The morning mist still clung to the treetops as the contestants were gathered at the base of the next challenge: The Gravity Gauntlet-a punishing high-altitude obstacle course carved into the jagged cliffs surrounding the estate. The cameras zoomed in on the massive structure-rope bridges swayed violently, narrow beams stretched precariously over dizzying drops, and unstable platforms tilted with the slightest weight.
Lin Xie's expression was neutral, but her eyes flicked rapidly across every creak and movement, analyzing angles, material strain, and wind patterns. Next to her, Wen Yuyan stood stiffly, dressed in designer sportswear that seemed out of place in the wilderness.
The host's voice crackled over the loudspeakers, "Contestants, you'll be paired up randomly. Your goal is to cross the course together, relying on each other's balance and trust to survive. Fail, and you'll be eliminated."
Yuyan's lips pressed thin, shooting Lin Xie a look heavy with rivalry and barely disguised jealousy. She knew Lin Xie had the attention of Shen Rui-something Yuyan had quietly coveted her whole life.
When their names were called as a pair, the group buzzed with surprise and whispers.
"Perfect pair for disaster," someone muttered.
Lin Xie simply nodded. "Let's begin."
---
The starting platform trembled as Yuyan stepped forward first. The beam beneath her feet was no wider than her palm and dangled above a near-vertical cliff face. A misstep meant falling at least thirty feet onto jagged rocks before the stream could break the fall-if it could at all.
Yuyan hesitated, gripping the thick rope rail for dear life. A sharp gust made the beam sway like a pendulum.
Her foot slipped.
Time slowed.
Her arms flailed wildly, but the beam tipped sharply downward.
A gasp rippled through the crowd and the live audience.
Lin Xie's eyes snapped to Yuyan's struggling form.
Without hesitation, Lin Xie lunged forward, her hand shooting out like a steel trap.
She grabbed Yuyan's wrist with iron strength.
Yuyan's breath hitched, heart pounding in terror.
Had Lin Xie been a moment slower, Yuyan would have fallen-
Plummeted.
Crushed.
Eliminated.
Lin Xie's other hand shot out, grabbing the rope to steady herself as she hauled Yuyan back onto the beam.
Yuyan's legs trembled.
"Th-thank you," she stammered, voice barely above a whisper.
Lin Xie's tone was flat, almost clinical.
"Focus on your center of gravity. Relax your shoulders. Trust the beam, not the breeze."
Yuyan's eyes widened, blinking rapidly as adrenaline surged.
She swallowed hard, forcing herself to steady her breathing and muscles.
---
The crowd was silent except for the pounding of Yuyan's heart in her ears.
The cameras captured every second of the near-fall-millions watching the live feed.
Commentators gasped, whispering about the peril.
The risk wasn't just a game.
It was life or death.
---
"Stay close," Lin Xie said sharply, shifting her weight to maintain balance on the swaying beam.
Together, they moved slowly forward, step by trembling step.
Another narrow plank led to a tilted platform slick with morning dew.
Yuyan's foot slipped again, and this time, she nearly tumbled off.
Lin Xie's hand shot out again, grabbing Yuyan's waist this time, pulling her steady.
Yuyan's face flushed, heart hammering.
"You're impossible," Yuyan muttered under her breath, a confusing mix of irritation and awe.
Lin Xie's lips quirked into a faint smirk.
"You're alive."
Yuyan had no reply.
---
The challenge continued, more brutal and unforgiving than any before.
At one point, they faced a suspended ladder angled sharply over an abyss where jagged rocks jutted like teeth below.
Yuyan's grip faltered, fingers slipping on the slick wooden rungs.
Lin Xie didn't hesitate.
Her hand shot out again, catching Yuyan's arm.
"Hold tighter. Use your legs to push."
Yuyan's breath caught.
If Lin Xie hadn't been there, she would have fallen-
A fall that could have meant broken bones, or worse.
Her mind flashed terrifying images of injury, elimination, disgrace.
But Lin Xie's steady presence kept her anchored.
---
As they neared the final stretch, Yuyan's tension cracked into a shaky laugh.
"I don't know whether to hate or thank you."
