Meng Yue was momentarily stunned, the smile on his raised lips frozen in place. As if unsure, he asked Chu Cheng again, “What?”

Chu Cheng replied, “Yes…”

Did he not make himself clear just now?

Meng Yue stared blankly at Chu Cheng. He could understand every word Chu Cheng said, but when these words were put together, their meaning left Meng Yue in a daze for quite a while.

Chu Cheng had just asked for a contact… No, he wasn’t asking for his contact information.

He was asking for—

Ran Jing’s!

Meng Yue’s pupils contracted.

Impossible…

Why would Chu Cheng want Ran Jing’s contact information?

Could it be that Chu Cheng had figured out that Ran Jing was a stand-in he had found?

This speculation instantly made Meng Yue panic.

He lifted his head somewhat flustered, just in time to see a faint, unnatural blush flash across Chu Cheng’s face.

Meng Yue’s heart skipped a beat.

No, that’s not right.

If Chu Cheng knew that Ran Jing was a stand-in he had arranged, he shouldn’t be showing such a… shy expression.

The boiling blood in Meng Yue’s body seemed to freeze at that moment.

Suddenly, he didn’t dare to think deeper, afraid that if he pierced through that thin layer of gauze, he would get an answer he couldn’t bear.

At this moment, Chu Cheng was completely oblivious to Meng Yue’s expression. In fact, he was feeling a bit embarrassed.

Qin Yao was sitting right across from him, and Meng Yue was an old classmate he could hardly recall the name of. Yet he had just blurted it out.

Chu Cheng had acted on a sudden impulse, but he didn’t regret his decision. Clearing his throat, he spoke in a slightly unnatural tone, “It’s like this; don’t get me wrong. I just felt that the guy sitting next to you looked quite pleasing to me, so I wanted to get to know him. Would it be convenient for you to give me his contact information?”

As soon as he finished speaking, the booth fell into another long silence.

Only Ye Leyao was laughing loudly in his heart—

[Meng Yue, why did you have to ask twice? Was the blow just now not enough?]

[Hahaha, now look what happened! Your hanging heart must be hanging again, right?]

[Now you’ve got an even more piercing explanation, Meng Yue. Is this what you wanted?]

Ye Leyao was laughing so hard internally that he almost wanted to punch the wall, but he couldn’t do anything about it.

Meng Yue, sitting opposite him, was still silent, while Chu Cheng seemed a bit confused.

Ye Leyao, sitting right across from them, could only grit his teeth tightly, clench his jaw, and try to recall the saddest moments of his life, but he still trembled slightly from holding back his laughter.

Qin Yao glanced at Ye Leyao, his face also filled with barely contained amusement.

The Huo family, who were just across the aisle, were also struggling to hold back their laughter, but they were better off than Ye Leyao, who was right in the middle of the drama.

Even though they were only separated by an aisle, there was at least some distance!

Moreover, with the dim lighting in the bar, no one could see their expressions unless they got closer. As long as they didn’t laugh out loud, who would know what they were laughing about?

Huo Yan and Huo Ze were laughing so hard in their booth that they were nearly falling over.

Huo Ze’s shoulders shook violently, and he lowered his voice, “He asked twice! Why would he ask twice? How could he be so bold?”

Huo Yan was equally overwhelmed with laughter, “Maybe he needed to confirm it, just to be sure.”

“Confirm it twice, then take a double hit, stack up the buffs? Now he should be happy, right?”

Huo Ze laughed even harder.

Mama Huo wiped away the tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes.

Unable to help herself, she glanced at the booth next to them and whispered, “It seems… they still haven’t spoken yet!”

Papa Huo, ever the troublemaker, said, “He’s probably so happy he’s dumbstruck.”

Dumbstruck doesn’t even begin to cover it.

Meng Yue was completely frozen in place, his whole body feeling as cold as ice. Even his hands and feet were trembling slightly.

Meng Yue stared incredulously at Chu Cheng in front of him. His mind was buzzing, endlessly replaying Chu Cheng’s earlier words—

“The guy sitting next to you looked quite pleasing to me, so I wanted to get to know him.”

Looked quite pleasing, wanted to get to know him.

Get to know him.

Know…

The blood surged through his body, rushing straight to his head.

Meng Yue felt blackness before his eyes. His body swayed violently, and his heart felt as if it were being torn apart.

Chu Cheng was startled by his reaction and quickly asked, “What’s wrong with you?”

Ye Leyao looked up just in time.

[Blood rushing to his head; in short, he’s angry.]

Then, with some concern, Ye Leyao added:

[Wait a minute, Meng Yue should only have a leg disability, right? No heart problems, right?]

