Chapter 38. It's time for you to let go.
The warm, orange glow of the setting sun bathed Li Yichen in a soft halo, making the scene of him smiling and interacting with the snow-white angel dog exceptionally harmonious and beautiful.
In the past, Chu Ruofu thought that Li Yichen always had a smile on his face and a nonchalant expression, which made him look charming, but in reality, his charming fox eyes were cold.
He was quite easygoing with small animals, and his smile seemed genuine.
Li Yichen patted the dog, stood up, looked at Chu Ruofu, and said, "Shall I help you carry your suitcase upstairs?"
Chu Ruofu was about to politely refuse.
Li Yichen said, "The box looks quite heavy. I just wanted to help you."
Xia Yuqing was happy to see Li Yichen do the work, saying, "He wants to help you carry your suitcase, so just give it to him. It's great that someone is willing to do the work."
Chu Ruofu released the handle, and Li Yichen came over, bent down, and lifted her suitcase. It was indeed quite heavy. He carried the suitcase into the living room in the yard.
He didn't know what was in the girl's suitcase, but it was heavier than his. Li Yichen remained calm and walked quickly towards the spiral staircase in the living room.
The Samoyed whimpered and tried to follow, remembering that the man surnamed Li had said he would give it canned food.
"Mimi, don't rush." Li Yichen glanced back at the Samoyed that had broken free of its leash and said, "I'll put my sister's suitcase away first, then I'll come down and feed you canned food right away."
The Samoyed tilted its head and looked at him, its eyes full of expectation.
Looking at the adorable dog, Chu Ruofu couldn't resist going over to pet it a few more times, her eyes filled with affection.
Xia Yuqing handed the leash to Chu Ruofu and said, "I'm sweating a lot after walking Mimi around. I'm going to take a shower first. Can you untie the leash for her?"
"Okay." Chu Ruofu took the rope.
Xia Yuqing went upstairs, and Chu Ruofu squatted down next to the Samoyed, saying "Good boy/girl" while trying to untie its leash.
The Samoyed's leash was very tight, a harness-style leash that was very secure. This Samoyed was quite large, almost as tall as her when she squatted down. She was untying the leash, and the dog thought she was playing with it, so it came over to sniff it.
Chu Ruofu dodged its affection and said, "Mimi, don't move, don't move. I want to help you untie the leash."
The more she tried to dodge, the more excited the dog became. Not content with just rubbing against her, it even pounced on her and licked her face.
Chu Ruofu was startled. She had only ever petted other people's dogs, and she couldn't quite get used to the dog being so enthusiastic, as if she were a soft, fragrant little cake that the dog wanted to lick her clean.
After the last episode aired, Chu Ruofu gained hundreds of thousands of followers on Weibo overnight. Fans who admired her looks and those who shipped her with her on screen all followed her social media account. These fans are all waiting for the show to start.
I've been glued to my screen since the show started airing today. As soon as she entered the living room, many fans were watching. When they saw her being enthusiastically tackled by the dog, the number of comments on the screen increased several times over.
Live stream chat:
【Ahhhhh, my little sister is so cute!】
[Stay away from my Fu-mei, you stinky dog.]
[People who are afraid of dogs are sweating bullets; even angelic dogs look terrifying.]
[Someone come quick, help Fu Mei! She can't hold back the big dog.]
Doesn't this dog look like the fourth male lead?
[Upstairs...]
The dog was reckless and knocked Chu Ruofu to the ground. She pushed its head with her hands, trying to get up.
Help! She wasn't afraid of dogs, but being tackled to the ground by one was incredibly embarrassing, and a sense of fear instinctively rose within her.
"Mimi, sit down!" came a commanding voice.
When Li Yichen came downstairs, he saw the dog pounce on Chu Ruofu. He quickly went down the stairs and ordered the dog to stop, as its enthusiasm was frightening Chu Ruofu.
Upon hearing the command, the Samoyed, influenced by its humanized training, immediately released Chu Ruofu and obediently sat down in the open space.
Li Yichen bent down, grabbed Chu Ruofu's hand, and helped her up, asking, "Are you alright? What happened?"
Chu Ruofu stood up and straightened her skirt, following his lead, and said, "I'm fine. I was just trying to untie its leash, but it was too enthusiastic, and I couldn't handle it."
Her face flushed, and she looked slightly embarrassed and awkward.
Li Yichen looked away from the Samoyed, patted its head, and scolded, "Don't pounce on your sister, do you hear me?"
The Samoyed tilted its head and looked at him, a hint of disappointment in its eyes.
"If you do this again, I won't give you a can of food as a reward." Li Yichen's handsome face was serious.
Looking at his beautifully sculpted profile, Chu Ruofu knew he must have owned dogs and was quite skilled at training them.
The Samoyed whimpered in dissatisfaction, its face showing an anxious expression.
Chu Ruofu smiled, pursing her lips. She really didn't know how a dog could have so many little expressions.
Live stream chat:
[Has the second male lead ever owned a dog? He seems to be very good with dogs.]
