Chapter 11: Everyone Was Stunned

At that moment, a man walked in. His hair was a soft brown, cut short and parted neatly, his upper body clad in a loose khaki short-sleeved shirt, while black straight-leg trousers completed the look. If one were to judge by Wen Yiming’s level of attractiveness, the new male guest was not exactly handsome. There was a touch of mature composure to his bearing, and he was exceedingly polite, greeting everyone formally the moment he entered.

“I’m Xu Junze. How should I address you all?”

“Here we go again, time for introductions,” Lu Zhou sighed.

This segment was starting to numb his mind.

Laughter rippled through the group.

“Let’s go from left to right,” Qi Jiajia suggested.

So began another round of introductions. After everyone had stated their names, the new guest Xu Junze looked a little bewildered.

“Can you match the names to the faces?” Wen Yiming joked.

Xu Junze smiled sheepishly, then pointed to each of the female guests in turn, reciting their names, “Chu Yao, Jiajia, Jia… Yan?”

Both Qi Jiajia and Li Jiayan’s names contained the character “Jia,” yet Xu Junze didn’t confuse them.

Could it be that Qi Jiajia was his ex? Lu Zhou wondered.

But when it came to recalling the men’s names, Xu Junze suddenly drew a blank and couldn’t remember a single one.

Wen Yiming couldn’t help but laugh, teasing, “So your memory only works for the ladies’ names?”

Everyone burst out laughing.

Xu Junze scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

“I’m admittedly terrible with names. The only reason I remembered Chu Yao is because I’ve seen her videos online before, and Jiajia and Jiayan have similar names, so it’s easier to remember…” Xu Junze explained reflexively.

“We’re just kidding, don’t take it to heart,” Wen Yiming tried to smooth things over.

“Videos? What videos?” Li Jiayan interrupted, a beat behind the conversation.

Qi Jiajia looked at her in surprise. “Chu Yao’s short videos are all over the internet. Haven’t you seen them?”

Li Jiayan blinked innocently. “Oh? Really? I honestly didn’t know…”

Chu Yao laughed awkwardly and interjected, “It’s totally normal if you haven’t seen them. Finally, someone who doesn’t know about me—I’m actually quite happy. Otherwise, if you all already knew my job beforehand while I knew nothing about yours, it would be so unfair.”

Chu Yao’s words made Li Jiayan sink deeper into self-doubt.

Wait, does this mean she’s the only one who didn’t know about Chu Yao before? Is Chu Yao really that popular? But Li Jiayan truly hadn’t heard of her—was she behind the times?

Lu Zhou glanced at Li Jiayan and couldn’t help but remark, “Luckily, I stumbled upon Chu Yao’s videos while looking up cooking tutorials. Otherwise, I’d be just as clueless as Jiayan right now.”

Chu Yao: “…” Thanks a lot, that was borderline insulting.

Li Jiayan exchanged a look with Lu Zhou, touched by his unexpected intervention, and quietly felt a sense of relief.

So far, all four male guests had arrived.

Yet Lu Zhou still hadn’t solved the mystery of which among them were exes.

Everyone was such a convincing actor—had they rehearsed at home? Was everyone here eyeing a career in showbiz?

Only one female guest was still missing, and once she arrived, they wouldn’t have to sit idly in the living room any longer.

They all assumed this awkward waiting on the sofa would soon end, but it was precisely this last female guest who kept them waiting the longest.

“Maybe everyone’s already here?” Qi Jiajia asked, growing impatient.

She’d eaten little for breakfast, and now hunger gnawed at her. All she wanted was for this idle sitting to end so she could find something to eat.

“I don’t think so. When I came in, there were eight pairs of slippers at the entryway, but there are only seven of us here,” Lu Zhou replied.

“This is taking a while…” Chu Yao glanced toward the entrance, muttering.

“Well, it is the weekend—maybe there’s traffic,” Li Jiayan offered.

“I think the Pink Bus driver probably got too enthusiastic and started circling the city for fun, and now can’t find the way back,” Wen Yiming joked.

“Honestly, that’s not impossible. I once took a bus that looped around the city so many times I nearly got sick,” Xu Junze chimed in.

Everyone laughed, and the mood lightened considerably.

But just as the laughter faded, the distinct sound of high heels tapping against the floor echoed from the entryway.

Huh?

Every person in the living room froze and turned to look toward the source of the sound in unison.

At last! That was the shared sentiment.

The clicking of heels drew nearer, and the women’s faces began to take on puzzled expressions—was she really coming in without changing her shoes?

Soon, a graceful figure in black appeared in the living room.

“Sorry I’m late.”

A melodious and pleasant female voice followed.

The newcomer’s hair was a cascade of chestnut waves reaching her waist, and she wore a lavish black evening gown that swept to her ankles, paired with five-centimeter black high-heeled sandals. Her makeup was immaculate, her red lips making her pale skin seem even more luminous. She was adorned with statement jewelry—a pair of artistic pendant earrings, a dazzling diamond necklace, and even her nails were painted black to match her outfit.

At first glance, she resembled the daughter of a mafia boss.

With every step, it was as though she was treading on the hearts of the male guests.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

As her features came into focus, everyone in the living room experienced a collective shock.

No way?!

Was it really her? That unforgettable face… wasn’t it Ye Fangfei?

The currently trending celebrity, a darling of the music scene—Ye Fangfei—had come to participate in “Exchange? Exes”?!

