Wu Qingyi was still a little groggy when someone woke her up. It wasn’t until she drank some hangover soup that she started to feel like herself again.
Feng Ningran asked gently, “Feeling any better, Qingyi?”
Wu Qingyi nodded. “Much better. Thanks for taking care of me.”
The memories from before she fell asleep came rushing back. She wasn’t the type to black out from drinking—she remembered everything. Her eyes drifted over to Ding Binbing, who was deliberately avoiding her gaze. Thinking back on what had happened, she felt a bit embarrassed. After glancing at him once more, she quickly looked away.
“Has dinner started?” she asked. “I can smell the food.”
“Yep, it’s ready,” Feng Ningran replied.
Wu Qingyi gave her a warm smile. “Let’s go, then.”
……
Yu Mo sat down next to Mu Fu. He leaned in and asked softly, “What’s wrong? Not hungry?” He had noticed her idly poking at her rice, barely touching it.
Mu Fu shook her head. “I just don’t have much of an appetite.”
“If you don’t feel like eating, don’t force yourself. If you get hungry later, I’ll make you something for a late-night snack.”
“Aww, you’re the best, A-Mo.” Mu Fu beamed instantly. With his reassurance, she didn’t bother pretending anymore and put her chopsticks down.
Now that she had nothing to do, she started observing the others. Wu Qingyi caught her eye first. Even though Wu Qingyi was awake, she still looked a little dazed from the alcohol. What surprised Mu Fu was how often Wu Qingyi kept glancing at Ding Binbing. But he, on the other hand, was completely avoiding her.
Mu Fu was curious—what had happened between the two of them during the afternoon drinking session? She snuck a glance at Xia Sihan, who didn’t seem to notice anything unusual. That made it even more interesting. Every day in this villa was full of surprises. There was always something unexpected going on.
Feng Ningran was her usual lively self, keeping the atmosphere cheerful. “You guys wouldn’t believe how hilarious Kangning was today,” she said with a laugh. “We went to the aquarium this morning, and when he tried to feed the fish, he almost fell right into the tank. It was so funny!”
Feng Ningran’s story immediately caught everyone’s attention.
Xia Sihan gasped, “That sounds dangerous! Kangning, are you okay?”
Xu Kangning chuckled. “I’m fine. It was just koi in the tank, and the water wasn’t deep.”
Xia Sihan patted her chest in exaggerated relief. “Still, it must’ve been terrifying.”
“What’s so terrifying about it?” Feng Ningran cut in. “The aquarium was fun! Too bad you didn’t get to go.” She never liked Xia Sihan’s overly delicate act.
With a tolerant smile, Xia Sihan replied, “Yes, I didn’t get the chance this time.” Her eyes flicked toward Ding Binbing, expecting him to step in, like he usually did. But he didn’t. He didn’t even look at her.
Instead, Rong Yongxin—who had been sitting nearby—offered, “If you want to go, Sihan, we can find a day to go together.”
“Sure,” she agreed with a polite smile. But as she accepted, she noticed Ding Binbing remained completely unfazed by her answer, unlike his usual self. That wasn’t like him at all. She furrowed her brows slightly, her thoughts starting to churn.
Then Feng Ningran asked casually, “So where did you two go today, Sihan?” Her tone was light, but her question was clearly meant to find out what Rong Yongxin and Xia Sihan had been up to.
Xia Sihan replied, “We just walked around the arcade nearby.”
“Oh, I want to go too! It’s been forever since I played there.” Feng Ningran’s eyes sparkled mischievously as she turned to Xu Kangning and said sweetly, “Kangning, let’s go there next time, okay?”
“We’ll see,” he replied vaguely. But Feng Ningran looked very pleased, taking it as a yes.
Across the table, Rong Yongxin hesitated for a second. He glanced briefly at Feng Ningran and Xu Kangning, sensing the unspoken tension between them.
On the sidelines, Mu Fu had been quietly watching everything unfold. Yep, nothing was better than watching the drama unfold from a front-row seat.
After dinner, Mu Fu and Yu Mo stayed back to wash the dishes.
“You rinse, I’ll wash,” Yu Mo said. “Just set them here when you’re done, and I’ll dry them later.” He placed all the dirty dishes in the sink near him, leaving the smaller basin clear for Mu Fu.
Truth be told, Yu Mo didn’t want her doing any chores. He was perfectly happy just having her stand nearby and keep him company. But Mu Fu had insisted on helping, and he didn’t want to argue. Rinsing was the easier job, so he let her take that part.
“Okay,” Mu Fu answered with a squinty-eyed smile.
Yu Mo’s hands moved quickly, and before Mu Fu could even finish rinsing the dishes, he had already washed most of them—and ended up finishing what was left of her task too.
Mu Fu leaned her hands against the counter, sneaking glances at Yu Mo from time to time. He had switched to black-rimmed glasses today. His expression was neutral as always, but with Mu Fu beside him, there was a refined gentleness in his demeanor that softened his whole presence.
Her stares were a little too obvious.
Yu Mo looked up and asked, “What is it? You’ve been staring at me.”
“Because you’re handsome,” she answered without hesitation. Honestly, the scene in front of her was quite a treat for the eyes. “Yu Mo, be honest with me,” she said playfully. “How many pairs of glasses did you actually bring with you?” She’d already seen him switch between several different frames.
Yu Mo paused to think. “Seven or eight, maybe? I didn’t count.”
Mu Fu tiptoed closer, leaning forward until their faces were just inches apart.
Yu Mo froze mid-action. “What’s wrong?”
She smiled. “Do you secretly collect glasses?”
