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

It was exactly 3 p.m.

The villa gate was pushed open from the outside.

Wu Zheng was wearing white cotton gloves, followed by three cameramen carrying equipment.

An assistant director with a clipboard and a staff member carrying a testing toolbox.

The scale of the operation was quite impressive.

Chen He peeked out through the living room curtains and his expression immediately changed.

"Why does he act like a city management officer inspecting sanitation?"

Deng Chao leaned closer and saw the white gloves on Wu Zheng's hands; his pupils contracted.

"Oh no, he's going to touch the pot."

The two exchanged a glance, then simultaneously took three steps back, standing behind Jiang Che without prior arrangement.

Song Yuqi held the bag of funds tightly, her fingers gripping the opening, and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

Although she witnessed Jiang Che washing the pot with sand, you never know what other tricks Wu Zheng might have up his sleeve.

What if the standards are set too high?

What if something was applied to the white gloves beforehand?

As she pondered these thoughts, her body unconsciously shifted half a step toward Jiang Che.

Jiang Che leaned against the dining table, his arms crossed in front of his chest, looking completely at ease.

Wu Zheng stepped into the kitchen, his gaze sweeping over the stove, countertop, and sink.

He first walked to the stove, then put his right index and middle fingers together and slowly made a line from the bottom of the iron pot upwards.

Slow movements, steady posture, and confident expression.

The white glove paused at the bottom of the pot for two seconds before he held it up in front of the camera.

Clean and tidy.

There wasn't a speck of black residue.

Wu Zheng's smile froze.

He changed his angle, inserted his finger into the inner wall of the pot, and circled it around the rim.

White gloves are spread out in the sunlight, facing the camera.

It remains spotless.

The pot's surface, gleaming with a metallic silver-gray sheen from being repeatedly rubbed with sand, was even brighter than when it was brand new.

Chen He peeked half his head out from behind Jiang Che and, seeing that there was nothing on the white gloves, immediately became bolder.

"Director Wu, would you like to try it again? Try a different angle; maybe we can find something."

Wu Zheng ignored him and turned to walk to the dish rack.

Five bowls, five pairs of chopsticks, and three plates were neatly arranged on the shelf.

He picked up a bowl, turned it over, and rubbed the bottom of the bowl twice with his gloved hand.

Only a tiny grain of sand, silvery-white and translucent, clung to the white glove.

Wu Zheng rubbed the grain of sand between his thumb and forefinger, his expression becoming very complicated.

The assistant director leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Director Wu, is this acceptable?"

Wu Zheng did not answer, and instead checked the other bowls and plates.

Completely clean.

There was no oil stain on the chopsticks, and no residue on the edge of the plate.

Even the crab shells in the trash can were sorted and packed into bags, which were then tied tightly shut.

He stood in the middle of the kitchen and slowly took off his white gloves.

Song Yuqi peeked out from behind Jiang Che, her tone filled with undisguised smugness.

"Director Wu, are you done with the checkup?"

"These gloves are so white, shouldn't we get a hygiene model award?"

Chen He immediately followed suit, giving a thumbs-up to the camera.

Deng Chao also stepped forward, picked up the reflective iron pot, and held it in front of the camera.

"Come on, let the whole country see this pot. Which housekeeping company could wash it like this?"

"Handmade, zero cost, the power of nature."

Wu Zheng stuffed the white gloves into his pocket, his facial muscles twitching slightly.

He took a deep breath of the sea-scented air and put on a smile again.

"Congratulations everyone, kitchen hygiene assessment..."

Chen He tensed up and listened intently.

"qualified."

Chen He jumped up on the spot, turned around and hugged Deng Chao tightly.

"The thousand dollars are saved!"

Jiang Che stood still, and when he saw Song Yuqi smile, he reached out and ruffled her hair.

His fingers ran through her ponytail, the movement casual and natural, as if he had done it many times before.

Song Yuqi's head tilted to the side as he rubbed it, but she didn't dodge, and the corners of her eyes curved up.

The screen was instantly flooded with comments.

Director Wu came with white gloves to cause trouble, but ended up humiliating himself the entire time.

[Song Yuqi's teasing look when she peeked out was so cute.]

[Jiang Che's head-rubbing gesture, day N of their publicly funded romance.]

Chen He gave all his hugs to Chao Ge; I think he's the real CP.

Wu Zheng stood at the kitchen door, suppressing his smile repeatedly, but finally couldn't help but speak.

"However..."

Chen He's smile froze on the spot.

Deng Chao slowly lowered his hand, which had been holding the iron pot.

