The summer breeze was filled with the heat, mixed with the moisture from the lake, brushing against their faces yet still uncomfortably warm.

Ye Leyao tightly held Qin Yao's hand, laughing all the way as he occasionally glanced back over his shoulder at the other guests still standing where they were.

When his gaze returned, Ye Leyao’s eyes curved with joy, and his smile brightened.

The sun was just right, and with each stride, the boy’s hair danced lightly in the wind, dazzlingly radiant.

At that moment, Qin Yao suddenly became acutely aware of the pounding in his chest, as if his heart were a drum beating loudly.

From a distance, they could still hear Huo Yan’s frustrated voice:

“…When did they get together? How did they even get together? Ye Leyao is so young! And Qin Yao just up and stole my little brother?!”

“I don't agree! I absolutely do not agree—!”

Ye Leyao turned back, just about to say something, when he noticed that Qin Yao had taken a big step forward, matching his pace and running alongside him. Qin Yao smiled and said, “Ignore him.”

Ye Leyao grinned and nodded. “Okay.”

**Ignore him, my second brother is just jealous!**

Hearing this, Huo Yan almost passed out from anger.

Jealous? What was there to be jealous about?!

Why would his disagreement with Ye Leyao and Qin Yao being together have anything to do with jealousy?

Unfortunately for him, Huo Yan was the only one feeling so indignant. The other guests just stood by, watching the drama unfold with amused expressions.

This is getting interesting.

The show was really getting more entertaining.

At first, everyone thought they were just there to watch the drama between Li Siyuan and Duan Tingyan, but in the middle of that, Ye Leyao suddenly dropped the bomb that he and Qin Yao were together.

Liu Yan couldn’t resist, walking up to Huo Yan and asking, “When did Ye Leyao and Qin Yao… get together?”

Just earlier in the car, Ye Leyao had seemed completely clueless.

Had they missed something?

Huo Yan wanted to ask the same question!

He had only gone upstairs to take a quick shower and came back down in no time.

Nothing seemed to have happened during that time, nor had he heard any more of Ye Leyao’s inner thoughts.

So how had Ye Leyao suddenly figured everything out?

Huo Yan frowned deeply, staying silent for a while.

Zhou Zijian was about to offer Huo Yan some advice when Wen Huai stepped forward.

Huo Yan looked at him in confusion.

Wen Huai patted him on the shoulder, his gaze shifting to Zhou Zijian, and said in a calm tone, “Now you should understand how I felt, right?”

Wen Xiangyue: "..."

Zhou Zijian: "..."

Huo Yan glanced between Wen Huai, Zhou Zijian, and Wen Xiangyue, opening his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he said nothing.

Song Zhehan burst out laughing.

Liu Yan and Shen Chong tried hard to suppress their giggles, but just as they were about to succeed, a hidden chuckle came from behind them.

Huo Yan and Wen Huai turned around to see the director's team and all the staff trying hard not to laugh.

One staff member finally managed to compose his expression, but as soon as he looked up, he locked eyes with Huo Yan and Wen Huai.

The next second, the staff member broke down laughing.

Once he laughed, everyone else followed.

Song Zhehan and the others didn’t bother holding back anymore either. The scene quickly filled with bright, carefree laughter.

Indeed!

Whoever said no one could truly understand another person’s feelings?

Huo Yan could now surely understand Wen Huai’s predicament from before!

As the laughter grew louder and more cheerful, Huo Yan clenched his teeth tightly. “Damn it, I’m calling the police to have all of you arrested!”

His declaration was met with even more laughter.

One of the staff members even chimed in playfully, “Want to borrow my phone?”

The group laughed harder, paying no attention to Huo Yan’s frustrations.

Meanwhile, Ye Leyao and Qin Yao jogged back to the villa.

Once they reached the living room, Ye Leyao let go of Qin Yao’s hand, collapsed onto the sofa, and burst out laughing again. “Gongshi Expert must be so pissed off at me!”

The more Ye Leyao thought about it, the more amusing it became. He grabbed a pillow and hugged it tightly, laughing away.

Qin Yao’s gaze lingered on Ye Leyao’s face for a few seconds before he finally looked away. He sat down next to Ye Leyao and asked, “So, when did we start dating, Leyao? This is news to me.”

Hearing this question, Ye Leyao stopped laughing. He sat up straight, turned to Qin Yao, and furrowed his brows. “President Qin, are you asking because you don’t want to date me?”

Ye Leyao’s tone was serious, and Qin Yao could tell at a glance that he was genuinely puzzled.

