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

The next morning, in the courtyard of the Dali Inn.

Sunlight pierced through the thin mist over Erhai Lake, shining onto the camera lenses filling the courtyard.

With two huge dark circles under his eyes, Chen Chichi held a glass of iced Americano in his hand and stared resentfully at Chen Yi and Hanikezi standing not far away.

Last night's late-night display of affection kept him so full that he tossed and turned until 4 a.m. before finally falling asleep.

"Everyone, the recording of the Dali episode has officially wrapped up today."

Old Wang, beaming with health, walked to the center of the venue, holding a large megaphone, followed by several staff members carrying trays.

"To bring this episode to a perfect close, we've prepared a special segment." Old Wang grinned like a sly old fox. "Everyone take a card and a pen. Write down what you most want to say to your partner for this episode. After one minute, read it aloud in front of the camera."

The entire audience groaned in despair.

Deng Chao slapped himself on the forehead.

"Old Wang, this tactic is so outdated!" Deng Chao pointed at the camera. "Isn't this just forcing us to be sentimental? I've never been this mushy with my wife on our wedding anniversary!"

"Stop talking nonsense and get to writing." Old Wang waved his hand.

The staff handed out cardboard cards and markers to everyone.

The courtyard fell silent, with only the scratching sound of pens slicing across paper remaining.

Chen Yi leaned against a wooden pillar, twirling a marker in one hand, his gaze lightly falling on Hanikezi across from him.

The girl was wearing a simple white sweatshirt today, her long hair tied in a high ponytail. She was biting the pen cap, staring at a blank card and struggling frantically. Her beautiful big eyes would occasionally glance in Chen Yi's direction, but after meeting his gaze, they would quickly look away as if they had been electrocuted.

Chen Yi's lips curled up almost imperceptibly.

He lowered his head, scribbled a few strokes on the card with his pen, finished in three seconds, and casually tucked the card onto his knee.

One minute is up.

"Start with Brother Chao's group!" Old Wang directed the camera positions while holding up his walkie-talkie.

Deng Chao cleared his throat, opened the card in his hand, and looked at Lu Han with deep affection.

"Little Deer, next time you're on a boat, don't ask me if I'm a security guard. These old bones of mine can't row anymore."

Lu Han laughed so hard she squatted on the ground and couldn't get up.

Chen Chichi rolled his eyes and held up his card.

"Brother Chao, drink less goji berry water. With your heart rate dropping below 60, it's a waste of time to supplement it."

The audience burst into laughter, instantly heating up the atmosphere.

Old Wang nodded in satisfaction, then turned his gaze and fixed it on Chen Yi.

Units 3 and 4 immediately pushed up, bringing their cameras right up to Chen Yi's face.

The live stream chat was so dense with comments that it caused the stream to lag.

"Here it comes! The main event is here!"

"The heat from last night's 112 heart rate hasn't even dissipated yet, and Old Wang's already up to something again today!"

"That Chen Yi has such a sharp tongue, is he going to throw out some medical term again?"

"My guess is 'drink more hot water'!"

Chen Yi straightened up, holding the card in one hand, his index and middle fingers pinching the edge, and casually flipped it over.

He didn't look at the camera, but stared straight at Hanikezi across from him.

"Next time, use less force when peeling potatoes."

Chen Yi spoke in a calm tone, with his usual nonchalant manner.

A brief silence fell over the courtyard.

Two seconds later, Deng Chao laughed so hard he fell backward onto the sofa, slapping his thigh wildly.

"Chen Yi, are you crazy?!" Deng Chao pointed at him. "The finale! Such a sentimental atmosphere! You're telling the girl to peel potatoes gently? Do you think this is a New Oriental chef graduation exam?!"

Lu Han was laughing so hard she was wiping away tears.

The live stream chat was filled with question marks and bursts of laughter.

"What the hell are you doing peeling potatoes?! Chen Yi's 'straight man' persona is absolutely cemented!"

"This is hilarious! Honey, such a beautiful woman, is standing right here, and all he can think about is potatoes!"

"Old Wang's face turned green! He was definitely hoping Chen Yi would say something like 'No matter how big the storm, I'll hold you back' or some other domineering CEO quote!"

"No wonder Chen Yi is single! He's got such a sharp tongue!"

Old Wang's face turned green; his hand holding the thermos was trembling, and he glared at Chen Yi with a look of utter disappointment.

But Chen Yi completely ignored the noise from the outside world.

He was still looking at Hanikezi.

Hanikezi stood still, her previously tense shoulders completely relaxing.

Others might not understand, but she understood it perfectly.

