Shen Fu was genuinely furious.
If he didn’t have those kinds of feelings, then he should stop constantly doing things that made people misunderstand!
And he was always competing with those other men. She was convinced he simply treated all of this like some kind of competitive game!
And moving her head onto his shoulder while she was sleeping, so he’d watched too many innocent-romance idol dramas and was using her for practice because he was bored?
Although the two had only been separated from the group for a few minutes, Gu Zhidao, whose attention was constantly on Shen Fu and who kept glancing back from time to time, still noticed.
He frowned.
This Mr. Jiang was really scheming. Once again, he’d taken advantage of everyone else’s inattention to secretly create an opportunity to be alone with Shen Fu.
No wonder, before joining the show, the other three male guests had been tormented miserably by him.
This guy simply had no scruples whatsoever.
Gu Zhidao put down the prop in his hand and turned to walk over and separate the two of them.
He had just noticed that Chu Wei was looking all around beyond the crowd for Shen Fu, and he noticed it too. His expression immediately changed.
The situation on the bus earlier was one thing, but why were Shen Fu and Jiang Shu still together now?
Normally, whenever the male guests got into conflict, the director would just shout, “Fight! Fight!” But they were in a public park now. There were people everywhere, and spectators were already gathering around. If something happened, they wouldn’t be able to leave afterward. It was better not to have anything occur that would delay the schedule.
So the director immediately stopped both Gu Zhidao and Chu Wei and told a staff member to run over to Shen Fu.
“Teacher Shen Fu, Teacher Xiang Lingyun has already finished shooting. It’s your turn now.”
“Okay, coming.”
Still fuming, Shen Fu turned and left.
Before leaving, she saw Jiang Shu standing there wearing sunglasses, acting cool and looking at her like a blind man posing dramatically. Her anger flared up even more. Unable to resist, she kicked him lightly in the shin as though kicking a stubborn donkey that refused to understand. “Sorry. That was an accident.”
Jiang Shu: “…”
Jiang Shu stood where he was, lowered his head, and looked at the hand that Shen Fu had held and then released. His face was full of confusion.
Why had she suddenly gotten angry for no reason?
Could it be that she hadn’t wanted to hold his hand just now and had actually wanted to arm wrestle? And when she couldn’t beat him, she’d become embarrassed and angry?
Or was it because she’d discovered that he had secretly moved her head onto his shoulder on the bus?
But they had gotten off the bus half an hour ago. She only noticed now?
Her reaction time was way too long, wasn’t it?
Cute.
Still, even though she’d kicked him, it felt as though the warmth from her hand still lingered in his palm.
The tips of Jiang Shu’s ears were still slightly red.
He glanced sideways from behind his sunglasses with the corner of his eye, wondering whether the cameraman behind them had captured it. If he had, then after the show ended, he could save the footage.
After standing there happily for a while, Jiang Shu curled his fingers into a fist and shoved them into his pocket. Doing his best to appear completely unfazed, he wore a cold, noble expression and walked toward the shooting booth.
The moment he squeezed through the crowd, he saw Shen Fu, far from calm, firing: “Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!” Several shots in rapid succession. Every balloon on the target board exploded.
The scene was terrifyingly intense.
The livestream comments exploded:【HOLY SH*T!】
Xiang Lingyun, who had only managed to hit three balloons after using all his ammunition: “…”
Jiang Shu: “…”
For some reason, it felt like she was looking at the target the same way she looked at him.
The sun was blazing in the open-air venue. Seeing Shen Fu’s face turning red from the heat, Jiang Shu couldn’t help turning around to buy cold drinks and a sun hat.
The production crew took quite a while to recover from their shock before hurriedly counting the burst balloons. “This round goes to Teacher Shen Fu. Plus 0.5 points.”
There was money to be earned.
Shen Fu’s anger immediately subsided a little.
Earlier, because it was too hot, Zuo Mei and Gu Qingshuang had been sitting in a shaded pavilion some distance away. Wen Zhenghan and Xiang Lingyun had been focused on the shooting game competition and hadn’t noticed what had happened behind them.
Only Gu Zhidao and Chu Wei sensed the subtle change between Shen Fu and Jiang Shu.
The park was crowded, and there were many cameramen filming in between. Although neither of them had clearly seen what happened, it seemed that Shen Fu had pulled her hand free from Jiang Shu before walking over.
They had no idea what the two had talked about.
But Shen Fu seemed very unhappy.
…It looked like she wasn’t interested in Jiang Shu at all.
Both men felt as if they had been injected with a shot of adrenaline. They subconsciously exchanged glances.
But immediately after making eye contact, they realized the other person was also a rival. Both quickly turned their heads away as though they’d swallowed a fly.
Meanwhile, Gu Qingshuang sat in the distant pavilion, watching Shen Fu reload her air rifle.
On the bus ride over, Gu Qingshuang had sat together with Gu Zhidao. She had learned that although her Ge had been assigned to the same room as Shen Fu last night, Jiang Shu had guarded against him at every turn, and absolutely no progress had been made.
