Chapter 63

Two voices landed, and the filming set suddenly fell into silence.

For several seconds, the only sound was the rushing water from the river not far outside the window.

Li Siyuan raised his eyebrow, asking Song Zhehan with his eyes.

Song Zhehan had a slight smile at the corner of his mouth, his gaze meaningful.

Zhou Zijian and Wen Xiangyue exchanged a glance, both seeing confusion in each other’s eyes.

Liu Yan was even more panicked and terrified.

Now, weren’t there only two female guests left, her and Qian Yue?

The reason she hadn’t chosen a room on the upper two floors was because Qian Yue had seemed uninterested, so she hadn’t spoken up.

She thought now that they were on the second floor, Qian Yue should be able to pick a satisfactory room, right?

As it turned out, Qian Yue did find a satisfactory room, but the person she chose wasn’t her—it was—

A male artist she had a good relationship with?

If Yu Bai actually agreed, wouldn’t she end up having to share a room with Xia Yang?

Liu Yan’s expression immediately turned somewhat terrified.

No way!

Could someone save her?

Just as Liu Yan was about to say something, she suddenly felt her sleeve being gently tugged.

Song Zhehan gave her a look.

Liu Yan immediately understood, shut her mouth, and followed Song Zhehan’s gaze to look at the three people in front of them.

The more she looked, the more shocked she became.

No way?

The guests on-site had varied expressions, but the live-stream comments were even more lively.

As soon as Qian Yue and Xia Yang finished speaking, the comment section was flooded with “???”

—“Huh?”

—“I can understand Xia Yang sharing a room with Yu Bai, but isn’t Qian Yue a female guest?”

—“Yeah, even if you’re really good friends, you’re still the opposite sex. Don’t you care about appearances?”

—“Wait, I remember at the amusement park, didn’t Qian Yue and Yu Bai hug when they met?”

—“Could it be—Qian Yue likes Yu Bai?!”

One comment stirred up a storm.

The comment section immediately exploded with excitement.

—“Now that you mention it, that might actually be the case!”

—“No wonder! I was wondering why Ye Leyao was looking at them so meaningfully this afternoon. Could Ye Leyao have known all along?”

At the mention of Ye Leyao, the live-stream audience quickly shifted to observe his expression.

Seeing that, the netizens burst into laughter.

—“Well, Ye Leyao, you’re really enjoying the drama!”

Ye Leyao, who had been standing behind the trio, had quickly moved to the front after hearing Xia Yang and Qian Yue speak in unison.

From Ye Leyao’s angle, he could clearly see everyone’s expressions.

In the several seconds of silence, Qian Yue was the most confused.

Although she had her own motives for suggesting she wanted to share a room with Yu Bai, she was also well aware that they were still filming.

If she really shared a suite with Yu Bai, her anti-fans wouldn’t even need to say anything—her brother would be the first to call and tear into her.

So, Qian Yue said it mostly to tease Yu Bai.

They had been together for so long, and she wanted to see how Yu Bai would react when she said this.

Would he be scared?

Moreover, the more important reason Qian Yue said it was to subtly assert her claim.

But she never expected Xia Yang would speak in unison with her.

When the words landed, Qian Yue’s first instinct was to laugh, but just as she was about to joke with Yu Bai, she looked up and met Xia Yang’s slightly chilly gaze.

Her heart instantly skipped a beat.

She was just joking, right?

Why was Xia Yang looking at her like that?

Although he quickly averted his eyes, Qian Yue’s instincts as an actor told her she hadn’t misread it.

That glance from Xia Yang just now wasn’t just cold—it even carried a hint of hostility.

Qian Yue had worked with Xia Yang once before, and their collaboration had been fairly pleasant.

After she got together with Yu Bai, she had often heard Yu Bai mention Xia Yang.

Qian Yue knew that Xia Yang and Yu Bai were good buddies, close friends.

But why would a good buddy and close friend look at her with such hostility?

A thought uncontrollably rose in Qian Yue’s mind, and her expression instantly soured.

Looking at Xia Yang again, his expression wasn’t any better.

Back at the amusement park, when Qian Yue ran up and hugged Yu Bai, Xia Yang had already been quite upset.

But since they were filming at the time, he couldn’t lose his temper.

And just as Qian Yue had said, she and Yu Bai were good friends, and Xia Yang knew this.

If he really threw a fit with Yu Bai over something so trivial, it would make him seem petty.

