An Leyan ran back upstairs. The room was empty, so he walked to Nie Changxing’s door and knocked gently. “Nie-ge, were you looking for me?”

The door wasn’t fully closed. Bai Jingchen and Yinxin were still fast asleep, while Nie Changxing sat on the bed, looking dazed, as if he had just been yanked out of his blanket. His face was full of sleepiness.

Hearing An Leyan’s voice, he raised his head in a daze, looked at him, then glanced down at his phone before finally recalling why he had called him.

With great effort, he got out of bed and leaned against the door. “I just suddenly remembered… You’re still a student, right?”

“Yeah,” An Leyan was a bit confused. “I’m a nursing major at Haida. I’ll be a sophomore after this summer break.”

“Mm…” Nie Changxing hesitated for a moment. “So, I have a… cousin who’s in the same major as you. A couple of days ago, he was complaining to me about how hard biochemistry is. I organized some really detailed notes for him. I thought maybe they’d be useful to you too, so I wanted to ask if you’d like them.”

An Leyan’s eyes lit up instantly. “That’s amazing! Notes from a top student—I definitely need them! I just hope I’m not too dumb to understand them.”

“No way!” Nie Changxing chuckled, still a little groggy. “He—I mean, I—took very meticulous notes for this course, even compiled an electronic version. I’ll have him send over the cloud drive link later.”

An Leyan grinned as he returned to his dorm. Looking at his Biochemistry textbook, he couldn’t help but smile to himself.

This was great. With Nie Changxing’s notes, he was sure to pass the course next semester!

Getting into university without having to take the college entrance exam after transmigrating—what a lucky deal! Since it was a freebie, he had to take his studies seriously.

As he flipped through the pages, a light blue sticky note peeked out again.

Right, he also had to work on his handwriting.

Sitting down, he carefully copied a few characters from the sticky note before heading off to take a shower. Then, he went downstairs to prepare breakfast.

By the time the aroma of milk, butter, and bacon filled the air, the guests had already made their way into the kitchen.

“I knew it! It had to be Leyan making breakfast,” Mu Wei was the first to arrive. He glanced at the plates of food and said, “You’re amazing. Whoever ends up with you will be ridiculously happy.”

Yinxin rushed in with a camera and started snapping photos of the sandwiches. “Wait, they’re all different… You made five kinds?!”

“Whoa, you’re right!” Nie Changxing was finally awake but looked troubled. “Crap, my indecisiveness is acting up. I want to try them all—what do I do?”

An Leyan laughed. “How about I cut them into smaller pieces so you can mix and match?”

“Yes, yes! Great idea!”

While An Leyan was cutting the sandwiches, Bai Jingchen opened the fridge to grab some milk.

“Only five bottles? Does someone not drink milk?”

Everyone shook their heads.

Still arranging the plates, An Leyan casually answered, “Cang-ge doesn’t drink milk in the morning. I’ll just make him an Americano later.”

Since he shared a room with Fu Shicang, everyone assumed Fu Shicang had told him that beforehand. No one questioned it, except for Bai Jingchen, who paused briefly before asking, “Where is Fu-ge?”

“He… went for a walk,” Mu Wei internally rolled his eyes.

A walk, huh? Fine, whatever. But why did he have to drag An Leyan away first? So annoying—ah, but this sandwich is too good!

In an instant, all his fatigue and frustration vanished. Mu Wei stuffed another bite into his mouth without hesitation.

Seeing him eat so enthusiastically, the others gave up on decorum and quickly sat down to eat as well.

By the time Fu Shicang returned, the table was already cleared.

Mu Wei secretly gloated. That’s what you get for interrupting me this morning—no food for you! …Right?

But the next second, An Leyan got up swiftly. “Cang-ge, have a seat.”

He turned to the coffee machine.

As the machine whirred, he took out the ingredients he had prepared earlier and whipped up another sandwich, which he then placed in front of Fu Shicang.

Mu Wei: …Cooking, so effortlessly done?!

After breakfast, it was Nie Changxing and Mu Wei’s turn to do the dishes. As soon as An Leyan stepped out of the kitchen, Bai Jingchen pulled him aside.

“Come with me. I have something to ask you.”

He led An Leyan to the second-floor lounge, where they both sat down on the sofa.

An Leyan was puzzled. Bai Jingchen, however, fidgeted for a long time before finally speaking up.

