Jiang Yanzhou narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping over Jiang Zhiwu’s pale face.
The momentary dizziness she had just now didn’t look like it was faked, but this perfectly timed coughing fit, along with the line “I can’t seem to muster any strength in my arms”—it all sounded way too deliberate.
Besides, this woman had a previous record of tricking him with stomach medicine!
Jiang Yanzhou was torn. Half of him suspected she was putting on an act to get him to do the work, but the other half couldn’t help worrying—what if she really wasn’t feeling well?
Just as he was hesitating, Jiang Zhiwu’s coughing suddenly worsened drastically. She hunched over, one hand pressed firmly against her chest, coughing as if she were about to hack up her lungs, every sound sounding weak and breathless.
“Hey! Don’t scare me like that!” He panicked. “Did I make you angry earlier when we were arguing? I’m sorry, okay? Just stop coughing…”
Jiang Zhiwu seemed too winded to speak, she only waved her hand weakly.
Seeing her like this, Jiang Yanzhou hurriedly ran upstairs, grabbed a piece of clothing at random, and spread it out on the lawn beneath her. He fumbled clumsily, trying to help her sit up.
“J-just sit here for a bit.”
Jiang Zhiwu squeezed out fragmented words from her throat: “Cough cough… dinner…”
“Alright, alright, I’ll cook! Just go rest!”
“Oh.” Jiang Zhiwu returned to normal instantly.
Gone was the weakness, gone was the paleness, and the coughing had stopped completely. Seizing the opportunity, she added, “Also, help me wash some cherries, please.”
Jiang Yanzhou: “…”
He suddenly had a strong feeling that he had been thoroughly duped.
[Hahaha the longest road Jiang Yanzhou has ever walked is his sister’s routine.]
[I can’t handle this, why do I suddenly find this sibling pair so cute?!]
[Wait a second, doesn’t the clothes Jiang Jie is sitting on look familiar?]
[!!! Isn’t that the outfit Jiang Yanzhou wore for his PV shoot last time? I heard it’s a custom-made piece worth a fortune!]
[OMG, he just casually used a priceless stage costume as a mat for his sister?]
The audience was amazed by Jiang Yanzhou’s extravagance. Meanwhile, the top star himself, wearing an apron and with a dark expression, returned to the stove to prepare dinner.
Actually, his cooking skills weren’t bad at all. Before, seeing that Jiang Zhiwu always ordered takeout, he had specifically spent some time studying the craft and was now quite familiar with the kitchen.
Calming down now, he poured oil, heated the pan, and added the ingredients in one fluid motion. The knife tapped rhythmically against the cutting board while chopping, and the spatula clinked lightly against the wok as he stirred, controlling the heat perfectly.
However, since he was in a rush, things were still a bit chaotic. By the time he finally placed two dishes and a soup on the table, fine beads of sweat had formed on his forehead, sticking strands of hair to his skin.
Looking at the glossy braised pork ribs and the vibrant green stir-fried vegetables, the other guests couldn’t hide their surprise.
Li Lele leaned over: “Wow, that looks amazing!”
“Thank you for your hard work.” Jiang Zhiwu said sincerely.
Jiang Yanzhou turned his face away, looking slightly awkward. “Go ahead and try it.”
Jiang Zhiwu picked up her chopsticks and took a bite. The ribs were tender and flavorful, while the vegetables were fresh and crisp—even better than what their cook at home made.
Her eyes curved into crescents as she praised him generously: “Your skills have really improved a lot.”
The tips of Jiang Yanzhou’s ears instantly turned red. “It’s just barely edible. I didn’t perform my best.”
The comments section was full of teasing:
[Tsk tsk, who is pretending to be cool but has ears red enough to bleed?]
[Yep, definitely a primary schooler secretly waiting for his sister’s praise~]
[Help! This top star being so tsundere is way too funny!]
[Awwww especially when Sister Jiang smiled and praised him, who could resist that?!]
…
Not long after, the other guests also finished their dishes one after another.
Wen Jing’s cooking wasn’t exactly world-class, but the few home-style dishes were decent enough. Shen Yu, mindful of maintaining his gentle gentleman image, reluctantly helped out as an assistant.
Li Bo and Li Lele’s team simply gave up entirely; they just boiled a huge pot of noodles and ate them with great gusto, looking utterly miserable yet satisfied.
As for the female lead, Huang Zhihe—although her team had started cooking the earliest, they ended up eating the latest.
The reason was simple—she had made way too much food. Busy from dusk until well past seven or eight in the evening, a whole table full of dishes was finally ready.
As her partner, Jiang Ting naturally couldn’t laze around. By the end, she was so hungry that she ended up eating a raw cucumber straight up.
Seeing this, Huang Zhihe immediately looked concerned, handed her a pastry, and said softly: “Eat slowly, don’t rush.”
Naturally, the comments section was filled with praise once again.
By around nine o’clock, all the guests had finally finished their tasks for the day and dragged their tired bodies back to their respective rooms.
Jiang Zhiwu opened her phone and saw several new notifications on Weibo.
She clicked into her alternate account named “Wu” and saw a private message sent seven hours ago:
[Hello artist, I would like to ask if you are considering selling the paintings you posted on your Weibo?]
A few minutes later, the person added:
[I am a well-known director in the entertainment industry. I feel your artwork perfectly matches the character designs for my new project. I would like to purchase the copyrights. Price is negotiable.]
Jiang Zhiwu didn’t reply.
Scammers these days really had all sorts of tricks, making up identities like “famous director”—it was obviously a lie.
Exiting the inbox, she accidentally saw Jiang Yanzhou’s name in her feed.
Clicking on it, she found it was a clip uploaded by a marketing account with the title: “Jiang Yanzhou obediently cooks a meal, priceless stage outfit reduced to a seat cushion.”
