Very good, excellent.

Ji Mingshu felt her understanding of Mr. Cen Sen had reached a new level.

Although Cen Sen hadn’t directly admitted it, his indirect statement translated plainly meant: “Yes, I knew your best friend was participating in the show, and Zhou Jiaheng was arranged by me to go there. I hope your friend will focus on her affairs from now on instead of stirring up trouble between us when she has nothing better to do.”

Ji Mingshu: “Have you lost your mind?”

Was he not busy enough with work? He had the leisure to arrange for his assistant to court her best friend!

Cen Sen stared at her for a moment, then nodded, “You believed that.”

He loosened his tie and suddenly gave a light chuckle.

Ji Mingshu: “…”

She wasn’t sure if her vision was playing tricks on her, but Cen Sen’s smile seemed strangely indulgent, as if saying, “Oh darling, I just love how you believe everything and look so adorably stupid when your IQ isn’t quite enough.”

Goosebumps rose on her skin as she stood on tiptoe to pinch Cen Sen’s cheeks, pulling them outward. “Stop laughing!”

“Alright, no laughing.”

Cen Sen pressed his forehead against hers, planted a kiss on her lips, and asked in a low voice, “Shower together?”

Ji Mingshu: “You pervert!”

The perverted process will not be detailed, but during it, Cen Sen was still pressured by Ji Mingshu to explain Zhou Jiaheng’s appearance on the show.

It was truly a coincidence.

Zhou Jiaheng’s family had been urging him to find a partner for years. He always used work as an excuse to avoid it. His family, at their wits’ end, thought of a devious plan—quietly submitting his resume to a dating show.

With his qualifications, he easily passed the initial and secondary screenings. He only found out when the production team notified him of an interview.

Zhou Jiaheng didn’t want to go initially, and Cen Sen hadn’t planned to let him go either. But after learning that Gu Kaiyang was also participating in the show, he approved Zhou Jiaheng’s leave and hinted that if interested, he could pursue a relationship with Gu Kaiyang. If not, he could still facilitate Gu Kaiyang’s development with other male participants.

Though Cen Sen’s explanation seemed reasonable, Ji Mingshu still wanted to warn Gu Kaiyang that Zhou Jiaheng had impure motives and wasn’t a good person. But Gu Kaiyang seemed quite satisfied with Zhou Jiaheng’s mid-season entry as Male Number Four, continuously praising him in her messages.

Gu Kaiyang: [I always thought Zhou Jiaheng was just that motherly type of assistant, but his actual position at Junyi is Vice President of Greater China. Can you believe it?]

Gu Kaiyang: [Plus, he has a bachelor’s from Tsinghua and a master’s from USC. That’s impressive credentials. I was so prejudiced against him before…]

It wasn’t Gu Kaiyang’s fault for dramatically changing her view of Zhou Jiaheng—without comparison, there would be no sense of disparity.

On the third day after moving into the villa, the production team finally allowed everyone to reveal their ages, educational backgrounds, and occupations.

The superior attitudes of the other guests during the first three days had led Gu Kaiyang to believe they were all Harvard or Cambridge graduates, industry elites earning millions annually, which put enormous pressure on her when returning to the villa.

Unexpectedly, when the time came for the occupation reveal, the kings instantly turned to bronze. Their reported credentials and jobs were the type that sounded glamorous but were so inflated they could drown a cow if squeezed. Sitting there, Gu Kaiyang unconsciously straightened her back.

Not to mention Zhou Jiaheng—among these so-called elites, his qualifications were so superior that he had no equals.

Judging by the female participants’ genuine reactions, it was obvious. Previously, a female participant had been developing a mutual interest with a male participant, but since Zhou Jiaheng’s arrival, she had been constantly seeking opportunities to be alone with him.

Hearing Gu Kaiyang praise him like this, Ji Mingshu didn’t want to pour cold water on her enthusiasm, especially since they were still in the stage of changing perceptions and hadn’t developed anything serious yet.

But Ji Mingshu remained concerned. After completing her hotel design draft, she made a special trip to Junyi during Zhou Jiaheng’s office hours, under the pretense of caring for Cen Sen’s health.

In the CEO’s office—

Ji Mingshu sat imperiously in the office chair, mimicking Cen Sen’s typical expressionless manner, and asked coolly: “Assistant Zhou, is your actual position at Junyi Vice President of Greater China?”

Zhou Jiaheng humbly replied: “In name only.”

“When did you get this title? It wasn’t temporarily assigned by someone before you joined the show, was it?”

