The female guest who had picked up the chopsticks happened to lower her head at that moment, missing the subtle interaction between them.
The smile on Ye Ruihuan's face faded slightly, but her eyes grew dim and unreadable, making everyone at the table sit up straight like primary school students.
Lin Ruijiao unabashedly took a few big bites of food. "I'm done eating." Then she picked up her bowl and chopsticks and headed to the kitchen.
Ye Ruihuan got up and followed her toward the kitchen.
Only then did the rest of the group start eating freely, no longer constrained by Ye Ruihuan's presence.
Because at that moment, she was following Lin Ruijiao to look at the rooms.
[Did Lin Ruijiao just glare at our Sister Ye while eating?! Who gave her that kind of nerve?!]
[??? That's not a glare! She just turned her head! Don't make stuff up!]
[Sister Ye's not even smiling anymore. Ruijiao definitely did something.]
[Can we stop dragging Jiao-jiao? She was literally just eating.]
[...Sister Yes gaze was so full of affection...]
[Affection?? Please. Sister Ye wouldn't even look at her if she didn't have to.]
[LMAO—stop clinging to Ruijiao already.]
[Never thought I'd live to see the day Ye Ruihuan faked a smile. Incredible.]
[?! That's called being polite! She didn't want to scare you off!]
[Wait—did they really go look at the room together?!]
[Obviously. Poor Jiao-jiao, stuck with this scripted drama.]
[Sister Ye wouldn't want to live in a place like this anyway.]
CP shippers barely made a sound beneath the avalanche of fan chatter.
Mindful of the surrounding cameras, Lin Ruijiao worked hard to keep her expression neutral and maintain a professional distance.
She didn't trust Ye Ruihuan—not here, not with an audience.
While Lin Ruijiao explained the room layout, Ye Ruihuan's gaze lingered on the twin beds. A flicker of disappointment passed through her eyes—she'd assumed there would be one large bed.
Lin Ruijiao gave a perfunctory tour. Ye Ruihuan listened, disinterested. The two ended up silently staring at each other.
An awkward stillness descended.
The crew held their breath. The livestream's comments stalled. Everyone watched—tense, expectant—waiting for a blowup.
But nothing happened.
Ye Ruihuan kept her soft smile. Lin Ruijiao's, however, had long since frozen.
"I'm going to the bathroom," Lin Ruijiao muttered, removing her mic and slipping away.
A beat later, Ye Ruihuan followed suit, taking off her mic and stepping in after her.
"Why did you come in here?" came Lin Ruijiao's voice from inside.
[They BOTH went into the bathroom?!][What's going on???][Camera crew, don't you want to know?? Peek!!][They're totally fighting, right??][If they are, Jiao-jiao's at a disadvantage—Ruihuan you devil!][You could've stayed pretty and unbothered, but no...][Protect yourself, Jiao-jiao!! Don't let her win!][Why is it dead silent in there?! WHAT'S HAPPENING?!]
Lin Ruijiao had just finished washing her hands when Ye Ruihuan entered, said nothing, turned on the tap—and smiled at her, soft and dazzling, eyes brimming with something unreadably tender.
Lin Ruijiao frowned, ready to bring up what happened over dinner.
But Ye Ruihuan didn't wait.
In one swift motion, she pressed Lin Ruijiao back against the sink, cupping her face as warm lips claimed hers in a kiss that was deep, overwhelming, and all-consuming.
The faucet roared behind them, covering the soft gasps and rustling fabric.
Their breathing quickened.
The air turned molten with something dangerous—forbidden. And yet, neither backed away.
Lin Ruijiao's knees buckled. She braced herself against the sink, trying to lean away.
Ye Ruihuan's arm wrapped tight around her waist, pulling her close.
Lin Ruijiao was about to resist, but Ye Ruihuan lowered her head into the curve of her neck, holding her like something precious.
"Jiao-jiao... I missed you."
The husky lilt of her voice, paired with that raw confession, shattered Lin Ruijiao's composure. Her heart pounded—whether it was hers or Ye Ruihuan's, she couldn't tell.