Xia Yang didn’t think it was worth getting jealous over a close friend of his partner, so even though he had been bothered that afternoon, he had held his feelings in.

He planned to talk to Yu Bai about it later when they were alone.

It wasn’t that he wanted Yu Bai to distance himself from Qian Yue entirely, but he hoped Yu Bai could keep a bit more distance from her.  @@novelbin@@

But Xia Yang never expected that his patience and tolerance would lead to Qian Yue pushing the boundaries even further!

And in that moment, Xia Yang suddenly realized something was off.

No matter how good Qian Yue and Yu Bai’s relationship was, she was still a woman.

Women are usually reserved, and given that Qian Yue was a rising star, there was no way she’d risk her career by suggesting she share a room with a male friend.

This statement was most likely Qian Yue’s joke.

But that was precisely what made this situation even stranger.

Would ordinary friends joke in such an ambiguous way?

Unless—

At least in Qian Yue’s eyes, her relationship with Yu Bai wasn’t ordinary.

It might have even crossed the line between male and female friends.

At this thought, Xia Yang’s expression became even uglier.

But he only gave Qian Yue a cold glance, not confronting her directly, instead waiting for Yu Bai to explain with an icy stare.

Xia Yang didn’t believe that without Yu Bai’s consent, Qian Yue would dare to be so bold.

Ye Leyao, observing closely, immediately saw from their micro-expressions that both of them had noticed something off, and he struggled to contain himself.

[I didn’t expect Xia Yang and Qian Yue to be so perceptive. With just one sentence, they both figured out something was wrong.]

[Hehe, now things are getting interesting!]

[Yu Bai, it’s your turn! Huh—]

Ye Leyao suddenly elongated his tone and then took a small step back.

Qin Yao and Huo Yan both turned to look at Ye Leyao.

Then they heard Ye Leyao quietly muttering to himself:

[Why is Yu Bai sweating again? Even if he’s nervous, he can’t be sweating cold sweat all day, right? I think he’s feeling a bit weak too.]

Qin Yao couldn’t help but stifle a laugh.

Huo Yan also wanted to laugh, but this clearly wasn’t the right moment—if he laughed, everyone’s attention would shift to him, and then how would they watch the drama unfold?

He cleared his throat and, following Ye Leyao’s lead, also took a few steps back, instantly gaining a broader view.

Looking at Yu Bai, who stood in the middle between the two of them, he was genuinely a bit panicked.

Yu Bai had never imagined that Qian Yue and Xia Yang would both say at the same time that they wanted to share a suite with him.

What kind of joke was this?!

They were still filming, after all. It was one thing for Xia Yang to share a room with him, but why was Qian Yue getting involved?

Did she not know how her words would be interpreted by netizens and fans?

And more importantly—

The person standing next to him, Xia Yang, was very sensitive.

After a brief moment of panic, Yu Bai quickly calmed down.

No, he absolutely couldn’t panic now.

Xia Yang had already been unhappy at the amusement park that afternoon, and if Yu Bai showed even the slightest crack now, it would really be over.

At this moment, Yu Bai suddenly regretted his decision to join this show out of spite.

Not only had Ye Leyao roasted him on the bus, but now the guest stars for this episode just so happened to be Xia Yang and Qian Yue.

If he’d known, Yu Bai would’ve skipped this episode entirely. Wasn’t this just asking for trouble?

But there was no use thinking about that now. The most important thing was to first calm down the two people in front of him.

The time Yu Bai spent thinking was only a matter of seconds.

He put on a somewhat helpless smile and turned to Qian Yue: “Why would you share a room with me? We still have two male guests and two female guests left. Of course, I’m going to share a suite with Xia Yang. You wouldn’t want to put Liu Yan in a tough spot, would you?”

Liu Yan: “…”

Though she did feel a bit put on the spot, she wasn’t blind.

After having recorded two episodes with everyone, Liu Yan’s radar might not have been as sharp as Ye Leyao and the others, but she had started to develop her own ability to read the room.

She knew that it was best not to say anything at this moment, but she couldn’t help herself. Her agent’s advice went out the window as she smiled and said, “It’s not that difficult, really. After all, the rooms the show prepared for us are suites. Xia Yang and I could each have a room within the suite, and there wouldn’t be any problem.”

As soon as she said this, Ye Leyao couldn’t hold back and let out a chuckle.

