It was already noon by the time they returned to the cabin.
Lu Nanxun’s car was still parked in the lot behind the cabin. It wasn’t until he saw Ji Liuyue and the others’ car slowly pull in that he opened the driver’s-side door and jumped out.
He walked straight over to the car and pulled open the front passenger door.
Inside, Ji Xizhou glared at him. “Dr. Lu, what are you doing?”
Lu Nanxun replied with a bright smile, “I’m here waiting for Yueyue.”
With that, he took a step back and placed one hand over the doorframe, making sure she wouldn’t bump her head when she got out.
Ji Liuyue glanced at Ji Xizhou, then at Lu Nanxun, and smiled as she stepped out of the car.
A moment later, Ji Xizhou climbed out as well, looking thoroughly annoyed.
He hurried to catch up with them.
Before he could say anything, however, Lu Nanxun spoke first.
“Did it really take you that long just to go back for your wallet?”
Ji Xizhou bared his teeth like a little puppy and replied smugly, “I also went to a dessert shop with Yueyue and had ice cream.”
“Was the ice cream good?”
Lu Nanxun wasn’t asking Ji Xizhou that question.
He merely turned his head slightly toward Ji Liuyue.
His eyes were still gentle, as if he wasn’t applying any pressure at all, but the jealousy in his tone was impossible to hide.
It was as though Lu Nanxun were saying:
I can be magnanimous and let you interact with other people. After all, this is a dating show, and there’s nothing wrong with everyone getting to know one another.
But I also want you to know that I care. I’m unhappy. I’m jealous.
So…
Was the ice cream good?
Clever people could understand one another with just a glance.
The corners of Ji Liuyue’s eyes curved as she detected the slightest hint of danger hidden beneath Lu Nanxun’s honest, mild-mannered exterior.
He appeared gentle, but in reality, he possessed a strong sense of possessiveness and aggression.
Lu Nanxun was quite interesting.
She didn’t avoid his gaze in the slightest. Her almond-shaped eyes met his directly, shimmering with alluring light.
“Dr. Lu, do you like sour ice cream?”
Lu Nanxun’s heart stirred. Smiling, he replied, “Compared to sour flavors, I prefer sweet ones.”
Ji Liuyue gave a soft little “Oh,” then added, “Then you can treat me next time.”
The smile on Lu Nanxun’s lips widened.
“All right.”
Half a step behind them, Ji Xizhou caught the deeper meaning in their exchange. His gaze toward Lu Nanxun became more hostile.
Damn it!
Did Yueyue actually prefer this Dr. Lu?
What was so great about him? He looked like such a mild-mannered, honest man, but who knew what he was really like behind closed doors?
For all anyone knew, he was a wolf in sheep’s clothing!
By the time they reached the kitchen, Cen Yu and Wang Aitian had already begun preparing coconut chicken hot pot.
“Hot pot for lunch? Great!” Ji Mingtian exclaimed excitedly as he wandered over from the gym.
The broth was nearly ready. They only needed to wash the ingredients and arrange them on the table.
Cen Yu asked everyone to go call the others.
Ji Liuyue wanted to go back and change her clothes. The moment she opened the door, however, she saw Liu Qingye sitting on the sofa by the window, gazing at the people in the pool.
She followed Liu Qingye’s line of sight.
Under the midday sun, the outdoor pool gleamed a clear, brilliant blue.
Xu Jinsi was swimming back from the far side, his freestyle stroke strong and fluid as it sent ripples across the water.
He had broad shoulders and a narrow waist. With every stroke, the muscles in his back rose and relaxed in smooth succession.
His abdomen was taut, and the lines of his hips disappeared beneath the edge of his swim trunks. The trunks were black, and now that they were soaked, they clung tightly to the muscular lines of his thighs.
“You’re back?”
Liu Qingye had heard the door open.
But she didn’t turn to look at Ji Liuyue. Her gaze remained fixed on Xu Jinsi outside the floor-to-ceiling window, her tone carrying a faint note of provocation and pride.
