This chapter is brought to you by Grace, thanks for the ko-fi! (°૩°)৴♡* ৹
Jiang Mo and Chi Yu didn’t continue wandering around in the vicinity in the afternoon. Instead, they sat outside the milk tea shop and played video games for a few hours until evening. They didn’t return to their cottage. When going out on a date, it’s natural to have dinner outside. After Chi Yu asked Jiang Mo’s opinion, they decided to have hot pot.
Having left the gaming world, Jiang Mo returned to his silent and reserved state. Chi Yu didn’t find the lack of communication awkward; in fact, he preferred this kind of situation.
He himself was not a talkative person. With a busy work schedule, during his rest time, he chose to isolate himself in an environment where there was no one. As long as no one disturbed him, he didn’t mind the sound of the wind and rain outside the window, nor did he mind a playful little cat stepping on him, seeking his attention.
Jiang Mo’s quietness was exactly what he liked.
Strictly speaking, Jiang Mo was a person. Although Jiang Mo didn’t speak, he would occasionally look at him. In the past, this kind of gaze would have caused him trouble.
But Jiang Mo’s gaze was too pure. When he looked at you from bottom to top, your heart would soften instantly. When he remembered Jiang Mo saying that he liked him, Chi Yu’s heartbeat suddenly accelerated more than usual.
[“They don’t really have sparks in their relationship. On the other hand, Mr. Shen and Jiang Ying have more sparks than them.”]
[“But I think they are very warm. Although it’s a dating show, they can’t just jump into it, right? I think their interaction is very realistic.”]
[“I almost fainted when they were playing games!”]
“This is not bad.” Chi Yu picked up the cooked shrimp paste, put it in a clean bowl, and handed it to Jiang Mo.
Jiang Mo was pleasantly surprised and nervously licked his lips. He whispered, “Th-thank you.”
Through the rising steam, Chi Yu’s gaze was fixed on Jiang Mo’s reddened face from the heat. When Jiang Mo said thank you, the corners of his mouth pulled back slightly as if he was smiling at him.
With slightly curved almond-shaped eyes, Jiang Mo had large pupils that were pure black without any impurities, capable of enlarging several times with just a hint of light.
In a trance, Chi Yu discovered that Jiang Mo’s eyes were shining when he looked at him.
Compared to movies, Jiang Mo liked him more.
Lu Xuan drew Li Heng’s box. Li Heng appeared to be a rough person, but he had a particularly delicate mind, and the dating experience he provided to Lu Xuan was excellent.
When Lu Xuan and Li Heng returned to the cottage, Ye Lin and Lou An had already come back. They were in the kitchen preparing dinner.
Ye Lin had made a mistake in his calculation. The box he saw last night did not belong to Shen An. Shen An went out with Lou An to buy something, and Lou An had left that box in Shen An’s room and forgot to bring it. Ye Lin rushed to the meeting place and saw Lou An, which resulted in a memorable scene. He was the first one whose face contorted upon seeing a date guest who wasn’t his preferred choice.
It was no secret that Ye Lin liked Shen An. He had come on this show because of Shen An. He had never thought about whether his pursuit would cause trouble for others; he only cared about the final result.
During the date with Lou An, although Ye Lin didn’t continue to put on a sour face, the audience could still tell that his thoughts were not fully engaged in this date.
#DeepAffectionForYeLin#
This hashtag trended and remained in the top ten all afternoon.
Someone exposed that Ye Lin had liked Shen An for many years and that he often appeared around Shen An to get closer to him. However, his persistence didn’t earn him Shen An’s attention.
Many viewers were touched by his deep affection, and many hoped that Shen An would turn around and look at Ye Lin, and ultimately, they would hold hands.
Lu Xuan and Li Heng returned after having dinner. They sat in the dining room and chatted with Ye Lin and the others. After a short while, Jiang Ying and Shen An also returned.
Today’s date seemed to be quite successful. Jiang Ying had a smile on his face when he returned. Although his gaze had been on Li Heng yesterday, today he simply greeted Li Heng briefly and continued the unfinished conversation with Shen An.
Ye Lin watched from the kitchen, unable to wash the vegetables in his hands.
“I’m so hungry. I have no energy left.”
After saying that, Ye Lin didn’t wait for Lou An’s response and left the kitchen. He sat down between Shen An and Jiang Ying.
[“Is the showdown coming? I love watching a showdown!”]