Gu Qingshuang was even more anxious than Gu Zhidao.
The decision-making stage was approaching soon. It was basically the final showdown, and there had still been no progress?
She couldn’t help wanting to lend a hand.
She walked to a nearby stall and bought several sun-protective bucket hats, then handed them out to the guests.
Aside from Zuo Mei and Xu Tiaotiao, who had checked the UV index beforehand and already worn woven hats, no one else had prepared that thoroughly.
Gu Qingshuang handed one of the hats to Shen Fu. “This one’s for you.”
Shen Fu looked at Gu Qingshuang.
Previously, Gu Qingshuang’s attitude toward her hadn’t exactly been bad, but it had been more along the lines of indifference.
Why was she suddenly becoming more and more enthusiastic?
Not understanding why, Shen Fu thanked her and accepted the hat.
After Shen Fu put it on, Gu Qingshuang quietly walked over to Gu Zhidao and stood on tiptoe to place the last hat on his head.
Gu Zhidao noticed that only his hat and Shen Fu’s hat had identical badges attached to the back.
“…”
Gu Qingshuang leaned close to his ear and whispered: “A matching couple set, Ge. This is as much as I can help you.”
Girls often overthink little details.
As long as someone noticed that among everyone present, only their hat and another person’s hat were the same, they might think it was a coincidence or fate’s arrangement.
Wouldn’t that naturally make them think more about that person?
Although Gu Zhidao was somewhat doubtful.
Would Gu Qingshuang’s method really work?
Ever since he’d known Shen Fu, she had never been the type to notice details.
Still, a dead horse was better treated as if it were alive. So he let Gu Qingshuang do as she pleased.
Chu Wei had originally thought he would get one too.
Instead, Gu Qingshuang walked straight past him without stopping.
Chu Wei: “…”
After feeling thoroughly satisfied with herself, Gu Qingshuang returned to the pavilion. By then, Zuo Mei’s expression had completely darkened.
Now she finally understood. She had been thoroughly played by that girl, Gu Qingshuang. Gu Qingshuang hadn’t invited her onto the show to help deal with Shen Fu at all. She had simply wanted to pursue Jiang Shu, so she brought her own Ge onto the show to interfere with Jiang Shu and Shen Fu.
Gu Qingshuang sensed that Zuo Mei looked extremely unhappy beside her. But at this point, any explanation would be useless.
Could she tell Zuo Mei that she had only discovered Gu Zhidao’s feelings for Shen Fu after he joined the show?
Would Zuo Mei believe that?
Since she wouldn’t believe it anyway, why waste her breath explaining?
The viewers noticed it too. These two had previously been inseparable best friends, but by today the atmosphere between them had become increasingly tense.
【Wait, what happened between those two now?】
【Don’t tell me they’re fighting over Shen Fu again? Shen Fu, the beauty who brings disaster.】
【Hahaha, the person above is killing me.】
After Shen Fu finished shooting, Xiang Lingyun, who had just lost, couldn’t help walking over. “Let me try again.”
Shen Fu gave up her spot and stepped aside.
Seizing the opportunity, Gu Zhidao brushed Chu Wei aside and quickly walked over. “There’s a pavilion over there. Do you want to go rest for a bit?”
Earlier, the two of them hadn’t been standing together, so nobody had paid attention. But now that they were side by side, the guests suddenly realized that everyone was wearing hats, so why were only Shen Fu’s and Gu Zhidao’s decorated with badges?
Xiang Lingyun had just picked up the rifle when he noticed this detail as well.
He glanced at Wen Zhenghan.
Wen Zhenghan’s expression didn’t change much, but his eyebrow twitched slightly.
Meanwhile, Jiang Shu had just finished buying a sun umbrella and returned carrying two cold drinks. He saw that all the guests were now wearing hats.
Among them, Shen Fu and Gu Zhidao were walking toward the pavilion together, and both of their hats had badges on the back.
They looked like a matching pair.
Him: “…”
Jiang Shu’s handsome face immediately darkened. He strode over with long steps.
When he reached Shen Fu, he suddenly reached up, removed the badge from her hat, and hid it behind his back.
Shen Fu had absolutely no idea what he’d done. She only felt Jiang Shu flick her forehead.
“…” Was he sick in the head?
Still angry, Shen Fu refused the cold drink Jiang Shu offered and went to buy one herself.
Jiang Shu: “…”
After spending the entire day touring attractions, all the guests were exhausted. Since they still had to fly to a hotel by Erhai Lake that evening, the activities ended at three in the afternoon.
The production team announced that filming for the day was finished.
The bus arrived, and the guests boarded one after another.
This time, the order was reversed from earlier.
The male guests boarded first.
After all the men were seated, the female guests boarded one by one.
As Gu Qingshuang passed by Jiang Shu, she gathered up a great deal of courage. Should she sit here?
But Jiang Shu suddenly reached up, pulled Shen Fu’s bag down from the overhead rack, and tossed it onto the seat beside him.