Qin Yao had already picked up his phone, “Are you okay?”

Hopefully, he wasn’t really getting sick from anger.

Meng Yue’s vision remained dark. His chest heaved violently, and it took him several seconds before he could say, “I…”

[He can’t even speak properly!]

Ye Leyao was shocked.

[Was the blow really that severe?]

[Maybe we should call for help…]

Before Ye Leyao could finish his thought, Qin Yao made a decisive call, “Call an ambulance.”

At this moment, Chu Cheng was genuinely confused.

Wait…

Why are they suddenly calling an ambulance?

Is Meng Yue okay?

Chu Cheng looked at Meng Yue and then up at Qin Yao.

What should he do?

Qin Yao was already on the phone with his assistant.

Seeing that something was wrong, Papa Huo and Mama Huo quickly came over and asked with concern, “What’s going on? Do you need any help?”

The scene was chaotic.

Finally, with the help of the Huo family’s driver, Qin Yao’s assistant, and the bar staff, they managed to get Meng Yue into a car and sped off toward the hospital.

The entire Huo family and Chu Cheng stood at the bar entrance, watching the car disappear, exchanging bewildered looks.

After a long time, Chu Cheng finally asked in a low voice, “Does Meng Yue… have a heart condition?”

Ye Leyao nearly lost his composure again.

[Is it possible he was just enraged?]

The Huo family members were also trying hard not to laugh, but fortunately, Huo Ze had gained some experience, and everyone managed to hold back.

It was the most composed of them, Huo Jing, who first spoke, “I haven’t heard of President Meng having any heart issues.”

Chu Cheng let out a long sigh of relief, “You scared me. I thought it was something I said that upset him. But… I don’t think I said anything wrong, did I?”

Chu Cheng turned to the only one present, Ye Leyao.

Ye Leyao tried hard to press his lips together and nodded emphatically.

[Indeed, you didn’t say anything wrong. You just asked Meng Yue twice if you could get Ran Jing’s contact information!]

[It’s not Chu Cheng’s fault at all! How would Chu Cheng know that Meng Yue has liked him for so many years and even secretly kept a stand-in who resembles him?]

[Chu Cheng just fell in love with Ran Jing at first sight. What’s wrong with that?]

Who could argue with that?

If Chu Cheng hadn’t been there, the whole Huo family would have nodded in agreement.

Papa Huo cleared his throat and picked up the conversation, “We don’t know the specifics yet; let’s wait for Xiao Qin’s update.”

Mama Huo said, “It’s getting late; we should be heading back. What about you, Xiao Chu?”

Chu Cheng still had friends in the bar, so he couldn’t leave just yet, and the two groups parted ways.

The Huo family’s driver went to the hospital, but the bar also provided designated drivers, so there was no need to worry.

Before getting into the car, Mama Huo asked Huo Ze, “Are you still going to the celebration party?”

They had seen enough excitement, and as for what would happen next—

Huo Ze glanced at Ye Leyao, who was now calm and quiet. Meanwhile, Meng Yue was probably still on his way to the hospital, so at least there wouldn’t be any more follow-up tonight.

The driver took a slight detour to drop off Huo Ze at the celebration party venue before the family headed home.

Having held back his laughter so much at the bar today, Ye Leyao finally started to feel a bit better after getting out of the car. 

It was getting late, and everyone was tired from the day. After arriving home, they all went back to their rooms to rest. 

Just as everyone had finished their showers and was lying in bed, a burst of laughter suddenly echoed throughout the entire villa—

[Hahahahahahaha—]

Papa and Mama Huo, lying in bed, opened their eyes simultaneously.

In the next room, Huo Yan took off his sleep mask.

Huo Jing, who was still dealing with paperwork in bed, pressed his aching temples.

At the same moment, the whole family stopped what they were doing and patiently waited for Ye Leyao to continue. 

And Ye Leyao didn’t disappoint them. He soon announced the reason for his laughter.

[I can’t take it anymore! So, Chu Cheng hit a wall with Meng Yue and is trying to get a breakthrough through Qin Yao using me?]

[Chu Cheng, don’t love too much!]

[It’s really tough for President Qin, huh? First sending Meng Yue to the hospital in the middle of the night, and now at this hour, he still has to help his cousin get a contact number.]

[But I better ask for Ran Jing’s opinion first. After all, he’s still ‘working’ for Meng Yue now…]

[Oh, right, I also have to tell him what happened in the bar after he left today… Now that Chu Cheng is back and has taken a liking to Ran Jing, even though Meng Yue was sent to the hospital in a fit of anger today, once he feels better, he might cause trouble for Ran Jing. If Ran Jing wants to run away, now would be the perfect time!]

