Chapter 3 – Assigning Tasks

As expected.

Cheng Yichi even felt a strange sense of closure.

But before he could react, Li Yi had already carried his suitcase to the stairwell.

“Wait—”

Li Yi didn’t turn back. “I didn’t bring much. I’ll help you carry yours up first.”

“Oh, okay. Thanks!” Cheng Yichi knew he wasn’t great at taking care of himself, but he didn’t expect someone to look after him so soon after arriving. He felt a little touched.

Li Yi looked so cool that Cheng Yichi didn’t think much of it. Glancing around, he noticed a black bag on the floor. Assuming it belonged to Li Yi, who said he didn’t bring much, Cheng Yichi picked it up to take upstairs.

As he passed a single room, Bai Ruyu suddenly said, “Cheng Yichi, that bag you’re holding is mine.”

“I saw it downstairs and just brought it up. I don’t think I shook it too much—hopefully nothing fragile inside,” Cheng Yichi replied, handing over the bag.

“There’s nothing fragile,” Bai Ruyu said, briefly surprised. He smiled politely and thanked him.

From inside the four-person room, Tang Yinuo poked his head out and teased, “Li Yi helps Brother Yichi carry his luggage, then Brother Yichi helps Ruyu carry his bag. Sounds like the beginning of a love triangle.”

“Don’t talk nonsense.” Bai Ruyu playfully scolded him, then smiled again. “Yichi didn’t know it was mine.”

Cheng Yichi waved goodbye and headed to his own room.

He glanced at Bai Ruyu’s single room as he passed. It wasn’t large, but big enough for one person. Decorated in all white with a cozy vibe, it looked exactly like Cheng Yichi’s dream bedroom. When he walked past the four-person room, Tang Yinuo pulled him in to take a quick look. It was bigger than expected, with two sets of staggered bunk beds, warm yellow tones, and two large walk-in closets.

The people staying in the four-person room were Fang Yunshi, Tang Yinuo, and Wei Buyan. The three-person room was shared by Jiang Heng and Gu Zichen. Cheng Yichi thought the setup was interesting. It wasn’t just the viewers shipping couples—he was too. When he first arrived, he thought Gu Zichen and Bai Ruyu made a great match. In contrast, Tang Yinuo seemed to have more chemistry with Jiang Heng.

Don’t make it too obvious, Cheng Yichi reminded himself. He had to pretend to be gay, not act like a gossip-hungry straight guy. He took a deep breath and entered the most intimate room in the house: the double room.

The double room was slightly bigger than the single room. It had a coffee-colored base and pink heart graffiti all over the walls, creating a cute and romantic atmosphere. Definitely a space meant for couples.

Cheng Yichi sighed. A straight guy like me shouldn’t be living here alone.

Li Yi wasn’t around, but Cheng Yichi heard the sound of running water from the bathroom—he must be showering already? Isn’t it a bit early? he wondered.

His suitcase had been placed in front of the closet. Cheng Yichi went over to unpack. He hung up half his clothes, and they already took up a third of the space. Looking at the clothes still in the suitcase, he froze in place, deep in thought.

When Li Yi came out, he saw Cheng Yichi kneeling on one knee in front of his suitcase. His back was straight like a little sapling, completely still, and visibly troubled.

“What’s wrong?” Li Yi asked.

Cheng Yichi jumped, startled. He turned and said helplessly, “I think I brought too many clothes.”

Li Yi gave him a long look. “It’s fine. I didn’t bring much. Go ahead and use the space.”

As a celebrity, skincare and fashion were essential. At home, Cheng Yichi could live in a single pair of pajamas all day, but this was a variety show, which was still technically work. To avoid getting criticized, he had to bring a few nice outfits.

Acting was important, but staying in the public eye was too. If no one paid attention to him, he wouldn’t even get the roles he wanted.

“By the way, I saw a black bag downstairs and thought it was yours, so I brought it up. Turns out it was Ruyu’s. Where’s your luggage? I can go get it for you.”

“No need.”

Cheng Yichi looked at Li Yi without moving or speaking, a little stubborn. Li Yi suddenly smiled. Why is he so cute?

“Alright, I put it in the gym next to the living room. Can you grab it for me?”

Cheng Yichi immediately went downstairs. As he passed the four-person room, he heard someone complaining inside.

“The closet’s kinda small. I brought too many clothes.” It was Tang Yinuo’s voice. Then he comforted himself, “Whatever. I probably won’t wear them all. I’ll just leave them in my suitcase.”

Tang Yinuo was cute and gentle. In Cheng Yichi’s mind, if Tang Yinuo were gay, he’d definitely be—well, according to the internet—‘the bottom.’ Cheng Yichi wasn’t sure if it was rude to think that, but he felt like Tang Yinuo was someone who needed to be taken care of.

Hearing him complain about the closet made Cheng Yichi suddenly remember what he’d just said himself. His face turned red in an instant—

Just now, Li Yi seemed to be taking care of him too.

He suddenly understood what that deep look from Li Yi might have meant.

—

Cheng Yichi was the last one to arrive. By the time everyone finished unpacking and choosing rooms, it was almost dinner time. As Cheng Yichi and Li Yi came down the stairs, the rest of the group was already waiting in the living room.

Bai Ruyu recalled how Cheng Yichi had unexpectedly carried his bag earlier. He was a little happy but tried to hide it. It wasn’t a big deal, but it felt like a kind gesture. A movie star being nice to him—he wouldn’t overthink it, but it still made him quietly happy.

Probably just vanity, he thought.

