Back at her apartment, Gu Nansheng treated herself to a long, luxurious bath before settling comfortably on the bed and initiating a video call with Lu Shijing.

“I won’t be heading back to the apartment for the next few days,” she said lazily. “Sister Hong wants me to guide a newcomer, and we’ll be attending promotional activities together.”

Lu Shijing responded calmly, “Alright.”

Gu Nansheng deliberately teased him.

“He’s an exceptionally handsome younger guy~”

Lu Shijing slowly lowered the research papers in his hands and lifted his gaze toward the screen.

His long lashes dipped slightly, his voice turning low and husky.

“Oh? Is that so?”

Gu Nansheng nearly burst out laughing.

“Mhm, yes. Very handsome!”

Without another word, Lu Shijing shifted his gaze away from the camera, clearly unwilling to look at her anymore.

“Are you really not mad?”

Lu Shijing: “…”

“At least give me some kind of reaction?”

Lu Shijing: “…”

“Alright, alright.” She grinned helplessly. “You know I love you the most, okay? Muah~”

Only then did his mood visibly improve.

Teacher Lu’s gloomy expression instantly softened into something much brighter.

Five days later.

Gu Nansheng arrived on set to film a reality show that had recently exploded in popularity.

The show featured five permanent cast members: acclaimed actor Zhang Jie, award-winning actress Wu Yin, the popular singing duo yiyi and yoyo, as well as rookie singer Lin Siyan.

The concept of the show revolved around rural countryside living.

Aside from completing tasks assigned by the production crew, participants also had to rely on their own problem-solving abilities to survive daily life.

Everything was filmed authentically.

No scripts.

No rehearsals.

Every action happened under the cameras.

As one of the hottest actresses in the entertainment industry, Gu Nansheng’s appearance as a surprise guest had already stirred massive excitement among viewers.

Meanwhile, during the previous two days of filming, Lin Siyan had quickly gained a huge following.

His handsome looks and cheerful personality made him instantly lovable.

He never complained about hard work, was not afraid of getting dirty, and spoke sweetly to everyone around him.

The senior cast members adored him.

Both Zhang Jie and Wu Yin had openly joked that if they were younger by a few years, they would have fallen for him immediately.

After arriving, Gu Nansheng greeted everyone politely.

Everyone turned out to be warm and easygoing.

The moment Lin Siyan saw her, the smile in his eyes deepened noticeably.

There were now six cast members total.

Three men.

Three women.

For this episode, they had to split into male-female teams determined by random drawing.

The final pairings were:

Zhang Jie with yoyo.

Wu Yin with yiyi.

And Lin Siyan…

With Gu Nansheng.

Their task was simple.

Harvest lotus roots from a nearby pond.

The total weight of the harvested roots would determine each team’s budget.

Then, they had to use that money to buy ingredients at the local market and cook dinner themselves.

Zhang Jie laughed loudly.

“No pressure, everyone. If we fail miserably, we’ll just skip dinner and call it a diet.”

Wu Yin immediately agreed.

“Exactly! Actresses aren’t supposed to eat dinner anyway.”

The director nearly collapsed.

“Teachers, please put in at least a little effort!”

Everyone burst into laughter.

Soon, the staff distributed equipment.

Waterproof chest waders.

Woven baskets.

Wide-brimmed hats.

The challenge would begin at 3:00 PM sharp and end at 5:00 PM.

The team with the heaviest harvest would win the largest food budget.

After gearing up, everyone carefully stepped into the muddy pond.

“Sister Nansheng, be careful.”

Lin Siyan instinctively reached out to steady her hand.

The pond was not particularly deep, only reaching her upper thighs, but the thick mud underneath made walking exhausting.

Each step felt difficult.

“Sister Nansheng, just wait near the edge,” Lin Siyan offered. “I’ll handle it.”

“How could I do that?” she refused immediately. “We’re teammates. We’ll do it together.”

We.

Lin Siyan quietly repeated the word in his heart.

His lips curved slightly.

That one tiny word made him feel strangely happy.

The other teams had already started digging enthusiastically.

Zhang Jie had even managed to pull out several massive lotus roots.

Gu Nansheng, however, had absolutely no experience with anything like this.

She bent low and awkwardly reached into the thick mud, blindly searching with both hands.

Meanwhile, Lin Siyan, standing at roughly 185 centimeters tall with long arms and legs, handled the work surprisingly well.

Harvesting lotus roots looked effortless for him.

After fumbling around for ages, Gu Nansheng finally touched something solid.

Her eyes lit up.

She pulled.

Nothing moved.

She pulled harder.

Still nothing.

“Wow! I found a huge one!”

Across the pond, yoyo squealed excitedly.

