"I'm not unwilling."
Xie Yuan patted his chest. "Relax. This day was bound to come sooner or later."
"Stop messing around. I'm sleepy."
A few seconds later, Xie Yuan's breathing evened out.
Mu Ze stared at the ceiling, looking utterly resigned to his fate.
Sure, this day was bound to come, but he was afraid he might make a mistake.
His arm tightened a little around Xie Yuan's waist.
Xie Yuan stirred restlessly, and Mu Ze immediately came to his senses, loosening his hold considerably.
The livestream chat.
[I knew it. They're sleeping together again. Young Master Xie really loves him.]
[He's so forward. Am I allowed to watch this?]
[One little sound from Young Master Xie, and Mu Ze gives in immediately. Mu Ze, you're way too in love.]
[Now this is how a dating show should be.]
[This is the first time any guests have taken a dating show seriously. They're not putting on an act. They're actually dating.]
[The production team didn't lie to us. I thought they'd just go through the motions, but they're actually dating.]
[Am I the only one wondering how much they can earn in a day?]
[They didn't have a single customer all day. Wages? The owner would already be generous not to dock their pay. I'm already looking forward to seeing Xie Dog bawl his eyes out when he doesn't get a penny three days from now.]
There were plenty of night owls, and the comments never stopped.
Director Ma watched for a while. Once he was sure nothing unexpected would happen, he got up and went back to sleep.
The next day.
Mu Ze opened his eyes and looked down. The person in his arms was still in the same position.
His gaze softened. How could someone be so well-behaved in his sleep? He hadn't shifted at all between falling asleep and waking up.
Such long lashes, such nice skin, such soft lips. I kind of want to kiss him.
Realizing what he was thinking, Mu Ze couldn't help inwardly berating himself.
What am I thinking? How can I be such an animal?
An even more animalistic part was somewhere he could hardly bring himself to mention.
Feeling the changes in his body, Mu Ze didn't dare move at all.
After being tense for so long, his body went stiff as a plank again.
With his eyes closed, Xie Yuan grumbled, "That's digging into me."
Mu Ze stiffened even further, stammering, "It's, it's not, what, you, think..."
"This, is just, a natural, natural re, action..."
Xie Yuan raised his hand and smacked Mu Ze's face. "So noisy."
Mu Ze looked down.
In his arms, Xie Yuan's eyes were closed, and he showed no sign of waking.
Only his brows were slightly furrowed, as though he wasn't sleeping soundly.
"Phew..."
Mu Ze breathed a sigh of relief, his muscles relaxing.
Good thing he didn't notice.
Mu Ze openly stared at Xie Yuan in a daze.
The viewers who had entered the livestream early.
[Seriously? You're rubbing your romance in our faces first thing in the morning?]
[Mu Ze, go look in a mirror. Your eyes are practically glued to Young Master Xie.]
[This is way too much excitement first thing in the morning.]
[Does anyone get it? Last night, I fell asleep without realizing it while watching Young Master Xie's sleeping face. When I woke up and looked, I felt like I'd asked for this suffering.]
[When will I get to sleep holding a sweet-smelling, soft partner?]
[You guys are being ridiculous. Are you that excited this early in the morning?]
Ten-odd minutes later, Xie Yuan yawned. "Morning."
A flicker of disappointment crossed Mu Ze's eyes. "Morning."
Xie Yuan took a deep breath against Mu Ze's chest. "You smell so good."
Mu Ze froze, not even noticing when Xie Yuan left.
[Tsk, tsk, tsk. Young Master Xie, that's just unfair. Didn't you see how you stunned Mu Ze silly?]
[How good does he smell? I want a sniff.]
[Young Master Xie has said that so many times. What exactly does he smell like?]
[Definitely not perfume, anyway.]
[His natural scent, maybe. Everyone actually has their own unique scent, but a lot of people can't smell it. I'm guessing Young Master Xie is one of the special ones.]
[I really want to inhabit Young Master Xie's body for a day and smell what Mu Ze smells like.]
The villa bedroom.
