Chapter 5

“My dream is to become Lu Yumian's Second-in-Command!”

Fine.

Whatever.

I had nothing left to say. I waved a hand and walked off.

It wasn't my face he'd made a fool of, anyway.

Not worth arguing.

The comments were in stitches.

【Second-in-Command? Shen Qi'an, go stir-fry a couple of dishes for me!】

【In Lu-jie's interview, she spoke like she was borrowing her mouth and had to return it in a hurry. She ran off so fast and still couldn't stop Shen Qi'an from running his mouth!】

【He's so devoted, I'm impressed.】

【Just a passerby here. Is it really that hard to call her “wife”?】

【Now we know why Shen Qi'an, despite having that face, is still Fifth. Lu Yumian really thinks he's embarrassing.】

12

Today's activity was the show's “Loving Kitchen.”

With a measly twenty yuan, we had to buy ingredients and make our own lunch.

Put more elegantly, we were to cook a meal for the person we loved most.

Personally, I thought the production team just wanted to save money.

Before we set out, a problem arose with the groups. We were supposed to have three men and three women.

After Shen Qi'an forced his way in, we had four men and three women.

How were we supposed to divide that?

Before the director could say a word, Shen Qi'an and Xie Sinian each grabbed one of my arms and refused to let go.

The two men, both over 1.8 meters tall, stood on either side of me like a pair of door gods.

“Are you two going to hoist me up and carry me away or what?!”

I couldn't take it anymore. I punched each of them once.

And just like that, our three-person group was formed.

The budget didn't go up by a single cent.

As soon as we entered the supermarket, Xie Sinian started ranting.

“The most important thing for a man is to run a frugal household.
A man who can't cook isn't much of a man!
A man who can cook will make a woman's soul follow him! A man who likes doing the dishes will call you ‘baby’!”

He talked until Shen Qi'an nearly buried his head in the ground.

“Mianmian, I love doing the dishes. And even though I can't cook many dishes, I'll enroll in cooking school as soon as I get home.”

…That wasn't necessary.

As it turned out, Shen Qi'an could cook a little. I could cook a tiny little bit.

Xie Sinian couldn't cook at all!

“You were shouting so loudly earlier—how come you can't do it?”

After Xie Sinian turned a few eggs into charcoal, I angrily kicked him out of the kitchen.

“Just wait. I'll have Mom deal with you when we get home.”

When I returned to the kitchen, Shen Qi'an, who'd been fine a moment earlier, suddenly fell apart.

He turned away and let out a heavy breath, as if trying to hold back tears. After a long while, he looked back at me.

“Mianmian, have you two already met each other's parents?”

Uh…

How had he managed to interpret it that way?

I guiltily looked away.

How was I supposed to answer?

Xie Sinian had met my parents long before I was even born.

I tried to play dumb. “Well, our moms see each other every day, and our dads work at the same company…”

Shen Qi'an nodded, his eyes lowered.

He looked utterly dejected.

“I understand. I'm so jealous of him. If only I'd met you a little sooner.”

I froze. The feeling was strange.

A sour ache tightened in my chest.

I think… I was starting to feel bad for him.

I glanced out of the kitchen. Xie Sinian was still watching a video tutorial on how to fry eggs, looking completely bewildered.

My heart suddenly raced.

I pulled Shen Qi'an into a blind spot where my brother couldn't see us, grabbed him by the collar, and kissed him.

It was only a brief touch, but I still blushed uncontrollably.

I tried to sound calm. “There. Go chop the vegetables.”

Shen Qi'an stood frozen, rubbing his face as if he were a machine. After a moment, he let out a low laugh.

“Okay.”

13

With only a few days of filming left, the show's activities began to wind down.

That left us more time for one-on-one moments with the people we liked.

During the previous free periods, my brother and I had happily gone back to our room and sprawled around all day.

I planned to do the same this time.

A bed! Always soft and warm!

A bed! It never turns you away!

Just as I was about to slip into my room, I jumped at the sight of Shen Qi'an crouching outside the door.

“What are you doing here?”

He hesitated. “I was worried someone might steal you, so I came to keep watch early. I didn't expect you not to be in your room…”

I was speechless. I pushed him inside and casually locked the door.

“Since you're here, take it off.”

“Again?” Shen Qi'an frowned. “Isn't this moving a little fast?”

“It's not the first time you've taken it off. What are you shy about now?”

I couldn't understand him.

After hesitating, Shen Qi'an undid a few buttons.

“Are you like this with Xie Sinian, too?”

“No. I'm only like this with you.”

“But couples usually start with holding hands. Mianmian, I don't think you cherish me at all. You told me to take my clothes off as soon as we met, even though you used to like me so much.”

Shen Qi'an stopped undoing his buttons, looking aggrieved.

“Is it because I'm the mistress who can't be seen?”

I had no idea what else he'd imagined.

I decided to soothe him.

“Fine. What do you want me to do?”

“Take it slowly. For example—let's start by kissing.”

14

Most of Shen Qi'an's body was swallowed by shadow. A little sunlight slipped in and fell across his deep, dark eyes.

Like the moon submerged at the bottom of a lake.

An alluring silence.