The tomatoes were chopped into small pieces, and two eggs were beaten in a bowl. With the pan and oil heated, the eggs were poured in. Once scrambled, they were set aside. The tomato pieces were then stir-fried until they released their juices, followed by an appropriate amount of water and slices of honey-glazed sausage. When the water started boiling, the noodles were added.
Wan Tong placed the lid on the pot and turned to look at Chu Yuanxun.
Ever since coming downstairs and gulping down two glasses of water, he had been standing nearby, his gaze following her movements as if surprised by her way of cooking noodles.
Seeing Wan Tong glance over, he nudged the glass in front of him. “Want some water?”
“Mm.” She nodded.
Chu Yuanxun poured her a full glass. Then, as if something crossed his mind, he picked up the cup, poured out a third of the water, and placed it back down.
Wan Tong noticed his actions from the corner of her eye and glanced at him in surprise, teasing, “You finally know how to pour water properly.”
Chu Yuanxun raised an eyebrow slightly, his thin lips curving into a proud smirk.
The filming director was busy in the background, doing his best to minimize his presence, but in such an atmosphere, he was still like a walking third wheel.
“Do you want scallions?” Wan Tong asked.
Chu Yuanxun nodded. “Yes.”
“Okay.” His taste seemed to align with hers.
Wan Tong added the scrambled eggs and vegetables. Once the dish was nearly done, she plated the noodles and sprinkled some chopped scallions on top.
The bowl of tomato-based broth emitted a rich, delicious aroma, making Wan Tong’s appetite surge. It had been a long time since she last cooked noodles for herself.
The two quickly finished their meal. Chu Yuanxun, without being asked, went to wash the dishes, while Wan Tong was quietly pulled aside by Zheng Tianqiong.
“Uncle?”
Zheng Tianqiong, who had been staying up late frequently, looked exhausted. His once-handsome face was now covered with scruff, resembling the disheveled yet attractive middle-aged men in TV dramas.
“Tongtong, listen,” he began. “I brought you onto this show to let you relax and interact with people more, but you mustn’t fall for these men’s tricks too easily…”
He glanced at her expression as he spoke.
He had hoped she’d be as oblivious as she was last season—so clueless that she never realized when male contestants were flirting with her.
But the situation now was clearly different. Either Chu Yuanxun was a complete blockhead, or he was an expert at charming women.
The moment Wan Tong arrived, she had written him a letter and even wanted to continue going on dates with him. She was obviously being drawn in.
“Who’s tricking me?” Wan Tong knew what he was worried about, but she had come on this show specifically to flirt with the boss.
Zheng Tianqiong was at a loss for words. He stole a glance at the figure in the kitchen and hesitated.
“Uncle, I’ll head back now, okay?”
Looking into Wan Tong’s bright, gleaming eyes, Zheng Tianqiong felt a wave of dread. “…Alright. Just be careful, Tongtong.”
Though even he wasn’t sure what exactly she needed to be careful about.
He just had this sinking feeling, as if he had sent her into a wolf’s den—on his own show, no less.
He had agreed to let her join Season 2, but she had to withdraw due to health reasons. Later, when she wanted to rejoin as a surprise contestant, he refused, worried it would attract negative attention.
But Tongtong had always been his precious little girl. The moment she teared up, he booked her a plane ticket immediately…
By the time she returned, Chu Yuanxun had already washed all the dishes and was leaning against the counter, waiting for her. His gaze briefly swept past her to Zheng Tianqiong’s direction, but he didn’t ask anything.
The two walked upstairs together.
The girls’ rooms were on the second floor, while the boys’ rooms were on the third. As Wan Tong entered the hallway, she was surprised to see Zhong Jiaqi there.
He approached her somewhat hesitantly and asked in a low voice, “Jian, are you free tomorrow?”
In the house, everyone liked calling her ‘Jian,’ though Chu Yuanxun had never used her name.
“Tomorrow…”
Before Wan Tong could respond, footsteps sounded behind her, and the hallway’s motion-sensor lights flicked on.
Chu Yuanxun peeked out, his dark eyes fixed on them. “Are you two hiding something from me?”
“…” Wan Tong was speechless. Under his scrutinizing gaze, she oddly felt like she’d been caught cheating.
