Ten minutes ago, Wang Xiaoyu was roaring on the phone:

“You said you wouldn’t come, what’s going on? That knife wound on your stomach isn’t on me! If you don’t come to change the dressing, what if it gets infected? What if something goes wrong? Your grand plan, hidden in plain sight, will be over, and what will be left of your so-called pride?”

Fu Shicang held the phone away from his ear, making a face as he waited for Wang Xiaoyu to finish, then leisurely replied, “Do you think changing the dressing is your unique skill and I can’t do it without you? Can’t I just find someone else?”

“Find someone else?” Wang Xiaoyu was surprised. “Didn’t you say you don’t trust the show’s doctors? Who changed your dressing? Did you go bother the little girl from the production team?”

“Get lost,” Fu Shicang laughed. “Do you even know which dating show I’m on? Flirting with the little girl, aren’t you worried about karma?”

“Is that the little sister-in-law? Ugh!” Wang Xiaoyu was flustered. “Who cares who she is, is the medicine safe? Are you… still Fu Shicang?”

“Have you been watching too many TV dramas?” Fu Shicang’s eyes gleamed with a sharp look. “There are over a hundred cameras in the villa, and you think I can get drugged and still go on the show? Wang doctor, how about you give it a try?”

He teased Wang Xiaoyu, but in his mind, the image of An Leyan carefully disinfecting him, biting his lip, appeared.

An Leyan’s delicate white fingers tightly gripped the disinfecting tweezers, his face close to Fu Shicang’s. From his angle, all he could see was the boy’s dark hair, and the iodine swab gently touched his skin, causing a strange itch along with the irritation.

Fu Shicang rubbed his finger and glanced at the food cart.

There was some commotion by the food cart, where An Leyan was holding Yin Xin’s hand, placing his arm under the faucet. Yin Xin seemed to be stiff all over but was staring at An Leyan. Nie Changxing, standing beside him, also had a red face.

How boring. Even making coffee could lead to trouble.

Fu Shicang frowned and turned his head. “Let’s stop talking about this. I have a question. Do many of my fans know about my personal preferences, like what I like to eat or what I can’t eat?”

Wang Xiaoyu on the other end of the line paused. He had been speaking so well just now, and suddenly, this young master was angry.

He hesitated but replied honestly, “It depends on the type of fans. I’ve seen some of your interviews, and not much private information is revealed. There was one lifestyle interview that asked about this kind of thing. I remember you answered a few of the questions.”

He paused again, a little unsure. “I remember there was an early post by a crazy fan of yours that summarized these details, but it was deleted a long time ago. Should I try to find it again?”

“No need,” Fu Shicang lowered his gaze. “I’ll find an opportunity to go out in the next few days, and we can discuss it then.”

“That’s the way to go!” Wang Xiaoyu cheered up. “Follow the doctor’s advice and come to the hospital more often…”

Footsteps sounded behind him, and Fu Shicang didn’t want to listen to Wang Xiaoyu anymore, so he hung up the phone.

An Leyan was standing just behind him, looking up at him.

“Your face looks off. Did you hurt yourself again during your morning walk?”

He furrowed his brow in worry. “I forgot to remind you not to strain your injury. The dressing was just changed yesterday; all this moving around is bad for the wound.”

Fu Shicang raised an eyebrow. Over by the food cart, the guests had already started their training but seemed distracted, occasionally glancing over at them, which was annoying.

He lazily leaned against the food cart. “Did you read my symptoms from my appearance? Your skills need some work, Master. My wound is fine. You should hurry up and go check on them, or they’ll hurt themselves with their clumsy hands.”

An Leyan shrugged.

Back then, Fu Shicang had been like this, most annoyed when others cared about his health.

Whenever this topic came up, he would dodge or act in a sarcastic way.

Unexpectedly, it was the same in the book, An Leyan thought. The author really understands Shicang.

At this moment, if he cooked Fu Shicang’s favorite meal, it was highly likely to cheer him up, and he might even ask for something in return.

Thinking of this, An Leyan had already begun planning what to make for dinner tonight.

The guests had been training all day, and though it was hard, they felt fulfilled and happy.

As soon as they returned to the villa, An Leyan went straight to the kitchen.

He specifically made Fu Shicang’s favorite sweet and sour ribs. But when it was time for dinner, he didn’t see him.

