This episode’s program guests are six. Besides Zhao Xiaokui, there are five others, namely the middle-aged actress Wen Nianzhen who plays the mother, the singer Nie Fu portraying the elder brother, the film emperor Gu Tianming as the second brother, the fourth brother Wen Yuanjia, and aside from them, there is also a guest playing the third sister. However, Zhao Xiaokui is not sure about the specific identity of this guest.
Zhao Xiaokui was momentarily stunned when she found out that Gu Tianming was participating in this program. She felt that this coincidence was quite remarkable.
It’s not that she thinks she’s destined, but rather, if among the program guests there happens to be a parasitic player, Gu Tianming is likely another target for conquest. He feels like the kind of NPC in an otome game, specifically responsible for gaining favor, receiving resources, and giving out gifts.
She expresses this sentiment with a hint of inexplicable sympathy.
The shooting location is set in a small village in Y Province, requiring a journey from S City involving plane and car transfers, with bumps along the way before reaching the destination. After a nap on the plane, Zhao Xiaokui lands when the sky has already turned dark.
She is the last guest to arrive. As she arrives at the accommodation rented in advance by the program team with her luggage, the other “family members” are already waiting for her.
Facing the camera, Zhao Xiaokui speaks to herself, “There is a bit of anticipation… I am a child without parents, raised by my grandmother all along. Now I am about to have parents, as well as siblings. I’m nervous and don’t know who they will be.”
The living room door is open, and she, with her luggage, crosses the yard in front of the living room in the night, walking to the front door. People inside notice her, and immediately stand up. Ren Hua, the regular guest and the host who plays the father role, is the first to welcome her, saying, “Wow, our little sister is here.”
Zhao Xiaokui politely greets the people inside, “Dad Ren, Mom Wen, Brother Nie, Brother Gu, Brother Wen.”
When she sees the guest playing the third sister, she is stunned for a moment, taking a while to come back to her senses, saying, “Sister Jingru!”
Bai Jingru walks over, helps her remove the outer coat, and says, “Surprised, aren’t you?”
Zhao Xiaokui was surprised. She asks, “How come you’re participating in the program? I thought CEOs are always busy.”
Bai Jingru smiles, “All for you.”
“Seven Days, Six Nights” is a program under the Bai Entertainment Company. When she heard that Zhao Xiaokui had accepted the invitation, her first reaction was that she also wanted to participate.
Wen Nianzhen, who plays the mother, also approached and handed her a cup of hot milk, asking her to hold it to warm her hands. Nie Fu and Gu Tianming, the two elder brothers, each carried a suitcase. The remaining fourth brother, Wen Yuanjia, could only sit in his place and greet, “Sister, come and sit. We’ve been waiting for you.”
Enjoying the princess treatment, Zhao Xiaokui exaggeratedly exclaimed, “Being a sister is too fortunate. What kind of divine treatment am I enjoying now?”
Nie Fu, who plays the elder brother, is in his forties, not much different from the father, Ren Hua, in age. However, he takes good care of himself, so he doesn’t look old. He appears mature and charming, exuding the charm of a mature man. As he lifted the luggage to Zhao Xiaokui’s room, he said, “Sit down and have something warm to drink. Take a bath later; the hot water is already heating up. It seems the hairdryer is broken. Don’t wash your hair tonight; you can wash it tomorrow morning.”
Zhao Xiaokui replied, “Thank you, big brother.”
She sat on the tatami mat, with Bai Jingru and Wen Nianzhen on either side, starting to connect with her new family.
As they talked, her gaze subtly swept over the people, eventually passing over Wen Yuanjia, who, despite being twenty-seven, still exuded a youthful vibe.
Because the moment she entered the room, she heard a voice.
“…Damn, Zhao Xiaokui is so good-looking in person. I thought the photos circulating online were all heavily edited. Darling, help me see if I can steal her looks?”
“I’ll try.”
Steal? How do you steal?
Zhao Xiaokui lowered her eyes, holding the cup, pretending to drink the milk. Wen Yuanjia suddenly handed her a piece of candy, asking, “Xiaokui, want to eat this candy? It’s peanut chocolate in the milk, and the peanuts inside are amazing.”
