Chapter 4 – Heart-flutter Fantasies

Cheng Yichi gently squeezed Tang Yinuo’s little hand that had just smacked him and said, “Why do kids always like to make a fuss?”

Tang Yinuo quickly pulled his hand back and stammered, “Who—who’s making a fuss?”

The moment Tang Yinuo saw Bai Ruyu, he knew this gentle-as-rain guy was just like him. Fang Yunshi too—he dressed all cool and edgy, but the way he blushed and avoided eye contact made it obvious. They were the same type.

But Cheng Yichi… he couldn’t figure him out. He looked like he could match with Li Yi, or with Gu Zichen, or even Wei Buyan. Heck, even that cheerful golden retriever type, Jiang Heng, seemed to have good chemistry with him. But…

He felt like he matched with Cheng Yichi too.

He thought about Cheng Yichi’s lean muscles, and the soft but slightly commanding tone in his voice, and couldn’t help but feel a little flutter in his heart. Originally, he liked Wei Buyan the most—after all, who wouldn’t fall for a movie star like him? Just looking at him was a treat.

But this is a dating show, right? Who knows—maybe someone even better will show up next.

—

Bai Ruyu and Gu Zichen went into the kitchen first. The others, being considerate, stayed on the couch and didn’t follow.

Luckily, the production team wasn’t being cruel—the fridge had some food in it. Bai Ruyu pulled out an eggplant and gave it a squeeze. It dented slightly—still fresh. He asked Gu Zichen, “We could make hot oil eggplant, but I’m not sure if everyone’s okay with spicy food. Could you go ask them?”

“Oh, right,” he added, “Since we don’t have a lot of ingredients, I’m thinking tomato and egg stir-fry, spicy pork, fish-flavored shredded pork, and a shrimp tofu soup. Also check if anyone has any dietary restrictions.”

Gu Zichen agreed and went out to ask.

As Gu Zichen listed off the dishes one by one, Cheng Yichi felt like he could already taste the hot, delicious food. He couldn’t help but swallow a bit, his eyes narrowing with joy—anyone could see how genuinely happy he was.

“I think you made Yichi hungry,” Wei Buyan said lazily, leaning back on the sofa. Despite his seductive looks and slouchy posture, he somehow didn’t look messy—just casually charming. Cheng Yichi looked at him and gave a slightly embarrassed smile.

Seeing everyone looking at him, Cheng Yichi explained, “I’ve been trying to stay in shape, so I haven’t eaten home-style food like this in a long time. I really miss it… and I’m a little hungry.” His peach blossom eyes curved downward, looking a bit shy over his craving. Even in a room full of handsome men, Cheng Yichi still stood out—he even blushed better than the rest.

Gu Zichen chuckled, “Well, if there’s anything you really want to eat, you might get to satisfy your cravings during this show.”

Cheng Yichi blushed deeper and said no.

“So, does anyone have food restrictions?” he quickly changed the subject to stop all the attention from being on him.

Everyone said no, and Gu Zichen went back into the kitchen.

—

—

“What took so long?” Bai Ruyu asked—not complaining, just genuinely curious. “Does everyone have a lot of dietary restrictions? Do I need to adjust the menu?”

Gu Zichen replied, “No, it was because of Yichi.”

“Hm?”

“He drooled a bit when he heard the menu. It was kind of funny—seems like he’s been suffering from a strict fitness diet.”

“Oh?” Bai Ruyu let out a soft laugh. “He’s a bit different from what I imagined.” He looked at Gu Zichen—earlier he was wearing a warm white coat, but maybe it got too warm indoors because now he had on a plain white shirt. Simple and neat, but still looked restrained and proper. His neck, though, was flushed pink.

“Do you get flushed easily?” Bai Ruyu asked casually, just making conversation.

Gu Zichen, washing tomatoes at the sink, nodded, “Yeah. After drinking or exercising, it shows on my face. But the doctor said it’s nothing serious.”

His tendency to flush easily used to worry his parents. They even took him to the hospital for tests, but everything was fine. Still, it made his emotional reactions more noticeable. Like earlier, when Cheng Yichi walked in and teased him, his neck flushed even redder and wouldn’t fade for a while.

It looked like he’d been holding something in for too long—a bit ambiguous, even.

Bai Ruyu said, “So when he came in just now, you seemed kind of excited.”

He didn’t say who he meant, but they both knew.

The conversation paused for a moment, leaving only the sound of oil heating and water splashing in the sink.

