Shen Fu subconsciously wanted to glance toward the camera position, but restrained herself.
She had moved quickly enough. The audience couldn’t possibly have eyes that sharp… right?
Squatting down, she unzipped her suitcase, stuffed the box containing the photos inside, and without even turning around said to Gu Zhidao: “I’m done packing on my end. You can go back to your room now.”
Gu Zhidao, meanwhile, hadn’t seen clearly what had fallen out at all.
Shen Fu had shoved him aside so suddenly that he’d been left stunned. All he’d seen was something flash before his eyes, perhaps papers or photographs floating out. Unlike the audience, he didn’t have a screenshot function. Before he could get a proper look, Shen Fu had already picked everything up.
Probably family photos.
That was Gu Zhidao’s guess.
After all, phones could break and data might not be backed up in time, but printed photographs didn’t get damaged easily. His father’s side of the family came from a musical lineage and was rather old-fashioned. They all had the habit of carrying family photos whenever they traveled for work.
Shen Fu probably didn’t want her parents’ faces exposed on camera and had gotten a little anxious. Perfectly normal.
Gu Zhidao didn’t think much more about it. “Sorry,” he said. “That was an accident.”
Shen Fu didn’t want to discuss the matter further and continued packing.
A little embarrassed, Gu Zhidao could only carry the box of items he’d helped organize and leave the room.
The staff outside took it from him, sealed it up, and loaded it into the RV that would be used for tomorrow’s trip.
Originally, this segment, Shen Fu and Gu Zhidao being paired together and exploring each other’s rooms, should have created plenty of romantic opportunities.
But now the audience had absolutely no interest in paying attention to Gu Zhidao.
The comments section was screaming.
Hundreds of new forum threads appeared in an instant.
This was practically the biggest development since the collective exposure of three male guests’ hidden feelings.
【HOLY CR*P HOLY CR*P HOLY CR*P! Somebody dump a bucket of ice water on me and wake me up! I wasn’t dreaming just now, was I?!】
【AHHHHHH, you’re not dreaming, I can prove it! It’s mutual! It’s freaking mutual! If this isn’t mutual, I’ll chop my head off and leave it right here! If this isn’t love, then what is? She kept a photo of him from when they were teenagers!!! Who keeps a photo with someone from their youth unless they like them??? Shen Fu doesn’t keep photos of the other male guests, does she? No, right? My ship is truly the emperor among ships!!!】
【AHHHHHHHHH WE SHIPPED A REAL COUPLE!】
From the forums to the comments section, everyone turned into screaming chickens.
The fandoms whose favorites hadn’t been immortalized in Shen Fu’s photo collection tried to say something, but couldn’t even get a word in.
They were instantly swept away by a flood of “AHHHHHHH.”
The comments began digging through earlier episodes for clues.
【Does anyone remember that scene on the first day of filming when the Crown Prince dragged his suitcase past Shen Fu’s room?】
【I do! I do! After I started shipping them, I watched it countless times. Didn’t some genius also analyze that the Crown Prince probably stepped on Chu Wei’s foot back then? Otherwise Chu Wei’s face wouldn’t have suddenly twisted like that.】
【Exactly! But did anyone notice Shen Fu was acting strangely too? She looked up for a moment. I used a 3D spatial direction model to analyze it, and discovered she wasn’t looking at Chu Wei at all. Her gaze actually landed on Jiang Shu. She lowered her eyes almost immediately afterward. If you don’t slow down the footage frame by frame, you’d never notice it.】
Comments:
【AHHHHHHHHH!】
【And another thing! Still on the first day! During dinner, didn’t the Crown Prince insist on switching seats with Xu Tiaotiao so he could sit beside Shen Fu?】
【I remember! We all remember! Big-brain analyst, just continue your analysis. Back then the Crown Prince was still pretending to be cold and distant, hahaha.】
【I zoomed in on the footage. When Jiang Shu sat down, a drop of water fell from his hair and landed on the back of Shen Fu’s neck. Normally, if a drop of water lands on your neck, especially from someone you don’t care about, you’d instinctively wipe it away, right? But Shen Fu just sat there without moving. She even looked a little stiff.】
【Why didn’t she wipe it away? Why suppress an instinctive reaction? Because she’d suddenly met that person again and was flustered!】
The comments section erupted again:
【AHHHHHHH! Are you a microscope in human form? Our Never-Give-Up Girls are honored to have you!】
More and more people joined the detective work.
Like searching for hidden Easter eggs, they began uncovering clue after clue from previous episodes.