Ji Liuyue smiled and continued looking toward Xu Jinsi in the pool.
He had already reached the shallow end. The moment his feet touched the bottom, he straightened, water streaming down from his shoulders and chest.
It was an eye-catching sight.
Sunshine, a swimming pool, and a handsome man.
Xu Jinsi had no idea that someone was watching him through the floor-to-ceiling window.
After emerging from the pool, he lifted a hand and slicked his dripping hair back, revealing his full forehead and sharply defined jawline.
Under the sunlight, the contours of his muscles gleamed with a damp sheen.
Ji Liuyue’s gaze darkened slightly.
Xu Jinsi truly lived up to his role as the male lead of this little world. He certainly had plenty going for him.
His looks and physique were both top-tier.
Only then did Liu Qingye finally draw her gaze away and look at Ji Liuyue with a triumphant smile.
“Did you and Xu Jinsi have a fight this morning?”
Ji Liuyue replied, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Still smiling, Liu Qingye continued, “Don’t you want to know what Xu Jinsi and I said—and did—on the sofa after you left?”
She deliberately made her words sound ambiguous.
She wanted Ji Liuyue to think that something might have happened between them, or perhaps to make her suspect that Xu Jinsi’s feelings had changed.
“We’ll know when the show airs.”
Ji Liuyue didn’t take the bait at all.
Liu Qingye continued smiling. “By the time the show airs, it’ll be too late. Filming will already be over, and all the couples that are meant to get together will have already joined hands.”
Ji Liuyue didn’t want to keep playing Liu Qingye’s little guessing game.
She got straight to the point. “If you want to get together with Xu Jinsi, then work harder and use whatever tricks you have. Why are you telling me?”
With that, she pulled open the wardrobe and picked out a cool tank dress before walking into the bathroom.
As the door swung shut, she could still hear Liu Qingye’s cold snort.
By twelve-thirty, everyone had finally gathered in the dining room.
The seating arrangements, however, were rather… intriguing.
When Ji Liuyue arrived, she found that there weren’t many empty seats left.
Wang Aitian and Cen Yu were sitting sweetly together in the corner, with Zhang Weiyi and Ji Mingtian across from them.
To Ji Mingtian’s left sat Liu Qingye, and Xu Jinsi was beside her.
Lu Nanxun and Ji Xizhou were still standing.
Once Ji Liuyue entered, she glanced at the seating arrangement and smiled at the two of them.
“What are you still standing there for? Sit down.”
Neither of them moved. They were clearly waiting to see where she would sit before choosing their own seats.
There were nine guests in total, so Ji Liuyue didn’t hesitate. Rather than sitting on either side, she took the seat at the center of the long table—the place of honor.
Ji Xizhou and Lu Nanxun sat down in the two seats to her left.
Liu Qingye was slightly taken aback. She had deliberately sat beside Xu Jinsi to provoke Ji Liuyue.
She hadn’t expected Ji Liuyue to be bold enough to take the seat of honor.
Unable to resist, she spoke in a pointed tone.
“Cen Yu worked the hardest today. If he hadn’t made the coconut chicken hot pot, we wouldn’t have anything to eat.
“Honestly, if anyone should be sitting in the seat of honor, it ought to be Cen Yu.”
Cen Yu froze, not yet understanding what was happening, when Wang Aitian immediately came to his defense.
“I helped make the coconut chicken hot pot too. Yezi, why do you only have eyes for the male guests?”
Her words carried an unmistakable double meaning.
“Of course not!” Liu Qingye protested, looking aggrieved. “I was only standing up for Cen Yu and you.”
Wang Aitian was even more direct.
“We went out shopping for the ingredients with Yueyue this morning, and everyone contributed. It doesn’t matter where anyone sits.
“As for those who didn’t contribute…” She shot Liu Qingye a look. “Can’t eating keep your mouth shut?!”
What a satisfying comeback!
Ji Liuyue gave Wang Aitian an approving look.
