Chapter 31: The Ideal Man

Chapter 31: The Ideal Man

Qin Yao chuckled as he took a sip of his coffee.

Taking advantage of Ye Leyao's breakfast time, Song Zhehan quietly recounted the morning's events to him.

The guests had agreed last night that this morning's breakfast would be handled by Song Zhehan and Zhou Zijian together.

Song Zhehan got up early and went downstairs, only to find that Zhou Zijian was even earlier, already brewing porridge in the kitchen.

After half a day of interaction, Zhou Zijian had a rough idea of everyone's tastes, preparing breakfast that catered to most people's preferences. He even considered Yang Qi's possible discomfort after her vomiting episode last night, thoughtfully adding millet to the plain porridge.

At this point, Ye Leyao couldn't help but marvel:

"Brother Zhou is truly a kind and considerate man, no wonder he could win over his best friend's mother's heart."

Qin Yao gave an ambiguous smile.

"And then?" Ye Leyao asked.

Song Zhehan continued, "Then I went to help, but not long after," he subtly nodded his head, gesturing for Ye Leyao to look at Du Yueqin in the kitchen, "she came down."

"Not only did she help wash vegetables and prepare dishes, she even helped tie aprons," Song Zhehan said with a curved corner of his mouth and a raised eyebrow, "I felt like a third wheel standing there—"

"So you left them alone?" Li Siyuan instinctively chimed in.

Song Zhehan sat up straight, his smile faint. "I didn't abandon Brother Zhou, I was still helping in the kitchen."

Li Siyuan was speechless, rolling his eyes without holding back.

Seeing this, Ye Leyao took out his phone and opened Weibo, quickly finding the live broadcast replay.

Song Zhehan indeed hadn't lied; he hadn't abandoned Brother Zhou, but what he did wasn't much different from abandoning him.

The villa's kitchen was an open-plan kitchen, and Song Zhehan could have continued helping outside the kitchen, but he didn't. He took the vegetables to the dining table and started chopping, leaving the entire kitchen space to Du Yueqin and Zhou Zijian.

"How is that not abandoning Brother Zhou?"

Ye Leyao reproached Song Zhehan with his eyes, but Song Zhehan didn't see anything wrong with his actions.

Continuing to watch, the replay showed that after just five short minutes, Zhou Zijian fled from the kitchen, retreating all the way back to his second-floor room.

Du Yueqin was somewhat frustrated by this, but she didn't chase after him directly, instead staying behind to continue preparing breakfast.

When Song Zhehan saw that only Du Yueqin was left in the kitchen, he slowly stood up and returned to the kitchen to continue helping.

During this time, Du Yueqin directed Song Zhehan to do many things, and unlike yesterday when he would change his face, he smiled brightly and began to help in reverse.

Before long, Du Yueqin chased Song Zhehan out.

Last night, Ye Leyao had personally seen Song Zhehan helping in the kitchen. At that time, he hadn't been constantly helping in reverse; he had even done many things more smoothly than Ye Leyao, indicating that his helping in reverse this morning was entirely intentional.

"Song Zhehan is not only devious but also holds grudges!"

Ye Leyao made a comment, suddenly remembering that last night he had only been preoccupied with eating Yang Qi's melon and forgot to check Song Zhehan's secondary Weibo account.

He remembered very clearly that Special Concern had reminded him that Gou Shi had posted a new Weibo post, but Ye Leyao had been too tired after eating the melon last night and threw his phone aside before falling asleep.

With breakfast almost finished, Ye Leyao simply picked up his plate and headed to the kitchen, opening Song Zhehan's secondary Weibo account behind his back.

Several Weibo posts indirectly criticizing Yang Qi's fans were neatly lined up on the screen:

"Gou Shi: What? I'm being too aggressive? Have I been aggressive? I've clearly been kindly advising her to go to the hospital, after all, if Sister continues to induce vomiting, her teeth will be completely ruined. I'm so concerned about Sister, it's her fans who are being too aggressive!

"Gou Shi: Do I lack emotional intelligence? How could that be! If I really lacked emotional intelligence, would I have spoken so tactfully? I would have directly said that I heard your sister vomiting in the toilet! Where else would you find such a considerate and articulate little boy like me? I may have a bad mouth, but I don't waste food~ Even kindergarten kids know not to waste food, your sister wouldn't not know that, right?