“Well… Since we moved in yesterday, I’ve noticed that every time Fu-ge is mentioned, you always seem really familiar with him. So, I wanted to ask…”

Bai Jingchen carefully observed An Leyan’s expression. “Do you… um…”

“What?” An Leyan was confused. “What are you talking about?”

His expression remained natural—he didn’t even raise an eyebrow at the mention of Fu Shicang’s name. Bai Jingchen had been hinting for half the day without getting any results, so he couldn’t help but ask directly, “So, do you like him? Is that why you know so much about him?”

“Whoa, Bai Jingchen just went all in!” In the monitoring room, Assistant Director Wang shouted in excitement. “It’s only the second day, and he’s already hitting straight to the point?”

Director Zhang gestured for him to calm down. “Don’t get too excited. Push the camera closer to capture the facial expressions. Let’s hear how An Leyan responds.”

All the staff members perked up their ears.

An Leyan was stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing. “Of course, I like Cang-ge!”

Hearing this answer, Bai Jingchen’s heart pounded wildly, his voice even turning slightly hoarse. “You… you like him?”

“Of course! I’m his die-hard fan!” An Leyan declared with certainty. “I’ve watched every single one of his films and interviews.”

He pulled out his phone and logged into his cloud storage account.

Though all the content had only been saved within the first three days after he arrived here, he had gone through all of it—especially the interviews.

Cang-ge had worked different jobs in both lives, but his interview answers were nearly identical. After all, he was still the same person, and his public persona couldn’t change too drastically.

Excitedly, he opened a summary notebook and handed it to Bai Jingchen. “Here, look. It’s all in here—what he likes to eat, what he likes to watch. If you want, take a picture of it. When I’m able to message you in the future, I can send you a copy.”

“Oh…” Bai Jingchen felt like he was on a roller coaster, completely overwhelmed by An Leyan’s actions.

He stared at An Leyan for a long moment before mechanically replying, “Then, I’ll wait for you to send it to me,” and, as if in a daze, floated back to his room.

An Leyan put away his phone and shrugged toward Bai Jingchen’s departing figure.

Honestly, even if you know all this… Cang-ge still wouldn’t like you.

Oh well, bro, this is as much as I can help you. You’re on your own now…

Just as that last thought lingered in his mind, he looked up—only to see Fu Shicang standing at the doorway of the shared bedroom, staring at him with a blank expression.

Shit. Caught selling idol information by the idol himself. Awkward!

Wait, no—this was just an exchange of information, not a transaction!

His mind was a mess when Fu Shicang stepped forward. “Come on, let me see just how much you know about me.”

An Leyan: …

He tried to resist, but Fu Shicang simply extended a hand toward him.

The man’s fingers were long and well-defined, with prominent knuckles that didn’t detract from their overall elegance.

His skin was naturally fair, and his palms were just as smooth, without many wrinkles. The pads of his fingers carried a healthy pinkish hue, looking almost mesmerizing.

Unlike his Cang-ge from before—who had spent the last six months of his life completely exhausted, relying on cigarettes to stay awake—his fingertips weren’t tinged with that worrying yellowish stain.

For a moment, An Leyan forgot what he was supposed to do. He simply reached out, almost reverently, and lightly pinched Fu Shicang’s fingertip.

The hand that had originally reached out to confiscate his phone was now being held instead. Fu Shicang was briefly speechless, caught between amusement and exasperation.

He waved his other hand in front of An Leyan’s face, finally snapping the boy out of his daze. An Leyan blinked at him, then quickly lowered his head.

“Ah, your love line is so long!” An Leyan blurted out, scrambling to recover. “You’ll definitely have a lifelong, loving relationship with your partner!”

“Thanks for the blessing.” Fu Shicang withdrew his hand. “When that happens, I’ll be sure to treat you to a meal.”

Watching as the redness on the boy’s ears spread to his entire face, Fu Shicang knocked him on the head. “Hurry up and change your clothes. We have food truck training later, Master Chef.”

—

Cooking and selling food was one of the unique aspects of Delicious Connections.

During the promotional phase, the show had clearly announced that the investors would donate 100 times the daily food truck revenue to those in need.

So, this training wasn’t just for show. They even hired renowned chefs, hoping to teach these rich kids how to make decent food in the shortest time possible.

