Before Ji Xizhou could even react, another gentle, pleasant male voice came from behind him.
“Yueyue, would you like some water?”
A fair, slender hand held out a bottle of mineral water toward Ji Liuyue from diagonally behind her.
Ji Xizhou: “…???”
Who was this guy?
How did he get to call her Yueyue?
Ji Liuyue herself was stunned as well.
Because the person who had said it was none other than that honest, straightforward doctor, Lu Nanxun. At that moment, his dark, tousled bangs obscured his eyes, making it impossible to see the emotions hidden within them.
His voice was gentle, as though he were simply being friendly.
His hand remained frozen in place, as if waiting for her response.
Wang Aitian was stunned too. She covered her lips, her face glowing with the excitement of someone watching juicy gossip unfold.
“Thank you.”
When Ji Liuyue accepted the bottle, her movements were polite yet distant. But Lu Nanxun’s fingertips seemed to brush casually across her palm.
Then he withdrew his hand as though nothing had happened.
He wore the same honest, harmless expression as always.
“Oh, right. I forgot to unscrew the cap for you. Why don’t you give it back to me first?”
Ji Liuyue was just about to hand it back when another hand shot in from the side.
It belonged to Ji Xizhou.
Grinning mischievously, he snatched the bottle away, twisted the cap off with ease, and handed the opened water to Ji Liuyue.
His voice was bright and clear.
“Yueyue, next time you need something that requires strength, just call me! I’m very strong.”
After saying that, he even raised an unruly eyebrow.
Xu Jinsi, who was sitting by the car window, was almost laughing from sheer anger.
Great.
One shameless man after another.
First Lu Nanxun, and now Ji Xizhou.
Was this ever going to end?
Under the undercurrent of tension in the car, some people silently enjoyed the show, some analyzed the situation, while others sank into despair and confusion.
Liu Qingye chose to sleep somewhere between despair and bewilderment.
Forget it! Let the world burn!
Wasn’t she supposed to flirt with the fifth male contestant after they arrived at the island house? How had Ji Xizhou already gone all-in on Ji Liuyue?
Sometimes, when people were speechless, they really did feel like laughing.
And she was laughing now.
Just laugh it off. Whatever.
…
The vacation island’s guesthouse was still as beautiful as ever—a two-story blue building.
However, it had fewer rooms than the Heart-Fluttering House, so all the contestants, male and female alike, had to share double rooms.
Wang Aitian had originally wanted to share a room with Ji Liuyue, but when she glanced at Zhang Weiyi standing nearby, she hesitated.
Yiyi looked rather scatterbrained. If she shared a room with Liu Qingye, who knew whether she would be schemed to death?
Ji Liuyue saw through her concerns and said with a smile, “I’ll share a room with Liu Qingye.”
Wang Aitian: “What?”
Liu Qingye was startled too. “No way!”
She would rather share a room with Wang Aitian or Zhang Weiyi than with Ji Liuyue.
The two of them were already as hostile as fire and water. Could Ji Liuyue really not tell?
Ji Liuyue didn’t care in the slightest. After all, she had been on the show for quite some time, and her troublemaking quota was due for a refresh. She had enough screen time now.
It was just that the production team wasn’t very pleased with the friendly, harmonious scene unfolding before them.
“Yes, I’m sharing a room with you. Come on.”
Ji Liuyue was decisive and efficient. As she spoke, she grabbed Liu Qingye and started walking, not giving her any chance to refuse.
Liu Qingye had taken on the role of a delicate, frail little white flower, and she was just as slim and light in person. With Ji Liuyue exerting even a little force, she had no chance of breaking free and could only be dragged along.
Wang Aitian and Zhang Weiyi watched the scene in astonishment.
Zhang Weiyi said worriedly, “Is Yueyue all right?”
Wang Aitian thought about it, then gave a wicked grin. “Shouldn’t you be asking whether Yezi is all right? Never mind. You and I can share a room. Come on, come on.”
On the men’s side, there were five male contestants, which meant one of them was destined to be left alone.
But being left alone wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
It meant someone could enjoy a double room all by himself.
Before Ji Mingtian could even say anything, Cen Yu spoke up. “I’ll share a room with you.”
“I want the whole room to myself, bro,” Ji Mingtian refused.
Cen Yu raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”
Then he decisively went to share a room with Lu Nanxun instead.
That meant that Xu Jinsi and Ji Xizhou would have to share a room.
How could either of them possibly agree to that?
They both disliked the other.
Standing on either side of Ji Mingtian, they said in unison, “You share a room with him!”
Neither of them was lacking in presence.
Ji Mingtian was startled at first. Then he muttered, “Watch your attitude. I’m Liuyue’s older brother.”
“Really?” The newcomer, Ji Xizhou, actually fell for it.
Xu Jinsi let out a derisive snort. “You believe that? Idiot.”
Ji Xizhou began cracking his knuckles, so Ji Mingtian hurriedly grabbed him.
“Hey, buddy, this is a dating show. How about this? I’ll share a room with you.”
“Old Xu’s job often requires him to watch the market late into the night, so let him have a room to himself.”
Ji Xizhou glanced at Ji Mingtian again.
He had noticed from the moment they got into the car that this male contestant posed no threat to him. More importantly, Yueyue had no interest in him.
So he would do.
Having one more ally couldn’t hurt.
“All right.”
In the end, the male contestants were arranged as follows: Cen Yu and Lu Nanxun shared one room; Ji Mingtian and Ji Xizhou shared another; and Xu Jinsi stayed in a room by himself.
Dinner on the first night at the island house was provided by the production team. Several canopies had been set up outdoors near the house, along with barbecue grills and platters of ingredients for grilling.
The sea breeze drifted by from time to time, creating a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.
To show off a little, Ji Xizhou volunteered to take charge of the barbecue.
Liu Qingye had deliberately changed into a blue, island-style spaghetti-strap dress and went over to help him.
“Xizhou, do you need barbecue seasoning? There’s some cumin powder here.”
“Is it hot? I have a little fan. Do you want it?”
“Oh, right. I also brought cooling patches.” As she spoke, Liu Qingye was about to take one out of the little bag slung over her shoulder.
Ji Xizhou spoke up.
“Go ask Yueyue whether she prefers lamb skewers or beef skewers. And does she have any vegetables she likes? I’ll grill a few extra plates.”
The smile on Liu Qingye’s face froze. She turned to glance at the few people chatting beneath the canopy.
“She probably isn’t a picky eater.”
Ji Xizhou bluntly retorted, “If you don’t know, just say you don’t know. All right, you keep an eye on the grill. I’ll ask her myself.”
With that, he rose and strode away.
Liu Qingye instinctively reached out to stop him, but Ji Xizhou reacted even faster and swiftly dodged her hand.
“You stay here and watch the grill,” he said solemnly before leaving.
Holding the little fan in one hand, Liu Qingye sat down on the chair beside the barbecue grill and once again began questioning her life.
Who was she?
Where was she?
Had she come on this dating show just to grill skewers for everyone?
Just as despair began to show on her face, she suddenly saw Lu Nanxun walk out of the guesthouse, carrying two bottles of strawberry milk.
Strawberry milk?!
He really did still like her after all!
Hope began to flare in Liu Qingye’s heart. But then she watched as Lu Nanxun walked straight past her and headed toward the canopy.
If she hadn’t seen wrong…
His destination was Ji Liuyue.