【Even someone as oblivious as me noticed a tiny detail, hahaha. Let me share. On the beach-combing day, I can’t remember if it was the second or third day of filming, Shen Fu secretly poked the Crown Prince twice. Once after he snapped back at Zuo Mei, like she was telling him to tone it down. The second time was to urge him to hurry and join the competition to earn points. Both times, the Crown Prince obediently listened. If they didn’t have a lot of history, how could they appear cold on the surface yet be so familiar in private right from the start of the show?】
【AHHHHHHHHH!】
The further everyone dug into old footage, the more they realized everything formed a complete circle.
While Jiang Shu had been watching Shen Fu, Shen Fu had also been watching Jiang Shu’s shadow.
No one was trapped in a lonely, one-sided love.
As if they had uncovered some hidden truth, the audience pieced together countless slowed-down glances, heartbeats that seemed to pause for an instant, and quiet moments of favoritism between the two.
Before long, both the comments section and the forums were completely dominated by people hunting for sweet moments.
Fans of the other pairings watched helplessly as, in just this short period of time, the Jiang Shu × Shen Fu ship gained tens of thousands of new followers and surged to the number-one CP supertopic.
The supertopic was celebrating like it was New Year’s.
Not only had they given the pairing the ship name “Never Give Up”, they were also boldly promoting it with the slogan: “A two-way journey toward each other.”
How arrogant.
How infuriating.
The fans of the other ships, now left far behind, huddled together and cried.
Brothers, you’re so disappointing!
How did Jiang Shu, the guy who seemed least likely to end up with Shen Fu when the show first began, somehow get a hundred thousand somersault clouds ahead of everyone else?
At this point, the number of Jiang Shu × Shen Fu shippers exceeded all those so-called “heretical ships” combined.
The user “No One Ships Better Than Me,” who had been enthusiastically supporting Shen Fu and Gu Zhidao just moments ago, had completely vanished from both the comments section and the forums.
She had quietly logged off in embarrassment.
But her personal Weibo had already become a pilgrimage site.
“HAHAHAHA, the blogger should just change their name to ‘Oh Heavens, Everyone Ships Better Than Me.’”
While some people were overjoyed and others were crying their eyes out, the All-Shen-Fu fans had only one reaction: They’d won big.
No matter which pairing they shipped, they’d gotten fed.
Ha, this was the superiority of being a multishipper.
The more convinced everyone became that the feelings were mutual, the more desperately they wanted to know what had happened between the two in the past.
【D*mn it, now we have a question.】
【If these two lovebirds already showed signs of secretly liking each other in high school, why didn’t they end up together afterward?】
…
While the comments section was discussing the topic so intensely it made the trending charts, the production team gathered the packed guests in the living room and continued introducing the upcoming journey.
“Guests, the trip will last seven days. We will depart from the villa tomorrow morning. There are four destinations: Gulangyu Island in Xiamen, Erhai Lake in Yunnan, Shangri-La, and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.”
“The amount of time spent at each location will vary, but ultimately everyone will arrive at the foot of the snow mountain.”
“During the trip, we will complete the seventh segment, ‘Free Confession,’ and on the final night we will film the eighth segment, ‘Final Choice Night.’”
“The couples that are ultimately formed will, with the blessings of viewers across the country, hang a love lock on the snow mountain and together spin the prayer wheels at the temple, creating beautiful memories.”
“Please make sure you’ve prepared everything you’ll need for the trip. Along the way, we may be camping, pitching tents, and having bonfires. Of course, for other daily necessities, the production team has specially arranged a logistics crew that will travel with us throughout.”
The moment the rules were announced, the comments section exploded with excitement.
【It’s finally here! Free Confession! Final Choice! AHHHHHH!】
【Place your bets now! Between Shen Fu and Jiang Shu, who’s going to crack and confess first?】
If the fans of other pairings had still felt hopeful before, then after the unexpected photo incident and the Jiang Shu–Shen Fu ship soaring to the number one supertopic, their expressions had become rather ugly.
No way.
Surely these two weren’t actually going to become a real couple?
Please no.
D*mn it.
The people in the living room knew absolutely nothing about the carnival happening online or the scandal that had shot onto the trending charts.
At that moment, the production team was collecting everyone’s phones.
Including the phones the show had provided.
“Since there are only seven days left until Final Choice Night, communication between the guests and the outside world will be temporarily cut off.”
“This is to prevent online opinions from influencing your choices and judgments.”
“We hope everyone will follow their hearts and pursue love bravely.”
“Don’t worry about getting bored during the journey. We’ve invited three guest romance mentors. They’ll meet everyone at the final destination and help offer advice before the final decisions are made.”
The guests weren’t particularly enthusiastic.
