The Second Fall - Chapter 48

Chapter 48: Swapping Partners

Aside from Rong Yushu and Yu Mingsong, the remaining five pairs consisted of ten people, many of whom were from the entertainment industry.

Some found Lan Cixing looked familiar, and they were all acquainted with the real Yu Mingsong. They stared at Lan Cixing’s outfit, lost in thought, but out of respect for Rong Yushu, no one interrupted.

Upon hearing Feng Shi’s words, the most excited person was the director. In the control room, she nearly jumped to the ceiling in joy. “Quick! Accept her!” she urged, looking as if she were watching her favorite “CP” propose. Her face, which had been gloomy all day because of Rong Yushu’s antics, finally lit up.

The planner nearby shrank back. Seeing the director about to make a move, she had to speak up. “Director, according to the program flow, we should announce the points first. What if Teacher Rong’s group chooses to refuse?” After saying this, the planner bit her tongue. She was afraid that if that last sentence came true, the director might literally hang herself in the studio.

The high-spirited director indeed nearly “hanged” herself. “Then get on with it!” the director hissed, sitting back down. Producing a dating show was mentally draining; she vowed never to do another season.

The planner hurriedly messaged the host. The host, who was already managing the stage, breathed a sigh of relief. She had been worried the director would make her start the challenge immediately for “variety effect.” Although it was a recorded show, some things were hard to redo.

“Teacher Feng seems very anxious. Is your heart already set on someone?” the host teased.

Feng Shi abandoned her usual reserve and nodded slightly. Her burning gaze stayed fixed on Rong Yushu, never moving an inch. Meanwhile, Rong Yushu remained draped over Lan Cixing’s shoulder, not granting Feng Shi even a single look.

The other four groups enjoyed the gossip, guessing what would happen next. Some guests were well aware of the production’s arrangements—they wouldn’t let the pairings stay the same for all eight episodes. This challenge was clearly a setup.

Amidst these various thoughts, the host revealed the rankings.

First place was, naturally, the duo of Feng Shi and Bian Zhi. Their score was a staggering 96 points, causing a stir in the room. Lan Cixing had done the show’s tasks and knew how stingy they were with points. On the first day, completing the fragment mission only gave 30 points. How did Feng Shi gather so many? Was there a hidden project they didn’t know about?

Feng Shi looked triumphant. Her fists were clenched and her jaw set tight to keep her emotions in check, though her eyes still shone with determination.

The other groups indeed didn’t know. There were hidden missions on the island to earn points. Having obtained the script in advance, Feng Shi knew that while each group had different fragment tasks on the first day, they could actually find and complete other groups’ fragments for extra points. Additionally, there were hidden mechanisms to trigger during the treasure hunt. Most guests treated the show as a simple dating program and didn’t put effort into the “survival” or “game” mechanics. Aside from Feng Shi, no other group had discovered these two hidden scoring methods.

Feng Shi also knew something the others didn’t: points could buy any resource, including answers, routes, and this “Partner Swap Challenge.” However, points already spent couldn’t be reused. For example, Yin Qiushuang’s group in second place had over 50 points, but they had spent the bulk on food and private showers, leaving them with very few “disposable” points for things like room selection or challenges. The other groups hadn’t realized how “trap-heavy” the production’s rules were.

Lan Cixing had been happy that her group had over 30 points, barely holding third place—just two points ahead of fourth—which meant priority in choosing a room. Then the host announced the bad news.

“These are the points everyone earned. Teachers Feng Shi and Bian Zhi worked very hard; they have almost as much as the second and third places combined. Now, let’s look at the disposable points.” She pressed a button, and the screen shifted.

Feng Shi and Bian Zhi were still first, with 90 disposable points. Yin Qiushuang’s group remained second, but their disposable points were only 30. As for Rong Yushu’s group, after spending 15 points earlier, they plummeted to fourth. This meant Feng Shi’s group had barely exchanged points for any supplies during yesterday’s resource event.

Instantly, the eyes of the other five groups fell on them. Feng Shi maintained a proud expression. She had calculated it perfectly: even after spending 50 points to swap partners, she’d have 40 left, keeping them in first place to choose the luxury penthouse for a good night’s sleep.

Even the host was surprised a group had saved so much. She adjusted quickly, listening to the director’s urging in her ear-mic, and smiled at Feng Shi. “Teacher Feng, are you and Teacher Bian sure you want to use 50 points to initiate a Partner Swap Challenge against Teacher Rong and Teacher Yu?”

“Confirmed,” Feng Shi said, squeezing Bian Zhi’s hand. Bian Zhi, who had been dazed, hurriedly followed suit and nodded.

