I'm in Wuha, and the whole internet is shipping me and Song Yuqi as a couple.

The five people filed out of the private room of the Chinese restaurant and passed through the revolving door of the hotel lobby. The sunlight that hit them made them squint.

On the open-air platform outside the lobby, three stalls are lined up in a row, each with a red acrylic sign in front of it, displaying the project name and pricing rules.

Deng Chao walked at the front, hands on his hips, scanning the three stalls, and loudly read out the contents of the first signboard.

"For the talent show booths, audience members are welcome to tip voluntarily for each performance; the program team does not set a reserve price."

He quickly moved to the second sign, stretched his neck, and continued reading.

"Handicraft stalls, making coconut shell crafts or weaving bracelets, the finished products are evaluated and priced according to quality, each piece is five to fifty yuan."

Chen He was already squatting in front of the third signboard, and the further down he looked, the more his brows furrowed.

"Physical labor stalls, assisting the hotel in moving coconuts, bottled water, and other supplies, five yuan per box."

He stood up, supporting himself on his knees, turned to look at Wu Zheng, and raised his voice.

Five yuan? Only five yuan for a whole box?

"Wu Zheng, are you kidding me? I, Chen He, am a public figure. You want me to move coconuts, and you only pay me five yuan per box?"

Wu Zheng put his hands in his pockets and nodded with a smile.

"Yes, five yuan. If you're not satisfied, you don't have to move it."

Chen He turned to look at Deng Chao, and the two stared at each other for three seconds before turning their gazes to Jiang Che.

Deng Chao took the initiative and moved directly in front of Jiang Che.

"Old Jiang, I'll team up with you."

"Why are you in the same group as him?"

Chen He grabbed Deng Chao's arm and wouldn't budge an inch.

"I spoke first."

"When did you say that? You were just looking at the sign!"

"That's what I thought first!"

The two of them were pulling on each other's arms, struggling back and forth, neither willing to let go.

Lu Han stood to the side, arms crossed, watching the two scramble for it with great interest.

Jiang Che ignored them and walked straight to the talent show booth, his eyes falling on the wooden guitar and portable speaker on the booth.

Song Yuqi followed beside him, also looking down to check the performance equipment.

Deng Chao shook off Chen He and rushed to Jiang Che in three quick steps, blocking his view.

"Old Jiang, listen to me, I'm absolutely sure I can perform with you."

He thumped his chest loudly, his face radiating confidence.

"I can sing. I even won third place in my class's karaoke competition in high school."

Jiang Che finally looked up from the guitar and sized him up.

How many students in the class participated?

Deng Chao's hand, which was patting his chest, froze in mid-air, and his imposing manner immediately diminished.

"...Four."

Chen He stood behind and laughed loudly. After he had laughed enough, he squeezed over and put on a sincere look.

"Old Jiang, don't listen to him. He sings so off-key it could reach the next neighborhood."

"I'm different. I can rap, the kind that I improvise on the spot, I can just open my mouth and it's on."

Chen He cleared his throat and raised his hand to demonstrate.

Jiang Che reached out to stop him.

"Remember that song you sang at the karaoke bar in Wuhan last time? It drove all the customers in the next room away, didn't it?"

Chen He opened his mouth slightly and hesitated for a while before finally coming up with a reason.

"That's a problem with the microphone."

Lu Han finally couldn't help but expose him.

"Brother He, you used the microphone you brought yourself that day."

Deng Chao and Lu Han shook their heads at the same time, their synchronized movements making Chen He's face turn black.

Jiang Che didn't give the two a chance to continue trying, and pointed to himself and Song Yuqi.

"Talent booth, just the two of us."

Song Yuqi was looking down at the list of props for the performance when she heard this, and her fingertips stopped on the paper.

She didn't look up, but the tips of her ears slowly turned pink.

Deng Chao followed Jiang Che's hand and looked at Song Yuqi, his expectation immediately vanishing.

"Old Jiang, can't you be a little more discerning about separating public and private matters?"

"You taking her along in your group is clearly a paid date."

Jiang Che turned around, his expression calm.

"You sing off-key, but she doesn't."

"This is about matching abilities; it has nothing to do with public or private matters."

Song Yuqi finally raised her head, but she couldn't suppress her smile even after trying twice. She could only clear her throat and turn her face away.

Chen He was still unwilling to give up and squeezed next to the two of them again.

"Then can I be your backup dancer? I can dance."

Lu Han raised an eyebrow and asked, "What dance can you do?"

"I learned square dancing from my mom."

Everyone fell silent.

Two seconds later, Deng Chao grabbed Chen He by the neck and dragged him toward the handicraft stall.

"Alright, accept your fate. The three of us will figure it out ourselves."

Chen He was dragged a few steps away, his head still turning towards the talent show booth.

