Li Huanyu felt as if she had been struck by lightning.
How could this be?
Xie Guanyan was clearly interested in her after joining this show.
How could he reject her?
Li Huanyu looked at Xie Guanyan, her eyes welling up with tears, her voice soft and pitiful, "Mr. Xie, you..."
Millions of viewers watched as Xie Guanyan's heart rate on the screen stabilized back to a number.
It changed to 65.
—"My secondhand embarrassment is acting up again!"
—"Li Huanyu is truly a miracle repairwoman—one sentence fixed Xie Guanyan's wristband!"
Xie Guanyan didn’t look at Li Huanyu. Instead, his gaze shifted to the director. "Let me share another embarrassing story of mine."
Li Huanyu’s face turned as awkward as a spilled paint bucket.
Even the director couldn’t decipher Xie Guanyan’s thoughts now.
He nodded. "Alright, Mr. Xie, go ahead."
Xie Guanyan’s thick, long lashes fluttered slightly. "I once thought the person I liked was interested in someone else."
This was indeed an embarrassing story.
Lin Mo’s peach-blossom eyes rested on him, a faint trace of confusion in her gaze.
Wasn’t her affection for him obvious?
Shen Sizhan glanced around, utterly baffled about who Xie Guanyan actually liked.
He didn’t seem interested in any of the female guests.
Could he be into men?
If so, his sister really had no chance!
He let out a long sigh.
—"How could Xie Guanyan think like that? With his billionaire status and looks, it doesn’t make sense!"
—"Xie Guanyan built his fortune from scratch, climbing up from the bottom, while Lin Mo comes from a well-off background—a proper young lady. Suddenly, a lyric comes to mind: 'Just when you were radiant, I was drowning in self-doubt. With empty pockets, how dare I delay your youth?'"
—"Insecurity is the best cosmetic for men!"
—"Has Xie Guanyan liked Lin Mo for a long time?"
The game continued.
This time, Jiang Wan drew the King card again.
She randomly called out two numbers. "Number 2 and Number 7!"
Gu Jingchuan and Lin Mo stood up.
Gu Jingchuan smirked charmingly.
Meanwhile, Lin Mo was already racking her brain for an embarrassing story.
Jiang Wan flatly pulled out a ball and read the task. "Hold hands and maintain eye contact for ten seconds."
But what she announced was, "Sing a duet."
Gu Jingchuan’s smile froze.
Lin Mo, however, brightened. "Perfect! I’ve been wanting to sing!"
—"According to the law of conservation of smiles, they don’t disappear—they just transfer."
The director was baffled again.
Wait, was this even part of the game?
Since he hadn’t called out Shen Sizhan earlier, he decided to let Jiang Wan slide this time too.
The KTV equipment was already set up.
Gu Jingchuan accepted his fate and went to pick a song without consulting Lin Mo, choosing "Love You to Death."
Lin Mo didn’t mind the choice—she happened to know this song.
As the music started, Lin Mo and Gu Jingchuan began singing.
Lin Mo sang with utmost seriousness.
The expressions of everyone in the room grew increasingly pained.
Only Shen Sizhan clapped enthusiastically, while Xie Guanyan watched with a gentle smile.
When the chorus hit, Gu Jingchuan looked at Lin Mo, his eyes suddenly reddening.
He truly adored her.
Three years of chasing her!
Overcome with emotion, he gripped the microphone and belted out with all his might—"LOVE YOU TO—"
Then, he ran out of breath.
With a thud, Gu Jingchuan collapsed backward.
Lin Mo sidestepped smoothly and continued singing, "—DEATH!"
—"Gu Jingchuan really died!"
—"Gu Jingchuan always delivers on his promises."
—"Lin Mo didn’t spare a single worried glance for Gu Jingchuan—her passion for singing was absolute."
—"Better not sing at all—the livestream just lost a million viewers."
—"HAHAHAHA I don’t even know which part to laugh at first."
