The Fake Daughter Want to Be Villainess - Chapter 51

Pei Wang wore a light gray shirt with two buttons undone at the collar, and paired it with pure black casual trousers. Only the cuffs featured Imperial Green gold-embellished cufflinks, adding a touch of elegance.

Ren Lishu smiled and complimented, “President Pei looks especially handsome today.”

She casually patted Jiang Shu’s shoulder, “What do you think?”

Jiang Shu hadn’t expected Ren Lishu to suddenly call on her; she froze for a moment and instinctively replied, “Yes.”

Her response felt somewhat bland, and just as she was considering how to elaborate, Ren Lishu exclaimed, “Oh!”

Ren Lishu stepped in front of Jiang Shu, pointing lightly at the brooch on her chest: “Isn’t Pei Wang’s cufflink part of the same set as your brooch?”

She seemed astonished, “You guys are even coordinating your outfits as siblings?”

Jiang Shu fell silent for a moment, but Pei Wang approached and politely responded, “It’s a set of jewelry.”

He smiled and explained, “Everyone in the family has it.”

Ren Lishu nodded and praised, “It looks great. You should make a set for my little one when you return home in a few days.”

The Director, sitting on the stone, tapped the megaphone.

The amplified noise echoed loudly and unpleasantly across the clearing at the village entrance.

The guests were startled and simultaneously looked towards the Director, who stood up from the stone, holding the megaphone and pretentiously cleared his throat, “Good morning, everyone!”

He circled around the guests and shook a small red flag in his other hand: “You all look very spirited!”

“But, after chatting for so long, why hasn’t anyone guessed today’s program rules?” The Director turned back and forth, making an exaggerated disappointed face, “Doesn’t it warrant your guesses?”

The Director lamented, “This time, the rules will continue throughout the entire program.”

The guests exchanged glances.

Although they had only recorded two episodes so far, the Director’s tricky demands had permeated every minute of the recording, and the notion of a new ongoing rule sounded quite ominous.

Qiao Xian frowned, exchanged a glance with Ren Lishu, and then asked, “What is this new rule?”

The Director revealed a mysterious smile, “Do you remember your travel fund from the last episode?”

The guests glanced at each other, then wrinkled their brows in confusion.

The Director smiled cheerfully, “Starting from this episode, the Program Team will no longer provide free meals and accommodations; everything must be purchased by you yourselves!”

Jiang Shu blinked, raised her hand, and asked, “Purchased? As in with our own money?”

She shook her pocket, eagerly saying, “With the money we bring ourselves?”

In that case, she wouldn’t be short on cash at all!

The Director shot her a glance, “You wish.”

“Of course, it’s with the money you earn through hard work.” He clapped his hands: “Xiao Song!”

A staff member set up a signboard filled with densely packed text.

The Director stood beside the signboard and touched the plastic frame supporting it: “This is the price list.”

The guests gathered around, and Jiang Shu joined them to take a look at the board.

The signboard was divided into two sections; the upper part listed tasks that guests could complete to earn money, and the lower part specified what the Program Team offered for purchase.

Compared to the tasks that practically filled the entire signboard and mostly valued at only ten yuan, there were not many items guests could buy. The Program Team even listed only three options.

Luxury double bedroom X3, 200 yuan/night

Standard guesthouse X2, 100 yuan/night

Basic dormitory X2, 20 yuan/night

There was a small note below—

Items and tasks follow a first-come, first-served rule. If guests have other needs, they may use the money earned from tasks to make purchases.

Jiang Shu pondered for a moment.

Since the Program Team hadn’t mentioned meals, it seemed that their three meals would likely fall under the “other needs,” requiring them to purchase on their own.

Based on her experience in the Small Fishing Village, even the cheapest meals would cost at least twenty or thirty yuan. If they didn’t complete those higher-value tasks, most guests could earn only a few tens per day, making it insufficient for two to even secure one night in a standard guesthouse.

Moreover, the Program Team was quite cunning; they had only provided two standard guesthouses. This meant that guests not only had to save enough money but also had to be wary of other teams purchasing the standard guesthouses before them.Jiang Shu frowned.

The guests were whispering among themselves, and she sensed someone had walked up beside her. Instinctively, she glanced sideways.

First, Jiang Shu noticed a cufflink in Imperial Green, then a long hand.

It was Pei Wang.

He bent down slightly, leaning his head closer to her, and as she instinctively looked up, she caught sight of Pei Wang’s Adam’s apple moving, as if he was about to say something—

Jiang Shu practically jumped in place.

Pei Wang seemed startled by her reaction, pausing for a moment before realizing what had happened. He furrowed his brows and smiled gently, “What’s wrong?”

He didn’t move closer to Jiang Shu, just lowered his head a bit, his eyelashes hanging down, and looked over apologetically, “Did I scare you when I suddenly came over?”

Being looked at like that made Jiang Shu feel embarrassed again.

Clearly, she still hadn’t figured out whether Pei Wang’s kiss had been staged by the program team, but upon seeing him, she instinctively felt the urge to avoid him.

Jiang Shu thought that her reaction had indeed been a bit excessive, but she couldn’t articulate the true reason behind it, so she settled for a simpler explanation: “Just a little bit.”

She raised her hand, pinching her thumb and index finger together, trying to convey through her gesture: “Just a little bit.”

Not wanting to dwell on the topic any longer, she fidgeted with the hem of her clothing, attempting to shift the conversation. However, before she could come up with a new topic, the Director waved his megaphone again: “Alright, I’m sure everyone has seen our signboard and has a choice in mind.”

“Come on.” He tapped the small table brought over by the staff and pointed to the plastic cards on top: “Come pick up the tasks you wish to undertake.”

The guests gathered around, with Pei Wang and Jiang Shu making their way over as well. In the commotion, they managed to snatch a few cards.

The tasks Jiang Shu chose were to water the vegetable garden and help the grandmother knit a sweater.

She pinched the card, preparing to retract her hand, but just as her fingers were still barely touching the table, the Director’s small red flag swiftly pressed down, pinning Jiang Shu’s hand.

The Director cheerfully added, “Each person can only take one task at a time.”

Jiang Shu was taken aback. She glanced at the Director, then hesitated for a moment and released the card in her left hand.

The card fell onto the table, and Wang Siyuan noticed it. He reached out, wanting to grab it to compare it with the card he held and see which one was better.

However, just as his fingertip brushed against the card, a hand swiftly crossed over, pinching it.

Pei Wang held the card firmly in his palm, saying, “One group can take two tasks.”

He prepared to put the other card he was holding back on the table.

“No need.” Jiang Shu grabbed his wrist firmly. She widened her eyes, trying to show her sincerity: “You should focus on the task you want to do.”

The Director hadn’t mentioned that group members had to stick together this time. Not wanting to interact further with Pei Wang, Jiang Shu suggested, “Let’s take on separate tasks. It would be more efficient that way.”

This proposal was quite sensible and not driven by her self-interest.

Jiang Shu looked at Pei Wang innocently.

Pei Wang chuckled lightly, giving her a helpless glance, then placed Jiang Shu’s card back on the table.

He spoke softly, “Alright.”