Chapter 8 – Apron Ambiguity

Li Yi put down the things in his hands on the counter and went over to help.

He saw Jiang Heng tying on an apron and asked Cheng Yichi, “Do you want to put on an apron too?”

Cheng Yichi was washing something and couldn’t do it himself, so he said, “Sure.”

Li Yi said, “I’ll help you.”

Probably worried they wouldn’t have enough, the show crew had prepared four aprons in the kitchen: two blue ones, one khaki, and one bright pink. Jiang Heng was wearing a blue one.

Li Yi turned to Cheng Yichi and asked, “Is the khaki one, okay?”

“Yeah.”

Li Yi took the apron, slipped it over Cheng Yichi’s head, and helped straighten the hair hanging down over his forehead. Cheng Yichi shivered slightly. Li Yi pretended not to notice, and his fingers casually slid down Cheng Yichi’s back, stopping at his waist. The man’s hand slowly reached around to the front and grabbed the apron strings, pulling them behind Cheng Yichi to tie a bow. His fingers lightly brushed over Cheng Yichi’s waist. Cheng Yichi felt a little ticklish, but it was bearable, so he didn’t say anything. He didn’t find Li Yi’s actions strange—it was normal to help put on an apron when someone’s busy.

But Jiang Heng glanced at Li Yi with a curious look.

Li Yi ignored him, finished tying the apron, and said it was done. Cheng Yichi stepped forward but suddenly felt very ticklish. Li Yi lost his balance and had to grab the counter on both sides to keep from falling. His head accidentally buried into Cheng Yichi’s neck, and warm, intimate breath brushed over Cheng Yichi’s skin. Neither of them reacted right away.

Cheng Yichi turned his head away, feeling a little strange.

Jiang Heng saw Li Yi suddenly hugging Cheng Yichi and his smile froze for a moment. Li Yi quickly stood up and apologized sincerely, “Sorry.”

Cheng Yichi thought it wasn’t his fault; the floor was just slippery.

“It’s okay,” Cheng Yichi smiled. “Be more careful next time.”

Li Yi nodded and put on the pink apron. There was still a blue apron wobbling on the rack.

Jiang Heng looked down at his blue apron and suddenly felt annoyed by it.

“It’s cooking time now,” Li Yi walked over to Cheng Yichi’s side. “If you get hungry, there’s fruit outside.”

Jiang Heng: …

How was he supposed to answer? Say he wasn’t hungry and wanted to work? This guy just didn’t want him and Cheng Yichi to be together, huh?

“Yeah, you should rest. Thanks for helping prepare the steak! Eat more tonight,” Cheng Yichi said. Mainly because Jiang Heng would cook tomorrow and he didn’t want to ask him to help again.

Jiang Heng couldn’t stay any longer, but as he left, his expression turned serious. Usually a goofy, enthusiastic guy, but without a smile, his mixed-race, delicate face looked especially stern—and intimidating.

Li Yi didn’t care about him at all.

He counted the vegetables and meat they brought and asked Cheng Yichi with a side glance, “Bro, I’m cooking steak, tomato beef strips, shredded melon with meat, egg tofu soup, and caramelized corn. Is that okay?”

Li Yi’s voice was low, and in the kitchen filled with the hum of the exhaust fan, Cheng Yichi thought it sounded really nice—like an ear massage.

“Sounds good. I have no dietary restrictions. They didn’t mention any yesterday, but Bai Ruyu doesn’t eat garlic, so maybe use some bamboo shoots with the steak,” Cheng Yichi replied.

Li Yi knew Bai Ruyu hadn’t told anyone her preferences yesterday; Cheng Yichi must have noticed on his own at the table. He felt a little jealous but didn’t say anything.

Suddenly Cheng Yichi realized, “Wait, Li Yi, you just called me ‘bro’?”

Li Yi looked at him, “Is that not okay? Jiang Heng calls you that, so I want to too.” He looked a bit hurt. Cheng Yichi had never seen the cool guy so vulnerable before, and he immediately softened.

“Of course it’s okay. I just didn’t expect you to call me that. Kinda surprised.”

Actually, Li Yi’s personality was very different from when they first met. Cheng Yichi thought Li Yi was the cold, aloof type—a kid who rarely smiled or talked, living in his own world. But after just two days, Cheng Yichi saw another side of him and found him really cute, like a younger brother.

Li Yi obediently said, “Thanks, bro.”

The kitchen atmosphere suddenly felt much warmer.

—

Finally, it was time to eat.

Cheng Yichi proudly announced, “I made one of the dishes!”

He was still wearing the khaki apron, his hair soft, dressed casually—not dazzling like on screen but still so good-looking it was hard to look away.

Even though Gu Zichen had warned him that dating Cheng Yichi was complicated, right now he had to admit he really liked this look of his. He wanted this kind of lover.

