Zhu Sha relaxed a little. [Yeah, I love exploring food in my free time.]
Chu Xing: [That’s a great hobby. As long as it makes you happy, any hobby is a good one.]
Zhu Sha laughed. Before she knew it, she had been chatting with Chu Xing for a long time. It wasn’t until she saw that it was already ten o’clock that she yawned. [I should get to sleep. The official recording starts tomorrow.]
Chu Xing was very thoughtful: [Good night. See you tomorrow.]
But while some were happy, others were not. Lu Mofeng, for instance, had been waiting for Zhu Sha to contact him. He was, of course, "Aurora." But after waiting for a long time without a single message from her, Lu Mofeng knew she hadn’t chosen to chat with him. Instead, she had found someone else.
’Who did she message?’ Lu Mofeng’s thoughts began to run wild. He glanced at the list of group members again, and now, every single one of them seemed suspicious.
The show’s contestants all had their own agendas, but Zhu Sha paid them no mind and slept soundly through the night. As soon as she woke up, she received a mission card from the production team instructing the contestants to make their own way to the romance villa.
Zhu Sha checked the time. "Alright, time to go. I’ll head over and get familiar with the place."
She had never been on a romance show before, and since this was the show’s first season, Zhu Sha had no prior examples to draw from. Besides, theoretically speaking, she should have died three years ago.
So now, she was just an ordinary person without any knowledge of what was to come. Everything was completely new to her.
Around ten-thirty, Zhu Sha’s car pulled up to the villa’s entrance. After looking around, she said softly, "It’s so quiet and secluded. A good place to escape the world."
Tan You: "Want it? Then just buy it."
Zhu Sha waved her hand dismissively. "I like peace and quiet, but not to the point of wanting to live like a hermit. On the contrary, I prefer livelier places. They feel more down-to-earth."
Dragging her suitcase, she stopped in the entryway. Seeing eight pairs of slippers laid out, Zhu Sha wasn’t picky and casually chose the gray pair on the very end to wear.
After putting her own shoes away in the shoe cabinet, Zhu Sha tiptoed into the living room.
"Looks like I’m the first one here." Zhu Sha raised an eyebrow slightly. Her gaze immediately fell on the kitchen—what else could you expect from a food blogger? Upon seeing such a spacious kitchen, any nervousness or apprehension she felt was instantly cast aside.
"The ingredients are fully stocked, too." After inspecting the kitchen utensils and taking a peek inside the refrigerator, Zhu Sha’s mood brightened even more. She decided to just treat this trip as a chance to make friends. As for falling in love, the thought hadn’t even crossed her mind.
As a result, her every move was completely natural and carefree, lacking the anxiety, shyness, or tension that audiences love to see.
She waited until eleven o’clock, but no other contestants had arrived. Zhu Sha couldn’t sit still any longer. "Director, may I cook something for myself? I was in a rush this morning and only had a glass of milk."
The director gave her an "OK" sign, and Zhu Sha went to busy herself in the kitchen. Just as she was putting a steak into the oven, a tall, slender figure pushed the door open and walked in.
Upon seeing the single gray slipper left on the end, the person let out a low chuckle and put on its matching partner.
Hearing the noise from the entryway, Zhu Sha looked up. She froze for a second when she saw Zhou Jintang. The man looked familiar, but she couldn’t quite place him. "Hello, I’m Zhu Sha," she said. "Have you eaten? I’m in the middle of cooking. Would you like to join?"
Zhou Jintang saw Zhu Sha as well. The young woman wore a checkered apron, standing charmingly before the sink. Her gaze held a hint of nervousness as she looked his way. He smiled. "I’m Zhou Jintang. I haven’t eaten yet, so it seems my timing is perfect. Do you need any help?"
Zhu Sha glanced at the dishes she had already prepped, then at the fruit on the counter. "In that case, could you help wash this fruit? I’m going to make some fruit tea in a bit."
Zhou Jintang took off his suit jacket and rolled up his shirtsleeves. His whole aura shifted from business formal to casual, which made him seem much more approachable to Zhu Sha.
"I wonder if any other contestants will show up. Should I make a few more dishes?" Zhu Sha mused aloud while blanching some broccoli.
Zhou Jintang replied softly, "It’s pretty late. The others will probably eat before they head over."
Zhu Sha was surprised. "Then you...?"
Zhou Jintang just smiled as he washed the lemon, passion fruit, and other fruits. "I just happened to have business nearby, so I decided to drop by. I didn’t expect to be so lucky as to get a free meal out of it."
The director watched Zhou Jintang tell a bald-faced lie and couldn’t help but purse his lips. ’But I can’t say a thing,’ he thought. ’This man is our show’s biggest investor. Do I dare offend him? Of course not.’
DING! The oven finished its cycle. Wearing oven mitts, Zhu Sha carefully took out the baking tray. Zhou Jintang looked at the bundle wrapped tightly in tin foil and raised an eyebrow. "What’s this? It already smells amazing."
Zhu Sha carefully peeled back the top layer of foil. "A tomahawk steak. It’s a new recipe I’m learning. The steak they provided looked really high-quality, so I thought it would be a good chance to practice."
She glanced at Zhou Jintang as she spoke. "It’s a good thing you’re here. Now I have someone to help me finish it."
Zhou Jintang took a look. "If this is what it looks like when you’re just practicing, you must be incredible."
Zhu Sha just smiled. "It’s just a hobby."
With that, she quickly sliced the steak and arranged it on a plate. Zhou Jintang could only watch from the side, unable to help at all. In the end, all he could do was take the bowls and chopsticks to the living room and serve a bowl of rice for each of them.
Even though the two of them were alone, Zhu Sha didn’t feel awkward in the slightest. She’d rarely had an experience like this, feeling so completely relaxed and at ease with a stranger.
Watching the two of them eat, the scriptwriter broke into a doting smile. "I don’t know why, but this scene just feels so peaceful and perfect."
The director cut in, "Don’t start shipping them so early."
As the head director, he knew that a dramatic showdown was scheduled for the afternoon. ’If you start shipping them now, what are you going to do when the drama starts later?’
Since Zhu Sha had cooked the meal, Zhou Jintang enthusiastically volunteered to wash the dishes. Zhu Sha didn’t stay idle either; she took the fruit tea she had made out of the refrigerator.
The show was being filmed during the summer, and in such hot weather, a sip of ice-cold fruit tea was a truly sublime experience.
While the two were making idle chit-chat, another contestant finally arrived. Zhu Sha put down her cup and stood up. "Someone’s here."
Zhou Jintang didn’t move a muscle, the smile all but gone from his face. "I guess so."
’This newcomer is a complete eyesore,’ he thought. ’Zhu Sha and I were getting along so well. Why did someone else have to show up now?’ But then again, he reminded himself, if not for this show, he would have no chance of seeing Zhu Sha at all.
As Yun Lan was changing her shoes in the entryway, Zhu Sha walked over. "Hello."
Yun Lan looked up, and upon seeing Zhu Sha, her eyes quickly flicked down to the slippers on her feet. "Hi. Has one of the male contestants arrived yet?"
Zhu Sha nodded. "Yes. It’s hot out, isn’t it?"
"It really is," Yun Lan said with a smile. "Did you two get here early? Were you the first one to arrive?"