The male supporting character was actually myself.

At that time, all you need to do is guide and hint to the other party to actively help complete the task in order to turn the tide and salvage your image, and at the very least, gain some goodwill and increase your support rate.

In her death throes, Qin Xiaoyao even feels grateful for his "help" and takes the initiative to step forward and ask to pretend to be the bride.

But now...

She turned to look at Qin Xiaoyao, who was whispering with Wang He and Liu Yihong about clues, and felt a little uncertain.

Sun Dieqi is vain and willing to use her body as a bargaining chip to climb to the top and get ahead, but that doesn't mean she's completely devoid of conscience. Especially when it comes to making Qin Xiaoyao, who saved her life several times, take the blame, she finds it difficult to make a decision.

What should we do?

She had read the script and knew very well that the bride, who had been hidden away, couldn't possibly be at Grandma Wang's house. If she had to choose one of the three... Sun Dieqi glanced at the audience support data, took a deep breath, and made up her mind.

"Someone from the Qian family is secretly helping them, and the bride has already run away. How are we supposed to complete our mission now?"

"We only have one hour, and a round trip takes fifteen minutes, leaving us with only forty-five minutes. Where are we going to find him a bride?"

Qin Xiaoyao, lacking experience, asked curiously, "What happens if the assigned task cannot be completed?"

“Activate the punishment mechanism,” Fang Fei explained. “The punishments are different for different shows. The others are fine, but we probably won’t have an easy time at today’s show. If we’re unlucky, we might be finished.”

She didn't dare to speak definitively. Having participated in many reality shows, Fang Fei had already vaguely guessed that it might be necessary to have an actress as a stand-in.

Anyway, the brides' faces were covered by veils throughout the wedding ceremony, so it was impossible to tell if they were real or fake. After they were sent to the bridal chamber, clues could be collected to find out the secret behind the brides' sudden deaths.

Taking the initiative to stand up and share the burden at critical moments will definitely earn you goodwill and higher support, but acting as a bride could be life-threatening. Should you take the risk?

“I’ll pretend to be the bride,” Sun Dieqi said, mustering her courage and stepping forward. “We definitely can’t find the real bride. We can’t get into key locations like the bridal chamber and the ancestral hall to gather clues. We need to infiltrate the area.”

She had thought it over carefully. Her previous rambling about drinking the water given to her by the makeup artist must have offended the production team. In addition, the frequent accidents caused by being drugged indicated that someone wanted to take this opportunity to get rid of her.

Instead of passively accepting it, it's better to take the initiative. At the very least, you can change the audience's impression, generate positive reviews, and boost your approval rating. Even if you are targeted in the future, you'll have some leverage.

The relationships on the runway are complex. The director is definitely on his side, otherwise he wouldn't have revealed the script; but who knows who that old guy offended?

To survive in chaos, you need audience support.

The higher one's profile, the more they live in the spotlight and the higher their chances of survival.

Sure enough, when she volunteered to play the role of the most risky fake bride, she immediately received a wave of positive reviews.

Her appearance was absurd, and she dragged the team down the whole way, but that was all the show's producers trying to trick her, not something Sun Dieqi did intentionally. Since regaining her senses, she has worked hard to find clues and make inferences. Now, she is risking her personal safety to find more clues for the team. Many viewers have instantly gone from hating her to loving this beautiful and strong girl.

"They really know how to flatter..." Fang Fei's eyes twitched as she watched the approval rating quickly surpass hers.

She overthought things, worrying about the dangers of being the bride, and hesitated for too long before the other party beat her to it.

As a result, Fang Fei and Zeng Hao, whose overall performance was not outstanding, received the lowest approval ratings.

At this time, Wang He still led the popularity rankings, with a huge number of fans and various wealthy women willing to spend money to support him; followed by the young heartthrob Liu Yihong; while the consistently outstanding Qin Xiaoyao was almost on par with him; Sun Dieqi surged ahead, leaving Zeng Hao and Fang Fei far behind.

Sun Dieqi felt very gratified as she watched her approval rating rise rapidly.

This move was perfectly timed. As long as we don't foolishly touch that hidden compartment, nothing unexpected will happen!

The wedding dress was originally intended for Qin Xiaoyao, but fortunately, the bright red dress was quite loose, and Sun Dieqi, who was taller and more voluptuous, looked much better in it than in her original maid's dress.

