Gu Zhan slightly turned his head aside and closed his eyes to rest.
Su An’an’s efforts were ignored. She gave a self-mocking smile, as if she were already used to this, and quietly put away the small cake without saying another word.
What was she, after all? Nothing more than Gu Zhan’s underground lover. He had reminded her more than once to “mind her identity.” But she was already being as humble as possible — what more did he want from her?
Perhaps because for so many years no other woman had ever appeared in Gu Zhan’s villa, Bai Jin’s sudden presence made her feel an unprecedented sense of crisis.
Outside the car, Director Wang Ming observed everything through the camera.
Wang Shu & Xie Yang, and Li Ming & Qi Dong were both progressing normally.
But the atmosphere in Bai Jin–Ji Xiaoyun’s car and Gu Zhan–Su An’an’s car was eerily quiet. The livestream barrage already showed complaints from netizens.
Wang Ming felt a headache coming on, but facing two top-tier big shots, he didn’t dare criticize anything. He could only quietly instruct the staff to switch more screen time to the other two groups.
At the same time, the car stopped at the entrance of the amusement park.
Ji Xiaoyun was about to wake the “sleeping” Bai Jin when she suddenly pulled off her eye mask herself and jumped out of the car.
“Let’s hurry up and take photos!”
As soon as she spoke, Bai Jin’s gaze swept around — and immediately locked onto a seesaw.
“Let’s play that!”
Seeing the amusement park, Bai Jin was visibly excited. Before transmigrating, her parents often brought her to amusement parks when she was little. As she grew older and became busy with work, she rarely returned to her hometown.
So for her, the amusement park wasn’t childish — it carried her happiest childhood memories.
Ji Xiaoyun stood there slightly stunned.
Watching Bai Jin laugh so brightly, he momentarily lost himself.
This was the first time he had ever seen her smile so purely and freely since meeting her. For someone as sharp and perceptive as Ji Xiaoyun, he couldn’t help but wonder — was this “outside the book” world Bai Jin spoke of truly a precious sanctuary beyond his scripted fate?
The photographer standing nearby felt conflicted.
Ji Xiaoyun was a powerful business tycoon — how could he possibly play on a seesaw?
Before coming, Director Wang had instructed that Bai Jin and Ji Xiaoyun only needed to take scenic photos in the park.
But now…
“Okay.”
To everyone’s surprise, Ji Xiaoyun calmly walked to the other end of the seesaw and sat down without hesitation.
Bai Jin posed happily and made a heart gesture toward the camera.
Click!
The photo was taken.
“Do you want to play other rides too?” Ji Xiaoyun noticed her eagerness and asked thoughtfully.
“Of course!”
Bai Jin then dragged him around the entire amusement park, playing every ride and even stopping at all the street food stalls.
Seeing her eat with oil glistening on her lips, Ji Xiaoyun was slightly surprised. He pulled out a tissue and gently wiped her mouth.
“Is this stuff really that good?”
“Of course!”
Bai Jin proudly held up a spicy fried skewer to his lips.
“If you don’t believe me, try it. It’s way better than your fancy Western food!”
Ji Xiaoyun hesitated for a moment — then took a bite.
All of this was captured on camera and posted to the official Weibo in real time, instantly triggering massive discussion online.
“Wow, Ji Xiaoyun is actually so down-to-earth?”
“They really ate street food!”
“If I didn’t see it with my own eyes, I would never believe it.”
In no time, #JiXiaoyunBaiJin trended again, and Heartbeat Lover skyrocketed in popularity. Viewership jumped from a few million to 300 million in just two days.
After a full day of fun, the two got back in the car to return.
Bai Jin put on her eye mask again — but this time, she really fell asleep.
She hadn’t relaxed like this in a long time.
Ji Xiaoyun quietly took off his coat and gently placed it over her shoulders.
The photographer immediately captured this warm moment.
Compared with their sweet atmosphere, Gu Zhan and Su An’an’s segment felt flat and stiff.
They went to a bookstore and barely interacted at all.
Gu Zhan picked up a book on corporate economics and immersed himself in reading, as if he had forgotten he was on a reality show.
Su An’an sat beside him, feeling lonely and dejected. She didn’t dare to show too much emotion on camera, so she simply stared blankly.
Eventually, a reader in the bookstore politely asked her to leave because she was occupying a seat without reading.
Throughout the whole process, Gu Zhan remained completely absorbed in his book.
The barrage exploded:
“Gu Zhan is too cold.”
“Our An’an is so wronged!”
“What kind of person kicks her out? No manners!”
But rational viewers pushed back:
“Isn’t a bookstore for reading? If she’s not reading, why occupy public space?”
“Honestly, this just looks like diva behavior.”
Su An’an’s popularity dropped again.
Director Wang sighed helplessly at the backend data.
Netizens today were much smarter than blind fans.
If Su An’an kept making missteps, the show’s ratings might suffer.
Left with no choice, Wang Ming ended filming early and arranged for all guests to return to the villa.
Back at the villa, the four groups arrived one after another.
Wang Shu excitedly shared her experience with Li Ming, and the female guests seemed to grow closer.
As soon as Bai Jin walked in, Wang Shu rushed over.
“Jin Jin! How was it with President Ji? I’m so jealous — the amusement park is perfect for dating!”
Bai Jin smiled. “Actually, cafés and restaurants are nice too.”
The three women chatted happily — while Su An’an, who returned earliest, was left standing awkwardly on the side.
Soon, Director Wang walked in.
“The photographers and I selected the best photos and uploaded them to the voting platform. Rankings should come out soon.”
“What’s the next segment?” Wang Shu asked eagerly.
Wang Ming only smiled: “Classified.”
After he left, the eight guests began discussing dinner.
Su An’an spoke calmly:
“I suggest that starting tomorrow, the eight of us rotate cooking in our four teams. Otherwise, those who can cook will be exhausted, and those who can’t will just sit around.”
Her words instantly offended several people.
“You—” Wang Shu was about to argue, but Bai Jin stopped her.
“Then starting tomorrow, let’s freely form teams, cook separately, and not interfere with each other.”