The moment she heard the production team's rules, Amelia Lockhart knew she'd lost the right to choose.
It was a bad start.
Anna Summers was the first female contestant to arrive, giving her priority. She walked to the table of items and said with a troubled smile, "This is too hard. These four items are completely baffling."
Four items were on the table.
A pair of sunglasses, a tube of lip balm, a piece of fruit candy, and a pen.
"These four items were chosen from the male contestants' personal belongings. So, the female contestants can make their choice based on their own judgment."
The troubled look on Anna's face was genuine because this was different from what she'd heard.
'Isn't Ethan Quinn's item a pair of headphones? Why isn't there anything like that on the table?'
[I'm calling it, the pen is Ethan's! He needs it to jot down lyrics when inspiration strikes!]
[I think it might be the sunglasses! Ethan loves all-black stuff!]
The live comments exploded with speculation. After a long hesitation, Anna Summers chose the sunglasses.
Watching Anna take the sunglasses, Ruby Sawyer felt a pang of regret. 'I thought the sunglasses were Ethan Quinn's, too, but now someone else has taken them!'
Ruby had no choice but to pick the expensive-looking pen. In any case, she would never pick the fruit candy or the lip balm.
She even thought she knew who those belonged to. 'Rhett Reynolds loves to eat, so the fruit candy must be his.'
'And the lip balm has to be Vincent Vance's. After all, he's a singer; he'd need lip balm…'
'Wait…'
'Lip balm?'
Ruby stared at the lip balm, hesitating for a moment. 'Ethan Quinn is a singer too. Could this lip balm be his?'
"Ms. Sawyer, have you made your choice?"
In the end, Ruby Sawyer nodded and left with the pen. She figured the pen was most likely Leo Bishop's. Since she couldn't get Ethan, Leo was a great choice too.
Besides, the lip balm was too brightly colored, practically a rainbow. It didn't seem like Ethan Quinn's style at all.
When Iris Yates went up, only the fruit candy and lip balm were left. As expected, she picked up the fruit candy and smiled at the camera. "My luck is pretty good! I had my eye on this candy from the start, and to think it was still here when it was my turn. This must be fate!"
[HAHAHA! I suddenly want to see if "fate" leads to the Most Tragic Couple!]
[I'll bet five bucks it does! Let's go, Most Tragic Couple!]
Amelia Lockhart, without a shred of suspense, became the owner of the last item.
"All the female contestants have made their choices! The pairings for the second episode, 'Love in the Ancient Town,' are now set. It's time for the big reveal! Male contestants, please go to your partners and confirm your tokens of love!"
The live comments instantly erupted in a frenzy of shouts and screams!
Rhett Reynolds was the fastest. He practically flew to Iris Yates's side, looking utterly heartbroken as he said, "The moment the production team took my candy, I knew you'd pick it. I can't believe our 'Most Tragic Couple' streak has to continue!"
Iris burst out laughing with a PFFT. "We should aim a little higher! Who knows, maybe we'll turn things around this episode!"
[Wish granted! AHHH! I love the Most Tragic Couple!]
[Turning things around is impossible! You know they weren't crowned the Most Tragic Couple for nothing!]
When Leo Bishop walked over to Ruby Sawyer with a smile, she wasn't surprised, but her face lit up with a delighted grin. "I can't believe this pen is yours, Leo! It's beautiful!"
Leo nodded and explained, "It was a birthday gift from my sister. I've been carrying it with me lately."
When Anna Summers saw Ethan Quinn stand up, her heart pounded like a drum. If she was anxious before, now she was absolutely certain she'd be paired with him this episode!
That tacky-looking lip balm in Amelia Lockhart's hand couldn't possibly belong to Ethan Quinn!
But the smile on Anna's face froze the very next second. Because Ethan Quinn was walking... toward Amelia Lockhart!
[Oh my god! He's with Amelia Lockhart again?]
[No way, no way! That gaudy lip balm belongs to our boy Ethan? If this isn't rigged, I'll eat shit on a livestream!]
Amelia Lockhart herself couldn't believe her eyes. As Ethan Quinn approached, she couldn't help but rub them.
"Mr. Quinn?"
Ethan Quinn gave a faint "Mm."
"This is yours?" Amelia asked uncertainly, holding up the rainbow-colored lip balm.
Ethan grunted another "Mm."
The atmosphere turned icy.
[My secondhand embarrassment is flaring up! Our boy is not happy, is he?]
[Is that really his lip balm? Even as a fan, I find it hard to believe!]
Just then, Vincent Vance walked over to Anna Summers, looking every bit the starstruck fanboy. He rattled off the names of several dramas Anna had starred in. She kept a smile plastered on her face as she gave him perfunctory replies, but inside, she was furious!
'How could the sunglasses I so carefully chose belong to Vincent Vance!'
Meanwhile, Ruby Sawyer was trying to suppress a laugh. Although she hadn't been paired with Ethan, Leo was an excellent match. 'Good thing I wasn't the first to choose,' she thought. 'Looks like my luck is pretty good this time!'
"I got this at a brand endorsement shoot yesterday. I thought it was nice, and the production team happened to pick it," Ethan Quinn suddenly explained.
[Ah! I know! It's that new rainbow sparkle lip balm from Zikou!]
[I can't believe they got Ethan for the endorsement! *Quietly opening my shopping app!*]
Only then did the director speak up with a grin. "It wouldn't be a challenge if you could guess correctly right away. That's why we have some misleading options. In any case, your choice is your destiny. Congratulations to our four new couples!"
[The production team is so shady!]
"Now, for today's first task: The Chemistry Test! This round will test the chemistry between our couples. The couple with the highest chemistry score will get first pick of the couple outfits! Now, please take a look at the four sets!"
Staff members immediately brought out four standees covered with drapes.
"Set one: Evan Thorne and Elara Miles from *Detective Conan*!"
"Whoa! That one's so cute!" Iris Yates shrieked.
Rhett Reynolds, already very familiar with Iris, didn't hesitate to tease her. "So when Orchid comes to the real world, she gets a little... plump?"
Iris shot him a glare, which sent a wave of HAHAHAs scrolling through the comments.
"Set two: Fabian Grant and Penelope from *Dream of Splendor*!"
Ruby Sawyer got excited at once. "This set is gorgeous! The Celestial Sister's outfit is beautiful!" Most importantly, she knew she looked amazing in ethereal, historical costumes. Although she couldn't compare to the Celestial Sister's beauty, she was still confident in her own looks!
"Set three is Caspian Easton and Little Orchid from *Love Between Fairy and Devil*!"
"Wow! This one is amazing too!" Just as everyone was marveling at how great all the couple outfits were, the production team announced the final set!
"The last set is Briar and Bramble from *Boonie Bears*!"
"Whoa! Leaving aside the fact that Briar and Bramble aren't even a couple, we'd boil to death in those costumes!" Rhett Reynolds suddenly had a very bad feeling about this.
[PFFT HAHA! I think the Most Tragic Couple has already laid claim to this last set of outfits!]
[HAHAHA! If that really becomes the Most Tragic Couple's outfit, that would be truly tragic!]