Li Huanyu: "..."
— "Lin Mo encouraging people to read more—so wholesome!"
— "Lin Mo's heartbeat is racing right now! That tall, muscular Spanish hottie is something else!"
— "Free emotional support for timid boys aged 20-24 (ugly ones dare come and you’re dead, short ones dare come and you’re dead, fat ones dare come and you’re dead, ahem ‘short’ in other ways come and you’re dead, whiny broke ones dare come and you’re dead, no-photo blind-date gamblers especially dead, and if you don’t show up? Also dead)."
The group endured a day of work.
By evening, they returned to the villa.
The Black-Clothed Person brought out a notebook, tallying how many "hammer strikes" each would receive as punishment.
Lin Mo: 3 strikes recorded.
Li Huanyu: 5 strikes.
Qiao Yinyin: 6 strikes.
Jiang Wan: 6 strikes.
Shen Sizhan: 7 strikes.
Gu Jingchuan: 8 strikes.
Xu Yan: 9 strikes.
Xie Guanyan: 100 strikes.
— "100 strikes isn’t Xie Guanyan’s limit—it’s the director’s imposed limit."
— "Lin Mo got one strike for the foreign hottie; the other two were during Xie Guanyan’s performances. Gu Jingchuan earned 4 strikes for sneaking close to Lin Mo. Shen Sizhan’s 7 strikes? All from chasing Gu Jingchuan to beat him up."
— "Qiao Yinyin’s 6 strikes? Because Lin Mo replaced an injured actress in a horseback archery scene—red robes, bow drawn, too dashing!"
— "Jiang Wan too! She screamed about marrying Lin Mo on the spot."
— "Xu Yan’s 9 strikes? All from staring at Lin Mo, especially when she played the suona—his heart rate hit 150!"
— "They kept their distance all day, but tonight, Wu Gui won’t let them off easy."
Everyone endured their punishments.
Xie Guanyan, though struck lightly, nearly turned into a pancake after 100 hits.
At 8 PM, the director gathered all guests in the basement home theater for "King’s Game."
"Each round, one guest becomes the ‘King,’ while others are assigned numbers. The King can order any two numbers to complete a task drawn from our prepared box."
"Tasks include but aren’t limited to: hugging, forehead kisses, mouth-to-mouth paper-tearing... Have fun tonight!"
— "Hallelujah! Finally, a dating show that acts like one!"
— "Heh, tonight’s the night I uncover who Xie Guanyan really likes!"
Seating was casual.
Shen Sizhan always claimed the spot to Lin Mo’s left. Jiang Wan tried to sit on her right but was outmaneuvered by Qiao Yinyin.
Lin Mo was puzzled.
Qiao Yinyin had been quiet and reserved yesterday—today, she was outgoing and clingy.
Jiang Wan had no choice but to join, sitting beside Qiao Yinyin.
Gu Jingchuan took the seat next to Jiang Wan.
Xie Guanyan chose the spot beside Shen Sizhan.
Li Huanyu moved toward Xie Guanyan’s other side—only for Xu Yan to cut in.
She frowned.
Xu Yan was the sole heir of the Xu family in Jingnan, but his youth didn’t appeal to her. She preferred mature, guiding types.
The game began.
Cards were drawn.
Director: "Who’s the King?"
Xu Yan raised his hand. "Me."
Director: "Name your numbers."
Xu Yan paused. "3 and 6."
Li Huanyu and Gu Jingchuan stood.
— "OMG first round’s the Gu-Li CP! Fate’s at work—go!!"
Xu Yan drew a task ball from the box and read:
"List three of each other’s flaws—alternating turns. Gu Jingchuan, start."
Gu Jingchuan had thought well of Li Huanyu, but her fickleness disappointed him.
"Gold-digger!"
Li Huanyu shot back, equally disdainful: "Player!"
Gu Jingchuan scowled. "Materialistic!"
Li Huanyu recalled empty promises—like the purse he never bought—compared to Shen Yihan’s generosity.
"Cheapskate!"
Gu Jingchuan, provoked: "Ugly without makeup!"
Li Huanyu, insecure about her looks, snapped: "Short!"
Gu Jingchuan: "..."
Lin Mo nibbled a banana Shen Sizhan had peeled for her, glancing between them.
Had the leads just imploded? This plot twist was... unexpected.
— "Did we just witness a murder??"
— "Gu Jingchuan’s ‘short’—stamina, size, or both??"
— "After this show, Gu Jingchuan’s exit won’t be graceful."
— "They definitely dated. How else would Li Huanyu know?"
— "Bald guys are usually lacking, but Xie Guanyan? That man’s packing!"
— "HOLY—Xie Guanyan’s heart rate just hit 139!"
— "Li Huanyu’s the only girl talking. Xie Guanyan must be into her!"
Gu Jingchuan paled. "Li Huanyu, stop slandering me!"
She ignored him, sitting down.
Gu Jingchuan faced the cameras: "I spoke harshly. Li Huanyu was just emotional."
Director grinned. "Relax, Gu Jingchuan. It’s a game. No one actually cares about your... shortcomings."
Gu Jingchuan gritted his teeth. "Shut it!"
Director coughed. "Next round!"
Round two’s King was Jiang Wan.
She smirked. "Numbers 2 and 7!"
Xie Guanyan and Lin Mo stood.
Jiang Wan drew a task: "10-second hug."
The moment she announced it, viewers saw Xie Guanyan’s heart rate spike to 200—then his monitor glitched into chaos and died!!
