The production team rented a high-end resort house in a rural area.

Each house was made of various types of bamboo and built like a cozy country villa, making it extremely inviting and comfortable.

Ning Qiuxui reminisced about her time in the cultivation world, where her sect liked to build small bamboo cottages to show off their wealth.

Although the craftsmanship was much rougher, living in those cottages for seven years made her nostalgic for the scent of bamboo.

The small bamboo cottages were spaced about 20-30 meters apart.

The production team dropped them off in front of their assigned cottage, but they didn’t see any other guests.

Cameras started rolling as soon as they got out of the car.

The program coordinator politely said, “Teacher Ning, Mr. Zhan, this is your house. You will be recording here for the next two days.”

“Do we not get to meet the other guests?” Ning Qiuxui asked, curious since she hadn’t seen anyone else.

Even though one couple would likely be a well-known industry figure, Ning Qiuxui was curious about everyone.

It would be awkward if she ran into someone without knowing who they were.

“Our program has each couple staying in their own cottage. You’ll get to know each other by visiting each other’s places,” the coordinator explained, handing over some information cards. “These are the profiles of the other guests.”

Fortunately, there was some information. Ning Qiuxui took the cards and skimmed through them.

There were three couples and six people in total on the show.

The first couple was Lin Yao and her husband Shen Songwen from Hong Kong and Macau.

Lin Yao was a veteran actress known for many TV dramas, and she had a funny quirk of speaking poor Mandarin, leading to various mishaps.

Shen Songwen was also an actor, not as popular as Lin Yao but quite handsome, though a bit of a chauvinist.

The second couple was interesting as well. Xia Anyi was a long-time actress, while Xu Ze was a former soldier who had recently retired. He was known to be very rigid and principled.

Then there was their couple— a popular actress and a wealthy CEO, the classic setup for a romance drama.

Each couple had its own unique charm.

“This season, we have a slight rule change,” the coordinator said while Ning Qiuxui was reading the profiles.

“!!!” Ning Qiuxui had a bad feeling, “What’s the change?”

“During the recording, each couple will be randomly selected for a one-hour live broadcast each day.”

“Live broadcast?! Does that mean we have to interact?” Ning Qiushui asked.

The coordinator nodded, “No, just treat it like a regular recording.”

Ning Qiuxui: “……”

This was going to be quite a show.

But since the production team had arranged it this way, they had no choice but to comply.

Zhan Qingyue, who had been silent, asked, “Are there any other rules?”

“There are no other rules, Mr. Zhan. Apart from the random live broadcast and visiting each other’s cottages, the production team won’t interfere. However…” The coordinator looked at the driver unloading their three suitcases and continued, “We provide fresh ingredients and a cozy kitchen. Apart from snacks, guests are not allowed to bring their own food.”

“???”

Ning Qiuxui was not pleased, “In the previous two seasons, you allowed it!”

The coordinator smiled, “Each season has something new. Otherwise, it would get boring.”

“……” Fine, you win.

Reluctantly, Ning Qiuxui handed over the suitcase filled with food.

As the coordinator reached for it, he tugged at the other side of the suitcase and said with a pitiful look, “Will we be compensated if we get hungry?”

“……” The coordinator’s mouth twitched, “You won’t go hungry.”

“We will. We don’t know how to cook.”

“You can make porridge.”

Ning Qiuxui: “???”

You really know how to make things interesting.

In the end, Ning Qiuxiu’s suitcase full of food was confiscated.

The person in charge even opened it in front of her and showed the camera everything she had brought.

Feeling embarrassed and humiliated, Ning Qiuxiu deliberately leaned into Zhan Qingyue’s arms and said, “Waa, my heart hurts so much.”

Zhan Qingyue gently rubbed her head and said with a smile, “Follow the rules.”

“During the live broadcast, I want to perform a ghostly scream for them—ah-oh, ah-oh, eh, ah-sih, ah-sih, I’m so hungry, gurgle, gurgle.”