Even Lu Han stopped wiping her hands and turned to look at Wu Zheng.

Song Yuqi instinctively hugged the fund bag even tighter into her arms.

Wu Zheng put his hands behind his back, walked to the center of the courtyard, and looked up at the sky.

"It's a beautiful afternoon, with a pleasant sea breeze and plenty of sunshine."

"Wouldn't it be a waste to stay in a villa with such a beautiful sea view?"

Chen He muttered under his breath, "Every time he praises the weather, it's followed by something that could kill him."

Wu Zheng turned around and faced the five people.

"The production team has arranged an exciting afternoon activity for everyone: a beach volleyball challenge."

Deng Chao relaxed his vigilance slightly.

"volleyball?"

He looked at his arm.

"I can do that. I even got an excellent grade in physical education class in college."

Chen He also perked up.

"Volleyball is easy. There are five of us. Who are we going to play against? Your production team?"

Wu Zheng smiled.

"Don't rush, the rules are simple. It's five against five, you're up against the show's staff."

"We won, the funding will increase by two thousand."

Chen He and Deng Chao's eyes lit up at the same time.

"What if you lose?" Song Yuqi asked.

Wu Zheng glanced at her and held up one finger.

"If you lose, you'll lose 1,000."

Song Yuqi's smile vanished.

Win and get an extra 2,000; lose and get a deduction of 1,000.

It sounds like a great deal, but Wu Zheng never does business at a loss.

She turned to look at Jiang Che.

Jiang Che nodded, signaling her not to rush and to continue listening.

Deng Chao rubbed his hands together.

"Sure, where's the venue?"

Wu Zheng raised his hand and pointed to the back of the villa, to the high-end beach that was surrounded by red and white barriers.

The white sand is fine and the court is flat. The beach volleyball net has been set up and is swaying slightly in the sea breeze.

Just as Deng Chao was about to step over, Wu Zheng's voice drifted over again.

"Venue rental fee: 500 yuan per hour."

Deng Chao's feet were dangling in mid-air.

"Volleyball rental fee, two hundred yuan."

Wu Zheng's smile grew brighter and brighter.

"In addition, water, towels, and ice for the competition will be charged separately."

The courtyard was silent for a full five seconds.

Chen He grabbed Deng Chao by the collar and pulled him back, then turned and glared at Wu Zheng.

"Five hundred dollars to rent the court? Two hundred dollars to rent the ball?"

"Wu Zheng, should I charge a usage fee for the slap I used to hit you?"

After being brought back to reality, Deng Chao quickly did some calculations.

"Wait a minute, the field costs 500 plus the ball costs 200, that's 700. If we win, we only earn 2,000, so we only get 1,300 in hand."

"But what if we lose? We'll lose two thousand two hundred straight?"

He turned to look at Song Yuqi, his expression pained.

"Yuqi, are you interested in this deal?"

Song Yuqi raised her head, her gaze shifting back and forth between Wu Zheng and Jiang Che.

"Coach Wu, how many rounds will the match be?"

Wu Zheng held up three fingers.

"Best of three games. But the venue fee is calculated by time. No matter how many games are played, the game will end after one hour."

Song Yuqi closed the account book and tilted her head to look at Jiang Che.

How's your volleyball playing?

Jiang Che looked at the tennis net that had already been set up on the beach, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

"I know a little."

Upon hearing those three words, Chen He perked up completely.

He turned around and waved to Deng Chao.

"Fight! We must fight!"

"If he says he can do a little, then he's guaranteed to win. Last time he said he could swim a little, but he was better at swimming than a seal."

Deng Chao hesitated for half a second, then nodded.

"Fine! Let's fight!"

Seeing the two of them acting impulsively, Song Yuqi clenched the money bag in her hand and turned to look at Jiang Che.

Jiang Che lowered his head, and his gaze met hers.

"Don't worry, you won't lose money."

Song Yuqi glanced at him for two seconds, stuffed the ledger back into her bag, and walked over to Wu Zheng.

"Director Wu, seven hundred dollars, right?"

She pulled out banknotes one by one from her fund bag, her expression no different from that of someone cutting off a piece of their own flesh.

"The court costs 500, the ball costs 200, so it's 700 in total."

Not a single penny more.

Wu Zheng took the money, and the smile on his face finally returned to full strength.

"make a deal."

"Please change into your sportswear, and see you on the beach in twenty minutes."

He turned and walked out, whispering something to the assistant director as he passed him.

"We're going to temporarily recruit a few locals from Hainan. I heard they're really good at volleyball, especially when they're not wearing shoes."