There was really no reason for Wu Qingyi to pick him.
That thought made Yu Mo’s frown even deeper.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the villa, Xu Kangning read his text and raised an eyebrow, a slight smile playing on his lips. He was pretty confident in his own charm. But after reading the message carefully, his expression quickly turned sour. Once again, Mu Fu’s name wasn’t there.
As for the other two male guests, Ding Binbing and Rong Yongxin, they had no idea what was going on. They didn’t even know the female guests were the ones who set up tomorrow’s dates.
Mu Fu was just about to head outside and ask Yu Mo for a walk when her phone buzzed with a message from the production team.
[Two female guests have questions about your ex. Please go by yourself to the first room in the basement. Don’t let the other guests see you, and stay quiet the whole time. Also, don’t let the female guest in the other room figure out who you are. After all the questions are done, don’t leave. We’ll bring Yu Mo’s ex-girlfriend into the opposite room. You’ll get to ask her five questions.]
The same message, adjusted for their own date partners, was sent to the other three women as well.
Each female guest left the main house at a different time. Mu Fu went first. A staff member quietly led her to a room downstairs. The other three women were guided to their own separate rooms.
Once all four were in place, the production team started the questioning sessions, one after another.
Mu Fu arrived at the first room as told. Inside, there was just a computer.
She sat down. Soon after, a message popped up on the screen: [The other person has joined the session.]
Mu Fu figured she’d be answering questions about Xu Kangning.
The person on the other side started with a polite greeting before jumping into the questions. Their tone was so formal and thoughtful that Mu Fu couldn’t help but suspect it was Xia Sihan. If it had been Feng Ningran, the questions would have started right away—direct and unfiltered.
Then came the first message: [What kind of girl does he like?]
Mu Fu thought back carefully. She’d once asked Xu Kangning that very same question when they were together.
Back then, he’d smiled and told her, full of love, “Silly girl, I like girls just like you—soft and cuddly.”
At the time, his answer had made her feel incredibly loved.
But now, knowing why he had really chosen to be with her, the memory was hazy. It was still there, still real, but foggy. Like something you remember through a mist. Something that once mattered, but now felt distant and unclear.
Mu Fu’s answers were based on what she remembered about Xu Kangning from high school. She typed: [He likes pretty girls with good figures. And they can’t be too short.]
That was something the boys in their class used to tease Xu Kangning about.
She noticed the screen still said, “The other person is typing…” It seemed like the person on the other side was thinking carefully.
After a short pause, another question came through: [How long did you date?]
Mu Fu remembered that detail perfectly.
[Five days.]
On the other end, Xia Sihan was surprised for a moment. Then, a small smile played on her lips—she was clearly happy with the answer.
[How did you two meet?] was the next question.
Mu Fu replied, [We were high school classmates.]
Xia Sihan straightened in her chair, frowning slightly. So they were high school sweethearts? That kind of relationship usually carried a lot of sentimental value, and it often stuck with people, influencing how they felt in the future. Especially during those important high school years, where you’d spend all day together: classes, breaks, even late-night study sessions. It was different from college relationships, where class schedules varied and spending time apart was more common.
She typed her next question with that in mind.
But Mu Fu responded quickly: [No, we only started dating after we graduated and started working.]
Xia Sihan’s expression softened with relief.
Now came the final question—and it was the one she wanted to handle with more care. She took a little longer to think it through. Mu Fu didn’t mind giving her time.
Eventually, the last question came in: [Why did you two break up?]
Mu Fu answered: [We weren’t a good match, so we broke up.]
She had no intention of revealing the real reason. That would make things too messy when the show aired. The producers had asked the same question before filming started, and she’d given the same neutral answer.
The other side had now asked all five questions. It was time for the next woman.
A moment later, the screen lit up again: [The other person has joined the session.]
This time it was Feng Ningran. She barely sat down before jumping right into the first question—clearly having it ready beforehand.
[How long were you two together?]
Mu Fu smiled. Apparently, everyone was really interested in that detail. If she didn’t have memories from her past life, that probably would’ve been the first question she’d ask Wu Qingyi too.
[Five days], Mu Fu replied.
[That short? How did you two break up?]
The surprise was clear in the woman’s tone.
[We weren’t right for each other], Mu Fu answered simply. [So we broke up.]
On the other side, Feng Ningran nodded thoughtfully, as if she’d already guessed. It sounded like a fleeting kind of relationship, born from a moment of passion.
[Have you ever thought about getting back together with him?]
Because of how things had gone in the past few days, Feng Ningran had concluded that Xu Kangning’s ex was Wu Qingyi. So, during this chat, she spoke casually and comfortably. Wu Qingyi always seemed easygoing and honest, and Feng Ningran felt she could trust her words. And honestly, if there was a chance Wu Qingyi wanted to get back together with Xu Kangning, Feng was willing to compete fairly.
A moment later, a response came back: [No, I wouldn’t. We’re not compatible.]
Feng Ningran felt oddly pleased with that answer.
[Does he have a lot of female friends?]
[Quite a few,] Mu Fu replied.
