At breakfast, the villa was unusually quiet.
Not because anyone had fought—yet. But because the producers had changed the rules.
> "From today, one person will be chosen each night for a *private escape* to Eden House."
The screen in the living room showed a serene, high-end beachfront villa: infinity pool, open-air bedroom, gourmet chef, no cameras inside the bedroom after midnight. The hosts explained it smoothly:
> "Each night, the group votes for the person they're most *curious about*. That person will choose someone to join them."
Not the most liked. Not the most trusted.
*Curiosity.*
It was a subtle but powerful shift.
And Shen Ruoxi understood it immediately.
Curiosity didn't reward stability.
It rewarded mystery, contradiction.
People like her.
---
By evening, the votes were in. Shen Ruoxi didn't bother pretending to be surprised when her name flashed on the screen in sleek gold font.
> **TONIGHT'S EDEN HOUSE GUEST: SHEN RUOXI**
She let the others react however they wanted. Shock. Amusement. Thinly veiled concern. She finished her wine before speaking.
"Only one night?" she mused. "Pity."
Then the real twist came:
> "Dr. Shen, please write the name of the person you're inviting."
She didn't hesitate. She didn't even glance at Gu Zeyan.
She picked up the pen and wrote: **Chi Yichen.**
---
A ripple went through the room.
Chi Yichen—the calm, gentle architect from Hangzhou. Tall, soft-voiced, well-read. The one every other girl had been circling like bees around a blossom.
Even he looked surprised. "Me?"
She turned to him with a half-smile. "Unless you're shy?"
He blinked. "I'm not."
"Good," she said, standing. "Because I don't like quiet dinners."
---
### **Eden House – 9:42PM**
Dinner was served on a private terrace. Soft jazz in the background, candlelight flickering against glass.
Chi Yichen was everything Ruoxi expected: elegant, restrained, and slightly caught off guard by her full attention.
"You don't like competing," she said mid-meal, sipping champagne.
He smiled faintly. "Is it that obvious?"
She shrugged. "Most of the others walk into a room like they're chasing a spotlight. You stand like the spotlight will find you eventually."
"You don't chase either," he said quietly.
"No," she admitted, "but I do enjoy choosing."
He didn't look away. "So why me?"
She leaned forward, one elbow on the table, her voice dipping into something soft but not innocent.
"Because you're composed. You're the kind of man who leaves quietly—so I wanted to see if I could make you stay."
A pause. The sound of the ocean crashing in the background.
"I see," he said, setting his glass down. "And what if I don't want to be… a game?"
"Then play better," she said, eyes glittering.
And then—she reached across the table, fingers brushing the back of his hand with practiced ease.
She didn't need to kiss anyone to make them remember her.
She only needed one touch.
Well-placed. Deliberate. Unexpected.
---
Later that night, in the confessional booth back at the main villa, Gu Zeyan watched the Eden House camera feed quietly.
It only showed them laughing over dessert.
But his jaw tightened anyway.
---
**Meanwhile, in her own confessional, Ruoxi was reclined on Eden House's linen-draped bed, barefoot, her expression unreadable.**
"Chi Yichen is nice," she murmured. "Too nice."
A pause.
"I chose him because I knew everyone thought I'd pick someone else. People forget: attention is a currency. I like to spend it wisely."
She looked into the lens, eyes calm but dark with something unspoken.
"Let them guess what I want. That's half the fun."
Blackout.