“He has a gig tonight,” Bai Jingchen sat beside him, explaining as he took out his phone. “Look, ‘Super Dance Star’ changed the recording time. Fu Ge had already agreed to be a guest, so he rushed over.”

Seeing An Leyan’s confused expression, Bai Jingchen suddenly felt a bit pleased. It turned out An Leyan didn’t always keep track of Fu Ge’s every move; he knew this news before An Leyan did.

An Leyan glanced at his phone, surprised. “Isn’t that a dance show? Fu Ge isn’t a professional dancer.”

“Hahaha,” Bai Jingchen laughed. “He’s just a guest, not a judge. He just needs to be handsome. I’m still the spokesperson for the Jiangnan Culinary Association. You guys know my cooking skills, don’t you?”

Everyone still remembered the meals Bai Jingchen made, and they all laughed together.

The dinner atmosphere suddenly became much better.

Earlier, when An Le Yan said that he was a die-hard fan of Fu Shi Cang, a few people felt a bit uncomfortable.

Having such an idol-fan relationship in place, Fu Shi Cang’s advantages were something they would never catch up to.

But now, looking at it, An Le Yan really was just a fan of his movies—he could talk about the films with fluency but had no idea about the other shows he participated in.

If that’s really the case, then the previously vast gap seemed almost nonexistent now.

Everyone relaxed suddenly. At the dinner table, the guests kept making clever remarks, laughter filled the room, and they all praised An Le Yan’s cooking, making him laugh non-stop.

After dinner, An Le Yan, as usual, was about to wash the dishes, but everyone pushed him out of the kitchen.

“Isn’t it your family’s rule that the cook doesn’t wash the dishes?” Bai Jingchen grabbed the dishcloth from his hand, “Leave this to us, you go rest.”

Mu Wei directly pressed his shoulder and pushed him out: “You’ve already done the work, we don’t want to look ungrateful. When the reality show airs, we might get criticized by the online viewers.”

He smiled charmingly: “Or is it that you’re doing this on purpose, not wanting others to like me?”

He had the habit of leaning in when speaking, his gaze focused as if he were about to confess.

An Le Yan slapped him on the shoulder: “I’m not that bad, you all wash, I’m going for a walk to digest.”

Seeing him laughing and running away, Mu Wei couldn’t help but shake his head.

Thinking back to the boys he used to chase, just getting a little closer would make them blush. If they had said that earlier, most people would have instinctively responded with a flirty comeback: “Who likes you?”

But An Le Yan’s response earlier had been completely clueless, like a straight man who didn’t get the hint.

Did he even know he’s participating in a dating reality show?

At this moment, An Le Yan had already stepped out of the villa.

The temperature had been rising quickly these past few days, and the night wasn’t cool either. A little movement, and he was sweating.

He took a walk around the area, eventually arriving in front of a convenience store.

New advertisements were posted outside—buy one get one free on a certain brand of ice cream.

The brand was quite niche but used good ingredients, and the taste was also decent.

An Le Yan decided to buy a big bag and went to the program team next.

Before he reached the door, Xiao Li, who was following him, hurried out.

“I knew you’d be seen,” An Le Yan said with a smile, “Now I can slack off and walk a few fewer steps.”

Xiao Li quickly took the bag from his hands, and Zhang Mao followed him out.

“Sorry for the trouble,” Zhang Mao said with a smile, pulling out a box of vanilla milk ice cream from the bag. “Let me walk you back.”

An Le Yan turned to look at the distance of less than 20 meters between the two houses, smiling at the director: “It’s just a few steps, no need for you to send me.”

Zhang Mao took a bite of the ice cream: “This is where you’re wrong. Xiao Yan, I’ve been observing you these past few days. You’re here to participate in a dating show, not to be a nanny for those young masters. You’ll get tired or feel down sometimes too. Remember, you don’t always have to be strong. When it’s time to rely on others, you have to give others a chance.”

The warm evening breeze carried the sweet scent of the ice cream far away, and An Le Yan fell silent for a moment.

When he was with Fu Shi Cang, he was already playing the role of a half-nanny. Later, when he was on his own, in such an environment, it was impossible to rely on anyone.

He had gotten used to it, not feeling tired or uncomfortable. Besides, he was just a small pawn, and there was no need to waste everyone’s time focusing on him.

