51

After coming back from the bathroom, Huo Cheng's sense of urgency got even stronger.

All of them are tough opponents.

Yan Zhi didn't surprise him—he'd seen that not-so-classy nickname on the bullet comments a long time ago and even looked into it.

But Pei Xu—that one caught him off guard.

Looks like this season's competitors really are all seriously strong.

Before the bus pulled off, Huo Cheng figured he'd smoke one outside. He pulled out a cigarette and offered it to Pei Xu and Yan Zhi.

'I don't smoke,' Pei Xu said.

Yan Zhi waved it off too.

Huo Cheng already had the cigarette in his mouth, and he saw Yan Zhi and Pei Xu get on the bus. He was about to light up when he turned and caught Zhai Xingchen and Hu Ying watching him through the window.

He hesitated, then put the cigarette away and hopped on after them.

From this point on, any little detail could make or break him.

These days, more and more people don't like smoking. Zhai Xingchen didn't mind it, sure, but not minding didn't mean he liked it. If he got knocked out over something this small, that'd be ridiculous.

If Yan Zhi could hold back, so could he.

He dug a piece of gum out of his pocket and got on the bus.

Seeing Hu Ying sitting next to Zhai Xingchen, Yan Zhi glanced over and took the seat right in front of Zhai Xingchen.

On the surface he looked the gentlest, the most refined, but inside he burned hotter than Huo Cheng. He didn't want to see Hu Ying and Zhai Xingchen sitting together.

Huo Cheng sat down right behind them.

From the back he could keep an eye on Zhai Xingchen anytime, and it was close.

Pei Xu didn't sit on their side—he took a seat across the aisle.

'Hu Ying, you ran out of there pretty fast just now,' Huo Cheng said.

'It's cold out. Warmer on the bus,' Hu Ying said.

'Yeah, it's cold,' Huo Cheng said. 'Feel like if you stood there peeing any longer, it'd just freeze right off.'

'We're already filming, by the way,' a crew member up front said. 'Everyone watch your language.'

Hu Ying laughed.

'Cut that part,' Huo Cheng said sheepishly.

'If you don't tell them to cut it, they wouldn't dare air it anyway,' Hu Ying said.

'Who got muted the most in episode one?' Zhai Xingchen asked.

Hu Ying turned to look at him. 'Who?'

'I'm asking you. I didn't watch the show.'

'You didn't watch it?' Hu Ying asked. 'Why?'

'It felt awkward,' Zhai Xingchen said.

'No way, you stood out in there. Tons of people like you.'

'Did you watch it all?'

Hu Ying nodded. 'I watched it more than once.'

The more she watched, the more she liked Zhai Xingchen.

Low-key but capable, never servile, never arrogant—totally natural and easy to be around. She'd read a thousand people in her life, how did she miss him at first? And now she'd ended up as Zhai Xingchen's good sister.

Soon Wen Nu and Lin Qingning and the others came back too, everyone filing onto the bus. Wen Nu's face was red.

He'd always been shy—even back in school, using the bathroom with other guys made him uncomfortable. Now, on a love variety show, it was even worse.

In public restrooms, he'd take a stall if he could, and if he couldn't, he'd stand at the very end.

There were plenty of seats on the bus, so everyone sat separately except Hu Ying and Zhai Xingchen. Ten minutes later, the bus started rolling, and Hu Ying called out, 'We're off!'

She was all bright and wild, clearly having a great time.

But that wasn't even the worst part.

The worst part was—Zhai Xingchen sat by the window, Hu Ying by the aisle, and the scenery outside was so pretty that Hu Ying kept grabbing Zhai Xingchen's shoulder and leaning into him, both of them looking out at the snow together.

Hard to say if she was doing it on purpose.

'Look over there—see that tallest one? That's White Jade Mountain. Look at the peak—doesn't it look like a white jade ring?'

'Wow, Zhai Xingchen, look over there—so many horses! I heard you can ride horse-drawn sleds here, and ride horses too. Can you ride?'

'Never tried,' Zhai Xingchen said.

'No worries, I'm a great rider. If we get the chance, I'll take you.'

'The houses here all have such unique designs—first glance and you'd think you were abroad. We're right up against the border, so the architecture's all over the place.'

Hu Ying was the only one talking on the bus. The other guests sat coldly by themselves, nothing worth filming, so the cameraman stuck with Zhai Xingchen and Hu Ying.

These two have something going on. Is this season still going with the old Red and Blue pairing tradition?

Zhai Xingchen turned to glance at the cameraman filming them, then looked across at Pei Xu and Wen Nu.

Wen Nu was looking out the window, his small face full of wonder. Pei Xu in front of him had his eyes closed the whole time, like he was already asleep—his profile cool as a god, thick lashes, high straight nose.

He looked at Duan Yihua behind Pei Xu and locked eyes with him.

Duan Yihua was still wearing his thick mask, and turned to look out the window.

Zhai Xingchen tapped Hu Ying's arm.

Hu Ying turned to look at him.