Ye Leyao quickly opened his WeChat chat with Ran Jing and sent him over a dozen voice messages, each lasting a minute.

Half a minute later, Ran Jing replied with a “?”.

Ye Leyao typed back: {Listen to them all first and then reply to me.}

Ten minutes later, Ran Jing replied: {Thanks! Though I’ve already packed my things and fled long ago!}

Ye Leyao couldn’t help but be impressed.

[As expected of a substitute character in a novel! Ran Jing really is sharp and intuitive.]

So Ye Leyao responded: {So, do you want to give Chu Cheng your contact information?}

Ran Jing replied: {Absolutely not!}

Ye Leyao laughed wildly: {Okay.}

He kept his word and immediately replied to Qin Yao’s message: {President Qin, Ran Jing says he doesn’t want to give it.}

At the same time, he couldn’t help but reflect:

[Ran Jing is now eager to run away. How could he possibly give his contact information to his unrequited love?]

[Anyway, the romantic timeline in the original story is pretty long; it looks like there’s still plenty of gossip to enjoy!]

Ye Leyao was happy and excited.

It seemed that Qin Yao had been waiting for Ye Leyao’s reply. The message had barely been sent when he quickly responded with a voice message: {Alright, thanks.}

Ye Leyao turned over in bed and muttered, “What are you thanking me for?”

Qin Yao looked at the message on his phone, his lips curving slightly upward.

Another message from Ye Leyao quickly followed: {But President Qin, if you really want to thank me, how about holding hands when we meet next time?}

Qin Yao’s smile froze on his face, his breath stopping abruptly.

What did he just see?

The next second, the message was swiftly retracted by the other party.

Ye Leyao frowned slightly. He didn’t know what was going on, but he just thought of it all of a sudden and sent the message.

After sending it, he felt that the wording seemed ambiguous no matter how he looked at it.

Ye Leyao opened the input method and remained silent for a long time.

Then, his phone vibrated slightly; Qin Yao sent, “?”.

Ye Leyao: “…”

[Oh no! He saw it!]

Papa and Mama Huo, who had just laid down: “…”

Huo Yan, who had just put on his eye mask: “…”

Huo Jing, who had just closed his laptop and lay down: “…”

All four of them thought to themselves: This house is really unbearable!

In the middle of the night, can’t Ye Leyao just sleep?!

Ye Leyao was lying on the bed, clutching his phone with an anxious expression.

[Ahhh, should I explain myself?]

[I really didn’t mean it like that. I just thought…]

“I just think holding hands feels nice?” Ye Leyao muttered softly, wrapping himself up in his blanket like a caterpillar.

[Ahhh, will President Qin misunderstand? Probably not, right! Should I explain it—]

Huo Yan, frustrated, threw off his sleep mask.

No, he had to get up and see what on earth Ye Leyao was up to!

There was a sudden knock on the door, and Ye Leyao curiously poked his head out: “Who is it?”

Huo Yan replied, “I’m coming in.”

Ye Leyao rolled out of bed, and his eyes lit up: “Second Brother! Can I hold your hand?!”

[I was just worried I didn’t have anyone to help me figure this out!]

Huo Yan was so startled by the question that he slammed the door he had just opened back shut.

Could it be that Ye Leyao had finally lost his mind from consuming too much gossip?

Huo Yan looked at the door panel in front of him, confusion filling his eyes.

Ye Leyao stared at the door that had opened and closed again, equally puzzled: “…Second Brother?”

Standing at the door, Huo Yan took several deep breaths before mustering up the courage to open the door again. His gaze was eerie: “Ye Leyao, be honest, do you want to be in a relationship?”

Ye Leyao looked confused.

[A relationship? Me? Huh?]

“No, I don’t want to,” Ye Leyao answered honestly, his eyes clear.

[Why would I want to be in a relationship? I don’t want to.]

Huo Yan and Ye Leyao stared at each other, with nothing but sincerity in Ye Leyao’s eyes.

After a moment, Huo Yan gave in. He pressed his aching temples, “Then why do you want to hold hands with Qin… with me?”

Ye Leyao climbed out of his blanket, thought carefully for a moment, and uncertainly said, “I just want to feel what it’s like?”

Huo Yan fell into deeper silence.

At that moment, more footsteps sounded in the hallway.

Huo Yan turned and saw Huo Jing.

Having heard those two sentences from Ye Leyao in his room earlier, Huo Jing had also remembered Ye Leyao’s childhood issues and came out, somewhat concerned.

“What’s going on?” Huo Jing asked.

Huo Yan, troubled, said, “Ye Leyao says he wants to hold my hand.”

