Chapter 31

Qin Yao chuckled and took a sip of coffee.

While Ye Leyao was eating breakfast, Song Zhehan quietly recounted the morning’s events to him.

The guests had agreed before dispersing last night that today’s breakfast would be handled by Song Zhehan and Zhou Zijian together.

Song Zhehan got up early and went downstairs, only to find that Zhou Zijian had gotten up even earlier and was already in the kitchen making porridge.

After spending some time together, Zhou Zijian had a good understanding of everyone’s tastes and prepared breakfast that catered to most people’s preferences. He even considered that Yang Qi might have an upset stomach from vomiting last night, so he added some millet to the plain porridge for her.

Hearing this, Ye Leyao couldn’t help but marvel:

[Brother Zhou is really a gentle and considerate good man; no wonder he captured the heart of his good brother’s mom.]

Qin Yao smiled noncommittally.

“And then?” Ye Leyao asked.

Song Zhehan continued, “Then I went to help, but after a while,” he slightly raised his chin, indicating Du Yueqin in the kitchen to Ye Leyao, “she came down.”

“Not only did she help with washing and prepping the vegetables, but she also helped tie the apron,” Song Zhehan said with a smile, raising his eyebrows, “At that moment, I felt like a third wheel standing there—”

“So you gave them space to be alone?” Li Siyuan responded instinctively.

Song Zhehan straightened up, his smile faint: “I didn’t leave Brother Zhou alone; I was still helping in the kitchen.”

Li Siyuan was speechless and rolled his eyes unceremoniously.

Seeing this, Ye Leyao took out his phone and opened Weibo, quickly finding the live stream replay.

Song Zhehan indeed wasn’t lying; he didn’t abandon Brother Zhou, but how was this any different from abandoning him?

The villa’s kitchen was an open kitchen. Song Zhehan could have stayed outside to help, but he didn’t. He took the vegetables to the dining table and started cutting, leaving the entire kitchen space to Du Yueqin and Zhou Zijian.

[Isn’t this still considered abandoning Brother Zhou?]

Ye Leyao looked at Song Zhehan with a reproachful gaze, but Song Zhehan didn’t think there was anything wrong with his actions.

Continuing to watch, the replay showed that Zhou Zijian fled the kitchen in just five minutes, heading back to his room on the second floor.

Du Yueqin looked somewhat frustrated, but she didn’t chase after him; instead, she stayed to continue preparing breakfast.

Seeing only Du Yueqin left in the kitchen, Song Zhehan then stood up and leisurely returned to help.

During this time, Du Yueqin directed Song Zhehan to do many tasks, and unlike yesterday, he didn’t pull a long face but started helping with a smile.

In no time, Du Yueqin kicked Song Zhehan out.

Last night, Ye Leyao had seen Song Zhehan helping in the kitchen. He wasn’t always making a mess then; in fact, he was more efficient than Ye Leyao. This showed that Song Zhehan was deliberately messing up this morning.

[Song Zhehan is not only cunning but also holds grudges!]

Ye Leyao muttered to himself, suddenly remembering that he had been so focused on gossiping about Yang Qi last night that he forgot to check Song Zhehan’s alt Weibo account.

He clearly remembered the special notification alerting him that Guo Shi had posted a new Weibo, but Ye Leyao had fallen asleep right after indulging in the gossip.

Since breakfast was almost done, Ye Leyao got up with his plate and went to the kitchen, checking Song Zhehan’s alt Weibo behind his back.

Several sarcastic posts aimed at Yang Qi’s fans were neatly displayed on the screen:

[Guo Shi: What? I’m being too aggressive? Was I aggressive? I was sincerely advising her to go to the hospital, considering if she continues to vomit, her teeth will be completely ruined. I care so much about her, and her fans are the aggressive ones!]

[Guo Shi: I have no EQ? How could that be? If I really had no EQ, would I have spoken so tactfully? I would have directly said, I heard your idol vomiting in the bathroom! Where else can you find such a considerate and well-spoken boy like me? I’m sharp-tongued, but I didn’t waste food! Even kindergarteners know not to waste food. Your idol should know that too, right?]