“…”
Feeling rather embarrassed, Gu Qingshuang could only pretend nothing had happened and continue walking down the aisle.
Then Shen Fu got on the bus.
Jiang Shu immediately snatched the bag back up, tossed it onto the overhead rack again, opened the window, put on his sunglasses, rested his chin on one hand, and pretended to admire the scenery outside.
His face was cold and aloof. His black bangs fluttered in the wind blowing through the window.
Shen Fu glanced at him.
Without saying a word, she walked to the other side of the bus and sat down by herself.
Jiang Shu waited for quite a while.
The bus had already started moving, and still no one came to sit beside him.
Unable to help himself, he turned his head to look for Shen Fu.
Then he saw her sitting alone with her headphones on, eyes closed, resting quietly.
Jiang Shu: “…”
???
Not only was Jiang Shu stunned, even the viewers were momentarily speechless.
【…】
The Never Admit Defeat CP fans immediately began wailing:【D*mn it, what happened? Why is Shen Fu suddenly avoiding D like the plague? They were perfectly fine two days ago!】
【Forget two days ago. She even held the Crown Prince’s hand right after they got off the bus earlier!】
Running Lighthouse:【I’m so pissed off. It has to be that fifth male guest stirring up trouble. Somebody get these two alone somewhere so they can make out all afternoon already.】
The fans of the other ships had been annoyed with the Never Admit Defeat fans for a long time.
Those fans always bragged that their ship was the ultimate, superior pairing that crushed all the others.
Although the other fandoms hadn’t formally formed an alliance, they had quietly united against a common enemy.
【You’re still talking about the hand-holding thing? It was obviously just a camera-angle illusion! There were so many pedestrians between them, and certain people were literally taking screenshots through tiny gaps and insisting they were holding hands! Getting slapped in the face now, aren’t you?】
Over the past few days, Shen Fu and Jiang Shu had indeed gotten extremely close.
They even sat together on the bus.
The Never Admit Defeat fans had been screaming about it nonstop in the livestream comments, suppressing the other ships so badly they were practically ready to burst into flames.
Now that Shen Fu’s attitude seemed to have suddenly retreated a step, the other fandoms felt as if they had won a comeback victory.
They were ecstatic.
At this point, it didn’t even matter whether their favorite male guest succeeded in the end.
As long as Jiang Shu lost, they would be satisfied.
Chu Wei fans:【We’re still far from the final choice. I’d advise certain fandoms not to be so arrogant. Seriously, the harder you’re laughing now, the harder you’ll cry later if it doesn’t work out.】
Xiang Lingyun fans:【Exactly. Leaving aside the fact that we still don’t know what happened between the Crown Prince and Shen Fu in the past, let’s talk about that photo. Just because of one photo, you’re concluding that Shen Fu secretly loved the Crown Prince before? Isn’t that a bit reckless? Forget Shen Fu, even as a Xiang Lingyun fan, if I had a photo with D, I’d treasure it. If nothing else, the guy really was handsome and full of youthful spirit. But that doesn’t mean I’m in love with D, right?】
Wen Zhenghan fans:【…Are you sure you’re not just praising Jiang Shu?】
The account called “No One Ships Better Than Me” had been humiliated so badly over the past few days that they had practically disappeared from the internet.
But in reality, they’d been secretly watching the livestream all along.
Now that they sensed a chance for a comeback, they immediately sprang back to life.
No One Ships Better Than Me:【Exactly. We were misled by the Never Admit Defeat fans earlier. What does a single photo prove? Even if there was something in the past, it’s in the past. Does she like the Crown Prince now? No, right? She even has history with Chu Wei. And look where that’s going, more and more BE (bad ending).】
Chu Wei fans:【…】
An arrow straight through the knee.
No One Ships Better Than Me:【Therefore, join the Gu Zhidao × Shen Fu camp! They even have matching-couple hat badges now. Yay.】
The various ship fandoms immediately resumed all-out war in the comments.
…
Meanwhile, on the bus.
Although Shen Fu was no longer sitting with Jiang Shu, the other male guests still didn’t dare make any rash moves.
The other men had also keenly sensed that the atmosphere had changed.
If, over the past few days, Jiang Shu had seemed to be leading far ahead of everyone else,
Then now it was as if Jiang Shu had tripped on flat ground and instantly fallen all the way to last place.
Although they didn’t know what had happened, it seemed to have started when Jiang Shu moved Shen Fu’s head onto his shoulder.
Had that somehow crossed one of Shen Fu’s boundaries?
Worried about stepping on the same landmine, none of the men dared make any rash moves.
…
After returning to the guesthouse and quickly packing their luggage, they boarded the production team’s private plane.
It wasn’t until after eight o’clock that evening that they landed and gathered on the beach for a bonfire dinner.
During that entire period, Shen Fu never sat with Jiang Shu again and barely spoke to him.
Earlier, at the open-air park, Jiang Shu had been tremendously encouraged when Shen Fu suddenly grabbed his hand.
