Chapter 5: Old Grudges Rekindled by the Crystal Chandelier

Jiang Yunyao slept until noon, finally waking up hungry.

She picked up her phone to check the time. Hearing the noise, Xie Yixing beside her also woke up.

After realizing he was her gaming partner, Jiang Yunyao felt completely at ease around him and immediately spoke her mind.

“I’m hungry.”

“Me too.”

“Shall we get up and eat?”

“Sure!”

The two quickly freshened up and appeared in unison at the kitchen doorway.

Jiang Yunyao’s hair was casually tied up, and she wore a light green dress designed to look like two pieces, adorned with small daisies, giving off a cozy, homely vibe.

Xie Yixing wore a white T-shirt paired with dark green jeans, but the T-shirt had embroidered daisies matching her dress, almost like a couple’s outfit.

Standing at the kitchen entrance, they could see the cabinets stocked with various vegetables, meat, eggs, milk, and beans—an assortment of ingredients, though not in large quantities, enough just for two people to eat for a day.

Jiang Yunyao understood immediately.

The production team had only prepared ingredients for today. From tomorrow onwards, the guests would have to complete tasks to earn food.

But right now, there was a more pressing issue.

Jiang Yunyao stood still and quietly asked the person next to her, “Do you know how to cook?”

Xie Yixing thought it over and replied, “I think… maybe… probably… not.”

The two stared at each other wide-eyed, locking gazes for a full minute.

Suddenly, Xie Yixing grabbed an apron with a heroic air and stepped into the kitchen.

Jiang Yunyao grabbed his arm in alarm. “What are you doing?”

“Didn’t you say you can’t cook?”

Xie Yixing confidently declared, “There’s a saying: ‘You just need to practice more!’ If I can’t cook, then I’ll practice until I can!”

Jiang Yunyao was speechless.

Practicing more only works if you can at least cook a little, not if you have no clue at all!

[Wow! It sounds reasonable, but the more you think about it, the less it makes sense!]

[Neither of them can cook—won’t they starve?]

[Don’t worry, they won’t starve! They’re going to make the ‘King’s Lunch’!]

[I’m curious to see what they’ll do next.]

Starving wasn’t an option.

Jiang Yunyao couldn’t cook much, but she could boil noodles and scramble eggs!

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Jiang Yunyao directed Xie Yixing to boil water while she cracked the only six eggs they had, chopped some scallions, heated oil, and made scallion scrambled eggs.

Fifteen minutes later, two steaming bowls of noodles topped with scrambled eggs were ready to serve.

Xie Yixing held his bowl proudly and praised, “Jiang Yunyao, you’re amazing!”

“No big deal!” Jiang Yunyao accepted the compliment without hesitation. “I learned this simple dish ten years ago!”

[Is it really impressive to just make a bowl of noodles?]

[For kitchen novices, being able to scramble eggs is quite an achievement…]

[The production team only provided enough noodles for their lunch; let’s see what they have for dinner.]

[Next door, there are five dishes; here, only two bowls of noodles. The contrast is stark!]

[Lu the Actor is hiding his talent! He’s a secret chef! Those five dishes were all made by him!]

[Braised pork ribs, flavorful eggplant, fried mushrooms, moo shu pork, tomato beef brisket… I’m starving!]

The live chat exploded as people rushed over to watch the feast next door, treating it like a mukbang.

But not long after, most returned.

“Well, Lu’s group eats quite gracefully, but something feels off.”

“Yeah, Jiang Yunyao’s two bowls of noodles look really appetizing!”

“They didn’t eat breakfast and are starving now, so anything tastes good!”

After eating their fill and tidying up, Jiang Yunyao and Xie Yixing received their next mission card from the production team.

Xie Yixing read aloud, “Mission 2: The couple must complete household chores together.”

Jiang Yunyao asked, “What kind of chores? There must be some criteria, right?”

Xie Yixing said the card didn’t specify; he had no idea.

Next door, Lu Mucheng and Lin Wanwan shared the same question.

The director appeared with a megaphone to explain, “Today’s chore is mopping the floor.”

“Today’s?” Jiang Yunyao caught the keyword. “Will there be more chores assigned later?”

The director didn’t answer directly, but by emphasizing today, it seemed to confirm her suspicion.

The villa had three floors, and it would be tricky to split chores between two people.

Moreover, the production team only provided one mop bucket per pair.

So they couldn’t separate and had to work on the same floor.

Jiang Yunyao used the floor tiles to draw an imaginary line with the mop and then the two began mopping their respective sides.

By the time they reached the second floor, these two, unaccustomed to housework, were exhausted and collapsed onto the sofa to rest.

Jiang Yunyao gazed up at the crystal chandelier and suddenly thought of Xie Yixing’s home.

“Xie Yixing, doesn’t this chandelier look familiar? Don’t you have one just like it at your place?”

Xie Yixing looked closely and said uncertainly, “I think so, but it actually looks more like the one at my cousin’s house!”

“Speaking of your cousin, I just remembered something,” Jiang Yunyao couldn’t help but complain, “When I went to your place that time, the moment she saw me, she spent half an hour laying down rules—I almost thought I married into royalty!”

“Why did you listen to her?” Xie Yixing sat up, surprised. “Our families haven’t been in touch much. I don’t even know what she was doing there.”

Jiang Yunyao got angry instantly. “How was I supposed to know your family ties were so distant? You never told me!”

So she had wasted half an hour being bossed around for nothing?

Xie Yixing didn’t understand her anger. “I told you before, my family is simple. Besides my parents, there’s me, my brother, and my sister.”

Jiang Yunyao was speechless but felt increasingly uneasy.

[Next door is so warm and cozy! Lu and the others are even planning to decorate their home… Wait, what’s going on over here? I just looked away for a moment and these two are arguing?]

[It all started with that chandelier…]

[It seems this was Jiang Yunyao’s first time meeting the family, and she got hit with a bunch of rules from Xie’s relatives!]

[Xie’s family must be pretty wealthy, right?]

[Rich families sure have a lot of rules! Ordinary people really live freer lives!]

[Xie said he doesn’t keep in touch much with his cousin — must be a misunderstanding!]

Xie Yixing felt wronged after being criticized.

“You’re blaming me? Last time was my birthday. Why did you invite Jiang Yue and the others? You made me look terrible!”

That day, his luck was terrible; he kept rolling the lowest dice, ending up with his face covered in sticky notes. Then, drunk, he sang a horribly off-key song.

The worst part? They recorded it all and made him, who remembered nothing, relive the nightmare!

Jiang Yunyao didn’t think she was at fault. “How was that my fault? Didn’t you say you were lonely with no one to hang out with? I did it for you!”

She recalled the scene and added, “Besides, you’re the one who’s bad at games and loves to play. You lost and got punished!”

Xie Yixing: “…”

Well, that was true.

[Wow, lonely with no one to accompany him? Is that a rich kid’s line?]

[A man calling his partner on his birthday to say he has no company… Hmm, could he like Jiang Yunyao?]

[Hahaha, this reminds me of a saying: “Man, are you lonely?”]

[Ah, I’m totally shipping this couple!]

[Hey, don’t get too carried away shipping them!]