Romance Variety Show: The aloof and beautiful fourth female lead is always coveted.

The morning light filtered through the gaps in the curtains, dappling the room.

Ye Siyao was the first to wake up. After a quick wash and tidying up, she went to wake Bai Nianchu up.

As soon as she peeked over, her gaze froze—there was a bulge next to Bai Nianchu. It was Jiang Meng, who had sneaked in at some point and was now fast asleep next to Bai Nianchu, breathing evenly and gently, her cheek affectionately pressed against Bai Nianchu's shoulder.

Ye Siyao's pupils dilated in shock: "..."

There's a subtle feeling, like catching someone in bed with another man.

She stood silently by the bed for a while before bending down and gently nudging them, "It's time to get up."

Jiang Meng slept soundly through the night without any dreams.

When she opened her eyes, she was startled to meet Ye Siyao's resentful gaze.

Ye Siyao said quietly, "Jiang Meng, I really don't know what to say to you."

"..." Jiang Meng looked away somewhat guiltily: "In English, it's hello."

Ye Siyao: "?"

Jiang Meng joked, "Would you believe me if I said I sleepwalked in last night?"

Ye Siyao crossed her arms. "Do I look like an idiot to you?"

Seeing this, Jiang Meng simply stopped beating around the bush and said matter-of-factly, "I can't sleep alone."

Ye Siyao almost laughed out of exasperation, "Don't you have a roommate?"

Jiang Meng dropped the pretense completely: "So what? I'm going to sleep with Nianchu!"

"Alright." Bai Nianchu was woken up by their bickering. She sat up, rubbing her temples. "Jiang Meng, let's go back."

Jiang Meng snorted, then obediently threw off the covers and got out of bed. "I'm leaving now. See you tonight, Nianchu."

As Ye Siyao watched Jiang Meng's departing figure, she suddenly remembered the knocking sound she had heard in her half-awake state last night. She immediately understood and said seriously, "Nianchu, I'll open the door from now on."

"I don't want this place to become a three-person dormitory."

Bai Nianchu paused slightly, her gaze shifting away from Ye Siyao's slightly reproachful look—this was one of her little habits; when she encountered a topic she didn't know how to continue, she would remain silent, as if doing so would allow her to get away with it.

Ye Siyao: "..."

Okay, I was indeed fooled by her cuteness.

She's just like a cat; when she doesn't want to talk to people, she pretends not to understand.

*

The show's producers stipulated that the guests' dates would take place between 2 PM and 8 PM. After lunch, the guests got ready, changed their clothes, and did their makeup, and set off one after another.

Jiang Meng kept the dating list a complete secret, and none of the guests knew who their date was. They only learned about the date locations through messages distributed by the production team.

Ling Yan arrived at the haunted house twenty minutes earlier than the agreed time.

He walked to a less conspicuous corner and stood there quietly waiting.

Actually, he wasn't very sure who the female guest would be on the date. After all, he had a very low profile in the house and hadn't spoken much to the other girls. Even if they knew about his feelings for Bai Nianchu, probably no girl would change the guest list just to bring them together.

Ling Yan unconsciously clenched his fingers and gripped the shoulder strap of his backpack.

Inside his backpack were the gifts he had prepared—a small bouquet of flowers and a hand-crocheted cat mosquito repellent sachet, perfect for hanging by the bed or on a bag to take out.

He gazed at the figures coming and going at the street corner, silently thinking: If the person coming isn't Bai Nianchu... then there's no need to bring out this gift.

He only wanted to give it to her.

A few minutes before the date was scheduled to begin.

Ling Yan's eyes widened little by little as he felt his heart pounding uncontrollably against his chest.

He spotted Bai Nianchu at a glance.

Countless figures flashed past, like a silent black and white film; only when she appeared did the world suddenly come into color—that's probably the feeling.

It felt like a dream.

