Even though Sweet Trap was scheduled to premiere very soon, the production team hadn’t revealed a single name from the guest lineup. Unverified rumors ran wild across the internet—pinning the spotlight on one celebrity’s fans today and another’s tomorrow—fueling an ever-growing frenzy around the show.
Over the past two days, Qi Xiao had binged the entire previous season at double speed. Finishing it left him with a heartfelt realization: This is an absolute drama fest! The guy who seemed completely devoted turned out to be a liar; the sweet, adorable girl turned out to be a total player. Not to mention the constant verbal sparrings among the cast.
Correspondingly, the bullet-comment stream for each episode was a total warzone. If viewers weren’t railing against a guest’s toxic behavior, different shipper fandoms were tearing each other apart. There was never a moment of peace.
Reality shows like this naturally amplified every flaw in a guest’s words and actions. To make matters worse, the editors often manipulated the footage to stir up controversy. By the time a season wrapped up, hardly any guest escaped unscathed.
In other words, everyone who joined the show got slammed.
Qi Xiao didn’t particularly mind that part. What really weighed on him was the season finale: watching a female guest confess her feelings, only to be rejected and informed of the guy’s real identity as a liar, had actually made him feel quite sad. It left him with a heavy heart—he truly didn’t want to play with anyone’s emotions.
Noticing his concern, Su Mei reassured him, “The contestants aren’t children. Two months isn’t long enough to fall in love so easily. Everyone’s just put on an act—once the show ends, everyone goes their separate ways.”
Only then did Qi Xiao breathe a small sigh of relief.
Shooting was set to begin this weekend, but to be honest, Qi Xiao was still largely in the dark.
The script he received lacked concrete details, providing only a high-level overview of the process. For instance, there would be group dates in the first and sixth episodes, and every guest except the Liars would make a confession in the final episode. As for the rest, the production team would likely reveal details on a day-by-day basis once filming started.
Besides, every season featured a unique theme, and no one knew what this season’s twist would be.
Still, after several days of studying, Qi Xiao felt he had mastered the fundamentals of being a “scumbag.” To play one convincingly, you had to successfully play someone. That didn’t mean dangling multiple targets on your line at once—as long as you managed to trap one person in a lie, you succeeded.
Thinking about it that way, Qi Xiao felt the title Sweet Trap was remarkably fitting.
To avoid getting voted off, the safest strategy for a guest playing a Liar was to slack off. If you didn’t play anyone, you wouldn’t draw suspicion. However, the production team had already anticipated this and would randomly issue task cards to the Liars throughout the show. That was when a Liar’s acting skills would truly be put to the test.
Of course, there were also bolder Liars who cast a wide net right from the start. That strategy actually confused the audience, leaving them uncertain whether the person was a natural player or just putting on an act.
Qi Xiao felt he lacked the talent to play the field. He would be content as long as he fulfilled his duties faithfully without the audience guessing his identity.
Saturday—the day filming officially began.
At eight o’clock in the morning, a short video suddenly went viral on the internet.
It was shot at an airport, and the camera work was somewhat shaky, but the video itself wasn’t the main draw. Turning the volume up slightly revealed a clear airport announcement:
“Will passengers Qi Xiao and Lu Xingliang please proceed immediately to the boarding gate for boarding.”
The entire internet exploded.
“Holy crap, is the multiverse collapsing?”
“Same names, right? It’s got to be same names!”
“Are they actually collaborating?”
“Wait, what could those two possibly collaborate on? A drama is out of the question—a variety show maybe?”
“There are only two variety shows coming up right now: Sweet Trap and A Week’s Journey.”
“Could it be A Week’s Journey?”
“That’s it? You can’t even see them in the clip! Leaks are so cheap these days. Rumor-mongers need to get lost.”
“Someone checked through a scalper—they really are on the same flight. [Image]”
“Didn’t someone leak earlier that a top idol and a Film King were joining a show together? I can’t believe it’s actually them.”
“No way, I hate Qi Xiao the most. How is he doing a show with my idol?”
“Stop guessing, everyone. Let’s just wait for the official announcement.”
“Lu Xingliang and Qi Xiao Suspected to Collaborate.”
