Chapter 3: The Unforeseen Role

The room was filled with other people, but the bright lights made it difficult for him to see their faces clearly. Only faint conversations reached his ears.
Yan Chuan remained silent, leaning against the wall to catch his breath. His health was truly poor; his complexion was pale, and his breath was somewhat unstable. He furrowed his brow to calm the dizziness in his mind.
“Why are there so many people in this round?”
“Are there any newbies? If so, we might have a problem; who knows if they’ll do something reckless.”
An experienced member, who was indifferent to the situation, lazily remarked, “Are all the participants here? When can we start?”
Listening to the surrounding voices filled with complaints and indifference, Yan Chuan quietly observed the “script” that was said to be for task allocation.
The survival variety show did not provide contestants with physical scripts; instead, the scripts were digital panels visible only to the owner. These detailed the identity cards and tasks assigned to the contestants, and participants could also see audience comments, though clues about the script were obscured.
It truly felt like a variety show… Yan Chuan closed his eyes to examine it, resembling a game.
But there were advantages; each contestant’s identity card remained confidential, known only to themselves and the viewers watching the live broadcast.
After listening to the mechanical voice’s report, Yan Chuan gained a preliminary understanding of the survival variety show.
They were entering various horrifying scenarios, presented in the format of a live-action variety show, focusing on the words “survival.”
He couldn’t help but wonder what kind of “audience” was so enthusiastic about performances in a survival variety show.
There was no way to disclose anything to the outside world, as everything was broadcast live, showing a group of contestants playing roles in a horror-themed variety show… Could the audience really be human under such circumstances?
Yan Chuan did not think this was a trivial matter. The enticing conditions offered by the survival variety show suggested that throughout the recording process, the dangers were abundant.
In the end, the survival variety show also emphasized the importance of the audience, reminding them that the contestants were there to perform, and everything was centered around the viewers’ experience.
What did this group of viewers want to see?
Yan Chuan was unclear and remained sceptical.
With these thoughts in mind, he lowered his eyelashes. When he was silent, his expression was calm, with the corners of his lips slightly downturned, showing no fear of being suddenly transported to another place.
This composure, coupled with his striking appearance, caught the attention of other contestants observing the room, leading them to speculate he might be a seasoned player.
As time passed, the conversations among the contestants gradually quieted down.
The variety show was about to start.
With a “ding,” a notification sounded, and suddenly a lot of content appeared in Yan Chuan’s mind.
The contestants took their places, and the survival variety show assigned him his identity card and task.
Yan Chuan felt a rush of emotion as he clicked on the panel, which was designed like a script.
First, an option popped up: [Do you want to start the live broadcast?]
Yan Chuan paused and selected “Yes.”
The audience’s attention and rewards were valuable, so he decided to begin this so-called live broadcast to see how it would unfold.
He did not change the default name of the broadcast room, which was [Live Room of Contestant 43786].
Newcomers’ broadcasts might not attract many viewers, so after confirming, he set it aside, planning to discuss it later when the variety show started.
Now, he needed to see what identity he had been assigned.
While he was hospitalized, he had watched popular variety shows out of boredom with the little nurse, so he had a rough idea of what role-playing entailed.
He needed to adjust his character and performance according to the identity he received, which was emphasized in the survival variety show as well.
Gradually, several lines of small text appeared on the panel.
[Contestant 43786 Yan Chuan has entered the variety show script for Apartment 13, matching identity…]
[Clearance Reward: 3000 points]
[Congratulations! You have drawn the identity card: A seemingly gentle but secretly unfaithful wife.]
[Your charm is unmatched; not only do you have a husband, but also many lovers. They will assist you, but please do not let them discover each other’s existence.]
[Main Task: Survive in Apartment 13.]
[Side Task: Not yet unlocked—Contestants are encouraged to explore the script.]
Upon seeing the identity card, Yan Chuan revealed the first look of surprise he had since seeing the promotional leaflet.
His pale rose-coloured lips slightly parted, and his eyes widened in disbelief.
In a horror variety show, playing a seemingly gentle… but unfaithful wife?
Had he misread it, or was there a mistake in the script?