"Has everyone finished eating?" Zhuang Yan stood up, intending to tidy up and wash the dishes.
Ling Xuan said, "You've worked hard cooking, let me do the washing."
Lu Yan stood up with Zhuang Yan: "It's Zhuang Yan and I's turn to cook and wash the dishes today. If you help us wash them today, then the fortune slips we drew yesterday will have been for nothing."
"But your hands."
"It's okay. I bought waterproof gloves. I can't just do nothing because I got a little injured."
That's what they said, but everyone still put the dishes and chopsticks into the kitchen together.
Lu Yan poured the remaining oil, soup, and leftover food from the bowl into a bucket, then put on gloves to prepare to wash the dishes.
There aren't many dishes, but they're very oily, so it will take quite a while to wash them all.
Fortunately, she wasn't alone. Zhuang Yan worked quickly, with one of them washing the dishes and the other rinsing off the foam.
The dishes were almost washed, and Lu Yan told Zhuang Yan to go and rest.
"I'll take care of the rest. I'll clean the kitchen later. You've been busy all morning, you should rest."
Lu Yan pushed Zhuang Yan out.
Zhuang Yan had just stepped outside when he ran into Jiang Ning—or rather, she had been waiting for him.
"Zhuang Yan, can we talk alone?"
Zhuang Yan glanced at the photographer who had been following him: "It's so hot, go and rest, don't get heatstroke."
Jiang Ning pointed to the laundry room: "Let's talk there, there are no cameras there."
Zhuang Yan nodded.
Once inside, Jiang Ning said directly, "Zhuang Yan, Lu Yan is Xia Wan's aunt."
"I know."
"Do you know that she likes you?"
Lu Yan likes him? How could that be? Zhuang Yan shook his head: "No way, Lu Yan could never like me. Not to mention that our relationship is not suitable, she doesn't like people younger than her either."
He really is a straight man. Lu Yan's feelings for him are so obvious, how can he not realize it? Jiang Ning was about to explode with anger at his slow-wittedness.
"If she doesn't like you, would she wipe your sweat? If she doesn't like you, would she tie your apron for you or touch you inappropriately?"
"She just treats me like a junior."
Jiang Ning said anxiously, "What do you mean 'younger generation'? She's only two or three years older than you. Why don't you see her acting like this with other men? She has ulterior motives towards you! Don't be fooled by her!"
If Lu Yan hadn't been honest with him beforehand, he would have actually believed Jiang Ning's words.
Some things can't be explained in a few words, and besides, what he did had nothing to do with Jiang Ning.
"Even if she likes me, what does it have to do with you? Don't forget this is a dating reality show, it's all about romance. She has feelings for me, what can you do to stop her?"
Jiang Ning was taken aback, and murmured, "I wanted you to stay away from her."
Zhuang Yan showed her no mercy: "You'd be better off staying away from me."
Even with her excellent acting skills, Jiang Ning couldn't hold back at this moment. Her face turned pale and her eyes reddened. Did Zhuang Yan hate her that much after just one breakup?
Zhuang Yan sighed. He didn't want to be so harsh, but if he didn't, Jiang Ning didn't seem to listen.
"Jiang Ning, my affairs with her are none of your business. If you truly care about me, then like I said, don't get too close to me. I'm afraid your fans will misunderstand."
There was no misunderstanding; she simply liked him. She wanted to change and find someone else to like, but every time she closed her eyes, she couldn't help but think of him.
Seeing Zhuang Yan about to leave, Jiang Ning immediately grabbed his sleeve: "Zhuang Yan, if my fans support me, will you give me a chance?"
"What does your fans' support have to do with me? Besides, do you think all of your tens of millions of fans will support you?" That's impossible. There are millions of people, and one person can't silence millions of people. There will always be someone who stands up to oppose you.
Zhuang Yan prefers a peaceful life and doesn't want his life to be disturbed by the outside world, spied on, or constantly criticized online. He can't get used to that kind of public life.
Jiang Ning would never give up her career for him.
This is the barrier between the two. Under the spotlight, some people find it dazzling and uncomfortable, while others enjoy that light.
So why put two unsuitable people together?
...
Considering that the guests had been tired all morning, the director did not assign them any tasks in the afternoon, allowing them to rest well.
Zhuang Yan couldn't stay idle, so he cooked plum juice and mung bean soup for the staff in the hot weather because he was worried about them getting heatstroke.
At 5 p.m., he began preparing dinner, collecting everyone's opinions, and finally decided to have a barbecue.
"Didn't we say we were going to catch loaches and eels in the fields? Are we still going?" Fang Chen asked.
"Sure," Ling Xuan replied. "Zhuang Yan is going to catch eels in the fields, are the female guests going?"
An Xinrong said in the morning that she never wanted to go to the fields again, but seeing that everyone else had gone, she felt it was pointless to stay at home alone, so she simply put on a straw hat and sun protection clothing and went out with them.
Fang Chen and Ling Xuan were catching loaches and eels in the field, while Zhuang Yan was fishing with a fishing rod.
I wasn't as lucky as last time; I only caught two fish, which together weighed five or six pounds, enough for a meal.
Fang Chen also had a good haul, catching five eels of varying sizes and a basin of loaches.
An Xinrong got goosebumps just looking at the eels writhing like snakes in the water. They tasted good, but they were really unsightly.
I don't know how Zhuang Yan cleaned it up at noon.
An Xin endured her discomfort and stood next to Zhuang Yan, watching him prepare the eels and fish.
He didn't even wear gloves and captured them alive; relying on imagination is too simplistic.
Watching Zhuang Yan quickly prepare the ingredients, An Xinrong asked, "Zhuang Yan, isn't there anything you're afraid of?"
"Of course, I'm afraid of frogs."
An Xinrong: "..."
"You're someone who's not even afraid of snakes, and you're afraid of frogs? I don't believe it."
"I think frogs are scarier than snakes. And it's not that I'm not afraid of snakes, I'm just not afraid of eels. There's a big difference between eels and snakes."
An Xinrong stood aside and watched Zhuang Yan clean the eels and then the fish. He was still very quick. They say that men who work hard are handsome, and that's really true. She stared at Zhuang Yan's profile, completely mesmerized.
The camera was practically shoved right in her face, but she didn't even realize it.
"Zhuang Yan, I've discovered that you're not as annoying as I thought."
"I'm a little curious, why do you find me annoying?"
Yes, why?
"Because you're not as good as Gu Qian. Gu Qian is the most suitable for Wanwan. You're just a hindrance..."
Zhuang Yan continued scaling the fish without stopping, only asking with his head down, "Between the Zhuang family and the Xia family, which family do you think is stronger?"
An Xinrong replied without hesitation, "Of course it's the Xia family."
Zhuang Yan raised his eyes: "The Xia family is more powerful than the Zhuang family in terms of both wealth and status. Do you think I have the ability to force Xia Wan to marry me? Or do you think Xia Wan is incompetent and can't even refuse?"
Yes, the Xia family's marriage alliance doesn't necessarily require the Zhuang family. There are better options if the Zhuang family isn't there. Xia Wan is also a person of her word; it's impossible that she can't even refuse a marriage proposal.
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