I have a persona specifically for acting.

In the second round, Zhong Muxi drew the “Ghost” card.

Chang Xiaonian, who drew the smallest card, didn’t make things difficult for her; she just asked what Zhong Muxi’s favorite food was. Zhong Muxi quietly answered “Cake,” and the game continued. Compared to the handsome men and beautiful women present, no one seemed to care about her answer. It was as if, in school, she was just one of those ordinary students whom no one paid much attention to, neither bullied nor interested in.

As she spoke, Zhong Muxi’s gaze was lowered.

This caused her to miss the fact that Han Zhi had been intently watching her throughout her answer.

In the next round, Wei Zekai, who drew another “Dare,” had to cook a meal with Chang Xiaonian.

Both of them were clueless about cooking and were instantly at a loss, while Chang Xiaonian was somewhat pleased.

These little details about the girls were fully revealed on camera.

In the third round, He Shun, who drew the “Ghost King” card, chose “Truth.” Zhong Muxi impulsively asked him, “What type of girl do you like?”

Everyone looked at her in surprise.

“Probably a gentle and virtuous girl, someone more homey. I place a lot of importance on family warmth.”

He Shun was also a bit surprised but answered the straightforward question honestly.

【So this glasses-wearing girl has an interest in me too?】 He Shun’s inner voice held a trace of condescension.

Zhong Muxi glanced at the lie detector and quickly looked down.

Her hands clenched tightly under the table.

Zhong Muxi’s inner thoughts were on the verge of breaking down: 【How could there be no lie? Am I not gentle or virtuous enough? Tong Zhao can’t cook or wash dishes! Why lie? Why?】

……

The lighting technician was surprised: “Were Zhong Muxi and He Shun in a relationship before?”

“No, they didn’t know each other before joining the reality show. Zhong Muxi doesn’t have any feelings for He Shun,” the director said, showing the detected affection level. Zhong Muxi’s affection for He Shun was only 30, which fell into the category of “feeling uncomfortable being alone with him in an elevator.”

The scriptwriter sympathetically looked at the glasses-wearing girl on the observation screen: “Didn’t Zhong Muxi think that He Shun resembled her ex-boyfriend? Maybe she projected the same doubts. Why, even though He Shun says he likes gentle and virtuous girls, he end up showing affection to a princess-type girl who doesn’t know anything?”

Zhong Muxi drew the dare card again, and her task was to watch a romantic movie with Han Zhi.

In the final round, Tong Zhao drew the ghost card.

Chang Xiaonian asked her how many boyfriends she had had, with a hint of curiosity and mild jealousy in her probing.

In this reality show, Tong Zhao’s identity card indicated that she had no romantic experience.

Tong Zhao’s eyes curved slightly, and a genuine smile spread across her lips.

“None.”

Wei Zekai, who also had no romantic experience, looked at her with a look of approval, noting that she should be protected.

The burden on the judge’s shoulders was indeed heavy.

*

The screen in the game room announced that the task was successfully completed.

Today’s reward was that all players would receive a day’s worth of ingredients.

Since it was only the second day, everyone was still not very familiar with each other. The two young girls stuck together like conjoined twins, while He Shun and Tong Zhao carried out the task on their identity cards—He Shun was the “teacher” and had to tutor Tong Zhao, who drew the “female student” card. Over the course of a month, there would be three tests, and failure to pass would result in penalties for both.

Although there was a study room in the estate, Tong Zhao requested to have the classes at the long table in the living room, citing He Shun’s gender as the reason.

He Shun agreed, showing no outward dissatisfaction, but felt a bit regretful inside.

The production team observed that his favorability towards Tong Zhao had increased, reaching the threshold of “not believing others’ negative comments about her.”

“One moment he’s all over the place,” one female staff member said, puzzled, “He Shun wanted to be alone with Tong Zhao, but she didn’t give him that chance. He feels regretful, yet his favorability increased? Can someone explain this from a man’s perspective?”