After washing up and changing into workout clothes, Xie Yuan saw that Mu Ze was still lying on the bed in the same position as before. A little puzzled, he called, "Mu Ze?"
Mu Ze snapped out of his daze and quickly concealed his emotions. "You're done washing up?"
"Yeah." Xie Yuan stared at Mu Ze.
Mu Ze's scalp prickled under his gaze. "Is there something on me?"
He didn't notice, did he?
Xie Yuan said, "You were acting a little strange just now. I thought some weird thing had possessed you."
"Huh?" Mu Ze's gaze wavered. "I was just thinking about work."
Xie Yuan didn't ask any further questions. "I'm going to work out."
Once the bedroom door closed, Mu Ze breathed a sigh of relief.
There was some chagrin in his eyes. He still lost his composure far too easily around Xie Yuan.
I need to show some restraint. I can't scare Xie Yuan.
After reflecting on his behavior, Mu Ze got up to wash.
In the living room, the only sounds were those of the eight guests eating breakfast.
After finishing her soy milk, Tan Yaya yawned, dark circles beneath her eyes. "Young Master Xie, don't forget we're going to the bar tonight."
Having reminded Xie Yuan, Tan Yaya staggered upstairs.
Watching her made Zhang Jue's heart pound, afraid she would miss a step and tumble down the stairs.
Once she disappeared up the stairs, Zhang Jue breathed a sigh of relief.
Wang Zihua stared at the staircase where Tan Yaya had disappeared. "What time did you get back last night?"
Zhang Jue sounded lifeless. "Past three in the morning."
Wang Zihua's face lit up. "Looks like we weren't the only ones suffering. That makes me feel a little better."
Zhang Jue looked at Wang Zihua. "Young Master Wang, you're taking way too much pleasure in our misery."
"Can't help it." There was laughter in Wang Zihua's voice. "It feels a little unfair if we're the only miserable ones."
Zhang Jue said nothing more.
Wang Zihua regained a little confidence. "Young Master Xie, I heard your shop didn't have a single customer yesterday. You'll have to work hard today, or you might not get paid at all."
Biting his straw, Xie Yuan glanced at him. "Food delivery pays well. How many orders have you done, Young Master Wang?"
"Enough to take first place?"
Wang Zihua's expression shifted slightly, and he tipped his head up. "Hmph. It's not like I need that little bit of money."
"I'm only delivering food to experience life."
Xie Yuan teased, "As long as it's not because you're afraid of hard work."
Wang Zihua glared at Xie Yuan and said nothing more.
After breakfast, the groups of guests left the villa.
Xie Yuan and Mu Ze were once again in the same car as Su Wanyue and Gu Yanzhou.
Su Wanyue was very quiet and didn't dare speak.
Watching Su Wanyue and Gu Yanzhou get out, Xie Yuan shook his head, sounding regretful. "I thought they'd try to get attention again."
Seeing his disappointed expression, Mu Ze smiled. "It's fine. There'll be other chances."
Xie Yuan said nothing.
For his eldest sister and second brother's sake, he was destined to be enemies with the male and female leads.
The chat.
[Young Master Xie, why do you look so disappointed?]
[Hahahaha, Young Master Xie hasn't had his fill of scolding them.]
[Young Master Xie, don't you know what that mouth of yours is like?]
[Young Master Xie, you went too hard before and scared them. Take it easy next time. You can scold them in installments and make it last a long time.]
[You above, are you trying to kill me with laughter and inherit my eighteen exes? Installments? Do you think this is a payment plan?]
The funeral shop in the alley.
Old Yuan didn't come out, so the two went inside on their own.
Mu Ze went to the backyard to continue learning paper effigy making from Old Yuan, while Mu Ze watched the shop out front.
When he got bored, he went over to the neighboring shop to wheedle a few cups of tea.
By the time Xie Yuan showed up for the umpteenth time, the old woman could find nothing about him to like.
"Boy, are you treating my place like a teahouse, coming over for a cup whenever you're thirsty?"
"Of course not. Teahouses charge money. Yours is free."
Before you continue