*Spring Night* won the Palme d’Or at Cannes after more than twenty years, and both the main creative team and the film itself became sensationally famous overnight.

The production company decided to move up the release date. To coordinate with the promotional campaign, the two lead actors also had to participate in some short-term variety shows to increase their exposure. After all, there was still a large portion of the audience who didn’t care about so-called artistic achievements or prestigious awards. To attract these people to the cinema, they needed to appear on some fun, down-to-earth variety shows.

The variety show they were going to appear on was called *Double Bed*.

This was originally a Japanese variety show called *Double Bed* – inviting two entertainers to move into the same apartment for one week. The apartment had only one bedroom with one double bed. Except for the bathroom, cameras were installed everywhere to observe whether the relationship between the two people would warm up from sleeping in the same bed.

A domestic platform had purchased the rights to this variety show and made modifications to the content to create explosive moments. The production team expanded the apartment into a villa and arranged for six entertainers who were not in relationships to move in together. It had aired last year and became wildly popular nationwide.

The interesting aspect was that the audience didn’t know the initial pairings assigned to share double beds – this was the first element of suspense. Midway through the show, there was an opportunity to exchange double bed partners, which was the dramatic confrontation scene that audiences loved to see – this was the second element of suspense. Finally, the direction of the relationship between the two people was the show’s ultimate suspense.

Of course, the entire show followed a variety show script, and the entertainers’ task was to improvise on the details.

However, the variety show scriptwriter had absolutely no idea about Wu Man and Zhui Ye’s real relationship as a couple. Therefore, when Zhui Ye received the script and flipped to the first page, he immediately furrowed his brows.

On the first night of moving in, he and Sister wouldn’t be assigned to the same double bed.

“Is this reasonable? Aren’t we supposed to go on the show to display our affection? Why are they separating us?”

Zhui Ye held the script and fired three consecutive questions at Zhao Boyu, while Wu Man beside him was still slowly flipping through the script.

Zhao Boyu rolled his eyes in exasperation: “Of course it’s for the show’s effect! Do you understand the concept of plot twists? Isn’t there a chance to exchange partners in the middle? That’s when you’ll switch over.”

Zhui Ye pressed the script face-down on the table: “I don’t think it’s necessary.”

“How is it not necessary! Variety shows also need dramatic tension. When you two are on this show’s lineup, everyone will assume you’ll be living together. But what happens? You’re deliberately not paired up! That creates anticipation! What’s there to watch if you two sleep together from day one?”

“But still…”

Zhui Ye wanted to continue arguing when Wu Man raised her hand to interrupt him: “There’s no rule that we must sleep on the double bed, right?”

“Ah… there are just three rooms. No extra guest rooms.”

“Isn’t there still a sofa?”

Zhao Boyu was instantly speechless.

“That won’t work. Everyone in the first season obediently slept on the beds.”

“So wouldn’t it be great if the second season had some variation?”

Zhui Ye’s face lit up with joy as he gave a thumbs up: “Sister, brilliant!”

Zhao Boyu quickly shook his head: “Although sleeping on the sofa can be allowed, you two are absolutely not allowed to sleep on the sofa together! That would immediately expose your relationship, understand? You must remember the purpose of appearing on this show: although we are a couple, we can’t really throw out dog food. Just create a little industrial saccharin that’s slightly rough around the edges – best if you give off that vibe of ‘we’re only being forced by the production team to create sweet moments,’ okay?”

After listening, the two said: “…So this is what they mean by colorful yet pitch black.”

Zhui Ye asked unwillingly: “Can’t we just decline this variety show?”

“This is a massively popular variety show nationwide! Everyone’s waiting for the second season! It only requires seven days of filming – short, efficient, and quick. From every perspective, this is the most suitable for our promotional campaign. Rein in your willfulness! Accepting this is a done deal! Just treat it like acting in a sitcom.”

Zhui Ye exchanged an aggrieved glance with Wu Man and didn’t continue to object.

They shared an understanding – if accepting this variety show could optimize the promotional effect for *Spring Night*, they were both willing to try.

He was no longer that unbridled young man from before. For Sister’s sake, he had gradually learned the life lesson called forbearance.

And for Wu Man, that was practically second nature, ingrained in her bones.

This variety show sounded pretty good on the surface – they could date on the production company’s dime. But for a real couple wanting to hide their relationship, it was undoubtedly a disaster.

Especially for a couple who had already started living together.

After returning from Cannes, he had used the award as an excuse to beg her for a reward. At that time, they were nestled in the attic at night. It was midsummer, and without the air conditioning running, the attic was extremely stuffy. After making love, it felt like they had just finished soaking in a hot spring. He lay on her body, drenched in sweat, nuzzling her cheek with his messy hair, tickling her until she laughed heartily.

He took the opportunity to coax her: “The reward is to let me move in, okay?”

She put on a very troubled expression and hooked her calf around his leg, giving it a light kick: “Then I want stolen goods – go downstairs and bring me up a chilled watermelon.”

“I can go get it, but can I secretly take a bite of the sweetest part first?”