"Gou Shi: Am I stirring up trouble? But I can't stir up trouble if your sister doesn't give me any leverage? A fly can't pierce through an egg without a crack~

"Gou Shi: Oh yes, since you all say I'm mentally unstable, then please make way for me!"

"Song Zhehan's mouth never fails to disappoint."

Ye Leyao laughed until his stomach hurt.

"But come to think of it, is Song Zhehan really free from the fear of his secondary account being exposed and his persona collapsing now?"

"Or does Song Zhehan actually look forward to your secondary account being exposed?"

Ye Leyao increasingly believed this to be a possibility.

"After all, if Song Zhehan really didn't want his secondary account to be exposed, he could have chosen a less indicative Weibo name, and there would have been no need to name names on Weibo."

"Unless—Song Zhehan never intended to hide it from the beginning?"

Hearing these words, Qin Yao's eyelids twitched violently.

After the two incidents yesterday, the show's buzz and popularity had indeed increased, but could there be two consecutive guests flipping their personas one after the other for two days in a row?

Wasn't that a bit too fast and frequent?

Also, as soon as Qin Yao woke up this morning, he received a call from the producer, who said that Yang Qi's team had contacted him early in the morning, saying that Yang Qi had decided to withdraw from the rest of the recording.

With eight guests already down one, if Song Zhehan also withdrew from the show due to a persona collapse...

Qin Yao felt his head starting to ache.

Ye Leyao had no idea what Qin Yao was thinking, happily finishing reading Gou Shi's new Weibo post before putting away his phone and entering the kitchen to help wash the dishes.

While washing the dishes, he heard Du Yueqin sighing softly beside him, "Little Ye, how do you think my breakfast turned out?"

Ye Leyao hurriedly nodded. "It's really delicious!"

The taste was indeed quite good!

Upon hearing this, Du Yueqin frowned slightly, seeming even more troubled. "Since it's tasty, then why doesn't Little Zhou eat the breakfast I make? He only drinks porridge..."

Ye Leyao laughed so hard that her shoulders shook.

"You put a heart on every plate you give to Brother Zhou, and it's even an arrow through the heart. Do you think Brother Zhou dares to eat it?!"

"He had just been beaten up by his brothers before coming on the show. If he really ate your loving breakfast, do you think Brother Zhou could still go back and see his brothers after the show?"

"Then Brother Zhou would truly be in a rat's predicament."

After hearing Du Yueqin's complaint, the live-stream viewers also burst out laughing:

"Isn't it obvious! Zhou Zijian almost wrote 'refusal' all over his face!"

"Facing Du Yueqin's bold and courageous pursuit, I feel a bit sorry for Zhou Zijian."

"Well, if you ask me, Zhou Zijian might as well just agree. Although Du Yueqin does have some personality flaws, she's rich and beautiful!"

Most netizens agreed with this sentiment.

Although Du Yueqin was a bit older, she maintained herself well. In her forties, there were few signs of age on her face. Apart from her personality issues, she had almost no shortcomings.

Many netizens sighed in unison:

"If it were me, I'd definitely agree!"

However, netizens were merely expressing their own thoughts. Whether Zhou Zijian agreed or not didn't prevent them from enjoying the drama.

After Ye Leyao finished washing the dishes, today's recording officially began.

As a travel variety show without any script, "Travel Together" had very simple daily recording tasks. The guests only needed to take the travel funds provided by the production team and plan their visits to scenic spots on their own.

How many attractions they visited in a day and how long they stayed at each one was entirely up to the guests' own arrangements.

The only restriction was: the travel funds prepared by the production team were limited. The guests had to spend money frugally; otherwise, if they ran out of money during the next part of the trip, they would have to travel on a shoestring budget.

Before going to bed last night, the guests had discussed their plans for visiting attractions over the next few days. With Yang Qi's withdrawal, their budget had actually increased rather than decreased.

Thus, the next two days of recording went relatively smoothly—

At least, that's what all the guests except Zhou Zijian thought.

The reason Zhou Zijian didn't think so was because of one person: Du Yueqin.

Du Yueqin was really too proactive!

Almost whenever there was an opportunity to be alone with Zhou Zijian, she would actively come over to chat with him.