[“Based on their looks, I really think Shen An and Ye Lin are more suitable for each other. Besides, Ye Lin has liked Shen An for so many years. I won’t accept it if they don’t have a happy ending!”]
[“But Jiang Ying is very interesting. Shen An seems to be smiling more when he’s with him. Isn’t the important thing about their relationship whether they get along well?”]
[“That’s a bit difficult. Don’t you guys ask for Master Shen opinion? Maybe Shen An doesn’t like either of them, perhaps he would like Lu Xuan or Jiang Mo.”]
[“Forget about Jiang Mo, but Lu Xuan might have a chance. Haven’t you noticed that Lu Xuan matches well with anyone he’s with? He’s really gentle.”]
To the disappointment of the audience, there was no intense conflict, but there were sparks.
Ye Lin’s fiery gaze was captivating, but he didn’t interrupt Shen An and Jiang Ying’s conversation.
He reached for an orange from the fruit plate and started eating it, as if he was sitting here just to grab an orange from the plate because he was extremely hungry.
Two people beside stopped talking, and only then did he start a conversation with the person next to him, Jiang Ying. Jiang Ying was taken by him and didn’t speak to Shen An anymore.
“When I came back, I heard the staff say that a new guest arrived,” Jiang Ying said.
As soon as she said this, it immediately piqued everyone’s interest.
“Who is the new guest?”
Jiang Ying shook her head. “I don’t know, but I heard that he went out on a date with Jiang Mo.”
Originally, Lu Xuan had gone to help Luo An in the kitchen after seeing that Luo An was left alone by Ye Lin.
Upon hearing Jiang Ying’s words, Lu Xuan’s smile faded slightly. He handed the cut vegetables to Luo An, receiving a grateful look from him.
Lu Xuan received a signal that even after spending a day with Ye Lin, Luo An’s heart still belonged to him.
“Is there anything else I need to prepare?” Lu Xuan’s voice was gentle.
“Help me get some pickled vegetables,” Luo An said, though there were other dishes that needed washing, he didn’t intend to let Lu Xuan do it.
Lu Xuan opened the refrigerator, which was originally empty but now filled with a yellow box.
“You bought a cake too,” Lu Xuan took out the pickled vegetable jar and handed it to Luo An, casually asking.
Luo An asked, “What cake?”
Lu Xuan said, “Isn’t the cake in the fridge yours?”
Luo An replied, “No.”
If it wasn’t Luo An and Ye Lin’s, then it couldn’t have been Jiang Ying and Shen An’s, so the only possibility was Chi Yu or Jiang Mo.
Lu Xuan had seen the logo on the cake box before; it was from a famous cake shop in City B. This cake was brought by Chi Yu, could it be a gift for Jiang Mo?
If Jiang Mo had gone out to choose a gift in the morning, then he would have met Chi Yu, and today Chi Yu’s date partner would be him.
The thought of the opportunity being taken away by Jiang Mo made Lu Xuan feel suffocated. Jiang Mo had taken away 19 years of his life, so why did Jiang Mo still want to take away his chances?
Feeling uncomfortable, Lu Xuan still wore a smile on his face. He casually asked Ye Lin in the restaurant, “Ye Lin, did you buy a cake when you came back?”
Ye Lin looked up and looked in the direction Lu Xuan was pointing.
“I didn’t buy it.”
“Then whose is it? I didn’t have it before I left this morning.”
Ye Lin said, “Isn’t it obvious? It must be a gift brought by the new guest.”
“This cake is super delicious, and it’s only sold in City B. Who has been in City B recently?” Jiang Ying walked up to the fridge, examining the box’s appearance. His focus was still on the new guest.
Luo An was cooking too slowly, and Ye Lin was already hungry, so upon hearing that it was from a certain shop, he also got up.
“Let’s divide it now.”
Ye Lin was impulsive, and Lu Xuan guessed it right. He hesitated, saying, “Isn’t it inappropriate? No one said it was meant for us.”
Ye Lin replied, “This cake is ten inches, can one person finish it? It’s definitely a gift for us as a meeting present. Besides, we’ll all eat it now or later, what’s the difference?”
Ye Lin directly took out the cake from the refrigerator and opened the box without waiting for others’ opinions.
“Strawberry cake, I love it,” Ye Lin said contentedly.
[“Isn’t Ye Lin a bit impolite? This cake was a gift from Chi Yu to Jiang Mo, but he didn’t even ask and just ate it?”]
[“Ye Lin doesn’t know, whoever sees this and thinks about the new guest’s arrival will assume it’s a meeting gift for us!”]