“Teacher Rong, does your group wish to refuse?” While the others didn’t know, the host knew Yu Mingsong was on leave. The person standing by Rong Yushu in the “Yu Mingsong” disguise was actually her own bodyguard. The fact that the director allowed this absurd challenge to proceed—and seemed eager for it—made the host a bit nervous.

“What is required to refuse?” Rong Yushu asked, sounding as listless as ever. She held Lan Cixing so tightly and intimately that everyone assumed Lan Cixing was indeed Yu Mingsong. Some onlookers whispered that Feng Shi’s swap would be useless—Rong Yushu was clearly into “Yu Mingsong,” so Feng Shi would likely just be swapped back eventually.

“You must provide an equal amount of disposable points,” the host read the rule, knowing it was hopeless. Rong Yushu’s group only had about ten points left. The host could already hear the logistics department preparing the challenge props in her ear-mic.

“Then forget it. We accept,” Rong Yushu said, unbothered. After all, if the partners were swapped, it would just mean Yu Mingsong leaving and Feng Shi arriving. What did that have to do with her “little dog”?

“Very well. Does anyone else wish to initiate a challenge?” The host then listed the rules. Actually, 50 points weren’t strictly required. The rules stated one could negotiate with a specific amount of points. If the initiator put up ‘A’ points, the challenged group could pay ‘A’ or more to refuse; the more they paid, the higher the success rate. If they paid ‘2A’, the refusal was guaranteed. If a refusal failed, the points spent were not returned. Similarly, points spent to initiate a challenge were gone regardless of the outcome.

Lan Cixing realized these rules were highly exploitable. Future filming sessions would likely involve points as well. If their ranking was low, they could use a challenge to reshuffle the standings. However, since they were broke this week, she had to let it go.

A quarter of an hour later, the challenge props were set up. The host announced: “The game is simple. You have five minutes to transport as many balls of your assigned color to the other side using the water flow. There are obstacles; dropped balls can be retrieved but must be restarted from the beginning.”

Lan Cixing looked at the device. Two rows of chopstick-like rails were attached to a halved PVC pipe with water flowing down it. It was about five meters long with a height difference. Without the looming water sprayers and staff members ready to interfere, it would be easy. But there was a catch: color differentiation.

Lan Cixing and Rong Yushu were the Red Team. Feng Shi and Bian Zhi were the White Team. They were competing for the total number of balls delivered. Lan Cixing thought for a moment, then whispered to the host. “Are there point deductions for transporting the wrong color?”

The host checked the rules. “No.” She had no idea what Lan Cixing was planning.

Lan Cixing nodded. Looking at Feng Shi’s confident expression, she understood the unfairness: the number of balls in the bin. There were likely far more white balls than red ones. No wonder Feng Shi was so sure.

Lan Cixing and Rong Yushu exchanged a look; Rong Yushu had realized it too. “Sister, you place them. I’ll escort,” Lan Cixing said, ready to go.

Feng Shi gave Lan Cixing a provocative look. Lan Cixing calmly returned a smiling gaze. On the other side, Bian Zhi was placing the balls while Feng Shi escorted.

The whistle blew. Rong Yushu reached out and grabbed a handful of balls at once. Out of seven balls, only one was red. They couldn’t see the colors inside the bin beforehand, but this confirmed their suspicion. Rong Yushu didn’t bother sorting them; she just dropped the whole handful onto the water pipe. Opposite them, Bian Zhi was still picking out a single white ball to place.

The two teams shared one bin. Bian Zhi picked slowly, taking only one at a time and even putting red balls back if she grabbed them. Rong Yushu, meanwhile, dumped them by the handful. Lan Cixing escorted them so well that the five-meter pipe was soon covered in balls.

The director finally saw their plan. The number of balls in the bin was fixed. Since there was no penalty for the wrong color, if they took all the white balls, wouldn’t Feng Shi’s group be guaranteed to lose? “Who told her there were no deductions?! This is a loophole!” the director screamed, nearly charging out.

“But you didn’t write it in the rules, and the host didn’t know…” The planner tried to restrain the director. Who knew this bodyguard would be so in sync with Rong Yushu? Both were rule-breakers with fast minds.

When balls fell, Lan Cixing didn’t care. Since white balls were the majority, almost everything that fell was white. The staff members’ efforts to spray them were wasted. The two were so fast that the goal bin was soon half-full. In contrast, Feng Shi only had one ball at a time, and every time the staff hit her with a water gun, she had to return the ball to Bian Zhi and start over.

“Tsk…” After successfully delivering only three white balls, Feng Shi realized their strategy and rushed to tell Bian Zhi. “Stop picking! Just grab a handful and copy them!”