And yet, in front of the camera, Zhou Zijian couldn't really ignore Du Yueqin. Every time, he could only accompany her in awkward conversation.

He was even scared into silence several times by Du Yueqin's enthusiasm, but she could still carry on the conversation by herself.

By the end of the two days of recording, Zhou Zijian was already physically and mentally exhausted.

Ye Leyao saw this in her eyes, feeling sorry for Zhou Zijian while finding it amusing at the same time.

"Brother Zhou is visibly tired!"

Finally, it was the last night of recording. Knowing that he could go home after today, Zhou Zijian clearly breathed a sigh of relief.

That evening, it was still Zhou Zijian who cooked. For the past two days, Du Yueqin would enter the kitchen to help, but for some reason, she wasn't seen anywhere today.

Ye Leyao was just wondering about this when her phone suddenly rang.

Opening it, she saw that it was a WeChat message from Mother Huo.

Of course, Ye Leyao knew that Father Huo and Mother Huo had been staying with her in the production team these past few days, but she hadn't thought much of it. She assumed that Father Huo and Mother Huo were just following her because they were worried, completely unaware that the real reason they came along had nothing to do with concern for her, but rather, to get fresh, piping hot gossip!

Mother Huo: "Du Yueqin just came to talk to the director, asking if they could play Truth or Dare tonight."

Ye Leyao's pupils widened in shock:

"What?!?!?"

Qin Yao was helping to set the plates. Hearing Ye Leyao's voice, his hand trembled, and a bowl fell directly to the ground, shattering into pieces.

Everyone's gaze turned toward him.

Before Qin Yao could explain his slip-up, he heard Ye Leyao's voice become even more excited as she enunciated each word:

"T-r-u-t-h... O-r... D-a-r-e!"

"This is definitely aimed at Brother Zhou! Right, right?"

Qin Yao subconsciously looked up at Zhou Zijian.

In the open kitchen, Zhou Zijian was bent over, skillfully adding seasonings to the soup, completely unaware that a "crisis" targeting him was quietly approaching.

Just as Qin Yao finished cleaning up the shards on the ground, Ye Leyao's voice sounded again:

"Hahahaha... The production team actually agreed!"

"Okay, okay, I can see now that the production team loves drama and doesn't mind making things bigger, right!"

Hearing this, the corner of Qin Yao's mouth curved upward. Then, he glanced at the camera, thinking that the number of online viewers tonight was bound to hit a new high.

In the past few days, the guests had their meals in their rooms, but today the production team suddenly suggested they dine on the beach outside, assuring them that everything was already arranged.

Confronted with this sudden invitation from the production team, none of the other guests noticed anything amiss, except for Ye Leyao and Qin Yao, whose suppressed smiles betrayed their thoughts.

Upon arriving at the beach with the staff, everyone discovered that the production team had not only set up tables and chairs for them but also generously provided several lavish seafood feasts.

Zhou Zijian, seeing this, chuckled and asked, "Is this our reward?"

Ye Leyao's expression showed restraint but his eyes twinkled with amusement:

[They should remove the "us" – these grand meals are compensation for Brother Zhou alone!]

After the outdoor venue was prepared, the live stream for the outdoor segment also commenced.

As soon as netizens entered the live stream, they saw Ye Leyao's meaningful smile on his face.

The sensitive netizens, always ready for gossip, instantly perked up:

"How long has it been? I haven't seen that smile on Ye Leyao's face for a day, have I?"

"So does this mean there's new gossip to feast on?"

"What kind of gossip is it this time! Ye Leyao, tell me quickly; don't make me beg you!"

Unfortunately, Ye Leyao couldn't see the comments at this moment, so no matter how much the netizens prodded, he couldn't respond.

What followed was an uneventful meal.

It wasn't until the guests at the table began putting down their chopsticks that things changed.

The production team's staff promptly cleared away the dishes and brought out fruit platters, sunflower seeds, and a crate of beer.

Upon seeing this, the guests belatedly realized that the production team was planning something.

Song Zhehan suddenly looked up at Ye Leyao.

Ye Leyao was gazing intently at Zhou Zijian.

Song Zhehan immediately understood, taking a sip of water to hide his smile.

