Chapter 9 In the darkness, their breaths intertwined. Ming Huai chuckled softly, his hand beneath the blanket ceaselessly moving, teasing every sensitive spot on Ji Tingqian's body. Sensing Ji Tingqian's breathing grow increasingly heavy, Ming Huai, as if greatly encouraged, intensified his movements.

Suddenly, he stopped, lowered his head to nip at Ji Tingqian's thin lips, and asked in a deceptively innocent whisper, "Why are you holding my hand? Does it feel uncomfortable?"

In a room cooled to over twenty degrees Celsius, an astonishing heat radiated from Ji Tingqian's body; his reason was nearly consumed by fire. The hand he held was soft, with delicate, tender skin—clearly unaccustomed to hard labor. Gazing directly at Ming Huai, Ji Tingqian rasped, "Get off."

Ming Huai feigned ignorance, pressing his body closer against Ji Tingqian. He struggled but couldn't break free from Ji Tingqian's restraint. In the darkness, he curled his lips slightly.

"Get off where?"

"Get off me."

Ji Tingqian truly felt his patience toward Ming Huai was exceptional.

"I won't,"

Ming Huai refused. Ming Huai was a man of action. He used his free hand to wrap around Ji Tingqian's arm, shifted his body slightly downward, buried his face against Ji Tingqian's chest, and forcefully intertwined his legs with Ji Tingqian's. For a moment, Ji Tingqian regretted agreeing to Director Gao's request to participate in this show. In his memory, he had never been in a relationship, nor had he ever been intimate with anyone before that encounter with Ming Huai. Yet he was a normal man; having tasted the flavors of desire, how could he possibly resist being teased like this by his former one-night stand?

At this moment, although Ji Tingqian told Ming Huai to get off him, a certain part of him had already honestly risen, pressing against Ming Huai until he felt weak all over and flushed crimson. Ming Huai was merely indulging in verbal and tactile pleasures; he didn't actually have the audacity to recklessly proceed here. Slowly, he shifted off Ji Tingqian. Ji Tingqian released his hand, but Ming Huai did not let go of Ji Tingqian. Once completely free, he instead doubled down, wrapping both arms tightly around the other man. Ji Tingqian closed his eyes briefly, attempting to quell the fire raging within him. His voice remained somewhat hoarse.

"Aren't you hot?"

Leaning against a familiar source of warmth and having consumed a little drink, sleep came quickly to Ming Huai. With his eyes half-closed, he murmured drowsily, "The air conditioning is on."

"You…"

Ji Tingqian intended to say more, but turning his head, he discovered the person beside him had already fallen asleep. Steady, light breathing brushed against the side of his neck. This quiet Ming Huai seemed slightly different from his usual self; he looked somewhat obedient. Obedient? Ji Tingqian almost laughed. How had that word suddenly come to mind? It had absolutely nothing to do with Ming Huai. Ultimately, for reasons unknown even to himself, Ji Tingqian did not withdraw his hand from Ming Huai's grasp. Thus, the two slept through the night in that position. The next morning, when Ming Huai opened his eyes, he felt somewhat disoriented. Blurrily glancing sideways, he noticed Ji Tingqian was no longer there. He quietly moved his leg, probing toward that side, then安心ly closed his eyes again. Still warm—he must have gotten up only minutes ago. Ming Huai hadn't slept so peacefully in a long time.

When he woke again, it was already past nine o'clock. After washing up, he stepped into the small courtyard where Chen Jun was preparing breakfast once more. White clouds drifted across the sky, and birdsong filled the air; Ming Huai's entire mood lifted. Smiling, he greeted, "Good morning, Teacher Chen!"

Chen Jun returned the smile.

"Good morning!"

"Is there anything you need help with?"

Ming Huai felt awkward standing idle. Glancing around, he realized Chen Jun was the only one present. Chen Jun added some firewood to the stove and said, "Go fetch some firewood, then pick a few spring onions and wash them."

The firewood was stacked nearby; the split logs were nearly exhausted. Ming Huai assessed that more needed to be gathered. Over the past few days, splitting wood had become second nature to him. Within just over ten minutes, wielding the axe, he swiftly split quite a few logs.After stacking some firewood to the side and washing the green onions, Ming Huai struck up a casual conversation with Chen Jun, who was kneading dough.

