Liu Tianxian quietly took a bite of her breakfast, then suddenly paused and looked at Liu Lang sitting beside her.
“Don’t get the wrong idea. You gave me that song yesterday and helped me get the scenic third-floor room. That’s why I made extra food—to say thanks.”
“Got it,” Liu Lang nodded, still munching away. “How did you know I like this combo—fried flatbread rolled with vegetables and soy milk?”
“Duh! It was in your intro clip, uh…” Liu Tianxian froze, her face subtly flushing red.
“(￣.￣)” Liu Lang stared.
“No! Mainly… I like eating this!” Liu Tianxian quickly corrected herself, putting on a serious face.
Pfft! Yang Mi, sitting nearby, couldn’t help laughing:
“Impressive! Heavy flavors first thing in the morning? Not worried about body management?”
“Mind your business! Can’t I even eat in peace?” Liu Tianxian shot her a glare.
“?乛?乛?” Yang Mi feigned innocence.
The livestream chat instantly exploded with reactions to the scene.
…
While eating, Liu Lang suddenly paused, looking thoughtful.
“This won’t do,” he said seriously as he put down his chopsticks.
“??” The three women froze.
“I did so much for you yesterday, and you think just one meal is enough to repay me? That doesn’t add up.”
“(?_?)” Liu Tianxian bit down on the end of her chopsticks. “So what do you want?”
“Well, shouldn’t it be a few nights of staying and a few days of meals?” Liu Lang said confidently.
“You want me as your servant?”
“Nope. Teammate.”
“…,” Liu Tianxian was slightly taken aback. A sparkle flashed in her eyes, and then the corners of her mouth lifted. “Sure!”
“Really?” Liu Lang was a bit surprised himself.
“But I’m not cooking for free. Write me a song in return—one I can sing,” Liu Tianxian smiled, eyes slightly curved.
“Deal!” Liu Lang agreed.
Seeing this, Yang Mi suddenly put down her chopsticks:
“Then I want in too!”
“Buzz off! This has nothing to do with you!” Liu Tianxian retorted.
“I’m a teammate too! Plus, I can ‘accidentally’ cook more food while I’m at it,” Yang Mi chuckled.
“(?_?)” Liu Tianxian twitched.
At that moment, Liu Lang turned to Yang Mi in surprise:
“Wait… are we even on the same team? When did that happen?”
Pfft! Liu Tianxian instantly brightened up.
Yang Mi’s face fell. She turned to glare at Liu Lang, teeth grinding audibly:
“You jerk! I helped you close that big deal last night and spent all that money—and this is how you treat me!?”
“Uh…” Liu Lang was at a loss for words.
She had a point.
So, the four of them formally confirmed their team formation, and also agreed on a schedule for Liu Tianxian and the others to help with cooking.
The livestream chat exploded again:
“This guy is shameless! Forcing Tianxian and MiMi to cook for him every day?!”
“Too brazen! Replace him with me, please!!”
“As if! Liu Lang traded songs for meals! Can you write something like ‘Love Flight Diary’?”
“Exactly! That song blew up yesterday. Both the show and Koala Lovers bought the rights. The licensing fees alone are probably tens of thousands. Cooking for him every day isn’t a loss at all.”
“Tens of thousands? LOL… word is, just from the show, they paid over a million!”
“What?! For real?!”
“No way, right? He’s a rookie!”
The chat was stunned. Most people expressed skepticism—about whether it was worth it, or if the news was even true.
…
After breakfast, the production team called everyone to gather in the garden.
To everyone’s surprise, a new handsome face appeared on set.
Director Wang smiled and introduced:
“Due to special circumstances, Zhang Haoliang has withdrawn from the show. But we’re welcoming a new guest. Please give a warm welcome to Chai Yukun!”
Clap clap clap!
Everyone clapped politely.
Chai Yukun had debuted in South Korea as part of a singing-dancing group. Since returning to China, he’d gained decent popularity.
So even without much of an intro, everyone basically knew who he was.
Chai Yukun struck a cool finger-gun pose:
“Hi everyone! Looking forward to working with you!”
The other guests smiled but didn’t say much.
In the livestream, the chat was already flooding with reactions:
“Wow! KunKun is so handsome!”
“Didn’t expect him to join—this season’s getting better and better!”
“Right? He’s a prince of pop and dance! Super excited for what’s next.”
“Tch! No overalls or basketball? Lame!!”
“Come on! What, you want him to bust out ‘Chick you are so beautiful’ right away? MiMi would beat him up on the spot!”
“LOL! Get lost!!”
The livestream was lit.
However, one of the guests didn’t look too thrilled—Yu Shuxi looked visibly startled when she saw Chai Yukun. She quickly raised her hand:
“Director Wang, can I ask something?”
“What is it?”
“Will there be more male guests joining soon?”
“Of course. When new female guests arrive, male ones will be added too.”
“Oh…” Yu Shuxi let out a small breath of relief.
Then she turned to glance between Shi Mingyi and Liu Lang, deep in thought.
…
Once questions were done, Director Wang turned off the live feed and explained:
“Since everyone’s here, let me brief you on today’s task…”
After listening, Liu Lang was quite surprised.
They were being asked to help harvest apples and then assist in promoting them at a trade fair.
There happened to be an international expo in Yunhai City, featuring local specialties and agricultural products.
The goal was to find business opportunities and increase market exposure.
Apples weren’t a local highlight—only recently introduced—so they’d likely end up in some far corner of the venue.
Still, the crew emphasized that guests should dress modestly to avoid revealing their identities and attracting unnecessary attention.
Of course, this was a dating show—not a survival one. The real purpose wasn’t selling apples, but encouraging collaboration and interaction between guests, building chemistry, and earning points and money.
When the briefing ended, the livestream resumed.
Team pairings suddenly became very important.
Chai Yukun, being new, didn’t know the lay of the land yet. He immediately walked over to Yang Mi:
“Mi-jie, long time no see!”
“Not really. Just three months,” Yang Mi smiled.
The two had attended an event together before, where fans had gone crazy over their interactions—calling each other “jie” and “ge” (sister and brother), and showing friendly closeness.
“Still, seeing you again is fate. Shouldn’t we team up?” Chai Yukun shot her a charming wink.
“Well…” Yang Mi looked a bit awkward.
Two seconds later, as if hearing the sweet call of money, her expression turned serious and she politely declined:
“Sorry, we’re already teamed up. Our team’s full.”
“??” Chai Yukun was stunned.
Nearby, Reba couldn’t help but snicker.
Then she formally introduced their team of four.
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