Qin Yao sighed inwardly, his expression softening. With a gentle smile, he said, “I do want to be with you. I want it very much. I was just curious—what made you figure things out all of a sudden?”

Upon hearing Qin Yao’s words, the livestream chat exploded with excitement again.

Viewers and fans alike were just as confused.

Yes, they wanted to know too—when did Ye Leyao and Qin Yao get together?

They had been watching the livestream the whole time, and since arriving at the villa, Ye Leyao and Qin Yao hadn’t even had any alone time together. So how did they end up dating?

And judging by Qin Yao’s words, it seemed even Qin Yao didn’t know when he and Ye Leyao had started dating?

This was getting interesting.

Was this some kind of one-sided relationship announcement? Where Ye Leyao just decided on his own that they were a couple?

Who falls in love like that?

Ye Leyao’s situation was even more absurd than Li Siyuan not asking about Duan Tingyan’s gender during their online relationship—

Speaking of Li Siyuan, the chat erupted into heated discussions once more.

“This is wild! Who would’ve thought? Just three minutes ago, I was still eating up the drama between Li Siyuan and Duan Tingyan, and now, I’m suddenly caught up in Ye Leyao and Qin Yao’s story?!”

“Don’t even get me started. My brain is a mess right now.”

“Who are you telling? I barely finished processing one juicy piece of gossip, and now there's a whole new one. I'm getting dizzy from all this!”

“Speaking of Li Siyuan, I can’t help but laugh. Online dating is one thing—there are plenty of people in the modern world who date online—but these two didn’t ask about each other’s sexual orientation or even their gender. That’s just too much!”

“Hahahahaha! Duan Tingyan: ‘So that’s why you kept calling me Tingting.’”

“I can’t take it anymore, I’m laughing so hard I might throw up. My husband’s new nickname: Tingting! This is too funny.”

“Oh my god, now that I think about it, we’ve really had a lot of gossip to digest today!”

“No kidding, it’s overwhelming…”

The viewers started counting up the drama, and they were shocked.

From the moment the guests appeared on the show, there had been the strange tension between Li Siyuan and Duan Tingyan, Wen Huai’s indifferent attitude toward Zhou Zijian, and the obviously off relationship between Shen Chong and Liu Yan.

And just when everyone had let their guard down, Ye Leyao asked Qin Yao what it meant to like someone, and why people were saying he liked Qin Yao.

Then, out of nowhere, came the scene with Li Siyuan punching his agent and Duan Tingyan, followed by negotiations, and then Ye Leyao's sudden public relationship announcement…

Even casual viewers who didn’t usually watch variety shows were stunned, asking, “Wait, isn’t this supposed to be a travel show?”

To which the regular audience earnestly replied, “No, this show’s alternate title is *Let’s Go Eat Some Gossip*, also known as ‘Gossip Show.’ But honestly, it feels more like a dating show at this point!”

This response quickly gained numerous likes and support from viewers.

“Is there any other dating show out there that has more successful couples than our travel show?”

“Forget the couples, let’s just talk about the gossip! Just one random episode of this show is better than anything else out there!”

“Hahahaha, for real! The guests on other shows are at least polite, but our guests? They don’t hold back at all!”

“They don’t even bother pretending! If they want drama, they stir it up immediately.”

“Song Zhehan, Gongshi Expert, I’m looking at you.”

“Ye Leyao, Ye Leyao, do you have anything to say?”

The chat was buzzing with noisy chatter, and eventually, the topic circled back to the original question—

So, when did Ye Leyao and Qin Yao get together?

“Ye Leyao, say something!”

“Hurry up, please! Tell us already!”

“Was it just now that you two got together?”

It had already been a full thirty seconds since Qin Yao had asked the question.

The viewers were growing impatient, but Qin Yao remained calm. Not only did he not press Ye Leyao for an

 answer, but he also stood up to pour him a glass of water.

Handing the cup to Ye Leyao, he waited until Ye Leyao drank half of it before Ye Leyao finally smiled and said, “Actually, I figured it out when we got off the car.”

Qin Yao had been about to pour himself some water, but hearing those words, he froze for a moment.

Qin Yao paused for a moment, then suddenly recalled what Ye Leyao had said when they got out of the car.

At the time, Ye Leyao mentioned that he had been thinking, and Qin Yao had asked if he had figured it out.

But Ye Leyao hadn’t answered and instead replied with a question of his own.

Qin Yao tightened his grip on the water cup slightly, then relaxed his hold with a soft smile.

