The Whole Internet Is Shipping Us Like Crazy? No, I'm Here to Survive a Trial

Three days after Love Emergency officially announced its cast, Weibo's servers crashed twice.

The first time was because the production team revealed the identity of the legendary "non-celebrity male guest"—Huo Si.

Although there was only a silhouette poster showing his back, those broad shoulders, narrow waist, and long legs, along with the wildly arrogant caption, "Here for one person only," instantly set the entire internet ablaze.

Netizens went insane: [This is a non-celebrity? This is the God of Wealth descending to earth, damn it!] [Who is it? Who's the little vixen who made the untouchable Buddha of Beijing's elite circle fall for someone?]

The second crash happened because Jian Ning reposted the Weibo post with the caption:

[Want this blessing? [smile.jpg]]

The haters immediately stormed the battlefield: [Does Jian Ning have any shame? President Huo came for the mysterious guest. Why are you clout-chasing?] [Take President Huo away, reject this ugly nobody!]

The day of filming, six in the morning.

Jian Ning was still playing chess with Zhou Gong in his dreams—and winning two hundred million off him—when a frantic doorbell woke him up.

Still groggy, he crawled out of bed and went to answer the door with a hand clutching his messy hair.

The moment the door opened, several pitch-black cameras were shoved right into his face.

"Surprise! Good morning, Teacher Jian! This is our surprise livestream segment!" The host beamed brightly.

Jian Ning: "..."

[Surprise my ass! It's only six in the morning! Are you demons?]

[Good thing Huo Si, that workaholic, went to the office to work overtime last night and didn't come back. Otherwise, the second I opened that door, the whole place would reek of sugar daddy. I could announce my retirement on the spot.]

Although Huo Si was not there, the villa itself was one enormous bug.

The host looked at the eight-meter-high luxurious living room behind him, then at the priceless-looking original paintings hanging on the walls. His smile gradually froze.

"Teacher Jian... is this your home?"

Wasn't Jian Ning rumored to be some pitiful little thing exploited by his company and living in a basement? What was this mansion?

Jian Ning's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately switched into bullshitting mode.

"Ah... this? It belongs to my very rich distant cousin-uncle! He went abroad and asked me to look after the place. And feed his dog while I'm at it."

[That's right! Cousin-uncle! Huo Si, from today onward, you're my cousin-uncle!]

To change the subject, Jian Ning hurriedly led them toward the living room. "Weren't you going to inspect my luggage? Come on, come on, I've already packed my suitcase."

In the middle of the living room sat a pink twenty-eight-inch suitcase.

Uncle Chen, the butler, had given it to him last night, saying Mr. Huo had "personally" instructed someone to pack it. Jian Ning had been exhausted at the time and had gone straight to sleep without even looking inside.

"Then let's open it?" The host rubbed his hands together, while the livestream comments flew past at breakneck speed.

The suitcase opened with a snap.

The first thing inside was a neatly arranged set of clean clothes, folded into perfect tofu-block squares, radiating the strict style of a compulsive perfectionist.

The host picked up a T-shirt. "Teacher Jian, you packed everything so neatly... Huh? What's this?"

Buried among the clothes, he found something hard and gleaming gold.

He pulled it out and looked—

A palm-sized miniature trash can made of pure gold?

There was even a line engraved on it: [Only for Jian Ning].

The entire room fell silent.

The livestream comments read:

[????]

[A pure gold trash can? What kind of nouveau riche taste is this?]

[Am I the only one focused on the English engraving? This was custom-made? Who gave it to him?]

Jian Ning's face instantly turned bright red.

[Huo Si! Are you sick?!]

[Fine, you turned that big Golden Trash Can into merchandise, but why did you stuff it into my suitcase?!]

[Are you afraid people won't know I'm a money-grubber who only collects junk?!]

Jian Ning snatched the Golden Trash Can back and gave an awkward laugh. "This... this is my lucky charm! Right! It attracts wealth! Um... let's look at the next thing!"

Trying not to laugh, the host continued rummaging.

And that was when he uncovered a major problem.

At the very bottom of the suitcase were two sets of pajamas.

One was Jian Ning's usual Doraemon cartoon pajamas.

The other...

Was a black silk robe that clearly belonged to an adult man. It was obviously a size larger than Jian Ning's, and an understated letter—"H"—was embroidered over the chest.

The host held up the black robe, his eyes immediately turning gossipy.

"Teacher Jian... is this yours too? It looks... a little big, doesn't it?"

Jian Ning's pupils shook.

[Fuck! Isn't this Huo Si's robe? Why is it in here?!]

[Uncle Chen! Did you pack the wrong thing? Or did that old bastard Huo Si deliberately put it in here to mark his territory?]

[It's over, it's over. Even jumping into the Yellow River won't wash this clean!]

The livestream completely exploded.

[H? Huo? Huo Si?!]

[Oh my god! What am I shipping? Is this solid proof that they live together?]

[Jian Ning must have stolen President Huo's robe to clout-chase! Shameless!]

Jian Ning's brain raced at top speed. At this critical moment, he suddenly remembered the cousin-uncle persona the System had just mentioned.

Without changing expression or missing a beat, he took the robe and said calmly,

"Oh, this? I brought it for my cousin-uncle. He's abroad... and he's particular about where he sleeps. He insisted I bring his robe to the show, said he wanted it to absorb some human warmth."

The host: "...Your cousin-uncle is quite particular."

[As if anyone would believe that! What nephew brings his uncle's robe onto a dating show?!]

The chaotic luggage inspection finally came to an end.

Wiping cold sweat from his brow, Jian Ning boarded the production team's bus and headed to the filming location—South Bay Island.

