As soon as the words fell, Xu Jinsi instinctively looked toward Ji Liuyue.
Today, only their date had taken place beneath cherry blossom trees.
That was quite a bold statement.
It wasn’t exactly a confession. It sounded more like a provocation.
And the remark was somewhat beyond what he had expected. Could a beautiful idiot like Ji Liuyue really come up with something so philosophical?
She must have memorized it before going on the dating show.
Wang Aitian let out a soft gasp and clapped enthusiastically. “Wow, that declaration was so badass! Amazing, amazing!”
Zhang Weiyi joined in with her applause.
That left everyone else with no choice but to clap as well.
Liu Qingye wore a smile, but inwardly she was grinding her teeth.
Xu Jinsi and Ji Liuyue had been the ones who went on a date at the botanical garden. The cherry blossom trees must have been what Ji Liuyue had written about.
The production team would definitely keep this scene in the final cut. Wouldn’t that just end up giving Ji Liuyue the spotlight and turning this into her big moment?
“Next.” Lu Nanxun called out, “Yezi, you’re up.”
“Sure.” Liu Qingye smiled sweetly and picked up the card in her hand. She read aloud, “Thank you for ordering me the strawberry cake. It was delicious.”
Wang Aitian’s face flushed uncontrollably, and she instinctively glanced at Cen Yu across from her.
When Cen Yu looked over, she lowered her head again.
It was a perfect case of crossed signals.
Everyone present was smart. Almost instantly, they realized that the people who had mutually chosen each other for today’s date were probably Wang Aitian and Cen Yu.
The round continued until everyone had taken a turn.
The person Liu Qingye chose was Xu Jinsi.
And the card Xu Jinsi received was the one she had written herself.
Without changing expression, he slowly read it aloud:
“I had a great time talking with you at the restaurant. Looking forward to tomorrow.”
The statement was deliberately broad.
After all, Xu Jinsi had met both female guests at the restaurant that day.
The corners of Liu Qingye’s lips lifted uncontrollably.
Ji Liuyue, meanwhile, let out a soft scoff inwardly.
Not bad, Xu Jinsi. You look cold and aloof, but it turns out you’re quite the expert at playing the field.
A hunter often appears in the guise of prey.
Zhang Weiyi and Ji Mingtian had also mutually chosen each other, but their exchange was utterly unremarkable. It was obvious that there was no spark between them.
Once the card-reading segment ended, undercurrents began to flow.
Everyone returned to their rooms to rest.
At the same time, the female guests received a text message on their phones.
“Congratulations to the female guests on moving into the house. Tomorrow will be the first official date.
The invitation will be made by the women knocking on the men’s doors, and the invitee may not refuse.
Please complete your invitation within one hour. Any invitation made after the time limit will fail.”
Ji Liuyue was still lowering her head in thought when she heard a door open next door, followed by the sound of footsteps.
There were only two women staying on the first floor: her and Liu Qingye.
It seemed Liu Qingye had gone out to invite someone.
Ji Liuyue simply pressed herself against the door and listened carefully. The footsteps gradually faded into the distance, heading in the direction of the second floor.
In the original storyline, Liu Qingye and Xu Jinsi had developed mutual feelings during this date, while Lu Nanxun had also remained deeply attached to her. That was how the melodramatic love triangle began.
So should she go and invite Xu Jinsi as well?
After all, the male guests couldn’t refuse this round of invitations.
But…
In this world, she had to win over two male guests: Xu Jinsi and Lu Nanxun.
At first glance, Xu Jinsi seemed more difficult to win over. He was aloof, and his social circle was full of wealthy and beautiful women.
But Lu Nanxun was the kind of model student who had always been well-behaved and proper since childhood. Someone like him was even harder to pursue.
Especially since his first blind date had been with Liu Qingye. People like him tended to be single-minded and unwilling to turn their attention elsewhere.
So this invitation was crucial.
“Knock, knock, knock—”
Ji Liuyue knocked on the door.
It opened.
An expression of disbelief crossed Lu Nanxun’s face.
Ji Liuyue asked bluntly, “Can I take you out tomorrow?”
Lu Nanxun felt somewhat resistant.
He had gone on a date with Yezi that day, and the two of them seemed to have developed a good impression of each other.
Besides, compared with a girl as dazzlingly beautiful as Ji Liuyue, he preferred someone like Yezi, who looked pure and sweet.
“I…” He hesitated.
Ji Liuyue said decisively, “This invitation can’t be refused, so I’ll see you tomorrow.”
With that, she waved and turned to leave.
Lu Nanxun drew a deep breath. His good upbringing made him feel that his behavior just now had been rather rude.
“All right. What time tomorrow?”
Ji Liuyue stopped and turned back. She gave him a time.
Lu Nanxun asked, “Should we have breakfast first?”
Ji Liuyue raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
In a low voice, Lu Nanxun said, “We could have breakfast together at the house before we leave. I know how to fry eggs and make hot toast.”
Ji Liuyue nodded in satisfaction. “Sure. I’ll leave it to you, then.”
The door closed.
Lu Nanxun could not hide his disappointment.
He had just assumed that Liu Qingye had come to invite him. He hadn’t expected it to be Ji Liuyue, with whom he had barely interacted at all.
Then he recalled the mocking look Ji Liuyue had given Liu Qingye while they were reading the cards at dinner. His mood grew even gloomier.
A trace of disgust even rose within him.
Was she doing this on purpose? Had she invited him simply because she disliked Yezi?
Lu Nanxun didn’t want to think the worst of anyone.
But from childhood onward, all the people he had encountered—his friends and family alike—had been genuine and straightforward. Ji Liuyue, on the other hand, seemed like a complicated person.
Just as he was lost in thought—
“Knock, knock, knock—”
His door was knocked on again.
Overcome with excitement, he almost jogged to the entrance.
When he pulled open the door, he was met by Liu Qingye’s gentle, sweet smile.
“Nanxun, how does it feel? Surprised to see me?”
Lu Nanxun: “…”
He was so excited that he couldn’t speak. He hadn’t expected the girl he liked to actually come and invite him.
He was just about to say something when Liu Qingye pressed her lips together, lowered her eyes, and spoke in an apologetic voice:
“I’m sorry. I already went upstairs and invited someone else.”
“Because I felt that I’d already gotten to know you today, I thought that perhaps on the second day at the house, I should get to know someone else.”
“But I was worried that you might misunderstand, so I wanted to explain it to you in person.”
As she said this, she appeared somewhat cautious.
Lu Nanxun couldn’t hide his disappointment.
However, Liu Qingye sounded sincere, and there was nothing wrong with her choice. After all, everyone had only just met, and they should all have the chance to get to know one another.
He nodded with a smile.
“All right. Thank you for explaining it to me. You’re right. We’ve only just arrived at the house, so we should get to know some new friends.”
Liu Qingye gave a soft hum.
Then, without seeming to, she probed, “What about you? You’ll be going out with a new friend tomorrow, right?”
Lu Nanxun nodded. “Yes.”
A trace of displeasure flashed through Liu Qingye’s heart, though she continued to smile lightly as she asked, “Who is it?”
Lu Nanxun fell silent.
He felt that discussing another female guest in front of a woman he liked would be impolite.
It would also be disrespectful to the other female guest.
Seeing that he wasn’t answering, Liu Qingye smiled again.
“Then… can we have breakfast together tomorrow? There are still so many things I’m curious about when it comes to you.”