So, it was that early.

He had indeed noticed something different at the time, but he hadn’t dared to overthink it.

Because waiting requires patience, and he couldn't let himself use up all his patience too soon.

Luckily, Ye Leyao hadn’t kept him waiting for long.

Qin Yao put the water cup down, tilted his head slightly, and with a gentle voice, asked, "So now we’re officially boyfriends?"

His voice was soft, deliberately lowered, and the end of his sentence carried a faint hook, lightly sweeping through Ye Leyao’s heart.

Ye Leyao bit his lip and extended his hand to Qin Yao with a polite smile, saying, “Hello, boyfriend.”

Qin Yao’s eyes fell on the hand stretched out in front of him. With slow deliberation, he reached out, took Ye Leyao’s hand, and shook it.

Just as Ye Leyao was about to pull his hand back, Qin Yao tightened his grip and, with a slight tug, pulled Ye Leyao into his arms.

Ye Leyao was caught off guard, almost dropping the water cup he held. Fortunately, Qin Yao’s other hand quickly stabilized the cup, and then he took it from Ye Leyao and placed it on the coffee table.

With one arm wrapped around Ye Leyao’s waist, and the other hand gently pressing Ye Leyao into his chest, the two were now pressed close together.

Ye Leyao’s chin rested against Qin Yao’s neck, and if he turned his head slightly, his lips could brush across Qin Yao’s face.

Ye Leyao pressed his lips together and froze.

Sensing the stiffness in the body nestled against him, Qin Yao let out a soft laugh and explained, “Leyao, I’m just very happy.”

Perhaps a little too happy, which was why he couldn’t help but pull Ye Leyao into his arms in front of all the cameras.

The summer heat was overwhelming.

Even though the air conditioner was on inside the room, Ye Leyao could still feel the warmth of Qin Yao’s body.

Ye Leyao closed his eyes. In that moment, he felt as if the empty parts of himself were finally filled.

It was a strange feeling—emotions intertwining, mingling so strongly that even his nose tingled, and tears welled up in his eyes.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through Ye Leyao’s mind, reminding him of the dream he had on the car ride over.

The dream hadn’t fully played out, but as soon as he got out of the car, Ye Leyao remembered the part he hadn’t heard clearly: the explanation in the dream.

In the dream, Huo Ma had said that liking someone is sometimes about wanting to have them, but other times, it’s about letting go. Liking is both a simple and a complex emotion, but one thing is certain—liking someone is one of the purest and most beautiful feelings a person can have.

No matter the type of affection, you’ll always want to get closer to the person you like, and you’ll actively think of them.

Just like how Ye Leyao always longed for another cup of the oatmeal milk that Qin Yao personally made, the two had been hugging for quite some time—so long, in fact, that the live stream’s chat had been filled with rounds of excited screaming. It went on for so long that they didn’t even notice the door to the villa opening.

It wasn’t until Li Siyuan’s exaggerated voice broke the silence that they became aware of it: “Wait, what are you two doing?”

Qin Yao was the first to loosen his embrace.

To his surprise, Ye Leyao didn’t immediately pull away. Instead, he nuzzled Qin Yao’s neck slightly before casually saying, “Hugging. Can’t you see?”

Li Siyuan stood frozen at the villa’s entrance, his mind completely blank.

Hugging?

What?

His expression was so incredulous that the viewers watching the live stream couldn’t help but burst into laughter:

“Hahahaha, Li Siyuan! You seriously have no idea what’s going on, do you?”

“I can confirm that he doesn’t. After all, he was too busy punching Duan Tingyan earlier and then went off to talk to his manager.”

As Li Siyuan finished his conversation with his manager and returned to the villa, the first thing he saw was Ye Leyao and Qin Yao hugging. How could he not be dumbfounded?

“Wait a second, you two…”

Before Li Siyuan could finish his question, another surprised voice came from the doorway: “You two are—?”

Ye Leyao and Qin Yao both turned their heads to see Duan Tingyan entering the villa as well.

Li Siyuan hadn’t held back when he hit Duan Tingyan earlier, and now Duan’s nose was visibly swollen. After their conversation, Li Siyuan went to find his manager, while Duan Tingyan went to treat his injuries.

The doctor had simply treated his nose and handed him an ice pack, which Duan Tingyan now held to his face as he glanced at Li Siyuan.

What exactly was going on here?

Weren’t these two just watching their drama earlier? How had they ended up hugging in such a short amount of time?