Mimi almost lost her canned food.
[Li Yichen is quite handsome when he doesn't have an idol image to maintain.]
[That "sister" sounded so good; no wonder she's a top idol with a singing and dancing background.]
Li Yichen turned to look at her and asked, "I promised to feed it canned food, do you want to feed it?"
Chu Ruofu has no resistance to cute little animals. In the past, her family did not allow her to keep pets, so she could only watch cute cats and dogs on the Internet. She was very happy to be able to get close to dogs.
"Mmm," she replied.
Li Yichen bent down to untie the Samoyed's leash and said, "Next time you untie a big dog's leash, it's best not to squat down. Just bend over like this to untie it, and you won't get knocked over by the dog."
"I understand." Chu Ruofu watched as he untied the leash.
The Samoyed, unleashed from its leash, wagged its fluffy tail and rubbed against Li Yichen, indicating that it wanted canned food.
Li Yichen took a can of food from the living room cabinet and handed it to Chu Ruofu: "Go feed it."
Chu Ruofu walked to the sofa and sat down. The Samoyed came running to her, squatted down, and looked on expectantly.
She opened the can and placed it in front of the dog.
The Samoyed lowered its head and ate the canned food with great satisfaction.
Chu Ruofu looked at the dog with a gentle expression for a while, then looked up at Li Yichen and asked, "Where are the other guests?"
“It’s in the kitchen and dining room over in Building 2,” Li Yichen said.
The Heartbeat House that the production team rented this time was larger than the island villa, with a spacious living room, a white piano by the floor-to-ceiling window, and a reading area on the other side.
Go around the corridor to another building, where the kitchen and dining room are.
Seeing that the Samoyed had finished eating the canned food, Li Yichen bent down to pick up the empty tin box and threw it into the trash can, saying, "It's almost time for dinner, let's go to the dining room now."
Chu Ruofu got up and followed him, bypassing the reading area and passing through an indoor corridor to the other side.
The dining room and living room are luxuriously decorated, as beautiful as a French palace. The long dining table can seat twelve people and is decorated with plates, flowers and candlesticks, creating a special atmosphere.
The male guests wore shirts and trousers, while the female guests wore dresses of various colors, dressed as if they were attending a banquet.
The guests chatted, some sitting and some standing in the restaurant.
Chu Ruofu admired the production team of the "Romantic Encounter" program. They were really willing to invest in filming the variety show. No matter what kind of person they were, it would be hard not to have romantic feelings when they were in such a beautiful environment and faced with an elegant and refined person of the opposite sex.
Song Yi held a white-furred kitten in her arms. The kitten was as beautiful as a fairy, and its blue eyes were as beautiful as the azure Aegean Sea under the clear sky.
Chu Ruofu and Li Yichen appeared at the restaurant together, and their conversation fell silent for a second.
"Good evening," Chu Ruofu greeted.
When the cat in Song Yi's arms saw Chu Ruofu, it jumped down from her arms and came to Chu Ruofu's feet, rubbing against her fair legs, raising its tail high, and wrapping it around her slender ankles.
Everyone watched this scene unfold.
Song Yi laughed heartily, "You little fickle fellow."
With a slight smile in his fox-like eyes, Li Yichen said, "You're really popular with small animals."
Chu Ruofu looked down at the kitten at her feet, bent down and stroked its little head, and asked, "Mimi, what's your name?"
The Samoyed that followed thought it was being called and went over enthusiastically, but the Ragdoll cat jumped up and gave it a good beating, making the dog dodge away in a panic.
Chu Ruofu stared in disbelief and said, "Aren't they friends?"
"Cats and dogs are naturally incompatible." Lu Xubai said calmly, "Animals raised together from a young age will fight."
The Ragdoll cat chased the dog away, then came back and rubbed against her legs, acting all clingy.
Chu Ruofu bent down and picked it up, but after only two seconds, the cat broke free from her embrace and jumped down. She looked down at the cat rubbing against her feet in surprise and disappointment, not understanding what had happened.
Li Yichen explained to her, "You're holding it the wrong way. The way you were holding it just now, with its belly exposed, makes it feel very insecure."
Chu Ruofu asked him, "Then how should I hug you?"
Seeing that her attention was now entirely on him, Li Yichen's smile deepened. He bent down, picked up the ragdoll cat, and placed it in his arms. Less than a second later, the cat kicked off his chest and jumped out of his arms.
"..."
Everyone burst into laughter.
Song Yi said, "I didn't actually hold it for very long. It seems to be a proud cat that doesn't like being held."
"Everyone's here." A gentle voice came from inside.
Qiao Yimo walked in wearing a light-colored short skirt and high heels. When she saw the dog and cat in the kitchen, her smile faded.
How could there be animals in the restaurant? She lowered her long eyelashes to hide the fleeting look of disgust in her eyes.
"Whose dog and cat are these?" Qiao Yimo asked, pretending to like them.
