Chapter 28 – How Could You Call Me Your Little Brother?

【Ahahahaha what kind of chaotic dialogue is this? I shamelessly laugh, and both of you are even more shameless!】

【I’d say my shameless sense of humor is at 100%, but Cheng Huan seriously calling you two shameless pushes it to 100,000%!】

【Is no one paying attention to Ruan Li? I feel so bad for her too.】

Ruan Li got sprayed with water a second time and wiped her face angrily.

“Li Fan, what the hell is wrong with you?!”

Li Fan couldn’t hold back her laughter and pulled out a handkerchief to help her wipe off.

“Sorry, really didn’t mean it. Want some pig face? I’ll get you some as an apology.”

Ruan Li rolled her eyes. “I may be shameless, but I want pig knuckle!”

The moment she said that, Li Fan sprayed another mouthful of water.

Ruan Li stomped her foot in frustration.

“If you’re that good at spraying, you might as well become a fountain at Jun Garden!”

Li Fan covered her mouth laughing. “Alright, alright, you’re shameless. You three are all shameless.”

Shen Yuwan: “……”

Liang Kang: “……”

Ruan Li: “……”

Now they finally realized something felt off!

Ruan Li’s face flushed red. “You’re the shameless one!”

Cheng Huan clicked her tongue and quickly explained, “Oh my, so sorry! I was asking if you wanted pig face—not talking about your faces. Your faces are way better looking than pig face.”

Ruan Li gave her a long, doubtful look. “Was that supposed to be a compliment?”

Cheng Huan slapped her own mouth. “I talk stupid. I meant you’re all better looking than pigs… ugh, never mind, I’ll shut up.”

With that chaos over, Ren Xuan came out to assign tasks.

“For today’s lunch ingredients, our guests need to head to the homes of villagers in Baima Village to get them. You can’t use money—you’ll have to work, perform, or trade your skills for the ingredients. Whatever you get, that’s what you’ll eat for lunch.”

Cheng Huan loved cooking, so she immediately raised her hand in excitement. “Leave lunch to me!”

Looking at her like this, Li Fan found it hard to imagine that she once struggled so much with an eating disorder.

006: 【Because the bitterness is in her heart, she has to distract herself. The sweeter her smile, the deeper the pain.】

Li Fan was the same way—she always looked carefree but never let her pain show in front of others.

The task required forming pairs. Among the eight people, there were already two couples, and the remaining four were randomly paired.

Ruan Li looked at Ji Yinxun with starry eyes and a syrupy voice. “Master Ji…”

Before she could finish, Cheng Huan hooked an arm around her neck.

“I heard you’ve got a bird-sized stomach. Don’t worry, with me around, I’ll stuff you full like a food-chomping champ! Munch munch munch—we’re a team.”

Ruan Li gritted her teeth. Who wants to team up with you?!

Ji Yinxun turned to Li Fan with a gentle smile.

“Master Li, shall we pair up?”

Li Fan quickly responded, “You can just call me Li Fan, no need for honorifics.”

Ji Yinxun easily followed her lead. “Then you can call me by my name too. Let’s drop the formalities.”

Li Fan: “……” Better not—she feared getting flamed for it.

As the two walked outside, Ji Yinxun, though not very talkative, knew how to keep the conversation flowing so it wouldn’t feel awkward.

Watching Ji Yinxun and Li Fan chatting happily, Shen Yuwan felt a stir in her heart.

She’d never experienced what it was like to be with a man with a cold, abstinent vibe.

Seeing Ji Yinxun reminded her of Han Xuzhou—they shared a somewhat similar temperament, though Han Xuzhou was even colder.

She had once been interested in Han Xuzhou, but unfortunately, he became disabled. How could she possibly sleep with a cripple?

So Han Xuzhou had been removed from her dating pool.

“Brother Xun, why don’t I team up with you?” Shen Yuwan offered proactively.

006: 【Uh-oh, she’s got her eyes on Ji Yinxun. Time to cast the bait.】

But Ji Yinxun didn’t bite. He calmly declined, “No thanks. How could I steal from Liang Kang? I wouldn’t want to disturb your sweet couple time.”

006: 【Whoa, didn’t expect it. The male lead’s charm isn’t something ordinary men can resist.】

Since Shen Yuwan was the female lead, she naturally came with a halo.

This halo let her swim effortlessly through a sea of men.

After hearing the system, Li Fan’s opinion of Ji Yinxun improved a little.

But Shen Yuwan was like cling wrap—once she set her sights on a man, she had to have him.

All four pairs of guests stuck together instead of splitting up, heading off in the same direction.

They hadn’t even started gathering ingredients when they came across a child wearing a duckbill cap, dragging a little yellow duck suitcase.

Li Fan took a few more glances and guessed: 【Could this be Zhuang Yaya?】

She wasn’t sure, because the child looked like a boy.

006: 【Bingo! It’s Zhuang Yaya! Lin Luqing is still waiting outside the scenic area, so she sent Zhuang Yaya ahead to scout.】

Li Fan looked toward Zhuang Xiaoxian and noticed his expression remained completely neutral.

【So Zhuang Xiaoxian… doesn’t even recognize his own daughter?】

006: 【Fan-Fan baby, don’t use normal logic to understand a scumbag.】

Li Fan: “……”

【Pfft. Tui!】

Li Fan stepped aside to watch the drama unfold, not intending to interfere.

But of all people, it had to be Gu Lanyi who went forward.

She bent slightly and patted Zhuang Yaya’s duckbill cap.

“Little brother, why are you here all alone? Where are your parents?”

Zhuang Yaya grinned. “Auntie, I’m looking for my daddy. He works with your show crew.”

Everyone assumed she meant a staff member and not a guest.

But that “auntie” hit Gu Lanyi right in her fragile heart. She covered her face dramatically, trying to look natural.

“Oh my, do I really look that old? Why would you call me auntie?”

Zhuang Yaya adjusted her duckbill cap and said, “Well, I’m a girl, and yet you called me little brother.”

Gu Lanyi: “……”

“I’m sorry—I didn’t know you were a girl.” She laughed awkwardly.

Zhuang Yaya pouted. “It’s okay. But I know you’re an auntie.”

【Is it just me, or is this kid kind of rude?】

【Does she have something against Gu Lanyi?】

【I think she’s like that with everyone—probably just hasn’t been properly raised.】

When Gu Lanyi later suggested taking Zhuang Yaya to find her dad, Li Fan felt like she was witnessing a live cremation event.

Ji Yinxun noticed the shift in Li Fan’s expression and quietly asked in her ear, “What’s wrong?”

Li Fan gave a small smile. “Nothing.”

Ji Yinxun narrowed his eyes, his sharp gaze landing on Zhuang Yaya.

The villagers in Baima were all quite warm and didn’t make things difficult, eagerly offering ingredients to the guests.

It didn’t take long for them to collect enough food. Gu Lanyi and Zhuang Xiaoxian each held one of Zhuang Yaya’s hands, looking just like a little family.

Gu Lanyi said with a smile, “Yaya, I’ll take you back to find your dad now.”

Zhuang Yaya beamed. “Okay okay! Auntie, is this uncle your boyfriend?”

Gu Lanyi didn’t really want to admit it, but with the cameras rolling, she couldn’t deny it.

She nodded. “Yes.”

Zhuang Yaya let out an “Oh,” then suddenly flung off Zhuang Xiaoxian’s hand.

“You’re holding my hand even though you have a girlfriend? You’re not being a proper man!”

Zhuang Xiaoxian: “?”

Li Fan’s lips curved into a cold smile. Can’t even recognize your own daughter? This isn’t just a matter of morality—you must be blind.