But afterward, Shen Fu acted as though his attempts to approach her were putting her under too much pressure, and she no longer wanted any interaction with him.
Jiang Shu cast a gloomy glance toward Shen Fu, who was sitting not far away. Even on his handsome face, traces of frustration and confusion couldn’t be hidden.
There were three destinations left.
At one of them, a special guest would be announced.
As the bonfire was lit, the production team introduced the first one.
It was Wang Xuanheng, who had appeared during the hide-and-seek segment before. “Welcome, President Wang!”
The director was overflowing with enthusiasm.
After all, he was one of the show’s investors!
But the other guests sitting on the beach looked largely uninterested.
The male guests were even somewhat wary.
Wasn’t this Jiang Shu’s friend?
Why had he appeared as a guest?
Had he seen Jiang Shu falling behind today and come specifically to help him out?
To Wang Xuanheng’s surprise, nobody welcomed him.
The opening remarks he had prepared fell completely flat.
Feeling slightly awkward, he couldn’t help walking toward the only acquaintance he had there. Spreading his arms, he greeted Jiang Shu. “It’s me!”
Jiang Shu stood up from the sand.
Because of his tall figure, he immediately blocked half the bonfire’s light. Even the tourists in the distance couldn’t help focusing their attention on him.
He coolly brushed sand off his arms and legs.
Wang Xuanheng thought Jiang Shu was about to give him a high-five.
Overjoyed, he hurried over.
Instead, Jiang Shu simply walked past him wearing sunglasses and an icy expression, not even sparing him a glance.
Wang Xuanheng: “…” D*mn.
While Jiang Shu had gone off to get drinks, the production team began giving the female guests a hidden mission.
It was similar to the hidden mission from the first episode.
The female guests had to invite a designated male guest to complete a task on a card, without letting the men know that such a mission existed.
The male guests were busy eating and didn’t notice that the women had already gone off to draw lots.
There were five cards in total.
Four female guests would draw.
The rules appeared in the lower-right corner of the livestream.
The five task cards were:
- Invite Wen Zhenghan to dance and find a way to make him agree.
- Invite Xiang Lingyun to go rock climbing and find a way to make him agree.
- Invite Chu Wei to find a separate table and play Truth or Dare alone together.
- Invite Jiang Shu to leave the other guests tomorrow and take a solo trip around Erhai Lake with you.
- Invite Gu Zhidao to play the piano exclusively for you.
After reading the rules, the viewers became excited.
【Last time, the hidden missions involved making requests of your own dating partner. This time they’re drawing random cards, and whatever they draw has to be carried out? Is this the “lover exchange” mini-event the production team mentioned at the beginning?】
【But why aren’t the card contents balanced? The Film Emperor’s and the Crown Prince’s are obviously the most exciting. Dancing involves physical contact, and touring Erhai together takes a long time. The other three are much more ordinary.】
The viewers were now most curious about whom Shen Fu would draw.
Although the various fandoms weren’t openly saying it in the comments, everyone secretly hoped Shen Fu would draw their favorite.
Whoever Shen Fu chose would attract attention.
At the very least, it would draw viewers’ eyes toward their side.
Zuo Mei drew first.
She got Wen Zhenghan.
Her feelings were somewhat complicated.
If this had been at the beginning of the show, she would have done anything to draw the dance card with Wen Zhenghan.
But now Wen Zhenghan seemed unreliable.
Drawing a card that paired her with someone else might have been better.
Then she thought about it.
The CP fanbase they had accumulated over ten years was still incredibly strong.
Perhaps this was a chance to win back some of the fans they had lost.
With that in mind, she put away the card and gladly accepted it.
Sure enough, the Emperor/Empress Couple fans, who had been despairing for ages, immediately sprang back to life.
【This is fate, isn’t it? Wuwuwu, I’m shipping them again. The beauty of a tragic ending after parting ways.】
Shen Fu drew second.
Gu Qingshuang desperately hoped Shen Fu would get Gu Zhidao.
Instead, Shen Fu drew Xiang Lingyun.
Rock climbing?
Shen Fu was just about to ask whether she could decline the mission.
A staff member immediately said: “Failure to complete a hidden mission will result in a one-point deduction.”
Shen Fu: “…”
The comments exploded:【LMAO. Men aren’t as important as points. Ling Ge, you should thank that one point.】
Xiang Lingyun × Shen Fu also had quite a large fanbase, and they instantly became excited.
【AHHHH, is sweet romance finally coming to our ship? Besides, Top Idol × Beautiful Actress is the best pairing. Anyone who can’t appreciate it needs their eyes checked.】
Perhaps this hidden-mission date would completely change the current situation in which the Crown Prince was dominating the competition.
It might even elevate Xiang Lingyun’s standing among the male guests all at once.
The Never Admit Defeat fans suddenly found themselves speechless.
Just two days ago, their ship had been the undisputed emperor among all pairings.
Why did it suddenly seem to be declining more and more starting today?
What exactly was going on between these two?
Everything felt incredibly mysterious.
