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

Chen He scrolled through the food delivery interface, already reciting the names of the dishes aloud.

"Two more servings of Wagyu beef and one serving of king crab sashimi, we have to make the most of this 8,000 NTD bill."

Lu Han leaned over and glanced at the price.

"Brother He, this island delivery service costs an extra 200 yuan, are you sure?"

With a wave of his hand, Chen He completely erased the disheveled state he had just experienced when he fell into the water.

"add!"

"We have eight thousand yuan in our hands, how can we be short two hundred yuan for shipping?"

Song Yuqi immediately hugged the crossbody bag to her chest.

"Brother He, put your phone down first."

"The money is with me; even if you order it, no one will pay."

Chen He limped closer to her.

"Yuqi, we won a major comeback today, we should have a good celebration, right?"

Jiang Che raised his hand and pulled Song Yuqi behind him, separating her from Chen He's overly solicitous face.

Don't listen to his nonsense.

"He's been thinking about Australian lobsters all afternoon."

Song Yuqi peeked out from behind Jiang Che's shoulder and made a face at Chen He.

"Did you hear me?"

"What we're having for dinner tonight needs to be agreed upon by both the head chef and the accountant."

Chen He slapped his thighs with both hands.

"Brother Chao, look!"

"It's only been a short time since the official announcement, and the two of them are already working together to guard against me."

Deng Chao laughed out loud.

Be content.

"Jiang Che is already being kind by cooking for you, and you still dare to order food?"

The group argued all the way back to the seaside villa.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, Chen He slowed down.

Wu Zheng sat on a rattan chair in the pavilion, a can of iced cola beside him, while the assistant director, holding an account book, stood close by, quietly reporting to him.

Chen He cleared his throat and swaggered over.

"Hey, Director Wu, drinking alone?"

Wu Zheng slammed the Coke can back onto the table.

"Don't get too cocky, you lot."

"There's another full day of recording tomorrow."

Deng Chao pulled out the wicker chair opposite him and casually grabbed a slice of watermelon from the fruit plate.

"Tomorrow is tomorrow."

"We're having a seafood feast tonight, Director Wu, would you do me the honor?"

Wu Zheng snorted through his nose.

"With your meager budget, what good food can you afford?"

This is exactly what Song Yuqi was waiting for.

When the zipper of the small bag was opened, a thick stack of banknotes was revealed.

She pulled out a small stack of notes and clapped them twice in her palm.

"Director Wu, unfortunately, we have a total of eight thousand dollars right now."

"Australian lobster, Wagyu beef, black truffle—order everything you can."

Wu Zheng stared at the stack of money, remaining silent for a long time.

Of this money, part came from project rewards, and the other part was money he paid on the spot.

Song Yuqi, of all people, counted them the most clearly.

"OK."

Wu Zheng turned his face away, grabbed a can of cola, and took a sip.

"You guys eat, I want to see what you can do with eight thousand dollars."

Jiang Che stood beside Song Yuqi, his gaze falling on the megaphone in Wu Zheng's hand.

"Director Wu, will the water, electricity, and gas at the villa be kept on tonight?"

Wu Zheng opened his eyes.

"I'm the chief director, not the property manager."

"I don't have time to shut off the power for you every day."

Jiang Che nodded.

"That's good."

"Otherwise, we'll just have to get takeout from the director's canteen."

Wu Zheng hadn't even finished swallowing the cola in his mouth when his face darkened.

"knock off!"

He grabbed the megaphone and stood up, the chair leg scraping against the floor tiles with a dull thud.

"There are no night missions tonight. Do whatever you want!"

The stairs thumped loudly as he stepped on them.

The courtyard was quiet for two seconds, then Chen He was the first to burst into laughter, bending over with mirth.

"Director Wu has truly broken down this time."

Lu Han shook her head.

Song Yuqi quickly put the money away and grabbed Jiang Che's sleeve to pull him into the house.

"Let's go, let's order something first."

"If we delay any longer, I'll really starve."

Half an hour later, the ingredients were delivered to the villa's door.

Three live Australian lobsters, two boxes of Wagyu beef, and several bags of fresh vegetables filled the entire kitchen counter.

Chen He and Deng Chao took turns washing the vegetables, while Lu Han stayed on the side to set the plates.

Jiang Che rolled up his sleeves, held down the lobster that was still wagging its tail, and swiftly sliced ​​into the shell with the tip of his knife.

Song Yuqi, wearing a floral apron and holding a bowl of condiments, followed beside her.

"Jiang Che, should I add more chili to the garlic sauce?"

Jiang Che took the bowl of minced garlic and glanced at the chopped red pepper inside.

"Go back halfway."

"Your throat can't handle too much spice."

Song Yuqi suppressed her smile and obediently put the chopped red pepper back into the small dish.

"Okay."

"Chef Jiang is really meddling in other people's business."

"What if you lose your voice and have to rely on hand gestures to record the show?"

Song Yuqi rested her chin on his shoulder, drawing out the last syllable of her voice.

"Then you sing."

"Anyway, you'll get more."

Jiang Che brushed the back of his hand against her face, pushing her a little to the side.

"Stand back, the knife is still in your hand."

Song Yuqi agreed verbally, but only moved her feet half a step.

"Oh……"

"Just being lazy."

At the poolside, Chen He washed a piece of lettuce three times, turning it over and over.

"Brother Chao, my eyes hurt."

Deng Chao wiped the plates without looking up.

"Bear with it."

"I'm so tired of hearing this. Did I say anything?"

