The variety show’s filming location was in Shanghai. The production team had specially selected a Western-style villa with a garden that had Republican-era charm. Supposedly, they had locked up all the extra rooms, leaving only three rooms available.

Before departure, Wu Man deliberately bought a plane ticket different from Zhui Ye’s. The two arrived at Hongqiao Airport one after the other, very intentionally staggered.

When she arrived, Zhui Ye hadn’t yet. The staff member who came to pick her up, Chen Qian, asked cautiously: “Teacher Zhui Ye is on the next flight. Our other vehicle has been dispatched to Hongqiao to pick up the other teachers. Would it be possible for you to wait about ten minutes so we can pick up Teacher Zhui Ye together?”

Wu Man shook her head without hesitation: “No need. You can just take my luggage and my team.”

Chen Qian froze: “Ah… you mean… you’re not taking the car?”

“Correct.”

Wu Man tossed her luggage to Zhao Boyu, turned around, and left decisively. Chen Qian stared at her departing back, feeling uneasy inside, and hurriedly asked Zhao Boyu: “Is Teacher Wu Man angry?”

Zhao Boyu took advantage of the situation: “She doesn’t get along well with Zhui Ye. Don’t arrange for them to be together next time, understand?”

Ah, he was truly taking great pains to help this couple cover up their relationship.

When Chen Qian suddenly heard this, her heart sank heavily: “I thought… I thought…”

She thought they were special to each other.

Although she had asked Wu Man about sharing a car purely for business purposes, she had harbored a little selfish motive… She had never told anyone that she was actually a CP fan of the Spring Night couple, and among the earliest investors at that.

Back when *Spring Night* was being filmed, she had secretly started shipping them based on just one leaked photo. There was no other reason – the chemistry was simply too good. She didn’t genuinely believe these two people could have any relationship; they didn’t even follow each other on Weibo, so what bicycle could she expect?

That was until the video was exposed recently. She, who had already closed her own coffin, sat up in shock from her deathbed illness and shouted, “I can still ship them!”

On the day of the Cannes awards ceremony, she had camped out the entire time waiting for the results. When she saw their silhouettes walking onto the podium hand in hand with fingers interlaced, she didn’t know what she was empathizing with so intensely. With tears blurring her vision, she went to grab tissues to blow her nose and accidentally knocked over the cola on her table.

It was at that very moment she felt that the CP she shipped was different from other CPs. They had once intimately merged with each other, and together they had reached the pinnacle. At the highest point of glory, the person accompanying them was that person – surely it would leave brilliant colors in their hearts, wouldn’t it?

We play lovers in the drama, but at a certain moment, who could say clearly that I don’t truly love you?

It was with such conviction that she firmly believed there existed some kind of special emotion between them. Whether or not it was love, the other person must be special.

This belief lasted until one second before Wu Man turned and left.

Without cameras, behind the facade that didn’t need pretense, Wu Man’s reaction was the most genuine.

Chen Qian really hadn’t expected that she wouldn’t even be willing to sit in the same car as Zhui Ye.

Nearly two years of faith completely crumbled at the moment Zhao Boyu opened his mouth to explain. All her wishful thinking vanished into thin air.

It was clearly an emotion that had nothing to do with her, clearly a mirage she had imagined from beginning to end, but why did she still feel that disappointed, uncomfortable sensation of loss, as if she had experienced a grand yet silent unrequited love?

About twenty minutes later, Zhui Ye’s assistant contacted her – he had arrived.

However, Chen Qian didn’t even see his shadow, only receiving his luggage and work staff.

…This operation seemed somewhat familiar.

Zhui Ye’s assistant said nonchalantly: “He often does things on a whim. He said he wanted to make a detour to see a friend. It won’t take too long. He told us to go ahead first.”

Chen Qian could only respond with an “oh,” while her heart couldn’t help but sink again.

The friend he mentioned… couldn’t be Zhui Ye’s secret girlfriend, could it?!

Damn it, today was really a bad ending opening the door for bad endings – bad endings everywhere!

Zhao Boyu inside the car caught sight of Chen Qian’s expression and smiled very cleverly.

He was afraid that if these two people did the same thing, it would make the staff suspicious, so he quickly administered a preventive measure first. Now it seemed this preventive measure was quite effective. Tsk, worthy of me indeed.

At the subway entrance of the airport, Wu Man had her back to the crowd, scrolling through her phone. Zhui Ye had sent a WeChat message saying the flight was delayed for a bit and he was still stuck in the cabin, asking her to wait a little longer.

