Mu Fu hadn’t expected to see something like that, but she was relieved the young man hadn’t fallen for the scam. Otherwise, the world would have lost yet another kind-hearted soul.
Just then, she spotted Wu Qingyi and Ding Binbing in the crowd on the other side. So Wu Qingyi had come out too—and with Ding Binbing, no less. Mu Fu instantly thought of last night’s texting segment. It all made sense now. The two of them had messaged each other.
Wu Qingyi and Ding Binbing also noticed Mu Fu walking over with Yu Mo. Wu Qingyi felt a little awkward. It had only been a few days since she’d tried to get back together with Yu Mo and been turned down. And now he was seeing her with another male contestant? Would he think poorly of her? The thought filled her with shame.
Ding Binbing greeted them first. “Hey, you guys out for a run too?”
The crowd had already dispersed after the elderly man left. Ding Binbing walked over to Yu Mo, and Wu Qingyi followed, though she kept her gaze lowered, unable to meet Yu Mo’s eyes.
Yu Mo gave a slight nod. “Yeah. How long have you two been running?” He was noticeably more casual with Ding Binbing—probably because the two of them were fairly familiar with each other in the villa.
Ding Binbing checked his watch. “A little over forty minutes.”
Mu Fu asked, “Heading back now?”
Ding Binbing nodded. “Yeah, we should get back to prep for work. Oh, are you two getting breakfast? We’re stopping by that place in front for something to eat.”
Yu Mo replied, “We’re good. You can grab breakfast for the others—Mu Fu and I are going to eat out.”
“Alright, see you later then,” Ding Binbing said.
Yu Mo gave a calm “See you.”
As they walked away, Ding Binbing glanced sideways at Wu Qingyi, brow furrowed and eyes thoughtful. She had been quiet when they met up with Yu Mo and Mu Fu, but her emotions had clearly spiked the moment they ran into the pair. He had a hunch it had something to do with Yu Mo—maybe she had cried in front of everyone before because of him too. Still, he didn’t say anything. After all, his feelings for Xia Sihan had once been just as obvious.
Back on the path, Mu Fu and Yu Mo jogged for another half hour before strolling back slowly. Unlike the others, they didn’t need to clock in for work and had time to spare.
Yu Mo gently held Mu Fu’s hand, his expression soft and affectionate. After a good run, the sea breeze brushing against her skin, and a handsome guy beside her, Mu Fu felt completely at ease.
“Do you have any plans after leaving the villa?” Mu Fu asked.
“Not really. Though I might stop by the publishing house to discuss the release of my new book.”
“Seriously? You’re publishing another one?” Mu Fu asked, eyes wide with excitement.
She had finished the last book Yu Mo lent her. The story had been gripping, the writing sharp and mature. Even though it was horror, it only mildly spooked her—just enough to be thrilling. All in all, it was an excellent read.
Yu Mo smiled and nodded. “Mm-hmm.”
“When it comes out, let me know. I’ll buy a hundred copies. One to read, one to collect, and the rest I’ll give to my friends to help spread the word.”
Yu Mo reached out and tugged gently on her ponytail. “No need. I’ll give them to you.”
“No way! I’m buying them myself,” she said firmly.
She wanted to support Yu Mo’s work. Accepting them as a gift would feel completely wrong—it defeated the purpose.
“But,” she added, “you do have to sign them. And not just a signature—I want personalized ones. Like, ‘To Mu Fu’ and everything. I’ll treasure them forever.”
Yu Mo raised his eyebrows and said, “No problem. I’ll sign as many as you want.”
“Perfect! I won’t give those away. I’ll keep them all to myself,” she said with a mischievous grin.
Yu Mo tapped her forehead with a finger and chuckled. “Silly girl. You already have me. What more do you need than that?”
Mu Fu looked up at him with a bright smile. “That’s different.” Though she didn’t explain how.
Yu Mo gently squeezed her small, delicate hand. If she wanted it, he’d gladly give it.
They ended up going to the same breakfast place Ding Binbing had mentioned earlier.
Once inside, Yu Mo pulled out a chair for Mu Fu before sitting down next to her. He opened the menu and asked, “What do you feel like eating?”
“Sweet tofu pudding and wontons.”
“Is that enough? Want to add anything else?”
Mu Fu shook her head. “That’s plenty. Any more and I won’t finish it.”
“No worries. I’ll help you,” Yu Mo said with a calm expression, not the slightest bit bothered by the idea of eating her leftovers.
Mu Fu laughed. “In that case, let’s add an order of pan-fried dumplings.”
Once she was done ordering, Yu Mo picked a few items for himself.
Suddenly, Mu Fu remembered the great online debate—should tofu pudding be sweet or savory?
“A-Mo,” she said, smiling slyly, “do you think tofu pudding should be sweet or salty?”
Yu Mo looked up at her, eyes narrowing in thought. He didn’t answer right away, clearly pondering if there was a hidden trap in her question. Finally, he replied carefully, “Sweet.” As he spoke, his gaze never left her face.
Mu Fu nodded in approval, her tone matching someone who had just found a kindred spirit. “I think the same thing.”
Yu Mo quietly let out a sigh of relief. He also made a mental note—next time, he’d make sure to prepare sweet tofu pudding for her.
Being from the north, Yu Mo had grown up eating savory tofu pudding, usually with crispy fried toppings. But if Mu Fu preferred it sweet, he was more than willing to adjust.
After finishing their breakfast, the two walked back home.