Lin Xie glanced at her, voice low and dry.
"Survival isn't about feelings."
Yuyan's smile faltered.
"I wish I could be as fearless as you."
Lin Xie's eyes were sharp but not unkind.
"Fear is useful. It's how you control it that counts."
---
When they finally crossed the finish line, the applause was thunderous.
But beneath Yuyan's polite smile, her mind swirled with conflict.
The girl she had always considered a rival had just saved her life-twice.
And yet Lin Xie's cold, unflinching demeanor hadn't changed.
Yuyan realized she wasn't just jealous of Lin Xie's position.
She was afraid-afraid of what Lin Xie represented.
An unstoppable force who refused to be tamed.
---
Back at the live studio, Shen Rui sat silently, eyes flicking between the screen and his phone.
The quiet girl who saved a jealous heiress at the edge of a cliff was rewriting the game.
And he was already counting the chaos to come.
------
Dinner was a chaotic symphony of clinking dishes, overlapping conversations, and the occasional frustrated sigh as the contestants attempted to decompress from the day's brutal challenge. The dining hall of the estate was a lavish room with high ceilings, ornate lanterns casting soft golden light, and long tables piled high with steaming dishes-everything from fragrant stir-fried greens to rich, spicy braised pork.
Yuyan sat with her usual poised elegance, but her fingers tapped nervously against her chopsticks. Her eyes kept darting toward Lin Xie, who sat several seats away, quietly picking at her food with clinical precision. The usually composed heiress found herself flushed, cheeks tinged pink, a faint tremor in her breath whenever their gazes almost met.
Unable to resist, Yuyan finally leaned slightly forward, voice low and just loud enough to catch Lin Xie's attention.
"You know," she began, trying to sound casual but failing, "I've been thinking about today's challenge... and well... what happened back there."
Lin Xie raised a brow, expression unreadable but eyes sharp.
Yuyan swallowed. "You saved me. Twice. Without hesitation."
There was a pause-Lin Xie's chopsticks paused mid-air.
"I... don't really know how to feel about that."
Lin Xie's tone was blunt. "Feelings are a luxury in danger."
Yuyan bit her lip, cheeks burning brighter. "Yeah, but... I'm not used to someone like you being so... selfless."
Lin Xie smirked faintly. "I'm not selfless. I'm practical. Your fall was inconvenient."
The table around them buzzed with chatter, but Yuyan was focused on Lin Xie's calm, emotionless demeanor.
"I guess I always thought you were... untouchable," Yuyan admitted, voice softer now, "That you didn't care about anyone or anything."
Lin Xie met her gaze steadily. "I care about survival. And success."
Yuyan laughed nervously, shaking her head. "You're impossible."
Lin Xie's sharp eyes softened just a fraction. "You'll have to get used to it."
Yuyan glanced down at her plate, heart pounding.
Despite the rivalry, despite the jealousy, she couldn't deny the strange mix of respect-and maybe something more-that was blossoming in her chest.
The challenge wasn't just physical.
It was shifting something deep inside them both.
And dinner was just the beginning..
---
The dining hall was buzzing, but Yuyan wasn't paying attention.
People were laughing. Someone had just accidentally stabbed a dumpling too hard and sprayed broth halfway across the table. A floating camera bot crashed into a teacup. The younger idol across from her was loudly debating which challenge today violated "multiple human rights."
But Yuyan's attention was elsewhere.
It kept drifting-again and again-to the girl across the table.
Lin Xie, seated upright, hair immaculate, sipping soup like she hadn't just yanked someone away from a thirty-foot drop earlier that afternoon with the ease of catching a pen.
No wide eyes. No shaking hands. No drama.
Just that usual eerie calm.
It had only been seconds. One wrong step on the suspended beam, Yuyan's foot slipping, her scream catching in her throat-
And that hand. Quick. Ruthless. Sure.
Now Yuyan sat there, chest still tight, heart annoyed and confused and fluttering in a way she did not approve of.
She stared at her untouched tofu.
Across the table, Lin Xie calmly reached for another dumpling.
Yuyan blurted, "Why?"
