Chapter 10 – The Night Before the Date

“Seriously, no one ever noticed?” Tang Yinuo asked.

“Nope!” Cheng Yichi replied. “Actually, the director wasn’t happy with me at all when I filmed my first drama.”

Cheng Yichi was a professionally trained actor. Back during the art school entrance exams, he ranked first at several top schools and was even mentioned in the news. He chose to attend the Central Academy of Drama, where he stood out among his peers. During college breaks, he took on countless bit parts and supporting roles, jumping from set to set, gaining tons of experience. But his first truly attention-grabbing role came in his junior year.

And back then, the director really wasn’t satisfied with his performance.

“But I thought your first drama was the one with A-Che?” Wei Buyan asked. “You were only on screen for five minutes—was the director really that picky?” He thought to himself: how could his white moonlight possibly act poorly?

Cheng Yichi sighed. “It wasn’t the director being picky. It’s just… I wasn’t good.”

Even though he’d taken on a lot of roles by then, Cheng Yichi was still young and had a kind of untouched, pure aura. When he tried to play a seductive, enchanting spirit, it just didn’t work—it looked awkward and unnatural. In still shots, he was perfect: red robes, innocent eyes, vivid lips—he looked like A-Che come to life. But once he started moving, something felt off. The character was important to the story, and the director was at a loss. He asked Cheng Yichi, “Have you ever seen someone truly in despair?”

“Have you ever seen someone who’s been reborn after despair—someone who’s finally free?” The director waved his hand and said, “Try a few things. Go to the train station and watch people. Or visit a hospital. Or work as a cab driver for a week. See what real people are going through out there. Anyway, you’re not famous yet—no one will recognize you.”

So, Cheng Yichi went. When he got back, he spent another two days deep in thought before it clicked: maybe the female lead wasn’t A-Che’s love interest, but his salvation. Jumping into the abyss was his release.

“After that, I really started to love acting,” Cheng Yichi smiled. “I mean, who pays attention to what a Didi driver looks like? With older passengers, I’d just chat with them about life. It was kind of nice. With younger ones, I’d keep quiet—just in case they recognized me and reported my license plate.”

“That’s pretty unique,” Wei Buyan raised an eyebrow. “Maybe I should try being a driver too. Better than sitting around doing nothing.”

“Who has the most interesting job here?” They took a group photo and planned to write notes on the back before hanging it on the photo wall.

“Yunshi and Yinuo both have cool jobs,” Cheng Yichi said.

But everyone else thought Cheng Yichi’s side gig was way more fun. Before tonight, they’d all thought he seemed a bit distant. But now that gap felt smaller, like they were finally getting to know the real Cheng Yichi.

He opened up tonight—and wanted to drink a little too—until Li Yi stopped him.

“I’m not looking to get another vague confession tonight.”

Cheng Yichi’s face instantly turned red. He had nothing to say. How was he supposed to know what he’d blurt out again? Help!

—

—

Tonight, everyone had to send a “heartbeat message” to the person they were interested in and also prepare for the upcoming gift exchange. Their first official date was in two days.

The rules were simple, but sneaky: the cast would blindly pick from gifts prepared by the other contestants, not knowing who sent what. The one whose gift got chosen the most would get first pick of who to date, followed by the rest in order of popularity. So, if your top choice hadn’t already picked someone, you could go for them next.

In short, the producers were being cunning. Two rounds of selection—first based on popularity, then personal preference. Everyone had to think carefully: what would their crush like? What would the group like? If you didn’t get enough votes in round one, you might lose your shot in round two.

It was tough.

People like Cheng Yichi and Li Yi, who had zero desire to date, didn’t really care what others liked.

But most people were using the evening to feel out each other’s preferences.

“Yichi-ge, what do you like? Watches? Cologne? Suits?”

There it was.

Cheng Yichi didn’t expect Tang Yinuo and Jiang Heng to team up to ask him. He rubbed his forehead and looked troubled. “I’m not really sure. It’s kind of hard to answer on the spot.”

Sure, money was nice, but he didn’t really crave material things.

“Besides,” he smiled, “isn’t the first date all about fate anyway?”

—

—

Meanwhile, Bai Ruyu—who didn’t believe in fate—was trying once again to test Gu Zichen.

Under the pale moonlight, only the two of them stood in the garden.

Because of his profession, Gu Zichen didn’t drink. To relieve stress, he smoked. When Bai Ruyu found him, he had a cigarette between his fingers, exhaling slowly. The smoke curled upward in the moonlight. His face was expressionless. He just stood there, glanced at Bai Ruyu, and stubbed out the cigarette. Even though he was right in front of him, Bai Ruyu felt he was still far away—like he couldn’t read Gu Zichen at all. Doubts crept in: could this even work between them?

“It smells like smoke. Why don’t you go in first? I’ll catch up after the smell fades,” Gu Zichen said.

He was the reserved type, still in a crisp white shirt, not a hair out of place. But the slight weariness from smoking gave him an edge—something sexy.