Xu Tiaotiao drew Chu Wei.
She had no objections.
Gu Qingshuang thought that with only two cards remaining, she was bound to draw Jiang Shu.
Full of anticipation, she reached out her hand.
Instead, she drew Gu Zhidao.
She: “…”
The comments immediately erupted:【So… does that mean the Crown Prince got left out all by himself?】
【“Chu Wei is about to laugh. He’s been left out so many times; it’s finally D’s turn to be left out.”】
The CP fans of Jiang Shu and Shen Fu felt slightly comforted.
It was one thing if Shen Fu teamed up with someone else. But if the Crown Prince also teamed up with someone else, then it would really be over.
After choosing the hidden missions, the production team had the female guests fill out another form.
There were only three questions on it:
- Setting aside your personal biases, who do you think is the most handsome among the men?
- If the world were ending and you could only take one person onto Noah’s Ark, who would you choose?
- Whose personality do you think is the cutest?
Looking at the form, Shen Fu thought with exasperation that the production team truly had endless tricks up their sleeves, but she still followed her heart and checked her answers.
The production team only revealed the questions to the audience for now and had not yet released the female guests’ answers.
The barrage immediately exploded with speculation.
Naturally, most of the guesses revolved around Shen Fu.
【I’m not sure about the first two questions, but there’s no way she picks the Crown Prince for question three.】
【Hahaha, I’m dying. Nobody would choose the Crown Prince for that question, right?】
Shoving the mission card into her coat pocket, Shen Fu walked straight over to Xiang Lingyun and sat down beside him.
Immediately, aside from the absent Jiang Shu, the other three men all looked over.
Xiang Lingyun’s expression became both proud and gentle. “What’s up? Do you need something?”
Although she had once slammed the door in his face with a loud bang, Chu Wei and Wen Zhenghan had suffered the same embarrassment, so Xiang Lingyun didn’t think much of it.
On the contrary, her taking the initiative to approach him was treatment that none of the others, including Jiang Shu, had ever received.
Shen Fu asked, “Are you free tomorrow? Want to go rock climbing?”
Xiang Lingyun froze for a moment. Afraid she might change her mind, he immediately replied, “Sure. You decide the time. I can work around your schedule.”
Having completed her task, Shen Fu nodded, stood up, and left.
Xiang Lingyun subconsciously rose to see her off. He could hardly believe this was real.
After withdrawing his gaze, he met Wen Zhenghan’s and Chu Wei’s unpleasant expressions and couldn’t help feeling a little elated.
Since Gu Zhidao had joined the show later and had only read the transcripts, he didn’t know how cold Shen Fu had been to the other three before. Seeing Xiang Lingyun looking so flattered and honored now, he found it rather baffling.
Was it really necessary?
It was only rock climbing.
Maybe she invited him because, aside from Jiang Shu, he was the most athletic among the men.
If it had been songwriting or piano playing, wouldn’t she have invited him instead?
Just as he was thinking that, Gu Qingshuang came over and dragged him off to play piano in a building farther away.
Gu Zhidao: “…?”
Meanwhile, Xiang Lingyun slowly sat back down and subconsciously bent over to retie his shoelaces.
Anyone who didn’t know better would think he and Shen Fu were going rock climbing tonight rather than tomorrow.
People don’t fear scarcity, they fear unfairness.
The three brother-in-arms had become so used to being rejected by Shen Fu that when one of them suddenly shot straight into the sky and received her favor, the other two were naturally unhappy.
Why him?
Just because Xiang Lingyun was the sporty type?
Then why didn’t Shen Fu ask Jiang Shu?
He went jogging every morning, wasn’t he even more athletic than Xiang Lingyun?
Then it suddenly occurred to them that from this afternoon until now, Shen Fu and Jiang Shu seemed not to have exchanged a single word.
Their moods improved ever so slightly.
Looks like something had happened.
Maybe Jiang Shu had already been eliminated on Shen Fu’s side.
Why him?
Xiang Lingyun thought.
Of course it was because, among all the male guests, he was the one who had spent the longest time with Shen Fu in the past.
Sure, he had been somewhat discouraged before, but at this moment, Xiang Lingyun felt like he was back in the game.
Thinking about it carefully, ever since joining the show, Shen Fu had actually treated him a little better than the others.
She would reject Chu Wei on the spot, embarrass Wen Zhenghan, refuse Gu Zhidao’s gifts in person, and give Jiang Shu the cold shoulder.
But she had never done any of those things to him.
She had even personally handed him the shooting rifle during today’s shooting challenge.
Maybe that event had made her realize they had more similarities and shared hobbies than she’d thought?
It was impossible for Xiang Lingyun not to beam with delight.
Watching his expression, and the subtle reactions of the other male guests, the viewers in the barrage collectively fell silent.