Song Yi said, "The production team asked us to take care of the house's original owner's dog and cat for a period of time."
Xia Yuqing and Shen Wuyang rushed over from the corridor.
The staff prepared dinner, with red wine, champagne, coconut juice, and other beverages on the table. Chu Ruofu washed her hands with hand sanitizer and checked herself for any cat or dog hair before going to the restaurant to sit down.
To her left was Li Yichen, to her right was Lu Xubai who silently pulled out a chair and sat down, and opposite her was Gu Junsheng; she was almost surrounded by male guests.
During dinner, everyone chatted about recent events and hobbies. She ate quietly. There was a dish that was quite far from her. People with good dining etiquette don't reach for dishes that are far away from them, as it would be considered impolite.
Chu Ruofu looked at the dish with a conflicted expression. Lu Xubai subtly glanced at her facial expression and followed her gaze.
Lu Xubai stood up slightly, reached for the dish, and at the same time grabbed the plate with his other hand. He turned his head and met Li Yichen's calm, fox-like eyes.
The two of them reached out and grabbed a dish, immediately attracting the attention of the guests and the audience.
Li Yichen smiled and said, "Attorney Lu, please let go."
Lu Xubai saw through Li Yichen's intentions; he wasn't the only male guest at the table who was constantly paying attention to Chu Ruofu.
Thinking of Li Yichen shamelessly calling her "Fu Mei" so affectionately, Lu Xubai's handsome face turned cold, and he reminded her in a hard voice, "It's you who should let go."
A look of astonishment flashed across Chu Ruofu's eyes; these two were actually arguing over a dish.
Live stream chat:
[Are the third and second male leads fighting over food? They're fighting over people!]
[Hahaha, the male guests started vying for attention as soon as the show started.]
Why don't you two each take half?
[It's so exciting and thrilling! I love watching the male guests use their tricks.]
This stalemate wouldn't look good. Remembering his manager's repeated instructions not to show any signs of being greasy, Li Yichen smiled faintly and said, "Okay, you eat first."
He sat down and coldly watched as Lu Xubai handed the dishes to Chu Ruofu.
When Chu Ruofu saw Lu Xubai place the dishes in front of her, she quickly used her chopsticks to pick up some and put them in her bowl, urging him to put them back.
"Is that enough?" Lu Xubai's favoritism was frank and open.
Chu Ruofu nodded quickly, "That's enough, that's enough."
Xia Yuqing felt a pang of jealousy watching this scene. It's infuriating to compare yourself to others. She was so enthusiastic when she approached them, but they ignored her. Chu Ruofu, on the other hand, was quiet and reserved, yet she attracted a lot of attention.
Seeing that there was only half a cup of coconut juice in Chu Ruofu's cup, Li Yichen took the coconut juice bottle and silently filled it for her.
When Chu Ruofu saw this, she glanced at him. This time, he deliberately said something flirtatious and ambiguous, and smiled faintly at her, showing his thoughtfulness.
"This is really weird," Chu Ruofu thought to herself.
After dinner, the production team informed all the guests.
"Tonight, the guests will share a bedroom in pairs. The room numbers are displayed on a sign in the adjacent side room. The guests can choose which building to stay in."
"The female guests can go and choose the rooms they want to stay in tonight."
Upon hearing the production team's announcement, the group got up and walked to the next room. A rectangular wooden display board with room numbers was there. After making their selections, the female guests had to stick on badges with their own pictures on them to let everyone know which building and room they had chosen to live in.
They share a room in pairs and spend the night together.
Xia Yuqing immediately looked at Chu Ruofu and asked her, "Do you want to live with me?"
Chu Ruofu didn't care who she lived with and nodded in agreement: "Okay."
Xia Yuqing took down the room number 101 and said, "Let's stay in Building 1."
Qiao Yimo saw that Xia Yuqing had taken the door number of Building 1 without consulting her, and her eyes flashed with displeasure, but she held back and smiled at Song Yi.
Which building would you like to stay in?
Living in Building 1 means that all the female guests live in the same building, which reduces their opportunities to interact.
Song Yi replied calmly, "Either is fine."
Qiao Yimo chose room 201 in building number two.
After the female guests finished choosing their rooms, they returned to the restaurant, and the male guest went to choose his room.
The four male guests arrived in front of the room selection display board and saw the choices made by the female guests. Li Yichen quickly chose room 102 in building number one.
Lu Xubai really didn't want to share a room with anyone, but he had no choice but to accept the arrangement made by the production team. Of course, he wanted to be closer to Chu Ruofu, so he immediately snatched the remaining keys from the display board.
He will be sharing room 102 with Li Yichen.
Before Gu Junsheng and Shen Wuyang could react, they were overtaken and could only take the last remaining room, number 202.
After choosing their rooms, the guests went to pack their luggage and check in.
Chu Ruofu took out the tie she had brought back from her suitcase and sent a message to Gu Junsheng, preparing to go and compensate him for the tie.
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Author's Note: There will be an extra chapter with nutrient solution at midnight!
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