Once everything was in place, the producer approached with a stack of cards, clearing his throat before saying, "After tonight's recording, the first episode will be complete, but our director's team feels that there's still some unfamiliarity among you all. So tonight, we're going to play a little game together."

Liu Yan was puzzled. "What kind of game?"

Ye Leyao had already shifted his gaze to Du Yueqin and Zhou Zijian.

The audience in the live stream followed suit, focusing on Du Yueqin and Zhou Zijian.

Then they heard the producer say with a smile, "Truth or Dare."

Du Yueqin's joy was evident on her face.

Zhou Zijian's panic was unmistakably clear.

Ye Leyao laughed inwardly.

The live stream chat was flooded with messages:

"F**k!"

"!!!!!!"

"Aaaaaaaaah—"

Song Zhehan wore a half-smile, calmly observing Zhou Zijian and Du Yueqin's reactions before turning to the producer. "I remember our show is a travel variety show, not a dating one, right? I'm not mistaken, am I?"

"Hahahaha—"

The producer's expression remained unchanged as he said with a grin, "There's no rule that says only dating shows can play Truth or Dare, right?"

Li Siyuan, who enjoyed watching the drama unfold, asked, "Indeed, so what are the rules?"

Instead of explaining the rules, the producer first asked, "Does everyone have any objections?"

Du Yueqin was the first to answer. "No objections."

She was almost growing impatient waiting, so why would she object?

Zhou Zijian: "…"

He did have objections, but then he thought that this could be a good opportunity to clarify matters.

Rather than being constantly pursued by Du Yueqin, it might be better to clear things up early on.

In the past few days, he hadn't considered speaking clearly to Du Yueqin because he hadn't found the right moment.

Now that the production team was presenting him with the opportunity, Zhou Zijian had no reason to refuse.

"Mm." Zhou Zijian nodded slightly.

The producer had been waiting for his nod. Seeing that he didn't oppose it, the producer's lips curved upward, and he briefly introduced the game's rules.

There wouldn't be any overly complicated rules. The production team had prepared seven playing cards, six of which were numbers, and only one was the King. In each round of the game, whoever drew the King would have to accept the Truth or Dare punishment.

Whether the punishment was a dare or a truth was left to the guest's discretion, but it was stipulated that they couldn't choose truth twice in a row.

If the punished guest felt unable to complete the dare or answer the truth question, they could opt to drink a glass of beer instead.

"The one being punished is..." Ye Leyao listened intently.

The producer said, "The guest who draws the Ace."

The rules were clear, and the game could soon begin.

Before leaving, the producer handed the deck of cards to Li Siyuan.

Li Siyuan shuffled the cards casually, his gaze sweeping over the others as he asked, "Shall I deal the cards?"

Ye Leyao reached for a handful of sunflower seeds, her eyes sparkling.

"Oh, my God, it's starting!"

Li Siyuan dealt the cards to each guest in turn, then sat down in his seat.

Ye Leyao couldn't wait to flip her card over, revealing the number 2.

"Well, looks like I'm out of this round."

Ye Leyao raised her head, eager to see Du Yueqin and Zhou Zijian.

After flipping her card, Du Yueqin clearly sighed.

Zhou Zijian, on the other hand, seemed relieved.

"It seems they're not the main characters of this round."

Song Zhehan held up his Ace of Hearts. "Who's the King?"

Beside him, Liu Yan quietly raised her hand. "I choose Truth."

Ye Leyao let out a small sigh.

But when it comes to eating melons, you have to be patient.

The audience in the live stream sighed along with her.

"Indeed, hitting the mark once is all about luck."

"???! Hahahaha, you should really check what you're saying! You sure know how to describe things!"

"I must say, it's quite fitting."

"I'm kind of curious what Song Zhehan will ask Liu Yan."

Soon, a fan of Song Zhehan chimed in: "Don't worry, our Song Zhehan isn't the type to put guests on the spot."

Almost immediately after the comment appeared, Song Zhehan smiled and asked, "Have you been in a relationship since your debut?"

Chat:

"..."

"Not putting guests on the spot?"

"Hahaha, he even set a time limit, specifying 'since your debut.' How is that not putting someone on the spot?"

Liu Yan clearly hadn't expected such a tricky question from Song Zhehan, her pupils widening slightly.

Ye Leyao was even more excited.

"Liu Yan is an idol, right? Dating would be a serious scandal for an idol, wouldn't it?"