Li Siyuan didn’t want to look at Duan Tingyan. He turned and headed into the living room but didn’t go upstairs. Instead, he sat down on a nearby sofa.

Perfect.

Just a moment ago, Ye Leyao and the others were thoroughly enjoying watching him chase Duan Tingyan. Now it was his turn to watch their show.

Li Siyuan’s face lit up with a sly smile.

After a brief moment of silence, Duan Tingyan took out his phone. “Where’s everyone else?”

Did they know about this? Should he send them a message on WeChat?

At that moment, Ye Leyao decided to gently push Qin Yao away.

Qin Yao looked puzzled.

Ye Leyao, meanwhile, muttered quietly to himself: 

【Forget it. After all, they just broke up because of relationship issues. As someone who’s in a relationship, I shouldn’t rub it in their faces.】

Huo Yan, who had just reached the doorway, thought: “…”

What do you mean by “someone in a relationship”? You literally just got into one!

And what exactly did Ye Leyao do to provoke Li Siyuan?

Could it be—

Huo Yan’s thoughts raced as he quickly entered the living room. Once inside, he saw Duan Tingyan standing nearby, with Ye Leyao and Qin Yao sitting close together, and Li Siyuan sitting across from them.

Everything seemed… normal?

Sensing Huo Yan’s gaze, Qin Yao was the first to look up, meeting Huo Yan’s eyes.

Huo Yan immediately shot Qin Yao a fierce glare.

Qin Yao, unfazed, simply looked away.

By now, the other guests were also trickling into the living room.

As they took in the scene—Ye Leyao and Qin Yao sitting close together, Li Siyuan and Duan Tingyan nearby—their expressions grew more and more meaningful.

Li Siyuan, ever perceptive, quickly noticed something was up. He turned to look at Song Zhehan.

Song Zhehan caught his pleading glance and responded dryly, “Can’t you just check the internet yourself?”

Li Siyuan: “…”

That’s easy for you to say. I just punched both my manager and Duan Tingyan. Now you want me to check the internet?

While Li Siyuan wasn’t afraid of getting hate from netizens—he had faced plenty of trolls before—this wasn’t about that!

He could handle the fact that he punched Duan Tingyan, but now the whole internet knew about his failed online relationship with him!

Li Siyuan’s face turned a mix of red and white, a truly spectacular sight.

The viewers watching the live stream couldn’t hold back their laughter, especially Li Siyuan’s fans.

They knew him too well—Li Siyuan didn’t care about trolls. He had dealt with plenty of haters in the past. What really bothered him now was that he had been too impulsive and accidentally exposed his past with Duan Tingyan.

What Li Siyuan feared most was that netizens would latch onto this and tease him about it forever!

Of course, that’s exactly what happened. Not only had his fans remembered, but the entire internet had. 

At that moment, the hashtag about Li Siyuan and Duan Tingyan was still trending at number two on social media. And for the record, number one was about Ye Leyao and Qin Yao.

As Li Siyuan’s face shifted through a kaleidoscope of emotions, his fans finally lost it:

“Hahahaha, Li Siyuan! Do you regret it now?”

“Hahahaha, I bet he’s regretting it so much right now! He’ll probably write a new song as soon as this episode is over!”

“A new song? Is he going to diss his fans, or is it going to be about Duan Tingyan?”

“Obviously, it’s going to be a diss track about ‘Tingting’!”

“Hahahahahaha, seriously, can you all stop bringing up ‘Tingting’? Every time I hear it, I can’t stop laughing.”

“You fans better watch your words! Li Siyuan might punch you the same way he punched Tingting!”

While the netizens and fans were having a blast discussing the drama, the atmosphere inside the villa had grown unexpectedly quiet, with an odd sense of tension.

Just like in previous episodes, the production team had prepared ingredients for the guests to cook dinner together.

Zhou Zijian felt that he couldn’t just sit around anymore, so he volunteered to head into the kitchen to start preparing dinner.

Wen Xiangyue wanted to help, but she was stopped by Wen Huai, who commented dryly, “I remember when I first met Zhou Zijian, he said he was good at cooking. But after all these years, I’ve yet to taste a single bite. Let’s see if today is finally the day.”

Wen Xiangyue fell silent.

Ye Leyao couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

The other guests didn’t hold back either, their faces lighting up with amusement. But considering that they had all been enjoying Zhou Zijian’s cooking for every episode so far, they all smiled a bit more cautiously than usual.

Zhou Zijian didn’t dare refuse, quickly replying, “Of course! Don’t worry, today’s dinner is on me!”

