A high-output floodlight was mounted on the roof, illuminating the entire courtyard.
Chu Minghe inspected the luggage belonging to the various participants and discovered that his and Zhao Xingjian’s belongings were the sparsest just a single small suitcase each.
The group first toured all four rooms, discovering that the interior decor varied across each, bearing no resemblance to standard hotel guest rooms.
On the first floor, the left-hand side featured a refined luxury edition, while the right-hand side was an edition piled high with plush toys.
On the second floor, the left-hand side sported a low-key pastoral style edition, and the right-hand side was a girlish-heart-bursting edition.
Aside from the girlish-heart-bursting edition, the other three rooms had already been checked out by the various pairs.
Chu Minghe didn’t make the first move to pick, nor did he display any preference for a particular room; he simply kept a close eye on Zhao Xingjian.
He had zero demands regarding housing conditions he could fall asleep anywhere and only needed to accommodate his pampered, somewhat temperamental husband.
However, Zhao Xingjian wasn’t focusing on the rooms either, because Chu Minghe kept glancing over at him at unpredictable intervals.
Was he still stubbornly refusing to give up on him?
Ten years ago, Chu Minghe had insisted on marrying him after a single chance encounter, bypassing any courting phase and resorting directly to coercion and bribery.
As it happened, the Zhao family’s company had hit a minor rough patch around that period, and they were preparing to use Zhao Xingjian’s birthday banquet as a turning point for salvation.
Chu Minghe had directly printed out a stack of explicit photos doctored for over half a month and handed one to everyone present, sparing not even the cleaning ladies.
That completely torpedoed the event. Seizing the opportunity, Chu Minghe once again tabled his marriage demand, promising that he could rescue the Zhao family from crisis.
Originally, there hadn’t been any fixed time limit, but Zhao Xingjian knew firsthand that those photos were fake, and it was solely by leveraging that fact that he forcefully tacked on a ten-year expiration date.
Yet, strangely enough, Chu Minghe had indeed succeeded in his ruthless bid for marriage. Zhao Xingjian had assumed Chu Minghe must be head-over-heels in love with him, even steeling himself for a decade of harassment post-marriage.
To his surprise, Chu Minghe actually behaved himself after tying the knot, obediently staying holed up in the villa without making a single unsolicited phone call.
Chu Minghe picking him up last night marked their closest contact in all these years.
For the first few years, Zhao Xingjian assumed Chu Minghe had regretted the marriage alliance and lost interest in him. But listening to yesterday’s and this morning’s remarks, he decoded the subtext: far from disliking him, it seemed Chu Minghe had bottled everything up inside, transforming from an aggressive trailblazer into a reserved conservative.
And now, even while checking out rooms, Chu Minghe was sneaking glances at him.
Just as the room tours concluded, Chu Minghe cast one final look at Zhao Xingjian, trying to gauge if he could pinpoint which room the other preferred.
The moment he turned his head, he locked eyes with Zhao Xingjian’s frowning gaze.
…
That expression looked painfully familiar clearly, displeasure was brewing.
Moreover, judging by the attitude, the annoyance wasn’t directed at the rooms, but at himself.
Reflecting briefly on his own behavior, Chu Minghe felt his ears flush.
“Which room do you want?”
【My eyes must be failing me. Who is this?】 【Chu Minghe is actually blushing? Pigs might as well fly.】 【Wild guess: our handsome, successful businessman is going to choose the first-floor left-hand side.】
Zhao Xingjian’s visceral reaction outpaced the viewers’; seeing Chu Minghe’s ears redden once more, he speechless-ly averted his gaze.
Whatever, let it be. Just bear with it; the moment the show wraps up, the two of them can finally file for divorce.
“Whatever works.”
Chu Minghe gave a nod. It appeared Zhao Xingjian wasn’t a picky person either, displaying a remarkably magnanimous attitude under the circumstances.
Thus, they waited for the other two couples to choose first, but the outcome left everyone utterly flabbergasted.
Lin Dingshi and Zheng Yuan selected the first-floor left-hand side luxury high-end edition, while Zhang Qing and Zhang Congsheng picked the first-floor right-hand side plush-toy-piled edition.
That left precisely two options: the universally shunned girlish-heart-bursting edition and the low-key pastoral style edition.
【Isn’t this unfair to the last-arriving pair? They’re left with a girlish room.】 【Chu Minghe, hurry up and snatch it! Roll around on the floor if you have to a corporate tyrant belongs in the luxury suite!】
Inside the villa, Chu Minghe calculated that neither he nor Zhao Xingjian had any particular housing demands, and he could clearly read how deeply everyone else loathed that girlish room.