A male screenwriter tried to relate and found he felt the same way: “Men often take advantage of any chance they get. It feels good to benefit from a girl, but they will only really like a girl who values herself and has principles… Plus, when the chance to be alone does come, it feels even more rewarding! If it were me, I’d start looking forward to the opportunity to be alone with Tong Zhao from this moment on, and would be very willing to go out of my way to win her approval.”

The lighting technician said, “Thanks, that made me feel a bit cheapened.”

Wei Zekai and Han Zhi were left alone.

Han Zhi was reading in the room, while Wei Zekai, who had been playing video games on the sofa, dozed off with his head tilted, setting an alarm for the night before he fell asleep.

After all, he had drawn the “Dare” card and had to cook dinner with Miss Chang.

Wei Zekai was quite troubled.

His peak cooking skills in this lifetime were during the heyday of games like Cooking Mama and Kitchen Nightmares. His culinary prowess in the games was impressive, but in reality, he was rather clueless.

Fortunately, Tong Zhao and Han Zhi were in the same group; they were both quite straightforward, so he could relax.

Otherwise, he would really be in a bind.

Chang Xiaonian was also very worried.

She thought about it and decided to consult Han Zhi, who was known for his excellent cooking. He carefully taught her two quick dishes and was even more easygoing than she had expected.

However, by the evening, Chang Xiaonian’s worries came true.

She asked Wei Zekai to assist her. He was quite obedient, rolling up his sleeves without a word and getting to work. While she handled other ingredients, she turned around to find that he had turned the onions into onion paste.

“……”

Wei Zekai’s handsome eyebrows were filled with pride. “My knife skills are pretty good, right? Who wouldn’t say that’s impressive?”

Chang Xiaonian opened her mouth and then, with restraint, closed it.

“I’ll handle this. You go help me cook the rice,” she instructed gently.

Wei Zekai, who had just tested his knife skills, found cooking somewhat interesting. He thought that such a simple task seemed beneath his talents, but given that it was a request from a girl, he decided to go to the rice cooker after washing the rice.

Wei Zekai carefully rinsed the rice.

Seeing his reliable actions, Chang Xiaonian felt a bit reassured.

When she finished preparing the dishes and went to serve the rice, she opened the lid and saw a pot of…

Stir-fried rice.

The grains were distinct, and the rice was stuck together, occasionally forming clumps, resembling cat litter.

……

“Wei Zekai,” Chang Xiaonian exclaimed in shock, “Did you cook the rice without adding water!?”

What kind of mistake is this?

Wei Zekai was even more shocked. “You have to add water when cooking rice!?”

With no other option, Chang Xiaonian had to add water and cook it again.

The rice that came out of this second cooking was wet on the outside but hard on the inside, with a very poor texture. When Wei Zekai took the first bite, he almost spit it out but managed to swallow it only because it was his own work. The others looked at Han Zhi with a hint of longing for the meals he prepared but didn’t say anything.

Tong Zhao took two bites and then put down her bowl.

The AI captured her thoughts:

[Just because there’s rice in the bowl doesn’t mean it can be called rice. This bowl should be called carbohydrates at most.]

“I’ll meet you in the pottery room at eight. I’m going to take a walk to digest,” she said, glancing down at her bowl and chopsticks with a troubled expression. Han Shun immediately offered, “Go ahead, I’ve eaten enough. I’ll wash your dishes for you.”

Such a casual offer.

To Chang Xiaonian, Han Shun had already become a complete “simp.” She couldn’t help but feel a bit of sympathy for the gentle and handsome guy who would be alone with Tong Zhao to do pottery later.

I hope that after coming out of the pottery room, there won’t be another “simp” in the manor.

But it doesn’t really matter now.

Chang Xiaonian was feeling quite distressed.

She had no romantic experience, loved reading novels, and read many Taiwanese pocketbooks during school that featured stories about campus princes falling in love. After starting work, she read a lot of stories about perfect relatives slapping faces and green tea bitches, learning about human relationships from novels, with no real-life opportunity to interact with a big shot.

She joined this activity with high hopes and felt that Wei Zekai was just like the campus prince she had imagined when she arrived at the manor.

Although he had a poor attitude, was absorbed in playing games, and seemed disinterested in women, he was rich and handsome. Wasn’t he the perfect leading man?

