Yu Shiqing arrived at the venue almost exactly as he expected: 4:36 PM. As usual, the production crew’s car had picked him up from the airport and brought him to the filming location. Unlike last time, this time all the guests were gathered in the lounge, not scattered around.
When Yu Shiqing pushed the door open, everyone except Jiang Yu was already inside.
“Yu-ge!” Ji Chen was the first to notice him and looked behind him. “Jiang-ge didn’t come with you?”
Yu Shiqing replied, “No.”
With less than thirty minutes until filming began, he greeted everyone, and the staff began attaching his microphone.
Just like last week’s beach episode, the production team had only given them an address, nothing more. So, the guests were all guessing about the shooting location and what tricks the production crew had in store for them this time.
Wei Yuanju had brought some information and had done some research, but with the trauma from the last episode, he was still very nervous.
At 4:55 PM, they were told Jiang Yu would be more than ten minutes late. The director signaled Yu Shiqing and the others to head to the filming site first.
At exactly 5:00 PM, viewers in the livestream finally heard some movement.
First came some voices, but they were hard to make out over the roaring wind.
“Is your mic on?”
“How much longer till we get there?!”
Then the screen slowly lit up. The first thing they saw was long hair flying wildly in the wind.
Su Yayi grabbed the side railing of the truck with one hand and held her hat with the other. She had no hands left to control her hair. Her voice broke up in the wind.
“Where did the budget go?! How can they already be so stingy in just the second episode?!”
They were on a vast grassland, sitting in an open-air minitruck. The cab was enclosed, but the back was open, with only eight small stools. Jiang Yu had escaped this part, but the other seven had to endure the bumpy ride and the wind blowing from all directions.
After getting smacked in the face by Su Yayi’s hair, Ji Chen quietly changed seats.
Hearing her complaints, he coughed and reminded her, “We’re live.”
Su Yayi paused, smoothed her hair, and forced a smile. “This truck is great! Feeling the wind while enjoying the natural scenery is so poetic. Smell the air—so fresh!”
Ji Chen: “…”
This flattery was even fresher than the air.
Su Yayi quickly gave Wei Yuanju a pleading look.
Wei Yuanju held back a laugh and changed the subject: “When did the director say Jiang Yu would arrive?”
At the mention of Jiang Yu, everyone looked toward Yu Shiqing. But before he could answer, Wu Luo spoke up.
“The director said his flight was delayed, so he’ll come directly to our lodging. He should arrive around the same time.”
He was a fan of Jiang Yu and had remembered it clearly.
The group began to discuss their living arrangements.
When the truck finally stopped, they saw rows of yurts before them.
Since filming with tourists would be inconvenient, the crew had set up a separate camp. All eight of them would be staying together.
Wei Yuanju worried it would be cramped, but when they entered, they found the yurt was huge easily enough space for eight people, plus a living area.
Suddenly Ji Chen asked, “Whose suitcase is this?”
Right after he spoke, a voice answered, “Mine.”
Everyone turned to see Jiang Yu entering through the curtain.
Wu Luo, standing nearby, called, “Jiang-ge!”
Jiang Yu nodded to him, then looked past everyone to Yu Shiqing.
Yu Shiqing asked, “How long have you been here?”
“Not long,” Jiang Yu replied.
Then he walked to Yu Shiqing’s side before turning to the rest of the group. “There’s an envelope on the table.”
Everyone immediately gathered around it. Yu Shiqing and Jiang Yu walked over together.
Jiang Yu pinched the bridge of his nose.
Seeing this, Yu Shiqing asked, “Tired?”
“A little,” Jiang Yu replied.
He had been working non-stop, flying in straight after finishing a job, and now he had to start filming. There hadn’t been much time to rest.
“Hang in there,” Yu Shiqing said. “Eat first, then you can sleep.”
Jiang Yu looked at him. “I want coffee.”
“There isn’t any coffee here.”
Jiang Yu stayed quiet.
“I’ll ask during dinner,” Yu Shiqing said.
“How long until then?”
“Let’s go check.”
The camera operator followed them, showing everything to the audience.
The livestream chat exploded.
“They’re here! My favorite scene! Worth the wait!”
“Can someone PLEASE tell me if these two are real or not?! They seem more real every time!”
“When they’re together, everyone else is air. Even the camera. claps”
“Been watching Jiang Yu’s morning stream, he’s like two different people. With Yu Shiqing, he’s soft. Without him, he’s scary as hell.”
Meanwhile, Wei Yuanju had finished reading the envelope’s contents.
Ji Chen asked excitedly, “So if half of us win, everything is free?”