She replied helplessly: “I told you early on that I could manage on my own. Why don’t you just take the production team’s car? It would also make them less suspicious.” She knew Zhui Ye definitely wouldn’t agree, so she acted first and reported later: “Even if you don’t agree, there’s nothing you can do. I’m leaving first.”

Just as she was about to put away her phone, his voice call request came through.

“Hello.” Wu Man answered while walking toward the ticket machine nearby. “It won’t help even if you send me a voice message. I’ve already entered the station.”

She lied without batting an eye. From the receiver, Zhui Ye’s voice leisurely transmitted over.

“Is that so? I see you’re still clumsily fiddling with that machine.”

“?!”

Wu Man was startled and immediately looked around.

In the surging crowd, Zhui Ye stood distinctly not far away. Against his backdrop, all the people around him turned into streaming lines, passing through her vision.

She spoke into her phone: “…You tricked me?”

“I wanted to give you a little surprise.” He held up his phone, murmuring softly. Across the distant crowd, that voice transmitted extraordinarily clearly into her ear: “We’ve only been apart for two or three hours, but I miss you so, so much.”

Wu Man’s face beneath her mask flushed slightly.

…It must be oxygen deprivation.

She coughed uncomfortably twice: “Then why don’t you hurry over?”

They didn’t board the subway car right next to each other. After all, this place couldn’t compare to foreign countries – they were too conspicuous together. If some sharp-eyed fan actually recognized them, it wouldn’t end well. So they very cautiously kept some distance, but still stayed in the same car, standing in positions where they could see each other.

Finally, when getting off, they pretended to be pushed together by the crowd, their hands brushing against each other, their little fingers gently hooking and intertwining.

When nearing the villa, the two also staggered their timing and didn’t enter simultaneously.

At this time, all the cameras inside the house were already turned on. The first day’s filming had quietly begun.

When Wu Man arrived, two people had already arrived first – Jian Qun and Qin Fanlei respectively. According to the script, they were tonight’s double bed partners.

Jian Qun had started as a child star. Counting his childhood acting experience, Wu Man would have to call him senior. However, up until now, the label audiences had attached to him was still “child star,” which meant that after growing up, he hadn’t produced a sufficiently excellent work to prove himself, enough to let him shed his former identity.

When he saw Wu Man enter, he opened with a prepared line: “Wow, our recent big celebrity is here! Let me quickly rub off some good luck and pray that I can also land such an awesome script.”

Passive-aggressive.

However, perhaps his thoughts were also the thoughts of a large portion of people. Her reputation had been ruined for these years and wouldn’t rapidly change public perception just because she had one award-winning work from a Class A film festival.

What she needed to do was use this as a starting point and continue working hard. One day, she would make these people wholeheartedly convinced.

After Wu Man thought this through, she didn’t get angry at all and joked: “Rub off just a little bit – I still need to pray for some director to be blind enough to take a liking to me.”

Jian Qun’s expression froze slightly, and he immediately felt somewhat embarrassed.

Qin Fanlei on the side saw the atmosphere growing awkward and quickly came out to smooth things over. Her age was between Wu Man and Ji Sijia. She was a gold-medal host frequently used at many entertainment galas. The platform had selected her because they feared that when big-name entertainers gathered together, it would easily become awkward, so they picked someone who could liven up the atmosphere.

She spoke very familiarly: “Sister Man, do you want me to show you around the house? Xiao Qun and I just looked around the rooms earlier – it’s terrible! That double bed was definitely bought by the production team in the smallest size available. It’s not even as big as my cat’s bed!”

“Really?”

Zhui Ye happened to walk in, hearing Qin Fanlei’s last sentence.

Qin Fanlei looked toward the doorway, her eyes brightening: “Isn’t this the legendary Zhui Ye? I’ve finally met you in person!”

Zhui Ye smiled: “Hello, Sister Fanlei.”

Qin Fanlei beamed with joy: “My girlish heart… If I could be paired with you, little brother, I’d even think the bed is a bit too big.”

She knew her scripted partner wasn’t Zhui Ye, but that didn’t stop her from saying some flirty things.

Variety show effect – what’s needed is total chaos.

Zhui Ye imperceptibly glanced at Wu Man and answered with a playfully unserious expression on his face: “Then I’ll look forward to drawing Sister Fanlei tonight.”

At that moment, sounds came from outside – the last pair had arrived.

The two silently exchanged glances, looking toward the doorway as if facing a great enemy.

