Episode 19
1241 Words
No one expected that watching a reality show would come with such plot twists.
The viewers had thought they were going to see two scared people brave an ancient mansion, but as soon as Sophia was captured by the ghost, she completely abandoned her previous fearful demeanor. She promptly stripped the ghost of its costume and put it on herself.
Not only did she strut confidently through the haunted mansion, but when ghosts rushed toward her trying to scare her, she acted so deranged that she frightened the ghosts instead.
It was a double twist that left viewers reeling.
[Wait, is she actually scared or not?]
[Twist after twist after twist! We thought they were pros who turned out to be amateurs, and now they're actually masters!]
[So all that fear was just an act? Impressive.]
[Where is she even going?]
The audience watched as Sophia navigated the mansion with remarkable ease, discovering all the secret passages along the way. She used these hidden routes to reach the room where Ethan was being held.
She then began impersonating a ghost to scare Ethan, eventually tying him to a chair.
The viewers in Ethan's livestream were terrified for him, while those in Sophia's stream were howling with laughter.
[HAHAHAHA! She's brilliant!]
[I seriously suspect she planned to get captured by the ghost just so she could come back and terrorize Ethan.]
[Poor Ethan looks genuinely scared. Sophia, have a heart!]
[Wait, why can't we hear anything?]
[They seem to be saying something... but I can't hear a word!]
[Hold on—why are they hugging?!]
[OH MY GOD! Ethan was faking it too!!!]
The audience finally understood.
Neither of them was afraid at all. From beginning to end, they had both been pretending to be scared!
For the first time in television history, viewers had been completely played by the contestants.
...
"You're not scared?" Sophia was shocked.
If Ethan had truly been terrified, he would never have guessed it was her behind the ghost costume. There was only one explanation—he hadn't been afraid at all.
Ethan lifted the wig covering her face and met her eyes. "It seems Miss Sophia isn't afraid either."
Sophia's face fell immediately.
Fine, he'd turned the tables on her.
But she wasn't about to waste such a perfect opportunity.
"Since we're here, I'll be direct," Sophia said, extracting herself from his embrace. "On the first day of filming, during the finger-breaking game, you said you came here for someone. I didn't think it was about me then, but considering everything that's happened since—it seems you were referring to me."
"The collision at the beginning, the secret observation afterward, and all your attempts to approach me—you're clearly interested in me."
"But here's the question: we've never met before. Why would you join a show for a complete stranger?"
A mysterious billionaire who had never shown his face in public was now exposing his identity. The price seemed too high.
Facing her barrage of questions, Ethan maintained a gentle smile, waiting until she finished before responding.
"Miss Sophia is a public figure. I've seen you online and admired you from afar. Is that so strange?"
Of course it was strange!
This character didn't even exist in the original novel, which meant the storyline where Ethan saw and admired her online was completely fabricated.
If she wanted to blame it on the butterfly effect of her arrival...
She didn't believe a trillionaire would fall in love at first sight with a female celebrity after seeing her trending for a couple of days. She refused to accept such a cliché plot twist.
"I suppose that makes sense," Sophia said, lifting her chin proudly. "I am quite charming. For someone like me—as beautiful as the moon, as graceful as a flower, and beloved by all—it's natural that you'd fall for me at first sight."
Since he wouldn't tell the truth, she would pretend to believe him for now and investigate his background later.
...
Meanwhile, the other two couples had reached their date destinations.
Jason and Mark arrived at a luxurious spa theater, enjoying premium services including massages, foot therapy, and sauna treatments—truly living up to their "wellness group" designation.
The romantic pair, Emma and Kevin, toured a love-themed art gallery together before visiting a couples' café on the upper floor.
Their conversation flowed easily, their gazes lingering with unmistakable chemistry, giving viewers plenty of romantic moments to enjoy.
When it came time to pay, Kevin pulled out his phone but was distracted by trending topics popping up on his social media feed:
#SophiaEthanPowerCouple?#
#Sophia Ethan Bondage Play#
#Modern-day Mr. & Mrs. Smith: Two People, Eight Hundred Hidden Agendas#
Kevin's smile vanished instantly.
"What's wrong?" Noticing his expression change, Emma instinctively glanced at his screen. "Are those Mr. Ethan and Miss Sophia?"
"It's nothing," Kevin said, forcing composure as he swiped away the notification and calmly paid the bill.
The crew members began whispering among themselves.
"Mr. Ethan and Miss Sophia are trending. Did you see?"
"They were doing an escape room, right? It makes sense—viewers love seeing celebrities get scared."
"No, no, no—they're trending as a couple! People are shipping them!"
"What?"
Unable to contain their curiosity, the crew members opened the trending page to find fans obsessing over the pair.
There were countless fan-made videos, the most popular having reached 300,000 shares. Its title: "[Ethan×Sophia] Sweet Moments | Intimate Bondage | Storyline Edit"
The video showed Sophia and Ethan together in the dimly lit escape room.
She fell backward in fear, and he caught her in his arms, whispering in her ear as she shyly pulled away, lowering her eyes with a blush.
Young love blossoming.
Being chased by a chainsaw-wielding monster, he grabbed her hand as they ran through the darkness, hiding behind a narrow doorway, their bodies pressed together, breaths intertwining.
The romance heating up.
She was unexpectedly captured by a ghost, instinctively reaching out to him for help, their tightly clasped hands forcibly separated.
The heartbreaking moment.
She transformed from an innocent victim to a vengeful beauty in red robes, making a dramatic comeback to tie him up and crack a whip near him.
The vengeful return.
He pretended to surrender, then suddenly pulled her into his embrace, revealing the big bad wolf's true intentions—it had all been an elaborate scheme to win her heart.
The sweet happy ending.
"AAAAAAAHHH!" One crew member couldn't help letting out a high-pitched squeal. "What an incredible storyline!"
Kevin frowned and looked in their direction, as did Emma.
"Shhh!" Another crew member quickly covered his colleague's mouth. "Keep it down! The most popular couple should be Kevin and Emma, but they're not even on the trending list, while the most unlikely pairing is going viral. What if our stars find out?"
Kevin and Emma: "..."
Thanks for asking, but they already knew.
Kevin's expression darkened further as he clenched his fist.
The next moment, he gazed at Emma with eyes full of passion and barely concealed love. "Emma, may I hold your hand?"
Emma immediately understood the game, feigning surprise before bashfully lowering her head, a pink flush spreading across her cheeks.
"Don't ask such embarrassing questions."
Kevin's smile deepened as his large hand enveloped her smaller one, caressing it with restrained tenderness.
"Then I'll take that as a yes."
- Writer
