Although kissing scenes were inevitable when filming, most people remained relatively conservative in real life. Ji Hang turned around stiffly, and everyone who caught his gaze immediately lowered their heads. Well, Gu Chao and Xie Tingyan did not. However, Ji Hang wasn’t foolish enough to choose either of them.
Ji Hang’s gaze swept over the heads of the others; Zhou Zichen was immediately excluded. Ji Hang proceeded cautiously, starting with the one who had the best temperament: “Teacher Qu?”
They were somewhat familiar with each other in the industry, and calling someone by their full name—using such a cautious and respectful tone was something they hadn’t heard in a long time. But no amount of respect changed the fact that Qu Zheng was pulled directly behind him by the dark-faced Xie Tingyan.
【Hahahaha, Ji Hang is too bold, he actually dared to seduce a married man.】 【Heavenly King Xie’s ‘death gaze.’】 【Why didn’t Ji Hang ask Wen Ze? It feels like there wouldn’t be much harm in kissing him.】 【Kissing a ‘little fresh meat’ in front of a scum ex-boyfriend? User above, you really are a talent.】 【Our Ji Hang is not a tool for making people angry, thank you.】
Ji Hang had no choice but to move on to the next person. There were eight people in total, and only three choices remained. Ji Hang didn’t dare to ruin the “high-altitude flower” Ji Yun, and he didn’t like the vicious, brainless Shen Ruan. Wen Ze clearly had his heart set on someone else. He was truly in a tough spot.
Shen Ruan was actually somewhat expectant. He was the one who genuinely had nothing to lose and everything to gain from a kiss. But ultimately, Ji Hang decided not to torture himself and cast a pleading look toward Ji Yun: “Teacher Ji…”
Ji Yun hadn’t expected the final fire to burn him, but looking around, Ji Hang really didn’t have any other options.
“Ah, this…”
A “high-altitude flower” was, of course, not that easily plucked. Ji Yun looked at the director with a questioning expression, but Director Li simply turned his head away, pretending not to see. The camera panned over at just the right moment, capturing the scene and causing the audience to roar with laughter.
【Hahahahaha, what kind of ‘plastic friendship’ is this?】 【Confirmed: toxic friends. Poor Yun-Yun, he really needs better company!】
Ji Yun sighed. “Are you going through all this trouble just to watch me get embarrassed?”
Director Li smiled benignly. “The situation is what it is. You can refuse, of course, but then Mr. Ji will have to accept the penalty.”
“Tell me what the penalty is first? If it’s not too serious, I won’t ‘sacrifice’ myself.” Ji Yun laughed. A flash of cunning added itself to his naturally refined and graceful face, making him even more mesmerizing.
Wen Ze coughed twice, hiding his smile. Looking at this pair of beauties sitting side by side, one truly wouldn’t know where to rest their eyes.
At this point, others noticed the tiny mole on Wen Ze’s face that had finally been revealed. “Wen Ze, the mole on your face is very pretty is that a beauty mark you added today?”
The person who spoke was Xie Tingyan. No one knew when this “big master” had shifted his attention over. But his words were like a wake-up call, causing everyone to focus their attention there.
【Is that mole on Wen Ze’s face a beauty mark? It’s so beautiful!】 【Heavenly King Xie has sharp eyes—I didn’t even notice… but it is indeed very attractive.】 【It looks even better with the mole. Is this the power of a great beauty?】
Wen Ze chuckled softly and explained, “It’s not, it’s always been there. I just covered it up for certain reasons before.”
Although Wen Ze spoke lightly, those who followed his live stream naturally took to the chat to explain the reason, inevitably leading to another round of insults directed at Zhou Zichen. Zhou Zichen had become a “brick” in this show—used wherever he was needed, usually whenever Wen Ze showed off a new highlight. Of course, this was entirely his own doing, and it was irrefutable.
Xie Tingyan nodded, the look of amazement in his eyes still lingering, and his gaze remained fixed there for a long time.
Zhou Zichen’s face darkened imperceptibly for a split second, but he still followed the others and offered a few compliments. Gu Chao looked proud. “I was the one who discovered it!”
“Tsk, what are you proud of? It’s not like they added it for you,” Ji Hang said, unable to stand his smugness and immediately lashing out. It was strange; the two clearly had no history of conflict, yet they were at odds from the first moment they met, keen on adding obstacles for each other. It could only be attributed to a cat-and-dog incompatibility it was innate.
Once Ji Hang, the main character, spoke up, the topic naturally shifted. Everyone looked at him and Ji Yun with the expressions of people waiting to see a good show. It could only be said that Ji Yun really did have toxic friends and not just one or two.
The director said straightforwardly, “We are a dating variety show, so we won’t be too demonic… If everyone refuses, Ji Hang will have to choose one person present and confess his feelings to them with their consent. If rejected, he will have to perform tasks alone for the next few days, and even if he succeeds in a mutual selection, he won’t be able to enter the dating segment.”
Ji Yun breathed a sigh of relief and delivered the verdict: “I refuse.”
Contrasting this was Ji Hang’s face, which had turned green like a bitter melon. “Senior, you have such a cruel heart, boohoo.”
Ji Hang’s gaze patrolled the room again and again. Just as even the director was thinking of letting him give up, he looked pleadingly at Wen Ze again: “Ah-Ze~~~ help~~~”
Wen Ze looked extremely awkward. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to help a succubus didn’t have much of a sense of shame but someone who kissed a succubus would have their vital energy drained. An ordinary human like Ji Hang couldn’t bear it at all; at worst, he might even turn into a dried corpse on the spot. With several cameras filming for tens of millions of people to see, if they really kissed, the show would cease to be a variety program and immediately turn into a horror movie.