Nie Fu played the role of a stern elder brother, saying, “Xiao Jia, it’s already past ten. Save these high-calorie things for tomorrow.”
Gu Tianming is the considerate and gentle second brother. He mediated, saying, “Oh, kids always like to eat these things. Just eat a little less.”
Zhao Xiaokui took the candy, joyfully saying, “Wow, I love this kind of candy the most. Thanks, Fourth Brother.”
When she withdrew her hand, her fingers subtly rubbed the palm.
“Stealing failed,” the voice heard earlier echoed again, “There’s a barrier on her, hindering my intrusion.”
“Ah…” Wen Yuanjia’s disappointed voice sounded, sounding somewhat dejected, “But we still haven’t found someone whose face matches mine now. The usage time of this face is almost up. If we don’t find the next one, my face won’t hold up.”
“If it comes to worst, you can steal Bai Jingru’s looks.”
Wen Yuanjia said, “Ah, she’s way worse than Zhao Xiaokui. Having seen the best, I don’t want the second best. I don’t want to settle.”
The voice suggested, “These days, try getting closer to Nie Fu and Gu Tianming. If they both fall for you, I can help you try when my energy is more abundant. Maybe you can break through Zhao Xiaokui’s barrier and steal her face.”
“Her barrier seems innate. Usually, someone with this kind of protection is the beloved child of the world. If you can steal her looks, maybe when you use this body, you won’t have to change faces forever.”
Wen Yuanjia’s gaze repeatedly turned towards Zhao Xiaokui. He thought he was being discreet, but in reality, not only did Zhao Xiaokui notice, but even Bai Jingru sensed that something was amiss.
This gaze wasn’t like a fan seeing their idol, nor was it like a young boy seeing a girl he liked. It resembled more an assessment of a commodity. As a businesswoman, Bai Jingru found this kind of look quite familiar, reminiscent of those ruthless individuals in some underground auctions treating humans as mere goods, devoid of mercy or compassion.
She reached under the table and held Zhao Xiaokui’s hand, squeezing it. Regarding Zhao Xiaokui’s identity, she had some vague knowledge. Zhao Xiaokui reciprocated, indicating that there was no need to worry too much. She came specifically for Wen Yuanjia, aiming to expose his true intentions, hoping to reveal his ill intentions.
The evening discussion quickly ended. As Wen Yuanjia let out the first yawn, the parents urged the children to go back to their rooms and get ready for bed.
Wen Yuanjia stood up from the floor, seemingly having sat cross-legged for too long, making his legs a bit numb. He swayed towards Gu Tianming, who instinctively reached out to support him. However, halfway through, Gu Tianming noticed that Wen Yuanjia’s arm was being grabbed by another hand.
Zhao Xiaokui tightly confined his arm with her hand, preventing Wen Yuanjia from falling. She showed a concerned expression, saying, “Brother, are you okay?”
Wen Yuanjia felt like his arm was about to break from her grip. Grinding his teeth in his mind, he said, ‘What kind of strange strength is this? Why is Zhao Xiaokui so strong…’
On the surface, he said gently, “Thanks, little sister.”
Zhao Xiaokui smiled, “You’re welcome.”
Gu Tianming looked at Zhao Xiaokui, feeling somewhat awkward for no apparent reason.
He had told Zhao Zijin that he had forgotten everything about the past, but looking at her, he inexplicably felt a subtle discomfort.
Zhao Xiaokui didn’t care about him; she was only concerned about whether she had disrupted Wen Yuanjia’s plan.
After hearing his irritated heartbeat, Zhao Xiaokui smirked but couldn’t help but worry. If the condition for the parasitic entity on Wen Yuanjia’s body to activate was physical contact, the three men would be sharing a bed later. Wen Yuanjia had a good chance of touching the bodies of the other two.
She even suspected that Wen Yuanjia’s participation in “Seven Days, Six Nights” was precisely for this opportunity.
After some thought, Zhao Xiaokui realized she had no good solution and decided to hand the problem over to the Nightwalkers.