He shook his head. “Not really. I just like wearing a different pair each day.”
“Ohh,” she said, amused. Her gaze dropped to his hands submerged in the soapy sink. His slender, clean fingers looked even fairer under the clear water. Without warning, she stuck her hands in too, stirring the water playfully, sending tiny splashes flying. Yu Mo’s neatly rolled sleeves started to get damp, and even his shirt, snug against his waist, clung slightly—faint outlines of his abs becoming visible beneath the fabric.
Yu Mo grabbed her wrist. “Mu Fu, stop messing around. I’ll play with you later.” A faint blush crept up his ears.
Seeing him like that, Mu Fu decided to cut it out. “Okay, I’ll behave.” Her smile was bright and mischievous, her eyes sparkling with playful intent.
Everything happening in the kitchen hadn’t gone unnoticed.
Feng Ningran whispered to the others, “Mu Fu looks so sweet when she smiles. And Yu Mo is so gentle with her. They’re such a good match.” As Mu Fu’s roommate, Feng Ningran took this opportunity to publicly support her. But her comment also carried another message: Mu Fu and Yu Mo clearly liked each other—so maybe everyone else should back off. Of course, Feng Ningran had her own little motives. She was just trying to keep the other guys—especially the ones she had her eye on—from getting too interested in Mu Fu.
But strangely, no one responded to her comment tonight. She pouted quietly. What? I thought they looked cute together. With no one taking the bait, she gave up and stayed silent.
Later, after Mu Fu and Yu Mo came out of the kitchen, the production team started messaging the female contestants. They were told to quietly gather in the living room outside the girls’ dorm at a specific time—without letting the male contestants notice.
Over the next ten minutes, all four girls, including Mu Fu, slipped away one by one with various excuses. After the last girl left, Yu Mo and Xu Kangning headed back as well.
When Mu Fu arrived at the designated spot, she noticed a mission card sitting on the table. Once everyone had gathered, they opened it together.
Mission: Each female guest is to choose a male guest to invite on a date tomorrow. The chosen male guest will see your invitation.
Without hesitation, Mu Fu typed out two characters and sent them to the production team: Yu Mo.
The others looked more conflicted. Mu Fu glanced around. “Still thinking?”
Feng Ningran nodded. “Yeah, I’m torn. Part of me wants to get to know someone new since we barely know the other guys… But Kangning was really sweet to me today. We had a great time. Ugh, it’s so hard to choose.” She buried her face in a pillow with a groan.
Mu Fu reached out and gave her shoulder a comforting pat. Then she turned to Xia Sihan. “What about you, Sihan?”
Xia Sihan’s brows were furrowed—she was clearly conflicted too. “I also want to get to know some of the other guys better.”
Suddenly, Feng Ningran popped her head up and teased, “Mu Fu, don’t tell me you sent your message to the guy with just two characters in his name?”
Mu Fu’s cheeks turned slightly red, her tone shy. “You’ll find out tomorrow.”
Wu Qingyi’s expression shifted subtly. She had planned to send her invite to Yu Mo as well, but Ding Binbing had been making waves in her heart all day. After thinking it over for quite a while, she still ended up choosing Yu Mo. She wasn’t ready to give up just yet.
After all the girls had submitted their invites, the production team texted each of them individually.
Mu Fu and Feng Ningran both received the same message: [Your invitation has been sent. Please meet your date at the villa at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow.]
Wu Qingyi and Xia Sihan, on the other hand, got: [Your invitation has been sent. Please meet your date at the villa at 1:00 p.m. tomorrow.]
Yu Mo and Xu Kangning had each received two invitations, so their dates were scheduled for both the morning and afternoon.
Just then, Mu Fu heard a chime in her mind.
[Host.]
[What is it?] she responded.
[Wu Qingyi’s date is Yu Mo.]
Mu Fu’s expression didn’t change. [And the others?]
[Feng Ningran and Xia Sihan both invited Xu Kangning.]
Mu Fu couldn’t help but smile. That meant both male guests would be staying in the villa tomorrow.
When Wu Qingyi saw the text message, she sighed inwardly. “Just as I thought,” she murmured to herself. She had expected Mu Fu to choose Yu Mo.
Meanwhile, Xia Sihan paused for a second after reading her message. The time slot assigned by the production team said it all—someone else had chosen Xu Kangning too. Her gaze swept briefly toward Feng Ningran. Aside from her, she couldn’t think of anyone else who would’ve sent the same invitation. She quickly put her phone away, her expression calm and unreadable. No one could tell what she was thinking.
In the guys’ room, both Yu Mo and Xu Kangning had received two messages.
Yu Mo’s messages:
[Female guest Mu Fu has invited you on a date. Please meet her at the villa at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow.]
[Female guest Wu Qingyi has invited you on a date. Please meet her at the villa at 1:00 p.m. tomorrow.]
Xu Kangning’s messages:
[Female guest Feng Ningran has invited you on a date. Please meet her at the villa at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow.]
[Female guest Xia Sihan has invited you on a date. Please meet her at the villa at 1:00 p.m. tomorrow.]
Yu Mo frowned. Earlier that evening, Mu Fu had been clearly jealous when she brought up his past connection with Wu Qingyi—and now, Wu Qingyi had actually invited him on a date?
Just imagining how Mu Fu might react tomorrow was enough to give him a headache. Seeing Wu Qingyi’s name only made his irritation grow. He honestly had no feelings for her. They hadn’t even interacted much these past few days, and from what he’d seen, she seemed to be getting along well with the other male guests. So why this sudden invite?
Axolotl Translations 
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