This meant being completely cut off from the outside world.
Chu Wei glanced at Shen Fu from the corner of his eye and actually approved of the production team’s decision.
Previously, although the show claimed the guests were disconnected from the internet, they could still obtain outside information through their designated contacts.
That meant Shen Fu must have gone online.
And if she went online, she’d inevitably see the comments his fans had made attacking her after their breakup.
That would definitely affect her decision.
Besides, it seemed that online sentiment currently favored Jiang Shu.
Shen Fu might develop some inappropriate goodwill toward Jiang Shu because of that.
After all, it was like when people around you constantly teased you about being with someone.
If enough people paired you together, sooner or later you’d start paying attention to the man being paired with you.
Chu Wei was the first to hand over his phone.
He even urged Xiang Lingyun beside him: “Hurry up and hand yours over.”
…
Xiang Lingyun frowned and glanced at the idiot. Weighing the phone in his hand, he slowly walked over and handed it to a staff member.
He was also thinking about the upcoming journey.
With Gu Zhidao joining the competition, he now had four rivals.
Recently, he and Shen Fu hadn’t interacted much. But neither had the others.
He wasn’t particularly anxious. Everyone was still standing at the same starting line.
Even if he lost in the end, he’d grab the leg of whoever was ahead and stop them from winning.
Since Shen Fu no longer liked him, then nobody else should get a happy ending either.
Chu Wei and Wen Zhenghan were already things of the past.
Among the remaining competitors, Xiang Lingyun felt that Gu Zhidao might be the strongest threat.
Yesterday, he’d actually heard Gu Qingshuang call Shen Fu “sister-in-law.” Although she’d been interrupted by Jiang Shu’s glare before she could finish, Xiang Lingyun had been standing nearby and heard it clearly.
Moreover, today one of the company executives had privately told him something.
When Male Guest Number Five first met the female guests, he’d specifically chosen Shen Fu for a private conversation.
During that conversation, Shen Fu had laughed so hard at something he said that she nearly sprayed out her coffee.
Shen Fu wasn’t someone who usually displayed her emotions openly.
What could Gu Zhidao possibly have said that made her so happy?
And another thing, she had splashed Gu Zhidao with water three separate times.
She was normally cautious and polite.
How could she behave so rudely?
Unless…
She and Gu Zhidao had known each other before?
The more Xiang Lingyun thought about it, the more convinced he became that he needed to watch Gu Zhidao carefully during the trip.
…
Other than Chu Wei, whose thoughts were completely obvious, everyone else was making calculations in their heads.
What Xiang Lingyun was thinking was also what Wen Zhenghan was thinking.
But there was one additional matter on Wen Zhenghan’s mind.
After being on the show for so long, Shen Fu had never displayed any particular attachment to anyone.
If she’d been acting all along…
Was it possible she had also been acting toward Chu Wei and Xiang Lingyun?
Wen Zhenghan was successful, influential, and held a higher status in the industry than either of those two.
There was no logical reason for Shen Fu’s feelings toward them to be genuine while her feelings toward him were fake.
Could he uncover the truth during the upcoming trip?
After enduring countless rounds of mockery from Chu Wei and Xiang Lingyun over this issue, Wen Zhenghan’s patience had completely run out.
At this point, he only wanted to drag everyone down into h*ll with him.
Shen Fu also handed over her phone.
The very second she powered it off and surrendered it, Liang Xiaochun called.
Unfortunately, the phone was already off.
Liang Xiaochun was panicking.
What was this suddenly trending topic online, #YouthPhoto#?
But before the call could even connect, the other side had already gone offline.
Jiang Shu handed over his phone as well.
He had originally been standing on the right side of the sofa. After passing it over, he seized the opportunity to casually circle around to the left side, pretending nothing was out of the ordinary, and stood behind Shen Fu with both hands in his pockets.
In the past, the livestream comments had hardly noticed details like this. But now, with the two of them merely appearing in the same frame, the comments were already screaming as if it were New Year’s.
After collecting everyone’s phones, it was time to choose a team leader.
Since this would be a fairly long journey, one guest needed to be selected as team leader to handle things such as coordinating with the other guests, helping take care of luggage, checking maps, and similar tasks.
The production team said, “The female guests should just relax and enjoy themselves. Let’s choose from among the male guests.”
First, the four female guests voted.
The moment Shen Fu heard the rules, she knew it sounded nice, but being team leader was actually a thankless, exhausting job. The female guests would probably vote according to whom they liked the least.
Without hesitation, Shen Fu voted for Gu Zhidao.
Better give him something to do, so he wouldn’t find trouble for her instead.
