Perhaps it was Chen Dongyang's embrace that made her feel safe, or perhaps being patted was so comfortable, that Tiantian truly fell asleep quickly.
The night passed without incident. The next day, the two were woken by the alarm clock, washed up, and went to the restaurant.
It was a buffet, and it was very rich.
Quite a few people had already arrived, chatting in low voices as they selected dishes.
Chen Dongyang pushed Tiantian to an empty seat, telling her to wait. He asked what she liked to eat and went to get breakfast for them.
As soon as he left, the couple who had greeted them yesterday, who had just started dating, walked over.
The woman was called Zhang Wei, and the man was called Meng Kai.
Perhaps they found Tiantian approachable, or perhaps they felt that the two of them were also a couple, in a similar situation, and they approached Tiantian very familiarly.
After greeting her, Meng Kai also went to choose breakfast.
Zhang Wei looked at his retreating back with a sweet expression. After a few seconds, she leaned in front of Tiantian.
"How was last night? Did you have a good time?"
Tiantian took it as ordinary conversation and said it was fine. Zhang Wei winked and smiled.
"Changing places and changing your mood is like changing your feelings, isn't it a step up?"
Tiantian wasn't stupid and naturally understood what she meant.
She gave her a speechless look: "You're talking about yourselves, not us. You know my leg is injured."
"Oh dear," Zhang Wei thought she was just being shy.
"Your leg is injured, but Chen Dongyang's isn't. It doesn't affect anything."
Tiantian: "..."
Zhang Wei smiled again: "How long have you two been dating?"
Tiantian didn't like her gossipy demeanor and retreated slightly, putting some distance between them.
"Not long, maybe two months."
Unexpectedly, she became even more gossipy.
"Ah? Only two months? Seeing how you two act like an old married couple, I thought it was a long time. That can't be right. Two months should be a time of intense passion. He wouldn't possibly not do anything when you went to a new place."
"Or is he just too player in the past? Is he already not up to it?"
Tiantian was speechless again.
Zhang Wei, seemingly unable to read her expression, advised her kindly.
"Although Chen Dongyang is handsome and has a good physique, he was really too much of a player in the past. I'm saying, you have to be careful, don't invest all your emotions. What if he's just looking for an honest person to settle down with, and you'll lose out too much?"
Just as she was speaking, Chen Dongyang arrived, and Zhang Wei quickly sat up straight.
Chen Dongyang placed the two plates of breakfast down, greeted Zhang Wei, and buried himself in eating.
Soon, Meng Kai also arrived.
Zhang Wei looked at the cold mixed pig liver and chicken hearts in her bowl, chuckled, and gave a few pieces to Chen Dongyang.
"I haven't eaten yet, don't be disgusted. I can't eat this early in the morning. Men should eat more and replenish themselves."
Chen Dongyang understood what she meant in a second. He glanced meaningfully at Meng Kai and said nothing.
Work officially began at eight o'clock. Time was tight. After breakfast, Chen Dongyang sent Tiantian back to her room.
On the way, he asked, "Did Zhang Wei say something to you?"
Tiantian looked back at him: "How did you know?"
Chen Dongyang said, "Not only do I know, but I also know it must have been about me, right?"
Tiantian: "...Do you want to hear the truth?"
"Of course, why else would I ask you?"
Tiantian told the truth: "She asked if we slept well yesterday and if we had taken our relationship to the next level. I said no, and she said you weren't up to it."
Chen Dongyang was amused: "This person is crazy and has no sense of propriety. Don't learn from her."
Tiantian pouted: "You're already telling me what to do? I'm not an idiot. I know who to associate with and who not to."
To ensure the fairness and impartiality of the competition, each person had their own room and had to stay inside for eight hours a day, under surveillance. They could only come out at five in the afternoon and were not allowed to bring mobile phones or other electronic devices.
Everyone worked diligently in their respective rooms for the whole day. After five o'clock, they poured out of their rooms like students leaving school, sparsely.
As they walked towards the cafeteria, they discussed their feelings of the day.
The weather had been bad these few days, and it was raining outside. Tiantian saw Zhang Wei and Meng Kai not far ahead. She didn't want to chat about those awkward topics with them, so she said to Chen Dongyang.
"I don't want to go to the cafeteria. Can we eat back at the room?"
Chen Dongyang was naturally willing.
He and Tiantian had officially established their relationship. He hadn't seen her for eight hours today, which made him miss her terribly. He wished he could be with her all the time.
"Then you go back first. I'll get the food later."
After sending her back to her room, Tiantian lay on the sofa, spacing out. Chen Dongyang went to the restroom and came out, unlocking his phone for her.
"I have a game app on my phone. Open it and see if there's anything you want to play."
A phone is a private item, and Tiantian had never thought of looking at his.
But since it was handed to her...
There was an app called "Hi Play". She tapped into it and found various popular games, such as script murder.
She didn't want to rack her brain, so she finally chose a drawing and guessing game. She matched with three players online and opened a room.
When Chen Dongyang returned with the food, he saw her still playing and leaned over to watch for a while.
He gave her hints on how she could operate it.
After a round, they exited to eat. Tiantian asked him why he was so familiar with it.
"Aren't you usually very busy? Do you still have time to play these games? And aren't these games very childish for you?"
Chen Dongyang didn't hide anything from her: "I developed this software."
"Ah?"
"Don't you think this name is very unfamiliar and niche? It's only just been designed, and we're still looking for investors. I don't know if it will have a chance to go online in the future."
Tiantian didn't know he had this ability to develop software himself.
Seeing her astonished expression, Chen Dongyang smiled and ruffled her hair.
"I know many things. My mother always wished I would become a dragon, so she forced me to learn many things. I could write code and program independently in high school, so this is nothing."
Tiantian instantly felt his image become more majestic.
After eating, Tiantian wanted to play the game again. Chen Dongyang downloaded it onto her phone as well, and they both entered the drawing room.
"Do you want to use voice chat?"
Sitting side by side on the sofa, they still had to use voice chat.
Tiantian found it quite interesting: "Yes."
Chen Dongyang deliberately moved a few steps away to create some distance between them. The two of them, along with the other team members, started talking, chatting, and playing the game.
While playing, Tiantian felt thirsty. "Go pour me a glass of water."
Chen Dongyang placed the water in front of her and reminded her that it was hot and she should wait a bit longer to drink it.
"Okay. Why aren't you drinking? You should drink some too."
"I'll drink after you finish."
The other players were stunned: "What's going on? Are you two living together? Damn, real couples living together and using voice chat to play games, isn't that too much?"
"If I have committed a crime, let the law punish me, rather than passing the time playing a game and having to eat dog food. What is all this!"