Unexpectedly, when she finally got a chance to be alone with him, she found out—

How could this guy be so clueless?

Wasn’t a prince supposed to excel at everything effortlessly?

And it was just cooking rice!

Miss Chang looked resentfully at the sofa, only to find that the previously lounging Wei Zekai was nowhere to be seen.

—

At exactly eight o’clock, Tong Zhao pushed open the door to the pottery studio.

The walls of the studio were decorated with rows of hanging ceramic artworks. The table was equipped with a full set of pottery tools, and the pottery wheel was small and delicate. Han Zhi was already seated, glancing over at her with evident anticipation. The bright light in the room and his gaze created a relaxing and comforting atmosphere.

He was the kind of man who made it easy to let down one’s guard.

“Have you been here long?” she asked.

“Just arrived,” he said. “I wanted to see if there were any tutorials. I’ve already learned a bit of the basics,” Han Zhi arranged the tools neatly like little soldiers and motioned for her to sit beside him. “It’s a bit challenging, but it’s quite fun, like playing with mud…”

As he spoke, he chuckled, “Because it is like playing with mud.”

Preparing for a date in advance was already a step ahead of many other men.

What was even more impressive was how natural he made it seem, not treating it as an achievement to boast about but as a thoughtful gesture subtly integrated into the experience.

Tong Zhao took a seat beside him and then noticed him magically pull out a thermal box from beside the stool and push it in front of her. Inside the box was a sandwich with egg salad. “I made some extra for myself after dinner, and since you didn’t seem to have a good meal, I made a bit more. If you don’t mind, you can have some to fill your stomach.”

—

“Thank you. I really didn’t eat well; that meal was hard to describe.”

She complained in a spoiled tone, like a young lady who felt entitled.

Tong Zhao picked up the sandwich and began to eat. The white toast was lightly toasted and still warm, likely made not long before.

While she ate, Han Zhi looked away and drew a cute chibi bunny in his sketchbook.

Tong Zhao, curious, asked, “Can you draw?”

“I was just looking at a tutorial that said pottery doesn’t have to be about making cups; you can also make figurines. The coloring tools here are quite complete,” Han Zhi said with a smile. “I didn’t know what to make at first, but when I saw you eating, I thought of making a bunny.”

Tong Zhao, munching on her sandwich, paused and asked, “Do I look like a bunny?”

Han Zhi, though young and dressed neatly, had an inexplicable air of weariness about him, as if he had experienced many things and returned with a calm and gentle demeanor. It felt like if you threw a tantrum in front of him, you would only receive a tolerant look.

Such a man would be classified as an “older man” in books targeted at middle school students—

—

In romance novels, the male lead is often considered youthful, and by the age of twenty-eight, he’s already called “uncle,” akin to a twenty-three-year-old eSports veteran.

Upon hearing this, Han Zhi, for the first time since Tong Zhao entered, stared at her intently.

Though he only maintained his gaze for about five seconds before looking away.

“It shouldn’t be like that; I just suddenly thought of it.”

—

This was different from the initial expectations of the show’s crew regarding the “player” scenario.

Han Zhi, holding the “Writer” identity card, didn’t say any elaborate romantic lines to her. Even now, he didn’t climb the ladder to praise her for being as cute as a bunny.

The production assistant pondered, “Even if Han Zhi is a top-notch handsome guy, pretending to genuinely praise a girl he just met as being like a little bunny… that’s pretty cringy! I’d rather he stayed silent and be a mute handsome guy!”

The men in the crew didn’t understand.

Women’s definitions of what is cringy are indeed hard to grasp.

Yet, Han Zhi managed to control that line perfectly.

After Tong Zhao finished the sandwich, the large screen in the ceramics studio displayed the task requirements for completing the adventure: “Create three beginner-level ceramic pieces, one of which must be a joint effort.”

Han Zhi interpreted it: “So, we each make one ceramic figure, and then we collaborate on one to complete the task.”

“That’s about the idea.”

Tong Zhao took a tissue to wipe her hands and began to sculpt a ceramic figure under Han Zhi’s guidance.