"Why should I?!"

"The talent show booths are clearly the most profitable; there's no limit to tips, and we only get five yuan for carrying a box of coconuts!"

Lu Han patted him on the shoulder and earnestly advised, "Brother He, accept reality."

"They're a couple singing together, what are you doing squeezing in? A third wheel or a backup plan?"

Chen He stared at the signboard for a moment, then his gaze suddenly shifted to the handicraft stall sign. He immediately broke free from Deng Chao's arm.

"No, the highest price for a single handmade item is fifty yuan."

"If I'm good enough at weaving, I can weave ten lines an hour, that's five hundred!"

Deng Chao glanced at the materials on the stall: coconut shell fragments, colorful woven rope, a small hammer, and several seashells all piled together.

"Can you make bracelets?"

"Won't."

Chen He answered frankly and picked up two braided ropes.

"But I can learn."

Lu Han picked up a seashell and waved it in front of him.

"You think you can learn it in an hour and then make a bracelet worth fifty dollars?"

Chen He put the rope back on the table, leaving himself a way out.

"If all else fails, I'll just go and move some coconuts."

Deng Chao rolled up his sleeves, walked behind the manual labor stall, and looked down at the neatly stacked coconut boxes.

Each box contained more than ten coconuts, and they looked quite heavy.

He bent down, picked up a box, and tried it out. As soon as he exerted force with his arm, the features on his face scrunched up.

Deng Chao quickly put the box down and turned to shout at Jiang Che.

"Old Jiang, a box weighing over thirty pounds, and you're only paying five yuan!"

"Do you know what this is called? This is called exploiting labor!"

Jiang Che had already picked up the acoustic guitar and was tuning it, without even looking up.

"Then you go sing at the talent show booth, and I'll carry it."

Deng Chao opened his mouth, but ultimately swallowed his words.

He knew in his heart that if he were to sing on the street, he would most likely not receive tips, but rather complaints from passersby about disturbing the peace.

"Fine, I'll move it."

The group quickly decided on a division of labor: Deng Chao and Lu Han were responsible for moving the supplies, while Chen He stayed at the handicraft stall to try his luck.

Song Yuqi stood beside Jiang Che, watching him tune the strings and try plucking two chords.

She leaned closer to Jiang Che, turned her head, and asked, "What should we sing?"

Jiang Che turned to look at her; the two were now less than an arm's length apart.

"You decide."

After thinking for a moment, Song Yuqi immediately announced the song title.

"A Little Sweet?"

Jiang Che pressed down on the strings, a smile appearing on his lips.

"OK."

Just as the group was about to start working, Wu Zheng's loudspeaker blared again.

"Wait a minute, I forgot to announce a rule."

Everyone turned around at the same time, and several gazes fell on Wu Zheng.

Wu Zheng took out a folded piece of paper from his pocket, unfolded it, and slowly began to read it aloud.

"This island extra episode features a couples' privilege fund with an initial amount of 3,000 yuan, which is used to guarantee that the champion couple stays in a private sea-view suite on West Island."

Song Yuqi pursed her lips and secretly glanced at Jiang Che.

Wu Zheng waved the rule sheet in his hand, his smile becoming increasingly irritating.

"If the team earns less than 1,500 yuan for basic supplies within an hour, the shortfall will be deducted from the Couples' Privilege Fund."

He folded the paper again and put it back in his pocket.

"Once the fund is depleted, the suite will be immediately downgraded, and the double sea view room will be changed to a four-person dormitory room."

Deng Chao and Chen He turned around at the same time, their gazes shifting back and forth between Jiang Che and Song Yuqi.

Chen He spoke first: "Old Jiang, did you hear me clearly?"

"If the three of us don't move enough, we'll deduct from your and Yuqi's accommodation."

Deng Chao also added fuel to the fire.

"When we stay in a four-person dormitory, I'll sleep between the two of you, and I'll snore."

Jiang Che slung the guitar over his shoulder and glanced at the three people in turn.

"One thousand and five."

He rattled off the numbers in a casual tone, as if discussing dinner.

"An hour is enough. You three, don't hold us back."

Jiang Che turned and walked towards the talent stall, placing his free hand on Song Yuqi's lower back, and led her forward.

Song Yuqi took two steps and then turned back to wave to the three of them.

"Brother Chao, Brother He, Brother Han, keep up the good work carrying coconuts!"

Deng Chao watched the two figures walk away side by side, then sighed, hands on his hips.

"Brother Han, do you think I offended Jiang Che in my past life, and that's why I'm here to atone for it by working as his laborer in this life?"

Lu Han was already applying sunscreen to her arms when she heard this, and patted him on the back.

"Don't think about it anymore, let's move first."

"If we finish moving sooner, we can watch the sunset tonight."