Canned Souls 10

"Going Into Seclusion Together" is a hit variety co-produced by Banana TV and Danyou Media. It airs two seasons a year and has been running for three years, each time becoming a massive hit. Every guest who appears on the show gains a large fanbase.

The show's selling point is its authenticity—there's no script, and it has caused quite a few "live broadcast accidents." It's this unpredictability that keeps the show's popularity soaring.

No one knows what celebrities, usually so glamorous, look like when they're disheveled, or what their true personalities are behind the scenes. In the third season, one pair of partners had a huge argument on air and never reconciled even after the show ended.

That's why "Going Into Seclusion Together" is also called the "demon-revealing mirror" by fans—it shows who's real and who's fake.

The moment the livestream started, countless viewers flooded in, and the barrage of comments filled the screen instantly.

【For An Ning!】

【Chuxiao, Chuxiao, eternal morning sun!】

【Ahhh! I'm Qiuqiu's dog!】

All kinds of strange comments flew by, and it took a while for things to settle down.

At that moment, all the guests were on an airship, with only one livestream feed. There were three rows of seats, and the six of them were all sitting apart.

【Hey! That one by the window on the left—is that A from Qiuqiu's side?】

【Kinda handsome, but still not good enough for our Qiuqiu.】

【Who's this? Yan Xianchuan... never heard of her. She's an outsider, right?】

【Why aren't they sitting together? Was that arranged by the production team?】

【They're not talking either. What's going on?】

【Why do they look like they just met for the first time?】

In just a few seconds, a wave of speculative comments scrolled by—some guessing Yan Xianchuan's identity, some guessing how the two of them met, some guessing about their relationship. Even fans of the other guests couldn't help joining the discussion.

Lu Mingqiu was famously well-liked by the public, and her fans were known for their good manners; even her solo fans never clashed with fans of other celebrities.

Anyone who followed the entertainment industry—seven out of ten people—had a pretty good impression of her. So even fans of other stars often liked Lu Mingqiu.

The sudden news of the actress queen's secret marriage caused an uproar. The trending topic stayed at number one for three whole days, mainly because it was so sudden.

She had always kept a clean image, never had any scandals, and never even hyped up CPs in her films. So where did this A suddenly come from? It was ridiculous.

When omegas reached marriageable age, they were legally required to marry, and many omegas retired from the entertainment industry after marriage. The thought of Lu Mingqiu leaving the industry sent her fans into a frenzy, wailing as if the world were ending.

But then, a few days later, it was revealed that she would also be a guest on this season of "Going Into Seclusion Together," and that her closely guarded A would be coming too. Fans immediately crawled out of their coffins to see just who this A was—who could possibly have married Qiuqiu.

Lu Mingqiu was turned around, chatting with her fellow movie queen Xie Chuxiao, sitting behind her. Both were from the film world, so they had more topics to discuss.

The others were also chatting in small groups, but Yan Xianchuan sat alone, turning her head to silently watch Lu Mingqiu, like a forlorn little puppy that had been abandoned.

【See? The production team definitely made them sit separately.】

【She looks a bit pitiful, but she's still not good enough for our Qiuqiu.】

The viewers thought: She must be reluctant to be apart.

In reality, Yan Xianchuan smelled a very faint scent of blood and medicine—on Lu Mingqiu.

She had arrived in Nanjin City yesterday and stayed at Lu Mingqiu's place for a night. She slept in the guest bedroom, Lu Mingqiu in the master bedroom. It was very peaceful.

Before going to sleep, they'd briefly talked about the variety show. Lu Mingqiu had taken out a sheet listing some of her preferences—like liking movies and musicals, yoga, meditation, and so on.

As for food, she had no restrictions or particular favorites.

In short—she was easygoing about anything, as long as it was the best.

Lu Mingqiu asked Yan Xianchuan to share hers as well, so they could understand each other and avoid slipping up on the show.

Yan Xianchuan: "I don't like trouble, except when I cause it myself."

Lu Mingqiu smiled and noted it down, her voice soft as she asked, "Anything else? If you don't know where to start, you can follow the order on the sheet."

Yan Xianchuan glanced again at the four sections—clothing, food, housing, travel—then set down the sheet. "No. I don't have any hobbies."

Lu Mingqiu wore an expression of thoughtful determination. "Alright, I understand. Tomorrow the production team's airship will come to pick us up. It might be a bit tough for the next seven days, so let's get some rest tonight. Goodnight."

Nothing seemed off until they parted ways and returned to their own rooms. But this morning, when Yan Xianchuan saw Lu Mingqiu again, she carried a very faint smell of medicine on her. Though she had covered it with perfume, and no one else could tell, it couldn't escape Yan Xianchuan's nose.

Once she noticed the scent, she couldn't ignore it.

What kind of environment could injure a pampered actress queen like that? Could she have been sneaking around at night, cutting herself with a knife for fun?