[No way, Liu Yan is this smooth with her words now!]

[If you’re good at talking, say more!]

The regular guests had faint smiles on their faces, and everyone’s gaze naturally converged on the three of them.

Since Liu Yan had already said it wasn’t a problem, Yu Bai, what are you thinking?!

Hurry up and make a decision—we’re all still waiting.

Not only were the guests waiting to watch the show, but the live-stream audience was also eagerly watching the drama unfold.

—“Oh my god, did I hear wrong? Is that really Liu Yan speaking?”

—“After two episodes of filming, Liu Yan’s gotten better at talking!”

—“Do you think she’s been learning from our Master Gou Shi?”

—“Or maybe from Ye Leyao and Li Siyuan!”

—“Hahahahaha, no matter who she learned from, I just want to know what Yu Bai will choose next!”

—“So, does this mean Qian Yue really likes Yu Bai?”

—“Of course! If you didn’t like someone, would you suggest sharing a room with someone of the opposite sex?”

—“That’s true, but I feel like this situation isn’t that simple. Especially with Xia Yang—his expression is really subtle. Doesn’t it seem like he’s getting jealous?”

Seeing this comment, the live-stream audience paused and quickly focused on Xia Yang’s expression.

Upon closer inspection, they were all a bit shocked!

No kidding, it’s true!

Xia Yang appeared to be smiling, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. His hand, resting at his side, was slightly clenched, as if he were trying hard to suppress his emotions.

And most importantly, his gaze kept subtly drifting towards Yu Bai, as if he cared a great deal about him.

At this moment, Yu Bai was so stunned by Liu Yan’s shocking statement that he couldn’t recover for several seconds. His mouth opened slightly, and after a while, he finally said, “But… isn’t that inappropriate? I…”

“What’s so inappropriate?” Song Zhehan couldn’t hold it in any longer, laughing as he turned to look at Zhou Zijian.

Zhou Zijian suddenly felt something was wrong.

And Ye Leyao, as if knowing what Song Zhehan was about to say, was the first to burst out laughing.

[I have a feeling my brother Zhou is about to be thrown under the bus again.]

Sure enough, the next second, Song Zhehan said, “In the first episode, didn’t Brother Zhou, as a man who was already in a relationship, share a suite with a female guest?”

As soon as he said this, the regular guests couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst out laughing.

Even Wen Xiangyue turned to look at Zhou Zijian, amused.

Zhou Zijian felt utterly wronged and helpless, gritting his teeth, “Xiao Song!”

Song Zhehan cleared his throat and turned to Wen Xiangyue, “Sister-in-law, I didn’t say anything wrong, did I?”

“No,” Wen Xiangyue smiled and nodded, “What Xiao Song said is true.”

She couldn’t help but laugh.

Zhou Zijian looked at Wen Xiangyue in disbelief and said, “A-Yue, you’re laughing too!”

Wen Xiangyue: “Hahaha… sorry… but it is a little funny, hahaha—”

With the person involved laughing so happily, the other guests naturally laughed even louder.

But while they were having a great time, Yu Bai, Xia Yang, and Qian Yue were far from amused.

If Xia Yang had been trying to suppress his emotions before, now he couldn’t hold back at all.

Even if you hadn’t watched the full first episode of “Let’s Go Traveling Together”, you’d have seen the edited clips online.

Everyone knew that the reason Du Yueqin had wanted to share a room with Zhou Zijian back then was because she was interested in him.

So now that Qian Yue wanted to share a room with Yu Bai, wasn’t it the same thing?

Xia Yang thought of this, and how could Qian Yue not?

Originally, she had only been joking when she made the suggestion to tease Yu Bai.

But seeing Xia Yang’s reaction now, Qian Yue suddenly didn’t want to back down.

So she smiled and looked at Yu Bai, “I think Song Zhehan makes a good point. What do you think?”

[Hahahahahaha what do you think?!]

[Yu Bai, say something! Don’t just stay silent!]

At this moment, how could Yu Bai dare say anything?

Cold sweat dripped down his forehead as he quickly glanced at Qian Yue, giving her a pleading look.

But Qian Yue, now irritated, ignored him completely, turning her head away and refusing to engage any further.

Yu Bai then turned to Xia Yang for help, but before he could speak, Xia Yang suddenly smiled and said, “Alright then, since Liu Yan doesn’t mind, I’ll share a room with her.”

