
The chief director and assistant director stared at the monitor:
Chief director and assistant director: ???
Chief director and assistant director: !!!!!
The chief director felt as if his hair wasn’t just falling out anymore—it was shedding in chunks!
This... this... this...
What are they even talking about?!
This is a filmed show!
Do they really think we’re invisible?
He was about to shout, "Call them! Quickly, call them to—"
Blueberry.
Before he could finish, he saw Sheng Wenyin naturally bypass a rack full of condoms, pick up a box of blueberry-flavored chewing gum from the adjacent shelf, and toss it into the shopping basket.
"Time to check out," she said.
Qi Si casually picked up the basket and went to queue at the checkout.
Their expressions were calm, their movements seamless.
It was as if they had been talking about chewing gum from the very beginning.
Chief director and assistant director: ?
Could we have been mistaken?
The chief director scratched his head, his face full of doubt.
The condom rack and gum shelf might be adjacent, but the racks themselves are wide. How could we have misinterpreted that?
And yet, just now, it was so clear—Film Emperor Qi had been pointing at the condom rack!
"Maybe it’s the camera angle?" the assistant director suggested, the only explanation he could think of.
"After all, how could Film Emperor Qi possibly be that kind of person?"
The logic was sound.
Film Emperor Qi was a proper man.
The chief director instantly grabbed his walkie-talkie and scolded Sheng Wenyin and Qi Si’s cameraman: "Watch your camera angles! Or do you not want your bonus anymore?!"
The bewildered cameraman had no idea what he’d done wrong but could only comply, moving closer to better capture the pair's interactions.
After buying groceries, the two returned home. Sheng Wenyin rolled up her sleeves and started preparing dinner.
Qi Si stepped in to help.
Sheng Wenyin donned an apron and turned her back to Qi Si.
Qi Si naturally moved forward, took the strings from her hands, and tied them behind her.
With her apron secured, Sheng Wenyin began unpacking the groceries, placing vegetables into a basket without even looking up, then handed it to Qi Si.
Qi Si, knowing what to do without needing instruction, carried the basket to the sink and began washing the vegetables.
There was no further physical contact between them, not even a word exchanged.
And yet...
The chief director, watching the scene on the monitor, felt increasingly uneasy.
Unable to pinpoint why, he turned to the assistant director and asked, "Don’t you feel something’s off?"
"Shh." The assistant director raised a hand to silence him, then checked the other monitors.
On one, Hua Zishu and Song Shu were chatting easily, their interaction lively and cheerful.
On another, Tong Shi and Cheng Jiang were polite but stiff, their exchanges awkward and reserved.
Finally, the assistant director returned his gaze to Qi Si and Sheng Wenyin.
After stroking his chin thoughtfully, he said with precision, "They haven’t thanked each other even once."
"Exactly!" The chief director slapped his thigh. "That’s what feels off!"
They never said thank you. They didn’t talk while working together.
And yet, they somehow knew exactly what to do.
When Qi Si finished washing the vegetables, he handed them to Sheng Wenyin.
Sheng Wenyin silently began chopping.
Then Qi Si retrieved various seasonings, always handing over the correct one the moment she raised her hand, as if it were second nature to him.
People had been saying Hua Zishu and Song Shu were the epitome of chemistry.
But now, it seemed Qi Si and Sheng Wenyin weren’t just "in sync."
Their polished interactions suggested they’d done this countless times before, as if muscle memory had taken over.
The assistant director, mesmerized by the scene, muttered, "Is this what being close brothers looks like?"
"Director, don’t you think—"
Before he could finish, he noticed the chief director leaning back in his chair, scrolling through his phone.
"What are you doing?" he asked, curious.
Peering over, he saw the chief director open Weibo, click into the Great Sage Equal to Heaven fan group, download a Q-version fan art of Sheng Wenyin and Qi Si, and set it as his wallpaper with a single tap.
The assistant director: ...
By the time Sheng Wenyin finished preparing a meal of three dishes and one soup, half an hour had passed.
The two, clearly famished, sat down at the dining table with two bowls of rice and soup.
When Sheng Wenyin handed Qi Si his soup, she reminded him, "Finish it."
Qi Si didn’t respond, instead grabbing the remote to put on a news program as background noise while they ate.
Halfway through the meal, however, Qi Si seemed reluctant to finish the soup.
Sheng Wenyin, who knew his habits well, had already noticed. Qi Si was picky—he didn’t like tomatoes.
Seeing him drink the soup but leave two pieces of tomato behind, Sheng Wenyin frowned. "Eat those. Tomatoes aid digestion, boost immunity, prevent cardiovascular diseases, fight cancer, and lower blood pressure. They’re very nutritious."
Qi Si glanced at her, then begrudgingly ate the two pieces of tomato.
When he finished, Sheng Wenyin handed him a napkin and praised, "Good job."
"I’m not a child," Qi Si retorted, wiping his mouth.
"But only children are picky eaters," she quipped, tilting her head.
Qi Si fell silent.
Smiling, Sheng Wenyin coaxed, "I’ll make seaweed pork rib soup tonight."
Qi Si’s mood visibly improved.
In the end, Qi Si ate just one bowl of rice and finished his soup, while Sheng Wenyin polished off the rest of the food, including half a pot of rice.
Afterward, Qi Si handled the dishwashing while Sheng Wenyin relaxed in the living room, watching TV.
Not long after, Qi Si brought out some fruit, sat down beside her, and began peeling an apple. "No afternoon tasks?" he asked.
Usually, programs like this had planned activities or tasks for couples to complete—otherwise, just eating and sleeping wouldn’t make for compelling television or foster any relationship development.
As if on cue, there was a knock at the door before Qi Si could finish peeling the apple.
Sheng Wenyin jumped up to answer it.
Outside stood a staff member holding a mission card.
She returned with the card, opened it, and froze.
Qi Si sliced the apple into pieces, handed one to her, and asked, "What does it say?"
Chewing on the apple, Sheng Wenyin read the card again but didn’t respond.
"Hmm?" Qi Si, puzzled, took the card himself.
Reading it, his brow furrowed. "Invite both families to the marital home?"