Zhong Jiaqi’s mouth twitched as he sighed with a wry smile. “A’Xun, I’ll be honest with you. I asked Jian out for a date tomorrow, but she hasn’t given me an answer yet.”
Chu Yuanxun stepped closer, shoving his hands into his pockets. Casually, he said, “Then you’re out of luck. She’s going out with me tomorrow, for hot pot.”
Zhong Jiaqi : “…”
Wan Tong: “…”
“What about the day after?” Zhong Jiaqi wasn’t ready to back down and looked at Wan Tong for another time slot.
Chu Yuanxun also turned to her, his gaze locking onto hers.
Wan Tong felt no pressure at all. “The day after is fine.”
Zhong Jiaqi glanced at Chu Yuanxun. “Alright, then save some time for me.”
Wan Tong nodded.
Chu Yuanxun seemed like he wanted to say something, but Zhong Jiaqi dragged him away. “You can talk tomorrow. It’s late, and girls need to rest early.”
Wan Tong waved at them with a smile before heading back to her room.
Inside, all three girls were already lying in bed, but none of them were asleep. The moment Wan Tong entered, they pulled her into their conversation.
They cautiously tested the waters, probing each other’s thoughts.
“I think Chu Yuanxun is very interesting,” Wan Tong said.
The room instantly fell silent.
Everyone here knew Chu Yuanxun was interesting. But among all the girls, only Yuan Qingqing and Jian Wan Tong had managed to catch his attention.
Based on today’s events, Jian Wantong’s chances of winning him over seemed higher.
“So… are you still going on a date with him tomorrow?” Maddie asked.
According to the show’s rules, the surprise female guest could still pick one male contestant to get to know better. She had been gone for quite a while earlier—surely, she had gone to find Chu Yuanxun?
“Mm, we’re having hotpot,” Wantong replied.
At the mention of hotpot, the three other girls collectively fell silent again.
Wan Tong found it a bit strange. As she climbed into bed, she asked again, “Is there a problem?”
“We all had hotpot together when we first arrived…” Maddie was about to explain but was cut off by Yuan Qingqing.
She let out a playful laugh and said, “Jian, you’ll see tomorrow how a straight guy eats hotpot.”
Ren Jiameng remained silent the entire time, lost in thought, seemingly weighed down by something.
The conversation ended there, and everyone went to sleep, each with their own thoughts.
Early the next morning, Wan Tong woke up, only to find that Chu Yuanxun was up even earlier and had already prepared breakfast.
A simple meal of pancakes and freshly squeezed juice, just enough for two.
Yuan Qingqing got up with Wan Tong, so she came downstairs only half a minute later than her.
Seeing the man and woman sitting face to face at the dining table, Yuan Qingqing felt an inexplicable frustration building up inside her, wanting to vent but having no outlet.
“Why are you guys up so early?”
“We’re heading out later,” Wan Tong answered openly. “You’re up early too, going somewhere?”
It was actually almost nine o’clock, not that early.
Since Wan Tong had put it that way, Yuan Qingqing naturally had to go along with it. She nodded and said, “Yeah, I’ve got something to do. I’ll head out first.”
Wan Tong noticed the disappointment on her face but didn’t say anything. Wan Tong didn’t really believe she was genuinely upset—she was probably just putting on a show for the audience.
After all, the production team needed this kind of drama.
Opposite her, Chu Yuanxun hadn’t lifted his head the entire time. Wan Tong kept glancing at him as he ate, his dining manners were elegant and refined.
She shook her head with a smile.
Looking at him now, she really couldn’t tell that he had grown up as a poor kid from a small mountain village. Maybe some things were just ingrained in one’s bones.
As she was lost in thought, Chu Yuanxun slightly raised his head, his deep black eyes locking onto her.
“Am I more delicious than the pancakes?” His low voice was sexy and a little teasing.
Wan Tong cleared her throat, quickly lowering her gaze. She mumbled, “You’ve got something on your face.”
“What?” Chu Yuanxun instinctively reached up to touch his cheek.
Wan Tong still didn’t look up. “A little bit of handsomeness.”
“…”
After two seconds of silence, Chu Yuanxun let out a soft chuckle. “Who taught you that?”
