The month-long sequestered life in the villa officially began.
The villa for the competition was very spacious, with each contestant having a separate room. To ensure the design environment, there were no staff members accompanying them; instead, automatic cameras were installed for filming.
During this month, apart from mealtime, sleep, and time dedicated to designing their works, every other detail of the contestants’ actions could potentially be exposed to the audience. This was the focus of the show, satisfying the audience’s desire to peek and be curious, capturing their attention. When the final results were announced, Yanshi Jewelry would reach a climax in the viewers’ eyes.
Due to his frail health, Su Jingxuan became the center of everyone’s concern on the first day in the villa.
Apart from Lan Jinwen, the other contestants would come by one after another every day to greet him, either bringing water or some snacks. However, these well-intentioned gestures were accompanied by various strange and pungent perfumes.
Even after these people left, Su Jingxuan would discover subtle traces around his room, suggesting potential accidents.
These methods were too obvious. In the hazy and exaggerated hints from Lan Jinwen, it was clear that he had become the target of all contestants’ covert attacks, attracting the majority of the firepower.
Of course, the audience watching on TV and online couldn’t see this. Although the production team claimed to be broadcasting live, it was impossible to air everything 24 hours a day. Su Jingxuan temporarily didn’t bother with these inconspicuous struggles. After discovering two sets of traces, he simply locked the door, citing feeling unwell, and stayed in his room, avoiding any chance for others to exploit loopholes.
It wasn’t the time to chat with these people yet.
Lan Jinwen, being clever, used everyone as pawns. When the firepower was focused on Su Jingxuan, she quietly returned to her room early to actively prepare her design drafts.
One month seemed like a lot of time, but for designers relying on inspiration, it was actually quite short. Everyone couldn’t possibly concentrate all their energy on these hidden struggles. In any case, the final works were the key to victory.
So, by the time half a month had passed, the contestants who had exhausted themselves in covert battles finally reined in their thoughts and started hastily preparing their designs.
By this time, Su Jingxuan had already finished drawing his designs. He knew the theme of the final from the plot, so he had been prepared for it. Coming to the villa this time, he specifically aimed to hook Lan Jinwen, the big fish.
With the drawings done and nothing else to do, Su Jingxuan became the most leisurely person in the villa. He didn’t stay in his room either, starting to slowly return the harassment he had received from everyone before. He also began to care about everyone’s lives and design progress.
Apart from that, his time was spent either playing games or watching TV. Sometimes, he sat by the only telephone booth in the villa, the one used for contestants to contact their families.
Among them, the most important was Lan Jinwen. He wasn’t too proactive, and even when alone with her, his attitude was somewhat indifferent.
In the Yanshi family, he obviously didn’t like Lan Jinwen. Suddenly becoming enthusiastic and actively approaching her would be suspicious.
This relaxed and leisurely attitude made the audience feel very curious, especially when he spent several hours every noon and night in the villa’s only telephone booth, talking on the phone.
Although for the sake of providing enough highlights for the audience, the contact room was separated by transparent glass, allowing the audience to see the caller’s expression but not hear the conversation inside. This situation directly led to everyone becoming more curious about him. Because every time he made a call, his expressions were so rich, especially his happy smile. People really wanted to know who he was talking to, who made him so happy. The speculation began:
“Ah, ah, ah, what exactly is Xiaochen doing? He has been on the phone all day today.”
“What is he talking about with such a mysterious look?”
“Did you notice how happily Xiaochen is smiling? It’s like talking to a lover. Is Xiaochen in love? Who is the lucky girl, who dares to harm this small seedling?”
“Does it have to be a ‘female’? I feel like the one on the other end of the phone is a loyal dog in control, don’t you see Xiaochen blushing and acting spoiled while talking on the phone? Xiaochen is definitely the receiver.”
“Oh, oh, oh, oh, the truth is out!”
“Alert! High-level alert, fujoshi squad incoming!”
Originally, it was a design competition program, but now it was completely dominated by a group of powerful fujoshi who were flooding the comments section. The discussions had deviated strangely to the Arctic.
Regardless of the previous allegiance of the viewers, everyone’s attention was now entirely focused on Su Jingxuan. Although Yan Junfeng was busy dealing with the family’s internal struggles, he still devoted some time each day to follow the progress of the competition. Watching the detailed video materials sent by the production team every day, seeing the sweet moments between the young man and another man, he couldn’t even force a bitter smile. His heart was filled with indescribable, heart-wrenching pain.