Although Xia Yang said this with a smile, there wasn’t a trace of warmth in his tone.

He then turned to Liu Yan, “Which room are you choosing?”

Liu Yan: “…”

Wait, she had only been speaking off the cuff just now.

And now she was really going to share a suite with him?

Was this really okay?

Liu Yan, alarmed, turned her head to look at Song Zhehan.

Song Zhehan raised an eyebrow, “Well, if you don’t want to share a room with Xia Yang, you can swap with Li Siyuan or Ye Leyao.”

Li Siyuan, completely confused: “Huh?”

Ye Leyao, however, was indifferent: “If you want to switch with me, that’s fine too.”

Li Siyuan: “…”

So, does his opinion not matter at all?

“Song Zhehan, stop making decisions for people.” Li Siyuan frowned, his tone unhappy.

Song Zhehan’s expression didn’t change at all.

Liu Yan, on the other hand, was utterly speechless.

What’s the difference between switching rooms with Ye Leyao or Li Siyuan and staying with Xia Yang?

Aren’t they all men?!

The only difference was that she was more familiar with Ye Leyao and Li Siyuan.

Wen Xiangyue glanced at Zhou Zijian and said, “How about this, Xiao Yan? You share a suite with me, and let your brother Zhou and Xia Yang share a suite?”

Liu Yan quickly waved her hands, “No, no.”

Why would she go be a third wheel for a couple in a suite? Besides…

Liu Yan wasn’t going to be in the same room with Xia Yang, just the same suite. She had a clear conscience and nothing to fear.

“I’ll share a suite with Xia Yang. Is it okay if I take this room?” Liu Yan asked Xia Yang.

Xia Yang nodded without much expression on his face, bypassing Yu Bai and Qian Yue, heading straight to the first floor to grab his luggage.

Yu Bai watched his retreating figure, lifted his foot as if to follow, but stopped after taking just one step.

Seeing this obvious hesitation from Yu Bai, Qian Yue’s face instantly turned cold. She turned around and walked towards her room, slamming the door with a loud “bang.”

Ye Leyao didn’t miss this spectacular moment, his eyes shining with excitement.

[Alright, alright, looks like the fire’s been successfully stoked.]

[So, what’s next, Yu Bai?]

[Will you go calm Qian Yue down first, or Xia Yang?]

Ye Leyao was thrilled.

Huo Yan and Qin Yao also shifted their gaze to Yu Bai.

So, what was Yu Bai going to do now?

Everyone’s intent to watch the drama unfold was too obvious. Only Zhang Qiran seemed clueless as he asked, “Aren’t you all going to get your luggage?”

The villa had an elevator, but everyone had wanted to check out the rooms first, so they’d left their suitcases on the first floor.

Now that the room assignments were settled, it was time for them to go to their respective rooms.

Zhang Qiran glanced at the only person present who might need help, Liu Yan, and didn’t forget to maintain his “warm man” persona, smiling as he asked, “Do you need help with your suitcase?”

Song Zhehan glanced at Zhang Qiran, “With arms as thin as yours, can you really lift it?”

Ye Leyao: “Pfft—”

Zhang Qiran’s eyes widened in frustration. Just as he was about to lose his temper, his gaze shifted and he caught sight of the cameraman nearby.

For a moment, Zhang Qiran’s expression became extremely colorful.

Ye Leyao laughed even harder in his mind.

[I think Song Zhehan’s move was pretty clever. Suddenly, out of nowhere, he caught Zhang Qiran completely off guard. He almost broke character!]

Huo Yan nodded in agreement, having noticed the same thing earlier.

Zhang Qiran had almost forgotten his persona!

Liu Yan wanted to laugh as well, but she held it back.

After all, in the eyes of the audience, Zhang Qiran was offering to help her. If she laughed now, she’d probably get criticized by viewers.

Taking a deep breath to maintain her expression, Liu Yan finally said, “No need; there’s an elevator. I can manage on my own.”

Zhang Qiran tried to smile at Liu Yan, but after several attempts, he still couldn’t force the corners of his mouth to curve upwards.

Ye Leyao found this even funnier.

At that moment, Yu Bai, who had been lost in thought, finally moved. He turned around, forcing a smile of helplessness and frustration, and said, “I really don’t get what they’re doing. Getting upset over a room? Is it really necessary? Don’t you all agree?”