【…】
【Does the top idol seriously think Shen Fu chose him, and now he’s about to rise through the ranks thanks to her favor? Wake up, bro. You’re just her mission objective.】
Chu Wei’s fans:【I really want to laugh right now. Sorry.】
Wen Zhenghan’s fans:【Go ahead and laugh, babe. I’m already laughing.】
All the cameras were focused on the guests around the bonfire, while the tourists on the outer perimeter weren’t being livestreamed.
As a result, the audience never noticed that Jiang Shu had been standing behind them for a long time, carrying a case of drinks.
He watched Shen Fu sit beside Xiang Lingyun.
Then he watched her invite him and leave.
The unease and irritation in his heart had already reached their peak.
Wearing sunglasses, with the bonfire reflected in the dark lenses, no one could make out his expression.
One cameraman in front suddenly sensed the gloomy, oppressive aura radiating from behind him and instinctively turned around with the camera on his shoulder.
Before the camera could capture Jiang Shu, he had already picked up the drinks and left.
…
The first night of group lodging came to an end, and afterward everyone returned to having their own rooms.
After all, the cast members were all fairly big-name figures, and among them was Jiang Shu himself. There was no way the production team could drag that segment out for too long.
Tonight the guests would be staying at a seaside hotel.
This time, the entire hotel had been booked out, and there were plenty of rooms, so keycards were distributed at random.
After collecting the room cards, Wang Xuanheng returned and searched around the beach.
He discovered that Shen Fu had already gone back to her room.
Jiang Shu was nowhere to be seen either.
What was wrong with those two?
At the very least, he was their friend. Was this really how they welcomed a friend?
Unable to fit into the group of guests, Wang Xuanheng simply picked up a bottle of alcohol and headed into the hotel to look for Jiang Shu.
He went to knock on the door of Jiang Shu’s room, but no one answered.
Wang Xuanheng searched for another half hour. He was almost getting impatient when he finally found the guy at the swimming pool on the hotel rooftop.
Jiang Shu was sitting on a sofa facing a floor-to-ceiling glass wall and a projector screen, holding a bottle of sparkling water.
The lights were off. The projector was in screensaver mode, slowly cycling through photographs of wildlife and rainforests.
In the darkness, Jiang Shu sat quietly, still wearing his sunglasses.
When he heard someone open the door and come in behind him, he didn’t even react.
The moment Wang Xuanheng entered, he nearly tripped over a chair that Jiang Shu had casually left blocking the doorway.
“…”
Jiang Shu truly had a talent for sabotaging his friends.
Picking himself up, Wang Xuanheng walked in and switched on the lights. “What’s wrong?”
Before, everything had been pitch-black. Although viewers could still see this livestream feed, they had no idea who the motionless figure sitting there was.
Now that the lights were on, the viewers finally realized it was Jiang Shu.
【You scared me to death! The person who sat there silently for half an hour was actually the Crown Prince?!】
“What are you doing here?” Jiang Shu frowned. “You’re interrupting my contemplation.”
Wang Xuanheng walked over, nearly laughing at how serious he looked. “What are you contemplating?”
Jiang Shu’s expression was gloomy.
Why didn’t Shen Fu like him?
Had she still not forgotten one of those four guys?
No, there was also that guy from high school.
After being on the show for so long, he had seen her ignore all of them and assumed they no longer held any place in her heart.
Recently, Shen Fu’s attitude toward him had softened somewhat. She hadn’t splashed water on him, either. He had thought he finally had a chance this time.
But after this afternoon, everything seemed to be back to square one.
She wanted to go rock climbing.
Why did she invite Xiang Lingyun instead of him?
Jiang Shu couldn’t help feeling somewhat humiliated.
No matter how hard he tried to cheer himself up, with his head lowered, he still looked a little dejected.
Had he been pushing too hard?
Was his presence too overwhelming, putting too much pressure on her?
If all else failed, maybe he should just take her by force?
He had a feeling that if he didn’t firmly keep her in his grasp this time, he would end up waiting several more years.
While Jiang Shu was lost in his melancholy and not answering, Wang Xuanheng struggled to suppress a laugh. “You heard Shen Fu is going rock climbing with that guy surnamed Xiang tomorrow, right?”
He had truly hit Jiang Shu where it hurt.
Jiang Shu’s face instantly darkened. “Get lost.”
Wang Xuanheng sat down, took out two wine glasses, and poured two drinks.
“I’m not drinking,” Jiang Shu said coldly.
“They’re not for you. Drinking alone is boring. This glass is just here for appearances.”
As he spoke, Wang Xuanheng casually clinked his own glass against the untouched one on the table.
Jiang Shu’s train of thought had been completely disrupted by this guy. He seriously wanted to throw him out.
“Didn’t you dislike Shen Fu at first?” Wang Xuanheng asked, holding his wine glass and staring at him, utterly baffled.
Back when Shen Fu had first arrived at the Jiang family home, Jiang Shu had found her incredibly annoying.
At the time, Old Master Jiang had entrusted Jiang Shu’s bank card to Shen Fu.
Although Jiang Shu received plenty of spending money, every time he secretly went street racing again, the old master would call through his assistant and tell Shen Fu to freeze his card.