The director rushed over in a panic to help Gu Jingchuan up.
Gu Jingchuan closed his eyes, genuinely wishing for death.
As it was getting late, the director announced, "Last round."
This time, Li Huanyu drew the King card.
In a foul mood, she called out, "Number 1 and Number 2!"
Lin Mo stood up again, followed by Xu Yan.
Lin Mo rubbed her temples.
Was this game targeting her?
Li Huanyu drew a ball and read, "One person acts cute toward the other."
Lin Mo was about to refuse—
But Xu Yan had already stepped forward.
Shen Sizhan’s alarm bells went off.
He reached out to shove Xu Yan away.
Xu Yan’s slender frame looked like it would crumble from a single push.
Lin Mo grabbed Shen Sizhan’s arm.
Immediately, Shen Sizhan’s strength vanished.
Lin Mo watched as Xu Yan approached. "Don’t you dare—"
Before she could finish, the lanky young man knelt at her feet, tugging lightly at her skirt.
His gaze lifted to hers, his voice quiet yet fragile.
"Lin Mo jiejie, be nice to me."
Xu Yan had always called her "Lin Mo jiejie" in the past.
This was the first time he’d used it since their reunion.
The endearment naturally brought back memories of Xu Yan’s adorable childhood self.
Without thinking, Lin Mo reached out and smacked his head lightly.
"Stop messing around. Get up!"
Xu Yan’s head tilted from the impact, but the corners of his lips curled up.
His eyes glistened slightly at the edges as he murmured, "Thank you, Lin Mo jiejie."
Lin Mo: "..."
Shen Sizhan had had enough. He shoved Xu Yan away, fists clenched.
"Get lost! Are you some kind of pervert?!"
Gu Jingchuan frowned.
This was considered perverted?
Shen Sizhan clearly hadn’t seen how twisted Xie Guanyan could be.
Xu Yan fell back, catching himself with one hand on the floor.
His bangs fell over his forehead as he turned to Lin Mo, about to say something—
Lin Mo yanked him up and leaned in, whispering sharply,
"Are you really going to make me bring up the diaper incident in front of millions of viewers?"
Xu Yan: "..."
—"AHHHH THIS IS THE MALE RIVALRY CONTENT I LIVE FOR!"
—"Xu Yan is still a billion steps behind—Lin Mo remained completely unfazed by his acting cute."
—"The refined billionaire CEO vs. the broken-puppy heir—Lin Mo, you pick first, I’ll take the leftovers."
—"What are they saying? Xie Guanyan’s wristband just short-circuited again!"
—"My mom was eating dumplings and just dipped one straight into my phone screen."
The two stood unusually close.
To everyone else in the room, Xu Yan simply lowered his gaze and stayed silent.
Lin Mo returned to her seat and glanced at Shen Sizhan.
His expression was icy—clearly, he despised Xu Yan.
Her peripheral vision caught Xie Guanyan.
The handsome man’s face was unreadable, his eyes behind silver-framed glasses as gentle as ever.
He took a sip of his drink, his Adam’s apple bobbing enticingly.
Lin Mo sighed in relief.
Xie Guanyan was a magnanimous man—he didn’t seem jealous at all.
But if he wasn’t jealous...
Xie Guanyan’s fingers tightened around his glass until his knuckles turned white.
When Xu Yan acted cute toward Lin Mo, her eyes had softened.
Did she like it when he acted cute?
What had she whispered to him just now?
Xu Yan and Lin Mo shared a past, countless memories.
He, on the other hand, had only known her for a couple of months.
How much could Lin Mo possibly like him?
A shadow crept into Xie Guanyan’s deep-set eyes, impossible to suppress.
With the game over, it was time for the nightly highlight.
The director announced, "The Sweet Cottage is open tonight! Viewers, you have one minute to vote for which two guests will stay there!"
A minute later, the director revealed the results.
"Tonight’s chosen pair is—Lin Mo and Xie Guanyan!"