[“Ye Lin is right. It’s such a big cake, how can Jiang Mo finish it alone? It will definitely be shared among everyone in the end.”]
[“It’s just a cake, why be so stingy?”]
Jiang Mo and Chi Yu returned and saw that the lights were on in the restaurant.
“They should be in the restaurant,” Jiang Mo said.
While eating hot pot, Chi Yu mostly helped Jiang Mo pick up food, and his white shirt got stained with red oil splatters.
“I’ll go to the room and change clothes first,” Chi Yu said. “Do you want to come with me?”
Jiang Mo blushed and stuttered, “No, no…”
Chi Yu smiled and said, “I’m asking if you want to come upstairs with me.”
“I-I know what you mean…” Jiang Mo’s face grew even redder. He lowered his head, unable to look at Chi Yu.
With Chi Yu’s comment, their conversation took on a different tone, somewhat unsuitable for children.
In a gentle voice, Chi Yu said, “I’ll be right back.”
“Mhmm.” Jiang Mo nodded.
So obedient.
Chi Yu resisted the urge to ruffle Jiang Mo’s hair, turned around, and went upstairs.
“Jiang Mo.” Shen An got up to pour water and saw Jiang Mo standing in the yard through the transparent glass. He pushed open the restaurant door and called out to Jiang Mo, “What are you doing standing here?”
“I…” Jiang Mo thought for a moment but didn’t mention that he was waiting for Chi Yu.
The production team definitely wouldn’t want him to mention Chi Yu’s name. After keeping it a secret for so long, it wouldn’t be interesting if it was revealed so easily.
Seeing Shen An still puzzled, Jiang Mo walked over and whispered, “N-Nothing.”
Suddenly, Shen An asked, “How was your date today?”
Jiang Mo looked up, surprised. “How did you know?”
Shen An replied, “Everyone knows.”
Jiang Mo responded with an “Oh.”
“Jiang Mo, who did you go on a date with?” Ye Lin, seeing Shen An talking to Jiang Mo, came out unhappily, holding the cake.
Jiang Mo’s gaze fell on the cake in Ye Lin’s hands—the familiar pink cream and the large strawberries on the cake were eye-catching.
He didn’t know if it was a coincidence, but the gift Chi Yu gave him was a strawberry cake, just like what CY had mentioned, a cake only available in City B.
Jiang Mo’s curiosity about the cake was instantly dispersed by the temptation of the strawberries. He was afraid the cake would go bad, so he put it in the fridge, planning to eat it later in the evening.
This was the gift Chi Yu gave him.
“You ate the cake from the yellow box in the fridge?” Jiang Mo’s tone was slow, and his voice was unusually low and cold.
Ye Lin said, “Yes, it’s the welcome gift from the new guest.”
Jiang Mo said, “It’s mine.”
Ye Lin asked, “What?”
Jiang Mo repeated, “It’s the one he gave me.”
Jiang Mo dared to speak to Shen An, but he actually dared to be fierce with him?
Ye Lin suddenly felt that the cream in his mouth lost its taste. Annoyed, he said, “We didn’t know.”
Lu Xuan and Luo An in the kitchen heard the commotion and came out. Li Heng and Jiang Ying were sitting in their chairs without saying anything, and Jiang Mo became the focus of everyone’s attention.
“Jiang Mo, don’t be angry. We really didn’t know, we’re sorry. How about we compensate you with another cake? Is that okay?” Lu Xuan walked up to Jiang Mo’s side, patting his shoulder in consolation.
Jiang Mo stepped back, avoiding Lu Xuan’s hand.
Seeing Jiang Mo’s reaction, Ye Lin rolled his eyes. “Lu Xuan, don’t apologize to him. He doesn’t appreciate it.”
Jiang Mo clenched his lips tightly, emphasizing once again, “It’s mine.”
“If we said we didn’t know, why are you so petty? It’s just a cake. We can compensate you with a few more. When we cook the food, have we said anything to you? Who are you putting on a show for?” Ye Lin said, throwing the unfinished cake in the trash.
He had never seen someone as brainless as Jiang Mo. Didn’t he know how to pretend in front of the camera? It’s just a cake, why make such a fuss?
Jiang Mo’s eyes turned red, staring at the remaining one-third of the cake on the table, waves of familiar grievances welling up inside him.
If it’s not his, he won’t touch it. If it’s his, then it’s his.
He just didn’t like to share.
How rude to eat someone else’s cake