Fearing that the remaining arrivals might spark further disputes, he hesitated for a fraction of a second before looking up. “Shall we take the second-floor left-hand side room, then?”
The girlish room…
Zhao Xingjian choked.
Granted, he had muttered a casual “whatever,” but this choice was too casual. He honestly had no idea Chu Minghe harbored such a bursting girlish soul.
Still, since the words were out and Chu Minghe had made the pick, this was a couple’s reality show after all. Even if private grievances rankled, he had to play along for the sake of their hidden objective promotional marketing avoiding any flaws that public scrutiny could tear apart. So, a girlish room it was.
Besides, Chu Minghe had spent time in the entertainment industry before. Though he hadn’t exactly thrived, his behavioral choices were bound to be more cautious than his own.
Seeing that Zhao Xingjian raised no objections, the group hauled their luggage upstairs to settle into their respective quarters.
The moment Chu Minghe reached out to grab Zhao Xingjian’s suitcase, another hand shot out and intercepted it.
“I’ve got it.”
Chu Minghe offered no resistance, naturally stepping ahead to lead the way.
Pushing open the bedroom door, only stepping directly inside revealed the staggering degree of its pinkness; every single visible surface refused to accommodate a second color.
【A corporate tyrant living in a girlish room—now that’s a vibe.】 【What time do the room equipment feeds shut down tonight?】 【Standard production crew custom: 10:00 PM sharp.】
Carrying minimal baggage, they cleared away the clutter in under five minutes. Unloading their personal effects introduced a few contrasting patches of non-pink color into the sea of pink.
Scanning the room’s cameras, Chu Minghe noted one by the bedside, one in the corner, and a third perched on the cabinet by the door.
He intended to remind Zhao Xingjian to mind those blind spots, but turning around, he caught sight of the man pulling out a pack of underwear near the window.
In a flurry of panic, Chu Minghe scrambled hands-and-feet across the bed and slapped his palm down over Zhao Xingjian’s about-to-be-lifted arm.
…
With his item swatted away, Zhao Xingjian fixed a cold glare on him.
“This can’t be broadcasted.” Chu Minghe obediently scooped the item back up and stuffed it right back into the suitcase.
Watching his actions, Zhao Xingjian asked, “What about yours? Where did you put them?”
Chu Minghe: “Still in the suitcase. Stashing them inside is fine; we can take them out after the live streams cut off tonight.”
Failing to anticipate that recording a reality show would prove this cumbersome, Zhao Xingjian zipped up his suitcase and shoved it into the bathroom to temporarily share space with Chu Minghe’s luggage.
Dinner was still pending. Chu Minghe trotted downstairs first to scout out the kitchen.
A full complement of seasonings and cookware awaited inside, though raw ingredients required self-harvesting.
The courtyard glowed bright under the floodlights, and the pathway to the backyard remained unobstructed. Pushing open the back door, he peered inside: the area sat in quiet stillness, broken only by an occasional flap of chicken wings.
He circled the chicken coop twice, finally locating a latched wooden gate tucked away on the flank.
Though the courtyard was well-lit, a waterproof tarp spanned the top of the chicken enclosure, plunging the interior into shadows that made spotting eggs impossible. Abandoning the idea for now, he moved along.
Right next door lay the vegetable patch he had spotted during daytime arrival, boasting a diverse crop yield. He decided to harvest a couple of tomatoes and a few bunches of baby bok choy to whip up a simple tomato-and-vegetable noodle soup.
The vegetable garden sat directly aligned with their bedroom window; casting a casual glance outside, Zhao Xingjian happened to spot a hunched figure moving through the crops.
Squinting closer, he recognized Chu Minghe.
Six grown men ate hearty meals, meaning the ingredient haul had to be substantial.
Lacking one of the baskets provided by the production crew in the kitchen, Chu Minghe had no choice but to cradle tomatoes in one arm while clutching baby bok choy in the other.
Just as he prepared to exit the garden path, a figure stepped out from behind the wall.
“You’re adapting awfully fast.” Zhao Xingjian reached out to relieve him of the baby bok choy.
Sensing the man’s lingering impatience, Chu Minghe muttered, “I’m hungry.”
As a camera hovered within close proximity, Zhao Xingjian kept further complaints to himself, instead pointing out a rut in the dirt: “Watch your step.”
Returning to the courtyard, they bumped straight into Lin Dingshi coming down the stairs.
