During an interview, the host kept grilling me on why I broke up with my ex. I put on a pained expression and said, "I just couldn't handle a long-distance relationship." At that very moment, my ex was filming a farming reality show. He came back from the fields at midnight, saw the interview, and immediately raged on Twitter: "Bullsh*t. The walk between our dorms was five minutes. Five. Minutes. And you’re telling me you couldn't handle the distance?" Consequently, the entire internet demanded I be shipped off to the farm. If we’re ranking toxicity, the host of a divorce variety show comes in second. No one dares to claim first place. They are ruthless. I get it. No sane celebrity wants to go on these shows. So when they finally caught a sucker like me, they had to dig for gold. She practically shoved the microphone down my throat. "So, Zoe, why exactly did you and your ex break up? We’re all dying to know." I looked miserable on the outside, but inside, I was recycling every sad memory of my life just to keep from laughing. "I... I couldn't handle the long distance." She wouldn't let it go. Thankfully, I was quick-witted and diverted the topic to another guest. But the unexpected happened. My chaotic ex responded. "Bullsh*t. The walk between our dorms was five minutes. Five. Minutes. And you’re telling me you couldn't handle the distance?" The internet exploded. After all, Chase Sterling is a top-tier A-lister. I’m just a C-list actress. There’s no comparison. He came from a boy band, the most popular member by far. Now that his three-year contract is up and the group disbanded, his popularity has only skyrocketed. Every actress in Hollywood wants a scandal with him. It’s a faster way to get famous than actually acting. So when my agent slapped the contract for "Harvest Hearts"—a farming reality show—on my desk, I was stunned. I thought she and Chase had both lost their minds. "It’s because you have no filter," she said. "Plus, Chase responded. You’re trending #1 worldwide. The internet is crowdfunding to send you to the farm." I wanted to cry. Going on a reality show with my ex? That’s basically a death sentence. Especially with his fan base. I really can't afford to offend him. I asked if I could skip it. My agent said no. She’d already signed the contract. So, she packed my bags overnight and shipped me off to the countryside. Before I left, she added, "I know it’s not appropriate for a girl to go alone, so I found you a companion." I didn't pay attention to her words. I was too busy panicking about seeing Chase again. It had been three years. The dirt roads in the countryside were unforgiving. My suitcase wouldn't roll; I was basically dragging a dead body. I was dying of anxiety, but the camera crew just watched, refusing to help. Suddenly, a familiar, piercing voice rang in my ear. "Oh look, Princess Zoe can't even walk. How precious." My eyes widened. I looked up. Sienna?! Holy crap, why is she here? The whole industry knows we hate each other. She looked me up and down with disdain, then grabbed the handbag sitting on top of my suitcase. "Walk faster, short legs." I opened my mouth to retort but couldn't. Nobody can look at her 5'9" model frame and argue about leg length. It didn't matter. The rural dirt road punishes everyone equally. Soon, the wheels on both our suitcases were stuck in the mud. We were both ready to smash our luggage to pieces. Just as we were about to give up, a hand appeared in my field of vision, naturally taking the handle of my suitcase. I followed the hand up the arm. He was wearing a simple white T-shirt, thin lips pressed together, expression indifferent. "I got it." I froze, letting him take it. My heart was trying to hammer its way out of my chest. It was Chase Sterling. Another guy took Sienna's luggage, grinning at me. I recognized him. Jax. The youngest member of Chase's old boy band. Following behind them, I heard Jax mumble, "Chase is such a dog. I ran over to help Zoe first, but he cut me off." My footsteps faltered. But Chase didn't say a word, just led me to the house. The live comments were scrolling across the screen: [My farming boy band has manners! Helping the girls with luggage!] [Chase took Zoe's luggage!!] [Relax, guys. Zoe was in front, Chase was in front. It’s just geography. Don't be delusional.] I realized the livestream had already started. The production team put us in the old accountant's office. It hadn't been renovated. Peeling paint, flying bugs, no