The day before yesterday, she volunteered to help peel potatoes in the kitchen, but because she used too much force, the blade slipped and she almost cut her finger. Chen Yi's face immediately darkened, he snatched the peeler from her, and unceremoniously kicked her out of the kitchen, telling her to go to the yard and wait patiently for her meal.

"Next time, use less force when peeling potatoes."

The subtext of this statement is not a complaint at all.

That was Chen Yi telling her in a way that only the two of them could understand: From now on, don't do any work that's easy to get hurt. I'll always be waiting for you in the kitchen.

Hanikezi's eyes inexplicably felt hot.

She bit her lower lip hard, forcibly suppressing the smile that was about to spill out, and glared fiercely at Chen Yi.

"Got it, Chef!" Hanikezi replied loudly.

Although Lao Wang didn't find the pink bubble he was looking for, the comedic effect was still top-notch. He turned to look at Hanikezi.

"Honey, it's your turn." Old Wang raised the megaphone. "Let's hear what you wrote to this strict head chef!"

All cameras instantly focused on Hanikezi.

Hanikezi looked down at the card in her hand.

She only glanced at it, and her face flushed red from her cheeks to the roots of her ears.

She acted impulsively and wrote that sentence without thinking. Now, having to read it aloud in front of a dozen cameras and millions of netizens is worse than death for her!

"I..." Hanikezi stammered.

"Read it! What are you dawdling for!" Deng Chao chimed in from the side.

Hanikezi took a deep breath and suddenly clapped her hands together.

With a "rip" sound.

She crumpled the card into a tiny ball and, with lightning speed, stuffed it into the pocket of her sun-protective clothing.

"I won't read it!" Hanikezi clutched her pocket and backed away repeatedly.

The entire audience was stunned.

Old Wang was so anxious that he jumped out from behind the monitor.

"Hey! Honey! You can't break the rules!" Old Wang shouted. "Why are you bringing in the evidence to cover up the crime! Take it out, take it out!"

"No way!" Hanikezi shook her head frantically, clutching her pocket tightly. "It's ruined! There are typos!"

"You have to read it even if there are typos!" Old Wang pressed on relentlessly.

The live chat exploded.

"Something's fishy! There's definitely something fishy going on!"

"Honey's face is so red it could bleed; she must have written something incredible!"

"Aaaaaah, I'm so anxious! Old Wang, you have to snatch that paper from me today, even if you have to!"

"What did she write?! I won't be able to sleep tonight if she doesn't let me see it!"

Old Wang wanted to move closer.

Chen Yi suddenly took two long strides forward, his tall figure naturally blocking the way between Lao Wang and Hanikezi.

He put one hand in his pocket and looked down at Old Wang.

"Director," Chen Yi said in an extremely calm tone, "forced buying and selling is illegal."

Old Wang felt a chill run down his spine from his gaze and stopped in his tracks.

"Also, she's not good at Chinese, and she's afraid of being embarrassed if she misspells a word." Chen Yi turned his head and glanced at the girl hiding behind him, a very faint smile appearing on his lips. "Give her some face."

"You're the one who's bad at Chinese!" Hanikezi protested softly behind him, but her hand tugged at the hem of his hoodie.

Old Wang watched the two of them working together and knew that he would definitely not be able to pry out that note today.

"Fine! You win!" Old Wang waved his hand angrily. "Filming for this episode in Dali is officially wrapped! Everyone, get ready to pack your bags!"

A cheer erupted in the courtyard.

Staff began dismantling the equipment, and the guests returned to their rooms to pack their luggage.

Half an hour later.

Several buses bound for the airport were parked outside the guesthouse.

Dragging his suitcase, Chen Chichi took advantage of the chaos at the scene, grabbed the third cameraman who was about to shut down, and pulled him behind the stone mill in the corner of the yard.

"Shh!" Chen Chichi raised a finger, lowered his voice, and looked mysterious.

The cameraman immediately understood and moved the lens closer.

"Want to know what Honey wrote on that note?" Chen Chichi asked, raising his eyebrows and lowering his voice.

The millions of viewers who were about to leave the live stream were instantly energized.

"Holy crap! Chichi has something going on!"

"Tell me now! Or I'll unfollow you!"

"Chen Chichi, if you dare to keep me in suspense today, I'll go down the internet cable and assassinate you!"

Chen Chichi glanced back at Chen Yi and Hanikezi, who had already boarded the car, and sneered, revealing a weary expression that seemed to say, "I've seen through everything."

"I was standing closest when she was crumpling up the note, so I caught a glimpse of it."

Chen Chichi faced the camera and uttered that sentence word by word.

"What she wrote was—"

"Your noodles are the best."