Of course, cooking skills weren’t built in a day, so they only selected simple and easy-to-learn dishes.

Today’s training focused on coffee and sandwiches.

The food truck was equipped with a full set of cooking tools, all modular and adjustable to accommodate various types of food preparation.

That said, while the RV was spacious, six grown men standing inside immediately made it feel cramped.

The instructors split them into two groups—Fu Shicang, Mu Wei, and Bai Jingchen learned to make sandwiches, while An Leyan, Yin Xin, and Nie Changxing practiced making coffee.

Yin Xin and Nie Changxing rarely did household chores. Though they were knowledgeable about coffee origins, bean roasting levels, and flavor profiles—earning praise from the instructors—when it came to actually brewing coffee, they were a mess.

“Ah!” Yin Xin suddenly yelped, stumbling backward.

He wasn’t familiar with cooking equipment and had set the stovetop to maximum heat while using a moka pot. The flames had licked around the edges, overheating the metal handle. As he squeezed past Nie Changxing, his arm accidentally brushed against it.

“Quick! Rinse with cold water!” The instructor, who had been teaching Bai Jingchen how to cut sandwiches, was startled and shouted over.

But before he could move, An Leyan had already taken action.

Yin Xin was wearing an Oxford-style shirt today, neatly buttoned at the cuffs.

Without hesitation, An Leyan grabbed his arm—sleeve and all—and shoved it under the running tap.

The cool water rushed over the burn, providing instant relief.

How did he react so fast?

Yin Xin’s eyelashes trembled as he looked at An Leyan.

The boy’s lips were tightly pressed together, his long lashes casting faint shadows.

Yin Xin had always thought An Leyan had beautiful eyes, though he never understood why he deliberately made them appear downturned every day.

If only he’d drop the disguise… His natural eye shape must be stunning.

Meanwhile, Nie Changxing was also staring at An Leyan in a daze.

After a while, An Leyan deftly unbuttoned Yin Xin’s cuff and carefully rolled up his sleeve.

Yin Xin had spent years sketching outdoors, his skin tanned to a healthy bronze. Against his complexion, An Leyan’s fingers looked almost translucent.

To avoid touching the burn, An Leyan tugged at the sleeve with just the right amount of force, the tendons on the back of his hand subtly visible—strong yet elegant.

Nie Changxing swallowed hard.

Damn, men who focus on their work are the most dangerous! An Leyan looks way too dominant right now!

At this moment, An Leyan was completely unaware of the subtle thoughts of the two. He carefully rolled up Yin Xin’s sleeve, and when he saw that the skin hadn’t blistered, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. While continuing to hold his arm under the cool water, he said in a low voice, “Keep rinsing it for a while longer, until it doesn’t feel hot or painful anymore. I brought some burn ointment—I’ll go get it.”

Soon, the show’s staff gathered around. Zhang Mao asked worriedly, “Is it serious? Do you need to go to the hospital?”

Yin Xin was still lost in his thoughts from earlier. He stared blankly for a few seconds before shaking his head. “It’s fine. It doesn’t hurt that much anymore.”

“It really doesn’t look too bad.” The instructor examined his arm carefully. “That guest handled it very well—very professional.”

Bai Jingchen chimed in, “Yeah, last time I almost got burned by soup too, and Leyan saved me by steadying the pot. He’s really amazing.”

Nie Changxing suddenly laughed. “Of course! He’s a pro.”

Mu Wei shook his head theatrically. “Sigh, he’s a professional at cooking, a professional at taking care of people… truly marriage material.”

This comment stirred something in the group.

After all, this was a dating show. Someone this great—they needed to make a move quickly before someone else did!

The guests exchanged glances, and an unspoken sense of competition filled the air.

After a while, the two teams switched places. An Leyan stepped out of the food truck, glanced around, and asked, “Where’s Cang-ge?”

“He’s on a call, I think,” Bai Jingchen replied. “Not long after the training started, he got a call and has been over there since.”

An Leyan looked in that direction.

The sunlight was bright today, making the cream-colored food truck gleam.

Fu Shicang stood there in a fine-striped dress shirt, holding his phone casually. Even just standing idly, he looked like he was posing for a luxury ad, making the food truck seem high-class by association.

But why did he look so pale?

Did his injury flare up again?

An Leyan frowned and strode toward him.