Gu Nansheng looked around.

Everyone else’s baskets already held several lotus roots.

At the very least…

She absolutely refused to drag Lin Siyan down.

Taking a deep breath, she tightened her grip and prepared for one final, determined pull.

Beside her, Lin Siyan had secretly been watching the entire time.

Her face was splattered with mud.

Even the white shirt beneath her waterproof suit had turned grayish-black.

Yet somehow…

Her serious, determined expression looked unbelievably adorable.

Suddenly, the lotus root loosened.

Gu Nansheng immediately yanked with all her strength.

“Careful!”

Standing close beside her, Lin Siyan reacted instantly.

He wrapped an arm tightly around her waist just as she nearly slipped forward into the muddy water.

Snap!

The lotus root came free.

Mud exploded everywhere.

The violent splash drenched both of them completely.

Dirty water splashed directly into Gu Nansheng’s eyes.

“Sister Nansheng!”

Lin Siyan frowned immediately.

“Are you okay?”

“I think mud got into my eyes.”

Instinctively, she tried rubbing them with muddy hands.

“Don’t move.”

His voice became unexpectedly firm.

“Wait here.”

Gu Nansheng obediently froze.

Lin Siyan hurried toward the production crew and borrowed clean water.

He soaked a cloth and carefully wiped around her eyes with extraordinary patience.

Then he leaned close and gently blew against them.

“How is it?” he asked softly. “Does it feel better?”

“Much better.” She blinked a few times experimentally. “Thank you.”

At that moment, the other cast members rushed over.

“Nansheng, are you alright?”

“I’m fine!” she quickly reassured them. “Let’s keep going.”

Seeing she was unharmed, everyone returned to work.

Nearby, however, the director and camera operator stared at the monitor in stunned silence.

The sunset bathed the pair in warm golden light.

Lin Siyan stood extremely close to her, carefully cleaning her eyes, worry clearly written across his face.

The chemistry…

It was ridiculous.

Especially the moment when he caught her by the waist.

The romantic atmosphere was practically overflowing.

The director could already envision the audience reaction once the episode aired.

Traffic.

Ratings.

Online discussions.

This was pure gold.

He immediately shot a meaningful glance toward the cameraman.

Film everything.

The cameraman instantly understood and zoomed in.

As the challenge neared its end, everyone returned to weigh their harvest.

Without hesitation, Lin Siyan reached behind Gu Nansheng and grabbed her basket.

“Hey, no need, I can carry it myself!”

“It’s light,” he said casually.

Leave it to me.

Gu Nansheng stared silently.

Light?

How is that remotely light?!

The final results were announced:

Zhang Jie and yoyo: 32 catties.

Wu Yin and yiyi: 30 catties.

Lin Siyan and Gu Nansheng: 34 catties.

First place.

The prize money was distributed accordingly:

64 yuan.

60 yuan.

And 68 yuan.

Armed with their hard-earned budget, everyone headed to the local wet market.

The production crew had already controlled the surrounding crowd.

Still, the local vendors stared curiously.

For many of them, this was their first time seeing celebrities in person.

Gu Nansheng and Lin Siyan first bought rice.

Turning toward her, he asked,

“Sister Nansheng, what do you want to eat?”

“I’m not picky,” she replied honestly.

Then she admitted awkwardly,

“Although… I don’t really know how to cook.”

At home, her parents always cooked.

Later, Lu Shijing had taken over entirely.

She genuinely never had the chance to learn.

Lin Siyan flashed a warm smile, revealing tiny canine teeth.

“It’s okay,” he reassured her. “I know how.”

“You can cook?”

She looked genuinely surprised.

No matter how she looked at him, he resembled a pampered young master from a wealthy family.

“I know a little,” he said modestly. “As long as Sister Nansheng doesn’t mind if it tastes bad.”

“How could I?”

As long as you don’t mind me being completely useless, she thought quietly.

While selecting vegetables, an elderly vendor suddenly beamed at them.

“Oh my, what a beautiful young couple!”

“Thank you, Auntie,” Lin Siyan replied naturally.

“One look and I can tell!” the old woman laughed. “You two match perfectly!”

“We’re not…” Gu Nansheng hurriedly started to explain.

The elderly woman immediately waved dismissively.

“Alright, alright. Auntie understands.”

Lin Siyan silently continued sorting vegetables as though he had heard absolutely nothing.

Gu Nansheng screamed internally.

Hey!

At least help explain?!

In the end, they bought tomatoes, eggs, pork, and potatoes.

With the remaining two yuan, they grabbed a few chili peppers.

Lin Siyan even used his bright smile and ridiculously adorable face to charm the vendor auntie into giving them free green onions.