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

As soon as Su Yi'an finished speaking, the kitchen, which had been making some noise, suddenly became quiet.

All eyes were on him and Bai Nianchu.

[Holy crap, what's going on? Su Yi'an already helped Jiang Meng tie her apron, so why didn't he wait for Jiang Meng to help him tie it, and instead went to ask Bai Nianchu, whom he'd barely spoken to? He and Jiang Meng were supposed to be cooking together today!]

[What's the big deal? There's no rule that male and female guests have to tie aprons for each other. Of course, they'll choose whoever they like more.]

[Sure enough, being pretty has its advantages. Even if the fourth female lead does nothing, she's still captivating just by standing there.]

Indeed, her face stood out so much in the crowd, and she possessed an indescribable charm. To even catch her eye was already a reward...

[I'm already a full-fledged fan of all of them! I'll ship whoever the fourth female lead likes, as long as she's happy!]

"Can you help me?" Su Yi'an repeated with a smile.

This was the first time that his and Bai Nianchu's eyes met without any obstruction.

Bai Nianchu is really beautiful.

Her black hair was softly spread out, her skin was as pale as snow, and her two red lips added a breathtaking beauty to the snowy white.

Her face was undeniably beautiful, yet her expression remained indifferent, and her eyes were always calm and expressionless.

The same goes for the outfit she's wearing; the high-necked shirt is buttoned all the way up, and the long skirt reaches her ankles.

Aloof, abstinent, and noble.

Like a flower on a high mountain.

Human beings have an inherent weakness: they like to pull down those unattainable beauties from their pedestals, luring them into the world of desire, tearing away their aloof facade. Even more extreme, they force those who appear cold and aloof in public to reveal, in private, their eyes red with desire, their gazes full of longing…

"it is good."

This was just the beginning, and Bai Nianchu had no reason to refuse.

Although Su Yi'an had expected this, the smile in her eyes deepened upon hearing her response.

He took another step forward, turned around, lowered his eyes, and waited quietly.

When Su Yi'an was first met, he didn't show off his abilities, but when he took off his coat to cook, revealing his thinner inner lining, his good figure with broad shoulders and a narrow waist was instantly revealed.

Bai Nianchu's movements as she tied the apron weren't particularly fast, but they weren't sluggish either. Because they were so close, a cool, refreshing scent wafted into Su Yi'an's nostrils.

Su Yi'an turned her head to the side, and the tip of her nose twitched slightly.

The movements were so subtle that they would be completely unnoticed unless you were watching closely.

But Bai Nianchu discovered it.

It's less about discovery and more about "perception".

She could feel Su Yi'an smelling her.

Smell her scent.

"That's fine." Bai Nianchu glanced at him indifferently.

Su Yi'an's eyes flickered, and she held her breath for a brief second.

He couldn't tell whether Bai Nianchu's "That's enough" was simply a way of ending the interaction or something more.

Could Bai Nianchu be such a perceptive person?

The usually calm and composed Su Yi'an suddenly felt a sense of tension, as if her disguise had been stripped away and she was standing naked under the spotlight. Her heart also began to beat faster.

"Okay, thank you."

"What dishes are you and Jiang Meng making?" Xu Muyang asked with a bright smile, but his movements were decisive as he squeezed between Su Yi'an and Bai Nianchu, breaking the delicate atmosphere. "I'll help you wash the vegetables."

Su Yi'an: "..."

Jiang Meng was also in a bad mood.

But since she has taken on the job of head chef, she won't back down in front of the cameras.

She counted on her fingers and said, "Scrambled eggs with tomatoes, stir-fried beef with yellow peppers, cola chicken wings, braised fish, braised stuffed tofu, steamed spare ribs with black bean sauce, eggplant with minced meat... Seven dishes, plus a pot of soup, that should be enough for us, right?"

"That's enough," Ye Siyao said. "I didn't eat much."

Liu Zhiwei said, "Me too, I ate too much this morning."

Xu Muyang took on the task of washing vegetables, Liu Zhiwei cooked rice, Ye Siyao made soup, Jiang Meng was the head chef, and Su Yi'an assisted... The only people who were free were Bai Nianchu, Lin Zhao, and Ling Yan.

Ye Siyao was going to make a soup with corn, carrots, and pork bones.

She chopped the carrots and was about to chop the corn when she ran into a problem.

She's not very strong and doesn't cook often, so even cutting a corn cob is a struggle for her.

She tucked a strand of hair that was falling over her shoulder behind her ear, bit her lip, and her gaze drifted to Lin Zhao.

After hesitating for two seconds, Ye Siyao finally called out to him, "Lin Zhao, can you come over here for a moment?"

Lin Zhao looked at her: "What is it?"

"I'm not very good at cutting corn, can you teach me?"

Ye Siyao smiled shyly.

Lin Zhao did not refuse, and lowered her eyes to roll up her sleeves to her forearms.

The moment that arm was revealed, everyone knew that Lin Zhao also had a top-notch physique. His hands were large, his fingers gripping the cleaver were long and strong, and his forearm muscles were firm but not exaggerated; when he exerted force, the lines of the veins would be visible.

It has a lot of... tension.

His teaching is also simple and easy to understand.

"Slice in one-third of the way."

"Flip the blade so that the edge is facing upwards."

"Tap the cutting board lightly and use the momentum to cut."

Lin Zhao quickly cut the corn into four sections. The cut surfaces were smooth, without any splattering of juice or scattering of kernels.

Ye Siyao looked at him with admiration: "Thank you, that's amazing."

I thought the second male lead would refuse, but he was surprisingly cooperative with the female guest when it came to chores.

[Those forearms, those hands... they look incredibly strong; I feel like he could easily lift the female guest up by the waist with one hand.]

[I was completely indifferent to him at first, but now I suddenly find him very charismatic!]

[I'm starting to kind of ship the second male lead and the first female lead.]

After helping Ye Siyao cut the corn, Lin Zhao stepped back from the kitchen counter.

He showed absolutely no intention of interacting with the female guest.

However… his peripheral vision swept over Bai Nianchu on the other side, and his gaze shifted slightly.

Bai Nianchu sat in her seat, resting her chin on her hand and gazing out the window with a cold and serene expression. Her long, thick, black hair, paired with the delicate lines of her pale face, made her look like a beautiful doll whose soul had been ripped away, exuding a sense of detachment from the world.

She was more worry-free for Lin Zhao than ever before, and also more unapproachable than ever before.

In the past, if Bai Nianchu had seen him talking to other girls, she would have lost her temper many times over.

Lin Zhao frowned, his expression darkening.

He didn't know what Bai Nianchu was trying to do.

If you intend to get closer to him gradually, after so long, it's time to take action.

But Bai Nianchu completely treated him like a stranger, ignoring him, not looking at him, not listening to him, not paying him any attention, not even glancing at him.

Even if they are strangers, they should say hello after being in the same space for so long.

They didn't even say a word.

They were childhood sweethearts, yet they were more distant than strangers.

Lin Zhao withdrew his gaze, a hint of displeasure flashing in his eyes.

He wanted to see how long Bai Nianchu could endure it.