That night, Song Ying slept deeply.
However, driven by her biological clock, she woke up leisurely just after seven o’clock the next morning.
The bed beside her was already empty, but the aroma of food drifted in through the crack in the door.
Slipping on her slippers, Song Ying didn’t even have time to wash her face before heading to the kitchen, her voice still hoarse and soft from sleep. “What are you making, hubby?”
“Purple sweet potato and snow fungus soup, raisin toast, fried eggs, and corn salad.” Qin Shu was still busy in the kitchen, wearing an apron as he squeezed salad dressing. “I was just about to call you to get up. Since you’re awake, go wash up first, then come out to eat.”
“Okay.”
Song Ying responded, swaying into the kitchen and then swaying back out, looking like a complete ditz.
The bathroom sink and makeup area were equipped with cameras. As soon as Song Ying entered, turned on the mirror light, her flawlessly beautiful face filled the screen.
Under the light, her skin was as smooth as fine jade. While brushing her teeth, she looked drowsy, her head swaying slightly, appearing soft and adorable—completely different from her bright and radiant self when awake.
[Ahhh, my daughter is so cute! I’m used to seeing her in glamorous makeup, but I never expected her to be this beautiful even without it!]
[Her face is clearly natural. How could anyone be so blind as to call it plastic surgery yesterday? Pfft!]
[Wifey, come here! Another day of envying Qin Shu!]
After washing up, applying a simple toner and moisturizer, and putting on a layer of sunscreen, Song Ying finally felt fully awake.
She grabbed a hair tie, tied her chestnut-colored curls into a messy high ponytail, and went out to eat.
By the time the two of them finished tidying up and went downstairs, it was just past seven-thirty.
The living room downstairs was quiet, not even the staff were around.
“Huh, where is everyone else?” Song Ying wondered, glancing around before hearing sounds coming from the kitchen area. She and Qin Shu headed over.
They only saw Sweet Bean and Da Meng eating breakfast.
“Sister Ying, Brother Qin, you’re down?”
“Why are there only two of you?” Song Ying walked over and sat down next to Sweet Bean.
“Blind guess—the other two couples are probably still in their rooms?”
Sweet Bean leaned close to Song Ying, cupping her hand to whisper in her ear, “Sister Ying, you just got here, so you might not be familiar with the situation. Shen Linzhou makes a special breakfast for Jiang Yuyao every morning. Qiao Yu and Zhou Ruoyu had a fight yesterday, so he’ll probably try to do the same this morning. Since all our suites have kitchens, you get the idea.”
Breakfast time was from seven to eight, during which they could choose to cook or eat the provided meals. Everyone had to gather by eight.
Song Ying and Qin Shu had been worried about coming down late, but now it seemed they were actually quite early.
“By the way, Sister Ying, have you and Brother Qin eaten yet? Should I go get breakfast for you?” Sweet Bean was always enthusiastic toward people she liked.
“No need, we ate before coming down. You finish yours.” Song Ying smiled and politely declined.
“Oh, right! You guys often post about your cooking on Weibo. I almost forgot… So, out of the four couples, we’re the only ones who can’t cook. Good thing the show provides meals, or we’d starve. Sister Ying, when you and Brother Qin are together, who usually cooks?”
“My cooking isn’t as good as his, so he mostly does it. I just help out occasionally.”
“What about all those meals you post on Weibo?”
“All made by him.”
“Oh my god! I never would’ve guessed. Brother Qin is so talented!” Sweet Bean widened her eyes.
Qin Shu, sitting diagonally across from Da Meng, heard the praise and slightly raised his chin, looking at Song Ying with a hint of pride, as if seeking praise.
Immediately afterward, Sweet Bean added the second half of her sentence.
“When I first met him, I thought he was some kind of pampered young master who’d never lifted a finger. I never expected him to be the domestic type.”
“Pfft,” Song Ying couldn’t help but laugh, her eyes curving into crescents. Under the table, she lightly kicked the “domestic” Qin Shu across from her. “She’s talking about you, young master.”
Qin Shu lifted his eyelids, exuding an air of lazy elegance even while sitting in a dining chair. “‘Domestic’ is an understatement. This young master can handle both the living room and the kitchen.”
“Young master? Yuyao, am I hearing things? In this day and age, there are still people calling themselves ‘young masters’?”