"Teacher Chen, why is it just the two of us here?" Chen Jun replied,

"Manman and Qu Mei went to the chicken coop to collect eggs, while Tingqian and Teacher Wang went to feed the sheep."

At the thought of Ji Tingqian feeding sheep, Ming Huai suddenly felt like laughing.

Suppressing his amusement, he asked, "Is there anything else you need me to do right now?"

Mornings were relatively relaxed; things would get hectic only after breakfast. Since there was nothing urgent for him to do, Chen Jun told him to just wait for the meal. So Ming Huai fetched a small stool, sat by the doorway, and began playing with the cats. The production team had raised two cats here—one named Da Mi and the other Xiao Mi. Though their breed was common, they were exceptionally cute, surprisingly perceptive, and quite affectionate, often willing to play with Ming Huai and the others. Ming Huai scooped up Da Mi and placed the cat on his lap. Da Mi obediently lay there, allowing Ming Huai to stroke its fur. As Ming Huai ran his hand over Da Mi's soft coat, his thoughts drifted elsewhere. He could still share a bed with Ji Tingqian for several more days; just thinking about it made him happy. Yet alongside that joy lingered a question: How had Ji Tingqian ended up here?

Ming Huai had assumed that as long as he was present, Ji Tingqian would never appear.

Before long, Ji Tingqian and the others returned one after another. To Ming Huai's surprise, accompanying Wang Lun and Ji Tingqian was another person whom Ming Huai recognized. Speaking of Fu Hairong, everyone in the industry knew him. At forty-five, his career had sailed smoothly, and just last year he won a major award at a prestigious international film festival. It was precisely through that film that Ji Tingqian secured his second Best Actor title. Although Ming Huai had never interacted with Fu Hairong before, Fu had taken a strong interest in him upon their first meeting. Despite his considerable fame, Fu Hairong was approachable. Except for Zhao Manman and Ming Huai, both newcomers, everyone else had prior connections with him, and their relationships were quite good. Ming Huai was surprised by Fu Hairong's contrasting demeanor but thought this side of him was rather nice.

"I'm not just saying this," Fu Hairong remarked, gazing intently at Ming Huai,

"Ming Huai, your face fits perfectly with a role in my next project."

Ji Tingqian, who enjoyed a fairly good relationship with Fu Hairong, immediately chimed in, his expression calm: "Then sign Ming Huai."

For a moment, Ming Huai didn't know how to respond. Everyone knew Fu Hairong's comment was merely casual, yet unexpectedly, Fu followed up with a startling statement, decisively announcing that he would contact Ming Huai's agent that very evening. With only one guest still absent, the production team issued another notice citing some unforeseen circumstances; the remaining participant would arrive in the afternoon. By the time breakfast finished, it was already eleven o'clock; calling it breakfast felt more like calling it lunch. Since everyone had eaten their fill, they decided to skip lunch altogether. Sugarcane, used as currency to exchange for supplies, was being consumed rapidly. After today's settlement, only twenty-odd stalks remained.

Meanwhile, the meat and vegetables in the small courtyard had been completely used up. These items needed to be purchased with money, and money had to be earned by exchanging sugarcane. Since dinner couldn't be skipped, Wang Lun first borrowed 150 yuan from the production team, planning to repay it after cutting sugarcane in the afternoon. Borrowing money was permitted within the show's rules; the production team simply required them to cut at least seven hundred stalks of sugarcane by the end of the day. Gathering around the table, everyone discussed what to prepare for dinner. With guests arriving, they naturally aimed for a better meal. Once everyone arrived, there would be eight people in total. After some deliberation, they decided to make five dishes. One would be braised fish; the fish wouldn't need purchasing—they could simply catch some from the nearby pond. As for the braised pork, the required meat would need to be bought in town.

Honey could be sourced locally. Bamboo shoots could be gathered from the mountain. Tasks were then assigned: buying the meat involved driving back and forth to town, a relatively easy job, so Qu Mei and Zhao Manman were sent to handle it. The remaining tasks were delegated to the men.The production team provided all the necessary equipment. After changing into sun-protective clothing, Ming Huai and the others headed to the sugarcane field. In truth, once the sugarcane was properly harvested, everything else would fall into place. It wasn't even noon yet; with five able bodies among them, if they divided the work evenly, each person would only need to cut a little over a hundred stalks. Easier said than done. Neither Ji Tingqian nor Fu Hairong were the type to act aloof, but they truly had zero experience cutting sugarcane. Wang Lun assigned Ji Tingqian to work with Ming Huai, while he and Chen Jun took Fu Hairong under their wing.