cameras installed yet. Chase frowned and started cleaning. Sienna had already run off somewhere, too disgusted to stay. I started to help him in silence, but the moment I moved, he stopped me. "I never let you do this kind of work growing up, why start now? Go sit over there. I wiped the chair." So I sat obediently and watched him clean. For a moment, it felt like the old Chase. Growing up, as long as Chase was around, I never had to lift a finger. He was a guy who couldn't even take care of himself, yet he took care of me with meticulous precision. My nose stung, a wave of bitterness washing over me. If that incident hadn't happened... Maybe I could have been with Chase forever. After cleaning, Chase pulled out his phone, looking a bit unnatural. "Add me back on WeChat." I tilted my head, looking at him. He coughed lightly. "We spend most of our time in the fields. If you need something, just message." I looked at him suspiciously. "Don't you guys just yell across the field?" Chase touched his neck. "You're a girl. You don't have a loud voice." I narrowed my eyes. Since we were kids, whenever he lied, he touched his neck. Uncomfortable under my gaze, he glared at me, raising a fist playfully. "Add me or I'll beat you up." I immediately scanned his QR code. A wise woman knows when to fold. Before leaving, Chase dropped a sentence: "Don't overthink it. It's just for work." I shrugged, feigning indifference. "Oh. I didn't." The smile on his face instantly vanished. I was confused. Men. Who understands them? I sat on the bed and started unpacking. Sienna came back from wandering around, complaining the moment she stepped in. "What is this dump? I must have had bad karma in a past life to be stuck here with you." She complained while making her bed, getting angrier by the second. "Ugh, this is annoying! Zoe, make my bed!" I realized then that Chase had only made my bed. I blinked, looking sincere. "I don't know how." Her eyes bugged out. Her expression was a masterpiece. I lowered my head. Boohoo, she's cursing me out in her head, I just know it. In the end, she had to ask a production assistant for help. When the assistant left, she complimented my sheets. "Those blue fish sheets are cute." I realized something. The sheets had a blue fish pattern. But I didn't bring sheets. Chase brought them. Day two of farming. I was woken up at 5:30 AM. My brain was empty, and so was my stomach. I had heard them leave for the fields in my sleep, so I figured there was no breakfast left. I went to the kitchen. I planned to scavenge, but I found a bowl of soup covered in the corner. There was a sticky note: "Breakfast. Don't die of hunger and blame us." I knew that handwriting anywhere. Chase. I secretly pocketed the note and sat down to eat the wontons. Unfortunately, Sienna woke up. Chase had only left one bowl. Panicked, I pushed the remaining half-bowl toward Sienna. If I didn't, she’d tear the roof off. She stared at the bowl, then at me. "Are these guys on a diet? They eat like birds?" I laughed awkwardly, secretly swallowing the wonton in my mouth. After breakfast, Sienna said she was going to balance the books. I had nothing to do, and going to the fields would just cause trouble. So I asked the director to take me to the market. I’d buy them some good food. "Boss, I'll take all these fruits. And those vegetables." I was a queen in the market. The livestream comments were flying. [Confirmed: Zoe is a 5-year Chase stan. These are all his favorites.] [OMG, she loves him so much. I'm crying. Get back together, please, do it for me.] [Wait, the director didn't confiscate Zoe's wallet? Did they finally grow a heart?] I clutched my wallet tightly. I had argued with the director for three hours to keep this money. On the way back, we passed a pharmacy. I snuck in when no one was looking. I bought a bunch of pain relief patches. Chase was visibly covered in bruises and scrapes. I was terrified he’d collapse in the field one day. Everyone had work to do. If he went down, his workload would fall on me and Sienna, the two idlers. I can't handle hardship. So I had to buy him medicine. Yes, that’s exactly why. If Chase is healthy, I get to relax. "Harvest Hearts" operates on a model combining agriculture with a farm-to-table restaurant. But operations were tough in the beginning, so the restaurant guests were mostly celebrity friends. When I got back, I realized we had guests. "Zoe, how's life treating you here?" Liam greeted me, and I snapped