While Bai Jingru was taking a shower, Zhao Xiaokui sat cross-legged on the bed, exchanging messages with the Nightwalkers.
The reply came very quickly. After receiving detailed information from Zhao Xiaokui, they promptly conducted a targeted analysis of Wen Yuanjia.
Wen Yuanjia’s transformation occurred three years ago.
Three years ago, he was a somewhat obscure entertainer, serving as the captain of a team that faced criticism from fans when the group disbanded. Faced with this, he chose to end his life in his rented room.
When he woke up in the hospital, his behavior and style changed significantly from his past.
He participated in another talent show, and although his face and identity remained the same, fans perceived him as increasingly charismatic and good-looking. His performance skills improved by leaps and bounds in a short time. Fans believed his talent was squandered, buried by the previous company that made him the captain of a lesser-known group. Meanwhile, his poor “Jia Jia” took the blame and criticism for the team’s dissolution.
However, through the investigation by the Nightwalker, various anomalies were easily discovered.
There was a fellow contestant during the same period dubbed the “most handsome trainee.” However, after the first episode of the show, he suddenly broke out with acne that wouldn’t heal, causing a significant drop in his attractiveness, leading to his withdrawal. On the other hand, Wen Yuanjia started having moments of radiance in the next performance, capturing everyone’s attention with his extraordinary beauty in front of the camera.
Apart from him, there was another trainee known for having a naturally gifted singing voice, described as a voice kissed by angels. After a performance, this trainee suddenly lost their voice, almost unable to speak. In the next episode, Wen Yuanjia’s video was hailed as a divine melody.
Good stage presence, harmonious coordination…
That talent show seemed to be cursed, plagued by frequent mishaps. Eventually, Wen Yuanjia emerged with the reputation of a lucky star and successfully debuted—because he was the only trainee with both capability and immunity to various unexpected incidents.
At that time, some people did feel that something was amiss, suspecting that someone was manipulating things behind the scenes. However, the new company that Wen Yuanjia signed with, in addition to him, had two other trainees who were highly regarded. One of them was even a relative of a high-ranking executive in the company. It didn’t make sense to sacrifice the other two for an already-aged trainee, did it?
Therefore, no one suspected Wen Yuanjia.
Wen Yuanjia’s journey to today has been almost like a road of trials and tribulations.
However, without careful examination, nobody would notice anything amiss. After all, every unfortunate person seemed to find a reason for their misfortune.
For example, the artist who broke out with acne did so because they secretly ate hotpot the night before. The trainee who lost their voice had taken a sip of a drink given by a fan, even though nothing suspicious was found in it…
Anyway, no matter how you looked at it, these incidents had no apparent connection to Wen Yuanjia.
It was only through the extensive data analysis of the Nightwalkers that the strangely smooth path Wen Yuanjia had taken raised suspicions, eventually leading to his exposure.
“Based on his previous performance, we believe that his ability is theft. He can steal others’ advantages or special talents through physical contact, but there might be other restrictions that we can’t identify at the moment. We hope you can exploit these limitations to weaken the malevolent entities on him and facilitate our capture operation.”
Zhao Xiaokui: “…” What’s the use for you guys?
Bai Jingru, done with her shower, removed her shower cap and said, “The water is hot. Go take a shower, wash up, and get to bed early. We have work to do tomorrow.”
Zhao Xiaokui acknowledged and went to the bathroom for a thorough shower.
After coming out, she lay on the bed, wished Bai Jingru good night, and then closed her eyes.
Feeling the automatic deactivation of the camera, she softly asked, “Jingru, have you slept?”
Bai Jingru: “Not yet. What’s the matter?”
Zhao Xiaokui recounted the situation with Wen Yuanjia to her.
However, she didn’t mention malevolent entities and parasites. She simply stated that something was going on with Wen Yuanjia, and she was tracking it. She asked Bai Jingru to avoid any physical contact with Wen Yuanjia, especially direct skin-to-skin contact.
Bai Jingru asked, “Is there anything I can do to help?”