Ye Leyao was shocked:

[Has Yu Bai’s brain overloaded to the point where he’s pretending to be clueless now?]

Huo Yan almost burst out laughing.

What does “brain overload” even mean?

Hahahahahahaha, Ye Leyao has a way with words.

Even Qin Yao’s eyes carried a hint of amusement.

The expressions of the other guests became even more subtle.

Only Li Siyuan directly burst out laughing. He walked up and patted Yu Bai on the shoulder.

Yu Bai thought Li Siyuan was coming to give him a way out, so he gave him a very friendly smile.

Then he heard Li Siyuan say, word by word, “You’re really good at pretending, even better than Zhang Qiran.”

Zhang Qiran: “?”

Yu Bai: “…”

Yu Bai’s face instantly turned ashen.

Ye Leyao couldn’t help but turn his head away.

[No way, does Yu Bai actually think Li Siyuan would be so kind as to give him an out?]

Song Zhehan’s eyes were filled with amusement as he turned to Zhang Qiran and said, “See? Yu Bai’s acting is better than yours.”

If anger could be heard, at this moment, the guests would all hear a giant explosion.

Zhang Qiran’s chest heaved violently, his teeth clenched, and the hand at his side was tightly balled into a fist.

He shot a quick glare at Song Zhehan before turning and heading downstairs.

He couldn’t stay any longer; if he did, he was definitely going to lose his temper!

Yu Bai couldn’t stay any longer either.

He had finally come up with a good excuse that could explain things to the audience and ease the awkwardness.

But no one played along!

Not only that, but Li Siyuan had directly exposed his lie.

Yu Bai’s face turned grim, and he didn’t bother pretending anymore. He brushed off Li Siyuan’s hand and also turned to head downstairs.

Now that the main players had left, there was no more drama to watch.

Qin Yao then said to Ye Leyao, “Come on, let’s get our luggage.”

Ye Leyao nodded and didn’t forget to call Huo Yan, “Second brother, let’s go.”

After moving his luggage to his room, Ye Leyao went to take a shower and then headed back downstairs.

It was getting late, and the last rays of the setting sun had disappeared beneath the horizon. Only a sliver of twilight remained outside, and the streetlights had come on.

Judging by the production team’s usual routine, the guests would probably have to cook dinner themselves tonight.

When Ye Leyao went downstairs, he didn’t see the other guests, assuming they were all still busy. He decided to head to the kitchen to see if he could help, but when he opened the fridge, he was dumbfounded.

“Why is there not a single vegetable?” Ye Leyao turned to look at the cameraman.

The cameraman moved the camera from side to side, indicating that he didn’t know either.

Ye Leyao closed the fridge and decided to go find the director.

The villa they were staying in was set against a mountain and beside a lake, with a beautiful self-built garden outside.

The director’s tent was just outside the garden, so to get there, Ye Leyao had to cross the large garden.

It was late summer, and the weather was still a bit hot. Under the streetlights, there were plenty of mosquitoes and bugs flying around in the grass.

Ye Leyao was terrified of mosquitoes. Every time he got bitten, his arms would swell up.

He quickened his pace, planning to hurry to the director’s tent, but after just two steps, he suddenly heard a familiar voice—

“Xia Yang, I swear, there’s nothing going on between me and Qian Yue! She likes me, but I turned her down! You know that the only person I like is you!”

Ye Leyao’s eyes widened in shock.

[This is vocal!!! I didn’t mean to eavesdrop!]

[But now that I think about it, was that just recorded?]

Ye Leyao turned around and locked eyes with the cameraman.

The cameraman had the same shocked expression and, as if understanding what Ye Leyao was thinking, nodded the camera up and down.

To ensure the best live broadcast effect, the production team was using top-of-the-line equipment.

If they could hear everything clearly, then the audience in the live broadcast definitely could too.

That line must have gone out.

At the same time.

Huo Yan and Qin Yao, who were upstairs organizing their luggage, both froze.

Eavesdropping? On a live broadcast?

The next second, Qin Yao and Huo Yan both pulled out their phones and opened Ye Leyao’s live stream.

At this moment, the screen was flooded with “?” and “!” messages.

The comments were a downpour of:

—”Huh?”

—”What?”

—”If I’m not mistaken, that was Yu Bai’s voice?”

—”So Yu Bai likes Xia Yang?!”

Huo Yan’s lips curled into a smile.

It looks like there’s going to be quite the show tonight!