Wan Tong, hearing his pleasant laughter, looked up and couldn’t help but smile. “I saw it online before.”
“Send it to me later.”
“Okay.”
Monitoring room : “…”
The young female directors tried to calm their racing hearts. Under Zheng Tianqiong’s darkened expression, they got up and walked out.
As soon as the door closed, the group of women hugged each other excitedly.
“Ahhh! This is the first time I’ve ever shipped the wrong CP and still found it so sweet! XunYuan is officially over, I’m shipping XunJian from today!”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Xiao Chu smile like that. And he can cook?!”
“Wan Tong seems to be bringing out a whole new side of him!”
Just then, the door suddenly opened. The voices of the female directors instantly fell silent as they stood up straight and greeted awkwardly, “Director Zheng…”
Zheng Tianqiong glanced at them, then turned to leave, pulling out a cigarette as he walked down the hallway.
The female directors shoved each other back into the monitoring room. A moment later, a young assistant came in, speaking in a hushed voice, “Director Zheng is squatting in the corner smoking again. He looks really troubled. Honestly, Xiao Chu isn’t bad, why does he look like he just lost something precious?”
“You don’t get it,” one of the directors explained. “Not all of Jian’s background has been revealed. Her family is basically full of national-level artists. She’s their only precious child, and she’s never dated before. Apparently, they let her join the show just to help her interact with the outside world more. But at the same time, they’re super worried about all the wolves out there. So of course, they’re keeping a close watch.”
In the first season, Jian Wantong didn’t get much screen time. But somehow, all the male contestants were drawn to her. So in the final episode, when she rejected the male contestants, some CP fans couldn’t handle it and turned against her.
Director Zheng had blamed himself for that situation.
This season, it felt like Jian Wantong was going to attract controversy again…
After all, her presence always seemed to stir things up.
By the time Zheng Tianqiong returned, Wan Tong and Chu Yuanxun had already left.
He sat in the monitoring room, watching their entire day’s itinerary.
At the hotpot restaurant, Wan Tong paid close attention to Chu Yuanxun but didn’t notice anything unusual. Eventually, she dismissed Yuan Qingqing’s comment from the night before.
It wasn’t until evening that the two returned to the house.
The others were already preparing dinner.
Wan Tong pulled out a chair and sat down. Chu Yuanxun pulled out the seat beside her.
Yuan Qingqing circled around the table and sat directly across from Chu Yuanxun.
She found it odd. Weren’t they supposed to have had hotpot? Then why did the two of them seem so unaffected?
But she held back from asking. If she brought it up now, the final edit would only make her look petty.
Tonight’s dinner was Western-style, and Chen Ruohan gentlemanly poured wine for everyone.
When it was Wan Tong’s turn, Chu Yuanxun suddenly reached out to stop him. “She doesn’t drink.”
Wan Tong also gave Chen Ruohan a polite smile. “That’s right, I’m allergic to alcohol.”
“What a pity. This isn’t just any wine,” Chen Ruohan said with a smile.
“And yet, I’m only worthy of drinking plain water,” Wan Tong joked, drawing a small laugh from everyone.
Just as Chen Ruohan was about to fetch water for her, Chu Yuanxun stood up first, took her cup, and left the table.
A moment later, he returned with the cup filled to about seventy percent with orange juice.
“Xiao Chu, you’re not as much of a straight guy as I thought,” Maddie teased.
Chu Yuanxun lifted his gaze and gave her a look. “What’s a straight guy?”
Everyone laughed along, and Chu Yuanxun turned to Wan Tong with a puzzled expression.
She leaned in and whispered an explanation to him.
Her soft, breathy voice slipped into his ear, sending a current straight from his ear to his heart.
“It tickles.” He instinctively covered his ear, his voice barely audible, but Wan Tong heard him clearly.
“…” She stared at the faint pink hue peeking through his fingers, her face instantly flushing red. She leaned back slightly and took a quiet sip of juice.
She had planned to flirt with the big boss, but somehow, it always ended up being him who flirted with her instead.
And as for Yuan Qingqing, she seemed like nothing more than a stranger in his eyes.
Before, Wan Tong had worried that Yuan Qingqing might win him over on the show. But now, it seemed that her concerns had been completely unnecessary.