[Guo Shi: I’m a troublemaker? But if your idol didn’t have any faults, what could I stir up? Even a fly can’t land on a seamless egg!]

[Guo Shi: Oh, right, since you all say I’m mentally unstable, then why don’t you make way for me!]

[Song Zhehan’s sharp tongue never disappoints.]

Ye Leyao laughed until his stomach hurt.

[But then again, does Song Zhehan really have no worries about being exposed for using an alt account?]

[Or does he actually look forward to his alt account being exposed?]

The more Ye Leyao thought about it, the more he felt it was possible.

[After all, if Song Zhehan really didn’t want his alt account to be exposed, he could have chosen a less obvious username and refrained from calling out names on Weibo.]

[Unless—Song Zhehan never intended to hide it from the start?]

Qin Yao’s eyelid twitched upon hearing this.

After the two incidents yesterday, the show’s discussion and popularity did increase, but having two guests’ images crash consecutively in two days seems a bit too fast and frequent, doesn’t it?

And early in the morning, Qin Yao received a call from the producer saying that Yang Qi’s team had contacted him early, stating that Yang Qi had decided to withdraw from the remaining filming.

With eight guests already down to seven, if Song Zhehan also left due to a ruined image…

Qin Yao felt a headache coming on.

Ye Leyao had no idea what Qin Yao was thinking. After happily reading Guo Shi’s new Weibo posts, he put away his phone and went to the kitchen to help wash the dishes.

While washing the dishes, he heard Du Yueqin sigh softly beside him, “Xiao Ye, how do you think my breakfast turned out?”

Ye Leyao quickly nodded, “It was delicious!”

The taste was indeed pretty good!

Hearing this, Du Yueqin frowned slightly, looking more troubled, “If it’s so good, why didn’t Xiao Zhou eat the breakfast I made, only drinking porridge…”

Ye Leyao laughed so hard his shoulders shook.

[You decorated every plate with a heart and even an arrow-pierced heart. Do you think Brother Zhou would dare to eat that?!]

[He just got beaten up by his buddy before coming on the show. If he really ate your heart-themed breakfast, do you think he could go back to see his buddy after the show?]

[Brother Zhou would be asking for more trouble.]

Viewers in the live stream also burst into laughter at Du Yueqin’s complaint:

—”Isn’t it obvious! Zhou Zijian almost has ‘refusal’ written on his face!”

—”Facing Du Yueqin’s bold and brave pursuit, I feel a little bit sorry for Zhou Zijian.”

—”Aye, I say Zhou Zijian might as well just agree. Although Du Yueqin does have some personality flaws, she’s both rich and beautiful!”

Most netizens agreed with this statement.

Even though Du Yueqin was a bit older, she took good care of herself. At over forty, her face showed hardly any signs of aging. Apart from her personality issues, she was almost flawless.

Many netizens expressed their thoughts:

—”If it were me, I’d definitely agree!”

However, the netizens were just expressing their own opinions. Whether Zhou Zijian agreed or not didn’t stop them from enjoying the gossip and watching the show.

After Ye Leyao finished washing the dishes, today’s show officially started filming.

“Let’s Go Traveling Together” was a travel variety show with no script. The daily filming tasks are very simple: the guests just need to take the travel funds given by the production team and plan their trips to various attractions by themselves.

How many attractions to visit in a day and how long to stay at each place were entirely up to the guests.

The only restriction was that the travel funds provided by the production team were limited. The guests have to spend money sparingly; otherwise, if they run out of money, they will have to travel on a budget for the rest of the trip.

Before going to bed last night, the guests had discussed their travel plans for the next few days. With Yang Qi’s departure, their funds had only increased, not decreased.

So, the next two days of filming went smoothly—

At least, all the guests except Zhou Zijian thought so.

The reason Zhou Zijian didn’t think so was because of one person: Du Yueqin.

Du Yueqin was just too proactive!

Whenever there was a chance to be alone with Zhou Zijian, she would actively approach and talk to him.