However, the secluded contestants couldn’t see what was happening outside. Otherwise, they would have to vomit blood every day, dealing with both the intense drama and the vigorous campaigning.
Even though they were unaware of the external situation, the internal actions of Su Jingxuan were quite clear to everyone. This guy was totally unpredictable and never played by the rules. You could never guess what he would do next.
Although it was a tense design competition, he spent his days acting like he was making romantic calls. It seemed like he was about to cause a stir.
“Is Xiaochen calling his girlfriend? They look so sweet. But the competition is well over half, is Xiaochen’s design drawing completed?”
Finally, someone couldn’t resist their curiosity and came to investigate. As the final approached, everyone paid more attention to their competitors’ works. Knowing your enemy was essential for a successful strategy.
Someone led the way, and others quietly perked up their ears to eavesdrop.
“Yeah, it’s almost finished. Sorry, I just miss home. I called you guys.”
Su Jingxuan nodded as expected, then put down the phone that he had occupied for hours and returned to his room with a satisfied and sweet smile.
This expression greatly satisfied the curious fujoshi audience in front of the screen. Each beautiful girl was excitedly licking the screen with starry eyes, ignoring the strange gazes around them.
In the eyes of the other contestants in the villa, their thoughts were diverse. This relaxed appearance seemed to suggest, “I am definitely going to win; there’s no pressure at all.”
Lan Jinwen’s mood was the most serious. She knew very well about the young man’s identity; this was a competition held by the Yan family, and the young man was the younger brother of the host. She had no doubt that Yan Junfeng would make some arrangements or even predetermine the results.
Although Yan Junfeng was a very upright and stubborn person, having such a close relationship, she couldn’t guarantee that he wouldn’t intervene.
She had seen Xiaochen’s previous competition works. Although unwilling, she had to admit that this young man was indeed very talented in design. He was a formidable opponent for all contestants.
That night, living up to Su Jingxuan’s expectations, Lan Jinwen knocked on his door with a cup of warm milk.
“Young Master Xiaochen, we just made some hot milk. Have a cup before sleeping. Can I come in?”
After speaking, without waiting for Su Jingxuan’s response, she found that the door was unlocked and walked right in.
Su Jingxuan, who was playing games in the room, didn’t have time to stop her.
Because of the need for confidentiality, there were no cameras in the contestants’ rooms. The moment Lan Jinwen came in, she unconsciously relaxed.
This all-encompassing shooting program was quite tiring. In order to maintain the best image and get high scores in future online voting, each contestant would wear a mask more or less. However, everyone was human, not a machine. Under such almost no privacy scrutiny, spirits would inevitably be tense. No one could guarantee perfection, and when it was relatively safe, people would naturally relax.
So even Lan Jinwen herself didn’t notice that the moment she came in, her gaze had been fixed on the messy desk full of design drawings.
Su Jingxuan, seeing her actions, slightly curved his lips and put down the things in his hands. It seemed like he had just remembered and quickly started cleaning the table.
“Apologies, I wasn’t paying attention.”
Struggling to suppress her resentment, she put down the milk, forcing a smile.
“If there’s nothing else, please leave. I’m going to sleep.”
Su Jingxuan lifted his lips, continuing to drive her out. While tidying up the table, his hand slipped, and a few design drawings fell from the table, scattered on the floor in front of Lan Jinwen.
With just one glance, Lan Jinwen’s pupils contracted, and her heart suddenly stopped.
Although several design drawings were incomplete, each drawing only covered half of the page. However, it was this half that shocked her.
She knew that Jiang Zichen was very talented. Even in the previous competition works, she could see the strong capabilities of the young man with her professional eyes.
However, these incomplete design drawings were even more stunning and admirable than before. She believed her conceptual design was excellent, but compared to these works, it suddenly seemed lackluster.
With a storm of astonishment in her heart, Lan Jinwen’s confidence was shaken, and she absentmindedly left the room.
Seeing her completely leave, Su Jingxuan walked over and locked the door.
After some contemplation, he took out a carefully preserved shirt from his suitcase. With a reluctant scent, he hung it on the wall using a hanger. On the white shirt were hand-drawn sketches of a set of jewelry designs.
