“Most memorable, huh…” On the screen, Chu Xingyun adopted a recollecting expression. “That would probably be seeing…” He weighed his words for a moment. “Seeing an old friend again.”
【Only when you’re really looking forward to it does it become the most memorable.】
【He didn’t mean an ‘old friend,’ he meant ‘my man.’】
【Someone analyzed it closely last night when little Xingyun said ‘Long time no see,’ the hand he was hiding behind his back was shaking.】
【If it weren’t for you guys leading the way, I really wouldn’t know how to ship this.】
【Ahhh, I order you two to make up within two days! I want to see a little couple’s daily routine later!】
“Old friend?” The camera cut to Jiang Xun, who snorted at Chu Xingyun’s answer. “Stuck-up.”
“And what about the one thing that stood out most to you?”
“The thing that stood out most to me…” Jiang Xun scratched his head and thought for a long time. “The food they made was pretty good?”
The camera cut again.
Chen Shu: “Some people are as stupid as ever.”
Cen Jing: “It would have to be witnessing two teachers I respect very much dissing each other.”
Lin Shen: “Naturally, it was during the moments of reminiscing about the past. Hmm… not exactly a negative emotion, but rather a feeling of ‘it’s great to be young.'”
“Most memorabl… or rather, most painful.” Ye Hancheng wore a helpless and mocking smile. “The most painful part was learning that the trust I gave without reservation was actually betrayed many years ago…”
“So, what do you think now, and what do you plan to do?”
“After the show ends, I will find that person from back then and ask for an apology,” Ye Hancheng said, looking directly into the lens. “As for other things, I haven’t decided yet.”
“Alright, no more questions.”
The short interview clips finished quickly, and the screen switched to the live feed.
“What are we doing today?” Jiang Xun asked while yawning, sitting on the sofa next to Chu Xingyun.
“Looks like we’re going fishing,” Chu Xingyun replied lazily.
Jiang Xun was filled with righteous indignation. “Is this a senior citizens’ community center? What is the program planning team getting paid for? Arranging such a boring activity—what if our dear viewers fall asleep?”
“This seems to be Teacher Lin’s ‘expectation,'” Chu Xingyun said, popping a candy into his mouth. “Before joining the show, didn’t they have us fill out that form? One question was what group activity you hoped to experience on the program.”
“Ah… I remember now.” Jiang Xun had a sudden realization. “The old man loves this stuff. My old man back home fishes every day, too; if he can’t catch anything, he just goes to the market and buys two.”
“Your dad sure knows how to live.”
“Actually, I prefer night fishing.” Lin Shen walked out in a change of clothes. “But it’s been a long time since anyone accompanied me. I don’t care if it’s afternoon or night—having a chance at all is good enough. Let’s go; I’ll take you to buy gear first.”
“Oh.”
The two of them stood up quickly, following Lin Shen like little tails.
“Is it just the three of us? Where are the others?” Jiang Xun asked.
“They have other preparations to make. We’ll meet up at the fishing spot later.”
Jiang Xun: “Oh…”
On the other side, Ye Hancheng was leading Cen Jing and Chen Shu to buy ingredients.
…That’s right, grocery shopping again.
The fishing spot was over an hour’s drive from where they lived. The production team had originally planned to pack lunch boxes for them to eat upon arrival before fishing. After Ye Hancheng found out, he wanted to eat as they fished—getting the freshest catch possible. Cen Jing mentioned a few ways to cook fish, and Ye then figured they might as well handle lunch themselves too.
After buying the groceries, they still had to buy cooking tools and tableware. Chen Shu even suggested camping, but the production team blocked it with “other arrangements.”
Two hours later, at the fishing spot.
“I’m starving; I’ve been waiting for you guys for half an hour.” Jiang Xun immediately wobbled over upon seeing the other three.
Cen Jing pulled a cucumber out of a bag and gave it to him. “Gnaw on this first. It’ll be a while before we eat. Did you guys catch anything?”
“Not a thing.” Jiang Xun took the cucumber and shook his head mechanically. “I did catch a crawfish, though.”
“There are shrimp here?” Ye Hancheng’s ears perked up at the mention of a new ingredient. “I can cook shrimp too.”
“…All you think about is making that food.” Lin Shen also wandered over from the fishing area. “This is a group activity; you have to participate in the fishing too.”
“I know, I’ll fish.” Ye Hancheng set up the grill and threw in charcoal. “Are you hungry? Want a cucumber too?”
“I’m not hungry; I have to watch the fish.” Lin Shen gave a light snort and walked away with his hands behind his back.
“I’m leaving too!” Seeing both Cen Jing and Chen Shu busy processing ingredients and knowing he couldn’t help, Jiang Xun also chose to slip away.
After a period of orderly chaos, the picnic area got on track and the food preparation process began. The head chef was still Ye Hancheng. While he was in complete control of the battlefield, Cen Jing decided to go check on the fishing spot first.
The two areas weren’t far apart; after a minute’s walk, he could see two figures sitting steadily by the pond.
…Wait, Chu Xingyun wasn’t there?
“Ge—”
Almost at the exact moment that thought popped up, Cen Jing heard a familiar voice from his front right. He instinctively looked that way and saw Chu Xingyun’s small face, dotted with mud and leaves, his eyes sparkling. He also saw a small section of a fair, slender waist revealed because Chu Xingyun had hitched up his T-shirt to carry something.
