Chapter 56: Intriguing Rules

Listening to the director re-introduce the rules, a bitter smile appeared on Xu Zhaozhao's face.

She, the one who should have been eliminated the most, ended up staying simply because Shen Mu answered all twenty questions correctly.

Shen Mu!

We are already divorced, and you have someone new you want to pursue. Even if you were just pretending, you shouldn't have gotten all twenty questions right!

In the eyes Xu Zhaozhao cast toward Shen Mu, there was no gratitude, only grievance.

Do you have any idea how many people's hearts you will break by doing this?

Moreover, he had ruined her chance of making an early exit.

She could only hope that there would be more opportunities for elimination later on, because this romance reality show was terribly boring.

Noticing Xu Zhaozhao's gaze, Shen Mu looked back as well.

In his eyes was an incomprehensible anger.

"Zhaozhao," Chen Sisi said with a hypocritical smile on her face, "you really are lucky. You didn't answer a single question right, yet you still managed to stay."

"Looking at it this way, Luo Chengfeng and Qiu Qianrou being eliminated is a bit of a pity..."

"You can say that again," Lin Xuehui chimed in, nodding in agreement. "We racked our brains and tried every trick in the book, only to barely answer more than ten questions correctly."

"Shen Mu actually answered every single question right. It's clear he cares deeply about you. It's so enviable!"

Her tone was dripping with bitterness.

She was bitter that Shen Mu was so devoted to Xu Zhaozhao, possessing such perfect telepathic rapport.

She was also bitter that her own CP pairing with Zhan Wang had their bodies in Cao Cao's camp while their hearts remained with Han.

She simply didn't understand. She, Lin Xuehui, was also a certified beauty with a small following online, generous, poised, and presentable—so why was it that every man she had her eyes on only had eyes for Xu Zhaozhao?

"Zhaozhao, you really need to treat Shen Mu better. He is your savior."

Chen Sisi said, "Without him, you would have been eliminated just like Luo Chengfeng and the others long ago!"

The subtext was clear: since you've managed to stay, just hold onto Shen Mu tightly and leave Ke Hao alone; you have no business interfering there anymore.

Xu Zhaozhao understood her meaning instantly.

She nodded immediately, "Sisi, you're right. Over the past few days, I've neglected Shen Mu."

With that, she put on a fake display of gratitude toward Shen Mu, "Shen Mu, thank you so much! If it weren't for you, I would have been able to leave the show five days early!"

[Ha, haha, I can hear the grinding of teeth hidden beneath that expression of gratitude.]

[The oppressed wage slave could have left early, only to find out that her teammate was entirely too reliable.]

[Why am I, a fellow wage slave sitting alone in my room, giggling like an idiot? Can anyone guess why I simply can't find it in me to laugh?]

[Shen Mu really tried to do a good thing and messed it up instead, but the fact that he could guess all of Xu Zhaozhao's preferences—just based on that sincerity, he shouldn't be criticized too harshly.]

[The fact that Xu Zhaozhao got every single question wrong also says a lot. It's just that the timing of their acquaintance wasn't right. I believe that if they were in the real world, they would definitely make a compatible couple.]

[My thoughts exactly. If it weren't for Chen Sisi stirring up trouble, we might actually have gotten to see a sweet romance.]

In response to Xu Zhaozhao's insincere gratitude, Shen Mu's face returned to its habitual coldness—even colder than before—and he didn't say a single word.

Seeing Xu Zhaozhao's words of thanks being ignored, Chen Sisi and Lin Xuehui finally regained their triumphant expressions.

So what if Xu Zhaozhao still held a place in Shen Mu's heart? That compatibility test just now must have chilled Shen Mu's heart, and from now on, he wouldn't be entirely devoted to her anymore.

Unlike the guests who were eliminated at the start before they even had time to get acquainted, Luo Chengfeng and Qiu Qianrou had spent a full five days interacting with everyone.

After being eliminated, the two of them had to immediately pack their luggage and leave the small courtyard and Ancient Tree Village.

The non-eliminated guests took the initiative to help them pack their belongings and walked them all the way to the entrance of the village.

The production crew's commercial van was parked right at the village entrance.

Everyone bid a reluctant farewell at the village entrance.

When Xu Zhaozhao said goodbye to them, neither Luo Chengfeng nor Qiu Qianrou offered much of a response.

Remaining behind despite not answering a single question correctly, Xu Zhaozhao knew they harbored resentment, but she didn't feel awkward at all. After finishing the farewell rituals, she turned back toward the village, only to run straight into the village chief.

Seeing Xu Zhaozhao, his eyes lit up, "Xiao Xu, I was just looking for you. I didn't expect to find you here."

Xu Zhaozhao asked, "Village Chief, do you need me for something?"

"Yes," the village chief nodded. "Third Uncle Zhao's walking tractor at the east end of the village suddenly broke down. I remembered that you were the one who fixed my farm vehicle, so maybe you could fix the tractor too."

"This..." Xu Zhaozhao paused for a moment.

To be honest, she did know how to repair vehicles, but ever since she arrived in Ancient Tree Village, the vehicles people asked her to fix became increasingly unconventional.

Farm tricycles, walking tractors...

She had never repaired these before and wasn't sure if she could handle them.

However, considering it was her first time ever taking apart and fixing the chief's tricycle, since that one worked out, a tractor should theoretically be manageable too!

Just as she was about to nod and agree, Chen Sisi's voice rang out from the side.

"Oh, Village Chief, you are really overestimating Xu Zhaozhao."

"That so-called vehicle repair last time was just a dead battery, and she just stumbled upon a lucky break... You'd better hurry and find a professional mechanic to fix your tractor!"

"Huh?" The village chief was momentarily stunned by Chen Sisi's words.

This thin and pale woman was supposedly a top celebrity?

Celebrity or not didn't matter; the crucial point was, "Young lady, what are you blabbering about?"

Did she seriously not know that little Xu had helped him fix the tricycle afterward?

Since she didn't know, why was this woman just opening her mouth and spouting nonsense?

Seeing the village chief's trace of dissatisfaction, Chen Sisi's gaze turned even more disdainful.

This world had truly warped into a shape she despised, with these ignorant villagers blindly following the crowd.

"Village Chief, I can't guarantee a hundred percent success, but I can give it my best effort."

"That's wonderful!" The village chief cheered up.

"Village Chief," Xu Zhaozhao nodded, "then please lead the way..."

"Alright, alright." The village chief immediately turned and led the way.

Chen Sisi had originally planned to return to the courtyard, but upon seeing Xu Zhaozhao being summoned away by a villager, a sudden surge of interest prompted her to tag along just to see if she could actually fix a vehicle.

Not only did she want to go herself, but she also rallied the other guests to tag along and watch the spectacle of Xu Zhaozhao making a fool of herself.

In her heart, she had always viewed Xu Zhaozhao's vehicle repair skills as an empty boast.

Therefore, since there was an opportunity to let everyone witness Xu Zhaozhao's humiliation, she naturally wanted to drag as many people along as possible.

However, the moment her words trailed off, Shen Mu gave her a deep, piercing look.

[Did any of you feel the sheer disdain in Shen Mu's eyes toward Chen Sisi?]

[To the person above, you read my mind. I totally felt like Shen Mu was rolling his eyes at Chen Sisi.]

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Luo Chengfeng and Qiu Qianrou left the romance show's filming location with lingering reluctance.

On the way, the staff members returned their cell phones.

The two of them immediately unlocked their long-neglected phones.

The very first thing they did upon getting their phones back was to start a live stream.

Even though they were eliminated, elimination meant attention and traffic.