Upon hearing Huo Jing’s voice, Ye Leyao’s eyes brightened even more: “Big Brother, you’re here too. Can I try both of yours?”

Huo Yan/Huo Jing: “…”

The two brothers sighed at the same time, and then Huo Jing was the first to extend his hand.

Huo Yan had no choice but to follow suit and extend his hand as well.

Ye Leyao quickly approached.

He first pinched Huo Yan’s hand, and suddenly his eyebrows furrowed.

[Second Brother’s hand even has calluses! It feels a bit rough.]

Huo Yan: “…”

Isn’t that from filming in the past?

You’re complaining when I let you shake my hand?!

Ye Leyao quickly let go and then grabbed Huo Jing’s hand.

His eyebrows still didn’t relax.

[Hmm, not the same.]

Ye Leyao let go of Huo Jing’s hand and sighed, “Alright, it’s fine now. Big Brother, Second Brother, you guys should go to bed early.”

[Neither of them feels like shaking hands with President Qin.]

Huo Jing: “…”

Listen to you; there’s even a hint of dissatisfaction in your tone.

Huo Yan laughed in anger.

Ye Leyao’s door closed in front of them, and Huo Yan said angrily, “Hurry up and find him a course on romance! I think he just likes—Qin Yao!”

For the last two words, Huo Yan’s voice was particularly low.

Huo Jing shook his head. “I don’t think so. He’s only shaken hands with Qin Yao twice; how can that be called liking?”

Huo Yan didn’t agree, but the two brothers didn’t argue in front of Ye Leyao’s door. They returned to their rooms and started sending messages in the family group chat.

Mama and Papa Huo were still waiting for their updates!

Meanwhile, back in his room, Ye Leyao also replied to Qin Yao’s message: {President Qin, don’t misunderstand. I just find the feeling of holding hands quite interesting. If you don’t like it, I definitely won’t hold your hand anymore!}

After sending the message, Ye Leyao yawned deeply and fell asleep.

Youth sure is wonderful.

At this moment, the rest of the Huo family had their eyes wide open.

Papa Huo looked at Mama Huo.

Mama Huo wore a serious expression.

After a long time, Papa Huo finally said, “Could it be… that his post-traumatic stress hasn’t healed yet?”

Mom Huo was silent.

After a long time, she said, “It’s possible.”

When Ye Leyao’s parents had their car accident, little Leyao was in the same car.

However, at the moment of the accident, his parents used their bodies to protect him, shielding him from all harm.

So, Ye Leyao’s parents died on the spot, but he remained unharmed.

Perhaps it was because the final embrace was too forceful that, even after so many years, Ye Leyao still rejects intimate contact.

Maybe in Ye Leyao’s subconscious, hugging and similar contacts equate to death itself.

Back then, only Mom and Dad Huo knew the results of the psychological evaluation they took him to. They told everyone outside that Ye Leyao had no problems, hoping he could forget about it quickly.

Unexpectedly, the impact of this event continued to seep into every bit of Ye Leyao’s growth in other ways.

Thinking of this, Mom Huo’s heart ached, and she smiled bitterly, saying, “You know, it’s been so many years now, I can hardly remember what they look like.”

Dad Huo knew she was talking about Ye Leyao’s parents. He patted his wife’s back but said nothing.

At the same time, at the Qin house.

Qin Yao, unusually sleepless, tossed and turned in bed for a long time before he finally couldn’t help but send a message to Chu Cheng.

{I have a question for you. I have a friend, and his friend wants to hold his hand every time they meet. He’s curious about the reason, but I don’t know either, so I’m asking you.}

Chu Cheng replied instantly: {Your friend’s friend likes your friend.}

Qin Yao: {!!!}

Chu Cheng: {So, who is this friend who wants to hold your hand?}

Qin Yao: {…I told you, it’s my friend’s friend.}

Chu Cheng: {Oh, so you’re asking me because you also like your friend?}

Qin Yao: {I already said it’s my friend’s friend! And I don’t like him!}

After sending the message, Qin Yao was silent for a second, then quickly retracted it.

But Chu Cheng’s message came again.

Chu Cheng: {Alright, alright, so your friend’s friend doesn’t like your friend but just wants to hold hands. Fine, just hold hands then.}

{A real man, what’s wrong with holding hands? Don’t be so stingy.}

{Cousin, go to bed early. Remember to ask Ye Leyao again when you have time—when is Ran Jing willing to give me his contact information?}

Qin Yao: “…”

He doesn’t even dare to reply to Ye Leyao’s messages now. How can he help with that?

And what does he mean by “just hold hands, don’t be so stingy”?