Back when he was pursuing her, his phone was constantly buzzing with notifications from social media apps. She’d glanced at his screen once and seen a long list of messages from different women.
[What kind of behavior does he dislike most in a girl?]
[Smoking. Clubbing.]
When they were together, Xu Kangning had mentioned more than once how much he hated the smell of smoke—he didn’t smoke either.
That completed Feng Ningran’s five questions.
Mu Fu received a message from the production team asking her to stay put—Yu Mo’s ex would be arriving in the room opposite hers shortly.
A short while later, the computer showed: [The other person has joined the session.]
Mu Fu skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point.
[What does he usually enjoy doing? Any hobbies?]
[He likes cooking when he gets tired of writing] came the reply.
Mu Fu smiled. No wonder his cooking was so good.
[Does he have a favorite sport?]
[Running,] the other woman answered.
Yu Mo often spent entire days at his desk, and he didn’t have the best physical shape. So he developed a habit of going for morning runs. Wu Qingyi had picked up the same habit while dating him—and still kept it to this day.
Over the past few days in the villa, Wu Qingyi had kept up her habit of morning runs—but she never once saw Yu Mo. Right now, her throat felt dry and bitter, and an ache spread through her chest like a slow tide. Even that… even that habit of his had changed since they separated.
Everything about him felt unfamiliar now.
Mu Fu, of course, had no idea what Wu Qingyi was feeling. She continued with her questions.
[Do you want to get back together with him?]
There was no immediate reply. Mu Fu quietly became more wary, mentally putting her guard up against Wu Qingyi. Only after a long pause did the answer arrive: [To be honest, I don’t really know how to answer that. I don’t want to lie to you.]
Reading that, Mu Fu actually felt a flicker of goodwill toward her. At least she wasn’t pretending. She’d chosen to be truthful instead of giving a polite lie.
Even though Wu Qingyi hadn’t given a clear answer, it still counted as one of Mu Fu’s five questions.
[What kind of girls does he dislike?] she asked next.
This time, the response came quickly: [Girls who are too needy or high-maintenance. The kind who expect to be constantly comforted.]
Mu Fu raised an eyebrow. Really? Is he that heartless? What about when they argued—didn’t he ever try to make things right?
[When you two argued,] she asked, [did he ever try to comfort you?]
Wu Qingyi gave a dry laugh. [No. He’d let me cool off for a night. Then, once I’d calmed down, he’d try to talk things through.]
And with that, the five questions were done.
The order in which the four women left the basement wasn’t the same as how they’d entered. The production team had arranged it that way to prevent them from bumping into each other and possibly figuring out who each other’s exes were.
As soon as Mu Fu walked out, she had a strong urge to test something. She wanted to see for herself: if she got angry, would Yu Mo try to comfort her? Or would he really just let her simmer down like Wu Qingyi said, then come talk logic?
No, she thought. Even if that’s how he is, I’m not letting that slide. From now on, she’d have to train Yu Mo well. He’d need to learn that whenever she got upset, his job was to come soothe her—until she was no longer angry.
Halfway back, Mu Fu suddenly changed direction and headed toward the women’s dorms instead.
It was already late by the time they finished the Q&A session in the basement. According to the show’s rules, all contestants had to be back in their rooms by 10 p.m. to send out their “heart-throb messages” to someone of the opposite sex.
Since today had been all about one-on-one dates, most people were expected to send their messages to the person they’d gone out with. It was all very proper.
After getting the text, Mu Fu went back to the dorms first.
What she didn’t expect was for Xu Kangning to come looking for her.
“Can we talk for a bit?” he asked.
“About what?” Mu Fu replied flatly. “I don’t really think there’s anything left for us to say.”
Xu Kangning paused, silent for a moment. “I just… want to talk. Is that okay?”
Mu Fu hesitated, then nodded. “Fine. Wait here a moment.”
“Alright.”
She went back inside, threw on a light jacket, and stepped out again.
“Let’s go,” she said, glancing around. “It’s better if no one sees us.”
Xu Kangning immediately shot back, “You mean… you don’t want Yu Mo to see us?”
His voice was sharp, almost like he was accusing her—like a husband who had just caught his wife cheating.
Mu Fu rolled her eyes. “What’s wrong with you?” she snapped. “Didn’t we agree from the start not to let anyone figure out what our relationship was?”
Honestly—what right did he have to question her? It was laughable.
Xu Kangning pressed his lips together, clearly regretting his outburst. He’d meant to speak calmly with her—but now he’d just made things even more awkward. And it was obvious: Mu Fu’s attitude toward him had turned even colder.
To avoid running into anyone else from the villa, the two of them walked a little farther, just beyond the main house.
Mu Fu had simply thrown a white long-sleeve shirt over her outfit. Her long, curled hair danced in the wind, and her profile, lit gently by the moonlight, was bright and striking.
Xu Kangning looked at her and felt it deep in his chest: she had changed. There was something different about her now—something more captivating, more magnetic than before. For the first time, he truly felt it.
He remembered the first time he saw Mu Fu after she’d lost weight. Yes, she’d surprised him—but he hadn’t thought too much of it at the time.
Now?
Now he couldn’t not think about it.
Axolotl Translations 
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