Wan blinked, pointing at herself. "Huh? Me?"
Shen Sizhan’s internal radar activated instantly. Narrowing his eyes at Xu Yan, he wondered:
Is this guy here for my sister?
They look around the same age.
Xu Yan might’ve been young, but the aura of someone raised in an elite, powerful family was unmistakably intimidating.
He gave Jiang Wan a firm nod.
Lin Mo immediately stood. "You can have my spot."
Then she walked over and sat beside Xie Guanyan.
Shen Sizhan promptly got up and took the seat next to his sister.
Xu Yan turned his head, his calm eyes tinged with hurt as he glanced at Lin Mo.
He said nothing, simply sitting down on the sofa.
Lin Mo’s peach-blossom eyes blinked.
That startled her—she’d thought Xu Yan was about to say something outrageous.
He always had a way of catching people off guard.
She just hoped he wouldn’t blurt out her confession to Xie Guanyan on the show. Shen Sizhan couldn’t find out yet.
The director had no idea why the big boss’s son suddenly wanted to join the show.
But since he was here…
What could a weak, helpless, and pitiful director like him do but accept it?
"Today’s rule for Day 3 in the house: Male and female guests are forbidden from making eye contact. If you do, the ‘black suits’ will punish you with a hammer strike—one point deducted per strike."
Everyone thought the rule sounded manageable…
Until the director announced they’d be playing badminton at the sports center today.
It's really hard not to make eye contact with your opponent while playing badminton.
The gymnasium.
Both male and female guests had changed into their sportswear.
The director announced, "Today, the men and women will form separate teams for a competition. The winning team gets a better lunch!"
"Mixed doubles, three rounds in total. Decide among yourselves which two from each team will play."
On the female guests' side.
Jiang Wan said, "Lin Mo and I will take the first round."
No one objected.
Li Huanyu knew she wasn’t good at sports.
Qiao Yinyin remained quiet as usual.
On the male guests' side.
Gu Jingchuan, having eavesdropped on the women’s discussion, declared, "I’m playing the first round."
Shen Sizhan shot him a look. "Your cerebellum is underdeveloped, and your cerebrum is nonexistent. Watching you even climb onto the court would be a struggle. Sit this one out—Xie Guanyan and I will go."
Xu Yan calmly interjected, "I’d like to play too."
With all four unable to agree, they settled it with rock-paper-scissors.
In the end, Xu Yan and Xie Guanyan won.
The first round officially began.
Lin Mo immediately locked eyes with Xie Guanyan.
A staff member in black rushed over with a penalty hammer.
Shen Sizhan darted forward to block—only to trip at the last moment and land in a full split right in front of Lin Mo.
Lin Mo: "..."
She yanked him up. "I get that your intentions were good, but next time, just don’t. I’ll take my own penalties."
Listening to her was as natural as breathing.
Shen Sizhan scratched his silver hair. "Alright, fine."
During the match, the staff would note down any eye contact but wouldn’t interrupt play.
A whistle blew, signaling the start of the 15-minute game.
Lin Mo served first, and both Xie Guanyan and Xu Yan scrambled to return it—only to collide mid-motion.
Xu Yan tumbled to the ground.
Xie Guanyan frowned slightly and stepped forward to offer a hand.
Then Xu Yan looked up, his voice quiet and pleading. "Xie Guanyan... I don’t have much time left. Let me have this one."
