——"Hahaha, the black guy lost his real name!"
——"I mean, 'black guy' isn't Gu Jingchuan's real name either, right?"
——"Don’t take the meme too far, okay? Gu Jingchuan is a dedicated actor, and you’re all ruining it. Remember when a fan went to see him in Africa and couldn’t find him even at night?"
——"Focus on Gu Jingchuan’s work, not his skin tone. Thanks!"
——"Congrats to Gu Jingchuan for winning six hammers!"
——"He seems pretty interested in Lin Mo!"
——"Just asking casually. Lin Mo isn’t some irresistible charm, right? She’s my wife!"
Li Huanyu also noticed that Gu Jingchuan seemed to have it out for Lin Mo.
It must be because of that incident at the hospital where Lin Mo refused to give up the room for her.
No doubt about it—Gu Jingchuan really loved her!
The two heading to cook remained unaffected.
They walked side by side into the kitchen.
The man tall and long-legged, the girl bright and radiant.
The yellow hem of her skirt brushed against his white suit pants, creating a tantalizing scene.
Gu Jingchuan stared at them so hard his eyes might bore holes through their backs.
The director announced, "Everyone else can move freely, but no one enters the kitchen!"
Shen Sizhan touched the blue earring on his right ear and walked out of the villa.
Li Huanyu felt a pang of irritation.
Why did Lin Mo get the chance to be alone with Xie Guanyan?
Jiang Wan must be upset too.
She sat down beside Jiang Wan and said gently, "Jiang Wan, let’s take a walk in the garden to clear our minds."
Jiang Wan had to think of every sad thing in her life to keep from laughing out loud.
Struggling to suppress her smile, she replied, "Okay."
——"Huanyu is so sweet, comforting Jiang Wan like that!"
——"Jiang Wan doesn’t seem upset at all—if anything, it’s Huanyu who’s bothered!"
——"The relationships here are too tangled. At this point, I’m just ordering takeout."
The villa’s kitchen was spacious.
At this moment, only two people were inside.
But the moment they stepped in, they noticed seven or eight camera angles pointed straight at them.
Clearly, this footage would be aired later.
The director really had a talent for reality shows—both the live stream and the edited version had their hooks.
Lin Mo’s peach-blossom eyes narrowed slightly.
If she and Xie Guanyan did anything intimate here,
and Shen Sizhan saw it, things would get messy.
Xie Guanyan looked down at the beautiful girl, fighting the urge to pull her into his arms.
Instead, he just nudged his foot forward, touching hers.
Lin Mo felt the contact and looked up.
The sheer impact of his beauty made her heart race.
Their eyes met, sparks crackling in the air.
Lin Mo’s gaze darted around subtly.
Xie Guanyan understood instantly. He withdrew his foot and said calmly, "Let me see where the ingredients are."
Lin Mo turned away too, scanning the room. "I’ll check where the seasonings are."
In under ten seconds,
they’d both pinpointed the camera blind spots.
Simultaneously, they stepped toward that corner.
"Can you cook, Mr. Xie?" Lin Mo asked.
Xie Guanyan replied leisurely, "Yes. Everyone who’s tried my food says it’s good."
Lin Mo’s eyes flickered. "A lot of people have tried it?"
Xie Guanyan: "Very, very few."
They kept up the casual chatter,
while off-camera, their hands inched closer in the blind spot.
Then—contact.
Xie Guanyan’s large, well-defined hand enveloped her delicate one.
Slowly, his fingers interlaced with hers, locking tightly.
Outside, thousands of viewers watched the livestream, surrounded by other guests and cameras.
The thrill of their secret handhold was electric.
Lin Mo’s heart pounded, her scalp tingling, head spinning.
Even something as simple as holding hands with someone you liked could be this euphoric!
Xie Guanyan’s breath grew hot, excitement surging in his eyes.
He’d finally gotten to hold Shanshan’s hand!
Unlike before, this time, she wanted him too.
They couldn’t go public yet, but this was more than enough.
"Sis!!"
A familiar voice shattered the moment.
