Ji Liuyue and Xu Jinsi strolled back to the cottage.
The moment they stepped through the front door, they ran straight into Liu Qingye. She could barely keep her expression under control. Her voice was smiling, but the jealousy in her eyes was impossible to hide.
“Liuyue, you’re back? Were you on your date that late?” she asked, as if she were concerned.
In truth, her gaze never left Xu Jinsi.
Ji Liuyue smiled. “Not at all. We came back ages ago. We just went for a walk outside the cottage.”
Liu Qingye felt somewhat relieved, though her tone still sounded odd.
“That’s so nice. I’ve been here at the cottage for so long, but I haven’t gone for a walk outside even once. Could you take me with you next time?”
Ji Liuyue said nothing. She glanced at Xu Jinsi and said, “Did you hear that? Invite Yezi along next time.”
Xu Jinsi pressed his lips together.
Then, without trying to hide it at all, he said, “If you want to go, have Dr. Lu take you.”
The smile on Liu Qingye’s face froze completely.
What was that supposed to mean? Had Xu Jinsi drawn a clear line between them for good?
He had even made his feelings clear in front of Ji Liuyue. Was he declaring his loyalty? They had only gone on one date—were things progressing that quickly already?
Liu Qingye was in a panic.
The conversation among the three in the living room drew the attention of the others as well.
They all came out from the dining room and gathered in the living room.
Wang Aitian jogged over, wrapped herself around Ji Liuyue’s arm, and whined coquettishly, “Yueyue, next time you do something as wonderful as losing weight, take me with you.”
“Sure. I’ll definitely invite you. How about we climb ten flights of stairs?”
“Nooo...” Wang Aitian looked utterly devastated.
Lu Nanxun followed the crowd out, and his eyes immediately found Ji Liuyue with uncanny precision.
He gave her an awkward glance and was just about to look away when he sensed a burning stare.
He looked up to find Xu Jinsi glaring at him with a warning, possessive look, as though cautioning him against something.
Lu Nanxun tugged helplessly at the corner of his mouth.
Honestly! Was Xu Jinsi overthinking this? He didn’t feel that heart-racing kind of attraction toward Ji Liuyue. He was only concerned about her getting back safely, as a good friend from the cottage.
That was what he told himself.
Everyone returned to their rooms, and it was time to send their messages again.
Ji Liuyue had just unlocked her phone when a text popped up.
—Mr. Number Five is on his way.
The corners of Ji Liuyue’s lips curled upward. Ah, he was being very proactive.
A little secret known only to the two of them carried a subtle, intimate kind of flirtation.
And today’s message from her was for Xu Jinsi as well.
—Come on, say that you like the number five.
She could already imagine their CP fans going absolutely crazy once the show aired.
For this dating show, the role Ji Liuyue had written for herself was to be mutually devoted to Xu Jinsi in the early stages. Then, once Lu Nanxun realized his own feelings too late, he would forcefully intrude upon their relationship.
This sort of push-and-pull melodrama was bound to appeal to someone.
She had assumed that Xu Jinsi’s would be the only message she received today. But after a while, another text appeared.
—Did you have a good day today?
Who could that be?
Based on what she knew of Lu Nanxun, he was someone polished and disciplined, a man who adhered closely to the rules.
He had gone on a date with Liu Qingye today. By all rights, he should have sent his message to her.
As for Cen Yu?
When he saw the tear tracks at the corners of Wang Aitian’s eyes as she came downstairs, he pulled her aside to talk privately in a corner. So he would most likely text either Zhang Weiyi or Wang Aitian.
There was no way he would text her.
And Ji Mingtian went without saying! He was such a simp—he would definitely send his text to Liu Qingye, and only her.
…
Wang Aitian waited in her room. Honestly, she knew she probably wouldn’t receive a text tonight.
After all, she hadn’t gone on a date today.
Yet, miraculously, her phone chimed with an incoming message.
—The cupcakes were delicious.
Wang Aitian’s pupils contracted slightly.
Was it Cen Yu?
…
Once again, Zhang Weiyi received no text messages. She glanced at her phone and casually tossed it onto the bed.
Then she turned back to the desk and continued writing her research paper.
Her mood wasn’t affected in the slightest.
…
Liu Qingye paced anxiously back and forth in her room.
She was worried.
Ever since she had run into Xu Jinsi and Ji Liuyue returning from their walk outside, she’d had an ominous feeling.
Xu Jinsi—one of the fish she had on the hook—had completely slipped out of her control.
Then there was Lu Nanxun. Judging by how reluctant he had been to talk on the drive back to the house, their conversation must not have gone well. He was probably reconsidering whether he wanted to keep seeing her.
Other than the foolish Ji Mingtian, who would certainly text her, she had no one.
Just as Liu Qingye was growing increasingly uneasy, her phone chimed.
—The food I made was delicious. If you come back earlier next time, you can try it.
It was obviously Ji Mingtian.
Liu Qingye tugged at the corner of her lips, making a disdainful expression with her back to the cameras.
Five minutes. Ten minutes…
Time trickled away.
She clenched her phone tightly, but it was as though it had crashed. Not another message came through.
Not until the staff informed her that this segment was over.
Liu Qingye still refused to give up.
How was this possible?!
Xu Jinsi hadn’t texted her! Lu Nanxun hadn’t texted her either!
Had they both sent their heart-flutter texts to Ji Liuyue?!
At that thought, Liu Qingye could no longer endure it. She went into the bathroom, where there were no cameras.
She called her agent and sobbed,
“What is going on? Didn’t we agree that Ji Liuyue was brought on as a guest to be the clown?
Now she’s stolen all the male guests from my original love triangle! If this keeps up, I’m not filming anymore!”
Her agent hurriedly tried to soothe her.
“My dear, don’t be angry. I don’t know what’s going on in the house right now, either. Don’t cry. How about this? I’ll call someone from the production team in a little while.”
Liu Qingye said through tears,
“What good will a phone call do? Can a phone call make Lu Nanxun and Xu Jinsi send their heart-flutter texts to me?”
Suddenly, her eyes shifted, and an idea came to her.
“Then find a way to make Ji Liuyue leave the show immediately. Can you do that?”
Her agent replied awkwardly, “That probably won’t work. She signed a contract too. But the production team can interfere with Ji Liuyue’s activities. How about this: for her future dates, we make sure she can’t be paired with Xu Jinsi or Lu Nanxun.”
“Can you really do that?” Hope rekindled in Liu Qingye’s eyes.
“It shouldn’t be a big problem. When there are group activities later on, I’ll also speak to the production team and arrange for you to be in the same group as the two male guests,” her manager continued, trying to reassure her.
Liu Qingye gradually calmed down. She stopped crying, but kept repeating:
“Arrange it as soon as possible. Ideally, we should do it at the next date—no, starting tomorrow!”
Just before going to bed, Ji Liuyue received a call from Chengcheng, her program director.
“Hello, Chengcheng. What’s up?”
There was a brief silence on the other end. Then, gathering her courage, Chengcheng said:
“Liuyue, there’s something I need to give you a heads-up about. The show is mainly promoting the love triangle between Liu Qingye, Lu Nanxun, and Xu Jinsi, so they’ll probably limit your interactions with them from now on.”
“Oh, so that’s how it is.” Liuyue’s tone was calm.
Chengcheng felt a little sorry for her. After a pause, she added:
“But don’t worry. You have me.
“That requirement can only restrict the official dates. As for how the guests interact inside the house, there’s nothing we can do about that. Do you understand?”
She was giving Liuyue a subtle hint.