And in front of the camera, Zhou Zijian couldn’t really snub Du Yueqin, so he had to engage in awkward conversations with her.

Several times, he was so frightened by Du Yueqin’s enthusiasm that he became withdrawn and stopped talking, yet Du Yueqin could continue the conversation on her own.

After two days of filming, Zhou Zijian was already physically and mentally exhausted.

Ye Leyao saw this and felt both sympathy for and amusement at Zhou Zijian.

[Brother Zhou is visibly tired!]

Today was finally the last night of filming. Knowing that they could go home after today, Zhou Zijian visibly relaxed.

That evening, Zhou Zijian was once again the one cooking. For the past two days, Du Yueqin would come into the kitchen to help, but today, for some reason, she was nowhere to be seen.

Just as Ye Leyao was wondering about this, his phone buzzed.

He opened it to see a message from Mama Huo.

Of course, Ye Leyao knew that Papa and Mama Huo had been staying with the production team these past few days, but he didn’t think much of it. He just thought they were there out of concern, completely unaware that Papa and Mama Huo were there not because they were worried about him, but to enjoy the fresh, hot gossip!

Mama Huo: “Just now, Du Yueqin went to the director to discuss if they could play Truth or Dare tonight.”

Ye Leyao’s eyes widened:

[What?!]

Qin Yao was helping to set the table. Upon hearing this, his hand shook, and a bowl fell to the ground, shattering.

Everyone’s eyes turned toward him.

Before Qin Yao could explain that it was an accident, Ye Leyao’s excited voice sounded, enunciating each word clearly:

[Truth! Or! Dare!]

[This is definitely targeting Brother Zhou! Right, right!]

Qin Yao instinctively looked up at Zhou Zijian.

In the open kitchen, Zhou Zijian was skillfully adding seasoning to the soup, completely unaware of the “crisis” silently approaching him.

Just as Qin Yao finished cleaning up the broken pieces on the floor, Ye Leyao’s voice sounded again:

[Hahaha, the director team agreed!]

[Alright, alright, I get it now. The director team also loves a good show, don’t they!]

Hearing this, Qin Yao’s lips curled into a smile. He then looked up at the camera, thinking that tonight’s live stream would definitely reach a new high in viewership.

……

The past few evenings, the guests had been dining in their rooms, but today the production team suddenly suggested they dine on the beach outside, saying they had prepared the venue.

Facing the production team’s sudden invitation, the other guests didn’t sense anything unusual, but Ye Leyao and Qin Yao couldn’t suppress their smiles.

Following the staff to the beach, the guests found that the production team had not only prepared tables and chairs for them but had also generously provided several seafood feasts.

Seeing this, Zhou Zijian laughed and said, “Is this our reward?”

Ye Leyao’s face showed sympathy, though he was secretly laughing:

[You should remove the word ‘our’; these feasts are compensation just for you, Brother Zhou!]

After the outdoor venue was set up, the outdoor live stream also started.

Netizens, upon entering the live stream, immediately noticed the meaningful smile on Ye Leyao’s face.

Sensitive gossip-loving netizens were instantly intrigued:

—”How long has it been? I think it’s been a day since I last saw this smile on Ye Leyao’s face, right?”

—”So, does this mean there’s new gossip to indulge in?”

—”What is it this time? Ye Leyao, hurry up and tell us. Don’t make me beg!”

Unfortunately, Ye Leyao couldn’t see the comments. No matter how much the netizens pressed, he couldn’t respond.

The following scenes were just a mundane meal.

Until the guests at the table started putting down their chopsticks.

The production team staff promptly cleared the dishes from the table and brought out fruit plates, sunflower seeds, and a basket of beer.

Seeing this, the guests finally realized that the production team was up to something.

Song Zhehan suddenly looked up at Ye Leyao.

Ye Leyao was eagerly watching Zhou Zijian.

Song Zhehan instantly understood, picking up a water glass to take a sip and hiding the smile in his eyes.

After everything was set up, the producer stepped forward with a stack of cards and cleared his throat. “After tonight’s recording, we’ll be done with the first episode. However, our director team feels that everyone is still a bit unfamiliar with each other, so we decided to play a little game tonight.”

