After they shared the late-night snacks, it was time for tonight's important event: the Heart-Flutter Medal segment.
To give viewers a more immersive experience, the production team had created a special link where livestream viewers could vote to win cash packets. Voting closed at exactly eight thirty that evening, just before the guests began casting their votes.
Wen He went first as usual. He quietly entered the lounge and, once again, took a medal instead of writing a letter and placed it in the mailbox.
[Ahhhhh! I knew it! It had to be him!]
[I guessed right too, kekekekekeke.]
[Waaaaah... I thought he'd vote for Male Lead Two. They interacted today!]
[Hehehehe, I'm just that clever and quick-witted.]
As soon as Wen He left, Ji Chi clung to him as he came in. Grabbing the hem of Wen He's shirt, he imperiously blocked him in the doorway and declared in a clear, forceful voice, "You're not allowed to leave. Wait for me!"
Although they would only have a short flight of stairs and a hallway to walk together, Wen He still waited quietly where he was.
Ji Chi moved quickly, so quickly that Wen He thought he hadn't voted at all.
Ji Chi ran behind Wen He and pushed him forward with both hands. "Let's go, let's go!"
[No... why? Seriously, why?]
[Are you two having fun messing with all of us? Aren't these Heart-Flutter Medals? Where exactly is the heart-fluttering part?]
[All right, in that case, I hereby declare him a scumbag.]
[Surely we won't get the next few wrong? Seriously? My cash packet ꒦ິ^꒦ິ]
[Probably not.]
Jiang Ye was next. He walked up to the table, took a sheet of pale yellow paper, and wrote a line.
Then he put it in an envelope and walked to the mailboxes with his medal.
With a soft clunk, he pushed up his slipping glasses and left the lounge.
[I actually guessed that.]
[I guessed it too.]
[Bet you didn't expect this, Lawyer Jiang. We've already seen right through you.]
[Who do you think he voted for?]
[Male Lead One. Definitely Male Lead One.]
[Why Male Lead One? I thought it would be Jiang Yu. They went on a date today, after all. Shouldn't they vote for each other out of courtesy?]
[I can tell you didn't watch their date. Lawyer Jiang was very proper. Although their date went pretty smoothly today, there weren't any romantic sparks. They seemed more like friends.]
[Okay... damn it, my fault for not catching up on the daytime date clips!]
[Male Lead Two should vote for Lawyer Jiang, right? Since they went on a date today?]
[Based on my deductions yesterday, I don't think so. The guests in this house are weird, you know? You can't apply normal logic to them.]
[Senior, please elaborate!]
[Nope, not telling~ Time for soup and rice~]
[...]
Jiang Yu took a sheet of stationery and wrote only "Thank you." He didn't hide it from the camera; instead, he openly placed the paper in front of him beneath it.
He cast his vote for Wen He and left the lounge without another word.
[Wei Xun and Zhang Shengsheng will definitely pick each other!]
[I think so too!]
The bullet comments guessed correctly. Those two did choose each other. Their situation could be called the clearest in the house right now, but that didn't mean anything was settled.
There was still plenty of time, and newcomers would definitely shake things up in the future.
Zhou Siyu went last. He didn't actually have anyone he wanted to vote for. If he had to choose someone, he still leaned more toward Lawyer Jiang.
He slipped the envelope in his hand into the mailbox and silently prayed that tomorrow's date wouldn't be Demon Dragon.
Once the voting segment ended, the day's livestream also drew to a close.
Today was another wonderful day. Wen He closed his eyes, replaying the day's events over and over in his mind.
It was a habit of his. He liked to recall everything that had happened that day before going to sleep, then review it.
Wen He was often a beat slow to react, so sometimes he didn't realize when he had done something wrong. That was why he reviewed things every night. If he discovered that something he'd said that day was inappropriate, he wouldn't say it again.
Or he would put it more tactfully.
With his eyes closed, his thoughts gradually drifted. "I still have to work on my drawings tomorrow..." he murmured, finally falling asleep.
On the other side of the room, Ji Chi looked at the long string of messages his friend had sent and patiently replied with a single "."
Then he opened the chat with the contact saved as "Little Wooden Head."
J: Asleep yet?
Three minutes passed without a reply.
J: Looks like you're asleep.
Putting his phone away, Ji Chi grew bored and began watching the video Quan Chongnian had sent him.
In the video, a little white bichon frise was hugging an enormous chew stick and gnawing on it.
Its clumsy manner inevitably reminded him of Wen He, who often looked just as dazed.
He exited the chat and invited his friend to play games.
Time flew by.
Wen He had a dream... He seemed to have been dreaming every day lately, and the things in his dreams really did happen during the day.
He closed his eyes, his long lashes trembling against his lower eyelids, and began sorting through his thoughts.
The original male lead from today's dream was about to appear... He would go on a date with the protagonist shou, and Ji Chi, who had already been on one date, would get jealous when the two returned all smiles...
So that was how it was? But... wasn't this a dream?
He had already put the medicine bottle on his nightstand away in his suitcase.
The side effects seemed pretty strong. Why was he dreaming every day...?
Wen He lay back down beneath the warm covers. The air conditioner was still blowing cold air with a steady whoosh.
This summer would be a happy one.
He could use the air conditioner every night. He'd achieved air-conditioning freedom...
Coming on this show really had been the right decision.
After getting up and changing into one of the shirts from the five-piece set in his suitcase, he washed up and headed downstairs.
There was still hardly anyone on the first floor at eight. It was Sunday, so they were probably all sleeping in.
He went into the dining room and was about to pour himself a glass of milk when he noticed a breakfast already laid out on the kitchen counter.
Someone must have made a loving breakfast for someone else, Wen He thought as he drank his milk.
Soon, a sound came from the entryway. He turned to look at Lawyer Jiang approaching with the light behind him and raised a hand in greeting.
"Good morning, Lawyer Jiang."
Jiang Ye nodded at him. "Why haven't you had breakfast?"
Wen He was a little confused, but still answered obediently, "I'll make it in a bit."
"I meant the breakfast on the counter. I made it for you."
Wen He stared in astonishment at the fried egg and slice of toast spread with sauce on the plate. "For me?" he asked blankly.
Jiang Ye smiled and nodded, explaining, "Yes. When I got up early, I figured you'd probably have breakfast around this time, so I made yours while I was at it."
Afraid Wen He would read too much into it, but also afraid he wouldn't, Jiang Ye had added "while I was at it."
Wen He nodded and carried the plate to the dining table. "Thank you..."
He hadn't expected to get breakfast too. Wasn't a background character supposed to go unnoticed?
Jiang Ye had fried the egg well, golden on both sides, with a crisp exterior but a still-runny yolk.
Seeing that Wen He had started eating breakfast, Jiang Ye went upstairs to shower.
[Lawyer Jiang definitely has feelings for Xiao He.]
[Anyone with eyes can see that, okay?]
[The perk of getting up early is free breakfast.]