After a brief and chaotic round of introductions, everyone finally understood the identity of this unexpected guest—
The eighth guest parachuted into “Love Knows,” the eldest son of the Qi family, Qi Yu.
Instantly, the long-waiting netizens grew excited, and the barrage went wild:
【The Qi family’s graphic designers need more practice—how come the photo doesn’t even come close to how good-looking he is in person?】
【Finally meeting the legendary “Uncle Slap”! His handsomeness is practically illegal. The fact that he hasn’t debuted is a loss for the Chinese entertainment industry!】
【Stop drooling, everyone. I heard that Young Master Qi is joining the show mainly because he values the market popularity of “Love Knows.” He’s here to market himself and promote a bit. Capitalists are just capitalists.】
【A capitalist? Marketing himself? I love him even more now.】
Meanwhile, Qi Yu looked around and finally spotted the source of the pungent smell on the kitchen counter’s cutting board—
A piece of cheese covered in unsightly mold spots.
Dressed in a perfectly tailored high-end suit, tall and long-legged with an outstanding presence, he stood out even among the celebrity guests.
However, the slight frown on his face at that moment somewhat diminished his otherwise unattainable aura.
Qi Yu raised a hand to cover his nose, looking at the moldy cheese on the cutting board:
“What is this thing that smells so awful?”
His words drew everyone’s attention to the cutting board, making the smell even more distinct.
To help the netizens in the barrage empathize, Jiang Qiyu thoughtfully used a metaphor to describe the smell:
“It smells like a sports student’s unwashed socks after ten days, thrown into foot-washing water and stewed for three days and three nights, then reduced over high heat.”
As soon as she said this, everyone except the cheese’s owner, Lu Heng, subconsciously nodded slightly.
The metaphor was vivid and specific, making them feel even more nauseous.
【Teacher Changmao, you really know how to use metaphors.】
【After hearing this metaphor, I realize how polite Teacher Changmao was earlier when she said it smelled like stinky tofu.】
【Oh my god, what on earth is Actor Lu doing?!】
【You guys don’t understand anything. This is a special type of cheese from abroad. Bunch of bumpkins.】
【If you don’t know, don’t bark like a dog. Do you even know how to respect others?】
Meanwhile, Lu Heng, whose finger was now bandaged with a band-aid, was visibly displeased.
Under everyone’s gaze, he walked to the cutting board, picked up the knife he had previously “blood-sacrificed,” and repositioned the ugly-looking thing:
“This is French blue cheese. Although it looks unappealing, once you cut it open…”
As he spoke, as if to prove his taste, he raised the knife and cleanly sliced the cheese in half, confidently showing everyone the cross-section of the blue cheese.
Qi Yu glanced at it and immediately curled his fingers under his nose again:
“It looks even more disgusting after being cut open.”
“……”
Lu Heng, who had always sailed smoothly through life, had never faced such blunt criticism. His face immediately turned green. Just as he was about to explain the origins and development of blue cheese, attempting to coat the “poop” with a layer of chocolate, Jiang Qiyu spoke up from the side:
“I know about this cheese.”
Looking at the speckled mold on it, she casually dumped the charcoal-like fried eggs into the trash and earnestly offered a fair opinion:
“I suggest everyone try it first before making a judgment. Just add a little to a vegetable salad, and you can make it taste absolutely terrible.”
Jiang Ling, standing nearby, saw Lu Heng being put on the spot and couldn’t help but step in to defend him and show off:
“Actually, you have to savor this slowly. At first, it might taste bad, but later you’ll discover…”
“It tastes like shit, and it’s more expensive than shit.”
It was clear that Young Master Qi wasn’t part of their circle—he didn’t hold back at all, showing no respect for the great film emperor.
[Hahahaha, I have no manners, I’ll laugh first!]
[Hahahahaha, I also have no manners. This slap brother looks like a high-class handsome guy, but why does his mouth ruin it?]
[Young Master Qi’s mouth, this contrast, I love it even more. What’s going on?]
“……”
After such a comment, Lu Heng’s face turned even greener.
He held back again and again to maintain his aloof film emperor persona in front of the live camera, then looked at Qi Yu, who wore an expression of disdain:
“We’re making breakfast. We didn’t know Young Master Qi was coming. Would you like to join us?”
Although the Qi family had always been based in S City, Lu Heng, who grew up in A City, had heard plenty about him from their circles.
From a young age, he was known for causing trouble and getting into fights. He was sent abroad by his father before even finishing high school and only returned in the last two years to take over the Qi family’s branch in A City.
A pampered young master like him, who had everything handed to him since childhood, probably didn’t even know how to use a gas stove.
Though it wasn’t clear why he suddenly showed up on a dating show, Lu Heng couldn’t afford to openly clash with him. Still, he was confident he could make this hot-tempered, unrestrained young master look foolish.
Qi Yu didn’t respond immediately after hearing his words.
“……”
He quietly looked around, taking in the pot of nearly overcooked instant noodles, the several burnt eggs in the trash, an uncooked steak, a piece of dry toast smeared with jam, and a block of blue cheese emitting a sour, pungent smell…
His handsome brow gradually furrowed into a faint “川” shape.
“You plan to eat this for a month while living here?”
For their first meeting, Qi Yu, trying to show what little decorum he had left, swallowed the word “feed” after it nearly slipped out.
“No choice. The production team doesn’t allow outside help.”
Fang Xubai, still wearing a little bear apron, leaned against the wall and shrugged:
“And no takeout either.”
“Well then,” Lu Heng curled his lips slightly, “is Young Master Qi skilled in cooking?”
Sensing the inexplicable hostility from this person, Qi Yu didn’t hold back:
“I wouldn’t call myself skilled, but at least I don’t cut shit in the kitchen to eat.”
“……”
Lu Heng was about to say something else when he saw Qi Yu stride toward the refrigerator.
He casually opened the double-door fridge, nodded slightly upon seeing the abundance of ingredients inside, and then, without another word, took off his crisp suit jacket. Turning his head, he glanced at the person holding a small milk pot, ready to cook instant noodles:
“Chinese or Western for breakfast?”
Jiang Qiyu answered without hesitation: “Chinese.”
Immediately, a black jacket carrying a faint, cool fragrance was inexplicably shoved into her hands.
“Hold this.”
Forced to step away from the counter, everyone could only stand by in stunned silence, watching the man in the kitchen work at a frenzied yet orderly and effortless pace.
He rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt, revealing well-defined forearms, with a dark apron loosely tied around his waist. He lowered his head, focused on chopping vegetables, beating eggs, boiling noodles, and making pancakes—all in one smooth motion.
Fang Xubai manually closed his dropped jaw but still couldn’t hide his look of astonishment:
“He… he’s…”
Jiang Qiyu swallowed her saliva as the aroma of food wafted from the kitchen:
“A… snail boy?”