“I picked so many oranges!” Chu Xingyun grinned carelessly, rushing to Cen Jing’s side. “They’re all really, really sweet!”
“…Stolen?” Cen Jing casually plucked a leaf stuck to Chu’s face.
“No way,” Chu Xingyun snorted. “I only went to pick them after getting permission from the owner, okay?”
Cen Jing said distractedly, “…Mm.”
“Try one.” To make it easier for Cen Jing to take them, Chu Xingyun lifted his shirt a bit higher. “If they’re good, we’ll pick more when we go back.”
Cen Jing’s gaze inevitably fell on the expanded area of exposed skin. He recalled the sensation of his palm stroking it last night. Warm, supple, slowly rising and falling… brief.
“No rush.” Cen Jing quickly retracted his gaze. He took more than half of the oranges from Chu Xingyun’s shirt into his own arms. “The autumn air is cool. Carry the oranges with your hands and put your shirt down.”
“Oh…” Chu Xingyun obediently took the remaining oranges in his hands, letting the T-shirt fall freely to cover the view. “Actually, a moment like that doesn’t matter.”
Cen Jing walked back in silence.
【Dang it, Cen Jing, you stingy man! What’s wrong with letting me see your wife’s waist for a bit longer?】
【I thought I was the only one looking at the waist… [Slurp]】
【That kind of waist is best suited for being gripped by two hands and then fiercely stir-fried. [Drool]】
【So, your thoughts are all this dangerous? No wonder Cen Jing won’t let us see.】
“Why the silent treatment?” Chu Xingyun hurried to keep up. “I even broke a sweat just now while climbing the tree; I’m not cold at all.”
“Climbing a tree?”
“Yeah, the prettiest oranges were all at the top.”
Cen Jing: “Next time you climb a tree, think about your manager’s poor heart.”
“Oh please, that tree was very short. Even a grandmother could climb it without falling.”
Cen Jing put the oranges together with the purchased fruit. “Next time, take someone with you.”
“I know.” Chu Xingyun was very pleased with Cen Jing’s sudden concern. “The cameras were following me.” He kept an orange in his hand, quickly peeled it, and handed it to Cen Jing. “Here, eat. Guaranteed sweet.”
Cen Jing took it and ate it without a word.
“Ooh, where did these oranges come from?” Ye Hancheng noticed the movement and wandered over to join the fun.
“Grown by the villagers here.” Chu Xingyun obediently handed one to Ye Hancheng. “Since the fish weren’t biting, I figured I’d forage around, and I found these oranges.”
“They look good, thin skin and full of pulp.” Ye Hancheng peeled it along the segments. “…Stolen?”
“What the—why did Senior say that too…” Chu Xingyun frowned with feigned displeasure. “A million viewers can testify for me; I got the owner’s permission. I originally wanted to pay for them, but she said I was handsome and just gave them to me.”
“Heh, paying with your face, I see.” Ye Hancheng stuffed three segments into his mouth at once. “Mmm! They really are delicious!”
“Right? My picks are never wrong.” Chu Xingyun turned around, looking up at Cen Jing with a smile, his eyes curving into crescents. “Ge, is yours sweet?”
Cen Jing’s chewing paused slightly. The crisp sweetness of the orange dissolved on his tongue, but the smile of the person before him was clearly even sweeter than honey.
“Sweet,” he replied in a low voice.
【Sweet… sweet… I’m going to die from your sweetness.】
【Are you saying the person is sweet or the orange? Make it clear!! (Shaking you violently)】
【I freaking knew it! My CP sleeping in one bed for a night is bound to lead to a makeup!】
【Begging the production team on my knees not to turn off the bedroom camera tonight. [Kneeling]】
“Another confirmation of my excellent taste!” Chu Xingyun casually picked up two more and shouted to Chen Shu, who was watching the fire on the other side: “I’m going to take some oranges to those two fishing nerds. Chen Shu, if you want to eat, help yourself.”
Chen Shu called back an “okay.”
“The kid’s in a good mood today,” Ye Hancheng remarked as he watched him walk away. “Truly, people should get out and walk around more.”
“Mm,” Cen Jing responded. “It’s better with friends.”
“Speaking of which, other than filming, this is the first time I’ve been to the countryside,” Ye Hancheng said, walking toward the grill. “It’s much better than the stereotype I had in my head. No difficult muddy paths, no dilapidated houses, and no messy, unhygienic people… Eh? I won’t get scolded for saying that, will I?”
“It’s just a gap in information.” Cen Jing carefully peeled away the white pith of an orange. “Rural development is indeed very fast now. When I think back to the days of eating meals cooked on a wood stove, it feels like a lifetime ago.”
“Wood stove meals!” Ye Hancheng’s eyes lit up again.
“No, no, no.” Cen Jing felt that if he didn’t deny it immediately, Ye would start digging a stove and gathering firewood the next second. “…Don’t forget our theme today is fishing.”
“Fine…” Ye Hancheng was quite disappointed. “The protagonist of today’s task is the old man; I can’t steal his thunder.”
Chen Shu spoke up flatly: “In a moment, the old man is going to blame you for his failure to catch any fish.”
Ye Hancheng raised an eyebrow. “Get outta here. He’s the one with poor skills; how could he blame me?”