Lin Mo’s mind blanked.
Xie Guanyan stiffened.
Instantly, he let go of her hand.
He didn’t want to force her to choose between him and her younger brother.
Lin Mo’s palms and forehead broke out in cold sweat as a silver-haired head popped through the kitchen window.
Seemingly oblivious, he clambered in, saying, "Sis, let me cook for you! Pull me up!"
Lin Mo: "..."
"Mr. Shen! Mr. Shen, you can’t do this—get down now!"
His PD shouted after him.
The director, who’d suspected Shen Sizhan’s quiet exit was fishy, nearly fainted.
Shen Sizhan kept climbing.
The director clutched his forehead. "Security! Get him down! Starting tomorrow, barricade the kitchen window!"
A guard rushed over,
but Shen Sizhan was as slippery as a pig at New Year’s. "No way! My sister’s hands aren’t for cooking!"
Only when Lin Mo snapped, "Shen Sizhan, get down!" did he freeze.
Pouting, he relented. "Fine. But make Xie Guanyan do the cooking—you just watch!"
Xie Guanyan smiled at him through the window. "Sure."
Shen Sizhan blinked.
Huh. Xie Guanyan was kinda nice.
——"Shen Sizhan: My sister’s hands aren’t for cooking—they’re for slapping me!"
——"Watching this, I just kicked my little brother onto the couch."
——"Sibling bonds are the best!!"
——"Xie Guanyan, you’re such a catch! Auntie’s smitten. Got enough cash? If so, send some my way—just think of it as making a friend (rose)."
Shen Sizhan was dragged away.
Lin Mo and Xie Guanyan exchanged a wry smile.
They’d have to be careful—no telling when he’d ambush them again.
No more sneaky moves. They focused on cooking.
Well, Xie Guanyan cooked. Lin Mo mostly served as eye candy.
This was also for the safety of all the guests.
About an hour later, everyone sat down to five dishes and a soup.
Gu Jingchuan, battered by six hammers, had given up and kept staring at Lin Mo.
Lin Mo ignored him, devouring her food.
Shen Sizhan’s eyes sparkled. "Xie Guanyan, your cooking’s amazing!"
Most of the dishes were his sister’s favorites.
She must’ve requested them.
Typical—his sister never hesitated to make others bend to her whims.
——"Xie Guanyan can cook this well? His girlfriend must be eating like a queen!"
——"Landing a guy like this is like winning the lottery—if you don’t, the jackpot’s even bigger!"
After dinner, the director announced the day’s scores:
Li Huanyu: 92
Lin Mo: 88
Jiang Wan: 84
Xie Guanyan: 90
Gu Jingchuan: 77
Shen Sizhan: -250
——"Shen Sizhan’s lucky to still be alive (heart)."
——"Did Gu Jingchuan switch targets? I admit Lin Mo’s pretty, but you have a girlfriend, dude."
——"Stop it, my heart aches for Huanyu."
——"No way Gu Jingchuan’s fallen for someone else. He was just stunned by Lin Mo at first sight—Huanyu’s his true love!"
The director continued, "Your scores will determine your accommodations tonight. The two highest scorers get deluxe single rooms, while the lower two will sleep in bunk beds! Tomorrow, the lowest scorers will sleep in tents."
Jiang Wan couldn't stop grinning at the thought of sharing a room with Lin Mo.
But as soon as they entered the room, Lin Mo went straight to take a shower.
After taking some medicine, she climbed into the top bunk and fell asleep.
Jiang Wan felt a little disappointed that she couldn’t chat with the beauty but didn’t disturb her.
Lin Mo had been yawning all day—probably hadn’t slept well the night before.
Jiang Wan took a shower and went to bed too.
About an hour later, Lin Mo woke up.
She stared at the ceiling for over ten minutes before drifting back to sleep.
An hour later, she woke up again!
The drowsy girl sat up, rubbed her head, and sighed, "I give up!"
Climbing down from the bed, she decided to get some water and take more medicine.
But as soon as she opened the door, she found someone standing right outside.