The moment he stepped off the plane, Qi Xiao spotted the trending headline.
He stared at his phone screen for a moment, genuinely wondering if he was dreaming.
Due to an itinerary leak, Qi Xiao had rebooked his flight at the last minute to avoid getting swarmed by fans at the departure airport. However, he accidentally mixed up the times and nearly missed the flight. Though he managed to catch it in the end, the rush had exhausted him, so he fell asleep as soon as he boarded.
Naturally, Qi Xiao currently assumed he hadn’t fully woken up yet.
The sudden arrival of reporters quickly shattered his illusion.
Someone spotted him first and shouted his name. Instantly, a crowd surged forward, surrounding Qi Xiao in a tight circle. The air filled with the rapid click of camera shutters and a barrage of questions.
Having just woken up, Qi Xiao’s reactions were still sluggish. He had no idea why the media was grilling him about Lu Xingliang. For a brief second, he even wondered if someone had installed hidden cameras in his apartment and caught him staying up late to binge Lu Xingliang’s dramas.
Fortunately, before he could open his mouth, his manager, Su Mei, rushed over with her assistant. They had flown on the original flight and were already waiting at the airport. Backed by several security guards, they quickly carved out a path through the crowd.
As Su Mei pulled Qi Xiao toward the exit at a brisk pace, she asked under her breath, “You didn’t say anything just now, did you?”
Qi Xiao shook his head, signaling that he was completely out of the loop.
Su Mei let out a breath of relief. “You’ve seen the news by now, right? You and Lu Xingliang were on the same flight.”
Piecing it together with the headline he had just seen, Qi Xiao understood. “Because of that, people online think we’re collaborating?”
Su Mei opened her mouth to explain, but seeing that they were close to the exit, she swallowed her words for the moment.
To their surprise, an even larger crowd gathered near the exit. The area was packed wall-to-wall, making Qi Xiao’s side look tiny by comparison.
Su Mei quickly realized what was happening. “It’s Lu Xingliang. I thought he had already left.”
Qi Xiao’s gaze drifted past the sea of reporters. Not far away, a tall, slender figure stood out distinctly in the crowd.
Just then, someone shouted loudly, “Qi Xiao is here!”
Lu Xingliang, who was just about to step into a car, suddenly paused and turned his head to glance back.
A pair of sunglasses rested on the bridge of his nose, concealing most of the expression on his face. The sharp line of his lips remained as cold as ever, giving him an aura of distant indifference.
Perhaps because his role as Ke Wentang had left such a deep impression, Qi Xiao found it a bit jarring to see him in person. In the drama, he played an easygoing playboy; who knew he was actually this aloof in real life?
Before Qi Xiao could react, Lu Xingliang withdrew his gaze, got into the car, and drove away.
“We’re both guests on the show?”
Inside the car, Qi Xiao looked surprised as he listened to Su Mei.
Su Mei gave him a brief breakdown: “Lu Xingliang debuted at seventeen, won Film King at twenty-one, and his cumulative box office revenue surpassed ten billion just last year. He’s only twenty-seven now.”
Qi Xiao couldn’t help but admire him. “That’s amazing.”
“He has a rigid, uncompromising style and despises untalented eye candy more than anything. During a movie he starred in previously, a fresh-faced actor who rode in on corporate backing delivered a terrible performance. Lu Xingliang flat-out declared that if they didn’t replace the guy, he’d walk off the set. In the end, not only did that guy lose the role, but he also became a complete laughingstock.”
“On top of that, his fans are insanely fierce. Bottom line: he’s not someone to mess with. You must be extra careful!”
“Oh, right.” Qi Xiao nodded obediently, quietly making a mental note about Lu Xingliang: Super scary.
On the other side.
Song Shishuang turned to look at the man beside her, her tone teasing. “Is that kid a fan of yours? He couldn’t take his eyes off you just now.”
Sitting inside the car, Lu Xingliang had already taken off his sunglasses. His narrow eyes flicked sideways. “How old is he?”
“Nineteen. When you debuted, he was still in elementary school.” At that, Song Shishuang felt a surge of playful mischief. “Do you think he’ll tell you later, ‘I grew up watching your movies’?”