Does this kind of thing have anything to do with being stingy?

Qin Yao was annoyed just by looking at Chu Cheng’s profile picture. He turned off his phone and stared at the ceiling until dawn.

Really…

Extremely troubling!

The next day, Ye Leyao, who had slept particularly well, got up early and went to the company for his lessons after breakfast.

The Huo family rarely refrained from going about their individual routines. Instead, they held a short family meeting at home.

The meeting’s topic was: Should they let Ye Leyao take a romance course?

In the end, they unanimously decided that he really should!

Although Ye Leyao has read plenty of novels, it seems like he has no understanding of romance at all. If he doesn’t take some lessons, he might be easily deceived by some jerk in the future!

The Huo family all wore worried expressions.

In the blink of an eye, it was time for the recording of the third episode.

This time, the recording location was right in their city. Because it was so close, almost the whole family went along, and for once, not a single person missed out on joining in on the fun!

Ye Leyao was puzzled but didn’t ask much.

After all, the show is indeed very interesting! It’s nice for Papa, Mama Huo, Big Brother, and Third Brother to come and watch.

He just wondered who the guest stars for this episode would be.

With the experience from last time, before the recording of the third episode, the production team did not reveal any information about the guests. They only said that everyone would know once they arrived on set.

Naturally, the guests had no objections, but the online audience was grumbling.

—”Why don’t you tell us in advance?”

—”Could it be that the production team is afraid we’ll get the scoop before Ye Leyao does?”

—”I get it! This is all part of the Melon King’s scheme!”

Before the show even started recording, Ye Leyao’s name was already trending online.

The internet was filled with laughter.

—”Honestly, I also think that not announcing the guests has something to do with Ye Leyao!”

—”Ye Leyao, you traitor! I thought we were brothers, but you’re leaving me out of the gossip! I’ll never forgive you—”

Netizens were causing quite a commotion, and without caring whether Ye Leyao liked it or not, they pinned this “blame” on him.

Ye Leyao had no idea about this. For this shoot, Papa and Mama Huo personally sent Ye Leyao and Huo Yan to the filming location.

The recording for the third episode started right in front of the TV station building where the show was being filmed.

As usual, the show’s bus had been parked downstairs early.

As soon as Ye Leyao and Huo Yan got off the car, they boarded the bus.

Song Zhehan and Li Siyuan had arrived quite early this time. When Ye Leyao and Huo Yan got on, one of them was sitting in the front and the other in the back, chatting.

Hearing the commotion, they both looked over. Song Zhehan smiled, “Did you guys come together?”

Ye Leyao smiled and nodded, “Yeah.”

After stowing their luggage, Ye Leyao found a seat by the window and sat down. Huo Yan sat in the row in front of him, also by the window.

Before long, Zhou Zijian and Wen Xiangyue arrived.

Liu Yan followed closely behind them.

Qin Yao was the last to arrive. After boarding, his gaze swept over everyone.

Ye Leyao beamed and waved at Qin Yao, “President Qin!”

Qin Yao’s eyes fell on Ye Leyao’s face, but suddenly, he seemed a bit unnatural and quickly looked away. He responded softly and, after greeting the others, sat in the front row.

Seeing this, Song Zhehan suddenly raised an eyebrow.

“Interesting,” he said softly.

Li Siyuan was puzzled, “What’s interesting?”

But Song Zhehan didn’t explain further.

Ye Leyao didn’t notice anything unusual because he was already eagerly anticipating the new guests for this episode.

[Ahhh, I hear something outside, so who did Teacher Gou Shi and President Qin each invite this time?]

Footsteps sounded from outside the bus, and soon a young man wearing a hat walked onto the bus and stood at the front. With a perfectly measured smile, he greeted the regular guests, “Hello, I’m Yu Bai.”

Ye Leyao’s pupils trembled in shock. He instinctively glanced at Qin Yao:

[Ahhhh, President Qin! Are you really okay?]

[You actually invited Yu Bai?!]

[Is it because President Qin is too unlucky, or has he also discovered the traffic code for our show—]

Thinking of this, Ye Leyao almost laughed out loud.

[Alright, alright, the production team of ‘Let’s Go Eat Melons Together’ truly lives up to its name!]

____

Author’s Note:

There may be a bit too much foreshadowing in this chapter.

As for Yu Bai, he first appeared in Chapter 7 and was originally cast as the main shou in the drama “The Sickly Beauty’s Wealthy Husband.”

Original text summary:

[Involved with multiple partners? Male and female lovers all over the place?]

[In middle school, he was a campus bully who pushed a student to the point of jumping off a building… Hmm, it’s pretty clear he’s a scumbag!]