But the clock was ticking. With only two minutes left, and each ball taking 20-40 seconds to travel the pipe, it was too late. Lan Cixing’s bin was almost full, with at least five or six red balls visible at a glance. The rest were white. Even if the counts favored white balls, Feng Shi couldn’t win.

As if timing her realization, Rong Yushu pulled out the last five balls. “Ah, we’re out,” she remarked pointedly. She then leaned against the railing, leisurely watching the struggling pair.

Bian Zhi was instantly captivated. “Teacher Rong, you haven’t given me the signed photo yet. I like you so much!” Rong Yushu merely looked up, her fox-eyes appearing as affectionate as a galaxy. Bian Zhi’s eyes lit up and she stopped working, wanting to just stare at Rong Yushu.

Feng Shi almost laughed in anger and pulled her. “Quick, help me pick them up! The ground is covered!” However, they had to go to Lan Cixing’s side to pick up the white balls she had dropped. Lan Cixing wasn’t about to let that happen. She grabbed the balls off the ground and placed them randomly on the track. White balls didn’t count for her, and the staff didn’t say it was a violation. But Feng Shi couldn’t take a ball that was already on the track. Feng Shi reached out but missed every time.

“Time up!” the host announced.

The outcome was clear. Feng Shi’s bin had a pitiful three white balls. Rong Yushu’s bin… the staff stopped counting at ten. The host tried to ignore the director’s roaring in her ear-mic. “Congratulations to Teacher Rong and Teacher Yu. Teacher Feng’s challenge has failed.”

Feng Shi’s face went dark. Bian Zhi wasn’t as upset; she crowded around Rong Yushu for her photo and then looked shyly at “Yu Mingsong.”

“Um, Teacher Yu…” she whispered, more nervous than when facing her idol.

Rong Yushu’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Can I have your contact info?” Bian Zhi was taller than Lan Cixing, yet her aura was much smaller now—it was actually quite cute. Lan Cixing was likely the only one who didn’t feel the charm. “I actually…” She wasn’t Yu Mingsong; how could she give out WeChat?

“It’s not very convenient,” Lan Cixing said, swallowing the words that would have blown her cover.

“Oh, okay…” Bian Zhi returned to her spot with her photo.

Despite losing 50 points, Feng Shi’s group was still first and chose the luxury penthouse. The next two groups took the standard room and the king-size room. The only options left for Lan Cixing and Rong Yushu were the single room, the lounge, or the lobby. Lan Cixing decisively picked the single room. The other two had no showers; she wished those groups luck.

Rong Yushu seemed quite satisfied, hooking Lan Cixing’s bowtie and leading her to the room. With nothing left to film, the director went off to edit shots, leaving the assistants behind. An assistant with glasses who had found Lan Cixing familiar stared at Rong Yushu’s expression on the screen. “Why do I feel like Teacher Rong came in fourth on purpose just to pick the single room?”

Her colleague dismissed it. “No way. The bed in the single room is so small. Two people can’t fit; one has to sleep on the floor. Who would choose that? It’s just our planner’s sick humor, following the director’s order to film them fighting over the bed.”

“Is that so…” The assistant still wanted to watch, but the door was shut. Inside, Rong Yushu had already turned off the cameras and taken off her mic.

Lan Cixing took off her mask and hat, exhaling deeply. “My cub, are you tired?” Rong Yushu rubbed her head and pulled her into a hug. Lan Cixing shook her head; being with Rong Yushu made nothing feel like work. “I used to wear a mask from morning to night when guarding other stars. I’m used to it.”

“Good. Go shower; it’s been a long day.” Rong Yushu was more agreeable than previous nights, making Lan Cixing a bit uneasy. She walked toward the bathroom with hesitation. Shouldn’t Rong Yushu be bullying her, biting her, and then dragging her into a shared shower? Why the sudden kindness?

She glanced back and saw Rong Yushu’s smiling fox-eyes. Lan Cixing stopped and looked at her. “What is it, cub?” Rong Yushu made no move to follow.

Lan Cixing blinked, her mind racing. Did I make her angry? Is she secretly jealous? Is she testing me? Her heart trembled. She gritted her teeth, took a step forward, and grabbed Rong Yushu’s hand. “Sister…” But what could she say? Invite her directly? What if yesterday was just a whim?

Rong Yushu opened her eyes. Her emerald gaze held its usual unreadable warmth. “Hmm?”

Lan Cixing let go and dove into the bathroom. Just as she was about to lock the door, she heard a knock. Rong Yushu opened it. It was Feng Shi’s voice.

“Yushu, our room has fruit and snacks. Would you like to come and have some?”

Support The Second Fall