The person in charge was speechless: “……”

That’s more like nervous anxiety than a ghostly scream.

With the food taken away, they could finally go inside.

Ning Qiuxiu and Zhan Qingyue, each pulling a suitcase, walked along a small path to the small bamboo house.

To get in, they had to go up a small staircase.

Zhan Qingyue was about to help carry Ning Qiuxiu’s suitcase, but she stopped him and said, “No, the suitcase is heavy. You’ll be too tired. I’ll handle it.”

Saying this, she carried her own suitcase in her left hand and Zhan Qingyue’s in her right, quickly climbing the stairs.

Zhan Qingyue: “……”

The cameraman following them: “……”

This was definitely the most impressive female guest he had followed in three seasons!

Zhan Qingyue paused for a moment and then smiled as he followed her.

If there had been a live broadcast, fans would have been screaming that Quixiu was domineering and that their relationship was rock-solid—truly, their roles were reversed!

The house was filled with cameras, so the cameraman didn’t need to go inside.

They gave the couple enough space, avoiding an awkward situation where a camera would ruin their romantic moments.

Ning Qiuxiu immediately checked the fridge as soon as she entered the house to see what ingredients the show’s team had prepared for them.

She was almost on her knees when she saw the contents—fresh ingredients, with whole chickens still uncut, meat full of blood, and vegetables fresh and unwashed, some still with dirt on them.

Staples: rice and flour.

“……” They might as well have given them a bag of grains to pound themselves.

“Still worried about food?” Zhan Qingyue, having put their luggage away and coming out, saw Ning Qiuxiu staring at the fridge and laughed.

He remembered that in the bamboo rat show, before Fang Jinran said he could cook, Ning Qiuxiu had been most worried about food.

Ning Qiuxiu sighed in despair, “I think we’re going to starve!”

“We can go get some food elsewhere,” Zhan Qingyue said without changing his expression.

Ning Qiuxiu: “……”

Although it seemed a bit shameless, it looked like it might be a viable option!

Ning Qiushui clapped her thighs and said, “Let’s go visit them. I brought gifts for everyone.”

The two of them headed next door with the gifts.

Ning Qiuxui carried the gifts while Zhan Qingyue held the umbrella. They walked to the neighboring bamboo cottage.

Next door, Lin Yao and her husband Shen Songwen were living.

They had likely just arrived. Ning Qiuxui rang the doorbell, and soon Lin Yao answered the door.

Seeing them, she was delighted: “Hello, Ning Qiuxui! Hello, Mr. Zhan!”

—As expected, her Mandarin wasn’t perfect.

“Come in, come in! It’s so hot outside!”

Ning Qiuxui gave the gifts to Lin Yao, who was very happy and also presented their gifts in return.

She invited them in, and they chatted for a while. Lin Yao asked, “What are you having for lunch?”

Ning Qiuxui, a bit embarrassed, said, “We don’t know how to cook, and we’re a bit stuck.”

“If it’s convenient for you, heh heh heh.”

“How coincidental! My husband and I don’t cook either.”

Ning Qiuxui and Zhan Qingyue: “……”

The first plan to mooch a meal failed.

After leaving Lin Yao’s place, they went to visit Xia Anyi and Xu Ze. This time, Xu Ze answered the door and greeted them warmly, “Hello!”

“We’re here to visit. Here’s a gift for you,” Ning Qiuxui said, holding up the gift bag.

“Thank you!” Xu Ze took the gift politely with his stern, serious voice. “Please come in.”

Ning Qiuxui and Zhan Qingyue exchanged glances and went inside.

“Is Anyi not here?” Ning Qiuxui asked when she didn’t see the hostess.

“She’s feeling unwell from the flight and went to rest. Please make yourselves comfortable.”

Zhan Qingyue said, “If the lady is resting, we won’t disturb her. The soundproofing in these bamboo cottages isn’t very good.”

Xu Ze didn’t insist: “Sorry for the inconvenience. Please take your time. We’ll come over once Anyi is feeling better.”

