After breakfast, everyone received their mission location from the task box and split into groups to head out.
Since the class was located inside the town, they didn’t take the water route this time. Instead, each group rented a sightseeing carriage and swayed along the specially paved carriage road.
The two carriages could ride side by side on the main road, and Wei Yuanju took the chance to start a conversation.
Ji Chen didn’t say a word from beginning to end.
Su Yayi asked, “Did the sun rise from the west today? Ji Chen hasn’t said a single word for so long.”
Ji Chen replied in frustration, “I ate too much this morning. This carriage is bumping so much it’s making me want to throw up!”
Su Yayi laughed loudly, “Is that a good thing?”
Then she picked up the whip and cracked it above the horse pulling her carriage.
“Giddy up!”
The carriage suddenly dashed forward. Ji Chen’s voice quickly faded into the distance.
“Su Yayi, I hate you!!”
Su Yayi didn’t care and turned to talk to the coachman, wanting to try driving the carriage herself.
Yu Shiqing and Jiang Yu sat facing each other in the carriage, not paying much attention to the noise from Su Yayi and Ji Chen.
Jiang Yu rested his arm on the railing, casually looking at the scenery around them, then turned his gaze to Yu Shiqing.
Yu Shiqing was also looking out the window. His hair was swept back by the wind, making his sharp and defined features stand out even more.
He looked calm and composed, always hard to read.
Even with an injury, his right arm in a sling, he still didn’t look the least bit disheveled.
Jiang Yu looked at him, then suddenly took out a crumpled notebook from his pocket, flipped past some drafts, and started writing on a blank page.
Wu Luo, sitting on the other side, didn’t feel comfortable sitting with the two without Su Yayi.
He didn’t know how to start a conversation, but seeing this, he asked curiously, “Are you writing lyrics?”
Jiang Yu answered coldly, as usual with strangers, “Yeah.”
The conversation ended there.
Wu Luo scratched his face awkwardly and couldn’t say another word.
The atmosphere in front of the camera was calm, but the live chat was full of excitement.
“Wow, Jiang Yu is so cold. Isn’t that too unfriendly?”
“?? LOL, someone really doesn’t know Jiang Yu is always this cold unless he’s around a certain someone.”
“Let’s put it this way: the first time I saw Jiang Yu smile at a concert was when Yu Shiqing was in the audience. And when Yu Shiqing was the guest at his concert? That was the most I’ve ever seen him smile! And now in this livestream? He’s been smiling the whole time they’re together!!”
“I’m saying it again: Yu over skies, twin fish CP forever!!! I ship it so hard!!”
While the fans were still passionately sharing their theories, Su Yayi finally convinced the coachman to let her drive, thanks to her one-day horse training last week.
“Giddy up!”
As she cracked the whip again, the carriage suddenly jolted forward.
Yu Shiqing was thrown back into the seat by the force and looked up to see Jiang Yu, who had also been caught off guard, falling forward.
Yu Shiqing frowned. “Careful.”
Then he reached out and caught Jiang Yu by the waist, pulling him down beside him.
Jiang Yu glanced at him but didn’t get up. Instead, he stayed seated like that and asked, “What happened?”
Wu Luo gripped the railing tightly to keep from being thrown off, stretched his neck to look outside, and replied, “I think it’s Yayi-jie driving.”
Su Yayi realized she had gone too fast and turned around just in time to see the whole incident with Jiang Yu.
She quickly apologized before returning to a steadier pace.
Yu Shiqing said to Jiang Yu, “Just sit here.”
Jiang Yu replied, “Okay.”
Only then did Yu Shiqing let go of his waist and rest his hand on the back railing.
Jiang Yu glanced at him, then leaned back, placing his own arm beside Yu Shiqing’s.
He crossed his legs, laid the notebook on his lap, and opened it.
Yu Shiqing glanced over.
Jiang Yu pressed his hand over the page and warned, “Don’t peek.”
Yu Shiqing chuckled. “Okay, I won’t.”
“You can look if you want,” Jiang Yu added, “Just help me write.”
Yu Shiqing said, “I’ve never written lyrics.”
Jiang Yu said, “It’s fine. I’ll teach you.”
Yu Shiqing asked, “What kind of song is this?”
Jiang Yu looked out the window and casually said, “A love song.”
Yu Shiqing said, “Another love song?”
“What, you got a problem?” Jiang Yu turned to look at him. “If you don’t want to help, then forget it.”
Yu Shiqing smiled. “Tell me how to write it.”
…
Wu Luo, sitting alone on the other side, overheard their whole conversation and felt very conflicted.
He wanted to join, but it didn’t feel appropriate.
But not joining made him feel left out.
He thought to himself that he should be under the carriage not inside it.
In the end, he just hugged the cold railing tightly and kept himself company.
The livestream chat burst into laughter again:
“Hahahaha poor Wu Luo, stuffed full of couple moments!”
“Wu Luo, sweetie, next time stay away from those two they’re dangerous hahahaha!”
“OMG! Yu Shiqing hugged Jiang Yu so naturally! And Jiang Yu’s double standards are showing again! I really believe the marriage rumors now. Please, tone it down! At least don’t get caught by the paparazzi. We’re scared!”
As the audience kept chatting, the two carriages finally stopped at the entrance of a narrow alley.
They got off. Under their feet were moss-covered blue bricks, and on both sides stood gray walls and black tiles.
Looking ahead, there was a traditional courtyard with a screen wall at the gate.
Wei Yuanju looked down at the mission card, then matched it with the sign on the gate and said,
“Looks like this is our school for today.”
Ji Chen looked exhausted and unsteady on his feet. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go quickly…”
Su Yayi had already followed Yu Shiqing and Jiang Yu over.
When she heard him, she turned back and mocked him by dragging out his own words,
“Great! Brother Yu, we’ve totally got this!”
Ji Chen: “…”
Wei Yuanju laughed and walked past him too.
Everyone followed behind the screen wall, stepped over the threshold, and entered the courtyard.
Inside the main hall, there were already people waiting.
As they arrived, four teachers came out each responsible for teaching one competition subject.
Everyone would be learning in the main hall, which was also where the teachers usually worked.
The hall was divided into two areas, automatically forming two learning groups.
Within the first four hours, each group could choose one topic to study per hour.
After that, they could switch and, once done, ask the teacher for extra help anytime.
Knowing that calligraphy and painting were Yu Shiqing’s strong points, Ji Chen’s group first chose embroidery.
Su Yayi’s group chose calligraphy.