The old master had planned it perfectly.
Jiang Shu would argue with him and be rude to assistants and housekeepers.
But no matter how hot-tempered he was, he was still a teenage boy already over six feet tall. He couldn’t exactly lose his temper at a little girl.
And Shen Fu took the task very seriously.
Most people in that situation would have handled things more tactfully.
But she remembered that Old Master Jiang had paid her medical bills. Out of gratitude, she carried out whatever he told her to do.
“How could I not be annoyed?” Jiang Shu recalled his miserable sixteen-year-old self. “Every time I broke the rules, she confiscated my card and only gave me one hundred yuan a week in allowance.”
At the time he was deep in his rebellious phase.
Although he had many friends, he also had plenty of rivals.
When those people found out he was helpless against a little girl, who knew how badly they mocked him behind his back?
That was when they started calling him henpecked.
Of course, if someone called Jiang Shu that now, he’d probably thank that person and their entire family.
But back then, it was pure humiliation!
Jiang Shu picked up the drink on the table, drained it in one gulp, and slammed the bottle down heavily.
A troubled expression appeared on his handsome face. “I was the eldest young master of the Jiang family. Wasn’t that deliberately making me lose face?”
Honestly, completely freezing his card would have been better than only giving him one hundred yuan a week.
The barrage exploded:【Holy cr*p, do the Crown Prince and President Wang not realize the livestream is still on?!】
Most viewers had originally been gathered around the beach bonfire stream.
But as word spread, people excitedly flooded into this one.
The past!
The past they had always wanted to know about!
Wang Xuanheng nodded in agreement. “One hundred yuan really is humiliating. If it were me, I’d have thrown Shen Fu out of the house.”
The user named “No One Ships Better Than Me” was also watching and immediately seized the opportunity to stir up trouble:【Looks like the Crown Prince really didn’t like Shen Fu when they were young. So what exactly are you all shipping with this childhood mutual-crush theory? Even his friend says he hated Shen Fu…】
Before the comment could even finish scrolling across the screen, Jiang Shu suddenly stood up and grabbed Wang Xuanheng by the collar. “Can you f*cking speak like a human being? Weren’t you the one stirring up trouble when she suddenly ran away back then?!”
Wang Xuanheng: “……”
“No One Ships Better Than Me”: 【……】
Jiang Shu was wearing sunglasses, making it impossible to read his expression.
But Wang Xuanheng suddenly sensed something was off.
He looked down at the table and was startled. “Wait a second. What did you just drink? Where’s my wine?”
The wine glass on the table was already empty.
Jiang Shu sneered. “Nice try changing the subject. Did you scold her that night?”
Holding the empty glass, Wang Xuanheng became furious. “Do I look like I have nothing better to do? You specifically said that nobody was allowed to blame Shen Fu over that incident. Everyone listened to you. To this day, nobody has said a single extra word to her about it.”
“Then why?” Jiang Shu’s handsome face showed unmistakable bitterness.
Apparently that single glass of wine had already gotten him a little drunk.
He actually took off his sunglasses.
His eyes were slightly red around the rims, carrying a wronged, aggrieved look.
Then why had Shen Fu left without a word?
He had driven after her for such a long distance, yet she never once looked back.
After that night, he had indeed been angry.
But after what she had done, wasn’t he allowed to be angry for a little while?
Yet without saying a single word, while he was still away from home, she packed her things and left.
When he got into a car accident, she didn’t even come back to see him.
If she had just called home once during the month after she left, she would have known he spent an entire month lying in a hospital bed.
Every night, Jiang Shu slept poorly.
He often dreamed that she had come to see him.
But whenever he woke with a start and pulled back the curtain beside his hospital bed, there was no one there.
And after Jiang Shu had finally processed everything and couldn’t stop himself from going to find her, she was already studying Chu Wei’s likes and preferences.
That day, when he carried her to the hospital after she had fainted from a cold outside her dorm room, Jiang Shu’s face had been even paler than hers.
For the first time in his life, he felt like a clown.
Her phone screen lit up.
Every date recorded in her memo app was related to Chu Wei.
Chu Wei’s debut anniversary.
Chu Wei’s birthday.
Chu Wei’s parents’ birthdays.
Just who was worth that much effort from her?
Wang Xuanheng spoke calmly. “Actually, I think…”
After being on this reality show for so long, he had watched the livestreams too.
He felt that Shen Fu still showed Jiang Shu a bit of favoritism.
Maybe she hadn’t liked him back then, but now perhaps…
Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Shu’s handsome face suddenly flushed red.
He plopped back onto the sofa and said gloomily, “Back then, she…”
Before he could finish, Wang Xuanheng suddenly noticed the flashing cameras nearby. “Holy sh*t!”
He lunged forward and clapped a hand over Jiang Shu’s mouth.
The viewers were about to die of frustration.
Things had finally reached the important part, how could he stop them from hearing it now?!
Jiang Shu shoved Wang Xuanheng away.