Bai Nianchu wore a light lotus root-colored belted long dress today. Her long hair was loosely tied back, with a few strands falling on her fair neck. The sunlight fell on her face, giving it a luminous glow.

Ling Yan's Adam's apple bobbed.

He knew he should control his emotions.

But... his legs seemed to have their own will, and his gaze remained firmly fixed on her.

He took a small step forward, then another, and finally almost stumbled as he quickly approached her.

As he approached her, Ling Yan slowed down and straightened the creases in his clothes that he had pinched.

"Have you been waiting long?"

Bai Nianchu opened her lips and asked, her voice like a mountain stream flowing out.

"No..." Ling Yan shook his head, his voice a little hoarse, "I just arrived a few minutes ago."

Bai Nianchu's gaze swept over him.

Judging by this, it doesn't seem like only a few minutes have passed.

However, she didn't expose it, and nodded, "Let's go."

On the way, they always kept an arm's length distance between them.

Ling Yan wanted to find something to say, but his mind was completely blank, and all the topics he had prepared evaporated completely.

He knew that if it weren't for Bai Nianchu's patience and indulgence, someone like him, who couldn't utter a single word in a long time, would never have had the chance to get close to her.

"Nianchu." Ling Yan's voice came softly.

"?" Bai Nianchu stopped and turned her head to look at him.

Ling Yan lowered his eyes, his gaze filled with caution. He awkwardly took off his backpack and unzipped it.

"Here are the flowers." He took out the gift.

It was a small, delicate bouquet, meticulously wrapped in frosted paper. Light blue orchids were mixed with white roses, interspersed with a few sprigs of delphinium, creating a gentle and soothing color scheme. The bouquet wasn't large, but it was wrapped with utmost care; the angle of each flower had been adjusted, and each was tied with an exquisite bow.

Besides the flowers, there was also a small gift he had crocheted himself: a palm-sized cat-shaped mosquito repellent sachet. The cat was creamy white, with big, adorable eyes and a small triangular mouth. The entire sachet emitted a faint scent of mugwort.

"I bought the flowers on the way." Ling Yan rarely talked so much. "The sachet is something I made myself. I put mosquito-repelling herbs inside. I'm going to H City next week... there will be a lot of mosquitoes."

Viewers in the live stream could sense that Ling Yan had been trying very hard to step out of his comfort zone and force himself to break his usual silence. Even though his words were a little awkward, he was taking the initiative to talk to the person he liked.

He almost held his breath after saying the last word.

Her arms, holding the bouquet and the kitten-shaped sachet, were stiff, and her ears turned red at a visible speed. She looked like a sculpture awaiting judgment.

Ling Yan gets this nervous just from giving a gift.

I can't imagine what would happen if he were allowed to do anything even more outrageous...

Will I cry again like last time?

"Did you crochet this yourself?" Bai Nianchu asked.

She reached out and took the flowers and sachet, her fingertips brushing against the cat's round, fluffy head.

You can tell that the crochet technique is a bit clumsy, but the final result is quite good and cute.

"Hmm." Ling Yan nodded vigorously, almost forcefully. "I learned it from a tutorial, so it might not look very good."

Bai Nianchu looked up and her gaze fell on his still reddened earlobes.

"Thank you." Her voice was clear and crisp, and the corners of her lips curved upwards very slightly, almost like an illusion.

"The flowers are beautiful." She paused, then added, "The kittens are beautiful too."

Ling Yan's heart, which had been hanging in mid-air, suddenly fell back to its original position with a thud.

There was also a bittersweet joy.

He lowered his head, concealing the turbulent emotions in his eyes, and responded softly.

Every time I see the interactions between the fourth male and fourth female characters, I feel so soft and sweet *^_^*, like two kittens cuddling together for warmth.

[So cute, don't you guys think?]

I never consult the individuals involved when shipping couples; my opinion is absolute!

[Leopard and Cat, the most important thing for you two is to live a good life together~]