Next was Xu Tiaotiao.
Xu Tiaotiao was friends with Chu Wei and had a favorable impression of Xiang Lingyun. She didn’t want to offend Wen Zhenghan or Jiang Shu, so after thinking for a moment, she also voted for Gu Zhidao.
Gu Zhidao: “…”
He couldn’t help glancing at Shen Fu. She really wasn’t subtle at all about targeting him.
Still, hatred was better than complete indifference.
Just as Chu Wei was about to gloat, he received two votes himself.
His smile instantly vanished. “…”
Gu Qingshuang was still unhappy with him over the two slices of cake incident. Since she didn’t want Gu Zhidao to become team leader, she chose Chu Wei.
Zuo Mei still didn’t want to give up Gu Qingshuang as an ally, so she also voted for Chu Wei.
After Gu Zhidao and Chu Wei were determined as the two candidates, the remaining three male guests voted.
For Wen Zhenghan and Xiang Lingyun, Gu Zhidao, whose situation they still knew nothing about, was naturally the bigger threat at the moment, so both voted for him.
“In that case, it’s settled. Mr. Gu has four votes,” the production crew announced. “Mr. Jiang doesn’t need to vote…”
Before they could finish, Jiang Shu raised a dark eyebrow and, with a provocative expression begging for a beating, slapped the vote in his hand directly onto Gu Zhidao’s face.
Gu Zhidao: “…”
Chu Wei’s fans in the livestream comments had been annoyed moments ago, but now they couldn’t stop laughing:【How did Teacher Gu manage to become public enemy number one after only being here one or two days?】
【The crown prince is unbelievably possessive.】
…
After the luggage was packed and the team leader for the trip was decided, the guests began eating dinner.
This was their final dinner in the villa.
The comments said:【They’re leaving already? We’ve been watching livestreams here for twenty days. Thinking about it, it’s actually a little sad.】
Staff members bustled about, still packing various items that needed to be brought on the trip.
The director liked having a drink or two after livestreams ended, so he specifically instructed staff to bring up a case of red wine from the wine cellar.
After another dinner filled with undercurrents beneath the surface, Zuo Mei got up to collect her flowers from the terrace.
Although Shen Fu had been staying at the villa for quite a while, there were still parts of it she hadn’t explored. So she picked up a cold drink and got up to wander around.
But perhaps because it had rained over the past few days, and because of yesterday’s intense cycling session,
She had only just reached the swimming pool when she suddenly paused.
Her left foot had cramped.
Shen Fu put on a pained expression and waited for the cramp to pass.
Unexpectedly, after standing there for several seconds, it only grew worse.
“What’s wrong?” Jiang Shu spotted Shen Fu standing motionless by the pool through the glass doors and hurried inside.
Shen Fu pointed at her foot. “It’s cramped.”
Jiang Shu took off his jacket and wiped away the condensation on a nearby bench. Supporting her, he helped her sit down, then crouched on one knee, removed her slipper, and placed her foot on his knee.
“Which direction?” Jiang Shu asked with a frown.
“The sole of my foot is cramping. Pull it back.”
Jiang Shu glanced at her. His long fingers curled into a fist and pressed his knuckles against the snowy-white sole of her foot, massaging it twice.
Shen Fu immediately sucked in a breath. “That hurts.”
Jiang Shu then pulled her foot in the opposite direction. “That’s because you’re calcium deficient. Who told you not to take all those calcium supplements the housekeeper bought for you?”
There had even been times when she cramped in the middle of the night and fell out of bed.
Shen Fu retorted irritably, “It’s not because of calcium deficiency. It’s because of yesterday’s bike ride. Who told you to suddenly come up with crazy ideas whenever the mood strikes?”
Jiang Shu: “…”
Behind his sunglasses, Jiang Shu frowned and actually began reflecting on himself. “Was it really because of me?”
Shen Fu: “…”
Wasn’t that just something she said casually? Why was he taking it seriously?
The two of them had no idea that the livestream comments were already screaming:
【Aaaah! Crown Prince Jiang, please give us a hundred-thousand-word detailed account of the calcium supplement story!】
Shen Fu rotated her foot. “I think it’s better now.”
After helping her stretch it, her foot was still resting in his hands.
Jiang Shu lowered his eyes. His gaze landed on her round, pale, jade-white toes. Although his own complexion was cool and fair, a man’s hands were still darker than a girl’s feet. Their skin tones differed by a shade, making the sense of his hand enveloping her foot all the more obvious.
The color in Jiang Shu’s eyes darkened behind his sunglasses.