Yan Xianchuan thought for a while, couldn't figure it out, and decided to toss the matter aside like all her previous concerns—shelved, forgotten, sent to the back of her mind.

Just as she turned her head, the airship came to a stop. Everyone walked down the steps, and as they looked up, a vast expanse of various shades of green rushed into their eyes—dark as crow feathers, green as crab shells. Wildflowers dotted the grassy meadow that connected to the dense forest, blooming in patches. There was no particular pattern or color scheme—just clusters here and there, full of natural charm.

Several people gasped in amazement at the sight. There wasn't much greenery in the city, especially not on this scale. It was a rare treat.

The lively An Ning had already crouched down to touch the grass, her face full of admiration.

Lu Mingqiu also took a deep breath, wearing a half-intoxicated expression.

Yan Xianchuan naturally didn't "follow the crowd." With a dead-fish look in her eyes, she thought for a moment, then walked over to stand beside Lu Mingqiu, stopping there.

Since she'd agreed to be on the variety show, she would play her role well—she didn't want to come off as reluctant or forced.

She considered herself a reliable person who always kept her promises, so she wouldn't deliberately hold anyone back. If she hadn't wanted to come, she wouldn't have agreed in the first place.

The black-haired host walked into the frame in casual wear. "I can see everyone's excited and happy—it's really beautiful here, isn't it? But I have to say, you're celebrating too early."

"Welcome to the filming of 'Going Into Seclusion Together.' I'm the host, Jiang Fei. I'm sure you're all familiar with me. The guests should have gotten to know each other on the airship, but let's do a formal introduction so the livestream audience can get to know everyone too. How about that?"

"Let's go from left to right."

This was part of the process, and everyone cooperated.

The one on the far left was Xie Chuxiao. He was handsome, with a straight posture—quite good-looking. "Hello everyone, I'm Xie Chuxiao, an actor. Those who know me might know that I've done a film about protecting wild animals, so I know a thing or two about surviving in the wild. If there's any heavy lifting, just let me do it!"

Next was Dordona, who had a distinctive personality—her lips and nails were both black. "Hello, I'm Dordona, a singer. I tend to speak bluntly, so if anything I say sounds harsh, consider this my apology."

An Ning followed her, full of smiles, waving at the camera. "Hi! I'm An Ning! My teammates say I'm a perpetual motion machine that never gets tired, so any errands or odd jobs—leave them to me!"

A Qi looked shy. He shifted slightly to let the sunlight catch more of his hair, giving him a soft, dreamy aura.

"I'm A Qi. I'm glad to be here for this event. But I'm a bit slow, and I don't have many skills. Still, I'm very obedient—really—and I can handle hardship. I won't let my teammates down."

The camera turned to Yan Xianchuan. She raised her eyes, her expression cold. "Yan Xianchuan."

After she spoke, there were several seconds of silence before everyone realized her introduction was over. Host Jiang Fei was about to move the camera to avoid the growing awkwardness when Lu Mingqiu leaned in.

"Sorry, Chuan doesn't talk much." Her face carried a hint of apology as she blinked, her blue eyes glinting like the sea under the light. "Let me apologize on her behalf."

"I'm Lu Mingqiu, but everyone calls me Qiuqiu."

As she spoke, she glanced at Yan Xianchuan, who looked back at her, as if they were close and in sync.

Host Jiang Fei laughed a few times, teasing, "It seems Ms. Yan really doesn't talk much."

"Now that we've introduced ourselves and gotten to know each other, it's time to explain the rules. As you all know, this island is privately sponsored, so the rules for this episode need to change. It won't be like before."

"Today's theme is—Housing Battle Royale! The guests will be split into three groups, and we've prepared three types of accommodations: a wooden cabin in the forest, a spacious tent, and a simple sleeping bag."

"We've hidden many tools on the island, like knives, ropes, fishing rods, and lighters. These tools are limited, so it's first come, first served."

"It's almost noon. The first challenge is simple: whoever can make a filling lunch first gets first pick."

"For fairness, the island has signal jammers, so you can't go online to look up tips. Your implanted chips will also be checked—no content related to wilderness survival allowed."

Jiang Fei took out several balls of different colors and grinned mischievously. "Now, let's form groups. Whoever draws the same color is a team."

An Ning asked in confusion, "Huh? Aren't Qiuqiu and Miss Yan a pair?"

Jiang Fei said meaningfully, "That depends on their luck."

The balls were put into a sealed box with only a hole on top.

Lu Mingqiu stepped forward and drew a red one. Without waiting for anyone else to react, Yan Xianchuan followed and reached in for the second one.

Host Jiang Fei's eyes flickered, and he joked, "Ms. Yan seems confident. Aren't you worried you might accidentally pick a different color and be separated from Ms. Lu?"

"No need to worry." Yan Xianchuan pulled her hand out of the box, a red ball pinched between her fingertips.

She never missed.