Chapter 29: The Cat and Mouse Game Unveiled

A chill spread across her body, causing Lin Ziyao to unconsciously open her eyes. Outside the window, the sun had just begun its ascent, and the clock on the wall still pointed to six.

Having returned to her bedroom after a day of ceaseless activity, her head had felt heavy and muddled. She had no recollection of when she finally succumbed to sleep.

Lifting the blanket that lay draped over her, Lin Ziyao glanced at Qin Yu, who was still deeply asleep. She surmised that Qin Yu must have covered her during the night.

It was then that she remembered she hadn’t taken a shower last night. Seizing the opportunity, she quietly slipped out of bed, gathered a change of clothes, and stepped into the bathroom.

After a refreshing cascade of water, Lin Ziyao emerged from the steamy bathroom. Her clothes were fresh and clean, and the dry, comfortable sensation imbued her with a pleasant mood.

The only minor drawback was that Qin Yu was still sound asleep, making it impossible to use the hairdryer. Instead, Lin Ziyao carefully dabbed the water from her hair, mimicking the way Qin Yu had done it previously.

Just as Lin Ziyao settled onto a chair, Qin Yu suddenly appeared beside her, giving her a fright.

“Did I wake you?” Lin Ziyao asked, a touch of embarrassment in her voice as she noticed the lingering weariness on Qin Yu’s face.

“No, not at all. I usually wake up this early anyway,” Qin Yu replied, feigning nonchalance.

Normally, Qin Yu’s sleep was light; even the slightest disturbance would rouse her. It had been a long time since she had enjoyed a truly restful sleep until dawn, with the notable exception of the last time she had held Lin Ziyao.

Perhaps…

Qin Yu’s scrutinizing gaze made Lin Ziyao’s heart flutter with unease. “I have a feeling you’re thinking something mischievous,” she remarked.

Naturally, Qin Yu took the towel from her hand, then proceeded to smooth her hair like one would groom a cat. “You’re overthinking things,” she said.

The two women savored a moment of tranquility in the room. Lin Ziyao’s hair, like silk, retained water but was quickly absorbed by the towel, so by the time they descended the stairs, it was merely slightly damp.

“We’re the earliest ones this time,” Lin Ziyao observed.

As Lin Ziyao stepped downstairs, she noticed the dining room was empty of guests. Only two staff members were arranging the freshly bought breakfast onto the table.

It wasn’t until they had settled into their seats that Dai Wen and Feng Qiqi finally appeared, descending the stairs a little late.

Nearing the dining room, Dai Wen turned towards the kitchen and retrieved the cereal she had bought the previous day. “Does anyone want some?” she asked.

Among those present, only Qin Yu nodded. Lin Ziyao and Feng Qiqi, in a rare moment of agreement, gnawed on the bread laid out on the table like busy hamsters.

“Good morning, everyone!”

Director Chen descended from upstairs. Today marked the filming of the third episode, and with the first two having built immense anticipation, he had woken early to prepare for the day’s shoot.

The guests seated in the dining room also greeted Director Chen.

“Just a heads-up for today,” Director Chen announced, giving the female guests a hint. “Please change into light, comfortable clothing, as today’s activity will be quite physically demanding for some of you.”

Director Chen’s words elicited a grumble from Feng Qiqi. “I absolutely hate sweating,” she muttered.

“Don’t worry, if you’re lucky, you might not have to exert yourself much,” Director Chen reassured her. He then turned to Qin Yu, saying, “Xiao Li just informed me that someone from your company wishes to get in touch with you.”

“I’ll return the call after breakfast,” Qin Yu replied, nodding to show she understood.

Before long, the male guests also began to arrive in the dining room from upstairs. Once everyone had gathered, Director Chen prepared to unveil the day’s activity.

“Our activity for the third day is called…” Director Chen began, drawing out the suspense as usual. “Cat and Mouse!”

“I’ve heard of that game! I’ve wanted to play it for ages!” Feng Qiqi exclaimed, her spirits instantly lifting upon hearing Director Chen’s words. She had initially expected some strenuous physical exercise, like running.

Director Chen quickly added, “However, due to our limited number of guests, we’ve made a few adjustments to the rules.”

The guests soon grasped the modified rules. Traditionally, Cat and Mouse required two teams—one to chase, one to hide—but with fewer participants, two ‘cats’ would be chosen by lottery.

Moreover, no guest would know the others’ identities, fostering more strategic and competitive interactions for the cameras.

“Without further ado, let’s begin the drawing!” Director Chen declared. As he spoke, seven envelopes appeared in his hand, awaiting the guests’ selections.

“Me first! Me first!”

Feng Qiqi was particularly enthusiastic about such activities, being the first to snatch an envelope from Director Chen’s hand. Even as she opened it, she deliberately scanned her surroundings to see if anyone was watching her.

The only problem was that her emotions were easily readable on her face. From her somewhat disappointed expression, it was easy to guess that she had likely drawn the ‘mouse’ identity.

Next, Tang Wenjie stepped forward, casually drew an envelope from Director Chen’s hand, and returned to his seat.

Subsequently, the other guests approached one by one to select their envelopes from Director Chen. This left Qin Yu as the very last person to take an envelope from his hand.

Upon opening her envelope, Lin Ziyao saw ‘Mouse’ written on her identity card. This outcome came as no surprise to her.

After all, there was only a two-in-seven chance of being a ‘cat’.

However, she observed a subtle, intriguing flicker in Qin Yu’s eyes when the latter saw her own identity card.

The guests handed their identity cards back to the production team for registration. As Director Chen had announced that the activity would begin in the afternoon, the morning remained free time for all the guests.

As expected, the guests, shifting their focus back to breakfast, tacitly avoided any discussion of the identity cards they had just drawn.

Once breakfast concluded, Qin Yu privately made her way to Director Chen’s temporary workspace.

“Director Chen,”

Qin Yu walked in and greeted him, her gaze casually sweeping across the temporary workspace. Scripts lay scattered across the desk, and two monitor screens remained on, revealing Director Chen’s usual haunt when he wasn’t hosting activities.

“Finished your call?” Director Chen asked, diverting his attention from the screens.

He recalled that after breakfast, Qin Yu had gone to find Xiao Li to use the phone and return a message.

“My company just called,” Qin Yu began, getting straight to the point. “The reporter who interviewed Ziyao for her new song yesterday wants to ask a few follow-up questions, so I wanted to ask if it would be convenient for them to come to the villa.”

Qin Yu’s directness was understandable; as participants in the variety show, they were bound by confidentiality. Any outsiders visiting would require prior notification to Director Chen, as an unannounced arrival could inconvenience the production team, even for a supplementary interview.

“That’s a minor issue,” Director Chen replied. “As long as it’s not during the activity’s filming, just let Xiao Li know.”

Director Chen was always willing to accommodate such small requests, known as he was for his good nature within the industry.

“Oh, that reminds me,” Director Chen added. “I’ve developed a rough concept for Ziyao’s music video, and your timing couldn’t be better.”

Qin Yu, who had been about to leave, paused at Director Chen’s words.