As if possessed, he compared the size of Shen Fu’s foot with his hand. Then, unable to resist, he pinched the toe that looked the softest and most springy.
Shen Fu froze for a moment, then kicked him in the shoulder. “What are you doing? Let go already.”
Even Jiang Shu himself was stunned after doing it.
It was probably like seeing an adorable fluffy cat and instinctively wanting to rub its head. Jiang Shu hadn’t expected himself to overstep the boundary so much.
He immediately let go of her foot as though shocked, quickly stood up, and stepped back. His face remained expressionless, but the tips of his ears had already turned red.
CR*P.
This was bad.
Would she be disgusted?
Was there still time to explain that he hadn’t been deliberately taking advantage of her?
“Y-you sit here and rest for a while first. I’ll go get some Yunnan Baiyao spray.” Jiang Shu turned his face away, inexplicably stammering a little.
The medication promotes blood circulation, reduces inflammation, relieves pain, and can ease muscle spasms. Otherwise, later in the middle of the night, the area might start cramping again.
Shen Fu glanced at him in surprise. “You’ve actually improved quite a bit in practical life knowledge.”
He already knew he had changed a lot, so why hadn’t she even voted for him as team leader?
Jiang Shu had still been blushing moments ago, but suddenly felt somewhat dissatisfied.
He had already turned around to go get the medicine, but he simply couldn’t hold it in any longer. Suddenly, he took off his sunglasses, crouched down in front of Shen Fu, and stared fixedly at her with a pair of dark, profound eyes. “Shen Fu, look me in the eyes.”
Shen Fu: “?”
The two of them were less than three feet apart.
Jiang Shu’s eyes were beautiful, as though they contained whirlpools within them. Reflections from the pool lights fell into his gaze.
For a brief moment, Shen Fu lost herself in them.
In a deep, melancholy tone, Jiang Shu said, “I genuinely think your taste is questionable.”
She actually liked those four people but not him?
Did she think he was the worst male guest among them?
Before Shen Fu could even figure out what bizarre train of thought he was operating on this time, calling her over just to insult her, he had already stood up and gone to get the medicine.
Shen Fu: “…”
The livestream comments screamed nonstop:【AAAAH I understand what Crown Prince Jiang means! But bro, she likes you! Open your eyes and see clearly, she likes YOU!】
Just as everyone in the comments was anxiously wondering when these two oblivious idiots would finally realize their feelings, Chu Wei happened to see Jiang Shu leaving through the glass door by the pool and curiously came over to take a look.
When he saw Shen Fu sitting alone on the bench, he couldn’t resist pushing open the door and walking in.
Earlier, during the team leader vote, Shen Fu hadn’t voted for Chu Wei.
That had secretly pleased him a little.
Although she had always rejected him before, when it came to actual choices, she still seemed to be protecting him.
No matter what, in her heart, didn’t he rank a little higher than Gu Zhidao?
Chu Wei walked over and sat beside Shen Fu.
Shen Fu: “…”
Her foot had only just stopped cramping and was still numb. Even if she wanted to move away, she couldn’t.
But Chu Wei misunderstood and assumed she was silently allowing him to sit there.
Previously, she would leave the moment she saw him.
But now, after glancing at him, she didn’t react at all.
Surely her attitude toward him had softened.
Chu Wei felt another surge of delight, the happiness on his face almost impossible to hide.
Looking at the swimming pool, countless memories suddenly flooded into his mind, and he couldn’t help saying: “Do you remember when I used to practice in the dance studio, and you’d wait for me outside?”
Shen Fu: “…”
Her eyelid twitched. She suddenly had a bad feeling about this.
Please don’t tell her he was about to start reciting some youthful-angst romance novel plot.
Chu Wei sighed and looked at her wistfully. “There was a bench outside the dance studio back then too, almost exactly like this one.”
“The truth is, some memories can never be forgotten. They’ve already become part of who we are.” If their phones hadn’t been confiscated, Chu Wei really wanted to show Shen Fu all those fan-edited videos of them online.
Such lively, wonderful days back then…
Before Shen Fu could respond, even the livestream comments couldn’t resist urging Chu Wei to leave. What if the crown prince came back and found someone occupying his spot?
Wouldn’t he immediately chug another giant barrel of jealousy and start a fight?
The Shen Fu–Jiang Shu shippers in the comments were still trying to spare Chu Wei’s feelings and hadn’t started attacking him yet.
Then Running Lighthouse posted:【D*mn idiot, stop adding scenes that don’t exist! Refusing to admit defeat is the real couple! Where’s Jiang Shu? Get your *ss back here!】
Comments:【?】
Chu Wei’s fans:【…?】