After a while, Gu Zichen replied, “Everyone was a little excited.” He wasn’t lying. Although they were all professionals with their own careers—not the type to fangirl over celebrities—chances are they’d seen most of Cheng Yichi’s work. Just like how straight guys might admire a sexy European actress and call her their goddess, most gay men had probably crushed on one of Cheng Yichi’s roles at some point—and fantasized about him in dreams they couldn’t quite control.

These dreams were hard to avoid. Cheng Yichi would just show up in your dream, and you’d lose control. But once you woke up, it was just that—a dream. That’s how crushes work. You have countless moments in your life when you feel that heart-flutter, just because something about the person hits you right in the heart. It could be a hug, a tissue they handed you, or even nothing at all—just the wind blowing through their hair, sunlight on their face, the soft fuzz on their skin that makes you want to kiss them. That alone is enough to make your heart skip a beat.

Cheng Yichi is the kind of person who makes you fall for him again and again like that. But turning that into real love? That’s not so easy. They didn’t know his hobbies, or what made him tick, or what kind of person he really was inside. That kind of crush stays surface-level.

Some people choose to go deeper and get to know him. Others—like Gu Zichen and Bai Ruyu—just let it go, because they know people like Cheng Yichi are meant to be admired from afar. Just a fleeting moment is enough.

It’s not about being mature or whether you’re a fan.

Of course, they knew the difference between fiction and reality.

Bai Ruyu said, “But it’s kind of surprising that Yichi would join a show like this. I always thought he was obsessed with acting and didn’t do anything else.”

Gu Zichen said, “That’s why he messed up his health.” Then, realizing that didn’t sound great, he added, “His fans would probably rather see him on the big screen than on a dating show.”

“You’re right,” Bai Ruyu nodded.

“Dating him would probably be exhausting.”

Gu Zichen thought for a moment. He figured being loved by Cheng Yichi would actually be a blessing—but he didn’t say that out loud. Instead, he said, “Well, the exposure would definitely be higher.” He finished washing the vegetables and wiped his hands. “But just being on this show boosts visibility.”

Bai Ruyu had come here to find love. But somehow, he’d ended up talking to Gu Zichen about Cheng Yichi for a while. It felt a bit like being a fangirl—unable to stop talking about someone you admire.

But what did Gu Zichen think of him?

Truthfully, when Bai Ruyu first saw Gu Zichen, he had a good impression. Bai Ruyu was a practical person—gentle but resilient. He thought, If possible, I’d like to try developing something with Gu Zichen.

So the topic moved away from Cheng Yichi. Bai Ruyu started chatting about his favorite dishes, how nice the weather was outside, how the garden looked beautiful, and how they could go for a walk after dinner.

Gu Zichen responded calmly as usual. They slipped back into their original, polite rhythm.

—

—

In the living room, Li Yi had his eyes closed, pretending to nap on the sofa.

Cheng Yichi noticed and lowered his voice while chatting with Tang Yinuo.

Tang Yinuo asked, “Yichi-ge, what are you going to do when we reveal our jobs tomorrow?” Everyone’s info was supposed to be kept secret—their jobs and ages. But Cheng Yichi’s details were already public knowledge; anyone could find them online.

“No worries, I have another job.”

“Wow!” Tang Yinuo gasped dramatically. “Multi-talented Teacher Cheng!”

“Actually, I think Yunshi and Buyan’s jobs are harder to guess.”

“?” Fang Yunshi widened his eyes in surprise when he heard his name. He looked down at his pants and thought, not that hard to guess, is it?

“Why is that?” Wei Buyan laughed.

Cheng Yichi thought for a moment and answered honestly, “You seem like you could do everything… or maybe nothing at all.”

Tang Yinuo added, “He said he could do everything, but turns out he can’t even cook.”

“We were getting along so well just now, and now you’re roasting me?” Wei Buyan raised an eyebrow, his voice playfully teasing. “Little Yinuo, I’m heartbroken.”

That only reminded Cheng Yichi they were a CP (couple pairing), so he stood up to give them some space. “Oops, excuse me—I’ll head upstairs for a bit.”

But just as he was going up the stairs, he felt someone behind him. He turned around and saw it was Fang Yunshi.

Dressed in black, Fang Yunshi had a cold expression, but there was a look of innocent confusion in his clear eyes.

“Why did you say my job’s hard to guess?” he asked, tugging at his clothes like a curious little bunny filled with questions.

Cheng Yichi: …

He really didn’t expect Fang Yunshi to still be stuck on that.