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

The cabin has been unusually quiet these past few nights.

Su Yi'an was making tea, the steam illuminating his gentle features; Lin Zhao was handling business on his laptop; Chen Yuze was doing chest press exercises at the gym; Ling Yan was holding a book in a corner, not turning the pages for a long time, occasionally looking up at the door, like a quiet, waiting-for-his-wife stone.

Girls don't have as much free time as them; they're busy with skincare, watching TV shows, doing Pilates...

Only Jiang Meng and Ye Siyao had the leisure to wait with the male guest in the living room.

I don't know how long I waited.

The combination lock clicked, and the door opened.

Xu Muyang stepped aside to let Bai Nianchu go in first, carrying a paper bag with the aquarium logo on it. Inside were the photo booth pictures they had taken, as well as various cultural and creative products they had bought at the souvenir shop.

He still had a bright and satisfied smile on his face, completely unaware of the interrogation he was about to face.

"You're back?" Su Yi'an spoke first, her voice gentle. "How was it? Did you have fun?"

Before she could finish speaking, Su Yi'an's peripheral vision had already accurately swept over the bag in Xu Muyang's hand and the irritating smile on his face.

"Of course I'm happy!"

Xu Muyang was a big chatterbox; without being asked, he blurted out, "We went to the aquarium, it was so much fun!"

Bai Nianchu nodded: "Mm."

Her reaction remained indifferent, yet it made the male guests' hearts tighten involuntarily.

Since returning from their date, Lin Zhao's fingers, which had been hovering over the keyboard, hadn't moved.

He couldn't keep up the act any longer.

With a tense jaw, her cold gaze swept over Xu Muyang, filled with barely suppressed scrutiny and subtle jealousy.

"An aquarium?" Lin Zhao paused, then spoke again, her tone undisguisedly critical. "You're taking her to a place like that? Doesn't it seem crowded?"

Xu Muyang: "?"

Is it crowded? Where is it crowded?

Has this young master never been to an aquarium on a weekday?

That's quite pitiful.

Xu Muyang thought to himself, then said sarcastically, "It's not crowded at all; it's quiet and beautiful there."

After saying that, he added a killer line: "Nianchu likes it very much."

Hahaha, I can't take it anymore!

[Sorry, but the second male lead's embarrassed expression was really funny.]

[It's completely turned into a comedic role...]

It seems like Young Master Lin can give eight hundred different looks a day.

That's quite the face-changing expert! ^^

Nianchu really liked it...

Lin Zhao's eyebrows twitched violently.

He slammed the computer shut with a loud "click".

He stirred up a somewhat heavy atmosphere, like the calm before a storm.

"You're back?"

Chen Yuze's voice broke the silence.

He came down the stairs with his half-wet black hair.

Chen Yuze had just finished showering and was wearing only a black tank top and athletic pants. His exposed arms were toned and powerful, and still slightly damp.

His gaze, like that of a cheetah, swept over Bai Nianchu directly and without any attempt to conceal it, finally settling on the paper bag in Xu Muyang's hand.

"You guys went to the aquarium? What did you buy?" Chen Yuze recognized the logo at a glance because he had also seen the aquarium dating guide and even saved the post.

"What I bought doesn't matter." Xu Muyang's lips curled into a smug smile. "Ta-da—let me show you the photo booth pictures Nianchu and I took. Aren't they cute?"

They even took couple photo booth pictures?!

The expressions on everyone's faces changed slightly.

Jiang Meng raised her hand: "Please pass this around, Xiao Xu!"

Xu Muyang: "Approved!"

Xu Muyang: Be careful when you send it, don't squeeze it too tightly and ruin my photo.

He clearly understood the jealousy of these rivals, and he made a point of mentioning it.

The men: "..."

Are you showing off?

I really want to tear that smug face to shreds.

After the photo circulated around, the air grew even quieter.

The couple on their date used a cute pink Hello Kitty photo template, making the photos within the frame look exceptionally romantic. Xu Muyang's expression and movements were a bit stiff, but it was precisely this slight awkwardness that added a touch of youthful innocence and purity to the scene.

Especially the last photo—the moment Xu Muyang turned his head slightly and his gaze fell on Bai Nianchu was captured perfectly by the camera, instantly maximizing the ambiguous atmosphere.

During the circulation of the photos, several men couldn't resist and almost scratched the photos.

"Alright, alright, have you seen enough?"

Xu Muyang took the photo back and held it in his arms like a precious treasure.

This action made everyone's hearts clench.

Bai Nianchu ignored the undercurrents between them and headed straight for the stairs.

"I'm going up."

Her voice was soft, yet it was as if she had flipped a switch, instantly easing the atmosphere in the living room.

"Get some rest, Nianchu," the men said softly.

"Then we'll go upstairs too," Jiang Meng said to Ye Siyao.

Not long after, a figure silently followed.

*

Bai Nianchu had no idea that someone was standing outside the door.

She only realized this after the system reminded her after she finished showering.

Bai Nianchu: ...

"Ling Yan?"

Yes, it's him.

How long has he been standing outside?

"It's been almost half an hour," the system said. "He didn't even knock; he just stood there."

Bai Nianchu frowned slightly.

She was a little confused. If she didn't know there were people outside, was he planning to stand there until dawn, or wait for other guests to find out?

Bai Nianchu walked quietly to the door, placed her fingertips on the handle, and suddenly pulled the door open with force.

The man standing outside didn't react for a moment; his expression was still blank, and his eyes and brows showed a look of bewilderment.

Two seconds later, Ling Yan took a step back like a black cat that had been suddenly startled.

Then, a complex mix of emotions welled up in his dark eyes: sadness, unease, resentment, longing...

He just looked at her with his eyes down.

Without speaking or making any movement, she quietly pursed her lips into a pale, stubborn line, and the fingertips digging into her palm trembled slightly.

Bai Nianchu originally didn't plan to talk much.

Seeing his expression, I became even more interested.

"What's wrong?"

Ling Yan remained silent for a long while before inviting in a barely audible voice, "Shall we talk on the balcony...?"

Bai Nianchu: "Let's go."

The wind was strong due to Typhoon Yang, so Ling Yan went downstairs to get her usual blanket.

When I got back, the first thing I did was to cover her with a blanket, and the second thing I did was to cover the camera on the balcony with something.

Bai Nianchu gestured for him to speak with her eyes.

"Last time..." Ling Yan paused before lowering his voice to ask, "I was the first, wasn't I?"

After asking that question, he immediately lowered his head, his long eyelashes trembling, like a prisoner awaiting trial.

Bai Nianchu understood.

Ling Yan asked her if he was the first person she had ever kissed.

Bai Nianchu nodded.

A bright spark suddenly ignited in Ling Yan's eyes, and he gave a hesitant smile.

"So...how did it feel to be with Xu Muyang today?"

"Um."

Ling Yan's expression fell again.

It transforms back into the familiar, gloomy mushroom with its low-pressure atmosphere.

Happiness and unhappiness are really easy to understand.

Ling Yan opened his lips, as if to say something, but then he swallowed it back down. After a long silence, he carefully reached out a finger, hooked the corner of Bai Nianchu's coat, and gently tugged at it.

It seemed like she wanted Bai Nianchu to come closer to speak.

So Bai Nianchu leaned towards him, following his lead.

next second.

The cool touch landed on the corner of her lips, carrying a subtle hint of flattery.

Accompanying the light breath was a man's coquettish whisper.

"Please don't leave me... okay?"

Ling Yan said sullenly again, "Sister..."

"OK?"