In a Survival Variety Show, My Lookalike Rival and I Got a Happy Ending - Chapter 11

Chapter 11

When Qin Sijing and Jiang Xunruo arrived at the “luxury suite” prepared by the production team, their expressions froze once again.

Qin Sijing turned to the PD and asked, “Does your production team have some… unique interpretation of the word ‘luxury’?”

Seriously, enough is enough.

The PD enthusiastically pulled back a door curtain made of banana leaves. “Teacher Qin, Teacher Jiang, come in and take a look first! This is truly the top-tier experience of the island!”

Qin Sijing walked in skeptically. Jiang Xunruo, showing no reaction, followed suit.

The next second, both were stunned.

The room was incredibly tiny. Once the double bed was placed, there was virtually no space left to move. But that wasn’t the main issue.

The issue was that the bed was covered in pink fake rose petals, looking exactly like a wedding suite. Next to the petals lay a meticulously crafted One-Day Roommate Experience Manual.

Qin Sijing: “…” Jiang Xunruo: “…”

Under their “death glares,” the PD forced a smile, looking for credit. “How is it? Isn’t our team thoughtful? Isn’t it romantic? Doesn’t it have an ‘atmosphere’?”

Qin Sijing expressionlessly began sweeping the annoying petals into a trash can. “…Is it too late to back out now?”

Jiang Xunruo maintained her calm smile, but after flipping to the first page of the manual, her expression stiffened.

 [Fate has brought us to sleep together tonight…]

“PD, what is this… ‘program effect’?” Even the good-tempered Jiang Xunruo was now utterly speechless. The content in the manual looked like it had been copy-pasted directly from a dating show. How could any of this be useful for her and Qin Sijing?

Jiang Xunruo glanced at the dark-faced Qin Sijing, who was still clearing flowers, and sighed softly in her heart.

The PD chuckled, took the manual, and read aloud: “Fate has brought us to sleep together tonight! Dear roommate… let us share a ‘hug of love’ the moment we wake up in the morning…”

“Stop!” Qin Sijing couldn’t take it anymore. She exploded. “A hug of love the moment we wake up?” She glanced at Jiang Xunruo. “What kind of relationship do we have that requires a hug?”

“A one-day roommate relationship!” The PD blinked. “Don’t be angry, Teacher Qin. These are just small tasks to enhance your bond! They’re very heartwarming!”

Qin & Jiang: “…”

Seeing the murderous looks in their eyes, the PD coughed quickly and scurried out, dropping the curtain before his life was forfeited. “Cough! Enjoy your hard-earned roommate time, teachers! Goodnight!”

The curtain fell, leaving only the sound of waves and a delicate silence between the two women.

Qin Sijing picked up the manual the PD had left on the table. After flipping through a few pages, her face darkened further. It contained tasks like saying goodnight to each other, the morning hug, and even “rating your roommate’s performance for the day.” What kind of nonsense was this?

She threw the book aside in disgust and looked at Jiang Xunruo, who was quietly looking down. She opened her mouth to speak, then hesitated.

Noticing her gaze, Jiang Xunruo looked up. Qin Sijing took a deep breath. Whatever, she had to say it!

“Teacher Jiang, since the show is forcing us to be roommates, I’d better say a few things upfront.”

Jiang Xunruo kept her gentle expression and nodded, signaling she was listening.

“First, I’m a very still sleeper. I hope you are too.” Qin Sijing folded a blanket and placed it down the middle of the double bed, creating a boundary. “Second, this blanket is the border. No one crosses it.”

Jiang Xunruo smiled. “Alright.”

Qin Sijing paused before adding the third rule. “Third, don’t mention my fast heartbeat ever again! Not at any time!”

Jiang Xunruo listened seriously and nodded cooperatively. She didn’t argue at all. “Understood, Teacher Qin. I will comply.”

Her easy compliance made Qin Sijing feel a bit awkward. “Don’t… don’t you have any requirements for me?”

Jiang Xunruo lowered her eyes, thought for a moment, and answered softly, “None.”

“…”

After setting the rules, it was time to wash up. The production team had provided matching pajamas, cartoonish and quite cute. There was no point in resisting now. They resigned themselves to wearing matching sets and preparing for bed.

The lights went out, and the room plunged into darkness. The sound of the waves became incredibly clear to Qin Sijing’s ears, whoosh, whoosh constant and a bit loud.

Qin Sijing lay stiffly on the bed, unable to sleep. It wasn’t just the waves; her own heartbeat was loud too. She tried deep breathing, but it didn’t help. She rarely had such physical reactions, but today was special. Because… Jiang Xunruo was right next to her.

Qin Sijing had been a child star, always the center of attention. That lasted until Jiang Xunruo, a newcomer, suddenly appeared. At first, it was just annoying comparison articles, then Jiang started “hijacking” her roles, and finally, they became tied together as arch-rivals. Over the years, being constantly compared had caused her mindset to become increasingly unbalanced.

Qin Sijing carefully turned over. The low-quality wooden bed let out a sharp “creak” in the silent night.

“Teacher Qin?” Jiang Xunruo’s soft voice came from beside her.

Qin Sijing stayed silent, eyes squeezed shut, pretending she was already asleep. Jiang Xunruo opened her eyes and saw Qin Sijing’s eyelashes trembling. She continued.

“Are you finding it hard to sleep in a new bed? I am too. Every time I’m in a new environment, I have insomnia for several days.”

Qin Sijing opened her eyes and met Jiang Xunruo’s gentle gaze.

“I have a method. Do you want to try it?”

“…What method?” Qin Sijing couldn’t help but ask. She really wanted to sleep.

“Close your eyes. Listen to my voice.”

