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

It was three in the morning, and Jiang Che was still awake.

The numbers on the system panel have stabilized, with the reputation value settling at over eight million.

The popularity of the three songs is still growing, but the growth rate has slowed down.

The phone screen lit up briefly.

He listened to Song Yuqi's voice message three times.

"Jiang Che, I've remembered you, and you won't forget me either."

He put his phone face down under his pillow and turned over.

I can't forget it.

People have already tattooed dogs and lotus flowers on their bodies, how many days can he pretend to have amnesia?

The next morning at eight o'clock, at the program crew's restaurant.

When Jiang Che sat down with a bowl of noodles, the whole table fell silent.

Deng Chao, Chen He, Lu Han, and Wang Mian all turned to look at them.

Jiang Che picked up a mouthful of noodles: "What are you looking at?"

Deng Chao tapped his chopsticks on the rim of his bowl, unable to hold back any longer: "Brother, do you know what's going on with those three songs you sang last night?"

"Know."

"You know nothing."

Deng Chao slammed his phone on the table. "Of the top 20 trending topics online, 14 are related to you. Your Weibo hashtag has jumped straight to number one on the entertainment list."

Chen He, holding a glass of soy milk, raised his eyelids slightly: "Total views across all platforms: 370 million."

Wang Mian added, "My agent called me and asked if I could get your autograph for him."

Lu Han took out her phone from her pocket, scrolled to a comment, and read it aloud.

"Jiang Che proved one thing with three songs: the lyricist can not only write, but also sing. Song Yuqi waited ten years, and it was worth it. 870,000 likes."

Jiang Che chewed on his noodles and mumbled, "So?"

Deng Chao slammed his fist on the table: "So when are you planning to confess your feelings?"

Jiang Che stopped eating with his chopsticks, almost choking on the noodle soup.

"Who wants to confess their feelings?"

"You!" Deng Chao said, sounding utterly exasperated. "The whole internet is waiting for your response. You wrote three songs for her, and you still say you have no ideas?"

Chen He slowly replied, "His three songs were a response. The first one said that I was also moved, the second one said that I saw you, and the third one said that I haven't forgotten."

He looked up at Jiang Che: "Isn't this a confession?"

Jiang Che put down his chopsticks: "Does writing love songs mean we have to get married on the spot?"

Lu Han scoffed: "Try telling 60 million viewers that these are just lyrics, and see if they believe you."

Wang Mian raised his hand: "I don't believe it."

Deng Chao pointed at him: "Look, even Wang Mian doesn't believe it."

Jiang Che picked up his bowl and drank the soup, without responding.

Just then, footsteps were heard at the restaurant entrance.

Song Yuqi walked in, wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and denim shorts, her hair tied in a bun, holding a cup of hot milk in her hand.

She glanced at the table, her gaze lingering on Jiang Che for half a second.

"morning."

The four men responded in unison, "Good morning!"

The voices were so synchronized, as if they had been rehearsed.

Song Yuqi raised an eyebrow and sat down opposite Jiang Che.

Deng Chao immediately moved half a body to the side, leaving a line of sight between the two.

Jiang Che lowered his head and drank his soup, pretending not to see.

Song Yuqi opened the milk carton, inserted the straw, and took a sip.

The restaurant was silent for three seconds.

Unable to contain himself, Lu Han struck Deng Chao with his elbow.

Deng Chao cleared his throat and deliberately raised his voice: "So what's the recording schedule for today?"

Wang Mian opened his phone to check the process: "Chongqing Hot Pot Challenge".

Chen He raised an eyebrow: "Hot pot?"

"Do."

Wang Mian looked down and saw, "The production team asked us to prepare the hot pot base, buy the ingredients, and cook a hot pot feast ourselves, and then ask passersby to taste and rate it."

Deng Chao slapped his thigh: "I can do that!"

Chen He looked at him and said, "You can't even cook instant noodles properly, what are you good for?"

"That was an accident!"

Lu Han asked, "Are we divided into groups?"

Wang Mian shook his head: "Everyone together, no groups. But there's a special rule."

He held up his phone for everyone to see.

The process sheet had a line of text written on it.

[Special rule: The entire process will be live-streamed, and viewers will vote to decide the ingredient pairings.]

Viewers can vote every five minutes; the ingredient with the most votes will be added to the pot.

Chen He put down his soy milk: "Audience vote?"

Lu Han's expression changed: "We're doomed, they'll definitely submit a terrible dish."

Deng Chao dismissed it: "What's there to be afraid of? You can cook anything in Chongqing hot pot."

Song Yuqi took a sip of milk and looked up at Jiang Che.

Do you eat spicy food?

Jiang Che looked up: "So-so."

"What level of spiciness is it usually? Mild? Medium spicy?"

"A little bit spicier."

Song Yuqi tilted her head: "Then it might be too spicy for you today."

Deng Chao chimed in from the side, "It's okay, if it's too spicy, I'll give him CPR."

Lu Han turned to look at him: "Brother Deng, do you know how this sentence will be interpreted in the comments?"

Deng Chao paused for a second, then waved his hands repeatedly: "That's not what I meant! I meant saving people, saving people, you understand?"

Chen He said, "Shut up, the more you explain, the worse it gets."

Song Yuqi burst out laughing, almost choking on her milk.

She turned her head and coughed twice, then raised her hand to cover her mouth.

Jiang Che pulled two tissues from the table and handed them over.

His movements were so natural that even he himself didn't realize it.

Song Yuqi took the tissue and wiped her mouth.

"Thanks."

"It was just a small thing."

Across the table, four pairs of eyes were fixed on this detail, each with a different expression.

Deng Chao's mouth opened into an "O" shape.

Lu Han took out her phone, typed under the table, and sent it to the Wuha group.

[Lu Han: He handed me a tissue! It was instinctive!]

[Deng Chao: I saw it!]

[Chen He: Stop making noise, the camera's on camera.]

[Wang Mian: But it is indeed quite sweet.]

Recording officially began at 10:00 AM.

The production team set up a temporary kitchen in an alley near Jiefangbei.

Two large pots, a long table, and the ingredients area is empty, waiting for them to go to the market to buy them themselves.

Wu Zheng stood behind the camera, holding a walkie-talkie.

"The rules are simple. The six of you have one hour to go to the market, buy all the ingredients, and then come back to make a hot pot."

"What about the budget?" Deng Chao asked.

Wu Zheng smiled: "Two hundred yuan."

The entire room fell silent.

Deng Chao opened his mouth: "Chongqing hot pot, for six people, two hundred yuan?"

Chen He added insult to injury: "You also have to treat the passersby to a meal."

Lu Han glanced at Wu Zheng: "Director, are you serious?"

Wu Zheng nodded: "The excess will be deducted from your accommodation fee for tonight."

Deng Chao let out a breath and turned to look at the others.

"Brothers, spend wisely."