Even Wang He couldn't help but glance at it a couple more times.

"Why are you putting your hair up in a bun?"

"It seems I also need to wear a phoenix crown."

"You have to wear all these gold and silver jewelry. Sister Sun, why don't you do your makeup first..."

…………

With the help of several people, they finally managed to get everything ready on time, covering Sun Dieqi, who was dressed in bright red and wearing embroidered shoes, with a red veil embroidered with mandarin ducks playing in the water.

"The bride is getting into the sedan chair!"

When Qin Xiaoyao and Fangfei helped the bride out of the low courtyard, the steward glanced at her a few times, banged the gong, and shouted, "Raise the sedan chair!"

The festively decorated red sedan chair was lifted up and swayed gently towards the Qian residence.

The elaborate wedding ceremony lasted a long time, until the eldest son, whose face was pale and gloomy like a paper effigy, was about to enter the bridal chamber with a red silk ribbon, and the music stopped.

The entire Qian mansion was shrouded in the dim, pale red light emitted by the red lanterns. There were no more than thirty people in total, but they all watched as the eldest young master led the bride to the bridal chamber. There was no joy, no clinking of glasses, no laughter, and many people didn't even dare to breathe loudly.

The wind howled loudly, making the wedding scene look eerie and sinister.

"I have a feeling that something terrible is about to happen." Liu Yihong felt a chill run down his spine. He had just muttered this to himself when he felt someone tugging at his sleeve.

When he turned around, he found that it was an unfamiliar man wearing a servant's uniform with the character "武" (wu, meaning martial arts) on the chest.

"You, young man, seem quite clever. Come with me." Wang Weizhuo's mind was now filled with the "angel's" instructions.

He was about to receive a vault full of gold and become a noble person, so how could he personally do such a dangerous thing?

The dirty work the production team makes you do could easily cost you your life if you're not careful.

Such accidents have happened before, and Wang Weizhuo doesn't want to falter at this crucial moment before reaching the pinnacle of his life.

Since I don't want to take the risk myself, I have to let someone else do it for me.

"What are your orders?" Liu Yihong thought he had triggered some side quest, so he gave Wang He a wink and followed the guards around the crowd to the backyard.

"Qin Xiaoyao, back away when no one is looking," Jiang Chen instructed from the rooftop. "I'll cover you; those people won't see you. But you have to pretend to be carefully avoiding everyone's gaze, otherwise they'll easily suspect something's amiss."

She obediently retreated slowly until she reached a dimly lit area, then felt her way along the wall to the backyard. Soon after, she pushed open a wooden window and nimbly climbed over to hide inside.

As a result, viewers who paid to unlock Qin Xiaoyao's view flooded the screen with praise.

"When Xiaoyao picked up the knife from the table, I realized she would act alone!"

"By the way, although we've occasionally separated before, there's never really been a side quest. Is Qin Xiaoyao going to do a solo quest?"

"Where have we entered? There are so many red curtains, I can't see anything at all. Where is she hiding?"

"Are you stupid? Can't you see the corner of an embroidered mandarin duck peeking out over there? She must have sneaked into the bridal chamber. Xiao Yao is worried about Sun Dieqi, so she came to protect her, right?"

"Hey, hey, hey, I also turned on Liu Yihong's perspective, he's gone to do side quests too!"

"I stepped back to take a look, and from God's perspective, the view was still focused on the front hall. The other three people seemed to be trying to take the opportunity to explore the ancestral hall..."

…………

Sun Dieqi sat on the edge of the bed. Through the red veil, she could only see her elaborate wedding dress, embroidered shoes, and a very small circle around the floor. She was so nervous that her whole body trembled slightly.

What was it written in the script again?

After Qin Xiaoyao impersonates the bride and completes the wedding ceremony, the groom will recognize her when he lifts the veil, then shout and summon people to tie up the imposter and lock her in the bridal chamber to await further punishment.

He would sneak over and lure her into opening a hidden compartment under the pretense of rescuing her.

Although it's unclear what terrible things might be hidden in the secret compartment, judging from the purpose of framing Qin Xiaoyao, it must be extremely dangerous and could cause casualties at any time.

Then I had to lead her along the route into the alley behind...

But now everything is in chaos. None of the traps in the previous part of the story have been triggered. I've also taken her place as the bride. As long as I don't open the hidden compartment and find a way to escape and reunite with the others, there shouldn't be any danger here.