Wen Huai remained noncommittal.

But while Wen Huai could get away with making Zhou Zijian cook, the other guests couldn’t.

Duan Tingyan was the first to stand up. “I’ll help too.” As he passed by Song Zhehan, he glanced at Li Siyuan and asked, “Are you coming?”

Song Zhehan stood up and nodded, following him into the kitchen.

Shen Chong chimed in, “I’ll help too. I recently learned a new recipe and wanted to try it out.” He directed the last part toward Liu Yan.

Liu Yan’s face flushed as she nervously glanced at the cameras, but she couldn’t help nodding in agreement.

The kitchen quickly filled with three more people.

Qin Yao turned to Ye Leyao and said, “I’ll go help too.”

Ye Leyao nodded, about to join him when suddenly, Huo Yan reached out and grabbed his arm. “Wait.”

Ye Leyao looked at him, confused. “Hm?”

Huo Yan glanced at Qin Yao, his tone displeased. “I need to talk to you. If you want to help, go by yourself.”

Qin Yao smiled. “Alright.”

With that, he headed into the kitchen.

Ye Leyao watched Qin Yao leave, then turned his attention back to Huo Yan, sitting down beside him. “What do you want to talk about?”

【Hurry up and say it. Why does it feel so formal all of a sudden?】

【Could it be that my brother wants to talk about relationships now that he sees me in one?】

Huo Yan: “…”

Qin Yao opened the fridge and couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

Huo Yan let out a heavy sigh.

He wasn’t here to talk about relationships. He simply couldn’t stand seeing Qin Yao next to Ye Leyao!

Also, could the family group chat please stop blowing up?!

Huo Yan pulled out his phone and opened the group chat, where Huo Dad and Huo Mom were both eagerly asking for updates. They wanted to know more about Ye Leyao and “Little Qin.”

Huo Yan refused to respond.

Not only that, but he muted the group chat entirely.

Then, he casually slung an arm around Ye Leyao’s shoulder. “Come on, let’s play cards.”

Ye Leyao blinked, confused. “Huh?”

At that moment, Wen Huai also waved him over. “Come on, we’re playing cards.”

Ye Leyao: “?”

【What’s going on here?】

Before he knew it, Huo Yan had pulled Ye Leyao over to sit opposite Wen Xiangyue, with Huo Yan and Wen Huai on either side. And just like that, the four of them started playing cards.

The scene was bizarre, yet strangely harmonious.

Unable to take it anymore, Li Siyuan stood up and walked into the kitchen. “Seriously, what’s going on?”

Song Zhehan exchanged a glance with Qin Yao and smiled without saying a word.

Zhou Zijian swallowed nervously, too tongue-tied to make any jokes, and decided to stay silent.

Shen Chong thought for a moment. Everyone here seemed nice enough, but his manager had warned him to keep quiet—especially since he’d almost caused trouble earlier by accidentally letting something slip. So, he kept his mouth shut too.

Li Siyuan turned to look at Qin Yao.

But Qin Yao didn’t even spare him a glance.

That’s when Duan Tingyan cleared his throat. “I just checked the trending topics.”

Li Siyuan, still visibly upset, glanced at him.

Duan Tingyan continued, “Ye Leyao and Qin Yao are trending for being in a relationship.”

Li Siyuan was stunned. “What?!”

His voice was loud enough for everyone outside the kitchen to hear.

Qin Yao sighed and turned around. “Could you not shout in front of the people involved?”

Li Siyuan immediately covered his mouth, then burst into laughter. “When did this happen? This is great news!”

Song Zhehan handed the chopped vegetables to Zhou Zijian, nodding. “Yeah, it is. But it doesn’t seem to concern you, does it, you single dog?”

Duan Tingyan’s eyes lit up as he turned to Li Siyuan. “Siyuan, as long as—”

“No way! Get lost!” Li Siyuan’s face was filled with anger.

Duan Tingyan pressed his lips together and sighed, saying nothing more.

Li Siyuan, still fuming, turned to glare at Song Zhehan. “You talk like you’re not single yourself. Among all of us, only Zhou Ge, Qin Yao, and Shen Chong with Liu Yan are in confirmed relationships, right?”

As soon as he said this, Shen Chong’s cheerful smile froze on his face. “Yeah…”

The word had barely left his mouth when his expression changed dramatically.

At the same time, a loud shriek came from the kitchen entrance: “Shen Chong!!!”

Liu Yan stood there, looking absolutely furious.

Shen Chong immediately froze, realizing he had messed up.