Though Han Zhi claimed to only know a little, his actual handling of the task was like that of a teacher.

He could answer any questions Tong Zhao had immediately.

He was extremely skilled.

Tong Zhao looked at him skeptically: “Is this really your first time doing ceramics?”

“Mm.”

Han Zhi answered, and just as Tong Zhao thought he would keep up the pretense, he suddenly revealed a refined and subtle smile: “This kind of thing… At the beginning, when you bring a girl along, it might seem like you’re trying to hold her hand, which is too obvious. By the time the relationship progresses to that stage, it becomes cliché.”

His deep voice echoed in the quiet ceramics studio, like a sudden thunderclap.

Tong Zhao’s breath caught slightly, and her heartbeat quickened.

She pondered: *Is he revealing his true self so quickly?*

Normal romantic interactions often develop gradually, and the excitement comes from less experience.

Even holding hands can make someone anxious throughout an entire movie.

For an experienced person, holding hands and whispering during a movie is quite natural. It’s either enjoyed together or, for a novice, a nervous attempt at routines they’ve seen done many times before. Excitement has a threshold, similar to how readers felt about time-travel novels when they first became popular. Authors could spend an entire chapter discussing life before the time travel and the reasons behind it, as there was still novelty.

Later on?

With ten, a hundred, or even thousands of time-travel and reverse time-travel novels…

The result is that readers become numb. Numbness aside, they still read. Just as with a sea king’s romantic embraces, even if many have experienced similar things, it doesn’t stop the action—it just isn’t as exciting anymore.

So, skip the guessing phase and get straight to the point.

To evoke romantic feelings in front of an experienced person, one must rely on surprise—

Han Zhi initiated the advance.

“So if you wanted to hold her hand, how would you do it?”

Tong Zhao didn’t look at him, seemingly focused and interested as she molded the clay in her hands.

But she felt his gaze on her hands.

Her delicate, fair hands looked like snow against the clay.

“If you want to shape it like an ear, you’re doing it wrong,”

Han Zhi leaned closer, his lips near her ear. He reached out to correct the clay doll’s ear, his large, defined hand close to hers but deliberately avoiding direct contact.

He smiled and asked, “I’m also struggling with this issue. How about you teach me?”

His deep voice carried a hint of laughter, with a languid undertone of unspoken desire.

Tong Zhao couldn’t help but lift her eyes to glance at him, as if she had misheard his leading question. Under the bright lights, his demeanor was calm and composed, yet an ambiguous tension lingered between them, a distance close enough that one could easily pull the other into an embrace.

First, she steered the conversation back to a more serious topic, and once the distance was closed, she maintained a serious demeanor.

As she began to imagine, he provided further subtle cues for continued flirtation…

In terms of pure desire, Han Zhi was indeed a master.

What was he troubled by?

Whether it was about how to hold a girl’s hand or how to mold clay?

Tong Zhao, stirred by his teasing, took his hand in hers.

“Do I really need to teach you this too?”

She looked up at him, her pale eyes filled with irritation from being teased, making her look particularly fierce—different types of men have corresponding strategies, and in Tong Zhao’s eyes, both Han and the current flirt were in need of discipline and correction. The difference was that pretending to be innocent with Han Zhi was useless; a harsh approach was needed for a seasoned flirt.

Tong Zhao curled her lips into a cold smile and spoke in a soft, seductive tone, “Zhi-ge.”

These two words seemed to have magic. After she spoke them, both “sea kings” were momentarily stunned.

He felt that this term of address seemed strangely familiar…

In a moment of relaxation from Han Zhi, Tong Zhao took the opportunity to assert herself. She smeared the clay-covered hand across his exquisitely handsome face and teased, “The only thing about me that resembles a rabbit is that I’m particularly capable. Aren’t you curious to try it?”

As soon as she said this, she pulled back, clearly indicating she was just teasing and ready to leave.

Han Zhi quickly reacted and grabbed her wrist to hold her in place.

Facing Tong Zhao’s fierce gaze, Han Zhi’s heart raced even faster than before—

He wasn’t mistaken; Tong Zhao was indeed not the innocent, delicate flower she appeared to be. Her true nature was that of a domineering, arrogant beauty, and her inherent beauty carried a strong aggressive force when revealed.

