Brother Fang Yi? Since when were you so close?

For a moment, Yu Xiuyuan almost thought Yun Chuan was about to kiss him.

That face drew closer, their breaths mingling. Panic fluttered in his chest, and he reached out to shove him away.

Yun Chuan fell back against the chair, though he looked anything but flustered. His eyes never moved, still fixed intently on Yu Xiuyuan.

Yu Xiuyuan turned his face away, his ears burning a little, and made a show of packing up the fishing gear. "Hurry up and pack. We should head back. We can't just let everyone else do all the work."

Watching the red tips of his ears, Yun Chuan's lips slowly curved upward.

So he did feel something after all.

He got to his feet unhurriedly and helped pack without calling him out.

The two walked back carrying four fish and a bag of fishing gear, neither saying a word.

When they returned to the guesthouse, Lin Sen was nowhere to be seen. Li Rou and Lin Xi had taken their fill of pretty photos and were sitting beneath a tall Western Crabapple tree, trimming vegetables.

The crabapple's flowering season was over, leaving only a canopy of lush green leaves. They swayed lazily in the breeze, beautiful all the same.

"Where did the beans come from?" Yu Xiuyuan set down the bucket of fish and leaned over for a look.

"Su Ziming picked them in the backyard," Li Rou said. "The vegetables back there are growing really well. He seems to love it-he's been in the vegetable patch this whole time. Fang Yi's there too."

"Really?" Yu Xiuyuan glanced back. Yun Chuan was heading toward the tool shed to put away the fishing gear, looking handsome even from behind.

"I'll go take a look too. I'll leave the fish here and clean them in a bit."

He loved vegetable gardens too. In his previous life, he had grown up in an orphanage, then spent the rest of his life caught in relentless competition. He had always longed for days when he could plant something with his own hands, watch it grow, and harvest it.

After going around the covered walkway and side hall, he spotted Su Ziming and Fang Yi standing by a low fence in the distance, bending over to peer inside like two geese craning their necks.

"Hey, what are you two doing?" Yu Xiuyuan ran over with a smile.

"Looking at eggs." Su Ziming didn't even turn around. "The tomatoes in the vegetable patch looked really good, so I wanted to make stir-fried tomatoes and eggs..."

Yu Xiuyuan followed his gaze and realized this was a chicken coop.

A small basket sat in the corner, with six eggs nestled quietly in the straw.

Yu Xiuyuan's eyes lit up.

"Want me to collect them for you?"

"Really?" Su Ziming whipped his head around, his eyes even brighter than Yu Xiuyuan's. "That's great! I was just wondering who could help me."

His reaction baffled Yu Xiuyuan. "Why would collecting eggs be a problem? Shouldn't everyone be fighting over the chance?"

He genuinely believed that no normal person could see those eggs nestled in the straw and resist the joy of collecting them, just like finding free money.

Su Ziming smiled sheepishly. "A rooster pecked me when I was little. It left me a bit traumatized."

Yu Xiuyuan looked at Fang Yi. He seemed perfectly composed and hadn't shown the slightest intention of going inside.

"Were you pecked too?"

"No."

"Then why aren't you going?"

Fang Yi kept his hands in his pockets, looking inscrutable. "I'll tell you when you get back."

Yu Xiuyuan couldn't be bothered arguing with him. He pushed open the gate and headed straight for the nest. The eggs were still warm when they settled into his palm. He closed his eyes, tipped his head back, and sighed. The feeling was wonderful.

"Look down at your feet," Fang Yi's voice drifted over.

Yu Xiuyuan opened his eyes and looked down.

Chicken droppings covered the ground, runny and wet.

Goose bumps shot from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. His whole body shuddered as if he'd been electrocuted, and he turned around, gritting his teeth. "You bastard, Fang Yi! No wonder you wouldn't help. Would it have killed you to warn me first?"

He drew a deep breath, summoned his courage, and strode out of the coop. After carefully placing the eggs in Su Ziming's basket, he turned and charged at Fang Yi.

No matter what, I have to step on him while it's still fresh!

Seeing trouble coming, Fang Yi took off running.

Yu Xiuyuan chased relentlessly, yelling, "Don't run into the front courtyard! If you do, I'll walk straight into your room in these shoes! We'll go down together!"

Fang Yi made a sharp turn and actually doubled back, dutifully running circles around the backyard vegetable patch and the chicken and duck coops.

After two laps, Yu Xiuyuan's stamina gave out. He bent over, panting, though the chase had rubbed most of the mess off his soles.

Forget it. I'm not wasting my time on that bastard.

He straightened up, intending to scrub his shoes some more at the tap beside the vegetable patch.

The moment he turned, he saw Lu Jinming standing behind him with a dark expression, rudely close.

Before Yu Xiuyuan could step back, Lu Jinming covered his own microphone, leaned forward slightly, and said in a low voice:

"How many people are you planning to use to make me jealous? Wasn't Yun Chuan enough? Now you're going after Fang Yi too? I won't care no matter how many people you find. You're only degrading yourself!"

"If you want me to accept you, just clear things up for Wen Lin. Stop playing these pointless games."

With that, he uncovered his microphone and arrogantly waited for Yu Xiuyuan to explain.

Yu Xiuyuan took two steps back and looked down at his soles.

He clicked his tongue. "Damn that Fang Yi. Why did it all have to rub off...?"

Then he looked at Lu Jinming with genuine regret. "It would've been perfect for wiping on your mouth. Give it a good clean."

He gave him a wide berth and walked away.

There was no talking to him. The man had his own language system and couldn't understand normal human speech.

Yu Xiuyuan turned to look for Fang Yi. Sure enough, that bastard hadn't gone far. He was hiding behind a corridor pillar, gleefully watching the show, with one hand holding Su Ziming in place so he couldn't leave.

When Yu Xiuyuan approached, Fang Yi showed no guilt whatsoever and even ran his mouth. "What did Lu Jinming say to you? He was so quiet your microphone couldn't pick it up. Why did you insult him? How rude."

Yu Xiuyuan gave him a sinister look.

Then he put on Wen Lin's usual expression, pursing his lips slightly, and even imitated his voice as he said timidly, "Brother Fang Yi, thank you for using your family's resources to help me. Right now, I can only see you as an older brother, but someday..."

Halfway through, he broke character himself. "Hahahaha... Seriously, you fell for that? And you have the nerve to laugh at me."

The instant Yu Xiuyuan struck that pose and uttered "Brother Fang Yi," Fang Yi's fists clenched. A vein throbbed at his temple, and his face turned thunderous.

Seeing how big those fists were, Yu Xiuyuan promptly pulled Su Ziming in front of him as a shield, his mouth still going. "Oh, Brother Fang Yi, don't be mad. I was only joking~"

Fang Yi huffed in fury, but with Su Ziming in the way, he couldn't get his hands on him.

Caught between them, Su Ziming struggled to hold back his laughter while protecting the eggs and tomatoes in his basket. The effort left his face red.

Yu Xiuyuan was getting into it when a voice suddenly came from behind him:

"Brother Fang Yi? Since when were you so close?"

A chill swept over the back of Yu Xiuyuan's neck. He froze, his eyes darting around, but didn't dare turn his head.

"Why'd you stop calling him that?" Yun Chuan's voice came a little closer, cold and chilling.