Back in her room, Mu Fu found that Feng Ningran was still sound asleep. She smiled softly and carefully avoided making noise.
Grabbing a change of clothes, she quickly washed up in the bathroom, then packed up her work materials and went to find Yu Mo. This time, instead of heading to the third-floor lounge, they decided to set up in the dining room on the first floor.
Mu Fu commented, “The production team really should’ve included a study room.”
“Maybe they didn’t expect anyone to actually stay home and work,” Yu Mo replied with a small laugh.
Mu Fu pouted. “They knew you were a writer. They should’ve prepared better.”
Once she got into work mode, Mu Fu was completely absorbed, barely noticing the world around her. It wasn’t until Yu Mo asked if she wanted to get lunch that she realized how much time had passed.
“Wanna head out now?” she asked.
“Sure,” Yu Mo said with a nod.
Back in her room, Mu Fu found that Feng Ningran had woken up.
“What time is it?” Feng Ningran asked, her voice still groggy. The curtains were drawn, making the room feel dim and quiet.
“Eleven. You feeling okay? Want to sleep a bit longer?” Mu Fu asked kindly.
Feng Ningran shook her head. “Nah, I’m up for now. Is anyone else still in the villa?”
“Yu Mo is. Not sure about Xu Kangning—I didn’t check if he’s around.” Mu Fu paused, remembering he’d only gotten back that morning.
“Oh,” was all Feng Ningran said.
“By the way, Yu Mo and I are heading out for hotpot. Do you want anything? I can bring something back for you,” Mu Fu said while slipping on her shoes.
“You’re not eating here?”
Mu Fu shook her head. “Nope, craving hotpot.”
Feng Ningran thought for a moment, but nothing sounded appetizing. Her body still felt off, and her appetite hadn’t returned.
“It’s okay, I don’t really feel like eating,” she said quietly.
After Mu Fu left, Feng Ningran slowly got out of bed. She walked to Xu Kangning’s door and gave it a soft knock. Her hair was down, and she wasn’t wearing makeup. Her face looked noticeably pale.
Inside, Xu Kangning had just fallen into a deep sleep. Being woken up again made him groan with irritation. After all, he’d spent the whole night taking care of her—couldn’t he at least get some rest?
Xu Kangning opened the door with a frown. He only softened slightly when he saw that Feng Ningran at least looked a little better—she was still a patient, after all.
Feng Ningran was surprised he was still there. She had knocked on his door with only a “maybe” in mind, figuring he could’ve gone to work already. But to her surprise, he hadn’t left.
With a small flicker of joy in her eyes, she said, “So you’re still here.”
“Yeah. What’s up?” he asked.
She looked down and asked softly, “Have you eaten yet?”
“What time is it?” Xu Kangning asked, rubbing his temples. He hadn’t checked the clock when he got out of bed.
“It’s past eleven,” she replied. “Mu Fu and Yu Mo went out, so it’s just the two of us here. I came to see if you wanted to eat something.”
He hadn’t realized it was already that late. “You haven’t eaten?”
“I just woke up,” she admitted.
“I’ll get ready quickly,” he said.
Feng Ningran gave a small smile and nodded. “Okay.”
Xu Kangning washed up and headed to the kitchen, where Feng Ningran was already preparing ingredients. He opened the fridge and asked, “What do you feel like eating?”
She came closer, her head lightly brushing against his arm. He tensed up instinctively and took a step back.
Her expression turned awkward. She glanced vaguely at the contents of the fridge and forced a small smile. “Anything’s fine. You decide.” Then she quietly returned to where she had been standing.
Xu Kangning rubbed his nose, awkwardly aware of how his sudden movement may have come off. Maybe he had overreacted—she might’ve felt rejected.
Trying to soften things, he said, “You’re still not feeling well, so let’s make something light.”
Facing away from him, Feng Ningran’s lips lifted slightly, her earlier gloom fading bit by bit. She nodded gently. “Okay.”
Meanwhile, things were going smoothly on Mu Fu and Yu Mo’s side as well. They had found a hotpot place with great reviews.
The moment she dipped spicy, fragrant beef tripe into the broth and took a bite, her stomach—which had been grumbling since the night before—was finally satisfied.
It had been a while since Mu Fu last had spicy food. The first few bites were almost too much—her lips turned red and her eyes watered. But after a while, she got used to the heat.
Yu Mo didn’t serve himself much. He focused mostly on making sure Mu Fu had enough food.
Looking at his nearly empty bowl, Mu Fu frowned and said, “You should eat too. You don’t have to take care of me the whole time. There’s so much food here—I can’t possibly finish it alone. Or… do you not like hotpot? If that’s the case, why didn’t you say something earlier?”
Yu Mo replied calmly, “No, I actually really like hotpot.”
“Then why aren’t you eating?”
“I will now.”
Truth was, he had been eating. But earlier, when he saw Mu Fu bite into a Sichuan peppercorn and wince in discomfort, he couldn’t bear it. So after that, he started picking out the spicy ingredients from the food before placing it into her bowl. It was time-consuming, which meant he hadn’t had much of a chance to eat himself.
When Mu Fu noticed how carefully Yu Mo had been removing each peppercorn from her dish, warmth bloomed in her chest. She felt deeply moved. Yu Mo really was too good to her.
Even though he insisted he was eating, his main focus remained on taking care of her until she was full. Only after she’d eaten enough did he begin eating properly himself.
Mu Fu’s bowl was never empty—Yu Mo made sure of that. In fact, she ended up a little too full.
Axolotl Translations 
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