After some thought, Zhao Xiaokui felt that if the program shoot were to continue, she couldn’t do without Bai Jingru’s assistance. So, she said, “If he shows any signs of getting close to Nie Fu and Gu Tianming, please do your best to keep him away from those two.”
In the darkness, Bai Jingru smiled and said, “Sure.”
With the discussion concluded, Zhao Xiaokui fell asleep.
As a successfully transformed individual, she no longer needed to stay in the bathtub for extended periods. Of course, sleeping in the water made her feel more comfortable, but it was no longer a necessity.
The next day, she woke up early, ready to implement her isolation plan.
As the sister responsible for waking up her brothers, she knocked on the doors of the three brothers’ bedrooms early in the morning. Nie Fu, an early riser, opened the door with wet hair, expressing surprise at her early wake-up. Zhao Xiaokui, with a smiling face, suggested, “The air in the mountains is very fresh. How about the brothers join me for a morning run?”
Nie Fu, who also had a habit of morning exercise, smiled and agreed, “Sure, wait a moment. I’ll get ready and join you. The other two are still sleeping.”
As Nie Fu turned around, Zhao Xiaokui sneakily glanced inside, pleased to see that Gu Tianming was bundled up tightly, and even though Wen Yuanjia was wearing shorts, there was no skin-to-skin contact happening.
Upon closer consideration, even if people shared a bed, having skin-to-skin contact wasn’t that easy unless they were very close. In the summer when people wore less, it might be manageable, but in winter, everyone was wrapped up warmly. Especially in the mountains, the blankets provided by the production team were ridiculously thin. Zhao Xiaokui was fine, and Bai Jingru slept in thick coral fleece pajamas. She wondered if Wen Yuanjia felt cold, wearing so little.
Is Wen Yuanjia cold? Of course, he must be!
But to create a carefree atmosphere during sleep and accidentally kick Gu Tianming or Nie Fu, he not only had to wear shorts and short sleeves but also pretend to be hot, kicking the blanket without leaving a trace and subtly placing his leg or hand on them. However, the two would either ignore him or turn away and continue sleeping. Even if he rolled over, the other person could crawl to the other side. What else could Wen Yuanjia do?
Now he was freezing to the point that his bones were almost stiff, yet he had to pretend to be a robust young man.
He thought it would be an easy task, but Wen Yuanjia, who had tried to flirt with two men, felt hopeless in his attempts to sleep. How could he forget to check the weather forecast when he joined the program?
In the previous season, during the hot summer, several men were wearing short sleeves and tank tops, casually interacting. But in his situation, all he faced were shirts, sweaters, and down jackets. They even bundled up tightly while sleeping, as if they wanted to seal themselves off entirely.
Zhao Xiaokui almost burst out laughing when she heard him complaining in his mind.
As they descended the stairs, Wen Yuanjia slipped again, and Zhao Xiaokui grabbed his arm to steady him.
Nie Fu walked to the corner and turned back, noticing the odd posture of the two.
He asked, “What’s going on?”
Zhao Xiaokui replied, “Brother almost tripped again because he wasn’t watching his step.”
Wen Yuanjia added, “Luckily, I have my sister to catch me; otherwise, I’d be in big trouble today.”
What the hell, this girl had monstrous strength; his arm felt like it was going to break.
In his fantasies of tumbling onto Nie Fu, the scene of dizziness and fascination due to skin contact shattered like broken glass. After that, he staged several falls: falling flat, tripping his left foot over his right, and stumbling over various weird things. However, without exception, he was either pulled up by Zhao Xiaokui or interrupted by Nie Fu and Gu Tianming being called away by Bai Jingru. Several times, he ended up falling solidly.
Watching the bruises on Wen Yuanjia’s face, Ren Hua remarked, “Xiao Jia, your balance doesn’t seem to be very good.”
Wen Yuanjia: “…”
Fortunately, he finally got the chance for Nie Fu to apply medicine to him.
However, just like his overall unlucky day, Zhao Xiaokui jumped in, saying, “Let me do it; I can do it. I want to apply the medicine for Fourth Brother!”
She gave him a devilish look, appearing spoiled, and said to Wen Yuanjia, “Brother, don’t worry, I will take good care of you.”
