The next morning, the producers introduced a new game:
**"Signal House Letters."**
Each person would anonymously write one letter to someone in the villa—no names, no guessing, just truth in a sealed envelope.
Most people laughed, rolled their eyes, or scribbled out vague poetic lines.
Shen Ruoxi wrote hers last.
Neatly. Precisely. In handwriting that didn't shake.
She folded the paper, sealed the envelope, and handed it in like she was submitting a clinical case file.
No one saw her pause for a split second before releasing it.
---
That night, Gu Zeyan handed his envelope directly to the producers.
But when Ruoxi passed by him on her way to the balcony, he spoke—calmly, no heat in his voice.
"You want honesty so badly, Shen Ruoxi?"
She stopped. Slowly turned. "Are you offering yours?"
"No," he said. "I'm offering you something better."
She tilted her head. "Which is?"
"A dare."
She narrowed her eyes. "Go on."
He stepped closer, not touching, not looking at her like she was bait—but like she was real. That was worse.
"Tomorrow's Eden House pick will be public vote," he said. "They'll pick who goes based on authenticity. Not curiosity. Not charm."
She lifted one brow. "And?"
"And I dare you not to play."
She blinked. "What?"
"No flirting. No touches. No games. Just you." His voice didn't rise. "Be quiet. Be still. Let people decide if they still want to see you."
It wasn't condescending.
It wasn't cruel.
It was honest.
She stared at him. No smirk. No deflection.
"Why?"
His gaze didn't flinch. "Because you're more interesting when you're not performing."
---
She didn't respond. Not with words.
Just walked past him, slowly, like she was carrying something heavy in her chest for once.
---
**The next day.**
She didn't wear lipstick.
She didn't lean into anyone's arm during breakfast.
She didn't flash her eyes or smile like a switchblade.
She helped clean. Read on the deck. Spoke only when asked.
It was… unnerving.
The others noticed.
"What's wrong with Ruoxi?" one whispered.
"She's being normal," another muttered.
But Li Shixun, seated nearby, just said quietly: "She's being brave."
---
When the votes came in that evening, the host read them out one by one.
And when they got to the final count…
> **TONIGHT'S EDEN HOUSE GUEST: SHEN RUOXI**
Gasps. Disbelief.
She had said nothing. Touched no one. Charmed no one.
And still, they'd chosen her.
She looked up slowly, meeting Gu Zeyan's eyes across the table.
For once, she didn't smirk. She didn't wink.
She just looked… raw. Like a nerve stripped of its protection.
---
**Confessional booth, past midnight.**
She whispered:
"I thought I had to seduce people into wanting me."
A long pause.
"But tonight, they chose me when I did nothing."
A breath.
"I don't know what scares me more—when they want the act… or when they want me without it."
Blackout.