She knew full well this was her usual ploy.
Maybe she had deliberately said that hoping to give their relationship further room to develop after the show.
And yet, Xu Jinsi still couldn’t stop the corners of his lips from lifting slightly.
“I forgot,” he said.
Ji Liuyue shot him a half-smiling, half-mocking glance before hurrying toward the dining room.
All the guests had arrived. Everyone raised their glasses and clinked them together.
“Happy New Year—”
Of course, it wasn’t actually New Year’s. It was merely a joke people made while toasting.
When Ji Liuyue saw Lu Nanxun sit down, she took the seat beside him. Xu Jinsi calmly sat across from her.
Wang Aitian took a bite of the sweet-and-sour ribs and praised them. “Oh, these ribs are delicious. Who made them?”
As she spoke, she looked around.
Lu Nanxun was reserved and introverted, and he didn’t like drawing attention to himself in a crowd.
His lips parted, but he hesitated.
Ji Liuyue, sitting beside him, raised her hand. “Over here.”
Wang Aitian looked surprised. “Yueyue, you made them? You’re amazing.”
Ji Liuyue pointed across the table at Lu Nanxun. “Chef Lu made them.”
Wang Aitian made a huge fuss. “Wow, Chef Lu! I never would’ve guessed you could cook.”
Then she teased Cen Yu, “Brother Cen, your position as head chef is in danger.”
Cen Yu laughed along and pointed at the other dishes on the table.
“Sweetie, be honest. Are you saying the other dishes aren’t delicious?”
The atmosphere at the table grew lively.
Naturally, everyone began chatting about the destinations and activities from their dates that day.
Wang Aitian made no attempt to hide the way she looked at Xu Jinsi.
“Teacher Xu was seriously incredible today. I thought going on a date at the aquarium would be romantic, but instead, he gave me one enormous fright.”
Liu Qingye had been quietly eating with her head lowered. Hearing that, she looked up curiously.
Ji Liuyue also asked, “What happened?”
Wang Aitian said mysteriously, “He should tell you himself.”
Xu Jinsi set down his chopsticks, a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips.
“The aquarium had a schedule for all its shows. We arrived with very little time to spare, so we had to jog the whole way to make it to every performance.”
Wang Aitian nodded bitterly. “Exactly! Anyone watching us would’ve thought our date was a speed-running competition.”
Xu Jinsi said, “You can’t deny that we made it to every show, can you?”
Wang Aitian nodded again. “That’s true, but I nearly died from all that running.”
She spoke in such a relaxed tone that there was no trace of romantic tension between them.
In reality, Wang Aitian had initially been a little interested in Xu Jinsi.
That afternoon at the aquarium, when she was almost too exhausted to keep running, she had looked at the man ahead of her and wanted to say, “Could you hold my hand and run with me?”
Physical contact on a first date could greatly increase the chances of developing feelings.
But Xu Jinsi had been a perfect gentleman, maintaining a clear social distance from beginning to end.
Wang Aitian understood instantly.
He wasn’t interested in her.
If he were with a female guest he liked, his attitude would have been completely different.
So once their aquarium date ended, she immediately adjusted her mindset. From then on, the two of them could only be friends.
“What about the rest of you?” Wang Aitian asked.
In fact, only three pairs had gone on successful dates that day: Ji Liuyue and Lu Nanxun, Liu Qingye and Xu Jinsi, and Wang Aitian and Xu Jinsi.
Ji Liuyue smiled and glanced at Lu Nanxun. “Horseback riding.”
Xu Jinsi lifted his glass and took a sip, looking at Lu Nanxun, who was seated diagonally across from him.
He seemed somewhat distracted, and no one knew what he was thinking.
It was only when Wang Aitian called on him that he suddenly looked up. “What is it?”
Wang Aitian teased him, “We were just asking how Teacher Lu felt about his horseback-riding date today.”
Lu Nanxun came back to himself. “It was pretty good.”
His answer was perfectly ordinary, revealing no particular preference.
Liu Qingye, who had been silent until then, suddenly stood up and leaned forward to reach for the dish in front of Lu Nanxun.
“It’s so far away. My arms are too short…”
Her voice sounded as though she were muttering to herself, but there was also a hint of coquettishness in it.
Seeing this, Lu Nanxun hurriedly carried the plate over to her.
“Why don’t I put it in front of you?”
Liu Qingye looked at him and smiled faintly. “No need. Everyone else hasn’t eaten yet. I’ll just take a little.”
The atmosphere at the table grew subtly charged.
Ji Liuyue never wasted time overthinking things. She picked up another rib from the plate in front of her and asked Xu Jinsi, who was sitting directly across from her,
“Do you want some ribs?”
Xu Jinsi’s lips curved upward as he passed over his bowl.
“Sure.”
The smile on Liu Qingye’s lips, which had only just begun to appear after she felt she had regained the upper hand, stiffened once again.
Was Ji Liuyue doing that on purpose?
She had just managed to draw Lu Nanxun’s attention, and Ji Liuyue had immediately retaliated by striking up a conversation with Xu Jinsi.
What did she mean by that?
Was she provoking her?
…
The subtle tension continued until it was time for everyone to watch the short videos introducing their professions.
Following the staff’s instructions, all the guests moved to the sofas in the media room.
Ji Liuyue had barely sat down when Wang Aitian came over and linked her arm through hers.
“Yueyue, let’s sit together.”
“Sure.”
Just as she answered, Wang Aitian spotted the bewildered Zhang Weiyi and waved to her.
“Yiyi, over here.”
Zhang Weiyi hurried over and sat down on Ji Liuyue’s other side.
The three female guests gathered together, while Liu Qingye stood at the media room’s doorway with her arms folded. She looked somewhat lonely, forlorn, and pitiful.
It was almost as though the other female guests had deliberately excluded her.
Ji Mingtian pointed to the single sofa diagonally across from them.
“Yezi, there’s more room over there.”
Liu Qingye forced out a grateful smile.
“Okay.”
She then walked over slowly.
But when she passed by Lu Nanxun, she suddenly stopped and pointed to the empty spot beside him—just large enough for one person.
“Is anyone sitting here?”
Lu Nanxun shook his head.
“Then… may I sit here?” Liu Qingye lowered her head pitifully. “I want to sit with everyone.”
Lu Nanxun said, “Sure.”
Ji Mingtian had witnessed the entire scene. He tugged awkwardly at the corners of his lips before walking over to sit in the single sofa.
The staff announced, “Before the career videos begin, everyone can try to guess one another’s professions. We’ll go from left to right.”
The first person on the left was Ji Mingtian.
He gave a hearty laugh. “Go ahead and guess.”
Zhang Weiyi adjusted her glasses and examined him carefully from head to toe.
“Something related to sports?”
Looking at his muscular build, Wang Aitian joked, “A fitness trainer?”
Ji Mingtian burst out laughing. “That’s pretty close.”
Cen Yu guessed, “The owner of a gym?”
Ji Mingtian shook his head. His gaze remained fixed on Liu Qingye in the distance.
He hoped she would guess.
Liu Qingye had naturally noticed. This fish was of little use to her, like a piece of chicken rib—tasteless to eat, yet a shame to discard.
Although he couldn’t compare with Xu Jinsi or Lu Nanxun, having one more person interested in her would make everyone think, once the show aired, that she possessed tremendous personal charm.
So she cooperated with a gentle smile and met his gaze.
“I guess… you’re a national-level athlete?”
