He could have just robbed him, but insisted on throwing in a cup of watermelon juice

Mu Ze did not even lift his head. "Teacher Xie is my partner now. Anything I give him is perfectly within the rules."

"I bought the watermelon. I can give it to whoever I want."

After being refused repeatedly, Wang Zihua felt humiliated.

He said stiffly, "I'll buy it from you, all right?"

"Tell me how much."

His tone made it sound like charity.

Mu Ze looked up, his hands coming to a stop.

Seeing his reaction, delight appeared in Wang Zihua's eyes.

An amateur after all. Mention money, and he's willing to sell me the watermelon juice.

As Wang Zihua was feeling smug, he heard, "6,888."

"What?" Wang Zihua froze before realizing what Mu Ze meant.

"Why don't you just rob someone? What kind of watermelon juice costs 6,888 a cup? Even gold wouldn't cost that much."

Mu Ze said in complete seriousness, "A cup of watermelon juice looks to weigh about two hundred grams. At the current price of gold, that would cost 177,800."

Wang Zihua was speechless.

This guy takes things way too literally.

Still, he said, "Make me a cup first. I'll transfer the money to you later."

Mu Ze shook his head. "No."

"What, you're backing out?" Wang Zihua thought he was unwilling.

Then Mu Ze said, "No. A cup of watermelon juice costs 58,888 now. No credit."

Wang Zihua stared, dumbstruck, momentarily forgetting what to say.

The livestream viewers were also stunned by the cliff-like price hike.

[Mu Ze is shameless. Raising the price that much in one go-he's doing it on purpose, isn't he?]

[Holy crap, Mu Ze really knows how to do business.]

[An amateur daring to raise prices this blatantly? He really has no regard for the Wang Family.]

[You're in trouble, commoner boy. Can't an amateur just stay in the background? You just have to pull these attention-seeking stunts. Once the show ends, you'll probably lose your job.]

[I'm dying. He could have just robbed him, but insisted on throwing in a cup of watermelon juice.]

[Anyone who teams up with that dog Xie can't be any good either. See? His ugly true colors are showing. You two should stay together forever and stop coming out to hurt other people.]

After standing stunned for a while, Wang Zihua caught on.

Smack! He slapped the counter. "You're deliberately making trouble, aren't you?"

Mu Ze glanced at his hand and shook his head. "No."

"I think you're right. How could ordinary watermelon juice possibly be worthy of your status, Young Master Wang?"

Wang Zihua was instantly placated. Just as he began to look smug, Mu Ze spoke again.

"Charging you 58,888 for watermelon juice I made is already giving you a discount."

"After all, the value of what someone makes reflects their own value."

His reasoning left Wang Zihua dazed.

Before he could figure out what it meant, Mu Ze spoke again. "Do you still want it?"

Wang Zihua gritted his teeth. "Yes."

At this point, what would the livestream viewers think of him if he backed out?

Would they think that he, the young master of the Wang Family, could not even afford a cup of watermelon juice? Wouldn't that disgrace both him and the Wang Family?

Mu Ze washed and dried his hands, then took out his phone and opened his payment QR code. "Scan it."

Wang Zihua took out his phone and was about to scan it when the PD following them received instructions from Director Ma and hurried to stop him.

"Teacher Wang, according to the rules, you can only spend money you've earned yourselves during the livestream."

Wang Zihua immediately frowned. "Is there no room for discussion?"

Mu Ze was even more displeased than he was.

Mu Ze instantly raised his head and looked toward the cameraman.

Watching backstage, Director Ma jumped. That gaze seemed to shoot straight through the screen at him.

A fine sheen of sweat involuntarily broke out on his forehead. He hurriedly looked away, pretending not to see.

Mu Ze's voice came through the livestream.

"Is it really not allowed?"

To Director Ma, that was an outright threat.

Director Ma hurried to his feet. "My stomach hurts. Watch things here. Handle whatever comes up yourself."

Leaving things to the Deputy Director, Director Ma dashed off to the restroom.

Forced to take over, the Deputy Director braced himself and refused. "Rules are rules. It really isn't allowed."

On camera, the PD relayed the Deputy Director's response.

Mu Ze sounded slightly regretful. "Young Master Wang, the show won't allow it. There's nothing I can do."

Wang Zihua looked puzzled.

I'm the one who didn't get any watermelon juice. What the hell are you feeling sorry about?

Still puzzled, Wang Zihua poured himself a glass of water and returned to the living room.

In the restroom, Director Ma, who was secretly watching the livestream on an alternate account, sighed in relief at the sight.

Dodged a bullet.

Everyone else thought Mu Ze was an amateur, but as the chief director, how could he not know this man's background?

He was already thanking his lucky stars that he had not offended him.

As soon as Wang Zihua returned to the living room, Liu Yan came over. "How did it go? Is there any watermelon juice left?"

Only after speaking did her gaze fall on the glass Wang Zihua was holding.

Having been rebuffed by Mu Ze, Wang Zihua looked displeased and took it out on Liu Yan. "Can't you look for yourself?"

On the receiving end of his anger for no reason, Liu Yan looked awkward for a moment before returning to normal. "We'll earn a little more tomorrow and buy our own watermelon to make juice."

Hearing that, Wang Zihua's expression improved a little.

The two returned to the sofa and sat down. After they chatted for a while, the host appeared.

"After an afternoon of work, all the guest pairs have earned some wages."

"With limited kitchen space and ingredients, you'll need to play a little game to decide which pair gets first pick of the ingredients, uses the kitchen first, and chooses the location for their dinner date afterward."

Having worked all afternoon, Wang Zihua grew even more impatient at having to play a game too.

He set down his glass, making a noise against the table. "What's with your production team? We have to earn our own money and cook our own meals too?"

Teacher He explained, "Earning money and cooking both help deepen your bond, and they're essential parts of everyday life as a couple."

Put that way, it made sense to the guests. Much of their initial dissatisfaction faded.

Wang Zihua could only let the matter drop and sat on the sofa, still a little sulky.

Tan Yaya suddenly raised her hand.

Seeing her raised hand, Teacher He asked, "Do you have any other questions, Teacher Tan?"

Tan Yaya said, "What about guests who can't cook?"

Her face was full of distress as she spoke. Clearly, she was the guest who could not cook.

Such a minor issue was no challenge for Teacher He. "For guests who really can't cook, the production team will send staff to teach you."

Hearing this, Tan Yaya and Wang Zihua looked a little better.

Seeing that no one had any objections, Teacher He called the guests out to a spacious spot in the yard to begin the game.

Teacher He said, "A little chemistry game: you draw, I guess. You'll have three minutes, and the pair with the most correct answers wins."

There had originally been four pairs of guests, but with Su Wanyue and Gu Yanzhou absent, there were only three.

After drawing lots, Tan Yaya and Zhang Jue went first.

Tan Yaya would draw, and Zhang Jue would guess.

Holding a timer, Teacher He said, "The countdown starts now."

A staff member held up a piece of paper for Tan Yaya to see.

They also showed it to the guests present, then displayed it to the camera.

She glanced at it, her eyes lighting up, and quickly began drawing on the tablet.

In less than ten seconds, she stopped and held the tablet up toward Zhang Jue.