As soon as Ye Xinrou found the house she had drawn, she seized an opportunity to quickly enter the bathroom, eagerly pulling out her phone to check online news.
When she saw Ye Shuang being widely criticized, the corners of her mouth involuntarily tilted upward, her eyes filled with smug satisfaction—clearly pleased with the situation.
At this moment, she no longer seemed to mind the small size of her house. In high spirits, she prepared to cook a lavish dinner for Gu Zhao.
It had to be said that the first-prize house was indeed of much higher quality than the second-prize one.
Although the exterior shared the same self-built style, stepping inside revealed a spacious and bright interior, with a faint scent of sunshine lingering in the air.
Entering the kitchen, she found all kinds of utensils neatly arranged and fully equipped, even including appliances like a washing machine and dryer.
This still satisfied Ye Xinrou, but the thought that Ye Shuang had drawn the grand prize—a house likely far superior to hers—immediately dampened her contentment. Envy for Ye Shuang’s good fortune surged within her.
“Announcement! Guests are strictly prohibited from cohabiting. Please adhere to the rules and reside in the houses you have drawn!”
Just as Qin Muqing and Ye Shuang were heatedly discussing how to arrange their accommodations, this announcement was clearly relayed to all guests through the photographers’ earpieces.
Everyone understood that this announcement was primarily aimed at Qin Muqing and Ye Shuang.
Completely unaware of the uproar online, Qin Muqing was fuming over the director’s “malicious intent.” She and her son, Dou Dou, stood dumbfounded in front of the house they were to live in for the next three days.
This was the fourth-prize residence, and its shabbiness far exceeded their imagination.
Even though Qin Muqing was usually adaptable, the thought of spending three full days here pushed her to the brink of collapse.
“Mom, did I… see that right?”
Dou Dou tightly gripped Qin Muqing’s hand, staring wide-eyed at the Thatched Cottage that looked as if it would collapse with a strong gust of wind. His words stumbled, his voice filled with disbelief.
“Hah, you drew it. You saw correctly. Give up hope.”
Qin Muqing forced a smile uglier than crying, mercilessly shattering the last shred of hope in her son’s heart.
“Waaah, Mom, I’m sorry!”
Dou Dou could no longer hold back, bursting into loud sobs that echoed starkly in the open space. He was terrified, mainly because he dreaded the idea of sleeping inside and waking up buried the next day.
“Stop crying. Come on, let’s go to your auntie’s place.”
Qin Muqing made a swift decision, pulling her son along as she turned toward a somewhat surprised Ye Shuang. At the same time, she shot a fierce glare at Lu Jue, who was covering his mouth, his face red from stifling laughter.
Qin Muqing knew all too well that, given the director’s endless “tricky maneuvers,” how could the second-to-last house be any good?
Let Lu Jue laugh now.
Ahem, Sister Qin, I’m sorry, but you can’t leave.
The director’s voice, like a lingering ghost, unexpectedly spoke up again.
“You never said we couldn’t freeload.”
A sly smile curled at the corners of Ye Shuang’s lips as she spoke leisurely, “So Sister Qing can take a shower at my place, wash her clothes, have a meal, and only come back when it’s time to sleep.”
In truth, she had already carefully inspected the thatched cottage and found it to be quite clean inside, as if it had just been built. The bedding inside was brand new, even the mosquito net was fresh, but from the outside, it looked so outrageous that it easily created a misleading impression. After all, the Director’s goal was merely to witness the guests’ dramatic reactions, not to actually mistreat everyone.
“Damn it, I was too hasty!” The Director’s frustrated cry instantly rang out, filled with regret.
[Hahahahaha, serves the production team right!! How dare they try to bully my sister!]
[Exactly, exactly, Director, you’ve finally met your match today.]
[I declare that from now on, Ye Shuang is a friend of us Green Threads!]
“Ahhh, sweetie, mwah, let your sister give you a kiss.” Qin Muqing was so excited that she immediately rushed to Ye Shuang’s side and, like a child, planted a loud kiss on Ye Shuang’s cheek.
“Thank you, Auntie!” Dou Dou also rushed over, expressing gratitude in a sweet, childish voice.
“No need to be so polite.” Ye Shuang wore a helpless expression as she quickly hugged Qin Muqing back, genuinely afraid that she might get knocked off balance by the sudden enthusiasm. Her two little dumplings were already using their small bodies to support her, fearing that she would fall.
“Auntie Qing, Dou Dou, don’t rush at Mom—Mom can’t keep her balance!” Ji Li was straining with all his might to support Ye Shuang, his little face flushed red from the effort, yet he couldn’t bear to let go of her.
Ji Zhou, meanwhile, had no energy left to speak, worried that if he slacked off even a little, his sweet, soft mother would tumble down.
“Sorry, sorry, it’s Auntie Qing’s fault. I got a bit too carried away.” Only then did Qin Muqing snap out of it, hurriedly straightening up while apologizing and thoughtfully reaching out to steady Ye Shuang. For good measure, she hauled her own cheeky son back like lifting a little chick.
To show her gratitude, she deftly took the suitcase from Ye Shuang’s hand, firmly gripping one in each hand, and strode forward with large, confident steps.
Not far away, an extravagantly decorated villa stood out like a sore thumb in the rural setting—a real “eyesore”—and it was precisely the grand prize house. Whether out of mischief or to create a stark contrast, the production team had placed this top-tier villa less than a hundred meters away from the last-place thatched cottage.
“Hmph, I have reason to suspect that the thatched cottage was temporarily built by the production team,” Qin Muqing remarked coldly as she gazed at the luxurious villa before her.
“I think Sister Qing is absolutely right,” Lu Jue responded with a firm nod, effortlessly pulling two suitcases with one hand while steadily holding his son with the other.
His house was located about ten meters behind the villa—a brick-and-tile structure. At the moment, it was completely overshadowed by the villa, not a single ray of sunlight reaching it. Taking in the somewhat dilapidated courtyard and the rather empty, worn-out rooms, Lu Jue felt he had every reason to suspect that this house hadn’t been occupied for a long time.
It had to be said, the production team really knew how to find such “uniquely creative” houses.
“Sister Qing, let’s go back and drop off our things.”
Ye Shuang’s gaze swept over the house Lu Jue had drawn, silently contemplating to herself.
Although this house wasn’t as shabby as a thatched cottage, there were clearly few decent pieces of furniture inside, let alone appliances like a washing machine.
She had initially intended to invite Lu Jue to use the facilities at the villa where she was staying, but the words hesitated on her lips.
After all, the entertainment industry was too treacherous, and she truly didn’t want to stir up any ambiguous rumors unnecessarily, bringing herself unnecessary troubles.
Clearly, Lu Jue also noticed Ye Shuang’s hesitation to speak.
Seeing that Ye Shuang ultimately didn’t voice her thoughts, he actually felt relieved inside.
If he had to kneel on durians over such a trivial matter upon returning home, that would be truly unjust.
He would rather endure a bit more trouble and expend extra effort than bring unnecessary “suffering” upon himself.