Chapter 28

Zhou Zijian’s expression was too amusing, and the live stream viewers burst out laughing.

—”Hahahahahahaha, suddenly I feel sorry for Zhou Zijian!”

—”Oh my, Du Yueqin’s ‘let’s go’ gave me goosebumps.”

—”No way, Ye Leyao, why are you still here, laughing secretly!”

With this reminder, the netizens’ attention instantly turned to Ye Leyao.

—”Alright, I get it now. Ye Leyao, you’re at every key moment, aren’t you?”

—”Got it, now I know how to follow this show. I’ll just follow Ye Leyao and won’t miss any excitement!”

—”Good idea!”

While the bullet screen was lively, the second-floor corridor was eerily silent.

After giving Zhou Zijian a look of sympathy, Ye Leyao and Qin Yao went to the west suite.

The layout of the four suites was almost identical. Upon entering, there was a living room with a bathroom between the two bedrooms. At the other end of the living room was a large balcony with a view of the sea.

The two bedrooms were arranged the same way, and Ye Leyao and Qin Yao randomly picked a room each and started unpacking their luggage.

Ye Leyao didn’t have much to unpack. He just placed his suitcase randomly and then started wandering around the living room.

The variety show “Let’s Go Traveling Together” had no script and entirely recorded the daily lives of the guests. However, to capture more footage, there were cameras installed in the living rooms and bedrooms of each suite. The guests could turn off the cameras in their bedrooms when they were resting, but the living room cameras would always be on.

Ye Leyao looked at the two large cameras in the living room and couldn’t help but laugh.@@novelbin@@

[With these two cameras, Brother Zhou shouldn’t be too scared, right?]

Qin Yao had just come out and heard this. He glanced at the cameras and smiled.

He thought, not necessarily; it still depends on Du Yueqin’s moral standards.

But this wasn’t something he could say directly.

Qin Yao said, “Let’s go downstairs first.”

Ye Leyao nodded.

Song Zhehan and Li Siyuan had already gone to the kitchen and were discussing what to make for dinner.

The program team had prepared fresh and abundant ingredients, including meat, poultry, vegetables, and some fresh seafood.

Seeing Ye Leyao and Qin Yao come over, Song Zhehan smiled and asked, “Do you have any dishes you’d like to eat tonight?”

Qin Yao looked at him and said, “You’re cooking?”

Song Zhehan nodded, opened the fridge, took out some ingredients, and said with a smile, “Yes, I’m very good at cooking. You can order any dish you like.”

Upon hearing this, Ye Leyao’s pupils slightly contracted.

[What? Did I hear that right? Song Zhehan? Good at cooking?]

Qin Yao, who was about to order a dish, paused.

Song Zhehan continued to smile, “Siyuan ordered braised fish. Do you have anything you’d like to eat?”

Ye Leyao felt like he was listening to a sci-fi movie:

[But how do I seem to remember that on a certain variety show, the guests all ended up in the emergency room at midnight after eating Song Zhehan’s cooking?]

[Could it be that being good at cooking is also part of your persona, Song Zhehan?!]

Song Zhehan was still waiting for Qin Yao’s response.

Qin Yao’s alarm bells were ringing, and he cautiously took a step back. He glanced at the still-unaware Li Siyuan and seriously said, “No need; I’ll cook a dish too.”

Although he could only make salad, eating salad was better than going to the hospital at midnight!

Ye Leyao also didn’t dare to risk it and quickly said, “I’ll help too!”

He could cook some instant noodles.

Seeing that no one was ordering, Song Zhehan pretended to be disappointed, but out of the camera’s view, he smiled with satisfaction.

Ye Leyao quietly noted this and understood:

[Okay, confirmed. Being good at cooking is indeed part of Song Zhehan’s persona!]

[But can you really fake being good at cooking?! Song Zhehan, you really have no shame!]

Qin Yao, hearing Ye Leyao, decided to prepare more salad.

There had already been enough drama on the first day of recording. If all the guests ended up being taken away by ambulance at midnight…

Well, wouldn’t that be another way to go viral?

Soon, everyone was busy in the dining area. Zhou Zijian and the two female guests came down from upstairs.

Ye Leyao immediately looked at Zhou Zijian’s expression and found that he seemed normal.

[Looks like Brother Zhou has accepted reality and even adjusted himself?]

Qin Yao also looked over. Zhou Zijian quickly walked toward the kitchen, glanced around, and asked, “What dishes are being prepared?”

Ye Leyao held up his seasoning packet, “Instant noodles.”

Qin Yao was washing vegetables and looked up, “Salad.”

Song Zhehan pointed at the fish that hadn’t been scaled and the shrimp he had cut haphazardly, “Braised fish, oil-braised shrimp.”

Zhou Zijian was silent for a moment, then said tactfully, “Guys, are you not very good at cooking?”

Ye Leyao and Qin Yao were honest and said, “Yes.”

[I can cook all kinds of frozen food.]

Looking at Qin Yao, Ye Leyao silently added in his mind:

[President Qin and I are about the same; he can mix weeds.]

Qin Yao: “…”

This is salad, not weeds!

Song Zhehan raised his knife. With a “thud,” the fish was instantly split in half, and a drop of blood splattered onto his face. Without looking up, he said seriously, “I’m quite good at it.”

Ye Leyao, seeing the drop of fish blood on his face, quietly took a step back.

[Song Zhehan, do you think Brother Zhou believes you can cook or believes I’m the First Emperor of Qin?]

Qin Yao couldn’t help but smile and turned away.