Lu Xingliang clearly lacked interest. He kept his head down, casually flipping through the book in his hand.
“I checked with the production team,” Song Shishuang continued, taking on a more serious tone. “Qi Xiao’s original flight was earlier than yours, but he rebooked at the last minute. If you don’t like him, we can have him pulled from the show before the official announcement.”
Hearing that, Lu Xingliang let out a quiet scoff. “What kind of person would that make me? It’s not like we’re shooting a movie. Let him be.”
The shooting location was a coastal city. Since it was peak summer, it served as a popular dating destination for couples. The production team had deliberately booked a five-star hotel right by the beach.
As the car came to a slow stop, Qi Xiao prepared to part ways with his manager and assistant. According to the production team’s arrangements, the guests’ staff would be staying at a separate hotel.
When Qi Xiao stepped into the lobby, the show’s director spotted him and offered a gentle smile. “Let’s head over for a quick interview first.”
Qi Xiao felt a bit guilty about doing a solo interview so soon. He rarely did interviews, as Su Mei usually prepared the answers for him to memorize beforehand.
Inside the interview room, the director began:
“First question: What is your sexual orientation?”
“Huh?” Qi Xiao hadn’t expected a question like that.
Noticing his confusion, the director explained, “It’s a new rule for this season. The targets for confessions are no longer limited to the opposite sex—it’s open to all orientations. It was in the script outline.”
Qi Xiao recalled the initial overview. It seemed to mention that in the introduction, though he hadn’t paid much attention to it at the time. After all, he wasn’t actually here to fall in love.
Qi Xiao said, “Girls, I suppose.”
“And what’s your preferred type?”
That was a trickier question.
Qi Xiao thought it over carefully before answering, “I like people who are good-looking.”
For some reason, the director sitting across from him cleared his throat upon hearing that answer.
“Why did you decide to join this show?”
Qi Xiao blinked in confusion—it wasn’t like he had volunteered to join.
After a moment’s thought, he answered honestly, “Um, I wanted to work on my skills (acting skills).”
After finishing these routine questions, the director suddenly flashed a mysterious smile.
“Alright, up next is a special interview just for you.”
“Are you confident you can achieve all three of the Liar’s goals?”
This question played right into Qi Xiao’s hands. Thinking back to the meticulous notes he had taken over the past few days, he spoke up with newfound confidence: “I am!”
The director clearly hadn’t expected an answer like that. Previous guests usually gave modest replies, saying they weren’t sure or lacked confidence. It was his first time encountering a Liar so full of confidence, and he couldn’t help but chuckle. “Well then, best of luck.”
After asking a few more routine questions, the director pulled out a stack of cards.
“Now then, go ahead and draw your task card for today.”
Qi Xiao let out a soft oh. He hadn’t expected to get a task card so early—in the previous season, they didn’t even appear until the second episode.
After a moment of deliberation, he drew a card from the middle.
Flipping it over, he read the prompt written on it: Act cute / pout to the very first guest you meet.
Qi Xiao’s eyes widened. Why did the male guests in the previous season get tasks like wall-slams (kabedon) or giving compliments, while he got acting cute?
Then again, he had been acting cute to get his way since he was a kid. This task didn’t seem all that difficult after all.
Once the interview wrapped up, the director informed Qi Xiao that because he was the last to arrive, the other three male guests had already chosen their rooms. He was left with the remaining double suite. The other guests were already resting in their rooms, and filming would begin in half an hour.
Taking the elevator up to his floor, Qi Xiao found his room number and hesitated in front of the door.
Even though he had a keycard, it felt a bit impolite to just tap in while someone else was inside. To be safe, he knocked first.
Heavy footsteps soon echoed from inside.
Qi Xiao suddenly felt a surge of nervousness. He wondered who his roommate would be—please, anyone but Lu Xingliang.
Click. The door opened.
Qi Xiao froze dead in his tracks.
Lu Xingliang had taken off his sunglasses, but his eyes were entirely devoid of emotion. He gave Qi Xiao a quick glance without saying a single word, then turned around and walked back into the room.
Whoa, super scary at first sight!