A mocking voice came from the doorway. Everyone turned to see Zhou Ruoyu walking in, as sarcastic as the day before. “If you’re such a young master, why aren’t you at home inheriting the family business instead of coming out here to compete with us working folks for a living? Isn’t that a bit beneath you?”
“Zhou Ruoyu, Brother Qin was just joking!”
“Brother Qin this, Brother Qin that. Sweet Bean, your boyfriend is sitting right there, and his girlfriend is sitting right there too. Yet here you are, eagerly calling him ‘brother’ like that. Tsk tsk.”
“Zhou Ruoyu, don’t go too far!”
Sweet Bean was on the verge of tears. She was the youngest among them and had called Qin Shu “brother” out of respect, following her habit of calling Song Ying “sister.” Yet even this was being twisted by others. Her eyes reddened as she looked at Song Ying, quickly explaining, “Sister Ying, I didn’t mean it like she said, I—”
“I know.”
Song Ying squeezed Sweet Bean’s hand, her trusting gaze giving Sweet Bean strength.
Song Ying then turned to the instigator, propping her chin on her hand. “Zhou Ruoyu, I don’t know where you’ve been venting your anger, but even the gossipy women on the street don’t twist the truth and spread rumors like you do. If you can’t say anything decent, don’t embarrass yourself by barking nonsense. Otherwise, people might think your mouth is upside down and all you can do is spew filth.”
“Song Ying!”
“Your dad’s here. What, waiting for a scolding?”
“Don’t go too far! Just because someone stood up for you yesterday doesn’t mean you’re clean! I’m telling you—”
“Telling this today, telling that tomorrow—are you okay?”
Song Ying truly couldn’t understand Zhou Ruoyu’s thought process. “I don’t think you’re some princess or fairy, so where does all this superiority come from? After just a few words, you start acting all high and mighty, thinking you can lecture everyone?”
“I’m lecturing everyone?!” Every time Zhou Ruoyu clashed with Song Ying, she ended up choking on her words, unable to gain the upper hand. “I—”
“Ruoyu!” Jiang Yuyao and the others rushed over upon hearing the commotion. “Say less. Let bygones be bygones. Weren’t things fine just now?”
Then, Jiang Yuyao turned to Song Ying, playing the peacemaker. “Song Ying, you and Sweet Bean, please understand. Ruoyu is just straightforward. She means no harm. She only said that out of concern, thinking Sweet Bean’s behavior might be misunderstood, so she was just kindly reminding her. We’re all colleagues here. There’s no need to deliberately misinterpret things. Sometimes it’s better to be forgiving.”
Shen Linzhou also chimed in. “Song Ying, Yuyao has already said this much. Don’t keep pushing. Be more magnanimous, or you’ll lose your grace.”
“So, Shen Linzhou’s idea of grace is to randomly throw dirt on people? And Jiang Yuyao’s idea of grace is to stir things up under the guise of mediating? Birds of a feather really do flock together! Acting families—impressive, truly impressive.”
Qin Shu leaned lazily in his chair, clapping slowly and deliberately. “No wonder everyone online says you two are great actors. I’ve finally seen it for myself today. A Ying, you have to admit, in this regard, your acting skills really aren’t as good as theirs.”
[LOL, when it comes to sarcasm, I bow to Qin Shu.]
[Tea-detection expert—I love it.]
[I used to have a good impression of Jiang Yuyao and Shen Linzhou, but now it seems Shen Linzhou really can’t tell right from wrong, and Jiang Yuyao is a bit of a white lotus.]
[What kind of good character can someone have if they’re friends with someone like Zhou Ruoyu? They’re just two peas in a pod.]
The comments gradually grew heated. Halfway through breakfast, Director Bai, having heard the guests were about to come to blows, rushed to the scene.
“Calm down, everyone! Please calm down! If there’s any misunderstanding, let’s explain it clearly and talk it out face-to-face. No need to ruin the harmony.”
“Director Bai, this isn’t a misunderstanding.”
The director looked over, surprised to see who was speaking. “Da Meng?”
In his impression, Da Meng had always been a kind and easygoing guy.
In the “Beauty and the Beast” vlogs, Sweet Bean always took the lead while Da Meng followed along. It was the same on the show—Da Meng only talked more when he was alone with Sweet Bean. Otherwise, he rarely participated in discussions, let alone got into conflicts with others.
Now, suddenly speaking up, it reminded Director Bai of an old saying:
Even a rabbit will bite when pushed too far.
