These couples looked so good together.

Yu Xiuyuan was furious. He stared at Yun Chuan's chin, wanting to throw himself straight at him!

But he couldn't. Yun Chuan, that closet flirt, was only acting.

If he threw himself at him only to get shoved away, he would be utterly humiliated.

Straight men never knew their own strength.

I really want to bite him to death!

Grinding his teeth, Yu Xiuyuan picked up the peanuts, tossed his head, and left.

The smile faded from Yun Chuan's face, and his brows drew together.

Did I tease him too much? Is he angry?

But he felt that Yu Xiuyuan liked him too.

There was nothing innocent about the way he looked at him.

Then why is he angry?

Did I get it wrong? Does Yu Xiuyuan not like me?

Have I pushed too hard?

Yun Chuan rubbed his fingertips together, bent down to pick up that special sweet potato, then lifted the remaining basket and followed Yu Xiuyuan back to the Front Courtyard.

Yu Xiuyuan strode briskly back to the Front Courtyard and found that Su Ziming and Fang Yi had just returned too.

"Where did you two go?" Yu Xiuyuan called from a distance.

Su Ziming smiled, but before he could speak, Fang Yi raised the bucket in his hand high. "Fishing! Seriously, the fish in that pond are so stupid. We caught one every time we cast."

Yu Xiuyuan wanted to throw the peanuts on the ground, but he held back.

He snorted. "What are you showing off for? Holding it up so high-why don't you lift it all the way into the sky?"

"What's got you so worked up?" Fang Yi was baffled. He set down the bucket of fish and asked, "How many did you catch this morning?"

Yu Xiuyuan's gaze grew even colder. "Fishing? I'm so busy, when would I have time to fish? Even a dog wouldn't bother!"

Understanding dawned on Fang Yi, and he raised a hand. "Say no more! I get it. You came back empty-handed!"

Yu Xiuyuan spun around and walked off, his hair flying with the turn.

Su Ziming smacked Fang Yi on the shoulder. "Shut up. Why are you deliberately winding him up?" Then he ran after Yu Xiuyuan.

Fang Yi rubbed his shoulder, his tone practically begging for a punch. "Wow, blankers sure have a temper."

Su Ziming called as he chased after him, "Xiuyuan, wait for me! What are you carrying?"

Hearing Su Ziming catch up, Yu Xiuyuan slowed down. Before he could answer, Su Ziming had already reached him and seen for himself.

"Fresh peanuts! These taste best cooked in the embers. They get really soft and crumbly," Su Ziming said, looking into the basket.

Yu Xiuyuan had never heard of that method. "How do you cook them in the embers?"

"Easy. Build a fire and let it burn for a while, then put it out, toss the peanuts in, and cover them with soil. Leave them for half an hour, and they're done."

It didn't sound difficult, and Yu Xiuyuan wanted some. "Why don't we try it tonight? I dug up sweet potatoes too. We can roast those as well."

Su Ziming's eyes lit up too. "Sure! We've got fish too. We can grill those."

Yu Xiuyuan grew excited. Wasn't this exactly the retirement life he dreamed of?

He handed the basket to Su Ziming. "I'll go ask Li Rou and Lin Xi. If they're up for it, we'll have a barbecue tonight."

Yu Xiuyuan searched around and finally found Li Rou and Lin Xi in the media room.

The two were curled up in beanbag chairs, an old movie playing on the screen, and were nearly asleep.

Yu Xiuyuan knocked on the door. "We just dug up sweet potatoes and peanuts, and Su Ziming caught some fish. How about a barbecue tonight?"

Li Rou jolted upright. "A barbecue?!"

Lin Xi was excited too. "I've been craving barbecue for days!"

Yu Xiuyuan smiled. "Then go check the fridge for meat. It wouldn't be quite right with just vegetables."

"Let's go, let's go!" Li Rou pulled Lin Xi up and headed off. She was tired of sitting around.

Yu Xiuyuan made another round of the vegetable patch, picking eggplants and green peppers and cutting a handful of garlic chives.

Li Rou and Lin Xi found some pork belly and beef in the fridge, along with a bottle of barbecue sauce. Perfect.

