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

Ling Yan was overjoyed.

His eyes, like those of a young animal that hasn't had enough of meat, were fixed on Bai Nianchu's lips, slowly moving towards them.

Bai Nianchu could easily see through his thoughts.

"Want more?"

Upon hearing this, Ling Yan nodded, his face flushed.

"no."

Ling Yan's invisible ears and tail immediately drooped listlessly.

He knows how to act cute.

Or rather, he used Ling Yan's method of acting coquettishly—carefully reaching out, taking Bai Nianchu's hand and cupping it against his face, then rubbing his palm against hers in a subservient manner.

Like a silent big cat, the way it expresses affection to humans is by lying down on the ground with a "thud," turning its soft belly towards them, and using actions to imply: Human, pet me more, you can pet me.

Bai Nianchu remained silent for a while, then raised her other hand and ruffled Ling Yan's hair.

"Be good."

Ling Yan said sullenly, "I'm very well-behaved."

"That's not enough," she said calmly. "Next time, we'll see how you do."

Ling Yan's eyes lit up.

Having received the promise, and unable to contain his emotions, he could only hope that Bai Nianchu wouldn't be angry. Before she could pull her hand away, he slightly turned his head and pressed a kiss to her palm, his posture utterly devout.

"I see."

He said in a low, hoarse voice.

Fortunately, his moon didn't get angry with him because of this little incident.

She simply withdrew her hand with a detached gaze, glanced at him, and said, "Go back to your room and sleep, don't stay here."

Ling Yan nodded, not pressing Bai Nianchu for why she had come here.

All he needs to know is—

She came to me, and she kissed me.

She has feelings for me.

This is enough.

*

After returning to his room, Ling Yan slept soundly through the night.

He no longer had those frightening dreams.

Bai Nianchu also returned to her bedroom and took a nap.

The next day, when everyone saw Ling Yan, who had clearly tidied himself up, they were immediately stunned.

Ling Yan's face is the most outstanding among the five male guests, without a doubt.

Now he's taken off his usual black-rimmed glasses and switched to contact lenses. His overly long bangs have also been trimmed, revealing his beautiful eyebrows and eyes, and the small black mole under his eye. He's also chosen a dark gray knitted cardigan paired with a black collared shirt, finally breaking away from his usual black hoodies and black pants.

"Wow!" Jiang Meng's eyes lit up as she exclaimed in pure admiration for beauty. "Youngest brother, it would be such a waste not to show off your face."

The other girls nodded in agreement: "He looks good, he's very handsome."

"Thank you," Ling Yan said.

He seemed to be in a good mood and looked a bit more energetic.

They were no longer the shady mushrooms that used to hide in the corners of the cabin.

His eager gaze at the stairs was so obvious that he was immediately recognized.

"Are you waiting for Nianchu?" Liu Zhiwei teased.

Ling Yan pursed his lips and remained silent, only nodding.

"She got up a little late today," Ye Siyao said. "Nianchu had just woken up when I came downstairs."

Ling Yan immediately understood.

I felt a little guilty, but also a strange kind of happiness.

This is... a secret unknown to everyone, a secret that belongs only to him and her.

"Lin Zhao is acting a little differently today too," Jiang Meng whispered. "I went to get some bread and found him making breakfast in the kitchen. The way he did it, the ingredients he used, it didn't look like he was making it for himself."

"I guess he's starting to put in the effort..."

The girls exchanged glances, their unspoken understanding unspoken.

After a while, people gradually went out to work.

Only Ling Yan, Lin Zhao, Wen Shanshan, and Bai Nianchu upstairs remained in the small house.

Ling Yan's classes were scheduled for the afternoon, so Wen Shanshan had been working from home during this period, while Lin Zhao wanted to wait until she saw Bai Nianchu before leaving.

Half an hour later, the two men who had been eagerly waiting finally saw Bai Nianchu come downstairs.

"Nianchu."

"Good morning, Niannian."

Ling Yan and Lin Zhao greeted each other in unison, then exchanged a look of mutual disgust.

The feud between the two of them started a long time ago.

Lin Zhao disliked Ling Yan for being poor and gloomy, and for being a sycophant who followed Bai Nianchu around.

Ling Yan disliked Lin Zhao for being arrogant and conceited, and for always doing things that annoyed Bai Nianchu.

They loathed each other and never had a moment of peaceful conversation.

The first thing Bai Nianchu saw when she came downstairs was a certain dark mushroom that had been "completely renovated".

No, Ling Yan isn't the Dark Mushroom anymore.

It's a pea-shaped mushroom.

In the restaurant, Lin Zhao and Ling Yan sat on opposite sides, with the breakfast they had prepared laid out on the table.

The table next to Ling Yan and the empty seat next to him featured a standard Chinese meal: pumpkin and millet porridge, scrambled eggs with scallions, and steamed mini shrimp buns.

In front of Lin Zhao was a fusion of Chinese and Western dishes: cheese omelet, sausage toast rolls, and tomato tofu soup.

In terms of appearance and taste, Lin Zhao's is indeed more appealing.

"Niannian," Lin Zhao spoke first, "Are you hungry? Come and try the breakfast I made for you."

He stood up and pulled out the empty seat next to him.

Ling Yan was not to be outdone, but he did not do the same.

Just as she walked past him, he gently tugged at her sleeve, and while she paused, he whispered in her ear, "Eat mine, okay?"

Bai Nianchu sat down next to him without hesitation.

When faced with a choice between Lin Zhao and Ling Yan, her answer has always been the latter, without ever changing.

Seeing that Bai Nianchu completely ignored him and was led to a seat by Ling Yan, Lin Zhao was so angry that his face turned pale.

This was the first time Lin Zhao had realized that he was someone who was so easily jealous.

However, he was still in the process of seeking reconciliation and had no reason to blame or interfere with her choice.

Not only did he have no right to be angry, he also had to watch them "sweetly" dine across from him.

"Drink my porridge." Ling Yan switched his and Bai Nianchu's pumpkin and millet porridge. "It's not that hot."

Bai Nianchu had a cat-like tongue, and he had always known that.

As for why they didn't change it in advance when they clearly knew this?

That's because—Ling Yan also has his own little schemes.

He wanted Lin Zhao to see this scene in its entirety.

Lin Zhao: "..."

As Ling Yan expected, Lin Zhao's face turned even greener.

It's like a mute eating bitter melon—the kind of frustration and stifling feeling of having bitterness that can't be expressed.

The veins on the back of my hands were bulging from clenching them so tightly.

He looked like he wanted to kill him.

But so what?

Ling Yan thought to himself as if nothing was wrong.

Whoever Bai Nianchu favors, has the right to stand by her side.

He understood this from the very beginning.

The viewers in the live stream thoroughly enjoyed watching this chaotic scene unfold.

[The way the second male lead looks pained is so captivating ʕ ᵔᴥᵔ ʔ]

I'm starting to feel a little sorry for him.

[Hahaha, don't feel sorry for men!]

[It's always fresh and new. Sisters, you can go back and look at his attitude towards the fourth female lead; it's completely different from now.]

[Yeah, why should a man be forgiven just for making breakfast and apologizing?]

[The fourth girl has plenty of suitors; she doesn't need another one^^]

[This is so satisfying to torture men! I'm not going to give him a kind look!!]