Besides him, there were three other male guests on the bus.

Apart from Jian Ning, the "black-and-red top star," there was Kevin, a popular young idol from a boy band; a retired esports legend; and a refined university professor.

The moment Kevin got on the bus, he rolled his eyes at Jian Ning. He had clearly watched the earlier livestream and deeply disdained Jian Ning's clout-chasing behavior.

"Some people stuff all kinds of random nonsense into their suitcases just to get attention. Do they really think they can attract President Huo that way?" Kevin said sarcastically.

Jian Ning put on his eye mask and could not be bothered to respond.

[Attract President Huo? Is that even something I need to do? I can't shake him off even if I want to, okay?]

[Sigh, I wonder when Huo Si is coming. If he dares say anything stupid on the show, I'll put that Golden Trash Can over his head!]

Two hours later, the bus arrived at the South Bay Island pier.

Since filming was taking place on an island, the guests had to transfer to a boat.

It was noon, and the blazing sun hung high overhead.

A shabby-looking fishing boat bobbed violently on the waves at the pier. The director's team shouted through a megaphone.

"Guests, in order to test everyone's sincerity, we'll be taking this 'boat of love' to Heart Island! Only love that has endured wind and waves can be the strongest!"

Kevin looked at the fishy-smelling boat, and his face turned green. "Director, isn't there a speedboat? How are we supposed to ride that thing? My shoes are limited edition!"

The director remained iron-faced and impartial. "No. Those are the rules."

Just as everyone grumbled and prepared to jump aboard while holding their noses,

A low rumble suddenly came from the distant sea.

Everyone looked up.

A sleek, snow-white luxury yacht was cutting through the waves like an elegant giant shark.

Two rows of black-clad bodyguards in uniforms stood on the deck, their presence utterly overwhelming.

"Holy shit! Who is that?"

"That yacht... isn't that the Poseidon under Huo Group? There are only three of them in the world!"

Under everyone's stunned gazes, the yacht made a beautiful sweeping turn and docked steadily beside the battered fishing boat.

The huge wave it created nearly overturned the fishing boat.

The yacht's cabin door opened.

An automatic gangway slowly descended.

Huo Si wore a casual white linen shirt with the sleeves rolled up, exposing his strong forearms. He wore sunglasses, and the sea breeze lifted the hem of his shirt. He looked so handsome it was as if he were filming a blockbuster.

He took off his sunglasses and swept an indifferent gaze over the guests still standing there in disarray from the wind. Finally, his eyes landed precisely on Jian Ning, who stood at the very back and was trying to shrink himself into a quail.

"Jian Ning."

Huo Si's voice was not loud, but it carried clearly across the entire pier through the yacht's loudspeakers.

Jian Ning stiffened all over.

[Why are you calling me! Why are you calling me! Pretend you don't know me, big brother!]

[With you showing up in a yacht like this, how am I supposed to maintain my cousin-uncle persona?!]

Seeing how desperately Jian Ning wanted to burrow into a crack in the ground, the corner of Huo Si's lips curled almost imperceptibly.

He strode forward on his long legs but did not even walk down the gangway. Instead, he stood above them and extended his distinct-knuckled hand toward Jian Ning.

"Come up."

"My boat doesn't carry outsiders. But you are... family."

The entire place fell silent.

Three seconds later, screams erupted.

Kevin's face was slapped so hard it practically echoed.

The livestream comments went completely insane.

[Family?! What the hell do you mean, family?!]

[His cousin-uncle really is Huo Si?! Jian Ning wasn't lying?!]

[I knew it! I knew there was something up with that suitcase! Jian Ning, get up there! Don't make your husband wait anxiously!]

Jian Ning stared at the hand extended toward him.

The sunlight was too dazzling. The sea behind Huo Si glittered brightly, but the light in his eyes was even brighter.

[Family my ass...]

[Fine. For the sake of not having to ride that broken fishing boat, this young master will reluctantly be family for once.]

Jian Ning took a deep breath and walked up the gangway step by step beneath everyone's envious, jealous, and hateful gazes.

He placed his hand in Huo Si's palm.

It was instantly gripped tightly.

Huo Si pulled him forcefully to his side, then lowered his head and chuckled by his ear.

"Cousin-uncle?"

"Jian Ning, your seniority has risen rather quickly."

Jian Ning's face turned crimson. Grinding his teeth, he muttered under his breath,

"Shut up! When we get back, I'm cutting that robe into rags!"

Huo Si raised an eyebrow. "Cut it up? Then tonight... we'll have no choice but to sleep naked."

Jian Ning was left speechless by the words "sleep naked."

The two stood side by side on the yacht's deck as the sea breeze swept past them, creating a picture so pleasing to the eye it looked like a painting.

But at that moment, the System's notification sounded at the most inappropriate time.

[ Ding! The variety show instance has officially begun! ]

[ Main quest: During the upcoming Heart-Flutter Preliminary Selection, avoid Huo Si and choose another male guest to pair with. ]

[ Quest reward: One Truth or Dare exemption. ]

[ Failure penalty: Confess your love to Huo Si in public for three minutes. ]

Jian Ning's vision went dark as he looked at the quest.

[Avoid Huo Si? Choose someone else?]

[System, are you trying to get me killed? If I dare choose someone else, Huo Si will probably tear this yacht apart tonight. Believe it or not?]

Huo Si seemed to sense his stiffness. He turned his head, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"What are you thinking about? If you're thinking about running away..."

He squeezed Jian Ning's fingers, his tone so gentle it sent chills down the spine.

"This is an island. Even if you run, I can catch you and bring you back. Lock you in... a little dark room."