Lu Zhou suddenly recalled the day Zhao Xing had called him to sign the contract. He’d seen Lin Jiale at the entrance of the Orange TV building, beaming as he welcomed a celebrity with an entourage.

So the star who’d stepped off that van must have been Ye Fangfei.

A dating reality show managed to get Ye Fangfei as a guest—no wonder Lin Jiale greeted her personally.

This show was getting more and more outrageous.

Having Chu Yao was already something, but now Ye Fangfei as well… so much for keeping professions a secret. Surely everyone here knew who Ye Fangfei was.

But why had she come? Did her legions of fans know she was dating? With whom?

It would be one thing if she’d dated, but to appear on a dating show with her ex—Ye Fangfei was truly bold. Was her management out of their minds to let her take this gig?

Utterly baffling.

As a fellow entertainer, Lu Zhou simply couldn’t comprehend it.

Ye Fangfei’s arrival was like a thunderclap, exploding through the living room.

The guests were so stunned that none even remembered to scream—they could only sit in dazed silence.

Ye Fangfei, for her part, seemed unsurprised by their reaction. Approaching, she pressed her lips together and offered a dazzling smile.

“Looks like I don’t need to introduce myself, do I?” she said.

Everyone: …Absolutely not.

But Ye Fangfei still dutifully stated her name for the camera.

After the initial shock, everyone gradually composed themselves, greeting her warmly and making space for her on the sofa. Unfazed, she took the center seat.

If Zhang Chen’s outfit had seemed overly formal to the others earlier, Ye Fangfei’s appearance completely upended their expectations.

Her ensemble went far beyond “formal”—the word was “grand.”

Qi Jiajia, Li Jiayan, and Chu Yao all thought privately, Good heavens, with Ye Fangfei here, how are we supposed to compete?

The male guests, on the other hand, were unmistakably excited.

“Sorry, I just rushed over from a brand endorsement event. There wasn’t time to change out of this gown—otherwise I wouldn’t have shown up dressed like this,” Ye Fangfei explained, glancing over the three female guests.

Qi Jiajia, Li Jiayan, and Chu Yao replied with awkward smiles, silently thinking: Even if you weren’t dressed like that, your presence alone changes everything for us…

“Aren’t we all supposed to meet our exes on the Pink Bus before coming here? Did you go to work after seeing your ex?” Wen Yiming asked curiously. Ever since Ye Fangfei entered, he hadn’t taken his eyes off her.

“Oh, due to my work schedule, the production team shot my meeting with my ex two days in advance,” Ye Fangfei replied.

Everyone: …So she got to play by different rules, while the rest of them were left in the dark until filming began…

That’s the difference.

“Sorry, everyone, I have another event this afternoon and may have to leave soon. Why don’t we get straight to the point?” Ye Fangfei suggested with a bright smile.

Everyone: ??? But you just got here! Have you even warmed your seat?

Ye Fangfei: “I haven’t been introduced to you all yet—perhaps you could each introduce yourselves?”

This time, introductions started with Zhang Chen and went around the group.

Throughout, Ye Fangfei responded enthusiastically to everyone: complimenting Lu Zhou for being handsome, telling Chu Yao, “I think I know who you are,” praising Wen Yiming’s physique, and telling Li Jiayan, “You’re so sexy.” Whether she meant it or was just playing to the cameras, Ye Fangfei left everyone with a positive impression.

At last, all the guests had arrived.

Wen Yiming picked up the program card from the coffee table and read out a series of rules: each day, two male and female guests would be assigned to cook and do chores; dinner in the Pink House was mandatory except in special circumstances; sharing personal contact information was strictly forbidden, and so on. They had known most of this in advance, with a few new details added.

“I’ll try to make it back for dinner tonight, but I might be a bit late. I won’t be able to cook, but I can help with cleanup,” Ye Fangfei immediately excused herself from the cooking duty for the day.

It was clear she was there in little more than a ceremonial capacity.

“I can cook today—who wants to join me?” Chu Yao volunteered.

“How about I help you?” Wen Yiming offered.

Chu Yao smiled and nodded. “Great, let’s cook together.”

“I can wash the dishes,” Lu Zhou piped up.

Qi Jiajia glanced at him and said, “I’ll help you.”

Lu Zhou nodded. “OK.”

Li Jiayan surreptitiously glanced at them, then looked away and turned to Zhang Chen. “Zhang Chen, want to cook together tomorrow?”

Zhang Chen seemed distracted. It took him a moment to respond, glancing at Ye Fangfei before replying, “I don’t know how to cook…”

Li Jiayan blushed, a little flustered. “Then maybe you could assist me? I’ll do the stir-frying. I can cook a little, but I can’t vouch for the taste…”

Zhang Chen was silent for a couple of seconds, then said, “If we team up, everyone might go hungry.”

Li Jiayan’s smile grew forced as she tried to mask her embarrassment. “You’re probably right.”

Noticing Li Jiayan’s expression, Xu Junze chimed in, “I can cook. Why don’t we take charge of everyone’s meals tomorrow?”

Li Jiayan brightened. “Sounds good!”

At that, Zhang Chen turned to Ye Fangfei. “Looks like we’re the only ones without tasks. Shall we handle the dishes after dinner tomorrow?”

Ye Fangfei, idly playing with her bracelet, lifted her gaze to him lazily. “Sure.”

A small, satisfied smile appeared at the corner of Zhang Chen’s lips.

Lu Zhou, observing this exchange, raised an eyebrow.

Well, well. Something’s up.