She gave a meaningful glance toward Cen Sen, whom she had relegated to the reception area to drink soup.

Zhou Jiaheng: “No, I’ve held this position since returning from Australia.”

Ji Mingshu nodded, then asked: “Assistant Zhou, you don’t seem to be from the capital. Was it difficult for you to get into Tsinghua?”

Zhou Jiaheng maintained his humble demeanor. “It was alright. I ranked third in the province on the college entrance exam, so Tsinghua and Peking University weren’t very difficult.”

“…”

Ji Mingshu was speechless for a long while.

Cen Sen, either unable to listen anymore or for some other reason, suddenly signaled Zhou Jiaheng to go out and follow up on a document.

After he left, Cen Sen asked Ji Mingshu: “You don’t think Zhou Jiaheng is good enough?”

“It’s not that he’s not good,” Ji Mingshu propped her chin, thinking for a while. “It’s just that, Gu Kaiyang is my best friend, and if her boyfriend is my husband’s assistant… it might be a bit strange.”

Cen Sen said gently, “Zhou Jiaheng’s annual salary should be enough to buy three apartments like Gu Kaiyang’s. He also has shares in the group. Besides, being an assistant is just a form of training for him; he won’t be an assistant forever. You’re worrying too much.”

Ji Mingshu insisted, “She’s my best friend, of course I worry!”

Cen Sen replied without hesitation: “But it’s your best friend who’s dating, not you. It’s just a show—if she feels it’s not suitable, naturally they won’t develop anything.”

You’re so talkative!

You never stop arguing!

Ji Mingshu locked her death stare on him.

Seeing him obliviously continuing to drink his soup, Ji Mingshu angrily went over and covered his soup bowl, picking a fight: “Why can’t I date? I married you directly without experiencing the dating process, and not only do you not feel guilty, but you even speak so righteously. I’ve seen through you!”

Cen Sen: “…”

Her mood changed so quickly that it was like a tornado. Only after hearing the office door slam with earth-shattering force did Cen Sen barely manage to make sense of Ji Mingshu’s sudden accusation.

He rubbed his brow bone, suddenly understanding what it meant to have a sweet burden.

Outside the office, Zhou Jiaheng, returning with the document, encountered Ji Mingshu again.

Before he could greet her, Ji Mingshu exploded like a firecracker, unleashing a barrage of warnings. The gist was that if he didn’t take good care of Gu Kaiyang during the show’s filming or if he dared to toy with Gu Kaiyang’s feelings, he would be dead.

Zhou Jiaheng felt more wronged than Dou E. How would he dare toy with Gu Kaiyang’s feelings? Did he think his life was too long?

Every night when he returned to the villa, his relationship with Gu Kaiyang was just that of relatively familiar friends, nothing more.

Ji Mingshu listened to his sincere explanation, then probed him about the pairing situations among the men and women in the villa.

From what she gathered, it seemed that Gu Kaiyang currently had no male participant she was interested in, nor were any male participants interested in her.

It was normal that Gu Kaiyang had no interest in any male participant, but how could no male participant be interested in her?

This was unacceptable, a total lack of face.

Suddenly changing direction, she explicitly instructed Zhou Jiaheng to show more attentiveness toward Gu Kaiyang, at least in front of the cameras, and taught him various methods to pursue girls and create romantic surprises.

Whether Zhou Jiaheng used these methods to create a face for Gu Kaiyang would only be known once the show aired. After Ji Mingshu left, Zhou Jiaheng recounted these methods word for word to his boss.

Cen Sen reviewed them.

Ordering flowers daily to make colleagues and other female participants envious—this didn’t apply to Ji Mingshu, who had no colleagues and would be the only one at home to appreciate the flowers.

Giving gifts—this also didn’t apply to Ji Mingshu, as he already gave her gifts every few days.

He suddenly asked: “How do people typically date nowadays?”

Before Zhou Jiaheng could answer, he continued: “I shouldn’t ask you; you have no experience.”

Zhou Jiaheng kept his gaze steady, secretly thinking: As if you have much experience yourself.

Cen Sen paused. Seriously speaking, he did have experience.

But that experience now remained only as a blank in his mind, as if there was nothing worth remembering or reminiscing about.

He took off his glasses, supporting his forehead with his hand, thinking for a long time.

Finally, he picked up his phone and slowly typed out a message.

[Baby, do you have time for a date tonight?]

He stared at these words for a while, and only after a long time did he overcome his inner discomfort with such mushy language and pressed send.