The group didn't gather in one section of the field; instead, they spread out widely. Watching Ji Tingqian's clumsy movements, Ming Huai felt an inexplicable sense of smugness. So there were actually things Ji Tingqian didn't know how to do. After enjoying Ji Tingqian's awkward attempts for a while, Ming Huai finally stepped in to demonstrate. As it turned out, Ji Tingqian's learning ability was excellent; before long, he was handling the task quite competently. Catching the smile lingering on Ming Huai's lips from the corner of his eye, Ji Tingqian suddenly swung his machete with much greater force. Once enough sugarcane had been cut, it needed to be transported. They had rented this small three-wheeled vehicle from the production team at a cost of fifty sugarcane stalks per day. The trike was somewhat difficult to operate, but Ming Huai gradually got the hang of it. Together, the two loaded the sugarcane onto the vehicle.

Unable to figure out how to drive, Ji Tingqian could only curl his tall frame up, competing for space with the piled stalks. Glancing back, Ming Huai couldn't help but burst out laughing. Slapping the handlebars, he laughed until he was gasping for breath, "Ji Tingqian, y-you're so hilarious!"

Rarely prone to anger, Ji Tingqian felt a flicker of irritation; recalling his current predicament, the tips of his ears turned slightly red. After several trips, Zhao Manman and Qu Mei returned. Arriving at the sugarcane field, they asked what tasks remained undone. Wang Lun thought for a moment, then instructed Ming Huai to take the others up the mountain to dig for bamboo shoots, leaving the sugarcane field to himself and the women. Everyone possessed considerable life experience; wielding their hoes, digging here and there, they soon exposed the tender young shoots. Qu Mei was mature yet witty, Zhao Manman was a chatterbox, and Ming Huai, being good-natured, responded to whatever was said. Even though Ji Tingqian was notoriously taciturn, the atmosphere remained lively. Since this area was rich with bamboo shoots, everyone stayed here to dig. As they worked, Zhao Manman suddenly asked, "Brother Ji, Brother Ming Huai, have you two known each other for quite some time?"

She meant no ulterior motive; she simply felt compelled to ask after witnessing their embrace yesterday. Given how intimately familiar the two had appeared the day before, Qu Mei didn't discourage the topic; instead, she showed a hint of interest. This question stumped Ming Huai. Instinctively, he turned to look at Ji Tingqian, only to find Ji Tingqian looking right back at him. Gazing steadily at Ming Huai, Ji Tingqian slowly replied, "Yes, for quite a long time."

Ming Huai's heart was suddenly tossed high into the air before plummeting heavily downward. An indescribable discomfort welled up inside him, a suffocating tightness that made him feel terrible. So distressed was he that he could no longer focus his attention on Ji Tingqian. Ji Tingqian had spoken a lie, yet Ming Huai knew it was the truth. Fixating on the tiny bamboo shoot before him, his eyes began to sting uncontrollably. He blinked fiercely, repeatedly reminding himself where he was and what occasion this was. After churning violently within him, the surge of emotion was finally suppressed. Next, the group moved to the fish pond, where they exerted tremendous effort to catch just a few fish. Ming Huai's absent-mindedness was obvious; while trying to catch fish, he actually tripped and fell into the pond. His waterproof suit proved useless; the clothes underneath were soaked in dirty, muddy water. Ji Tingqian reacted first, rushing to help Ming Huai up.

Once steady, Ji Tingqian frowned and asked, "Did you hurt anywhere?"

Ming Huai shook his head. Pulling his hand away from Ji Tingqian's grip, he smiled indifferently, just as he always did.

"It's nothing, it's nothing."

On the way back, Ji Tingqian occasionally glanced in Ming Huai's direction. Ming Huai still appeared cheerful, yet for some reason, Ji Tingqian felt certain that Ming Huai was unhappy. However, try as he might, he couldn't figure out why.After returning, Ming Huai immediately took a shower and changed into fresh clothes. By then it was already past six in the evening. Glancing toward the center of the courtyard, he noticed everyone had gathered together. He guessed the final guest must have arrived. Steeling himself, he walked over. Yet, upon getting a clear look at the newcomer, Ming Huai felt utterly disheartened. From several meters away, he distinctly caught a fleeting glimpse of disgust in Lin Zhimeng's eyes.