Su Yayi replied, “You’re dreaming. Didn’t you hear the condition? We have to beat locals at horseback riding and archery. You think you can win that?”
Wei Yuanju added, “I don’t think I can.”
The mission card was clear: they had one day to learn horseback archery and would compete against locals before sunset. If they won, not only would their expenses be covered, but they could also pick a partner to join them for free lodging and meals for two days. There would also be a bonus prize: a private yurt and a local dinner.
This wasn’t the show’s invention but a local event open to travelers.
“Maybe we’ll get lucky! We need to believe!” Ji Chen said, spotting Yu Shiqing, hoping for backup. “Right, Yu-ge?”
Yu Shiqing smiled. “Sure.”
Su Yayi suddenly asked, “I remember Yu-ge can ride horses, right?”
Yu Shiqing nodded slightly. “I’ve ridden before.”
He had filmed a historical war movie where he learned both riding and archery.
Ji Chen’s eyes lit up. “Are you good?”
“Average,” Yu Shiqing said.
Still, Ji Chen continued to butter him up. “Still better than me! You’re our best hope!”
Su Yayi said, “Even if Yu-ge wins, it has nothing to do with you. He only gets his own costs waived.”
Ji Chen argued, “Who says so? He can choose someone else too, remember?”
Su Yayi just gave him a look, letting him figure it out.
Ji Chen followed her gaze and met Jiang Yu’s not-quite-smiling face.
Ji Chen: “…”
The chat exploded with laughter.
“HAHA Ji Chen: suddenly terrified.”
“Does Ji Chen have a death wish? Trying to steal Yu Shiqing’s slot from Jiang Yu??”
“How did he forget they’re basically glued together??”
“Hi everyone, I’m Ji Chen’s brain. Last week he left me out in the cold.”
Though Ji Chen couldn’t see the chat mocking him, the moment he saw Jiang Yu, his mind cleared. He instinctively took a step back to prove his innocence.
How could he forget? With Jiang Yu around, Yu Shiqing would NEVER pick anyone else. And Jiang Yu was the same.
He quickly grabbed Wei Yuanju’s arm. “Mr. Wei!”
Wei Yuanju said, “Wait, there’s something here.”
He opened the drawer in the table last episode they had found red envelopes there, so he checked. Sure enough, he found a cardboard box.
On top was a card. It said that during the next day’s training, one person would be randomly selected to shadow the camera crew instead of competing. Their costs would also be covered by the show.
It was clearly a draw.
Ji Chen rubbed his hands together. “Don’t mind if I do!”
He was the first to reach into the box and carefully picked one slip.
All the slips looked the same from the outside, so they waited until everyone had one before opening them.
In the end, the lucky draw didn’t go to Ji Chen.
It went to Jiang Yu.
Despairing, Ji Chen let out a wail.
Wei Yuanju laughed, “Alright, now that we’ve divided up the tasks, let’s eat.”
They were far from the tourist area, but the room had a menu, so they could order delivery.
Yu Shiqing checked there was no coffee.
Without caffeine, Jiang Yu went to wash up and returned to his room after dinner.
Well, it was more like a partitioned private space behind a curtain. There were eight in total. They had already picked their spots while waiting for food.
Yu Shiqing was right next to Jiang Yu.
The curtains didn’t block sound. They said nothing all night. Until the next morning, they woke up one after the other.
They were the first to wake. The room was still quiet.
Jiang Yu came out and noticed the camera gear already set up on the table. He walked over.
Yu Shiqing headed to the bathroom to wash up.
As he washed his face, he heard footsteps approaching.
Then, a camera slowly peeked around the door frame.
The livestream feed came to life.
First shot: a close-up of his face.
At first, only his profile was visible. Water dripped down his nose and over his pale lips, making them shimmer.
Soon, Yu Shiqing noticed the camera and turned.
His black eyes, still glistening with water, looked directly into the lens. The gaze was so deep it seemed to pierce through the screen.
Chat: “AAAAHHH I can’t breathe! Yu Shiqing is too handsome!!”
“That gaze! Never seen this angle before, shoot more of it!”
“Whoever today’s camera operator is, the director better give them a raise!”
The next second, a faint smile appeared in Yu Shiqing’s eyes. He said softly:
“Jiang Yu, what are you doing?”
The camera shook slightly.
Then came Jiang Yu’s cold voice.
“Mr. Yu, please be more professional. Don’t flirt with staff during work hours.”
Audience: ???
“Jiang Yu?! These two are Olympic-level dog food distributors!”
“Please! It’s bad enough they’re on a free couple’s vacation why are they feeding us sugar at sunrise too?!”
“Why hasn’t this show been renamed? I have a title for you: Honeymoon Adventures of Pisces CP!”