Zhou Zijian naturally didn’t believe him, but he was tactful enough not to expose him. Instead, he skillfully put on an apron and said, “Let me help.”

Ye Leyao, seeing this, looked at Song Zhehan again.

[Look! People who can cook always put on an apron first! Song Zhehan, why don’t you look at the fish blood on your white shirt? It’s so scary!]

Song Zhehan seemed to sense Ye Leyao’s gaze and suddenly looked up.

Ye Leyao quickly looked away.

Qin Yao stepped forward, blocking Song Zhehan’s view, and said to Ye Leyao, “Leyao, help me get the salad dressing.”

Ye Leyao responded, “Oh,” and turned to the fridge to find the dressing.

Song Zhehan, not noticing anything unusual, turned his attention back to the fish.

As his knife moved faster, the fish became more and more mangled.

After Zhou Zijian persuaded him for the third time, Song Zhehan reluctantly handed the knife to him, then naturally stepped aside and started assisting Zhou Zijian.

Seeing this, Ye Leyao was completely relieved.

[It looks like there’s no need to worry about food poisoning today. Should I still cook my instant noodles?]

Ye Leyao was still hesitating when Yang Qi suddenly came over and asked, “Leyao, do you have any more instant noodles?”

Ye Leyao nodded, “Yes, we do.”

The production team had anticipated that not all the guests would be good at cooking, so they had bought two large packs and put them in the fridge.

Liu Yan was somewhat surprised and looked over, “Yang Qi, are you having instant noodles tonight?”

As fellow actresses, they were all very strict with body management. Their daily meals consisted mostly of boiled vegetables, with carbs being a rare luxury. Liu Yan hadn’t had any carbs in a long time.

Yang Qi laughed at this, “You don’t know me well enough. I’m a carb lover. If I don’t eat carbs at night, I definitely won’t be able to sleep!”

Liu Yan was even more surprised, “And you still manage to keep such a good figure? Do you never gain weight?”

Yang Qi just smiled without saying anything.

Liu Yan felt a twinge of jealousy, “I’m so envious!”

Listening to their conversation, Ye Leyao tried hard to suppress a smile.

[There’s nothing to be envious about, Liu Yan. If you also want to eat like Yang Qi and not gain weight, you just need to throw up after eating, like she does.]

Unfortunately, Liu Yan wasn’t Qin Yao and couldn’t hear Ye Leyao’s internal sarcasm. Unaware of Yang Qi’s secret to staying slim, she continued to genuinely admire her.

With Zhou Zijian taking over in the kitchen, everything soon became well-organized. Before long, the delicious aroma of food wafted out.

Looking at the beautifully presented dishes on the table, Ye Leyao suddenly had an epiphany:

[No wonder Brother Zhou’s friend’s mother insisted on being with him despite his friend’s opposition. It seems Brother Zhou’s appeal isn’t just his physique.]

[Indeed, the way to someone’s heart is through their stomach!]

Ye Leyao felt he had learned something valuable.

As the last dish was about to be served, everyone got busy.

Some were setting the table, others were arranging the utensils.

Just then, Du Yueqin’s voice came from the staircase, “Oh, looks like I’m late. Have you all finished cooking?”

Everyone paused simultaneously, turning to glance at Du Yueqin before turning back in unison.

Ye Leyao stared at her quietly for a few seconds:

[Du Yueqin… seems to have changed her hairstyle and redone her makeup?]

“It smells so good,” Du Yueqin said, oblivious to everyone’s reaction. She walked to the kitchen and asked with a smile, “Did you all cook together? I don’t usually eat dinner, but since you made such a big meal, I definitely have to try it!”

Still, no one responded.

Ye Leyao first looked at Li Siyuan.

Li Siyuan didn’t hide his dislike for Du Yueqin, rolling his eyes unceremoniously.

Then Ye Leyao looked at Liu Yan and Yang Qi. They both had faint smiles on their faces, as if they hadn’t heard Du Yueqin, and showed no intention of replying.

Zhou Zijian was even more focused on his cooking, paying no attention to anything else. Once he felt the dish was ready, he turned off the heat and started plating the food.

As for Song Zhehan, he leaned against the kitchen island and took out his phone, acting as if he didn’t see Du Yueqin.

Finally, Ye Leyao looked at Qin Yao beside him.

Qin Yao pulled out a chair and said, “Sit.”

Du Yueqin’s eyes lit up, and she was about to walk over.

But Qin Yao continued, “Leyao, sit here.”

Du Yueqin’s expression froze, and she stopped in her tracks, looking awkward.

Zhou Zijian placed the last dish on the table and smiled, “Alright, everyone, let’s eat.”

Ye Leyao sat next to Qin Yao, and the others also took their seats, leaving Du Yueqin standing alone not far from the dining area.

[Is she… waiting for us to invite her to eat?]

[Are we really not going to invite her?]

Ye Leyao was about to see how the others would react when his phone suddenly vibrated several times.

He looked down and saw notifications from Weibo, indicating special attention updates.

Ye Leyao clicked in and saw that Gou Shi had just posted a new Weibo update two seconds ago.

[Gou Shi: Since some people don’t eat dinner, why did you come downstairs? To sit and watch us eat? What a quiet viewer.]

[Gou Shi: All dressed up at night, you’re not here to eat, obviously. Your heart is in one place, and your body in another.]

[Gou Shi: Alright, I’ll remember to remind Zhou Zijian to lock his door tonight.]

Ye Leyao: [Pfft—]