The first to enter was Ji Sijia. She wore a crop top halter, and her skin had a patch that was equally eye-catching, rivaling Wu Man’s birthmark for attention. However, hers was a man-made tattoo – two of Nezha’s Wind Fire Wheels.

She was still chewing gum in her mouth. She glanced sideways at everyone, nodded, and sat down on the sofa to the side.

Following half a beat behind her was the refined and elegant Weng Shaoyuan.

He carried several bags in each hand and greeted everyone graciously.

“I don’t know your preferences, so these are small gifts – please don’t mind them.”

He distributed the bags to everyone one by one. When it was Wu Man’s turn, he winked at her gently.

“The last time I saw you, I remember you were still a little girl.”

Wu Man was slightly stunned.

“Last time… was probably four years ago?” Wu Man recalled. She remembered it was at some TV station’s New Year’s Eve gala. “At that time I was clearly already twenty-eight or twenty-nine. With what you said, I’ve become the Heavenly Mountain Child Grandmother.”

Weng Shaoyuan had sung theme songs for several films she had appeared in. However, in recent years, because he had withdrawn from the entertainment circle and also because of her relationship with Yu Jiaze, they had almost no contact. But when they met, they could still exchange banter.

She had already disclosed all of this to Zhui Ye beforehand. However, when he saw Weng Shaoyuan walk over and chat happily with Sister, his brows still couldn’t help but furrow slightly.

He couldn’t help but glance over there with his peripheral vision, but his line of sight was suddenly blocked by a figure.

“I heard you won Best Actor at twenty?”

Ji Sijia, chewing gum, came up to him with an unclear voice to make conversation.

Zhui Ye raised his eyebrows unexpectedly. He had thought this woman was going to stay cool on the sofa the whole time.

However, he had no interest in chatting at the moment. He responded perfunctorily with a “mm” and, under the guise of surveying the living room, occasionally glanced at the two people who seemed to have a lot to talk about in their reunion after a long separation.

“When I was twenty last year, I won the Rap Queen title.” Ji Sijia came out with a completely unrelated statement. “So we’re actually quite compatible.”

“?”

Zhui Ye’s gaze stopped moving and he finally looked carefully at Ji Sijia.

She said arrogantly: “My requirements for a bed partner are very high. There aren’t many people who can be acknowledged by me, but you’re one of them.”

Zhui Ye had a sudden realization: “I didn’t even know myself that the Cannes Best Actor award I won was actually a stepping stone to be your bed partner?”

“Don’t twist my meaning.” Ji Sijia raised her eyebrows. “We’re the same type of people, aren’t we?”

Zhui Ye remained noncommittal and asked lazily: “Then you should also know what people like us do when we’re not interested in someone, right?”

She furrowed her brows slightly, and the gum she was chewing also slowed down.

He made a gesture to let her move aside: “That is, excuse me, please let me through.”

Ji Sijia stared at Zhui Ye’s back as he walked away at length, without the slightest bit of rejected annoyance or retreat.

The corners of her mouth curved up in a very shallow arc as she murmured thoughtfully: “Interesting.”

On the first day of arrival, everyone was exhausted from the journey. No one had the energy to cook, so dinner was simply a table full of crayfish ordered in.

At the dining table, men and women sat in separate rows. As Wu Man was helping to bring the crayfish to the table, someone plopped down in the seat across from Zhui Ye.

Wu Man looked over imperceptibly – this person was none other than Ji Sijia.

She had done nothing but flick her hands and snatched the seat she most wanted to sit in.

That seat had originally been Qin Fanlei’s, but she was accustomed to being smooth and tactful. When she saw this scene, she only froze slightly before changing course to sit on the side.

Wu Man pretended not to notice this scene and sat down nonchalantly in the middle position. Directly across from her happened to be Jian Qun. Seeing her sit down, he felt somewhat awkward and simply patted Weng Shaoyuan to indicate they should switch positions.

Weng Shaoyuan was very helpful and sat across from Wu Man without objection, casually placing the peeled crayfish from his hand onto her plate.

Wu Man froze, then looked up to see him naturally place one each onto Qin Fanlei and Ji Sijia’s plates as well.

A master.

Wu Man politely said thank you. At the same time, her calf under the table was inadvertently kicked by someone.

She paid it no mind and picked up the peeled crayfish from her plate to bring it to her lips. Just as she was about to bite down, her calf was brushed against again, seemingly by accident.

Even an idiot would have reacted by now.