He knew his own preferences well, which was why he’d been interested in gentle Bai Ruyu before. But some feelings can’t be faked.

Bai Ruyu’s eyes dimmed.

Tang Yinuo tried several dishes and praised them enthusiastically, then said, “The best dish—the caramelized corn—was made by Yichi, right?” Actually, he thought caramelized corn was the easiest dish.

“No.”

Wei Buyan joined the discussion with interest, “Egg tofu soup?”

“No.”

“Then the steak?”

“Uh… no.”

Rabbit Fang Yun joined in, “Tomato beef strips?”

Almost all the dishes were guessed. Cheng Yichi covered his face, embarrassed, “It was the cold cucumber salad…”

The group, who had been guessing excitedly, exchanged looks and wanted to laugh but didn’t want to upset Cheng Yichi, so they held back. Even Bai Ruyu, who had been upset earlier, smiled quietly.

They honestly didn’t expect that to count as a dish.

Cheng Yichi put down his chopsticks and laughed a little, thinking about it made him smile, “You can laugh, don’t hold it in.”

Others laughed too, just finding him cute.

—

After dinner, everyone cleaned up and moved to the living room to sit around together. There was a fluffy rug meant for chatting comfortably, and Cheng Yichi liked sitting like this.

He lazily hugged a pillow with his cartoon figure printed on it, waiting for his turn to guess people’s jobs and ages. Suddenly he was called on.

“Chef, you go first,” Wei Buyan said with a teasing smile, looking at relaxed Cheng Yichi.

Cheng Yichi pouted, “Shouldn’t it be Li Yi?”

“Fine,” Wei Buyan said casually, and Li Yi really went first. Cheng Yichi really liked this younger brother—he found Li Yi so well-behaved.

Li Yi took out a photo—it was a corner of a café with plants and a piano.

Cheng Yichi had no idea how to guess.

Others paused too. Tang Yinuo asked, “Café owner?”

Li Yi shook his head.

Jiang Heng guessed, “Waiter?”

Li Yi shook his head again.

Cheng Yichi guessed, “Piano player?”

Li Yi nodded and looked at Cheng Yichi approvingly. Cheng Yichi wasn’t sure if Li Yi played piano just for fun or treated it as his job. It’s not that this job was bad, but Li Yi was still young and should be studying, not working full time. He hoped Li Yi was still in school or at least working part-time at the café.

Li Yi said calmly, “Not the main job. I’m temporarily on leave from school for some reason.”

Cheng Yichi noticed there was no sadness or shame in Li Yi’s eyes about taking time off school and working. He suddenly thought maybe Li Yi wasn’t here for love—maybe he just needed the money and wanted to win the prize.

Cheng Yichi bit his lip, thinking about whether to go easy on Li Yi.

“20 years old?” Cheng Yichi guessed to change the topic.

Li Yi nodded immediately.

“Really?!” Cheng Yichi said. “So young! Six years younger than me.”

Li Yi hesitated, then said, “Not young anymore.”

Cheng Yichi didn’t get it, but Jiang Heng did.

“Next, who’s next?”

Li Yi chose Jiang Heng.

“Student?” Wei Buyan raised an eyebrow. “You look so much like a student, probably played a lot of sports at school.”

Jiang Heng hadn’t shown his photo yet but was already guessed. His smile disappeared, and Cheng Yichi saw his little dog ears droop.

He pitifully said, “Yes, student, at X University. I’m 21 today.”

“So young.”

Cheng Yichi felt they were all really young. Coming on a dating show at this age made him feel old.

“Top student,” Bai Ruyu said with a smile. X University was the second best university. It was surprising that such a high-quality guy like Jiang Heng would join a dating show.

Tang Yinuo was curious, “A guy like you should be popular, good grades, good looks, athletic too.”

Jiang Heng smiled bitterly, “Can’t find the right one.”

“There are many excellent guys in college, but it gets harder in society,” Bai Ruyu said. “Looking for love through a show like this is tough.”

Not necessarily, Jiang Heng thought secretly.

He then picked Wei Buyan. Everyone seemed to agree to save Cheng Yichi for last.

Wei Buyan smiled slyly, “Me?”

He pulled out photos of several hotels.

Tang Yinuo gasped, “Wei Buyan, you’re not…”

“Which one?” No one understood.

Tang Yinuo lowered his voice, “One who serves drinks…”

Wei Buyan laughed angrily, his fox-like eyes flashing, “Have you ever seen a hostess dressed this well?”

“Wine taster? Hotel manager?” Gu Zichen guessed several.

“No no no,” Wei Buyan shook his finger mysteriously, then said, “These hotels are all mine.”

He spoke casually but it was shocking.

…

Cheng Yichi thought: How many movies would I have to film to afford just one of these?

Now when he looked at Wei Buyan, it wasn’t Wei Buyan anymore—it was a pile of money.