As dusk began to fall, the barbecue party officially began.
Jin Zhihan and Chu Yao had personally prepared all the ingredients. They had already divided the work between them: Jin Zhihan would grill, while Chu Yao would take care of serving everyone.
After Bai Jishen arrived, he voluntarily took over the grilling.
He was from West City, a place famous as the barbecue capital. From childhood, his family had taken him outdoors to grill meat skewers, fish, and shrimp. He had grown up immersed in it and had long since mastered both heat control and seasoning.
Jiang Xizhe helped beside him, handling small tasks such as fanning the coals and passing him bottles of seasoning.
When the others tried to help, Bai Jishen waved them off grandly. He said the two of them could manage and told everyone else to wait for the food. Too many people crowding around the grill would only create chaos.
As the one responsible for keeping the atmosphere lively, Lu Yiwen poured everyone a glass of beer and began looking for topics to chat about.
The biggest talking point of the day was unquestionably Jin Zhihan sending a private jet to deliver crabs to his wife. Before coming over, Lu Yiwen had already seen the video on the trending topics. If anyone wanted to know what romance among the ultra-rich looked like, this was practically an idol drama staged for the entire public.
Netizens were all guessing in the comments whether the plane had already been given to Chu Yao, and if so, when it had happened. Otherwise, why would his surname be on it?
Lu Yiwen seized the opportunity and asked directly.
“Teacher Chu, allow me to interview you on behalf of the great masses of gossip-loving viewers. Under what circumstances did President Jin give you that plane?”
Lu Yiwen knew perfectly well what Jin Zhihan was capable of. Stellar Entertainment commanded half the entertainment industry; giving away a private jet was hardly beyond him. There was no need to confirm whether it had been a gift. Better to go straight to the important part.
Chu Yao had just put the crabs on to cook and had been seated for less than five minutes. He had planned to crack some sunflower seeds, only to be suddenly called on.
“Brother Lu, I don’t even understand your question. What do you mean by ‘circumstances’?” Jiang Xizhe looked up while brushing sauce onto the skewers.
Lu Yiwen said, “Like a proposal, a birthday, something like that. Something that expensive couldn’t have been given away for no particular reason, right?”
Chu Yao thought back. There really had not been anything special about the occasion.
“We were having dinner together that day. He told me he had ordered a plane for me. I thought I’d never use it and told him to return it, but he didn’t listen.” Chu Yao cracked sunflower seeds as he answered as casually as if it were nothing.
Lu Yiwen had been hoping to dig up some earth-shattering romantic gossip.
That was it?
Sure enough, ordinary people’s logic could not be used to understand rich people.
“President Jin, then what made you decide to buy your wife a plane?” Wen Xu followed up. He had a feeling they could get something worthwhile out of Jin Zhihan.
Jin Zhihan lowered his eyes. He seemed to hesitate for a moment before looking up and saying, “That day marked the nine-hundred-and-ninety-ninth day since we met. Anything else felt too insignificant to give.”
Lu Yiwen slapped his palm excitedly. “See? I knew it! What husband gives a gift without choosing an anniversary? I always make my move on special dates…”
Before he could finish, Wen Xu shot him a sidelong glance and coolly asked, “So that’s why you only ever give me presents on anniversaries? Are you unwilling to put in any extra thought the rest of the time, or are you simply stingy?”
Lu Yiwen instantly fell silent. He had truly dug a pit for himself.
Why had he dragged himself into it while discussing someone else?
Zhao Jing was perceptive enough to catch the brief flash of surprise across Chu Yao’s face. He instinctively asked, “Chu Yao, don’t tell me you forgot that day?”
“……” It could not even be called forgetting. He had never known there was such an anniversary in the first place.
For two grown men, weren’t they being a little too meticulous? Celebrating nine hundred and ninety-nine days since they met—was that supposed to symbolize lasting forever?
Chu Yao silently complained as though he were an uninvolved bystander, but the moment the phrase “lasting forever” crossed his mind, his entire body suddenly jolted.
He turned toward the man beside him with an expression of disbelief.
If it were just the two of them right now, he would absolutely ask Jin Zhihan whether he had secretly fallen for him. Otherwise, how could he remember a day like that and even give him a gift for it?
Only when someone mattered in your heart would you remember everything connected to them.
Before Chu Yao could answer, Jin Zhihan had already explained for him. “He was rushing from one job to another in Europe those few days and was exhausted. I wanted to surprise him, so I didn’t tell him in advance.”
That made perfect sense. When celebrities got busy, they spun around like tops. They could even forget whether they had eaten, much less remember to celebrate an anniversary.
[President Jin’s wife-spoiling persona is completely unshakable. Who would’ve thought such a handsome, filthy-rich domineering CEO would actually be completely devoted to his wife?]
[Even a CEO who has a million things to do every day can remember the anniversary of when they met. I turned around and slapped my goldfish-brained husband. Let’s see if he dares use being busy at work as an excuse for forgetting our wedding anniversary next time.]
[Before watching this show, I thought Baby Yao would be the more proactive one. Never in a million years did I expect President Jin to be the one holding the devoted-lover script.]
[I’m so happy for Chu Yao. Out of that vast sea of people, he found a lifelong partner who loves him and cares about him this much. He must finally be able to feel the warmth of family now, right?]
“No matter what, President Jin, I really admire you.” Bai Jishen, who was grilling nearby, joined the conversation. Casually sprinkling cumin over the skewers, he smiled and said, “I need to learn from you. From now on, I won’t miss a single anniversary worth celebrating.”
Zhao Jing heard that and plainly did not believe him.
He deliberately exposed his own husband. “Then tell me what day the two of us first met.”
“How could I forget that? September eleventh.” Bai Jishen answered immediately.
