Chapter 162
As the eager netizens attempted to identify the couple and send them warnings, the couple, Sara and Thorpe were busy packing their bags, just as they had told the curious online audience. They were preparing to check out of the quaint bed and breakfast that had become the center of such unexpected attention.
While folding her clothes, Sara couldn’t help but glance at the items in the velvet pouch they had received from Winnie. Curiosity got the better of her.
“That girl was quite the looker, wasn’t she? She said they were filming that reality show ‘Ghostly Guidance, right? Maybe we should give it a watch?” Sara suggested with a playful tilt of her head.
“What’s there to watch? It’s just kids messing about,” Thorpe responded dismissively, but then he casually broached another topic. “By the way, about that investment opportunity we discussed earlier, have you given it more thought?”
At his words, a flicker of tension crossed Sara’s face, and she turned to him with a hint of apology in her eyes. “Can we talk about it once we’re home? I’m still undecided. It’s not a small sum, and Dad mentioned he needs to think it over too.”
Thorpe’s expression didn’t alter, his casual smile remaining in place, “No worries, I was just curious. There’s no rush at all.”
He then insisted, “I’ll finish up packing here. Why don’t you head downstairs, check us out, and bring the car around?”
Seeing that Thorpe seemed genuinely unconcerned, Sara nodded, smiling as she took the room key and headed downstairs. What she missed was the moment the door clicked shut behind her, the smile on Thorpe’s face vanished, replaced with a chilling coldness.
He turned his gaze to the velvet pouch tucked inside Sara’s bag. Recalling Winnie’s words. Thorpe’s eyes narrowed slightly. After a brief hesitation, he pulled out the pouch and walked to the bathroom, where he tossed it into the trash without a second thought.
With an impassive face, Thorpe zipped up the suitcases and, taking both their bags, left the
room.
Meanwhile, the filming of the reality show continued full steam ahead. After much persuasion. Kane and Winnie finally secured a cooperative couple to join them. Mae and Gentry, however, failed to find a willing pair and, as per the show’s rules, had to pretend to be a couple themselves for the following tasks.
Mae, already disheartened by the continuous rejections, felt her face stiffen at the thought of playing Gentry’s other half. She considered it a blow to her career, and being paired with Gentry could tarnish her reputation even further, though she was already mired in scandal.
But the production team’s decision to continue filming with her gave Mae a glimmer of hope. She believed her agent would manage the situation.
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Chapter 162
After some thought, Mae spoke up. “Mr. Host, I know the rules say we have to work in pairs, but can our duo join another group? It seems more efficient.”
Pretending to be a couple with Gentry would have been a disadvantage. She also didn’t want to actually do any couple of stuff with him on the show and figured it would be more appropriate to work with another group.
For one thing, with more people, they could have two groups observing the mission objects. together, and she and Gentry wouldn’t need to be on their own.
Secondly, after the previous few hours of solo live streaming, she felt that her and Gentry’s side had far less traffic and conversation than the other group’s, so it would be better to act together with Kane’s group, and they would still get the conversation heat when the time came. In itself, if it wasn’t for that distribution principle, she would have directly wanted to be in Kane’s group.
Now it was Winnie and Kane who became a group.
Mae played her part well, her voice tinged with a plea. The host, understanding her strategy and aware of the low viewership of Mae’s team, agreed, provided the other groups consented.
Mae didn’t wait for a response. She quickly grabbed Gentry and moved to join Kane and Winnie, her expression pitiful.
On the sidelines, Candace rolled her eyes dramatically, unseen by the cameras.
As Kane and Winnie exchanged a glance, they saw no reason to refuse Mae. And so, the groups merged for the upcoming tasks.
The host distributed maps to the teams. “These are the routes previously taken by the innkeepers themselves. Your task is to follow this map and complete the checkpoints along the way. Time is of the essence, so gather your belongings, and let’s get moving.”
As the teams packed their bags, the innkeeper announced he, too, would retrace the steps he had taken with his wife, joining Mae and Gentry’s team.
Candace, eyeing the now larger group around Winnie, felt the urge to switch teams for the promise of more excitement. Her gaze then shifted to Mervin, a member of the Breeze Monastery, and she couldn’t help but ask, “Mervin, do you think there’s really something off with this B&B? Why do all the couples that stay here end up breaking up?”
Mervin remained calm as he looked towards the Golden Horizon Hills, “It’s likely resentment.”
Though faint, he had sensed something since checking in the previous day. But he couldn’t be certain, and the feeling was elusive as if emanating from the inn and the hills simultaneously.
wwhat mysteries
The audience perked up at the mention of resentment, their interest piqued by what the teams might uncover on their journey.
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