Wen Yuanjia: “…”
He really couldn’t handle such care.
“This Zhao Xiaokui is too annoying, like my nemesis. Is there any way to keep her out of my sight? I haven’t found any opportunity to interact with Gu Tianming and Nie Fu the whole day. I finally have a chance to be with them. If I don’t make them fall for me quickly, who knows when the next chance will come.”
Wen Yuanjia complained in his mind.
“Your statement is not wrong. If Zhao Xiaokui, without knowing what you’re up to, coincidentally prevents everything you want to do, then, according to the theory of fate, her destiny chart is likely in conflict with yours. As long as she’s around, anything you try to do will never succeed.”
Wen Yuanjia couldn’t help but feel frustrated, “So what should I do? My energy is running out, and if I can’t quickly gain new energy from Nie Fu and Gu Tianming, I won’t be able to maintain my current appearance.”
The voice replied, “I told you not to misuse your energy. Every bit of energy should be used judiciously.”
“How would I know that your energy is so inefficient? I just wanted to make myself look better. Is there anything wrong with that? I used this energy for the sake of better completing the mission, and you agreed when I used it.” Wen Yuanjia was somewhat irritated.
Each time he stole, it consumed energy, and his energy source was quite limited – making exceptional men or women fall in love with him and engage in relationships. This way, he could obtain a substantial amount of energy from them.
Making others fall in love with him wasn’t difficult for Wen Yuanjia. He only needed to have continuous contact with the target, steadily stealing away any dislike they had for him until only the positive aspects remained. With a little teasing, it was easy to make the other person fall for him.
However, this became increasingly challenging with more outstanding individuals because they tended to be more discerning. Extracting all the dislike required frequent contact, sometimes dozens or even hundreds of times.
Initially, he intended to join the “Seven Days, Six Nights” program and simultaneously win over Gu Tianming and Nie Fu, two top-tier male idols, hoping to score big. Unexpectedly, he found himself trapped in this place. Unable to seduce these men or replenish his energy, he couldn’t summon his backup in front of the entire production crew and a bunch of people.
Thus, he was currently in a state of stagnation.
“We can’t let Zhao Xiaokui continue to interfere,” Wen Yuanjia said, “Quickly help me come up with a solution.”
The voice responded, “I can help you steal a segment of destiny, making Zhao Xiaokui no longer opposed to you. The medicine is in your bag.”
Wen Yuanjia said, “I understand.”
*
That night.
The evening wind howled, and the “family” who had been busy all day finally prepared dinner, sitting around the dining table.
Wen Yuanjia enthusiastically opened the sponsored milk for everyone, jokingly reciting the sponsor’s promotional lines.
Unable to hold back her laughter, Zhao Xiaokui said, “Fourth Brother should really charge an appearance fee, so proactive.”
As she spoke, she picked up the milk to take a sip, and suddenly, Bai Jingru, who was serving the dishes, accidentally bumped her hand, causing the milk to spill all over Zhao Xiaokui’s chest.
Bai Jingru put down the dishes, and hurriedly grabbed a tissue to wipe her, saying, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.”
Wen Nianzhen said, “The clothes are all wet. Jingru, accompany Xiaokui to change into dry clothes before coming back to eat. Don’t catch a cold.”
Zhao Xiaokui wiped a few times but found that she was too wet to rely on ordinary means. She felt hesitant to use her extraordinary abilities in front of everyone, so she said, “I’ll go back to change. Sister Jingru, you don’t need to come with me. I’m not a child who needs help getting dressed.”
Bai Jingru took off her coat and draped it over Zhao Xiaokui, holding her shoulder and saying, “Let’s go, change into dry clothes and come back for dinner.”
The dining area and the living quarters were separated by some distance. As they descended the steps, a cold wind blew, causing Zhao Xiaokui to shiver suddenly.
Recalling what had just happened, she grabbed Bai Jingru’s hand tightly, her face slightly pale.
Bai Jingru asked, “What’s wrong?”
Taking a deep breath, Zhao Xiaokui said, “It’s nothing.”
Damn, that was a close call.
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