“You don’t remember it only because of the terrorist attacks in the United States, do you?” Lu Yiwen tossed a peanut into his mouth with a teasing grin.
Chu Yao had been put on the spot by him all day, so he seized the chance to retaliate. “Stop worrying about everyone else’s anniversaries. Tell us about your own. I don’t believe you can answer everything I ask.”
At that, Lu Yiwen straightened up at once. “Go on, try me.”
“What day did you and Teacher Wen hold hands for the first time?” Chu Yao leaned lazily back in his chair, arms folded comfortably across his chest.
“That’s easy. The first time we held hands was on the finale of the show.”
“What was the exact date?”
“I think it was June eighth… or ninth…” Lu Yiwen suddenly sounded uncertain.
Chu Yao shrugged and gave Wen Xu an apologetic look. “Sorry, Teacher Wen. I really didn’t mean to sow discord between you two.”
Everyone else burst out laughing. Wen Xu continued eating his fruit as usual. “I’m used to it. He’s got a pig’s brain.”
“Ahem.” Lu Yiwen coughed heavily and tugged at Wen Xu’s sleeve. “Wife, leave me a little dignity.”
Wen Xu turned and glared at him. He could not even remember a special anniversary and still had the nerve to ask for dignity.
“The barbecue’s here.” Jiang Xizhe came over carrying a platter, conveniently giving Lu Yiwen a way out. Lu Yiwen immediately picked up a squid skewer. “Wife, your favorite.”
“Don’t borrow someone else’s flowers to flatter me. Brother Shen worked hard grilling that.” As he spoke, Wen Xu signaled with his eyes for Lu Yiwen to go take over from Bai Jishen.
Even if Bai Jishen knew how to grill, they could not let him stand there serving everyone the entire time. His back would be exhausted.
Lu Yiwen immediately got up and went over to Bai Jishen. “Brother Shen, go rest for a while. I’ll take over.”
“I’m not tired. Go sit down and eat.”
“It’s fine. I wanted to give it a try anyway.” Lu Yiwen was persistent.
Bai Jishen had no choice but to go sit down.
Somehow, the topic drifted back to Chu Yao again. Zhao Jing teasingly asked him, “What did it feel like when you saw that your husband had specially flown in the crabs you wanted to eat?”
With Jin Zhihan sitting right there, Chu Yao felt too embarrassed to say much. He had never been someone who was good at sentimental speeches in the first place.
So, on the pretext of checking whether the crabs were done, he sent Jin Zhihan into the kitchen.
Only after Jin Zhihan had left did Chu Yao speak. “People who know me probably know that my family situation growing up wasn’t very good. I was raised under my father’s indifference and didn’t receive much affection as a child. Our relationship improved somewhat after I grew up, but the regrets from childhood can’t really be repaired. So having someone remember what I like to eat and bring it to me from so far away… it really moves me. It makes me feel cherished.”
As he spoke, Chu Yao sensed that the atmosphere had become rather heavy, so he hurriedly joked, “I wasn’t deliberately trying to make myself sound pitiful just now. I was only telling the truth.”
Wen Xu could tell that Chu Yao was forcing a smile at that moment. When he had reached the last sentence, his voice had noticeably caught for an instant. The joke afterward was probably his way of pulling himself out of the negative emotion.
“President Jin treats you well because you deserve it! Love goes both ways.” Zhao Jing smiled, his voice warm and comforting.
Chu Yao thought back to that moment. When he had seen that enormous box of crabs, he truly had not known how to react.
He could remain indifferent in the face of other people’s hostility. If someone genuinely angered him, worst case, he could fight back. But when someone gave him kindness and care, he had no idea what to do with it.
He wanted to immediately give something back, yet had no idea where to begin.
That was why he had seemed so dazed at the time and had failed to give Jin Zhihan the response he deserved.
If someone wanted to attack him for it, they would probably say he was cold-hearted and unmoved even by a surprise from his husband. In truth, his emotions had already been churning violently inside him; he simply had not shown any of it on his face.
The atmosphere had turned warm and tender. Just as everyone was immersed in a wistful, moonlit mood, Bai Jishen suddenly blurted out something completely unrelated. “Teacher Chu, you still haven’t done your punishment task.”
Chu Yao looked at Bai Jishen in confusion, wondering whether he had misheard.
What mechanism had he triggered this time?
“The directing team told me in advance to bring this up.” Bai Jishen immediately passed the blame and looked toward Zhao Jing. “Find a way to keep President Jin occupied. Don’t let him come back out yet.”
While grilling earlier, Bai Jishen had been wondering how he could lure the tiger away from the mountain. Unexpectedly, Chu Yao had helped him without realizing it by sending President Jin away from the table.
Zhao Jing asked whether Chu Yao and Jin Zhihan had any oranges in their refrigerator. Chu Yao nodded.
“All right. I’ll say you want freshly squeezed orange juice.” Zhao Jing smiled at Chu Yao and cheerfully went off.
Only then did Bai Jishen explain in detail. “On the first day, you two failed the compatibility challenge, but only President Jin’s side received a punishment. Since the task should go both ways, the directing team prepared task cards for you too. You can draw three.”
As he spoke, Bai Jishen pulled a stack of cards from his jacket pocket.
“So you’re saying I have to complete three tasks?” Chu Yao confirmed, questioning his entire existence.
“Not only that. You’re a professional entertainer, so the difficulty has to be increased too.” Bai Jishen gave him a sympathetic look. “You are about to face Punishment Task 2.0 Plus Edition.”
Over by the grill, Lu Yiwen burst into loud laughter, delighted by the spectacle.
Chu Yao was completely speechless.
The longest road he had ever walked was the production team’s endless schemes.