But looking at Ji Hang’s pleading eyes, Wen Ze hesitated again. Anyway, this bastard beside me hasn’t regained his memories, and the succubus instincts of a human body are almost entirely suppressed—maybe a quick kiss wouldn’t hurt?
Wen Ze nodded.
“!!!”
Ji Hang’s eyes filled with tears. “Ah-Ze, you really are a great person!”
He lunged forward rapidly, pinning Wen Ze to the sofa. Amidst the cheers of the cameramen, he performed a clever camera-angle trick. Wen Ze looked up in surprise, only to stare into a pair of eyes filled with cunning.
Ji Hang winked, signaling him not to move, and bit his own lip. Three minutes later, Ji Hang scrambled back in a panic, his face an astonishing shade of red, and sat on the sofa without a word.
The power of a succubus was strong; even if Ji Hang was prepared, he was still being tempted. Wen Ze’s cheeks also flushed; playing the role to the end, he also had a bite mark on his lip, his red lips looking even more alluring.
Zhou Zichen was near a state of explosive fury, and Gu Chao looked at Ji Hang as if looking at a dead man. Ji Yun, who was sitting close by, discovered the ruse, his gaze toward the two filled with teasing.
The penalty was successfully passed, and dinner was tied to their tasks. Although it was called a “date,” just like Wen Ze’s pair, each date location had a basic task; those who completed it would collect fresh ingredients from the production team, and those who didn’t would have to settle for boxed lunches and instant noodles.
Perhaps the only advantage of this episode was that there were people in each group who knew how to cook, so they wouldn’t go hungry in the kitchen. When collecting ingredients, the group saw the pile of food in front of Wen Ze and Gu Chao clearly twice as much as everyone else’s and exclaimed: “Wow, Director, why do they have so much to eat? If you’re being threatened by President Gu, just say it!”
The director waved his hands repeatedly. “Would President Gu even look at me? This was provided by the owner of their task location as a favor, saying they completed their task exceptionally well.”
The guests were confused, but the audience knew the subtext perfectly well. Of course, they did. They had helped persuade back a “prodigal son” of a friend. If they weren’t currently filming the show, Qin Mo would probably have already hosted a banquet.
The only group that failed to complete their task was Zhou Zichen and Shen Ruan. Forget about completing their task they hadn’t even finished the movie before they were cursed and scolded away by anti-fans and reporters.
That made things very awkward. Their reputation was so poor that no one was willing to share their ingredients, as everyone had only just enough to fill their own stomachs. Wen Ze actually wanted to feign some sympathy, but he was pulled away directly by Gu Chao.
【Wen Ze is too soft-hearted; that won’t do.】 【Wife, please wake up! What’s so good about Zhou bastard? Why not just cut our losses?】 【Thankfully we have a sensible person like President Gu—long live President Gu!】
For the first time, the guests were being blatantly ostracized, and the audience was celebrating. The production team had intentionally allocated ingredients according to the dishes each group was good at, and everyone was generous enough to move everything to the table and exchange food.
Shen Ruan clutched his wailing stomach, his longing gaze constantly darting toward the table. They hadn’t even managed to eat lunch! But no one paid him any attention. Not even Wen Ze, even though he really did feel a bit of heartache. But feeling heartache for an ex-boyfriend was one thing calling him a “romantic fool” was understandable but feeling heartache for the ex-boyfriend’s new boyfriend… that was just too absurd.
Everyone headed back upstairs, their actions almost identical to the previous night. Wen Ze, however, didn’t have any more tricks up his sleeve, and finished his shower peacefully.
They went back downstairs and sat in a circle. This time, the person chosen to ask the question was Ji Hang. One wondered if there was some special “feng shui” in this production team, as they happened to choose the one person who was most absent-minded and had the most explosive potential.
Ji Hang thought for a moment before asking: “Then, how about everyone shares their feelings about their date partners today?”
“That’s truly a tricky question.” Ji Yun shook his head and smiled. “However… student Ji Xiao-Hang, are you trying to get some kind of answer from Ah-Ze?”
Ji Hang met his smiling face and was startled. He realized his question was too pointed—it was almost equivalent to a confession. But he truly couldn’t suppress his instinctual reaction… Seeing Ji Hang’s face tie itself into a knot of confusion and redness, Wen Ze suppressed a laugh and tugged at Ji Yun’s sleeve: “Ah-Yun, stop teasing him.”
Ji Yun looked back, meeting Wen Ze’s gentle eyes, and said with a trace of melancholy: “Forget your old love for your new one? Wen Xiao-Ze, don’t be too heartless.”
“!!!”
How did it get to “new love versus old love”? Was the truth really that easy to see through?
Wen Ze was so teased by his words that his face turned bright red, no less flustered than Ji Hang.
【Ji Yun’s straight shot is too fierce—look at how he kicked this kid, he’s totally stunned.】 【Can we all agree that Ji Yun is the MVP of this session?】 【Actually, he’s a master of flirtation, right? Was the previous ‘aloofness’ just an act? Boohoo, don’t talk about Wen Ze being his ‘wife’—even an old auntie like me is blushing.】 【Sure enough, ginger is still the spiciest when it’s old!】
Of course, not all young people were thin-skinned. Take the shameless President Gu, for example; his eyes were practically glued to Wen Ze, and they wouldn’t come off. Though, nearing thirty, he couldn’t exactly be called “young,” could he?
Ji Yun watched the scene, shook his head, and felt completely powerless. He had finally taken a liking to someone, so why had he fallen into such a “killing field” (shuraba) of romance?