Eventually, she pushed Ye Ruihuan gently. To her surprise, she let go.
And smiled.
It was a smile so stunning, so tender, it left Lin Ruijiao breathless.
Flushing scarlet, Lin Ruijiao looked away. "What was that?" she whispered, her tone scolding but delicate as spun sugar.
"Kissing you," Ye Ruihuan said, licking her lips and grinning like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"You—" Lin Ruijiao choked. "Who gave you permission?"
Ye Ruihuan only met her gaze and said, sweetly, "Okay."
That caught Lin Ruijiao off guard. She scrambled to add, "No more. You can't do things like this. We're surrounded by cameras. This is a livestream. If you pull anything again... you know what'll happen!"
Her last words came with a bite.
"Alright," Ye Ruihuan nodded softly. Jiao Jiao really was adorable—soft, sweet, and a little flustered. Well, she'd already kissed her. Whatever came next could wait.
Seeing Ye Ruihuan in such unexpectedly good spirits, Lin Ruijiao decided not to press the matter. She turned toward the mirror, quietly smoothing out her expression.
Ye Ruihuan lifted her hand and gently brushed the corner of Lin Ruijiao's reddened eye, trying to soothe the irritation. But her touch only made it redder.
"What are you doing?" Lin Ruijiao swatted her hand away with a sharp smack.
A vivid red imprint bloomed across the back of Ye Ruihuan's pale, slender hand.
She didn't flinch. Instead, she deliberately kept her hand raised, showing it to Lin Ruijiao like a wounded puppy, brows knit in faint hurt, silently begging for comfort.
"I'll go out first. Wait a bit before coming out," Lin Ruijiao instructed, then turned and walked away.
The second she stepped outside, a camera swooped in, its lens nearly grazing her cheek to capture a tight close-up.
Feeling uneasy, Lin Ruijiao slowly made her way to the mic station, turning her back to the camera in a quiet attempt to avoid the scrutiny.
[Holy crap, Jiao Jiao's eyes are red! Did Ye Ruihuan bully her?!]
[What did she say to her?! Jiao Jiao looks like she doesn't even want to talk!]
[Tears?! Our Jiao Jiao has tears! What the hell happened in there?!]
[No way—did Sister Ye hit her?! Look at Ruijiao's face!]
[What's wrong, Jiao Jiao? Speak to us! We've got your back!!]
[CP shippers RISING. I just know they got spicy in there...]
[Shut up already, can you not ship everyone? Let Jiao Jiao live!]
[Cameraman, blink twice if they fought.]
The livestream exploded.
Everyone was dying to know what had gone down behind that closed door. Had Ye Ruihuan, the famously unpredictable star, actually bullied a rookie on camera? Even her most loyal fans were starting to second-guess her.
Then, a moment later, Ye Ruihuan strolled out of the restroom—calm, radiant, even smiling wider than before.
Neither woman spoke. One led, the other followed as they returned to the main hall. The silence between them was thick, the air practically buzzing with unspoken tension.
[God, Sister Ye, stop smiling! It makes you look even more guilty! Don't drag us down with you!]
[Ugh. She's sick. Our poor Jiao Jiao...]
[What? Did any of you see her do anything? Stop jumping to conclusions.]
[Ruijiao had tears in her eyes. Isn't that enough?!]
[Who's to say she's not faking it? Maybe Ruijiao's playing the white lotus card again.]
[I swear, enough is enough! No one slanders Ye Ruihuan—but don't you dare throw Ruijiao under the bus!]
Before long, the top trend on Weibo had shifted again.#FiveMinutesInTheBathroom: Lin Ruijiao & Ye Ruihuan# rocketed to the number one spot.
Clips, screenshots, blurry gifs—flooding in by the second. In the comment section, fanbases clashed in a digital brawl. Passersby joined in, adding speculation to the storm.
CP shippers, meanwhile, were caught in the crossfire—too timid to speak, their voices drowned by the noise.
The livestream was still ongoing, viewer count maxed out.The platform had to open two backup channels just to keep up.And the cameras? Still trained on Ye Ruihuan and Lin Ruijiao.