Ears Turned Red

Although Jiang Tingxu's room was only separated from Si You's by a wall, its layout made it open on three sides, with only the bathroom window being a little smaller. Si You felt a brief flicker of envy, then marveled at how clean it was. Not the kind of clean that came from having few things—the quilt lay perfectly flat without even a wrinkle, several clothes were folded neatly on the sofa like tofu blocks, and the computer on the desk had probably been used not long ago, its power button faintly glowing.

Si You gave the room a quick once-over, then carried the clothes he had just taken into the bathroom.

The hot water washed away the chill, and Si You's taut nerves gradually relaxed.

Just as he got dressed and came out, someone knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Si You asked instinctively.

"Me," Jiang Tingxu said. "Can I come in?"

This is your room, Si You thought.

Si You opened the door, holding his wet, changed-out clothes. The man stood there with a cup of hot tea in his hands.

"Ah, I'm done washing up," Si You said.

"Mm." Jiang Tingxu handed him the cup. "Drink it."

Si You took it and realized it was ginger tea. His appreciation and fondness for Jiang Tingxu truly shot straight up.

Unlike the others, Jiang Tingxu had not treated him coldly, nor had he shown the slightest prejudice. He was extremely friendly toward Si You.

Si You drank the hot ginger tea in one gulp, finding it just sweet enough. He could not help asking, "The production team is treating me this well?"

"I made it," Jiang Tingxu said. "No need to go downstairs. Those of you who went out gathering can return to your rooms and rest. I'll call you when dinner is ready."

Si You blinked. "Huh?"

Jiang Tingxu looked at him. "I can do what you can do too. Go get some sleep."

After running around for hours, Si You's calves had been aching for a while. It would have been a lie to say he was not tired. If anyone else had told him this, Si You would definitely have ignored them—this show required him to work himself to the bone. But when Jiang Tingxu said it, it meant everything had already been arranged.

"Okay." Si You did not stand on ceremony.

It was already four-thirty in the afternoon. Si You had only planned to take a short nap, but the moment he lay down, sleep swallowed him whole. This body had not gotten much proper rest since Si You took control of it. Sometimes, Si You even felt as though it was leaking air somewhere.

As soon as the rain eased, the production team set up the stove and cooking gear. Dinner still had to be prepared by each couple themselves, with Xue Boyu helping Jiang Tingxu wash vegetables.

"Brother Jiang, I'll just learn from you," Xue Boyu said, watching intently beside him.

Jiang Tingxu asked casually, "Why not learn from Si You?"

"Brother Si You's cooking process is way too complicated."

Jiang Tingxu fell silent. Indeed, Si You could fry, deep-fry, stew, and roast, while he only knew how to make a few home-style stir-fries.

They had traded for quite a few ingredients today. Song Yalin felt bad for her boyfriend and prepared a lavish meal.

Xu Ke had plenty of energy. Whatever Fei Chang told him to do, he did, without grumbling anymore.

After clumsily washing some greens, Zhang Jianlin sat on a stool and played with his phone. Song Yalin caught sight of him from the corner of her eye and looked utterly disgusted. In fact, Song Yalin and Jiang Yao had not gotten along at first. They had once clashed over an endorsement deal, but after getting to know each other on the show—and with that stinking man Zhang Jianlin helping to smooth things over—they quickly became close friends.

Jiang Yao had complained to Song Yalin in private countless times: if Si You had not been so good at courting disaster last season, Zhang Jianlin would definitely have been the first one shoved into the spotlight!

One tactic used by antis and rival fans when collectively attacking Si You was to elevate the other couples. Even Zhang Jianlin had been given the title of "traditional good man," causing him to lose himself in the false praise and develop an incomprehensible sense of superiority.

Less than ten minutes later, Jiang Yao came downstairs rubbing her eyes.

Zhang Jianlin smiled when he saw her. "I was just about to see whether you were awake."

Your messages had my phone vibrating nonstop. What are you pretending for? Jiang Yao thought.

[Disgusting.]