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Liu Yan looked somewhat embarrassed but still answered, "I haven't been in a relationship since my debut."

Song Zhehan nodded with a smile, neither confirming nor denying her answer.

It was Ye Leyao who couldn't resist pulling out her phone and opening her notes.

"How come I remember Liu Yan always being in a relationship?"

Qin Yao straightened up, subtly shielding Ye Leyao's actions.

Soon, Ye Leyao clicked her tongue in amazement.

"Liu Yan's statement isn't wrong."

Qin Yao glanced at her, how so?

Ye Leyao put her phone away, amused by the thought.

"After all, Liu Yan started this relationship before she debuted, and they didn't break up after her debut."

"Hmm, how can you say she hasn't been in a relationship since her debut?"

Qin Yao chuckled softly.

The game continued.

In the second round, Ye Leyao drew the King, while Li Siyuan drew the Ace.

Ye Leyao also chose Truth.

Li Siyuan stared at Ye Leyao for several seconds, determined that his question had to be as stimulating as Song Zhehan's, but he simply didn't know Ye Leyao well enough. After much deliberation, he asked, "Among the female guests here, is there anyone who fits your ideal type?"

Ye Leyao blurted out, "I like guys."

Li Siyuan: "...cough cough."

The others hadn't expected Ye Leyao to be so candid, and they all glanced at him in slight surprise.

Li Siyuan quickly changed his question, adapting on the fly: "Then among the male guests present, is there anyone who fits your ideal type?"

Ye Leyao had never seriously considered the question of his ideal type before.

So he propped his chin with one hand and slowly scanned all the male guests present.

"Song Zhehan, he's decent-looking, but his mouth is too sharp."

"Li Siyuan..."

Li Siyuan's gaze accidentally met Ye Leyao's, and in the next moment, he hurriedly looked away.

Ye Leyao commented internally: "He's also decent-looking, but his temper is too bad. Next—"

"Brother Zhou? I don't like muscular men."

Thus, Ye Leyao finally rested his gaze on Qin Yao beside him.

Qin Yao: "..."

He felt inexplicably nervous.

Ye Leyao couldn't help but think of the muscle lines he had accidentally seen that night.

That vest line, those abs, that pectoral muscles...

Paired with Qin Yao's stunningly handsome face.

"Brother Qin then."

"Hesitating for even a second would be disrespectful to Qin Yao's perfect physique and perfect facial features!"

"Cough cough cough cough cough cough—"

Qin Yao burst into a fit of violent coughing.

The live chat laughed:

"I knew Ye Leyao would choose Qin Yao!"

"Joking, our Brother Yao is handsome, has a good figure, and an excellent background. Who could be blind enough not to choose our Brother Yao?"

"Hahaha, no kidding, our travel show really has the vibe of a dating show now!"

Hearing Ye Leyao's answer, Song Zhehan smiled.

Li Siyuan, on the other hand, sighed in relief.

Only Du Yueqin was somewhat impatient: "Next round, next round."

Knowing that Du Yueqin was in a hurry, Li Siyuan didn't hesitate, gathered the cards, and began shuffling them again.

Ye Leyao took his card and looked at it; it was a 3, meaning this round had nothing to do with him again.

Qin Yao coughed for quite a while, and when he turned his head again, his pale ears were tinged with red.

Ye Leyao stared at Qin Yao's ears as if he had discovered something new and intriguing.

"It's my first time seeing ears that only turn red at the tips!"

Qin Yao: "..."

In the next instant, Qin Yao's entire ear turned red.

"Huh, interesting."

Ye Leyao wanted to continue watching, but suddenly heard Du Yueqin laugh.

He quickly turned his head.

Du Yueqin waved the playing card in her hand, which was the Ace of Hearts.

Looking at Zhou Zijian,

Zhou Zijian had a Joker in front of him.

Ye Leyao's lips suddenly became harder to suppress than AK.

The live stream instantly erupted:

"It's happening!"

"Do you know how long I've been waiting for this scene?!"

Zhou Zijian took a deep breath and without hesitation said, "I choose truth."

And Du Yueqin did not disappoint, asking bluntly, "Little Zhou, am I your type?"

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh."

"Who understands how direct this question is? It's no different from directly asking if you like me!"