“I just went upstairs looking for you! I was going to ask if you wanted to grab a chicken and stew some soup!” Seeing Chu Minghe, Lin Dingshi bounced over excitedly and plucked two tomatoes right out of his arms to stash for himself.
Chu Minghe smiled. “It’s too late tonight; I’ll take you tomorrow.”
Besides, everyone was exhausted; they needed an early dinner, a night of rest, and full preparation for tomorrow’s official recording kick-off.
Watching them interact, Zhao Xingjian strode ahead, tossed the vegetables into the kitchen, and returned to relieve Chu Minghe of the remaining tomatoes.
Studying him closely, Chu Minghe thought to himself: Zhao Xingjian is adapting pretty fast too—not just in terms of role-playing, but his facial expressions are getting quite flexible.
Boiling noodle soup was simple: heat oil, toss in chopped scallions and tomatoes, throw in the bok choy, add water to boil, season with salt, and let it simmer for three to five minutes.
While slicing vegetables, Chu Minghe glanced aside and noticed the oil in the adjacent pot smoking heavily and thickening by the second. Surprised, he promptly hauled the pot off the burner, only to find the culprit staring at him with a furrowed brow.
“You’re not adding vegetables?”
…
Before Chu Minghe could formulate a diplomatic reply, Lin Dingshi standing nearby dissolved into giggles.
Helplessly, Chu Minghe explained, “The oil started smoking; we can’t use it anymore.”
“Go find a pack of wet wipes in our room for me, would you?”
Packing the other person off first, he dumped the scorched oil and scrubbed the pan clean.
“Has your husband never cooked a single meal for you all these years?” The moment they were alone, Lin Dingshi closed the kitchen door and whispered the question.
Caught off guard, Chu Minghe had no choice but to confess the truth: “We have household staff for that.”
“Having staff do it is one thing, but having your husband cook is about romance and intimacy.”
…
Chu Minghe found himself completely unequipped to explain. Since he and Zhao Xingjian had never shared a domestic life, romance was an entirely foreign concept.
Fortunately, another arrival cut the conversation short. Zhang Qing stepped through the front door and coughed twice. “Why is it so smoky in here?”
Catching sight of Zhang Qing, Lin Dingshi abruptly clamped his mouth shut and returned to mechanically chopping vegetable leaves.
A silent sigh escaped Chu Minghe pre-existing friction was already surfacing before filming even officially commenced.
“Just boiling a bowl of noodles,” he offered by way of explanation.
Zhang Qing merely glanced around and retreated. By the time the noodles were plated and carried out to the living room, the rest of the group had reconvened.
Zhao Xingjian had spent quite a while rummaging through their room before unearthing the wet wipes Chu Minghe had mentioned, bringing them down to hand directly to him.
Accepting the wipes to clean his hands, Chu Minghe invited everyone to dig into dinner.
Over the meal, conversation finally began to flow.
As Chu Minghe ate in measured bites, he listened to Lin丁时 recount his household background.
Zheng Yuan and Lin Dingshi ran a restaurant business together. While Zheng Yuan excelled at cooking, managing the expanding business over recent years left him too busy to step foot in the kitchen, though he still occasionally whipped up midnight snacks for Lin Dingshi the very symbol of “romance” Lin Dingshi proudly boasted about, contrasting it with the fact that Chu Minghe’s husband had never cooked for him.
As for Lin Dingshi himself, he specialized in crafting desserts for their family-owned establishment.
Hearing the restaurant’s name, Chu Minghe instantly realized neither of them planned to leave empty-handed; at the very least, they intended to leverage the show to boost their family business.
Zhang Qing was an established author who had recently wrapped up a new manuscript. Preferring a secluded lifestyle, his unpolished temper had slipped out upon arrival, though this trip similarly served to elevate his public profile and drive sales for his upcoming book.
Zhang Congsheng was an only child managing a company left behind by his father. Having spent his younger days playing the field, he only settled down upon meeting Zhang Qing, though their current dynamic appeared somewhat strained on screen.
Listening in silence, Chu Minghe polished off half a bowl of noodles, finding his stomach feeling considerably more settled.
Just as he anticipated hearing Zhao Xingjian’s corporate pitch, he heard only a concise declaration: “I am Chu Minghe’s husband. We have been married for ten years.”
【Finally hearing a proper introduction; that massive wave of commercials just now put me to sleep.】 【Chu Minghe has been married for ten years? For real?】 【Yeah, go check his social media page; it’s still pinned at the top.】 【A total disaster happened back then too. Go check my homepage.】