out of it. I ran over, surprised. "What are you doing here?" He smiled. "Heard you were farming. Came to see the spectacle." I met Liam on a drama set. He took care of me during filming, and we stayed in touch. I checked the time and decided to start cooking. The girl who came with Liam was named Vanessa. I’d seen her on shows before, but we weren't close. She eagerly came over to help. I was flattered. She seemed nice. "I see you bought celery. Chase loves celery. Let's make a dish with it for lunch," Vanessa said, waving a bunch of celery. My heart stuttered. I forced a smile. "You know Chase?" She nodded, looking nostalgic. "We filmed a web drama when he first debuted. I was his female lead. We were both idols then, knew nothing about acting. We spent every lunch break studying the script together." It was a normal statement, but it stung. The comments added fuel to the fire: [Sobbing. I watched that drama! I shipped them so hard. I thought the ship sank, but it feels like they've been dating in secret!] [Chanessa is real! Rise, my ship!!] [They're from the same agency, trained together before debut. Read between the lines, people!] I wanted to gouge my eyes out. Everyone started trickling back. Jax ran into the yard, shouting, "Zoe! Chase talked about you all morning!" I teased him. "Oh? What did he say?" He mimicked Chase’s deadpan face. "'Zoe is an idiot. Can she even find breakfast? She’s dumb as a rock.'" Chase appeared behind him and smacked the back of his head. "Making up rumors about your brother? You want to die?" Jax shut up. Chase glanced at me. "He's a kid. He talks nonsense." I smiled and ignored him. "Zoe, want eggplant for lunch? I saw some ripe ones in the field," Liam asked from behind. Before I could speak, Chase’s expression sharpened. "She's allergic to eggplant." Liam paused, looking at me for confirmation. I nodded, embarrassed. I hadn't even reacted that fast myself. Vanessa smiled and took the eggplant. "Since Zoe is allergic, I'll take these away." I smiled at her and went to the stove. Just as I started to stir-fry, Chase snatched the spatula. "Go play outside. You don't need to cook." Wow, he’s looking down on me. I glared at him. "I can cook!" He glanced at me. "I know. But you don't need to. The men in this house aren't dead yet. This isn't a place for you." I blinked, my heart doing a little flip. Vanessa chimed in. "Chase is always like this, so considerate. Go play, Zoe. I'll help here. I've done this before." Chase was busy and didn't seem to notice me, so I said "Oh" and backed out of the kitchen. As I passed him, I checked that no one was looking and shoved the pain patches into his pocket. "Payment for lunch." I fled the kitchen. [Chase, you are too much!!] [Chanessa is so sweet, Mom & Dad energy! Zoe is like their kid, so cute!] [Zoe, what did you stuff in his pocket?! Mom does not approve!!] [Does anyone remember Zoe bought patches in town...] Watching the scrolling comments, I zoned out. This Chase x Vanessa ship came out of nowhere. I checked Twitter. They occupied three trending topics. Marketing accounts had released behind-the-scenes footage of them filming and training together over the last two days. It baited a lot of fans into shipping them. The hype was almost as big as when Chase responded to my interview... In the distance, Jax yelled, "Chase! We want spicy chicken today! Explosively spicy!" Chase nodded. Most of the ten guys on the show loved spicy food. I noticed almost every meal was spicy. Unfortunately, I can't handle spice. So I snuck back to get my jar of chili-free mixing sauce. The comments asked what I was sneaking around for. I said I can't eat spicy food, so I'm getting sauce for my rice. At lunch, Vanessa leaned toward Chase. "Chase, try the cucumber salad we made." I pouted. "We" made? "I" is her. Who is "we"? Is saying my name embarrassing? Chase was talking to Jax. "I'm not eating..." I watched the refusal form on his lips, but when he saw the cucumber salad, he swallowed the words. "I'll try it." He reached out, took a bite, and paused. The atmosphere got weird. Vanessa asked with concern, "Is it bad? I didn't taste it. Let me try." She reached for her chopsticks, but Chase stopped her. "Don't. The salt merchant must have died in this bowl." Chase took another bite. "And there's so much cilantro, just call it cilantro salad." Another bite. "It takes talent to make cucumbers taste like this."
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