Lin Xie didn't even look up. "Clarify your question."
"Why did you help me?"
Lin Xie finally raised her gaze, expression unreadable. "You were falling."
"We're not friends."
"No."
"We're barely allies."
Lin Xie blinked. "Correct."
"So?"
"I calculated your fall trajectory. You would've landed between the steel girder and the crates. Minimum injuries: fractured ribs, spinal compression. Maximum: paralysis. It was inefficient to allow that."
Yuyan just... stared.
"That's it?" she muttered.
Lin Xie tilted her head. "Would you have preferred I let go?"
Yuyan flushed. "No. I just..."
She looked away. "Forget it."
Around them, the others were still being idiots. The actor who couldn't stop screaming during the rope swing was now trying to imitate a goat for the confession camera. One contestant had apparently mixed up the wasabi with the avocado spread and was now weeping into his napkin. A host nearly slipped on spilled chili oil.
And there Lin Xie sat. Untouched by the chaos. Like she belonged in a different realm altogether.
Yuyan tried to be annoyed.
She wanted to be annoyed.
But instead, she asked, quieter this time, "Do you know why he likes you?"
Lin Xie didn't ask who 'he' was. She didn't need to.
Everyone knew.
Everyone.
Especially her.
Shen Rui had never entertained scandal. Never gave a single socialite the time of day. Not at the galas, not during elite interviews, not even during the Shen Foundation's painfully curated matchmaking events.
He never flirted. Never smiled too long. Never even looked.
Not at anyone.
Not until her.
Not until Lin Xie showed up, sharp-eyed and unpolished and indifferent to the world.
Now Shen Rui flew her across the country. Let her hold his schedule hostage. Let her take his penthouse drones apart on the living room floor. Protected her like she was state-level classified.
And for what?
For that?
For this terrifyingly composed girl who treated people like math?
Yuyan been mad before.
But now she was... something.
Frustrated.
Jealous.
Confused.
... Curious.
Lin Xie glanced up again. "That's not why."
"Huh?"
"He doesn't like me because I'm cold."
Yuyan blinked. "How do you-"
"I asked."
"You-" She almost choked on her tea. "You asked him?"
"Yes."
"And he just-what? Told you?"
Lin Xie sipped her tea. "Yes."
"...Are you dating?"
"Not for publicly."
That short sentence dropped like a meteor.
Yuyan's mouth opened. Closed. She stared.
There it was again-that impossibly steady tone. No shame. No bragging. No coyness.
Just fact.
Not publicly.
But privately?
That meant yes.
That meant yes.
Yuyan slumped back in her chair, defeated in a way she hadn't felt in years.
Down the table, someone let out a loud yell as their tea exploded thanks to a faulty self-heating cup. Someone else started filming it for the aftershow reels.
No one was watching them.
No one, except maybe the four camera drones slowly orbiting to capture more footage.
Yuyan whispered under her breath, "You know he never even looked at me. Not once."
"I know," Lin Xie said, neither cruel nor kind. Just honest.
Yuyan let out a breathless, humorless laugh. "God, you're not even smug about it. I think that's what makes it worse."
"I'm not competing."
"You don't have to. That's the worst part."
They sat in silence for a beat.
Then Yuyan said, with reluctant sincerity, "Thank you."
"For?"
"Not letting me die, obviously."
"I wasn't going to let you die," Lin Xie said, very simply. "Even if you hate me."
Yuyan shook her head. "I don't hate you."
She stabbed her tofu again.
"I just don't know what to do with you."
Lin Xie, at last, smiled.
Barely.
But it was there. A soft quirk of her lips. Barely a twitch.
Enough to short-circuit Yuyan's brain.
"This show," Yuyan muttered, voice tight, "is going to kill me. And not from the challenges."
Lin Xie raised her brows. "Then pace yourself."
"Do you ever stop being a human spreadsheet?"
"No. But I also cook rice."
"...You're a menace."
"Statistically, I am."
And with that, Lin Xie returned to her dumplings.
Yuyan watched her.
Still confused. Still flustered.
Still quietly terrified.
But, maybe, just a little bit impressed.
Maybe.