My cousin asked me to go to Wuha, and Hanikezi stuck to me.

Chen Yi stared at the note in his hand, an uncontrollable smile creeping onto his lips.

He peeled off the white rabbit candy and casually tossed it into his mouth. The rich milky flavor melted on his tongue, perfectly sweet.

As for the red light warning from the system, and the new capital that was lying dormant at Star Entertainment Media.

Chen Yi folded the note neatly with one hand and stuffed it into the innermost pocket of his hoodie.

When soldiers come, we'll block them. If they dare to reach out, we'll chop them all up.

The next morning, in Xizhou Ancient Town, Dali.

The sun was shining brightly, and two long earthen stoves were set up on the bluestone road.

Old Wang stood between two baskets of fresh ingredients, holding a megaphone.

"This morning's task is a two-person cooking competition!" Old Wang's voice was full of energy. "The two teams need to work together to make the Bai ethnic group's traditional three-course tea. First, bitter; second, sweet; third, lingering aftertaste. Whichever team's tea wins the approval of the local grandmothers will get a whole roasted lamb for lunch!"

Deng Chao rolled up his sleeves and shouted, "For roast whole lamb! We'll give it our all!"

Chen Chichi kept yawning and patting his stomach.

"Brother Chao, you can even burn a hole in the bottom of the pot while boiling water. How are we supposed to compete with Chen Yi?" Chen Chichi bluntly exposed his shortcomings. "My cousin's cooking skills are so good that even the local grandmothers would want to become his apprentices."

The group assignments were a foregone conclusion.

Chen Yi and Hanikezi stood in front of stove number one. Deng Chao and Chen Chichi stood in front of stove number two.

Recording has officially begun.

Chaos erupted at the second stove. Deng Chao was frying the tea leaves until they were belching black smoke, while Chen Chichi frantically searched for the sugar jar. The two were arguing fiercely.

In contrast, the number one stove was eerily quiet.

Chen Yi stood in front of the earthen stove, holding a specially made clay pot for roasting tea. He focused intently on turning his wrist, controlling the heat.

"I want walnut kernels." Chen Yi didn't even look up or reach out his hand.

Hanikezi stood half a step behind him to the left. Upon hearing the sound, she grabbed a handful of peeled walnuts and poured them precisely into the edge of the casserole that Chen Yigang had tilted.

"Brown sugar." Chen Yi continued to stir-fry.

A piece of crushed brown sugar was handed to him right on time.

Throughout the entire process, the two didn't exchange a single unnecessary word, not even a glance. The moment Chen Yi spoke, or even just slightly tilted his shoulder, Hanikezi knew what he needed next.

Flowing smoothly and perfectly.

Chen Chichi was coughing from the black smoke when he turned his head and glanced at the number one stove. His eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

"Brother Chao, look at those two!" Chen Chichi pointed at Chen Yi, "Is this what you call filming a TV show? It looks like a married couple of five years cooking in the kitchen!"

Deng Chao wiped the soot off his face with a towel hanging around his neck and nodded repeatedly.

"That's terrifying," Deng Chao complained to the camera. "Honey didn't even look, yet she knew exactly what size bowl Chen Yi needed. That level of teamwork couldn't be achieved without hundreds of meals together."

The live stream chat was flooded with comments.

"Help! This is even more intense than yesterday's sweet moments! What's with this 'old married couple' vibe?!"

"Chen Yi didn't even turn his head, confident that Hani could catch his movement. That's absolute trust!"

"Who remembers they were pretending not to know each other yesterday? Muscle memory just doesn't hide!"

Hanikezi's cheeks flushed slightly when she heard Chen Chichi's teasing. She quickly moved half a step to the side, creating some distance, and pretended to bend down to cut the ginger slices needed for the third "aftertaste tea".

The cutting board is a bit slippery.

Hanikezi held the ginger in her hand, the cleaver moving swiftly up and down.

"hiss--"

A very soft gasp escaped from Hanikezi's mouth.

The blade of the cleaver grazed her left index finger, instantly creating a small cut from which a bead of bright red blood quickly oozed.

"when!"

A crisp sound.

The long-handled iron spoon in Chen Yi's hand was thrown directly onto the stove, sending sparks flying.

Without even a second's hesitation, he strode across the safe distance between them and grabbed Hanikezi's left hand.

Chen Yi's brows furrowed into a tight knot.

"What happened?" Chen Yi's voice was extremely low, his tone lacking its usual nonchalance and filled with undisguised urgency.

He pressed his thumb directly against the base of Hanikezi's finger, using pressure to stop the blood from seeping out.

Hanikezi was startled.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the man carrying the camera number three carrying the equipment and shoving the lens directly at their clasped hands.

"It's nothing, just a scrape," Hanikezi whispered, pulling her hand back forcefully. "They're still recording."

"Don't move." Chen Yi's tone was extremely harsh, giving her no chance to break free.

He pulled Hanikezi directly to the basin of water next to him and used clean water to wash away the bloodstains around the wound.

"Xiao Fang! Get the first-aid kit!" Chen Yi shouted without turning his head.

The entire room fell silent for three seconds.

Chen Chichi and Deng Chao looked at each other, and even stopped what they were doing.

Chen Yi is usually very composed on the show, even when faced with lawyers' letters from investors, he doesn't even blink. But now, just because Hanikezi cut her skin a little, the oppressive atmosphere around him is frighteningly heavy.

Xiao Fang jogged over carrying a first-aid kit.

Chen Yi took out a disinfectant wipe, carefully cleaned the wound, then tore open the packaging of the adhesive bandage and gently wrapped it around her index finger twice.

"Go sit over there." After treating her wound, Chen Yi pushed her onto a folding chair under the parasol. "I'll take care of the rest."

Undoubtedly, it was domineering and utterly unreasonable.

Hanikezi sat obediently in the chair, watching Chen Yi walk back to the stove, her heart pounding like a drum.

It’s over.

That reaction just now completely ruined my plan to pretend I didn't know them.

At noon, filming was paused, and the guests went to a restaurant to eat roast whole lamb.

Old Wang didn't go to eat.

He sat in front of the monitor in the director's booth, holding a huge thermos in his hand, his eyes fixed on the screen.

On the screen, the close-up footage captured by camera number three is being played repeatedly.

In the scene, Chen Yi throws down the iron spoon and grabs Hanikezi's hand.

Old Wang pressed the pause button, zoomed in on the image, and focused on Chen Yi's face.

Those eyes, which usually held a hint of nonchalance and amusement, were now filled with pure tension and heartache. It wasn't an act; it was an instinctive, reactive response.

Old Wang touched the stubble on his chin, his brows furrowing slightly.

"This is definitely not the reaction of an ordinary partner," Old Wang muttered to himself, staring at the screen.

Ps:

[Please urge for more updates! Add to your bookshelf!! 4 chapters will be updated on the 29th!!]