However, he understood the director’s concern, nodded, and smiled with his eyes squinted: “I understand, thank you, Director!”

When Director Zhang returned to the work villa, Assistant Director Wang approached with a box of strawberry-flavored ice cream: “So, do you think your hint worked?”

Director Zhang sighed: “It’s hard. It seems like he understood in front of me, but I bet he still doesn’t notice the other guests’ feelings toward him.”

Assistant Director Wang quickly advised: “Don’t rush, don’t rush, it’s only been two days. Maybe he’ll figure it out in a few days.”

“Ugh, a few days isn’t short. The shooting time is only a month, and in a few days, this episode will be over, and we’ll have lost a quarter of the time.”

Director Zhang sighed deeply, scooped a big spoonful of ice cream into his mouth. “I’m just worried. Those rich young masters don’t have much patience. Their self-esteem is high. If they don’t get any response after a few attempts, they’ll probably give up. Who knows if there will be sparks between the other guests. If that’s the case, our dating show will end up like a reality transformation show mixed with slow life. What’s there to watch?”

Assistant Director Wang was stunned: “Then what do we do?”

Director Zhang sighed: “I’ll think of something.”

When Fu Shi Cang returned to the villa, it was already past midnight, and the villa was quiet.

In the double room, the desk lamp was still on. An Le Yan sat at the desk, his face resting on his arm, sound asleep.

Perhaps because he hadn’t dried his hair completely after washing it, the boy’s hair was soft, falling onto his forehead, and also scattered over his arm, shining under the warm light.

He had somehow found a copy shop and neatly placed the note Fu Shi Cang had written for him inside a plastic sleeve, pressing it beneath his fingers.

On the desk lay a printed set of study notes, but there were no other marks on the notebook. He had only practiced the few words on the note over and over again, and they almost looked similar after some effort.

Fu Shi Cang glanced at the camera, took a piece of clothing to cover it, and then went to the bathroom to shower.

When he came out, he saw An Le Yan groggily lift his head.

“You’re back,” the boy’s voice was soft, with a sleepy nasal tone, his gaze still glued to Fu Shi Cang’s pajamas.

“Your… the wound is fine, right?”

He only made a little sound, the rest were just his lip movements.

Fu Shi Cang shook his head.

“That’s good.” An Le Yan’s eyes closed for two seconds, then forced himself to open them again. He reached out and pointed at Fu Shi Cang’s pillow, then pointed to the water glass on the bedside table.

Fu Shi Cang walked to the bed but didn’t look at the pillow. He just leaned against the headboard and asked, “Why aren’t you in bed?”

“My arm’s numb.” An Le Yan grinned as he stood up, half-lifting his arm, trying to endure the tingling discomfort.

His pajama T-shirt lifted with his arm, exposing a slim waist.

His muscles weren’t prominent, but they could be seen as a faint outline under his fair skin.

Perhaps due to the injury, there was a faint pink mark on the side of the boy’s waist, winding like a delicate flower stem, emerging from the edge of his pajama pants, stretching upward, disappearing into his pajama shirt.

“Ah, so numb, so numb.” An Le Yan rubbed his arm hard. Usually gentle and polite in front of others, at this moment, he showed the mischievousness common in young boys.

Maybe he was just too tired. After a few rubs, he collapsed onto the bed and, within seconds, drifted back to sleep.

Fu Shi Cang then turned to look at the items on his pillow.

It was a box of acetaminophen extended-release tablets for fever and pain relief.

Fu Shi Cang expressionlessly tossed the medicine box onto the bedside table.

The night was deep, and Fu Shi Cang turned over in bed.

The day’s recording had gone on for a long time, and he had to stay up with them. The boys dancing midway got excited and even dragged him into doing some moves. Before long, the wound on his abdomen started to ache slightly.

Fortunately, he had the abdominal band An Le Yan gave him. The tightened fabric helped him endure the pain, and he managed to hold on until the end.

But now, he kept seeing that slender waist in his mind.

Fu Shi Cang raised a hand and covered his eyes.

The pain from the wound seemed to turn into two streams of heat, one flowing down and the other shooting straight up to the top of his head.

Half an hour later, Fu Shi Cang angrily sat up, grabbed the water glass on the bedside table, took two pills, and swallowed them.