When Tang Yinuo talked to him, Bai Ruyu was a bit distracted. He thought about Gu Zichen, who he had seen first when he arrived, and then about Cheng Yichi. Cheng Yichi was different from the others. Some people were here for their careers, fame, or just to relax. But Cheng Yichi wasn’t like that. He was here for love. He was at the age where he wanted to find someone to be with.

Tang Yinuo nudged him with his elbow. “Yichi-ge and Li Yi are coming down.”

Bai Ruyu looked at the staircase. Cheng Yichi walked ahead, a faint smile always on his face—maybe it was the actor in him. His features were beautiful, his vibe elegant. Li Yi followed closely behind, expressionless as usual. But somehow, Bai Ruyu felt that his face looked a little softer than when he first arrived.

For a moment, he thought—these two actually look really good together.

After coming downstairs, Cheng Yichi saw the house rules posted by the production team:

Everyone must return to the house every night.

Dinner will be made by two-person teams. You can choose or switch partners freely.

On the first day, guests cannot reveal their age or profession.

Every evening, each guest must anonymously send a message to someone they’re interested in.

No exchanging personal contact info during the stay.

One guest is a fake—a straight man pretending to be gay. You must find him by observing the details. A vote will be held at the end, and if the fake is correctly identified, the winners will receive a large cash prize.

—

Jiang Heng scratched his head. “I’m really bad at cooking. The moment I step into a kitchen, something explodes. I’m like a kitchen disaster.”

“You’ll get better with practice,” Bai Ruyu encouraged him.

“But my mom let me into the kitchen twice, and both times something exploded.” Jiang Heng said awkwardly. “I can’t touch stoves or pots—they break the second I touch them. My mom even said I should learn to cook for my future wife, but eventually she gave up.”

As he said this, he couldn’t help glancing at Cheng Yichi—not because he wanted to date him, but because Cheng Yichi once played a character that Jiang Heng deeply loved and felt sorry for. That role stuck with him so much that afterward, he didn’t want to date anyone, constantly wishing that character could be real.

But he knew actors weren’t their characters. He definitely didn’t want to date Cheng Yichi. Absolutely not.

“I’m not good at cooking either,” Cheng Yichi said. “I can only make salad and instant noodles. Probably not something anyone wants, but I can help out.”

He usually ate salads or ordered takeout—mostly low-fat meals. If he wasn’t filming, he didn’t bother too much with food. But since he worked out regularly, eating only salads wasn’t good for his health or nutrition. That was part of why he wasn’t taking on new roles right now.

Still, no one could deny that Cheng Yichi had an amazing figure—slim yet strong. He once acted in a fantasy drama as a merman king. When water slid down his bare shoulders and over his light muscles, the audience couldn’t help but swallow hard. It was beautiful, like a male Venus—so stunning that people forgot about gender altogether.

Wei Buyan remembered that scene and wanted to offer to partner with Cheng Yichi, but unfortunately, he was a rich young master who didn’t even know how to boil water. He could name-drop fancy dishes like Wellington steak and foie gras all day, but when it came to cooking, he was completely helpless.

“How about this,” Gu Zichen suggested. “Those who can cook raise their hands. The rest will help with prep and chores.”

Cheng Yichi admired Gu Zichen’s leadership. He always seemed to solve problems in just one sentence.

Soon, Li Yi, Bai Ruyu, and Fang Yunshi all said they could cook.

Only three people.

No surprise there. All the participants were elites, most probably had chefs and housekeepers at home. Being able to cook was a bonus—and cooking well was even better.

Cheng Yichi was surprised that Fang Yunshi could cook, but after thinking about it, it made sense. Fang Yunshi was adorable, and adorable people probably made delicious food. Fang Yunshi said, “I can make some Western dishes and desserts. I saw there’s an oven in the kitchen—I could roast some lamb chops.”

“Wow!” Tang Yinuo covered his mouth. “We’re in for a treat!”

“Not yet.” Fang Yunshi shyly tugged on his pants.

Bai Ruyu smiled. “My cooking is just average—mostly home-style dishes.”

Wei Buyan chuckled. “Well, I can only open wine bottles.”

Everyone laughed and reassured Bai Ruyu that no one would mind his cooking. As long as there was food, it was fine. Bai Ruyu chose his partner first. “Zichen, want to team up with me?”

“Ooooh,” Tang Yinuo teased, lightly slapping Bai Ruyu’s arm.

Gu Zichen was a bit surprised. Although they’d been chatting earlier, the conversation wasn’t particularly deep. Still, he didn’t expect Bai Ruyu to choose him. “Sure,” he nodded. “We’ll handle dinner tonight.”

Cheng Yichi didn’t smile on the outside, but he was grinning inside. He looked at Gu Zichen, then at Bai Ruyu, thinking: Wow, the first couple’s already forming. He found it hilarious and tried hard to suppress a smile. Turns out shipping people up close is actually super fun.

“Cheng Yichi.” Li Yi’s voice called out.

“Huh? What?” Cheng Yichi didn’t catch it at first.

Li Yi continued, “Will you be my partner?”

“Sure!” Cheng Yichi looked at Li Yi. His expression was still unreadable, cool and distant as always. Cheng Yichi felt a bit guilty for suspecting him earlier—he didn’t seem like someone who’d come here for romance.

Strangely enough, when he shared a room with someone else, he worried about his straight identity being exposed. But with Li Yi… he didn’t feel worried at all. In fact, it felt like Li Yi already saw through him.

“Ooooh,” Tang Yinuo teased again, elbowing Cheng Yichi.

Cheng Yichi: …