"Meow~ Sun Dieqi isn't completely evil." The fluffy ball squatted on the table, licking its paws, and looked up at its host's handsome figure, chuckling, "Looks like she probably doesn't know that she's also a pawn set up by the production team, right?"

"Only the dead can keep secrets. How can Architect Qiao be at ease if the pawns who know the script aren't dealt with?" Jiang Chen looked at the flickering red candle and said slowly, "If I hadn't been waiting long enough, I would have almost missed this Easter egg."

Sun Dieqi was so eager to climb the corporate ladder that she went so far as to fawn over the director for two months.

The production team was happy to do him a favor and gave the so-called script to Sun Dieqi so she could frame Qin Xiaoyao.

Little did she know that after everything was completed, in the alleyway through which she led Qin Xiaoyao to the 'exit' according to the script, there was a hidden big boss—a female ghost in red.

The ghost brides who had appeared before hadn't shown any aggression, leading them to conclude that they were harmless and even wanted to help the actors solve the mystery. Therefore, when they reached the hidden mastermind, they weren't on guard.

According to Qiao Yi's plan, she would control a ghost bride filled with resentment to attack the two of them. However, how could she highlight Qin Xiaoyao's despicable and shameless nature? Of course, she would make her use the life of her savior to exchange for her own escape.

As a result, Sun Dieqi, who knew the inside story but never revealed it, sacrificed herself; Qin Xiaoyao, out of a moment of carelessness, released a poisonous snake that killed Wang He; and the others successfully deciphered the mystery and passed the game smoothly.

Qin Xiaoyao, who was afraid of death and used her kind-hearted savior Sun Dieqi as a human shield to escape alone, became the scapegoat.

"Tsk tsk tsk, what a ruthless heart!" The little white cat grinned and shook its head. "Too bad, even if Qiao Yi had eight hundred tricks up his sleeve, he couldn't outsmart my host. Just wait and see the show!"

Qin Xiaoyao waited and positioned herself to rescue Sun Dieqi according to Mr. Devil's instructions.

From the perspective of Liu Yihong, a popular young actor, the audience was already going wild.

Because he was dragged by the guards to be an accomplice—they took a poisonous snake from a bamboo cage and stuffed it into a hidden compartment in the bridal chamber!

"Holy crap, this reality show is totally unpredictable!"

"This... how was this designed? This is my first time being an accomplice in an immersive experience, I don't even know what to say."

"Was this staged on purpose? Otherwise, why would they let us see this?"

"What's going on? They just showed us the truth directly, so what's the point of solving the mystery?"

"Waaaaah... Liu Yihong, please be very careful! This thing is extremely poisonous; even a scratch won't save you!"

"Oh my god, is this how all the brides died before? What about Sun Dieqi?"

"Sun Dieqi is in danger..."

…………

Liu Yihong was also confused. He racked his brains but couldn't figure out what he had done to trigger the side quest and be captured to do bad things.

While instructing him to be careful not to let the venomous snake escape, the guard Wang Weizhuo muttered under his breath, "You're a clever and efficient guy. Don't worry, I won't treat you badly once I get the gold!"

Gold?

He was momentarily stunned, thinking that the other person must be reciting lines.

"Brother, where are you telling me to put this poisonous snake? Won't it run around and kill a lot of people?" Liu Yihong inquired while inwardly praising the other person's excellent acting skills.

Despite being just an extra, he perfectly captured the subtle expressions of greed and madness.

Even the fine lines around her slightly red eyes are full of drama!

"I might as well tell you." Wang Weizhuo, who was completely controlled by the demon, chuckled, making people's scalps tingle. He pointed to the locked secret compartment and said in a low voice, "This was originally an emergency passage for wealthy families to take refuge."

However, the Qian family's business was so large and their army so strong that they were not afraid of anything, so this passage was never used.

The Qian family has so much gold they can't spend it all, I just want to spend some for them, hehehe..."

Liu Yihong was completely confused. "Then... what's the plan behind putting in poisonous snakes?"

"Of course, we'll wait until the young master goes outside to entertain the guests, then let the snake bite the bride to death!" A sinister smile flashed across Wang Weizhuo's face. "We just need to put the snake in, and someone will release it."

We don't need to worry about the rest. Seven brides have died in the Qian family already, so this is the eighth.