Liu Yan asked curiously, “What kind of game?”

Ye Leyao had already fixed his gaze on Du Yueqin and Zhou Zijian.

The live stream audience followed suit, also looking at Du Yueqin and Zhou Zijian.

Then they heard the producer say with a smile, “Truth or Dare.”

Du Yueqin’s joy was evident on her face.

Zhou Zijian’s panic was equally obvious.

Ye Leyao laughed internally.

The live stream comments were filled with excitement:

—”Whoa!”

—”!!!!”@@novelbin@@

—”Ahhhhhhh——”

Song Zhehan, with a slightly amused expression, watched Zhou Zijian and Du Yueqin’s reactions before turning to the producer. “I thought our show was a travel variety show, not a dating show? Am I wrong?”

[Hahahahaha——]

The producer’s expression remained unchanged as he smiled. “There’s no rule that only dating shows can play Truth or Dare, right?”

Li Siyuan, who enjoyed a good show, chimed in, “True, so what are the rules?”

The producer didn’t immediately explain the rules but asked, “Does anyone have any objections?”

Du Yueqin was the first to respond, “No objections.”

She had been waiting eagerly, so of course she had no objections.

Zhou Zijian: “…”

He did have objections, but then he thought it might be a good opportunity to clear things up.

He had considered explaining things to Du Yueqin over the past few days but never found the right moment.

Now that the production team was giving him the chance, he had no reason to refuse.

“Hmm.” Zhou Zijian nodded slightly.

The producer was waiting for his nod. Seeing that Zhou Zijian had no objections, his smile widened as he briefly explained the rules.

There wouldn’t be any particularly complicated rules. The production team prepared seven playing cards: six numbered cards and one joker. Each round, the guest who drew the joker would have to accept the Truth or Dare punishment.

As for whether the punishment would be a dare or a truth, the guests could decide, but they couldn’t choose truth two rounds in a row.

If the punished guest felt they couldn’t complete the dare or answer the truth, they could opt to drink a glass of beer instead.

“And the punisher is…” Ye Leyao listened attentively.

The producer said, “The guest who draws the Ace.”

The rules were clear, and they could start the game soon.

Before leaving, the producer handed the cards to Li Siyuan.

Li Siyuan shuffled the cards casually, glanced around, and said, “Shall I deal?”

Ye Leyao grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds, his eyes sparkling.

[Oh, my goodness, it’s starting!]

Li Siyuan dealt the cards to the guests one by one and then sat down.

Ye Leyao eagerly turned over his card, seeing a 2.

[So this round has nothing to do with me.]

He looked up eagerly at Du Yueqin and Zhou Zijian.

After checking her card, Du Yueqin sighed noticeably.

Zhou Zijian breathed a sigh of relief.

[Looks like they’re not the main characters this round.]

Song Zhehan raised the Ace of Hearts. “Who has the joker?”

Liu Yan silently raised her hand. “I’ll choose truth.”

Ye Leyao sighed softly.

But for gossip lovers, patience is key.

The live stream audience sighed along with him.

—”Hitting it on the first try really depends on luck.”

—”??? Hahaha, the commenter above, do you even know what you’re saying? You have a way with words!”

—”To be fair, it does fit.”

—”I’m curious what Song Zhehan will ask Liu Yan.”

Soon, Song Zhehan’s fans reassured everyone: “Don’t worry, our Song Zhehan isn’t someone who likes to make things difficult for guests.”

Almost as soon as the comment appeared, Song Zhehan smiled and asked, “Have you dated anyone since debuting?”

Comments:

—”……”

—”Not making things difficult?”

—”Hahaha, he gave a time frame, precisely after debuting, and this isn’t making things difficult?”

Liu Yan clearly didn’t expect Song Zhehan to ask such a tricky question. Her pupils dilated slightly.

Ye Leyao grew more excited.

[Liu Yan is an idol; idols dating is a serious scandal, right?]

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Liu Yan’s expression was a bit awkward, but she answered, “I haven’t dated anyone since debuting.”