Qin Sijing obediently closed her eyes. It was strange; a command like that coming from Jiang Xunruo felt incredibly soothing.

“Now, imagine you are in the most comfortable, safest place… Now, start deep breathing. Inhale… exhale…”

Qin Sijing followed Jiang Xunruo’s rhythm. Her heartbeat actually began to slow down. Jiang Xunruo started telling a bedtime story not a fairy tale, but a very plain story about planting flowers.

“…Every seed must stay in the dark soil for a long time before it sprouts…”

Drowsy, Qin Sijing moved closer to the “border blanket” to hear Jiang Xunruo better. At that moment, she caught a faint scent. It wasn’t perfume. It was a light, sweet coconut scent, mixed with a clean, warm smell like clothes dried in the sun.

Was this… Jiang Xunruo’s scent?

Qin Sijing kept her eyes closed and instinctively breathed in. The scent enveloped her, and her tense nerves finally relaxed. Just like that, she fell asleep.

…

“Teacher Qin! Teacher Jiang! Time to get up!”

Early the next morning, the PD appeared at their door right on time, waking them up with high energy.

Qin Sijing startled awake. Her first instinct was to check the blanket in the middle. Then, she turned to stone.

What? Where was the blanket? Where was the border blanket?!!!

The morning drowsiness vanished instantly. She was wide awake. That border blanket was currently draped over her own body!

Does that mean last night… She was the one who crossed the line?!!!!

Qin Sijing’s inner self was weeping.

Jiang Xunruo was already awake and back from washing up, holding the One-Day Roommate Experience Manual. The morning sun was bright, hitting her hair and giving her a soft golden glow. She wore a pure white windbreaker, her hair in a bun, looking clean and approachable. She even gave Qin Sijing a polite, gentle smile.

“Good morning, Teacher Qin.”

“Uh… morning.”

Whether out of embarrassment over the “boundary crossing” or because she felt her “just woke up” look was unacceptable, Qin Sijing didn’t even properly greet her back before rushing to the bathroom.

By the time she finished, the PD was already in the room with the livestream equipment.

“Teachers, come, come! The stream is live!” The PD waved at the camera. “Good morning, viewers! After a night of intimate I mean, friendly cohabitation, what are our teachers’ ratings for each other? Please fill out the scorecards.”

The bullet comments (Danmu) exploded instantly.

[Hahaha, the PD said ‘intimate’ and immediately got hit with dual glares.] [A rating segment? The production team knows exactly what we want to see.] [Looks like they didn’t fight.] [Eh, our Sister Qin is a classy person, she wouldn’t fight. Certain fans should stay away.] [Qin fans are at it again, the most sensitive group…] [Jiang fans aren’t sensitive, they’re just fake like their idol! Barf.] [Can fans stop fighting? Don’t you see your sisters are practically glued together?] [That bed looks tiny, how did they actually sleep?]

The PD glanced at the surging viewer count and rubbed his hands together, taking the scorecards. He cleared his throat and read in a dramatic tone: “Cough! Let’s see Teacher Jiang’s rating for Teacher Qin . what is it—?”

[Stop stalling!] [Hahaha, watch it to be 100.]

“100 points! A perfect score!”

Qin Sijing was stunned.

[????] [Jiang Xunruo… are you that much in love?] [Barf, I beg for them to be uncoupled! Stop forcing the ship!] [Our Ruo is just kind and professional. Certain fans stay away!!] [Perfect score? Ruo, your EQ is too high. Unlike a certain someone…]

The PD continued reading: “Teacher Jiang’s reason is: ‘Teacher Qin is a very quiet sleeper, respects boundaries, and is an ideal roommate. I hope for more opportunities to collaborate.’ Wow! Teacher Jiang is truly flawless!”

“I’m just telling the truth,” Jiang Xunruo smiled warmly.

The PD picked up Qin Sijing’s card and shook it. “Next, let’s look at Teacher Qin’s rating for Teacher Jiang! …98 points?”

“The comment is: ‘It’s okay…'” The PD seized the chance to interview Qin Sijing. “Teacher Qin, can you tell us why you docked 2 points?”

[Hahaha, Sister Qin: I’m taking off 2 points, what about it?] [Qin, do you have a conscience? Ruo gave you a perfect score!!!]

“A perfect score is too much; it wouldn’t reflect my true thoughts,” Qin Sijing smiled. “Besides, those 2 points were docked from the production team.”

PD: “???”

[Hahaha, I knew it!] [Watching the PD suffer makes my stomach hurt.] [Jiang Xunruo is laughing next to her, they look so harmonious.]

Seeing the chaotic comments, the PD tried to control the scene and get back to the script. “Haha, Teacher Qin is so humorous. So, what are your thoughts on this experience?”

Jiang Xunruo looked at Qin Sijing, then turned a gentle gaze to the camera. “Hmm, it was a very special experience. It allowed me to see a different side of Teacher Qin.” She smiled and added, “Actually, Teacher Qin is quite cute.”

Qin Sijing: “???” PD: “???”

[???] [Jiang Xunruo, what are you saying…] [I’m shipping it so hard right now!]

The PD held back his gossip instincts. “Teacher Qin, your thoughts?”

Qin Sijing looked at the rising viewer count and smirked. “My thought is: I never want this ‘reward’ again! Next time I win MVP, I’ll give it straight to the runner-up!”

The room went silent for a moment. Jiang Xunruo laughed and nodded thoughtfully in agreement. Only the PD’s face turned dark.

[Hahaha, I’m dying! PD got snubbed again!] [Sister Qin is totally embarrassed haha.] [This reward is indeed ‘wicked.’] [So what actually happened last night? Why is Qin so worked up?] [Production Team: No, we’re doing this again next time.]