Chapter 79: One Person Can Also…
Jealous to the Point of Sadness—Continue or Let Go…

Ning Qingyan didn’t overthink it and turned to knock on Huo Qi’s door.

“Brother, it’s time to eat.”

Huo Qi, who had just finished his morning run and shower, casually wiped his hair and opened the door. His deep voice carried a calm tone as he looked at Ning Qingyan.

“I’m coming.”

The man, fresh from his shower, exuded heat. His damp hair clung sexily to one side of his handsome face, while his thin clothes outlined his V-shaped torso, faintly revealing his abs. His usual cold demeanor seemed slightly softened, making him even more alluring.

Even though she saw him every day, Ning Qingyan couldn’t help but be amazed by Huo Qi’s appearance again. She blurted out a compliment:

“Brother, you are seriously so handsome, and your body is amazing!”

Being praised by the person he liked, Huo Qi’s ears turned slightly red. He maintained his composed expression but spoke in a deep voice:

“If you train more, Xiaoyan, you’ll have a great figure too.”

As they walked to the living room together, Ning Qingyan shook her head with regret.

“Impossible. In this lifetime, I will never have abs like yours.”

Jokingly, she teased:

“I’m so jealous of you. You can touch your abs anytime you want!”

Huo Qi suddenly halted. Ning Qingyan instinctively stopped behind him. The tall man turned around, lifted his shirt, and revealed his perfectly toned, still-warm abs. His long eyelashes fluttered slightly before he looked down at her seriously and said:

“If you want, you can touch them too. No need to be jealous.”

Ning Qingyan nearly got a nosebleed. Her hands twitched with temptation.

…No, she had worked hard to use the term “brother” to keep Huo Qi at a distance. She couldn’t afford to do anything too intimate. If Huo Qi, like Gu Si, lost all restraint, how would she handle it?

Just as she was about to tell him to put his shirt down, the door to Gu Si’s bedroom opened.

Gu Si, who had just done something guilty and was cautiously peeking out, suddenly saw the shameless, despicable Huo Qi showing off his abs to Ning Qingyan in broad daylight!

Oh my god. This—this is practically indecent exposure! Absolutely shameless!

Cursing in his heart, Gu Si rushed forward and covered Ning Qingyan’s eyes with his hand. His furious glare at Huo Qi no longer showed any trace of guilt.

“Broad daylight, and you’re exposing yourself like some kind of pervert!”

Gu Si was beyond irritated.

Huo Qi had already let go of his shirt the moment Gu Si appeared. His black clothes fell back in place, and his usual cold, indifferent expression returned.

Without acknowledging Gu Si at all, he turned and walked to the living room, exuding an air of extreme aloofness.

“Acting all high and mighty, huh?” Gu Si muttered, annoyed. “I should’ve recorded that whole scene!”

Once Huo Qi was gone, Gu Si finally removed his hand from Ning Qingyan’s eyes. Seeing her looking innocent, he shot her a disapproving glare.

“It’s just abs. What’s so special about them? Who doesn’t have abs?”

Ning Qingyan confidently pointed to herself. “I don’t.”

Gu Si paused, furrowing his brows.

“Still, that doesn’t mean you should stare at someone else’s abs! That’s just… perverted!”

After saying that, he leaned close to her ear and whispered:

“But if you really want to see abs, I can reluctantly let you take a look in private. I promise, the feel is way better than Huo Qi’s—hey, where are you going? I wasn’t done talking!”

“Looking at others’ abs is perverted, but showing your own is fine?”

Ning Qingyan completely ignored him and quickly walked toward the living room.

Gu Si felt even more annoyed.

He had abs too! Why was Ning Qingyan allowed to admire Huo Qi’s but not his?

He worked out and trained every day! His abs were definitely more defined than Huo Qi’s. Did Ning Qingyan forget that she once claimed she could feel an apple on Huo Qi’s chest, but on his, she felt solid muscles?

She had no taste!

Meanwhile, Ning Qingyan wanted to escape the awkwardness. She was now a little afraid of being alone with Gu Si—his thoughts and words had become too bold. Even Huo Qi was acting strange today.

If he lost control and provoked the others, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to handle the chaos. And with the last episode of the reality show approaching, she hoped things wouldn’t spiral out of control.

After breakfast, the second day of dating activities began.

Each contestant was given a blank sheet of paper and asked to write a message for the female contestant. It could be a compliment, a secret, or even a subtle confession—but outright confessions were not allowed.

The show had a rule: all confessions had to be saved for the final day to maintain suspense and keep the audience guessing.

While the four male contestants held their pens but hesitated to write, Ning Qingyan was already scribbling away like she was writing an essay.

The cameraman, sensing the shift in atmosphere, focused on her.

Live Broadcast Comments:

“OMG, I’m dying from this ship! If this isn’t real, I’ll eat my socks!”
“Omg, sugar with a knife! The way Ning Qingyan is writing so seriously while Huo Qi is sitting there gripping his pen with a dark face—this is killing me!”
“Gu Si looks so miserable. Turns out it’s not that he’s not good enough; he just never stood a chance.”
“Holding up the Ning-Sheng ship! Our Mingzhu was so romantic yesterday! She must be writing to him!”
“But isn’t Ning Qingyan’s official CP supposed to be Xu Ruanruan? Wouldn’t it be awkward if she wrote to someone else?”
“They’re not real couples! Why would it be awkward?”
“This totally means she’s going to confess at the end! The hidden mole is doomed!”

Despite preparing himself to shamelessly pursue Ning Qingyan in the final episode, Gu Si’s heart still ached when he saw how earnestly she was writing her message.

He had planned to encourage her with his note, but now… all his strength seemed drained.

He placed his pen on the paper, where he had only written the first stroke of a character, then silently stood up and left the apartment.

This time, he didn’t make any noise, didn’t try to get her attention. He just quietly disappeared.

Meanwhile, after Ning Qingyan called Huo Qi “brother,” he had kept his distance, standing outside the metaphorical boundary without crossing it.

He thought he could endure it. There was only one episode left. After the show ended, they wouldn’t have to see each other again. If he didn’t see her, he could suppress his feelings and return to his old, solitary self.

He had walked alone for so many years. He could do it again.

After all… the person he liked would eventually fall in love, get married, and have children. The more he clung, the more he would suffer.

Once the show ended, he would leave, freeze his heart once more, and never open it again. That way, he would never be hurt.

With one last glance at Ning Qingyan’s letter, he picked up his pen, wrote a single line, sealed the envelope, and left.

Of all the male contestants, only Wen Shijin remained normal. He quickly wrote something and was the first to submit his message.

Seeing Ning Qingyan still writing intensely, he casually placed a few milk candies beside her paper.

Ning Qingyan’s eyes lit up and popped one into her mouth. She then finished her final line:

“I don’t put sugar in my coffee because your smile is sweeter than any candy.”