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

The men's expressions immediately became subtle.

He skipped breakfast, and the smile on his face disappeared.

When Bai Nianchu first met Gu Jinxing, he and Gu Jinxing had a normal "brotherly and sisterly" relationship.

How come things have changed in just a few days?

Because they were a bit far away, they couldn't hear what the brother and sister were talking about.

But when Bai Nianchu stood with Gu Jinxing, the aloofness she exuded was noticeably lessened, replaced by a sense of familiarity that needed no words.

Gu Jinxing did the same—the man stood naturally beside her, carefully draping his coat over her shoulders, not wanting her to be exposed to even the slightest breeze. The way he spoke to her in a low voice was also more intimate than usual, bending down and listening intently, his eyes overflowing with indulgence and doting.

Gu Jinxing doesn't seem like an older brother.

The male guest's face turned slightly pale, and he secretly thought to himself:

He's more like a... brother...

Gu Jinxing did not step into the villa. He only glanced into the house through the floor-to-ceiling window, nodded slightly to everyone as a greeting, and then turned and left.

As soon as Bai Nianchu entered the room, the girls immediately surrounded her.

"Nianchu, what's your brother doing here?"

Bai Nianchu: "He's here on vacation too."

"So last night you and your brother...?"

Bai Nianchu paused for a moment while changing her shoes, and said calmly, "I slept at the hotel where Brother Jinxing stayed last night."

Wen Shanshan raised an eyebrow and asked the question everyone wanted to know: "You're not sleeping in the same room, are you?"

"No, two rooms."

"Nianchu, we thought you'd be at Love House with Yuze..." The girls exchanged glances, then asked, "Did he do something to upset you?"

This is also the question Chen Yuze wanted to ask.

At first, he guessed it was because of Gu Jinxing, but as he spent more time overthinking, he couldn't help but suspect it too—

Was it because his behavior in the bathtub last night was too reckless, which displeased Bai Nianchu and led her to leave him?

Bai Nianchu shook her head: "It's just because there are a lot of mosquitoes there."

Guests: "..."

Chen Yuze: "..."

So that's the reason.

Chen Yuze felt a little better, but also somewhat amused and exasperated.

If he had known Bai Nianchu hated mosquitoes so much, he should have bought a mosquito swatter and killed them one by one, or two by two.

Although the men did not participate in the female guests' conversations, they listened to every word of their casual chatter.

Although they weren't staying in the same room, it was a done deal that Gu Jinxing would come to H City for a vacation to take care of Bai Nianchu.

The air pressure inside the villa visibly decreased.

A strange sense of crisis arose in the men's hearts.

This sense of crisis was even stronger than when they first learned that Lin Zhao and Bai Nianchu had been childhood sweethearts for over twenty years.

Lin Zhao remained silent.

His complexion was unusually poor, more so than anyone else's.

As if he had uncovered a shocking secret, his gaze was deep, filled with shock, and brimming with anger.

Lin Zhao's gaze lingered on the direction where the vehicle had disappeared. After a long silence, he finally forced out a sentence through his teeth.

"It's different now."

Everyone glanced at him with puzzled expressions.

Lin Zhao had no desire to explain.

He and Gu Jinxing rarely met. The last time was two years ago at a banquet jointly hosted by the Lin and Bai families.

Lin Zhao remembered it very clearly at that time—Gu Jinxing's gaze towards "Bai Nianchu" was only that of a quirky younger sister whom he rarely saw.

But now, Gu Jinxing's gaze has completely changed!

His gaze toward Bai Nianchu was restrained, yet also possessed a tenderness that could drown one; it held indulgence, but also concealed a stubbornness and possessiveness unseen by others.

With just one glance, Lin Zhao knew—

Gu Jinxing is coveting someone who doesn't belong to him!

Gu Jinxing likes Bai Nianchu.

Just like him now.

The more Lin Zhao thought about it, the more alarmed she became.

He was definitely the first person to know, and to be certain, that Gu Jinxing liked Bai Nianchu.

Lin Zhao was all too familiar with that look, because he too had suddenly fallen for Bai Nianchu.

The difference is that he can openly pursue Bai Nianchu because they are childhood sweethearts and are male and female guests on a dating reality show.

Gu Jinxing, the nominal older brother, will never have such an opportunity.

The Bai family's reputation, Bai Nianchu's reputation, his own reputation... If Gu Jinxing still cared about reputation and morality, no matter how deeply he loved her, he wouldn't have the heart to take this step.

The other guests' laughter and playful banter seemed to exist in two different worlds from Lin Zhao's solitary contemplation.

"Let's go out later and buy some electric mosquito swatters. We can also buy a few boxes of mosquito repellent incense; it's much better than mosquito repellent liquid."

"That's right, we can't keep troubling Brother Jinxing to pick us up and drop us off."

"Speaking of which, Nianchu's brother is really a good person..."

After learning that Gu Jinxing harbored ulterior motives, Lin Zhao could no longer tolerate such flattery.

He frowned, his tone cold and sarcastic: "That person isn't here to be an older brother."

No one understood what he meant, and no one responded to his words.

Lin Zhao was just that unpopular.

Lin Zhao was furious.

I just think these people are incredibly stupid!

The answer is right there in the open, yet people still ignore it.

That's so stupid it's laughable.

*

The sun in H City is unreasonably intense.

The production team chartered two open-top sightseeing vehicles and drove south along the island promenade.

This is a nearly 20-kilometer-long coastline, with swaying coconut palms on the left and a dazzling blue sea on the right. Every shot is a masterpiece.

The female guests had prepared sun-protective clothing, sunglasses, and sun hats in advance, and also carried sunscreen spray and mosquito repellent with them.

The male and female guests sat separately.

The male guests' minds were half on the scenery and half on what lay ahead—their gazes kept drifting towards the sightseeing bus in front of them.

They could hear the girls' cheerful and sweet laughter and see them taking one photo after another, and their mood gradually became cheerful as well.

That's probably the charm of travel.

Temporarily freed from the usual routine, everyone is free and radiant in this moment.

The entire morning, the production crew took them on a tour of the long corridor, strolled through the old street, and sampled many local delicacies.

After the guests had eaten and drunk their fill and returned to the beach near the villa, the director announced a new round of games – a jigsaw puzzle.

"A professional photographer will be here this afternoon to take 'couple' photos for everyone, with five different themes in total. The partners for each photoshoot will be decided based on the time it takes to complete this jigsaw puzzle game!"

Couple photoshoot?!

There was a moment of silence at the scene.

The male guest's eyes lit up almost immediately, and he couldn't suppress the smile on his face.

Holy crap, the production team really knows how to create buzz! They've even released couple photos!

[Is this a couple's photoshoot? This is clearly a wedding photo with his wife.]

[It's great, I love watching it!]