“Teacher Zhou, after filming these two episodes, we’ve always respected you as a senior. No matter how offensive or inappropriate your words were, we endured it and let it slide. But it turns out, the nicer you are, the more people take advantage of you. Our respect hasn’t earned us the same courtesy from you.”
“I don’t know how we’ve offended you. Maybe it’s because of our background as internet celebrities, which makes you look down on us. But all professions are equal. Before learning a skill, one should learn virtue. How can someone who bullies others with baseless accusations truly deserve to be called a ‘teacher’?”
“What nonsense are you talking about! When have I ever looked down on you?” Zhou Ruoyu stubbornly refused to admit it.
“Whether you have or not, you know better than we do. The viewers watching the livestream and the recorded episodes know better than we do.” Da Meng didn’t get bogged down in minor details with Zhou Ruoyu. “We understand that you and Qiao Yu had a conflict, but that shouldn’t be an excuse for you to take it out on us, or on Teacher Song and Teacher Qin.”
“Ever since Teacher Song and the others arrived yesterday, you’ve been sarcastic. Last night, when A Sweet was chatting with Teacher Song, you mocked us for never having learned to ride horses and never having seen the world. When Teacher Song clarified things last night, you kept finding fault. Now, even our casual jokes have become your ammunition.”
“If we endure it, we’re wrong. If Teacher Song and Teacher Qin refuse to be taken advantage of, they’re wrong too. So what is right? Why have you never treated Teacher Jiang and Teacher Shen this way all this time?”
“You’re not the same as them!” Zhou Ruoyu glared at him. Even though Da Meng looked big and intimidating, she had long realized he was just a gentle giant.
“Yeah, we really aren’t the same.”
Da Meng gave a bitter smile. “Because you think we’re beneath you—small-time celebrities, small-time internet celebrities. It’s fine to step on us, fine to offend us. But Teacher Jiang and Teacher Shen are different. They’re more capable and powerful than you, so you can’t afford to offend them. You can only suck up to them.”
“To put it bluntly, Teacher Zhou, you’re just a bully who picks on the weak.”
Everyone knew Zhou Ruoyu’s tendency to fawn over those above her and look down on those below, treating people differently based on their status.
But Da Meng was the first to say it so bluntly to her face.
And Da Meng wasn’t finished.
“And Teacher Jiang—you’re so smart, you can’t possibly not see why Teacher Zhou acts this way, right? You just enjoy being flattered. In fact, every time, under the guise of mediating, you stir things up on both sides. Just like earlier, you said Teacher Zhou was being unreasonable, then turned around and implied A Sweet and Teacher Song were being petty. Only the mediator seems clean, as if they’ve done nothing wrong.”
“But no one is blind or stupid. Being a little less hypocritical and a little more sincere is better than anything.”
[LOL, the little white lotus got exposed, huh? Even two straight guys can see through such a cheap trick, yet she still acts all high and mighty. Jiang Yuyao is truly wicked.]
[Serves Zhou Ruoyu right for being manipulated. With her brain, there’s no way she could outsmart Jiang Yuyao.]
[Da Meng is gaining major points! The honest man’s counterattack—for his girl, even a silent gourd can debate like a scholar.]
[After this, I wonder if Jiang Yuyao and Zhou Ruoyu’s fake friendship can even survive.]
Jiang Yuyao never expected Da Meng to turn the fire toward her in the end.
After a moment of stunned silence, her eyes reddened again, and she started crying.
“I don’t know what I did wrong to make you misunderstand me like this. Ruoyu is my friend, and I get along well with everyone else. I just want everyone to be happy. I never intended to stir anything up. If being kind is wrong, then from now on, I won’t get involved in any of your conflicts. Consider me meddling in others’ business.”
After saying this, Jiang Yuyao gave the camera a look full of grievance and indignation, covered her face, turned, and ran off.
“If anything happens to Yuyao, I won’t let you off!” After this warning, Shen Linzhou chased after her. “Yuyao, wait for me!”
Normally, the comments would have overwhelmingly sided with Jiang Yuyao.
But Da Meng had always had a good reputation among casual viewers, and what he said reflected what many had felt while watching the show. So, aside from Jiang Yuyao and Shen Linzhou’s fans mocking him as a country bumpkin with no manners for bullying a girl, the general sentiment leaned toward seeing him as an unexpected voice of reason, speaking for the audience.
Even Qin Shu, sitting beside him, patted his shoulder and gave him a thumbs-up.
“Good brother, you’ve got a bright future.”