Wu Man laughed: “Dummy, if you’re asking me, it’s not called ‘secretly’ anymore!”

“Ah… then I won’t ask.” Zhui Ye raised his eyebrows slightly and suddenly lifted her up in a princess carry without warning, gently biting her shoulder with his little canine tooth. “Got a bite.”

He raised the corners of his lips triumphantly.

Wu Man buried her face in his embrace: “…So childish.” As she spoke, she tilted her head inward, hiding her inexplicably delighted upturned mouth corners.

She had never intended to prevent Zhui Ye from moving in. After all, they were both actors who often had to join film crews for months at a time. Even when not filming, they would have various scheduled appearances, so they saw each other less than they were apart. Even if they had free time, they couldn’t hold hands and date outside. In the end, they could only meet at each other’s homes, so they might as well live together.

Although from that day until now, the days they’d lived together weren’t long, the fear was that this kind of variety show where they lived under the same roof would still expose some minor details.

It was like holding back a sneeze versus pretending to cough – pretending to be unfamiliar was always harder than pretending to be close.

After Zhao Boyu explained the variety show in detail and left, the two people tacitly sat on the sofa, heads down, pretending to casually browse their phones. In reality, they were frantically searching on Baidu and Weibo, focusing on “researching” the guests who would be paired with each of them in the early stages.

The female guest paired with Zhui Ye early on was called Ji Sijia. She was an entertainer signed by the platform. Last year, she had debuted from one of the platform’s rap shows as the champion with the title “Rap Queen.” She appeared rebellious on the surface, so the production team wanted to pair her with Zhui Ye to grab attention, while also harboring the intention of promoting their own new talent.

Wu Man glanced at her photos – big dreadlocks, wheat-colored skin, jeans with large holes near the back pockets, revealing her round, curvaceous bottom beneath.

…This girl was really spicy.

Most importantly, she was young enough.

After looking at the photos twice, Wu Man felt uncomfortable inside. In the past, Zhui Ye would have sensitively noticed that his Sister’s mood had dropped, but at this moment, he was deeply immersed in certain emotions himself, so he failed to notice.

He was staring at the information about Weng Shaoyuan, lost in thought.

Weng Shaoyuan was a famous veteran singer in the music industry who had performed theme songs for many films and television dramas. But in recent years, he had undergone throat surgery and gradually withdrew from the entertainment circle to recuperate. Nobody expected he would return to the public eye through this method.

Zhui Ye searched and discovered that during Weng Shaoyuan’s heyday, he had ranked first in various magazine and online polls for “the husband women most want to marry.”

Gentle, mature, graceful and refined – these were the labels most frequently attached to him.

This time for his comeback, marketing accounts deliberately created a poll asking whether people preferred fresh young men or mature men.

He immediately used his alternate account to vote for fresh young men and reposted with a comment:

“Of course fresh young men! Old perverts can buzz off!”

Wu Man caught sight of his profile puffed up like a little bun without him realizing it, and the gloom in her heart unknowingly dispersed.

She lazily leaned back against the sofa, squinting at him: “On the first day when we arrive at the villa, I’ll just sleep here.” She pointed at the sofa.

Zhui Ye looked up, shocked: “…You mean you want me to sleep in the same bed as that woman?”

“Brother Zhao is right – we can’t both sleep on the sofa, it’s too obvious.”

Zhui Ye was silent for a moment before speaking: “Then you sleep on the bed, I’ll sleep on the sofa.”

Wu Man froze.

In that instant, she suddenly understood the emotion Zhui Ye had felt when he was stunned earlier…

She asked strangely: “You want me to sleep with that Weng Shaoyuan?”

“If one person must sleep on the bed, then of course I’d let you go.” Zhui Ye’s expression suddenly became serious. “Anyway, I’m used to ignoring rules. Even if I sleep on the sofa, people won’t find it strange. But you’re different – the public’s impression of you is just average. Plus your partner is Weng Shaoyuan. If you abandon him to sleep on the sofa, people will only think you’re putting on airs. I don’t want you to be criticized.”

Wu Man’s heart trembled. The reason she had suggested sleeping on the sofa was because she had detected his unhappiness.

She was like a Pavlovian dog – her habitual thinking still stuck in the time when Yu Jiaze was by her side, afraid that the person beside her would become jealous, would want to possess her one hundred percent.

However, Zhui Ye was not Yu Jiaze. Once again, he distinctly raised his flag, pulled it from the pinnacle of her heart, and told her: from now on, your territory belongs only to yourself.

“…If that’s the case, then neither of us needs to sleep on the sofa.” Wu Man came back to her senses and continued, “There’s no guarantee some viewers won’t say you’re acting like a diva on the first day, not giving the girl face. I also don’t want you to be criticized.”

Zhui Ye was slightly stunned. He moved closer to her and asked with an inscrutable tone: “You really don’t mind me sleeping with Ji Sijia?”

“Then do you mind me being with Weng Shaoyuan?”

The two people stared at each other, gritting their teeth as they spoke three words in unison.

Don’t mind.

——(As if!)