Chapter 38: Who Outwitted Whom

Li Wanbai casually recounted the recent events to Quan Hao, who couldn’t help but twitch his eyelids. He slapped Yu Baichuan hard on the shoulder and gave him a thumbs-up. “Mr. Yu, after all these years dominating the entertainment industry, you’ve finally done something decent and spoken a fair word!”

Yu Baichuan’s shoulder jerked, shaking off his hand, too disinterested to respond.

Li Wanbai looked on in astonishment, her gaze darting back and forth between the two men.

At first, she’d thought they were rivals; then, it seemed they’d become romantic competitors. But now, all of a sudden, they appeared like sworn brothers.

The entertainment world truly was a murky place.

Quan Hao caught her look and sneered, “Why are you staring at me like that? Afraid I’ll eat your husband alive?”

Li Wanbai felt utterly baffled, still processing his words when Quan Hao gave a cold snort and turned away, leaving only her and Yu Baichuan behind.

Yu Baichuan considered for a moment, then murmured, “He just likes to spout nonsense. Don’t take it to heart. His popularity matches mine. I heard you’re aiming for the top tier now—maybe try befriending him.”

Li Wanbai looked stunned, her anger barely contained. “Are you encouraging me to find a new boyfriend?”

“There’s hardly any need for encouragement.” Yu Baichuan’s voice was calm, tinged with quiet resolve.

Li Wanbai’s mind went blank as Yu Baichuan strode off, leaving her standing alone. Suddenly, she couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity. Were these two out of their minds? Did every A-lister in the entertainment industry enjoy playing such games?

In the end, she sighed softly.

The path to winning him back was a long one, and Li Wanbai hadn’t even taken the first step yet.

In truth, she and Yu Baichuan had started off at a deficit, and all this time, rather than moving forward, she’d only managed to inch closer to the starting line.

Things were different now.

Pursuing Yu Baichuan had never been easy, but it was nothing compared to how hard it was now. At this moment, she had to begin all over again—by convincing him she was a good person.

No small feat.

Ye Xiruo put the overpriced groceries back where she’d found them, but Li Wanbai, still uneasy, helped her pick out some affordable fruits and vegetables before returning to the villa.

On the bus ride back, as was typical for variety shows, the production team rallied everyone to play a few games.

Whatever undercurrents had run deep earlier now seemed to dissolve into harmless banter, like any other guests’ interactions.

After all, if you signed up for a reality show, you couldn’t act too aloof.

Even Yu Baichuan smiled as Ma Xu plastered sticky notes all over his face. The live chat exploded with comments about the formerly aloof male idol being dragged off his pedestal by a shameless actress—none of which had been expected.

Yu Baichuan glanced at a message from his company, the usual inquiry: did he want to stir the pot or pay to suppress the trending topic? For a moment, he hesitated.

Fueling the drama would boost Li Wanbai’s popularity, which was in her interest.

In the past, Yu Baichuan would have chosen that route without question.

It would make Li Wanbai happy—maybe even coax a few more smiles from her.

But stirring the pot would also mean heavier criticism for her.

It was odd. He’d always felt sorry for her, but never so much that he’d waver and be unable to decide, as if he’d returned to the days when he first fell for Li Wanbai.

“Contact Su Chengzi at Brilliant Studio.”

It took him a while, but eventually, Yu Baichuan sent the message.

The bus carried laughter and chatter all the way back to the villa.

After a day’s exertion, beneath a sky full of stars, it was finally time for dinner.

As soon as they got off the bus, Ye Xiruo suddenly clutched her stomach, groaning in pain.

Ma Xu, nearest to her, looked alarmed. “Xiruo, what’s wrong? Where does it hurt?”

“My stomach just started hurting badly. I’ll go rest in my room,” Ye Xiruo replied, face pale, fists clenched.

Ma Xu genuinely panicked. “Then get some rest—if it gets worse, we’ll take you to the hospital!”

Ye Xiruo nodded gratefully, then looked at the others. “You’ve all had a long day. Go eat, don’t worry about me.”

Any concern Yu Baichuan and Quan Hao had instantly evaporated.

Li Wanbai, still not quite following, helped Ma Xu escort Ye Xiruo to her room. When she turned around, she found Teacher Wang sighing on the living room sofa. “I know this might sound bad, but among all of us, only Xiruo can cook. Now that she’s ill, what do we do?”

No one had expected Ye Xiruo to fall sick. All the groceries they’d bought needed to be prepared—fruit, vegetables, meat. Planning only to stay three days, they hadn’t bought anything instant like noodles.

[Ha! Caught off guard, aren’t they? I knew this show couldn’t work without little Ye, even if she’s low on the totem pole. Look at them now—she’s sick and the rest are helpless.]

[I get that the others can’t cook, but Li Wanbai? Isn’t she a woman?]

[What kind of thinking is that? Are men allowed to be clueless in the kitchen, but women must cook?]

[I’m a woman and I can’t cook—so what? Come at me.]

[So much negativity online—people will fight over the smallest things.]

[Seriously, shouldn’t we be worried about Xiruo being ill? What are the others going to do? We can’t let Baichuan go hungry!]

[I bet LWB is panicking now. She picked out all those groceries—if she’d bought some instant noodles or self-heating hotpots, everyone wouldn’t have to go hungry.]

[Don’t blame Li Wanbai. It’s not like she did it on purpose. Who could’ve guessed Xiruo would suddenly get sick? The groceries were for Xiruo to show off her skills.]

[…]

Li Wanbai glanced at the camera and finally realized the meaning behind Ye Xiruo’s last words as she got off the bus.

Putting Li Wanbai down to prop herself up—a classic media tactic, and Ye Xiruo executed it better than she ever could.

But really, it was pointless.

Li Wanbai rolled up her sleeves and stood up with a smile. “I’ll cook for everyone!”

What a joke—maybe the old Li Wanbai couldn’t cook, but the new one could!

Perhaps ten years lost to university and work had dulled her skills or made her reluctant, but back in high school, with her parents always traveling for work and the housekeeper off during the holidays, she’d learned to make a few dishes herself.

They weren’t delicious, but they were edible—better than that Su girl next door, at least.

Quan Hao looked skeptical. “You can cook?”

“Of course! Who do you think you’re doubting?” Li Wanbai crossed her arms, gave a little huff, and strode into the kitchen, full of fighting spirit.