Ning Qiuxui and Zhan Qingyue left their place.

Once they were far enough away, Ning Qiuxui sighed in relief and said, “The soldier really has a strong presence.”

Ning Qiuxui couldn’t help but stand up straight when he spoke, feeling like he might command her to stand at attention.

“And me?” Zhan Qingyue asked, feeling a bit jealous.

“Oh, you,” Ning Qiuxui said, linking her arm with his and teasing, “You exude a domineering aura.”

“……” Even during the show, he dared to argue.

Zhan Qingyue, known for his sharp tongue, remained composed and said, “You just reminded me of a saying.”

“What’s that?”

“Birds of a feather flock together, and turtles match with domineering.”

Ning Qiuxui: “???”

“You’re the turtle. Your whole family are turtles!”

Turtle·Ning Qiuxiu·Turtle and King·Zhan Qingyue·Dominating returned to their own cottage.

It was already 11:30, meaning it was time for them to start preparing lunch.

As if things couldn’t get worse, the production team knew they couldn’t cook. So, their live broadcast time was scheduled to coincide with their cooking time.

Ning Qiuxui was preparing the ingredients, and Zhan Qingyue was responsible for cooking.

Just as Ning Qiuxui opened the refrigerator, she heard the speaker announce, “Live broadcast starting now.”

“???” This production team must be doing this on purpose.

The timing of the live broadcast was so targeted!

Meanwhile, in the live stream chat:

【Ahhh, it’s finally starting! The first live broadcast is of Mr. Zhan and Quixiu! So touching, sob sob.】

【Moon fans rule the world!】

[Heads up, a huge dose of dog food is coming your way!]

[Wow, they’re starting off with cooking? This is intense!]

[It seems like neither Qiuxiu nor Zhan Qingyue usually cooks. I’m worried they might blow up the kitchen.]

[Blow up the kitchen? I’m more worried they won’t even be able to light the stove.]

[Ning Qiuxiu isn’t at all good at cooking. How could Zhan Qingyue like her?]

[Wow, a cooking critic has appeared! Who says women need to be good at cooking?]

[Zhan Qingyue is in love with Qiuxiu, his eyes and heart are all about her. How frustrating for you!]

…

Ning Qiuxiu and Zhan Qingyue couldn’t see the comments.

To avoid embarrassing herself too much, Ning Qiuxiu took some tomatoes, eggs, meatballs, and dried shiitake mushrooms, planning to make scrambled eggs with tomatoes and meatball mushroom soup.

Zhan Qingyue was in charge of cooking rice.

The viewers were excited when they saw how much rice he took.

He carefully considered how much rice to use, calculating that if Ning Qiuxiu ate one bowl and he ate two, he should use three and a half bowls of rice to be safe.

[Wow, three and a half bowls? Are you cooking for the whole production team?]

[Confirmed, Qiuxiu is a big eater!]

[Haha, Zhan Qingyue is measuring rice according to the amount of rice needed.]

[Don’t laugh at Zhan Qingyue! Maybe he’s planning to make fried rice for dinner. Smart move, Zhan Qingyue!]

[Geez, is he washing the rice until the water is clear? Is this a rookie mistake?]

[Washing out all the nutrients, and wasting water too!]

[Nutrient loss is a myth. I wash rice until the water is clear because I like to keep things clean!]

Zhan Qingyue was completely inexperienced with cooking. For him, deciding how much water to add was as challenging as handling a multi-million-dollar project.

He asked Ning Qiuxiu for her opinion.

“……I don’t know either,” Ning Qiuxiu found the question just as difficult, “How about half and half?”

Zhan Qingyue nodded, “I’ll follow my wife’s advice.”

Oh, the public display of affection was a bit much, and Ning Qiuxiu blushed, “I’m not your wife.”

“Then… my dear wife?”

The audience: “……”

Don’t worry about them starving; they’ll be producing plenty of dog food on their own—sweet and delicious, they’ll be just fine.

But seriously, your rice has way too much water!