[Does Zhang Jianlin have something wrong with his brain?! The wind and rain were so bad this afternoon. Didn't he know how hard Yao Yao had worked gathering wild vegetables?! Fei Chang works out all the time, so he has tons of energy. Even Shao Ancheng and Si You, two grown men, went to rest. Doesn't Yao Yao need rest too?!]

Girls were the most likely to empathize with girls. In any case, after putting themselves in Jiang Yao's shoes, many of the sisters in the comments... went absolutely furious.

Yet Zhang Jianlin wore the expression of an honest man, his face practically declaring, "I'm doing this for your own good." His reverse blame-shifting maxed out everyone's anger buff.

By comparison, Jiang Yao said nothing. She had clearly just been woken up, her casually tied bun slightly messy, her dazed expression making her look a little adorably clueless. She walked to the stove and began preparing dinner.

From beginning to end, she did not spare Zhang Jianlin a single glance.

Jiang Yao had thought it through. Really, even someone as miserable as Si You could still shield others from the wind and rain. She had merely encountered an idiot; her situation was far better than Si You's. Somehow, Si You had given Jiang Yao a strange kind of strength. Now that she had calmed down, even her inspiration came more easily.

"Is there anything I can help with?" Zhang Jianlin moved closer.

Jiang Yao shifted aside to put some distance between them. Her tone was soft and amicable. "Do whatever you want."

Zhang Jianlin frowned slightly.

Jiang Tingxu made a simple four dishes and a soup: stir-fried pork with green peppers, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, stir-fried choy sum, cold mixed wild vegetables, and a light radish soup. It could not compare to Si You's cooking, but it looked fairly good.

Xue Boyu had learned the all-purpose dressing and planned to make cold cucumber salad for the next meal.

"I'll go call Brother Si You," Xue Boyu said, making as if to head upstairs.

"I'll go," Jiang Tingxu said.

The alarm rang three times, and Si You shut it off every time. At first, he shut out the knocking as well, but it gradually pierced through his heavy dream, becoming clearer bit by bit.

With the curtains half-drawn, Si You struggled into a sitting position and realized that night had already fallen completely.

Before a person fully woke, their guard had yet to come online. Instead, trust rose naturally from the heart. "Jiang Tingxu?"

As the doorknob turned, the hallway light instantly spilled in. Jiang Tingxu stood straight in the doorway and said gently, "It's time to eat."

"Okay." Si You threw back the covers, got out of bed, and went to wash up.

Si You was still very sleepy when he came out. Jiang Tingxu noticed and walked beside him. "Didn't sleep last night?"

"I did," Si You said. "I'm just a little tired."

Of course he was tired. Jiang Tingxu had seen how hard Si You pushed himself, but there was no other way. The online backlash had to be turned around with real ability.

The staircase was not very wide, so Jiang Tingxu let Si You go down first. The young man stretched lazily, his shoulder blades forming a beautiful outline beneath his clothes. Even the back of his neck was pale and fair. Jiang Tingxu even wondered whether this person simply could not tan.

The light made Si You even dizzier. He felt as though he could go back to bed and sleep another twelve hours.

Facts proved that when people were not fully awake, it was best not to let their minds wander. Si You's foot suddenly slipped. His heart went cold, and his body pitched forward.

"Hey?" Si You missed the railing. With a jolt, his gaze immediately swept downward as he considered how to save himself.

The next second, a large hand reached around from behind and directly caught Si You around the waist, pulling him back. Still shaken, Si You's back pressed against a warm, broad chest.

"Are you okay?" Jiang Tingxu asked.

Si You said nothing. Instead, he immediately rubbed his ear. It tingled pleasantly; he really could not handle Jiang Tingxu speaking so close to him.

Jiang Tingxu, however, noticed something. A smile flickered in his eyes.

The previously calm comment feed instantly exploded.

[You damn Si You, let go of my husband!]

[Wow, Si You is so shameless. He wants to use this to hype a CP with Jiang Tingxu.]

[Could it be... they're actually a couple?]

[People really shouldn't... at the very least, they can't... Forget it, I'm shipping them first!]