"That should do it." Lin Xi looked over the ingredients. "I'll get Lin Sen and Lu Jinming. It'll go faster if everyone helps with the prep."

Yu Xiuyuan nodded and took the sweet potatoes and peanuts off to wash them.

Just then, familiar footsteps sounded behind him. Yun Chuan stopped beside him and, without a word, picked up a sweet potato and began washing it.

Water flowed over his long fingers, muddy streams running through the gaps. Those hands looked good doing anything, even washing sweet potatoes.

Yu Xiuyuan stole a few glances. Forget it. I agreed to work with him. It's not his fault he's a good actor.

It's not his fault he's handsome and has a great body, either.

I might as well enjoy it. Most people don't even get this kind of treatment.

After nearly half an hour of bustling around, everything was ready.

Everyone moved to a broad, flat patch in the backyard, while Fang Yi and Su Ziming brought charcoal and a barbecue grill from the tool shed.

Once the charcoal was lit, Yu Xiuyuan stood at the grill cooking pork belly, brushing on oil, sprinkling salt, and turning the slices in one fluid motion after another.

Yun Chuan stayed beside him, occasionally passing him a plate or some seasoning.

Su Ziming built another fire on a patch of earth farther away, ready to cook the peanuts and sweet potatoes in its embers later.

He nudged Fang Yi, who was playing with the fire beside him. "Hey, don't you think something's a little off between Xiuyuan and God Yun?"

Fang Yi glanced back. "Nope. Yun Chuan's still glued to our blanker."

"Quit being a smartass!" Su Ziming glared at Fang Yi. "It's different. God Yun seems to be holding back a lot."

"Why do you keep looking at him?" Fang Yi poked the fire apart with a stick. "The fire's about to go out. Get a move on."

Su Ziming slapped his hand away. "Stop messing around. Go play somewhere else." Then he focused on saving his fire.

Fang Yi grinned smugly and got up to search the garden for dry grass and crop stalks. Su Ziming had said those made everything taste better.

Li Rou and Lin Xi held freshly grilled pork belly and whispered to each other, looking at one pair, then another, their smiles turning a little sleazy now and then.

As for Lin Sen and Lu Jinming, whether they shared interests or simply had no choice, they sat together and chatted sporadically.

Neither looked particularly happy, which made them look quite harmonious together.

Director Liu sat by the monitors, shedding tears of gratitude. Sure enough, sincerity was the ultimate weapon.

No scripted tricks, no restrictive rules-and sure enough, they had naturally turned their lives into a dating reality show.

These couples looked so good together.

Still, he did rather miss the buzz Yu Xiuyuan generated when he stirred up trouble. It was like a roller coaster-thrilling.

By the latter part of the barbecue, night had fully fallen, and strings of warm yellow lights glowed in the yard.

They had eaten most of the grilled meat and fish by the time the peanuts and sweet potatoes were finally ready.

The ember-cooked peanuts really were delicious, with an unbelievably soft, tender texture. Yu Xiuyuan's eyes shone as he ate.

Yun Chuan shelled a handful of plump white peanuts. Fresh from the embers, they were still a little hot to handle.

He glanced at Yu Xiuyuan, paused, then tossed them into his own mouth and chewed.

Brushing off his hands, he stood and went to rummage through the distant fire pit, digging out a plump sweet potato.

The sweet potato was scorching. He shifted it from hand to hand as he brought it over and offered it to Yu Xiuyuan.

"This is that sweet potato. I cooked it separately off to the side. Careful, it's hot."

Yu Xiuyuan's eyes widened slightly in delighted surprise. "The one I dug up separately? I'd completely forgotten about it. Good thing you remembered, or I'd have regretted it for years once it came back to me."

He reached out to take it. It really was still hot, so he passed it between his hands, peeled back a little skin, and slowly began eating.

Yun Chuan saw that Yu Xiuyuan's attitude had returned to normal.

Then he understood. He really had pushed too hard.

I need to keep some distance...

Yun Chuan relaxed against the back of his chair and gazed at the moon overhead.

Suddenly, he really wanted a drink.