Zhai Xingchen didn't say anything, just gestured with his hand toward Yan Zhi in front of them.

From their angle, they had a perfect view of the back of Yan Zhi's head.

The man with the perfectly shaped head.

Hu Ying pressed her lips together and raised an eyebrow.

'Chance,' Zhai Xingchen said quietly.

Hu Ying didn't know how to answer for a second. She felt like she'd been too forward with Yan Zhi before—really miscalculated. When the show aired, the netizens would probably roast her, and even Zhai Xingchen, once he found out, would probably be shocked.

We said we'd be sisters—so why are you trying to sleep with me?

Hu Ying's excitement dimmed in an instant.

Yan Zhi sat up front and took off his earphones.

Good. Finally some quiet.

Want breeds aggression—the stronger the want, the less it's satisfied, the more irritable a person gets. Especially for men with a competitive streak. Right now he had an uncontrollable hostility toward Hu Ying. Sometimes it spiked so high he wished she were his opponent in a game, so he could wipe her out completely.

The bus got too quiet, so a crew member put on a song. The moment the music started, everyone laughed.

They played Escape Plan's 'The Brightest Star in the Night Sky.'

The song actually fit this cold, wide-open place perfectly. Escape Plan's stuff is great for road trips and traveling.

'Did you put this on for Xingchen?' Hu Ying asked.

Zhai Xingchen smiled. 'This is my signature song.'

'When we went to your Dance School to watch your Performance last time, they played this song too.'

'It's a huge hit. Our school radio plays it all the time,' Zhai Xingchen said.

'I'd rather keep all the pain locked in my heart than forget your eyes,' Hu Ying sang along.

She sang better than Zhai Xingchen—at least she stayed on pitch. A high, soaring song like this suited her.

Duan Yihua suddenly started coughing again—this time really badly, and everyone looked his way.

Duan Yihua pulled a bottle of cough medicine out of his bag, tipped his head back and drank it, then grabbed his bag and moved to the very back.

Hu Ying turned to glance at Zhai Xingchen.

'Duan-ge's cold seems pretty serious,' Zhai Xingchen said.

Duan Yihua wasn't talkative to begin with, and being sick now made him look completely drained.

Hu Ying wasn't sure where Zhai Xingchen stood with Duan Yihua, so she asked quietly, 'You gonna go check on him?'

Zhai Xingchen shook his head.

Forget it—they had a doctor. You could care without making it too obvious.

Hu Ying felt a wave of relief. 'It's freezing, scoot over.'

Saying that, she scooted even closer.

Huo Cheng suddenly slipped his hand into the hood of her Down Jacket.

Hu Ying turned her head. 'What are you doing.'

'My hands are cold. Borrowing your hood to warm up.'

Hu Ying felt Huo Cheng pulling her aside, so she swatted his hand.

'Won't let me warm up?' Huo Cheng said, pulling his hand out of her hood and slipping it into Zhai Xingchen's instead.

Now it was perfectly legitimate.

The first time he'd seen Zhai Xingchen's Down Jacket, he'd thought it suited him perfectly. The hood was trimmed in coyote fur—pale gray, soft and fine. He gave it a light squeeze, like he was squeezing Zhai Xingchen himself. It was deeply comforting.

The bus rolled slowly off the highway onto a smaller road, swaying as it went. A Northern Town emerged in the distance, and beyond it, the Snow Mountain caught the sunlight—beautiful enough to make your heart ache.

'Everyone get ready — we'll be at the destination in half an hour, and they've already set up the Live Streaming over there.'

'Live stream the second we get off?' Lin Qingning asked.

'That's right.'

Lin Qingning immediately pulled out a small mirror and checked his face.

Everyone was bare-faced today—even Hu Ying, who usually loved looking pretty. A few freckles on display, and somehow she looked even more vivid and alive.

Guo Bing and the others were already waiting for them in the parking lot in front of the 5A Scenic Area, Xiaobeiji.

When the bus stopped, everyone filed off and grabbed their luggage.

Most of their luggage had been handed off to the Production Team. Everyone kept just one suitcase—except Hu Ying, who had two.

'Why does everyone else get one suitcase and they told me I have to keep two?!'

'Because you have the most luggage,' a staffer said. 'Hu Ying, six suitcases.'

Huo Cheng said, 'Why don't you just move the whole house over.'

He said that, but he still reached over and grabbed one of Hu Ying's suitcases.

Hu Ying smiled. 'Thanks, Huo-ge.'

Zhai Xingchen glanced back at Duan Yihua, who was coughing. Pei Xu followed his gaze and reached out to grab Duan Yihua's suitcase.

Duan Yihua said, 'Thanks, I can do it.'

'It's nothing.' Pei Xu was still cool and detached, two suitcases in hand, falling into step with Zhai Xingchen.

The Red and Blue Signal's live stream on Xinghai Net had already been going for over ten minutes. The first chunk of footage was just white Snow Mountain and an empty plaza.

[What's going on? If I hadn't caught staff walking past the camera every now and then, I'd swear my internet was lagging. Is the Production Team just showing us scenery?]