The audience barely managed to catch half a sentence:
“Back then, she, (inaudible) , could it be that she didn’t actually dislike me that much?!”
【AAAAAAAHHHHHH D*MN IT!】
The barrage completely lost it.
【WHAT WAS THE PART WE COULDN’T HEAR?!】
Although she had made a bet with her deskmate that she would pursue him, the fact that she had gone straight for a kiss…
Didn’t that mean she wasn’t actually repulsed by him back then?!
At the very least, she wasn’t opposed to physical contact!
Besides, didn’t people always say that drunk words were sober thoughts?
If she could do something like that while drunk, maybe subconsciously she liked him a little.
But the moment that thought surfaced, Jiang Shu’s memories immediately dragged him back down into despair.
Back then, in front of everyone at the birthday party, she had kissed him.
No one could describe how overjoyed he had been.
His whole body had stiffened like a stone statue.
He hadn’t dared move.
Nor had he dared push her off him.
Did she like me a little?
That was what Jiang Shu had thought at the time.
He had already prepared himself.
If she made any further move, he would stop holding back and confess his feelings immediately.
Then in the next instant, she climbed off him.
And shouted, “Ultraman!”
He asked who Ultraman was.
Holding onto his arm, she whispered someone else’s name into his ear.
At that moment, the heart that had been racing wildly in his chest felt as though a bucket of ice water had been dumped over it.
Frozen solid.
Jiang Shu picked up another drink from the table and took a sip.
Furiously, he said, “I seriously can’t understand why she would have a crush on that guy.”
Wang Xuanheng knew exactly who he meant.
Stop talking, stop talking, he thought.
At this rate all your secrets are going to come out.
“You’re still upset about that?”
After Shen Fu left and Jiang Shu was discharged from the hospital, he had beaten up her deskmate.
Officially, he claimed he was angry that the guy had used him as part of a bet.
But only the people who had been present at the birthday party and heard Shen Fu call out that name knew what the real reason was.
Having a crush on your deskmate was perfectly normal.
Plenty of high school girls developed crushes just because their deskmates were a little handsome.
And Shen Fu’s deskmate had consistently ranked in the top three academically.
He was indeed outstanding.
But what Wang Xuanheng could never understand was…. if they were talking about looks, none of them could compare to Jiang Shu.
Living under the same roof as Jiang Shu day after day, how could Shen Fu still have eyes for her deskmate?
“I suspect she likes…”
The barrage had already gone insane.
And once again Wang Xuanheng stuffed a sofa cushion over Jiang Shu’s mouth.
【WANG XUANHENG, YOU’RE DEAD. How dare you smother the Crown Prince with a sofa pillow? Once he sobers up tomorrow your life is over.】
Although Jiang Shu hadn’t finished his sentence, Wang Xuanheng understood what he meant.
Back in high school, that deskmate had worn glasses.
Now Gu Zhidao wore glasses.
Wen Zhenghan occasionally wore them too.
Could it be that she liked those two now because they fit that type?
As for Jiang Shu, he wanted to get as close as possible to Shen Fu’s preferred type.
But he wasn’t nearsighted.
And he hated those refined, intellectual-looking gold-rimmed glasses.
So he spent every day wearing sunglasses.
Glasses were glasses, after all.
Surely that counted for something.
“How is that possible? It’s not like she’s collecting stamps!” Wang Xuanheng said, exasperated.
“Why not?! (muted) He’s her first love! She can’t forget him at all!”
Jiang Shu snapped angrily.
Even though Jiang Shu had later managed to get that guy transferred to another province, among the people Shen Fu had dated afterward, Jiang Shu suspected they all carried traces of that person.
A first love really ought to be strangled and buried.
He’d been far too lenient.
Wang Xuanheng wanted to remove the cameras.
But then he noticed there were five or six cameras around the pool.
By the time he finished taking them all down, who knew what outrageous things Jiang Shu would have revealed?
So he covered Jiang Shu’s face with a sofa cushion while dragging him toward the exit.
The viewers were so frustrated they could barely sit still.
【D*mn it, d*mn it, d*mn it! We missed every important part! Tonight we’re assassinating this idiot friend!】
Jiang Shu was much stronger than Wang Xuanheng.
Wang Xuanheng couldn’t restrain him at all.
He also had to dodge Jiang Shu’s flailing fists unless he wanted to wake up with two black eyes the next morning.
Wang Xuanheng practically wanted to kneel before him. “What exactly do you want, Crown Prince Jiang?!”
What did he want?
He wanted her to love him.
Not the kind of love between family members.
Not the kind of love between friends.
He wanted to be the person she placed first.
The one she thought of before anyone else, no matter what happened.
He wanted to be her first love.
Not number six, after numbers one, two, three, four, and five.
Was he asking for the impossible?
How could time ever flow backward?
But he insisted on asking for the impossible.
A sudden mixture of anger and bitterness surged through Jiang Shu. He shoved Wang Xuanheng aside and strode toward the stairwell.
He was going to drag Shen Fu out right now.
And force her to love him.
