Barbecue

[What happened? I just tuned in.]

[The guests were just picking houses and forming teams. Wonder what trick the production team is going to pull this time.]

[Looks like the second episode is being filmed by the sea?]

[Holy shit, isn't this Rippling Isle? I'm vacationing here right now! Didn't expect the production team to come too. I'm definitely going to check out the filming site tomorrow!]

[Girl above, I'm so damn jealous...]

[Filming by the sea? I love the beach. Little Yu's legs are so pale, hehehe...]

[What? Li Yu and Yu Lin are actually in the same group! I thought Li Yu would get paired with Chi Yan!]

[Our brother isn't bad either, okay? Why can't he be in the same group as Li Yu?]

Chi Yan was in a terrible mood. Just thinking about how Li Yu would not be living with him this episode filled him with grievance.

Yet Yu Lin was still cheering happily at the side, which made Chi Yan find him even more irritating.

"Now the guests can take your luggage and go look around the sea-view houses you chose earlier. We'll gather on the beach at seven tonight."

Once the director finished speaking, the staff led the guests toward their accommodations.

The four sea-view houses were not far apart and stood side by side. House Three was fairly close to House Four. The moment Chi Yan entered, he set down his luggage. Without even taking the time to look at the sea-view house, he headed straight next door to House Four.

Zhou Yanqing gave Chi Yan a surprised look, but he did not follow him. He simply began quietly unpacking his own luggage.

When Chi Yan arrived at House Four, Li Yu was crouched beside his open suitcase, looking for something.

Sensing someone standing in front of him, he instinctively looked up. Seeing Chi Yan, he was somewhat surprised. "Brother Chi, why did you come over?"

Chi Yan pressed his lips together and fell silent for several seconds before finally saying, "I'm interested in House Four too. I didn't manage to get it earlier, so I came in to have a look."

"Oh, I see... Can the assignment be changed? If you really like this house, Brother Chi, I can talk to the production team later and see if we can switch."

Li Yu liked House Three as well. If Chi Yan wanted to stay in House Four and the production team agreed, he would naturally be happy to swap.

"No need. It's the same wherever I stay."

Chi Yan lowered his gaze. No matter how they switched things around now, Little Fish could not live with him anymore. So for him, it really was the same wherever he stayed.

Thinking that they would be heading to the beach later, Li Yu reapplied some sunscreen.

Humming a tune, Yu Lin arrived carrying his suitcase. The moment he looked up, he unexpectedly saw Chi Yan, who should not have been there. "Brother Chi, aren't you unpacking? You came over to hang out this quickly?"

"Brother Chi is very organized. Everything in his suitcase is neatly arranged every time, so he can find anything right away. Unlike us, who have to turn our suitcases upside down just to find one thing," Li Yu said with a smile.

Only after he finished did Li Yu realize that what he had said might reveal that he knew Chi Yan. He quickly added, "Last time we were on a show together, Brother Chi opened his suitcase, and everything inside was unbelievably neat. It really shocked me."

"This House Four is really pretty. I took a quick look around. From the balcony, you can see not only the sea but also lots of seagulls," Yu Lin said.

"Oh, that reminds me."

After applying the sunscreen, Li Yu closed his suitcase. Taking Chi Yan's hand, he said, "Brother Chi, I'll show you something."

Chi Yan did not know what Li Yu wanted to show him. His eyes were fixed only on the hand holding his, and he felt some of the sadness in his heart ease.

Li Yu led Chi Yan down to the first basement level. There was a viewing area there. When Li Yu pulled aside the aqua-blue curtain, a glass wall appeared.

Behind the glass wall was an indoor miniature aquarium. Under the lights, colorful corals and reefs could be seen inside, along with all sorts of ornamental fish. It was as if they had stepped straight into the seabed.

"Pretty, right?"

Li Yu turned to look at Chi Yan, only to find that Chi Yan was merely staring at him.

Seeing Li Yu freeze for a moment, Chi Yan snapped back to his senses. "Mm, it's pretty."

Li Yu pressed his lips together, his heart beating a little faster.

Why was Brother Chi looking at him again just now...?

Feeling awkward, he quietly withdrew the hand that had been holding Chi Yan's.

"This stingray is pretty cute."

Not wanting to make eye contact with Chi Yan, Li Yu could only stare through the glass wall.

Chi Yan said, "It is cute, but it seemed to have eaten the parrotfish next to it just now."

Li Yu: ...

Brother Chi, isn't your focus a little different?

Before seven, the guests had finished organizing their belongings, looked around their respective rooms, and gathered at the beach.

The sky had already grown a little dark. Everyone had rushed over in the afternoon and had not eaten much. Shu Menglan had been crying out from hunger the entire way.

"Director, what are we eating tonight? We're really hungry this time."

"Don't tell me we're having barbecue..."

Xiang Zhinan glanced to the side and spotted several barbecue grills nearby.

"Barbecue by the sea? Sounds good. It'd be even better with some drinks!" Liang Meichen said.

"Mm, you actually guessed right this time. The production team has prepared all the ingredients, but you'll have to grill them yourselves," the director said.

"Hey! Barbecue is my specialty. Let me tell you, I'm really good at this," Shu Menglan said, patting her chest.

"Sister Menglan, we're counting on you tonight!" Yu Lin called out from the side.

"Tonight's barbecue will be done in groups. The two guests who are roommates will form one group."

After Zhong Su spoke, everyone instinctively glanced at the grills nearby. There were indeed exactly four of them.

"Hey, Yu Lin, your dream is about to go up in smoke. Menglan is my teammate... While you're grilling yourselves into a smoky mess, I might already be eating juicy, fragrant skewers," Xiang Zhinan said with no small amount of smugness.

"Hmph! I'm not jealous at all. I'm teamed up with Little Yu, and Little Yu can do anything!" Yu Lin turned to Li Yu and asked, "Right, Little Yu?"

Li Yu's lips twitched, his expression helpless. "Yu Lin, I've never grilled barbecue before."

"It's fine. I actually know a little too. Just wait to eat what I grill!" Yu Lin said.

Li Yu nodded, but why did he feel like Yu Lin was not very reliable?

At first, he had only watched from the side. But seeing Yu Lin's rather clumsy movements, Li Yu moved closer to help.

Shu Menglan had not been bragging when she said she could barbecue. Before long, a delicious aroma drifted from her grill, while Yu Lin grilled in a frantic rush and quietly swallowed his saliva.

After busying himself for a while, Yu Lin brushed his barbecue with special sauce, sprinkled on cumin, added pepper, and finally grilled several skewers, placing them on a plate nearby.

"Little Yu, which one do you want to eat? I grilled a few different things," Yu Lin asked.