[They said the stream starts at 6:30. It's early by ten-plus minutes—guests probably aren't ready yet.]

[It gets dark so late over there. This hour and it's still bright out.]

[North City winters—dark late, light early. I've been there!]

The guests hadn't arrived yet, so the bullet comments were sparse, but viewership kept climbing and broke a million fast.

Just then, the camera shifted—and a group of tall, lean men came into frame, rolling suitcases toward them.

The moment the guests appeared, the bullet comments exploded.

[They're here they're here they're here!]

[North City Station officially kicks off! Confetti!]

[How are these guys still that fit in those thick Down Jackets?!]

[The ceiling of Love Variety Shows, no lie. These men are a face-con's springtime.]

[Holy shit, Hu Ying cut her hair? So hot!]

Guo Bing stood in the middle of a row of cameras, Lei Feng hat on, big mask up. 'Welcome everyone to Xiaobeiji.'

Hu Ying asked, 'Who's this guy? Show your face.'

Guo Bing laughed. 'Don't talk tough. In a bit you'll be the one begging for a mask.'

Just off the bus, the cold hit hard. Zhai Xingchen's hands had been exposed for a few minutes and were already bright red. It was evening—the sun still blazed here, since it got dark so late—but the temperature was way colder than when they'd gotten off the plane.

Everyone lined up. Zhai Xingchen suddenly felt Pei Xu next to him tug at his hood—he turned his head, and the Down Jacket hood was already pulled up over him.

The jacket was super thick, the hood huge and deep, fur all around the edge. Pulled up like that, it covered his eyes. Zhai Xingchen tugged the hood back just enough to peek out, glanced at Pei Xu—but Pei Xu was staring straight ahead, listening to the Director.

It was a wide shot, and the whole thing lasted half a second, but some sharp-eyed viewers still caught it.

[Did anyone catch what Pei Xu just did?! Oh my god!]

[What move? Mr. Sourface?! What did I miss?!]

[Pei Xu pushed Zhai Xingchen's hood up for him!]

[Saw it saw it—so low-key, so doting, a little domineering too.]

[This damn livestream—no replay!]

[Rising Sun Star, let's go!]

[What's Rising Sun Star?]

[It's the CP name for Zhai Xingchen and Pei Xu.]

[Xu... Xu? Ri? Holy shit, that's a filthy CP name!]

[Won, won, this CP name really won. I'm shipping them just for the name.]

[Heheheh, Pei fans building hype again? Go watch episode one—the sweetness between him and Zhai Xingchen is forced. Meteor CP is the GOAT!]

[I also think Pei fans are good at forcing things, but I disagree with the above—Meteor CP is just walking each other to school? Our Mars CP has the water-flyboard iconic scene! What is love? Maxed-out sexual tension is love!]

[That perv Huo Cheng, forget it. He got a boner playing flyboard, hehehe.]

[Sorry, my Huo-ge is just gifted, that's all. Are you x-ray vision or something, seeing whether he's hard or not?]

[Genuine question—are the CP fans already fighting?]

[Fight fight fight! A free-for-all between guests and CP fans is the best content!]

[Some Blue Team Member fans have huge egos. Our Zhai-ge is the top, thanks.]

[LMAOOO the bullet comments are killing me.]

The camera happened to be on Zhai Xingchen at that moment.

The hood framed his face, making it look extra small, but he was tall—and with the thick Boots soles, he was nearly Yan Zhi's height. Looked sharp and dashing.

The Director suddenly called on him, and Zhai Xingchen smiled.

That one smile and the CP fans made peace instantly.

This is what a novel's male lead looks like, right?

So handsome, so fair. Especially those eyes—never seen prettier double eyelids, lively and natural, sparkling with light.

The smoke cleared; the whole comment section was just rainbow farts.

[Shit his smile is so hot so hot so hot!]

[Star-ge is the GOAT, go go go! Take down these evil rich second-gen capitalists!]

[This face, make him blow up, top-tier superstar!]

'Didn't you bring Gloves?' Yan Zhi asked Zhai Xingchen.

'I did, in my bag,' Zhai Xingchen said.

Huo Cheng caught them talking and immediately turned to look.

Too many people, plus the luggage—he hadn't been able to get next to Zhai Xingchen.

Guo Bing said, 'It's cold here—could hit minus thirty or forty later. We don't want to wear you out on day one, so no long speeches. Pick your rooms and rest up early tonight.'

'Finally, this part,' Hu Ying said.

Guo Bing smiled and waved; staff came out carrying a few cardboard signs.

'So everyone gets a chance to interact and get to know each other, we'll be assigning roommates every two days. Eight days total, four rounds.'

The moment Guo Bing said it, the whole screen was just [holy shit].

[The Production Team really knows how to play.]

[This year they're really going all-in on the Asura field.]

[So does everyone sleep with everyone once, or can one person sleep multiple times and make everyone else green with envy?]

[Holy shit sis, now that you say it, either way sounds intense!]