Song Zhehan nodded with a smile, not indicating whether he believed her or not.

Ye Leyao couldn’t help but take out his phone and open his notes:

[I remember Liu Yan has been dating all along, right?]

Qin Yao sat up straight, slightly shielding Ye Leyao’s small action.

Soon, Ye Leyao clicked his tongue:

[Liu Yan’s statement isn’t a problem.]

Qin Yao glanced at him. How so?

Ye Leyao put away his phone, laughing internally:

[After all, Liu Yan has been in a relationship since before she debuted and hasn’t broken up since. So, it doesn’t count as dating after debuting, right?]

Qin Yao chuckled softly.

The game continued.

In the second round, Ye Leyao drew the joker, and Li Siyuan drew the Ace.

Ye Leyao also chose truth.

Li Siyuan stared at Ye Leyao for a few seconds, feeling that his question had to be as stimulating as Song Zhehan’s. But since he didn’t know Ye Leyao well, he pondered for a while before asking, “Among the female guests here, do you have an ideal type?”

Ye Leyao instinctively responded, “I like men.”

Li Siyuan: “…Ahem.”

The others hadn’t expected Ye Leyao to be so straightforward and looked at him in slight surprise.

Li Siyuan quickly adjusted and asked another question: “Then among the male guests here, do you have an ideal type?”

Ye Leyao had never seriously thought about his ideal type.

So, he propped his chin with one hand and slowly scanned all the male guests present.

[Song Zhehan, not bad-looking but too sharp-tongued.]

[Li Siyuan…]

Li Siyuan’s gaze accidentally met Ye Leyao’s, and he quickly looked away.

Ye Leyao mentally assessed: [Also not bad-looking, but too bad-tempered. Next one—]

[Brother Zhou? I don’t like muscular men.]

So, Ye Leyao’s gaze finally settled on Qin Yao beside him.

Qin Yao: “…”

He suddenly felt a bit nervous.

For some reason, Ye Leyao thought of the muscle lines he had accidentally seen that night.

Those abs, that six-pack, those pectoral muscles…

And paired with Qin Yao’s devastatingly handsome face.

“Brother Qin, I guess.”

[To hesitate for even one more second would be disrespectful to Qin Yao’s perfect physique and perfect features!]

“Cough-cough-cough-cough—”

Qin Yao burst into a violent coughing fit.

The comments were full of laughter:

—”I knew Ye Leyao would pick Qin Yao!”

—”Come on, our Brother Yao is handsome with a great body and an impeccable background. Who wouldn’t choose our Brother Yao?”

—”Hahaha, I have to say, our travel show is starting to feel a lot like a dating show!”

Hearing Ye Leyao’s answer, Song Zhehan laughed.

Li Siyuan sighed in relief.

Only Du Yueqin seemed a bit impatient. “Next round, next round.”

Knowing Du Yueqin was in a hurry, Li Siyuan didn’t hesitate, collected the cards, and began shuffling again.

Ye Leyao looked at his card, a 3. This round had nothing to do with him again.

Qin Yao coughed for quite a while, and when he turned back, his pale ears were tinged with red.

Ye Leyao, as if discovering something novel, stared unblinkingly at Qin Yao’s ears.

[It’s my first time seeing ears that only turn red at the tips!]

Qin Yao: “…”

The next moment, Qin Yao’s entire ears turned red.

[Oh, interesting.]

Ye Leyao wanted to keep looking but suddenly heard Du Yueqin laugh.

He quickly turned his head.

Du Yueqin raised the Ace of Hearts in her hand.

Looking at Zhou Zijian, there was a joker in front of him.

Ye Leyao’s mouth almost split into a grin.

The live stream audience instantly erupted:

—”It’s happening!”

—”Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for this moment?!”

Zhou Zijian took a deep breath and didn’t hesitate: “I’ll choose truth.”

And Du Yueqin didn’t disappoint, directly asking, “Xiao Zhou, am I your type?”

[Ahhhh.]

[Who understands the directness of this question? It’s like asking if he likes her!]