Chapter 13 – Choosing a Gift

Cheng Yichi was driving a silver-gray Cadillac—not overly expensive, but the interior was comfortably arranged.

Li Yi settled into the passenger seat and caught a faint floral scent. “Do you wear cologne, Ge?” he asked.

Cheng Yichi reached back and picked up a small bouquet from the shelf behind them. “Nope, I just like keeping flowers in here. Actually, they’re due for a change today.”

“Why keep dried flowers in your car?” Li Yi found it oddly charming.

“Because people come and go often, and enclosed spaces tend to get stuffy. Most passengers who get carsick find perfumes overwhelming, so I went with dried flowers instead. Did some research—almost no one dislikes this scent. What do you think?” Cheng Yichi glanced at him with a smile.

“It smells great.”

Li Yi then noticed the storage compartment held peppermints, essential balm, and small tangerines.

Noticing his gaze, Cheng Yichi backed the car out while offering, “Want a tangerine? Bought them fresh yesterday.” He turned to the cameramen seated in the back. “You guys want some too?”

Inside the villa, small mounted cameras handled most of the filming, with minimal crew interference. The production team usually didn’t follow them around during tasks, but this was the first joint outing between the two guests—prime content. Of course, they had to tag along!

The cameraman, caught off guard by Cheng Yichi’s offer, quickly waved it off. “No, no, don’t mind us. Just carry on.”

“Alright.” Cheng Yichi shrugged. “Then Li Yi gets extra.”

“Okay.”

Li Yi didn’t ask further. These were clearly for passengers too. A pang of jealousy pricked him.

He peeled a segment and chewed slowly. The fruit was indeed fresh, bursting with sweet juice in his mouth—vibrant, much like Cheng Yichi himself.

—

They arrived at the city’s largest mall, five stories high. After parking, Cheng Yichi turned to Li Yi. “Which floor are you heading to?”

They couldn’t shop for gifts together.

Li Yi lowered his gaze. “You go first, Ge.”

He’d come with ulterior motives, but now hesitated, afraid of being too obvious. A month was plenty of time—no need to rush.

“Then I’ll take the fifth floor.” With a wave to his cameraman, Cheng Yichi headed upstairs.

He’d been mulling over gift choices since last night. Tough call. Ideally, it should be something universally useful.

For men, the usual options were cologne, suits, or tea.

After a moment’s thought on the fifth floor, Cheng Yichi picked out a massage gun set.

The cameraman nearly laughed aloud—he’d never seen a guest choose this. Fighting to steady his grip, he asked, “Cheng-laoshi, why such a… health-conscious gift?”

“Huh?” Cheng Yichi lifted the set. “These feel amazing. I use one myself. Getting older means taking care of your body.” He sighed. “Wanted to go even more hardcore, like ginseng, but that might’ve been too on the nose.”

The cameraman thought: You think this isn’t?

—

They said they were out together to pick gifts, but it was really just the two of them. After selecting the presents, Li Yi suddenly asked, “Brother, do you have anything else to do?”

“Not really.” Cheng Yichi held his own box and stared curiously at the bag in Li Yi’s hand. His curiosity was practically overflowing from his eyes, but in Li Yi’s heart, it only made him even more endearing.

How could someone usually so gentle be this adorable right now? He deliberately moved the bag behind him and sure enough, Cheng Yichi’s gaze followed it.

His heart melted into tenderness, and his tone unconsciously took on a coaxing note: “Then, brother, can you have dinner with me today? My treat.”

“Of course!” Cheng Yichi finally looked away, ruffling Li Yi’s hair. “Since you’re calling me brother, no need to be so polite. I’ll treat you!”

He also felt a little protective of Li Yi and definitely wouldn’t let him pay.

Li Yi didn’t argue, just smiled.

The two arrived at Riverside Pavilion on the fifth floor, a restaurant notorious for its high prices—2,000 per person. Li Yi tugged at Cheng Yichi’s sleeve. “Brother, let’s not eat here.”

Cheng Yichi: “Huh? But I want to.”

What could Li Yi do? He couldn’t refuse him at all.

All he could do was help Cheng Yichi pick out fish meat and watch him eat with satisfaction, his eyes brimming with warmth.

The fish at Riverside Pavilion was famous—tender, smooth, and incredibly fragrant. Cheng Yichi had developed the habit of eating slowly and quietly, his manners impeccable.

Li Yi had seen him laughing and chatting happily at the dinner table with others before, and he’d also seen him washing vegetables while asking about his preferences. But he’d never seen him this serene.

After swallowing another bite of fish, Cheng Yichi suddenly realized he might have been ignoring Li Yi, who was still serving him food. He smiled sheepishly. “I got used to not talking while enjoying good food. You should eat more too.”

Li Yi agreed and averted his gaze.

He didn’t want Cheng Yichi to feel uncomfortable.

When Cheng Yichi went to pay, the staff informed him the bill had already been taken care of.

“Huh? Covered?” Cheng Yichi, wearing a mask, looked puzzled. “Why?”

The staff at Riverside Pavilion were highly professional. Even though they recognized him, they didn’t make a fuss, simply smiling and saying, “Someone already settled the bill. And since you’re carrying a camera, you must be filming a show—this is great publicity for us, Teacher Cheng.”

“Ah, so I was recognized.” Cheng Yichi lowered his mask slightly and grinned. “Did the production team pay?”

The staff member smiled without answering.

“Today’s really been lucky,” Cheng Yichi mused as he walked back, only for a server to call out, “Teacher Cheng, sorry to bother you, but could I ask for an autograph?”

“Of course.” As he signed, he added, “Your service is excellent, and the owner seems very responsible too.”

“Thank you,” the girl said, carefully tucking away the autograph. “If our boss knew you praised him, he’d be overjoyed.”

—

After returning, they handed their gifts to the production team. Of course, the team would open the boxes, photograph the presents, and send the images to everyone’s phones. There were no heart-fluttering texts tonight—new romantic developments would likely emerge after tomorrow’s first date.

Director Liu, who was reviewing the previous footage, nodded: “Some guests’ romantic arcs are quite clear, like Bai Ruyu and Li Yi—those are pretty obvious. But others seem to just be here for fun, especially Wei Buyan. Flirting with one person during the day, then texting another at night… it fits his persona, sure, but it’ll definitely stir up controversy later.”

The assistant director suddenly asked while watching, “When are we planning to go live?”

The show employed both pre-recorded and live formats. After all, for a dating show, building some initial exposure was ideal. Audience reactions during live streams were crucial too. They could even launch an online poll titled “Who Do You Think Is the Liar?” to enhance viewer engagement.

“No rush,” Director Liu said, cradling his tea. “Let’s wait until the last two guests make their appearance. Their gifts have already arrived at the production team. Then we’ll see who they choose for their dates.”

“I wonder when Teacher Cheng’s identity will be exposed. I think he’s pretty obvious. If he ends up on a date with a new guest, won’t it be immediately apparent—”

“Hahaha!” Director Liu burst into laughter. “As Cheng the Movie Emperor himself said—it’s all about fate! After their first date, we’ll go live! Let the audience join them in guessing who the liar is!”