This viral video attracted many casual netizens:
[When I saw the title I thought I was blind, how is Jiang Yanzhou described as ‘obedient’?!]
[Who is the person sitting on the top star’s outfit eating cherries? How can she get him to listen like that?]
[That’s Jiang Yanzhou’s sister! You should go watch the live stream of the show ‘Open the Door, It’s You’. The part where she faked being sick had me dying.]
[This sibling pair has the best looks and interactions in the whole show.]
[Hmph, just because it’s good after one day they dare call it the ‘best’? Our Huang Zhihe’s group is also very warm and interesting, okay?]
[Jiang Yanzhou is totally wrapped around his sister’s finger lol]
[Okay you got me interested, I’m gonna go see how fun this show actually is.]
…
This video quickly became a hot topic, with even casual viewers saying they would tune into the live stream.
A helpless yet amused smile flashed in Jiang Zhiwu’s eyes.
This kid, causing such a stir just one day into the show. He really was a walking headline magnet wherever he went.
She exited the app and was about to put her phone down when there was a soft knock on the door.
*Knock knock knock—*
“Come in.” Jiang Zhiwu called out.
The door opened slightly, and Jiang Yanzhou poked his head in. His dark hair was still damp from washing, soft strands falling over his forehead. He looked less sharp and intimidating than he did on camera, and more like an obedient young boy.
“Not asleep yet?” He asked quietly, his eyes quickly scanning the room before settling on her hands holding the phone.
“Was just about to.” Jiang Zhiwu put down her phone and patted the spot beside her. “What is it?”
Jiang Yanzhou hesitated for a moment, then pushed the door open and walked in. He was wearing grey cotton pajamas, his hands behind his back, walking softly and carefully like a large dog.
“Um…” He dawdled over to the bedside, pulled out a small container from behind his back, and held it out to her.
“This is for you.”
Jiang Zhiwu took it and opened the lid. Inside were plump, glossy cherries, clearly hand-picked with care.
“You washed them?” She asked, slightly surprised.
“Yeah.” Jiang Yanzhou nodded, looking away. “Saw you liked them this afternoon. There were more fruits provided by the crew, so I washed some.”
He said it casually, but the cherries were spotlessly clean and all the stems had been neatly removed—it was obvious he had put effort into it.
Jiang Zhiwu popped one into her mouth. The sweet juice burst on her tongue. She smiled, her eyes crinkling: “Thank you.”
The boy tried to act cool. “It’s nothing. Just eat and go to sleep, we have to get up early tomorrow.”
“Okay.” Jiang Zhiwu agreed, then picked one and held it out to him. “You have one too.”
Jiang Yanzhou was stunned for a second, then instinctively took it and put it in his mouth.
He chewed a couple of times and mumbled: “I’m going then.”
“Mhm.”
Jiang Yanzhou turned and walked towards the door, but stopped halfway and looked back.
“Good night.” He said softly.
“Good night.” Jiang Zhiwu looked up and smiled at him. “Thanks again for today. Dinner was delicious.”
Jiang Yanzhou let out a soft huff, then gently closed the door, separating the light from the two rooms.
The next morning.
The guests had just finished breakfast when the director walked in with a task card, wearing a somewhat mischievous smile.
“Attention everyone! Here is your first mission of the day—you must make your own way to Yunqi Viewing Park and gather there within two hours. Teams that are late will face punishment!”
Wen Jing glanced at the map and raised an eyebrow. “If I remember correctly, Yunqi Park is over ten kilometers away from here, right?”
Li Bo had already pulled out his phone. “Let me check the route… It takes half an hour even by car! And we’re in the middle of nowhere, where are we supposed to find a car?”
Everyone pulled out their phones to check ride-hailing apps, but the screen uniformly showed “No available cars”. Even private cars required a waiting time of over an hour. Someone asked the crew unwillingly: “Is there a bus stop nearby?”
The director spread his hands. “Sorry, this area is a newly developed resort. Public transport hasn’t been connected yet.”
Hearing this, Jiang Zhiwu looked out the window.
This place was indeed remote. She had checked the map last night and found that within three kilometers there wasn’t even a convenience store, let alone public transport.
As everyone was thinking hard, Li Bo’s eyes suddenly lit up. He pulled Li Lele up: “Got it! There are shared e-bikes parked by the road at the entrance!”
The two rushed outside excitedly. As they passed Jiang Zhiwu, Li Lele waved back: “Sister Jiang, we’re going ahead! You guys hurry up and find a way too!”
Jiang Zhiwu nodded slightly.
Just as their figures disappeared through the gate, Huang Zhihe spoke up with a troubled expression: “What should we do? I’m wearing a dress, it might be quite inconvenient to ride a shared bike.”
Jiang Zhiwu’s fingers holding the milk glass paused slightly.
Here it comes.
If she remembered correctly, this was exactly the plot point from the original novel.
After Huang Zhihe said this, Shen Yu would somehow arrange several limited-edition sports cars. He would drive Huang Zhihe and the other guests to the destination in style, gaining massive popularity for his “chivalry” and “manliness”.
At that time, Jiang Yanzhou happened to be out borrowing a motorcycle from the homestay owner. By the time he returned, his temporary partner had already left in Shen Yu’s car. Cameras captured his expressionless face, and paired with press releases claiming “Top Star Jiang Yanzhou Refuses to Help a Lady”, he was immediately labeled as arrogant and rude, facing a wave of public backlash.
Coming back to her senses, she saw Shen Yu already puffing out his chest, confidently telling Huang Zhihe that he had a solution. At the same time, he glanced meaningfully at Jiang Yanzhou, who hadn’t offered anything yet.