“No,” Bai Ruyu shook his head. “It’s kind of personal. I’d rather ask now than in front of everyone.”

“Alright, go ahead.”

“What do you like?”

Gu Zichen turned his head and chuckled. “So direct?”

“Yeah,” Bai Ruyu said. “Otherwise, I’m afraid you’ll disappear.”

“White dress shirts,” Gu Zichen replied. “That’s what I’ll choose.”

“Okay.”

Then Bai Ruyu asked, “Who do you think is the liar?”

“Li Yi seems like one. I haven’t seen him show interest in anyone.”

“Feels like Yichi probably isn’t. He’s never had any dating rumors or revealed his orientation. Maybe he actually likes men and wants to use the show to come out—doesn’t necessarily mean he’s looking for love.”

“Yeah, could be.” Gu Zichen paused, deep in thought. Cheng Yichi was the only one he’d ever had a crush on. Too bad his job made things complicated. Then again, if Cheng Yichi weren’t an actor, they probably wouldn’t have met. Life’s funny that way.

Cheng Yichi had changed a lot tonight—he seemed different. Gu Zichen still couldn’t stop his heart from fluttering.

“What about you?” Bai Ruyu asked.

“Me?” Gu Zichen smiled. “What do you think?”

“I can’t tell. You don’t seem like it. Maybe no one here catches your eye?”

Gu Zichen gave a slight nod. “I’m probably boring—slow to warm up. I need more time.”

Bai Ruyu nodded knowingly.

The moonlight shifted, casting long shadows over them. The two of them stood tall and silent. The camera zoomed out, then in for a close-up. The director murmured, “They really do look good together.”

—

—

Time to send heartbeat messages again.

Cheng Yichi had sent one to Li Yi yesterday. Today, after thinking for a moment, he decided to send one to Fang Yunshi: “Good luck, race car driver! I’m looking forward to your next race!”

That kid was so cute and seemed clueless about love. Sending him a heartbeat message felt safe.

Not long after, Cheng Yichi got three messages back—one more than yesterday!

“Yichi-ge, tonight’s dinner was amazing! The cucumber salad was especially refreshing!”

—Definitely that little kid Tang Yinuo.

“Wanna ride in your cab!”

—Who keeps fixating on that taxi story?!

“Thanks, bro.”

—Yesterday, Cheng Yichi didn’t know who sent that one, but today, after hearing Li Yi call him “bro” a few times, he had a hunch. The “thanks” was probably for the food he brought back. Why so polite though?

Cheng Yichi chuckled, put away his phone, and sat with his chin in his hand, zoning out.

Across the room, Li Yi was making his bed. “Bro, do you wanna shower first?”

Cheng Yichi was tired and slumped on the couch. He tilted his head up at Li Yi, who somehow looked even taller now. “You go ahead.”

His hair curled slightly, and his eyelashes were long. Looking down at him, Li Yi felt Cheng Yichi looked small and delicate—he was the older one, but right now, he just looked… cute. On TV, Cheng Yichi was charismatic and mature, but here, he seemed childlike.

Li Yi’s heart softened instantly. It almost felt like Cheng Yichi was being clingy with him.

So sweet.

“Okay.”

Cheng Yichi listened to the sound of running water in the bathroom. He was so tired his eyes kept drooping. When he finally opened them, Li Yi was already out, wearing pajamas and asking, “Bro, wanna take a shower before bed?”

“Yeah.” Cheng Yichi yawned. His eyes were slightly red, a little teary. He looked pitiful—and really beautiful. Li Yi’s gaze darkened a bit. He coaxed gently, “Go wash up.”

“Li Yi.”

“Yeah?” Li Yi’s heart skipped a beat.

“Your body’s amazing.” Cheng Yichi curiously poked his abs. “You can’t tell when you’re dressed normally, but that thin pajama top really shows it off. How’d you train like this?” He was genuinely jealous—he worked out too, but no matter how hard he tried, he only had a thin layer of muscle. People said it looked good, but Cheng Yichi wasn’t satisfied.

He felt too slender. Some roles just didn’t suit his build.

Li Yi’s eyes stayed fixed on him for a moment. Suddenly, Cheng Yichi realized—this wasn’t a college dorm, and this wasn’t one of his buddies. This was a dating show! He might’ve just given Li Yi the wrong idea! Showing off his body earlier wasn’t a big deal, since Li Yi thought it wasn’t impressive, but reaching out and touching him like that… that was crossing a line.

“I-I wasn’t trying to take advantage of you, seriously. I just wanted to ask about your training routine.” Cheng Yichi yanked his hand back and stammered.

“I know,” Li Yi smiled. “Don’t worry, I won’t misunderstand.”

“Good, good.” Cheng Yichi grabbed his clothes and towel and quickly escaped into the bathroom.

What he didn’t know was that Li Yi stood outside, staring at the faint outline of him through the bathroom door—for a long, long time…