This was also related to the era’s background.

In the feudal era, the Imperial Concubine Chen was like a red silk sleeve tied around the emperor’s neck—a kind of dominance that was still soft and charming. The emperor’s emotions were under her control. Without the emperor’s authority to suppress her, the Imperial Concubine Chen’s imposing presence felt as though she might stomp on his face with her high heels at any moment.

Han Zhi’s gaze lingered on her rosy lips, his heart stirred deeply.

“Why? Not letting go?”

Tong Zhao squinted, ready to turn hostile at any moment.

“Not really willing to let go.”

Han Zhi admitted candidly, and in the next instant, he decided on his strategy. His poetic features took on a vulnerable expression, his aura softening to appear harmless, like a gentle teacher. Before releasing her wrist, he leaned in and brushed his face against the small patch of skin she had smeared with clay.

Then, he let go of her hand.

Tong Zhao’s pupils widened slightly in surprise. The unexpected touch had startled her, but her agitation calmed down… She tilted her head, using the back of her hand to wipe the clay off her cheek while scrutinizing Han Zhi.

He still looked obedient.

Just moments ago, they had almost crossed a line.

From boiling to cooling down, it only took a thought.

After a brief pause, she curved her lips into a playful smile and complimented him, “Quick reaction—knows that I’m more responsive to gentleness than to force.”

Han Zhi was taken aback by the praise, revealing a hesitant expression as if he had hit a sensitive spot.

“Don’t,”

Han Zhi’s eyes crinkled with a spring-like smile, “I can be quite assertive too.”

“Forget it,” Tong Zhao sneered, diving back into her pottery project with much more force, making it seem like she was trying to crush the fox doll’s head: “Do you think I’m like Chang Xiaonian? Someone who likes domineering CEOs?”

Han Zhi didn’t respond.

He wouldn’t criticize another girl in front of Tong Zhao.

“I get irritated when I see men showing off in front of me. Damn it, I can’t stand pretentious people,” Tong Zhao roughly shaped a crude fox doll. Her craftsmanship had always been average; previously, the pouches she made for the emperor were all done by palace maids. She was more like a project manager. After finishing the doll, she added, “Oh, except for myself.”

Han Zhi listened quietly while finishing his own piece.

Tong Zhao glanced at his wheel and noticed a bunny doll with a puffed-out face, much more delicate and beautiful than hers. She raised an eyebrow, “Is this how you see me?”

“Temporarily, yes.”

Han Zhi met her gaze calmly, not planning to back down this time.

[I’ve realized, this is a particularly difficult woman.]

[Being too domineering and tough won’t work; she’ll turn hostile. Acting meek and weak will just get her to look down on you. Objectively, apart from her top-notch beauty, she has many annoying personality traits. In front of someone like He Shun, she still has the interest to put on a show, but it won’t last long. Once the other person falls deeply in love with her, her true nature will be revealed.]

Han Zhi analyzed with a detached mindset.

—

In the production team:

The lighting technician clicked his tongue in amazement: “From Han Zhi’s inner monologue, it looks like he and Tong Zhao have no chemistry at all?”

The scriptwriter gave him a look: “It’s obvious he hasn’t been in a relationship. The sexual tension between them is so strong that I suspect if it weren’t for the restriction on explicit content… but then again, considering Han Zhi’s true identity, it’s a bit complicated.”

—

[Cynical, domineering, capricious, self-important…]

[If we were to sketch her personality, Tong Zhao would certainly be full of flaws.]

Han Zhi thought, giving her a provocative smile: “If you don’t want to be a prickly little bunny, then show me your other strengths.”

Tong Zhao looked at him with curiosity, thinking he was a master of adaptation, and quite a cunning old fox.

[Let me see what other tricks you have—]

With this passionate thought, she grabbed his arm and pulled him towards her, kissing his lips forcefully.

Tong Zhao’s actions were so intense that they knocked over the recently made ceramic figures.

The ugly fox was pinned down by the aggressive rabbit on the table and couldn’t get up.