She glanced sideways at Zhui Ye. He pretended to be seriously battling the crayfish in his hand, but under the table – the only place in the entire living room without cameras – he was playing tricks.

Wu Man straightened up, deliberately reaching for the napkin in front of him and taking the opportunity to give him a light glare.

Zhui Ye pretended not to see, but his eyes slightly curved as he stared at the crayfish.

Wu Man sat back in her original position. Ji Sijia, who had been observing Zhui Ye, asked in confusion: “Can you look at a crayfish so tenderly? No wonder they all say you’re a flirt.”

Zhui Ye chuckled lightly but said nothing.

He still only focused on the crayfish in his hand, bit by bit removing the hard shell to reveal the soft red and white tender meat inside. He bit the tail and slowly dismantled and ate it.

Halfway through the meal, Qin Fanlei brought over the task note that the production team had placed at the entrance.

“Everyone pause – our task is here!” She unfolded the note. “It says, please everyone look at the bottom of your dinner plates. The two people with the same pattern will be double bed partners for the next week.”

Everyone already knew clearly in their hearts who it was, but they still had to pretend to maintain anticipation and flip over the bottoms of their plates.

Weng Shaoyuan across from her held up his plate toward her and smiled: “Looks like my luck is pretty good.”

She returned an affected smile: “Mine too.”

Zhui Ye didn’t even flip his plate. He slowly finished eating the crayfish and scanned around the table, his gaze sweeping toward Ji Sijia: “Is it you?”

Incredibly natural acting.

By comparison, Ji Sijia appeared quite exaggerated: “Surprised?”

The atmosphere froze for a second. Zhui Ye really didn’t know how to respond to this mysteriously confident statement.

Qin Fanlei on the far right seized the opportunity to joke, pointing at the plate in front of her with a regretful expression: “Zhui Ye, little brother, it seems we have fate but not the right timing.”

Zhui Ye winked flirtatiously: “It’s okay, I’ll come find you in a couple days.”

He was facing Qin Fanlei’s direction, but in that direction, there was also another person.

There was also Wu Man.

Qin Fanlei covered her heart and glanced at Jian Qun: “Don’t tempt me! I think Xiao Qun is pretty good too!”

Jian Qun rolled his eyes: “Thank you for only thinking of me now.”

Weng Shaoyuan opened a bottle of red wine and poured a glass for everyone.

He was the first to raise his glass: “Everyone might feel a bit uncomfortable on the first day. I propose everyone drink a little – a slight buzz to liven things up.”

Alcohol was indeed a good thing. It was a catalyst for igniting hormones. No matter how incompatible men and women were, they only needed to pour each other a few glasses, and it was as if they’d performed plastic surgery on each other – enough to embrace and make out.

Everyone raised their wine glasses one after another. Only two people weren’t very cooperative.

Zhui Ye said without looking up: “With crayfish, I only like to drink beer.”

Ji Sijia, propping up her chin indifferently, said: “I don’t need alcohol to let loose either.”

Hiss – at these words, Jian Qun couldn’t help but draw in a sharp breath.

Weng Shaoyuan was slightly stunned. Coming back to his senses, he joked: “You two really have similar magnetic fields. No wonder you were paired together.”

Zhui Ye wiped his fingers and stared at him: “Do you think people who are paired together are paired because of similar magnetic fields?”

Qin Fanlei on the side started sweating. This young award-winning actor who speaks shockingly isn’t going to directly reveal that this is all arranged by the production team, is he? Then she’d just give up on damage control – production team, you edit it out yourselves.

Wu Man’s hand holding the wine glass trembled, and her eyes swept toward him full of threat.

Weng Shaoyuan couldn’t fathom Zhui Ye’s thoughts and said carefully: “Being paired together is ultimately fate.”

Zhui Ye nodded, then shook his head.

“Fate comes in many varieties. One of them is called ill-fated connection.” He received Wu Man’s gaze and immediately smiled innocently. “Oh, I don’t mean for you to take it personally. Since we can all sit here, it’s naturally good fate.”

He raised his neglected wine glass: “To tonight.”

Everyone was stunned by this reversal. Coming back to their senses, they clinked glasses, and even Ji Sijia pursed her lips and joined in. The stiff atmosphere instantly vanished, becoming even more harmonious than before.

The clock on the wall slowly moved toward eleven o’clock. The six people finished their lengthy dinner and prepared to leave the living room for the bedrooms.

The most important part of the first day was about to arrive.