Lu Han carried the cut fruit past the two of them.

"Brothers, you'll get used to it."

"That's called having a zest for life."

Chen He threw the lettuce into the basin.

"What kind of fun?"

"This is clearly an indiscriminate attack on single people."

Song Yuqi grabbed a cucumber and stuffed it directly into his mouth.

"Brother He, you can eat yours."

"You talk too much."

Chen He bit into the cucumber and protested indistinctly.

"This hush money isn't enough."

"I need at least half a lobster."

Jiang Che tightened the lid of the steamer.

"You'll get your share."

"Go and wipe the tables outside clean."

"Okay!"

Chen He ran off with the cucumber in his mouth.

Dinner was quickly laid out on the long table.

Steamed lobster with garlic, pan-fried snowflake beef, seafood tofu soup, and a side of vegetable salad.

The chandelier illuminated the table, which was filled with heat, and the outside of the glass cups quickly became covered with a layer of condensation.

Deng Chao raised the glass filled with juice.

"Come on, let's toast to making eight thousand dollars today!"

Five cups collided.

Chen He put down the cup and went to break the lobster claws, but as soon as he touched the shell, his fingers were burned and he pulled them back.

"Hiss...it smells good!"

"If Wu Zheng sees this table of food, he'll definitely revise tomorrow's plans three times tonight."

Song Yuqi peeled a piece of shrimp meat, dipped it in the sauce, and put it into Jiang Che's bowl when no one was looking.

Jiang Che picked it up and ate it, then pushed the freshly served tofu soup towards her.

"Slower."

"Just out of the pot, it's piping hot."

Song Yuqi held the soup bowl, her eyes crinkling into a smile.

"It's delicious, even fresher than the pot we had at noon."

Lu Han put down her cup and glanced between the two of them.

"Brother Che, Yuqi."

"With the two of you in this state, you're unlikely to stay in the top five trending topics after the show airs."

Chen He finally managed to pry open the lobster claws and took a moment to nod.

"Top five isn't enough?"

"I reckon the Civil Affairs Bureau's account will be paralyzed by all the tagged posts from fans."

Song Yuqi lowered her head to drink her soup, and her movements with the spoon quickened considerably.

"It's not that exaggerated..."

"We were just recording a program normally."

Jiang Che placed the sliced ​​beef onto her plate without even looking up.

"They can watch if they want."

"We'll live our own lives."

Deng Chao raised his hand and slapped the table.

"I like hearing that."

"We've already talked, so what's there to hide?"

Song Yuqi tapped the rim of the bowl with her spoon and didn't argue further.

The meal lasted until after 9 p.m.

After cleaning up the dishes, Chen He and Deng Chao rubbed their stomachs and slumped into the living room, still playing a game.

Lu Han sat at the bar, scrolling through her phone, occasionally amused by the trending comments.

Jiang Che had just dried his hands when someone tugged at the corner of his clothes twice.

"Jiang Che..."

Song Yuqi tilted her head slightly towards the back door.

"Would you like to go for a walk on the beach with me?"

Jiang Che glanced down at the slippers on her feet.

"Change your shoes."

"It's windy outside, grab another jacket."

"Okay."

Song Yuqi turned and ran back to the master bedroom, quickly changed into flat slippers, and then put on a large knitted cardigan.

As soon as the back door opened, the sea breeze lifted the hem of her cardigan, and the two of them went down the steps to the beach.

The waves at night pushed the shore, then receded from beneath our feet.

Song Yuqi walked along the tide line for a while, then suddenly turned her face away.

Jiang Che.

"Um?"

"Weren't you scared when you were riding the jet ski today?"

Jiang Che reached out and brushed away the hair that had blown the wind to her lips.

"What are you afraid of?"

"So fast? What if it flips over?"

She quickly added a sentence after she finished speaking.

"I'm not afraid of water, it's just... we're both up there."

Jiang Che took her hand and cupped her cold fingers in his palm.

"I can't flip it."

"I won't let you fall into the water either."

Song Yuqi lowered her head and kicked away the broken seashells at her feet, unable to suppress the smile on her lips no matter how hard she tried.

After taking a few steps, she grabbed Jiang Che again.

"And then what?"

Jiang Che turned around.

"What do you mean, 'after'?"

"If I encounter something much more difficult than today in the future..."

The second half of the sentence was drowned out by the sound of the waves.

Jiang Che didn't ask any further questions. He led her up two steps to avoid the approaching seawater.

"With me here, you can do what you want to do first."

"Leave the rest to me."

Song Yuqi stood still.

Jiang Che was pulled to a stop by her. As soon as he turned around, she stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek.

The kiss had barely landed when she pulled back.

"Today's completion reward."

She turned her face away, staring only at the distant lighthouse.

"One-time only, no extra charges allowed."

Jiang Che didn't chase after her, but pressed his thumb twice on the back of her hand.

"Accountant Song."

"That's not how rewards are calculated."

Song Yuqi turned her face back, but before she could refute, he had already grabbed the back of her neck.

Jiang Che leaned down and kissed him.

Her hand, which was pressed against his chest, paused for a moment before finally grabbing his collar.

On the second-floor balcony, Wu Zheng came out with a thermos cup to get some fresh air.

His gaze fell on the beach, and he stopped in his tracks.

The lid almost slipped from my hand when I twisted it halfway down.

Wu Zheng tightened the lid of the cup again, turned around and shouted into the room.

"Assistant Director!"

"Double the difficulty of tomorrow's task!"